Facebook Friday

Look!! I remembered to do Facebook Friday... on Friday!! Aren't you happy? Aren't you proud? Aren't you.... oh, wait. That's right, I went multiple weeks again, didn't I? So even though it's a Friday, it will still be a super-long Facebook status catch-up. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers!

Let's get the ball rolling with .... wait for it.....
....
August 24th
1:43pm

Becky is trying to think of fun things to do all week while Jesse's home from work on a forced week off. Looks like great weather, so I suppose we'll be getting plenty of last-minute summertime things into our week!

2:43pm
Becky just spent a maddening 45 minutes with a calculator, spreadsheets, scratch pieces of paper, trying to explain the discrepancy between my online checking balance and my register balance. Finally found $12 I forgot to write down after sending off some PayPal earlier in the month. Doh!

August 25th
4:32pm
Becky got to hang out at Kilgore Falls with the family this afternoon. Beautiful day, beautiful spot, lots of cool refreshing water, and great scenery. ♥ A bee stung Melinda's hand only 1 minute after we sat down to have a picnic. She probably breathed on it wrong or something... but that was traumatic for her (first bee sting for any of our children!)... Finally got distracted enough to enjoy herself.

10:32pm
Becky wonders if seeing 6 deer in one day is some sort of omen, or possibly a sign of good luck. (Of course, not hitting any of them could be construed as good luck in and of itself!)

August 26th
12:02pm
Becky didn't sleep so great last night, but it still trying to get in the fun stuff before Melinda starts school. Bike ride, check. Swimming to come after lunch sometime.

5:29pm
Swimming: Check. Got Jesse to smile by starting a splash fight. He continues to insist it wasn't fun. ;) Next up, off to donate blood. Hoping I don't get woozy or faint... last time went pretty well, hope it's the same again.

6:40pm
Becky didn't get to have a date with the vampires today, after all. Iron was too low. And, of course, the very first thing on the list of remedies is chocolate ice cream. Well, my list, not theirs. ;)

August 27th
3:26pm

Becky spent a few hours out on the beach of the Bay (Hammerman Area of Gunpowder state park), probably got a little too much sun, and had to hold Alex the whole time, who disliked both sand and water. Resting for a short while, and then we'll be heading off to Melinda's school orientation night. Exciting!

9:14pm
Becky is berating herself for turning off her computer when Jesse warned her not to. Stupid thing craps out and hangs up on the mup.sys file every now and then, and is incredibly difficult to get working again after doing so. It's been not working all day, and my hero Jesse is *trying* to get it working again. I have a photoshop project I stupidly only saved on my desktop instead of on my external hard drive! :(

August 28th
2:12pm
Becky had a little emotional meltdown last night because of frustrating computer stuff. And then good sleep was interrupted by an INSANELY constant lightning storm (looked like strobe lights I could see through my eyelids!). And of course, young kids don't like thunderstorms at 1-2am, either. Yawn. Is it naptime yet?

9:42pm
Melinda's been saying for a few days now that she doesn't want to go to Kindergarten. Finally got it out of her tonight that she's worried she'll miss her family. (aww! ♥ ) So I told her all about when I was in Kindergarten, the things I did, what I thought of it, how I liked it... and even one of my most embarrassing memories. She seemed much better and more interested in going to school, after all that. 3 days!

August 29th
11:22am
Becky convinced Jesse (without much effort) that we should get donuts for breakfast. Mmmm. And thanks to starting the mountains of laundry last night, I'll probably finish before midnight tonight! Whoopeeeeee!

10:53pm
Becky was watching Jacob interact with Jesse earlier today. Jacob patted Jesse's head, his thinning hairline, and said with complete honesty, "Daddy, I like your big forehead." And then, after a few moments, "I want my hair cut short, too!" (As in, a bald forehead??) ♥

August 30th
4:43pm
Becky snuck in an "I'm-exhauted" nap back in the bedroom. Woke up startled and panicked to Alex screaming over 20 minutes ago (he was closed in the playroom while daddy cleaned up a mess Alex had made). Still in a groggy-just-woke-up-badly sort of state.

