A long day

August 25, 2008 at 8:45 pm · Filed under Actual posts about being moms, Rants

Today was my first full day alone with Graem. Shawna decided to stay behind in NY with Emerson to take care of my dad, who over the weekend was not feeling very well. He was unable to walk around, was dehydrated and not eating, and was dizzy and nauseous. He refused to see his doctors, so we decided the second best thing was for someone to stay with him, since his girlfriend is out of town for two weeks. My brother is spending nights there, but of course has to work.

Highlights of my day:

5:30 AM - wake up, thinking about today’s strategy, get online to check bank accounts to make sure we’re still solvent after the weekend in NY
6:00 AM - alarm goes off, hit snooze so Graem can sleep some more. Read news online.
6:30 AM - get up, wash up, get dressed, make coffee
6:45 AM - start trying to wake Graem up. Get back in bed to snuggle with her instead.
7:00 AM - we both get up, eat breakfast. I hurry Graem to finish eating and get dressed.
7:30 AM - call daycare to see if there’s a spot for Graem. Call back in 3 minutes because no one is there yet. Brush Graem’s teeth while waiting for them to call back.
7:35 AM - Daycare calls back, there’s a spot! Yay! Look in fridge, find nothing for lunch. Look in freezer for something for dinner, nothing looks interesting.
7:45 AM - Grab Ms. Fiona (the classroom dragon who goes on trips with the kids) and get in the car.
8:10 AM - Arrive at daycare. Thank goodness Jack is there, dropoff goes much easier. Still have to explain why Shawna is not home. Run to car to get to work.
8:20 AM - Arrive at work. Check email and voicemail. Start working on proposal that has to be sent to printer at 12:30 PM.
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Work furiously on proposal, simultaneously fielding questions regarding cost estimates, construction, and specs.
9:45 AM - Get IMs that dad was unable to get PET scan done. Suspect self-sabotage, swear profusely via IM.
12:35 PM - Successfully send PDF of proposal to printer–yay! Breathe sigh of relief, run to Wegman’s to grab lunch and proteins for next two nights’ dinners.
12:45 PM - 2:00 - Work on 2nd proposal due at end of day. Also managed to staple one set of specs I need to review.
2:10 PM - receive call that proposals are printed and bound, ready for pickup and delivery. Try to coordinate trip out to printer with field check on bench placement for another project. One principal says to try to meet with other principal who is nearby for another meeting. Gather stuff and run out the door. Decide to meet with other principal before his 3PM meeting.
2:15 PM - Drive to project to locate benches. Realize that proposals that are already bound are missing one document!! Call office and talk to other principal to ask her to email document to printer–apologize profusely. Call print house to tell them I forgot one document and that it was emailed. They are grouchy, I apologize profusely.
2:45 PM - Meet with other principal on site, decide on bench locations. Run to car to go to printer.
3:05 PM - Arrive at printer, turns out their email is down and document was not received! Start sweating. Call office, ask someone else (not the principal!) to send document again to another email address.
3:15 PM - Document received. Printer asks if document must really be bound into already-bound proposals. I say yes, and apologize profusely. Sit and wait, sweating and nervous.
3:40 PM - Proposals rebound! Yay! Grab pile and run, must drive around block again to deliver. Park car, run into City planning office.
3:45 PM - Deliver proposals-yay! City planner notices me dropping proposals off and says, “You made it! We were getting worried. Then we saw you walking across the parking lot!” Make small talk, smile and make nice. Run out door.
4:00 PM - Arrive back at office. Show off our copy of the proposal. Make office small talk, review proposal.
4:30 PM - Start reviewing second proposal due by 5PM. Make edits.
4:59 PM - Submit second proposal with caveats.
5:00 PM - Run out door and get in car. Realize that “Empty” light has been flashing on fuel tank all day. Swear profusely. Realize I left groceries in work refrigerator. Swear profusely.
5:10 PM - Arrive at daycare, run in, no kids in room. Go to playground, no Graem in sight. Run around like crazy person yelling/looking for her. Find her in climber, make her leave. Minor crying and begging for snack, rifle through daycare cabinets (without permission!) to find crackers to stop crying. Meanwhile try to have conversation with Libby while stealing crackers and yelling at kid to hurry! Try to force Graem to run to car - more crying. I say, Why crying, you are kid, you should run!
5:15 PM - Buckled in car, squeal out of daycare parking lot. Not good! Try to determine which would be best gas station (i.e. fastest) to go to.
5:20 PM - Start filling up car. Smell gas, notice that pump is pouring gas into shoe. Swear profusely. Stop pumping gas, eh, $29 should get me to kennel.
5:25 PM - Squeal out of gas station, hoping not to ignite. Open windows to keep from suffocating child with fumes.
5:28 PM - Call kennel. Ask if they will be there a little longer or if I should just give up and turn around. They are nice, say they will wait, I apologize profusely.
5:38 PM - Tear into kennel gravel parking lot. Not good. Decide whether to leave kid in car to get dog. Conscience gets better of me, unbuckle kid to come out to get dog.
5:39 PM - Walk into kennel sheepishly, apologize profusely. Pay for dog, who is bad. Should just leave dog there next time.
5:50 PM - Drive back to work. Again postulate whether to leave kid and dog in car, conscience says take both inside. Walk in, scare living bejesus out of boss. Grab groceries, Graem begs for water from the water cooler. Look for paper cup while keeping eye on dog, to make sure she doesn’t crap on work floor.
6:05 PM - Arrive at home. Leave dog outside, get mail with Grammy. Leave Grammy outside riding her bike so I can make dinner. Tell Graem to run away if big scary dogs come.
6:10 PM - Make dinner: miso-honey glazed salmon filet with red curry noodles. Mmmm.
6:45 PM - Sit down for dinner with Grammy. Replace Graem’s curry noodles with plain noodles. Graem cries for peanut butter on her noodles, make peanut sauce instead. Graem won’t eat it. She eats plain noodles and salmon. Grouch at Graem to get her to eat her entire meal. Graem does, and gets a root beer pop for dessert. I have a glass of wine, feel much better!
7:45 PM - Clean up dishes. Take apart car seat Shawna bought on Craig’s List, put in a load of wash. Sit around blogging, receive call from coworker. Gripe to coworker about work.
8:45 PM - Talk to Shawna to tell her about my day, and hear her gloat about all the delicious food she’s had.

