Ugh, followed by Vicodin

So, I've gone to the endodontist, he was good, friendly, put lots of numbing stuff in my gums so I didn't feel anything, but (there's always a but) now my mouth really hurts four hours later. Turns out the dentist who originally did my root canal fourteen years ago didn't do it right and left part of the roots in there which lead to this whole disaster. There is an infection in there that he's hoping will resolve itself after he's done redoing everything, which means I need two more appointments, yay. But if the infection doesn't go away he may have to pull the tooth, which I'm all for, the stupid things has caused enough problems, however, I also don't want to pay for it. OH, and vicodin doesn't work very well. I have an order of pain medicine program to follow, first advil, then vicodin, then percocet. Right now I'm on the vicodin, it's ok, but I'm wondering what kind of agony I'd be in if I had not taken it because it still hurts pretty bad. Not percocet bad yet, but bad. Oh, and I can't eat on that side of my mouth for three weeks. On the weekend of Thanksgiving. Super timing right? One good thing is that we found a great babysitter through all of this, which leads me to believe the saying about something being harder than pulling teeth. She played with Laylah and they got along so well that Laylah gave her a hug and kiss when she left. This is unheard of! We are totally gonna use her again. After I got home I had to get my prescriptions filled, so we went to Kroger and then Choo-choo Bike (toys r us). We had to get more bath paints and Laylah stayed good at Kroger through waiting for my meds with the promise of choo-choo bike. She loves that place. Gave me some ideas of what we'll get her for christmas too. But I think I might try Walmart cause they apparently have super prices this season on toys. When we got home Laylah took a good long nap giving me the chance to gingerly eat some pringles (they have pickle kind right now, my fave!) and read my book. I'm currently reading a Joanna Fluke book. She writes mysteries about a Cookie Shop owner and after almost every chapter is a really yummy recipe, I've tried several and they are really good. The stories are really cute too. I've gotten the last two from the Library. I'd totally recommend them. This one is called the Key Lime Pie Murder, they're just cute. Now time to play and try to ignore my tooth. I hope all of you have wonderfully healthy teeth and can eat on both sides of your mouth for Thanksgiving!

Weekend Crazies

I've come to realize that since we don't have much of Brandon during the week, we kind of go crazy doing a whole bunch of stuff on the weekends. I remember a time when weekends meant staying in bed till noon, not getting out of pajamas at least one day out of two, and just relaxing. Not so anymore. Every weekend is go go go! This one was no different. Saturday morning we went to a birthday party for Laylah's friend Rhea. It had an owl theme so Laylah wore a little owl shirt and we made a dress and little owl pillow for Rhea, along with getting her an owl book. Alea, Rhea's mom, did a great job setting up coloring stations, outside fun, and owl themed activities. The cake was also yummy and Laylah actually ate some. The only thing that wasn't great was that Laylah insisted on being wherever anyone wasn't. If everyone was doing something outside she wanted inside, and vice versa. So I spent the time running around with her and missing most of the fun. She did help sing happy birthday though, we'd been practicing and she did a good job. When 1pm rolled along and Brandon picked us up we were going to go home for nap time, but Lee called and wanted to go to a new Pizza place for lunch. Laylah had not napped for three days in a row, we'd been trying to do this lunch with Lee for a month and she didn't seem tired, so we decided to try. Of course she fell asleep about five minutes before we arrived. We sat out in the car for another twenty minutes, Lee was behind, and let her take a little siesta. I got to talk to Cathy, which was nice, but not long enough. She's finally feeling some movement and finds out the sex of the baby next week. So excited for her. But we found out her baby shower is the same weekend as Wesley's wedding so I can't go now. Very disappointed. She was such a huge help in planning mine and I wanted to be there for her and now I guess I'll just have to send a gift. Maybe I can go up and visit when the baby is due.
Anyway, we ended up loving the pizza, very fresh, and Laylah watched them toss the dough with rapt fascination. Then we went to Atlantic Station where they were having their official opening to the Christmas shopping season. They had the coolest machine that made snowflake shaped bubbles and a huge christmas tree in the main square, a craft fair, performers, and of course sales. We didn't end up getting anything but it was a fun excursion. After that we finally went home to discover that we had a total of three diapers left. This lead to a mad dash looking for more and hoping we didn't have to go out again, especially Brandon since he'd already missed so much football. I did find three more and we decided it could wait till Sunday. We ate left overs, tried to watch Wall-E, which Laylah really wanted to watch but did not stay interested in, and then went to bed. Sunday morning we went to a new restaurant for breakfast called J. Christopher's. They sent me a birthday coupon in the mail, with my name spelled right and everything, and after looking them up online we decided to go. It was sooooo yummy. I got eggnog french toast, Brandon got a sausage and gravy skillet, and Laylah got dinosaur eggs (real eggs but she loved the name). They were really friendly too and we think we'll go back. Good marketing on their part, though I am still curious as to how they got my birthday. After breakfast we went to Target for diapers and I found some cute red tights for Laylah to wear to our portraits that afternoon. We then went home and she took a good nap, THANK GOD! while I primped for portraits. I had decided to get everything done at once so we didn't have Laylah take pictures around her birthday and we got christmas and birthday taken care of together. She had a change of clothes and we brought lots of props. It turned out well, we got some really cute ones, but I don't think we'll be doing Sears again. They take forever, FOREVER!!! to process your order after taking the pictures. We were there for over an hour with them doing this and that with us waiting so we could pay and leave. I took no time in deciding which pictures we wanted but it took them an hour to put it in the computer right. UGH!!! Brandon was totally losing his patience, which he doesn't have much for these types of things anyway, and Laylah was way past done with exploring what Sears appliances had to offer. We finally got out of there around 6pm, we were going to go to the Barnes & Noble after but ended up going home instead. We were all starving and cranky. We had more leftovers for dinner and Laylah got to talk to grandma before bath and bed. So, though mostly good, it was a hectic weekend. They always seem to be. I guess I prefer that to having nothing to do and nowhere to go, but someday, sometime in the not too distant future, it would be nice to have the old kind of weekend, sleep, eat, sleep, tv...but not next weekend, or the one after that, or really any of December, or January, maybe February? I'll see if I can pencil that in our calendar...

