Category Archives: Healthy Living

A Food Miracle

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 I’m sure I will regret saying this, as I’m sure to jinx the magic, but we have had three GREAT toddler food days in a row.

Charlotte are veggies. Just picked them up and ate them. No hiding them in anything. No struggle.

She ate chicken stir fry and meatloaf. 

Tonight, was her biggest meal in so long. 

For dinner, she ate:

  • Chicken & sun dried tomatoes (probably at least 2 big slices of chicken) 
  • Green beans
  • Some Indian spiced chicken soup (and she ate more chunks of chicken)
  • 3/4 a vegetarian stuffed grape leaf
  • Cucumber (2-3 slices)
  • A bite of zucchini and brocolli 
  • A couple bites of banana
  • Two bowls of berries
  • A small bowl of mac and cheese

So, before you judge all the randomness, we had a “take out” night, which entails us eating a smorgasbord that my husband picks up from the deli and hot bar at our local co-op. 

While part of me thinks C’s groundbreakingly improved eating habits are likely random, we have also made some significant changes lately.

  1. Only 1-2 small and healthy snacks per day (given around 10 am and after her afternoon nap). We used to let her eat as much of the healthy snack as she wanted. Now, it’s quite limited and we’ve been making it protein based. 

    Snacking on two whole wheat crackers with almond butter.

     
  2. We all eat the same thing at the same time. As much as I love family dinners, with Charlotte getting hungry by 5/530, it’s difficult to have family dinners, as hubs usually isn’t home yet. However, the past three or so nights have been great. 
  3. Dinner is what it is. We tell Charlotte that she doesn’t have to eat it, but we leave it in front of her and leave her in her chair while we eat. Every night, she’s come around and ended up tasting and enjoying the meal. And ultimately, if she doesn’t want to eat it, we are okay sending her to bed hungry. It’s definitely happened. 

Exciting, right? 

I’m definitely going to enjoy these peaceful mealtimes for as long as they last!

Charlie’s 18-Month Check Up

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**I just found this in my drafts. Thought I had posted it, but I guess not! Written 2/4/16**
Remember how I told you that Charlotte was Ms. Monster at our family photos? Well, she totally redeemed herself at her 18-month check up (FYI, C, next time let’s shine for the photos and bring the evil for the doc).

Literally, from the second we arrived, she was the perfect little munch. She got undressed with no fuss… in fact, she even helped!

She sat on the scale like a big girl AND let the nurse measure her height and head circumference… again, no prob!

The doc did her exam… wait a second. Did the doc do her exam? I know we talked a lot… but I’m feeling like she didn’t really look at her. Shit. Am I having a pregnancy moment or did the doc really not look at Charlotte? Ugh my brain. Okay, so I’ll have to check in with Mark on this one…

Regardless, she was well behaved for all 55/60 minutes of our appointment. The last 5 minutes, which fell about 1.5-2 hours into her naptime got a little whiny, but not bad.

First, the facts:

  • Height: 32.5″ (75th percentile)
  • Weight: 23 lbs 8 Oz (60th percentile)
  • Head Circumference: 50th percentile

Other details/questions/etc:

  • Vitamins: We can give C half a Flinstone multi-vitamin (typically recommended for ages 2 and up, but with all her teefers, she’ll be a-ok to munch them down)
  • Food: The doc made me feel like we have no problem in terms of food… even though many days, mealtimes feel like a nightmare. She said you have to look at it from a week’s perspective. I feel like even from a daily perspective, C does well. Just usually has at least one meal a day that she does not eat well at.
  • Sleep: Go C!! Keep it up, gf!
  • Talking: Sounds like C is doing just fine! They expect at least 3 words, which Charlotte has no problem. Can’t wait for them to continue! I swear, every day she shows me new skills that she’s picked up.
  • PACI: OKAY GUYS, this is the big one. Doc said that most dentists recommend ditching the paci at a year, some by 2. With that in mind, we’ve decided that this weekend will be it for Charlie & paci. It gives me a little bit of a sad feeling. Like, our baby is really growing up. I think she will be totally fine with the transition, but I might cry. Our doc’s one recommendation was that when we drop it, we go cold turkey. The wishy washy take it away, give it back scenario makes it much harder on the kidlings. WISH US LUCK!

