This morning when I dropped Abbers off at daycare, I had a little surprise waiting for me.
Since she only has daycare Wednesdays and Thursdays, her mothers day gift to me sat there all weekend. Even though it’s a few days late, it was a lovely way to begin my morning.
There were additional photos that didn’t make it into the frame. They are all so sweet – I got a little verclempt walking to work.
This past weekend, we had our second visit from a fairy for Abbers. This time, it was the Binkie Fairy. (The Bottle Fairy made an appearance a little while ago.)
This is something we’ve been discussing for a while. It was more difficult of a decision to make than the bottles. This (aside from diapers which I will not miss at all) felt like her last tie to babyhood. She still used it for naps, bedtime, car rides and general soothing. And MY GOD did it ever work. With her binkie and blankie both in use, her eyes would almost just shut in a Pavlovian response, unable to stay open. It made her so happy.
However, she’s getting to the age where I just didn’t want to see her tied to the binkie anymore. God forbid we leave the house without one (and it happened on occasion) and it’s meltdown city. Not to mention, she more times than not just held it in her mouth like a cigar, and one of her front teeth is showing the real damage – it’s crooked and seems like it just isn’t coming in all the way.
The stogie hold. She's got it down to a science.
The crooked tooth. "Shrek teeth" as Uncle Ernie calls them.
So the decision was made. Again, we would plan it for a Friday night. (You know, so we could potentially not sleep all weekend while she cried a sadly, lonely cry for her “binkie-bink.”) We could collect all the binkies from the house, and put them in a bag. This time leaving them at the back door. Then, in the middle of the night, the Binkie Fairy would come and collect all the binkies to give to new babies who needed them (totally gross and not hygienic at all) and in turn, she would leave a present for Abby. Or he. Who am I to judge.
The binks, the balloons from the Binkie Fairy and leaving it by the back door.
The hubs and I decided this gift needed to be huge. This is a big deal and probably difficult to give up cold turkey, so it needed to be something she couldn’t just throw at us yelling “GIVE ME MY BINKIE-BINK! I DON’T LIKE ANYTHING!” With spring in full bloom and only an empty, unused dog kennel as a totally unsafe plaything in the backyard, we opted for a playhouse. And then grabbed a slide as a second gift.
When settling in for the night, she did pretty well. She was exhauseted, so it went much easier than expected, although right before falling asleep, she was pretty much crying, saying “I don’t want any presents! I want binkie-bink!” Like I said though, fell asleep anyway.
The next morning, the first words out of her mouth were “I don’t want presents.” Typical. So, the hubs and I took turns getting up and arranging things in a pretty manner, and then I came into our bedroom, where Abby and the hubs were laying.
“Abby – I just looked. The binkie fairy came. You’re going to be so excited!”
She finally got up, and saw a couple smaller things we got her, a bubble gun and a new box of Aden + Anais swaddle blankets – her blankie of choice. Then we showeed her outside. She went down the steps in her little pajamas yelling “A PLAYHOUSE! SHE BROUGHT ME A PLAYHOUSE!” SO stoked.
The happy lady. If you look hard enough you can see our neighbors dried up Christmas tree.
We spent the morning putting everything together. And spent the whole weekend binkie free. She struggles at nighttime, naptime, or when she’s exhausted and wants to soothe herself. She gets by though.
I consider us lucky. She’s getting a cold, and this is usually when she wants it the most, but she’s been okay. I know not everyone will have the same, low-key results we did. (We still hear “I don’t WANT my clubhouse, momma. I don’t want ANYTHING!” on occasion. So we’re not whine-free.)
Best decision we’ve made in a while.
Has anyone else tried this tactic? I would love to hear more results! Or let me know if you decide to try this!
I am a 31 year old woman who has to plug her nose underwater.
This is one of the thoughts I had daily while we were on vacation in the Turks & Caicos. It was embarrassing.
Without plugging my nose, I panic. Without doing it my way, I feel like I’m going to drown.
My life is like a wave pool, constantly throwing me underwater, having the power to make panic.
