SS and the Easter Bunny.

Today was not all about me making a dent on SS's head. We really wanted to have SS's picture with the bunny done before tomorrow and today is all we had. SS had been awake since 5:00 a.m., and did not get to the bunny dude until 11:00. She was not in the mood to smile, although she was really excited to see him and willingly sat on his lap. But the smiles were not there. I worked it as best I could, but I'm not P. When the photographer got a smile (bunny dude handed SS her gummy candy treat), SS's dress was hiked up in a very non lady like manner. So I opted for the sad shot.

When P came home for lunch he saw the picture and while he thought she looked beyond cute, the man wanted a smile. Since SS was dead to the world, P thought that after a good nap we could go back in the afternoon. My husband was on a mission to get a smile on SS's face. And instead of staying home and waiting for P, I went out to run a few errands. Then I tried to decapitate our daughter, and that ruined our second trip to see the Easter Bunny.

On the way home (before my attempt at knocking SS unconscious), we were behind a school bus that made two stops. SS was spitting bile in the backseat, but I could not understand the source of her displeasure. I looked back and she had D-O-G, and did not seem to be looking for something she dropped. I calmly asked SS to use her words, and that she did SS style. Through clenched teeth my daughter said "I SAID DRIVE." Man that was so Criminal Minds creepy. Our girl has a mercurial temper. It's time to send her to preschool and let her spread sunshine elsewhere.

The last thing I did before bed was make SS's Easter basket. I really want to be here with her Sunday. If not, P is going to have to deal with the sugar rush on his own. I broke down and got her candy, and whether or not I'm here, we know she will be having all of it for breakfast. We have never allowed much candy and never before a meal. This is going to be fun.


Our baby last year, with an actual smile and sans D-O-G. It's amazing and sad how much she has grown. I should have left her hair down to get a good comparison shot. But SS requested pig tails and P loves them. What a difference a year makes. :(

It finally happened. (Updated)

SS sneaked behind me as I was closing the van's sliding door. Our doors are heavy and we both have learned to give it all we have. It knocked her on her back. Now we are waiting at Urgent Care.

SS holding an ice pack to her forehead is a first. She has never allowed us to place a cold compress on her body, let alone hold it herself. Another reason I worried, she was obviously hurting.

Thankfully she is no longer crying and blue. The receptionist reassured me that "this happens all the time." Then went on to tell me that her husband once brought home the wrong baby from day care. At least he did not give the baby a head injury.

Guess we'll finally get SS's first urgent care visit, and the visit from the nice social worker out of the way. Way to go me!

****Update****

All smiles until the doctor walked in. SS is fine and I was just being overly cautious. SS manages to run into walls daily, head bumps are not new to us. What scared me was the amount of force I knew I used when closing the door (and how it knocked her back quite a bit). It is not unheard of for a person to develop complications after what seemed like a minor hit. Way too much precious stuff inside the head not to be cautious.

I was shocked that SS is only 26 pounds of love. We both must be deteriorating rapidly, because it takes a lot more strength to schlep SS around. She is now a full 36 inches tall. When I voiced my incredulity at SS's weight, the nurse said "Chill Mom, she is doing just fine, she is a big girl, big for an 18-month old." Really Nurse Clueless? I informed him that she's three, and his answer was "Oh." A big pet peeve of mine is people calling me Mom. Only two people in this world have that right, my kids. How difficult is it to look at the mother's name or simply ask? It think it is incredibly rude to do that.

On a nicer note, I told the nurse about my last visit and he did not remember me, but remembered SS and the concern about left side appendicitis or diverticulitis. I told him about the surgery and my return tomorrow for the take down. The nurse was pretty shocked to hear how bad it was and went to get the doctor who saw me that day. The doctor did not remember my face (I am very forgettable), but totally remembered SS, and said he was concerned about the outcome. At least I had the opportunity to thank him.

