Friday Five

Say it with me, guys...TGIF!  I'm sitting here sipping my first coffee of the day and I've plied my kids with enough donuts to put them into a sugar coma for days, so hopefully I can actually get this written in one sitting. 


1.  Bailey and Gerry had their first visit to the dentist this week.  This is our biggest news of the week.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that, at almost 4 years old, Bailey is only just now seeing the dentist for the first time.  I've got a lot of fear when it comes to going and I think I've been projecting that onto her. But better late than never, right?  In any case, she did great.  We talked about it A LOT in the days leading up to her appointment, and the whole car ride over she kept telling me that she was nervous and scared.  When we walked in, though, there was a big play room for the kids, and that seemed to help ease her into things.  It also helped that, literally, every single person we met and/or dealt with in the office, from the receptionist to the dental hygienist, to the dentist himself, was completely awesome.  They were friendly and they smiled a lot and they totally allayed Bailey's fears and anxiety about seeing the dentist.  She had some x-rays done and got a good cleaning, and she was a total rock star about it all. 

 Gerry, on the other hand?  Not so much.  As soon as he realized what was going on he started fighting and screaming like he was being tortured.  The dentist, Dr. Hunt, was fantastic, though, and had him checked and cleaned in under 3 minutes.  He never lost patience, never let on that this screaming, thrashing kid was being a total pain in the ass...he just stayed calm, thanked me for holding Gerry's hands still so he couldn't grab all the tools from the dentist's hands like he kept trying to do, and talked to Gerry and me about what he was doing.  It was an awesome visit and, for the record, I highly -- HIGHLY-- recommend this dental practice.  For those of you in the Philly area who don't mind a trip to Blue Bell, I can't say enough about Dr. Hunt and the staff at Charm Pediatric Dentistry.


2.  I snapped this picture of the kids together.  And I can't get enough of it.  Seriously.  Can't get enough. They had both just finished a popsicle and Gerry had, as usual, a ridiculous mess and Scott made him sit down on the steps while he ran in the house to get a washcloth to wipe him up with.  Bailey sat with him in solidarity until we got him cleaned up.

3.  Yesterday was my sister's 29th birthday.   For the next six weeks, she and I will be the same age.  So strange to think about...

4.  My parents took Bailey and my nieces to the Phillies game last night, and they brought back a hat for each of the kids.  Gerry was asleep when they came home, so I gave his to him this morning and he won't take it off!  Philly pride, am I right?

5.  We've finalized everything for Bailey's birthday party next month and, even though it's really not a big deal, I feel like I can let out a huge breath of relief.  She asked for a party at Build-A-Bear, so we're doing it there.  B-A-B partners with Chick-Fil-A {Bailey's favorite "restaurant"...bonus!} so they'll do lunch for all of the kids after the party.  They take care of the set-up and clean-up and all we have to do is show up and enjoy ourselves.  Win-win!


As usual, we have a crazy busy weekend ahead of us.  Tee ball games and birthday parties, etc.  BUT, at least we won't be bored!

Friday Five

It's Friday!!!  I've never been happier to see the weekend arrive, and it's even better because Monday is Memorial Day...four day weekend!  {Can you tell I'm hopped up on coffee over here?}

Anyway, here's my 5 today:

1.  We celebrated Mimi's 80th birthday last weekend.  Technically, her birthday is this Sunday, but everyone got together for a big celebration last weekend, and we had a blast.  Bailey and Gerry were in heaven, running around with their aunt's dogs, eating lots of food, blowing bubbles, and being surrounded by a small horde of people who thought they were adorable and awesome.  We spent the night and Bailey didn't want to leave the next day.  Here's the birthday girl:

Photo cred goes to my father-in-law

 

 2.  We had some pretty crazy weather here yesterday.  Our area came through pretty much unscathed {just lots of rain and some thunder}but surrounding towns got hit with crazy hail, 60mph winds, and tons of rain.  Playing in the backyard was out after all that and these two needed to burn some energy, so I took them to one of Bailey's favorite places:  Chick Fil A!  It was Kids' Night, so Bailey got to play a matching game and won a free ice cream cone and, after dinner, both kids got to play in the Play Area {and I got 5 minutes of peace from the constant whining and "mooo-oom"s I've been hearing all week}.

