So, Sunday I was trying to get a few things done downstairs and watching Alanna at the same time. She darted off for a moment from where she had been coloring next to my computer desk. It got too quiet....a mom instinctively knows when it's too quiet. Too quiet means something is going on that shouldn't be. All of a sudden I hear this "splish splish". My immediate reaction is to stand up and say, "Alanna get out of the toilet." She's been helping a lot around the house lately and really enjoys it, even saying "I help!" When we clean the bathroom, she likes to help scrub the toilet with the scrubbie thing so I figured she had the handle in there again (the scrubbies are flushable so there wasn't one on it).
I round the corner and she comes running out gleefully with this guilty smile on her face. She had DIPPED HER HEAD IN THE TOILET!!!! Ok, I admit it--I laughed, a lot. I tried really really hard to keep a straight face, but my god the child had given herself a swirly!
It's truly not funny, it's actually rather dangerous. I dried off her head and turned to tell Jeb what had happened. She spins around runs back into the bathroom, splish, and comes out again with wet hair dripping in her face from toilet water. This time, I did not laugh, but explained that we don't put our heads in the toilet and dried her off again.
Next came the trip to Target to pick up the toilet locks. They're these suction things you put on the back of the toilet with this plastic arm that swings over and holds the lid down when the toilet is not in use. The package is what really got me though...It said that the toilet lock will keep out kids, pets, and toys. My question is this: If the kids and pets are not playing in the toilet, how do the toys get in there? I had this visual of the toys from Toy Story playing in my toilet... a little diving board...ok maybe my imagination is a wee bit too active.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Monday, February 14, 2005
Yahtzee
So yesterday while Alanna & I were at Menards there was a radio promotion there for Kool 108 FM. It's a cities station that plays 60's & 70's music that honestly, I've never listened to. On our way out of the store, they had this little table set up. The guy was explaining to some lady in front of us that she needed to roll yahtzee in 3 rolls or less and she'd win a prize, but that no one had won yet.
I picked Alanna up and the guy handed her the cup. I told her "roll it like at home honey, pour out the dice". She dumped them out and to everyone's amazement got 5 1's!!! The guy was like "She won, she won! And on one roll!" They gave us a t-shirt (I think yahtzee was worth more than a t-shirt, but oh well) and took our picture. Alanna even said "I won!" and was not really sure what she'd done, but was grinning anyway.
Need to take her to Vegas.....
I picked Alanna up and the guy handed her the cup. I told her "roll it like at home honey, pour out the dice". She dumped them out and to everyone's amazement got 5 1's!!! The guy was like "She won, she won! And on one roll!" They gave us a t-shirt (I think yahtzee was worth more than a t-shirt, but oh well) and took our picture. Alanna even said "I won!" and was not really sure what she'd done, but was grinning anyway.
Need to take her to Vegas.....
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Movin' On Up
I never thought I'd be so happy about a toilet, but I must admit I'm rather proud of myself. We now have a snazzy push button flush toilet upstairs. I went to Menards this morning with Alanna and found the regular handle and the spiffy push button and thought "Well, how much harder can it be?". Sure enough it wasn't tough at all and our toilet is now all top of the line with a push button on the side. Jeb swears it flushes faster and more powerful too...I'll take credit for that as well even though not sure I really did anything to impact that :) So, we've flushed the toilet several times tonight just to marvel at how it works--guess we really don't need much to stay entertained after all.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
MRI Followup
This morning was Alanna's MRI follow up appointment. I think I will sleep well tonight :)
The MRI showed that the cystic mass on her cheek is indeed a lymphatic malformation (which was what the dr was leaning towards for diagnosis.) The mass is very unusual in a good way in that it is completely contained. This is fantastic news! Most lymphatic malformations spread out and have very undefined edges making removal difficult and often unsuccessful...they typically can only get part of it. The likelihood of a full removal is very very good in Alanna's case. We're working with a well-known and respected cranio-facial pediatric surgeon and his recommendation was to wait a couple more years to do the surgery. The likelihood is that it will eventually enlarge, but hopefully not before she is 4 years old.
At that time, they will do surgery. He will be able to come in just in front of her ear, so there should be no scarring on her face, and remove the sac and fluid permanently. In the event that it swells or changes size before that point, we simply have to call him to schedule the surgery earlier since we have already done all the prep footwork and proactive steps that are necessary. So for now, it's just a matter of seeing him every 3-6 months for a re-evaluation.
Good news! :)
The MRI showed that the cystic mass on her cheek is indeed a lymphatic malformation (which was what the dr was leaning towards for diagnosis.) The mass is very unusual in a good way in that it is completely contained. This is fantastic news! Most lymphatic malformations spread out and have very undefined edges making removal difficult and often unsuccessful...they typically can only get part of it. The likelihood of a full removal is very very good in Alanna's case. We're working with a well-known and respected cranio-facial pediatric surgeon and his recommendation was to wait a couple more years to do the surgery. The likelihood is that it will eventually enlarge, but hopefully not before she is 4 years old.
At that time, they will do surgery. He will be able to come in just in front of her ear, so there should be no scarring on her face, and remove the sac and fluid permanently. In the event that it swells or changes size before that point, we simply have to call him to schedule the surgery earlier since we have already done all the prep footwork and proactive steps that are necessary. So for now, it's just a matter of seeing him every 3-6 months for a re-evaluation.
Good news! :)
Sneaky Sneaky
Miss Alanna decided to be mischevious this weekend while Mommy was trying to finish taxes. Let's just say it involved kitty litter, kitty litter deodorizer, and toilet paper. I'll leave it to your imagination and add that the cleanup involved a lot of laughter, a very proud looking little girl, and a vacuum cleaner.....