I never realized how difficult it is to cook when you can't taste the food, never done it before. Yesterday I made chicken tetrazzini, this morning made pinto beans a la El Pollo Loco, and after the urgent care detour, I made pasta with carbonara sauce. A bonus is that SS loved the carbonara, saying yummy, yummy with each bite. I have never had so much home cooked food in our freezer. Regardless of how I feel post op, it will give us the opportunity to hang out without worrying about having to cook, and most important, to focus on SS.

I did find out that SS, like her father, is all about watching me being poked and prodded, but not herself. As soon as she saw the doctor the smile disappeared and the tears began. A total mini P. Not kidding about that, when P had wrist surgery, he neglected to collect his post op urine for the nurses. The man is a camel and could not replicate the deed, so they were going to insert a catheter. P went ballistic, he was so scared, child like. He kept telling me, "Baby, please help, I can't have that done to me, I won't make it." Men can be such lightweights. I have had a few and even managed to remove them twice. Not intentionally, I was heavily sedated, uncomfortable and before they could react I took care of the discomfort.

I'm off to down some of that G0d awful liquid I have to drink. No way am I taking all 4 liters.

SS has come a long way becoming comfortable with needles, the sight of blood and other unpleasant things.

This morning I had my pre-op appointment. It would have been nice of them to inform us that it would take the entire freaking morning. I was told they would go over the surgery, and take blood. They forgot to add the pre-registration process, urine test, EKG, MRSA swap and chest X-ray. Good thing we always have something to eat and drink for SS. We were there from 9:40 to 1:00 p.m., and did not get to eat until that late. Not a good thing on an empty stomach.

SS was once again a trooper and reminded us how lucky we are to have her. This was my first time at the hospital since I was discharged, and it did kick my gut a little. Unlike her wimpy Mama, SS was cool and exclaimed "Mama's hospital!" That set the tone for the morning and we are so grateful. SS was paying attention to everything and did not flinch once. That is such a change from wanting to rip the face off whomever drew the short straw and had to take my vitals. That F*sher Pr*ce medical kit really paid off. So much that SS got an upgrade on one of the items.

One of the nurses gave me a scare when she mentioned that admissions may balk at having SS at the hospital. She asked if SS had the H1N1 vaccine and to bring proof on Thursday. Would you believe that unorganized me had the darn card in my purse? During lunch I had a bit of a freak out moment and told P. He reassured me that SS would be there, he would make sure of it. The man has never been the grand gesture type, but he has come through for me so far. I'm counting on saying goodbye to SS, and then looking at her beautiful face a few hours later.

After the blood draw, SS said "bad news guys." Wish she had elaborated on that thought. No idea where that came from, but her recent return to the world of mindless TV might be the cause. We are allowing Nick Jr. on a trial basis, since SS hit the magic 3. P thinks the guys part is from JJ, who has a tendency to say "hey guys," when he wants both our attention. SS did say hey guys later today. SS is going to be renamed Little Sunshine if she keeps spreading news like that two days before a surgery. She is such a mini P.

In other news, R*cky Mart*n is g@y, I know, that is such a huge shocker. As much a shocker as when Ellen came out. Their sexuality is their business alone, but please do not make a big deal of the obvious. Also, what the heck is with the fortunate homosexual comment? P and I have never described ourselves as fortunate heterosexuals. Although we were once accused of "flaunting your heterosexuality." Still cracks us up over a decade later, even though we still have no clue what it meant. Also, how did I miss that Mr. La Vida Loca had twin boys? Ah, they were born in August 2008, that grand ole time when we had just arrived from China, and could not care less if the Virgin Mary had another immaculate conception. When P texted me the news, my first thought was that R*cky Mart*n was as straight as W0W W0w Wubzy's tail. Sadly, there are a lot of female broken hearts out there. That is because they really had a shot with a celebrity. Hee hee.

In case someone does not know who W0w W0w Wubzy is.

SS trying out her travel tray. Her sippy cup is on the other side. We are slackers, all are phone pictures.

They had the coolest bug game, SS got the idea of using the magnet to move the bugs around way faster than her Mama. I was applying too much force.

