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Ibuprofen usually works wonders on The Mommy. I usually take it very sparingly and only if I have to but, for the past 24 hours, I have been eating it like candy. Probably because it’s about the only thing that will fit in my mouth! I still can’t open it very far and it hurts like it’s on fire. I did get in to see a magnificent dentist yesterday morning, however. He and his office staff were amazing. Extremely friendly, reassuring and professional. And they had the coolest panoramic x-ray thingy! They used it instead of the traditional stick-the-wierd-thingy-in-your-mouth kind after trying the first one and almost not being able to get it out of my mouth. I cried it hurt so bad. They even called in a favor with an oral surgeon to get me in to have a wisdom tooth out today when they are techinically booked until September. Wow! Much different than the herd-’em-in, get-’em-out dentist offices I have always been to. Turns out there’s a reason for that, unfortunately.

Let me back up and say that I got a recommendation for this dentist from one of The Daddy’s colleagues the he works with at the school district. She loves this dentist and I can see why after going yesterday. I assumed, as did the dentist office, that we had the same insurance since they work for the same district. They did not take my insurance card because of that and I didn’t think anything of it. Well, I arrived at the oral surgeon’s for a consult yesterday to talk about sedation and so that he could take a look to make sure the other wisdom teeth didn’t need to come out as well and, guess what? HE’S NOT A PROVIDER IN MY LAME-ASSED HMO-TYPE DENTAL INSURANCE PLAN. AAAAAAAH! So, while sitting in the oral surgeon’s waiting room, I am on the phone to the district office’s health benefits person, the dental insurance company, and another dentist that IS in my network to see if I can get in that day so I can get a referral to an oral surgeon that IS in my network. CRAP. CRAP. CRAP. CRAP. Sitting in the waiting room I am about to cry because my mouth is throbbing and it was so reassuring to just know that it was all taken care of. They were just going to get this done. And then it all fell apart. Obviously, I should have been more on top of who was in my network and who wasn’t. I should have called my dental insurance to change my provider before going yesterday. Then I would have known that the wonderful dentist was not in my network. And I would have had a clue that the oral surgeon that they referred me to would not be in my network. Apparently there are two different plans at the school district and we have the plan that does not have access to the wonderful dentists because we don’t pay a premium each month. I guess we just get the crappy dentists. Because the dentist’s office that I had gone to (I’m not even going to tell you how long ago…it’s embarrassing) was crappy. That’s why I was looking for a recommendation for another one.

Well, so as not to bore you any more than you already are (probably too late), I went ahead with the consult ($75 cha-ching) and they calculated the fees for me (cha-ching, cha-ching) and I will be going ahead with the surgery today because it’s only (ha!) $295. I just need it taken care of and The Daddy agrees. It’s not like we have $300 laying around but it’s gotta be done. It would have been better if it was taken care of through insurance but, in the grand scheme of things, it is not going to break us. And I really would rather not go through the entire weekend popping barely safe levels of ibuprofen that will, at best, make me feel minimally human and decrease the insistent throbbing to a dull ache. This way, The Daddy is home to help me with Tater Tot while I recover, which is nice. Worth the money in my opinion.

A couple of good things that have come out of this: 1) I get a rest. Not the way I would have liked to get a rest but it is what it is and I’m grateful for a helpful husband. 2) I have a renewed motivation to keep better track of our insurance and to maintain regular dental visits. Don’t really want to go through this again. Silly Mommy.

Yes, it’s true. The Mommy is falling apart. Aches, pains, etc. are getting the best of me these days. Between the hamstring injury that has had me sidelined from running for a week, the toothache that has me awake in the middle of the night (just waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in), the weird pain in my foot for two days, and the soreness in my hip, I’m just a cranky mess! Add in a dose of sweaty, humid weather and a very needy toddler and I’m done for. Luckily the pain in my foot has consistently decreased to where it’s really very mild and I have a dentist appointment bright and early this morning. I just hope they can fit in more than just checking out what’s wrong with me. At least give me a prescription for a pain reliever that won’t wear off after an hour and a half. I have no idea what’s wrong in there but it’s throbbing relentlessly and the ibuprofen doesn’t last near long enough. It’s a little better now that I’m sitting up in a chair. I guess I’ll have to sleep here in front of my computer! Eating is an adventure since it really hurts to open my mouth more than a centimeter. Which makes me even more cranky.

OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH.

