It's Been a Week...

A week ago, I was kicking back on the beach in Santa Barbara.  Oh my, how I wish I were there right now.  It almost feels as if I need another one of those weekends.  I think I do.

I haven't had a chance to write and even right now, there is a hamper full of laundry waiting to be washed, 3 loads of clean clothes that need folding, a bedroom and bathroom that need cleaning, a salad that needs to be made for tonight's BBQ and 2 kids who both are not falling asleep. 

Yet here I am, taking a moment for me.  Lovely.

2 days after Ryder cut his first tooth, he cut his second.  Exactly the same as Kai did, only 2 weeks earlier.  He is about to venture out in crawling territory, but the kid is so incredibly top heavy (23 lbs. at almost 7 months of age, wearing 24M. clothes) that he has a hard time getting himself in motion.  It's funny to see.  It reminds me of Kai at this age.  He hardly crawled and went straight to walking.  I have a suspicion that Ryder might do the same.

Other than that, he is loving his solids.  I find myself so much more laid back with him than I was with Kai.  As much as I would love to start making my own baby food (all organic, just like I did with Kai), it is just too much at the moment.  Besides that, my freezer is popping out of its seams as it is, as it is filled with frozen breast milk, which leaves hardly any space for the grown-up food, let alone frozen baby food.  As soon as he can, Ryder is going to enjoy our 'human' table food as I am already soo done with the jarred version.  However, in the 2 years between the two kids, Earths Best has come out with a ton of new flavors, which makes this process just a tad more exciting.  If not for the baby, then at least for mom.

On Wednesday Kai finally made it to the dentist.  All went well; everyone (including dad and the dentist) survived and Kai walked away with a cool robot and a Sesame Street electric toothbrush.  The pay-off for him?  Ice -cream.  Something he made sure he reminded daddy of all the time while he was in the dentist chair...gives a good impression on our parenting doesn't it?  Except for the bedtime sippy, we are now a sippy-cup-free-house and are transitioning to regular cups.  Obviously, this leaves mommy mopping and cleaning a bit more than she would like.

These days naps are hit or miss for Kai.  He will gladly play by himself in his room for 2 1/2 hours after which the afternoon is usually a bit challenging as he is tired, but when he sleeps, he sleeps well.  However, he tends to prefer the floor over his bed.  Really?!?!  David contributed it to the fact that "he is a boy".  That's it?  Oh well, he has the choice of sleeping on the floor or his bed.  If he prefers the floor, then I assume it has something appealing his bed doesn't have.  Whatever-that-may-be.

Finally, potty training.  Or should I say "Potty Training Refusal"?  Potty training isn't really happening in this household and it looks as if we're still a long way off.  I finally got Kai to sit on his seat by giving him 1 M&M's.  I put it on the sofa.  It worked.  I put it on the toilet lid.  It worked.  I opened the lid and put in on the seat.  It didn't work.  And that's where we're stuck.  On the toilet seat.  He will not sit on it.  I can offer him the entire bag of M&M's and he still will run away screaming.  I'm seriously starting to think that maybe I'll be training both boys at the same time in a couple of years... :-0

And then there is Monday...this upcoming Monday...the day-after-tomorrow... The day that I am returning to work.  Sigh...  I'll only be teaching 1 class in the morning on Mondays - Thursdays, so it's not bad.  I'll be back by 10am, but it does mean that I will not be there 4 out of the 7 days to see Ryder's bright and smiling face when I walk into the nursery.  It'll mean that I won't be there 4 out of the 7 days to sit with Kai on the sofa while he watches Sesame Street and Curious George.  I'll miss it.  Then there is all the extra work that comes with work: grading assignments, keeping track of attendance and dealing with students who think they don't deserve a certain grade.  Ah, the things we get to look forward to as the Fall semester fast approaches.

On that note, I am going back to my housework.  Kids are still not sleeping, so who knows how long I actually have until all hell breaks loose and they request their immediate release from either crib or train table.

Oh, and the Friday Faves...they'll be back next week.  I am sorry for skipping this week, but with this only being half of what happened this week, I just didn't get to it.

Welcome Home Mommy!

Our Mom's Weekend Out was a big enough success that there are already ideas going around about the next one.  The next time I've been gone for a few days, however, I would prefer a slightly different welcome from my baby boy.  As warm and as loving as the initial 'welcome back' moments were, the one that followed a few hours later, in the middle of the night, wasn't quite what I had hoped for.

Despite having been gone and having had the chance to rest for the weekend, I was exhausted by the time 10pm came around.  A good night's sleep and I would be ready for Monday.  Bring it on.  My Monday this week started at 5am when Ryder woke up crying.  As a mom you develop the ability to translate your baby's cries and though I was pretty darn good at it back in the day with Kai (these days it's a different story), I had to re-learn the whole science of cry-interpretation with Ryder.  You'd think I didn't get enough practice in with Kai, but trust me I did.  I think this was purely a case of selective memory.

So, 5am comes around and Ryder is up.  This time not with the kind of fussing that will stop, after which he'll fall asleep again.  It was a different cry.  One that told me, to go in and check on him.  And there I went.  Stumbling down the hall, into his room.  A little voice in the back of my head said: "check if he's hungry" and so I did by gently sticking me finger into his mouth. 

And bingo!!  There it was...!!

The cause of all evil.

The beginning of the end of baby-hood.

A tooth.

His first tooth.

Right at that moment my heart stopped.  I had dreaded this moment for so long and here it was.  It had come out of nowhere, with no lead in time (other than 3 months of drool, drool and more drool, but hey, drool doesn't mean much to me anymore).  At that very moment, at 5am on Monday morning, my baby made me realize (even more) that he was growing up. 

Given the fact that we are most likely not going to have any more children, that meant that the gummy smiles were gone.  Forever.  I loved them so much and it broke my heart to think that this was it.  That the last time I saw him smile, had been the last time I had seen his gummy smile.  I love gummy smiles.  And though the smiles with teeth are absolutely just as precious, there is something so very special about the gummy ones.  At least to me.

Some topical gel and Ibuprofen later, Ryder rolled over, cuddled with his blankie and went straight back to sleep.  Calm, soothed, and happy.

