Where to Start?!

I guess I'll just give a quick overview of our hectic, fun-filled holiday season and hope it makes sense for you.  Ha!

So, we started off the season with a trip to Hammond's Candy Factory for the tour and the holiday themed madness.  It wasn't as much fun as advertised...but I'd go again a different time of the year to take the tour again and pick up some fantastic candy!

And there was shopping.  And more shopping.  Here's the bad part, and why all of Santa's shopping will be done online or by herself next year:  Dante can look at something I purchased, and he'll remember the store.  He sees his juice boxes, and he says "Juice box from Target, Mama!" or when he saw the MAYONNAISE of all things, and said "Albertson's, Mama."  *headdesk*  So he announced where everything was purchased on Christmas day except for the Xbox (my friend Donna Ann distracted him while I bought it and they put it in a thick red bag and stapled it shut.), my outfit (purchased online), Hubby's jeans (online) and the candy (Donna Ann's distracting abilities shone again!).

Had a picture taken with Santa, which was less than fun since Dante didn't sleep much that day...but he slept on the way home, which is better than nothing, I guess.

One of the high (and low) -lights of this holiday season was baking cookies with my best friend Katie.  We had a blast, working off hardly any sleep with kids who hardly slept and it got more interesting as the day went on...  Near the end of the day, when we were both so incredibly silly and delirious from lack of sleep, Katie went to pull fudge out of the fridge.  She was faced with a dilemma:  save the fudge or save two cartons of eggs.  She made the rational (instinctual) choice and saved the fudge.  Unfortunately, that meant that a few eggs fell on the ground.  So we cleaned that up, and cleaning it actually made the floor even more slick.  We went to the dining room to start organizing platters for our friends, and I noticed the new platters needed to be washed, so I grabbed them and turned around to get to the sink.  As we were joking that my clumsy ass needed to be careful, I slipped, and in my infinite grace, somehow managed to both land on my left hip and twist my right ankle.  Oh, and both hands got hurt in some way.  But I was so amused, I sat and laughed for what may have been a seconds, but it felt like a good five minutes.  It was hilarious!  I sat, crying because I was laughing so hard, and because it hurt like a motha'!  So I limped for a bit, and we got everything baked, everything sorted and labeled and divvied up, and the three of us (Scarlett, Dante and myself) got ready to go.

So, at one point during the day, the kids decided that playing with Dante's super cool Converse with the flames would be a blast, and they disappeared.  No biggie, I thought.  I figured this happens all the time; we were bound to find them when I actually needed them!  Or, not.  I asked him to please put away a toy, and bless his giant, tiny heart, he tried.  He was wearing "non-skid" socks, and he slid on the hardwood floor and slammed his face into a busy box-type thing.  I yelped, and nearly passed out when I saw the pool of blood that started pooling near his eye, eventually finding its way to his gorgeous peepers.  It was everywhere, on me, on Katie, all over his face.  Scarlett was asleep in her car seat, all buckled and ready to go, but considering the severity of the situation, Katie threw my jacket on me (that thankfully had my wallet), grabbed my keys, and shooed Dante and myself out the door and into the car, telling me as we slid our way down her ice rink of a driveway that she had Scarlett, just get him patched up.

Ran to the Children's hospital up near them (AKA: BFE) and there was no wait.  (On the way there, he freaked out a bit (can't blame him) and then he tried to sleep.  But fearing a severe concussion, I kept him awake and made him sing the alphabet.)  They took my insurance card and ID and shuffled us into triage.  While the triage nurse entered info, I got my cards back and we were shown to our exam room.  By this point, Dante was having an adventure.  He jumped on the gurney, and even tried to stand on the doc's spinning seat, but I got him off of that.  Then he moved the child sized chair over to the computer and when the doc came in to talk to us, he told her he was checking his email.  Ha!  But he got cleaned up, and we saw that the gash was smaller than it could have been, and not as close to his eye as I had feared.  So they had me help them pin him down (!) and they washed out his eye again with saline and then glued the skin back together.  For being a good sport (well, as good a sport as an almost 3 year old can be when he's pinned down and scared out his mind) he got a really cool handmade wooden toy from the Kiwanis; a rabbit that rolls.  He also got a really cool sticker, which made him super happy.

