Just Heather

Allow me to give you a few excerpts from my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

  • Took my sick, crabby baby to the doctor. She either has the start of a sinus infection or will require regular medication for seasonal allergies. I never thought I’d say this, but I really hope my baby is sick.
  • Got a phone call from the principal today. Some psycho kid threw a chair at my daughter. Knowing my daughter, however, I’m sure it was provoked. The kid says she was “saying mean things on the bus” which is odd since she hasn’t ridden the bus for two days.
  • Sent said child to bed without dinner because she threw an all out kicking, screaming tantrum when we tried to talk to her about what may have led up to the Bobby Knight incident. She will not, however, be in trouble for yelling obscenities at the kid on the bus as I would have too if he tripped me every day.
  • Had to call up all knowledge of Heimlich for my baby who choked—real and actual choking—on the food her sister left out after lunch.
  • Caught my 4-year-old stealing candy that I refused to buy for her. This stealing thing has become a problem, though this is the first time it has been outside of our own home. I’m raising a klepto here and not really sure what to do about it. She seems pretty remorseful and I’m hopeful our conversations got through to her.
  • Had an interesting experience at the store when a coupon for $1.99 rang up for $1.00. The idiot cashier told me “that’s how it worked” and offered to “explain coupons” to me! Ha! I wanted to scream, “I’ve been on CBS, the front page of the Chicago Tribune and syndicated across the nation as a ‘coupon expert’ and you want to teach me how coupons work?!” Instead, I used my coupon at the back of the store while I paid for Lorelai’s prescription where the pharmacist had no problem getting it to work correctly. Then I came home and shot off an email to their corporate office about the moronic “manager” and how rudely I was treated.

I’ve been MIA in the blogging world lately. I may update now and then, but I certainly haven’t stayed on top of it nor have I spent much time with my blogroll. I have, on occasion, checked in with those I feel a more personal connection (even if I am not commenting). I didn’t realize how absent I had been until I dusted off the old blogroll and realized that some are more missing than I. Several blogs are no longer in existence. Some have moved. Some haven’t updated for many months. I updated it a bit last night and rearranged it to be alphabetized. It was previously set to recently updated, but blogroll doesn’t seem to get the memo when people update so that was a little off. I’m hoping with a little more order to it I can stay with it a little more.

It was nice to catch up with some old “friends” this week. People are very busy these days. Pesky has expanded her domestic skills to include lingerie making. Phil and Chris are embarking on a gluten free diet right along with me. Deb is as crazy as ever. Katie loves Girl Scout camping way more than I do. Rachael is living in DC but will be happy to return to small town life, I suspect. Mich is just as entrenched in the toddler years as we are. Ang is just too busy to update her damn blog.

Speaking of updates, here’s the skinny on what I’ve not been writing:

  • My little sister is pregnant and getting married (in that order).
  • I get to spend a kid-free week helping (read: playing with my nephew) since Daddy is military and can’t come home until May.
  • I laugh hysterically every time I think of hubby playing single dad for a week with 3 kids.
  • The gluten free diet goes extremely well and I’m learning to eat lunch, which was admittedly a struggle for me even before I eliminated half my diet.
  • The big two are on spring break at Camp Grandma’s.
  • Lorelai has chosen her free week to become an official toddler. She is into everything and I am exhausted!
  • Cabinet locks rock.
  • Our pediatric dentist clearly didn’t realize how hard it would actually be to remove the pacifier. I’m sure he was exaggerating the necessity.
  • I am 30. That’s all I’ll say about that.
  • I will never, ever chair Girl Scout cookie sales again so long as I live.
  • It’s too cold for soccer to start next week.
  • Webkinz games are addictive. You should all get one for your kids so you can play Dicekinz with me at night while they are sleeping.

You have to appreciate the logic that allows a 4-year-old celiac to think it is perfectly acceptable to eat half a package 2 boxes of gluten-filled Girl Scout cookies when no one is looking, but panic hysterically when I try to pack a box of regular (unopened) pasta in the same grocery bag as gluten free food.

Today’s quote of the day brought to you by my 4-year-old, who knows nothing but a digital life, as she let the dog in from the backyard:

Hey, Mom, can you unplug Indy [the dog] so he can come play with me?

Long time, no see!