Mommy, on the other hand, let loose a few tears before she fell asleep.  It had been a bittersweet return home.  I am absolutely blessed and happy that my baby boy is healthy and is turning into a 'big' boy, however I am sad that yet another chapter of 'infancy' has been closed and is now behind me.  I loved his gummy smile and I just wasn't ready to let it go quite yet.  This just proves, once again, that our children grow up on their own terms.  As parents we do so much to encourage and support their growth, however, at the same time there is nothing we can do as they just do it on their own.

This feeling is similar to the one I had when I realized that Ryder wasn't falling asleep in my arms anymore. I know that these moments will be replaced by new ones that in turn will be just as precious, yet I cannot help but be a bit sad. 

Thank you Ryder, for reminding me to really live in the moment and to experience every single moment fully.  They are precious and before we know it, they're gone, to never return again.  Afterall:

The present is a gift, that's why it's called 'The Present'.

It's Back! (And So Am I)

I couldn't find it anywhere on Friday morning.  I had spent several days looking for it and just wasn't able to locate it.  If anything, it seemed to distance itself further and further from my mommy-self.

My sanity.

I lost it.

I have found it.

And it only took a weekend with 10 dear mommy-friends, a day of doing nothing on the beach, strolling around in Santa Barbara, delicious food, lots of laughter

and a couple several okay, maybe a few x several drinks,

{My mommy-friends}

to locate it again.  The most important thing: I found it and the search was awesome!!

The tradition we started last year, was continued this year with our Moms' Weekend Out, which we spent with 11 mommies in Santa Barbara.  It was just what the doctor had ordered (or should have ordered a long time ago).

My best friend and I were the first ones to arrive Friday around 11:30am.  Just in time to start our weekend out with a nice lunch.  I think we spent about 2 hours eating, chatting and relaxing.  And guess what?  It felt foreign to us.  The lack of toddlers, babies, or the thought of "I have to be home in half an hour, I should be heading back" was just delightful.  The lunch experience by itself was so relaxing!  This was headed in the right direction - to be a very successful and relaxing weekend.

The B&B in which we stayed, offered complimentary wine and cheese from 5-7pm, which obviously was most welcome for us partay-ing mommies.  The evenings were spent going out for dinner, which varied from delicate and delicious dining on Friday eve

to letting out the carnivore in me on Saturday.

We spent the rest of both evenings in the partay-room (our room) in the B&B playing games,laughing, chatting and kicking back.

Saturday was mostly spent on the beach - it was a beautiful day, though the wind was deceiving and left me a bit redder than I would have liked :-0

We ended our Moms Weekend Out with strolling around Santa Barbara, doing a little bit of shopping on State Street and having lunch before throwing ourselves in the peak of weekend traffic heading back to Los Angeles.  Oh well, we were too relaxed to be bothered by the bumper-to-bumper driving experience.  I wonder how long I will be that relaxed - I doubt it'll last as long as I would like it to last.

The weekend was such a success that we've already started thinking about the next one.  Maybe it would be a good idea to do this twice a year?  I mean, I seriously don't see anything wrong with having a refreshed, rejuvenated, sanity-rediscovered, mom who is ready to face the daily challenges adventures (and joys) that her children throw her way with a smile on her face and calm in her heart.  (Ask me in about a week if the calm is still there...on second thought, maybe twice a year is not even enough...though I doubt that once a month would fly with the hubbies...)

And on that note: the hubby survived the weekend as well.  And so did the kids.  I am pretty sure that the hubby didn't get as much sleep as he would have liked, but it sounds like they had a lot of fun with with play dates, a trip to the zoo and swimming fun at the godparents.

Now, to find out more about the warm welcome I received from Ryder upon my return home, come back tomorrow.  That's a story in and by itself.

Friday Faves - Week 6

Happy Friday Everyone!  This time I am even more excited about the weekend: it's my long awaited and anticipated Mom's Weekend Out.  12 Mommies in Santa Barbara - how fun it'll be! 

Below is a summary of answers I got to last week's Faves.  This week's Faves are listed at the bottom, I look forward to hearing from you and reading your comments. 

Now, I might have to specify a few things:
* If you have any suggestions or ideas on which you would like people to share their favorite, let me know and I'd be more than happy to include them in one of the next week's Friday Faves.

* If you want the chance to be featured on my blog next week, go ahead and host a Friday Faves post on your own blog.  At the end of the week I will choose the winning Friday Faves post and feature it (and its author) on my blog!  Just follow these easy steps and off you go:

1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. On your blog, write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (you come up with your own ideas).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center>


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)
Note: Link up only when you're actually hosting a Friday Faves on your blog, please.  I will delete any spam link-ups.
At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Here's a run down of the feedback we got after last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite ice cream
When I first moved to the US, I was introduced to Ben & Jerry's Bovinity Divinity. (Milk chocolate ice cream with dark and white chocolate fudge cows)  LOVED LOVED LOVED that ice cream.  Unfortunately it got killed.  I don't know why, but I suspect it wasn't performing well enough or meeting the requirements.  It doesn't matter.  It no longer is and I am (still) heart broken.
Joey's favorite is Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.  Yummy and filled with everything yummy under the sun that can be included in ice cream.
TV's fav is anything coffee related, which reminds me, have you guys tried the Haagen Dasz Baileys Irish Cream ice cream?!?!  To die for, so yummy!


2. Favorite teething remedy for infants / toddlers
Medication-wise both Orajel (which is also popular at TV's house) and Tylenol worked well with Kai.  The Tylenol always took about 20 minutes to start working, so those 20 minutes got bridged with the Orajel.  Worked like a charm and always put him right back to sleep.  Ryder is almost dispensing as much H2O as the Niagara Falls, but luckily there are no teeth on the horizon yet (I want to hold on to his gummy smile a bit longer - mommy isn't ready for teeth yet).  The cool thing though: both boys love(d) this wooden rattle that used to belong to my dad.  Kai loved to chew on it and now Ryder is doing everything he can to chew the thing to pieces.  Love the sentiment behind it.Joey made me laugh with her response as she suggested ear plugs.  Good one, I'll remember that when we really start teething in this house.
Traci suggested a cold cloth to chew on.  Thanks for the suggestion.  For Kai it never worked, but with Ryder I hadn't thought of trying that out.  Will do so soon!


