Labor Day Weekend

I took Friday off (school was closed) and since it was a billion degrees out (actually 98 F) I did laundry in the a.m. while I let Victoria watch Snow White in the morning. She really liked it, kept asking me what was going on, but seemed frightened by the man trying to kill Snow White and the Wicked Witch. P came home early and then took us out for Mexican for lunch. Then we left (traffic was really heavy) and stopped at the Outlets on the way west. I got to stop at the GAP outlet, my favorite place. It was pretty picked over with it being back to school, but I bought a pair of skinny jeans for myself, and a pair of tan work trousers pretty cheap. I got V a pair of their leggings and a long sleeve matching top and few other items. Then I ran into Gymboree outlet and they had their plain long sleeve T-shirts for $5.99 in basic colors. I bought cream and lt pink in a 4T plus a tiny onsie with a giraffe for P's niece as a baby gift The Children's Place didn't have too much, but I got V two pairs of super nice winter tights for $2.99 each and a Halloween shirt for $3.99. P bought a new belt at the Leather Outlet. My, we are exciting?

We made it to dinner w/P's brother in GR. It was his 40th Birthday and he was a bit down. We didn't make it to P's mom's until 9:30. Everyone slept in. The next afternoon we went to the playground next to Lake Michigan and V met another little girl and played and played with her. It was nice to go to the playground and enjoy without having to run home to make dinner, etc. We went to the ice cream parlor after that and then watched the Lake Michigan CarFerry come in from the lighthouse pier.

On Saturday we again got a late start. P wanted to take V on a Go-Kart ride and I was worried about the danger, but they were the only ones on the track and she loved it! and went to the Mac Woods Dune Rides at Silver Lake. Silver Lake is absolute stunning with the white dunes and blue sky. V loved the ride and would put her arms up down the hills like she was on a rollercoaster. We then went horseback riding. At 3, they preferred that V ride her own pony tethered to the leader. I was concerned about her falling off and having the thigh strength of a long ride. She did wonderfully!!!!! Her pony was named Ladybug and she sat for the entire hour ride without making a peep. Unfortunately, my horse "Fred" was kind of a jerk and kept stopping to eat. Towards the end of the ride he took off in a completely different direction and I finally got him to turn, but then he decided to run off and join a completely different group and follow them back to the stable. Afterwards the owner said I wasn't stern enough with him! It was the end of the day and I think he was just starving. We went to P's grandma for dinner and she insists on cooking and she is 90. We had local fish fried with no spices. Half the fish was burnt and half was raw. I started doing the dishes and she was mean to me because I "didn't use the correct side of the sink and I was using too much water". Then we walked down to the Lake.

Sunday we decided to come home so we could sleep in our own bed. V insisted on crawling into the bed with us and the bed was super soft and we all slept terribly the duration of the trip. We stopped at the Zoo in GR where we discovered that V's fear of dogs and cats has extended to all animals. Super great. No zoo's or farms for a while. We had dinner with P's brother and his girlfriend and finally arrived home at 9:10 pm. Didn't sleep well and ended up taking off today to catch up and rest. I'm tired. I wish the pics were better, but it's all I've got!

Wal-Mart adventure

I really don't care for the wal-mart in our town. I usually do Kroger, Target, and Costco. A big new one was just built south of town and is really clean and not crowded. I went saturday to recycle cans and get a few staples. I was pushing a heavy cart (soda), and corralling V who was walking next to me and heading for the checkout when a middle aged women with no groceries and no cart approached me.

Her: (smiling) how are you?
Me: (still pushing the cart and walking) ok. (Jehovah's witness?- I've been approached by them at a bus stop and also in a restaurant bathroom)
Her: I am involved in a business venture where I am supposed to meet five new people a day.
Me: what, are you selling Kirby vacuums? ( I once had someone knock on my door selling kirby's at 9:30 pm on a dark January night)
Her: (chuckles) no.
me: is it Amway?
Her: (excitedly). Yes!
Me: No. Way. Not interested. (pushed the cart even faster)

I can't help thinking:
What signal am I putting out that it is okay for these people to approach me?
How do people get hooked into to this ridiculous pyramid scheme?
How desperate or not intelligent is this lady to get involved in this crap?

Happy 3rd Birthday Victoria!

Oh Victoria, You are three years old today. Wow. My little baby. Things I want to remember about this time (bad and good):

