Sick Babies and Barking Dogs

For the last couple of days Colby has been sick. On Thursday and today we had to pick him up from daycare. Yesterday he was running a low grade fever, but he threw up twice and looked completely miserable. The doctor said he had a virus. He seemed better this morning, but daycare called and said he was running a fever and not eating well so we went and got him again. I think he'll be back to his old self tomorrow - at least I hope so since I'm attending an English teacher brunch at our department heads house. Cranky babies are not fun babies :-)

So the dogs are barking a lot. It's super annoying. I mean sometimes Brandy would wake me up at night barking, but the two of them together...they're barking at everything! And Niki is a bit mischevious. She's gotten into the food bin twice. We had to move it onto the porch and put rocks on it so that she wouldn't get into it. And she dug up the peach tree Brandon planted in the back yard. He replanted it, but I guess we'll see if it survived in the spring. And Brandy is certainly the ruler of the yard. I watched her take Niki by the throat and throw her down until she submitted to her authority. It's a good thing that I'm the pack leader. All I have to do is say one harsh word to Brandy and she's cowering, no smackdowns needed.

New Additon - Not a Baby!

We have a new addition to our family. Last week a student of mine said she was trying to get rid of her dog. Before I even thought about my words, an offer to take her dog popped out of my mouth. So yesterday her dad brought her to school and she got to meet Brandy. The new dog is named Niki and she's supposedly an Akita husky (don't think Alaskan husky - completely different), but I'm not sure. She's the same size as Brandy, but she's white and black with pointy ears like a german shepherd. Niki and Brandy got into a fight last night and I was concerned, but a teacher at school pointed out that dogs have to establish who's the boss. I think Brandy asserted herself as boss because Niki was definately bleeding more (not terrible or anything, but she got her paw torn up and got blood all over the house before I realized she was bleeding). After the fight Niki slept in the laundry room and all seemed better in the morning. I found out this morning that the student that gave me Niki was moving to Lousiana, which I'm assuming is why she was trying to find her a new home. We'll see how this adventure goes, but I'm not going to open my big mouth ever again!

Colby hasn't gotten any more bite log entries, but cross your fingers because that could definately change by tomorrow. He's been good this week except for not sleeping well on Monday night (it happens I suppose). He's been playing with his toys really well and eating well - he's an expert with a spoon and fork (at least he thinks so :-) ) He tried to pull some ornaments off the tree today, but I stopped him before there was any serious harm. All is well in Colbyland.

Christmasy Day

Today was a good day. We finished watching Romeo and Juliet in class which gave me time to finish grading papers that have stacked up over the course of a couple of weeks. Plus I love the Baz Luhrman Romeo and Juliet and not to mention Leonardo DiCaprio. It sounds juvenile but I "heart" Leonardo :-)

Colby went back to his old classroom because they needed his current room for an expanding group of 2-year-olds. All the excitement of moving meant that Colby didn't take a nap and he went to bed early tonight. When he started getting frustrated with his toys, that was the signal to go get the sippy cup and put the pj's on.

I think tonight I was getting in the Christmas mood. I decided to finish decorating the front porch and I even wrapped a few presents. I'm excited about Christmas this year for some reason. Maybe it's because Colby is getting older and he can do more about opening presents and such. Or maybe I'm just excited to give presents :-)

Eye Troubles

So, this week has been a little crazy. On Wednesday on the way home my eyes started to become sensitive to the outside light, which was crazy because it was cloudy and rainy and not at all bright. By the time I went to bed, I couldn't even look at the TV and every time my pupil adjusted to the light it felt really weird. In the morning I couldn't look at any light and it was crazy just trying to take a shower. I realized pretty quick that I couldn't drive anywhere muchless teach, so I called in sick and then I called Brandon to ask him to come home immediately (he had worked the night shift Wed. night and was still in Roanoke and was supposed to stay for court). Brandon took me my regular doctor who said there was something on my eye and gave me some numbing drops. I don't know what was in that drop, but it was heavenly and I was able to drive myself to the opthomologist. Now, at the opthomologist office I was the youngest patient by at least 40 years so everyone was kind of staring at me and unfortunately I was an emergancy appointment, so they made me wait for a long while. When I finally got seen, the opthomologist said I have an ulcer on my eye. He said my contacts dried my eyes out and made it possible for bacteria to get in my eye and cause an ulcer. He gave me antibiotic drops which I've been using ever since.