3. Favorite kid-friendly curse word
I didn't get much feedback on this one.  Am I really the only one who needs to let it out sometimes?  Really?  Well, around here I do think a lot more than I say, but when I really cannot keep my mouth shut it's usually 'darn, crap or shoot'.  - Don't ask what all goes through my mind sometimes.....:-0


4. Favorite at home spa treatment
Similarly to Traci, my favorite at home spa treatment is a facial.  I start out by cleansing it with my Dermalogica cleansing gel, followed by a scrub.  I have a facial steamer that really opens up the pores and then the clay facial mask from The Body Shop.  Let it dry up for about 10 minutes at which point you cannot move a muscle in your face without the mask cracking all over.  When you clean your face with lukewarm water and then moisturize it, it not only feels great, but it also looks refreshed.  The following morning I always think I look 5 years younger.  Maybe that's wishful thinking, but hey, it works for me!
For both Joey and TV the favorite at home spa treatment is a pedicure.  Ah, the joy of soft feet, callus free, nicely polished toes, pretty and ready to be shown off in sandals.  I hear you on that one girlfriends!!  (It'd be even better if we could get our hubby's to massage the lotion in to get them not only soft, but also relaxed....;-)


5. Favorite book
Oh, how our life changes when we have kids.  For many of us our favorite book is a book that our children enjoy.  I have to admit that I don't read much myself, but...for this weekend I actually bought a book that sounded so fascinating: "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel - a novel about pouring your heart and soul into your cooking and all that this can lead to.  I can't wait to read it on the beach this weekend.

For next week, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... kid's lunch

2. ... baby proofing item
3. ... exercise music (3 songs)
4. ... stain remover (for the toughest stains)

5. ... clothing brand

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Toddler is Off

Yes, that's right: my toddler is off.

No, he's not past his expiration date, nor does he smell funny.  He is off as in, he's not the normal toddler.  I had a suspicion, but as of today I have decided that it's a fact.

"Why?" you ask?  Well, let me tell you:
I made brownies today.  Yummy brownies.  Okay, I admit, I experimented a bit with the recipe, but they came out great.  Nooooo!!!!!  I know what you're thinking!  They were NOT space cakes!!  It wasn't that kind of experimenting, okay?!  Really, do you think I would do that to my toddler?  Well, if you knew my toddler and saw him at times you'd think I did spice up his food with something energizing, but no, I did NOT.

No, I actually got the recipe out of the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld.  The brownies contain 1/2 cup of carrot and 1/2 cup of spinach puree.  Now, I know that you're frowning while reading this, but hey, I'm up for trying things out.  So I did.  And honestly, I have had my fair share of brownies and these are actually pretty good.  A bit more moist than your average brownie, but full of chocolate flavor.  I cannot taste the veggies in them.  Absolutely not.

As I said, they came out great.  Not as high as I would have liked, but the recipe called for an 8" brownie pan and I only had a 9" - hence the height difference.

I baked them during nap time, the house smelled like freshly baked goodies (I love that smell) and the recipe called for letting them cool completely before enjoying them.  That was the hard part.  BUT...by the time I woke Kai up from his nap, they were cooled and ready to be eaten. 

So, I tell Kai I have a treat for him, give him the brownie, he takes a little bite and...spits it out!!!  He spits out the brownie!!  My toddler just spit out a freakin' brownie, one that oozes chocolate flavor!! What the heck?  Aren't toddlers supposed to like this kinda stuff?  I swear, my toddler is off.

Sigh, now I have to eat them myself...oh well...

Dentist and Ice Cream Please!

{Sept. '08 - Kai at 7 Months old}

Kai was supposed to have his first dentist appointment yesterday.  An appointment I dreaded going to, so this was one that got passed over to dad.  You betcha I wasn't going with him!  Now, this decision was by no means affected by my lack of love for dentists, but rather by Kai's strong temperament, combined with the fact that, if I want to look in his mouth, I will have to be prepared to get my fingers bitten off.  No, that's not the kid I want to take to the dentist.  He's a daddy's boy to begin with, so all that makes this little excursion perfect for father and son.

David was at work Sunday night, so while I was brushing Kai's teeth, I explained to him what was going to happen the next morning.  I told him about the dentist, that she would look in his mouth and clean his teeth, etc.  All the while he was nodding, delighting me with the thought that he might actually understand what I was saying.  ('Cause these days I sometimes wonder what he does and does not understand.)  So when I was done explaining, I concluded by sharing that they would go for ice cream if he'd be a good boy at the dentist.  (As per the agreement daddy and I had).  Yes, sometimes we default to some good ol' conditional parenting.  Can't live without it :-0

As I mentioned, we were supposed to have the dentist appointment on Monday morning.  That Sunday eve, after the kids were down, David called me from work with the news that he had a last minute meeting come up at 9am, so that he wouldn't be able to take Kai to his 8am checkup.  Long story short, I called the office, left a message canceling the appointment while apologizing profusely and asking them to call me back to reschedule this joyous event.

Monday came and went.  Kai didn't mention the dentist and I was convinced he'd forgotten about it.  So, fast forward to tonight and imagine my surprise when all of a sudden, in the midst of brushing our teeth, Kai pushes the tooth brush out and says: "Mommy, dentist and ice cream please!!"

Ha!  I guess he listened, understood and remembered.  I am amazed by the fact that he did, but I think it is largely due to the fact that ice cream was involved in the explanation.  Simply, because there are things that I have explained over and over and over again and he still doesn't seem to (want to) get (it).  Ah, the joys of selective listening and selective memory.  I wish that I could get away with it the way he does.

Mama & Son Day Out

When I went on maternity leave stopped working (don't even get me started on the distinction there!!) in December, I was lucky to be able to spend several weeks with Kai before Ryder joined us on Feb. 1.  Those weeks, spent together with Kai were amazing.  I had been working part time up until then, but the early mornings (which is when I was at work) was almost when he was in the 'bestest' of moods and would always crave that parental bonding time.  I missed out on that for so long, but for those few weeks up to Ryder's arrival were beautiful weeks - weeks in which Kai and I grew so much closer and had so much fun.

Now that he is a big brother, he not only has a new play mate, but he also has to share.  Share toys, share time and most challenging: share attention.  So, I decided that it was time that Kai and I were going to have some Mama & Kai time.  And yesterday was that day.

A few days ago, he overheard me talking to my best friend when I said "we'll either go to the zoo or the beach, I'll let him decide".  From that moment on, he was all about "Kai and Mama go to zoo and see wild animals!"  For 2 days straight.  Every chance he had.  I guess we were going to the zoo.

