This does my heart good

Toad adores his daddy

Dental Drama

After changing dentists and waiting months to be seen, both my husband and I saw our new dentist a couple weeks ago. It didn't go well. I left with the knowledge that I have two cavities and another tooth that needed a "final diagnosis." The final diagnosis, to be done by the endodontist, would determine whether I would need a root canal on a third tooth of mine. Imagine my surprise when I called the endodontist and they said they could see me the very next day...on a Saturday, no less. I almost didn't know how to respond, because such speedy service is almost unfathomable to me. Well, I went the next day and guess what? I needed a root canal. So, did I schedule an appointment to have it done a few weeks and another copay later? Nope. They did it right then and there! Can you believe this?!! I thought it was great! I didn't have to wait and fret for weeks. The endodontist said I definitely needed the root canal and got to work.

And, for those of you who have mentioned your own root canal experiences to me... Poop on you. I had a wonderful experience. I don't know who did y'all's root canals, but mine was not painful at all. It wasn't horrible and I didn't even have any serious pain afterwards. I didn't take any of the Tylenol with Codeine that the endodontist prescribed me, either. It was a rather positive experience for me. We'll see how my husband feels when he goes for his "final diagnosis" on three teeth tomorrow.

Man, don't we sound like hillbillies who never brush their teeth? I promise that isn't the case. Quite the opposite, in fact. I've actually been accused of brushing too hard. I admit that I've never been good at flossing. But, I brush at least twice a day and since January 1st, I have been trying really hard to be a regular "flosser", too. But, this stuff still happens. Such is life, right? Hopefully, this will be the last of such dental drama, though.

Gotta Love the DMV

You may have read my previous post about the Emissions Hell that I experienced. Well, here's the update:
My husband is amazing! He fixed whatever was apparently causing the "check engine" light to be on. We were driving home from his parents' house a week or so ago, and all of a sudden, the "check engine" light went off! We were a bit puzzled, but since my hubby had been working on the car earlier that day, we figured (fingers crossed) that maybe he fixed it and the car had just finally had time to do the stinkin' "drive cycle". The next morning, my husband said he was just gonna take my car to emissions and see what happened. He called me, very shortly after leaving for the emissions place. So, I assumed the light had come back on and he was calling to tell me that he was headed back home. But, NO! He was calling to tell me that he had already gotten to the emissions place, and that my car PASSED!!! He also continued on to tell me that "he is the man" and that is "how he rolls", but anyways... It was super exciting, after all we had gone through. So, finally we were going to be able to pay the registration. Or so we thought. When we tried to pay online, it wanted to charge us a penalty fee for paying late. However, the emissions paperwork (all four of the failed ones) clearly stated that we would not have to pay a late fee.
This is where the DMV comes in. I never thought I'd have the pleasure of saying this, but I had a wonderful experience at the DMV!!! Although when my husband went to the DMV last week to try to pay the registration, minus the late fee, they wouldn't let him pay it because my registration still in my maiden name. Details, details. So, yesterday, with my "priority ticket" in hand and my husband and son in tow, I went to the DMV. I figured it was going to be a horrible experience since the workers were telling everyone that walked in the doors that they were having computer problems and they couldn't guarantee that we would be able to get done what we came there to get done. Despite my fears, our number was called probably within 10 or so minutes. Then, when we got up to the counter, the lady was extremely nice and helpful. She was only supposed to let me pay my registration, since that was what my return ticket was technically for. But, she was so nice that she let us do everything that we wanted to do... and the computer worked long enough for her to do it all. So, not only did we pay my registration, but we got my name changed on my title and on my registration, got the tags for my car (which is a big feat in itself), we added my husband to my title and added me to his. To top it all off, my husband got a new license! He has had the same one for probably 13 years or so. It is so old school. It doesn't even look like him because the picture was taken in high school, and none of the information is correct anymore. The picture is a real photo laminated onto the license. That is how old school it is. We walked to the photo counter at the DMV and he got his picture taken within a minute of handing his completed paperwork to the photo guy. And within another minute, he had his brand spankin' new license....Digital photo and all! Welcome to the 20th century, babe.
I now am a fan of the DMV.
Oh, and we had entertainment, as if often the case at such public establishments. I'll try to figure out how to post the picture I took of my "entertainment" sometime in the near future.
Yay for the DMV! Mission accomplished!

Nursery Nightmare

I recall, very vividly, standing at my front door, talking with my mother-in-law about how I looked forward to the day that I would try to hand Toad to someone else and he would cling to me, as if to say, "No! I want my mama. Don't take me away from her!" That was several months ago. I remember thinking that it would just warm my heart to have my son choose me over another. However, when I said that, I didn't mean that I want my son to be so attached to me that I feel like I am ripping his heart out if I leave him with other very capable people for a short while.

