Becky
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Homepage: http://www.totallyserial.com/blog
Posts by Becky
Remember the time Becky cheated at Sequence & ruined Christmas?
Dec 21st
There is a running joke in our family that I cheated at Sequence (the game) and ruined Christmas. It started several years ago when I was visiting my aunt & uncle in Chicago, and has been expanded into “Remember the time [fill in the blank person] [fill in the blank action] and ruined [fill in the blank holiday or activity]?” So, for example; “Remember the time Becky spilled her drink and ruined the garage party?” Of course they are usually funnier than that, but you get the point.
Today, I was reading Hyperbole and a Half (one of my favorite blogs), and just about burst out laughing at my desk. The title of her post? “The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas.” The entry is hysterical, even without the personal history, but that inside joke just pushed it over the edge for me. I’m still giggling about it now.
Other things I’ve read/seen recently that are worth mentioning:
The Bloggess made me cry, and not from laughing this time. This is amazing, and definitely fits the “true meaning of Christmas.” Read it with tissues handy. It’s good if you need a boost in the belief in the good of humanity.
My friend Adrienne has been great about sending funny videos lately. First this one (and the other videos like it are funny too. A good time waster, looking through them), and then this one.
Oh, and this makes me really happy:
He's so cute.
I was holding him during “quiet time” before bed tonight, and as he was laying in my arms looking at me he would just start giggling for no reason. If I looked at him he started all over again. I wasn’t making any faces or noises or tickling him or anything; apparently I’m just funny looking. It was definitely the bright moment in my week so far. That and the foot of snow we got last night. Although hearing that I don’t need anything other than a cleaning after not having been to the dentist in about 8 years (I moved, then my dentist retired, then I was uninsured and then I was lazy) was good too.
I’m so average
Dec 15th
I read all these blogs, and I keep thinking to myself, “Wow! I totally agree,” or “I never thought of that, but it’s so true!” or something along those lines. I don’t have anything original to say; it’s all been said by someone else (probably better than I could have said it). It keeps me from writing about things a lot of the time, because I figure if I’ve seen it before they probably have too. And why would I repeat what other people are already saying? Especially if I can’t improve on it somehow.
Sometimes I wonder if this is a self-esteem issue. Which sounds totally lame, and fishing for compliments-y. That’s not what I mean, though. I just think that there are so many people out there who are really talented writers. They know what situations they can spin into a great story, and they know how to tell the story so that it’s interesting; even if the event itself would normally be boring. But maybe I think that because it is someone else’s writing. It is hard to be objective about your own writing.
Anyway, that’s a large part of why it’s hard for me to write more often. I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said. You would think that would spill over to my verbal communication, but it doesn’t. Weird!
It’s the most insane time of the year
Dec 14th
Things have been busy around here. James and I are both pretty much healthy again, and lucky Ryan didn’t get the cold (thankfully!). We got our Christmas tree and have been slowly adding presents to the bottom of it. I’m so excited for James to open his gifts. He loves to pull/tear paper, so it should be a good time.
I spent most of Sunday afternoon & evening making Christmas treats. Horseballs (aka graham cracker balls), no-bake cookies made with Nutella, peanut butter and chocolate fudge, and mint brownies. The chocolate fudge didn’t boil long enough, so it didn’t turn out, but it will make great ice cream topping. I need to make another batch of everything other than the horseballs, but it’s all pretty simple, so that’s ok. I’m enjoying having stuff to give to friends as part of their gifts.
We ordered our Christmas cards from Shutterfly, but I realized after I placed the order that I didn’t order enough. We’ll have to look into supplementing with a few from Walgreens or something. Meh. I’m taking a very laid-back attitude toward things this Christmas. If it gets done it gets done, and if not, oh well. Our tree sat for 2 or 3 days before Ryan decided it needed lights. I did put the ornaments on it a couple nights later, so it’s totally decorated now, which is good I guess. It would be a shame to pay for a tree and then not do anything with it.
Ryan’s parents and sister are coming here this weekend and we will be doing their family Christmas then. I’m excited; this is our first time hosting a major holiday. We even bought a table cloth. You can’t even see the table underneath all the stuff on it right now, but that’s beside the point. Their traditional Christmas meal is Swedish meatballs, so we’ll be having those along with the Pioneer Woman’s mashed potatoes and green bean casserole and fresh veggies. Yum. And pie, of course. Mmmm…pie.
