Deer heads at Daycare

You've heard me talk about Mama T before and I love her. I really do. I couldn't be more thankful that she is in our lives and caring for Baby A while I'm at work.

This has been a very odd week for me though. Let me give you some background on Mama T.

Mama T is a farm girl. Her parents still have a large farm in North Georgia with pigs and chickens and corn and cows, etc, etc. Mama T grew up chopping heads of chickens, shelling freshly picked beans and cooking freshly slaughtered pigs. This is normal, normal for her.

I could not be more un-farm like. I don't like cows. I like to eat cows. I have no problem with a hunk of beef on my plate or a nice pair of leather gloves. Fine with me. I don't like cows. They unnerve me. It's a long story that involves some childhood trauma at a dairy farm for which my mother still laughs at me.

So, one of her sons has been vising and earlier this week shot a deer with his bow and arrow. Fine. I get hunting. I don't do it. Have no desire to do it and don't really like the taste of deer. But I get it. However, he brought the thing home and dissected it there. In the front yard. And all week there has been a bucket in the front yard with things sticking out of it. Things...It's been a little creepy. Last night I actually had to breakdown and tell my husband about it because it was bugging me. There's a spine. A spine. Sticking out of a bucket. Ewwwww. And a leg, with a hoof. It's just, ewww. That's all I can come up with. Ewww.

I hadn't said anything to Mama T because I know this sort of thing just doesn't even phase her or enter into the thought process of 'maybe this isn't normal'. But hey, I'm in GA, it kind of is normal, sort of. But this morning as I drove up to her house, there was a deer head sitting in the middle of her yard. Looking at me. It was looking at me. An animal had gotten into the bucket of parts and had strewn them across the yard. I got Baby A out of the car and we walked into Mama T's house (Baby A is now walking from the car to the house like a big girl, it warms and breaks my heart all at once) where I looked at Mama T and said:

"There's a deer head in your front yard and it was looking at me."

She laughed, and laughed, and I confessed my wiggy issues all week with the parts sticking out of the bucket. It will be taken care of this weekend and gone by Monday, but, she did have a pretty good laugh at me and my non hunting/farming/blood and guts background.

But still, who drives up to drop their child off at daycare to find themselves looking directly into the eyes of a severed deer head in the front yard. Apparently, I do.

Ewwwwwww........

'Reasonable' is in the Eye of the Beholder (or Doctor)

So, went back to the eye doctor yesterday because of this recurring irritation issue. I gave up on the whole double dipping doctor insanity and just showed up yesterday at the new eye doctor's office and handed him my whole mess.

Issue 1 - Recurring Eye Allergy
Issue 2 - Pregnant, can't take anything to help clear it up
Issue 3 - Glasses are 10 years old, falling apart and out of date

Overall I really liked the new guy. He talked about what he was looking for in my eyes and what the reactions meant. There really isn't anything medicated he can give me right now so he said we're going to have to find the cause of the allergy. To speed this process, he wants me to throw out all my makeup, makeup brushes, facial moisturizer and cleanser and start from scratch from an approved list of hypoallergenic and ophthalmologistically (new word)  tested products.

I did mention this doctor was male, right? Yeah, he probably thinks this is a completely reasonable request.

My husband didn't realize the issue until I told him that I spent $80 yesterday to replace a few things.

Note the word: few

Meanwhile I am make up free for two weeks while we try to see if that will clear up the irritation. I would like to think I have not reached the age in life that requires makeup in order to look 'normal'. However, there's a level of professionalism that I feel is maintained by hair, face, nails and clothes being 'done'. Suit and no makeup feels a lot like I'm wearing my pj's to the office.

Mmmmmmm, pj's at the office. I like that idea.

I have a parasite

I'm at that fun stage of pregnancy where no one knows, but I still have doctors appointments and so have to keep coming up with reasons to be out. It's not that my office is that stringent and I'm only allowed certain excused absences, it's more like everyone here is family and they tend to be concerned if you have more than one appointment a month.

'Is something wrong?'
'Um, I have a parasite.'

Hmmm...Probably not the best answer, although not far off...

Thanksgiving was wonderful although it was great to get back home and to our regular routine. It's amazing how important that routine is. I need it. Baby A needs it. The dogs need it. We all work so well when on our routine.

I am constantly amazing by what a trooper my little peanut is. She's around new people, not in her own bed, in her own house and she just keeps on keeping on. She plays, laughs, smiles and pitches fits, just like at home. She did learn a new behavior over the holiday though. Begging. That's fun. Someone was eating at just about any given point during the weekend and Baby A learned to toddler over, point at the item they were eating and then point to her mouth. 'Feed me'. Loud and Clear! And they all did. Pumpkin pie, Cookies, Cake, Ice Cream, Cheese, Crackers, you name it. We got home and that evening my husband sat down with his normal after dinner Oreos and Milk and don't you know, Baby A toddled over and requested some. Denied! Daddy don't share Oreos!

Thursday I have my first ultrasound. I'm very excited and hope we're able to hear the heartbeat. That's such a wonderful moment. It becomes so much more real and makes not having had any wine over Thanksgiving a little easier to deal with. I do miss my wine. When I'm home it's not a big deal. When we're surrounded by family and food and the corks are flying...it's a whole lot harder.

I poured my milk into a wine glass last night, just because. Me and my parasite roll like that.

Christmas Came Early!

Apparently my mom had done some Christmas shopping for me already and this past weekend realized that all the clothes she had purchased for me for Christmas were unlikely to fit at Christmas, so I got presents this weekend! Yay! New skirt, sweater and blouse. They do all fit, currently, and I'll make sure that they get lots of wearing before my belly starts to pop. Which apparently happens faster with baby #2. My ab muscles are already starting to ache and if I turn funny or lift something heavy (like Baby A) they protest. I guess they remember what's coming.

