Once upon a long yesterday....

Hmmm.... Here we go again! ;)


Once upon a long yesterday, I sat on the floor with the baby to play
I gave her a toy, she reached for a book, she gave me the grin when I gave her the look
A while went by and then she was done, the playing with toys on the floor was no fun
Into the walker so around she can cruise, I walk down the hall and I trip on some shoes
"Girls!" I yell loudly as I hit the side wall, "Come get your freaking shoes out of this hall!"
A shoe rack conveniently sits right by the door that apparently shoes don't go in anymore
I get to the kitchen to put dishes away when here comes the walker for exploring and play
"She can't reach a thing..." but I spoke too soon. She rolled to the dishes and grabbed her a spoon.
A big plastic spoon went straight to her face, some biting and drool, she must like the taste... :/
It's time for lunch so she goes in her chair. It's not "what will she EAT?" it's "what will I WEAR?"
Sure enough we both were covered in peas after eating and spitting and even a sneeze.
We both get cleaned up and it's time for a nap, but her favorite cup is in dad's truck.. oh CRAP!
Find another, it's just not the same... I swear if she talked she'd be screaming my name..
Some music, her blanket and a warm little drink.. Then slowly to dreamland she starts to sink...
I don't want to fold, I don't want to clean... I want to do NOTHING, you know what I mean!
The girls playing Legos and the baby asleep... Quietly to the couch I started to creep..
I pick up my tablet to read some of a book but before I get comfy I listen and look...
Still so quiet it's like nobody's here... As soon as it's on I notice gross smears...
What the hell is that? It's wet but it's not... I almost yelled "Girls!", I almost forgot..
Then I remembered and I did a small roar... "Looks like they're touching this tablet no more!"
I muttered and mumbled as I cleaned the glass. I just want a minute to sit on my ass!
I got twenty minutes which I GUESS was enough.. It was time to attempt my not so fun stuff.
Down to the washer of clothes not yet started then up to the kitchen where my daughter just farted.
"Go away, go away, you gross little thing!" she ran away laughing then started to sing.
Just a few tracks in my playlist of life.. My God, I'm a lucky mother and wife!
A short while later, the baby's awake... Please just stay happy, for sanity's sake...
Thankfully nothing but smiles and grins and a small little bubble of drool on her chin.
Out of the crib and up to my chest. Her little arms hug me like I'm simply the best..
Fast forward, it's dinner, "What should I make?" "Pizza" "Hot dogs" "I don't care" "Cake?"
More mumbles and grumbles, in the pantry I scan... Pasta? Chicken? I don't know man!
(I stood there for minutes, continued to look... Did I ever mention that I HATE to cook?!?)
Find something, prepare it, consume it, all right. Time to get ready for the end of the night.
Baby food, bath time, PJ's and teeth. "yes Mom the room's clean". Except the bed underneath..
"We'll get it tomorrow.." now time to read. Twenty minutes... "The End?"  INDEED!
Kisses and hugs, tucked in all tight. "See you in the morning, I love you. Good night!"
Warm drink for the baby and a nice little song.. Knowing she'll be up again before long...
"I'd love a massage..." with a nice little wink. My husband and I.. well, what do you think!
Went right to bed and fell asleep quick.. (That's the nice version without making you sick) ;)
Finally bedtime.. This day's been so long... My eyes feel so heavy.. The sandman is strong...
That's it. It's over. I'm finished. I'm OUT! The good happy ending that I'm all about...
Of course there was more, I could go on for days... And it might be amusing in so many ways...
But I'll come to a close and quietly pray.. That tomorrow will not be another today...

GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!!!! -Super Mom

Who SHOULD and who DOES get the praise at a BBQ...

