DH is my world

I hate that my life revolves around dental hygiene. Grayson fell down at day care last Thursday (eight days ago) and split his chin open on the window well cover. I was stuck in class and got the message an hour later during my lunch. I had ridden the bus down that day and still had three hours of clinic to go, so I called Josh to take him to Instacare. Once again, very lucky Josh now works from home, but I was secretly jealous of him and kinda sad about the whole situation.

I know it's not practical, but I couldn't help but feel like the mom is supposed to be the one taking her kids to the dentist and the ER and things like that. I know it's ridiculous to not be appreciative that not only is my husband able to do it, he's willing, because a lot of people may not get that, but I still felt cheated and useless in a way. However, I recognized the time constraints for me to get there in a timely manner, the lack of true emergency (he did this last Thanksgiving), and the importance of me being in clinic, so I stayed at school and tried not to think about it.

Anyway, what do I do when all is said and done? I post about Gray's accident on my Perio blog for school and not even my own personal blog! Have I gone crazy? Grandmas need to find out about these accidents online! So here I give you Grayson's perio post from last week:

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This morning I told Grayson I was going to come into the office and do my perio blog. He said, "Mom, I need do my perio blog too." except of course he said perio blog really cute and toddler-like. So I thought, yeah, I'll post a pic of my sweet boy's poor mouth. He sat on my lap and watched old Mickey Mouse cartoons on YouTube in one window while I did my post and now that I'm done with it, I told him it's his turn. Of course now he's lost interest, but I still want to do it.

Grayson in the last 1.5 hours: I go Amy's house today? It not nighttime, Mom. I not poopy (he lied). Where Christie car? What this? I make pancakes in fridge (he puts his blocks in small stacks in the fridge and says they're pancakes). That not Cookie, that Elmo! Where Daddy go? -Daddy's working downstairs, honey.- I go work on the 'puter downstairs too (and he marches off all business-like until Josh drags him back upstairs and I get the evil eye for letting him go down there in the first place, heh heh). What this? You're sad, Mom; no, you're happy! I just kidding, Mom. I see the letter O! I need my shoes. Where my frog go? I take a picture for those kids. What this?

It's beyond awesome being a parent, and I totally can't blame Ashley for wanting one. But alla that love just means more heartbreak when you see six stitches in your little boy's chin, a fat lip with a mangled hole in it, and even worse, blood filled tissue underneath his tongue. Definitely something I'd chart on the IO/EO exam.

Poor Josh

Josh works hard - too hard, actually - and I often put him in a pickle about it. Last weekend when he wasn't working for AGFA, he was working on his sister's house, which she's trying to renovate for renters. He even took Thursday off work to help her. And that's where it gets tricky.

You see, I didn't have a single test to study for all last weekend - yay! But even though I was around more, my husband was not. In fact, I saw less of him than I normally would. I was pretty pissed by the time Sunday rolled around, and I finally told him so. The hard part is I admire how hard he works and how giving he is to others (both extremely attractive qualities to me), but if we're both available on a Friday night, why not spring for a sitter and go out for a change?

Oh right, the money. The pickle.

We spent the majority of our savings on the down-payment for our house. The rest of it has slowly been going to my schooling. We're still waiting for the $8k incentive for first-time home buyers, which we'd expected to have before I paid this semester's tuition. Without that cushion, things have started feeling a little tight, and I found out last week that not only will I need to come up with the $4,800 for next semester's tuition by January, I'll also need to pay for my boards exams at the same time - another $2,000. Throw in books and daycare for the month and we're easily out $7,500 in January. Josh asked if I could hear the sound effects of a toilet flushing in the distance when I told him. No wonder he feels the pressure to work so hard to keep his job.

So to my husband, who presently exists in an impossible situation, and will do so until this program is over: thanks babe. You're one in a million. Let's get a Redbox and eat stir-fry for dinner tonight.

That yucky

Just gotta put this down while I'm thinking of it...

Gray always wants to try condiments and cooking ingredients. Josh and I have pretty much made it the norm that he can try a small amount of anything he asks for. This includes very obviously disgusting stuff. He's tried unsweetened cocoa powder, red pepper flakes, plain mustard (which he actually likes and will lick directly off the plate), table salt, cooking vanilla, tabasco sauce, and salsa (another like of his).

Anyway, we always have a glass of milk and/or water handy because he squinches his face up real tight and will flail his arms about like he's on the brink of flying once the offending taste touches his tongue. Once he downs 3-4 ounces of this liquid medication, he very seriously and solemly will declare, "That yucky" and so far hasn't asked for that particular item again.

Pretty sweet way of letting him learn on his own, right?

So tonight he asked me for some juice but I said no, it's time to get ready for bed. So he opened up the fridge and brought the lemon juice bottle to me, insisting that he have juice before we brush his teeth. I told him he wouldn't like it - it's very sour Grayson - but he told me, "I do like it, Mom."

