Warning: The following content contains some graphic details that may not sit well with the faint of heart.
I came in from running some errands and looked into our living room. Charlotte, our kitty, was "hunting" something under the couch. Thinking that it was likely a bug, I crossed into the room and knelt down to peek under the couch at her find. To my HUGE surprise, it was not a bug, but a MOUSE!
Thankfully, this was not my first time ever encountering a mouse. Living in DC for six years and in old, drafty houses, it was quite common for mice to find ways inside. Generally, however, I never stared at one a foot from my face and, if I did, it was stuck to a glue trap.
I got up from the floor and left Charlotte on guard. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a big bowl to trap it under. After making my way back to the living room, I proceeded to "help" Charlotte corner the mouse. The mouse was on to us. It high-tailed it to the kitchen and we followed it. After what seemed like forever, I got into a position to strike with my bowl! I leaned over the mouse, with bowl in hand, and hoped my aim would suffice.
WHAM! I slammed down the bowl and surprisingly covered the mouse. It was trapped underneath. Then, I reached for the 15-pound bag of kitty food and put it on top to keep the bowl weighted down. The irony of weighing down the bowl with a bag of food that likely drew the mouse inside did not escape me.
I left the
bowl in the kitchen for about three hours while I psyched myself up to
"off" the mouse. Mike (who was at work) said I could let it go outside, but I have heard that
once a mouse finds its way into your house it will remember and come
back. Makes sense to me. So, I didn't want to let it free.
Finally, I talked myself into killing it. I justified that I
would throw its body outside and something would eat it thus not letting
the murder be in vain.
When in DC, I found the best way to
kill the mice stuck on the glue traps was by drowning. This seems less
cruel than bashing its head in and also less messy. So, that was my
plan: a drowning.
I first had to get the mouse under the bowl that was on the
floor to the sink. I grabbed a towel and put it on the floor next to the
bowl. I pulled it taut and then slowly slid the upside down bowl over
the towel. Once completely over the towel, I folded the sides over the
bowl and held them tight as I flipped the bowl over and kept the mouse
inside. Genius, right?!
I took the bowl, towel and little mouse to the sink. I peeked
under the towel to make sure the mouse was still alive (unfortunately,
it was). I started running the water into the bowl and grabbed a spoon
to hold the mouse down under the water. Mice stuck on glue traps are
much easier to manage, by the way.
As I put the spoon into the bowl and over the mouse, the mouse squirmed and used the spoon as a springboard to exit the bowl!!
THE MOUSE WAS ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER!!!!!!
At
this point, I completely lose what was left of my cool and start narrating aloud to Charlotte, who was also on the counter and watching the fiasco.
"The
mouse is on the counter, THE MOUSE IS ON THE COUNTER!!! EEEK!!" I'm sure
had anyone had a camera on me they would have been laughing.
Charlotte was watching with wide eyes as the mouse ran from one side of the sink to the other.
Twenty
seconds passed and it felt like five minutes. The mouse ran again, but
was stopped by a cereal box. Charlotte and I cornered it and I slammed
the bowl back on top of it. With my less than perfect aim, the mouse was
not completely under the bowl. Its head and front right arm were
sticking out of the bowl while the rest of it was under.
Decision time: 1) let the bowl up and attempt to get the whole mouse
back under the bowl. This would then lead to a second attempt at
drowning. And we know how the first attempt went. 2) Press down. Hard.
I went with #2... and I squealed the whole time! It took about 10-15 seconds, but I eventually stopped hearing its legs moving.
It was over. I had killed it.
I
was shaking from the adrenaline and Charlotte was becoming bored. Her
toy had stopped moving. I took a picture of the mouse staring lifelessly
from under the bowl and sent it to Mike. If he didn't kill it for us,
then I would at least make him see what he missed.
Then, I cleaned it all up and myself. I think I washed my
hands five times. All the while, Isaac slept upstairs completely unaware
of the murder that had taken place below him.
Just another day in paradise.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Isaac's First Snow!
We got a whopping 1.5 inches of snow here in Greensboro. It was enough to blanket the world beautifully. Technically, we've had a couple snows this year, but there were never enough flakes for the whole ground to be covered. So, we took advantage of the latest "huge" snowstorm to take Little Buddy out for some pictures in it. Here are some of the ones we took in the four minutes we were outside:
We did ourselves a disservice by taking Isaac out so close to his nap time. After the first three minutes of wonderment ("Why is my face not warm?"), he quickly broke down.
Thankfully, our easy-going baby was quickly appeased by being held. We snapped a couple more shots and went inside. Mike laid him in his little napper, rocked him for about 30 seconds and baby-boy was out cold (well, until I woke him up to change him out of his hot snow suit a minute later).
