Melissa is right... I did forget a year. I turned to Kevin upon reading her comment yesterday and said "HOW MANY HALLOWEENS HAS MATTHEW CELEBRATED??!" (Just like that all loud and shout-y like...) Kevin took his hand, held it up in front of my face and counted to FIVE with each little piggy. Dude, I suck.
Sure enough I am officially losing my mind.
Matthew was has been a:
skunk @ 7 months old
monkey @ one year of age
BOB THE BUILDER @ two years of age
Batman @ three years of age
Spider-man @ four years of age
Unfortunately, we have switched computers THREE times and I am a lazy beast and NEVER EVER make CDs of photos (back up what?) so I would actually have to WALK downstairs to get the Bob the builder photo. ANY WHO, GO me.
Speaking of three computers, we are getting another laptop so we can turf the huge desktop computer in the basement! Sweet freedom for both of us now! And we will actually have a computer we can hook our printer-scanner to (which is questionable because I have "cleaned up" the electronic CRAP in that room a dozen times since the printer was purchases SO finding the installation disk may be errrr difficult...) HIP HIP HOORAY! The best part about the new lap top - FREE. My boss is getting a new lap top and she has a year old Dell that was given to her by her bank (weird, right?) and she asked if we wanted the Dell. I was all over that like white on rice.
In short (or freakin' long), YEAH US and SCORE!
***
So this year the goal for Christmas is to down size in the gift department for many reasons:
* We do not want Matthew to grow to expect a ton for Christmas.
* We want to teach him what that time of year means outside of getting stuff.
* We feel money is tight but even if it was not we would not buy a ton.
* Matthew and Marisa will receive plenty of "stuff".
* We are working on downsizing the amount of stuff we already have.
* From our previous life in hockey, we realize the amount of stuff you have does not speak to how well you are doing. It is just stuff cluttering up our lives and making us feel horribly overwhelmed and oddly the more "stuff" we get the more unhappy we seem to feel! I refuse to let Fisher Price and Playskool crowd me out of my own house dammit! Especially by a poorly misspelled toy company no less!!!
With all of that said we have set a limit on spending for each child and for each other and our family members. We may go over with one person and under with another but it should all work out.
I am also trying to eliminate some of the plastic toys we have. There is SO much plastic. It drives me batty. When we first had Matthew I had this notion that I would never get him plastic stuff and yet here I am crowded out by plastic stuff. I can take solace in the fact that most of the plastic stuff is hand me downs or garage sale items but I feel like I got lost along the way.
And the sad part about all of the plastic stuff is that it mostly goes unused. No one looks at it after they play with it a few times. But the things that are cool, true treasures, are played with time and again. Books and hand made wooden blocks and crayons and cars/trucks. Of course, there are some plastic toys that they do play with like the FP barn - good purchase. Or the kitchen - good sturdy purchase with good resale! SO my goal this year is to reduce buying plastics for the kids.
The other goal I have set is to buy nothing that requires batteries. I removed everything that requires batteries from the kid's Amazon wish lists and I am hoping beyond hope that the relatives do not go out on their own and buy something that requires batteries. We have SO many thing that do require batteries and my gawd it is infuriating that I let this happen. The worst part?! Most of these items have been bought by YOURS TRULY. I do not even replace the batteries anymore. If they want to use something really badly they have to make the noises themselves. Seriously! I am over the batteries.
We do have one thing that Matthew received last year that I was completely against when he first got it but it ended up being helpful on road trips and times when we need some down time - the Leapster 2. I am all for technology but dude my kid does not need an hour of TV and several more in front of the computer. Yes, we live in an age where that is all around but trust me at four he does not need it. However he is getting bored with the one game he has and I am tired of replacing the batteries on it so we may add some stuff to that.
I am working on getting Matthew back down to reasonable amount of screen time. An hour is all he gets per day and now that Marisa is noticing the TV more and more it is going to be enforced. I want to get back in control right now and I am going to weld that control. I know a lot of people do it differently or disagree with me about this. I not judging anyone but myself - SERIOUSLY! We are all different peeps and we are all great mommas and daddys. Matthew would sit in front of the TV like a vegetable (as my mom used to say) 24/7 if he were given the chance so there is a reason I am into limiting his screen time! The one thing recently that Matthew has brought to my attention in a million ways - the amount of marketing those shows do to kids his age. Seriously I am over that too.
I have actually failed already and bought something with batteries but I am planning to return it tomorrow AM. I realized what I did and I was like 'HUH well he wants something spiderman anyway so let's take it back'. It is sort of fun to think outside the box and come up with different things that I know he will like. Let's put this in perspective - most everything I have for him so far are things he requested and they are mostly plastic (he wanted things to go with his Bat cave which recently made the move to his room!) but at least I am removing the battery element. And for Marisa I can probably entirely avoid plastic and batteries so she will be easier.