Then he played in the waiting room while I paid the co-pay and got all the paperwork together.  I tried to get him to leave and he refused!  I told him we had to get Scarlett so we could go home and he yelled!  "No Scarlett!  Dante play!"  Aw, poor little buddy!  But I pried him away, went back to Katie's to grab my other child and all my stuff, and I stopped by McD's on the way home.  I figured nutrition can take a flying leap when my brave little man wants french fries.  And now his little scar is fading, but gods help me!  That freaked me out!!!

Christmas day was pretty uneventful.  We played Santa, ate cookies and got stuff set up.  And subsequently didn't get much sleep.  But it was all worth it to see the joy on Dante's face as he ripped into his gifts!  I tried to guide Scarlett's hands into opening hers and Dante did most of the dirty work.  We ate leftovers from our huge pot roast dinner on Saturday and nibbled on cookies as Dante and I made ourselves look like idiots, dancing all over the living room.

But I am really looking forward to Spring.  More walks, more greenery, more sunshine...I'm a Spring baby, can't help it.  I can't believe Dante is going to be 3 in March!!  How scary!  It feels like it's been both ten years and ten minutes.  But I have to admit, I was always pretty good at playing by ear, and this has been no exception.

And now I have to pretend to be a grown up and get stuff done.  Blech.

Ketchup. Or, Catsup? Nah, Catch Up.

So, I have been meaning to write about our trip, but there's not a lot that I didn't write about in blurbs on Facebook.  We visited with family, saw the friends that matter most (that weren't sick or not feeling up to seeing anyone, let alone visitors from a strange land) and we had fun!  Halloween was incredibly painful, as I knew it would be.  I'm grateful that we got to spend a good chunk of the day with Chris' parents, who are some of the most awesome people to ever walk the earth, and we went trick or treating with Marisol and her son, Diego.  Nothing exceptionally noteworthy, aside from spending the Sunday before we left with my friend Saz and her gorgeous kids, and the trip from LC to ABQ with Chris' mom (and my terrible bout of stomach flu that lasted exactly 24 hours.  WTF?  Seems I left that little souvenir for my step dad to catch.  Whoops.)

We got to see my brother, whom Dante absolutely adores.  For days, all he could say was "Uncle Jesse!" and it sucked that we didn't get to see more of him.  I must demand in this very public platform that my brother gets his narrow butt up here soon for a visit.  No ands, ifs or buts, J.  You need to get here and stay for at least a warm weekend so we can go to the zoo and a museum and such.  Start saving; food and couch space is on me.

What surprised me the most (in an awesome way) was seeing my cousin Lauren.  I knew in the back of my head that she is now an adult (!)  and going to school, but to see what a gorgeous young lady she has become just blew my mind!  She's incredibly smart, bright, responsible and sweet.  She truly has become the Whole Package, and I am incredibly proud of her.  But part of my brain still goes back 21 years and I remember holding her a month after she was born.  She just blows my mind!

There are a few people I wish I got to spend more time with (Yvonne G., Emilia. Robert, Stacie...) but I sincerely hope they know I tried so hard to see as many people as I could and stretched all three of us incredibly thin.  At the very latest, I'll be there next year for Emilia's wedding come hell or high water, so there's that....

While we were there, Dante's vocabulary grew by leaps and bounds!  Scarlett had her first taste of solid food! She started holding her head up much better!  Dante is making even more of a transition from "toddler" to "real live boy" a la Pinocchio, and we're all richer for the experience.

Since we've been home, I've watched as Dante is even more autonomous and Scarlett is showing her true, precious colors.  Dante is defiant, but I have to remember to step back and be mindful that I can't helicopter him until he's 30.  Scarlett is very much my diva.  She likes things done a certain way, and she'll reward me with a smile and her tongue sticking out.  She has started to cut her first tooth this week, and is now eating solid food twice a day. She's so incredibly pretty, to boot!  Her eyes sparkle when she smiles at me.  I think she's fully aware that I will do anything for her, and it shows.

