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Category Archives: The Bomber

Teething

Teething

Necessary Developmental Step Required For Proper Nutrition

 Or

 Evil Plot to Send Mothers into an Irreversible Downward Spiral of Despair?

So, The Bomber has been teething for the past couple of weeks.  I am thisclose to losing it.  It’s worse than ever because she’s never had pain like this before.  I know some moms babies get it bad every time they get a new set of teeth… and I consider myself The Bomber quite lucky to never have had to go through this before.  Don’t get me wrong, she was fussy before, had a few fevers, and had a few rough nights sleeping.  But, other than that, it was pretty easy.  The worst we had to deal with was the onslaught of drool (for three months straight while we waited for her first set… I swear she lost 2-3 gallons of fluid a day).  But trust me, I’d take the drool 10 times over if the alternative is what we’ve been dealing with recently.

This child has not stopped whining/crying/wailing/temper tantruming for two weeks straight.  I say up.  She says down.  I say left.  She says right.  I say yes.  She says no.  Actually, she doesn’t really say any of those things… except for the no part (which she just started last weekend, which is Super Fun – but that’s a different post).  Anyway, you get the point.  It doesn’t matter what I try to do, the child WILL NOT COOPERATE.  Here are two examples.  1) Standing in the kitchen in front of me wah-ing with her arms up in the air – so I stoop to pick her up and she throws herself on the floor and screams “NO!” and proceeds to cry on the floor.  Seriously?!?!  You just gave me the universal sign for pick me up.  What are you doing on the floor?  2) Rocking in the bedroom getting ready for bed, trying to read.  She abruptly gets up, walks over to her crib, starts climbing up the bed side and says “night night”.  Okay, apparently you’re ready to go to bed right now.  So as I lay her in the bed and give my final good nights, she starts screaming “NO! NO! NO!” and again, throws herself into a heap wailing.

This is how every encounter with The Bomber has gone down for the past two weeks.  I remember when she was less independent and all she wanted to do was cuddle when she didn’t feel good.  Apparently cuddling is off the table now.  Temper tantrums seem a much more logical approach to a) getting your way and b) making yourself feel better.

Awesome.

Wellness Check?

The Bomber had a wellness check today (and by ‘today’, I mean almost 3 months ago).  Talk about a lesson in surviving pure molten unrelenting frustration.  From the minute I remembered we had this appointment I was annoyed.  That’s right, the key phrase is “from the minute I remembered”,  because you know I can’t remember anything like I used to.

So here’s the brief synopsis.  Grandma was supposed to take The Bomber to her wellness check.  I was going to meet them there and then go straight to work, fingers crossed it wouldn’t take forever.  The appointment was at 9:45 on a Monday morning.  Really?!?!  What was I thinking?  That’s possibly the worst appointment time ever.  Monday morning = busiest day of the week.  9:45 = two hours into my work day, plus just late enough for the doctors to be running behind.  Awesome.

So, because I’ve been meaning to put this appointment on the calendar since her last wellness check (yes, I realize it’s been 3 months, get off my back), I didn’t remember until last night at approximately 7:00 pm that we had this appointment…. terrific.  Since about 5 minutes before this happened we re-arranged our regular Monday morning routine so that Grandma could go camping.  Normally, no big deal.  But, of course I had to agree to a new routine on the one day I forget an appointment that I never would have scheduled if my mom wasn’t available to help…. Gah!  Enter: annoyance.  So, now I have to re-arrange my entire day and pray to the work gods that I don’t have a busy schedule because I’m locked into spending the entire morning at the pediatrician’s office.

So, Gadget and I get up this morning and get the girls ready.  Gadget goes to work and things are looking decent.  I mean, I actually got to shower and get dressed before he left so I’m already ahead of the game, right?  If, only.  I leave for the appointment early thinking maybe we’ll get in early.  Wrong.  We wait in the lobby until our actual appointment time.  9:45 they call us into the room.  Well, at least we’re on time, right?  Wrong again.  40 minutes later the doctor comes in… oh wait, that’s not the doctor.  That’s just a medical student who asks all the same questions, does all the same tests, but who leaves us waiting for the real doctor when he’s done.  20 minutes later the real doctor comes in and immediately scolds me for letting my baby play with a cell phone (because, and I quote, “they have chemicals all over them” – what?!?), and then asks condescendingly if I brought any toys with me.  Why yes, I did.  You see, there’s one by your foot.  And another one under the chair.  And a homemade one on top of the table (oh, you mean you didn’t lay that white paper out for her to tear up and crunch?).  It’s just that you’ve locked us in this tiny room for over an hour with nothing to do, nothing to eat (yes, it’s now lunch time – animal crackers can only suffice for so long), and loads of cupboards and drawers with no child locks that are full of things my toddler shouldn’t touch – which means I’ve been playing goalie for the last hour and a half.  Oh, and have you noticed it’s about 85 degrees in this room?  No one, and I mean, no one, is in the mood for your tone.  So, please, move on with your exams before I throat punch you.

