Raising Liam While Eating Bon Bons

Miscellaneous Randomness

Just some random thoughts from the past few days...

I buy my underwear at Victoria's Secret. I have nothing against Hanes or Fruit of the Extra Roomy. I just like Vicky's cotton undies better. So I decided to take my $10 off It's-Our-Favorite-Customer's-Birthday card to the mall on Saturday and stock up. They have this new Pink line which is pretty cute. So I was looking through, trying to pick out some bikinis and low rise undies when I suddenly realized I was surrounded by 13 year old girls buying THONGS. What is this all about? When I was 13, I think I still had some Strawberry Shortcake underwear. I know I sound really old saying this stuff but I'm not THAT old. Except to 13 year olds.
So after complaining all week to Dan about Liam's lack of napping, the little bugger took two 2hour naps on Saturday and the same today. Any bets on him being back to his 45 minute morning nap by tomorrow?
I more than survived my wisdom teeth removal. I took a couple Advil the day of and the day after and by the 3rd day I didn't need any. The anxiety from getting TO the appointment however left me exhausted and a bit sore in my neck and shoulder muscles. Damn it.
In addition to Liam not wanting to sleep (a.k.a. be away from Mama too long) this week he has been perfecting his ability to get DOWN from pulling UP. It is his favorite new trick and he probably does about 2500 squats per day. This is quite the fitness regimen coupled with his food fling and his speed crawl to the dog toys. He enters his first Triathalon next week. Additionally, for the crowds entertainment he has been practicing his "dog pant" (thanks, Auntie Beth) and laughing with his tongue hanging out. This quite amused/repulsed the surrounding guests at Macaroni Grill this afternoon.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Liam's friend, Mikayla! She turned one today!!!

RFID Jammies for Kids

For those of you worried about your kids sneaking out of their rooms or being abducted in the night (Maria! #35), check out these new pjs, that come embedded with RFID tags so that parents can be instantly alerted if their toddlers try to sneak out for a night of wild partying. The clothes will be sold at Target and work with SmartWear’s RFID system of tag readers that you’re supposed to place near doors and windows. Paranoid/loving parents should be prepared to shell out about five hundred bucks for the whole set up.

Photo Friday: Day at the Tot Lot

Tricky steps.

Having a swing.

Going to Dada.

Pensive.

Time to head home.

Hmmm... so this is grass.

What I'm Lamenting

The incredibly shrinking morning nap.

*sigh*

Comfortably Numb

Well I am still alive. I made it.

The procedure took 30 minutes. He had one tooth out before I realized it. The surgeon was a really nice Irish guy. He loved our family names and especially loved Liam's name. He told me about going to Ireland and people he met. All while wrenching my third molars out of my mouth.

I'm numb from my forehead to my sternum. I look like a stroke victim (no offense to stroke victims everwhere). I have ice packs on each cheek. I can't talk and I sound like Mayor Menino.

I'm a bit worried about the rest of my recovery. Mostly fearing a dreaded DRY SOCKET. But otherwise I'll be here resting. Icing. Popping Advil like candy. (Not really Beth, just 6 a day!)

I'm sure I'll have more to say later. When I'm not drooling so much. I hope. Yeah.

You are my obsession

I haven't felt like a chatty blogger lately. Since after my birthday (Thanks for all the wishes and the lovely comments/compliments! You complete me! Pass the vitamins!).

So why, do you ask? Why aren't you chatty, Suz?

Well because I'm mentally obsessing over my wisdom teeth extraction tomorrow at 9AM. Thinking about it takes my breath away. I've been looking stuff up on the internet and found out all the horrible things that can go wrong. Permanent facial numbness, dry sockets, perforating a sinus wall. The internet is just FUUUUUULL of information, inn't it? Knowledge is power. Knowledge can also keep you awake at night.

Last night I averaged 3 hours of sleep due to my mind spinning in circles with the what ifs and how bads?

However Dan promises to still love me if my lips become permanently numb and my food just falls out of my mouth while I'm eating. He just won't take me anywhere.

I'm good at obsessing. You might look at me and think I have it together. I'm getting it done. I'm focused. But 9 out of 10 times I'm obsessing about something. Maybe it's about getting 4 molars ripped out of my gums. Maybe it's about something somebody said to me. Maybe it's about these last ten pounds of baby weight.