My gorgeous husband is gone this week, visiting his family.  Before he left, he set up Skype on his computer, and then since he's been down there, he set it up for his mom, too.  So every day since we bought the mic (Wednesday) we've chatted a few times, and Dante is not happy until we call Daddy.  It's sweet.  I love how much Dante loves his dad.

So, I am off to get Dante up, get Scarlett up and cuddle up with some Sesame Street before I make Dante help me clean.  This morning, he emptied out the dishwasher.  Kinda.  He took all the silverware and put it in one spot of the silverware divider, and he put the stock pots where they go without me having to show him.  I did have to show him where the cookie sheet went, but he was so happy to help, I thought his head was going to explode!

Good night!

Invincibility or Motherhood?

I sometimes wonder if there is some secret fuel that only mothers can live off of.  Are toddler hugs a source of energy?  Maybe it's diaper changing that refuels me like I stuck a power cord in my skull.  I guess the world will never know...

Today, er...yesterday for you day walkers, my friend took Dante, Scarlett and me to a music class.  Part of my brain went directly to "Oh, my goth.  What would 18 year old me say if she saw me now?" And the other part went "Holy crap, my son is stinkin' cute!"  The stinkin' cute bit won, and I am willing to sacrifice and recharge off magic spit up fuel if that's what it takes to get Dante in a music class 2 times a month.  I need to ask the teacher if I can take pictures, since his happy face is a smile that could launch an entire armada.

Speaking of happy faces, my friend in Montana (there's only one.  Maybe if I ever get up there I can make a few more...) decided to make me a happy camper and sent a care package!  I not only got a cool Scentsy disc (cinnamon!  YAY!), but she sent Scarlett a gorgeous outfit that should fit next summer with the way she eats, a couple of gorgeous bibs she embroidered, and Dante got a bad ass chalk and bubbles set!  He was so excited, I thought his head was going to explode!  (Excitement aside, if you decide you want some cool Scentsy stuff, I will get you her info.  If you are in Billings and need an awesome cut and color, same gorgeous gal.  Let me know.  =D)

On the agenda for today:  Lunch with a friend, assuming she gets back to me...I texted pretty late because I'm a space cadet, a trip to Albertson's with my binder (and the kids, since the nanny has the decade off) and then dinner with another good friend and her gorgeous kiddos.

I sometimes wonder if I spread myself too thin, but then I remember that I am a lucky be-otch.  I have wonderful friends, a fantastic husband, gorgeous kids and two legs that work.  I am luckier than a lot of people.  Sure, I'm pudgy (thanks, Scarlett!  LOL!) and I'm hundreds of miles from my family, and not too easy on the eyes, even when I'm emaciated (I got the pictures to prove it!), but dammit, I'm happy, even if I am an insomniac and always short on cash.  I think what saves me most days is my optimism.  Maybe that's my super power, my fuel.  Other people would have crumbled with the last year I've had, and yet I'm not just treading water, I'm swimming when I don't even know how to swim.

What I'm getting at, is that even though we don't have a lot, I like going out and seeing the people that matter.  In the end, when I am on my deathbed (hopefully it'll be as cool as Frida's), I'll be able to look back at all the memories and experiences and just...go.  I'll have few regrets and a couple of gorgeous kids happily pulling the plug knowing I'm done.  I've lived my life to as full as I could make it, exhaustion be damned.  I don't know how many days I have left, and I am going to cram them all as full as I can....

I'm Too Young for a "Senior Moment!" Aren't I?

