JTOK Chatter > Page 371

First dead toy.

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So a bunch of friends really recommended the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet…so of course we got it. As soon as Owen noticed it, he took right to it—unfortunately, taking every letter off the door and putting it on the floor.

Now, while it was certainly cute to watch, he started taking the pieces around the house, and I could easily see him losing all the pieces and making me insane. Instead of one toy to play with, it was really 27 pieces! To lose! FUN!

So I decided for my own sanity, I would put the letters away until he was a bit older. The base still had a button to press which played the ABC song, and he liked that.

Fast forward to Grandpa Mike and Grandma Linda visiting. With Sassea and her water bowl. Which Owen LOVES to sneak into and play in.

Well, let’s just say the LeapFrog Alphabet is no more. Owen was playing with the base and in a flash, had taken it off the fridge, scurried into the dining room, and dunked it in the water bowl!

We immediately dried it out and placed it in a bowl of rice in a warm oven…and left it sit overnight…but no luck. Well, it did turn on and play one round of the ABC song but then it was dead.

I guess when we buy it again, he’ll have two sets of letters. 😐

Pediatrician Revisit

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Since the nightly Zyrtec hadn’t helped any, we scheduled a revisit with the pediatrician. We were there on time and put it a room at our appointment time, but the doc didn’t come in until almost 30 minutes later. BOOOOOO HISSSSSS. And on top of that, it was a substitute doc, which the nurse only told me about AS we were walking into the room. Not that it necessarily would have altered our decision to visit, but I think something like that should be known as ahead of time as possible in case there were issues. I was pretty irritated by that time, too, since it’s a small office and I knew no one else was there—so why the long wait? I know I can’t possibly know all the details, so it may have been justified, but I was still irritated. Also, it was Owen’s nap time but that had been the only appointment available that day. Had the doc came in on time—or even close to on-time—we would have been out of there before the crankiness attacked (keep reading).

So the doc comes in and he’s an older Indian guy and pretty nice. Unfortunately, Owen didn’t really like him—and it was nap time—and he pretty much cried and fussed loudly the whole time the doc was looking in his ears, listening to his chest, and looking at his throat. I don’t think Owen would have been that fussy normally, so I think he knew it was someone new (unfamiliar) and didn’t like it. Luckily the doc didn’t have to do anything too invasive so it was over pretty quick. Unfortunately, Owen didn’t calm down as quickly as he normally does (like after shots).

His determination? Basically, the gunk—a minor ear infection and congestion. One wasn’t the cause of the other, but they could affect one another. Or something like that. Whatever the case, I got two prescriptions—one antibiotic and a cough syrup. And I was to continue with the Zyrtec at bedtime.

Of course, Owen was sleeping in about two minutes, so I decided to swing by Walgreens to drop of the scripts, planning to pick them up when Tom got home. But the lady said it would only be 20 minutes, so I said I’d wait, figuring that I’d still be able to get Owen in the house to finish his nap since he wouldn’t have been sleeping that long. Except that it took about 35 minutes for the scripts to be done >:XX so that by the time we got home Owen had been alseep for about 45 minutes. It seemed he was going to fall back to sleep in the crib…but he didn’t. Which meant I then had to deal with a cranky and still-tired little boy. NOT FUN. I managed to give him his medicines with not too much terror.

He did take a good two-hour afternoon nap (which my sanity really needed). The rest of the night went pretty well, and then it was time for all three meds before bedtime. It was a MAJOR struggle getting him to take the meds and that was with me holding him down and Tom administering the stuff. But we did it and as soon as we were done, Owen was fine and went right back to playing. Then it was time for his milk, and that was going well, too, until…

SURPRISE!…the projectile vomiting of wonderfully-staining fruit [blueberries and strawberries from dinner], curdled-looking cottage-cheesy milk, and all three medicines all over me…and the couch…and the floor.

Talk about YUCK. XX(

After we got the basics cleaned up, he was just fine—happy and giggling and playing. Of course. After he went to bed, the major couch clean up started (I think it will survive) and the laundry started (I hope my pants survive).

So, from now on, we’re dropping the Zyrtec and alternating the antibiotic and the cough medicine (or dropping it entirely until we think he needs it). I am NOT going to do that again.