I know he won't remember it, but I'll never forget the cuteness of his first snow!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
And Baby Makes Three: A Look at How Having a Baby Together Changes Your Relationship
I was recently spending time with an unmarried friend who is on the verge of making "THE leap" into an engagement. I hadn't seen him in a while and we were talking about how having a baby changes many aspects of life.
He paused and asked a question of which I answered poorly. For if I had time to truly reflect, I might have answered more appropriately. Instead, when he asked, "does having a baby change your relationship?" I answered, "Absolutely! But for the good. You experience ultimate highs and lows and see the awesomeness in the person you married."
If I had the opportunity to think and expand on my answer, here's what I would say:
1. The is a no more intimate moment than that of birth that will bring you closer together emotionally.
I don't consider myself a prude, but prior to being spread eagle on a birthing table with 20+ people around (seriously, where do all those doctors and nurses come from so quickly?!), I wasn't one to jump in quickly to the "let's show the world my body" line. When imagining that moment of birth, I naively pictured a doctor, nurse and my husband in a room while a small child emerged from my well-covered body. No one tells you that half the hospital is present when a baby comes into the world and there is no longer such a thing as privacy. Still, in that moment, no one also tells you that all that fades. In that moment, as my baby was placed on me, there was no one else I saw except for Mike. My dear, sweet husband, with tears in his eyes, was the only other person in the room (besides our new baby). My partner and soul mate for life, this man and I had just created something so special and sealed our love even more.
2. It's the "embarrassing" moments that help seal the relationship.
In the week after having a baby, a couple experiences SO many new things. For me, I kept pausing and reflecting on moments that I couldn't imagine having or wanting to experience with ANYONE else but my partner. For example, donning those ice packs and gauze-stuffed underwear that make granny panties look sexy. Dead sexy even. About 80% of the time I emerged from the bathroom after re-stuffing and situating the fluff in my hospital underwear I couldn't help but think, "I am so glad only Mike is here" and feeling no shame in front of him as I waddled back to my bed.
3. Small actions will make you fall in love with your spouse all over again.
Mike was so supportive and took the best care of both Isaac and me when we came home. In the weeks directly after having a newborn, one experiences sleep deprivation like no other level. Sure, people warn you about it, but until you're walking in that moment (probably sleep walking), you can't truly imagine it. Several times when I felt like I had surpassed walking zombie status, Mike looked at me and said, "go take a nap." When your husband tells you this, there is no questioning and only doing. Partly because the synapses aren't firing correctly to even cognitively form the question of "are you sure?" There were several times I would wake from a two to three hour uninterrupted nap and fall madly in love with my husband all over again as I looked at him holding our baby.
4. The "worse" in your "for better or worse" vows totally applies to your spouse's reactions to your physical and emotional adjustments post-baby.
Many moments come to mind immediately here, but I'll share one. About two weeks after beginning to breastfeed, I hit an emotional and physical wall. I'd read and heard that breastfeeding could be hard, but didn't quite realize the toll it takes on the body (and I was even blessed with a baby that knew how to latch well immediately)! One evening, when my nipples' pain could be only compared to lighting and holding a match to them, I crawled into bed topless (no material was coming near those nips!) and was on the verge of tears. Mike, seeing my pain, just hugged me gently around my waist. He simply whispered, "thank you" and I knew then I could make it a little bit longer.
5. You become a team like you never thought possible.
People become closer from shared experiences. Add intimacy, embarrassment, utter joy, lack of sleep and learning new skills to those experiences and the result is an even tighter bond. Plus, that bond becomes a well-oiled machine. Whether it's juggling baby and dinner making (Mike is an amazing cook!) or figuring out how one person can get sleep while the other calms the baby, there is no better way to strengthen your team.
6. You learn or re-learn what your partner prioritizes and you let him/her lean into those priorities.
Prior to Isaac, Mike knew I liked to nap; post Isaac and he learned that I actually used naps to function. Prior to Isaac, I knew Mike liked "alone time"; post Isaac, I realized he needs that time to re-energize and have an outlet for stress. I believe that if your relationship is healthy and time allows it, then you should let your partner lean into those desires. When one's basic desires are met and priorities managed, then it makes for a happier, more-fulfilled person.
7. You learn to communicate even better.
Mike and I communicate well with each other. We listen to one another, let our opinions be fairly heard and respect what the other thinks. Having a baby makes you have to communicate better. Who would have thought there would be conversations about which bottle in the fridge should be used first or why there is an importance to completely wrapping up a soiled diaper before throwing it into the pail? Small, important details begin to emerge and handling them with communication is so key. Otherwise, one finds herself fuming for the tenth time at a poopy diaper lying open in the top of a pail. Doesn't he KNOW that not wrapping it makes it smell worse? Well, apparently not until you communicate that. Last I checked, we humans couldn't read each others' minds...thankfully!
