My Epic Afternoon

I don't normally do this, nor did I ever expect to, but the past few hours have been so jammed packed full of fail that I just have to document it.


Today actually started out pretty well, and I had high hopes for an excellent Friday. We didn't get out of bed until 8. Nap one of the day was not a fight. I got my super cute skirt on that I haven't been able to wear in quite some time. I had a roast in the crock pot, so cooking wasn't going to be an issue later. The line at the post office was relatively short, and Mini Sarge tolerated over an hour at my SIL's house with not a single tear, fuss or whine. Oh, and it reached 82 today. Fantastic weather, baby was in a good mood. I was living the life.


At 3, when I went to turn the crock pot to "high," I realized it hadn't been plugged in all day.


Around 4, I decided that we would take advantage of the nice weather and go outside to the park behind our house. I had all the windows open, because it was so gorgeous, and thought I was being smart by closing the door to my room off from the dog (she has this annoying habit of jumping on my bed and knocking all the pillows off to see what I'm doing outside, whether she can see me out that window or not). Mini Sarge was actually starting to warm up to the swing, when out of the corner of my eye, I caught her. By the time I got him out of the swing and walked back to our fence, she had escaped, and left this in her wake

She literally dug her way out of the house. And she was quite proud of herself. She didn't realize she was in trouble until the third or fourth time I shouted "Into the kennel!!!" And she stayed there, for about an hour.

5, we sat down for Mini Sarge's dinner. I was not going to eat with him, because I still hadn't figured out an alternative to my roast. So, we get down two jars of food, and a few of the Gerber brand finger foods. I had just rinsed out the jar and tossed it into the recycling box, and turn around just in time to catch him spewing everything he'd eaten since about 12:30 today. (I only know because there were french fries, which he had at SIL's).

I am not a fan of vomit.

I got him cleaned up, checked his temperature, fearing he was sick...  but he was normal. I chalked it up to too much physical activity before dinner. Then, I changed my also vomit covered clothing, and resumed playing with him on the floor.

6, we went to take his bath. He threw up some water he'd drank just before, so I was still weary about how his tummy was. Bath was going good. He was actually splashing and having fun. Then, oh yes, he pooped in the tub (for the 32nd time, btw).

7, I attempted to give him a bottle before bed... but he only took two ounces, so I expect him to be up tonight around midnight (which, is about an hour after I'll get to bed) hungry.

Where is my stunt double?

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Hit and Miss

Being married to the Army for the past (almost) four years, you would think that I would have learned by now not to really expect any certain outcome for anything in particular. Ever. Ha.


Mini-Sarge has definitely surprised me the past two days. Yesterday, he happily accompanied me to the mall with a friend of mine and her two boys for a total of two hours. I know, right? He even took a short nap in his stroller, and wasn't a monster when he woke up (this could partially be because I gave an offering of waffle fries -- which, btw, if you know me, you know I never, EVER share my fries, lol). I was quite surprised. He only wanted out of his stroller once--because we weren't moving (too busy checking out the lovely racks at our local Vicky Secrets), and happily sipped from the sippy he formally hated and played with the toy he never plays with. I've mentioned before that he hates the stroller, yes?
Who is this child? And what happened to mine? Did one of you successfully babynap him from me? (You know who you are.) 


I chalked it up to a good day, and a possible upswing in his stranger anxiety (which, if you're just tuning in, has been cranked to 11 since he was 5 months old--currently 9.5 months. Mommy's status: frazzled).


Today, I had a set of friends come over to negotiate the sale of one of my cars. They happened to arrive after he fell asleep for his afternoon nap, and he was none to happy that there were people here when he awoke. It took almost an hour for his pitiful cries to stop entirely. They were only muffled by brief glances to the wonder that is Yo Gabba Gabba on the tv, followed by sharp cries when he saw one of them on the couch. Each time, burying his poor little face into my neck.
That child is so silly. I guess he thought I was leaving? Oi. I was happy when he decided that they were cool, and weren't out to get him. I think the realization happened when he realized he had an audience to perform tricks for (Army crawling, his baby downward dog yoga pose, etc).


I have a feeling this socializing thing is going to be quite the up and down, headache inducing task.
Is it really that bad if he just hates other people? lol


On a positive note, Sarge got his test score back this week. He passed, so, as long as he gets accepted into the program, it looks like we will soon be leaving the eagles nest and PCSing somewhere next year. I am definitely excited about the prospect. :)
Until next time!
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Terrified

Mid-tour leave steadily approaches, and I am terrified.