You can say, God, Susie, pull it together, girl. But c'mon. You obsess too. Maybe you are obsessed with your blog traffic numbers or a Playstation game. Maybe you fixate on everything your mother says or your bank account. But everyone walks around, looking like all is right with the world... while little time bombs tick away in their heads.

My time bomb is set for 9AM tomorrow. God help my oral surgeon.

Yeah! Broccoli and ziti! YUM!

Waiting for Mum after a nap.

The Blessed Day

Thirty-four years ago today I was born.

Not sure how to follow THAT up.

I was actually thinking about birthdays and typically the only ones that stand out are really good ones or really bad ones.

Worst
My twenty-sixth birthday found me living in an apartent in Alexandria, VA. I had moved there to be with my then-boyfriend. Ya, I know. Anyway. He dumped me after two weeks and a week before my birthday. I had to live in the same apartment with him for an additional two weeks. I knew no one. I was living with him and his two female roommates. No worries about him living with girls as it later turns out HE WAS GAY. Ya, I know. Anyway. I had just started my job at Georgetown University. A job which was great. But I knew NO ONE. I spent most of my birthday working of course. Then the rest of it curled up in the fetal position in one of the girls' rooms. Crying. I cried a lot in those two weeks. One of the roommates ended up first finding me temporary housing for a month with a great couple in DC. She ended up moving out and into a new apartment with me (BLESS YOU, BRYR). The night of my birthday she was working which is why I was able to use her room for the nervous breakdown. When she got home I had resumed my spot on the living room couch to sleep. She brought home a cake. It was such a lovely gesture yet just cemented how pathetic that birthday had truly become.

Best
All of my childhood birthdays were great. They all sort of blend in to one memory. I remember Mum making chicken wings because I loved them (those drummettes with the batter). I had great cakes with rainbows and my favorite colors. I got great gifts like the Fisher-Price People Castle and a bike. I had parties with my family that often included my favorite cousins, Kerry and Amy. One year they covered me with coats in the back of their parents car so I could go stay with them at their house. My sister had a balloon-a-gram delivered one year. My birthdays as a kid were great.

Happy birthday to me. This year finds me the happiest I have probably ever been.

People. I'm tired. I want my TV.

I am laying acorss my bed, relishing the first real alone time I've had all day. No dogs even! And I'm just sitting here trying to pull together something to post about. And the only thing that keeps coming through the keys is "I'm tired."

I have a new book, just laying here. No, it's not Harry Potter. Reading about magic doesn't do it for me. Not my genre. I like the movies, I just don't read the books. I don't begrudge anyone who reads the books. Especially adults. Some of the better books written are geared towards children.

See how easily I digress? Tired!

This book is laying here, just waiting for me to crack the spine, smooth the crisp white pages, and get reading. But I'm too tired. With me and books, it's like an addiction. Once I start, I have a hard time stopping. I want to know what happens next... and next... and next. It's really bad. I stay up too late reading. I used to sneak read at work if it was a really good book. So it's not just a leisurely thing. I devour. I'm too tired to devour.

I'm tired of nothing good being on TV. TV sucks in the summer. The only good part is that you can catch shows that you didn't get to see the first run. With DVR and Tivo, this is increasingly more difficult. If you are interested in a show that conflicts with another one you watch - you just record it. We always had a full queue of shows waiting to be watched during the regular season. So that leaves some pretty slim pickings for the summer. There are only a couple of shows I'm trying to watch right now.

First, House. House is real good. I like the curmudgeonly cranky drug addict doctor a lot. So, apparently, do his peers, as he was just nominated for an Emmy. The only downfall to the show is that, with the exception of getting more and more info about House, the same thing happens every episode. Someone breaks something in their body. They come in. House gets the case because no one knows what it is. His crack team of doctor's all research and try to figure it out. They always misdiagnose and give the wrong medication. More bad things happen. A real gross episode had a guy basically bleeding out of every orafice. It was nasty. They always figure out the illness at the end. But it isn't always nicely packaged a la ER. Good TV, right there. I think we missed it during the regular season because it was opposite The Amazing Race.

I'm also watching a new series called The Closer. It's pretty good. First Kyra Sedgwick (Mrs. Kevin Bacon. Mmmmm Bacon. I like bacon - UGH See I digress again!). She plays a southern belle with this lilting accent. The accent grated on me a bit the first time I watched it. Now I don't notice it as much as the show is getting better. This past week's episode was REAL good. Though whomever decided to cast Meredith Baxter in a guest role must have had to come up with some serious coin to tear her away from her career on the Lifetime Movie Channel.

