Mable

Posted in Work and Professional Life by

A co-worker and I were on a roll with a brainstorming session today and decided to continue over a power lunch at Paradise Bakery. What’s better than firing the neurons while eating a yummy chicken walnut sandwich, complete with a Diet Coke and chocolate chip cookie? Why, nothing!

We had a great work lunch and about 1:30 packed it in to head back to the office. We got all the way out to my car when K realized he’d left his notebook inside. I told him to run and grab it and I’d pull the car around. Which is just what I did.

When I got up to the front, I parked along the side and waited. I was watching a girl that was coming out because she had HUGE guns. No, not firearms, biceps. I mean this chick was buff! Was she an athlete or weight lifter? If an athlete, what kind. She was broad shouldered, like a swimmer but could also be a gymnast. These are the thoughts that were going through my mind when I first saw Mable.

Well, that’s what I’m calling her. I don’t really know this woman’s name but she looked like someone who could be a Mable. She was a tiny little old lady, with a cane, and she was hobbling toward my car. At first I thought she might walk right by, but then she turned around the front right corner and started to inch along the curb toward the passenger door. That’s when K came out. He caught up and got behind her.

Then we both realized she was trying to hitch a ride. I had the window all the way down so I said, “Ma’am, you have the wrong car.”

She didn’t seem to hear me.

She pulled on the handle and opened the door. K then said, “Um, excuse me, you are at the wrong car.”

From behind us I could hear a woman shouting, “MOM! THAT’S THE WRONG CAR!”

Mable had the door open by now and was starting to climb inside my car! She literally had one foot inside and was trying to hoist herself up. We continued to tell her she was in the wrong car. At one point she said, “Are we holding up that car behind us?” Um, no, that’s your car!

She got all the way inside and then turned to look at me, most likely to complain about the rude young man following her and telling her to get out, when she made eye contact. That’s when she realized I was not her daughter. Her eyes got all big and she said, “Oh my! This is the wrong car!”

Oh really? No way!

Her daughter had run up to my car by that point and started to help her out. They both apologized profusely. K and I got a good laugh out of it. K said he was waiting for her to pull out a thing of MACE and spray me for trying to hijack her daughters vehicle.

All this just because K forgot his notebook.

 

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Annexed: The Night Out

Runnin’ On Empty

All done

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by

I am going on about 40 hours of wake time on only 2 hours of sleep. Ya’ll are lucky I’m able to type complete sentences at this point. As soon as I click “Publish” on this post I am diving in to my bed and (hopefully) not coming out until tomorrow morning.

Why did I not get any sleep last night? Three words – Isabella is sick.

Her nose started running mid afternoon but otherwise she was acting fine and being her normal self. CJ and I had sand volleyball so my parents came over to baby-sit and we headed out. When we got home, my mom said that Isabella had a hard time going to sleep and was waking up crying quite a bit. Sometimes she does that so I didn’t think too much of it. I sat down to watch my DVRed American Idol from Wednesday and eat a yummy juicy cheeseburger.

About an hour later, it started. The first cry. A sense of dread came over me but I pushed it away.

Munchkin had dropped an oobie so I gave it to her and left the room. But she did not stop crying. She carried on and on. I went back in and picked her up. Usually a little love and time in the rocker will do the trick. Not this time.

The crying escalated. I offered her juice but she refused. I sang/snuggled/rocked/hugged but it did nothing. I had to pin her down to get her to take some Ibuprofen and even then she spit most of it back out.

Then she started writhing. I tell you, it was like she was possessed. She arched her back and tried to throw herself out of my arms. Then she wriggled around until her back was pressed up against me, reached her arms back and tried to claw my face off. I’m not even kidding. She left a good scratch on the left side too. I don’t think she seriously was trying to hurt me. The only thing I could figure is that she was so miserable all she could do was writhe and squirm. Poor little thing didn’t know what else to do.

I started to talk to her then, calmly and softly, and basically just have a conversation. I asked her what was hurting her. If her ears ached, if her nose was sore, if her tummy was upset. She actually stopped crying to listen to me. It calmed her down enough to where she snuggled in and nodded back to sleep. I rocked her for a good 5 minutes, to make sure she was out, and then gently put her back to bed.

20 minutes later she was up screaming again. This cycle went on all night.

See, she would fall asleep and then wake up at some point because her nose was stuffy. When she awoke, she’d discover that she’d dropped an oobie and start crying. Then she’d realize she was feeling poopie and the crying would get worse.

I went to bed around 10:30 p.m. and CJ took over. At 11:30 p.m. I woke up to her screaming again and CJ was having trouble calming her down. So I got up to help. We used the bulb syringe to suck some goobers out of her nose, which she was none too happy about, and finally got her back to sleep.

She was awake 30 minutes later.

This time when I picked her up she said, “All done…” like just by saying it, the cold and misery would be over. I wish it was that easy too.