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Alanna's MRI
Yesterday morning was an emotional roller coaster. I got Alanna to the Children's Hospital at 6:45am for her appointment. We were brought back into a room by a nurse and the procedure was explained to me as we went over the health history. Then she came back into the room with a second nurse to insert the needle for Alanna's IV.
Alanna was such a trooper and it just broke my heart to see her uncomfortable at all. The nurse tried to insert the needle, got the vein and then went to test the flow and the vein collapsed. During this Alanna whimpered "Hurt, Ouch, Done Now" and cried, but didn't scream or push at the nurse at all. So, the nurse tried again on the other arm and the same thing happened. By this time, I wanted to cry I felt so badly for her. The second nurse decided to try and went very very slowly. I cringed the entire time she was digging for the vein as Alanna cried. She did get it though and then they taped up Alanna's hand so that the needle wouldn't move at all. She was such a good girl and wiped her tears and even told the nurses "Thank you".
We went into the MRI exam room and the dr explained how the sedation would work and told me that the Propofal would act very very quickly, within seconds once the drip was started. They began the drip and I figured that she would flutter her eyelids and just kinda pass out similar to a fainting spell. Not at all, it was near immediate. They began the drip, she whimpered when the sting started and then her head dropped to the side and she was out completely.
It was so strange to see my little girl on the table in front of this HUGE machine. They hooked her up to what seemed like a thousand monitors (for which I'm thankful) even putting one on the bottom of her feet, but she just looked so tiny and helpless and I can't get that visual out of my mind. I can't even imagine how a parent or child goes through this when a child has a chronic illness...I suppose they just do because they have to like we did yesterday. But it can't be easy and that visual of her in front of the MRI after I kissed her forehead and had to leave to the waiting room will always bring me tears I think.
After an hour of waiting and reading 60 pages of my book that I will have to reread since I can't remember them, they brought me into Short term recovery where she was sleeping on the bed. I sat next to her to be there when she woke up. She woke up after about 10 minutes and wanted to be cuddled and have a drink of juice, but was in a good mood and aside from the uncomfortable process of taking the tape off of her hand she was just fine. I think the Bugs Bunny sticker (bandaid) helped.
We got McDonald's breakfast on the way home and she ate a LOT--eggs, pancakes, sausage, hashbrown and cinnamon roll. Of course, I also bought her a little pony happy meal toy which she thought was pretty neat. We spent the day doing a lot of snuggling. She seemed to feel fine, but was very needy/clingy yesterday which was ok because I think I was too.
We'll get the results next Tuesday morning and see what the dr recommends then.
Alanna was such a trooper and it just broke my heart to see her uncomfortable at all. The nurse tried to insert the needle, got the vein and then went to test the flow and the vein collapsed. During this Alanna whimpered "Hurt, Ouch, Done Now" and cried, but didn't scream or push at the nurse at all. So, the nurse tried again on the other arm and the same thing happened. By this time, I wanted to cry I felt so badly for her. The second nurse decided to try and went very very slowly. I cringed the entire time she was digging for the vein as Alanna cried. She did get it though and then they taped up Alanna's hand so that the needle wouldn't move at all. She was such a good girl and wiped her tears and even told the nurses "Thank you".
We went into the MRI exam room and the dr explained how the sedation would work and told me that the Propofal would act very very quickly, within seconds once the drip was started. They began the drip and I figured that she would flutter her eyelids and just kinda pass out similar to a fainting spell. Not at all, it was near immediate. They began the drip, she whimpered when the sting started and then her head dropped to the side and she was out completely.
It was so strange to see my little girl on the table in front of this HUGE machine. They hooked her up to what seemed like a thousand monitors (for which I'm thankful) even putting one on the bottom of her feet, but she just looked so tiny and helpless and I can't get that visual out of my mind. I can't even imagine how a parent or child goes through this when a child has a chronic illness...I suppose they just do because they have to like we did yesterday. But it can't be easy and that visual of her in front of the MRI after I kissed her forehead and had to leave to the waiting room will always bring me tears I think.
After an hour of waiting and reading 60 pages of my book that I will have to reread since I can't remember them, they brought me into Short term recovery where she was sleeping on the bed. I sat next to her to be there when she woke up. She woke up after about 10 minutes and wanted to be cuddled and have a drink of juice, but was in a good mood and aside from the uncomfortable process of taking the tape off of her hand she was just fine. I think the Bugs Bunny sticker (bandaid) helped.
We got McDonald's breakfast on the way home and she ate a LOT--eggs, pancakes, sausage, hashbrown and cinnamon roll. Of course, I also bought her a little pony happy meal toy which she thought was pretty neat. We spent the day doing a lot of snuggling. She seemed to feel fine, but was very needy/clingy yesterday which was ok because I think I was too.
We'll get the results next Tuesday morning and see what the dr recommends then.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Preoccupied Mind
Tomorrow is Alanna's appt at Children's for her MRI . Alanna was born with a cyst on her right cheek near her ear and just back and below her eye. This was discovered when I was 6 months pregnant on her ultrasound. Short version, 8 ultrasounds and an MRI later they determined that she would not have brain damage, be blind or deaf on that side, but that they didn't know what it was or what damage it could do in the future. When she was born, we were told that so long as it didn't change in size or shape and wasn't causing her discomfort to wait until she was about 2 to have it re-evaluated. That's where we're at now.
The cranio-facial pediatric surgeon that we're seeing is unsure as to what it is and is leaning towards calling it a lymphatic malformation but wants the MRI to determine more.