  • Anyone who could make it around the world in 80 days, clearly didn’t stop to visit family. Christmas alone took us 6.
  • Through a series of gluten free trials and challenges, it would appear that all 3 of our children are celiac. Updates to come when I have more time.
  • The chicken pox vaccine doesn’t work for shit.
  • Sick days plus holiday break makes for a very, very long 3 weeks.
  • The love of baths is clearly genetic. The wonders of an oatmeal bath have created yet another addict.
  • 9-year-olds do not know how to read in a tub without soaking the book.
  • I, however, have successfully read 5 books in the tub since Christmas.
  • Speaking of books, I once told my uncle that I would love to own James Whitcomb Riley books, but they are too expensive in our flea markets. Though I haven’t seen him for several years, I just received my 6th book in the mail from him this week. Also, though I don’t remember ever mentioning that I wanted to find Alice of Old Vincennes (my hometown), he sent an antique copy last month!
  • It’s Girl Scout cookie time! And my cookie mom will be out of town when the orders are due!
  • Also, the internets have suddenly decided that I don’t need to receive any email from said cookie mom.
  • Gluten free diet + sneaky child who loves to climb=very cranky, glutened child who doesn’t seem to understand cause & effect
  • Molars really hurt on the way in, poor baby!

I am not an organized person, but schedules I can do and do well. I write it down immediately in my calendar and I count backwards to figure out when I need to start getting ready and/or corralling kids. I’m rarely late on my own, though 3 kids and a husband who don’t know or care about my schedule often change that.

All this to say, if you tell me a time I’ll be there. Or, in the case of a morning bus stop, I’ll have my kid there. Our bus stop time is 8:20am, as per the postcard mailed prior to school. It states all times plus or minus 5 minutes so the time in my head and on my calendar is 8:15am. The bus has come earlier and earlier each week since school begain. Recently it has occasionally driven by as early as 8:10 with my child not on it. The last two times this has happened I have left messages with the transportation director.

Today I also called the scheduler/dispatcher. I just received a return call from my daughter’s bus driver letting me know that the bus stop time was changed several weeks ago to 8:12am. Doing the math? That means the bus can come as early as 8:07—a full 13 minutes earlier than the officially scheduled time. When asked why no one was notified of the time change, he said “They don’t usually do that.”

What the heck?! Needless to say, our entire morning routine will have to be revamped around the idea that the bus could come long before it should. Kids will be getting up earlier, getting less sleep and being crankier at home. This makes for a lovely start to each morning, not to mention the rest of the day! However, had they simply called or sent out a second postcard with the time change I would be much less cranky myself.

Or not. I really like sleep.

My baby girl turned 1 today. It’s been a bittersweet day. On the one hand, I’m so glad she is healthy and growing now. On the other hand, she’s growing so fast! Faster than most kids since she’s not only growing, but catching up on lost growth too. I think knowing she’s my last (yes, dear, my last) makes it harder.

She’s still so tiny that it’s hard to let go and remember she’s not a vulnerable little baby anymore. One glimpse of her stubborn independence reminds you quite quickly. She doesn’t yet walk, but she ventures further on her knees than she ever dared before. She has a handful of words, and clearly understands many more.

I love hearing the words a baby latches onto. It’s all a matter of importance. Ma-ma, Da-da—those are forced on them from birth. Nigh-nigh is learned quite quickly as babies tire so easily. “Mo” (means more—food, that is), “dog-dog,” “touchdown,” “down” and “all gone” were learned in order of importance.

It just doesn’t seem possible that she could be one. Wasn’t it just the other day that we brought her home from the hospital? And now, look at her:

Lorelai, age 1

Lorelai, age 1

Last week I ran across some coupons for a few of Lorelai’s gluten-free regulars. Today I was super excited to find her favorite cookies on sale. Combined with a coupon, they were almost like buying regular cookies! I’ve discovered that my favorite grocery store carries a large variety of gluten free products. It’s helping me balance the new, costly diet with my frugal (read:cheap) ways. These last couple months of buying specialty food for the baby is the first time in 10 years I have paid full price for groceries.

Today I also made her first dentist appointment. She’s younger than he normally sees, but with the chance of celiac disease still out there I’m not taking chances. The disease causes defects with tooth enamel, and our pediatric dentist agreed an early start with her dental care was warranted.

In 2 days, we spend the morning with a pediatric allergy and immunology specialist. We’re looking at a long day of skin testing, and some more blood draws. I’m hoping we’ll find the rest of the normal people food that’s poisoning our daughter. My mother calls me a neurotic hypochondriac, but she’s getting better on an elimination diet so it’s clearly working. So far we know wheat and dairy with almost certainty and suspect corn, chicken, beef, and strawberries.

It will be such a relief to have it over and know for sure what she can and can’t eat. Then we can put together a balanced diet (hopefully—protein is appearing to be a problem with high allergens like eggs and peanuts our only alternatives). We’ll finally be able to make she gets the nutrition she needs.