Milestones and Meltdowns

Ahh, summer...It's HOTTT (3 T's=very hot)! This week Abby and I have been hanging out in the house alot, BORING I know but if we go outside we will melt. We tried to go the playground, fail. Our favourite playground is brand new and in about 10 years it will be perfect, once the trees grow in. Right now there is no shade and alas it's a bit toasty for sliding and running around. The tantrums have continued this week. Why was I told it was the terrible "Two's"? It's obviously the terrible 14.5 months. Everything is a meltdown: I won't let her eat my toothpaste-meltdown. I won't let her take sharp knifes out of the dishwasher-meltdown. I won't let her dump Max's water bowls on the ground-meltdown. Basically, I'm a big ole meanie who won't let her do anything. I can't wait till she is a teenager!
Milestone for this week: Abby now shakes her head for yes and no. I discovered this when I was singing her one of our favourite songs to sing, "Hello, Hello. Who's your lady friend?" (I sing Abby mostly WWI and WWII era songs taught to me by my Grandad, she eats them up like candy!) I asked her if she wanted me to sing it again, and she nodded her head yes. The realization that she is understanding more and more words and concepts is amazing. Also makes me think, shit! I need to stop cursing so much and watch what I say in front her now. dammit.

Pittsburghitis

I own a toddler. duh I knew that this was coming. I was expecting it but I didn't think it would come so fast. I took Abby to get a haircut at Cartoon Cuts (so awesome by the way). I was a little worried about how the cut would go, I told the lady-if you can just get the bangs that's cool. To my utter shock Abby sat in that little chair, watching Elmo, like she gets her hair cut all the time and it's sooooooo not a big deal. We left the salon with the CUTEST hair cut in the world. Later that day I looked at my baby and was shocked to see that, my baby was gone and in her place is a running, tantrum having, toddler. sad. I watched her 1 year video this week and cried. I feel like I didn't appreciate all her stages,when she was teeny weeny I was waiting for her to able to sit up, and then I wanted her to crawl, and then I wanted her to eat solids, and then I wanted her to walk, etc... everyone does that right?
This weekend we WERE planning a trip to Pittsburgh to see family, go to the zoo, and generally have lots of fun. Wednesday night Abby was FUSSY w/ a capital F, felt like she was burning up to me but took her temp and it was normal. I trusted my $40 thermometer and assumed she was over dressed. The next day she would not eat breakfast and when we went to Target she got fussy, this is not like her she LOVES to go to Target, came home for lunch, she turned her nose up at lunch and then cried. hmmmmm....I thought, she feels warm again, but again my trusty thermometer would not lie to me right? As we were going away I thought (my mommy alarm went off) let me just call the pedi to see if they can check her ears because it would be our luck to go away and then have her be sick while we are there. I took her to the pedi and her temp was 101.4, what? My thermometer is a piece of shit apparently, so glad I wasted $40 on it, not happy. Her ears were OK, the one that was infected 2 weeks ago is still a bit "weird" according to the pedi but not infected, her throat was very red but not strep. Abby has a virus that is going around, every kid who has come into her office this week has the same fever and sore throat. I ask her the question, "should we still go away?" hoping she will say, sure it's no biggie... "I wouldn't", she says. Pittsburghitis strikes again. What is Pittsburghitis you say? well, when I was younger and we would go to Pittsburgh 9 times out of 10 I would get strep throat right before we would go or while we were there. Apparently it is hereditary.
So yesterday Abby's fever got up to 104.1. Yikes! I got a new thermometer, which seems to get working correctly, another $40. When I took her temp and it was 104 Abby was running around, laughing, talking non stop, playing, generally have the time of her life. wha? When I had mastitis my temp got up to 104 and I was lying on the couch, wrapped in a thousand blankets, crying my eyes out. Am I a big wimp? Or is Abby just a trooper? Since yesterday her fever has only gone up to 101 so I'm hoping we have seen the worst of this virus. Now we just have to plan our trip to Pittsburgh AGAIN and hope Pittsburghitis doesn't rear it's ugly head.