She's a beautiful little girl, the cyst is really not overly noticeable and I feel a bit like a selfish, superficial person for wanting it taken care of. I keep asking myself if this is really necessary, after all it's just a bump. But I keep coming back to the fact that they really don't know for sure what it is and it's very close to her eye and ear so what if it enlarges and puts pressure on those nerves or what if it ruptures? And from a purely cosmetic point of view is she going to want a bump on her cheek for the rest of her life? Would a tiny scar that could be covered with a dab of concealer or that would maybe fade in the years to come be preferable to her?
We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who is happy and healthy. Am I doing the right thing? I guess every parent has to battle that question.
All I know is the what ifs of not knowing for sure what it is and what damage it could do are far worse than the MRI and sedation we'll have to go through tomorrow. If something were to happen and we hadn't taken the opportunity to investigate it further, I'd be shattered.
The cranio-facial pediatric surgeon that we're seeing is unsure as to what it is and is leaning towards calling it a lymphatic malformation but wants the MRI to determine more.
She's a beautiful little girl, the cyst is really not overly noticeable and I feel a bit like a selfish, superficial person for wanting it taken care of. I keep asking myself if this is really necessary, after all it's just a bump. But I keep coming back to the fact that they really don't know for sure what it is and it's very close to her eye and ear so what if it enlarges and puts pressure on those nerves or what if it ruptures? And from a purely cosmetic point of view is she going to want a bump on her cheek for the rest of her life? Would a tiny scar that could be covered with a dab of concealer or that would maybe fade in the years to come be preferable to her?
We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who is happy and healthy. Am I doing the right thing? I guess every parent has to battle that question.
All I know is the what ifs of not knowing for sure what it is and what damage it could do are far worse than the MRI and sedation we'll have to go through tomorrow. If something were to happen and we hadn't taken the opportunity to investigate it further, I'd be shattered.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Black Plague of Death
Yes, yes..I'm posting already sheesh! . I think I'll begin with the death vomit disease that invaded our home last week, which I'm comparing to Black Death . Ok, so it wasn't that bad, but in all the sicknesses I've had I'd rank it right up under pneumonia as 2nd worse and one that I would only wish on my worst enemies. As a side note, if you are wondering if you're on my worst enemy list you can likely relax as by having this blog address you can be fairly certain you're not in danger. However, I am a scorpio and fickle as well as prone to hold grudges, so that could change at any moment. But, I digress.
So Tuesday night we go to pick up Miss Alanna last week and we get there to find out she has just puked on the daycare provider's couch. Ok, so a part of me was thrilled that it was her couch and not our car...selfish I know but a true thought nonetheless. We pick her up, comfort her and get her home to a fun-filled night of throw up, diapers, crying (both her and mommy) and finally sleep.
I make arrangements to dial in from home and do as much work as possible while caring for a sick child on Wednesday since she can't go to daycare.
Wednesday night we get a call from daycare....now our provider has the plague and there will be no daycare on Thursday. Did I mention that daycare is one of the best birth controls out there? In a panic we call in the cavalry....Scott & Lori! To the rescue the tag team watch Alanna all day Thursday.
Thursday night was our work party casino night. So off we go to gamble and have a good time. Except, we get there and near the end of the night I start feeling kinda woozy. I didn't have anything to drink other than water because we had driven together and I was the one driving us home. So, I tell Jeb that I'm not feeling that great. But, he's on a winning streak and wants to stay for the auction. He was having so much fun that I feel bad pulling him away. Off I go to hang out in the bathroom while waiting for him to finish the auction.
Onward to our 35 minute drive home....almost made it home...almost (I'll leave any other details out here just because you probably don't want to know, well aside from there still isn't puke in our car so that's a good thing). Spent the night miserable as well as the next day. Had to beg Jeb to stay home to care for Alanna because I could barely make it from the bedroom to the bathroom and back again let alone care for a 2 year old who still had to stay home from daycare.
So over the weekend from Thurs night until Sun afternoon I can't eat anything and can barely drink any water.
On a happy note, I'm down 13lbs for the month. Not really the best way to lose weight, but in light of feeling like death warmed over, I'll take it as a bonus.
So Tuesday night we go to pick up Miss Alanna last week and we get there to find out she has just puked on the daycare provider's couch. Ok, so a part of me was thrilled that it was her couch and not our car...selfish I know but a true thought nonetheless. We pick her up, comfort her and get her home to a fun-filled night of throw up, diapers, crying (both her and mommy) and finally sleep.
I make arrangements to dial in from home and do as much work as possible while caring for a sick child on Wednesday since she can't go to daycare.
Wednesday night we get a call from daycare....now our provider has the plague and there will be no daycare on Thursday. Did I mention that daycare is one of the best birth controls out there? In a panic we call in the cavalry....Scott & Lori! To the rescue the tag team watch Alanna all day Thursday.
Thursday night was our work party casino night. So off we go to gamble and have a good time. Except, we get there and near the end of the night I start feeling kinda woozy. I didn't have anything to drink other than water because we had driven together and I was the one driving us home. So, I tell Jeb that I'm not feeling that great. But, he's on a winning streak and wants to stay for the auction. He was having so much fun that I feel bad pulling him away. Off I go to hang out in the bathroom while waiting for him to finish the auction.
Onward to our 35 minute drive home....almost made it home...almost (I'll leave any other details out here just because you probably don't want to know, well aside from there still isn't puke in our car so that's a good thing). Spent the night miserable as well as the next day. Had to beg Jeb to stay home to care for Alanna because I could barely make it from the bedroom to the bathroom and back again let alone care for a 2 year old who still had to stay home from daycare.
