I'm Free...

...free of my twenties, and free of my super cranky, fit-pitching, back-talking, screaming, crying, whiny child (whom I LOVE more than anything!) as she FINALLY fell asleep.

As you may be able to tell, it has been a rough day. As if Alice and her teeth (and I'm thinking growing pains too) weren't enough, I have been in horrible pain all day. I finally broke down and called the ob. They called in Tylenol w/codeine for my SPD and back/hip pain. So I am getting ready to eat my dinner, have a couple ounces of wine, a hot bubble bath, and then take some pain medicine (hopefully the wine will be out of my system by then) and have some homemade mousse!

Yes, I said mousse :) Yummy, delicious, rich, chocolate mousse! That is for my birthday :)

And my sweet child, whom I was pretty sure thought I needed a bad birthday, gave me some time to myself! Thank you, Alice! That is the best gift I could have received. Well, maybe other than a ton of money, or a van, or a prenatal massage (wink, wink; hint, hint Sean!).

Decisions, Craziness, and The End of a Decade!

Things have been crazy around here lately. The kittens bring their own craziness. Alice has been a serious tantrum queen today. And then the usual messes that the little crazies all manage throughout the day.

They (the kittens) come flying in to the bathroom when they hear me turn the water on for Alice's bath. They don't go running like that for food! Then I have to continuously pull/push them out of the way so I can bathe her. I'm seriously thinking about just letting them take a bath with her, though I'm sure that would be disastrous.

Alice has been having melt down after melt down today. I think the main reason is she is teething and not feeling well. Seriously, she lost her mind when she saw the bananas! She threw herself to the floor, banging her head, and wouldn't stop screaming/crying/whining until I gave her some banana. Then she had a melt down when I told her I stay away from the cats' food and litter box. And then she saw the other banana.

I finally got her down for a nap. Thank the Lord! I'm hoping she will be a little less tormented when she wakes up. And I'm the mean mommy. I just walk off while she is pitching her fits. I don't see a point in giving her attention when she is acting like that, teething or otherwise.

I also got her to bed earlier than ever last night (9 pm) and she slept til 9 am. I'm going to try to stick with this! I actually had some time to myself last night! Sean didn't get to spend any time with her, though.

Speaking of Alice, I ordered a cleaning tool set for her. It has real stuff. Broom, dustpan, mop, bucket, sponges, gloves, etc. I don't see a point in getting the play stuff that requires batteries (ugh!) and isn't realistic at all. So she can help clean! Now she won't steal my mop and broom, and knock stuff over with them because they are too big for her!

I am also planning on getting her some more play food and pots/pans for her kitchen. I found This but I am also considering the pots/pans from Ikea. Along with the bake set and cooking utensils. Problem is I would have to drive to Illinois to get them. They aren't for purchase online. Boo! So what do you think? The toys r us set or drive to Ikea?

Oh and today is my last day in my twenties. I have been thinking about doing something wild and crazy. Like sleep ! Maybe I'll get a bottle of red wine and have a couple of ounces tonight. That will probably help with all of the pain I have been in. Ooh, maybe a hot bath and two-three ounces of wine after I get Alice to bed!

Now back to cleaning and laundry. I have cleaned my entire stove. It looks almost new! And bake apple bread! I'm also making my annual holiday baking list. If you make holiday treats, what do you make? I'll finish compiling mine and let you know what I'll be making this year!

Bittersweet!

We woke up early to take Sean to work again. It was (and still is) freezing here! It was about 7 degrees this morning, but with wind chill it felt like -9 degrees. Alice was NOT happy about being torn from the warm bed. I don't blame her. I wasn't too thrilled myself!

We have to pick Sean up tonight and take him to work tomorrow morning. And then, we are done! The guy that was installing the rebuilt transmission got it done about 4pm today. Two days early!!! Woo hoo! So I will be so glad not to have to spend that much time in the car, but will miss my extra time with Sean. Bittersweet!

I'll also be glad to not have to fill up the car every day and a half. I usually get by on one tank, with the occasional second fill up. Speaking of gas, we stopped at the gas station this morning. I was filling up the car, and was around $30 when the display reset. WTH? So I finished filling up, and got the receipt. $4.50! I got a tank of gas for $4.50! I'm keeping the receipt forever! And in case they charge me more because who knows what it really would have been. Though part of me feels guilty, but no one else was getting gas at the time so they shouldn't have reset it (or whatever happened) while I was pumping!

A Wonderful Day!

We woke up about 8, which was nice to sleep in a bit. Then I went outside to a winter wonderland!

I fed the animals. Sean headed to the bank, and Alice "helped" me make breakfast. She stood on a chair next to me, while I made apple pancakes and apple cider syrup. They were the most delicious pancakes ever! "I want to bathe in that syrup!" If you can name where that quote came from and who said it, I will make you the pancakes and syrup (you have to come here, though). I used to think that blueberry pancakes were my favorite, but not any more.

Then Alice and I played with the kitties. She LOVES the kitties! Mortimer is the only one who will let her cuddle.

It kept snowing all day. Alice and I climbed into bed and watched Beauty and the Beast. Then we took a nap. She slept for about 3 hours (she woke up early) and I got about an hour and a half nap! What a nice treat!!!