Making sure Nurse B did a good job on her Mama. SS was looking the entire time and did not flinch when the needle went in, nor when she saw blood. Our daughter kicks royal a$$.

SS declared the EKG reclining chair hers, and she let out a huge "MINE!" when I had the audacity to sit as instructed. All was forgotten when SS saw Mama's torso covered with electrodes (stickers to SS). The nurse got a kick out of SS happily throwing away the "sticker" holders she gave SS and saying "garbage." SS became the designated garbage thrower during the session. Her sleeve is pulled up, because is what SS does now when she sees a nurse.

I am stuck with this nifty bracelet (NOT) until discharge. Just as I was concocting an accident that would lead me to lose it, Nurse B burst my bubble. With a big smile she stated that if it falls by accident (dude, does she read minds) I will have to go to the process of blood typing (meaning more needles) again. B@stards! And why did she have to place it on my right wrist, my watch wrist?

Starting tomorrow, I am only allowed clear liquids, and that does not include vodka and gin. I was intimidated when I saw the big jug, but I can easily down a 2 liter bottle of soda in one day. Of course that is when I do not have to.

Bubble chaser.

SS gave her new bubble machine a try this afternoon. It was windy so we had to protect the bubble maker. SS never got the promised 5,000 bubbles per minute, but she still had a blast. The best part is that we did not have to blow bubbles for our demanding toddler. Next time I'll comb her hair and put shoes on. but there's something about SS's chubby toes and almost flat feet that gets us, they are so darn cute.

Today, I received pre-approval from our insurance for my surgery. The problem is that they have the date wrong and they approved only one day, albeit the wrong day. P called the insurance company and they approved a longer stay, a much longer stay. My husband was so proud of himself when he informed me that they approved five days. WHAT? WTF P? Seriously? Five days? Why didn't you get them to turn down the laparoscopy while you were at it, and insist on another butcher job of my torso? P is a giver, but why oh why am I at the receiving and of all that giving? There he was, standing in front of me with such pride at navigating the insurance hiccup for me, and all I wanted to do was smack him upside the head. Yeah, I get violent thoughts, but have yet to act on them. So, I have yet to enter that cesspool of contamination and death, and I'm already losing the battle to come home ASAP. SIGH. However, I am known for going MIA and scaring the daylights out of the staff, I might have to go exploring around as payback for P's generosity.

I

Mental note, comb SS's hair before taking her picture.

More thank yous.

Thank you JJ, see you in 12 days.

Thank you Abuela and Abuelo.

JJ called out to me this morning, and said I needed to take a picture of SS sleeping. If free style sleeping was an Olympic sport, our daughter would be a gold medalist. SS had a difficult day, because JJ was not home when she woke up. She cried a lot, asking JJ to come back. We are really looking forward to having JJ home for six days. That will be the longest time SS has spent with her big brother. We know that she is going to love every minute of their time together. It would be a good idea for JJ to spend the next 12 days working of his sensitivity to strong odors. He is going to be doing a lot of diaper duty, and throwing up on SS is not acceptable. :)

I was taking off JJ's bed linens to launder, when SS left me speechless. She was upset that I removed his pillow case and clearly said, "Don't take it off Mama." It is obvious that SS speech is delayed, and that she is difficult to understand, even to us. She pronounced this so well that I just stood there staring at her. And as uptight as we can be, were are not worried about her language skills. We know that SS will probably not hit her speech stride until she is 5 and we are OK with that. It's the price we pay for doing things different.

Fishes, fishes, everywhere fishes (and sea horses too).

Rule of life #75, if you know that your child's stomach does not react well to too much juice, no matter how much you want to appease said child, please refrain from giving her a gallon of juice. This is even more important when you are sharing a room with her odor hypersensitive brother, who almost lost his breakfast at the smell of his sister's mega runny dump.