I finally decided that the only way to keep her asleep, and us from getting up and out of bed all night, was to just have her lay down with me. If I brought her in to our bed, she’d keep us both up, so I took her out to the living room and we laid on the couch. She immediately passed out, snuggled up to me. I however, could not sleep. I was not in the most comfortable position. True to form, every time she dropped an oobie, she woke up. For the most part, she was finally able to get some sleep this way. I think it really helped her to be in someone’s arms. She felt safe.

I however was watching the time tick by and counting how many hours of sleep I WASN’T getting!

Finally at 4:30 a.m. I decided enough was enough and I needed to try for SOME sleep. I took her back to her room. She seemed out of it enough that she could be on her own. I slept for an hour and then she woke up. I made CJ get up with her this time, though I struggled to fall back asleep. Then my alarm went off and that was that.

As tired as I am and as much as I wanted to sleep, taking care of Isabella was #1. Knowing she was able to sleep in my arms, and having her snuggle up to me, did feel good. I want her to always know that she is safe with mommy and daddy. Someday soon she will not want  to snuggle with us so I might as well enjoy it now!

Time to jet to bed. Well, maybe some ice cream and Grey’s Anatomy first. Pray that I’m able to get some sleep tonight!

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You Capture: Pink

Posted in You Capture by

The assignment this week was “pink”. That could mean a lot of things and I like these themes that are so broad. The interpretations are so much fun! Here’s what I came up with.

Playground Pink

pink turtle

I think this turtle ride used to be a bright red once upon a time. But over the years it has been much used and faded to a dull pink. I thought this was a good one to use some focal black and white affects on. The black and white adds to the mood of the picture – a lone turtle, waiting for someone to come and ride it.

Pink Pajamas

pink jammies

Isabella was playing with our lamp and having a helluva time turning it on and off. It worked out well because the lamp provided just the right light source to snap this pic in her favorite jammies!

Pretty Pink

pink egg

Can’t have a pink picture this week without an homage to Easter. We had Isabella help us color the eggs. She was not that interested in putting the eggs in the dye. She kept saying “Put it back!” So instead she watched while CJ and I colored them. I got all fancy with this marbled one! Winking smile

There you have it! My pink for the week!

Head on over to I Should be Folding Laundry to see what others did this week. Special love to Beth who hooked me up with a $50 gift card to Anthropologie in a giveaway! Yippee!

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Vacation from my Vacation

Posted in Family, Holidays and Seasons by

With my new job, I now get to enjoy extra days off. It’s a beautiful little concept called Exchange Holidays! That gives me 3 extra holidays a year! Boo-yah! My first official exchange holiday was last Friday (Good Friday) so I am coming off of a 3 day weekend.

And now I need a few days to recover from it.

CJ and I basically saw this weekend as a chance to hammer out more work on the house. Isabella saw it as a chance to put mom to the test. The combination resulted in aching muscles, tired eyes and frazzled nerves.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

CJ and I are dividing the house work up based on ability. He has the knowledge and skills to do lots of construction type work, having been in the biz for 30+ years, and I am really good at bossing him around.   This weekend, he was focusing on getting our bedroom/bathroom finished up, along with various other things (including an unexpected plumbing project). I was going to be the one in charge of Munchkin so that he could work. I was really looking forward to spending the extra time with Isabella. Boy did I get a taste for what being a stay-at-home parent is like!

Friday was good. We played, we had snacks, and we ran to the store for some miscellaneous stuff. After she awoke from her nap, we went outside as it was a nice afternoon. She tried to help me pick up Samson’s dog poop using her bare hands. Luckily I caught her before she touched anything! I must have looked like a freak to my neighbors as I frantically waved my arms in the air and yelled NO!NO!NO!NO! 

I can hear then now, “Gee Bill, I wonder what kind of interpretive dance Sarah is doing over there? Huh. Oh, maybe she got stung by a bee…”

I decided to take Munchkin to the park since it was so nice and neither of us wanted to go in. After playing for a few minutes, she decided it would be super fun to push the stroller so I let her push it all the way back home (about 2 blocks)!

Saturday is when the trouble started. I think Isabella has a little cold, or else she’s getting some teeth, and she was really crabby. 

The morning was fine and she had an epic 2.5 hour nap after lunch. When she woke up we went back outside to play. It was a colder day though so we couldn’t stay out as long. She wanted to pick up flags.  A few weeks ago CJ staked little flags out in our yard to mark the sprinkler heads so that the aerator guys wouldn’t run over them. Then he had Isabella go out and help him pick them up. Child labor is a beautiful thing. She remembered that and wanted to do it again, only there weren’t any to pick up! Well, ok, there was one. So I let her go out front and get that one but I wouldn’t let her run around with it for fear she’d fall and jab herself in the eye. Then I’d have to rush her to the hospital and she’d end up wearing an eye patch. I was not about to have her become a pirate and go blind on my watch!