But I’ve decided to remind myself that I can…no, I NEED to make sure that I’m doing things the way I need to do them. I need to take care of myself and make sure that I’m not drowning.
Plugging my nose shouldn’t be embarrassing. It’s the way I get by. It’s the only way I know how.
This blog is one of the ways I’ve gotten through everything life has thrown at me. My panic, the medication to dissolve the anxiety, my lack of taking care of me have unfortunately been reasons I’ve been away. I love blogging. I don’t ever want that part of me to go away.
I have a lot of things going on in my life I’m excited to write about. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that. And now I am.
Tonight, Abby and I spent the evening together while the hubs attended a basketball game with friends. I put her to bed, scooped some litter and headed to my own bed, when I thought I heard Abby cry. I ran to the monitor and checked and there was nothing. Which could mean only one of three things:
1) I’m losing my mind.
2) Abby’s mastered ventriloquism in her sleep.
3) There are burglar babies breaking into my house as we speak.
Two things.
One) I started drinking soda again. Yesterday I had three. DAMMIT. I had finally gotten past the headaches and then it was like FUCK IT and then I started drinking them again. Like my friend Martini said – “Soda is addictive, like ciggies. And thank god you’re not addicted to those because that’s way worse.” I couldn’t agree more. So I’m just going to try to cut back. To only one per day max. And then try to have days where I don’t have any. (Yeah RIGHT.) Even the guy at Bruegger’s this morning said “You need the good stuff, right?” after hearing my reply to “Diet or Regular?” (REGULAR DUH.)
Whatever.
B.) My back pain? Not related to the caffeine withdrawal. That sonofabitch Chiropractor really did eff me up. (No offense people of chiropractic persuasion.)
I’m not kidding you, internets. I couldn’t get in and out of bed or the car without yelping in pain and attempting some Cirque du Soliel bullshit maneuvers to do it painlessly. There WAS no painless way. I couldn’t do anything. Sitting made it worse. Standing made it worse. Laying down hurt, but then after a full night’s sleep I’d wake up and be like “WHOA! Back to normal!” and then after standing in the shower for 5 minutes be wishing for hit to be placed on the fine gentleman who “adjusted” my back. Poo on you, dude. Friday I finally went to a doctor (read, someone who would give me pain meds) and he declared that I had a “Severe Muscle Sprain/Strain” in my lower back. No nerve damage. Just some effed up muscles (which I figured.) He prescribed the most useless pain meds ever and some muscle relaxers that knock me on my ass.
Example:
I took one after my appointment when I was home resting on the couch, and I went from being in pain and watching some Emmy quality COPS episodes, to knocked the eff out Mike Tyson style. I woke up an hour or so later so mentally handicapped that I spent the next 45 minutes trying to discern whether I was awake, or if I was dreaming that I was feeding Abby a late lunch. Turned out I was awake. And slurring.
I tried taking only half of one last night to be comfortable laying down and hoping to not go back to Mars but I still woke up in the middle of the night with no idea where I was, but believing that I just had a conversation with Cosmo Kramer and that he was probably in the living room waiting to continue our discussion. It took me about 5 minutes before I realized I had been sleeping and that I am not in a Seinfeld episode. OR AM I?
Regardless, my back is sllloowwwllyy getting better. It’s still extremely stiff and now my hips hurt, but I assume it’s from all the overcompensation the rest of my body was doing trying to not have anymore of the worst pain ever. It needs to heal, and fast. A big group of friends is headed to see Jane’s Addiction at a smaller venue on Monday, and then Thursday night I have to fly in a plane for like, 3.5 hours…which means sitting and panicking and also sitting which equals pain. BUT IT WILL BE BETTER BY THEN. Right? Yes, yes it will, Jenna.
I haven’t had a soda since Sunday.
I’ve had a debilitating headache since 2pm on Monday.
I thought maybe it was sinuses since my eyes hurt, and well as my forehead, but I’m not having any other symptoms (ie snot over-production).
In the meantime, my back has been whack (see what I did there?) so I went to the chiropractor yesterday thinking it would help my headache and my back. My upper back’s been giving me grief for a week, and then yesterday the lower back was getting achy.