We had such a fun time.  It was warm, but it was fun.  We started out at the petting zoo.  For the first few minutes, he was so excited about petting and brushing the goats and the sheep that all he did was run in circles and jump up and down.  When he finally calmed down, the petting and brushing started.

We covered the entire zoo, but the zebras and the giraffes were the big favorites. 

We had lunch and no, it wasn't healthy, but it sure was fun as Kai thoroughly enjoyed double dipping his fries in first the mayonnaise, followed by ketchup, followed by (my favorite) the mayo-ketchup combination. 

And then...[drum roll]: his first soft ice cream cone.

He loved the ice cream.  The cone not so much, but oh well, Mama was happy to help with that.

He even shared this ice cream:

Other than that, we strolled around, played on the play ground, stood under the mist-dispensing-showery-thingies to then cover ourselves with dirt and wood snips, ensuring Mama had some laundry to do upon our return home.

And when we did come home, we were so jacked up on sugar and overflowing with energy that the word 'nap' was momentarily erased from our memory.  We Kai had no clue what it meant, what it stood for or what he was supposed to do with it.  Mama, on the contrary, did have a clue, however, didn't have a chance to execute it.  Oh well.  It was a great day.  Absolutely worth it.

My (Currently) Favorite Dessert - Berry Fool

This is one of those recipes that (unfortunately) I cannot take credit for.  I got it out of my previously mentioned favorite cookbook: "I [heart] Trader Joe's Cook Book" by Cherie Mercer Twohy.  The version that she describes is a Blackberry Fool, but my version uses a variety of berries and therefore has the altered name of the Berry Fool - yes, I know, very creative on my part!!  No need to comment on that.

It's easy, cheap and lends itself for a great presentation.  You can prepare it in advance, stick it in the fridge and pull it out when you're ready to dig in.  Oh, and it's got fruit and calcium so it's GOTTA be healthy!! 

When you make it, let me know how it came out, but above all, ENJOY!!

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) container fresh mixed berries (frozen will work too) - I used a raspberry, blueberry and blackberry mix
2/3 cup sugar, divided
squeeze of lemon juice
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Serves: 3-4

Directions:

In a food processor, purée the berries.  Add 1/3 cup sugar (use less if using sweetened , frozen berries) and lemon juice, and blend.  In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer or whisk, beat the cream, gradually adding the other 1/3 cup of sugar, until it holds a peak when the beater (or whisk) is lifted from the bowl.  Remove a bit of the whipped cream to use for garnish and put aside.  Fold in the purée with a silicone / wooden spatula.  Spoon into individual glasses and chill or freeze.  When ready to serve, garnish with a bit of whipped cream and your choice of berries.

Be Polite to My Toddler!!

I just read a post at Mama's Little Chick in which she talks about some children being "not very nice" to her little girl.  It reminded me of something that just blew me away last week. 

Once a week I go grocery shopping.  The two stores that I always hit are Trader Joe's (love that store, but that's another story) and Ralphs (hate that store, but I get the things there that Trader Joe's doesn't have).

Kai loves sitting in the "soppin caht" [translation: shopping cart] and dumping the items that I pull off the shelf into the cart.  Then, at the check out, he gets great joy out of pulling the items out of the shopping cart and handing them to the person at the register.  He loves to help.  It just baffles me that many of the employees (mainly at Ralphs) have no friggin' clue how to respond to that.  At Trader Joe's people know him, so after being helped out by my toddler helper, they always thank him and offer him "stickies" [translation: stickers].  Imagine the joy he gets out of that.  However, at Ralphs he gets no response, other than the look of "what the hell are you doing?  Let me do that!"

Then, after I have paid, bags are packed and put back in the shopping cart and as I pull away from the check out stand, Kai proceeds with a LOUD "Byyyyeeeeee Everyone!  Byyyyeeee Byyyyeeee!!!"  And guess what...no one responds!  Nobody!!  As in not 1 person has the decency to say "bye" back, resulting in leaving a little boy looking up at his mommy with a confused and slightly disappointed look in his eyes. 

It seriously breaks my heart.  What is a mom to do?  I cannot possible convince him that people "must not have heard" him, or that they were too busy? 

At the smaller local Trader Joe's he always gets responses, not only from 'our' check-out-person, but also from the person bagging my goodies, and other employees in the store who pick up on his excitement and desire to connect.  Only to proceed to the next store, where his attempts to communicate and be polite fall absolutely dead in the water.

It just makes me wonder what's up with people today:  I don't think responding to a toddler is any different from responding to an adult (in this instance).  Are people really that self-centered that they have no clue what is going on around them?  Or do people just not care?  What is it?  How do we explain this to our children?  And more importantly, how do we make sure that our children maintain that sense of politeness, innocence, happiness and continue to express their desire to connect and communicate?

Friday Faves - Week 5

Happy Friday Everyone!  I am so excited the weekend is here!  I hope everyone is going to have a wonderful few days off!

Below is a summary of answers I got to last week's Faves.  This week's Faves are listed at the bottom, I look forward to hearing from you and reading your comments.  If you have any Faves that you would like to find out more about, post them in your comment and I will certainly make an effort to include them in my weekly posts.

If you want the chance to be featured on my blog next week, go ahead and host a Friday Faves post on your own blog.  At the end of the week I will choose the winning Friday Faves post and feature it (and its author) on my blog!  Just follow these easy steps and off you go:

1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. Write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (Similarly as I do in my Friday Faves post).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center>


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)
Note: Do NOT link up below just to 'be seen'.  Last week I actually deleted a few links as they were spam, so only links to blogs who contain a Friday Faves post please!