SO the long and short of it we are playing BA HUMBUG to Christmas and its excess AND little to no plastic/battery run items. Goodness couldn't I have just said that? What about you? Any plans to downsize this Christmas season?? Do things differently for Christmas?
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Halloween Through The Years
I was going to post some other fun new photos of the kids but then I got to thinking about how much Matthew has changed over the past few years and cool Halloween was this year because he has changed so much and is such a big boy seemingly all of a sudden.
SO I thought it would be fun to look at the kids through the years! I cannot access his FIRST FIRST Halloween when he was the world's cutest lil 7 month old-ish SKUNK eva (you will have to trust me on this) but here are years 2-4!
Age 2 - Monkey (Is that a banana in your pocket?!)
Age 3 - Batman (duna duna duna BATMAN!)
Age 4 - Spider-man (Spider-man Spider-man does whatever a spider can...)
AND next year Matthew has already requested to be a Jedi with a light saber which OMGAW SQUEEEE - I am SO SO SO going to be something Star Wars too... yes I am THAT dorky!
Then there is Marisa who well see for yourself...
Age almost 4 months old - Pumpkin baby (we opted to (cheap) not buy a costume last year because (cheap) she was such a wee peanut.)
Age 1 - Ladybug (Flutter flutter flutter)
Any who kinda fun to see how they have changed through the past few Halloweens!
SO I thought it would be fun to look at the kids through the years! I cannot access his FIRST FIRST Halloween when he was the world's cutest lil 7 month old-ish SKUNK eva (you will have to trust me on this) but here are years 2-4!
Age 2 - Monkey (Is that a banana in your pocket?!)
Age 3 - Batman (duna duna duna BATMAN!)
Age 4 - Spider-man (Spider-man Spider-man does whatever a spider can...)
AND next year Matthew has already requested to be a Jedi with a light saber which OMGAW SQUEEEE - I am SO SO SO going to be something Star Wars too... yes I am THAT dorky!
Then there is Marisa who well see for yourself...
Age almost 4 months old - Pumpkin baby (we opted to (cheap) not buy a costume last year because (cheap) she was such a wee peanut.)
Age 1 - Ladybug (Flutter flutter flutter)
Any who kinda fun to see how they have changed through the past few Halloweens!
The Dead Zone
I decided that since last week was kind of a dead week between training schedules I would take advantage of it by doing...
NOTHING!
Whoooo HOOO YE HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAA.
Today, I realize a few things:
* What a shitty idea to take a break from exercising the same week piles and pounds of Halloween candy, specifically CHOCOLATE, specifically cute little Twix bars, tiny sweet Snickers bars and those chocolate covered waffles of goodness Kit Kats, are floating ALL OVER THE FUCKING PLACE.
* I did the elliptical machine one of the three days I did work out last week and dude that thing sucks my rump even harder then the treadmill. And it sucks in a passive aggressive sort of way.
* When I first got on it I was all 'huh this is TOO easy' and also 'WAY easier then I remember it!' SO I ramped the stupid thing up to high and hard. And I was like 'umm yeah this thing sucks'.
* And I was all geeked out because I could READ, a magazine, YEAH but as I was ellipticalling (?) I nearly fell off and broke my neck, for real! The lady next to me laughed. Thanks.
* Finally, after I got off I was like 'holy shit I still feel like I am cycling forward.' Sort of like being dizzy in your legs. Which was actually kind of fun. What was not fun was the EFFING soreness that attacked my calves and quads for the next three days as if I have not been running my ass off since the last week of July five days a week. Just another thing to prove that being "in shape" is just a state of mind. The REAL proof is in the doing of other evil electronic machines to prove you are still a fat out of shape 30 something with two kids. WEEEEE...
* I did not run for four days over the weekend. That was nice. I was still struggling with the hacking stuffy sickness and my sore body needed a break. BUT taking off four days and then going back to the gym is like telling someone to get a tooth extracted without pain medicine. It hurts in a physical and mental way! I dragged myself to the gym last night and once I was there... it still sucked BUT I did what I went there for (3 miles) and I will do it again today and tomorrow... blah blah blah.
* How easy it is to let my eating get out of hand when the holidays roll around. I NEED NEED NEED to pull back. And figure out a strategy to get through. I am still 9 pounds off my goal weight which is driving me up the wall. What is truly pathetic and sad: it is not like it takes science or anything to figure out why I cannot effectively lose weight. If I just workout, whether it be hard or not, AND keep eating a load of shit I am not going to lose weight. Duh. See also: 'I am not 25 any more'.
