Tag: little Frick

bad day, children

Duck and Cover

WFAM

As mother to T.Puzzle and Full Speed, I know what it takes to get through a day. I have to be strong, set lots of stern boundaries and not give them an inch. If I can’t do these things then I have to be prepared to duck and cover.

We were down to our last pull-up and I had to take little T.Puzzle with me to Target. If I am in the right frame of mind and he is too, it is a reasonable task. If I am tired, crabby and not feeling up to being a drill-sergeant mommy, then we are in big, big trouble.

I just was not in the mood to fight him at every turn. He kept tossing everything I had in the cart onto the floor. Normally, I would stop no matter if we are in the food isle or near ladies’ lingerie, and reprimand him. He would be placed in time-out and would wail to the high heavens but most likely would get his act together. I just couldn’t do it today. I wordlessly kept placing everything he tossed on the floor back in the cart. I chose to ignore his behavoir and that was the first of my mistakes.

By the time we had reached the cashier little T.Puzzle was ‘helping’ me push the cart. It was my weak attempt at distracting him from his naughty behavior. It didn’t work (another mistake). He decides now is the time to run away from Mommy and giggle. I grab him and place him in the cart’s seat and he starts screaming ‘no!’ at the top of his lungs. To complicate matters he keeps getting up in the seat dangerously teetering over the side. He looks ready to jump. I try my best to unload the cart and to make light of his insanity to the cashier. She looks wholly empathetic and mortified at the same time. As I lean down to grab something off the base of the cart, little T.Puzzle makes his move. He grabs a heavy box from the counter in front of him and proceeds to chuck it at my head. The cashier lunges forward to save me and in the process her knee hits the counter with a sickening thud. It’s her bad knee she tells me. Well, of course it is. Why would it be her good knee? That would make this story less upsetting and as you can tell, I wasn’t catching any breaks today.

I effusively apologize for the misdeeds of my child and the unfortunate injury he caused. Of course, he hasn’t let up screaming ‘no!’ yet either. I take my cart, my wobbly self-esteem and my overtly aggressive child and exit. I manage to strap him in his car seat, get my things unloaded and put the cart back. As soon as I reach the car I dial Mad Dog. I cry and he listens and when my crying gets really desperate sounding, little T.Puzzle switches his ‘nos!’ to ‘sorrys’.

It didn’t help because I was very sorry, too.

children, gratitude, happiness, health

Pancakes and Cookies

WFAM

My day with T.Puzzle has been very exciting. First of all, Mad Dog came home late last night (a nice surprise) and was able to make pancakes for breakfast. I couldn’t believe that little T.Puzzle ate his pancakes without one allergy symptom. He even said, “Pancakes are good, Daddy.”

I then took him to Publix and he got his first ever cookie there. I was so excited I wanted to cry. Up to this point he has been a good sport as Full Speed chomped away on his Publix cookie and waited until we reached the deli for his sample. Somehow a turkey slice isn’t nearly as interesting as a cookie with sprinkles.

It was surreal to wander the isles and realize that nothing is going to be off limits. I still can’t believe he didn’t have one hive or any indicator of his previous egg allergy. He is free and clear. I even bought a bag of frozen corn dogs, not because they are healthy, but because I could.

Another great day, indeed!

children, health, life in pictures, mommyhood

Quite an Eggperience

WFAM

I was feeling so sad. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I realized that little T.Puzzle’s allergy skin tests were bumming me out. First of all, I wasn’t looking forward to holding him down while he was pricked repeatedly with needles and secondly, I wasn’t in the mood to hear confirmation that my dog will never be able to live with us (which turned out to be true).

Little T.Puzze was surprisingly cooperative. He handled everything like a champ. He had to face me while seated on my lap as the tech pricked him over and over. You should have seen his little face. He couldn’t believe she kept coming at him, but he sat there and he took it. He recovered emotionally in about two seconds (of course a snack helped the process tremendously). As for my emotional recovery, I’ll let you know as soon as it happens (if ever).

We had to sit for fifteen minutes and he was not allowed to scratch his back. Of course the hives were popping out like Christmas lights. Instantaneously, I could tell his dog allergy would be off the charts as well as a couple others (turned out to be pollen and live oaks). I noticed his egg allergy hardly caused a blip but did not get my hopes up. I don’t pretend to know medically what is going on and it wasn’t helping that the nurse came in, took one look at his back and made ‘the face’. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this ‘face’ from medical professionals. When I see the shocked eyes and sad shaking of the head I know that whatever follows usually isn’t, “Your child is completely healthy with 20/20 vision.”

Hey, it can’t be changed so we do our best to accept it. We’ve adapted to quite a lot and so long as my children are functional, happy and active (oh-so-active), I’m good.

A few minutes later the doc returns. Good news! Little T.Puzzle tested negative for his egg allergy. Yippee!! We had to follow-up with a blood test (you should have seen his face as he was duped into being pricked again; he refused their sticker he was so mad) that will hopefully confirm this result. We will know for sure in a few days.

If it turns out to be true, that will be amazing. Look out ice cream, here we come!

mommyhood, tantrums

Whatever

WFAM

The boys woke up in good moods. This always helps on a Monday. I corralled them into our bathroom, grabbed their clothes and started to help little T.Puzzle undo the snap and zipper of his pjs.

“No!” he screams. “I do it myself!”

Soon he realizes he doesn’t have the dexterity to open the closure.

“I need help!” he recants.

I reach for the flap of fabric, pop it open and start to unzip him.

“No! I do it myself!”

Whatever.

T.Puzzle also got angry at me at breakfast. I attempted to pull apart his mini waffles, like I do every morning, and he couldn’t believe I would have the audacity to do so.

Whatvever.

A three year old is a lot like a moody, teenage girl. How do I know this? I used to be one. Payback is, well, you know…

That is until he takes two of his mini waffles and fashions them into a toilet seat. I can honestly say, I have never done that. Not once in my former teenaged life or in my current situation.

At least I found it mildly humorous. Of course, I didn’t let little T.Puzzle know that. He would have somehow managed to use this information against me.