WW: Only Slightly Terrifying Preschool Craft

Okay. Maybe a little more than slightly terrifying...Pie came home from school with this gem yesterday. And I may or may not (and totally did) have nightmares about those freaky eyes with the black around them and the whole no nose/mouth thing....but it can be used for so many things.

as a mask

 

as a stylish hair accessory

and then this attention hog (hehe) had to get in on the action...

Pie Narrates...

My darling Pie has decided she must narrate her life. Everything she sees, everything she does, everything anyone else does...it's all up for grabs.

During our 10 minute drive this morning (well Pie and I were riding since I still can't drive) we were treated to the following:

Mama? Mama? Mama! Dares a squirrel.

A squirrel says squeak squeak.

Get out of the way silly squirrel, you get hit by the car, you get a bad booboo.

Mama? Mama? Mama! Where's the big water? I don't see it. It hiding? (we drive past a decent sized pond)

Oh dares the big water.

Oh! Silly geese on the grass. They so silly.

You get the point. It never stops. And it never fails to crack me up! But I especially love when she's playing and starts to sing to herself. I melt every.single.time.

 Other things heard in my house recently:

1. After riding on a trike with Husband and deciding to "help" him steer...

    I push like dis, we go zoom, daddy say oh damnit

2. She tends to speak in third person and we've been reminding her to say I instead of her
    name...and she's mostly got it

    I Pie got a drink. I Pie go outside. Pie has snack...oopsey-daisey...I Pie has a snack.

3. And my personal favorite...I seriously (no sarcasm intended) have no idea where
    she got this

    I Pie got a booboo...need to put some chocolate on it...that makes it feel all betta

I remember wondering when she started speech therapy if she would ever say anything. Now I wonder if she will ever keep a thought to herself :)

Greatest Conversation Ever

Scene opens on dirty (but charming, charming and homey, and awesome) living room.

Man and woman are each working on a laptop and the tv is on in the background.

Suddenly loud noises are heard from outside.

Woman: What's that noise?

Man: It's either fireworks or a really big robot.

Woman: Ohhhh, I kind of hope it's a really big robot.

Man: Yeah...that would be really cool.

Woman: What would be going on with fireworks tonight?

Man: I don't know. Maybe we finally won the war on drugs.

End scene.

NIghtmares

My darling girl is having them.

Lots of them.

Really bad ones.

I can't begin to imagine what an almost 3 year old is having nightmares about, and as much as we've managed to get from her is that animals are involved. But they are terrible. To the point that she wakes up screaming and shaking, and often takes 20 minutes or more to calm down even after I am holding her.

She will be sound asleep and is crying, kicking her legs, and punching out her arms. I don't know if it's protective, aggressive, general reflex...

All I know is that these nightmares are terrible and I don't know what to do about them. We've added light to her room, taken it away, changed it, added music, covered the window, uncovered it, moved things/stuffies in and out of her bed, changed the way we put her down, we even gave her a flashlight so that if she woke up scared she could look around the room and see that there was nothing scary.

And still she ends up in bed with us every night. If she were playing the system I'd let her cry it out, but she is legitimately terrified and I will not leave her to deal with that alone.

The result, however, is that none of us are getting enough sleep and that makes all of us grumpy.

I really don't know if this is a result of the drug-exposed pregnancy, an early manifestation of bipolar or any of the other mental health issues she may possibly face, her sensory disorder, or something else entirely.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Help?

It is breaking my heart for her to be going through this...

Madly...

...in love with this happy, little girl. And that's all I've got today. :)

WW - Worst Face Painting Ever

Well, not entirely wordless.

This is a perfect example of you get what you pay for...free face painting at the fall festival.

Any guesses what it is? Leah thought it might be a bonfire in the rain which still makes me laugh out loud...

Emily is the Greatest

It's the absolute truth. Emily at Wife, Check. Mom, Check. Now What? is the greatest.

She knows that Pie has a slight (and by slight I mean crazy) love of pirates right now. We have pirate books, pirate snacks, pirate tattoos, she is going to be a pirate for Halloween...you get the picture.

Well Awesome Emily found some pirate pjs, went out of her way to get some, and sent them to my darling girl. How sweet is that?!

Now my only problem is that Pie is demanding that the pirate pjs be washed constantly so she can wear them every single night. Thankfully she's so cute in them I don't mind...

You're so sweet to say...

I'm hooking up with Northwest Mommy for Monday Listicles. This week's theme is

"compliments"

I love the direction Stasha took this list, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I present...

10 Compliments No One Would Ever Give Me:

1. You are so graceful. (I can fall down standing still. Thank goodness I didn't want to be a dancer.)
    
2. You always wake up in such a good mood. (I am a night owl through and through. Mornings can generally bite me.)
    
3. You're so reserved. I never know what you're thinking. (I'm not one to pull my punches. It's never to difficult to figure out where you stand with me.)
    
4. You're tan looks great. (Casper the Friendly Ghost looks tan compared to me!)
    
5. You're vision is super good. (Heh. Couldn't resist this one. Here's that story.)
    
6. You're handwriting is so easy to read. (Evidence here. My writing has been called doctor-y and architect-y...neither of which are the easiest to decipher.)
    
