Battles & Blessings

I am privileged to be a part of a wonderful community of mommies.  These ladies are supportive, friendly, honest, and kind.  Some days, they are the only thing that helps me keep my sanity.  And I've never met a single one of them.

When I was planning my wedding,* I found this wonderful site called The Knot.  It was a great resource for brides-to-be.  I used it to find vendors, get ideas, and most importantly, check items off of their handy-dandy checklist.  Once I was married, I checked out their post-marriage sister-site, The Nest, but it was never really for me.  However, when I found out I was pregnant, I discovered the third part of their little conglomeration:

The Bump.

It had articles and checklists, which I loved reading, but best of all, it had a forum-based community of other women who were going through exactly what I was.  Almost two years later, some of the women I met there have become friends.  Many more have become acquaintances that I sometimes pester with questions and random vents about my life.**

My favorite board is the Stay-at-Home Moms Board.  It's full of women that are intelligent and level-headed, and is refreshingly free of the drama that seems to plague many of the other boards.  Don't get me wrong: sometimes it's fun to read the drama, but when I have a serious question, I'm heading straight for "my board."

One of my favorite traditions on that board is the weekly "Battles and Blessings" post.  It makes me think about not only the rough patches I've had, but also the little joys that come with being a mom.

So, with my overly-long explanation out of the way, here is my first installment of Battles & Blessings.

Battles:

• Miles and I both have colds, so we have both been cranky and tired all week.
• Naps have been almost non-existent all week.  And with them, any 'me-time' I usually manage to squeeze out during the day.

Blessings:

• One of my bestest friends found out that she is pregnant.  I am so excited for her, and I cannot wait to see what an amazing mom she will be.
• My forum boards, especially the stay-at-home moms board.  It has kept me from going entirely insane.
• Dominic is turning out to be a terrific addition to our family, and the transition, so far, has been much easier than I might have expected (knockonwood).
• I have been able to spend two nights this week in the company of friends who truly accept me as I am, faults and all.
• My wonderful and amazing husband has worked extra hard to make sure I get at least some time to myself when he gets home from work.  He has taken over bedtime duty and overnight duty a few times this week, which has made the week so much more bearable.
• Christmas is coming, and with it, the opportunity to start some fun family traditions with Miles.

I'm sure I have a dozen more blessings to write up, but Miles has awoken crying.  Again.  So, farewell for now, and enjoy your weekend. :)

*It seems like a lifetime ago.  Has it only been 3.5 years?

**Because it's Oh, So Tragic, ya' know?***

*** I have no idea where Miles gets his dramatic flair.  Why do you ask?

^

Friday Photos!

Morning Face.

Silly Face.

Hanging out with Mommy at the Zoo.

Playing with Aunt B - Who just found out she's going to be a Mommy!!!

Aunt Stacey and Miles are excited for Aunt B!

Busy Day, or Reasons Today's Post is Crappy

Brief update:

• Yesterday sucked.  Sick toddlers are no fun.
• Today is better.  Less snot, and far less screaming.
• I have to try and finish everything that I didn't do yesterday.

Today's To-Do List:

• Tidy living room in preparation for Shakespeare night. - Check!
• Sweep and mop floors, cuz they're getting gross. - Check!
• Laundry, because nudity is bad, mmkay? - Started.
• Vacuuming.  No one likes fuzzy feet.
• Grocery shopping.  Food is good.
• Finish Christmas shopping.  Presents are good.
• Cash check. Money equals food.  And presents.
• Make an appearance at the office Christmas Party.  Because it's the polite thing to do.
• Make potato soup for supper.  Crowds of people demand food.
• Relax with a cup of cocoa and read Act II of Twelfth Night with the Shakespeare crowd.  Because after this day, that will be the only thing I will be capable of.  Except perhaps staring at a wall and giggling in a far off way that displays my obvious insanity.

Sorry, no time for a real post.  Look for Friday Photos tomorrow!

Lessons of Mommyhood

Lesson #106: Never take a sick toddler anywhere.  Especially somewhere that requires waiting.  Even if it's just for a minute.

Today was Dominic's first vet visit since coming to live with us.  We wanted to get him checked out, and establish a relationship with a vet, just in case we need one in the future. (We had one for Lilo, but we weren't crazy about him, and his office was 20 minutes away.)

I got there a few minutes early, anticipating the inevitable barrage of paperwork that comes with going anywhere new.*  We arrived, and were immediately taken to an exam room and handed a clipboard and a pen.  I rolled up my sleeves and dove into the paperwork frenzy.

It was a single page.  Front only.  Lots of white space.

Which meant that I now had several minutes to wait in the tiny exam room with a Very Worried Dog and a Very Cranky Toddler.  Not a good mix.  Dominic laid under my feet, whining, probably expecting to be left here or worse.  Miles, meanwhile, ran laps around the room.  In the space of two minutes, he asked for Goldfish and a book, pushed the doctor stool around the room a half-dozen times, threw his Goldfish angrily at the floor and tried to take the dog's leash from me.  And then I wiped his nose.

All hell broke loose.  He threw his head back, arched his spine, and wailed.  He punched and kicked and tossed and turned like a fish flopping around on a dock.  Snot and saliva flew.  Eardrums were pierced.  Bruises were inflicted upon an unsuspecting and helpless Mommy.

Who was still trying to hold on to the dog and keep him calm.

Blargh.