One of the things I love about summer is the chance to attend or throw BBQ dinners. They're casual, comfortable, full of good food, usually good company and there's no real WRONG way to do one if you decide to host one. As long as you have a grill, food, and someone able to use both at the same time... You're golden! My girls and I got my husband one of those big barrel shaped grills for fathers day. It's huge, heavy, has shelves and even a convenient little temperature gauge on door to let you know when you're good to start cooking... He loves it and he is THE cook when it comes to grilling.. Well this grill chef of mine decided it would be a good idea to host a BBQ dinner tonight (2 days ago he decided this..) and it's Friday.. I get that the summer season is coming to a close and it would be nice to get a few friends together and cook out so I said sure why not.. My husband mans the grill... that his what HE will do to contribute to this night.. I mean that's the basis of a good cook out.. THE FOOD! If the food gets charred, is undercooked or is simply NOT GOOD... Yikes... That's what gets remembered as a bad BBQ... And yes, even though all he has to do is cook, that is what will be remembered... Meanwhile... Here is what I have the joy of doing... Moving the picnic table and chairs in a comfortable spot, confirm the people on the invite list, move the grill up from the basement (we live in the city and it's a NICE grill that someone probably wouldn't feel bad about taking.. precautions..), make a grocery list, BUY the groceries, prep the food, get ice for drinks, take out all the necessary table trimmings such as utensils, plates, napkins, sauces and other condiments, sides, etc., put the fan outside.... Yeah... Then he will take the already ready food, cook it, serve it, people will love it, get stuffed and thank him for all the work he has done... HA! Yesterday I took the liberty of moving the outdoor furniture so it would be one less thing I would have to screw with today and this morning I took the baby out to go get all the groceries... There will be a few people that I myself have never met meaning that I don't know what they like and don't like so it's either go minimal.. TRY to go safe.. or just get EVERYTHING. As I went around the store loading my cart with water, Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Coke, Sprite (that clueless yet usually safe variety), different salads, beer, hot dogs, buns, two giant packs of chicken, bottles of BBQ sauce, paper plates, napkins, wet naps, 18 ears of corn, chips, and pies, all I could think to myself is that if people bailed and decided NOT to come tonight... I just might go to jail! I struggled to make the last few turns seeing as my cart was so overloaded and HEAVY. The highlight was that my baby was sitting and smiling very happily taking all kinds of compliments from various people.. That little joy lasted until I made it to the checkout... yikes. Again, if they decide to not show... they better plan on staying IN for a while... I finally make it home, unload all of the crap from my car and decide I've earned a little bit to just SIT down and enjoy some lunch... I feed the baby, eat my lunch, get her ready for a nap and go out to where everything still sat in bags on the counter... There was SO much to do... I say there was like I actually did it already... I have not.. I decided to write this out first... ;) So with all of this stuff out in the open now, I will go and take care of everything and proceed to get ready for tonight... I will post onto this one once it's all said and done.. We will probably get a joint "Thanks guys!" but.. we'll see... Wish me luck and happy Friday!!!! -Super Mom





After the BBQ..........

After I took care of everything and an hour had gone by, I started to prepare the chicken and corn. My husband made it home about 45 minutes before the cook out was supposed to start. Everything was ready to go and it was up to him to start the grill and start cooking once we got closer... He told me that this thing was supposed to start around 6... 6 came.. then 6:15.. 6:35.. People started showing up here and there and the last guy staggered in around 7:15. It's a good thing I had everything READY! :/ My husband started cooking, everyone was around talking and starting with drinks and it was finally kicking off after hours of getting ready for it. The food was delicious and it was good to finally relax and enjoy it all. Best of all... once the compliments started, my wonderful husband didn't hesitate to say that he only cooked and it was me who did EVERYTHING else.. Awe... I must say, after all that.. it was nice to receive a little thanks! The scattered conversations, random shots and quite a few laughs lasted a few hours which I have to admit made it worth all the trouble. For the most part anyway. ;) I guess I'd be willing to do it all again. Not anytime SOON of course.. But maybe some day! Have a fun Saturday!!! Who knows, I could be back with a new story later! :) -Super Mom

A good nights rest... What the hell is that?