I think that might be all… but seeing as how I can’t remember if she even looked at my baby, I wouldn’t trust anything I said. Okay, time to call hubs to find out what really happened.

24 Week Bumpdate & Check Up

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  How far along: 24 Weeks, 3 Days (OVER 6 MONTHS! That’s insane. Time really is flying by. Some moments I feel like this entire pregnancy has just been a giant blur. When I look down, I have moments of complete surprise. Like somehow I’ve totally forgotten that I’m pregnant. I guess a toddler will do that to you.)

Total weight gain: Oh goodness… I had my 24-week check up today and of course it was at 2:30… right after I downed my lunch. Remind me next time to eat AFTER I have to step on the scale. SO, I’m up 5.5 lbs this MONTH. And 15 total. But I’m going to justify that at least 1-2 lbs was my food baby.

As a side, I had hoped to work out after my appointment. Unfortunately, it ended too early that I couldn’t justify not going back to work. So, what did I do instead? Yes, I stopped at Starbucks for an iced chai and a warm cookie (PS: they heat up your cookie for you…). Shit. That was pretty much the opposite of what I had planned and probably the last thing a rational person does after feeling disappointed by a weight check. Oh well. Tomorrow will be better, right?

Maternity clothes: I need some more basic maternity shirts. Nice stretchy, soft long ones. I was thinking H&M. Any other suggestions?

Stretch marks: Still stretch mark free… which reminds me, I need to buy more vitamin e oil.

Sleep: I’m feeling pretty tired today, so this probably isn’t a good time to ask. This morning I was woken up by the silliest toddler ever. At 4am, the tiny one decided it was meeting time with Teddy & the gang. I’m not sure if it was Teddy or Baby, but someone was cracking jokes that had Charlie giggling away in her crib. Her little one-sided chat (and giggle fest) lasted at least a half an hour until she suddenly got quiet and passed out. Such a strange little babes.

Best moment of this week: Not to make a habit of highlighting the worst parts of my week when answering this question… BUT, can I just mention that we had the worst family photo session ever on Saturday? Oy. Charlotte was in mega beast mode. She was whiney and totally unwilling to smile or even come near us. She kept bursting into tears, wouldn’t put down this damn minnie stuffed animal and a tiny jar of paint (yep, both items – neither of which are ours – will appear in many of the photos), and just didn’t play Mommy’s adorable photo session game.

I was so hopeful that we’d get these sweet photos of Charlie giving us kisses and hugs. Pictures that showed our little family of three (and growing fourth). Instead, it will likely depict two stressed parents and a pissed off toddler. I guess that’s life, huh?

On a positive note, I got to see my friend Erica’s little man last night…  

Miss anything: Vacation. I’ve sooooo been craving vacation. We had talked about babymooning, but ultimately decided that it isn’t really worth it. Traveling pregnant is a bit of a buzz kill. We’ll save our dollars for post-eviction travel.

Movement: I officially saw the baby bumpkins attempting escape through my belly this week. I’m sure I’m wrong, but I felt like I couldn’t see C moving around (aka my belly hopping all over) until later in my pregnancy. Either way, it’s great! He’s such a squiggler. I love it.

Food cravings: See above comment regarding chocolate chip cookies. Damn you, sweets!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Don’t patronize me! I think I need to remove this question…

Gender: A gentleman.

Labor signs: None to speak of!

Belly button in or out: Wide open button.

Wedding rings on or off: Mornings are my fingers’ least favorite time of day.

Happy or moody most of the time: Well, I don’t know. I think happy. I’ve been feeling really good. Energized (except today) and productive. I think that’s kept me in a good mood. I guess if you really wanted to know, we’d have to fact-check with the hubs. He is usually the first to know when I’m leaning towards the moody variety.

Looking forward to: Wednesday I have lunch with my girls and their babies! I’m hoping the snow doesn’t delay us… unless it totally cancels work, in which case, I might be okay with it. Then, this weekend, we have plans with our friends who have two kiddies. We haven’t seen them since New Years, so I’m excited to catch up and see how life with a newborn and toddler is treating them. Other excitements… I don’t know. I’m ready to be home with my hubby. I’ll be happy to get home, smoosh my little baby and relax with hubs.

