Pick Me Up

Zoey and I followed up yesterday's late night, with another early morning. I was up at 6 AM, getting dressed and going over the grocery list my mom put together. I needed to give myself time to find her neighborhood Safeway, and then make my way through it, before picking her up from the hospital. I didn't know exactly what time she'd be discharged, so I wanted to be ready when she called. 

Zoey was sleeping so soundly when we got home last night, that I didn't even bother changing her into pajamas.

(Don't worry, I checked to make sure she could breathe while sleeping like that :)

In order to get everything on the grocery list, I had to go to Safeway, Fred Meyer and a Rite Aid (Darn you, Erin's Popcorn!). Once we got everything home and put away, it was pretty much time to turn around and leave again. When we arrived at the hospital, it was a smooth pick-up, and then I did my best to drive without making any sudden stops or jerks (tough to do when driving downtown, alongside crazy drivers and careless pedestrians!). 

My mom was in good spirits as I helped her into bed, and other than dropping by her room to deliver medication and food, Zoey and I let her be. She's still pretty exhausted, and I imagine she will be for another day or two.

Check out her one-sided, feathered 'do! 

9 Months Old

My silly, sweet, snuggly girl is 9 months old today! 

At 9 months she:
-Can stand (balance) without holding on to anything!
-Is getting a solid sleep schedule down (Roughly 8pm to 8am)
-Has two teeth!
-Is exploring finger foods
-Mimics "Uh-oh" 
-Has met Santa, and celebrated her first Christmas and New Year!
-Likes to shout, excitedly, when we're out in public (sometimes this is super embarrassing!!)
-Likes to shout, out of frustration, when we're out in public (this is always super embarrassing!!)
-Likes To Shout!!
-Loves to dance and sing (she mimics her Granny's singing; Lord help us all! ;)
-Has been out of state for a third time (Idaho, Montana and now Detroit/Ohio!)
-Is still very much "on the go", all the time!
-Likes to throw and drop things.
-Enjoys playing Peek-a-boo with her daddy.
-Is aware of the fact that she makes us laugh. 

~~~

I was up at 3:00 AM this morning, getting ready to take my mom to the hospital. Her check-in time was 6:00 AM and she headed into surgery at around 7:30. I was able to meet many of her nurses, and her doctor, and everyone was very nice. I was a little nervous when it was time for us to part ways, but also felt that she was in good hands. 

At about 3:20 AM, sleeping peacefully.

Keeping Granny's spirits up before her surgery :)

Shoving a spoonful of applesauce against her face!

We kept busy by playing in the waiting room, chatting with other "caretakers", watching the screen that tracked my mom's progress/location, making a few trips to the Safeway across the street and napping (Zoey, not me. I wish I could have!)

The whole procedure took close to 4 hours (I was given an estimate of 2 to 5), and I was extremely happy when the doctor came to deliver good news. She said that everything had gone well and my mom was doing fine. At that point, I still had to wait for her to be moved from Recovery 1 to Recovery 2, before I could see her. About an hour and a half later, the nurses finally wheeled her out on her bed and we all rode the elevator up to the second recovery room. Upon seeing us for the first time, even though she was still pretty groggy, my mom raised her hand to Zoey's head and said "Hi, Buggy!". It was such a relief to hear her speak; she was fine and everything was going to be OK!

I stayed by her bed for a couple of hours while she slept, and then had to head home for a short visit with my in-laws. They were dropping of Michael's brother for the weekend, and wanted to see Zoey for a little bit. I did my best to play hostess, but really I just turned Zoey loose, popped in a pizza and did a few loads of laundry. The visit flew by, and before I knew it, I was packing up and heading back to the hospital. My mom was awake when we got there and, although still very tired, was in good spirits. I was happy to fulfill her request for pretzel M'n'Ms, and even threw in some fresh fruit and water (Best nurse ever, remember?!) 

It was close to 10 PM when Zoey and I left the hospital for the night. When we got to the outdoor entrance of the parking garage, I was shocked to see that the gate was down and the garage was closed! Fortunately, there was a buzzer, for after hours emergencies, and the operator agreed to send a security guard to let me in. As I stood waiting, a drunk man, who'd been standing on the corner, approached me and slurred something like "Looooksss like you...you're having trouble with...you need to get to ur caaar". Not knowing if he was a violent drunk or just a harmless drunk, who'd been separated from his group, I took a deep breath, looked him right in the eyes and asked him to please leave me alone! After telling him that was not at all in the mood to be bothered, he promptly apologized and wished me luck with my situation (Phew, a harmless drunk!). Just as he walked away, a car came out of the garage, which raised the gate, allowing me to scurry inside. Even though I wasn't out there for too long (the security guard arrived seconds after I was let in) it felt like forever because all I wanted to do was get Zoey to the car safely and keep her warm!

Man, oh man! What a day! 

In the elevator, on our way out of the hospital. She was a real trooper today!

Prepping For Surgery

After a playdate with my friend Brittni and her son, Zoey and I settled into my mom's house, where we're going to be staying for the next couple of days. My mom is having major surgery tomorrow and needs someone with her for 72 hours once she goes home. When I first found out about the surgery, it was a no-brainer that I'd move in and take care of her. Of course, there's the fact that she's my mother and I love her, but I also wouldn't dare pass up the chance to get back at her for the way she treated me while I was pregnant and on bedrest! ;) When she'd visit, she'd bark at me for sitting up, or say that I was standing for too long, or hound me about my meds, etc. Well, now she won't be allowed to lift anything or do any chores; just stay in bed, relax and follow my rules! Mwahaha!