At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Here's a run down of the feedback we got after last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite family vacation destination
When it comes to vacations, everyone has different needs and things they look for.  Destinations need to be appropriate for the kids, yet also entertaining and enjoyable for the adults.  These days the price of our family vacations plays a big part and might for some of us even be a reason not to go at all.
Aside from the big destinations such as Disney World (Joey mentioned this one, being local), DisneyLand, Universal Studios and other big theme parks, there are often many things to be done in our own area.  How many of you have ever been in the situation that you had family or friends visiting and all of a sudden you found yourself going to a museum or a local place of interest that you had never been to before?  Despite living practically 'next' to it?  I have.  It seems like having guests over is the best way to really get to know your city.
Sometimes it only takes a short drive to get the feeling of 'being away'.  I live in Los Angeles and within 2 hours driving I am in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Remember the movie 'Sideways'?  It was shot there.  Plenty of vineyards and wineries to satisfy my curiosity and wonderful things to do for the kids: a miniature horse farm, ostrich farms, pick-your-own-fruit-and veggies-farms, etc. 
MageeBaby lives in Missouri and her favorite spot is Silver Dollar City in Branson.  It is not too expensive and has neat educational type things like glassblowing demonstrations, etc.  Love ideas like that!
Emily mentions some local beaches near where she grew up.  Beaches are awesome to spend time with family: swimming, building sand castles, looking for shells, learning about fish and when the kids are older about tides.  Picnics come to mind, oh don't get me started!!


2. Favorite tricks to keep your child occupied in the car
We are in between: Ryder is just now accepting the 'car concept' and is okay for shorter distances.  (Unless he's tired in which case he might actually fall asleep.)  Kai enjoys looking at trucks (especially the big ones) and pointing out buses.  Aren't they super-exciting?!?!  I don't think it'll be too long before we will purchase the DVD player for the car, or hopefully (even better) buy a new car that has DVD players in it!!  Oh, what a luxury that would be!!  Joey is on that same wave length as she mentions her hubby's iPhone that has games and all that good stuff on it.  Just be careful those little fingers don't (by accident) delete your apps and phone numbers!!


3. Favorite Cook book
We have Trader Joe's here in LA and I LOVE that store.  It's a shame that they don't always have all the products that are on my grocery list, but if they did, it would be the only grocery store I would shop at.  A while back I was at Barnes and Noble and discovered the Trader Joe's cookbook.  Oh my!!  It's written by Cherie Mercer Twohy, who simply loves TJ's - no neither she, nor the book is affiliated with TJ's.  She's just a fan of the store and decided to write her own cook book: "The I [heart] Trader Joe's Cook Book".  Simple recipes that are quick to prepare and give the idea that you slaved for hours in the kitchen.  Don't let the name fool you: you can get all the recipes from the book in your 'regular' grocery store as well.
Other than that I personally love the Food Network and get a ton of recipes and ideas from there as well.
Joey had a great idea though: she actually wrote her own!!  Well done!  She picked and chose the best recipes from her childhood and put them in a binder.  I do a similar thing where I will print recipes (if they're online or passed on from friends) I like and put them in a binder.  Well, mine are piling up, they're not all in the binder (yet).


4. Favorite Body lotion / Body butter
I would have to say the Body Shop body butters.  Hands down!  Very rich, reasonably priced and they last.  Mind you, I lather that stuff on every night after I shower.  Love it.  It's one of those little ways to treat myself nicely.  They offer fruity scented, flower scented, calming, unscented, butters for normal skin, dry skin, sensitive skin.  You name it they have it.  They often have the buy 1 get 1 half off, or buy 2, get 1 free offers.  Now they have also increased the number of butters that are part of that offer, so I was in heaven when I went shopping this weekend!! Oh, and by the way - no, I am not getting paid or sponsored to say all this, though I think they owe me now!


5. Favorite Kids' Book
We have so many books laying around Kai's room, it's not even funny.  For the longest time the Elmo books were favorite. Then the "I Love You Mommy / Daddy / Grandpa" series, these days it's Goodnight Moon.
"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a fave at Joey's house, while Emily's little one is all about "I Love You Through and Through" and the "Butt Book".  Even she is enjoying that one...;-)

For next week, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... ice cream

2. ... teething remedy for infants / toddlers
3. ... kid-friendly curse word
4. ... at home spa treatment

5. ... book

Have a great weekend everyone!

100th Post

On May 2, I started this blog and in the 3 months that are behind me, I have gotten seriously addicted to 'blogging'.  Before I started I never really got the 'hype'.  Afterall, why would anyone expose themselves so much to the outside world by writing about family, life and themselves?  In the past 3 months that attitude has changed: blogging (for me) is documenting my journey in raising our 2 boys. The ups and downs, the highs and lows.  It's also an outlet, both emotionally and creatively.  I am still in search of my personal 'writing style' and though I know what I want that to be, I am still working on perfecting it and really making it 'my own'.  And finally, blogging has allowed me to get to know some amazing people.  It's a great way to socialize, give and receive feedback, exchange ideas and create online friendships.  I look forward to some day be able to stick out my hand and say "I'm Marieke (aka HRH Mommy), it's so nice to finally meet you (in person)."

I have thought about what to write or do for my 100th post.  After all, it is the 100th.  A bit of a milestone, ain't it?  Well, instead of sweating over 100 things about me, or whatnot, I have decided to go through my blog so far and highlight some of my favorite posts.  They are either my favorite because of tone, content, or simply because they mean a lot to me.

May 2 - Laughter
May 13 - Living In The Moment
M For Mommy
"Ik hou van je"
The Diaper Fairy
Enjoy Them, They Grow Up So Fast
Email Buttons
My Dearest Ryder
Stop and Smell The Roses
My Dearest Kai

Finally, I am honored to accept 3 awards that I've been given recently by 3 women.

The "I heart your blog" award was created and given to me by Emily at Family and Life in Las Vegas.  Thank you so much Emily!  You're awesome!  I really appreciate your returning visits, comments and support.  I am supposed to pass it on to bloggers that have made my day or helped me out.  That would be:
Joey at Big Teeth and Clouds
Land of Mama Grits
Kate at Mommy Monologues
Lauren at That 22-yr Old Housewife
TV at TV's Take

Thank you TV at TV's Take for the Foxy Mama award.  How fun and what a compliment!  I would like to pass this one on to:

Diapers and Wine

In The Military and on The Move

Lipglossd Mom

And last but not least, I received the Versatile Blogger award from both Jinnia Low and My Side of Life.  Thank you ladies so very much for the recognition.  I would like to pass this one on to a few new blogs that I have recently discovered:
And This Little Mommy Stayed Home
Beat Until Fluffy
Mommyhood: Next Right

And now, the 7 things about me:
1. I cannot sleep in a bed that is not made.
2. I cannot stand unattached, wet hair (like the hair in the drain)
3. I am always more tired in the morning, after I sleep, then I am in the evening before I go to bed.
4. I don't like to read, and yet I am sooo looking forward to reading this book I bought for my Mom's Weekend out (which is next week): "Like Water For Chocolate".
5. My husband got me hooked on milkshakes as comfort food.
6. David and I got married on the spot where he proposed: Point Dume, Malibu.
7. I really, really want to sit down and watch the finale of So You Think You Can Dance.