Along with all the baking and mentally preparing to have company, we had Ryan’s company Christmas party last weekend, and mine is this coming Friday. Both involve babysitters for James. Good thing he loves people. Last Saturday night he stayed with my coworker and her husband and daughter, and this weekend Ryan’s parents and sister will watch him on Friday evening for us. My coworker says they miss James; that they’ve been talking about how much fun he was every evening since he left. I told her I’m sending him back regularly – he seems to be sleeping a little better. We’ve cut out one of the wake-up times, which is great. Only 2 to go!
I’m going to finish watching this episode of L&O: SVU and then go to bed. The yawning has gotten a little ridiculous.
The Sing Off
Dec 9th
We are watching The Sing Off, and I have one thing to say: Nick Lachey needs to do less talking, and there should be more singing.
So tired…going to bed soon. Just had to pass that on…….
Better, but still sick
Dec 4th
Wow, has this been a crappy week, health-wise. I worked Monday and Tuesday, although I probably shouldn’t have. Wednesday I went in until about 11; just long enough to get some things done that had to be finished. Then I came home to rest. James stayed at daycare until Ryan got home. Wednesday night was pretty bad. I slept out in the living room on the recliner. I think I probably got about 3 hours of sleep. We had to bring James to the ER that evening because he had a fever and was breathing kind of heavy. They determined that he was fine, as far as they could tell. They gave him Tylenol on top of the ibuprophen we had given him, and he seemed to be feeling better. He didn’t sleep well, though, and Thursday he still had a mild fever, so he stayed home with me. I was still super-sick, so was going to stay home anyway. It was a rough day. James was fussy, and I felt like crap. That night, though, he slept a little better (only woke up 3 times or so), and I got to sleep in my own bed. I finally have found a drug combo that seems to help a little. Sudafed paired with Robitussin cough & chest congestion syrup. I take it religiously, and it seems to be helping. A lot more than the Sudafed alone or the Nyquil did, that is for sure. Friday I went to work, because I had to get stuff done and I was feeling moderately better. Today my coughing is a little better, but my nose and sinuses are so full they are making my teeth hurt. Does that happen to anyone else? Ryan kind of gave me a weird look when I said that.
Anyway, things are improving, slowly, which is good. And so far it appears that I’m the only one who has this crud. Hopefully it will stay that way.
We are sitting at home watching Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man’s Chest. We rearranged the living room, and I like it. It feels much more open than it did before – the furniture is all at the edges of the room, so we have a big open space in the middle, which is great for James. Of course he prefers to stand and move along furniture lately, and so he hasn’t taken much advantage of it. But it will be nice for him to have more room when we have the tree too.
Speaking of James wanting to walk along the furniture (and walls) everywhere…yesterday we were at a friend’s house, having dinner and hanging out, and James was cruising around. He had started at the couch where we were sitting, which was next to a wall. He got to the wall and kept going, around a corner. But then he slipped (those darn socks, combined with wood floors). He fell and hit his forehead on one of those phone jack boxes. His forehead swelled up into a HUGE goose-egg right away, but he only cried a little, and then seemed ok. The swelling went down pretty quickly, and today he just has a little bump and a bruise. It doesn’t seem to bother him. I felt badly for him, but I’m sure that there will be other bumps and bruises as he learns to navigate his way around.
Well, time for my next round of drugs!
It’s not a deal if it doesn’t work
Nov 30th
I stopped at Walgreens last night after work to pick up my Sudafed and Nyquil. The Nyquil was on sale; 2 for $10, plus $5 in register rewards (basically a $5 gift certificate that has to be spent in the next week or so). So I got 2 boxes, thinking I had scored a deal (the regular price is $8 apiece). I got home, and took some Sudafed because it was too early to pass out for the night.
I coughed all evening, but I kept thinking to myself, “Maybe it needs to build up in your system or something.” They, at 9:30 I took some Nyquil and thought that I would finally get some relief and some sleep. No such luck. I was coughing all night. Ryan eventually went out to sleep on the couch, the poor guy. So yah. I’m very disappointed in the drugs. I’ll keep taking them today, but if I’m not feeling at least moderately better by the end of the day I’m going to call and see if they can recommend something else. This would be so much easier if I wasn’t nursing. I would just go find the strongest drugs I could get and not worry about it. But I don’t want to take more than I need, and although it appears that most cold/cough medicines are fine in moderation while nursing, I don’t want to just assume anything is ok.
