Mouse Army: Unite! 9-10-14

Boop loves Minnie and Mickey Mouse, but she still can't keep them straight. Sometimes it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that Minnie and Mickey Mouse are supposed to be mice. I definitely prefer the former to the latter. We did however, have an encounter with the latter recently.

We were on our way to C's birthday party. I work with C's mother, and C goes to daycare with Boop. Everybody is connected in some way in a small town. Everybody. This was our 3rd birthday in the matter of a few weeks. So, Boop had just gotten her new silver shoes, and I had not yet removed the squeaker. We had to stop at the office to pick up some papers, and so Boop and I were squeak-squeaking along when out scurried 2 small mice from the hinterlands of the flowerbeds. One of them came up to run along beside my little Pied Piper. With that, my footsteps became more like stomps, which thankfully discouraged little Mickey away. Minnie had stopped her dash towards us. Boop was not quite sure what was going on but was unphased. Thankfully, she didn't try to reach down and grab one. 

The Pied Piper

It's ON!! 6-28-13

I've had it. I'm ready to kick some herbal heiny. 
I did something very stupid last week. I was trying to clean out around the edge of my deck. And  with all of the time I played down in the country, I learned long ago. And I should have remembered. "Leaflets 3, let it be." It didn't dawn on me that I could encounter it in my humble little plot; so my radar wasn't even on.
My skin has been crawling since about 3:30am. I couldn't get any peace; so I figured I would get up and find a distraction. Apparently the stuff has just spread to my face. 

4am photo. Not sure if you can see the rash that is just developing on my face.
My face is a bit swollen, too. You can see a bit of the rash on my finger.

We've got 2 culprits here; so I can't just blame myself. Sure I was weeding with wanton abandonment, determined to get that tree and weeds cut out of some of my garden decor. However, my urushoil footprint was likely a bit low. After all, I was using some heavy gloves for most of the time. But the bigger biological terrorist is likely my little Winnie. 

Sure, she *looks* innocent enough!

Dogs aren't affected by poison ivy. They just carry it along to unsuspecting folks. So one of the 1st things I did this morning was email her groomer to see if we can get some of that hair cut off. The next thing I did was try to figure out how in the world I'm going to get rid of this stuff. Here are the results of my web search and other ideas for my shopping list:

• Dawn dishwashing liquid for Winnie's bath (check)
• Long rubber gloves to wash Winnie and to remove the offender (check)
• Plastic barrier with ground clips for around the shed to keep Winnie from getting underneath. Not sure how I'm going to get it stuck on--maybe hammer and brads?
• Black plastic tarp for covering weeds and compost pile, which is no longer any good.
• Maybe herbicide? I really don't like this idea, especially so near to my container gardens and with the baby
• Arrid Extra Dry spray. Yes, it will be hot out there in long sleeves and pants, but my 'research' tells me that this can help heal the rash
• Calagel. Again, to help heal the rash
• Large plastic bags to get rid of the offender
• An ocean of calamine lotion

So, it looks like a trip to Lowe's is in order. Winnie has a UTI; so I guess we'll hit Lowe's on our way back from the vet. It looks like I have A LOT of laundry to re-do this weekend. Grrrr!

Motor Voter. 11-11-12

My job lets me off for the day to be sure to vote. It’s nice. A little extra time off that I really needed. Unfortunately, I still needed the time to prep for class, and it’s a bit difficult to get much done with Boop at home.

Knowing I would be off for the day, I scheduled Boop for the pediatrician. It was at 10am; so I figured I would get ready and try to vote beforehand. Well, that didn’t work out too well. It always takes us longer to get ready than I plan. So, we had about 15 min. to vote. It took me that long to get into the polling place <they really did a poor job of marking the entrance>. Then, there was a line; so we decided to go on to the pediatrician. Afterwards, I went to the grocery and to get gas; so it was after lunch before we got back.

Fortunately, the line was much shorter by then. We had to wait about a half hour to vote. Boop was getting pretty heavy by that time. Folks in the line helped to entertain her. She was mistaken for a boy more than once. I had her in her zebra costume. I figured I would try to get another  wear out of her outfit. Someday, Boop will look back at these things and will no doubt be annoyed, ‘Mom, why didn’t you dress me like a little girl?’ I wouldn’t be doing my job if my daughter wasn’t annoyed with me. I’m just getting some early practice in.  More than one person also asked about her voting. It will happen soon enough. She’s already into everything.