It took a lot for me to not get up last night and write this out... As you may have read yesterday in the teething baby post, my daughter wakes up in the night still.. Magically, I am automatically the one who gets up to deal with her. We're talking getting formula, changing her diaper or attempting to stand and rock half awake to try to get her to snooze.. It's more than that sadly that keeps me from having a good nights sleep... When I get ready for bed I have a few ritual things I do before I allow myself to drift off to dreamland... Assuming the baby is already in bed, I check on her to make sure her legs are covered up (she sleeps with a blanket that is tucked under the mattress and only makes up to her waist.. calm down.), if I haven't already gotten a shower, I get one. After the shower  I get dressed and brush my teeth, plug in my phone after turning off the ringer and checking my alarm, I turn on the fan (yeah, I'm one of those... Even if it's freezing..), check on the baby again, move the pillows I won't be using (because I have ABOUT.. 9 pillows total on my bed..), climb into bed, adjust my pillows, pull up the blanket and close my eyes. If I lay there and am not totally ready to zonk out I'll either turn on the TV quietly, have some time with my husband or play on my phone. Once I go to sleep it's usually anywhere between 10 and 11:30ish.. Aside from the baby getting up (which is usually anywhere between 1 and 4am), I have other things that wake me up... Having to go to the bathroom, a crappy dream, my husband talking in his sleep, my husband getting in MY space on my side of the bed (we're talking more than cuddling.. more like smothering.. thankfully, doesn't happen that often), my husband snoring, having to get a drink, checking on the baby to make sure she hasn't rolled to her belly (most nights she does.. it still scares me..), having to reposition the blanket my husband has taken over, having to adjust the pillows that just aren't working right, trying to figure out if the sound I just heard was in my head or really the house, a child waking me (yes it's ALWAYS ME!) because of a bad dream, a child waking me because they don't feel good or I wake up because of one of those things and I end up THINKING about something that floods my thoughts no matter how hard I try to get rid of it. It's a vicious cycle that usually wins.. Before I know it, it's 7am and my alarm is going off or about to go off so I have to get up and get my kids ready for school. As if by some crazy coincidence (every freaking day...), by the time they are ready to walk out the door, my baby decides it's time for HER to get up... It's hard to be dragging when I look at the smiling face but my god...I don't drink coffee and I don't do energy drinks... Blah.. I kind of wish I had taken more naps while I was pregnant and was in the house by myself through the day... Think of the bits of energy I could have stored... I know it doesn't work that way but STILL! I would love a solid week of full nights sleep... No interruptions whatsoever... No baby stuff.. no dreams from anyone.. no snoring or creepy sounds or needing to pee in the middle of the night at all... Ahhhh.... It would be wonderful.. WONDERFUL! It's too bad that I probably won't know that feeling for a few years still... :( A good nights rest is just another thing for me to dream about. So when you lay your pretty little head down to go to sleep tonight, hopefully you can be thankful that you can lay there knowing you don't have to worry about this kind of stuff interrupting your slumber... And for those of you with similar bed time stories to mine... I am sorry.. I am so so sorry!!! Good luck tonight everyone! Here's hoping for 2 times awake or less and not MORE! :) Good night! -Super Mom