So, at this point, you would think I’d been punished enough.  But, no.  The doctor finally finishes and leaves, and we get to wait YET ANOTHER 20 minutes for the nurse to come in and give shots.  You can imagine how well that went over with The Bomber.  Have I mentioned that at this point The Comedian is not so comedic and has commenced with making it her personal mission to keep The Bomber in line.  As soon as The Bomber quits crying, The Comedian is all over her to keep the sticker out of her mouth, quit playing with the drawers, stop climbing on the chairs…. At this point I almost wish she would swallow a sticker or fall off a chair – at least then maybe we could get some friggin’ attention up in this piece.

We finally go to check out and we’re hit with one more little gem.  Normally there are two secretaries… except one is at lunch (yes, that is how long we’ve been here).  And now the other one is on the phone… for over 5 minutes.  While we wait in the hallway.  With even more things The Bomber can destroy.  Which means even more things The Comedian has to prevent her from getting into.  I think I saw the room swirl in front of me as The Bomber starts screaming, The Comedian commences a broken record of commands, and I give up.  I didn’t even try to stop the nonsense.  I just looked at the receptionist as if everything was normal and handed her my card.  As we’re leaving I remember the last straw.  No AC in the El Deucey.  Here’s to a 30 minute car ride home in 100 degree heat.

Mom Goggles Handy Reference Guide

Have you found yourself a little confused by phrases, names or other seemingly odd comments on my blog?  There’s a good chance I’m confused too.  But, in the meantime, here’s a list to help keep you in the loop.  If you think there’s something missing, send me a message so I can make sure it gets added right away.

Gadget:  my super awesome hubby

The Bomber:  my youngest daughter, a daredevil in her own right, opinionated, stubborn, and too much like her mama

The Comedian:  my oldest daughter, my husband’s from a prior marriage, hilarious, challenging, adds her own special sauce to the mix

El Deucey:  also known as a Saturn L200, the first car I ever bought and still kickin’…

Murtaugh:  our other vehicle, so named because Gadget drives it and his old car was a Buick Regal (nicknamed Reegs) – so now  he has Murtaugh – Get It?

What Are Mom Goggles?

These fancy accessories come in two different styles.  The first style powers a mom through many long dinner time battles, repetitive bedtime stand-offs, early morning wake up routines, and redundant arguments including such awesome phrases as “I can’t”, “I need help”, “I didn’t know”, “It’s not my fault”, and “Waaahhhhh”.  These little suckers give me the power to know The Bomber has just scaled the baby gate and is currently pouring herself two fingers of Wild Turkey behind the bar while I’m in the bathroom attempting to take a four minute shower.  They conveniently clue me in to the fact that The Comedian is currently working on the latest saga in The Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous – Malibu Barbie Edition… instead of working on re-writing the homework she “already finished” that no one (including her) can read.

The second kind works in a somewhat opposite fashion.  They’re the reason I’m able to change the most gruesome diaper known to man without flinching when everyone else tears up and runs from the room.  They’re the force that allows me to be thrown up on four times in two hours and not raise an eyebrow.  They’re the spirit that tells me my child (who’s hair isn’t combed, teeth aren’t brushed, hasn’t bathed since Thursday, and is currently on level 9 of Operation Booger Extraction 2011) is the cutest baby ever born.  Anywhere.  They tell me everything’s fine, when in fact I’m 2.3 seconds from ultimate meltdown.  They’re the pep talk I need to make it through “just one more (fill in completely obvious stall technique here)”.  They’re the voice in the back of my head insisting I’m not tired and that it’s normal to feel dizzy and see double after only sleeping 3 hours in 2.5 days.  In short, they lie to me.  And, I have to admit, it’s the sweetest lie I’ve ever been told.

The Players

A few years ago I got married.  Gadget likes to get his hands into anything electronic, take it apart, make new things out of it, see how it works, and generally cause mayhem to anything with a plug.  This is very useful (you know, like when I accidentally misplace my phone charger for the 14th time and he happens to have a spare just laying around) and very frustrating (when I can’t find my way to the other side of the bedroom without stepping on 26 tiny screws, getting tangled in 7 HDMI cables, and knocking over a gigantic box of batteries that may or may not still have a charge).  Gadget is an awesome husband, and an even better daddy.  He is a very patient person who avoids conflict whenever possible.  This works out well for me, because I’m much less tolerant and tend to face conflict head on.  His go with the flow mentality and his unquestioning ability to accept me for who I am is a large reason we have such a great marriage.

Gadget has a daughter from a previous relationship.  Enter, The Comedian.  She is funnier than most grown adults, is smarter than most kids her age, and she adds a special spice to our lives.  Struggling to figure out who she is while maintaining life in two separate, very different households, she is a very amazing little girl.

Gadget and I also have a daughter together.  There is a 7.5 year span between The Comedian and The Bomber.  The Bomber is her own special little ball of charm.  Just entering toddlerhood and she already thinks she runs the show.  I definitely have my hands full with this kid.  Unlike The Comedian (who always asks permission, doesn’t do anything risky, and rarely breaks a sweat on purpose or by accident), The Bomber attempts life threatening feats three times before breakfast, has no fear, and will probably have broken 12 bones before kindergarten.

This is my family in a nutshell.  Enjoy.

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