* The more I think about trying to eat better the worse my eating gets. What kind of fucked inverse passive aggressive relationship is that with food...(speaking of passive aggressive or something like that?!)
To recap, (HALP!) do not take a break for four days ever again especially during a holiday weekend, do not use machines because they are all trying to kill me and eat better or I will be complaining about my weight till I die and gawd help me if that is the case!
Also, if the lady next to you tonight at the gym almost falls off of the machine don't laugh - it hurts. It really really hurts!! ;)
NOTHING!
Whoooo HOOO YE HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAA.
Today, I realize a few things:
* What a shitty idea to take a break from exercising the same week piles and pounds of Halloween candy, specifically CHOCOLATE, specifically cute little Twix bars, tiny sweet Snickers bars and those chocolate covered waffles of goodness Kit Kats, are floating ALL OVER THE FUCKING PLACE.
* I did the elliptical machine one of the three days I did work out last week and dude that thing sucks my rump even harder then the treadmill. And it sucks in a passive aggressive sort of way.
* When I first got on it I was all 'huh this is TOO easy' and also 'WAY easier then I remember it!' SO I ramped the stupid thing up to high and hard. And I was like 'umm yeah this thing sucks'.
* And I was all geeked out because I could READ, a magazine, YEAH but as I was ellipticalling (?) I nearly fell off and broke my neck, for real! The lady next to me laughed. Thanks.
* Finally, after I got off I was like 'holy shit I still feel like I am cycling forward.' Sort of like being dizzy in your legs. Which was actually kind of fun. What was not fun was the EFFING soreness that attacked my calves and quads for the next three days as if I have not been running my ass off since the last week of July five days a week. Just another thing to prove that being "in shape" is just a state of mind. The REAL proof is in the doing of other evil electronic machines to prove you are still a fat out of shape 30 something with two kids. WEEEEE...
* I did not run for four days over the weekend. That was nice. I was still struggling with the hacking stuffy sickness and my sore body needed a break. BUT taking off four days and then going back to the gym is like telling someone to get a tooth extracted without pain medicine. It hurts in a physical and mental way! I dragged myself to the gym last night and once I was there... it still sucked BUT I did what I went there for (3 miles) and I will do it again today and tomorrow... blah blah blah.
* How easy it is to let my eating get out of hand when the holidays roll around. I NEED NEED NEED to pull back. And figure out a strategy to get through. I am still 9 pounds off my goal weight which is driving me up the wall. What is truly pathetic and sad: it is not like it takes science or anything to figure out why I cannot effectively lose weight. If I just workout, whether it be hard or not, AND keep eating a load of shit I am not going to lose weight. Duh. See also: 'I am not 25 any more'.
* The more I think about trying to eat better the worse my eating gets. What kind of fucked inverse passive aggressive relationship is that with food...(speaking of passive aggressive or something like that?!)
To recap, (HALP!) do not take a break for four days ever again especially during a holiday weekend, do not use machines because they are all trying to kill me and eat better or I will be complaining about my weight till I die and gawd help me if that is the case!
Also, if the lady next to you tonight at the gym almost falls off of the machine don't laugh - it hurts. It really really hurts!! ;)
Monday, November 2, 2009
All Is Spooky In the Neighborhood
Ah Halloween. It is always filled with freaky fun and chocolate-y peanut-y goodness; pumpkin guts and c-c-cold Fall nights; large beautiful full moons with wisps of silvery clouds that make it even more spooky! Boo!
On Friday, Kevin and I left work early, got the kids dressed and brought them to our work to raid Katie's cubby (the best candy cubby on earth!) and make ample noise and took every single person out of production! We are super helpful like that!
Spidey and his new SPOOKY basket!
Ladybug Marisa who figured out this trick or treating gig RIGHT AWAY which just sent chills of fear through me :)
***
Then we went home and carved pumpkins - Matthew drew the designs for this year's pumpkins and they were awesome! Matthew liked every part of making the jack o laterns from the guts to the Potato head witch pumpkin we made.
Plus bonus we paid 99 cents for our pumpkins - all FIVE of them were grown in our backyard this summer! Dude that kicks ass!
Gooey pumpkin gut hands
Scrap-age
Marisa sat and ate and smiled the entire time!
Life imitating art or is that art imitating life...
I love this pumpkin from the lid to the mouth and just the Matthew-ness of it!
And of course there are Kevin's salty seeds which were the best batch yet.
