So Excited. So Very Excited. February 29, 2008

Many of my faithful readers will remember that I went to a little event known as Rocklahoma last year.  And I had the time of my life.  This week we purchased our tickets for the 2nd Annual Rocklahoma, taking place this summer.  And just in case you haven’t heard about it, this little event taking place in Oklahoma became a HUGE deal.  There were people from all 50 states there, as well as all of the European countries, and people from every continent except Antarctica.  It was the most amazing thing ever.

So I have been pumped all week since buying tickets.  The Hubby gets to go this year and I know he will be just as excited as I am.  And I happen to have some inside information about the lineup, which will make everyone crap their pants.  I’m not kidding you.  It’s being announced on Tuesday in Hollywood and after that the tickets will skyrocket.  Let me just say that if you’re a fan of 80’s hair bands, you need to buy a ticket today.  You won’t want to miss it.  The only reason I know such inside information is because of my brother who is a policeman in the town where the event takes place and he gets the lowdown on such things.

So now I just have to wait.  And wait.  Because I want to go today.  Until then I will be listening to Hairnation on Sirius Satellite Radio and growing my hair out for all the headbanging.

Fun and Games February 27, 2008

Today Squeaks committed her worse act of toddler-ism yet.  She hit me. 

She was sitting at her Diego table, playing with her Little People when I smelled the foul odor of a Diaper Code Brown.  I told her we needed to change her diaper and then she could go back to playing.  She yelled no and turned her head away (which is her new thing — not looking at me when I want her to).  I told her again, with the same response.  So I took her by the hand to lead her to her room.  And then I saw it all over her face.  She took one chubby little arm and I could see her wind up.  It was all slow motion.  And then she hit me.  And I was furious.  After disciplining her for it, she wound up and did it again.  By this time I was seeing red.

Needless to say, I don’t think she’ll be hitting again for awhile.  But I’m still shocked that she did it.  She’s never hit anyone.  I’m sure she picked it up at daycare, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me.  I was so proud that she doesn’t bite that I never considered hitting.  I’m hoping that I taught her a lesson today, but we’ll stay on top of it to make sure it doesn’t become a habit.

Besides, she’s on to better things right now, like throwing a fit because I won’t let her wear my bra out in public.

Untitled February 26, 2008

The reason I haven’t posted much lately is because all of my stories involve work and I have signed a confidentialtiy agreement that says I won’t share information.  But that means things such as social security numbers and income information.  I can still talk around some stories without fear of reprimand.  But I just wanted to tell you all that apparantly the fact that we have your personal information makes people feel that they can share everything with us.  We’re not counselors, people.

For example, last night a lady reeking of booze came in.  She had a whole lot of issues going on that were screwing up her return.  She kept talking about her husband who is in jail.  We finally asked her why he was in jail.  “Oh, he tried to kill me.”  I just kind of looked at her, waiting for her to laugh, but she was serious.  I guess I would drink all the time too, if my husband tried to kill me.

It’s been Send in the Crazies week around there.  We’ve had all kinds of interesting people.  I might have more encrypted stories later…

Good Thing I Shaved My Legs February 22, 2008

I know I keep saying it, but things are crazy busy around here.  I’ve not had a moment to myself.  In fact, Squeaks is covering my leg with stickers as I write this, simply to keep her occupied for a few minutes while I blog.  She’s definitely wanting more attention now that I’m not around more and I can’t blame her for that.  I mean, I’m a fun person!

I’m really enjoying work, except for the fact that I’m wearing heels and on my feet all day.  My feet aren’t used to that, as I’m usually in socks around the house!  I’ve met some very interesting people, as well as learned a lot about filing taxes.  I’m really glad I took this job, but I’m just as glad that it will be all over in a few months.  The craziest part is that I’m actually enjoying working with my MIL.  Yeah you read that right.  The crazy woman that I’ve been bitching about since I started this blog.  But at work we’re friends.  We don’t talk about family stuff, we just enjoy one another’s company.  I’m hoping this will help our relationship outside of work, as well.  But I’m not getting my hopes up too much — I’m sure she’ll piss me off again very soon.

Now I need some advice.  We’re considering buying a new flatscreen tv now that we’ve paid off a lot of our debt.  We keep looking at different ones, but can’t decide what we want.  So if you have one, let me know what you think.  Which ones are good and which ones should you avoid?  Do you like plasma better than LCD?  I just thought I would get your input!

Too Busy for Love? February 17, 2008

I’ve noticed a few downfalls to being a working mom, but the one that bothers me most is my sex life.  Or lack thereof.

Since The Hubby works odd hours and days and I work every afternoon and evening, we rarely have time to spend together.  When I get home from work, I stay up pretty late, trying to do homework, bows, and general housework.  The Hubby has been really good about helping out around the house, though, so I’m really thankful for that.  But the problem is that we haven’t had time to enjoy even a quickie in over a week.  I know some of you think that’s no big deal, but we have always prided ourselves on a really active and great sex life.  So this sucks.

So how do you all manage to keep everything going, including bedroom time?  Do you find the time?  Is sex something that only happens on birthdays?  Tell me your story.

Evaluation February 14, 2008

Yesterday was the “official” evaluation of Squeaks.  Four very nice ladies ( a nurse, physical therapist, speech therapist, and child psychologist ) showed up at the house.  I thought I would be very nervous, but they were great and made me feel at home.  We all had our shoes off and were perches around the floor on the rug.  It was so funny, like kindergarten storytime, only for adults.

Squeaks took to these women right away, but only because they came armed with toys.  While they had her playing games and showing off skills, they asked The Hubby and I what seemed like 800 questions about her.  I was proud to see some skills Squeaks possessed that she had never shown us before.  They tested her in all areas of her life, basically, and the results were great.

