Holiday Happiness Update

I put off calling Shutterfly this morning because I was busy and it was all my mistake and I felt silly even hinting at getting anything from them because of it. But I did, because you all gave me permission to redo the cards and I knew I needed to report the details of my efforts here. And after the call, all I have to say is that Shutterfly is awesome.

First of all, after you hear the five options to direct your call, the polite-sounding gentleman says in a completely serious voice, "to hear a Pirate read these options press 6". This had nothing to do with my re-order, but it made me smile.

Second, after a brief chat with a customer service rep wherein I fessed up to my grievous typo and asked if the cards had been processed yet, I ended up with a 75-card credit and free next day shipping on my reorder. My new cards may get here before the original ones! I initially just asked if the order could still be changed and she said no, they were in production, but she told me I could return them for a credit. I was very happy and surprised to hear that, and then when I asked if I could go ahead and order the new cards now and leave the refund credit for a future, separate purchase (because I was concerned about getting the cards out for Christmas) she placed me on hold and worked some magic to get me an instant card credit as long as I promise to send the typo cards back when I receive them.

So that was full of awesome and holiday cheer. And now my morning is feeling all shiny and happy, even with this Answer and Plea to the Jurisdiction that was supposed to be done yesterday hanging over my head. To make the day even better, this afternoon is our family Christmas party, so JP is bringing Landon to the office at 3:30 for cookie decorating and Santa Claus sitting and other fun activities in the conference center. After the party Landon and I head to Houston so I can attend a deposition tomorrow morning and Landon can hang out with his godmama for the day. We'll stay through the weekend since I haven't been home since July and Saturday is my best friend's fancy lingerie shower (for the wedding I was supposed to be in but now probably can't even attend because it's in Houston 10 days before I'm due). JP came across her present yesterday and was most disappointed it was not for me.

In sum, it's okay to want to redo your Christmas cards because there's a typo, call customer service reps when you've screwed up your order and be nice to them, I like Shutterfly and Shutterfly likes pirates, Landon is going to decorate his first cookie today and I think it may be a life changing experience, and I am excited about going home even if it means I will spend yet another pre-Christmas-weekend not accomplishing things in my own house. Happy Thursday everyone!

Christmas Card Redo?

Yesterday in a fit of productivity, and an overwhelming need to cross a few things off my two-page Christmas to do list, I created and ordered 75 Christmas cards on shutterfly.com. We never got a good family picture this year, probably because everyone around me is allergic to cameras, so I made a collage of four favorite pictures of Landon with JP or I and one with just Landon and his giant smile. I wrote a little Christmas message, signed it Love, [JP], [LL], and soon to be big brother Landon, entered in about four savings codes, and got them for a great price and free shipping. All while on a two-hour conference call.

I felt good. I had accomplished multiple things (the photo calendars I also ordered are for my in-laws; I can't shop in their price range, but they do love pictures of their grandson) and now we could get our Christmas cards out by Christmas. My productivity buzz lasted through our firm's annual Champagne Party and the first thing I did when I got home was to bring up my masterpiece online for JP to see. (He did not attend the party; we have decided it is not worth the stress for him as a huge introvert to have to socialize with so many people at once, or the stress for me in worrying about him the whole time and then yelling at him on the way home for not talking to anybody.) The first thing out of his mouth-- "Shouldn't that say 2010?"

Oh yes, yes it should. You see for the Christmas message I wrote, "Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2009!"

AHHHHHHHHHH. I blame the conference call. And rushing. And not believing we're about to hit 2010.

But it is killing me. I actually dreamed about it last night. Twice. In the first dream I was able to call up shutterfly and beg for a chance to re-do it for free and they gave it to me and I was so happy I woke up. The second time I couldn't get them to redo it, so I added a P.S. to our Christmas letter saying that while we hoped they everyone had a great 2009, we also extend our best wishes for 2010.

After grinding my teeth for 8 hours I'm now just thinking about re-ordering them. It will cost about $45. What would you do? (You know, if you were me, and you kept a little book of your yearly Christmas cards and letters, and if mistakes and typos kill you slowly from the inside, and while the idea of wasting $45 also hurts me, I've done virtually no shopping or erranding in the last two months and this could be a Christmas present to myself, like a pair of shoes I never saw to buy.) But is it ridiculous to re-order because of a little date error? Does it matter if it's ridiculous? JP just laughed when I shared my dilemma and said whatever I wanted was fine. Help!