Busy busy busy!

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Owen loves playing with his cars and trucks…ON the entertainment center and NEVER on the floor. I guess the wood surface is smoother and more fun than the carpeted floor. He can play like this for the longest time!

District Court can kiss my ass.

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>:XX

What the hell is the point of offering traffic ticket recipients the option to write a letter of explanation for a possible reduced ticket … if you don’t even read the letter and just charge me regardless? At least pretend to care, bastards.

Yes, I know it was my fault in the end (god forbid the Secretary of State be partially to blame!), but don’t give me an option and then ignore it entirely.

And really? $125 for expired tags? What a crock. My speeding ticket [seven years ago] was $125. I think speeding is a bit more reckless than expired tags.

>:XX

Water table!

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A bunch of our friends had said WONDERFUL things about an outdoor water table, so of course we had to get one. And of course, with as much as Owen now loves splashing in the water, we knew it would be a hit!

He was in it before I even had started putting it together:

Water table inside

Once it was outside, he instantly started splashing in it…and it was right next to his little pool, so he enjoyed splashing in both at the same time:

Water table outside

I am almost done with being domestic today.

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I have fed the boy breakfast and lunch.
I have made hard-boiled eggs.
I have watered the herbs.
I have baked potatoes for a new potato salad recipe.
I am frying bacon for that same recipe, plus for our BLT pizza tonight.
I have gone grocery shopping.
I have (well, we have) been to the farmer’s market.
I have filled Owen’s pool and splashed with him.
I have pretty much burnt the last batch of bacon. >:XX

I am done. DONE! My back is killing me. Tomorrow will honestly be a day of rest (or so I hope).

The crying has changed a little…

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He now starts crying (well, whining) before we even get him upstairs! Like he knows what’s coming and doesn’t want to go! Even though we don’t like it (it still breaks our hearts), we can understand it because it means no more playing, no more Sesame Street, and no more mom and dad.

But that still doesn’t explain why he’s been waking up after a few hours and doing the same thing. Or crying worse. The two things may not even be related!

Thankfully, though, he still only cries for a few minutes (if that) before he stops and lays down.

What a kid.

Owen and the Pizza Crust

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We know he likes pizza, and we often give him bites of crust or crust and cheese. We’ve tried giving him larger pieces of things (like half a granola bar) and he doesn’t want it and just smashes it instead.

But today, after eating a handful of pieces, he was looking longingly at my crust…so instead of giving it to Maggie, I gave it to him. Watch as it quickly disappears!

P.S. He did end up eating the piece he spit out. 😀

The pediatrician doesn’t know, either.

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So, the pediatrician said that his ears were a little red, but nothing to worry about at all. She was more worried about his congested cough, which of course sounded much worse there in the office than it normally does at home (he did some shrieking-while-inhaling thing that she DID. NOT. LIKE.) and she said she thought it sounded croup-like, but was reassured when I said he had NEVER coughed like that before that moment, and he generally only coughs, in general, a handful of times in 24 hours.

She also checked his mouth and didn’t see any new teeth even remotely coming in so teething is pretty much out.

So I’m to give him allergy meds (generic Zyrtec) once a day at dinner and then let her know if he’s better or not by Monday. She said the allergy stuff should help dry him up so that the congested cough goes away. I’ve been giving it to him on and off, but more off because I hate giving him meds if I can help it. But, apparently, I should have continued. Who knew?

That said, her best guess to the waking-crying-thing was either a) nightmares or b) the congestion waking him up, then him being freaked out. She said it could really be 100 things, and she didn’t have anything concrete to tell me…which is basically what I expected.