OTHER CHECK UP UPDATES

I was so tired, I literally didn’t ask any questions. So here are my stats:

Weight Gain: see above.

BP: 108/… shit. 60 maybe? I can’t remember now.

Heartrate: 88 bpm (I’m so consistent!)

Baby’s Heartrate: I totally forgot to ask. I was too distracted by the tiny little man punching the doppler every few seconds. Clearly he was enjoying his food coma and did not want to be poked.

Next appointment (at 28 weeks) will be my glucose test and I have to get my tetanus shot. FML. Guys, I hate shots. Nevermind 24 hours of unmedicated labor… I’m terrified of needles.

Our Big 18 Month Old!

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  Our babe is an entire year and a half! People told me that once she hit 18 months, there’s a huge developmental leap, and it’s true! She’s such a big little person these days. She is full of personality and just such a wonderful little love.

Walking Update: This should really say “running update”… the child is OFF! She’s constantly walking/running everywhere. One interesting little tid bit is that she walks on her tip toes quite a bit. As a 5′ 1″ (and that 1” might be a bit of a stretch) little lady, I spend a lot of time standing on my tip toes. It’s a habit. So I don’t know if she’s seen me doing it or if it’s a toddler thing, but it’s pretty silly. And sometimes leads to her falling on her tush.

Talking Update: The child is a chatterbox. I forsee many a report card comment about spending too much time chattering and socializing in class (just like her mommy received). Her comprehension is amazing. We can give her 1 and 2-part instructions and she goes right ahead and does it. Sometimes she shocks me with the words she knows. The best way I’ve found for teaching her words is through books. We go through picture books and identify the images.

I say, “Where’s the lion” and she points to it. Then, “What does the lion say?” And in the most feminine, high pitch voice, she squeals, “Raaaa!” She can do this with tons of animals (monkey, bear, giraffe, dog, cat, frog, fish, lion, pig, etc) and other objects (baby, milk, pine cone, tree, cup, ball, and the list goes on).

In terms of words she says, her vocabulary is a bit more limited, but still impressive (to me!):

  • Mom, Momma
  • Dad, Dada (she used to call Mark “MA” so this is a welcomed new lesson)
  • Baba (baby)
  • All Done (she said this today and it was clear as day)
  • Mosht (toast)
  • Chssss (Cheese)
  • Ornch (Orange)
  • Hot, Hot, Hot (this is Charlie’s favorite word that she uses nonstop. She touches EVERYTHING and anything remotely warm makes her say “hot” for 20 minutes)
  • Pom (Pom Poms – I have little tissue paper flower pom poms hanging in my office)
  • Mor (More)
  • Ba (Bear)
  • Liii (Lion)
  • Sssssss (Steffie – my cousin)

I’m sure there are more because I’m literally shocked daily, but it’s so hard to remember all of them.

New Tricks:

  • She is a wizard with a fork and spoon!
  • She can do “downward facing dog” and is working on a somersault  
       
  • She blows bubbles in the pool. AND, even crazier, she graduated to Level “Baby 2” in swim class and now goes in the pool without Mark. She has 2 others in her class with her and she sits on the pool step (in the water) by herself while the teacher takes the other kids for their turn. This to me is mind blowing. SUCH a big girl.    
  • She can point out every part of her body.
  • She loves to play dress up with Mommy’s hats and of course, look in the mirror or at pictures of herself in her “costumes”     
     
  • She “counts”… aka points at objects and makes a noise to imitate counting.
  • She can play the harmonica… with her nose. 
     