She got very angry that she had to a) give the flag up and b) go inside. The cry-fest lasted for about an hour, off and on. I had to make a storage run and I asked begged CJ to come with. I was running on fumes and needed the extra help. I figured we could all go together, then stop and grab some chinese on the way back (food, not people). Crab Rangoon make everything better.

She whined/cried for most of the trip, partway during dinner and through her bath (which she normally loves). It took 30 minutes to get her to bed too. By the time all that was done, I was drained. 

Easter Sunday started out great. We got up, had breakfast, did an egg hunt and Isabella got her Easter basket. It was getting to be about 10:30am and she was very tired. She started acting up. She wanted to be held and then she yanked on my hair. When I reprimanded her for it, she started crying.

That was all it took to break the dam loose.

She cried and cried and cried. For a solid hour. I tried everything and eventually just figured there was nothing I could do. I changed her in to her Easter dress (which I never got a picture of because of all the meltdown) and got her ready to go. Magically, a cure for her distress was found – hangers. Yes, that’s right, clothes hangers. In her teary-eyed daze, she wandered over to her closet and pulled out 2 hangers that were on the floor. She clutched those in her little hands and wouldn’t let go. She even took them with her to grandma’s house. Hey, fine with me. If I had known that, I would have given her that for Easter!

The rest of the day was basically more of the same. She had a few good hours here or there and then would break out in tears. We managed to get her through the egg hunt before laying her down for her nap. She was so beyond tired at that point that she refused to sleep. My mom had to use her super grandma powers to rock Munchkin to sleep. When she was finally down, a moratorium was put on the house that no one was to make a sound for fear she’d wake up. All the guys took that as their cue to nap too. Us women spent the time gossiping over cheese and crackers while the kids played outside. When Munckhin awoke, she went out and joined them.

Once we got home, she broke out in more fits and it again took about 30 minutes to get her to sleep.

By the end of the day, I was actually looking forward to going to work, just to get a break from the tantrums.

I tell ya what, I have renewed respect for my amazing husband who stays at home with Isabella every day. From the outside looking in, I get jealous that he gets all this time with our little darling while I’m at work dealing with deadlines and things. While he is lucky to spend so much time with her, and be a part of things I can’t, it’s not all fun and games and can be very exhausting. I definitely got a taste of that this weekend.

If only Arbor Day was an Exchange Holiday. I could really use another day off.

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Smarty Pants

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by

I think I’m in for some trouble.

My 18 month old is officially smarter than me.

Well, almost. She will be before too long and then I’ll be at a disadvantage. I feel like I need to go back to college just to stay 2 steps ahead of her!

Below are the things she did tonight that made me realize my fate.

1. She knows what money is.

Isabella has had a piggy bank ever since she was born and every once in a while I’ll stick some change in it. When she got old enough to be more dexterous, she began to do it herself. Tonight, I had 2 quarters fall out of my pocket so I told her we could put some money in her piggy bank (though I didn’t tell her what it was). She ran to her room and yelled “Piggy bank!” When I handed the money to her she said, “Quarters!” Surprised smile I had no idea she knew what a quarter was! Then I thought maybe she called all change the same thing so I got a nickel, dime and penny. She was able to point out the penny right away. The nickel and dime I had to help her with. I hope this trend continues so that one day soon she will become the worlds youngest millionaire. Then she can buy me the island.

2. She ate with a spoon

We have been working and working with her on how to use utensils. She pretty much just waves them around or beats them on the table. But tonight, she actually dipped her spoon in the yogurt cup and used it the right way! And she ate the whole entire cup of yogurt like that!

yogurt

She still managed to make quite a mess but boy did she have fun!

3. She carried on a real conversation

For dessert tonight, I gave Munchkin some Spiderman fruit snacks. This is what happened:

  • Isabella: Hello Spiderman!
  • Me (pretending to be Spiderman): Hello Isabella!
  • Isabella: How are you?
  • Me: Good, how are you?
  • Isabella: Fine. Thank you amazing Spiderman.
  • Me: Uh, you’re welcome

I just sort of stared at her for a minute after that. She stared back at me, and then said, “All done Mama. Get down now.”

Oh yeah, right.

I tell ya, this girl continues to amaze me every day. And it scares me a little too. I clearly remember the day that I surpassed my dad in mathematics knowledge, which is not easy because my dad taught Jr. High math for 35 years. I  came home from high school, I think I was a freshman, and asked him to help me with my calculus assignment. He looked at the book, sighed and then said, “I’m afraid you’re beyond me now.” I saw a glimmer of sadness in his eyes because at that moment he knew I was growing up and would someday not need him anymore.

I know it will be a long time before that day comes for Isabella. But tonight was a reminder of just how quickly she is growing and learning. Some times I want to just stop time and stay here forever.

Then she has a massive poopie diaper or temper tantrum and that takes care of that.

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