FAIL

Ever have one of those days as a mom/woman/human that you just feel like you are just sucking at everything? I am almost to the end of one of those days right now. I have got nothing accomplished today in my house, the bathroom is DISGUSTING especially since I took a shower w/ Abby this morning and put her on the floor after wrapped in a towel and she then peed. The kitchen looks like bed bath and beyond threw up w/ dishes and lord knows what everywhere. I turned my back on Abby for one second while attempting to make dinner and she proceeded to get her arm caught in the bars on the baby gate in such a way that I have NO IDEA how she got it in there. Of course this was right as Edgar was walking in the door and I'm screaming, "o my god!!!!!!!" and he's like "WHAT?" I honestly don't know how we got her arm out w/o breaking it, her arm was at such a weird angle. She is fine, her arm moves and she is now laughing and being herself again, I am still shaking and panicked.
The one thing that I thought I did right today was to buy a new bathing suit. I HATE shopping for these things, I'm sure I'm not alone in this. My problem is I have breasts. Big ones. And I'm still nursing so...draw your own conclusions. All the suits I try on are too small in the boob area, who the hell do they make these things for??? But today I found a semi decent suit, a 2 piece, cute colours! On sale too! I tried it on, not too shabby. I mean the boobs are definitly noticable but it's kind of hard to disguise them in a bathing suit you know? Eukeka! I thought, hooray the search is over!!!!!!!!!! I proudly brought my new suit home, tried it on again. Ok, ok...I can wear this I think. Edgar came home and proudly I try it on for him after dinner, anticipating the compliments. "It's too small on top." are the first words out of his mouth. "yea you are right, I'm taking it back" I respond. Wtf.

hey no fair!

so...Edgar just got back from church and getting his hair cut, he was gone for almost 2 hours. Now he is taking a nice shower before heading upstairs for a day of working from home on a sunday no less! While he was at church I fed Abby breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, kept Abby from injuring herself and lord knows what else, entertained her w/o putting her infront of the TV, put loads of laundry in the wash, and kept Max from licking his boo boo leg. um....hey! NO FAIR! I would like to take a shower, I would like to get my hair cut with out having to drag Abby along and rush home again afterwards to make dinner or something. I guess this is just the age old difference between men and women, I guess I didn't notice it before I had a baby so much and became a stay at home mom. I don't mind cleaning and cooking and taking care of Abby, but sometimes I would like a break ya know?
ok I'm finished complaining about that now. In his defense, Edgar is folding clothes right now.
Abby's latest obsession is my belly button. weird right? Not so comfortable for me either, I kind of don't like little people pulling up my shirt and putting their fingers into my belly button as hard as they can. Reminds me of a guy I dated who had this fear his belly button would unravel, hee hee, traumatized by his older brother. He would totally freak out if you went near his belly button! She is also very into blowing rasberries on my belly, which is totally hilarious! We get many laughs from that.
I am lucky to have a great life, sometimes it gets on my nerves but it could be sooooo much worse, or I could have Abby in daycare 10 hrs a day and have to work and do all this stuff too. Ok...back to cleaning now!

what to do...

with a toddler? Abby and I are much more mobile now than we used to be so we are always looking for new things to do. I try to go somewhere with her everyday, it may not always be someplace spectacular and fun but it's out of the house ya know? Now that the weather is getting nicer (will it ever stop raining?) I am looking forward to more trips to the zoo, maybe a museum if I'm daring? We are so close to DC and a lot of pretty cool (free) stuff so I feel like I should take advantage of it. I have met some great moms through Little Gym and we try to get together at least once a week to have some fun, I'm proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone to make some new friends. It's been a little hard lately, my circle of friends seems to be getting smaller, people are busy with other things and new projects (I know, tiny violins are playing) so if I'm going to have some friends I need to be proactive. Although I have to say when I am busy I do try to make time for my friends, I just had to say it-there it's out there :) Next week I'm going to a moms night out dinner at the Melting Pot, I have always wanted to go there so I'm excited and I will get to meet some new moms to hopefully connect with and have a great time. Abby is awake and now I must go and put her back to sleep w/ my magic Mommy powers! nite!