Facebook Status Updates

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  • Jennifer Hudson has learned that Maggie can open the screen door to let herself in if you don’t do it in time.
  • Jennifer Hudson really wishes people would pick up after their kids at the park. This is not your personal trash can.
  • Jennifer Hudson Finally. After almost nine years I have a wedding album!
  • Jennifer Hudson hates when I FINALLY decide to buy something online because I can’t find it locally…then two days later I find it locally…on clearance.
  • Jennifer Hudson has cut the 750+ photos from this weekend down to 333 on the first run through.
  • Jennifer Hudson is exhausted. Owen decided not to sleep last night, and instead scream every time we put him down. I ended up in the rocking chair with him—he slept, I didn’t.
  • Jennifer Hudson just took 600+ pictures of Owen in his pool with his new garage-sale slide. Sooooo much fun!
  • Jennifer Hudson is having a hard time reconciling Mr. Noodle being the creepy serial killer on CSI.
  • Jennifer Hudson just saw this response to a news article: “It just babbles my mind.” I’m not sure whether to laugh or be dumbfounded at the stupidity.
  • Jennifer Hudson just heard a loud clunk from upstairs–which means the little man is up and tossed the wipes off the dresser.
  • Jennifer Hudson is bummed that 1) LOST is over and 2) they ended it like they did. But mostly #1.
  • Jennifer Hudson knows road work has to be done, but I hate living in the middle of it—our main intersection is predicted to be janked through November and our neighborhood until August. BOOOOOOOO!
  • Jennifer Hudson had the king-sized bed covered with three cat-puke-prevention towels while we were gone…and the damn cat managed to barf in the 1/2″ seam where there was no towel.
  • Jennifer Hudson needs another Margarita.
  • Jennifer Hudson had a dream about John Casey last night. IBIMB.
  • Jennifer Hudson has a crankopotamus for a kid today.
  • Jennifer Hudson just bruised her arm and almost threw out her back trying to open a >:XX window. I hate this house sometimes.
  • Jennifer Hudson is being driven absolutely insane by our exceedingly intermittent internet connection.
  • Jennifer Hudson thinks the toddler shoe aisle is the mist frustrating place. Nothing in the right place, single shoes everywhere, shoes in wrong boxes. I hate people who disrupt aisles like that.
  • Jennifer Hudson 1) Harleys should NOT be allowed to run before 7am. Hell, 6am. Thank you SO much, neighbor. At least I finally fell back to sleep. 2) Stepping in cat vomit is NOT a good way to start the morning, especially when you’re carring a kid. 3) M-O-N-S-T-E-R-C-L-U-B-HOUSE.

A new (water) slide!

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Tom and I saw a sign for a garage sale (“lots of baby things!”) on the way back from the grocery store, so we stopped. And they had…a slide that was just the perfect size for Owen! And I thought it would be a great addition to his little pool that we brought to Gramma Jean’s house.

And boy, did he love it! At first, Tom sat him on the slide and then held him as he slid down into the pool…but after a handful of times, he knew how to inch himself forward just enough to move himself down the slide—without Tom even holding on! He had an absolute BLAST with it…so we’ll definitely put it to good use at home, too!



And a sample of the crazy splashing that had us all wet—and in stitches!

RIB|NFLANNKE

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This will always make me laugh. Any non-Grayling peeps want to guess what it is?

  • Scott F—Bowling alley?
  • Jeff P—That is hilarious. I won’t ruin it though.
  • Heather WT—WOW….what is it? I don’t remember that!
  • Heather WT—Nevermind….I know now! LOL took a minute! Thats funny!
  • Sue Ann R—I don’t know what it is now … but it was a Ben Franklin at some point in time.
  • Ryan H—Ben Franklin……Wow….they tried to make it like Volkswagen or something?
  • Sue ML—rib n flankke, like ribs and flanks, a steakhouse?
  • Jennifer H—Sue Ann–you got it! It’s an old Ben Franklin store downtown on Michigan Avenue! It’s been empty for a long time and sone unknown person(s) changed the letters around. It’s now been like that for YEARS.
  • Janet P—I live here and years later it is still driving me out of my mind to go by it and look at it that way!!!!!!!!!!

DMV? Easy peasy!

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Twenty minutes and $250 later, I have new tags and registration through September 2011. I had SUCH a great teller at the DMV it was amazing. A-MA-ZING! It probably also helped that that I was #4 in line and the tellers were still fresh! 😛

I got cracked!

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I went to the chiropractor tonight—something I’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to figuring out because I hate dealing with insurance and it was just never really “that” bad. But ever since Owen, my back has been a lot worse—and if you remember, I threw my back out in December and had to get shots and take major painkillers. So I knew it was time. And then there was an internet deal I found for a local place…so I went, figuring even if I didn’t like it, I was only out $38. And all I have to say is…WOW.