So over the weekend from Thurs night until Sun afternoon I can't eat anything and can barely drink any water.
On a happy note, I'm down 13lbs for the month. Not really the best way to lose weight, but in light of feeling like death warmed over, I'll take it as a bonus.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
The Value of a Dollar
So this weekend, I tried to teach Alanna about money. Last Christmas, we bought her a piggy bank . She loves her piggy and is constantly trying to sucker us out of coins to put in it. Then she will kiss the piggy. Perhaps this is an unhealthy relationship with money, but she's learning to save it and it's damn cute, so I haven't tried to change the behavior.
Piggy was getting awfully fat, so I decided it was time for a trip to the bank. We emptied Piggy's coins and birthday bills into a ziplock baggie and tucked it into her Dora purse. Then off to the bank we went.
At first when I put the coins on the counting tray, she was a little concerned because it was "mine money" as she told me. I said yes, but that we were going to trade in the coins for bills. As soon as the machine started, she was entranced and thrilled by watching the coins swirl around. We took her receipt to the cashier and she got her bills to put back in her purse.
I then explained that we could go to Target and she could shop for something to buy with her money. Or that she could save it and put it back in Piggy. At Target she was sooooo good and looked around for about 20 minutes, never running off, but seriously looking at things. She found a Wiggles Guitar that she really liked. I asked "Is that what you would like to buy?" She replied, "I like it, I buy it." Too cute! I melted on the spot.
I thought we'd have a battle at the checkout when she actually would have to give the cashier some of her money, but it was no problem She handed over the $16 and took her change then put it all back in her purse with mommy's help. When we got home, she showed Daddy and was so proud saying, "I bought it." Then we put her money back in her Piggy for another day.
Piggy was getting awfully fat, so I decided it was time for a trip to the bank. We emptied Piggy's coins and birthday bills into a ziplock baggie and tucked it into her Dora purse. Then off to the bank we went.
At first when I put the coins on the counting tray, she was a little concerned because it was "mine money" as she told me. I said yes, but that we were going to trade in the coins for bills. As soon as the machine started, she was entranced and thrilled by watching the coins swirl around. We took her receipt to the cashier and she got her bills to put back in her purse.
I then explained that we could go to Target and she could shop for something to buy with her money. Or that she could save it and put it back in Piggy. At Target she was sooooo good and looked around for about 20 minutes, never running off, but seriously looking at things. She found a Wiggles Guitar that she really liked. I asked "Is that what you would like to buy?" She replied, "I like it, I buy it." Too cute! I melted on the spot.
I thought we'd have a battle at the checkout when she actually would have to give the cashier some of her money, but it was no problem She handed over the $16 and took her change then put it all back in her purse with mommy's help. When we got home, she showed Daddy and was so proud saying, "I bought it." Then we put her money back in her Piggy for another day.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Sick Kid
I hate feeling helpless. I'm not good at feeling helpless. Yes, I admit I'm a control freak and feeling helpless does not work for control freaks at all.
Alanna is sick today. She's got this squeaky lil voice from a sore throat and runny nose and fever. I have her believing now that her medicine is a "treat" and the Sudafed orange flavored chewable and Tylenol Meltaways help with that as they look like little candies. The bad side of my "treat" theory is that I have to be ultra careful (we already are) to make sure that she can't get her hands on the medicine as she now thinks it's a candy. I hate the feeling that I can't do much to make her feel better.
She has an MRI scheduled next week to take a look at the facial cyst and determine the best course of treatment. That makes me feel helpless too. They will have to sedate her so that she lies still in the machine. I've got this mommy guilt going on wondering if I'm doing the right thing by putting her through this. But I can't get over the fact that if we don't and something happens like infection or swelling that could compromise facial nerves that we'd regret it for the rest of her life.
Fuck helpless feelings.
Alanna is sick today. She's got this squeaky lil voice from a sore throat and runny nose and fever. I have her believing now that her medicine is a "treat" and the Sudafed orange flavored chewable and Tylenol Meltaways help with that as they look like little candies. The bad side of my "treat" theory is that I have to be ultra careful (we already are) to make sure that she can't get her hands on the medicine as she now thinks it's a candy. I hate the feeling that I can't do much to make her feel better.
She has an MRI scheduled next week to take a look at the facial cyst and determine the best course of treatment. That makes me feel helpless too. They will have to sedate her so that she lies still in the machine. I've got this mommy guilt going on wondering if I'm doing the right thing by putting her through this. But I can't get over the fact that if we don't and something happens like infection or swelling that could compromise facial nerves that we'd regret it for the rest of her life.
Fuck helpless feelings.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Talking Toys
So one of my coworkers found this fun site of writing ideas here and wrote from one of the topics today. I'm in a rambling mood and one of the topics is near and dear to my heart right now.
So, I'm going to write about "What if Toys Could Talk?" Actually, I'm tweaking it a little bit to address the talking toys that have invaded my home over the past two Christmas/birthday seasons.
Last year, the first talking toy entered our household on Alanna's Birthday. Hug & Learn Baby Tad. We thought he was pretty cute and Alanna loved figuring out that if she pushed the shape that was lit up it would play a song. The "2 minutes until Night Night" started to get a little old and hearing him come on in the middle of the night in her crib when she'd roll over was a bit disturbing as well.