CHICAGO

I just spent 52 hours here:

and it was everything I knew it would be. I walked until the soles of my feet felt bruised, talked until my throat was hoarse, and ate Chicago Mix popcorn until my fingers were stained yellow.

I also found time to buy a few very cute maternity items, including a pair of jeans that make me feel sexy despite their elastic topped waist band. On Sunday I picked up a few Christmas gifts and Chicago-themed stocking stuffers for Landon.

And I'm still pleased with his Chicago snow globe even if the damned thing cost me $20 on the flight home because it counts as a "liquid" and I had to check my bag. I never, ever check bags. I pack lightly and own every toiletry in mini-size. I felt defeated as I pulled my suitcase out of the security line to the ticket counter to check it. But Landon is going to love that snow globe. I will make sure of it.

It's so wonderful to return to a city you knew and loved. It's even better when you have a good friend to stay with and more friends to meet up with to eat 2" thick pizza. I missed my boys, but unlike a business trip where I have nothing to do but listen to the silence in my hotel room and miss the craziness of our usual evening routine, this trip was filled with talking and laughter and shopping. It was everything I needed to reconnect with my friend and my favorite city.

It was the best Christmas gift JP could have given me and I love him even more for making it so easy for me to pick up and leave without having to worry about a thing back at home. He told me not to bring anything back for him from Chicago as he had no desire to remember it, but I did bring Landon a daddy-approved souveneir cowboy hat from the Austin airport.

I can't wait to bring my little Chicagoan to visit his birthplace one day. Maybe next year- JP already volunteered to stay home and visit the Alamo with the Texas baby.

It's Like I'm Going Home

I will be in Chicago tomorrow. I fly out at 9 a.m. and will spend 52 glorious hours with my friends in my favorite city before I head home Monday afternoon to my current city, which I also love, even though it FREAKS OUT at the mere possibility of a few snow flurries. (It is actually snowing outside my office window and it's making me very happy.)

This month is starting to look borderline stressful. I'm not stressed yet, and don't plan to be, but it has all the makings of it. I'm out of town this Sat-Mon. Then I'm in Houston for work next Friday. Landon is coming with me on the business trip so we can stay over with grandma and grandpa for the weekend. Which means the first weekend I'll be in my own house this month is Dec. 19th, and my in-laws arrive on the 22nd and stay for EIGHT DAYS. I haven't decorated the house yet, we don't have a Christmas tree, and JP hasn't put up the lights. We also have about 65 Christmas parties to attend and for the first time ever I don't have our Christmas cards ready to go by now. We don't even have a decent picture of the three of us to put on it. We still have to work around JP's freaking swim lesson schedule (lessons we will now never be paid for- I have soooo much to say about that, but none of it good, so silent I will try to remain) and work is very busy. I don't usually get caught up in holiday stress- I have modest expectations for Christmas and just enjoy the bonus family time, but there are certain things that need to be done and working full-time with two trips in the first half of the month is making it challenging. Oh, and I'm pregnant, so accomplishing anything at night- beyond activating my DVR- is relatively impossible.

On the upside, I have finished all my Christmas shopping (yay internet! I didn't buy a single thing in an actual store) and I'm hatching a plan to leave work early today to take Landon out to buy our tree. And I'm going to be in CHICAGO tomorrow- it's been 18 months and I miss the city so much. Especially now when it'll be all chilly and snow dusted and lit up for Christmas. I plan to walk miles and miles around State St. and Michigan Ave., eat gallons of Garrett's Chicago Mix popcorn (something that shouldn't be delicious but absolutely is; it's one of life's little miracles), and stay up late talking girl talk. It will be full of fabulousness and shopping.

P.S. I'm not sure if you can really add a post script to a blog post, but I just realized I wrote this post at almost the same time last year when I was missing Chicago like crazy and it suddenly snowed. Maybe Austin is trying to help ease my into Southern, smaller-city life.