As far as speech and language goes, she’s only testing a month behind in the way she communicates with us.  She is going through what is known as “jargoning”, which some toddlers do before actually talking (and that is what we were so concerned about).  When tested on how much language she understands, she tested at the level of a 3 year old.  I have such a smart kid!  But I’m also concerned about the words I know she hears that she shouldn’t — usually ones I say!

She also excelled in other areas.  The women were very impressed with her and her intelligence.  They said she has excellent social skills for a 2 year old, saying they usually had a hard time keeping the focus of ones this age.  The only time she had a meltdown was when they tried to test her hearing.  She did not want anything stuck in her ear, so she freaked out.  Thankfully, they will retest all of that at another time — after we get her used to having ear buds in her ears.

There were only two concerns.  We have to get her vision tested.  They are concerned that her eyes are bad.  Which would make sense with her being my child, but it’s just something we hadn’t seen yet.  But when they were showing her pictures and watching her color, she would get really close to the pages.  I guess we always brushed it off as concentration, but we’re going to get those eyes checked out.  I’m just trying to figure out how people keep glasses on a 2 year old!

The second issue was in the way she sits.  It’s been an issue since she first started sitting, but I was told by a certain doctor that it was not an issue for her.  Well, that’s not the case now.  Apparantly the “w-sitting” has affected her hips already.  We were told that if she continued to sit like that she would eventually not be able to walk.  So now we’re teaching her to sit “criss-cross applesauce”.  We’re also doing some really fun games to build up her core so that she doesn’t feel the need to w-sit.

So there is the short version of what’s going on.

Day 1 Recap February 12, 2008

I had my first day at my new job yesterday and I loved it.  It was so nice to get out amongst other adults and to “meet” all the new people who came into the office.  It was slow and boring at times, but I have the feeling we won’t see that very often until April 15th. 

I forgot to mention to you all the my MIL just happens to work there too.  But it’s not as bad as it sounds.  We rarely work the same shift, as I work during the afternoon, when she’s at her other job.  She did come in for awhile last night, but it was nice because she kind of showed me the ropes and introduced me to a lot of people.  Honestly, I think we could work better than we can be family!

All of this has me thinking how thankful I am that I got to stay home with Squeaks for the last 2 years.  Having her already in bed by the time I get home from work makes me sad.  I feel like I’m missing so much, especially because my favorite time of day is just before bedtime when we cuddle and talk.  I’m not too worried about it, seeing as how I’ll only be working through April, but it just reinforced that I’ve done the right thing so far.  I can handle missing a few months if it means that will put us in a place( financially — we’re paying off debt) where I can continue to stay home after that.

Confession Time February 11, 2008

So here’s my little confession:  I am horrible about making Squeaks brush her teeth.  I like to blame it on the fact the she looked like a gummy old man until almost her first birthday, so I just never got in the habit of brushing.  But the truth is that I just forget.  The kid loves to brush her teeth and frequently asks to brush her teeth, but it seems like I’m always so busy at bedtime that I forget the most important brushing of the day.  The funny part is that my best friend’s father is also our dentist, so you would think I would be more determined to take care of her teeth to avoid a lecture from him!  She’s about to have her first visit to the dentist and I’m terrified that her teeth will be bad.

So here are my two questions for the day:

1.  How do you remember to brush your toddler’s teeth?

2.  What confessions do you have for me to make me feel better?  Do your kiddos watch too much tv?  Do you let them take juice to bed?  Someone please show me up!

Yet Another Neurotic Post February 10, 2008

Oh. My. Gawd.  The flu.  It’s everywhere.  People at my soon-to-be new job are out with it.  TWO girls Squeaks played with this week have it.  My brother-in-law has it.  And all of these people have TWO strains of it.  Yep, one of those isn’t even covered by the flu shot.  And poor Squeaks.  I’m eyeballing her like she’s a freaking time bomb.  Every cough and I’m feeling her for fever.  I’m making her drink a ton of fluids and rest a lot, which pisses her off because she’s not even sick!! 

I’m so crazy about the flu because I once had it two years in a row.  It was the most miserable time of my life (closely followed by pregnancy).  I remember the absolute pain and misery and how it dragged on forever.  And one of those times we were out of state visiting friends, so I spent the whole time on their couch, not even in my own bed.  And I just don’t want my tiny little daughter to have to suffer through that.  We both got our flu shots this year, but so did most of those other people who have it. 

Do you remember a few years back when SARS was a big deal?  When people wore masks everywhere?  I’m thinking about bringing that trend back.  If you turn on the national news and see some crazy woman in Oklahoma and her toddler wearing surgical masks, you can bet it’s me!  The funniest part of this whole thing is that I am the farthest from a germaphobe that you could ever meet.  But this?  This freaks. me. out.

So I’ve gotta go wash my hands a million times, Lysol the house, and build a bubble for my daughter to live in until summer.  Lots to do.

Working Girl February 10, 2008

We went to our preparer a few nights ago to get our taxes done.  Somewhere along the way, I also fell into a job.  The owner is needing an office manager of sorts during tax season and he basically begged me to come work for him.  I was not in the market for a job, but that extra cash will sure help with my New Year’s resolution of paying off our debt.  So we decided that I’m going to take the job, but that I will only work afternoons.  I’m a little excited, as it’s been 3 years since I’ve “worked”.  I had to go buy a new wardrobe, as I had no nice work clothes.  And the best part is that it’s only temporary.  Tax season is over in April and so is my job.  It’s only a little over 2 months.  Basically I’m excited.  I get to work for awhile, then go back to normal around here…whatever that is.

We’ll see how well I manage all of this with school!