Then came the Chucky Doll of talking toys, for Christmas we got her SingALong Carebears . These little suckers are spooky as hell! Their heads move and they sing and recognize eachother. So, you'll push the hand of one and it will look at the other bear and say "Hi Wish Bear" or whatever then they'll start singing together. I keep expecting one of their heads to swivel and for it to be like the Clown Doll from Poltergeist . Damn, I hated that doll.
This Christmas, her aunt Hope and uncle Jer got her a Dusty the Talking Vacuum . This seemed like a cute idea as she's now really into pretend play and loves to help mommy with the housework. However, whoever designed this little monster had a sick and twisted time doing so...or a clean freak mother. I expected it to say things like, "It's fun to clean!" and "You missed a spot" or "Let's clean the carpet!" But Nooooooooo, this bugger is giving me a complex. She will roll it over the carpet and it says, "Who made this mess?" "Let's clean up this pigsty" It's giving me a complex over the cleanliness of my house.
And most recently the NUKFairy brought the Talking Vanity mentioned in a previous post. This one at least says nice things, but the biggest problem with all of these talking toys is that there is no volume control. The one toy with a volume control she has is a barnyard music thing that does different songs in animal sounds. Imagine Twinkle Twinkle sung by a chicken. The volume is right where she can figure it out though, so when we turn it down, she simply turns it back up or turns it off and on again to reset it.
Toymakers are sadistic fuckers.
So, I'm going to write about "What if Toys Could Talk?" Actually, I'm tweaking it a little bit to address the talking toys that have invaded my home over the past two Christmas/birthday seasons.
Last year, the first talking toy entered our household on Alanna's Birthday. Hug & Learn Baby Tad. We thought he was pretty cute and Alanna loved figuring out that if she pushed the shape that was lit up it would play a song. The "2 minutes until Night Night" started to get a little old and hearing him come on in the middle of the night in her crib when she'd roll over was a bit disturbing as well.
Then came the Chucky Doll of talking toys, for Christmas we got her SingALong Carebears . These little suckers are spooky as hell! Their heads move and they sing and recognize eachother. So, you'll push the hand of one and it will look at the other bear and say "Hi Wish Bear" or whatever then they'll start singing together. I keep expecting one of their heads to swivel and for it to be like the Clown Doll from Poltergeist . Damn, I hated that doll.
This Christmas, her aunt Hope and uncle Jer got her a Dusty the Talking Vacuum . This seemed like a cute idea as she's now really into pretend play and loves to help mommy with the housework. However, whoever designed this little monster had a sick and twisted time doing so...or a clean freak mother. I expected it to say things like, "It's fun to clean!" and "You missed a spot" or "Let's clean the carpet!" But Nooooooooo, this bugger is giving me a complex. She will roll it over the carpet and it says, "Who made this mess?" "Let's clean up this pigsty" It's giving me a complex over the cleanliness of my house.
And most recently the NUKFairy brought the Talking Vanity mentioned in a previous post. This one at least says nice things, but the biggest problem with all of these talking toys is that there is no volume control. The one toy with a volume control she has is a barnyard music thing that does different songs in animal sounds. Imagine Twinkle Twinkle sung by a chicken. The volume is right where she can figure it out though, so when we turn it down, she simply turns it back up or turns it off and on again to reset it.
Toymakers are sadistic fuckers.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Followup
NukFairy: This actually has gone very well this weekend (knock on wood). Friday night I snipped the tip off of the NUK and gave it to Alanna. She looked at it funny, then looked at me. I made this big happy deal out of it being broken and that meaning that the NUKFairy was going to come. She looked at it, said "broke" and then "No." and popped it in her mouth. Saturday morning it "disappeared" into the trash can and the big girl present arrived in her crib. She LOVED the little play vanity and at naptime only fussed for about 5 minutes when she realized the NUK was really gone for good. Same thing last night. About 5-10 minutes of mild fussing and then she fell asleep. So, I think it worked!
Wedding: Scott & Lori are now married and on their way to their Cruise as I write this. It was a very nice short ceremony and they both looked fantastic. I got about 30ish good pics and there were 4 other people taking pictures as well. Here's the link to the photos I took: Lori & Scott's Wedding.
Wedding: Scott & Lori are now married and on their way to their Cruise as I write this. It was a very nice short ceremony and they both looked fantastic. I got about 30ish good pics and there were 4 other people taking pictures as well. Here's the link to the photos I took: Lori & Scott's Wedding.
Friday, January 07, 2005
NUK Fairy
Tonight's the night the NUK Fairy will be coming to visit. What's the NUK Fairy you ask? For those who are parents, you know exactly what a NUK is although in your home it may be referred to as a binky, plug, paci or some other name. Those who are not parents may believe it is something closer to this.
When we had Alanna, we vowed we would not use a NUK in our house. Well, one night Mommy caved in and really wanted sleep and *pop* in goes the NUK, sleep ensues and hence the point we are now at, which is a 2 year old with a pacifier. To our credit, we have been pretty good about weening her off of it. Since she was one, she is not allowed the NUK in the waking hours and only uses it at naptime and bedtime. However, the time has now come for the NUK to go away completely.
I consulted message boards for mommy's and talked to other parents and have decided that the way our NUK is going away is by method of NUK Fairy.
So, tonight I'm cutting the tip off the NUK so that it is broken. I'm hoping this is what will happen:
Alanna-- "Broke!"
Me-- "Yay! That means the NUK Fairy is coming and she'll take the NUK to fix it for a baby since you're a big girl now and don't need it anymore"
Alanna-- "Faiwy?"
Me-- "Yes, the NUK Fairy will come and bring you a Big Girl gift and take the NUK away for a baby. You're not a baby anymore, you're a Big Girl! Yay!"
