Wrong Number Again!

Last night I got a call from a random number on my cell phone. Then they called again. Did I mention that it was 10PM? I called them and asked who they were trying to reach and the person (who answered barely spoke English) said they had a wrong number. OK, fine. I'll even let it go that they left a hang-up on my voicemail.

Fast forward to this morning. Another call from the same stinkin' number. Another hang-up message where I could hear them say something to someone else as they disconnected the line. Then another call from a private number! I answered and they hung up on me!!! What the heck? Do they not get it that the person they are trying to reach is not at my number???

This afternoon I got another call from that stupid number. One more and I'll post the number up on every site I can find that will send them free news alerts... I bet there are a lot.

Mexico and Back Again

So, guess where Franco got to go this morning? Cabo San Lucas. Luckily they are just picking up a couple passengers and coming right back. However, last night the company had him go and purchase those masks to wear when they get on the ground. LOVELY. I don't think those little masks will prevent them from catching anything, unless it serves as a reminder to avoid touching your face.

Probably just as bad as being in Cabo for a couple hours is that they were in Fort Worth, Texas all week. That would be the same Fort Worth where the school district shut down all of the schools in response to the Swine Flu. When he's out, he is staying at hotels and eating at restaurants. The more contact with the public, the more likely you come in contact with idiots who go to work sick.

I'm really not worried that we're going to catch the flu and die. But it's like going to someone's house when you know they are sick. It more of a phobic feeling. Makes me want to gargle with rubbing alcohol or something.

Apparently there is now some debate over what to call this virus -- probably because the cost of pork is going to free fall. I'd really appreciate it if the media would go ahead and change the name of the Swine Flu headlines to the H1N1 virus. Every time I hear "Swine Flu," I imagine people laying in bed with tissues and squealing uncontrollably. Now that is just silly.

Wednesday Morning

Last night, at long last, I discovered that Sophia's fourth molar has finally poked through. I think that this little guy has been the source of a week's worth of bad sleep. Last night she only woke up once. Everyone (both of us) woke up happy this morning, even though it was only 6AM.

By the way, like the new look of the blog? Thanks to Valerie, I found thecutestblogontheblock.com and gave my page a little makeover. It was actually very easy. I probably spent way too much time doing it, but I kept redoing it to make sure that it was still easy to read. Some of the designs were really cute, but way too distracting.

Today I'm hoping for less windy weather so I can take Sophia over to the park. It has been a little chilly compared to last week. On Friday it is supposed to rain. I hope it does because we definitely need it. However, that means no park.

We are currently avoiding indoor play activities like the Pee Wee Gym thanks to the Swine Flu. It hasn't hit in our town, but I'm starting to take it more seriously. I initially thought it was just a bunch of hype. Maybe. Maybe not. However, considering how much Sophia puts her hands in her mouth lately, we aren't taking any chances.

Invisible Baby

These past few weeks Sophia has taken up a hilarious new habit. When adults talk to her she has started covering her eyes with her hands. We think she thinks people can't see her if she can't see them.

How long she covers her face is dependent on several factors, such as how often she sees the person, how much rest she has had, and how much they are looking/talking directly at her. Though no one taught her to do this, I'm pretty sure she gets it from me. I was very shy as a kid and remember doing similar things.

Here's a picture of her "hiding" at Picnic Day:

The Infamous Dr. B

Armed with a referral from a friend, I tried out a new dentist yesterday. I've lived here for a little over three years and this is my third dentist. The first lady had zero personality... it just made me uncomfortable. The next guy I went to was Franco's dentist that I went to at least four times. He seemed like a nice enough dentist, but nothing special. When my friend raved about how great her new dentist was, I decided to try again.

Dr. B, whose last name is difficult to spell and even more difficult to pronounce, gave me the most thorough dental exam that I think I've ever had. His office wasn't anything fancy, but it had the digital x-rays and tooth-camera that every modern office should have. With the aid of his newer technology he proceeded to show me blown-up pictures of my older fillings that are showing obvious signs of decay. Not a big deal, he assured me, as they don't last forever. However, my old dentist never even mentioned a possible problem... he really never seemed to look too hard.

They wanted me to stay and have some drilling done that same day, but I opted to schedule another appointment in a few weeks. It seemed like I had already been in there forever! I went in a few minutes early for a 9:30 appointment and didn't leave until after 11. I've grown accustomed to the quick (but lacking) service of the last office. I'm also a big chicken and need some time to mentally prepare for having this all done by a new dentist.

Warm Spring Days

Here in the central valley, spring feels a lot like summer lately. We have started taking Sophia for morning park visits because the afternoons are just too warm. Sophia and I both have begun to wear skirts. All of our ceiling fans have been running night and day. This morning I made our first pitcher of iced tea.

I think I'm really going to like the new house this summer -- it already seems to be more energy efficient (and cool!).

Today I also signed Sophia up for her first swim lessons. They don't start until June, but I'm interested in seeing how she likes them. It probably isn't surprising to hear that I'm expected to participate. I hope the water is warm enough for us at 9:30 in the morning! There was an 11AM choice, but that is too close to lunch and nap time... that could result in a poolside meltdown.