  • She’s the toughest “tough girl”
  • She can take her shoes and socks off on her own.
  • She loves to take care of her “baby” (her baby doll). She gets baby all wrapped in her swaddle (and by gets I mean that she demands that Nana, Dada or I wrap her up) and carries her EVERYWHERE, rocks her, pushes her in the stroller and/or grocery cart, and gives her tons of smooches.        
  • She loves her puppy and kitty. I actually haven’t noticed her pulling the cat’s tail recently… so hopefully she’s going to stop that. She’s very sweet with Toby. Gives him hugs and pets.    
  • She helps unload the dishwasher (sometimes even when we don’t want her to)
  • She throws away trash (and picks up any and every little speck of dust that comes in her path) and closes the trash cabinet door after.
  • She can wipe her own hands, face and nose (not perfectly, but pretty well) and cleans up spills with paper towel.
  • She knows the hand signals for “wheels on the bus,” “no more monkeys jumping on the bed”, “Take me out to the ball game,” “Patty Cake,” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”… hmmm… I’m sure there are more.
  • She’s obsessed with music. LOVES, LOVES, LOVES music.
  • She pretends everything is a phone and puts it to her little ear for a chat. She also LOVES to “work” at mommy’s desk.  
  • She’s a hilarious dancer.
  • She LOVES to brush her teeth. In fact, sometimes she refuses to drink her milk because she just can’t wait to brush her teeth.

Daily Schedule:

  • 7/8:30: Depending on when she goes to sleep and what her plans for the day are, she wakes up between 7 and 8:30 (she has slept as late as 10:30/11ish before) – the girl LOVES her sleep.
  • 8/830: Breakfast
  • 10: On non-school days, Charlotte takes a morning rest/nap. Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she just has quiet play in bed. Regardless, we typically only let her sleep 30-60 minutes in the morning. On non-school days, Charlotte skips this nap and comes home zonked.
  • 12: Lunch
  • 1/2: Depending on her mood, Charlotte’s afternoon nap falls somewhere between 1 and 2/230. She will typically sleep anywhere between 2-3.5 hours. Usually it’s around 2.5. Again, this depends on whether she took an AM nap, what she did all day, etc.
  • 6: Dinner, Bath (on bath days – she bathes every other day and on swim days)
  • 7/8: Charlotte goes to bed most often around 7:30/7:45ish

School Schedule: Charlotte goes to school from 9-12:30 on Thursdays and Fridays (on these days, she eats a snack and lunch at school and does not nap)

Favorite Foods: Mealtimes are kind of my least favorite lately. Although, the past few days, Charlotte has been pretty good. But she’s SO toddler when it comes to food. Some days she loves something, others she hates it. Some days she refuses to taste anything, some days she’s adventurous. Some days she eats three huge meals, other days she fizzles after breakfast. The gist is that it’s not always easy. In fact, the only meal that’s “easy” is breakfast… ever.

favorites

  • Cheerios or pretty much any other cereal
  • Oatmeal with cinnamon
  • Quiche
  • Cheese Sticks
  • Oranges
  • Crackers (she rarely gets these)
  • Yogurt
  • Cottage Cheese

sometimes loves

  • Toast with cinnamon
  • Pasta with Sauce (only lately)
  • Bread
  • Taco ground turkey meat (lately)
  • Berries – used to be her fave, now only sometimes
  • Non string cheese cheese (hit or miss)
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Grilled Cheese
  • Veggie shakes
  • Egg bread (my version of French toast)

Favorite Toys:

Favorite Books:

Size:

  • Clothes: 18/12-18 Months (sometimes the pants and shirts are too short depending on where they’re from)
  • Diapers: Size 4
  • Shoe Size: Toddler 4.5

Teeth: Charlotte has so many teeth. I want to say she has 16… although I haven’t gotten a look to see if her 2 year old molars are making their way

Date Night

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Last night the hubby surprised me with a date night! He had scheduled his sweet momma to watch Charlie and took me out for a delicious Ramen dinner (my recent obsession).

When I arrived home from work, hubby had picked up flowers for Charlie, his mother and for me. So sweet, right?

Charlie loved her flowers. She carried them all over, put them on her baby, put them in the vase, poured them out of the vase, etc. She’s since ripped all of the petals off, but man did she enjoy them… as did I.

    
  
  

My pretty flowers!


Our ramen date did not disappoint. We had this delicious “Bratsticker” app… essentially a brat-stuffed potsticker. Mmmm! It had a mustard/horseradish sauce. YUM! I meant to take a picture, but I devoured it too quickly.