Alanna-- "Ni Ni" and hands me the NUK complacently getting tucked in and going to sleep.
What will probably really happen:
Alanna-- "Broke!"
Me-- blah blah about NUK Fairy
Alanna-- "NOooooo! No no no no!!"
Me-- blah blah about NUK Fairy
Alanna-- "Noooo!!!!" Crying and tantrum ensues until she falls asleep
Mommy & Daddy take away the NUK, replace it with Big Girl Toy and awaken to only go through the same tantrum at naptime and bedtime tomorrow night.
Well, we can hope!
When we had Alanna, we vowed we would not use a NUK in our house. Well, one night Mommy caved in and really wanted sleep and *pop* in goes the NUK, sleep ensues and hence the point we are now at, which is a 2 year old with a pacifier. To our credit, we have been pretty good about weening her off of it. Since she was one, she is not allowed the NUK in the waking hours and only uses it at naptime and bedtime. However, the time has now come for the NUK to go away completely.
I consulted message boards for mommy's and talked to other parents and have decided that the way our NUK is going away is by method of NUK Fairy.
So, tonight I'm cutting the tip off the NUK so that it is broken. I'm hoping this is what will happen:
Alanna-- "Broke!"
Me-- "Yay! That means the NUK Fairy is coming and she'll take the NUK to fix it for a baby since you're a big girl now and don't need it anymore"
Alanna-- "Faiwy?"
Me-- "Yes, the NUK Fairy will come and bring you a Big Girl gift and take the NUK away for a baby. You're not a baby anymore, you're a Big Girl! Yay!"
Alanna-- "Ni Ni" and hands me the NUK complacently getting tucked in and going to sleep.
What will probably really happen:
Alanna-- "Broke!"
Me-- blah blah about NUK Fairy
Alanna-- "NOooooo! No no no no!!"
Me-- blah blah about NUK Fairy
Alanna-- "Noooo!!!!" Crying and tantrum ensues until she falls asleep
Mommy & Daddy take away the NUK, replace it with Big Girl Toy and awaken to only go through the same tantrum at naptime and bedtime tomorrow night.
Well, we can hope!
What's a Woogie??
So, yesterday Alanna presented me with a new word. Woogie. What in the world is a woogie???
Jeb is still in NC for work, so yesterday morning was a flurry of me getting ready and then quickly getting Alanna ready for daycare. As we were getting ready, I told her a bit about the Nuk fairy (which I will post later) and how Aunt Lori was going to come over for pizza that night. I get her coat, hat, scarf, boots & mittens on--she looked like a cute little snowman all bundled up. She looks at me with this indignant glare and states, "Woogie."
This conversation between me and my two year old ensued:
Me--"What's a woogie?"
Alanna--"Woogie."
Me-- "Honey, I don't know what a woogie is."
Alanna-- "Woogie!"
Me-- "Sweetheart, we need to go. I have your blankie and Nuk..is that what you want?"
Alanna-- "No!!! No, no no! Woogie!"
At this point, I've got the door open and her in my arms balanced heading outside.
During our drive to daycare, the conversation continues.
Me-- "We're going to go see Paula!" in my fun mommy voice.
Alanna-- "Woogie."
Me-- "Sweetie, I don't know what a woogie is, but won't it be fun at Paula's?"
Alanna--"No. Woogie!"
We get to daycare and I mention to Paula that I don't know what a woogie is, but that Alanna has been asking for it all morning and does she happen to know. Paula looks confused and says she has no idea either.
So, all day I'm trying to think through what in the world a woogie is and all that comes to mind is the movie Mr. Mom from the early 80's where the little boy calls his blankie a woogie. Well, Alanna can say "blankie", and I'm fairly certain she's never seen the movie so that can't be it.
I go to pick her up and as we're getting her coat on, this conversation occurs:
Me--"Let's go home and see Aunt Lori and have Pizza!"
Alanna-- "Za!! Woogie!"
Me-- "Lori"
Alanna-- "Wori"
Me-- (as it begins to dawn on my dumb mommy brain) "Who are we going to see?"
Alanna-- "Woogie!"
So, even though my daughter can say "Wori", she has chosen to rename Aunt Lori to Woogie. When Lori came over last night, she ran and gave her a hug and said "Woogie!!" We said "say Lori" to which she responds "Wori". Then we point at Lori and say "Who's this?" And the resounding answer:
"WOOGIE!!"
Congratulations, Aunt Woogie! You know I'm not letting that one go....she'll be Woogie forever now :)
Jeb is still in NC for work, so yesterday morning was a flurry of me getting ready and then quickly getting Alanna ready for daycare. As we were getting ready, I told her a bit about the Nuk fairy (which I will post later) and how Aunt Lori was going to come over for pizza that night. I get her coat, hat, scarf, boots & mittens on--she looked like a cute little snowman all bundled up. She looks at me with this indignant glare and states, "Woogie."
This conversation between me and my two year old ensued:
Me--"What's a woogie?"
Alanna--"Woogie."
Me-- "Honey, I don't know what a woogie is."
Alanna-- "Woogie!"
Me-- "Sweetheart, we need to go. I have your blankie and Nuk..is that what you want?"
Alanna-- "No!!! No, no no! Woogie!"
At this point, I've got the door open and her in my arms balanced heading outside.
During our drive to daycare, the conversation continues.
Me-- "We're going to go see Paula!" in my fun mommy voice.
Alanna-- "Woogie."
Me-- "Sweetie, I don't know what a woogie is, but won't it be fun at Paula's?"
Alanna--"No. Woogie!"