The horrific and maddening times of a teething baby... :/

Yes that's right... My once upon a time premie is now a soon to be nine month teething nightmare! The first one came a while back and she was a little fussier than usual but I understood.. "Poor little baby.." I would think. But NOW.. She's up to SIX teeth trying to come in and she's INSANE! I know that it's not her fault and it's just another part of a baby growing but my GOD man! Everything is intensified... Her crying.. her disregard for taking naps.. her mood swings.. her drool puddles. Don't get me wrong, with her little white smile she's very cute there's no denying it! Three little teeth on top and bottom shine bright when she does that little grin that melts my heart... Except.. she did the SAME grin after she leaned down to my arm and BIT ME today! I actually had six tiny impressions from her brief cannibalistic moment! I would've and should've taken a picture if my phone wasn't charging in the other room at that moment.... There is nothing that is safe in reach of that girl these days... toys.. cables.. clothes.. and even though she gets her hands on everything, she never seems to be happy with what she's got! I have bought rings that you put in the fridge, different soft chewy toys, rubber chewy toys and even give her popsicles to help... The whole process of trying to find the perfect thing is exhausting and I have yet discover it. It makes me feel like I'm shopping for my bulldog at the pet store.. That beast only has one toy (after purchasing SEVERAL....) that he hasn't totally destroyed yet and it's a mini TIRE! Hmmm... Now that I think about it.. Would I be considered a crazy person if I went to somewhere like say... PetSmart... and bought a tiny rubber tire like thing from the puppy section... hmmm....Oh I won't actually DO IT! Probably...  I honestly can't wait to be able to hand her something delicious and not have to worry about cutting it into nibble sized bites. Like here honey, have a cookie, a cracker, a banana or ANYTHING she can sink her teeth into. Seriously, I am all for the teeth BEING there... But GETTING there...AHHHHHHH!!!!  I remember back in the day (I won't tell you how far back... I mean I got bit today.. That's enough...) when I shared a room with my baby brother... I was almost asleep when mom crept in and put him in his crib on the other side of the room. She slowly closed the door behind her and just as I was about to be carried off to dreamland, I hear this loud, piercing SHRIEK coming from the crib. It wasn't stopping... I figured (or HOPED) that she would come right back in to inspect the situation or even take him OUT of the room but as I waited... Nothing... My mom wasn't coming in and my brother wasn't shutting up! I climbed out of my bed and walked over to him.. I looked down and because it was dark, I turned on the flashlight that was on my dresser and held it up enough for me to see without blinding him. As he wiggled and stretched and screamed with his mouth wide open I looked at his mouth and saw a tiny little glimmer of a white line.. His first tooth... I had thought he was so precious.. before that night and discovery... from then on it was like clockwork.. I would try to sleep or play or watch a show and his screams of discomfort (not that I thought that way at that age... but still..) were the only noises I could hear... Very annoying and seemed to go on for a very long time... Then I come back to the here and now... Damn... Six teeth seems like a lot.. but it's really not.. it's only been a few months but it's just going to keep going! Spitting out food and rubbing her face... Rolling all around refusing naps (AND getting up in the night..)... Picking up and throwing down thirty different toys because she can't find the right one (and neither can I!)... and worse... I have a feeling that I need to save my skin every time I see that pearly grinning mouth open because that little nibble she got today HURT! I know it's something every parent (and sibling) has to suffer through and I also know that I have a long way to go until she's at the perfect comfort level (if there even is such a thing for kids..) but having just put my whining teething monster to bed for the first time since 2:30... I just needed a second to vent... Thanks for absorbing all that for me! Have a great rest of your Tuesday night everyone and for the love of your skin, stay away from your baby's mouth! -The truly super TIRED (and apparently snack worthy) Super Mom

Mirena Update!

Good evening everyone... Since my last post I have been getting ready for the start of school, shooting weddings (photography of course..), editing those photos (THOUSANDS) and getting ready for my surgery... A quick recap.. (For the whole scare, read the post marked Mirena scare, beware!) Let's go back to last week.. Monday to be precise...

