Friday Photos: Thanksgiving Edition

Lucy went ahead and made herself right at home at our friends' house.

The funnest toys by far? The phone and cash register:

Everything costs "Nineninenine!"

Multitasking

The second funnest thing? The stairs:

My blue-eyed beauty. I still can't believe she's mine.

So much to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving Eve Thoughts

It's Wednesday! One pie down, another pie and a couple salads to go.

I love this kick-off to the holiday season. I like smelling the turkey bake in the oven all day. I like being fussy about hors d'oeuvres and desserts. And I love the anticipation of hot cocoa and tea and cookies by the Christmas tree.

And this year, especially, I like that Lucy understands some of it. She helped me whip cream with a hand mixer last night singing "Stir, stir stir!" I can't wait to see how she reacts to the Christmas tree and stockings. Oh no! Lucy needs a stocking. Add that to my list....

I'm having a hard time harnessing my jealousy of all our family together in Wisconsin. For whatever reason, I'm being more emotional than usual about it this year. And maybe it's because Lucy is understanding more. I want her to understand holidays with family.

I've had to remind myself at least four times already today that there will be time for that.

Ketchup

This is a really fun time for us. Lucy is learning a new word every day, it seems, and he has a sense of humor to go with it. She’s taking one nap a day and that frees up our schedule to get out and do fun things!

Today we’re at the grocery store getting produce and some other last minute things for our pot-luck Thanksgiving with friends.

Lucy: Noooo?

Me: What. What, no?

Lucy: Noooo? Uuuuuuh.

Me: Do you want to hold these crackers?

Lucy: CACKAH! CACKAH! Mieh? Mieh!

Me: Mama didn’t bring any milk with us. We’ll have to wait until we get home.

Lucy: (more insistant) MIEH! Mo. Mo. Mo. Mieh!

Me: (grabbing stuff and throwing it into the cart because I realize that my time is now limited) (In a sing-songy voice) Milk at home! We’ll go in the car! And it’ll take us home! And then we’ll drink some milk!

Lucy: MAMA! MIEH! CACKAH! SNAH [snack]! MIEH! (makes sign for “please” furiously on her chest)

Me: (a little manic maybe) One more thing! We only need one more thing! Can you see where the cereal is? What kind of cereal do you and Dada want this week? Huh? Cheerios? Can you see the bumblebee? Where’s the bumblebee? What does a bumblebee say?

Lucy: (as we wait in line at the cashier) Huh,huh,huh [her fake cry] Mieh, Mama. (in a small pathetic voice like she’s never going to have milk ever again.) snah. peee.

Me: Almost done! Almost! Almost! (plays patta-cake with Lucy)

(Done at the grocery store. Back in the kitchen chez nous.)

Lucy: (After a drink of milk. Head down on the floor as I put the grocery bags by the counter and think about lunch for the baby) Huh,huh,huh. Owwwww. Nooooo. Noooo? (peeking up at me to make sure I know she’s deeply depressed.)

Me: Sounds to me like someone needs some more ketchup in their diet. Ketchup has natural feel-good agents to help you stay positive throughout your day! What do you say we have a big helping of ketchup for lunch?

Lucy: Kat-uh!

Garrison Keillor: Ketchup. For the good times.

It Will Get Worse

I expected the Bubba to get home a half-hour sooner than he did. That was my time to get ready. I had showered and dressed, but my hair was still wet, my makeup still in its bag on the sink. He got home about the same moment as I had been hoping to leave the house. As soon as he walked in the door, I directed Lucy to bring her books to Daddy and I ran into the bathroom. I pointed the hair dryer in the general direction of my dripping mop of hair while trying to simultaneously slap moisturizer on my skin. I got as far as putting pressed powder on my face before it happened.

Lucy snuck in the bathroom at some point during this process. And what is more interesting to a 15 month old mischief maker than a dangling cord attached to an unfamiliar machine? I'm not sure exactly what the play-by-play was, but at the end of that momentary eternity, my flat iron ended up flying onto the floor and Lucy froze mid-reaction. She stood perfectly still with her elbows bent and her fingers splayed staring at the wall for a good few seconds.

I imagined that she had tried to bring it to her mouth. That she had gotten both her cheeks with the sides of the flat iron. That it had gotten her eyes. Her mouth! Lips! That her face was going to be a blistery mess! Skin grafts! How much to skin grafts cost! How do I explain to Lucy that she's going to be one of those girls that's pretty on the INSIDE and that her husband will love her for her PERSONALITY?