Ear Fail

(Scene: 6' x 6' soundproof box with a chair in the middle. There are large drawings of animals and other toys on the walls. Landon is in my lap ready to begin his hearing test)

Audiologist
(quietly)
Landon, can you find the elephant?

(several seconds pass as I hold myself back from repeating the question that I know he heard)

Landon:
(turning his head to look at me)
Mama, I want a cracker!

Audiologist:
(a little louder)
Landon, can you find the monkey?

Landon:
Look mama, a el-e-phant!

Audiologist:
(even louder because obviously my child is almost deaf)
Landon, can you find the train?

Landon:
Mama, where did my crackers go?

Me:
Landon, can you listen to the sounds please? We'll have crackers later.

Audiologist:
Landon, where is the elephant?

Landon:
(points to the monkey)
Look mama! A monkey! Ooh-ooh-ah-ah.

Me:
(looking at the audiologist through the tiny window to my left)
I don't think this is working out.

So he failed the hearing test, but I'm certain he hears just fine. His talking has exploded in the past few weeks and he uses full sentences and adds dozen of new words each day. The test came about because Landon's ear tubes have fallen out and he immediately got infections in both ears. We realized this right before Thanksgiving and were able to get him into the pediatrician Tuesday afternoon for an ear check and prescription for delicious pink amoxycillin- his first antibiotic since his last ear infection in March 2008. The sad thing about these infections, besides the fact that they break our 18-month record of "nothing but check-ups", and that Landon holds his hears and cries when he goes to bed (a truly heartbreaking visual), is that it means he most likely inherited his dad's faulty eustachian tubes. JP has had too many ear surgeries to count and still has to wear special ear plugs and a cap every time he gets wet. We had hoped one round of ear tubes be all Landon needed, but one tube is only half-way out and he already had a raging infection going. We'll wait to see if he gets another in the next 6 weeks, and if he does, it'll be more tubes. The procedure itself is simple and far less traumatic than even one ear infection, I'm just sad for his sake that the problem persists.

But other than the ear test fail, our trip to the pediatric ENT was great. I had an admittedly "difficult" baby, so I don't feel too bad when I say it makes me happy and a teensy bit proud that Landon is so good and easy as a toddler. Out in public, at the house, at a Thanksgiving dinner for 10- he loves meeting and talking to new people and doesn't seem to have any inherently distructive tendancies. He loves to play with toys and kids and loves to run around (and "go FAST!"), but I almost never have to tell him not to touch something he shouldn't be touching or things like that. Who knows how long it will last, but it's really nice for now. He had all the nurses charmed in minutes and told everyone he passed in the halls that the doctor was going to "check my ears". When the doctor came in Landon gave him a huge smile and said "Hi!" and then repeated "gonna check my ears" as he climbed into the patient seat all by himself. On the way out he told everyone it was raining and that he was wearing his hat (the hoodie to his sweatshirt). It was very cute. I'm happy to say he seems to have no scars from his constant and frequently painful doctor visits during his first year of life.

In other health news, I had my real genetic screening ultrasound on Monday and everything looks fantastic! The baby was crazy, bouncing around and dancing the whole time, and it's fun to see how developed s/he looks at only 13 weeks at 3 inches long. My next doctor's appointment is in 2 weeks where I'll get to hear the heartbeat and then we'll find out the sex sometime in late January. Yay!

Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

Thanksgiving came and now it is gone. Everything went well, though I was forced to realize that being pregnant does make hostessing big events a little harder. I had lots of help getting all the food together and it didn't feel particularly taxing at the time, but I got knocked down by a terrible headache around noon that refused to go away for the rest of the day. Luckily tylenol and my delicious cheeseball appetizers helped dull the pain.

The cooking commenced around 8 a.m. Here my Grandpa Jim is making his famous stuffing while the dogs stick close to their new best friend.

We took everyone out to the park while the turkey cooked. Landon was very excited to show his Papa the ropes. This is his favorite slide -- favorite because it's FAST. Or so he tells me every time he's about to go down it. My dad found it to be pretty quick too.

My dad got a tour of all of the best playground pieces, including careful directions through Landon's favorite tunnel.

Once my dad was safely through the tunnel, Landon showed my mom and me his monkey bar skills. (Also pictured: my 13-week baby bump. And the three sausage rolls I ate for breakfast.)