With the Mirena IUD making it feel like I'm being pinched and stung in my abdomen, I was more than ready to receive that phone call from my doctor saying my surgery was approved. Sure enough, within a few hours, I received a call... It was the surgery scheduler telling me that I was on the docket for Wednesday.. As in, two days later. I started freaking out a little and asked if my doctor had received the approval from my insurance, she said she didn't know but would find out. Friday came and I hadn't heard anything else since I had called my doctor Tuesday afternoon. The weekend came and went and Monday was here. I got the phone call that my surgery was approved and though my nerves were kicking in at the thought of it being real, I was also thankful because I was tired of the annoying, pinching pain! I had to go in Tuesday for my pre-op assessment and work. The first thing I see was a bill for almost $5,000 that I had to sign. My heart stopped for a second because, DAMN! Thankfully it was just what was being billed to my insurance! The doctor checked me out and went over the overall procedure - the time estimate, possible (though improbable) risks, pain management, restrictions... and so on. Then it was off to the actual surgery center for blood work and a round of fifty questions. After everything was said and I was given a stack of  knowledgeable (and boring) paperwork and some clinical soap to use for two showers, I went home. That night I got a shower with this red liquid soap the nurse had given me. It smelled like a bad clearance potpourri.. But I had to use IT and nothing else.. Instead of falling asleep soundly and quickly, I did the one thing that you SHOULDN'T do the day before surgery... Think of the BAD things that could happen... During my sit down with the doctor earlier, she was telling me that though it was highly unlikely, there were ALWAYS risks when it comes to surgery. In my case, the small possibilities were then slicing my bowels or scraping my uterus... and so on. So while I lay in my bed NOT sleeping, I couldn't help but think of three possibilities... One.. I wake up with a giant scar because the small incision I was told about wasn't big enough for them to use... Two.. I wake up in the ER because I'm bleeding internally because of a slip or misjudgment with a tool... and three.. I go under.. and I DON'T wake up. All insane and probably irrational fears but, there they were! I kept waking up through the night. Once for my stirring little baby and the rest for crazy dreams.. By the time it was 6:18am, I decided to just get up and take my second shower with the nasty soap. I was still nervous... When I finished with the shower I got dressed in comfy clothes like the doctor told me I should do and attempted to straighten my hair with no product. The thing I don't like about surgery... You can't wear ANYTHING product wise... Nothing in your hair... no makeup.. no perfume.. not even deodorant! :/ There's also the whole "don't eat or drink anything after midnight..." GREAT! So I smell like bad potpourri, I have no makeup whatsoever, I'm starving and I have three hours until my surgery... Wonderful start to a Wednesday... After dealing with the baby, getting the girls up and ready to go and waking my husband up to get ready and go.. It was time. They never told me that my husband had to be inside with me so instead of bringing the whole mob into the hospital, I had him drop me at the door. Of course I make my way upstairs, sign in and then am told that he DOES need to be there... Ahh.. I get in my little prep and recovery room, call him, meet a nurse who takes my vitals, meet the anesthesiologist who gives me papers to sign, listen to his speech, see my husband, get undressed, slip on a gown, take out my piercings (ALL OF THEM!), throw on a hair net, climb into the bed, meet a new nurse who offers a blanket, take the blanket, get my IV and then grab my husbands hand... I had a little prep team come in and give me a little something to calm my nerves and within five minutes of that I was being wheeled through a maze of halls and doors. I even said to the nurse I don't think I could make it back to my room without asking for directions. She smiled and said that they would be taking me back and I didn't need to worry about it. Before long I was in the operating room under bright dome lights and the masked faces of about six different people. They placed a mask over my mouth and nose and told me to take deep breaths... I think I did two deep breaths and I was OUT...
                   About 50 minutes later (or so I was told anyway) I was trying like hell to open my eyes and keep them open through the grogginess I was still feeling. A nurse was there trying to ask me questions like who I was.. what did I get done.. that kind of thing. I spent 15 minutes with her and her inquiries before I was rolled back to my room. I was under a sheet and a blanket my initial nurse had given me and was wishing I had taken her up on her offer for a second one.. A few minutes of being alone and then my husband was in there with me. I asked for my purse so I could replace all of my piercings and then attempted to stand so I could get myself dressed. I managed to make it into the bathroom, a little wobbly at first but was able to get in, close the door and pull on my comfy clothes. I was told that everything had gone as planned. They were able to get to the IUD with only making two small incisions and also put in a new Mirena while the camera was still in to ensure proper placement. I had some pain as to be expected but it wasn't the kind I was having thankfully. We made it to the car, stopped by the pharmacy to grab my pain meds and finally headed home. Under orders to take it easy.. I tried to do just that. I wasn't allowed to shower for 24 hours so I figured the next best thing should be done...  SLEEP. And I did.. A nice, somewhat long, nap of dreamless sleep. I was very thankful that my husband could take the day from work to help me out (or watch over me says the doctor..) and let me just relax a little.. I'll admit that getting comfortable was a bit of a challenge at first.. It reminded me of being pregnant where I could only achieve comfort on one side with pillows wedged everywhere propping me up every which way. There was also a time that came later that night where the gas they had put in me to help inflate everything made its way up into my shoulders and neck region.. Oh my LORD that hurt more than the cuts! It was a constant pressure that felt like someone was standing on my shoulders grinding their shoes into the sides of my neck or something. Anyway... The rogue IUD is now out, pain is gone, new IUD is in (and working hopefully....) and I go in for a checkup this week. It was a pain in the ass but I'm glad it's all good now! Hopefully you other Mirena users out there never experience the same crap I did! It's a scary situation! Thanks for reading the update! -Super Mom


PS... I had my surgery from this story almost 2 weeks ago... I have been writing this little blurb here and there since then... an 8 month old, school, house crap, 3 weddings and editing over 6,000 (yes THOUSAND) photos..... My writing has definitely been lacking... However... That's about to change!!!! Stay tuned!!! ;)