***
On to Halloween night! Yeah-ness. I made homemade chili, cornbread (from scratch my first time!), apple cider, and candy treats throughout the night! While I was shoveling food into my mouth Kevin took the kids outside to wait for 5:30 to arrive. And here is what he got!
Matthew was READY to trick or treat, kind of, as Venom Spiderman (who knew there was such a thing???) (also two costumes for the price of one - word.)
Closest thing Kevin could get of the two kids together in their costumes. It is what it is... moving on, next year better and all that jazz.
Marisa REALLY loves leaves - the kicking of, the running through, the rolling into, so forth and so on.
And here is a shot... I don't know I was busy filling my pie hole with food. It just makes me laugh.
Busy Bug - every shot of Marisa was in motion...
Spiderman in the spiderweb and his pumpkins and giant spiders OHH SPOOKY!
This one just makes me smile and sad and OMG chubby baby legs in polka dot tights num num num.
Matthew minus his spiderman hat (it was TOO hot), Marisa as a snuggled up bug in her stroller, and I hit our 'hood for about an hour. We had a ball chatting with neighbors, checking out other spooky and not so spooky people and houses and watching in amazement at the droves of people pouring into our neighborhood.
Marisa and I were freezing so we forced Matthew home. He went happily and said "we can go scare Daddy and then I can work with Daddy to pass out the candy!"
Kevin put Marisa to bed and the three of us sat cozied up together talking and giggling and passing out candy! It was the perfect Halloween!
On Friday, Kevin and I left work early, got the kids dressed and brought them to our work to raid Katie's cubby (the best candy cubby on earth!) and make ample noise and took every single person out of production! We are super helpful like that!
Spidey and his new SPOOKY basket!
Ladybug Marisa who figured out this trick or treating gig RIGHT AWAY which just sent chills of fear through me :)
***
Then we went home and carved pumpkins - Matthew drew the designs for this year's pumpkins and they were awesome! Matthew liked every part of making the jack o laterns from the guts to the Potato head witch pumpkin we made.
Plus bonus we paid 99 cents for our pumpkins - all FIVE of them were grown in our backyard this summer! Dude that kicks ass!
Gooey pumpkin gut hands
Scrap-age
Marisa sat and ate and smiled the entire time!
Life imitating art or is that art imitating life...
I love this pumpkin from the lid to the mouth and just the Matthew-ness of it!
And of course there are Kevin's salty seeds which were the best batch yet.
***
On to Halloween night! Yeah-ness. I made homemade chili, cornbread (from scratch my first time!), apple cider, and candy treats throughout the night! While I was shoveling food into my mouth Kevin took the kids outside to wait for 5:30 to arrive. And here is what he got!
Matthew was READY to trick or treat, kind of, as Venom Spiderman (who knew there was such a thing???) (also two costumes for the price of one - word.)
Closest thing Kevin could get of the two kids together in their costumes. It is what it is... moving on, next year better and all that jazz.
Marisa REALLY loves leaves - the kicking of, the running through, the rolling into, so forth and so on.
And here is a shot... I don't know I was busy filling my pie hole with food. It just makes me laugh.
Busy Bug - every shot of Marisa was in motion...
Spiderman in the spiderweb and his pumpkins and giant spiders OHH SPOOKY!
This one just makes me smile and sad and OMG chubby baby legs in polka dot tights num num num.
Matthew minus his spiderman hat (it was TOO hot), Marisa as a snuggled up bug in her stroller, and I hit our 'hood for about an hour. We had a ball chatting with neighbors, checking out other spooky and not so spooky people and houses and watching in amazement at the droves of people pouring into our neighborhood.
Marisa and I were freezing so we forced Matthew home. He went happily and said "we can go scare Daddy and then I can work with Daddy to pass out the candy!"
Kevin put Marisa to bed and the three of us sat cozied up together talking and giggling and passing out candy! It was the perfect Halloween!
Month The 15
Missy,
I love you. You are the most special 15 month old on earth :) You are growing and growing and learning and developing and you constantly amaze us all the time.
My heart breaks open wide with happiness when I hear you giggle. It is like rainbows and sunshine and starlight all rolled up into one. We tickle you constantly just to get a dose of this but more often than not tickling is not required. You run around a lot of the time with a wide toothy grin on your face that makes even the most tired and sickly of Mommy's feel better!
Of course, the past two weeks or so, have been a struggle. You finally cut a tooth. One of four that have been coming and going but I can officially report that over the weekend, that tooth, the top left one arrived. I knew it was coming and you raged against it for days and days but we made it. Only three more of those to go plus two year molars. Hind sight always makes a bad situation appear in a different light!