So, I got an adjustment. My upperback? Awesome. My lower back? Completely unusable. I can’t do anything. I can’t bend over, I can’t walk normal, I can’t even pick up Abbers. It hurts all the time. Fer Christ’s sake – I’m sitting at my desk at work with my heating pad on. I BROUGHT MY HEATING PAD TO WORK. Ugh. I’m old.
Enter DR. GOOGLE!
Turns out I’m suffering from caffeine withdrawal. Symptoms can include headache (which can last from 1-5 days, and centers behind the eyes, and then to the front of the head), lethargy, insomnia, fatigue, and flu like symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and stiffness.
Part of me is like, well, I should just have a soda and it’ll make everything better! But then I think about crack addicts and they’re all like “I’ll just smoke more crack and then I won’t feel bad anymore!” Granted, I know a 32 oz cup of Coca-cola is no crack, but I just don’t know what to do. It’s just soda. Lord knows I’m not giving it up for good, just trying to cut back. But this? RIDICULOUS. I might just have one during lunch to see if my headache subsides. Ibuprofen won’t touch it. Like, 600mgs of ibuprofen.
Isn’t there some place called the Palms where I can detox with celebs? Someone send me there.
Any of you who know me outside of the interwebs (you know, in real life) know that I have one true vice. Soda. Specifically, Coca-Cola.
Oh, Coke. It is so delicious. Especially fountain Coke from McDonalds. I have a name for large Cokes from McDonalds. MAGIC COKE. Because they taste like liquid magic.
I’m getting off track. See? I EFFING LOVE COKE.
The problem is, I really only ever drink soda anymore. I never drink water. Just soda. This? Is not healthy. Combined with my lack of exercise and it seems I’m growing my own innertube for our trip to the ocean in 6 weeks.
SO. I’m giving it up. No, not completely. Do you think I’m insane? Right. I’m giving up soda during the week. Only to be served on the weekends.
Already I’m struggling. I really want one right now. BUT I WILL PREVAIL.
(not ironically, when I Googled “no more coke,”
it mostly returned images of Lil’ Wayne and Charlie Sheen.
Which is awesome.)
Wish me luck.
(Where I complain about wussy school districts.)
So, as I mentioned yesterday, we got some weather overnight. First it rained, then there was sleet, then it snowed, but warmed up so all the ice melted. Thus, we were left with a big slushy mess.
Whatevs. It was passable. The roads were kinda lame, but I made it downtown like the rest of the world, and it only took me an extra 10 minutes from where I live in South Minneapolis.
However, I get to Abby’s daycare, only to find out it’s not opening until 9am. There are literally like, 50 parents and kids just standing around outside the daycare, along with some of it’s employees. Apparently, my daycare follows the school closing lead of a suburb of Minneapolis. Edina. (They have a daycare center in Edina as well as our location in DT Mpls.)
Those of you who aren’t from the area won’t be familiar with Edina. It’s the hoity-toity neighbor of Minneapolis. The fact that they decided to delay schools is almost ridiculous. Most of those fools drive Land Rovers anyway, so I doubt any of them had any trouble getting their kids to school.
I’ve made a graphical display of the situation:
Edina.
Minneapolis.
Anyway, after I arrived at Abby’s daycare, a woman exited the building with her offspring and crabbily told me that Abby’s daycare wasn’t opening until 9am because of the weather. Because Edina schools had chosen to delay.
They delayed schools an hour. Just enough to eff me over and make me super late for work, AND miss the early bird on a parking ramp. (We’re talking a $4 savings here people.) Anyway – EVERYONE WAS THERE. Teachers, room aides, kids, parents – EVERYONE. THERE. And a big sign on the door saying they weren’t opening until 9am. It was 8:47. It was a total joke. And it made me crabby.
The end.
