Stuff
Oh, what a day. It was long but it was good.
I started trying to teach my kids today, as if they were in preschool. They did pretty well, but Mikaela kept getting the wiggles and I had to keep changing activities to keep her attention. The kids played with play-doh, colored with crayons and markers, put puzzles together and glued shapes on constrution paper. We read books, sang songs, played educational games and went over everything preschool-y, like colors, the alphabet and numbers…
Anyway, the kids seemed to enjoy it. They are both so smart. (Not that I’m biased or anything).
Around lunchtime, I got a call from a friend wanting to meet at Gatti-land, this local place that’s somewhat like Chuck-E-Cheese. The two women I met there had three kids each, so between the three of us, we had eight kids. It was mildly chaotic but nice at the same time. After the kids ate, we took them to the park. It’s been SO nice outside – our highs have been in the 70s for most of the last 2 weeks.
While I was out at lunch, I got a call from an agency wanting to meet with me tomorrow about a job I applied for. It’s a 4-month contract position with a high-tech company here in town. I would be editing and managing projects. I don’t know if there’s any hope in the position turning into something permanent; I guess I’ll find out in the interview tomorrow. Anyway, I’m excited. The woman who called me about the position sounded like she really wanted to give me the job. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, since I’ve had so many prospective jobs fall through, but this sounds like a definite possibility.
Back to the kids … Mikaela has been chattering away all day. Some of the cute stuff:
She pointed to my chest and said “ELBOW!” (Note to self – stop wearing bras that make boobs look like elbows.)
She drew a circle on her paper, pointed to it and said “apple!”
She rolled a long crescent shape out while playing with her yellow play-doh, and pointed to it and said, “banana!” Then, she squished it flat and said, “moon!”
While we were taking a nap together (sometimes I let her nap in my bed), she decided that a mole on my arm must be dirt, so she licked her finger and tried to rub it off.
Tonight, we went out for ice cream. I got her a cup of strawberry ice cream with sprinkles (she’s never had sprinkles). She promptly took her napkin and tried to wipe the sprinkles off.
That’s all folks. I’ve got a big day ahead of me tomorrow – lots to do. I’ll update you if I happen to get hired on the spot tomorrow.
Animals
Two sites I’m addicted to:
Cute Overload, which features cute animals and is updated regularly. The main page features a little bit of everything, but if you want to see something specific, like kittens or bunnies, go to the category list on the right side of the page.
Also, I’ve just discovered the Afri-Cam, a live camera trained on a watering hole in South Africa that lets you watch and hear African critters. Keep checking back, I promise you’ll see something eventually. It’s fascinating. I’ve seen wildebeast (spelling?), and Jay’s seen baboons and lions.
No more ‘Mooshie’
After my recent development of asthma, we’ve gotten rid of the dog. A very nice lady came and picked her up yesterday. I really need to not get any more pets… I have a horrible track record of getting pets and then getting rid of them for one reason or another. Another reason a shrink would have a field day with me, I’m sure.
Ladykiller
Is my son handsome or what?
I admit, I might be biased. But seriously.
He had me in stitches a couple of days ago. We were on our way home from shopping and it was around lunchtime. He pipes up from the backseat: “WUNCH, mama! I be hungy!”
He also made me laugh the other night when he told me very seriously that he wanted “jooce NOT milk” in his cup.
We’re obviously still not “there” yet, but his communication skills are a lot better.
My favorite thing about him, though? The fact that he will come up, kiss me and say “I love mama!” unprompted. I wouldn’t trade that for a million bucks!!!
Spring has sprung?
It’s been REALLY nice here in Austin the last couple of days. The highs have been in the upper 70s and it’s been sunny and beautiful. The kids have been having a blast playing outside. If it stays like this much longer, the trees are going to bloom!
This is the only reason I will grudgingly admit I like living in Texas. If we were still in Tennessee, we’d probably be freezing our butts off right about now.
Anyway, today I took the kids to the park with a friend. There was a duck pond there. Upon arriving at the park, Mikaela promptly walked up to one of the birds, patted it on the back and said, “HI, DUCK!” It’s a wonder it didn’t peck her eyes out. After talking to the ducks, she ran over to the playground, where she climbed the tallest slide – about 8 feet off the ground – and slid down. I let her do it, but I was standing right below her in case she fell. That child has no fear whatsoever. I guess that could be a good thing and a bad thing.
The spring-y weather is supposed to continue for at least the next few days, so I’ll be taking advantage of it! It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when it’s so nice out.
Stinky gets a bath
That baby doll I wrote about in the last post? Mikaela gave it a bath today. IN THE TOILET. Sigh.