You have brilliant moments at everything with reference to eating and sleeping but nothing is perfect all the time. You are a toddler after all. You will love on eggs or cheese or yogurt or broccoli one day and the next you will pitch it all over the side of the high chair for the dogs to eat. We discovered new fruit and veggies organic yogurt yesterday and you went to town on that - let see if you like it again today!!
You are wearing 18-24 month clothing which is just wild. I am glad I went into the storage bin and dug out the 24 month stuff because some of it is just right! If I would have waited much longer you would have outgrown it. Even your PJ's that were too big last month (and are brand new...) are fitting just right. Good thing Halloween came when it did. You were THIS close to not fitting in it (and I planned ahead and bought the next size up!) AND we got good wear out of the costume - you donned it three time the past two weeks. Yeah us! You were so cute and patient putting it on each time. My favorite thing about dressing you up was when we asked whether you wanted to wear your wings or not, you nodded 'YES' with great emphasis.
Speaking of Halloween - your 2nd one - you went out with Mommy and Matthew and you sat the entire time in your stroller and just took in all the excitement, waving at everyone who would look at you! After an hour we headed home because you and I were COLD. Matthew could have gone ALL night long!!
(Ignore the scary and very dorky woman in green behind you!)
Your hair is growing longer seemingly by the moment and I think that by Christmas I will be able to pull it back into little pigtails - and Mommy is SO SO EXCITED about that!
Toddler you are. It seems like you are most prone to being a toddler when you are tired, hungry or your teeth are hurting - GO FIGURE. You pinch and scratch and head butt, Oh my. That part is not so fun but this too shall pass... eventually.
We gave you a healthy dose of 'NO' this past weekend for that reason. Kevin calls you 'Princess Marisa' because you do pretty much run the show but we are working on setting limits, etc... It is easy to forget that you are no longer a wee baby but a big girl who needs to have limits set.
You still like socks and shoes a lot and you will flip out if we try to take either off - it has to be your idea! You also like to wear only your pants and one sock nothing else which - hmm not exactly sure what to make of that other then it makes me giggle!
You LOVE dogs and OMG DOG DOG DOG, woof woof woof DOG! Shriek. It is hysterical and sweet and we point out dogs constantly. Lather rinse repeat. We told Matthew that he was this way with construction vehicles!
Some of my favorite things about you right now: you can sit now through a whole book and you will point and turn pages. Then hop down and get another and another and it reminds me how Matthew was and I love this stage so much.
After your bath, Daddy will get your dried off then you run naked through the house to find me as if to say LOOK I AM NAKED HA HA!
You grab your blankie and snuggle up with it which makes you chuckle heartily. But you also see Matthew flop down on top on his blanket on the floor with his butt up the air when he is tired so you do this too and my goodness are you two cuties.
You let Matthew pull you around on the hardwood floors on his blanket and you giggle like mad at this.
You like to feed the dogs still though it can be a messy affair.
When you wake up crying in the evening some times and Kevin goes in to soothe you, you dive face first into the mattress with your butt up in the air and immediately go back to sleep. This cracks us up!
It also says so much about you. You are filled with joy and happiness as well as a healthy mix of toddler hang-ups. I cannot believe that you are 15 months today! I mentioned over the weekend that you were a teeny tiny baby last year at this time. Just lying there lifting your head up for the first time and squawking to nurse and be held and HOLY COW now you are a walking talking little being with signs and words and definite emotions and favorite things and just this wee little girl - where did she come from?!
I am sure I say this every month but it amazes me. This trajectory of growth and development especially during the first two years!
Miss Marisa, Happy 15 Months!
Love, your Proud Momma
I love you. You are the most special 15 month old on earth :) You are growing and growing and learning and developing and you constantly amaze us all the time.
My heart breaks open wide with happiness when I hear you giggle. It is like rainbows and sunshine and starlight all rolled up into one. We tickle you constantly just to get a dose of this but more often than not tickling is not required. You run around a lot of the time with a wide toothy grin on your face that makes even the most tired and sickly of Mommy's feel better!
Of course, the past two weeks or so, have been a struggle. You finally cut a tooth. One of four that have been coming and going but I can officially report that over the weekend, that tooth, the top left one arrived. I knew it was coming and you raged against it for days and days but we made it. Only three more of those to go plus two year molars. Hind sight always makes a bad situation appear in a different light!
You have brilliant moments at everything with reference to eating and sleeping but nothing is perfect all the time. You are a toddler after all. You will love on eggs or cheese or yogurt or broccoli one day and the next you will pitch it all over the side of the high chair for the dogs to eat. We discovered new fruit and veggies organic yogurt yesterday and you went to town on that - let see if you like it again today!!
