Thursday, October 29, 2009

One of Those Weeks

Have you ever had one of those weeks where disaster after disaster seems to strike? That's been our week this week! It all started on Monday...



Y works from home about 90% of the time but does go into the office for certain meetings and when a product is being tested. Every Monday he has on-site meetings. When the meetings are done, he heads home. Monday, the Little Miss was being extra sensitive. It's happened a few times recently but is SO unlike her usual self. That morning Y had a sneezing fit while she was eating breakfast and she burst into tears. Later that morning I was watching the DVR'd episode of The Bonnie Hunt Show featuring the Pioneer Woman doing a cooking segment. Sophie and I were playing as I distractedly watched the show and I laughed at something that was said on TV - more tears!

It was now time for lunch so I prepped her meal and got her started eating. I walked just a few feet away to prep MY lunch and MORE tears. She would not calm down unless I was sitting right there. I texted Y with "OMG! Constant tears over here!" It was just one of those moments that grates on your nerves. I don't care how calm and patient you may be but constant bursts of tears for no real reason will begin to drive you batty. Anyway, I decided I'd wait until Y got home to eat despite my now throbbing head and growling tummy. The Peanut and I decided to go outside for a while - it was upper 70's and a gorgeous day. Remembering Y may be calling soon, we headed back inside shortly after 1pm. He finally calls around 1:30 - meeting ran late but he was on his way.



Five minutes later the phone rings again. Y. Again. His car had died on his way out of the parking lot and he needed me to come get him. Parents, you know you can't just grab the baby and go. You have to check if the diaper bag is packed, get a bottle/juice/snacks, and a few toys to entertain the little one. Add to that I have to clean up all the toys because our greyhound, Duncan, will eat Sophie's toys if left to his own devices. I eventually make it to Y's work site to only be stopped by security. It just so happens that Y's work is on the same campus as a large missile maker for the US and Foreign militaries. I explain why I'm there and security is sufficiently confident this disheveled wife in an old t-shirt and yoga pants with a baby in the backseat is not a terrorist trying to bomb the missile maker.

We're told the tow truck will be about 45 minutes so we head on over to the broken down car and wait. The Little Miss is being surprisingly good considering her earlier temperament and the fact it was nap-time and she wasn't napping. Y calls security to let them know a tow truck will be coming. This was pointless because a while later, security calls him back wanting to confirm that despite him just telling them a tow truck was coming that he REALLY meant a tow truck was coming. Once security was assured the tow truck wasn't a bomb-laden vehicle the driver was allowed through. By this time an hour had passed. My throbbing headache was now a THROBBING HEADACHE. It's now approaching 4pm and Y nor I had eaten...forget any dinner plans...fast food it is!

Sophie and Friend, our other greyhound.


After we're home an hour or so we get the news...bad fuel pump. Fuel pumps aren't cheap. So long Christmas gift savings!

Tuesday comes along. The repair shop calls in the afternoon letting us know the car was done. We head out and the Little Miss falls asleep just before we get there. I let Y out and make sure all is okay before heading home. We're restricted to just one route because that particular day not only was our usual traffic-avoiding-shortcut route closed for construction but so was the interstate. Crews were resurfacing and traffic was at a stand-still. Tuesday was also a day of extremely high winds causing major dust storms here in the desert. All of this equaled bumper to bumper traffic at a dead stop just 10 miles from the house. The car stopping caused Sophie to wake. She was a little fussy but I kept her entertained as we inched along. We finally make it through the traffic and just as I turn the corner, onto our street she begins a hard, scared cry. Next thing I know she's gagging and throwing up as I'm pull into the garage. I throw the car in park, jump out, try to unbuckle her as fast as I can so she's not choking and well, it wasn't pretty. She's covered in vomit, I'm covered in vomit, the car and car seat are covered as is the towel I grabbed to help catch things.

Y was about 5 minutes behind us and by the time he pulls in, I'm standing in the garage, covered in puke, with Sophie just sobbing on my shoulder. We eventually get her inside, get the car cleaned up (the car seat was attacked later) and get her calmed down. Thirty minutes or so passed before she was "back to normal". I threw all the puke-covered items in the laundry and got myself in the shower since the smell was beginning to make me queasy. She gets better and better as the evening wears on and I don't worry too much about her losing just about everything she'd had all day.



Then, to top the night off, as I was cooking dinner, Sophie was walking with her Fisher Price Lion walker from one end of the house to the other. Duncan, our greyhound, came over to see what she was doing. Sophie got down to crawl and ended up under his belly. He freaks out, and in an attempt to get away, steps on her leaving her with some pretty good scrapes on her arm, shoulder, and face. Here we go again! Despite the nasty looking scrapes, she was over it quickly but we were thinking "What else can go wrong!?"


The scrapes...they're MUCH better now.



And, of course, Wednesday was not without its own "disaster". Y burnt his hand pretty badly when he was taking the iron skillet out of the oven. The hot pad he was using slipped and the very HOT handle hit the heel/palm of his hand. Poor guy, his hand was throbbing, majorly red and blistering just moments after it happened.

The night's not over yet, but so far ::knocks on wood::, nothing has happened today! Yay! But I think we're going to follow The Peanut's lead and have a drink!