The next day at school all of my students were stunned by my still bloodshot eyes. I told them I got turned into a vampire :-) And some kids joked about what drugs I was on, which wasn't as funny. The good news is, I'm feeling 100 times better and am no longer sensitive to light. I went back to the opthomologist yesterday and again I was 50 years younger than everyone and I had to wait FOREVER. I'm a fast reader, but I shouldn't be able to read over 100 pages of a book while I'm waiting. The good news is, he said my eye was healing well, but if I ever want to stop taking drops for dry eyes, I may have to go back to glasses only. I attempted to explain to Brandon that my glasses make me feel ugly and that I might have to purchase some other glasses that I really LOVE, but I got no sympathy from him (of course he's never had glasses, so what can I expect?).

Anyway, today I still look a little like a vampire, but everything is good. It snowed today while we put up our Christmas tree. Just in case you're curious, the tree is behind the loveseat and a couple of plastic boxes so Colby isn't tempted to pull it down or play with the ornaments. He did a good job putting on candycanes today, though!

My Complaint

I don't know how many people actually read this blog because nobody ever comments, but if you're reading this you know that sometimes I get a little complaining on my blog. Lately I've been trying to post the good and the bad without coming off as complaining. Right now, however, I'm going to post a complaint, so if you don't want to read it, you should press the BACK button now...you're still here? OK....here it is...after Brandon finished police academy I wish that they'd told the spouses that being a police officer's wife can be extremely lonely. On the days when he works I am pretty much a single mom doing laundry, chasing Colby around, loading the dishwasher, making breakfast, lunch and dinner, etc, etc. Sometimes I see Brandon after he's been working for a couple of days and I'm like whoa, who is that handsome guy. So there you have it. My complaint.

Oh, and Colby bit me today when I took him to the rec center so we could get out of the house. Here I am trying to be mom of the year by taking him somewhere where he can run around and he bites me...awesome.

Watch Out for a Blizzard (Not the ice cream kind!)

Thanksgiving was great. We cooked, we ate, we chilled. I wish we'd eaten a little sooner, 5p.m. is a little late for eating all that food, but it was still good.

In my last post I said I wasn't going shopping today, but I lied. I went to exactly two places (Lowes and Walmart) and I was out for almost exactly an hour. I couldn't pass up 99cent poinesettias, which is what got me out in the first place, but I also needed some christmas lights and to return a movie.

The weather today is not great. It's so windy I had to take down my wind chime because it was getting annoying. And its so cold that the heat keeps coming on and I'm cold even after a hot, steamy shower. I think today is going to be an indication of how our winter is going to be. All I'm saying is - watch out for a blizzard.

Thanksgiving Break!

I think that yesterday was the fastest I've gotten out of school in a while. The bell rang, I turned off my computer, went upstairs for my purse and coat and then said bye to everyone. I think I was in the parking lot 8 minutes after the release bell for the students. I didn't have anything exciting to get home to, but I was just so ready for Thanksgiving break that I didn't want to linger at school. I had to sign the bite log again for Colby, but even that didn't bother me. All I could think of was "I don't have to be at school for five days!" After dinner we went to the rec center so that Colby could run around the track, but I think he was tired because he kept sitting down. Today I have nothing on my calander exept to clean up and tomorrow all I have to do is make two things and then I'm free to enjoy myself. My calander is clear on Friday (I'm not going shopping!), Saturday and Sunday, so if you're reading this and you're in town, give me a call and we'll meet up!

One damper on my holiday is that my step-grandmother died on Monday night (my biological grandmother died when my mom was a kid from breast cancer and my grandpa remarried). She hadn't been doing well for a while and my grandpa took the best care of her that he could, but it was just a matter of time. But I see it this way - she's not suffering anymore and Grandpa doesn't have to be stressed any more. However, I think he's going to be lonely, which makes me sad for him :-(