What a Difference 10-28-12

Today has been calm, but yesterday was a mess. We got out at about 10am to go look for toys for my cousins.  There was supposed to be a sale, but unfortunately, I had the wrong day. Then, I went to Lowes to pick up some door knobs and wound up with some other stuff, too. I found some things for baby proofing, but I don’t know if I’m going to keep it all.

Sandy came for a visit <see snow in background>... Boop is not too thrilled

Then, we went on to Wally World. Normally, I would have just gone on home, but I was supposed to meet someone from craigslist who wanted to buy some of Boop’s old swaddlers. I had also pulled some other clothes and things together in case she wanted those. After the last fiasco with Mom playing mediator, I gave the woman my phone number. While running errands, she texted me a few times. Once, she texted to say that she was only interested in the clothes. Then, she texted to say that she wasn’t interested in the clothes <after I had already packed them, urgh!>, just the swaddlers, that her boyfriend was coming. This made me a little nervous, but at least we were meeting in a very public place.

Boop missed her nap. I made a quick trip through Wally World, and I made it out by noon, when we were supposed to meet. We were parked up front, and the police were there giving child car seat checks. So I texted the woman at 12:07 to say where we were. About 12:15, she texted to say that she couldn’t reach her boyfriend. With that, we went over to the car seat inspection station and asked the police to fix her car seat positioning. Boop was screaming, poor thing. Stuck in her car seat, it was chilly; she had a wet diaper and was hungry. At 12:30, no sign of craigslist boyfriend or the woman, I texted her to tell her I was leaving. Never heard another word. Knowing folks here, it’s very, very unlikely that anything happened to him. I can only be reassured that karma will put her in a similar situation. 

Do Not Today, What Can Be Put Off 'Til the 'Morrow. 9-16-12‏

 We got up and got ready to take Mom to work. Why did I put off the grant review? They always seem so straightforward. I confuse straightforward with the amount of time it takes to do the deed. So, we got Mom to work, and I started reviewing the grants. I had already taken some time before my trip to familiarize myself with things and print things off <I'm such a dinosaur. I still like to look to hold the paper in my hands to read!> 

And so I had a million little interruptions. Winnie did surprisingly well. Boop, not so much. And Mom hadn't had a chance to baby-proof; so my concentration wasn't spectacular on the task. I got the important ones done about an hour before the deadline, and I was a couple of minutes late submitting the last review. All was okay. With that, I made a hasty retreat to visit my friend, C, without knowing exactly where I was going. Of course, I got lost and was late. It was good seeing her. She works for Congressman Yarmuth. <Now is a good time to put in a little plug for him. Did you know that Yarmuth donates his entire salary of ~$179,000 to charity? He divides it among 5 charities, including children's charities.> 

I then went on to pick up Mom from work. We tried to wrap up a few errands on the way home, but Boop was getting increasingly fussy. We probably just should have taken Boop on home to bed and one of us do errands. It was a battle to get her settled in when we got home because she was overtired. 

More? 4-10-12

On our way to get a family photo for Boop's daycare

Poor girl. She can’t catch a break. We are trying to figure out the extent of the damage. We know she has the UTI, but we need to know why. So, we tried to get some further evaluation before traveling. Of course, I tried to cram too much stuff in. A quick stop for Mom to see Boop’s daycare, across town to take Winnie to the groomer, an ultrasound for Boop, across town for the pediatrician, lunch, and then to work to interview a student: it was a hectic morning.

I dropped Mom off with the baby for ultrasound to get Winnie to the groomer. I was about 15 min. late for the ultrasound.  Boop did so well. She nursed through the whole thing. The ultrasonographer had to contort a bit, well we both did, but we got it done.  Kidneys, I could tell that the right was bigger than the left, but the ultrasonographer said that really wasn’t a problem. She was more interested in the bladder. Problem: Boop had wet her diaper, but she still had urine in her bladder. That’s not good.

When I told the pediatrician what I saw, she explained that the remaining urine can reflux into the kidneys, eventually leading to kidney failure from repeated infections. Treatment for the reflux is long term low dose antibiotics. The severe form requires surgery. So, Boop finishes her 1^st course of antibiotics Thursday. They did another catheter to see if the infection is gone and are making an appointment for a renal specialist. Then, if all of this wasn’t bad enough, she had to have her vaccine shots. 