"I want THIS one!"

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Warning: Messy aHEAD!

My child needs a bath about 3 times a day.

Why you may ask?

Let me show you:


It doesn't look that bad you say? Let's get a closer look:


Admittedly, it's not THAT bad. There's been worse (think ketchup). But, after every meal, the Peanut and I have to make a visit to the bathroom. We first wash her hands, then her face and then her hair. Because after EVERY. SINGLE. MEAL. her hair is crusty and filled with food. It used to be just the hair by her ears but now? Now she takes to rubbing her entire head with food-covered hands.

The Little Miss is quite stubborn and determined. (I have NO idea who she got that from). She no longer wishes for us to feed her. If she were talking more I can just hear her saying "No! I do it my own self!" So the perils of a self-feeding child is bath-time or pseudo bath-time three times a day.

And now we can no longer wonder why Momma needs a new wardrobe!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Calling All Bloggers



November 17th is Fight for Preemies Day. The March of Dimes is asking for all bloggers to unite and help support the fight by posting about the cause on November 17th.

Many of us know a child that was born prematurely and thanks to the March of Dimes there have been many advances to help those babies become strong, thriving children and adults. While the Little Miss was a full-term baby, we know several preemies that are a part of our lives.

This effort will take just a few minutes of your time and if your life has been affected by a preemie I hope you will join me on November 17th!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

I Suck.

I promise, I have good intentions! I seriously have NO idea where time is going!



Once again, it's been a month since my last post. I never even got caught up with the promised posts from two months ago. Sheesh!

Early September, Sophie and I both ended up sick. She began running a low-grade fever on a Thursday. The fever was still there on a Friday but she was acting okay. Saturday, the fever continued and by afternoon she was beginning to not act right. By the time Sunday rolled around and she STILL had a low-grade fever, I called our pediatrician. The office recommended taking her to the Pediatric ER since the nearest Urgent Care was closed. So off to the ER we go and boy was THAT a frustrating experience. We never saw an actual Dr, only nurses and a Physician Assistant. The PA had a HORRIBLE rapport and Sophie was not thrilled to be having him poke her. He couldn't figure out what was wrong (her ears were fine but she had a reddened throat). His recommendation? Take her to her pediatrician on Monday. Thanks buddy.

Anyway, we took her in on Monday where she was still running a fever and even more not herself. She was beginning to show signs of blisters in her throat and it was determined she had the Coxsackie Virus. The same virus that causes Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease but she never had the blisters on her feet and hands, just in her throat. (Good news, Mom and Dad, no need to worry about it spreading since you can only get this once in your life!) Since it was viral, there was nothing we could give her other than Tylenol and Ibuprofen. The week went on and she just kept getting worse, to the point she wouldn't eat or drink and if she did try she'd scream. A full week from when the fever started, on Thursday, she had thrown up twice in a span of a few hours so back to the Pediatrician. Everything else was still okay with her but she was now running a high fever and the blisters had gotten larger and more numerous in her throat. She was a miserable, miserable baby. She got some Tylenol with Codeine to not only relieve the pain of the blisters but hopefully numb things enough to keep her hydrated - this was now our biggest concern. Her fever was so high (hovering between 104-104.5) that if it didn't go down or she didn't keep drinking we'd end up in the hospital with her. That night she slept in my arms all night - when she was sleeping, that is. She was in so much pain she'd whimper and cry. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning her fever FINALLY broke. That Friday and Saturday she kept improving.



Then came Sunday. I was rocking Sophie for her nap when I was suddenly hit with the worst body aches and chills I'd ever experienced. I took my temp and sure enough...I was running about a 102 fever. Figuring I either had what Sophie had, or had the flu, I loaded up on pain killers and tried to sleep things off. Sunday night I was MISERABLE. I was in so much pain all night I was the one now crying/whimpering in my sleep. I made an appointment with my Dr. She was not thrilled I came in thinking I was spreading the flu around but I needed to know if I had what Sophie had and if not, then I needed to know if it was the dreaded H1N1 so I could stay away from Sophie as much as possible. Turns out I also had the Coxsackie Virus. Apparently I never had it as a child (thanks, Mom, for letting me know AFTER the fact). My high fever lasted for about 3 days, the worst reaching just above 105. I felt so bad for Y. I literally didn't have the strength to get out of bed nor lift my own child. Sophie couldn't figure out why Mommy wasn't holding her and Y was trying to be Mom and Dad both. (Single parents...we don't know how you do it!).

Anyway, if you sat through all of that, the point is we were sick. Then it took me a good 2 weeks to really feel like I had my energy back. Then it was deadlines which I got behind on with back-to-back sickies of Sophie then me. And now? Well, more deadlines. Don't get my wrong, I'm thrilled to be employed but there are days working from home and taking care of my child at the same time is impossible. Something has to give and it's usually house work and in some cases, my deadlines. Work-at-home parents...how do you do it all?????



I have two quick deadlines coming up the next two weeks then I hope to devote some time to posting more. And actually be interesting! I feel so dull! In the meantime enjoy the few pictures and thanks for reading my drivel!