Ok, I'm lying. That wasn't my first reaction. My original reaction was something more along the lines of very helpfully screaming "Shitshitshitshitshitshit!" (Or, possibly it was the F-bomb... heh heh. Still working on that potty mouth thing. A moment of crisis is NOT the time.) My second reaction was a huge hot ball of fiery anger at the Bubba for not watching her more closely as I got ready and at myself for being in such a rush that I didn't notice my baby in danger. We are obviously the WORST PARENTS EVER.

Lucy just stood there while I screamed cuss words. Frozen to the spot, I imagine she was both assessing the damage herself and freaking the heck out because of my yelling. Then came the tears, the huge crocodile tears. And Lucy was sobbing too. I looked her over and over and couldn't see any burned spots. I asked her where any owies were. And she just went from me to the Bubba and back for cuddles and loves, not interested in our concern.

And then a faint redness blossomed on skin of her hand. The Bubba put it under water, and I was still so angry at the whole evening's situation that I hid back in the bathroom and started over by washing the crying off my face. Lucy was oblivious. She was so happy to be playing in the faucet, it could have been her birthday for all she knew.

So insignificant!

But me, I was angry. Angry at us. Angry at the situation. Angry that I was in such a rush. Angry that the Bubba was all "What's the big deal?" about it. I left without much more said because I didn't trust myself not to start a fight. And that turned out to be a very smart thing. By the time I got home, I was able to tell the Bubba what was going on instead of just slinging vague insults in his general direction. Guilt has a funny way of lashing out, doesn't it?

I know we'll probably deal with cuts and stitches and burns and maybe a broken bone or two in our kids' lives. And I know that it will (um, probably!) not be my fault. This burn was seriously a little nothing. And not the worst that will ever happen to her, for sure. Or as that same phrase goes in German "It will get worse." I guess we'll see.

Friday Photos With Bonus Breakdancing Video

Avocado with a spoon! Genius, Mama!

Reading about penguins in the National Geographic.

Chillin' with Daddy

Lucy's obsessed with this song - I can't imagine why! It's not rainy here or anything...

Rain, Rain

This morning it was as dark as the middle of the night when we got up. We've been super spoiled the last few days in that it's been starting out all welcoming and sunny. I've been able to get out for a run in the sunshine, make a to-do list, and get my attitude in order before the rain set in for the afternoon.

I didn't have the luxury of a ray of sunshine coming through my bedroom window to inspire a cheerful disposition this morning, so I'm relying entirely on the coffee pot. And thinking that we might stay in our jammies all day long.

But today is Thursday, and that means I go out to a cocktail party blogger event with Carrie this evening at a fancy-schmancy bar downtown. I am super excited about going out with my girlfriend despite the two obvious drawbacks: 1) People I don't know and will have to talk to! (I briefly considered taking the bus because of the Uncomfortable Drinking that might take place. But then, I remembered Carrie'll be there!) And 2) having to try on every stitch of clothing that I own looking for the perfect outfit. OR perhaps I'll settle for an outfit that fits and doesn't fall into the category of Oga-yay Ants-pay. Cue nervous excitement. I haven't been away from Lucy or home for anything FUN in ages! And definitely nothing I wore makeup or did my hair for.

As I'm typing this, Lucy is standing on the couch looking out the window singing, "Rain, rain! Rain away! Rain, rain! Rain away!" Somehow she finds a way to make me laugh every day. Even if she is a naughty monkey-worm all the rest of the time.

Coffee, something to look forward to, and a funny kid? Well, today might turn into an okay day after all!

Happy Dance

We slept through the night, wooo-hooo! Sleeping through the night is awesome! Weeeee-hoooo! I woke up not tired, Waaaaa-hoooo! I love sleep! Uh-uh-uh-huh! ...

That's a little ditty I just made up right now. You can put it to your own music and it's proabably not different from what I'm singing right now. I made it up all by myself. To sing while I do this happy dance I've been busting out all morning. You see, the night sleeping. It has not been ideal. BUT! Yesterday, the incisor poked all the way through and the left bottom molar seems to be taking a short little hiatus since all the points poked through.

I know, I know, you're probably all sick to absolute DEATH of me talking about teething. BUT THESE TEETH! Why couldn't she have started teething as a 5 or 6 month old like any normal human being? In which case we'd already be DONE with the teething and the badness would have fallen at a time when the night waking was a little bit more common anyway.

But whatever! I'm counting my blessings for right this very moment and the big fat number one is having slept NINE hours last night without interruption.

Do you know what that means? It means I could exercise today instead of feeling like death on toast. It means I might just every so gently encourage Lucy to play with her toys instead of freaking out and screeching at her when she tries to empty the garbage can all over the kitchen floor. It means I'll have the patience to point out the bubbles and the toothbrushes and the soap in the Bath Book a bazillion times. I'll have the energy in the afternoon to make the soup I planned for dinner! In short, I'm pretty sure it means a better day for everyone.

*HAPPY DANCE*