I have a policy for days when there is nothing on TV. It's the Law & Order Rule. When there is nothing but lame reality shows about superfreaks dancing and hooligans at camp and becoming Tommy Hilfiger's biatch, there is ALWAYS an episode of Law & Order to fall back on. ALWAYS. Whether it's on NBC any given night of the week, or on TNT or USA. Right now I'm watching an old school Law & Order episode with Benjamin Bratt on TNT, but only because I had already seen the L&O: SVU episode on USA. And after this episode is over, I can watch anotehr one. And another. Dan used to come home every night last summer and hear the telltale "doink, doink." "Watching Law & Order, honey?" "You know it, Brisco!"

I also watch the Red Sox. Yes, I do. No, I really do. I usually can't just sit and watch it though. I have to be surfing the internet or blogging. I just glance up at it time to time.

So during the day, Liam cracks the whip and I'm running. But at night. I'm tired. I want my TV.

Who needs a remote?

Someone has a new trick.

When will television makers learn to put the ON/OFF button on the BACK of the box?

Say Goodbye to Hollywood

I must be catching something from my friend, Carrie, because I have this urge to make all my post titles from the lines from songs.

Anyway folks, I did it. I made the appointment. We will bid a fond farewell to the smartest teeth in my mouth, that's right - the Four Wise Teeth - on July 26th at 9am. 4 days after my 34th birthday. Happy Goddamn Birthday.

Excuse me while I go vomit, then wash myself with a Brillo pad in the shower.

Pet Peeve #154

I hate it when I hear mothers refer to their boobs/breastfeeding as NUMMIES or NUMSIES. WTF?! If the kid is calling them that - they got the name from somewhere - and I find it hard to believe that the kids are all making up the same name on their own.

Sure, call the pet a "doggie" and call the bottle a "baw baw" if you must - but let's leave it at that. Though I have a similar distate for grown ups using "wahwah" for water. Wah-TER. The baby may say "wahwah" but you aren't helping her learn by initiating "Want some wahwah?"

Starting Photo Fridays

I've decided to start posting pictures every Friday. The first few will always be from that morning. Then I may throw in a couple that are from earlier this week or older. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Morning calisthenics - working the coffee table.

Places to go, things to do, dogs to terrify.

Slightly terrified dog. (Not really - she can still move faster than Liam - for now).

Liam has inherited my taste for Coach bags.

Snack time while watching a Baby Einstein. He loses interest after about 10 minutes (in the video, NOT the snack).

"So I've Got a New Look" and other random thoughts...

I love bright vibrant color. So here we are with my new look. I really like it. Like it a lot! Plus this way I can sort of be in the warm weather all year. Even when we are slammed with the Nor'easters every weekend from Dec-March. It's especially in the winter that I need a little light in my life. Besides Liam.
I promised myself that my blog would never become a laundry list of what I did/am doing today. But sometimes it's really tough to get my act together to blog about something interesting. I get ideas for my blog all the time. Usually when driving, in between singing "The cow goes Moo moo!" But once I get back to "the office," sometimes I just don't feel like posting.
I live my life in 2-3 hour increments. Liam's awake and nap times. During a nap I need to weigh whether this will be used as time to get things done (like housework)... or time to relax. Right now I'm posting while he's asleep. Recently Liam has dropped his morning nap to one hour (though, right now, we are going on two - so shhhhh!). When that happens I feel cheated! Then selfish. I mean, after all I want to spend time and play with him, right? But I'm "on" as Mum the whole times he's awake. It's exhausting as any parent or care provider can tell you. It's especially hitting me now that he is getting more mobile. It means more chasing, more telling him what's ok (toys, pulling up on furniture, patting the dog) and what is not (dog dishes and toys, electrical cords, the dog's tail), more soothing, more helping. I just hope he is getting as tired as I am!

Under renovations

Please bear with me while my new duds get put into place. And thanks to Laura, at Ciao My Bella for my fresh new look.

Keeping cool.

I'm crazy, but not THAT crazy.

Let me clear up something about yesterday's post. I did not ACTUALLY run screaming from the dentist's office. This is what happened:

When the doctor delivered the news I know my eyes got big as saucers. But I sat like a good girl and listened to my options and asked questions.
Took a referral for an oral surgeon.
Got a prescription for antibiotics to fight the infection from my wisdom teeth. Basically, one of my wisdom teeth was biting into my gums and it caused a laceration (isn't that a great word? LACERATION - so much better than 'cut') which infected my gums.
I went out to the car.
Tried not to vomit.
Went to CVS and got my prescription.