I'm going to be the best nurse the world has ever seen!

Happy girl, hanging out on one of Granny's huge beanbag chairs.

Apples and Pizza

Today, I put some apple pieces in Zoey's "Fresh Food Feeder" that she got for Christmas. It's pretty cool; you stuff food inside the pouch, snap it closed and then hand it to your child. I will admit, I gave it a little test nibble before handing it over, and knew right away that Zoey was going to have to get over the feeling of mesh in her mouth, before she'd enjoy the taste of the apples inside. 

Apple chunks in...

Who needs a diamond ring when you've got a giant, plastic one that slowly dispenses food through a mesh pouch?!

She dove right in!

Not loving the feel of the mesh, and adjusting to the taste of the apple juice.

Pretty soon, she warmed up to the idea of using it and started to have a little fun.

She even held onto it as she went for a little walk

(That's one thing I really like about the Fresh Feeder: other than possibly choking on some of the juices, I don't have to worry about letting Zoey roam around while eating from it. There is no way for her to get a piece of food in her mouth, and therefore, less chance of an accident.)

Ditched the feeder for the plastic bag dispenser!

(Just like with any other piece of food, Zoey's hands still got a little sticky, and so did the floor when the feeder sat, abandoned.)

For dinner, I has some ground turkey and, like always, was searching for a creative way to use it. I decided to roll out a ball of our favorite dough from Safeway and make a pizza! I ended up piling ground turkey, tomatoes, onions, mozzarella cheese and spinach, on top of a garlic and brown butter sauce. Other than needing to put the spinach underneath one of the other ingredients (Oops!), it turned out great and was super flavorful.

Michael said "Babe, I don't think I've ever seen ground turkey on a pizza before. You're a pioneer!"

At first, I took his comment as a sign that he didn't care for it, but he quickly scarfed down multiple pieces. Success :)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Last night, after dinner, we went over to my mom's house. After putting Zoey to bed, we played a hilariously frustrating game of Electronic Monopoly! Everything started out OK...and then it happened! My dear husband, who is good at pretty much any task/sport/game he attempts, pulled into the lead and got nasty! He was acquiring properties left and right, and collecting rent on those properties with a devilish grin on his face! Pretty soon, my mom and I were bargaining, refinancing, and at times, giving our best "sad puppy dog eyes", all in an effort to keep the few properties we had!! Michael is loving and kind, but pity you during a game, he will not! He would call himself doing us a favor by taking one our properties in exchange for rent we owed him (in this game, prices are real, you're dealing with credit cards instead of cash, and hotels on a property can bring rent up into the millions!). He'd say, "You can't afford to keep it, so I'm helpin' you out!" Ha! The game was so fun, in all it's name calling, tear-inducing glory.

Although we were playing an intense game, we still paused to acknowledge when the clock struck midnight. With salt and rice on the table, and a dollar in my pocket, I wished for a fun, fulfilling, prosperous year. 

Silly girl, wearing Granny's headband :)

My mom and I are clearly gluttons for punishment, because we dove right into another game of monopoly this afternoon! I had high hopes and secrets strategies, all of which came crashing down as Michael slowly started rising up once again! I even took a picture of the board, just so you could see how bad things got. That's all of his properties on the left (along with everyone's credit cards!). Those three red cards, next to the credit card machine, those are my mortgaged properties that I refused to surrender. I may have gone bankrupt, but I wanted to end with something in front of me! My mom, in the back, ended with nothing! I do recall Michael taking everything because she owed him too much rent!

And that is why he was dubbed a "Sleazy, money-grubbing, rent collector!" ;)

Round 2: Seeking Revenge...only to be crushed again!

Making sweet music :)

New Year's Eve

Pardon me, while I take a moment to brag on my kid!

Shortly after giving Zoey this barn for Christmas, we became concerned about it's ease of use. The barn door will not open when all of the animals are in their places. Zoey made a few failed attempts to open the door, before we removed the animals for her. Well, this morning, after trying to open the door, she stopped, pulled the necessary animals out of their spots, and then opened it! Woohoo!

Zoey, rubbing it in that I forgot to remove a toilet paper roll before she could get to it.

And yes, it looks wet because it is. When are grubby, baby hands ever dry?! 

Michael took today off work, along with a co-worker/friend, to go on a hike in honor of his late friend Collin's birthday. He and his co-worker have decided this is something they'll do annually, and although I was hesitant about him missing work, I think it's a great idea. Healing from a loss does not just happen overnight; it can take months, years or even a lifetime. Celebrating Colin's birthday, honoring him on the anniversary of his passing and continuing to cherish their friendship, which was cut drastically short, is Michael's way of healing. 

While waiting for the evening's NYE festivities to begin, Zoey and I had "an otherwise typical day. She's been toting around the sippy cup she got from her Granny and happily using the spout as a teether!

That little glistening spot on her chin..that's drool, not water. 

She still doesn't "sip" from her sippy cup.

Taking it to the laundry room door...

Over to the couch...

The two fugitives, as they escape, mid diaper change!...

And eventually, the love affair fizzled, as all affairs do!

Left behind, for now anyway.

Superman sighting! ;)

Once home from the hike, Mike quickly showed and changed his clothes, and we were off to our friend's house for dinner!

Happy NYE!

(caught Mike doing his "Momma hip pop" ;)