December 2nd: First time that we left Toad in the nursery at church. We dutifully signed him in and took a pager and headed to the sanctuary. I sat there in the pew with a knot in my stomach, all the while my loving husband trying to calm my uneasiness with steady, gentle strokes of his hand across mine. Not long into the service did our pager go off. It scared me to the point that I almost jumped out of my seat. I shouldn't have been surprised that it went off, because I was practically on pins and needles, waiting for it to buzz. Oddly enough, I was somewhat relieved. I jumped to my feet and made a b-line for the nursery. As I opened the door, I could see little Toad fussing in the arms of the ever-so-calm nursery worker. She proceeded to tell me that she thought maybe he was hungry, as she thought he was "nuzzling" against her. Knowing that he had just been fed 30-45 minutes prior, I was sure he was not hungry. After I took Toad from her arms, he stopped fussing...within mere seconds. He just wanted his mommy, it seemed. Off to the sanctuary to hear the last half of the sermon.

December 23: Let's try this again. We dropped Toad off at the nursery with a clean diaper and a full belly. He had been fed rice cereal and fruit just before we left the house and I nursed him in the parking lot at church, just before dropping him off. Thus, I knew he was not hungry. Again, we signed him in to the nursery, took our pager and headed for the sanctuary. Imagine how proud I was when the service was over and we hadn't been paged! Yay! He made it! I was thrilled. Imagine my disappointment and feelings of guilt when we went to pick Toad up from the nursery and he was being rocked in the arms of the nursery worker as he sobbed pathetically. As I looked at the worker, she said "I think he may be hungry." I wanted to explain to her, in great detail, how much he had eaten, to prove that he was NOT HUNGRY! But, before I could do so, she informed us that they tried to page us. What!??!! Our pager never went off! I felt awful. Awful that the nursery workers must have thought that we were ignoring their paging. Awful that Toad had been so upset for however long. Awful that Toad must have thought that we didn't come when he "needed" us. UGH! That pit in my stomach returned. Taking Toad from the nursery worker, he immediately stopped crying, though. Thus, the pit in my stomach shrunk a bit. It felt so good to know that I have the ability to calm and console my son. Yet, it felt horrible that he was becoming "that kid" to the nursery workers.

January 20th: Third time's a charm, right? Not so much. Same deal...fed, nursed, signed-in, dropped-off. Sitting in church, we made it through the announcements and singing. The sermon begins. As I look at the overhead screen to confirm the scripture references, I notice a running ticker at the bottom of the screen. "Parents of Toad please come to the nursery." OH MY WORD! Why didn't they just page us! Did they have to put it on the screen for the entire congregation to see?! Knowing that I am mortified, our row of friends jokingly snicker at us. All in good fun, of course. Again, I rush out, heading to the nursery. Once I open the glass doors from the sanctuary, I hear the faint whimpers of my son. There he is, with the nursery worker, bawling in the courtyard. The poor child was screaming so loudly that the worker took him out into the courtyard to try to provide him a change of scenery. It didn't work. But, bless her heart for trying. Since Toad was facing the worker, he didn't even see my face when I took him from her... Yet, he piped down right away. One of our pastors (who had heard him screaming in the nursery room) walked up to us and commented to Toad, "Now, that smells better, doesn't it?" At first, I thought that was an odd statement, but quickly realized what he was saying. My son knows my smell. He knows my touch. He knows my heartbeat. He knows my love. The fact that he stopped screaming when I took him in my arms, although he hadn't even seen my countenance, confirms to me that he KNOWS his mom, just as I know my son. Of course, they had tried to page us...which didn't work because, again, we got a dead pager. And, of course, the worker suggested that Toad was probably hungry. Grr! Like I said, I know my son... And I KNOW he was NOT HUNGRY!! But, I understand that they had tried everything but feeding him... well, almost everything. They hadn't tried mom's arms, yet.

The fourth time apparently wasn't a charm either, because I tried to leave Toad in the nursery this morning while I was at church for Bible study. Yet again, my pager didn't go off. This time, someone had to actually come to the room I was in and summon me to the nursery. I didn't get all the way to the nursery before I saw a worker in the courtyard, holding my boy. In an effort to avoid the "I think he is hungry" thing, I packed a bottle in Toad's diaper bag this morning. But, my effort was all for not as he had apparently refused to even take it. However, he did not refuse to cuddle up in my arms and hold on to me with the sweetest, most heart-
warming grip.
How can one be upset that her son wants her, loves her, cries out for her? Upset I'm not. Unsure, I am. Unsure as to what to do. Uneasy, yes. Uneasy, feeling that my son thinks I am abandoning him. Unsettled, for sure. Unsettled about the idea that my child thinks socializing with other children is torture because his mommy isn't there with him.
I am blessed to have a son who wants to be with me. I want to cherish these times, as I know that it will be all too soon that he is "too cool" for me. Yet, I need to worship, grow, learn and fellowship without him in my arms, too.
What's a mom to do?