JP was nearly as excited as Landon because he had my brother, former high school football star, and my dad to throw the ball around with. I know very little about the sport, but their long-distance throws and catches looked pretty impressive to me. Landon played too and had so much fun running with the big kids (my dad included in that group, of course).

My dad's parents were there to watch everyone run about for an hour or two and then we headed back to the house to lay out the appetizer buffer and wait for my sister (who had to work until 3) and my mom's parents to arrive. Thursday was their 54th wedding anniversary and we had a champagne toast before dinner in honor of their happy past, present, and future together.

The meal came together beautifully and JP carved his first turkey. I retired to my room after dinner in an attempt to make my headache go away (and avoid the dishes- a time honored trick my sister mastered in childhood). It was a good day and I think most fun was seeing Landon entertain all of his guests. I'm not sure he's ever been happier- 10 sets of eyes followed his every move and 10 sets of hands clapped whenever he did anything remotely noteworthy. He loves his big family and had a great day.

Everyone was on their way home by 9 a.m. on Friday morning and then we spent three quiet days together as a little family. We took the dogs and Landon and his big red wagon on long walks through the trails around our neighborhood and watched a lot of Christmas movies on TV. I a ridiculous amount of time on the couch and accomplished almost exactly nothing (though I did read the two last books in the Wilderness series by Sara Donati; very good). My work computer never left its case. Landon joined us in bed each morning and we'd tickle and cuddle and read. I thought about getting out the Christmas decorations, but rejected the idea in lieu of watching The Santa Claus on TBS for the second time. I did manage to finish my extended family Christmas shopping on Sunday thanks to my laptop and wireless internet. I'm very excited about all of the gifts I picked out- I even purchased a few for me from JP. They're going to be such a surprise!

Now I'm back at work with the Frank Sinatra holiday station playing on pandora.com. I love the holidays.

The Menu

Commenters to the last post asked about my Thanksgiving menu, as well as a reminder-link to one of the best appetizer recipes ever. And because I love my readers who stick with me even when I go days between posts (as I seem to do frequently of late), I will grant both of their wishes.

First the Mexican Cheesecake recipe. It is oh so good.

Second, the menu. Last year I wrote a post two days before I was supposed to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner (for 10 people, 3 of them being my in-laws who for some reason I still try to impress), panicking because I realized I didn't know how to make any of the key dishes. You all were very helpful and I just read back through the comments because I realized today that I still don't have much of an idea what I'm doing- I haven't made those dishes since the last Thanksgiving, though they did all turn out very well.

And so without further ado, this year we will be eating:

Appetizers: Crackers, various cheeses, a delicious pesto cheese ball, summer sausage, smoked ham, and cut up veggies with ranch dip (and maybe plain potato chips with onion dip because I have had very strong cravings for that lately, even though I generally don't like potato chips and haven't had onion dip in years). And probably left over chili because I'm making a big pot for dinner on Wednesday and JP cannot subsist for more than a few hours on mere crackers and cheese.

1. The Turkey. We went to Costco to pick up our butterball (20 cents/lb. cheaper than HEB!) and Landon was very upset that it did not look like the pet turkey he thought we'd be taking home. I tried to assure him that he should be very glad it looked nothing like the original turkey, but settled for explaining to him that a turkey can appear two different ways. One is the pretty bird with bright feathers that he carries around the house and the other is a frozen ball shrink-wrapped in plastic. He seemed okay with that. As far as cooking the big bird, I will try to recreate what I did last year because it was easy and delicious. It involved butter, onion chunks and other vegetables at the base, chicken broth, fresh herbs, and foil. And then many hours wishing I had two ovens.

2. The stuffing. I made mine outside the bird last year for our Indian guests, but this year my Grandma Jim is coming and he always makes the stuffing and it always goes in the turkey. So in the turkey it will go.

3. Mashed Potatoes. I'm making a version of Pioneer Woman's with the cream cheese and sour cream and lots of butter. I think I could eat a pound or two all by myself.

4. The Gravy. We had delicious gravy last year because I used so many of your suggestions for random produce to stuff into the turkey and put in the bottom of the roaster. It made for delicious drippings that I thickened in to gravy. I hope to do the same this year.

