Sunday, October 12, 2008

Four Birthdays, a Bachelorette Party and Battleship

I must apologize for not keeping anyone up to date in my world. My one excuse is that I myself am not up to date with it.

I can tell you that I have recently taken part in THREE birthdays, plus my own. First was DD's, she's nine! We had a couple of her girlfriends over, ordered pizza and soda, inflated enough balloons to cover the ceiling of both the living room and the kitchen, and let the living room resonate with the sountrack from Camp Rock. DD had a great time and so did I.

Second birthday: MINE!! I turned 29 this year (can you believe it???)! I know, you probably hate me, because most people think I barely look 22...although that would be a lot harder to explain DD! The kids "bought" me a white gold shaped heart pendant with a pink saphire stone in the center of a small flower, the word "MOM" in script across the width. DH, surprisingly, paid attention to our previous trip to the mall and gave me a pair of white gold and diamond "huggies". I love them! He had his brother come over and watch the kids and he took me to dinner at Red Lobster and then we went to the casino and played a few hands of cards before coming home.

Third birthday? My mother's! Unfortunately, because of the hundreds of miles I did not get to see her but I sent her a birthday card that I had recently made at a Birthday Stamp-A-Stack. My mom is probably the most creative person I know and she has been doing the cardmaking/scrapbooking/rubberstamping thing for YEARS. Now that I have started the Stampin' Up thing, I feel closer to her and I am so happy to finally share a past time with her.

Fourth birthday? DH's!! He's Thirty this year!! He was actually home to celebrate so I took him to dinner. We are trying to get his pick up sponsored by a local auto shop and so my gift to him is a small donation to his "fund".

Let's see, the next item on my list: my first Bachelorete Party!! Yeah, for reals. 29 and it was my first one! A friend at work is getting married and she invited me. I did not know what to expect and was a little apprehensive. But I had a great time. I felt so welcome and a part of everything. We played games at her home, ate and went dancing. I was the second oldest "partier" and was unbelievably tired, surprisingly I made it until midnight! Me, up and moving, not cleaning, out of the house, until midnight. INCREDIBLE. The next morning my sides hurt from laughing so much the night before. A great experience!

Now, the game piece story. Let's just say, Battleship will not be allowed in this house - EVER!! The other day I picked up DS at the daycare and instead of running into me and using his muscle man grip to squeeze my leg, he simply walked over to me with his finger up his nose. Granted, he is just a few weeks shy of being four, but I am trying to impress upon him the importance of not touching his face with his hands. As I signed him out and gathered his papers, he kept putting his finger up his nose. Finally I reached over and grabbed a tissue, bent down to his level and asked that he blow his nose. Then he told me "No - the game is in there." WHAT?!?!?! Panic starts in the depths of my stomach and I feel my throat closing. I hold his tiny face in my hands and try to push the panic down and somehow manage to ask him quietly: "what did you say?" Again, this time looking annoyed, he tells me "I put the game in my nose." I tilt his head back and sure enough, there in my son's nose is this white piece of plastic. (QUIET SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I look around at the teachers and ask them to get me a bulb syringe...but at the time I couldn't remember what it was called and asked for the booger sucker. Way to go, Mom.

I lay DS down on the play room carpet, and start squeezing the syringe to try to remove this white peg from my son's nose. No use. Everytime I put the tip in his nose, DS wrinkles his nose causing this thing to move further back. PANIC! All I can think about is him damaging his sinuses or something horrible. How am I going to get him to a doctor without him sticking his finger up his nose and causing more harm? Worse yet, the pediatric clinic has closed for the day and now I have no choice but to take him to the emergency room and wait the average of eight hours on a week night with one kid who has a foreign object crammed up his left nostril and another one who feels that God has punished her with her brother. Perfect.

Somehow, I remain calm. Credit that to five years in the military and being trained to treat sucking chest wounds and gunshots, not for my baby to have this THING up his nose. I can't reach this plastic thing. I can't move it down. I can't get it out! I'm getting frustrated and panic is starting to occupy my brain. Think, mama, think! DD is holding off the few remaining kids in a corner, tears streaming down her poor little face. I have to do something. And then, like a light bulb, my tweezers pop into my mind. I ask the teachers if they have any tweezers. No. NOW WHAT?!?!?! Wait, I have a pair in my purse. I tell DD to run and grab my purse from the car. She is back in record time. Poor thing probably ran faster than she ever has just for this moment.

I dump my purse, find the tweezers, wipe them down with a wipey, place my left hand on DS's face, and I remove the peg that is supposed to cover a portion of a ship when the other person "fires".

*HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF*

The life of a mother. I have gone through more with my children than I have in my entire life. And if you know me, I have lived through more than five people three times my age.

So, now that I am considering getting something for sleep, something for stress, something for the potential stroke and heart attack that I know my children will cause, I remember to pray and give thanks. Because as much stress as they cause me, they fill my life with love and incredible happiness. 99.98% of the time.

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