Camo Kid

As alluded to in my previous post, I have a fun story to share about Old Navy. But, that is gonna have to wait for another post or two. However, I thought I'd share a couple pictures of Toad in his cute little camoflauge pjs that I picked up for him at Old Navy. When I showed them to my husband, he was so excited about them that he ripped the package open, immediately, and put Toad in them--much earlier than he normally gets changed into his bedtime attire.

Here he is laying on the floor, listening to his daddy play the guitar.

And, zonked out on mommy's lap.

Farmer John

Okay.
Seriously?
Gross!

Yesterday, my husband and I ran errands with our little guy in tow. My hubby stayed in the car with Toad while I ran into Old Navy (more on that later), and I stayed in the car with Toad while he ran in to the car parts place. Then, we headed to Lowes to get the necessary supplies to finish painting some shelves for Toad's room. In order to make it a quick trip, I stayed with Toad in the car. Toad was asleep, and I didn't expect the wait to be all that eventful. However, it was eventful, and nasty at that.

As I sat in the car, watching Toad sleep, a truck pulled up adjacent to our car. Being the people-watcher that I am, I looked up. What I saw was unexpected and just plain gross. A man got out of the driver's side of the truck and squatted down between his truck and the one next to his. He pressed his index finger against his right nostril and blew with such force that out flew a booger!
Now, I have heard of people doing "farmer johns", but never have I witnessed someone do it... and in a busy parking lot, where people are walking all around!?!
Then, he proceeds to do this again. At this point, I am about to gag. Then, he stands up, runs the length of his index finger under his nose, to ensure that he has no booger remnants lingering under his nostrils... and he walks to the back of his truck just in time to meet his wife/girlfriend. He grabs her hand with his booger-juice hand, intertwines his fingers and walks off, chit-chatting about what to buy in the store.
Now, I realize that everyone has boogers. But, come on! Use a napkin inside your truck, instead of spewing your boogers onto the wheel of the next car.
Had I not observed this "farmer john" incident, I would have thought, "Oh, what a sweet couple, walking together hand-in-hand." Having seen this, though, I just thought, "How gross is that!?! And the poor lady doesn't have a clue that her 'sweet man' just wiped his booger juice all over her hand."
Nasty.

Emissions is the Devil

Okay, so I have this fear of missing my emissions testing deadline and therefore not being able to renew the registration on my car on time. I have a legitimate reason for this fear. You see, a couple years ago, when we moved into our house, something went awry with the mail system and my vehicle registration renewal never made it to me. So, unbeknownst to me, I drove around for about nine months with an expired registration. You can imagine my confusion when I got pulled over, on my way to court (for work), when I didn't think I had been speeding or otherwise breaking the law. The not-so-friendly sheriff asked me if I had my registration, etc. So, of course, I got it out of my glove box and handed it to him, along with my insurance card and driver's license. I timidly asked him if he could explain what I had done to warrant being pulled over. He told me that my tags were expired. I proceeded to tell him that I have never not paid my registration, and that apparently, I didn't receive it in the mail. He didn't seem to think that was a good excuse. He asked me if I had looked at my plates, lately. Okay, now, come on! Who do you know that, when getting in their car to go somewhere, walks around to the back just to check their license plate tags?!! Well, the point is, I ended up having to pay a hefty fine, in addition to my registration renewal, only to have to pay the renewal again when it was due, again, a few months later. Now, every January, I make it a point to write "Rach's registration due!" on the calendar.



Being a responsible driver and car owner, I try very hard to make sure that I am ahead of the game. I received my registration renewal in the mail the last week of December. As usual, I am required to have an emissions test. Fine. Well, it would be fine if my "check engine" light would go off. It was my understanding from a mechanic that checked out my car a couple years ago, that there really isn't anything wrong with my car, but for some reason, the check engine light won't remain off. The mechanic actually told me to just bring it back and he'd "clear the code" to make the light go off, before taking it to emissions. So, last year, we just had the code cleared and it passed through emissions.