And Bailey saw this beautiful rainbow while we were pulling in to the parking lot.  Can't beat that after a storm!

3.  Gerry had a rough beginning of the week.  He burned his hand on Sunday and climbed  fell  out of his crib on Tuesday.  He survived, though, and was back to his destructive but adorable self by Wednesday. 

He's INSIDE B's doll house right now...just climbed on in like it was no big deal

4.  This picture was taken exactly four years ago.  Four...YEARS.  At my baby shower for Bailey.  Look at that belly!  She took her sweet time and didn't make an appearance for more than a month after this picture was taken but -- my goodness -- has she made this world a better place.  Bailey Reece: keeping us on our toes for almost 4 years and counting.

5.  I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow.   This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is.  It is. 

 

Paging Doctor X

It's only Wednesday, and Gerry has had a hell of a week so far!

He burned his hand on Sunday.  2nd degree.  My parents have recessed lighting (bulbs) in their walls leading down the stairs to their finished basement.  Normally, when we all go over for Sunday dinner the basement door stays closed.  This week, though, one of the big kids opened the door and G snuck down there when we weren't paying attention.  Next thing I know, he's screaming bloody murder and we find him at the bottom of the stairs.  At first, I thought he fell and just picked himself up, so I scooped him up and just kept saying, "It's okay, you're okay."  But then he held up his hand {the poor thing was shaking} and just kept looking at me and crying,  Sure enough, his little palm was bright red.  We iced it and ran it under cool water, and my mom put silvadene on to help the burn.  We gave him some infants' Advil and, by the time we put him to bed a few hours later, he was totally fine. 

Fast forward to yesterday.  The day was going fairly smoothly until Gerry woke up from his nap and decided that it was a good time to climb out of his crib.  I was in the bathroom when I heard a loud crash and then him immediately screaming.  I ran to his room and he was already opening the door, his face just covered in blood.  He was screaming, I was {internally} freaking the eff out, and we were both shaking by the time I got him to the kitchen to clean him up and try to find where all the blood was coming from {short answer: everywhere}. 

I looked him over and he seemed okay but the blood.  I couldn't find one particular spot where it was coming from so I just kept wiping his entire face.  Eventually, it all slowed down and I could see that some of it was coming from his nose and some from his mouth.  After a quick call to our family doctor, I took him over to CHOP Urgent Care to get looked at {our doctor was concerned about a broken nose}.  This was our first time there and, I have to say, it was a really good experience.

 The nurses were fantastic, the doctor was great and friendly, and we were in and out {without an appointment} in under two hours.  You can't tell from this picture, but he's got a red spot under his nose {rug burn?} and a swollen upper lip.  The doc checked him out...no broken bones, but he did tear his frenulum and would probably be sore for a couple days.  He also checked his burn from Sunday and advised us to keep using silvadene or neosporin and wrap it up so it can heal. 

This morning, Gerry seems just fine, bouncing off the walls and giggling as usual.  His nose is still just a teeny bit swollen and his upper lip is cut and swollen, as well.  The gauze bandage is pretty much just a huge pain in the ass to him at this point, but if I can distract him enough he'll stop picking at it and trying to pull it off every two seconds. 

I wasn't expecting him to attempt a crib escape at just 16 months old {Bailey waited until she was 19 months old and she had bumpers to climb on-- G doesn't} but I'm glad that he didn't hurt himself worse than a bloody nose and a scraped up face.  He's giving us quite the run for our money these days as far as getting into things and being a little daredevil.  Maybe he'll get it all out of his system early and be a calm kid by the time he's ready for Kindergarten?  ;-)

Doggy!

