On wearing a patch

Back at Truman's 12-month well baby visit, our pediatrician suggested that we go see a pediatric eye doctor. 

For two months I put off making the appointment.

By the time I got around to making the call, they were scheduling two and a half weeks out.

When we got to the office, we waited for 20 minutes before filling out any paperwork. (Of the half-dozen other kids in the waiting room, most were wearing glasses, and one had a patch. Cute for Halloween, but...not for my opinionated little pirate-in-embryo.)

We waited another 20 minutes to have two drops put in his eyes.

We were told to leave and come back 45 minutes later once his eyes were dilated.

We left. We came back. Truman fell asleep. We woke him up. We waited for the doctor to come in.

He came in for two minutes and made some "pss pss" noises while shining a light in Truman's eyes.

And finally, two and a half hours after we first arrived, we received the grim pronouncement:

"His eyes are perfect."

I guess it's worth a $35 co-pay and a long afternoon to know for sure, huh?

Stay tuned for the first edition of "Another One of Matt's Brilliant Ideas," coming soon...

Curious

I've decided that watching Curious George stresses me out. For starters, George is always getting confused about things, making a mess, forgetting – all of which are painful realities in my own life that I am trying to avoid and/or keep a lid on. Today he was babysitting a kitten. A monkey babysitting a kitten? Stressful. 

Secondly, what is with the Man in the Yellow Hat? Does it bother anyone else that a grown, nameless man insists on being clothed entirely in yellow and that his closest friend in the world is his pet monkey? (Don't you need a special permit to even own an exotic pet like a monkey?) And what kind of job does the Man have that lets him dig for and assemble dinosaur bones, explore Antarctica, and travel in space? And WHY does he leave George alone, ever?

These are the burning questions, folks.

In other news, a few things I'm grateful for lately: 1) Our computer died last week and then miraculously resurrected. Hallelujah! 2) Working kitchen lights. We do not have these at the moment as our fluorescent bulbs are burned out, but I am grateful for the days when they did function (and anxiously anticipate the return of those days). 3) One adorable baby boy. Look at this face:

I am in love. 

Questions You Don't Want to Hear from Your Primary Class...

...all in one day:

My mom told me to ask you - was Jesus married?

Can I have some more Skittles?

Do the devil's angels look like God's angels? How do you tell the difference?

Want to trade shoes?

Can I have some more Skittles?

Why does my belly button make this waxy stuff? Is it wax? Why does it hurt to pull it out?

Can I wear your earrings?

Don't angels have wings and halos? How do they fly without WINGS?

Can I have some more Skittles?

If he hits me and we're following the Golden Rule, when do I get to hit him back?

Can I have some more Skittles?

Where did that nap go?

I do this thing when I sit down to the computer - I tell myself, "Okay, I'm only getting on here for FOUR MINUTES. Just long enough to check my email, shoot a reply to that friend about tonight...oh yeah, I was going to read that new post on my family's site, and maybe I'll just take a quick peek at Matt's family's blog to see if there's anything new...well I HAVE to reply to this post...hey I wonder if this link she's got up here is any good...and has anyone made more comments on my blog? No? Must be time for a new post then..."

And here I am, 21 minutes past my self-imposed deadline, wasting precious nap time as I, apparently, try to make it to the end of the Internet.

No sense going to heck holding back, so I'll continue.

I went to the dentist this week, and it was pretty brutal. At first he's just showing me how to floss (evidently from the condition of my gums he thought I didn't know how!) and slides the floss between my front tooth and my gum, but then he ties a knot in the thread and begins PULLING this knot back and forth - not between the teeth, mind you, but between the tooth and the gum. My eyes welled up with tears and blood poured from my front teeth. I wasn't much interested in listening to the rest of his shpiel about oral hygiene; instead I was focused on using my tongue for compression against the open wound in my mouth and praying he wouldn't come at me with that knot again. He did.

Matt called him a 'knothead' when we got home, an expression I had never heard before but which, I guess, is a perennial favorite from my father-in-law.

29 minutes past.

I just got an email about a film that is being released tomorrow called Forever Strong. Apparently it's about an LDS seminary-teacher-turned-rugby-coach and is being touted as very uplifting and inspiring. I'm interested in the rare movie that fits that description, so maybe I'll check it out.

And at 34 minutes past the hour, I'm out.

My Life in Six Words

Can you summarize yourself or your life in only six words? I caught wind of this idea on a blog I read, and I've been thinking about it at odd times, like when I'm brushing my teeth or sweeping the floor.

There are days when I would sum it all up in did I mention I am TIRED?!, and most days I am smitten by a 13-month-old (although is 13-month-old just one word, hyphenated?).

I think I aspire to be doing the very best I can, though often I feel like I'm not succeeding at much I try.

In my philosophical moments, I feel capable of more than I know; then again, most often I am just happy to have dinner ready again.

Always, my life is better than I expected or deserve.

What about you?

The worst feeling in the world...

...may be driving home from the adult meeting of stake conference behind an ambulance and a firetruck (having left your baby at home with an obliging sister-in-law), watching as these emergency vehicles make every turn just ahead of you, praying that they aren't headed to your apartment complex - let alone your building (how COULD they be? There are hundreds of houses and apartments down here!!) - pulling up to your building which is now bathed in flashing lights and having your breath catch in your throat as you see a young woman who looks like said babysitting sister-in-law talking to the paramedics.

The best feeling in the world is realizing that the woman is NOT your babysitter, and your baby - though he did cry himself to sleep - is safe and sound.

Sadly for our wheelchair-bound downstairs neighbor, the ambulance was here for him. We saw him, conscious, being loaded into the back, but no details yet. I'm still a little shaky.

A little domestic and a lot foreign

I baked a pie yesterday for the first time in my life. Many thanks to Mike and Amy for supplying the idea and recipe, my in-laws for the main ingredient, and my husband for being willing to try something that "looks like, smells like, tastes like" apple pie, but is actually made with...zucchini. 'Tis the season, right?

Aside from being a little slimier than your average apple pie, the confection really lived up to its claim - if I hadn't known it was zucchini, I couldn't have guessed. And my first-ever pie crust, while nothing to brag about, did look pretty good woven together in what my cookbook calls a 'classic lattice pattern with fluting.' Who writes these things?

In continuing with my attempts to be a little more domestic, today I'm making fruit leather. This is also a slimy project. And I didn't realize until I started de-seeding the pears that I had never seen a pear seed. They're encased in a thick membrane way down inside the pear, just in case you were wondering. Did you notice that I've ended every paragraph so far with a question?

In other news, Truman is as close to walking as a boy can be without actually doing it. He took a few very wobbly steps today - before he realized what he was doing and promptly sat down. He also carries on long conversations with me, his teddy bear, playground equipment, and wooden spoons in a mostly-excited but ever-foreign tongue. It's so cute that I almost don't want him to learn English. He's at a very huggable and snuggly stage right now too; yet another reason to want to freeeze him right where he is. Since I can't do that, I guess I'll just have to soak up the cuteness (complete with cheesy, wrinkly-nose smile) while I can.

For the first time in my life I feel like I am consciously trying to live in the moment, and when I succeed, it is pure joy.