It was originally supposed to just be a consultation, but when she saw the results of my scan, she said “You need an adjustment now.” Yeah, I knew I was broken.

A good scan would be all white—and (I’m guessing from the quick look I had) mine was about 80% color, with a few black spots at my neck (meaning it was the worst). After I laid on the table, she said one leg was longer than the other, which means my hips/pelvis is off, so she did something for that—which was painful, but then I felt relief, so it was all good. Then she took my head gently in her hands and—CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—twisted and cracked my neck in one swift movement and it was simply amazing. And then she did the other side. AMAZING! Yes, I was one of those patients who had an “OH GOD” outburst because it felt so good. I could tell I would be sore, but it felt SO good to have been cracked.

She recommended me coming back in a few days and then again next week (when they have $10 sessions). Plus then I still have two more coupon visits (which equals about $8/visit). Aside from that, a visit is only $35 so it’s a lot cheaper than I expected—so I could easily afford to go once a month until my spine is back in working order. And they ALWAYS have the $10 Tuesday thing for people with no insurance or high deductibles!

The only negative is that the drive is about 20-35 minutes depending on traffic…but I can live with that for the relief it will surely bring.

Missing tags? Ticket! GRRR.

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So I got pulled over today. >:XX In the end, it’s a good thing, but in the meantime, it’s a big pain in the ass.

I honestly had NO idea why I got pulled over since I had been at a red light then turned on a green arrow—and I was a bit worried when I saw the cop nose into the turn lane ahead of someone [but behind me] so I watched my speed, etc. So imagine my complete and utter SHOCK when she told me I had expired tags.

Wait, what? Expired CAR tags? No way. Not possible.

I distinctly remembered going to get them. I remembered having parents here babysitting so I didn’t have to drag Owen. I remembered being at the counter and changing my address. But hmmm, I couldn’t find my registration, which was odd—not even an OLD registration. And then I was ticked at myself because I remembered pulling up TO the white line instead of staying back where the cop was (a good car length behind the line—so she was able to see my plates).

So I never found a registration, and she came back and said they were definitely expired and I had no registration on file at the Secretary of State. 88| I actually asked if I could get out and look—saying that I believed her, but I had to see it for myself. Yep, they were 2009 tags. >:XX

When I got home I started to dig through records trying to find any info—my best bet would be the check I know I paid with. I had a voters registration card with a date of June 22, 2009, so I know that’s the date I was in the DMV and would have written the check. (There was a slight chance I only did hubby’s that day but I KNOW I would have done mine via the internet had I been sent the forms in the mail.) But I got nothing—online banking only goes back three months, and this would have been in the June-September 2009 time frame.

I called my credit union, told them what I was looking for, and they actually searched a YEAR’S WORTH of checks and didn’t find anything. I know I paid by check, but I checked credit card statements, too (thinking maybe I was misremembering and did the renewal online) but there wasn’t anything there, either. >:XX Then I remembered another checking account that is barely used because I have been planning on canceling the account, but I didn’t have any account numbers (I recently deleted the online account AND the mint.com connection because I was going to delete the account). GRRRR. I did end up finding account numbers so I called, they found the check, but it was only for a small amount—the amount of Tom’s registration, as it turned out.

I called the Secretary of State to see if they could help me figure out what happened—and they were no big help. They did tell me, though, that the address on file was my Grayling address (even though I changed my license address) for whatever reason. Which means my renewal info went there…except my mom never got it. She got my LICENSE renewal, though. ❓

The most baffling part, really, is that my expired registration was not in the car. I only take it out when I replace it with the new one (just like proof of insurance)…so where did it go? I haven’t needed it for anything else that I can remember…

GRRRRR.

Splash Village

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We spent Saturday night in Frankenmuth at Splash Village for a belated Smith Christmas/Reunion (we’ve had enough with driving in the snow and thought this would be a nice change!) so we got to take Owen to the pool again! (This is what we were training for at the community center pool!)