5. Green Bean Casserole. On the back of the French's Fried Onion can, it needs no other explanation and it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it.

6. Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole. My Grandma Jo's mother's recipe and the only time all year I get to eat sweet potatoes because JP refuses to like them.

7. Cranberry Relish. Also my Grandma Jo's recipe. I can't remember if I like cranberries but I'm sure hers are delicious. I really only use them to make the water in my water dispenser extra pretty.

8. Corn Pudding. The one dish that is an absolutely necessary part of a Lag Liv family Thanksgiving. Really, it's a necessary part of every holiday from Easter to Christmas Day brunch. If you're looking for something a little different this year, give it a try. I've had other corn puddings and found them mushy and rather tasteless; this one is neither of those things.

Corn Pudding
2 cans cream style corn
2 eggs
3/4 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. garlic salt (3/4 tsp.)
6 Tbl oil (2/3 c.)
1 can chopped green chilies, drained
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese (2 c.)
1/2 tsp. baking powder (or not)

1. Mix everything together except the chilies and cheese. Put 1/2 of mixture in greased baking dish.

2. Mix cheese and chilies and layer over corn. Adding the remaining corn mixture.

3. Bake at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour, until set (i.e., the center isn't jiggly).

LL's notes: This recipe is my Grandma Mary's. She got it from a fellow air force wife when they were stationed at one of the 25 places they were stationed during my grandfather's illustrious military career (obviously, I need a few more details on the backstory). There are currently two competing version- may aunt's and my mom's. Both claim to have the original so I'm not sure where the variance came from. I've written out the way that I make it now and left the alternative in parentheses. Both taste pretty much the same, so I take that to mean it's a recipe you can't mess up. I usually skip the 2nd step and just mix everything together as I like my cheese evenly distributed and I love a recipe with only one step. And it is delicious. We make it every Easter to eat with our ham and every Thanksgiving to go with the turkey. It also goes great with Mexican food (it's a must on fajita night) and brunch (it goes very well with eggs and other breakfast casseroles). In college I used to make it and eat it alone as an entree for several days at a time. Delicious!

So-- what are you eating?

Turkey Trot

Why does craziness always erupt right around the holidays? This year I will have 10.5 adults at my house for Thanksgiving (my original family of 5 + JP + all 4 of my grandparents + Landon, who will probably only eat the rolls and corn pudding), I hurt my back again on Wednesday, and I am slammed at work. I was in the office until midnight on Friday, though I did go home for 2 hours to see Landon, eat dinner, and pick up a DQ blizzard to power me through the rest of my memo. I'm not sure it helped but it was definitely tasty.

JP has multiple group projects and papers due this week, so I spent the weekend prepping for the big meal with Landon. It's a good thing he loves HEB because we spent quite a lot of time there. He stands up in the cart and talks to everyone we pass in the aisles. Sometimes it's just a hello, sometimes he likes to tell them I'm his mom ("MY mama!"), and other times he wants to show them the fireman on his t-shirt. People have started to recognize him at the store- I think he has more friends in our neighborhood than I do. We also cleaned the house and made multiple to-do lists of the rest of the phases of Thanksgiving prep. I love entertaining, truly, it is not something that stresses me out and I get to buy pretty decor for the table and use all my fancy serving dishes, I just have to do it in a very organized, very to-do list heavy manner.

I forgot to share some big news from last week - we now have official, matching master bedroom furniture! (Which is how I hurt my back.) I ordered the bedroom set six weeks ago and had no idea when it would arrive. We got the call Tuesday afternoon that it would be here Wednesday, so we had to move all our current furniture upstairs so the new stuff could be delivered. And our old furniture? was heavy. Luckily JP is very strong and did 95% of the work, but some of the pieces were unwieldy and I had to help guide them up our stairs that inconveniently turn at sharp angles twice along the way. But everything looks great spread among our upstairs bedrooms. Oddly enough, while none of the pieces matched each other, each matched one of the rooms upstairs, so now they all have a full set. We were able to use every piece, some of which have a lot of sentimental value, and my 6'2" brother is excited about getting our old queen-sized bed and upgrading from his double. The feeling of completeness makes me very happy.