Mark and I had been to this restaurant a couple weeks back, so I was fully prepared to order. I had really loved what Mark ordered last time, but had a few tweaks. And let me tell you, my adjustments were perfection. Tochi Ramen with Tofu & Crispy Pork and a Fried Egg (cooked most of the way through) on top.


Holy cow was it good. In fact, I have leftovers at home and literally have not stopped thinking about it.
For dessert (I know, I know… was dessert necessary? Well, is it ever? Yes. The answer is yes.)… anyway, for dessert, we had Japanese Cheesecake with Carmel Sauce and Toasted Coconut. YUM. That’s all I have to say. So. Much. Yum.

 Needless to say, this morning was most definitely a workout day!

The Toddler Food Battle

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 While Charlotte was sick over the past two plus weeks, we became VERY lenient at mealtimes. And by that, I mean that Charlotte pretty much survived on Cherrios, oranges and cheese sticks.

One thing we’ve said from the beginning was that we were going to be strict when it came to food. No making seperate meals, no giving unhealthy options because it’s easier, etc. Well, let’s just say, that’s not the standard we were operating under these past couple of weeks.

SO, since Sunday, we’ve really been trying to get back to a good place with Charlotte. We started making her veggie shakes again, we started trying to feed her more than just her favorites, etc.

Well, last night we had turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash for dinner. First of all, it was delicious. Here’s the recipe if you’re interested. Second, INSTANTLY C was not having it. She just kept saying (and crying) no and signing that she wanted to eat.

Despite the difficulty that is watching your child cry and say she’s hungry, we stayed strong. We told her that if she wants to eat, this is what’s for dinner. This game literally went on for nearly 30-45 minutes (or so it felt) until finally Mark said, “Ok, I’m going to count to three and if you don’t want it, that’s fine. But I’m going to take you out of your chair.”

1… 2… 3…

Of course, she didn’t budge.

Mark grabbed her out of her chair and once in his arms, she pointed to the bowl of spaghetti squash and meatballs. Mark looked at me like, “should I let her have this??” I nodded.

And just like that, Charlotte ate the ENTIRE bowl and asked for more.

Unfortunately, we had already eaten the rest of it… so we started giving her other stuff. In total, Charlotte ate:

  • One turkey meatball and 1/3 cup of spaghetti squash with sauce
  • One piece of toast with cinnamon
  • 1 large bowl of cottage cheese (apx 3/4 cup)
  • Apx 1/2 cup of yogurt
  • 5-10 strawberries
  • 1-2 apple slices
  • 1.75 cheese sticks
  • Veggie shake (beets, etc)

Despite the fact that during the whole (VERY LONG) experience, one jar of salsa was spilled on the ground, my favorite little dip bowl was broken (and more red sauce was flung around the kitchen), and Charlotte technically only started eating after we said dinner was done, I’m going to call that one a win for the parents!

What Not to Say…

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Yesterday at the nail salon, which my mother, sister and I frequent:

Nail Tech: Your face get a little fat (as she uses her fingers to show roundness in the face)

Me: Uhhhhhh…

Mom: NO! That’s not true…

Nail Tech: Yes! You gain the pounds, no?

Me: Uhhh… I mean… uhh.. I’ve gained weight…

Nail Tech (while smiling and nodding): Yes, see!?

Me: That’s uhh… I’m pregnant. So, yeah.

Somehow, the conversation wouldn’t go away and my sweet mother added in, “It’s interesting to see how your diet is different this time around.”

Me: (More silence and furious texting to my husband)

<End Scene>

WHAT. THE. F…

I literally went home and proceeded to cry to my husband.

So, for those of you who have never been pregnant or it’s been too long to remember the emotions, let me share a few things with you:

  1. Just because it’s inevitable (and healthy and wonderful, blah blah) that you’ll gain weight, does NOT mean it’s open for analyzation. Keep your opinions to yourself. I don’t want to know which part of my body you think got bigger or how YOU feel about what I’m eating. In fact, you can keep all of your opinions regarding me and/or my pregnancy to yourself.
  2. Despite the happiness that pregnancy brings, it also brings a heavy load of body insecurity. It is literally a time where you no longer recognize your own body. It’s also a time where your body just totally does its own thing. At moments, that’s a lot to handle, so simply be kind.
  3. I REALLY don’t want to hear about how little weight you gained when pregnant. 100% uninterested.
  4. When in doubt, ask yourself, “if she wasn’t pregnant, would I say that?” Or better yet, “what would it feel like if someone said that to me?”