On a different but related note, I met with a naturopathic doctor yesterday at the local health food store and got some interesting suggestions that I think I’m going to follow through on. Ways to support my thyroid function that may make me feel better. Ideas for treatment for the cervical dysplasia. Of course the treatment for the cervical issues means that I have to go see this doctor and pay him lots of money because insurance won’t cover it so that’s not going to happen any time soon. But it was still interesting to hear what his plan for treatment would be. The thyroid support is just a few supplements so I can do that, though. I also called my regular doc to get my thyroid levels tested since I’m still not sleeping well. The Grandma said that insomnia was one of the things that she really suffered from before she was diagnosed with Hashimotos’ Thyroiditis. So that could be a signal that my levels are off.

On a more positive note, The Daddy is between his summer and school-year jobs right now so he’ll be home to spend some time with me and The Tot for a few days, which is nice. Starts back up with the teaching gig on Monday. It’ll be nice to have him get home earlier. Weird, isn’t it? His summer job has him leaving earlier and getting home later than his school-year job. And it pays less. But it’s not bad income and he’s been doing it for years so it’s comfortable and he enjoys it.

Well, I’m going to go see if I can lay down and fall back to sleep or if the throbbing starts up again…wish me luck!

This morning I was eating leftover crab cake from the awesome dinner The Daddy made for our actual anniversary last night and Tater Tot was saying “Shum. Shum. Shum.” and reaching for my plate. Shum. Hmmmm….not sure what she’s saying. Kept feeding her the cereal and apple I had prepared for her. This afternoon I was eating ice cream (also left over from the anniversary dinner) and, again, “Shum. Shum. Shum.” What is she saying for heaven’s sake? Then it hit me: “SOME“. She wants some. I guess I’d better start being a better role model and stop eating ice cream in the middle of the day.

Our plumbing is fixed! Yay! Of course the plumbers arrived two hours late and were a bit less professional than they guy from the same company who came out to do the initial leak detection but they worked hard and got it done so…

I am officially Mommy. More accurately, I am “Maaaaaammy! Maaaaaammy! Maaaaaammy!” Tater Tot has graduated from “Maaaa!” to “Maaaaaammy!” with arms upstretched within a matter of days. And she has gotten rather high maintenance. Over the past couple of days I have had to figure out how to do a variety of things with her on my hip/lap: put makeup on (with her trying to explore the goopy mascara I am using), feed the dog, turn the main water valve on and off (the plumbers are coming today…yay!), use the computer (she likes to instant message her Aunties which can get interesting), go to the bathroom, etc. It’s been an experience. But along with that comes the snuggles that I wouldn’t get otherwise so it’s all good. I wonder how long this trend will last. Probably not long and she’ll be off and running away from me again. So I’ll just enjoy the snuggles while they last and be happy that she’s finally calling me “Mommy”.

Okay, so it was more like “Mommy and Daddy’s Couple Of Hours Out” but I think it still qualifies. I actually put on a dress and we left the house for dinner out like “normal” people. It was nice. “What was the occasion?”, you ask. We were celebrating our anniversary. Yep, we’ve been married 8 years on Monday. Some days it seems like less than that. Other days it seems like more. Pretty typical, I think.

We went to a local “nice” restaurant on the beach. What I like about where we live and the restaurant we went to is the “California Casual” atmosphere. You see men in shorts and Hawaiian shirts with flip flops right along with people in dress slacks. Mostly dresses for women. Not “beach casual” but definitely not “I’m dressed up and uncomfortable”, which is nice. And to be able to have a nice glass of wine and conversation with The Daddy that doesn’t involve me doing chores while we’re talking was a bonus! Add in a view of the surf, and it was the perfect dining experience.

Eight years. Sometimes it seems strange that it’s been that long. We were remembering some of the places we’ve lived and things we used to do. I was thinking of the ways that we’d grown, mostly through the hard times when things weren’t as either of us would have liked them. When one or both of us were being unrealistic, selfish, or clueless. And that made me grateful for the hard times. Because, although our relationship is far from perfect, we’re headed in the right direction.

The Daddy got me the most amazing gift. He’s good at that. In the past it has involved trips to Tiffany’s , among other places, which is nice. But this year it was a lot less expensive. He wrote me a poem about why he loved me. He had a friend draw the most amazing picture around it and framed it for me. It’s better than Tiffany’s because it was unexpected and thoughtful. Not that jewelry can’t be thoughtful. It can. But it involved a guy putting feelings on paper. Maybe typical in sensitive college poetry majors but not in guys who’ve been married for eight years. So I will hang it in a place where I can see it often and will read it on those days when it seems as though we’ve been married forever instead of only 8 years…

I killed a squirrel today. Not on purpose. It was crossing the road, stopped, and doubled back. Nothing I could do. Thunk, thunk. Aw, man… Trauma. As a general rule I don’t like to kill things. At least things that are bigger than a spider. Most of the time I will even catch the spider and put it outside although, I have to be honest, that’s mostly because of the “crunch factor” of killing it. It’s just so weird that, in 21 years of driving, I have never created roadkill until now.