I am terrified that Mini-Sarge will not recognize his dad, and will treat him like every other stranger.
I am terrified that the entire time Sarge is home, his son will cling to me and not let him hold him.
I am terrified that Sarge will feel rejected, and will mope around the whole two weeks.


I expect some apprehension, and I believe that is normal, but ever since he left, our son has just hated to have anyone but me hold him. He's not so bad here at the house, but, it's still overwhelming.


I have a plan. I'm not sure yet if it'll actually do any good, but I'm going to try. Not only for Sarge, but for me, too. I will bawl like a baby if he rejects his dad.


Since he refuses to go to another person's house, I'm going to start making him (which, is totally what I have not been doing). For a short period at first, and then steadily increase it. A friend of mine has agreed to accommodate us. He hates going to her house, so I think it's probably the best venue, as bad as that sounds. If I can get him comfortable over there, around them, then, I think we'll be set. I'm hoping to recruit my SIL and a few other friends into my efforts, too, but I haven't asked yet.


Also, my kid is cooler than yours:

And that's all for today. Need to finish chatting with Sarge, who is threatening me harm because I used part of a Bon Jovi song as the title of his email for the day. :) Until next time!

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We've Conquered the Holidays!

I just realized that we've passed the last big holiday. Now I can look forward to them again. Even though it's eight months from now. >.> 1/3 of this thing is done with though. That is what matters. :)


Sarge did good this year with his Valentine's Day gifts. He steered clear of flowers and jewelry. Those are cop out gifts and require no thought. Besides, why would I want you to spend $50+ on a bouquet that is just going to die anyway? And, no need to buy me something that I can't wear all the time anyway (babies + jewelry = nono, in case you didn't know this already).

The puzzle was a pain in the ass... but it was still cute. :) And, I love the shirt. He got mad that the package the puzzle came in had what was printed on it... but, that was the only thing I had to go on. I've never put a puzzle together w/o the picture before. And there were at least 20 plain red pieces. x.x

Oh well. :) It was sweet. And I can rock a recycling shirt now. I think I'll wear it the next time I take our recyclables down, so long as it's warm enough.

Um, that snow was the last of it, really. I think it got icky but didn't stick. Then, we had a week of 60 degrees and higher. Then, back to being cold. And yesterday, two tornadoes dropped in the area. Gotta love this area. Keeps you on your toes.

I think that's all the updating I have in me today. Mini-sarge is going through this I-don't-need-to-sleep thing again, and it's wearing me out.

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The Letdown

I think it's an innate flaw in women that we plan too much. And when all the planning is completed, especially so when the task itself is completed, and the result is not what we had hoped for, for whatever reason that might be, whether it was out of our control or not, we are left with this deep feeling of being let down on some level.


I love to plan. Oh, do I love to plan. Dinners. Trips. Surprise care packages. Romantic evenings. Parties. You name it, I love to figure out all the details. And for the most part, if those plans never lead to anything, I'm cool with that. But, once they get put into play, there is no turning back. If it doesn't happen, I am going to feel the deep sting of disappointment.


I'm not a put things together the day of kind of person either. If I'm planning something, unless it's forced on me last minute, there is at least a week worth of preparation involved. That's a lot of build up when stuff falls through.


I guess the worst, for me at least, is cancellations at the last minute. Plan is thought out, almost completed, and then *bam* all your efforts are in vain, because it ain't happening anymore. When people are planning on coming over, I make the effort to get the whole house clean the day they are supposed to be over (I have pets, they shed, I try not to make people sit and walk in their filth. They are my pets, not yours, I don't expect you to love their fur all over you), make sure I'm dressed and have makeup on, and have a good meal cooking when they get here. I really, really HATE when I've done all that, and then am left with a whole pot roast to myself. :/


I suppose the only way to avoid it, is to not plan and just go with the flow. But, I don't think I can do that. I'm too Type A. So, I guess I should just expect to be let down half the time, and enjoy the times when things do go the way they are planned to. And do my very best to avoid causing others the hassle of being let down. All easier said than done, though.


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Ick. Frozen Precipitation.

I hate the snow. Not only for the obvious reasons why adults hate snow (driving in it, shoveling walkways, being cold, aching joints, etc.), but because it makes me miss Sarge even more.

The view from my front door yesterday.

It's gorgeous, don't get me wrong. It's beautiful outside and it's a nice break from all the dead plants. I admit that I need green stuff around to feel good. I'm definitely one of those people who get the winter blues. But despite how pretty it is, I'm still sitting here, missing my man more than I was a few days ago. All because of some snow. I know, right? 

