Tired, but Optimistic

So that conference I mentioned in my last post started today. Yup, Sunday. I was only in the office for 45 minutes yesterday so that counts as a day off, right?

Well, I put in a good 8 hours today and that's a light day compared to tomorrow (6 am start, 11 pm end) and the next couple of days that follow.

I came home to help wrap up Playette's evening so that BD could study for a test. After she's in her crib and the bottles are washed and I grab the remaining pieces of clothing that didn't make it in my suitcase because they were in the wash...I'll head back to the Marriott.

We took Playette to the park for the first time yesterday. It seemed like the right thing to do. It was a nice enough day and there was nothing really going on. We weren't the only parents with that idea so I guess we're not doing such a bad job at this winging it thing.





It was crowded and I wanted to fight this one dad for shoving his daughter in the swing just as I was approaching. Seriously, he knew. Jerk.

I so do not need to be the mom that fights other parents at the park over a baby swing.

Taking the high road, we walked a lap around the park and the swing was empty by the time we got back. It was worth the wait cause Playette loved, I mean LOVED, the swing. The slide, not so much. But the swing? Awww, yeah.



Check out that laugh. It's contagious.

Playette's not BD's.

Also note the long sleeves and sweats we're wearing. Granted, it may have hit 70 so I did actually remove the down vest I was wearing. Oh happy (summer) day.

Ahem.

So, yeah, remember to skip the slide if you ever find yourself at a park with her. Don't say I didn't warn you.



Oh, and we learned something. The playground is not all about play, ya know. There's some knowledge to be had....



We're just about 500 miles shy of being equal distance between "home" and Hawaii.



It's 9:40 and Playette is still playing. Not good. Lemme put this child to bed since she's obviously not going to do it herself tonight.

She's playing me again, y'all.

Silence - and Laughter

It's NEVER quiet in here. NEVER! At least not during the work day.

Yup, I'm at my desk, it's near noon, and it's quiet. I'M LOVING IT! I can't even begin to explain how wonderful it is...well, wonderful enough to blog about if that tells you anything.

We're in the midst of planning a really big conference starting on Sunday. I am consumed with it all and will be staying in a hotel in my own town several nights next week just to make sure that I'm not too far away to tap in case of emergency. And it's inevitable that I will be tapped.

But right now? The stars have aligned and my phone isn't ringing and no one is asking me a million questions and it's great.

Oh, and the laughter part?

American Idol Rewind keeps calling me today, trying to get in touch with my brother. Several years ago, he made the decision to "follow his dreams" (hmm) and actually made it on the show. Now they want to find him and have him re-hash the experience for a "Where are they now?" sorta thing that some people [small voice]like me[/small voice] watch in the middle of the night each and every time it comes on.

Who knows what he'll decide. Maybe he didn't get his full 15 minutes out of Access Hollywood, The Big Idea, and whatever weekly entertainment magazine that was [/jealousy?]. I guess we just wait and see.

In the mean time, I'll just sit here and soak it all in and work on my own future claim to fame.

BTW, thanks for the kind, understanding messages. I really appreciate it.

Taking a Pause

I've been neglecting this blog and that was so not supposed to happen. I've just been so busy with, well, life, and I guess writing about life has taken a distant second. Now that I mention it, so has talking on the phone, replying to emails, taking walks, reading, etc.

It's just one of those times.

If I'm being totally honest, I've been bummed. Overwhelmed. A little sad.

Most times, Playette's diagnosis doesn't make a whole heck of a lot of difference in our lives. I mean, who can tell anyway when you're used to what you know. We don't have any other parenting experience to compare this one to, so we just...are.

But sometimes...sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I don't want to go through the feelings of having to take off from work during a busy time to drive 65 miles each way to an ENT appointment (where you wait for over an hour and get seen for 5 minutes - UGH!), only to return, drop Playette off, get stressed at work for 3 hours, go back to pick her up from daycare, and then head to the Speech Therapist for a 30 minute appointment doing just the very same thing that you already do at home out of sheer instinct. Bright side: at least that appointment is local.

Sometimes I don't want to be the person who was "chosen" to face additional challenges. Sometimes I don't want to have to wonder all the time about what other people are wondering. Sometimes I don't want to make yet another phone call to the insurance company. Sometimes I don't want to feel bad that every other child has moved on to the toddler room except Playette because, well, she doesn't crawl, let alone toddle.

So, yeah, I'm no saint. There are people out there much better than me. They choose this life and they love every minute of it. They open their hearts and keep giving and loving until - Until. They inspire me as they should us all. Because, seriously, Ds isn't as big of a deal as even I make it out to be in my head during my weakest of moments. I mean, why can't we accept differences and move on? Why does it have to be SO BIG of a thing? It's not really. And the days that I "get it" I'm so much happier.

And then I can move on to regular stuff that makes me sigh. Stuff that typical people sigh about. Like work. And missing my friends. And being distant from my family. And not being able to get that one stain out of the shower. Dammit.

And just so this post is not completely all weepy, there's some good news.

We've only got one appointment this week.

And it's only 30 minutes.

And it's local.

And we've got a great babysitter for 6 hours on Saturday night. Gratis.

Take that, Crazy Life.

Cotton? China?...Cosmos Seeds?!

Do you know what today is?

In preparation for this day, I did some research. I honestly was wondering what tradition said about second anniversaries, so I went to my go-to, Google, to check it out. Some of stuff is classic so I decided to share. My comments are included.