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches it's easy to start thinking about all the things you are thankful for, well easy for me. I'm thankful for my family, my beautiful daughter who brings laughter, love and adventure to my life. My husband, who supports us, is patient, kind, and willing to be silly to make his girls laugh. My parents, who are always there when I need them and provide such comfort and shelter and wisdom. I'm thankful to live in a place that I finally feel is a home. We've made a life here with friends, clubs, activities. We know our way around, we now where to feed ducks, where the best slide is at the best playground, where to find the cutest hair ribbons and cheapest used kid's books. I feel like we belong and I haven't felt that way in a very long time. Actually it's been a long time since we've lived somewhere that I thought I might actually want to stay, for most of my adult life it's either not been an option or not an option I wanted. This is different and I hope we can stay. I'm thankful for seeing and learning new things through my daughter's eyes every day and have the excuse to come up with something new to do and see instead of sleeping in and watching TV all day. Though some days I'd be really thankful for that too. Today we went to a playground with a group of wonderful Mommies and their babies and then to a duck pond. Later we'll make some home-made Christmas presents and decorations. Laylah may not remember making them but when she'd older she'll take them out of storage that first week of December and be proud knowing she helped make them when she was little, maybe even show them to her babies one day, that makes me smile. I love this time of year and I hope I make it special enough that she loves it too. I'm also turning 31, which is a little daunting, another year farther away from my twenties. But, in another way it gets me excited. This year we'll have another baby, I've decided. 31 is a good age to try again and Laylah would be three when the baby is born. That way if we want more after we'd still have time. So I'm thankful that this year brings so much joy, so much excitement, some challenges, but so much love. I feel like finally things are falling into place the way they should be, the way I've dreamed of, and I can't ask for more than that. Thanks, thanks, thanks!

Laylah had a bad bad day (to Mary had a little lamb)