There is only 1 more thing to say: on to the 200th post I go!!

Challenges

Today was one of those days where too early in the morning I was already praying to every higher power available for patience as that was what I was going to need today.  In copious amounts.  I have no idea what's going on, but what I do know is that the past few days have really driven the point home that I am I really do need my mom's weekend out next week.  No, let me rephrase that: I need it and I deserve it.

Last night Ryder woke up again.  Did not go back to sleep, until he downed his milk in ways that would make you think he was suffering from malnourishment.  Tonight I am reducing the amount by 1/2 oz., so we'll gradually dwindle that down.  I was going to take the boys to the play ground this morning.  It seemed like a great morning outing: the weather was perfect, we were going to an old-time favorite park with a great playground, meeting up with some of my favorite mommy-friends.  Couldn't get any better than that right?

Wrong!

When it was time to get dressed, Kai decided that he didn't want to.  (Get dressed).  Every shirt option was met with a "NO!", every shoe option was met with a "NO!", until...the genius idea came to mommy to tell him that his 'girlfriend' and her Mom were going to be at the playground.  Problem solved.  The kid was dressed, had shoes on and got his teeth brushed in record time.

Fast forward to the playground: my little social butterfly of a son has disappeared and has changed into a shy little boy who only wants to sit on my arm, face covered in my neck holding on for dear life.  What happened to the little boy who would enter a room and be the life of the party?  Quite honestly it worries me as this is a complete 180, but I assume that it is age and development related and that also this will fade and eventually pass.  Nevertheless, the Mama-Bear in me cannot help being concerned.

At the playground Kai did not want to climb, he did not want to go down the slide, he did not want to run around.  All he wanted was to be on my arm or hold my hand and pull me everywhere where he wanted to go: away from the people.  Being on my arm was challenging as I was wearing Ryder in the carrier on my chest, and oh, what I would have given for a few minutes of independent play (on his part).

Again, I assume it's something 'normal' for boys this age, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a definite question that is going to be asked at my pediatrician's visit on Friday (even though that is Ryder's visit and not Kai's).

Ryder skipped his morning nap as a result of our outing, so I was looking forward to a solid nap on both boys' parts this afternoon.  Oh, how I was in for disappointment.  After 1-1/2 hour of napping, Ryder woke up and was up for the rest of the day.  The kid went all day with an interrupted night's sleep and a 1-1/2 hour nap in the afternoon!!!  Really, is that even possible?

I guess the whole sleep regression is getting back at me.  We never really had that many problems with Kai, so I guess karma is making it up to me through Ryder.  At this point, all I care about is: will it get better and how the heck do I get through this?

The interrupted nights, the lack of naps, the picky eating, the fussiness, the defiance, the acting out and all-the-other-things-that-I-am-too-tired-to-think-of-at-the-moment are making me look even more forward to our mom's weekend out next week.  Picture this: 10 moms, Santa Barbara, Bed & Breakfast, beach, cocktails, wine, cheese, good food and fun games....yeah, that's right...9 more days...

I had a dream last night: it included a beach, a towel and me.  It was perfect.  9 more days is all I can say at this moment.  9 more days...

Milestones and Brothers

I would almost say I feel guilty for not having written for a few days, but I am not going to.  Why would I have to apologize?  Isn't this blog for me?  In the past few months of blogging I have discovered that there I get great pleasure and satisfaction out of writing, yet I also have come to a point where I feel I 'should' be writing every day.  'Should' according to whom?  The only person who thinks I 'should' write daily is me.  No one comes banging on my door if for a day (or a few days in this case) I haven't shared what has been happening on my front.  So, I am not going to apologize for not having been present.  I am simply going to catch up.

The photos above are of both boys at 6 months old.  (Ryder on the left, Kai on the right).
Ryder has finally mastered the art of sitting up.  For the longest time he was 'sorta' able to sit up, but because the poor kid is so top-heavy, he would fall over within no time.  Now that he has discovered the joys of sitting up, there is no stopping and though he still at times tumbles over, he enjoys it.  At the moment he is still often surrounded by pillows to break any kind of tumble, but soon he'll be able to 'fly solo' I think.



He is just such a happy boy.  Loves to giggle, loves to play and discover new games.  It is beautiful to see how simple games can bring so much joy to a baby.  It is such a joy to re-discover the world through my children's eyes.

Other than that, he is loving his solids.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner have become a new experience: what used to be papa and mama helping Kai out, bribing him and at times enjoying a bit of food themselves, while Ryder made it perfectly clear in his swing that he did not appreciate being left out of these daily recurring events, has now turned into papa bribing Kai to eat, while mama feeds Ryder (who seems to have an insatiable appetite and goes through one jar of food after another). 

The 'at times enjoying a bit of food themselves' has turned into papa eating while Kai decides how important his yogurt is (yogurt comes after we actually eat some dinner), whereas mama has to maintain a steady pace in the spoon reaching Ryder's mouth as any delay is cause for alarm (on Ryder's behalf).

Unfortunately, we have taken a step back in sleeping over the past few weeks.  For several months Ryder slept through the night like an angel.  Oh bliss!!  All of a sudden that stopped and he has started waking up anywhere between 2-5am.  Milk is the only way he will go back to sleep.  For all our sanity (mostly for mine as the others hardly notice anything during the night) I have given in.  I am now slowly reducing the amount that he consumes in the hope that he will soon drop the waking up all together and will return to blissfully sleeping through the night.

The reason for his wakings aren't quite clear to me though.  He does have a pretty full diaper when he wakes up (despite me changing it when I go to bed), but not to the point that it wouldn't hold him until 7am.  It could be having reached the milestone of sitting up, it could be he's on his way to reaching another milestone, who knows.  I remember this happening with Kai as well, but regardless, I am ready for sleeping through the night again.