In the end, the vet came in, Miles calmed down, the dog was given a clean bill of health, and we went home.  Where Miles promptly fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from his first-class tantrum.  And I fell into a heap in my chair to blog and watch the neighbors call the cops on each other repeatedly.  For an hour.

Ahh, it's so relaxing to be a stay at home mom!

* Seriously, there's a reason I don't go to new restaurants anymore.  By the time I finish the paperwork, I'm famished! :)

Icky Sickies

I am the mother of a snot-monster.

Seriously, the kid's nose hasn't stopped running since yesterday morning.  And this morning, when I got him out of bed, he had dried snot all over his face.  Disgusting, but true.  And, of course, his nose hurts, so wiping it has become this major struggle.  Every two minutes.

So, I pulled out the snot-sucker.  I have never, ever used the thing on him.  But then, he's never been this congested before.  I held him down, and fought with him, and in the end, he was breathing through his nose.  Briefly.  Then, exhausted from our epic struggle, he fell fast asleep.

I'll probably be cleaning dried snot again in an hour.

It wouldn't be so terrible, except the kid was already on the verge of extreme crankiness because he has four molars coming in, all at once.  We have been fighting these teeth for almost three weeks now.  So far, he's done wonderfully.  He gets a little fussy for awhile, sometimes, and then I put on the Orajel and life returns to sunshine and rainbows.

But now, with this cold, he just can't force himself to be happy.  He tries.  He played with eighteen toys in the space of ten minutes this morning in an effort to distract himself.  When that didn't work, he climbed into my lap, put his head on my chest, and whimpered.*  I tried comforting him, but he assumed I was trying to put him down for a nap, and he bucked backward and climbed back to the floor, looking again for comfort in his toys.  And so the cycle continued.  Over and over again for the next hour.  Until I pulled out the snot-sucker and he finally fell asleep.

As if that weren't enough, I woke up with congested sinuses this morning.  It's going to be a long week.

*And then blew his nose on my robe.

Boy's Best Friend

This is the little bundle of energy we adopted this weekend.  He is a Dauschund-Beagle mix, and it's not hard to tell.  He has the face and markings of a beagle, but his body is all dauschund.

His name is Dominic Deagle.  And props to your nerdiness if you get the joke.*

So far, here is what we know about the little guy:

• He travels well in the car.  On our way back home last night, he curled up on the floor of the van and slept the entire way.
• He loves to go for walks, and never pulls.  Until he sees a squirrel.  Then, he points, and gets really confused when you want to keep walking instead of chasing the squirrel.
• Our place is surrounded by squirrels.
• He is intelligent - five hours after getting him and changing his name, he was already beginning to respond to it.
• Someone loved him once.  He is house-trained and wants to sleep in the bed.
• He plays fetch.  And he usually brings it back. 
• He loves Miles.  That's why he came home with us.

*If not, google Dominic Deegan for a delightfully cute webcomic.

Black Friday

Happy Black Friday!

Hope your Thanksgiving was amazing.  Ours was great.  We ate too much, visited with family, played games, and then went across the street to my family's gathering and did it all again.  I would love to do a Friday Photos today, but the internet connection that comes through my phone takes forever to upload even one picture.  And for some reason, Patrick's 93 year old grandmother doesn't have high speed wireless available for us.  Weird. :)

So, instead, you get another day of my mad ramblings.  Since I can't do Friday Photos, I will instead share some of the adorable things Miles has been doing lately, and allow your imagination to fill in the pictures.

• We have an old back scratcher that had gone in the Goodwill box.  It has a curved top and, for some strange reason, wheels on the other end (maybe to give yourself a mini back rub?).  Anyhow, Miles pulled it out and has been 'vacuuming' with it.  Sometimes, he will even make the "vrrrrrrr" noise while he does it.
• Miles likes to 'help' with dinner, now.  Whenever someone is cooking, he gets into his cabinet and pulls out all of his pots and pans and bangs them around on the floor.  The other night, he then picked up one of the pots and handed it to me, trying to get me to put it on the stove.
• He likes to "squish" faces - or have me do it.  I put my hands on either side of those chubby cheeks and press in a little until he's got a fish face.  Then I do it to myself.  He thinks it's hysterical.
• He's fascinated by any minor change to my face.  When I pull him up in my lap, I give myself finger-glasses (where you make spectacles out of your fingers).  He starts giggling immediately, and then pulls my finger-glasses onto his own face.  Then he'll lean in until we're eye to eye, with only my fingers in between.  He will giggle for several minutes at a go when that happens.
• He has learned how to tickle.  Any exposed flesh gets a poke, and if you don't giggle, he'll poke even harder until you do.  He also likes to lift my shirt about an inch so he can see my belly, and then tickle me.  He usually gets tickled back at that point, and a vicious cycle ensues, usually resulting in both of us lying on the floor giggling uncontrollably.
• His language skills are progressing so fast.  Kids his age generally have one or two words.  Miles has about 8-10, and another dozen or so that we can interpret.  And he now has about 15 signs, including more, help, please, thank you, and music, which get used the most.  When he starts throwing a tantrum, I can often de-escalate it by asking him to sign or tell me what he wants.  His only real meltdowns come when he is either really tired, or when he can't find the word or sign he wants.  And I'm really proud of the fact that he uses the sign for 'please' every time he asks for something.  We're working on 'thank you'.

I could go on and on, but there is leftover turkey to eat, and relatives to visit.  Enjoy your weekend, and I will post again on Monday!