So, today Laylah woke up at the normal time, proceeded to do what we do pretty much every morning, but when I got her out of the house and tried to put her in the car full scale rebellion. She screamed, she twisted, she struggled, she kicked. She'd been excited all week to go to Boobie Wee, this being La Leche League Meetings, but when we were finally on our way she was having none of it. Now, being her mother I knew that when we actually got moving and got there she'd enjoy herself, so I got her in the seat and we left. Boy was I wrong! She started crying again as soon as we got there and we had to sit in the hall outside to calm her down. We did end up going to the meeting and she did have fun for about forty minutes with the other rugrats, but after that she started to tell me, "GO HOME!" so we left. I figured she needed a nap since she hasn't had a good one for the last couple of days. We got home and the screaming started again, she did not want to nap in her room she wanted to nap with mommy. So I lay down with her in our bed, thought she was going to sleep, but after about fifteen minutes, she said, "Wake UP!" and was off the bed. I got her back in her room with the idea of a story, and after three she finally consented to go night night in her crib. This lasted about forty minutes. Now, a good nap for Laylah is usually about an hour 1/2 so forty minutes is a not good nap. But she had a poopie and woke up. Any ideas on how to change the times of her bowel movements so as not to interfere with nap would be welcome. This seems to be her time of day to go and it inevitably wakes her up. Sometimes I can get her to go back to sleep after changing but mostly not. Today, not. So then she wanted oatmeal, which I made, which she refused to eat. So I cut up an apple and some cheese, to which she said she wanted nooddles, which I made, to which she said she wanted oatmeal. Each with screaming. She finally ended up eating the noodles. Then she wanted to watch Letter Factory, but in Mommy's bed, so I had to get into bed with her and watch it, which was fine, I needed a break. Anyway, now she's happily, for now, playing with her shape sorter and watching Caillou while I type. I'm hoping the tantrums are over but I await dinner making time with severe trepidation. Tomorrow is Gymboree, Kroger's and Library. Hopefully in a better mood. Maybe Daddy will cheer her up? If only daddy had boobies. Seriously, I'm thinking of asking Brandon to get fake boobs for Laylah to play with, they may not lactate but they'd be fun to cuddle with. Too bad he'd say no and it would probably affect his job, what with having to appear in court and not being obese and all. Obese dads have all the advantages.
I did finish a sewing project while she took her half nap. I'll talk about it more later, it is super cute, a little critter. It's for a birthday present so I can't discuss until after the birthday but I'm gonna take a picture. I made it all up, no pattern. Hope birthday girl likes it. If I had more time this could become a business, but as it is...
Gotta go attempt dinner now. Wish me luck. Here is the song version of our day:
Laylah had a bad bad day,
a bad bad day
a bad bad day
Laylah had a bad bad day,
She needs to take a nap!

Dentists, genetics and pork...

You may be wondering at the title of this post, three things that don't really go together, but that I've been thinking about today. I had a dentist appointment this morning for a tooth that was bothering me (has been for five years, ever since I got my wisdom teeth removed and the other teeth shifted). I lucked out and left Laylah with her friend Rhea and Rhea's Mommy Alea for the morning. They had a great time playing and reading books, thanks again Alea, you are a life-saver! But, while they were having all the fun I was finding out that I have to have a root-canal that I had done fifteen years ago re-done because it apparently has gone bad. What does that mean? Well, in my case it means that it possibly cracked, creating a pocket that then got infected creating an abscess, a self draining one apparently (lucked out there or else my whole face would be swollen). So now I'm on anti-biotics to reduce the abscess (what an icky word right?) and I have to go the endodontist on Friday to get the thing re-done. UGH! Oh, and dentists charge an extraordinary amount of money for causing lots of pain, I'm encouraging all my children to go to dental school. Now on the genetics. My darling husband, I'm not at all bitter, has never had a single cavity, has perfect teeth in fact and never has to do anything to them, he hardly ever flosses and goes years without seeing a dentist for a cleaning. This is all do to genes, he has good teeth genes. My family has terrible teeth genes. No matter how many times a day I floss, brush, gargle, how diligently I keep up with cleanings, I always have something extremely annoying and expensive that HAS to be done. I fervently hope and pray that my daughter has her father's good teeth gene. As I also fervently hope and pray that she has my eyes, before his laser surgery my hubby was practically blind. I just want her to get the best of both of us instead of the bad parts. If I could also not pass on my propensity to get terrible migraines and endometriosis, I would also be grateful. This is the month to be thankful, right? Can I be preemptively thankful for that? Maybe if I am it will come to be, glass half full kind of thing.
And on to Pork. I have a great recipe that my mother just passed on to me that is super easy, super yummy, and toddler friendly. What you say? how is that possible? Here it is, Cranberry Apple Pork Roast with Sweet Potatoes:
Get one Pork Loin, they have the ready to cook marinate kind at most super markets, the garlic lemon one works well.
A package of craisins.
One apple, sliced
Olive Oil
Cooking Sherry
Sweet Potatoes