7. You put so much effort into your appearance. (You can find me every. single. day with no makeup on and my hair pulled up. And my clothes are usually determined by the laundry schedule. I guess I've just never cared about that part of girl-hood.)
    
8. It looks like you live in a model home. (My house is a disaster at all times. The carpet is destroyed and needs to be replaced, there are toys everywhere, and usually several cobwebs hanging out in corners. I get that it's a "cozy" house a lot. I figure when I have some free time between working, school, and being a mom I'll get right on that.)
    
9. I don't think you have enough office supplies. (It's a problem and one I discuss often: here, here and here as just a few examples. Office supplies and organizational stuff are my kryponite.)
    
10. No way. Your bum totally doesn't look big in those pants! (My bum hasn't looked small in anything since it was in utero.)

My Beloved

Happy Anniversary to the only boy who general stinkiness I'm willing to put up with after all these years. I love you and can't believe it's only been 15 years...seems like you've been with me since the beginning...

All images via www.somecards.com

What did you just say?!

The prompt, "Share a moment when you felt surprised."

******************************

 

 

This prompt couldn't have been more perfectly timed. Other than darling Pie falling in our laps, the time I was most surprised was when Husband proposed. And it just so happens that our anniversary is tomorrow. 15 years together and 11 married. It's been a lifetime and has gone by in the blink of an eye.

 

So here's the surprise...Husband and I had been together for just over 3 years and had been talking about marriage pretty much that whole time. After our first quasi-date he went home and told his mom he was going to marry me, and told me about a week later. That crazy boy.

 

We had finally decided to get serious about it, we had moved back to Atlanta and we had an apartment, were both working, out of school, etc. And because we wanted to get married on our actual anniversary, which happened to fall on a Friday the following year we booked our wedding/reception location before we were engaged.

 

Everyone knew it was coming and that it was only a matter of time. Husband had said we wouldn't talk about it again until after the first of the year because he was saving for the ring he wanted. And I had no reason to question that. I, being only 19 when we started talking about it, was a total brat. I had a whole folder of acceptable rings and ways to propose...you know the whole rent out a theater and have it on the previews. Yeah...like I said...I was a brat.

 

So Thanksgiving rolls around and we all sit at the table. Me, Husband, and my entire family. It was a big crowd. And we have a tradition of going around the table and each saying what we're grateful for. At some point during the day Husband had pulled my dad aside and asked for his blessing (the one point about which I was a brat and still totally would be today). Dad obviously said yes, and together with my mom who also knew orchestrated it so that Husband would be the last to speak.

 

I went just before he did and was a smart-ass. Shocking I know. And I said I'm thankful that I'm getting married next year. Hahaha. Well then it's Husband's turn, and when I look at him he's standing. I thought "well that's rude to leave the table right now. not cool dude." And then he was squatting down so I think "oh maybe he just dropped his fork, napkin, etc and is trying to reach it. but still some odd timing." And that's when I realized he wasn't squatting. He was on one knee. And he started talking, neither of us have any idea what he said. I was shocked. Completely and totally blindsided.

 

In the same instant I launched myself at him, started crying, and mumbling something to the effect of what is going on! My mom had told Husband earlier that he had to stay on his knee until I said yes, so after a while someone yelled "can you please say yes already so the poor boy can get off his knee!" Of course I said yes, and then Husband asked if I wanted to actually look at the ring he was holding. Oh right...that. I took a deep breath and looked. It wasn't like the rings I had picked out in any way, shape or form beyond the fact that it was white gold. And it was absolutely the most perfect thing I've ever seen. He could not have done a better job. It is exactly me.

 

Once all the crying, screaming, laughing, and looking at the ring were over we sat down to dinner again. Neither Husband nor I ate anything. He was still busy recovering from the stress of asking and I was too busy staring at my ring. Eventually we left the table and Husband fell fast asleep. And I continued starting at my ring :)

 

So that's it. The biggest surprise he's ever pulled off. He maintains that it's probably the only one he'll ever get past me. He may be right, I'm hard to surprise.

 

I've written about this before here, and the disaster that was our wedding here. If you've got some time and need a laugh the wedding post is definitely worth it!

 



WW: Fans Are A Good Time

 

 

On Saying Goodbye

I did it. I said goodbye.

On Friday I went to my boss and told him I would be leaving. Leaving the only job I've ever had as an adult. Leaving the comfort of a good salary and a job I can do in my sleep. Leaving for the unknown.

I have been ignoring doctor's orders all year. They have told me I'm crazy to be working at a computer all day with the vision issues I have. And now they are telling me I'm actually starting to cause myself more damage.

I don't know what's waiting for me on the other side. Or how my family will survive. But I know that I can no longer ignore my health, and it is so bittersweet. I have long wanted to leave this job, but always thought it would be for bigger and better things.

I hate having my hand forced. And I really hate that it's for such a stupid reason. Effing Topomax.

So wish me luck. I'll be at this desk (the same one I've been sitting at for 13+ years) for another few weeks as I transition my job to others, and then...who knows?