You are wearing 18-24 month clothing which is just wild. I am glad I went into the storage bin and dug out the 24 month stuff because some of it is just right! If I would have waited much longer you would have outgrown it. Even your PJ's that were too big last month (and are brand new...) are fitting just right. Good thing Halloween came when it did. You were THIS close to not fitting in it (and I planned ahead and bought the next size up!) AND we got good wear out of the costume - you donned it three time the past two weeks. Yeah us! You were so cute and patient putting it on each time. My favorite thing about dressing you up was when we asked whether you wanted to wear your wings or not, you nodded 'YES' with great emphasis.
Speaking of Halloween - your 2nd one - you went out with Mommy and Matthew and you sat the entire time in your stroller and just took in all the excitement, waving at everyone who would look at you! After an hour we headed home because you and I were COLD. Matthew could have gone ALL night long!!
(Ignore the scary and very dorky woman in green behind you!)
Your hair is growing longer seemingly by the moment and I think that by Christmas I will be able to pull it back into little pigtails - and Mommy is SO SO EXCITED about that!
Toddler you are. It seems like you are most prone to being a toddler when you are tired, hungry or your teeth are hurting - GO FIGURE. You pinch and scratch and head butt, Oh my. That part is not so fun but this too shall pass... eventually.
We gave you a healthy dose of 'NO' this past weekend for that reason. Kevin calls you 'Princess Marisa' because you do pretty much run the show but we are working on setting limits, etc... It is easy to forget that you are no longer a wee baby but a big girl who needs to have limits set.
You still like socks and shoes a lot and you will flip out if we try to take either off - it has to be your idea! You also like to wear only your pants and one sock nothing else which - hmm not exactly sure what to make of that other then it makes me giggle!
You LOVE dogs and OMG DOG DOG DOG, woof woof woof DOG! Shriek. It is hysterical and sweet and we point out dogs constantly. Lather rinse repeat. We told Matthew that he was this way with construction vehicles!
Some of my favorite things about you right now: you can sit now through a whole book and you will point and turn pages. Then hop down and get another and another and it reminds me how Matthew was and I love this stage so much.
After your bath, Daddy will get your dried off then you run naked through the house to find me as if to say LOOK I AM NAKED HA HA!
You grab your blankie and snuggle up with it which makes you chuckle heartily. But you also see Matthew flop down on top on his blanket on the floor with his butt up the air when he is tired so you do this too and my goodness are you two cuties.
You let Matthew pull you around on the hardwood floors on his blanket and you giggle like mad at this.
You like to feed the dogs still though it can be a messy affair.
When you wake up crying in the evening some times and Kevin goes in to soothe you, you dive face first into the mattress with your butt up in the air and immediately go back to sleep. This cracks us up!
It also says so much about you. You are filled with joy and happiness as well as a healthy mix of toddler hang-ups. I cannot believe that you are 15 months today! I mentioned over the weekend that you were a teeny tiny baby last year at this time. Just lying there lifting your head up for the first time and squawking to nurse and be held and HOLY COW now you are a walking talking little being with signs and words and definite emotions and favorite things and just this wee little girl - where did she come from?!
I am sure I say this every month but it amazes me. This trajectory of growth and development especially during the first two years!
Miss Marisa, Happy 15 Months!
Love, your Proud Momma
Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween Brou Ha Ha
Yesterday morning, I developed this pimple. It was harmless enough. A little red spot that appeared on my neck. I did what most people do when they get a pimple, I squeezed it (WHAT? I know you do it so stop looking at me like that!) but it just hurt and nothing happened. Throughout the day, I could feel this pimple getting bigger and more fiery red. I checked it out in the mirror later in the day in the washroom at work. I ran my finger over it with mortification. It was huge!
I ran over to Kevin's cubby and showed him. The look of horror on his face and the kind words he spoke to me did not match. When I got home later that evening, Matthew ran up to me to say 'hello' but when he say this monster zit on my neck, he backed away and asked me, "Mommy... what is that?" I was growing frustrated with this pimple and if it was scary to a four year old who likes gross stuff it must be more horrible then I first imagined. I checked on it before making dinner and it had grown even more and now was taking up most of one side of my neck.
After the kids were asleep, I needed to do something to this thing on my neck - it hurt! I got out a washcloth and rinsed it with water till it was hot and I laid it across my monster pimple. It barely soothed it. I was getting desperate. Not even a turtle neck was going to hide this and I joked with Kevin about dressing up my zit for Halloween the next day before turning in.
In the night, I woke up because this zit was THROBBING and painful. In the dark of the bathroom as I passed the mirror to go to the potty, I inspected my zit. I thought surely it could not be bigger!?