Apparently there’s a big (snow?) storm headed our way. A couple days ago they were forecasting up to 12 inches of snow. Now? 1-4 inches. Boo. I mean, I suppose it’s good, but man, it’s always “OMG SNOW EVERYWHERE DEATH DESTRUCTION LOOK OUTTTT SNOWWWWW!” And then, “JK. Get out your brooms!” It’s fine though. We’re planning on heading to my parents house this weekend, so the less weather we’re dealing with, the better.
Fiona had her first trip to the vet today. I had my first trip to the vet with a toddler. And a cat in a kennel. It wasn’t too bad, but I give a lot of the credit to the vet we go to – a cats only vet. It’s very laid back and clean, and almost homey. Fiona got a clean bill of health, and they think she’s closer to 1 year rather than 3 months shy of 2. She’s still a total rock star kitty and I just want to squeeze her all the time.
And a flight has been booked to visit my bestie Martini in a little over 3 weeks. I haven’t visited her in a while and I am so excited to be in warm weather! It’s essentially going to be a 60 hour sleepover. Boys not allowed. However, Pixie-stix and simultaneous Pinterest pinning are. I can’t wait.
Items of note:
I broke down and bought an expo & party pass for BlogHer this year in NYC. HECK YES. I was just going to pass on this year, but then I thought about not seeing my lovelies that I only get to see once a year and suddenly my checking account had $100 less dollars in it. I have roommates and just reserved a room. Ahhh! AUGUST!
***
My entire family is sick with yet another cold. I was on the tail end of it until I had to stay up all night for a work thing (yay midnight site launches!) and now I’m sick as an effing dog today. I’m thisclose to giving a nettie pot a try, although it combines my fear of bodily fluids and drowning in one little plastic device. We’ll see. Until then I’m sticking with Sudafed. (And not that fake over the counter stuff. The real shit you have to ask the pharmacist for. You know, the stuff that rednecks and college kids make meth with.) The hubs sounded like hell this morning and Abbers is still coughing all over everything. My house should probably be quarantined.
***
I have to splurge and yell *somewhere* about the fact that I get to be involved in TWO WEDDINGS this year! I’m a Matron of Honor in one and a Personal Attendant (yes, that needs capitalization) in another. I’m so stoked. I’ve never really been involved in a wedding before, aside from my own and my Auntie’s. I’m going to personally attend the shit out of one and make even the manliest men cry magical unicorn tears with my Matron of Honor speech at the other. Bitches get ready.
(I should also mention that I have requested to be listed as the “Lady of Honor” or the “Dutchess of Honor” in any printed materials because HOLY SHIT does “matron of honor” sound dowdy and old. I may be in my 30s but I don’t wear broaches or housecoats.)
(I do wear cardigans and old lady glasses though. Whatever.)
***
Another member of my family has been diagnosed with breast cancer – my Great Aunt Georgia. She’s 93 years young. So far, my mom (and myself, I suppose) is the only woman in the family untouched by cancer. She’s standing by my Aunt Georgia’s side through this, after being by my Aunt Mitzi’s side, and my late Aunt Julie’s. If you could say a prayer or something for her to give her and my Great Aunt strength through this, it would be appreciated.
***
And ending on a brighter note, my family grew by one more, recently.
Internets, meet Fiona.
cute kitty ftw
We adopted her from a metro area Humane Society and I freaking love her to bits. Above is a picture of her laying on the couch being cuter than anything on the planet. She’s tiny, loves attention and is so gentle and forgiving with Abby.
The hubs and I really missed having a kitty around the house and had gone back and forth about getting another one. We both decided before looking that it needed to be a girl this time (due to all the basement peeing we went through with Boo-Boo, one of our last cats) and that she had to be good with a toddler yelling and grabbing at her. (We’re working on that.) She was all of these things. Fiona (also known as Fi-fi and Feefers) has the tiniest meow and is a cat-nip addict. Did I mention I luff her? Because I do. I think we all do.
***
Alright, that’s all I have for now. I’m still working on trying to get my blogging mojo back. Like my mom said, “You’d better start blogging more if you’re going to New York this summer!”
Tru dat, mom. TRU DAT.
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I'm known as
Mrs. Jenna.
Married since 2007.
Mom since 2009.
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