I gave myself till Wednesday to call and make an appointment with the oral surgeon for a consult. After I get the teeth pulled I go back to my dentist for the root canal. Something to look forward to!

That was it - the boring truth. Wasn't the first version better?

Teeth bite.

So yesterday morning I woke up and I had a tooth ache. Now with most people - a tooth ache sucks but they get it together and call the dentist. As my mother told me when I was young, I'm not "most people." My anxiety began as I wondered how long the pain would last. Could I handle it on my own? Do I really need to go to the dentist? Can I take Advil for the rest of my life? (Research clearly says NO; And I'm sure Tom Cruise knows the history of Dentistry and a vitamin and fitness regime that will cure my tooth ache.)

It being a Sunday, I had the luck of no dentists' office being open unless it was an $$emergency$$. It didn't hurt so bad that I couldn't function. It was just a nagging-throbbing-drive-a-spike-through-one-eye-kind-of-pain. Nothing really. Just as long as I didn't open my mouth too wide. Didn't chew. Hm swallowing didn't work so great either.

When my sister (The Nurse) Beth came to drop off my nephew last night, I asked her how many Advil I could take without my stomach imploding. She said no more than 6 in a day. Hm. It was 8pm and I'd already taken 6. So Before bed, I popped a couple of Tylenol's new drug Simply Sleep [NON-HABIT FORMING the box says! As if they can make a drug non-habit forming!] in hopes it would get me through the night. It worked! I didn't wake up with tears in my eyes from the pain until 5:15am. Time for more Advil!

So after I was finally able to open my mouth an hour later, I decided I should really get my act together and call a dentist. I had a sneaking suspicion what was going on in my mouth and I didn't want to deal with it - but I had to. I didn't want to be the first person to die from a tooth ache. It could happen.

Now you may be wondering what made me have this crippling fear of dentists. I'll tell you what. This dentist I had as a kid was a BIG JERK. That's right, I said it! My first cavity was filled with NO NOVACAINE! People - were we not living in modern times? Why did I get a Medievil dentist?! Then, before I got braces, I had several teeth pulled. No idea that was happening until I was sitting in the chair getting prepped. Yeah - good times! Way to SCAR ME FOR LIFE!

Anyway, the drill noise makes my eyes water and my chest tighten. That suction thing makes me want to heave. Let's not get me started on that horrendous smell. What IS that smell anyway?

So I call the practice my old dentist was at and they can fit me in at 4pm. Which gave me ALL DAY LONG to stress and hyperventilate and dry heave. When I made the appointment I let them know I was a bit of an anxiety case regarding the dentist. They assured me Dr. Wang was great with head cases.

When I got there, I got an extra 15 minutes to update my paperwork (new dental insurance info, etc) and to breathe in that lovely dentist office smell. My blood was pounding in my ears. An older woman was ahead of me. She was getting a "simple extraction" for her dentures. Greeeeeeeeeat.

The technician took me back to start with some dental x-rays. WHY THE HELL ARE THOSE X-RAY FILMS THEY STICK IN YOUR MOUTH SO GODDAMN BIG? I breathed through my nose, stuck my tongue to the bottom of my jaw and prayed lunch wouldn't come back up. It almost did - twice. The technician told me all about her boyfriend and their new boat that they got to "party". I guess she didn't notice that my pocketbook was twisted around my wrists so tight my hands were whiter than Michael Jackson.

The old lady getting the extraction. Yeah - I ended up practically in the same room. I was sitting quietly waiting for my x-rays to come back and for the doctor. The older woman was sitting quietly and MOANING. They asked her if it hurt she said "nehhhh" (I can only imagine with my creative and Freddy Krueger mind what they had in her mouth) so they said "Ok you are going to feel pressure. "I assume they then exerted said pressure and once again "OOOOOOOohhHHHH" I got up from the seat twice and had to sit myself back down. Finally I put my fingers in my ears and tried humming. That's the way the technician found me when she came back with the x-rays. She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "She's moaning!"I said. "She old. Relax. This isn't the turn of the century, you know." Hm.

After Dr. Wang was done making the old lady whimper, she came over. A lovely small woman. I could probably take her in a fight. She looked at my x-rays and then delivered the nails in my dental coffin. "You need to have your wisdom teeth removed. All four. Then this tooth... here. I think you need a root canal."