Incidentally, it DOES smell better.
If you need me, I’ll be scrubbing my toilet.
Meet stinky
I bought this doll for my daughter today as a belated birthday present (last time I went to the store, they were out of it).
After we took the doll out of the box, it had a very strong vinyl/plastic-y smell. After I noticed that Mikaela wasn’t playing with it, I asked her if she liked her doll, to which she replied: “oh, MAN! Dat baby stinky!” – while waving her hand in front of her face and wrinkling her nose up to indicate disgust.
Britney’s new buzz
So, Britney Spears is now sporting a bald head. Is somebody a little hard up for attention?
She oughta kill herself, that would guarantee at least a weeks’ worth of devoted media attention a la Anna Nicole.
Seriously, what is Britney’s problem? She’s like a teenager trying to prove something to the world. I know there’s supposedly no such thing as bad publicity, but do you really want to walk through life being a punchline?
I’d rather remain a nobody and preserve my dignity, thanks.
Sunday … 5 years!!
Sunday has been five years since my melanoma surgery. Which means, if the cancer were to have had recurred, it probably would have already. Good milestone.
Melanoma, for those that don’t know, is a skin cancer, and one of the fastest-spreading, deadliest cancers. Your best chances of survival come from early detection. Mine was caught early.
I was only 23 when I was diagnosed. Don’t believe the myth that only old people get cancer… if you have a doubt about something, go see your doctor!
I have always been very open about the cancer in hopes that it will raise people’s awareness. Almost all cancer deaths are preventable if you get your checkups and heed your body’s signals and signs that things are not right.
This PSA provided to you free of charge.
Mikaela
This photo is the essence of my daughter – wild-eyed, messy hair, carefree. She could barely stop moving long enough for me to get the shot.
She’s really developed quite a personality over the last 6 months or so, and every day with her presents new challenges and lots of laughs. She is incredibly mischevious, but it’s hard to stay mad at her because I know her curiosoty just gets the best of her. I just have to stay one step ahead of her. She gets into things that Gabriel never figured out how to get into (or didn’t care to). Like a couple of days ago when I found her spraying my hairspray and clogging the toilet with as much toilet paper as she could stuff in it. Why? Because she can. I’ve stopped wondering why with this child. I have learned that Gabriel thinks it’s hilarious when she misbehaves, so if I hear him laughing hysterically, I know to come running. Hysterical laughter and silence that lasts longer than 30 seconds are always bad things.
I know I’ve probably mentioned all this on here before, but she knows how to say her alphabet pretty well, and can count to 10 (although she always skips “3″). I guess this is normal for her age; Gabriel still can’t do either. I know, in time … I’m just saying, I don’t really have a frame of reference as to language milestones set in my head because of his delay. Anyway, Mikaela can communicate pretty well. Some examples:”mo juice, mama” “oh, gross! (directed at her dirty diaper)” “get baff (I want to take a bath)” “ree a book (read me a book)” “dat papa’s shoes” “no, mooshie, ge down (no, Lucy, get down)” … you get the drift. It’s fun teaching her things because she actually tries to repeat things when you say them. Oh, and sometimes she says things I don’t want her to. Like today, I heard hear exclaim “Oh, cap!” (oh, crap). That would be my fault. :/
My baby is turning 2 this weekend. We’re having a small family get-together. Jay got the party decorations today – Strawberry Shortcake. I am still on the mend, so I sent him to the party store. He did a good job.
I am looking forward to her birthday and dreading it, as well. My baby’s not going to really be a baby anymore. That makes me sad. Mama, kiss your babies. You blink, and all of a sudden, you have a two-year-old.
Another day
Went to the doctor today for a checkup. The doctor listened to my lungs and said they sounded “like crap.” Not what you want to hear. He thinks my pneumonia has spread. I had a really, really bad night last night. I had a coughing fit that lasted for 30 minutes …. no exaggeration.
It’s been over a week now since I’ve gone out of the house to anywhere but the doctor. I’m past stir-crazy. My poor kids and husband. I know I’ve been grouchy (okay, bitchy), and they’ve been so good at putting up with me. I feel bad, though, because my time with the kids this last week has consisted of them sitting on me while I lay on the couch watching TV.
I think I’ve officially decided to hold off on Mikaela’s birthday party until next weekend. At least she gets to go see Sesame Street live with her papa this Saturday. That oughta be a hoot.