Accomplishment. 2-2-12

Being able to take care of my Boop and my Winnie is empowering. I had 3 things to do today, and I was feeling a bit nervous about being able to manage them all. First, I was concerned that I might have an infection; so I made an appointment with the midwife. Second, the lactation specialist was concerned about the knot on Boop’s head; so the pediatrician’s office had suggested I make an appointment. Third, Winnie’s hair was getting everywhere, and after her last unfortunate grooming, I knew I needed to take her to her original groomer across town. I was hoping to do it on Saturday when I would have help, but the only day the groomer could do it was today. My goal was to drop Winnie off before the pediatrician and midwife and pick her up afterwards.

I was pretty drowsy at 5am, but I knew I had a lot to do to get Winnie to the groomer by 9am. Thank goodness, everything worked like clockwork. I was able to get myself showered and dressed and Boop, Winnie, and the diaper bag ready and in the car in one trip. Boop only complained a little, and Winnie was so excited about being in the car. The pediatrician and midwife gave us a clean bill of health, with Boop up to 8 lbs!! Before leaving the doctor, Boop got enough to eat, and I even managed a quick trip through the drive-through for a bit of lunch myself before picking up Winnie. The groomer was nice enough to bring Winnie to the car so I didn’t have to get the baby out. We got home in one piece, which is an accomplishment!

Cars. 8-18-11

I've been staying pretty busy and a bit lax about posting. Earlier this week, I hit something in the road. The next morning, I got up and my tire was low. I aired it up. Tire maintenance is comical for a pregnant woman, especially the squatting and trying to balance. Then, I got up the next morning, and the tire was low again <cringe>. But I needed the state vehicle inspection, so I took it in anyway. They couldn't inspect it, of course, and the tire was in much worse shape than I thought. So, I took it up to Walmart. They are close by, and they have a road hazard warranty. Of course, 1 tire was $150...

Let's recap. In February 2010, a nasty pothole winter before last shredded one of my original tires. I was able to find the same brand across town (tire #1). That one was supposed to be about $200, but they gave me a break. Then, spring 2011, I was due for new ones; so I got 4 Nexens at the dealership. I kept tire #1 that I bought after the pothole (fortunately) even though it wasn't in terrific shape. I let J, my helper, borrow my car this past spring to help his friend move. He blew one of the new Nexens beyond repair. So, I put my old tire back on. Then, I hit something in the road earlier this week. I got tire #6 this morning.

Apparently, I also bent the rim; so now I need to look for one of those. Then, they said I have another tire going bad. Turns out, the one I blew out earlier this week was one of the new Nexens. The guy said the old one in the back (tire #1) was bad, too. I can't win! At least I had an hour to look at baby clothes while there. They had a lot of things on sale, which was very tempting. Of course, on my way back to work this morning, my morning sickness was acting up, and I had to make a quick trip home. It's not enough to have car problems... Hopefully, I can get the car straightened out soon!

Taking Care of Business. 7-31-11

It's been a hectic week. At least I have more energy in my second trimester. Much running for my car. After making one attempt to get my registration in a different town, I had to go downtown and pay my car taxes. Then, I had to go back to the DMV in a different town for my registration. Yep, definitely more convoluted than other places I've lived, and I'm not finished, yet. Then, car maintenance at the dealership. I also took Winnie to the vet, a little behind. She was due in May. She still acts like a puppy. The vet said her insides were like a puppy, too :) She did have a loose knee cap, but he said not to worry too much. What would I do without my Winnie?  

I've also had helpers here this week. The first person was a bit of a bust. The second person got all of my drywall out of my way, and we got furniture moved into the kitchen. Yay! I have another helper today. Hopefully, I'll be able to get kitchen stuff out of the living room. Yep, I still have can goods in my living room. I have a lot of trim work in the kitchen, too.

I'm having a hard time finding maternity clothes. I bought a couple pair of cropped pants at Target this week. I went to the Goodwill to try to find some more pants. I didn't have much luck, slim pickin's, especially for summer stuff in my size. I found a few long sleeved tops, but that doesn't help me for now. I wanted to get a belly band, but the ones at Target were nude colored, and you could see my pants underneath it...kinda defeats the purpose. Being that I have no idea how things fit on me--I don't even know my size--I have trouble buying stuff online. Maybe I'll find some when I go back to visit family this coming weekend.