8:49pm
Becky is cautiously excited for tomorrow, Melinda's first day of school! She got a father's blessing from Jesse tonight, and we made up "get ready for school" chart to help her in the mornings. She doesn't seem nervous anymore!


August 31st
10:14am
Becky was completely panicked when we were leaving the grocery store and I saw that Alex was not in the front of the car-cart. "Oh NO!! Where's Alex?!" Without a second of hesitation, I turned on a dime and dashed towards the store to search for him. Jesse yells, "BECKY. He's in your ARMS."

2:21pm
Becky just got back from Melinda's 1st day of school. (Though it seems deceitful, to call it a day, when it was really only 1hr., with 2 other kids...) Loved the teacher, though I wish all that effort teaching Melinda to read wasn't just so she c...ould go and learn the ABC's for a couple months before they even start phonics. Still, I think she'll really like it. Tomorrow is a half day, and then Wed. is the REAL 1st day.

September 1st
2:53pm
Becky was going to go swimming with friends after Melinda's 2 hours of school today, but they have colds and the air is chilly (Well, chilly compared to 90 and humid, that's for sure). Trying to come up with a game plan for this afternoon. Looks like I have to add the bookstore to it, since I totally forgot that Suzanne Collin's sequel to The Hunger Games is out today!!

September 2nd
12:05am
Becky is up way too late, doing things like showering, making breakfast ahead of time, making a fancy note to stick in Melinda's lunch box, all trying to get ready for Melinda's first REAL day of school, and hoping we aren't late in the morning!

11:38am
Melinda's at school, and should just be finishing up her lunch break. Picking her up in about 4 more hours. Took Alex and Jacob for a long walk this morning, but it's definitely too quiet around here. Well, maybe not *too* quiet. Anything's better than constant arguments, I guess!


1:18pm
Becky promised myself an hour ago that I would quickly check email/facebook, then go run the dishwasher, then sit down and fill out Kindergarten paperwork I've been putting off for 2 days. I'm still in front of my computer.

4:00pm
Yaaaaay! Melinda's home from school!! And she had a good day!!


September 3rd
8:50pm
Between the power being out till 2pm, playing with friends, and getting heavily absorbed in Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, I haven't turned on my computer at all today!

September 4th
1:33pm
Becky just finished reading Catching Fire. SO GOOD!! But ahhhhhh, when can I read the next book in the series?!? Such torture to wait!

10:22pm
Becky is seriously contemplating bed, as the eyelids are drooping beyond my ability to keep them open, and it's only 10:20. Methinks this week of school has been far, far more tiring for me than it has been for Melinda.


September 6th
2:48pm
Becky is trying to figure out if Alex will need to be taken to urgent care and get stitches for a gash on his eyebrow. (Jacob pushed him, playfully, into a corner.) It's not bleeding profusely, so much as it's just oozing very slowly, but it's kinda gaping open. Jesse's out looking for some liquid stitches, in the meantime, and I already shaved the poor little guy's eyebrow.

4:30pm
Becky took Alex to urgent care, after all. The doc there agreed that it was fairly superficial, but agreed about minimizing the scar. We ended up going with some dermabond skin glue, and Alex was magically calm through the whole thing, though he's currently fingering his owie & saying "eee". Jesse thinks it looks pretty jagged right now... But what's done is done. Not like an eyebrow scar can possibly look pretty.

September 7th
3:59pm
Becky is feeling a bit of a failure. I *tried* to think of only inexpensive meals for our coming week, but still ended up spending $160 on groceries for the week. I can't imagine how I'll *really* be able to drop our grocery budget significantly unless I go total beans-and-rice crazy, and never buy fresh produce. And my kids hate eating rice.
>>> Got some good ideas from people on Facebook and over the phone. Hopefully I'll do better this week!