A few years ago, I wrote this post about Bailey's first "real" word association, and I've been meaning to do the same for Gerry's and just keep forgetting.  Let me brag about my kid for a minute {what else is new, right?}.  Gerry, at 16 months old, has a plethora of words that he says frequently, and he uses them correctly {mommy, daddy, Bailey, uh-oh, sorry, thank you, please, yee haw, hi, bye-bye, baby, ball, doggy, fruit snacks, eat, banana, juice, socks, shoes, sit, rock, night-night, no, belly}.  But the first word that he correctly used and understood?

Doggy.

Every time he says it, I can't help but laugh at his pronunciation.  He drawls like a southerner:  "Dooww-GEE!" {emphasis on the last syllable} and repeats it over and over and over until we acknowledge him.

We were taking a walk the other day and saw a dog a few blocks ahead of us.  G pointed and yelled "Doggy!  Woof woof!"  Same thing when a puppy showed up in one of his cartoons this morning:  "Woof!  Doggy!"  And whenever he passes by Ryder, either outside or when she's hanging out in her crate.  And again when one happened to pass by our house the other day when he was looking out the window.

 He gets it!  And it's awesome.

Five On Friday

This week was a solemn one for me.  A friend of mine lost her husband this past Sunday, and I've been feeling so sad for her and her kids since I heard the news....if nothing else, I need this post to remind me of some of the positives of the week.

1.  Bailey drew a picture of me.  And she proudly stated that "This is you, Mommy.  And you look like a princess!"  I love when she does stuff like this all on her own.  Not only because she's drawing people {albeit, armless and body-less people}, but because she's so proud of it and of herself.  And what more can I ask for?

2.  Gerry has the BEST giggle.  Seriously.  It's the best little giggle and I can't get enough of it.  And pretty much everything amuses him. I can't even tell you what he was laughing at in this picture {my nose, maybe?} but I CAN tell you that it made my day and took my mind off of some of the heavier things weighing on me that day.

3.  Bailey loves wearing glasses.  She doesn't need them {these are mine}, but she gets the biggest kick out of wearing them and then doing something "studious" like sitting down at the computer.  Yesterday, I caught her making smiling faces and winking at herself in the mirror while sporting the specs. 

 4.  Gerry is obsessed with dogs.  And banging on windows.  So imagine his utter joy when he just happened to see a dog passing by with its owner while he was banging on the window yesterday.  He started smacking the window even harder and yelling, "Doggy!  Woof!  Woof, doggy!"  Every time he says the word "doggy" I can't help but smile.  He pronounces it dow-GEE...with a southern twang and lots emphasis on the last syllable and he gets ridiculously excited whenever he sees one.

5.  This quote.   I've been feeling a bit down the last couple of weeks and I found this quote by pure accident this morning.  Something I {we all} need to remember daily.  I spend so much time worrying about my weight and the way I look and whether or not I've been a good mom on any given day that I don't take the time to remind myself that I am enough.  Just the way I am.  Words of wisdom, people.  Words of wisdom. 

My Heart Hurts

My heart is so heavy right now.  This is going to be one of those posts that probably doesn't make much sense because I'm writing to get it all out and running on pure emotion here.  I want to start by saying that sometimes completely shitty things happen to the best people and it's times like these that make me question everything I know about faith and karma and goodness. 

Bailey's "boyfriend" Max lost his father on Sunday.  I don't know the circumstances or the details surrounding his death, but I do know that he left behind a wonderful family.  A wife who is one of the sweetest women and most patient mothers I know.  A son who is also sweet and energetic, and who my daughter gets all giggly and blushing when she talks about.  And who is also old enough to understand that his daddy gone but not yet old enough to understand the how's and why's of it all.  A daughter who, at 8 months old, doesn't know what's going on. 