I spent my first "real" snow with him in Michigan. You know, the kind that leaves at least a foot on the ground for months at a time. And even approaching 30, he still LOVES to play in it. So when he's home, it's fun. When he's gone and it snows... I want to wrap myself up in ten blankets and hibernate. 

Mini-sarge is not at a cuddling age, nor an age where he can do much other than sit in the snow and stare at me, seeming to be wondering what the hell is going on and why I have him sitting on the ground with his butt cheeks freezing (not that I have the winter gear necessary for him to be out there. I mean, serious, we don't get more than an inch or two, ever, and it almost always melts by the next day. I was soooo not prepared for this). So both of my usual go-tos for the snow are out the window. No one to play with. No one to cuddle with. :/

Is it spring yet?

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Updates are in order!

Augh, so many days I wanted to sit down and blog about something, and never any time. I have started a notepad file with blog topics I'd like to cover eventually. Keyword: eventually, ha.
Today, a short rant about the weather to start.


Why?! This past weekend, it made it up to 65 and 60, then on Monday it was, 30 or 40, today it hit 55, and tomorrow the high is 33. WHAT? That's over a 30 degree difference in a matter of four days. Did Mother Nature not get the memo that people have sinuses? And wacko differences like that (sunshine and not a cloud in the sky Saturday, snow tomorrow. x.x), cause people to feel like crap? I should really be used to it by now. I've been here almost fourteen years. It's never any better. Sigh. I can only hope to PCS (permanent change of station) eventually. And yeah, I know it's colder other places. I don't care. That's not my issue. I just want it to stay about the same temp. The inconsistent temperatures make my sinuses revolt. And there is little I can take that doesn't knock my ass out. So I'm left to tough it out.


I feel like I've been so busy lately. But I have nothing to show for it, ha. It's funny how that works sometimes.
So what have I been up to the past month? Been working with the monster to get his sleep habits back under control. Got Sarge's Valentine's Day box completed (even though the dog decided she needed to eat over half of his baked goods). I bought a steam mop (those who know me know that I get ridiculously excited about new cleaning products/devices, and shouldn't be surprised at how giddy I got when it arrived XD). Discovered that I am no longer a Sagittarius, Sarge is no longer a Virgo, and my Gemini baby is also no longer such. Had a friend over for a birthday lunch (not my own, hers). Took a trip to the ER, which lead to the appointment I had yesterday, where I discovered that I get to have a scope shoved up my ass here soon. Whee. Words can not quite capture quite how I feel about that. However, I know that is it the first necessary step in figuring out what has been wrong with me the past five years. I can only hope it is one thing, and not multiple issues. Fingers crossed for me.


Um, found out our niece has  Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She is four years old. I don't really know her, we've seen her twice, but I feel for her family, and especially my mother-in-law. No child should have to deal with a life threatening illness, let alone a child so young. And no parent or grandparent should have to worry about outliving said child. The good news is, that they caught it in time, it's got a high survival rate, and she got to go home yesterday. So, that's awesome. If you are the praying type, please keep her and her family in your thoughts. The family definitely appreciates it.


Sarge is studying to get into a program to get a new job. He's studying algebra, geometry, trig, calculus and applied physics. Needless to say, he's been busy, so we haven't been talking a whole lot. As much as it sucks, I understand. I'm confident he'll pass the test and  be accepted into the program. The subject matter is not the easiest, but he's a smart guy, and he's very focused. He only has to pass! And then, we finally get to move some time next year. I'm very excited about the prospect. As stated before, I've been here a while. I'm ready for a change. And this new job has some exciting duty stations. So if we're lucky, maybe we'll get to travel abroad. I am apprehensive, because this new job will mean he will be gone more often. We've been very lucky to avoid any field activities or TDY stations so far. And when deployed, we talk daily. That will all change, but, it's one of the few things we'll have to sacrifice to move ahead. And in the long run, that's what is more important. I'm not worried about it. Our relationship is solid. But being apart is never fun.


I also met the family that I've been living across the street from for the past four years. Yes. Just now, lol. She's really nice, but it was awkward talking to her, because the whole time, I could only think of all the crap I've talked about people, including her. It kind of made me want to reach out and introduce myself to all the new people on the street. (She and I are the only people who have been here longer than a year. Something about our block. People come and go). But then I thought, nah. XD They will all probably move here in the next year, anyway. Not that I expect to be here either, but, sometimes it just doesn't seem worth making friends with people. One or two neighborhood acquaintances are better than none. I don't need to be buddies with the whole block. That's where you run into unnecessary drama. Because for some reason, when you live on post, it happens.


And that's my update. Time to go log an hour on WoW or something. Maybe have another Corona. ;)


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