In other news, I did my first official freelance work in two years for a magazine publisher near Nashville that I used to work for. I am going to be proofreading websites for them again. Yea. No, really – I enjoy it immensely. I just don’t know if they’re going to have enough workflow to make it a very profitable venture. Well, I guess something’s better than nothing.
Back in the land of the living (I think)
I don’t really have much to report. Been lounging on the couch in my jammies for days. TV officially sucks and I’ve read everything interesting in the house. I am ready to be well and get out of here.
And I am better. The drugs must be kicking in, because I’m not wheezing nearly as bad as I was.
I’m in crisis parenting mode, which means if the house isn’t burning down and no one is in grave danger, I don’t really care if the kids are grinding pop-tarts into the carpet (which they were). The stain will still be there in a few days when I feel like getting to it. Mother of the year, ain’t I? Hey, some days it’s a struggle just to keep your head above the water.
My dear friend Sarah brought me a giant vat of home-made veggie soup, pine bark and hawaiian bread yesterday, and brought the kids Valentine’s presents today. That was so sweet and thoughtful. There’s not many people who go to that kind of trouble for their friends anymore, and I was so touched.
Mikaela’s second birthday is this coming Sunday, and I officially have nothing planned. I’ve got to pull myself together. We are getting together with Jay’s family – if they dare come near my germies. I may just do the easy route and order pizza and get a local bakery to make a cake (we usually do our own). She’s probably not going to know the difference anyway.
My apologies in advance
I’m sorry for my whining. I don’t want this to be a blog where I come and whine about my many ailments. If you wanted to hear that, you could go to your grandparents’ house, right?
But.
This one tops them all. You ready?
Yesterday I went to a local clinic for shortness of breath. They diagnosed me with bronchitis and restrictive airway disease (the doctor’s description made it sound like a viral form of asthma). They gave me drugs and sent me home.
Today, I was having severe difficulty breathing, so I went to the ER. They did an X-ray and told me that I also have pneumonia. They gave me steroids, two breathing treatments, and sent me on my merry way. They said if I had any more trouble, to come back and they’d admit me.
I’m feeling a bit better, but still pretty wheezy. I have a newfound sympathy for asthmatics.
Thank God for Jay. He’s been keeping the kids while I’ve been hacking my lungs up.
I think I’ll go get some rest now.
OH MY GOSH
If you haven’t read the post right below this one, read it first.
So, I got up this morning and looked at my throat about 9 am. The spot was still there.
I went to the doctor at 10 am, and they looked and looked and couldn’t find anything. I was skeptical and wondered why on earth they couldn’t see something that I had most definitely seen.
I came home and looked in the mirror again after my appointment. The spot was GONE.
I know a lot of people don’t believe God still heals people today, but that’s a little too much of a conincidence, don’t you think? Jay said one of his co-workers prayed very fervently for my healing this morning. Amazing.
Sick again
This is getting to be an all-too-often recurring theme. Gabriel got sick on Saturday night, Mikaela followed suit early this week, and I came down with it yesterday. I guess it was a bad cold, although Gabriel had funny-looking sores in his mouth that the doctor said could be Cocksackie virus (spelling?), which is really no big deal. Common childhood thing.
Anyway, yesterday I felt like death warmed over until my fever broke at about 10:30 last night. Usually I can take Aleve or Tylenol and get the fever down to normal, but the lowest it would ever go with the drugs in me was still 100.2. Doesn’t sound like too much of a fever, but I had the aches and pains something awful. Thankfully, I feel better this morning.
I do have to go back to the doctor at 10 this morning for them to stick a tube down my throat to look at and possibly biopsy a suspicious ulcer. I have had more biopsies than I care to remember. When you’ve had cancer in your past, they take everything a little more seriously. Please pray that it goes well, though. Oh, I wish I never had to see another doctor again … I’m SO OVER IT!
In brighter news, next week marks 5 years since they removed the melanoma! Yea! Since I’ve had no recurrences, I might actually be able to go and get some life insurance again.
Good gosh, sorry for the depressing blog. Here, look at a cute picture and be happy.
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Parenting the strong-willed child
Before you have children (BC), it’s so easy to look at a parent of an unruly tyke and sniff superiorly, “My child will NEVER act like that! I won’t allow him to!”
Snort.
Here’s a news-flash for the unenlightened: kids are born with minds of their own. It’s the old nature vs. nurture debate. Sure, you can raise a kid “right,” doing all the things that ‘good’ parents do, but some bullheaded kids just have other ideas about what they want to do.
