Best laid plans...

You go to bed thinking about how much you have to do the next day, before enduring the drive from hell home. Fast forward, and you find yourself at an imaging center, with a document that reads "r/o DVT." Not in our plans for yesterday, but P insisted I be examined, given the long drive ahead. SS was already showing signs that her fears had resurfaced. Every time we arrived at a destination, she would anxious ask if she was coming too, or would subtly remark "we all go inside." It's not like we are frequently leaving her. The last thing we needed to add was a trip to urgent care.

P had an appointment next door, so it was just SS and I. Initially she was OK, making herself at home, watching Gnomeo and Juliet. She was her usual exploratory self in the exam room while the nurse took my vitals. The doctor came in an examined me, a non invasive exam. SS has seen way worse than that. When the doctor was done, SS immediately demanded to be held, and said she was scared. I was in serious pain, and was not to lift to avoid exacerbating an injury. But there's no way I would refuse to comfort my child.

When SS was reunited with Baba she immediately buried her face in the crook of his neck. By the time we made it to the imaging center she was about to burst.The fish helped SS forget for a few minutes. We assured SS that the tech was only going to take a picture of my leg and, that it would not hurt at all. The latter a blatant but necessary lie. By the time we were done, we were way behind schedule, and had not achieved squat. P and I were very anxious. Although exhausted and scared, SS was surprisingly enthusiastic about the next order of business, and pretty much made the decision for us. We were lucky that even tough we left at 4:15, the bumper to bumper traffic was not flowing in the opposite direction.

The drive home was a lot smoother, even though we were past the exhausted mark. Maybe the relief of not having to return eased all of our minds. SS took a one hour and forty five minute nap. After dinner we placed her in her comfy footy pajamas, stumbled upon our secret weapon, and settled for the drive home. This time I did all the driving, it helped distract from the pain. Plus, it was a good way to have P walk a mile in my shoes. Tending to SS while zooming down the freeway without eating windshield, or flying to the back of the van.

Yesterday SS scored cool Van shoes from the Outlets.

Me and my shadow.

Glad to be home.

Why is SS awake at 2:36 am? We have not heard a peep from her since around 8 p.m. (we headed home at 4:15). Turns out we were unaware we had a secret weapon. More later, unlike SS we are shattered. P is going to work in a few hours. SS will be up until God knows when, and I will be keeping her company. May the force be with you.

We had a late start yesterday.

We were pretty sluggish yesterday morning, the drive definitely caught up with us. We managed to drag ourselves out of the room at 11:30 a.m. We wanted to give SS time to hang out, she watched Rio and cartoons. We hit the ground running and did not slow down until 7:00 p.m. We are disappointed that we did not get much accomplished. P noted that we might have to come back again. Hell to the no, if we can't achieve our goal today we are moving to Plan B. It will entail more work in the long run, but it is a small price to pay to avoid another helter skelter trip.

P has an appointment at 9:30, and the plan was to run an errand and head home. But no trip is complete without the magic that is me getting hurt. It's really starting to get annoying. P is adamant that I see a doctor, and sadly dude is right. This is a delay we do not need, but better to spend a few hours being poked and prodded, than to end up hospitalized. That would really mess things up.




SS's impression of a burrito. She loves to be bundled. Last week she came out of the bathroom into our room shouting "burrito coming through."

SS had quite the appetite yesterday morning. She had a bowl of cereal, some waffle, muffin and sausage. When we left the room she said she wanted chicken nuggets. Since we had lots to do we decided it was worth buying her silence. SS inhaled six nuggets and a strawberry shake. Then not long later, when it was our turn to have lunch, SS went after Baba's steak burrito.

SS took this picture.

165 hours to build, and 24,586 Lego bricks.

Puzzlemania

This afternoon I bought two 63 piece puzzles for SS. I know that is way more pieces than what she is now doing. But since there were only a dollar each, I thought it would be interesting to see how she reacted. SS has a tendency to say she can't do something before she even tries. I am working on her patience, and yes, I know that is a tall order for a child her age. As soon as she spread the pieces SS went into her concentration zone. She got down to work. We are big fans of The Amazing Race, and our ritual is to watch together. When we asked SS to join us in bed she declined. She stated that she wanted to finish the puzzle. And that is what she did. SS was very proud of herself, but not as proud as we are. We wonder what the attraction is, since SS frequently has the attention span of a gnat. We think SS reached a pretty cool milestone.