Today I told a colleague my nail tech story and she responded by saying, “shut up! I constantly think about how annoying it is that you can barely notice that you’re pregnant except for your little bump.”

That, my friends, is how you speak to a pregnant woman.

Brushing them teeth 

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I just had to share this pic. Hubby caught a sweet moment I was having with my little bunny… Just two gals maintaining good oral hygiene together. 

By the way, how cool is C’s toothbrush? It’s a specially designed toothbrush for toddlers so they don’t choke on it or jam it down their tiny throats. We got ours for free from our pediatrician, but here’s one that looks the same.

And yes, that’s a giant bowl of candy in our bathroom. The candy has become a solid distraction for Charlotte. She doesn’t necessarily know it’s edible, but she loves to take pieces out, put them somewhere else, put them back in the bucket, try to rip the wrapping off, etc. So yeah, we moved it to the bathroom to help ease the morning “getting ready struggle”…

12-Month Vaccination Reaction

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At Charlie’s 12-month check up, she got a handful of vaccines. The two that I believe are leaving her polka-dotted and feverish are the MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) and/or the chicken pox vaccine. 

They said that if she reacts, it will likely show up 10-14 days after the shots and sure enough, come day 10 – this past Friday – the little bunny woke up with a rash.

The rash was bad this weekend and even left her with a fever on Saturday, but seems to be on its way out. Besides the fever, she didn’t seem to be itchy or too bothered; although, she was crabbier than normal.

The biggest pain was that the vaccine warning said that in extremely rare cases, the rash can be contagious. That meant that little C had to avoid her baby besties during our weekend outings. 

  
   
 
 

Cyst Removal Day

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A few months ago, what looked to be a stye appeared on my eye. I ignored it In hopes that it would go away, but that sucker was persistent.

 

my old lady eye cyst

 
I decided to go to the doctor, who informed me that it was likely just a benine cyst and sent me to a plastic surgeon to have it removed.

Today was the big removal day.

When I went in for my initial exam, I asked the doctor for an anti-anxiety pill to get me through the door for my procedure. 

She laughed and denied my request.

So, very… VERY reluctantly, I showed up today, hubs in a very tight grip.

There was a needle that looked about 6 inches long laying on the table.

I started freaking out.

The doc came in and literally within 45 seconds of her being in the room, she stabbed my face (near my eyeball) with the needle. It was shocking but probably necessary. I definitely wouldn’t have ever been ready for that. 

While the feeling part was over (the needle was the local anesthetic), the anxiety wasn’t. This damn cyst was literally on the tip of my eye lid. So she had to cut into my eye. MY EYE!

I laid back and literally shut down. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t do anything. I just laid there squeezing Mark’s hand as the doctor sliced open my eye, yanked this thing out and sewed me back up. All the while, talking a million miles a minute about God knows what.

When we left, I was totally shaken. It all felt so fast and rough. My eye felt so puffy and the anesthetic was already wearing off. I was panicking. 

We had to go back to my office to pick up Charlie who was with my parents. 

Right when I got in (wearing my new uniform: sunglasses all day, every day), my parents came in to see how it went. 

  
I sent them away. 

I couldn’t talk about it or show my eye. 

I grabbed some ice to put on my eye. When I pulled it back, there was blood on the paper towel covering the ice.

Panic again.

Everyone left and I sat in my office and I let a few tears escape.

We had Charlie’s 9 month appointment in just a few minutes, but thankfully, we decided that Mark would take her and my parents would take me home.

I laid with my animals, with an ice pack bandaged to my face and just decompressed.

When Mark and Charlie got back an hour and a half later, I was feeling better… Mentally. My eye still hurts, but the shock of having someone mutilate my face has subsided.

Now, I’m just sitting waiting for my amazing hubby to return with Thai food and ice cream. The only way to end this day. 

Prepare yourself… My battle scar:

the goober wad is just vaseline to prevent scabbing or something like that… i wasnt listening.