We then got dressed to go outside. It took me at least 40 minutes to get her dressed! No kidding! Longjohns, clothes, two pairs of socks, socks and mittens on the hands, boots, coat, and hat. Then we headed out.

Alice was not to sure about the snow.

After a few minutes of trepidation, she embraced the snow (literally!) and had a ton of fun!

We walked around the yard, and then decided to go inside. I was cold (not dressed as warmly as Alice) and someone was really wet from the snow. I need to buy her a snow suit and boots. She had on some hand me down dress boots.

Then we had a nice dinner. Alice and I took a bath. We are settling in to watch Polar Express and eat some ice cream!

Friday Night Leftovers

•Alice and I have been in the car for 6-7
hours a day (depending upon traffic). That really stinks! I'm hoping Sean's truck is fixed soon. And in case you are wondering why we are in the car so long: 1 hour to construction, 1 hour home, 1 hour to pick him up, 1 hour to UPS, 45 minutes home, 45 minutes to pick him up, and 45 minutes home! Of course, Alice sleeps most of this time, so I don't really get a nap. Ugh!

•It is amazing how messy this place gets with two kittens and a toddler! Throw a baby in to the mix, and we may soon be on one of those house shows (and not in a good way!).

•Okay, so the house isn't that bad, but it is a lot more difficult to keep up with.

•I made orange chicken last night. It was really delicious! I tweaked the recipe a bit, and will change a few things for next time. It was awesome! I will have to post the recipe after I make it again.

•Speaking of recipes, are there any that you would like to know? I keep intending to post the pierogi casserole/lasagna. Anything else you desire?

•Sean and I worked on his vacation schedule last night. He gets 6 weeks from UPS (none from construction unless they don't have a job). He is planning on taking most of March off. Hopefully two weeks before the little man gets here, and two after. Sean wanted to know when I thought he would be here. I told him anytime between now and the end of March! How am I supposed to know? Then use his FMLA time in late summer/early fall because otherwise he loses all of his vacation for FMLA.

•Not that I want the baby to come any time soon. Please bake until at least the end of February!

•I know I have complained about the lack of sleep/driving thing, but I DO enjoy having that extra time to talk to Sean. We usually only have a little time each day, so these extra hours here and there have been a nice treat!

•Alice keeps closing the bathroom door on the cats (which isn't a problem if they are in there) and I know someone is going to have an accident. We normally would leave the bathroom door closed, but we now have a baby gate up to prevent a little someone from playing with food/water/litter. It is hard to break habits!

For more leftovers, go see Danifred!

This Is Getting Rough

Alice has two more teeth coming in. She has been incredibly fussy. Which is understandable, considering she has six teeth working their way through her gums. Two of them are already popped mostly through, but the rest are little white dots. Can they come in already?

On top of that, the cats are driving me nuts! I can't believe that I wanted to bring them indoors. Gretchen has already shattered two ornaments today, and we are only half way through the day. Good grief! Mortimer has become the better behaved...at least for today. I keep reminding myself they are kittens.

So basically, I have not gotten a thing done. We got Sean to work, and I'm dying for a nap right now. Guess who doesn't want to nap? Yes, my little cherub! And this house is a disaster. Two kittens and a toddler (and I don't want to think about what it will look like with a newborn thrown in to the mix) have managed to destroy everything. Clean laundry is tossed everywhere...thanks kitties! Goldfish and Teddy Grahams on the floor. Forget my nap...will she just sleep so I can clean some of this up?

We have to pick Sean up in a couple of hours, and drive him to UPS, and then pick him back up about 10 or so. Ugh! Add chauffeur to my list ;) at least this won't last forever. Maybe through next week.

And have I said that I'm dying for a nap? Getting up two to three hours early is rough. Alice is having a hard time, since her sleep schedule has been thrown off from going to get the kitties fixed. So that means mine has too. Weekend come on! I need some sleep!!!

Winter is Here!

We have had a bit of snow, but just flurries and nothing that stuck. This morning, I woke up to this.

Granted that is hardly anything, but it is cold and the wind is blowing. Plus it is still snowing (there is a huge drift by the car) an supposed to keep up through tomorrow. So I don't care what the calendar says. I'm declaring winter is here!

Alice either dove or slipped earlier. Face first in to the snow. She screamed and did NOT appreciate the cold. She looked at me like WTH?! She was covered in snow, and it was pretty funny. Unfortunately, my phone was in the car so I did not get a picture. Perhaps tomorrow I will take her out again and trip her. I'm just kidding. About the tripping her, not taking her outside.

In other (unrelated) news, Sean's transmission is going out in his Camry AND truck. He has been having a new transmission built for the truck, which he was going to take the truck to the place to get it installed. Unfortunately, it will only go about 20mph, so Alice and I will be picking him up tonight and driving him to/from work tomorrow. Perhaps longer. His friend is going to haul the truck tomorrow and get the transmission installed. Hopefully we will have it back by this weekend.

And for your viewing pleasure, we now have TWO "Martys"! He is the mouse from the "If You Take a Mouse to the Movies" book. I opened the box when it came and Alice (who was holding Marty) stared with big eyes. Then kept looking at the Marty she was holding and the one I was holding. I could literally see the wheels turning in her head! Then she ran and grabbed both Martys! So she had a bit of heaven (while we are in teething hell)!