Our puzzle wiz at work.

TA DA! SS has a good reason to be proud of herself.

a

Magic

What she lacks in talent she more than makes up for with enthusiasm.

Semantics and perception.

About six weeks ago SS informed us that she needed a vacation, and immediately began planning her next getaway. We made it very clear that there would not be a vacation this year, no air travel. SS was undeterred. She talked non stop about all the things she was going to do during her vacation. Two weeks ago she began planning what she was packing for her imaginary getaway. P and I constantly reinforced that it was not going to happen. Really, where does she get that stubborn streak from? Must be JJ's fault.

Every time we have strayed far from home we have carefully planned our schedule. SS is a pro at air travel, but has never been on a car trip longer than five hours. Her longest trek was in 2009, when we met Nana and Grand Min in San Jose. On the drive home SS had a meltdown, she was not her easy breezy self. We were lucky that JJ was next to her and was able to calm her down. We were not keen on recreating the experience, and simply crossed long car trips from our to do list.

Then fate decided to throw us a curve ball, in the form of a totally unexpected ten hour drive that we had to get ready for practically overnight. We have always prepared SS far in advance of any trip or change in her usual routine. This was a must not a want, and air travel was not an option. Then P came up with the idea of selling this all of a sudden trip to SS as her long awaited, carefully panned (in her mind) vacation. I knew I married him for more than his good looks and debonair style.

We expected SS to demand the plane trip she felt was her birth right. Luckily for us she was very excited, even after we explained that she would be in the van for as long as she is at school. Our girl told her teachers with unbridled enthusiasm "I'm going on a vacation in my car. I LOVE my car." We would not necessarily define a three day unexpected, angst ridden trip a vacation. But we happily jumped on the semantics wagon in hopes that it would work. Yesterday, at 7:20 a.m. we set out with great apprehension. Although SS was happy, we were afraid of looking back on this trip as The Nuclear Meltdown.

SS's perception of a vacation is getting on a plane and sight seeing until we drop. The novelty of car travel really piqued her interest. She pointed out the trees, the sand mountain (not sure what she saw, but it was not sand), the cows, the horses. She wondered where was the farm the cows and horses went to at night. Oh my, looking out a car window is far more interesting than looking out a plane window. Except when Baba is pointing out how close lighting is to the plane. Never mind that Mama was white knuckling it already. Once again P came up with a great idea, we rented three movies for SS. Thanks to the wide availability of Redbox we could rent in Northern CA, and return in Southern CA. We threw as many home comforts as we could in the van and hoped for the best.

Then at 12:26 p.m. it happened. Our SS reached her limit and we panicked. The fifteen minutes that it took to reach the next exit seemed like 15 hours. We needed to get SS out of the van and stabilized. We allowed her to do her impression of a free range chicken, fed her, praised her for her awesome behavior and promised her pool time.

I usually do most of the driving when away from home. P is not keen on driving long distances or large vehicles. He also has a phobia of traffic jams, something we haven't dealt with for the past 15 years, because we have lived in a hell hole in the middle of nowhere. I'm not a fan sitting in a car in a jam packed freeway, but deal with it much better than P. I can't change it, and as long as I have music I can do the waiting game without becoming exasperated. That is how I became the designated driver in our relationship.

I was in really bad shaped when we left home. I go through 3-4 day cycles with my insomnia. I spend a few days with no sleep, then I crash. Yesterday morning I was way past the crashing zone. The stress of our impromptu little adventure certainly did not help. I tried my best to sleep without success. SS's almost meltdown erased any trace of sleepiness in me. I was wide awake and ready to drive the rest of the way. P surprised me by insisting on driving. About half an hour later it dawned on me that I was had by my evil husband. He was not being gallant by getting behind the wheel. No, my husband is a gigantic coward and a disgusting manipulator (all of this said with immense love). P was simply scared of the tiny weapon of mass destruction in the carseat behind him. Mr. I'm too fragile to drive long distances was avoiding SS, was afraid of what was going to happen, and callously threw me under the bus. I'm so planning to return the favor when he least expects it. :)

SS did well because I sat next to her for most of the remaining drive. There was a tense moment when SS became inpatient with the slow traffic. She shouted "BABA GO, JUST GO!" Patience is not one of SS's virtues. When we finally arrived SS threw us off by asking where was her Aunt Michelle. She was sad and shed a few tears. P quickly distracted her by taking her to see the pool. SS did better than her parents. I HATED the damn drive and wish I could have used SS as an excuse never to do it again.