So yah…the sickness continues. It’s very exciting to read about, I’m sure. Probably about as exciting as living through it. Not at all.
In other, more fun news, James is now cruising and army crawling all over the place. He also pulled himself to standing from sitting (just after the doctor’s appointment where we told her he wasn’t doing that yet). He babbles all the time. It’s very cute. I am loving this age; he changes so rapidly! Two weeks ago he could barely scoot along, and now he gets pretty much everywhere. He was chasing Auntie Lisa’s cat around when we were down there. He also likes to follow Grandpa around. It’s adorable.
What is not very cute is the fit he’s been throwing at night. When he’s tired he gets crabby, like any kid, but lately he’s been SUPER-crabby, and we can’t figure out what’s wrong. He won’t go to bed, even though he has been fed and changed, he’s got a multitude of toys and is allowed to roam pretty much anywhere. Last night I finally got him to sleep about 9pm after 2 hours of nursing, rocking, changing, letting him walk around, nursing, rocking, singing (boy is THAT fun with this cough). When he wakes up in the middle of the night, he wakes up screaming. But if it’s in the morning, when it’s time to get up for the day, he’s happy as a clam. I just don’t get it.
Anyway, if you have any tips (or even ideas as to why this might be going on) I’d gladly hear them. I would love to get back to where he slept from 7:30pm to 6am, but I would even take waking once (or even twice if one of the times was at like 10 or 11). As it is we are usually up at 9, 11, 2 or 3, and 4 or 5, and then up for the day at 6:30. It’s exhausting.
The ol’ side-eye
Nov 29th
I am totally sick (still). I asked the Doctor at James’s 9 month checkup today (he’s huge and healthy, as expected!) about it, and she said it’s probably a viral bronchitis, so there’s not much to be done other than ride it out. She recommended Sudafed for the day and Nyquil at night, and call back if it’s not gone in a week. We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, I’m hacking away at work, probably annoying my coworkers by being here when I’m so obviously not well. Unfortunately for them (and for me) my boss was already giving me the side-eye about leaving at noon on Wednesday last week (because the weather was supposed to (and did) SUCK on our drive down). So I didn’t feel like I could call in sick today. Which turned out to be a good thing, because another person in my department is out sick today. Ryan is at home instead, taking care of James because our neighbors’/daycare person’s son is sick with the flu. Everyone is sick! Happy holidays!
I would have started taking the Sudafed already, but the little drugstore in the skywalk downtown doesn’t sell it because they aren’t a pharmacy and they don’t want those meth-makers buying it all or something. I don’t know. I’ll have to stop and get some after work.
Needless to say, this illness is making me not care so much about making sure I write every day. I’m trying to care. I’m just not quite getting there.
Am sick
Nov 26th
Send…um nothing, I guess. My throat hurts too much for that. I don’t know if I strained my tongue coughing, or of this is a side effect of the cold, but it sucks. I was coughing enough to give myself a headache, and it was hard to swallow dinner. And now i’m exhausted. Ryan’s dad is putting James down (he didn’t nap well today, and fell asleep at about 6 or so until 9). I went to the local drugstore today & talked to the pharmacist. He recommended a cough suppresant. It seems to be helpful.
Ryan & his parents & sister made lefse. I’m dozing in the recliner.
We are having breakfast with friends tomorrow, which should be fun. Hopefully I’ll be feeling better!
Why is it
Nov 22nd
Every time I go on vacation I get sick? Last year when we went out east I got the worst cold EVER, and couldn’t take anything because I was pregnant. This year we went on the cruise, and I now have some sort of stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing thing going on that seems to be getting worse instead of better. The pharmacist recommended taking zyrtec or claritin, so I’m trying the zyrtec. Hopefully it helps. Last night I woke up because of the baby & couldn’t talk. It was terrible. I’ve been downing water & took a couple vitamin c drops…hopefully this all works.
More photos & descriptions of our cruise coming soon.
Back to Florida
Nov 21st
This was supposed to be posted on Friday. My phone apparently didn’t cooperate.
_______________
If not “real life.”
Our flight doesn’t leave until 5:50pm, so we did an Everglades tour this morning. It took up some time, and saved us the cab fare back to the airport, although of course the excursion cost more.
These pictures are from the park & airboat ride.