Shrinking Socks

For at least a week I've been looking at Sophia's feet and wondering if they are growing again, or if her socks are just shrinking. The heel of her sock keeps coming to the middle of her foot, which has to be annoying. When we went to Target yesterday I stood contemplating the 2-3 year old sized socks and thought they looked much too big for her foot... I must have shrunk the socks. Well, this morning I discovered that she was wearing a pair that said 6-12 months on the bottom. Duh! I've bought Sophia socks a few times (after she outgrew all the socks gifted to her), but apparently forgot to remove some outgrown sizes from the drawer. When she wakes up from nap today I need to take inventory of the sock drawer to see how many are actually the 18-24 month size.

We're feeling much better, by the way. Since Sophia doesn't blow her nose yet and isn't keen on the nose sucky-thingy, she is still sounding congested. (Sophia cries and makes more of a snotty mess if I use the bulb.) At least she is playing and eating pretty normal now.

Speaking of eating... Today Sophia ate half of a string cheese. She wouldn't touch the stuff a month ago, but just lately has been agreeable to eating a bite now and again. Since she doesn't tolerate milk very well, I'm glad that she is able to eat cheese and yogurt in small amounts. It is also good that she is eating something new, since her diet seems to be shrinking lately. She hasn't wanted zucchini, green beans, or peas lately (all favorites at different points). The only green vegetable we have left is spinach!

Update (already!): There was only one pair of too-small-socks. They were the pair she was wearing today. The rest must slip off a bit when she runs around.

Insomnia Anyone?

Last night I found myself unable to sleep, which is rare. I can sleep almost anytime. I'm good at naps. I'm good going back to sleep after Sophia interruptions. I once fell asleep sitting co-pilot in a plane with a gianormous headset on my head. It's so weird when I can't sleep.

I climbed into bed just before 9:30PM but it was probably close to 2:00AM by the time I actually began drifting off. My mind was just racing. No caffeine, no cold medicines (aside from nasal spray), no good reason that I can figure. I was uncomfortable from my cold, but no more than the night before.

Franco said that he had a bad night of sleeping, too. It must have something to do with the cold. Did anyone else have trouble sleeping last night?

The Easter Virus

Let me just start by saying that Sophia is feeling much better today. She still sounds like a boar sometimes when she breathes, but she is playing and eating almost like normal (just taking breaths between bites).

Mommy and Daddy, on the other hand, have seen better days. Last night we both got sore throats in unison, along with post-nasal yuck. It would seem that instead of the Easter Bunny, we were visited by the Easter Virus. Lucky us. I'm already feeling better than I did last night at this time, so hopefully it will pass as quickly as it did for Sophia. Franco went to work this morning and toughed it out. Hopefully a good night of uninterrupted sleep at the hotel will fix him.

Bleh!

Today Sophia is beginning to recover from a yucky cold. It's one of those ones where I should have seen it coming. She had been sniffley for a few days and had a bunch of wake ups for a few nights. Friday she woke up super early (like 5AM). At nap time she woke up after sleeping for only a half-hour and started crying. When I went to get her she was inconsolable and then, BLEH, and mommy had to change clothes (hers and mine). Later in the day she did a similar thing to daddy -- she's an equal opportunity puker. We're still not sure if it's a flu virus or just a lot of post-nasal drip. However, she had no appetite until about 3PM today. Poor baby.

Another First

Actually, Sophia has had two firsts. Yesterday I took her to see Daddy at work. He happened to land at a smaller airport that is twenty minutes from our house.

She thought climbing around on everything was fun, but got frustrated that we wouldn't let her run freely down the ramp. Her frustration may have been accentuated by the fact that she only had a half-hour nap that afternoon.

Then this morning I braided her pigtails. Any of you that knew me when I was a kid knows that my hair was constantly braided because I had so much hair. If I ever get the scanner plugged in, I will post a picture of my braids. For now, here are Sophia's:

They aren't long braids, but how many one-and-a-half-year-olds do you know with braids?

Unsolved Laundry Mysteries - Updated

There has been a mysterious blue dye staining Sophia's laundry off and on for months. Today I pulled out a pair of her little pink pants and found that they had four big blue spots down the legs. Luckily, when the pants were rewashed they went back to being just pink. But I don't like having to wash clean clothes -- I have enough laundry already. I think it might be a pair of her jeans... if I confirm my suspicions they are going in the donation pile.

Another mystery is that one of her white socks is missing. Franco folded a load the other day and said we were one short. I'm hoping it will fall out of a hooded towel soon. I hate when I lose things.

Obviously we don't have a lot of interesting stuff going on around here, since I'm writing about the laundry. It has been a pretty dull week with good weather and a fairly happy toddler. Sophia has been crazy hungry for the past few days. Maybe another growth spurt is on its way.

Update 4/10: The sock was in my pillow case! I can't believe it took more than a week to find it.

Eye Trouble

Three days ago I rubbed the corner of my left eye and noticed that the lid was a little sore near the eyelashes. I thought, "I'd better stop messin' with my eye." Low and behold, the next morning my eyelid was a bit puffy and pink near the sore spot. Upon closer inspection I did not see any cause, so I tried to leave it alone. All day it itched. At the end of the day, with my eyelid still inflamed, I gently turned the lid inside-out and found a weird bump. I thought, "This must be what is causing my problem." A in-grown eyelash? A sty? A foreign object? A broken blood vessel? Seeing as I'm not an optometrist, I was only guessing. A warm compress made it feel better, so I figured that I'd let my inner-eyelid-bump try and "heal" itself. Then last night I decided to compare the inside of my right eyelid with the problematic one. Guess what? There was a weird bump inside that eyelid, too. Apparently the bump is just a part of my eyelid. The moral of the story is that I should just have kept my finger out of my eye. It is feeling better today.