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By the time a couple celebrates their second anniversary, they are more cozy with one another, making cotton the appropriate anniversary gift for this wedding anniversary celebration.
[Flannel gets such a bad rap. And does it really take 2 years to get to cotton? And how does that correspond with year 1 being paper? Who makes this stuff up?]

Here are some second wedding anniversary ideas and symbols to help you choose cotton or china gifts associated with your 2nd marriage anniversary.

2nd Anniversary Traditional Gift :
Cotton. As a material, cotton is both durable and versatile. These are both important qualities in a successful marriage. Cotton has also been known as a symbol of great prosperity.

2nd Anniversary Contemporary/Modern Gift:
China. Many people describe love as being elegant and beautiful. In the same way many people view love, china is seen as elegant and beautiful, too.
[How many think BD would enjoy receiving this as a symbol of our love?]

2nd Anniversary Gemstone:
Garnet.

2nd Anniversary Color:
Red.

2nd Anniversary Flower:
Cosmos.

The meaning of the cosmos flower is modesty.

Ways to Celebrate Your 2nd Anniversary:

Plan a Cotton Club themed evening together and listen to jazz music.

Plan a movie night and watch your wedding video.
[We are so doing this. Get ready, BD. ]

Get tickets for a movie, sports event, concert, theatre, etc. to attend together.

Make crafts out of cotton balls and frame them.
[Ok, so I made that one up.]

Gift Suggestions to Purchase for Your 2nd Anniversary:
Cotton gloves.
[For the tea party...so we can use the china we bought each other, of course.]

Cotton handkerchiefs or bandannas.

Cotton T-shirts.

Cotton plush towels.

Canvas shopping bag or book bag.
[Go Green!]

Cotton table cloth, napkins or place mats.

Nifty looking cotton socks.
[Hee! I already have socks with monkeys on them. Maybe I can wear them to the tea party.]

Cozy cotton his and hers bathrobes.

Egyptian cotton sheets and pillowcases.
[This I can agree to.]

Rope hammock.
[It's too daggone cold to hang around outside!]

China plates.
[Hook 'em!]

China figurines.
[For Playette to break.]

Garnet jewelry.

Gift Suggestions to Make for your 2nd Anniversary:
Put together a gift basket that has a variety of Cosmos seeds, along with a pair of cotton garden gloves, and a coupon on red paper stating your willingness to help plant the seeds.
[Sweet for some folks, I guess, but we are so not those folks.]

Anyway...

Happy Anniversary, BD!

Next year? Leather.

As promised...

We picked up Playette's 1st birthday photos before heading out of town. Enjoy!

Pardon Me, Guys

I do hope that you'll forgive the long-ish absence. BD came to the realization that his vacation from school was quickly coming to an end and, thusly, we got the heck out of Dodge.

The Big One had nostalgic thoughts of Magic Mountain and I was pretty agreeable to anything resembling actual summer (eee!) activities, so we piled up in the new-to-us-ness that is the 2nd car and drove 5 hours SE to LA.


We stayed with Playette's great-grandmother, who was overjoyed to spend time with her while The Big Ones scoffed at the idea that the X2 ride would really be an unfortunate way to die. [watching that video just freaked me out...I was so naive. The seats flip around, y'all!]


Once we decided to extend our stay, we had some time to fill. Gourmet that I am, I insisted that we must dine on chicken and waffles. Mmmmm, Roscoe's.


Playette enjoyed her vittles.


After that, it was all, "Ok, now what?" So, uh, all that came to mind on short notice was this place I had seen on TV. If anyone else will admit silently that they watch E! and are familiar with a certain family, then you'll know what I mean and I won't have to submit myself to public shame. Besides, Playette needed something matching to go on her feet (cause we didn't pack enough for the longer stay) and the socks we found were just too cute. Mind you, she can snatch them off in 1.8 seconds, but at least they'll have good yard re-sale value. [For those that care, one sister was actually there and drives a very nice car.]

With that complete, it was time to move on to a locale of historical significance. The sun was shining as we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway until we reached Santa Monica Pier.


After enjoying the view for a while, it was time to eat again. Playette enjoyed perusing the wine list.






Our last full day was spent with family (aunts, uncles, and cousins everywhere!) at an enjoyable 4th of July cookout.


(I am so mad that we missed out on getting Cookiepuss. I didn't know until just now that there was even Carvel in Cali. Hmph.)

There was sun, a pool (eee!!!), good food and conversation. I needed that some kinda bad.


BTW, Playette didn't seem to mind the water at all. You might even say she enjoyed it. Woohoo! Hopefully she stays that way since we're due to start swim class in September. Big ups to BD for signing her up since if it rested on me, I might still be posting about going to sign her up a year from now.

Well, on Saturday morning, we packed up and headed home. It was a quiet evening and it's been a low-key Sunday for us. BD starts a new quarter tomorrow and it's back to daycare and work for Playette and I. Who goes where is still to be determined.

I may actually get dressed today. I have a birthday coupon from Cold Stone and it expires on Tuesday. I would cry if I missed out on the free ice cream.

Priorities, people. Priorities.

Also, I think we may have purchased our last tub o' formucrack. Playette is now all about drinking milk!

Who you really came to see...

Check out the greeting I got this morning from Playette and BD.





And yes, this is really the card that Playette gave me.



It reads like a Dr. Seuss book and she laughed all the way through me reading it out loud.

That's my girl!

1,000 Words