On Friday we got together with my best friend and her daughter.  We hadn't seen each other for a long time as they just returned from a 3-week trip to OH.  Kai missed his girlfriend and was over the top excited to see her again.  When we went over we discovered that that day she had started potty training. "Oh yippee!!" said the little voice inside of me.  Kai would be able to see that his best friend was "going potty", hopefully that will encourage him.  And yes it did...on the way back he asked for "MMS" [translations: M&M's].  I told him that if he would pee on the potty he would get one.  I went out and bought them, showed them to him.  They are in his own special cup.  And that's where the story ends.  They are in their cup on the counter.  Silently.  Abandoned.  Praying for attention.  But other than mommy walking by trying to withstand the temptation of devouring the whole cup with candy, they are severely falling short in the attention they are getting from my toddler.  Do M&M's go off? 

Being a single child, I have never had the experience of a sibling (obviously).  David often mentioned the "Big Brother Power" that Kai would have in Ryder's eyes.  I always thought that would manifest once Ryder was a bit older, but it at this point, it already exists.  This video shows perfectly what I mean.  I love the admiration that Ryder has for Kai as he looks at him in awe.  It warms my heart and I hope that as they get older and Kai becomes of aware of the magical power he holds over Ryder, he will put it to good use (in addition to the inevitable mischief he will be getting Ryder into.  Afterall, boys will be boys).



Well, that was it for catching up on part of the weekend.  There is so much more, but I really have to sit down and do some work now.  I start teaching again at the end of the month and given that we are going to use a new text book, I now have the 'privilege' to spend my afternoons re-working my lectures.  Not really what I had in mind, but c'est la vie.  I have to start early as I really only have a couple of hours a week to work on it given the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day.

5-Color Balsamic Pasta Salad

I wanted to share one of my favorite summer pasta dishes.  It is absolutely delicious and so easy (and quick) to make.  Perfect for the busy mom who is juggling kids, making dinner, catching up with hubby at the end of the day, enjoying a cocktail, feeding a cat and 2 dogs and doing dishes - all at the same time.

5-color Balsamic Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is great as meal on its own.  It is served at room temp or luke warm, so it’s perfect for warm summer evenings.   The recipe is vegetarian, but you can easily add some (mild) sausage or pieces of hard salami to the dish to add some protein.  I have tried it with the salami – yum!

Ingredients:

9 oz. Farfalle [bow-tie pasta] - I usually boil the whole 12 oz. Bag and save some pasta for the next as a kids’ meal with some added parmigiano cheese and garlic.
8 oz. Ciliegine mozzarella [cherry-sized balls] (You can use regular sized mozzarella as well, just cube it in 1” pieces)
6 oz. Black pitted olives (drained) and halved
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced in 1” pieces
1 1/2 – 2 cups chopped fresh basil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar (use more or less according to your liking)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup good olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic (depending on the size and how much you like garlic – we LOVE it) - minced
Parmigiano cheese, grated

Directions:

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the bag. 

In a bowl put together the mozzarella, halved olives, tomatoes and basil.  Toss it with the balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.

When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and add it to the other ingredients. 

Poor the olive oil in the pan that you used to boil the pasta in.  When the oil is hot, toss the garlic in and stir.  When the garlic becomes aromatic, take the pan immediately off the heat.  You don’t want the garlic to turn brown as it will become bitter!!!!  Poor the olive oil and garlic over the salad and stir gently.

Serve with Parmigiano cheese and enjoy!!

Friday Faves - Week 4

Happy Friday Everyone!

The first weeks of Friday Faves have already brought up some great ideas and suggestions - some of which I have already put to great use!  I would like offer other mommies the opportunity as well to start a Friday Faves on their blog.  Not only will it provide you with a chance to get some great suggestions and share ideas with your blogger friends, it also gives you the chance to be featured on my blog!

Here's how it works:


1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. Write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (Similarly as I do in my Friday Faves post).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center> 


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)

At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Now, let's find out what people's feedback was on last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite cocktail
My absolute fave is the lychee martini.  (2.5 oz. vodka, 2.5 oz. lychee syrup, 1 oz. Lychee Liquor, 2-3 lychees for garnish).  You can also find the recipe on my recipe page.
The funny thing is that recently I have been trying out different recipes, among which the pineapple martini (spot the theme?) and this, was one of the ones that Emily mentioned liking as well!!  Great minds think alike!  Click here for the recipe.
Mommycrat and I seem to have similar taste as well as one of her faves includes the 'Crantini', which turned out pretty darn similar to the Cosmo I have mentioned on my recipe page!
TV mentions the Brachetto D'Acqui and the Mojito.  I had never heard of Brachetto D'Acqui, which apparently you can buy, so I guess I'll have to 'suffer' and try it out some time soon.  Thanks for the suggestion TV!  I am always open to discovering new "Mama Juices" as we call them here at home :-0

2. Favorite outdoor activity on a summer day (other than swimming)
Walks in the park seem to be the thing to do among us mommies with younger kids. For kids a bit older, I like Joey's suggestion of laying on a blanket and looking at the clouds, spotting shapes in the sky.
But...after reading Petra's answer of what her teenage kids do...it certainly makes me look forward to when the boys are a bit older as I think they would LOVE this.  I have to admit, I'll be there on the side watching (next to Petra!), holding my breath hoping the boys aren't gonna break something, but it sure sounds like a heck of a lot of fun for teenage, testosterone over-loaded boys:
"Tramp jumping with the sprinklers or hose on is the best outside activity with teenagers... I have to admit I am usually on the deck watching, but it always gives me a good laugh.  Not super safe though, so do at your own risk.  (We have a net)."

3. Favorite kid's breakfast
I have to admit, I cannot get myself to make a big elaborate breakfast in the morning.  Why?  Let's see: husband needs coffee, toddler needs oatmeal (I make anything else, he won't eat it), baby needs milk and fruit, cat needs food, dogs need food, oh yeah, and then there's mommy: a bowl of cereal on the go for her please.  If I start cooking an elaborate breakfast, someone is bound to get impatient and every single creature in my household would let me know if that happened to be them.  So, the quick and easy way it is at our house.Emily mentioned pumpkin and banana buckwheat pancakes, while cinnamon toast with cream cheese is a favorite at TV's place.  Petra's blog is called "From Donuts to Crumpets", so take a wild guess as to their favorite breakfast...right...donuts & crumpets. Petra, feel free to share your crumpet recipe if you have a chance!!