We get to daycare and I mention to Paula that I don't know what a woogie is, but that Alanna has been asking for it all morning and does she happen to know. Paula looks confused and says she has no idea either.
So, all day I'm trying to think through what in the world a woogie is and all that comes to mind is the movie Mr. Mom from the early 80's where the little boy calls his blankie a woogie. Well, Alanna can say "blankie", and I'm fairly certain she's never seen the movie so that can't be it.
I go to pick her up and as we're getting her coat on, this conversation occurs:
Me--"Let's go home and see Aunt Lori and have Pizza!"
Alanna-- "Za!! Woogie!"
Me-- "Lori"
Alanna-- "Wori"
Me-- (as it begins to dawn on my dumb mommy brain) "Who are we going to see?"
Alanna-- "Woogie!"
So, even though my daughter can say "Wori", she has chosen to rename Aunt Lori to Woogie. When Lori came over last night, she ran and gave her a hug and said "Woogie!!" We said "say Lori" to which she responds "Wori". Then we point at Lori and say "Who's this?" And the resounding answer:
"WOOGIE!!"
Congratulations, Aunt Woogie! You know I'm not letting that one go....she'll be Woogie forever now :)
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Another?
Since Alanna turned 2, we've been talking about whether or not we want another child. Both families seem to think that we definitely do want another child. The argument we keep hearing from them is "You can't just have one"...as if they were potato chips or something. Where is it written anyway that we can't just have one?
The bad part or good part depending on how you look at it, is that this skewed logic seems to be sinking in. I wouldn't trade my little brother in for the world (of course, had you asked me when I was 10 I would have traded him in for $10). Having a sibling teaches one a lot and once you're older, it's nice to have that fellowship and comraderie to talk about your parents and understand EXACTLY why you're both so messed up.
What we keep coming back to though is the inconvenience factor. Perhaps that's just selfish of us though. Alanna is finally at the stage that is just really fun. She can communicate with us in a way we can understand. She's almost out of the dreaded diapers. She eats what we eat. She sleeps most of the time through the night. I'm really just not a baby person at heart. Maternity leave was not overly fun for me and my idea of a good time isn't getting blurped on and having to get up 6 times during the night. Not to mention $$$$$. Daycare already costs about $500 a month and that amount would go up. They say that going from one child to two is a huge financial and lifestyle difference. Whereas two to three isn't as big of a deal (I suppose you're already beat down by then.) Truly though, money is definitely an issue. We want to be able to provide for our child (children if that happens) in such a way that is comfortable. We want to be able to have a nice home, go on vacations, and help with college costs.
At the same time, we love Alanna so much and I'm sure having two would just double the amount of cute factor moments that occur. So that being said, here are some possibilities for names if indeed we do decide to have another:
Boy--
Spencer Bruce
Corvin Drake
Girl--
Amelia Layne
Aria Grace
Ariella Grace
Arabella
The bad part or good part depending on how you look at it, is that this skewed logic seems to be sinking in. I wouldn't trade my little brother in for the world (of course, had you asked me when I was 10 I would have traded him in for $10). Having a sibling teaches one a lot and once you're older, it's nice to have that fellowship and comraderie to talk about your parents and understand EXACTLY why you're both so messed up.
What we keep coming back to though is the inconvenience factor. Perhaps that's just selfish of us though. Alanna is finally at the stage that is just really fun. She can communicate with us in a way we can understand. She's almost out of the dreaded diapers. She eats what we eat. She sleeps most of the time through the night. I'm really just not a baby person at heart. Maternity leave was not overly fun for me and my idea of a good time isn't getting blurped on and having to get up 6 times during the night. Not to mention $$$$$. Daycare already costs about $500 a month and that amount would go up. They say that going from one child to two is a huge financial and lifestyle difference. Whereas two to three isn't as big of a deal (I suppose you're already beat down by then.) Truly though, money is definitely an issue. We want to be able to provide for our child (children if that happens) in such a way that is comfortable. We want to be able to have a nice home, go on vacations, and help with college costs.
At the same time, we love Alanna so much and I'm sure having two would just double the amount of cute factor moments that occur. So that being said, here are some possibilities for names if indeed we do decide to have another:
Boy--
Spencer Bruce
Corvin Drake
Girl--
Amelia Layne
Aria Grace
Ariella Grace
Arabella
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Christmas 2005
This Christmas was all about Alanna for sure. It was so much fun to see her little face light up when we finally got ready to open all of the presents that had accumulated under the tree. True to tradition we put them in little piles for each person in anticipation of doing the round robin opening where each person opens one at a time, but Alanna's pile dwarfed all of ours easily.
When she realized that she actually got to open them, it was pure delight for her. She was so intrigued by each gift that she wanted to spend time playing with each one before opening the next. Even then we had to coax her to open the next one because she didn't want to stop playing with the one before it.
The prime rib turned out divine. It practically melted in your mouth and smelled so fantastic while it was cooking. However, it will likely be a while before I spend $100 on a piece of meat for the holiday dinner again.
The rocking horse was a huge hit. She hopped right on (with Daddy's help) and pulled her pink cowgirl hat off of her head saying "Yeehaw!!". We're not sure where she learned that from, but think we've tracked it back to Sesame Street and the little cowgirl on there.
I was said to see Mom & Joe go. As I've gotten older, my relationship with them has vastly improved. Not that it was ever poor by any means, but it's more relaxed now and adult. More like having good friends over for a few days versus your parents. They were so sweet and brought up my daybed from home, so we redid the downstairs office/gaming room and it's so much more homey and organized now.