We have a lot of respect for Aunt C and Uncle M, because they have driven from Missouri to Southern California with an infant Cousin B, and later with Cousin B and a very young Cousin H. There is no way we would ever attempt such a feat. If God intended for us to drive long distances, he would not have created the Wright brothers. The worst part of this suckfest is that we have to do it again tomorrow.


I really like SS's headphones, they are so her. I finally told P the price, and he asked me if I was out of my mind (he should know that ship sailed a long time ago). I noted that SS went through three reasonably priced headphones that far surpassed the cost of these ones, that she has had for over a year now. He agreed that it was a good investment.

First rest stop and she is still smiling.

Check out SS's new C0nverse kicks. She went for something completely different this time. We might end up getting her a pair of high top Chucks, because P really likes her in those. But now SS is more vocal about what she likes, things are definitely changing for us. We truly miss her mute and cute days.



At the five hour and twenty six minute mark SS reached her limit. Hated to see those tears knowing that she had at least five more hours to go.

Although we were on a tight schedule we stopped as soon as possible to prevent Mt. SS from having an epic eruption.

SS loves to help and what better way to lift her mood than putting her to work. Baba cleaned the windshield and SS cleaned the squeegee.



Pigeons making out. I was too lazy to get the good camera out. Thanks to our uncensored mouths SS now knows the meaning of making out.

Puzzle time.

After bitterly complaining that her soft work station was not up to her puzzle assembly standards, SS sucked it up and adapted.

Hydrated and fed.

Bliss

Oh no!

In the time it took me to post, SS got a second wind and managed to do this. Darn kids and their endless energy. Outta here!

We are so proud of SS.

Except for a 30 second bout of crankiness, and some tears when we were stuck in traffic, SS was her spectacular self. Although she was looking forward to the pool since she left home, the first thing out of her mouth upon arrival was "Where's Aunt Michelle?" Ouch. She knows Aunt Michelle lives in the area (about an hour away) and SS assumed she would be here for pool time. We are surprised she remembered. Her sadness made us feel awful. Michelle, you have a fan. :) SS wants you to be her personal Disneyland guide. Obviously not this time.

SS is now helping Baba unload the van. We are going to give her pool time, kudos and attention until she gets sick of us. We also have to treat her to something special to make up for putting her through that hellish drive, and doing it again Monday. Yuck! If we are fortunate we will all be in bed in a few hours.

Flight attendants have nothing on me.

Try fixing a quick snack for an inpatient 4 year old @ 80 miles an hour, and not spilling a drop of milk. :)

Keeping SS company in the back.

I'm going to have to sit back here more often. Lots of room to stretch. SS is grooving to the music her Baba is keeping her happy with. Same damn music that won't allow me to doze off after not sleeping for a couple of nights. But a happy SS is quiet SS. Sleep is highly overrated anyway.

Have chocolate milk, DVDs, Attack Zebra, Lighting McQueen pillow, half the house, will travel.

SS is very excited about "going on vacation in my car." Let's see how long her excitement lasts. We still prefer air travel.

Maybe she has one of those faces.

Today SS and I had to run errands. Our usual errand day is about making multiple stops and constantly on the move. Not today, our errand day was going to be about waiting. I was concerned that SS would not take the change in routine well. After making sure SS had breakfast in hand I stopped to get 44 ounces of ice cold caffeine. The past week has taken a toll on us and I was functioning on auto pilot. When it was our turn to pay, the clerk pointed at SS and said "OMG she's the SCUBA diving baby!" Huh? The clerk reminded me that P and I had SS in a wetsuit when she was really little and that she thought it was the coolest thing she had seen. True, she reminded me the next two times she saw me. She then commented on how much SS has grown. Uh yeah, that encounter happened two years ago when we took SS kayaking for the first time. The kicker is that she still fits in that wetsuit. But we are rewarding her with a real one this summer. Guess SS has one of those faces, plus we also live in a "very conservative" area.

SS was her spectacular self, aided by a gigantic drink and junk food,and stickers. Waiting around for two hours is no fun, even if you get to walk aimlessly around. Who knew all that time in doctor's offices and hospitals because of me would actually pay off.