By the pace P kept walking to the aquarium one would think that the man had never visited one, or that he had never visited this one. He had a roll on JJ and I, then turned and exasperatedly urged us to move faster. Gee, we only had six hours to get through the place. But according to P SS could not wait to get in there, since her Baba had been preparing her for her first visit to this monumental shrine to marine life. You can tell how excited she was on the picture below. The girl looks just about to rip her stroller belt off and walk in on her own.

I was very disappointed with the big tank pictures, my second favorite place (otters rule).

SS's new BFF.

Poor SS, she has no idea that her Baba is going to quiz her about the scientific name of every creature she is about to see.

They have a lot of interactive kid stations.

SS's portable chair. For someone who closes the eye she intends to use to look through the scope, SS spent way too much time on one, and also had a blast.

She made each one of us hold her up to the telescopes.

That is one cool sea horse, Mother Nature was high or just having fun when it created this thing. She was probably on the same high as when she created the platypus. Even SS is baffled, look at that WTF look.

The sea horse exhibit was new to us and we probably do not want to see another sea horse again.

Male sea horses carry the offspring, and that is why P likes them so much. I understand his admiration because he knows he will never have to go through the pain of labor and delivery.

Snapped just before she began to wail, but she looks so freaking adorable.

The otters are JJ's and my favorite, but they were not in a showboating mood. When JJ tried to film and take pictures SS threw a fit, and demanded that JJ hold her. Serriously JJ, what the heck were you thinking, taking time to admire the creatures on display? We totally pity the soul who falls for our daughter, she is extremely high maintenance.

We all enjoyed this exhibit.

P was able to talk SS into touching a sea star. He was so proud of his future fisheries biologist. When P asked her to touch SS said, "No touching SS." I guess we say that a lot, and it took a lot of convincing that it was OK to touch.

At this point SS was done with picture taking.

How about a multiethnic restaurant?

The plan was to have Japanese for dinner. Then P asked, "how about a multiethnic restaurant with Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, American and Korean food?" JJ responded, "sounds horrible, I'm game." And that is how most of our bad decisions are made, we are gluttons for punishment. JJ was right, it was bad, but their Mongolian BBQ was really good, and P always puts together the best plates. SS arrived wired and remained like that during dinner, barely eating. She did manage to surprise us with her belligerence. We managed to have a lot of laughs, and we all knew that SS was beyond exhausted.

We came back to the room for cake and presents. Not pictured below is one of our presents to JJ, airfare to visit Grandpa in Maui. We were supposed to travel as a family in January but my surgery screwed up those plans. If we travel at all this year it would be to a family commitment in Iowa. We will have to wait until next year for SS to visit Grandpa's island, and we did not want JJ to wait.

SS was punch drunk and bouncing off the walls like a ball in a pinball machine. In a genius move, we loaded her with chocolate. Surely the caffeine would counter the hyperactivity, the paradoxical effect. Dream on losers. It went downhill from there and it took both P and I, and every ounce of patience we had to get her PJs on. For such a small creature, SS can put up a fight, and she did. Getting tired here, better recharge the old batteries and force some sleep.

P picked up a slice of Claim Jumper's Motherlode earlier today. That's right, that's one slice, and enough for six. I am not a chocolate person, but this cake is simply decadently delicious.

You can have the entire cake for your next birthday for $55.

Not only did SS begin to open one of JJ's presents (like she did not get enough), she started blowing the candles as we lit them. Because honestly, what are the odds of anyone having a birthday other than SS?

We inadvertently matched his shirt with his hat.

Stereo with docking station for JJ's iTouch.

SS getting her drink on, no wonder she was stumbling around.

Alright, flip flops to kick off summer weather.

Oh wow, a large, glow in the dark Skalanimal from JJ. Thank you big brother, you know how to woo a girl with animals that have met an untimely death. Not many people get the appeal.

SS really wanted her gift, but did not want to part with her new BFF. JJ knows how to pick the best gifts.

5,000 bubbles per minute!

We said no toys, but seriously, how can anyone resist thousands of blissful bubbles with no effort on their part?

Glow in the dark Skalanimal and glow in the dark flip flops.

She is quite a handful, but she adores her JJ.