I didn't know him, but I do know his kids and his wife Meghan and I are friends.  They're good people.  And good people are hard to find these days, and they don't deserve this.  I spoke with Meghan briefly last night via text, and she's so much stronger right now than I would be.  Too strong.  Admirably, and worryingly, strong...and she really doesn't have the choice to be anything else because there are two little people looking to her for comfort, to find out how to act right now, for answers.  I hope she is able to grieve on her own and in her own way. 

A few years ago, another friend and the mother of one of my preschoolers, lost her husband to cancer.  He was diagnosed on a Sunday and died the following Tuesday and, just like Max's dad,  I took it so much harder than I had any right to.  I didn't know him well either, but I knew his wife.  I knew his kids, and I loved them like my own, and I ached for all of them daily.  I couldn't stop thinking about how young all of them were and how unfair it was that they'd gotten so robbed of all the years of happiness that they were supposed to share together.  I remember wanting to help in any way that I could, and also not wanting to be an intrusive pain in the ass about it.  I wanted so badly to eloquently tell my friend how sorry I was for her and how amazed I was by her strength and how in awe I was of her ability to continue to be such a fantastic mother while grieving the loss of her husband.  But every time I saw her this wave of sadness hit me and I just kept thinking, I can't imagine. 

I'm not eloquent.  I don't have the words to tell people how sorry I am when things like this happen without coming across as an unfeeling moron.  I feel the emotions more than I will ever let on, but I'm not graceful enough with language to convey the message.  But, oh, does my heart break.

I'm sorry for your loss doesn't seem to cover it, but I am.  I'm sorry.  And I hurt for you.  And I'm here for you in whatever way you need me to be.  I'm sending up so many prayers and so much love for all of you, and I hope that on some level you can feel it. 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day! (2 days later...)

I'm lucky to be surrounded by some pretty amazing women who've set an awesome example for what it means to be a mom.  I like to think I'm a good mother, and I owe a lot of that to all of them...so, thank you, ladies!

We had a busy, busy, busy Mother's Day weekend over here, but a good one.  Scott left for his Guys' Weekend Friday night after we took the kids out for dinner.  After he left, Bailey and Gerry and I met up with Bailey's "boyfriend" Max for a play date at the farm.  Crazy kids aside, it was SO NICE to hang out with another adult, and I really like Max's mom, which bodes well for their future.  ;-)  We spent a solid two hours there while the kids ate ice cream, played on the playground, fed the animals, and played on the playground some more.  As soon as we got in the car to go home, Bailey started asking when we were going to see Max again.  She's gone, guys.

We got home after Gerry's bed time, so he conked out pretty much immediately.  Which left the rest of the night for Bailey to snuggle up in my bed.  She watched "her shows" on repeat and I may or may not have fallen asleep before she did {but I'm not admitting to anything}. 

Saturday morning, we woke up and headed over to a friend's house for brunch.  It was, in a word, glorious.  Good food, good friends, cute kids, and the whole day ahead of us.  On the drive over, my brother sent me a text inviting me to bring the kids to stay with him and his fiance in her family's place at the beach for the night and I tossed the idea around for awhile before thinking that Bailey and Gerry would have a BLAST down there.  So when we were done with brunch and all of the kids were nap-ready, I packed up our car and took off for Jersey. 

I was alone with both kids so, of course, it made total sense that we'd hit horrific traffic {thank you, downed tree on 76 that had us backed up for HOURS}. We were sitting -- sitting -- on the highway for about 10 minutes when Gerry started fussing.  Which turned into whining.  Which turned into a screaming and crying fit that lasted almost two hours and caused me to pull over more than once to check that he wasn't hurt and was really, in fact, just pissed about being stuck in a car seat for almost three hours.  We made it to the beach a little after 7pm and went straight to the boardwalk and Bailey's all-time favorite thing --  the RIDES!

Gerry wasn't a fan of most of them, but he did enjoy the cars.  So much so, that we had to put him on a second time. 