Had one told unmarried me these thoughts I might have shrugged them off or heard them and kept trucking through life. It wouldn't be until I truly had the experience of becoming a co-parent with my soul mate that they would register with new meaning. Of course, that's how life is, isn't it? Thank God for my spouse, for the baby who has allowed us to live on a new level and for the grace allowed by each of us as we navigate these new roles.
He paused and asked a question of which I answered poorly. For if I had time to truly reflect, I might have answered more appropriately. Instead, when he asked, "does having a baby change your relationship?" I answered, "Absolutely! But for the good. You experience ultimate highs and lows and see the awesomeness in the person you married."
If I had the opportunity to think and expand on my answer, here's what I would say:
1. The is a no more intimate moment than that of birth that will bring you closer together emotionally.
I don't consider myself a prude, but prior to being spread eagle on a birthing table with 20+ people around (seriously, where do all those doctors and nurses come from so quickly?!), I wasn't one to jump in quickly to the "let's show the world my body" line. When imagining that moment of birth, I naively pictured a doctor, nurse and my husband in a room while a small child emerged from my well-covered body. No one tells you that half the hospital is present when a baby comes into the world and there is no longer such a thing as privacy. Still, in that moment, no one also tells you that all that fades. In that moment, as my baby was placed on me, there was no one else I saw except for Mike. My dear, sweet husband, with tears in his eyes, was the only other person in the room (besides our new baby). My partner and soul mate for life, this man and I had just created something so special and sealed our love even more.
2. It's the "embarrassing" moments that help seal the relationship.
In the week after having a baby, a couple experiences SO many new things. For me, I kept pausing and reflecting on moments that I couldn't imagine having or wanting to experience with ANYONE else but my partner. For example, donning those ice packs and gauze-stuffed underwear that make granny panties look sexy. Dead sexy even. About 80% of the time I emerged from the bathroom after re-stuffing and situating the fluff in my hospital underwear I couldn't help but think, "I am so glad only Mike is here" and feeling no shame in front of him as I waddled back to my bed.
3. Small actions will make you fall in love with your spouse all over again.
Mike was so supportive and took the best care of both Isaac and me when we came home. In the weeks directly after having a newborn, one experiences sleep deprivation like no other level. Sure, people warn you about it, but until you're walking in that moment (probably sleep walking), you can't truly imagine it. Several times when I felt like I had surpassed walking zombie status, Mike looked at me and said, "go take a nap." When your husband tells you this, there is no questioning and only doing. Partly because the synapses aren't firing correctly to even cognitively form the question of "are you sure?" There were several times I would wake from a two to three hour uninterrupted nap and fall madly in love with my husband all over again as I looked at him holding our baby.
4. The "worse" in your "for better or worse" vows totally applies to your spouse's reactions to your physical and emotional adjustments post-baby.
Many moments come to mind immediately here, but I'll share one. About two weeks after beginning to breastfeed, I hit an emotional and physical wall. I'd read and heard that breastfeeding could be hard, but didn't quite realize the toll it takes on the body (and I was even blessed with a baby that knew how to latch well immediately)! One evening, when my nipples' pain could be only compared to lighting and holding a match to them, I crawled into bed topless (no material was coming near those nips!) and was on the verge of tears. Mike, seeing my pain, just hugged me gently around my waist. He simply whispered, "thank you" and I knew then I could make it a little bit longer.
5. You become a team like you never thought possible.
People become closer from shared experiences. Add intimacy, embarrassment, utter joy, lack of sleep and learning new skills to those experiences and the result is an even tighter bond. Plus, that bond becomes a well-oiled machine. Whether it's juggling baby and dinner making (Mike is an amazing cook!) or figuring out how one person can get sleep while the other calms the baby, there is no better way to strengthen your team.
6. You learn or re-learn what your partner prioritizes and you let him/her lean into those priorities.
Prior to Isaac, Mike knew I liked to nap; post Isaac and he learned that I actually used naps to function. Prior to Isaac, I knew Mike liked "alone time"; post Isaac, I realized he needs that time to re-energize and have an outlet for stress. I believe that if your relationship is healthy and time allows it, then you should let your partner lean into those desires. When one's basic desires are met and priorities managed, then it makes for a happier, more-fulfilled person.
