LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!!

WE HAVE POWER!!!! Whoo-hooo!!!! I was cleaning all the food out of the fridge/freezer (and am ill at the amount of meat I had to throw away...what a waste) when I suddenly heard this humming. It took me a minute to realize it was the fridge kicking on! Hallelujah! That was one of those moments that I wish life was like a musical. I can think of no more appropriate time to spontaneously burst into song and dance!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Still no power. On the verge of a HUGE meltdown.

Yes, I'm From Florida, but...

Hurricane Irene hit our area Saturday night. My power went out at approximately 10:00pm. It is 4:36pm on Tuesday. I am still without power. Not cool. Not cool at all. "But aren't you from Florida?" people keep asking me. "You should be used to this." Grrrr. Yes, people of Pennsylvania. I am from Florida. And yes, I have done this whole 'no power' thing before many times. But that's the point. I've done this. I've done this for weeks on end before. Now I live in Pennsylvania, I shouldn't have to! Not to mention that when I lived in Florida I was doing this without kids. My biggest concern was getting enough ice to keep my beer from skunking. No electricity for 3 days + 2 kids = Unhappy Dee. Add to the mix the fact that we have well water, so no electricity means no running water...forget it. I'm done. I have given up. No point in getting upset over it. That sure hasn't helped thus far. So here are a few things that I have just resigned myself to accepting until I get power back:
- My house smells. It smells like the food that's going icky in my fridge that I'm afraid to clean out until I have enough light to really see what's in there. It smells like the toilets haven't flushed in 3 days. It smells like the husband who has been working 16 hours a day since Sunday and hasn't had a chance to shower (because remember? We don't have water.).
- I will not get a full night's sleep until we get power back. This is due to several factors: 1) It's too damn quiet without the hum of the refrigerator or the fish tank or my fan. 2) The boy has decided that without his nightlight, his room is unfit for nightime habitation...in other words he's terrified of the dark and my mommy powers are the only thing that will keep him safe from the things that go bump in the night. So now I have a very leggy 4 year old taking up 3/4 of my bed and using every exposed body part of mine as a pillow. 3) Carl is working until 11:00pm every night. Our front door is loud. Do the math.
- I am going to end up reading the same 4 Disney books every night. And, really, Disney? MUST you make the books so long? The kids are starting to catch on to my "skip a page" and "paraphrase" tactics. I'm sorry, but I just can't read a 50 page book to a 2 & 4 year old.
Okay, enought whining...I'm heading home. Fingers crossed that by some miracle we have power. Puh-leeeeeeeeease, God! Please!

The End is Neigh!

Did I even use 'neigh' properly? Probably not. Ah, well. You may be asking yourself, "When did Dee become an apocalyptic prophet?" Let me tell you about the goings on in the tri-state area lately. We have received more rain this month than ever before (at least the Philadelphia area has). Ever. In recorded history. EVER.
On Tuesday we had an earthquake. Sort of. Alright, there was an earthquake in Virginia, and my desk in Limerick, PA jiggled a little. I was in the office alone and, I swear, I thought I was having a seizure. It was that subtle, but just enough that I was like, "Why in the world am I shaking?" Haha! Sad, I know, but true.
Now we have a major hurricane heading our way this weekend. Hurricane Irene has the potential to still be a category 3 storm when it reaches our area. Really, Nature? Really?! That is the ONE reason I always give when I am asked the question, "Why on earth did you move to PA from Florida?!" "No hurricanes," I reply. Well you just had to prove me wrong, didn't you, Nature? Hmph. I don't appreciate that. At all.
On the bright side, my cousin Claire is coming to visit today! Yay! Well, let me edit that. As long as the weather quits being stupid for long enough, my cousin Claire will arrive today! Hooray! I'm so excited, but at the same time a little...not nervous, but...anxious, maybe? You see, Claire and my sister were pen pals since childhood and have always been closer than Claire and I (I think they're a little closer in age, and just had more in common given the fact that last time Claire visited our family I was 12 and both she and my sister were in high school). Anywho, I, being the anxiety-ridden moron that I am, have been stressing out about what we're going to do and "Oooh, I have to take her to see this," and "Crap! I can't forget to take her here!" I'm just so desperate to show her a good time. I know. I'm needy. But now this stinkin' weather is goofing up all my plans! It's kind of hard to enjoy putzing around Philadelphia taking in the sights when there's a Cat 2-3 hurricane blowing around! Ugh! Let me assure you that this is all self-inflicted stress. Claire has assured me that all she wants to do is hang out with the family and spend a few days getting to know the kids and Carl and catching up with me. But I am always so worried that anyone that visits is bored...I don't want to be the boring stop on a trip, you know? "Oh, my trip was fabulous! I went to India and saw the Taj Mahal. Then off to Indiana where we did blah, blah, blah awesome things. Oh, yeah. Then I stayed at my cousin's house and watched her hyperactive children act like caged animals during a hurricane." *sigh* Why do I do this to myself?