10:06pm
Becky gets very frustrated on nights like tonight, where it takes 1.5 hours for Alex to fall asleep (fighting the whole time), long after somersaulting, wall-kicking Jacob manages to pass out peacefully. Even a nice warm shower didn't cure my "stompy" mood. Maybe a good night's rest will.

September 8th
9:47am
Becky is about to go hunting for shoes again. My last hunt yielded some nice summer shoes after a lot of pain and frustration (those darn size 10 feet!), but I'm going to need something for the upcoming cold and rain, since my last shoes died on me. ... Wish me luck... I'm hoping I can find something without spending multiple weeks looking!
>>> Found some good shoes for dressy casual, but still looking for something comfortable for every-day use.

2:15pm
Becky felt a bit sad when, after just getting hurt for the 3rd time while we were out, Jacob decided the *most important thing* to instantly wail about was how "everything is not fun" when Melinda isn't here. Poor guy, must be on his mind a lot if it's the first thing that comes out after getting hurt. :(

10:33pm
Becky cleaned up the playroom, got the laundry all folded and put away, and has breakfast baking in the oven. Productive evening!

September 9th
11:05am
Becky is discovering that when nobody else is around to do all the talking and noise-making, Jacob is quite the narrator, explaining every single thing he does in detail. ("And see, when I turn like this, then I swing this around (*whshshsshhhh*) and then it hits this chair, like this!")

1:13pm
Uhhhh... Jacob just picked up "Hop On Pop" and started sounding out the first few pages. I guess I *should* start him on reading lessons soon, huh?

4:54pm
Becky was *actually* able to take a quick power-nap on the couch this afternoon before picking up Melinda from school. W-O-W.

7:06pm
Becky rescued a very stuck husband from his hide-and-seek hiding spot. Also, I fail at hide-and-seek because a certain toddler follows me everywhere and gives me away.

September 10th
5:42pm
Becky loves it when the weather is cool enough for cooking a good, yummy soup. ♥

10:36pm
Becky found Melinda's "pretty" drawer (full of ribbons and clips and headbands she pretty much never uses) fully organized by type, size and color. Where on earth did an interest in organization come from, with Jesse as her father and me as her mother??

September 11th
11:20am
Becky has taken her husband to his job for the last time. Today he'll be signing his severance papers, and so will begin our time with unemployment. Here's to hoping it's short-lived.
>>> It strikes me that when Jesse and I heard of the terrorist attacks on the NY twin towers 8 years ago, we were listening to the morning radio as Jesse was driving me to work. It wasn't long after that when my company's business started lagging so greatly that layoffs began (leading to my layoff, a year later). And now here were are, half a country away, 3 kids later, and I'm driving him to work, knowing that his job is ending. How odd to be full-circle. The pouring, non-stop rain fits my brooding mood.

Our First Trip to Urgent Care

Today was such a long day.
We got up extra-early and got ready for church up in Pennsylvania today.  Our friends Adam and Jenn had a baby boy a few months ago, and today they blessed him, along with his new little cousin.  It was lovely to listen to it, and nice to be there for friends we met way back before we even had kids.  But between everyone taking turns waking up with various issues that needed to be resolved last night, the early morning, and a slightly unfamiliar routine, we were tired before Sacrament Meeting had even finished, and decided to go home early.

Jacob fell asleep on the way home.  Obviously he wasn't really ready to wake up at 7:30am today. Melinda whined about our choice of listening material (we turned on the General Conference podcast from April of this year).  Alex woke up when we got home, declaring his nap officially finished.  It was only 11am and the kids were pestering me for lunch as if I had starved them.... when in reality they had breakfast AND snacks. 

So, our day was not off to the best start.  But we got the kids fed- and finally satisfied- and tried to have some quiet, calm, resting time.