Had a few hormonal moments this weekend. My patience levels have been so very, very low. There was a point where Baby A was pitching a fit and the dogs were both dancing under my feet and running over Baby A in the process and I pretty much picked up my 70 lbs Big M and put him on the other side of the room. At that, Old Lady ran to her bed laid down real fast and I could see her saying to Big M 'just don't dude, just don't.' My husband came in and took over, told me to go back to whatever it was I was doing. Later I said to my husband 'I guess I was a little hormonal.' What he heard was 'I guess I need a hormone pill' to which he said 'seriously?? a hormone pill??? you don't need anything else running around in there!!'

Yep. Gotcha. Loud and Clear.  Mama's crazy everyone run for your lives!

Ok, Ok, There's an Elephant

Yesterday after posting I went back and reviewed the blog for the last several weeks and noticed a theme. A very cranky theme. When I started this blog I intended for it to be a story of my attempts to keep a clear perspective on the important things in my life, my daughter, my husband, our lives together, our families, etc. I wanted to share my journey through all the aspects of trying to be a healthy, happy mom, wife and individual and really see all those pieces separately and as a whole. The last several weeks have been very negative. Everything I wrote about was a complaint and it was not something I realized I was doing. It was a complete surprise to me to go back and read a month or more of cranky posts. Who wants to read about that??

Here's the deal.

I'm pregnant. :)  (Insert excited squeal here.)

We're so excited. We have been trying for a few months and a couple weeks ago a test came up positive. Completely by surprise. I had no idea that I might be, I've just been taking tests every few weeks for good measure. So, going back over my posts, apparently I've been a little hormonal and a little cranky. Even before I knew I was pregnant I was typing complaining posts.

So, during a month that is specifically and purposely dedicated to giving thanks for the blessings in your life, I have one big, big one that is going to count for every day this month. I am so thankful that our family is growing, that Baby A is going to be a big sister, and I am going to get to experience another pregnancy and feel new life grow within me.

And now, this blog will undergo another change in what that perspective is on life as we journey through the next 9 or so months. I will however, make a very thorough attempt at writing only positive posts. Happy moments with Baby A. Happy moments with my husband. Watching the changes in my body and trying (for the love of all that is holy) not to gain 43 lbs with this second pregnancy!

It's a 'day'

I feeling like I'm having a 'day'. Just a yicky 'day.' Stupid things. I broke my pen. Which in of itself doesn't sound like a big deal. But it was gift that I've had for years, like five or six years. Not only was it a gift, it was a Cartier. I don't own things from Cartier. I realized today that I can't afford to look at their website never mind actually pretend that one day I could spend $400 on a pen. I broke my $400 Cartier gifted pen. I'm kind of just cranky now.

Add to that I've had an on and off eye infection for about two months. My regular eye doctor dropped my vision insurance, but still accepts my medical insurance. So I can go see her for an infection, but not to renew my glasses prescription, which needs to be done also. So I had to go find another doctor to do that, but he didn't want to look at my infection because I'm already seeing the first doctor for that and am 'mid treatment'. Really??  My eyes hurt.

Now, given Thanksgiving is next week, I can't get in to see the new doctor until the week after that. So I can't get an updated glasses prescription to use while taking another round of drops for my eye infection. I have to continue using my 10 year old glasses that are falling apart and at least two prescriptions off my current blindness level.

I'm just cranky.

And I'm cold. I want my blanket.

Is it strange that when I think blanket I automatically start making the sign for it like I was practicing sign language words with Baby A.

What Elephant?

I haven't posted in a few days and have started several but everything keeps coming back to a subject I'm not ready to talk about yet so I keep deleting them.

Baby A is going through a fun stage with her sleep schedule. Naps aren't too bad, but nighttime is miserable. She's purposely keeping herself awake, rocking, bouncing, talking, screaming, whatever, to keep herself up. Her bedtime is 8, and these days she's awake until almost 9. It's a really fun hour. It doesn't seem to matter what we do. Be attentive, ignore her, shush her. It's been a couple months of this and I'm starting to lose my mind. Then I have to stop and remember that some people have children that really don't sleep, ever. Baby A isn't all that bad. It's frustrating because we haven't had many problems with her sleeping, so now, it's like it's magnified. It's this huge looming argument at the end of every day. And every evening I finally sit down around 8:45 feeling like she just totally kicked my ass and that we're going to do this every night for the rest of my life. Last night I had to tag my husband, you're it. I'm out. We've been working on teaching her to lay down in bed and lay still so she can fall asleep. If you're moving, you're not sleeping. If you're not moving, it's easier to fall asleep. It doesn't seem to matter, she's just awake, the whole time. Plus, I can't stop her from moving. I'll think we're doing well and then she'll start clucking her tongue. Or I'll see her little fingers wiggle out the side of the blanket, tap, tap, tapping on the bed. Arghh!!!

Old Lady still has this weird spot on her neck and it's growing. I think she's bothering at it so I've started giving her Benadryl and am going to get some doggy version of 'no more itchies . I had some but it went home with a foster who was having some skin issues at the time. It's starting to look pretty gross and I just can't do another vet visit right now. Especially since Big M has his annual shots in two or three weeks.

I'm tired. And cold, all the damn time. I live in sweatshirts and wool socks these days and my husband just looks at me like I'm out of my mind while I huddle under blankets, for those 5 minutes in the evening that we're baby free. I've lost all my organizational abilities. I can't get out of the house on time to save my life. It took three trips to the store to make a chicken pot pie, (came out really well though). The last trip was mid prep, in the rain, with Baby A who was completely freaked out by my umbrella and didn't want it over her. Had to laugh at that. She just didn't know what it was or why it was there. So funny.