The last few days have been interesting, to say the least.  Sunday, we went to get groceries with my friend Mindy, and Dante was...Dante.  I know.  Shocker.
We went to two stores.  That's it.  We started at Sunflower and as we were piling back into the car, we noticed Dante's butt was wet.  Sigh.  His diaper leaked.  And when I say "leaked," I mean that his ass was sopping wet and smelled like a bus station.  So Mindy changed his diaper while I got him juice, and then I soaked his shorts in water, wrung them out, and wrapped them in a polar fleece blanket that I had in the back.  By the time we got to Albertson's, they were still wet.  Damn.  So he got wrapped in his daddy's hoodie that I had in the car and we made him leave it on for the remainder of our shopping trip.  He looked incredibly silly, but he's too old to be a pants-less baby in a supermarket.  I actually tried to use it as a "teaching moment," but the idea was quickly lost on him.

Yesterday I finally got to see my doc for my post partum check up.  Damn scheduling conflicts!  HAHA!  So, I took Scarlett (to show her off, of course!) and had a decent chat with my doc.  We discussed my IUD options, and it looks like Mirena's the winner.  I go back on October 10th for that, and before then, at some point, I need to go back to Quest Diagnostics for another glucose screen.  Not looking forward to it, but it has to be done.  Especially since this wasn't done last time!

Started the laundry last night a bit earlier than usual, and while it was going, I decided I was going to make bacon and roast some Hatch chiles I got while shopping, and when I was done making the bacon, I poured the grease into my bacon grease container.  (WHAT?  I like to use it to make eggs because of the way my pans stick.  And it's delicious.)  I went to take the full container and put it out of the way and it spilled all over my hands!  GAH!  I have never cried or cursed that way before.  Poor Dante came rushing into the kitchen to help me (how sweet is that?) and he slipped in the grease.  Hubby just about caught him and he barely tapped his head on the floor.  That made me even more inconsolable and the rest of last night is mostly a blur.  I know I spent HOURS with my hands in ice water and every so often taking them out of the water to rub in some First Degree homeopathic ointment.  (I think that stuff is awesome...on first degree burns.  Downright useless on 2nd-3rd degree grease burns.  FYI.)

Because I couldn't cook and because he didn't want to, Hubby ordered pizza.  Fine with me; it's actually been a looooooong time since we ordered a pizza.  But I have no idea what I'm making tonight now that I can use my left hand.  Any kind of heat, even lukewarm water hurts like a sunofabeetch.  Which ought to make loading the dishwasher fun since I have to basically pre-wash them if they intend to get clean in this crappy dishwasher.

Today we went to Walgreen's for burn spray and cooling pads and while we were there, I made good use of my recently completed coupon binder.  M&M's bags were on sale 2/$5, and I had 3 $1 off coupons.  You get a $5 Register Rewards (a coupon to use on a later transaction) when you buy 4 bags, so I spent $7 and got $5 back.  I used that $5 on 3 packs of wipes, a notepad for the fridge for Dante to color on while I cook and a pack of smokes, 4 packs of gum (had a coupon for $1 off 3 and they were 2/$1) and a 20 oz Mountain Dew.  Wound up spending $6 on that transaction.  I am a bad ass.  I even gave the guy ahead of me in line one of my $1 off 3 packs of gum coupon.  When I pulled it out of my binder, the guy behind me in line said my book was cool.  I told him I'm neurotic and got on with what I was doing.  When we left, I adjusted the shade over Scarlett's face, and he walked past me and told me I wasn't neurotic, I'm thrifty.  I got a good giggle and went on my merry way.

Every so often I wonder where my head would be it wasn't screwed on so tight.  I'd probably keep it in the fridge, right next to my jar of chopped garlic that I keep losing in there.

Today, It Rained.

What a day!  Took my Scarlett to her one month check up (a little late, whoops!) and she got a clean bill of health.  She's 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and 21 1/2 inches long.  She has a fast pulse, but no murmur, and Doc says she's gorgeous.  But I knew that.  =D

We raced to my appointment at 3, but, alas, I got there too late and had to reschedule for the 15th since my doc will be on vacation all of next week.  Yippee.  (*SARCASM*)  Fed Scarlett in the waiting room anyways, and then we ran by the bank really quick to get cash.