This year is a different story. Last week, I had the code cleared and I took my car to emissions. It got rejected... not failed, not passed, but rejected. Grr! The lady said that if I have had any work done or had my oil changed recently, that could cause the problem. Apparently, my "OBD" wasn't ready to be read. Something about the computer having not reset itself. Well, my hubby had changed the oil a few days before, so I took the lady's advice and took my car for a "drive cycle" to give it a chance to reset the computer. The next day, my hubby tried it again. Rejected again!! Double Grr!!! The following day, I made my way to the stinkin' emissions place and yet again, REJECTED!!! Triple GRR!!!! Each time, we were told that the computer in my car hadn't reset itself. How far must I drive the car for it to reset itself!? Have you seen the price of gas lately? Do you understand that I have a baby who doesn't want to drive all over the countryside all day, everyday, just so the computer can, hopefully, reset itself!??!!!

So, my ever-more-mechanically-inclined husband decided that he would replace my EGR valve. I don't even know what that means, but it apparently is some part of my car that was okay, but could stand to be replaced. So, we ordered a new EGR valve and my hubby installed it today. We drove across town, to ensure that my car's computer had reset itself since having "work done" on it. Then....hubby took it to emissions and guess what!! It was REJECTED for a fourth time. Tears, frustration, anger, despair. More than GRR!!!! So, there is supposedly nothing wrong with my car, according to the little gadget that reads the "what's wrong with your car" codes. Yet, my car is still being rejected.



My sweet husband says not to worry about it and says he'll take care of it. He says it isn't something I need to worry myself with at all. But, I am still aggravated and frustrated and so tired of dealing with emissions. The man who tried to conduct the emissions test the third time said I could go to the DMV and get an extension on my registration, since I could prove that I had tried to get my car to pass already. And, I thought to myself, "that sounds like so much fun!" As if this emissions testing/rejection crap isn't exciting enough, I could take my baby with me to the DMV and spend hours there trying to get an extension....just to have to go through this emissions stuff again! We all know that the DMV is the most pleasant place to be... and with a baby who likes to eat and nap and who gets cranky when he doesn't get to do those things, no less. Sure, sounds like a great time to me. Sign me up!

GRRR!!!!!!!!!

The Men in My Life

As I lie there, on the floor next to my slumbering son, tears develop in my eyes. Pondering the magnitude of what this tiny little person means to me, I can't help but get choked up. I am completely overwhelmed and humbled by the reality that I am this child's mother. My mind begins to reel and the tears begin to fall as I think upon the amazing men in my life.
For so much of my life, I sincerely doubted the likelihood of ever getting married. Yet, here I am…lying on the floor next to MY SON! For as much as I always loved children, I never knew that I would have any—because I didn’t really allow myself to believe in the dream that a man would find me marriage-worthy. But, now I sit here, a wife and a mother. And I stand in awe of the God that ordained it all. I can hardly believe how my life has unfolded, thus far.

Never did I expect to be this blessed, nor this humbled~

Blessed to be loved by a man who is beyond my wildest imagination and who loves me with pure disregard for my imperfections and failures. A man who vowed to me that he would do all he could to keep me from ever wondering, "what if?"
Blessed to have been part of creating this perfect little person—our son that we now can’t imagine our lives without.
Humbled to grasp the truth that were it not for my husband and I being designed specifically for one another, this very precious child would never have existed. Amazing.

So, why did I lay there in such awe? Because I began thinking of all the things I don’t deserve, the things of which I am unworthy... I began thinking of the men in my life—my Lord, my husband, my son, my brother, my dad and my father-in-law.

I have a Lord who loves me with no strings attached, no fine print, no clauses or amendments. A Lord who loves me simply because I am His child. A Lord who has bestowed upon me innumerable blessings.
I have a husband who emails me during the day just to tell me how grateful he is that I am the one home with our son. A husband who will do a crazy dance with me in the kitchen and has me laughing hysterically by the end of it.
I have a son who lights up with a grin from ear to ear when I come in and say "good mornin'" at the beginning of each new day.
I have a brother who can make me laugh by simply saying the word "pants". A brother who, without reservation, is willing to raise my son, if ever that were necessary.
I have a Dad who would truly do anything for me. A Dad who, when visiting, always finds something to fix and sincerely enjoys doing so, just because it is one less thing for me to have to do.
I have a father-in-law who says I can have anything in his house that I want. A father-in-law who makes sure there are fresh mini marshmallows in the house when I come over, just because he knows I like them on my hot chocolate.

Lying on the floor, a sobbing mess, I came to one conclusion...
I am one very blessed woman.

Getting my blog on

So, the day has officially come. I have joined the blogging world. You see, every time my husband sees me looking at friends' blogs, he comments to our son, "Look, Toad, your mom is getting her blog on." Then, he proceeds to try to convince me that it is only a matter of time before I give in and blog, too. I've held out for a long time. But, alas, here I am, posting my first blog. I admit I am hesitant about this. I don't know if I am going to have enough interesting stories, experiences or thoughts to share. But, only time will tell. If nothing else, at least now I can comment to your blogs without having to be "anonymous".