Things Alanna got: (or should I say--how the munchkin made out like a bandit)
Rocking Horse
Dora DVDs: Fairytale Princess & Cowgirl Dora
Blue's Clues DVDs
Veggie Tale DVD
Little People House, Castle, Train, Nativity, Santa set
Disney Princess Dress Up Trunk
Clothes (really cute clothes that mommy thought were far neater than she did--yup she's a kid!)
This animal barnyard music piano that will put mommy & daddy in the loony bin
A really neat travel chalkboard
Lots of cool art things including a smock
And many more things that now live in my living room/toy room that don't come to mind at the moment.
Things Jana got:
Beautiful sapphire/diamond three stone ring for my right hand
Tempurpedic pillow
Hand made Recipe Book from my wonderful soon to be sister-in-law (next Friday in fact!!)
Incense Feng-Shui set
Patricia Cornwell book
Cabella's full body wrap blanket
And other wonderful things for the house like sheets, towels, and such.
Things Jeb got:
Dragon Eggs
LotR collector's letter opener replica sword
GeoMags panels set
Monster Manual III for D&D
Frostburn for D&D
Draakar cologne
Pocket Ref Book...COOL book!!
Spiderman 2 DVD
When she realized that she actually got to open them, it was pure delight for her. She was so intrigued by each gift that she wanted to spend time playing with each one before opening the next. Even then we had to coax her to open the next one because she didn't want to stop playing with the one before it.
The prime rib turned out divine. It practically melted in your mouth and smelled so fantastic while it was cooking. However, it will likely be a while before I spend $100 on a piece of meat for the holiday dinner again.
The rocking horse was a huge hit. She hopped right on (with Daddy's help) and pulled her pink cowgirl hat off of her head saying "Yeehaw!!". We're not sure where she learned that from, but think we've tracked it back to Sesame Street and the little cowgirl on there.
I was said to see Mom & Joe go. As I've gotten older, my relationship with them has vastly improved. Not that it was ever poor by any means, but it's more relaxed now and adult. More like having good friends over for a few days versus your parents. They were so sweet and brought up my daybed from home, so we redid the downstairs office/gaming room and it's so much more homey and organized now.
Things Alanna got: (or should I say--how the munchkin made out like a bandit)
Rocking Horse
Dora DVDs: Fairytale Princess & Cowgirl Dora
Blue's Clues DVDs
Veggie Tale DVD
Little People House, Castle, Train, Nativity, Santa set
Disney Princess Dress Up Trunk
Clothes (really cute clothes that mommy thought were far neater than she did--yup she's a kid!)
This animal barnyard music piano that will put mommy & daddy in the loony bin
A really neat travel chalkboard
Lots of cool art things including a smock
And many more things that now live in my living room/toy room that don't come to mind at the moment.
Things Jana got:
Beautiful sapphire/diamond three stone ring for my right hand
Tempurpedic pillow
Hand made Recipe Book from my wonderful soon to be sister-in-law (next Friday in fact!!)
Incense Feng-Shui set
Patricia Cornwell book
Cabella's full body wrap blanket
And other wonderful things for the house like sheets, towels, and such.
Things Jeb got:
Dragon Eggs
LotR collector's letter opener replica sword
GeoMags panels set
Monster Manual III for D&D
Frostburn for D&D
Draakar cologne
Pocket Ref Book...COOL book!!
Spiderman 2 DVD
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Link Toddler Ware
Alanna in her snazzy new Link shirt from Shop of Scott . Check it out--all the cool toddlers will be wearing them soon!
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Toddler Creed
Got this in an email and thought it was darn cute and true!
Toddler's Creed
If I want it, it's mine.
If I give it to you & change my mind later, it's mine.
If I can take it away from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it will never belong to anyone else no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks like mine, it's mine.
For the most part, Alanna isn't too much into the "mine" phase. She is, however, vying for control of the Toddler Underground at daycare.
There are three 2ish year olds at daycare. C (2.5), D(will be 2 this month), and Alanna. There's definitely a power struggle going on. For almost all of last week C was getting in trouble for pushing Alanna down like a weeble wobble. This continued through Wednesday at which point Alanna began screaming her head off if C would come within 3 feet of her. Then on Thursday we get the report that Alanna was put in time out for biting C. So, a part of me wants to give her a high five for not taking the bullying and the mommy part also wants to make sure that it doesn't become a habit. It's awfully hard to find good daycare for a biter ;) Turns out, she was in fact provoked by C, but that she was provoked about 15 mins earlier, then sought out the opportunity for revenge. So it was premeditated biting. Well, at least she thought about it and the consequences before doing it, right?
Toddler's Creed
If I want it, it's mine.
If I give it to you & change my mind later, it's mine.
If I can take it away from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it will never belong to anyone else no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks like mine, it's mine.
For the most part, Alanna isn't too much into the "mine" phase. She is, however, vying for control of the Toddler Underground at daycare.
There are three 2ish year olds at daycare. C (2.5), D(will be 2 this month), and Alanna. There's definitely a power struggle going on. For almost all of last week C was getting in trouble for pushing Alanna down like a weeble wobble. This continued through Wednesday at which point Alanna began screaming her head off if C would come within 3 feet of her. Then on Thursday we get the report that Alanna was put in time out for biting C. So, a part of me wants to give her a high five for not taking the bullying and the mommy part also wants to make sure that it doesn't become a habit. It's awfully hard to find good daycare for a biter ;) Turns out, she was in fact provoked by C, but that she was provoked about 15 mins earlier, then sought out the opportunity for revenge. So it was premeditated biting. Well, at least she thought about it and the consequences before doing it, right?
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