4. Favorite easy-to-put-together and fun kid's art project
Petra and Joey had great suggestions for this one:
* Petra goes back to her own memories of rubbing leaves: put different leaves under a sheet of paper (one at a time) and gently rub over them with different color crayons.
* Joey suggested writing their own books: fold paper and staple it to write your own book.  Great idea, especially when the toddler is a bit older and 'gets it'.

5. Favorite smelly kids' feet remedy
Kai has smelly feet.  Not pretty.  I am desperately looking for a remedy.  Now, don't think I don't bathe my child.  He gets a bath every day.  His feet get scrubbed every day.  With soap!  They still smell.
Before I specified in last week's post that it pertained to my toddler's feet, Emily had already responded and suggested soaking your feet for 30 minutes in strong black tea.  I have read about that and if I every suffered badly from less-than-pleasantly smelling tootsies, I will certainly try that.  However, I don't think I will be able to have my toddler soak his feet in tea for that long...Petra mentioned dryer sheets in the shoes.  Overnight, and even when they are wearing them.  Unfortunately he didn't groove on the dryer sheet in his shoe while wearing it...
At the moment I am waiting for my pediatrician to call me back with a suggestion.  Will certainly update when I talk to her.

So, dear friends, for next week, start your own Friday Faves and don't forget to link up below. 

At this mommy's blog, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... family vacation destination.
2. ... tricks to keep your child occupied in the car.
3. ... cook book.
4. ... body lotion / body butter.
5. ... kid's book.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Happy 2 1/2-Year Birthday Kai!

2-1/2 years ago, I became a mother for the first time.  What an experience that was and what an amazing 2-1/2 years it has been.  I have never been happier than in my role as a mother.  I love it every day and despite the challenges at times, it is by far the best and most gratifying job I have ever had and ever will have.

Below is an overview of Kai over the past 2 1/2 years.  Time goes by so fast.  Holding him in my arms for the first time feels as if that was yesterday.  And then I get back to reality and there he is: my strong-willed, sweet-hearted, kind-natured and full-of-energy toddler who once again wants me to throw him up in the air, bury him under pillows and tickle him until his tummy aches...boys are awesome!!

Chayim (Kai) Sandol
February 5, 2008 at 2:36pm
8 lbs. 7 oz., 21" long








May 2008 (3 Months old):



August 2008 (1/2 Year old):



February 2009 (1 Year old):



August 2009 (1 1/2 Years old):



February 2010 (2 Years old):



August 2010 (2 1/2 Years old):

Ignorance Is Bliss

This morning was the morning: the ever-feared, absolutely dreaded, wish-I-could-escape morning: my 8:30am appointment with the dentist.  I fear those appointments.  All because I suffer from severe childhood trauma (at the dentist).  My mom always used to be afraid of the dentist, so I am sure some of that sentiment rubbed off on me.  In retrospect, I totally get why she was terrified of the guy:  I remember my first cavity all too well.  Well, not the cavity, but the experience of having it drilled and filled.  The drilling part is engraved in my memory: no anesthetic (they're not big on that in The Netherlands.  You have to ask for one.  At the dentist and even in the hospital when birthing a baby!!).  Anyways, it hurt like he*l!  And the kicker: he told me "10 more seconds".  Well, I was old enough to count to ten, and guess what...the sadist repeated that 6 times!!  6 x 10 seconds my friends!!  That's a friggin' minute of drilling and laying in that darn chair in excruciating pain.  See where my anxiety comes from? 

Back to the present.  A while back I had a cavity that had comfortably positioned itself between my 2 molars all the way in the back, nicely tucked in between them.  Yeah, nice.  Long story short: it was filled, but it kept bothering me.  So, this morning I was going in to have it all 'fixed'.  The filling was going to be taken out, and replaced.  

Traffic wasn't as bad as I suspected, so I was early.  No chance to quietly read through some of the mind-challenging and brain stimulating gossip magazines in the waiting room as they were ahead of schedule as well.  So before I knew it I was in the chair.

First we had to locate the problem and make sure that it was the previously filled cavity.  "I'm going to put some cold on your tooth.  You tell me when you feel it and when the sensation is gone, okay?"  she said.  She walks off and when she comes back, she's holding a stick that has steam coming off it.  Whaaaaat?!?!  Is that Liquid Nitrogen you're about to touch my teeth with??  I wish I hadn't seen that.  Well, pointing out where the problem was turned out to be an easy exercise.  Holy crap that hurt!!

Then I get my anesthetic.  Despite having had 2 children, birthed them at the hospital, had almost every test done available during my pregnancies, I am still terrified of needles.  The one thing I knew to do this morning was to keep my eyes closed when she pulled out the numbing drug.  They use big ole needles for that.  Can't deal with that early in the morning. Anesthetic starts working, but before I have a chance to tell my dentist to give me double shot (anesthetics never completely work on me in their 'normal' dose), the drill gets whipped out and there we go.  As I said, anesthetic didn't work fully.  Mommy gets second dose.  Within a minute, mommy gets third dose.  At that point, all I want to do is sleep.

A few times I semi-opened my eyes to get an idea of what they were doing, but the tools I saw going into my mouth seriously resembled a nutcracker and some of the tools that David and I have used when we were adding our master suite onto our house.  I don't want to know what went in, what came out, what they did.  I am much happier not knowing.  In this respect, ignorance is DEFINITELY bliss!!  All I knew was that I was numb up to my eye lid and I seriously wondered if I would ever get my straight face back.

Well, here I am.  Early afternoon: my cheek is still a bit numb, but the rest works fine again.  My face is straight again (talking was difficult earlier), but I still feel like a walking zombie.  My cheek is sore as I apparently bit on it a few times in the past few hours.  My tooth still feels sore, which is not surprising when I think back to the tools that it came in contact with and other than that, there's 1 thing I cannot get out of my mind: ice cream.  Ben & Jerry's New York Super Chunk Fudge... Why now?  Why?  Probably not a good idea to dive into that when you just had the nerves in your tooth exposed.  Crap!

I just want to indulge.  I think I deserved that!  Forget about the losing weight thing for a day!  I lost 2 lbs. last week, I am 1 lb. under my pre-pregnancy weight.  I feel like crap, I need comfort food.  As soon as the kids are awake from their nap, we're going on a little afternoon excursion...to the grocery store!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Feeding Lil' Bro

Post It Note Tuesday - Double The "Love"