Then I ran screaming from the building crying, "The Dentist Office Smell Is People." [/edited with poetic license somewhat obscure Charlton Heston reference]

10 Months for Liam

I could start this post with the same-old-same-old-yadda-yadda-yadda-about-how-fast-time- has-flown-and-I-can't-believe-he's-10-months-old-where-is-my-baby but, quite frankly, I haven't got the time.

You see this baby, he's got shit to do. And my job is to make sure he can get it done without getting electrocuted, decapitated, drowned, or otherwise.

Liam is moving around the house so fast on his belly you'd think Mr. Clean has moved in. My husband remarked to me tonight, "Wow, the house has really been clean and tidy lately." (Make note of the "wow" as this acknowledges that he has nothing to do with the cleanliness of the place). I guess when he gets home he hasn't noticed that I pinned a Swiffer sheet to Liam's chest and 4 Lysol cleaning wipes to his hands and feet.

Liam is so busy he has no time to figure out the whole crawl thing. It's all about doing the inch-worm. He gets up on his hands and knees and looks around and basically says, "Screw it, I could be over there already if I just went on my belly." So he belly flops and gets on with it.

Dan - The reason the house has been cleaner is because if it isn't, your son is INTO IT. "IT" being WHATEVER I DON'T WANT HIM TO GET INTO. The shoes, the dog's water dish, the magazines. The remote, the curtains, the electrical cords. The booze, the knives, the fire batons.

The dogs are afraid. He is busy chasing them. Liam wants their tails. BIG TIME. Their toys are manna from heaven. Especially their Nylabones. It's a hard, plastic bone that tastes like chicken and is digestible. Hm. Guess he can have that one. Sorry, girls.

Liam likes to play. He likes to play chase, throw it-pick it up-throw it-pick it up, peek-a-boo and anything that involves him being slightly startled. This means startled in a good way, not startled by barking right behind him, thank you, Lily.

Liam says Dada and MumMum. He said MumMum all day today. I like it when he says it with a question in his tone. MumMum, MumMum, MumMum? Yes, Liam? MumMUM! Most of the time he says it when utterly frustrated or upset. Usually he is frustrated because MumMum has blocked the way somewhere. He is usually upset if MumMum has had him standing too long or creeping too long or waiting too long or just BEING TOO LONG, MumMUM!

Liam has many sounds and overall he is getting very chatty. Loud and chatty most of the time. After sleeping 12 glorious hours he has LOTS TO SAY, DADA! And THANKS FOR THE MILK, MumMUM! LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY NIGHT!

Trying new foods is working out ok. Many regular vegetables still make him gag. And watching him puke isn't my favorite thing on for a food highlight reel so I give him a bit of whole veggie then still serve the pureed stuff. He likes cantaloupe, strawberries, cheese, corn flakes, chicken, meatballs, pizza, yogurt, corn, water, and Pirate's Booty. Oh yeah and MORE ANIMAL CRACKERS, MumMUM! Animal crackers almost threw off the delicate balance we've established with the Gerber puffs. No more animal crackers for a while. Puffs can almost get us through an entire meal at a restaurant or when eating as a family.

Liam has taken a liking to Boots, the little monkey from Dora the Explorer. Television doesn't hold his attention that long but he thinks little Boots is pretty funny.

Liam, SLOW DOWN. I am so busy vacuuming to keep down the amount of dog hair you ingest, sweeping to keep the dirt off your hands and out of your mouth, and wiping everything - oh the endless wiping - with Lysol to keep you from getting E-coli that I can barely even keep up with you!

You are so fun! You smile and laugh and giggle all the time! You are turning into such a little boy. An adorable one at that. We have such fun playing together. Today we built a tunnel between the couch and coffee table with a blanket over the top. You crawled in one side and I crawled in the other and met in the middle. Then later we were walking around the house with me holding your hands. I started moving quicker and saying LA LA LA over and over and you thought that was the funniest thing MumMum has ever done, like - EVER.

You like to give lovies to me and Dada. You bury your head in our necks with your mouth open. We love that. We also love when you call us by name. Every time you say MumMum my heart swells a bit.

In the near future you'll be moving more on your own and won't want my help so much. You'll push me away and probably say NO, Mum. So for now bear with me as I keep pulling you back in for hugs and kisses. Sometimes I feel like I need to store them up, for the days when you won't want them so much.

Love you, peanut.
Your MumMum