Okay, whatever you say dearie.

Lucky for him, I pulled out a teaspoon instead of a glass and poured him a bit. I asked, "Are you sure you want to try this?" and he said yes, reaching for the spoon himself. I told him to open up and I poured it on his tongue.

Instant reaction, classic response. As he reached for his water, I asked him, "That was yucky wasn't it, honey?" After guzzling for a few seconds, he looked me square in the eye and said, "No Mommy. That not yucky. That yummy." then started guzzling again. Wanting to call his bluff, I asked him if he wanted some more since it tasted so yummy. He responded with, "No Mommy. I save for later."

Smart boy.

One of those days

Oh my.

Grayson, sweetie, I love you to pieces. And if I wasn't so tired today from the adventure we had during the night when the rest of the world was sleeping, I might be angry or frustrated with you right now. Maybe you planned it this way; knowing I'd be dragging all day could give you the leg up you've had all morning. Regardless, I couldn't let today finish without letting you know what a handful you've been thus far. And it's only 2pm.

Remember last night around 2:45am when you woke up so sad? And you cried and cried and didn't want to be consoled and told me to go away and then cried for me to come back over and over and over again? I remember. I remember because I was not sleeping. Back and forth between our rooms for nearly an hour. And within 20 minutes of finally falling back asleep you were crying again, so I brought you into bed with me and Daddy. Remember how you insisted on sleeping with your train and I pulled that stupid thing out from underneath me at least three or four times during (the rest of the) night? Yeah, I wouldn't call that a stellar night's sleep.

And then remember this morning during breakfast when you purposefully threw your cereal all over the floor, including the milk? I didn't mind so much because I hadn't cleaned the floors yet. But then you got out your crackers and started shaking the open container upside down to get out every. last. one. after I had just swept. Fortunately the vacuum was still out, so I just sucked up all those zillions of crumbs so I could mop. But then remember when you purposefully followed me around the kitchen while I did mop, walking on the clean, wet areas right after I asked you not to so you wouldn't slip and fall but then you did slip and fall anyway? That was so sad.

And then remember when I was in the shower and I saw you get into the top drawer and pull out the floss and you started pulling it out in big long strands and I begged you to stop and please put it back because it's my favorite kind of floss and Glide can be kinda expensive but instead you ran out of the room and I didn't see you or the floss again until after I was getting dressed and you came back into the room and had unraveled the entire container and were wrapping it around things like a spider's web so I had to untangle it all and then throw it away? Thank goodness I got a 6-pack last time Costco had it on coupon.

And remember earlier when you were so sweet and insistent on helping me vacuum, and you were trying to put the wand back inside the vacuum even though I had it out so I could use the hose to vacuum the stairs and you put that dent in the wall on accident? Don't worry, it's not a very big dent. I'll ask Daddy to fix it sometime.

And then remember when you came into the office while I was doing my online perio assignment and you smelled so strongly of my perfume, and after investigating I had to give you an 'uh-oh' for using the bathroom drawer handles as a ladder, so I sent you to your room while I went to clean up everything only to come back out and find you in YOUR bathroom and you had emptied every drawer and were in the process of pulling out towels and opening the extra bar soaps we had stashed under the sink for guests? At least that was a little easier to clean up than the mess in my bathroom.

But then remember when I was putting away all the stuff from my Primary meeting this morning and I saw you come out of my room (note to self - get a freaking lock for the bedroom door already) with my eyelash curler but I didn't notice any other makeup out of place, so I didn't think anything of it until you asked for a popsicle and I saw all the drawing you had done on your arm, shorts, both legs, and even the bottom of your foot and I asked you to show me where you got it and it was my brown eyeliner and then you showed me the tube of lipstick you'd also taken but fortunately hadn't had the time to use yet? That lipstick sure was a close call. I sure hope the eyeliner comes out of your shorts.
That's pretty much when I decided to write this blog post so I toted you downstairs to get the camera from Daddy so we could take a picture and in the bit of time I've been writing this post you've pulled a variety of items out of the diaper bag and my backpack. I really don't mind that at all, though. It was fun 'talking' on the phone with you, and throwing that orange ball up and down the stairs couldn't have been more entertaining. But man, could you let me build a decently tall tower just once before kicking it over?

But honestly, the best part about this day is now, two hours later, you're nearly lifeless at my feet, crushing that orange ball against my leg as you hold out against the sleepiness that's trying to consume you. I'd love for you to fall asleep because then I could too, and we could spend a couple hours outside later when it's a bit cooler and we won't be crabby.

Yeah, I think I'll go rock you to sleep now if you'll let me. But I have a special request: please keep days like today at a minimum.