Our power went out last night. And it scared the daylights out of me. I was writing on the computer with the dimmer on overhead, night light on in the kitchen and it just went black. Everywhere. The whole complex lost power. It was like a scene from the scariest movie I'd ever seen. I couldn't see anything. Even as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the stars outside barely lit the cars below. I was afraid to move, so my instinct was to just start yelling. I obviously didn't consider the sleeping baby in the next room. It was all about finding Phaeton at that moment and making sure the guy with the knife and scary mask didn't find me first. I yelled louder for Phaeton until all of a sudden I heard him shooshing me from 3 feet away. "Seriously? I'm right here. You're going to wake up Adeleigh."
"I'm scared. The power's never gone out on me before."
"It's cool. It's like we're camping. Grab the flashlight."
"I'm too scared to move. You grab it."
(Sigh) He brought me the flashlight and I went and did the one thing you're not supposed to do in a power outage - I opened the fridge. I stood there with it wide open and asked, "What if all the food goes bad?"
"Well, it will if you do that. Shut the door. It'll stay cool enough inside for awhile if you just leave it shut."
"Oh, okay."
Then Phaeton reminded me about a solar flare that's affecting satellites and wondered if that might be what's causing the power outage. "Oh, and there's a New Moon tonight."
"Oh great. So you're saying this is the end of the world? Are we going to collide with the sun tonight?"
"No, that's supposed to happen in December. We'll be fine until then. This is something else."
Great.
I took the flashlight and went to go check on Adeleigh, who of course, was sound asleep. It was eerily silent in the bedroom with the humidifier and fan off, so I turned on the stuffed sheep noise-maker we have. I put it on the River setting. Now it really sounded like we were camping. I pulled the candles down from the closet just in case Phaeton would need them to get ready in the morning. We decided to try and go to sleep.
Just as we were starting to doze off, the smoke detector in the hallway started beeping. Not in a frightening, There's a fire! sort of way. But in an annoying, You're not getting any sleep tonight because I'm going to randomly freak out until the power comes back on, sort of way. Phaeton got up and shut the bedroom door to try and quiet the noise. Finally, we started to doze off again. Then we heard a loud bang on the bedroom door.
I clung onto Phaeton. "What was that?"
"I dunno. Maybe one of the pets."
I grabbed the flashlight and hesitantly opened the door. I found Rico cowering in the hallway. He must've tried to come in but couldn't see the door shut and slammed right into it. This whole power outage was throwing off everyone's mojo.
That reminded me of a time growing up in Colorado Springs. I was playing in the back yard and went to run inside. I saw the sliding glass door open but what I didn't notice was the screen door still shut. I kept running and barreled right into the screen. The force of the impact knocked the screen off its hinges and gave me a bloody nose. The screen door never worked the same for the remaining 12 years we lived in that house. And I never ran inside from the yard again.
Fortunately, Rico and the bedroom door were unscathed by the collision. I think it just shocked the poor dog. I let him in so he could join the rest of the family in the bedroom.
Just as I was contemplating what food I'd need to replace in the refrigerator, the power came back on. The fan, the night lights, the clocks. I think the power was off for an hour, at most. And we didn't collide with the sun. And we don't really think we will in December either. But for now, I'm just grateful that the TV is working so I can watch The Bachelor tonight.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
The "Coming Home" outfit
I was reading an article today about a Mom who spent countless hours choosing what outfit her new baby will come home from the hospital in.
Some advice I would like to offer to new moms who are getting prepared for this exciting event as well -
One: Don't spend hours choosing an outfit to bring your baby home in. Use that time to sleep.
Two: If you do spend hours choosing the perfect outfit, might as well spend a few more hours choosing a second outfit, just in case your experience goes like ours did...
~~~
In the moments leading up to our grand exodus out of the hospital, we spent 30 minutes getting Adeleigh dressed in the yellow onesie and bow that I had spent hours deciding upon and had especially picked out for her first introduction to the outside world.
Our nurse wheeled me outside while Phaeton ran to get the car. Right when he pulled up, I felt something happening on my arm. Adeleigh had her first explosion right on me. She must've gotten so excited to see the sun for the first time that she wanted to share it with the world, or at least share it with my arm. I mean, I was excited to see the sun for the first time in days too, but I didn't need to announce it, at least not that way.
I asked our nurse what to do. She just laughed. I asked Phaeton what to do. He said, "I guess we just go home." Right. I asked our nurse to come with us and show us what to do once we got home. She just laughed again. I guess we had to figure this one out on our own.
~~~
Three: No matter how much you're paying for excellent post-baby nursing care, nurses can't come home with you, no matter how much you beg.
Some advice I would like to offer to new moms who are getting prepared for this exciting event as well -
One: Don't spend hours choosing an outfit to bring your baby home in. Use that time to sleep.
Two: If you do spend hours choosing the perfect outfit, might as well spend a few more hours choosing a second outfit, just in case your experience goes like ours did...
~~~
In the moments leading up to our grand exodus out of the hospital, we spent 30 minutes getting Adeleigh dressed in the yellow onesie and bow that I had spent hours deciding upon and had especially picked out for her first introduction to the outside world.
There's a screaming baby under there.
Peace for now.
Our nurse wheeled me outside while Phaeton ran to get the car. Right when he pulled up, I felt something happening on my arm. Adeleigh had her first explosion right on me. She must've gotten so excited to see the sun for the first time that she wanted to share it with the world, or at least share it with my arm. I mean, I was excited to see the sun for the first time in days too, but I didn't need to announce it, at least not that way.