This morning it was much much larger and the pain was UNIMAGINABLE! As the day progressed Kevin's words finally matched his look from the previous day. He was worried. He said "Maybe you ought to go to the emergency room, just to get it checked." I fully agreed but it is Halloween and I did not want to miss a thing. Then again this 'thing' was THAT big - sort of like one of those freaky goiters you see from time to time in the National Geographic magazine. I finally relented. Kevin took care of the kids while I drove over to the local ER a few hours before the trick or treating was to commence.
How embarrassing to write on the intake form 'reason for visit: large painful pimple'. The nurse chuckled at my written words until I folded back my black turtleneck to reveal the growth on my neck. She turned white and looked horrified. She tried to pretend to comfort me but I still felt like I a freak show. She hurried back to a curtained area and gave me a paper gown to wear. She rushed out looking back at my "pimple" with a fresh look of sickness. I though it was NOT that bad till I glanced in the little mirror hanging crookedly from the wall. The pimple appeared to have developed a greenish-white head?! UGH, I thought as I changed. I sat on the bed crossed legged and watched one of two static-y channels on the TV both featuring Halloween themed stories (Aliens and Nightmare on Elm Street if you're curious) and listened to the groans and sounds around me.
Finally, a grizzled older doctor walked in. 'SO', he said not looking up from the chart, "you are here for a large pimple?" I was scared now. I replied tentatively "yes... it started out yesterday morning as a tiny red bump but now it is this..." I turned my head slightly to show him my greenish red lump. He nodded unfazed by this growth. He signed and looked exhausted. "Well, let's lance that thing and get some ointment for it and we'll get you home in time to hand out some candy for the kiddies." He yawned.
"Doc? What shift are you on?" I queried. He chuckled. "It shows does it? I am doing a double - 24 hours right now," he said as he glanced at his watch. "One of the other physicians had an emergency appendectomy yesterday and I am covering for her." My mouth formed a perfect 'O'. He left me there for a few minutes and came back on his own. "No nurse?" "No, we are short staffed this Halloween."
He laid out what he needed to lance my pimple and as he did so his hands shook slightly. Oh lordy I thought this guy is going to chop my neck off or fall asleep on me.
He swabbed the area around the pimple with some topical anesthetic. I felt the pain subside ever so slightly. He gingerly touched pimple and move it around. "Whew", he said "this is one heck of zit, eh?" Ummm yeah, thanks for pointing that out. I just nodded still hoping my neck was intact once he was done.
He lifted the small knife and pointed it at the center of my monster pimple and slowly began cutting. As soon as the knife touched my skin, the pimple EXPLODED! EVERYWHERE. Greenish yellow gunk went all over his face, the front of his shirt and the curtain behind him. And his tired eyes widened and he wheeled his chair backwards in fear because...
OUT JUMPED A HUGE UGLY GREEN GOBLIN! We were both screaming and the goblin jumped up and down, shrieking 'HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL and to all a good night!'
(What? WHAT?! Seriously. I had a big zit on my neck this week but dude I would not have let it get THAT big.)
(Also I am way TOO cheap to go to the emergency room for a zit! And Kevin is even cheaper - the fact that HE suggested the ER should have tipped you off... well that is if you believed any of this story from the get go!?)
(But seriously have a great Halloween!)
I ran over to Kevin's cubby and showed him. The look of horror on his face and the kind words he spoke to me did not match. When I got home later that evening, Matthew ran up to me to say 'hello' but when he say this monster zit on my neck, he backed away and asked me, "Mommy... what is that?" I was growing frustrated with this pimple and if it was scary to a four year old who likes gross stuff it must be more horrible then I first imagined. I checked on it before making dinner and it had grown even more and now was taking up most of one side of my neck.
After the kids were asleep, I needed to do something to this thing on my neck - it hurt! I got out a washcloth and rinsed it with water till it was hot and I laid it across my monster pimple. It barely soothed it. I was getting desperate. Not even a turtle neck was going to hide this and I joked with Kevin about dressing up my zit for Halloween the next day before turning in.
In the night, I woke up because this zit was THROBBING and painful. In the dark of the bathroom as I passed the mirror to go to the potty, I inspected my zit. I thought surely it could not be bigger!?
This morning it was much much larger and the pain was UNIMAGINABLE! As the day progressed Kevin's words finally matched his look from the previous day. He was worried. He said "Maybe you ought to go to the emergency room, just to get it checked." I fully agreed but it is Halloween and I did not want to miss a thing. Then again this 'thing' was THAT big - sort of like one of those freaky goiters you see from time to time in the National Geographic magazine. I finally relented. Kevin took care of the kids while I drove over to the local ER a few hours before the trick or treating was to commence.