While we were at the bank, I had an old mix cd in, and Bullet by Covenant came on.  I immediately remembered when Chris got that cd.  We went together to the Hastings on Montgomery (in ABQ) and we both heard that song and fell in love with how well it was written.  The split second my brain recognized the song, it started to rain.  I laughed at the coincidence, until the next song came on.  Daddy by Ulcer.

And then it rained some more, hitting my face thanks to an open window and utter disbelief.  When I drove away, I looked up, and it seemed like the black cloud was following me.  A few blocks over, it was sunny, but the whole way home, I had my own cloud hanging over my car.  I wanted to apologize to all the folks who were on bikes that shared the road with me.  (I will never forget when Chris came to LC for my birthday one year on his motorcycle, and he told me that it rained on the way.  That's when he told me that riding a motorcycle in the rain was like getting acupuncture from an epileptic.  I loved his wit.)  As I pulled into my building's garage, the rain stopped.  

It was odd and surreal, and it put me on edge.  I'm still a bit weirded out, but there's not a whole lot I can do besides chalk it up to my over active brain.  Maybe it was someone else's black cloud and I just happened to put the wrong cd in.  I guess I'll never know....

Edit:  I almost forgot!  Today at Scarlett's appointment, Doc let Dante pick a toy from the Toy Chest and he picked a pretty pink necklace and a gold heart bracelet.  He loves them both!  It's so darling!  He looks quite dashing in pink, let me tell you!  LOL!

Bullet: Dodged. For Now.

Yesterday, I called the doc's office and got some great news!  In order to "pass" the 3 hour glucose screen, I had to get decent scores on 2 of the 4 tests.  I was happily surprised to hear that I only got an abnormal score on the 2nd stick, the one that's one hour after I guzzled that nasty Glucola.  But considering it's 100 grams of glucose, I'm not surprised.  I have to get tested again in a month, but that's a whole month of sweet (LOL!) freedom!  I am tempted to ask if they can "prescribe" a glucose meter so I can start keeping track, and can make better choices without the diabetes diagnosis.  I am just tickled pink that for now, I'm A-OK.  I was dreading the thought of having to have insulin during labor like I did with Dante.  That sucked a big one.

I'm still being a neurotic freak with my carb intake, and going as protein heavy as I can.  I am still working my now non-existent ass off trying to avoid that terrible diagnosis again.  (While I'm thinking about it, how the hell did my once glorious booty disappear?  I used to be able to hold a pair of jeans up without a belt!  WTH?)

That being said, I had a great day today with Dante.  We went to see my friend's son's kindergarten graduation, and then went for pizza after.  Dante was himself:  Loud, funny, smart and gorgeous.  He ate quite a bit of my tuna salad and some of his pizza, and he had a lot of fun showing off his alphabet skills.  He flirted with one of our servers, and threw pizza dough all over the restaurant.  Same old, same old.  =D

I am a bit worried, though.  I can't lie.  I have this fear that Dante may feel neglected when his sister gets here.  I remember when he was teeny tiny, and every waking (and sometimes sleeping) moment was spent on him.  Granted, I have more experience this time, but there is only one of me.  My husband is a hard worker who goes in early to make sure he's set up at work, and it's mostly just me here to make sure Dante is fed, dressed, clean and happy.  While he has recently learned how to put his dishes in the sink (as opposed to the trash, which was really obnoxious there for a bit...) and he can sit and "read" a book or dance all by himself, I'm afraid he'll feel like he doesn't matter when I have a little girl who is even more helpless than he is.  Having a younger brother, I know that feeling.  I think that's why I loved sticking my nose in a book.  I got to get out of the way while everyone doted on my little brother.  I wouldn't be surprised if my mom told you (or me) that she would forget I existed because I would just sit in one place and read for hours, while my little bro would play loudly in the next room.  Seeing how hard it was to make him eat ANYTHING, I ate what was put in front of me, for the most part.  The only reason I wouldn't eat broccoli, per se, was just so they would remember I was there.  I'm seriously afraid of how Dante is going to react when she shows up.