Take for example eating. I never understood why some parents allow their children to turn their noses up at the family dinner table, to later allow the child to have something else more to his liking. What a waste of food, I thought! I would just tell the kid, ‘eat this or go to bed hungry’ and he’d fall in line. Not so much. I tried that more than once and – surprise – the kids called my bluff and went to bed without eating a single thing. They’re already on the slim side, so that’s not something I want to make a habit of. So, when they don’t eat dinner now? They get a healthy snack at bedtime and/or a cup of Pediasure.
Aside from the dinner wars, which I think are pretty common, some kids just decide to challenge you at every turn. You say up, they say down. You say go to bed, they grin and run from you. You say let’s go, they fall in the floor and scream. This is my daughter, the 20-lb. spitfire.
Yes, I discipline. I am totally confident that I’m doing a good job of that. It’s just that her mischevious nature gets the better of her quite often, and she decides that whatever she wants to do is worth the risk. It’s just the way she was made – fearless. It’s scary.
God help me in her teen years. Maybe she’ll get it out of her system early.
Puppies
My puppy smells like dog. I gave her a bath, and she still smells like dog.
It would be nice if puppies smelled like babies.
Eh, they probably think we stink, too.
Go. Buy. This. Book. Right. NOW!
I am almost finished reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It’s a great book … very smart, witty and insightful. Probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. It will definitely make you examine yourself – but it’s not a book that lays a guilt-trip on you … it makes you feel hopeful for what could be.
Seriously. I want you to buy it.
Update on my father
My dad is back at home and doing fine following his heart catheterization today. The doctors said that his arteries weren’t bad enough to require a stint or anything more serious, but there was about 30-40% blockage. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Update on my dad
My dad is still in the hospital, and is having a heart cath tomorrow. Hopefully it will show that there’s nothing wrong, or that he just needs a stint. I’ll keep you posted.
My dad
My father is in the hospital with a possible heart attack. Would be his second one in the last two years. If you’re the praying type, please lift him up in prayer.
I can’t even talk about this. The possibility of losing my father would probably make me come completely unglued if I sat around and thought about it.
I may jet off to B’ham in the next couple of days, depending on what the diagnosis is. I’ll keep you posted, but may be out of pocket for awhile while I’m down there.
Update on diet
You never saw any more Nutri-system emails because I quit after 4 days. Their food was HORRIBLE. I don’t know how they stay in business. I tried to keep my chin up and keep a positive attitude about it, but it wasn’t happening. I mean, literally, their food is almost unedible. Maybe I’m picky, but I just didn’t like it at all. I respect someone who has the willpower to stay on it … they definitely have more willpower than me!
In the meantime, I’m trying to eat sensibly. It’s going pretty well, but I could always stand to improve. Now, I really need to find a good gym..
Long time no blog
Sorry, I’ve been tied up with the kids and new puppy. I’m exhausted. I never realized puppies cried all night like babies. She’s getting better, though.
I can’t believe it’s Thursday already. I’ve had a really busy week and it’s FLOWN by. Tuesday my church “home” group went to visit one of our members’ new babies. He was so cute! I wish I could shrink mine back to that size.
Wednesday morning, I went to a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group at the church. The kids get to play and get a Bible lesson, while the moms get to hear a speaker, eat breakfast, do a craft, and talk. It was fun, but I felt a bit like a fish out of water. The women were dressed much nicer than me (I was in jeans and a T-shirt) and looked fairly well-to-do. They were nice enough, though. It’s not that I don’t WANT to wear nice, matching outfits, but between my size and my budget (and the fact that the kids are running me ragged), that falls by the wayside.
Anyway, all day today, I scoured the local thrift stores and consignment shops for spring clothes for Mikaela. I also got a few new items at Target. She’s pretty well set, but will eventually need more shorts. It’s funny .. I get these weird nesting things every so often, and I’m like, “Must go shop for clothes for the children!! NOW!!” As if they will go naked if I don’t buy the next season’s clothes right that second. I can’t explain it. Must be a mom thing.
Tonight, I went and painted pottery with one of the girls from my church’s “home” group. It was nice to have a break from the kids and do something crafty. I can’t ever seem to get crafts done at home lately. Every time I leave the room, Mikaela wreaks havoc.
For example: two days ago, this was my day:
In the morning, I walked into the kitchen to find Mikaela wallowing in an entire roll of paper towels that she’d unraveled and thrown on the ground.
Later, I found her playing in the dog’s dish.
At naptime, I walked into her room to find her with no clothes on. I sat down to get her re-dressed, and sat in what I’m presuming is pee.
That evening, she got into my Scrabble game and fed letter tiles through the slats of the dog’s crate. I told my mom I hoped the dog didn’t poop vowels.
Sigh.