A Comparison

The Boy:

• Born 4 days late...and would've probably stayed longer if given the opportunity.
• Screamed every waking moment for approximately 3 months.
• Lost almost all of his hair in the first 6 months of life save a freakish mullet-looking patch in the back.
• Slept on my or Carl's chest for the first few weeks because he wouldn't sleep otherwise.
• Started crawling at 6 months, walking at 9 months, potty-trained by 2 1/2.
• Has always fought sleep as if he's afraid we throw wild parties once he's in bed and he might miss something. Seriously, the boy used to pull his own hair as an infant to stay awake (side note: maybe that's why it all fell out...hmmm...)
•  Is very sensitive to other people's feelings. As a baby he was always VERY concerned when he heard another kid cry.
• The older the gets, the more cuddly he gets, much to my delight!

The Girl:

• Born 8 days early
• SUCH a pleasant baby...I remember thinking, "If normal babies are like this, I can see why people have more than one!"
• Has had the thickest, most amazing hair since day 1. No joke. She had her first hair cut at about 9 months. I don't think she ever lost a hair on her head.
• As long as you swaddled her and laid her on her side, the girl would sleep wherever you put her down as a baby.
• Started crawling at 5 1/2 months, walking at 8 months...still working on potty-training (stubborn little monster).
• Slept so much during her first week at home that I took her to the pediatrician 3 times. He looked at me and said, "She's a baby. They sleep. It's kind of their thing." To which I replied, "Do you remember my son? Carl Rudegeair?" And a look of knowing came over the doctor and he patted me on the back and said, "Well, you've definitely earned a good sleeper, haven't you?"
• Lives in her own little world 85% of the time. She spontaneously bursts into song/dance/conversation and doesn't care who's around (or even if she's completely alone).
• The older she gets, the less cuddly she gets. Hmph.

A Thursday List of Randomness

- Hearing the words "pediatric cardiologist" will strike the fear of God into the heart of a mother, regardless how innocent and routine the reason it was brought up.

- At my monthly OB visit yesterday my doctor told me I only gained 1 lb this month...she may as well have driven me to Sonic herself.

- Why does Sonic serve french fries? Really? Who goes to Sonic and doesn't get tots?!

- I'm torn...do I keep growing my hair out or go short again? Thoughts? I like being able to pull my hair up in a ponytail, but feel like shorter hair is more flattering for my Charlie Brown shaped head.

- One of my best friends from high school is getting married next September. It's hot in Pensacola in September. I will be 8 months pregnant at that time. God help me.

- 4 year olds are prone to emotional vomit. Let me elaborate: The 10 minute hysterical tantrum over what was triggered by a simple "No, you may not have a Popsicle for breakfast," will result in hearing all about how you don't care about said 4 year old, being a kid isn't fair, you never give him/her anything, and remember that one time you were in the shower and he/she was banging on the door because he/she had to poop and you told him/her to go away and maybe he/she should think of these things before someone else is in the bathroom? Yep...that means you don't love him/her and it hurt his/her feelings because all he/she wanted to do was go potty. 

- Teething does VERY unpleasant things to 2-year-olds. <--- just a reminder, because I had forgotten how true this is.

- Paige went potty today! Without any prodding! She asked my mother-in-law to go potty, sat down, and actually went #2! Hooray! Maybe she'll just figure this whole thing out on her own???? That would be so super awesome...unlikely, but super awesome.