Put olive oil in the bottom of a roasting dish to coat. Place the pork loin in the dish and cover it with the apple slices and craisins, try to pile them mostly on top. Pour a little Sherry over the whole thing, maybe 1/4 cup, just enough to have a little liquid in the dish. Cover with tin foil, put in the oven at 350. Wash the sweet potatoes, put them on a pan and put them next to the loin. Cook about an hour and a half or until the loin reaches !65 degrees and the sweet potatoes are done. Usually everything comes out done at the same time. You can put a little more sherry in the dish if you check and there isn't any left, it makes a good sauce to cover the pork. When the pork loin is done cut it into cutlets and serve with the cranberries and apples and sauce with drippings from the dish. It turns out really juicy and flavorful with a nice touch of fall with the cranberries and apples. Put butter on the sweet potatoes, serve with a nice salad, and voila! Dinner done, preparation took less than fine minutes and it looks totally gourmet. My husband and daughter loved it! and I could play with her (and write this) while it cooks and forget about it. There is also enough left over for lunch the next day.
So that's what's for dinner, at least that part of the day went as planned. Although, we did also go to the Garden Hills wee, quickly becoming Laylah's favorite, and even found a new duck pond where we threw goldfish to the lucky ducks and geese. The geese were a little too aggressive though, they actually came out of the pond to try and get the fish from our fingers. I don't think they cared if they got some finger in there as well. We kind of retreated after that, but Laylah liked it. Weekend was busy but relaxing. Went to gymboree, the mall, got a new pair of Seven jeans for $5 (usually $150)at Goodwill, got my hair cut (like it a lot), and spent an enjoyable evening with Lee and his parents at their house for dinner. This has been super long so I'll sign off now. Have a good evening! May you have good teeth, good genes (and jeans), and try the pork, it's gooooood!

GWTW is GWTW

Being a mother has it's sacrifices, I've known that for a long time, but this didn't have to be!!! If only there had been some notice somewhere that I saw! The 70th anniversary of my all time favorite movie, Gone with the Wind, is this weekend, and they are having a festival in Marietta with a re-premier of the movie with some of the original actors, like Coreen O'Hara and Beau Wilkes! And I MISSED IT!!!! I didn't even guess it was happening till I saw a news story. By the time I checked it was completely sold out! Damn it, Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! My only consolation is that the Fox may show it later in the Spring, I hope so. URGH! That would have been an awesome birthday present. Well, maybe the 80th anniversary?

Busy Day begins early...

Today we actually got up and out of bed at 7:45am. It was hard, there was no coffee and no time to make it, but we had a dr's appointment at 8:35 and we had to get going. When we have early mornings like this I like to make things as simple as possible by preparing the night before. I lay out clothes, I bathe with Laylah so I don't have to shower in the morning, I put together a good snack to take with us. We got up, got out, and made it there only to wait half an hour to be seen. Isn't that just always the case? anyway, she's healthy, so we then went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast (coffee finally!) and then on to Webb Bridge Park for our weekly API (Attached Parenting International) playgroup. We played a bit at the Chick-fil-a play area and it was hard getting her to leave, but with the promise of outside wee, it was achieved. It's a great park with lots for the little ones to do, thought it is hard keeping up conversations with other adults while chasing a two-year-old. Laylah stayed on the swings for a very long time, wanting to do 1-2-3! This means I hold the swing while pushing it back and forth for the count of three then go under her on the last push, you may also know it as underdog. She loves it. She also played in the wet sandbox, it has been raining all week, but surprisingly did not get as sandy/muddy as she could have. Her latest behavior is to tell me to "Go AWAY!" when she wants to play, not too far away, but she wants to do things herself, Miss Independent. Today she started counting to ten before she went down the slide, pretty patient for a toddler I'd say. I didn't ask her to, she just decided to do it. We finally got ready to leave about 1pm, by which time we were both exhausted, her unwilling to admit it though, and fussing to "do again!" any kind of slide we passed. But with a promise of going to the "other wee" after nap she accepted my invitation to depart in the beep-beep and promptly fell asleep in her car-seat. The concept of "other wee" works well, or actually any kind of wee. Target-wee, bookstore-wee, library-wee, market-wee, these are all places I can get her to go to as long as some kind of wee is in the name, wee meaning anything playground or fun-like. Other wee can mean anything and doesn't commit me to any specific place after nap, the plan can come later but the promise of wee can get busy baby going. I think today might be home-wee, though, and maybe Mommy nap-wee, while Laylah watches Elmo-wee. See it works for anything! looking forward to the weekend and Daddy-Laylah party time, meaning Mommy break time! Now to nap...zzzzzzzzzzz