I killed said squirrel on the way home from our beach playdate today. It was later than The Tot and I usually go and she ran around for about an hour so she was pretty fried on the way home. I tried to keep her awake by singing, clapping, and talking loudly but she fell asleep in the last 5 minutes before we got home. I would have loved to be someone in a car next to me! That must have been entertaining for them.

The second bizarre event of my day is that She Who Never Transfers Well from the car seat did not wake up when I took her out of the car seat! Even more bizarre than that is that She Who Dances, Kicks, Screams, And Causes General Havoc During Diaper Changes slept through the diaper change! What the…?? I thought “I guess I’ll just put her down for a nap without lunch” with the knowledge that she’d probably take a much shorter nap but guess what happened? You got it! The minute I put her in her crib, “MAAAAAAAA”! So we ate. And she took a long time. And wanted to play. Aw crap. You see where this is headed? She got her second wind and took another hour to wind down and fall asleep. Slept like a log for an hour. Not as long as usual but I kind of wanted her to wake up so her bed time wouldn’t be screwed up.

After naptime we had a lovely plumber-guy come over because we have a leak in the concrete slab foundation of our house. Yeah, great. I noticed something was wrong a couple of days ago because the floor of our downstairs bathroom was nice and toasty warm. Unfortunately, we don’t have radiant heat floors so that meant that something had gone haywire. The plumber-guy was a really nice guy from American Leak Detection (each franchise independently owned and operated). Professional but friendly. Took time to let the dog sniff him and talk to The Tot all while completing the leak detection in a timely manner. He even let me listen to the leak when he found it. Not that I was thrilled to be able to hear money leaking out of my plumbing but, it was mildly interesting nonetheless. The estimate for repairs was actually lower than I was expecting because I have no experience with slab leaks and thought they were more complicated to fix. So, next Tuesday we are spending the day at home with our team of two plumbers who will be re-routing our plumbing to exclude the leaky pipes that are warming my bathroom floor. Until then, we get to be cautious with our water because, as he told me “Just because water hasn’t come up through the floor yet doesn’t mean it won’t”. Great. So we’re turning the water off for large chunks of time to decrease the chances that we’ll need to replace tile, carpet, etc. due to water damage. The joys of homeownership.

The last, but certainly not the least “interesting” part of my day was the fact that The Dog has The Runny Poos again. Usually, I am in charge of human poop and The Daddy is in charge of canine poop. Unfortunately, when The Dog has The Runny Poos, she whines to be let outside and, since The Daddy is not home during the day (you know, that earning-a-living thing so I can stay at home with Tater Tot), I get to clean it. And, to really gross you out, sometimes she gets Poop Butt when it gets stuck on her fur. Not fun or easy to clean. Especially with a toddler running around.

The phrase “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?” comes to mind as I describe my day. It actually wasn’t as bad as it sounds….

Yeah, I’ve jumped from one project to another again. Remember the balcony I was fixing up? I’m kind of stalled on that one. It’s cute and a good place to hang out but definitely not finished yet. Imagine me moving on from a project before it’s finished. Typical for me. I’ve wanted to get things under control in my office for a while now but the inspiration just hasn’t struck me. And between the have-to’s and the other want-to’s in my life, I just haven’t gotten around to it. But, for some who-knows-what reason, I have gotten a burst of motivation for this project. Maybe because I’m tired of walking in and feeling overwhelmed by it. Maybe it’s because Tater Tot’s toys are multiplying while she sleeps and I’d like a better play space for her. Maybe it’s because The Daddy and I have had more trouble finding keys, wallets and other essentials over the past three weeks than the whole rest of our marriage. It’s never so bad that I can’t shove everything in a closet in a pinch if someone’s coming over but it’s just a niggling in the back of my mind that I would feel so much more like creating in here if things were in order. If I knew exactly what I had and where it was. If I got rid of all the stuff that I’ve been hanging onto “just in case”.