I asked our nurse what to do. She just laughed. I asked Phaeton what to do. He said, "I guess we just go home." Right. I asked our nurse to come with us and show us what to do once we got home. She just laughed again. I guess we had to figure this one out on our own.
~~~
Three: No matter how much you're paying for excellent post-baby nursing care, nurses can't come home with you, no matter how much you beg.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
What makes me smile
When Adeleigh dances to the beat of the coffee grinder.
When I say, "Hold my hand." And she reaches her chubby little hand into mine.
Upon entering daycare, seeing my baby run over to the slide, climb up and ride down like one of the big kids. (This also makes me teary, realizing how big my baby is getting.)
When Phaeton reminds me, after watching the latest episode of New Girl, that he used to have, and really misses, his fur-lined driving moccasins and that he "bought them special."
The cereal trail that starts at Adeleigh's face and runs all over town.
When she sees us starting Yo, Gabba Gabba! on Netflix and she throws up her arms and cheers.
The Yo, Gabba Gabba! episode featuring Jack Black.
Finding a really good deal on diapers.
Accomplishing one of my New Year's resolutions 15 days into the New Year.
Adeleigh's impression of what a monkey says.
In her play garden, when Adeleigh peeks at me through the open mailbox.
In her play garden, when Adeleigh blows raspberries at me through the open mailbox and giggles at my reaction.
When Daddy is snoring on the couch, Adeleigh sneaking up and screaming in his face.
Helping my 1 1/2 year old walk up the 2 flights of stairs to our front door. (Even if it takes us 15 minutes.)
The look she makes when I've asked her not to do something.
Hearing Adeleigh babble on the baby monitor.
Every morning, waking up to her peeking up over her crib and pointing her finger my direction.
When I point my finger to touch hers, hearing her giggle.
Watching her try to hold 2 stuffed animals, her bedtime story, her bottle of milk, and her paci all at one time. Dropping them piece by piece and repeatedly picking them up, trying again and again until she & all her gear makes it over and onto my lap.
When Phaeton and I reminisce.
The other night he reminded me of a time when he was "courting" me (as he calls it). He was peacefully sitting on the futon in my old apartment watching a show. I came running from around the corner, intending to leap onto the futon and snuggle up beside him. As I was jumping, my foot got caught under the armrest. Mid-fall, I started screaming and I face-planted on the futon beside him. So, instead of leaping gracefully into my boyfriend's arms, I came at him, a screaming bat-out-of-hell, and scared the daylights out of him. I remember him yelling explitives and his look of horror as I landed. I remember me crying - One, because my cool trick didn't go as planned; Two, because my face hurt. We still snuggled, but with a frozen bag of peas between us.
You know what else makes me smile? Thinking about where we've come.
....
We don't have a lot of money. We don't have a lot of things. There are days where we just don't have a clue. Yet, somehow, we make it work. It's the simple things in our days that get us by, and what mean the most. We try to make the most out of our experiences, no matter how trying, or frustrating, or tiring it might get sometimes. And we have fun. Lots of fun. And we never let a day go by without -
When I say, "Hold my hand." And she reaches her chubby little hand into mine.
Upon entering daycare, seeing my baby run over to the slide, climb up and ride down like one of the big kids. (This also makes me teary, realizing how big my baby is getting.)
When Phaeton reminds me, after watching the latest episode of New Girl, that he used to have, and really misses, his fur-lined driving moccasins and that he "bought them special."
The cereal trail that starts at Adeleigh's face and runs all over town.
When she sees us starting Yo, Gabba Gabba! on Netflix and she throws up her arms and cheers.
The Yo, Gabba Gabba! episode featuring Jack Black.
Finding a really good deal on diapers.
Accomplishing one of my New Year's resolutions 15 days into the New Year.
Adeleigh's impression of what a monkey says.
In her play garden, when Adeleigh peeks at me through the open mailbox.
In her play garden, when Adeleigh blows raspberries at me through the open mailbox and giggles at my reaction.
When Daddy is snoring on the couch, Adeleigh sneaking up and screaming in his face.
Helping my 1 1/2 year old walk up the 2 flights of stairs to our front door. (Even if it takes us 15 minutes.)
The look she makes when I've asked her not to do something.
Hearing Adeleigh babble on the baby monitor.
Every morning, waking up to her peeking up over her crib and pointing her finger my direction.
When I point my finger to touch hers, hearing her giggle.
Watching her try to hold 2 stuffed animals, her bedtime story, her bottle of milk, and her paci all at one time. Dropping them piece by piece and repeatedly picking them up, trying again and again until she & all her gear makes it over and onto my lap.
When Phaeton and I reminisce.
The other night he reminded me of a time when he was "courting" me (as he calls it). He was peacefully sitting on the futon in my old apartment watching a show. I came running from around the corner, intending to leap onto the futon and snuggle up beside him. As I was jumping, my foot got caught under the armrest. Mid-fall, I started screaming and I face-planted on the futon beside him. So, instead of leaping gracefully into my boyfriend's arms, I came at him, a screaming bat-out-of-hell, and scared the daylights out of him. I remember him yelling explitives and his look of horror as I landed. I remember me crying - One, because my cool trick didn't go as planned; Two, because my face hurt. We still snuggled, but with a frozen bag of peas between us.
Here's a picture from the earlier days in our relationship that makes me smile -
You know what else makes me smile? Thinking about where we've come.
....
We don't have a lot of money. We don't have a lot of things. There are days where we just don't have a clue. Yet, somehow, we make it work. It's the simple things in our days that get us by, and what mean the most. We try to make the most out of our experiences, no matter how trying, or frustrating, or tiring it might get sometimes. And we have fun. Lots of fun. And we never let a day go by without -
a smile.
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