How embarrassing to write on the intake form 'reason for visit: large painful pimple'. The nurse chuckled at my written words until I folded back my black turtleneck to reveal the growth on my neck. She turned white and looked horrified. She tried to pretend to comfort me but I still felt like I a freak show. She hurried back to a curtained area and gave me a paper gown to wear. She rushed out looking back at my "pimple" with a fresh look of sickness. I though it was NOT that bad till I glanced in the little mirror hanging crookedly from the wall. The pimple appeared to have developed a greenish-white head?! UGH, I thought as I changed. I sat on the bed crossed legged and watched one of two static-y channels on the TV both featuring Halloween themed stories (Aliens and Nightmare on Elm Street if you're curious) and listened to the groans and sounds around me.
Finally, a grizzled older doctor walked in. 'SO', he said not looking up from the chart, "you are here for a large pimple?" I was scared now. I replied tentatively "yes... it started out yesterday morning as a tiny red bump but now it is this..." I turned my head slightly to show him my greenish red lump. He nodded unfazed by this growth. He signed and looked exhausted. "Well, let's lance that thing and get some ointment for it and we'll get you home in time to hand out some candy for the kiddies." He yawned.
"Doc? What shift are you on?" I queried. He chuckled. "It shows does it? I am doing a double - 24 hours right now," he said as he glanced at his watch. "One of the other physicians had an emergency appendectomy yesterday and I am covering for her." My mouth formed a perfect 'O'. He left me there for a few minutes and came back on his own. "No nurse?" "No, we are short staffed this Halloween."
He laid out what he needed to lance my pimple and as he did so his hands shook slightly. Oh lordy I thought this guy is going to chop my neck off or fall asleep on me.
He swabbed the area around the pimple with some topical anesthetic. I felt the pain subside ever so slightly. He gingerly touched pimple and move it around. "Whew", he said "this is one heck of zit, eh?" Ummm yeah, thanks for pointing that out. I just nodded still hoping my neck was intact once he was done.
He lifted the small knife and pointed it at the center of my monster pimple and slowly began cutting. As soon as the knife touched my skin, the pimple EXPLODED! EVERYWHERE. Greenish yellow gunk went all over his face, the front of his shirt and the curtain behind him. And his tired eyes widened and he wheeled his chair backwards in fear because...
OUT JUMPED A HUGE UGLY GREEN GOBLIN! We were both screaming and the goblin jumped up and down, shrieking 'HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL and to all a good night!'
(What? WHAT?! Seriously. I had a big zit on my neck this week but dude I would not have let it get THAT big.)
(Also I am way TOO cheap to go to the emergency room for a zit! And Kevin is even cheaper - the fact that HE suggested the ER should have tipped you off... well that is if you believed any of this story from the get go!?)
(But seriously have a great Halloween!)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Baby Bugs
Okay, shake it off. Whew that last post was FUN, I tell you. Full of FUN little tidbits, right?! YEAH. SO Friday is a better and new day. I am over it all and if I am not I am sucking it up and living with it because dude WOE is me right. Poor middle class life filled with such desperation and sadness (per Tess). Wail... life is so rough.
And again thank GAWD for my kids. Look pictures of them. In cute costumes! YEAH! By the way, just so you know I like taking photos of both of my kiddos but Matthew has been on a NO PICTURES Mommy kick recently. I am happy with the ONE good-ish shot I did get of him (and I had to crop the shit out of that one so yippy...)
Marisa was SO excited to be a ladybug she cried! No No she was really REALLY hungry and if we had just fed her she would have been fine. GO figure.
Spiderman minus the "mask" unaware that Mommy is taking pictures :)
The full costume antenna and all! (waiting to get her food...)
Intent
I do not know why but I just LURVE this photo of Miss Peach. Squeeeee!
Here's to an Ooky Spooky Kooky Happy Halloween to all!
And again thank GAWD for my kids. Look pictures of them. In cute costumes! YEAH! By the way, just so you know I like taking photos of both of my kiddos but Matthew has been on a NO PICTURES Mommy kick recently. I am happy with the ONE good-ish shot I did get of him (and I had to crop the shit out of that one so yippy...)
Marisa was SO excited to be a ladybug she cried! No No she was really REALLY hungry and if we had just fed her she would have been fine. GO figure.
Spiderman minus the "mask" unaware that Mommy is taking pictures :)
The full costume antenna and all! (waiting to get her food...)
Intent
I do not know why but I just LURVE this photo of Miss Peach. Squeeeee!
Here's to an Ooky Spooky Kooky Happy Halloween to all!
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