7. You learn to communicate even better.
Mike and I communicate well with each other. We listen to one another, let our opinions be fairly heard and respect what the other thinks. Having a baby makes you have to communicate better. Who would have thought there would be conversations about which bottle in the fridge should be used first or why there is an importance to completely wrapping up a soiled diaper before throwing it into the pail? Small, important details begin to emerge and handling them with communication is so key. Otherwise, one finds herself fuming for the tenth time at a poopy diaper lying open in the top of a pail. Doesn't he KNOW that not wrapping it makes it smell worse? Well, apparently not until you communicate that. Last I checked, we humans couldn't read each others' minds...thankfully!
Had one told unmarried me these thoughts I might have shrugged them off or heard them and kept trucking through life. It wouldn't be until I truly had the experience of becoming a co-parent with my soul mate that they would register with new meaning. Of course, that's how life is, isn't it? Thank God for my spouse, for the baby who has allowed us to live on a new level and for the grace allowed by each of us as we navigate these new roles.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
A Fun-Filled Week
This past week we celebrated my dad's 62nd birthday! Isaac wore his tux and a group of us went out to eat Mexican food. The meal ended with quite a surprise as we got up to leave. You see, we thought that my aunt had paid the tab on her way out the door (as she left early to go set up dad's cake/ice cream party), but in her haste to leave she'd forgotten to pay the bill. My grandmother thought she'd paid and told all of us at the party that the bill had been taken care of already.
So, we all got up from the table, dressed in our coats and hats, said good-bye to our server and other staff and left the restaurant. To our surprise, one of the staff (a manager perhaps) ran after us in the parking lot. We had not paid the bill, he claimed.
But we had... so we thought. After a few minutes of confusion (imagine much broken English) from both parties (ours and the restaurant staff) we determined that the bill hadn't been paid as we had thought. Oops. So, that happened... my dad's 62nd birthday dinner almost landed us in jail. ;) We all had a good laugh about it though and decided it made the birthday even more memorable!
After the dinner, we went back to my aunt's house where she'd done an awesome job of setting up the cake and ice cream.
This week we've seen some snow showers and tomorrow I'm hoping that Mike and I can take Isaac outside in his snow gear and pose him in some powder! Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post about that.
Today was enjoyable as I caught up with a long-time friend who recently moved back into the area with her two young boys. One of them is only a month younger than Isaac, so she and I are looking forward to hanging out more and letting our boys play together. We tried to get them to notice each other today, but Isaac was too distracted by, well, everything and her baby is also too young to notice another baby. Maybe in another few months they'll be ready to play (or at least acknowledge each other!). I hate I didn't get pictures, but the snow distracted me. Isaac and I had to leave before I thought to take some. Guess those will have to come as well!
Isaac turned three months old today. I can hardly believe it. It's been fun to watch him grow this month and change in exciting ways: he's started to sleep in his crib/nursery, is reacting to and giggling at us, is splashing and kicking the water at bath time, is trying to hold his bottle (he still needs help), is intentionally grabbing for items and just making us fall more in love with him every day. Here are some pictures from the past few days of him:
So, we all got up from the table, dressed in our coats and hats, said good-bye to our server and other staff and left the restaurant. To our surprise, one of the staff (a manager perhaps) ran after us in the parking lot. We had not paid the bill, he claimed.
But we had... so we thought. After a few minutes of confusion (imagine much broken English) from both parties (ours and the restaurant staff) we determined that the bill hadn't been paid as we had thought. Oops. So, that happened... my dad's 62nd birthday dinner almost landed us in jail. ;) We all had a good laugh about it though and decided it made the birthday even more memorable!
After the dinner, we went back to my aunt's house where she'd done an awesome job of setting up the cake and ice cream.
This week we've seen some snow showers and tomorrow I'm hoping that Mike and I can take Isaac outside in his snow gear and pose him in some powder! Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post about that.
Today was enjoyable as I caught up with a long-time friend who recently moved back into the area with her two young boys. One of them is only a month younger than Isaac, so she and I are looking forward to hanging out more and letting our boys play together. We tried to get them to notice each other today, but Isaac was too distracted by, well, everything and her baby is also too young to notice another baby. Maybe in another few months they'll be ready to play (or at least acknowledge each other!). I hate I didn't get pictures, but the snow distracted me. Isaac and I had to leave before I thought to take some. Guess those will have to come as well!
Isaac turned three months old today. I can hardly believe it. It's been fun to watch him grow this month and change in exciting ways: he's started to sleep in his crib/nursery, is reacting to and giggling at us, is splashing and kicking the water at bath time, is trying to hold his bottle (he still needs help), is intentionally grabbing for items and just making us fall more in love with him every day. Here are some pictures from the past few days of him:
 |
| He intentionally grabbed and successfully pulled off one of his car seat toys. |
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