So I am utilizing Flylady’s mantra “you can do anything for 15 minutes” and slowly but surely getting rid of the stuff. Stuff we’ve had so long I don’t even see it anymore. Stuff that is shoved in drawers that are not opened on a regular basis. Stuff that I don’t even remember what it goes to. You know those wierd-shaped plastic pieces that you think might be a clip for a cell phone you no longer have but you just can’t be sure? Those keys that probably belong to an apartment you rented 10 years ago but who knows? The stuff that I can give away, I do. Freecycle can be good, although I encourage you to screen who you give things to. More people flake on me than don’t, unfortunately. Mommy Tip: If you can find a charity that picks the stuff up from you, it’s really a bonus! It’s a total time and energy-saver! And you don’t have to worry about a freecycler flaking on you. Generally, if I can give it to a charity that will pick up, I do. If it’s something they won’t take, I Freecycle it because I just can’t get with throwing stuff away that can be recycled or used by someone else. It’s just not right!

After I’m done “de-cluttering”, I’ll take stock of what items I have left and the space that I have to house them. Move some furniture. Maybe buy or create some new storage items and, voila! Office organization! Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Not so much. Is there an Office Organization Fairy I can call on here? If only…

Get up to 50% off during the Biggest Sale of the Season at drugstore.com. Shop Now! If I can’t find a particular brand of natural personal care product at my local health food store, I go to drugstore.com. They carry a selection of alternative brands at reasonable prices. A couple of things that caught my eye were the 20% off of Tom’s of Maine products, the Burt’s Bees freebie with purchase, and 20% off Seventh Generation products. Savings are greater on the major brands, of course but it’s nice to see a little bit of discount on the alternative brands, too! Check ‘em out…they sell just about everything there.

Yeah, doesn’t sound like much, does it? But it is Tater Tots favorite meal. Let me translate for you. “Nanee” (not sure of the spelling here, I’m in uncharted ToddlerSpeak territory) is Mac and Cheese. Don’t ask me how it became nanee. But that’s what it is. “Bo’s” is all my fault. I started by playfully calling her vegetables “vegetabos” so she, naturally, shortened it to “bo’s”. Good job, Mommy. “Appy” is applesauce and surprises me since she can say “apple” quite clearly but it has taken on a life of its’ own. So “appy” it is. Of course, most of the time I try to use the correct words for them but I find myself slipping into her language more often than I’d like. It’s just too cute!

She still has no interest in moving from pureed vegetables to steamed/chopped/anything-but-pureed vegetables so I think I’m going to have to get creative. Add to that a resistance to using a spoon and you have goopy, messy, colorful vegetables all over The Tot, the placemat, the booster seat, the lovely dining room table, and the floor. Luckily I’m not all that uptight about stuff not getting everywhere. There will be time to be neat. This is not the time. I feel pretty strongly about not restricting her from doing stuff just because it creates more work for me. It’s my job. This is the time for her to explore smooshing vegetables and other foods all over her face and in her hands and smacking them on the table to see what happens. Never mind that they splatter on my Momiform .

Luckily, we have come a ways since that post last summer. I’ve made some strides toward reclaiming a modicum of style although the white t-shirts are still in part-time residence and the style is quite casual. The hair…well, it’s still in a ponytail most of the time but at least it’s well-maintained with a nice cut and highlights. And I’ve added some earrings most days. Little studs that are difficult to grab and rip out of my earlobes. The shoes are still flip flops or tennies but I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.

Maybe I’m just remedial when it comes to Mommyhood but it seems like it’s taken me this long to really settle into feeling comfortable with my Mommyness and find my Mommy Style. I’ve always loved being Princess Tater Tot’s Mommy but it has taken me a while to become more confident in my Mommy Skills and with the changes in my Mommy Body. Less freaking out at every little thing and over-analyzing every little decision. Not that I’m all the way there yet. But I feel good.

I have found the perfect pair of shorts. Actually, The Daddy found them. He came home from working in his classroom one day last weekend and said “I hope you don’t mind that I brought presents”. Uh, why would I mind presents, exactly? Oh, yeah. We have no money. Huh. Nope. I don’t mind. He’s earning it so, if he wants to spend it on me, far be it from me to say no.

Back to the shorts. They don’t look like much, especially in the picture above. If I had seen the picture before I saw the shorts, I would not have given them a chance. But, since The Daddy came home with them and had obviously been listening to my recent lamentations over only having two pairs of shorts that fit me, I tried them on. Oh Happy Day! They fit low in the waist like I like and have plenty of room in the hips. They’re made of an organic stretch cotton so they bend and move with me instead of binding and making me feel like a huge MUFFINTOP! The length is just long enough to hide the post-childbirth (and let’s face it, the has-always-been-there) cellulite but short enough to feel sporty and not like your grandma’s shorts. Or “Gamma”, as Tater Tot says. They also come in three colors. The “stucco” above, “burlap”, and “green earth”. The weird thing is that these shorts look better on me than on the model above. And I’ve got HIPS. And I NEVER think anything looks better on me than the model. They’re not cheap but they’re worth it!