Days like today remind us how comfortable we are with our trade offs. SS is incredibly high maintenance, we are thankful that we could focus on her when she came home. Otherwise it would have been brutal for SS, and the other child(ren). She demands attention, and can be quite
ornery when we do not kowtow to her whims. SS invades our bed, then has the gall to become belligerent when we deposit her in her own. I'm sure if I wasn't so tired I could go on. On the other hand, at the tender age of 16 months her world was turned upside down, and she managed better than her peers. SS did not fuss once during the exhausting journey home. Not a peep people. She made up for it when we introduced her to the barbaric act of being safely strapped on a carseat. Can't blame her. We have never had to make a hasty exit because she is being disruptive, whether it is at a church, library or a restaurant. We have received compliments one every flight she has been. Many times people were not aware that a child was between us until we started removing her safety device. And now it turns out she can do the waiting game, without having everyone around her wishing she shuts up or gets badly hurt and has to leave. We'll gladly keep what we have, for as long as it lasts. SS could you please make it last until you move out? Also, how about no dating/kissing/anything further until you are 45? That will certainly make you stand out among your peers.

SCUBA Baby (April 18, 2009). She was so small and had short baby hair. Also, it was almost three years ago, that lady has a good memory.

SS had her first taste on an Orange Julius a few weeks after arriving home. Back then she was still using a bottle, now she can suck about three quarters of the large size.

Yummy pretzel with crappy cheese product sauce while watching D0ra.

SS had leftover stickers from her trips last year. I will no longer gripe about the price.

SS also entertained herself longer than it's considered healthy holding and whispering sweet things to her birthday invitation. I am hoping that is enough of a hint that there will be no pink sparkly things at her party.

Birthday planning.

After Cowboy's birthday party last year, SS made up her mind that she wanted her 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Ch**se. It's pricey ($12 per child, no cake provided) but we owe SS big time. Then SS attended two birthday parties and things got complicated. A friend had her party at a place with lots of inflatable fun things. SS has been shy regarding those fun houses, but really came out of her shell. The birthday girl is a girly girl and all the gifts were princess themed. Poor SS would get excited whenever a gift was about to be opened, only to be the only child who did not ohhhed and ahhed about the pink and lavender gifts. Girly stuff notwithstanding, SS announced that she wanted to have her birthday party there. So we looked into that possibility.

Then another birthday invite came along and this one was a decorate your own cupcake party. SS was in icing heaven. She did not finish either of her carefully crafted cupcakes. She actually gave the big one away to a boy to take home. I guess she was full from just working on them. The birthday girl is also princess crazy so SS did not bother to look at the gifts. On the drive home SS informed us that she wanted her birthday party to be a decorate your own cupcake party. UGH, I know that it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind, but come on!

She received a third invitation and we decided to skip that party because it was at yet another place, and the last thing we wanted was for SS to have yet another change of heart. Another concern we had was how to make it clear that SS is not a princess loving girl. We asked the teachers what the birthday child liked, but not sure many parents do the same. We have such ingrained gender roles expectations and just go along.

We booked Chuck E. Ch**se for March 10, and hope the Light*ng McQu**n invitations are enough of a hint that SS is not a doll loving girl. SS's birthday sadly coincides with some possible major changes in our lives. Not ready to post now, as we have a lot of loose ends to tie. Since SS will enter kindergarten in the Fall this is also a farewell to her classmates. I can't believe our baby is almost 5, and yes almost because I am hanging on to every last second as a four year old. We hope that the stability and consistency we have strived to provide for SS will pay off when we are all gobsmacked by the upcoming changes. We took our time transitioning SS into half days at preschool, then to full days. This time we will have to work at warp speed and our main focus will be SS and her adjustment.

Now all I have to do is order the Light*ng Mcqu**n cake and put together the goodie bags. JJ will be here, which will be a big help for us. Also gives us the opportunity to celebrate his birthday, albeit early. SS's birthday, March 15, is on a Thursday, we opted to celebrate early, because the next option was March 17, St' Patrick's day. Did not want to risk to be in the midst of libation celebrations.

So far SS has requested a LM Mack Truck, Penguin Dream Lite, and Legos. We think we can handle that.

SS decided to place the frosting on its ultimate destination.

Who, me? Nah I was not sucking the frosting.