AND ANOTHER THING...names are eluding me.  There are a lot of gorgeous names for girls, but so many are too popular (I don't want Little Miss to be one of 5 "Olivia's" for example) or too weird, or don't fit my insanely weird criteria.  I want something off the beaten track, but not off the wall.  I want to honor my best friend that passed, and/or one of the many great ladies I am lucky enough to be related to.  I want one of her names to reflect her Hispanic heritage.  I want it to flow with our last name.  There are some names I just flat out refuse because people I don't like have that name.  I'm stuck, and I hate it.  With Dante, it was easy.  When Hubby and I started dating, he told me he WILL have a son, and his name WILL BE Dante.  That was it.  His middle name was fun to find, after a friend suggested we go tongue in cheek and find a middle name that means "fire."  (Get it?  Dante's Inferno?  BWAHAHAHA!  Sad thing is, he's a spit fire, so it works!)

So, that's where my brain is right about now...Now I have to get us both dressed again so I can go get Tums, since I'm out.  That's been my drug of choice as of late....

Walking Brain Fart

I am a walking brain fart.  I'll have my keys in my hand while I'm looking for them.  That being said, I feel bad for not posting anything yet about my 20 week anatomy scan that took place this past Monday.  It went great!  I got some great pictures (14!) on a pretty disc, and I need to remember to walk to Walgreen's tomorrow to pick them up since I spaced it today.  Baby is about 12 ounces, huge, and already a bully.  I got to watch the little bugger punch me!  Didn't feel it, but I saw it!  LOL!

So, last night after my boys went to bed, I decided to take a shower and take my sweet time since I had the place to myself, essentially.  I'm about to step in when my feet squish on the bath mat.  Seems that SOMEHOW Dante's shampoo landed on it and leaked.  Great.  It was a big enough spot that I couldn't rinse it off in the sink. So I figured I'd share the shower with the damn rug to see if I could get it out, then I had planned on wringing it dry and letting it hang.  After trying to wring it, I realized that it reeked!  So I tiptoed out to the laundry room and washed it.  Yeah.  When I say I'm insane, I'm really not kidding.  So I got to stay up while my bath rug and my kitchen rugs (What?  Not gonna waste a load of laundry on ONE ITEM.  That's not my way!) went through the wash.  I wasn't going to dry them (especially the bath mat since it has a rubber back) but then I figured that may have been part of the reason for that smell.  So I set the dryer on "Delicate" and waited patiently in this same spot.  Mmmm, couch and laptop.....  Anyways, I didn't get to bed til almost 4am.

But today, er, Wednesday, wasn't bad for the most part.  Took Dante to Target for a few things that I knew were on sale (and that I had coupons for!) and priced out stuff for his party.  Lo and behold, Target was too expensive for what I want, even with all my coupons, so it can wait til I get to Albertson's and King Soopers.  Then we went for a cup of coffee with one of my dearest friends, Scott, so we could catch up and I could show him the ultrasound pics.  While we were waiting for Scott to get there, Chris "Birdman" Anderson showed up with a friend and I realized from that vantage point that his head grazes the menu board.  Next time you go to Starbucks, take a good look at the menu and imagine someone's head getting so close to hitting it that if you smelled that menu, you'd smell his hair products.  Got to talk a little smack about the Spurs, and he had a fangirl all but throw her panties at him, and he booked it out of there like a bat out of hell.  Can't blame him!  (Of note, Denver won 115-112.  Good.)

On a different note, I realized today that I have a lot of pet peeves.  Enough that I could easily bitch about one a week and be set for a long, long time.  I also realized that I could very easily write reviews from a tired mom's perspective about different activities and restaurants around the Denver Metro area.  Let me know what you think!  While yes, for the most part, this little piece of the blogosphere is for me, I also want to have little bursts of my brain farts around for Dante and the Impending Doom to reference when they are curious as to what my reaction might be to something.

And on that happy note, I think I am going to waddle over to my meds, waddle to the bathroom, and pray I don't kill myself on any of Dante's toys as I waddle to bed.