 We stopped for ice cream on the way back to the trailer and made it back around 10pm.  Gerry, of course, passed out almost immediately and Bailey followed soon after.  We woke up the next morning, and my brother and Molly {his fiance} treated us to breakfast before we got back in the car to head home.

Because I'm ridiculously directionally-challenged, even with a GPS, I took a few wrong turns and we ended up getting back home after Scott.  That whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" thing is so true.  We were ALL excited to see him after a few days away!

We had Mother's Day dinner at my aunt's house and then came home and spent the night relaxing.  And, obviously, I can't forget the beautiful flowers that Scott and the kids gave me.  In addition to a Starbucks gift card {he knows the way to my heart, right?}.

The message in the center says: "MOM, thanks for always being there to help us BLOOM!"

Five On Friday

The last week or so has been over-the-top busy here and writing has fallen by the wayside.  So I told myself that I was going to sit down and write a blog post this morning, even if it took me all day.  Which it probably will.  {I just stopped after writing those last three sentences...three sentences(!)...because Gerry woke up and the production of getting him out of his crib, dressed, and downstairs began}


1.  Bailey had her first Sweet and Sassy Experience, and it was awesome.  For those of you who don't know what Sweet and Sassy is, it's basically a day spa for little girls.  You walk in the door and you're immediately {pleasantly} assaulted by all things girly and pink and sparkly.  The girls can get their hair and {minimal} makeup done, manicures and pedicures, hair cuts, up-dos, ride in the Sweet and Sassy limo, and of course there's a small runway where they can strut their stuff when all is said and done. 

The store nearest to us was doing free up-dos and limo rides last weekend so I took Bailey and, being the girly-girl that she is, she LOVED it.  I can't get the girl to sit still long enough to throw her hair up in a ponytail, but she sat for more than 15 minutes here while the girls sprayed and bobby pinned and gave her an elaborate ballerina bun 'do.  Add in some cupcake scented hair glitter and a little bit of butterfly makeup on her cheek and my girl was thrilled. I found a Groupon a few weeks ago and nabbed it, so we made an appointment for her to get her hair done and a manicure for her birthday next month.

She wouldn't let me take wash or comb her hair the next day..."But, mom, my princess hair is BEAUTIFUL!"

She had a blast in the limo...music blaring, pink and green lights, and mirrors--what more could a girl want?

2.  I'm LOVING that the weather is finally getting nice and staying nice.   We've been spending lots of time outside and both kids have a blast running around and chasing Ryder in our backyard. 

 

I'll never stop laughing at G's face in this picture...NEVER

3.  Some friends and I are having brunch tomorrow morning and I'm ridiculously excited about it.  Coffee, food, good friends, and a chance to unwind after the work week?  Yes, please!  We're all contributing something {the other girls are actually COOKING something, and I commend them for it.  I hate cooking and, let's face it, I'm not that great at it so I will be BUYING something...thank you, Suzy Jo!}  It'll be nice to have some grown-up time, even though both kids will be with me, and to get out of daycare provider mode....I'm excited!


4.  Bailey is getting better and better at tee ball.  She's enjoying it more and she's finally gotten the hang of hitting the ball and running the bases.  Last night, her coach helped her field a ball {usually, the boys on the team get to the balls in the field before she can} and she couldn't stop talking about it on the way home.  "Did you see it, mom?  Did you see me throw it to first base?  Coach Dave helped me!"  I love that she's having fun and learning more about the sport.  Hopefully, this is something she'll want to stick with.


5.  Tomorrow is Mother's Day.  And Scott won't be here.  He and a few of his buddies planned a "guys weekend" months ago for this weekend and the date was picked before anyone realized what weekend it was {not that it stopped them from going}.  Scott's looking forward to it, and I get needing some time with the guys, but really?  Mother's Day weekend?  The one day where mothers are supposed to be recognized for all they do, and I'll be home alone with 2 kids and no husband.  For two days.  I hate to sound like a petulant little kid, but...it's not fair!  {end whiney rant}