Due to sleep and nap schedules, Owen didn’t make it to the pool until the morning we were leaving, and Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike volunteered to take him in. Of course, Tom and I sat on the sidelines and watched and took a few pictures (not as good as my usual pics since I had our old camera).

With Grandma Linda in the lazy river:

He really, REALLY amazed and impressed us…as soon as he saw the pool, he walked right into it and just kept going…deeper and deeper! He did hold hands with the grandparents, but he just…kept…going! He hadn’t even done that with us at the pool! They would play with him then walk him back to the shallow entry…and Owen would turn right around and walk back out! Over and over and over. It was soooo cute!

He did a great job overall, and we can’t wait to take him back to our local pool to see if he does the same thing there. We also bought him a bigger pool for the back yard—so hopefully he’ll like that, too!

Midnight freak out!

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So Owen freaked us the hell out last night. We were in a hotel, had put him to bed around his normal time, and that was that. We also decided to go to bed early, so we were in the room with him, and he made his usual little noises while he was sleeping. Tom and I had a hell of time trying to sleep—but that’s our fault for going to bed early in a water park hotel with a hundred kids running up and down the halls screaming. Anyway, no idea what time it was (though it turned out to be about midnight) I hear Owen start whining and whimpering. It was fairly quiet, so I thought it might just be something normal that we don’t hear because we’re not in the same room. Then it got louder and more insistent. And it scared me, because he’s NEVER EVER done that. I gave it a minute and the nurturer in me had to go get him.

By this time, Tom has heard him and woken up and we’re both kinda freaking out because he’s now CRYING and it’s the worst little cry and it’s breaking our hearts. He sounded like he was having trouble breathing, so I was really freaking out, and a hundred things were going through my mind. (In the end, I think it was just from the heavy crying.) But I was envisioning us having to go to the hospital because he was having an allergic reaction or something…and we weren’t in our hometown, and I had no idea where the hospital was (or even if there was one). Luckily Tom got up and took him for a few minutes while I tried to calm down. He seemed to be calming down so I went to the bathroom and apparently when I shut the bathroom door (and cut the light to the room) Owen freaked out again. So we were thinking bad dream or just unusual circumstances (he hadn’t gotten his best naps that day)—we didn’t know but he was certainly not himself and totally freaked out.

He calmed down again so Tom put him back in the crib and he instantly started crying again. It was horrible and we felt totally clueless. We got him out again and tried a bottle, thinking back that he hadn’t eaten much dinner. He drank that plus ate a yogurt, so he was certainly hungry. But hungry enough to wake him up and make him cry like that?

Needless to say I didn’t sleep much the rest of the night. We left the bathroom light on with the door open, and I was listening to his every move and every sound, checking the monitor every 10 seconds when he was [finally] quiet to make sure he was still breathing. And on top of that I was too hot, then too cold, too hot, too cold, ad nauseum. And Tom did fall asleep and was snoring. So I might have gotten two hours of piecemeal sleep from 9p-6a.

I posted on Facebook, and a friend said it might be night terrors. 88| I hadn’t thought of that, and Googling said it might be something similar (confusional arousal; night terrors are technically in older toddlers and are much, much worse).

Episodes of confusional arousals in children may seem bizarre and frightening to parents. The child can have a confused look on his or her face and “stare right through” you. Children may become more agitated when you try to comfort them. Most episodes last from five to fifteen minutes. But they may last as long as thirty to forty minutes in some youth.

This definitely sounds like what happened—and could have been brought on by a handful of things including unfamiliar situation, stress, and inadequate rest (which was definitely the case that day).

After talking to some other parent friends about what happened, they said it was most likely just a little nightmare, compounded by waking up hungry and in an unfamiliar place, then getting scared again when the (bathroom) light went out and not wanting to go back to the unfamiliar crib.

UPDATE: He slept fine the next night, so we’re hoping it was a one-time thing.

First tub bath!

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We were at the hotel so he got a real tub bath—his first! (At home he still gets bathed in the baby/toddler tub on the kitchen island and other than that, it’s been the sink!) Needless to say he LOVED it—of course, since he’s now used to splashing in the pool! Throw in a ball or two and he could stay in the forever!

P.S. And look at all those teefers!!