1. You frequently ask for a little sister.
2. You are so happy when the entire family sets out in the car together. You like going places with both of us.
3. You love to put on whatever shoes of yours you find around the house, usually two different and the wrong feet and run around in the yard like that.
4. Sometimes when you put on your shorts “by myself” you put both legs through one hole. So cute.
5. Your hair is longer on the sides than in the back and you still don’t have much bangs. It’s still super fine and thin too.
6. If there is something on your plate that you don’t like, you insist it be taken off immediately. You don’t want it anywhere near you.
7. Bedtime has become quite difficult for you. You cry and cry about being left in bed alone. You’re so upset. We don’t why it developed or how to stop it. It’s ended with you staying up too late and us not getting any alone time like we used to.
8. You LOVE to swing. For a long time. And you want to “go higher” so you bounce in the seat because you are so high. That is “how Daddy does it”. You won’t use the slide however.
9. When I pick you up at school you yell “Mama!” and run and give me a hug. I love it.
10. When I give you a chip or cracker or anything you always used to demand “I need two” one for each hand. Now you say “I need three” and I really have to give you three or you are upset.
11. This year you have been so excited about your birthday saying, “ it’s my birthday”. All. The. Time.
12. You’ve developed a fear of dogs.
13. We are in the throes of “Toy Story” mania at our house. You constantly say “what happened to Buzz, mama? What happened to Buzz?” when he falls and his arm breaks off and “where is Woody’s hat mama?” when he loses his hat.

Conversation

V: that's my little sister
P: no it isn't.
V: that's my little sister.
P: no, unfortunately it isn't
P: (to me). It's kind of breaking your heart, isn't it?

Friday Night Leftovers

*Vi's birthday party went pretty well. Two people RSVP'd and didn't show up. How annoying. The kids had a blast running around like hanyaks. And Strongblonde - we missed you!
* Here is a pic of three little kids at the party. V is on the right. A bit blurry, but they were running around so much it was difficult to obtain pictures.

* I decided not to go to my 20th class reunion this weekend. I really wanted to go, but P worked insane hours all week(s), my house is in chaos (really and truly), and no one I would hang out with was going. I'm kind of sad about it. I'm not sure why that is since it is mostly a bunch of people that were not that particularly nice to me for four years and that I don't really care about. Plus a 10 hour round trip.
*It's been four months since my jaw surgery and the last month has been really difficult. Because I have a nerve injury in my inferior aveolar nerve (it was cut during surgery), I am having tons of burning in my lips and chin. Like they are on fire. It is worse at night. I also drool a tiny bit still and my speech is a bit slurred. My surgeon wanted to put me on Neurontin, but I've held off.
* P's niece is young and pregnant and already announced the baby's name on Facebook. She's only 19 weeks. Weird.
*Thanks everyone for the tips about cropped trousers for work. Got a pair at NY and Company and one at Kohl's. :)
* V's hair is so weird. I need to post pics. The sides look like those long curls the Orthodox Jewish men wear, there is no bangs expect for one long piece that touches her nose (i just trimmed it), and a bunch of short, thin, frizzy curls in the back. We got back her 3 year pics and P thought it looked a bit mulletish. I still think she is adorable. But her hair is weird. And she still doesn't have much.

We are sitting and resting yesterday after victoria's birthday party. P says to me:

p: Victoria would be such a great big sister. It really sucks.
Me: yes it does. Should we get an egg donor? I forget sometimes that infertility affects you too.

First Dental Visit

I finally took Victoria for her first dental appointment a week ago. The ADA recommends visits starting at 12 months, which I just can’t imagine. Victoria only had two teeth at 12 months. Because of my complicated (EXTREMELY) dental issues, and her lack of general cooperation regarding sitting still and anything medical, I thought a super fun pediatric dental practice would be the best way to go. I received a recommendation via my Prosthodontist and it is a pediatric only practice approximately 17 miles from my house, close to where I work. Basically, I had to drive home, pick up V, and drive back. I got her all ready to go see “Dr. XXX”. We came in and right away I wasn’t impressed with the waiting room. There were no little tables or child seating or cartoons on the wall or anything to make “kid friendly and exciting”. They had books and a few older blocks, and an old dollhouse with all the pieces missing. Really? Really? I was disappointed.

There were another two little kids in there playing and their mom was super sweet and kept asking Victoria to play. She sat apprehensively next to me on the couch (I hope she doesn’t have mama’s anxiety disorder). We went in 25 minutes late and she starting bawling and clinging to me. The Dentist had me sit crossways in the chair with her legs wrapped around my waist and her head on his lap so he could hold her. She would not pick out a toothbrush, so I picked her out a Diego one. He was very gentle and quiet and she made a crying sound, but no tears. He thought her teeth looked great, but that she had a pretty severe overbite (I”VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR MONTHS), that would definitely need braces and possibly surgery. Let’s hope she doesn’t have my teeth or lack of them (Problem 1), or my jaw structure (Problem 2). I don’t know if you can have normal teeth and my jaw structure, I thought it was all one genetic mutation. I was pleased she settled down, but he wasn’t impressed with her behavior. I THOUGHT HE SPECIALIZED IN SEEING CHILDREN!

The visit was over in like 5 minutes. I tried to tell him multiple times and ask questions about my jaw/teeth issues. He appeared to not care, and didn’t ask any questions. IT TICKED ME OFF! It is really relevant. Victoria stopped squirming when they showed her the prizes and even gave the cute male dental assistant a hug  She was so relieved that was it. They didn’t clean her teeth with the brush and it still cost me $75. I’m now on the hunt for a new dentist for her.

The funny thing is that the next day she would walk up to kids at school or parents and shout “I went to the dentist” right at them!