Still to do: switch laundry, bathe self and kid, bathe dog, print photos for Ms. Fiona’s diary.

Wish me luck!

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Oh crap!

April 25, 2008 at 5:34 am · Filed under Actual posts about being moms, Rants

We’re under 40 days today… crapcrapcrap. I feel like I haven’t finished everything I need to at work, including another out-of-town trip. Yesterday’s was a drag–Buffalo all day–plus I got lost on the way home (long story, I HATE Google maps). The only place I wanted to be was home and I was two counties out of the way of my route, and worried about my girls.

Then Shawna points out that this coming Tuesday it could be “two to five weeks.” Shit! We’re not packed. Various animals haven’t been managed, and our (okay, my) list ain’t nowhere near done. I keep doing non-list items that need to be done, and not getting any credit! Shawna suggested I just add them on there and cross them off so I can feel better about it. Hmm.

The quilts are giving me anxiety, not making fast enough progress on them and I must admit I’m a little scared about sandwiching and actually quilting… Not bothering putting the carseat in the CRV, since that car’s got one wheel in the grave. Lawn is looking a little hirsute, yet patchy in other places.

I’m running out of weekends…

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Bailey + Prozac = ?

April 8, 2008 at 12:36 pm · Filed under Rants, Things I really shouldn't talk about

Over the past few months (years) Margot and I have been discussing (read: fighting) over getting rid of the dog.

Bailey is about seven years old and ever since she was a little puppy has been riled up, barks constantly, and jumps on people. Then there’s the part about her escaping with every oppurtunity, not listening when called, and crapping and peeing on the floor and carpet.

I think my tolerance during this pregnancy has dwindled and I constantly feel like I’m yelling at her and angry when she jumps on or off of me and my belly or goes to jump on a little kid. I find it unacceptable.

A few months ago I threatened to take her to the pound and be done with her. However, Margot said that she would take her to the vet and get anti-anxiety meds.

That hasn’t happened and today Bailey jumped out of the house and went missing for a good 20 minutes. I tried to follow her and catch her but the reality is…big mama isn’t moving too fast these days and I’m not about to dive for the damn dog!

So after calling Margot and sitting down on the steps frustrated and cursing that little bastard….Bailey finally came up next to me and I put her leash on.

In the next few minutes I’m going to take Bailey to the vet so that we can try to get her medicated in hopes that she will calm down and become a good dog.

Next stop is the pound.

Comments (1)

Beware: Mommy will bite.

March 21, 2008 at 7:10 am · Filed under Rants

Margot just called from the road. She was so upset…almost to the point of no words. About what you ask? Well, there’s a train going through town.

I know you might think WTF?!?! But you have to understand that there’s one railroad through town and it seperates the east side and west side. When the train’s running there’s no way to get to the other side of town and typically it could be a good 10-20 minute wait.

It’s a good thing that we live on the hospital side. I’d hate to live on the east side of town and need to get to the hospital and have to wait for the train.

Gotta love small town living. When the only thing you can get upset with is a passing train. I guess we really shouldn’t complain since it only takes minutes to get to work!

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Harsh injustice.

January 28, 2008 at 2:55 pm · Filed under Actual posts about being moms, Rants

I’ve been stalking a few websites lately. One is Flotsam and I’ve been visiting her website ever since I did a search on “pregnancy symptoms” and realized I was having the same ones as her. She did IVF, had miscarriages, and was two weeks ahead of me.

So her website has been somewhat of a guide to “what to expect next” during my pregnancy journey.

Last week she posted that she lost her son Ames at 22 weeks and 3 days gestation. They found this out by going for a routine ultrasound and saw that Ames had stopped growing and no longer had a heartbeat. Of course, it was heartbreaking to say the least. Anytime someone loses a baby, much less, one that has been so long in the making…

Since that time her goal was to reach 24 weeks so that her other twin (daughter) Simone could grow and develop. She was able to make it to the 24 week mark last week which gives the chance of “viability” at 85%.

However, this morning she started having contractions, her water broke and now she’s in the hospital giving birth to both of her children - one a live, one not.

Hearing this news was quite upsetting this morning as I read it before we were off to Rochester for our level II ultrasound. All I could think of was how scared she must be and how I wish her daughter is strong and survives. Please send your prayers and thoughts to their family.

As we were leaving our street I realized that the trashy guy (who is maybe 25), lives two houses down, drinks, parties, has the cops at his house weekly, kills neighborhood cats, has two kids already (2 different mothers) - has a pink, blue, and white balloon on his mailbox. I’m guessing once again - he’s procreated.

It’s horrible to know that people who so badly want to be parents and do everything to have a healthy child are having such a hard time and others that don’t take the responsibility seriously can mass produce.

Life is really unfair.

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