Not long after 2pm, Alex went into the front room to play with Melinda and Jacob.  Not 2 seconds after he got in there, he was screaming bloody murder.  When I found him, he had deep red blood dripping from his eyebrow, down his temple, and nearly into his eye.  I instantly knew this wasn't good.  Alex gets hurt a lot between his own feats of mobility and the antics and roughhousing of his older siblings.  But it's rare that he actually bleeds.

We gently cleaned his eyebrow with a cloth, and there was definitely a gash.  We found out that Jacob had pushed Alex (in play) and he had fallen against the square corner of the rocking chair seat.  Once we cleaned the wound up, though, the bleeding wasn't alarming.  It oozed very slowly.  But it was a big gash.  On his eyebrow.  Jesse and I were both thinking of what a bad scar this could leave, and not feeling sure about what we should do.

When Melinda cut her head on a dresser in Colorado a couple years ago, we were able to get some skin glue ("liquid stitches") from the grocery store just down the road, and fix her up nicely.  We decided to try that route for Alex, too.  So Jesse ran out to the pharmacy, but had no luck finding any.  Then he asked a pharmacist, who didn't seem to even know what he was looking for.  He tried a few different stores, also with no luck.  The closest he could get was liquid bandaids, which don't exactly hold skin together.  Jesse keeps grumbling about it probably being against the law to sell it in Maryland or something like that.  

While Jesse was out looking for the glue, I kept pressure on Alex's cut, and ended up shaving off his eyebrow, too, since we wouldn't want hair to heal itself into it.  Glad to have an electric razor on hand!

Still thinking of a really ugly scar, we decided to take him to urgent care.  There's an urgent care very close to us, not associated with the hospital.  They advertise little wait time, and other such niceties, so we went there.  After filling out a bit of paperwork and waiting maybe 5 minutes, they called us back.

When we got to see the doctor, he took a look and thought it might need stitches.  But after cleaning it with an alcohol wipe (it was already clotting, less than an hour later), he thought it looked too superficial to worry about, and was concerned about using the liquid stitches so close to his eye.  But he understood our concerns about a big ugly scar, and agreed that the liquid stitches could minimize the scar a bit.  He brought in a nurse to help hold some gauze over his eye while he applied the glue.  It was a messy business, but Alex was amazingly calm.  Didn't squirm or fuss or anything, just looked curiously at the people hovering over him.  The doctor couldn't stop remarking over his behavior like he was some miracle child, and it was beginning to become obvious that he had NEVER treated a child as calm as Alex.  Truth be told, I was even a little mystified, because he usually hates to be made to lay down.  You should hear him when I have to pin him down to brush his teeth!!

Anyway, I watched as the doctor applied the glue, and it seemed like he was doing a fine job, squeezing the wound together as he applied it, and after he finished, to keep it together while it dried.  But Jesse feels like it looks pretty jagged and open in some places, and is feeling pretty unhappy about it, just wishing we could have gotten a hold of some glue and done it ourselves.  Of course, I agree that we probably could have done at least as well ourselves, and saved us a trip to urgent care (and who knows how much money for a copay, I have no clue!)... but I guess that's life, when you're not sure if a wound needs stitches and you can't find any skin glue in the stores.  (Note to self: Find some online and keep it on hand!!)

We probably could have gotten away without doing anything, with how superficial it is.  But ugh, those thoughts of big ugly scars... they just wouldn't go away!  And it made us unsure about what would be best.  No big panic or big rush to urgent care... just more of a "I guess we need to do this to be on the safe side" sort of attitude.

Anyway, here's the little guy after we got home.  As you can see, he was all fine and happy already (and saying "cheese", in the likely case you can't decipher that face).  Won't be surprised if he ends up with a black eye fairly soon.  And I'm really regretting not setting up some family portraits for yesterday like I had been considering.  Because who knows what he'll look like for the next several months, right?

Ah, urgent care.  I'm not sure how we avoided it for so long, with the three kids that we have.  I suppose it was inevitable that it happen soon.  Still... it's been a very long day.