I stayed up way too late on Wednesday switching all the clothes from our old drawers to the new ones, getting out all the decorating items I've been slowly buying over the past 15 months, and then just sitting and admiring our beautiful room. As I told JP when he got back from practice that evening- "it looks like grown-ups live here!" I love it so much. We waited 4.5 years to have a real bedroom set and then spent 15 months saving up for it and slowly buying the linens and curtains and picture frames that would make it complete (and buy "we" I mean me). There's still a few things I need to arrange and get JP to hang- including a very pretty wood medicine cabinet I found for the bathroom, which of course required moving a towel rod we put up a year ago, spackling the holes, painting them over, and then re-installing the rod about 4" down. It's a good thing he loves me because I have a few more project ideas left to implement. But then we should be done.

My back is spasming as I write this and I can't take ibuprofen for it (damn pregnancy taking away all the helpful drugs). Cooking the 20 lb. turkey and all the sides should be interesting on Thursday. But I'm excited to have my whole family together and I love putting out a big meal. I found the cutest stuffed turkey at Marshalls and Landon carries it all around the house saying "gobble gobble". It's going to be a great holiday, I just need to get through this massive work to-do list first!

It Begins

I feel like I've been writing far less about my pregnancy this time around. In truth, I don't think about this pregnancy all that much. Now that my stomach feels okay most of the time, I can go hours without thinking about the fact that I am growing a person. I've been wondering why this is. Last time I felt different - transformed - the minute I saw the plus sign on the pregnancy test. I remember walking to Walgreens in the snow to buy another test feeling so fragile. The trip took twice as long as normal as I carefully stepped around the ice on the sidewalk.

I've decided it's a combination of three things: (1) I've done this before. It's still an amazing thing to know there's two heartbeats inside of you, but the novelty of the idea has worn off. Now I just smile when I think of it and move on with whatever I'm doing. (2) I have far less free time to immerse myself in pregnancy books and internet message boards. I have googled less than five things regarding pregnancy since I found out. Partly because I know the answers and partly because that research is not billable and I'm no longer a student who's trying to avoid studying for finals. And (3) I'm already a parent and I have a delightful, attention-consuming toddler to play with and care for every minute I'm not at work. Last time I felt like JP and I were just counting down the seconds until we were parents of a baby we could hold and and feed and love. We were done being just a couple and were ready to move on to the next step. This time we're already on that step. Sure it'll be different once we have two kids- some days I still wonder if we're out of our minds to add more to the craziness, but the biggest transformation of all - the jump from two to family has already happened. I can't wait to meet this baby, but I'm far less focused on the count down than I was last time. For now I see the weeks until June 12 as more time I get to spend 1-on-1 with Landon, and excited as I am to hold his new sibling, I can't and don't wish away the special alone time I spend with him now.

Don't you feel better now that I have that figured out? I always do. And despite all of the above, today I find myself remembering that I'm pregnant a little more often. It's seems my little peanut (actually, my "fig or small plum") is pushing out and making herself some extra room in my belly. And to accomodate him, there is a navy blue rubber band holding together the top of my jeans. Of my four pairs of jeans, three still fit but one looked better with the sweater I wanted to wear. I could probably still button these pants, but I'll be sitting all day writing a memo and why be uncomfortable if you don't have to? If they weren't fitting because I'd eaten too many french fries I'd probably suck it up (or, in), but since I'm pregnant I get to pull out the rubber band trick. I haven't gained any weight yet, but as JP pointed out this morning- "whoah, there's a bump there!" I'm starting to regret altering all my clothes when I started work, I could use a few pairs of pants that were up a size. At least it's just in time for holiday sales!

I'm a lawyer, but I play a doctor on TV

As most of my blog readers know, from the age of 10(ish) to 21, my life's dream was to be a doctor. I was pre-med in college and took all the required classes, including the dreaded organic chemistry which forever ruined my 4.0 GPA (and for which I will forever be bitter). I ended up in law school and am happy with the decision, but I remain fascinated by all things medical. My newest case involves a cutting edge biotechnology company that recently patented a new way to sequence human DNA. It is full of awesome and I love that I know what many of the technical terms mean.

Anyway, the point is that even though I am a lawyer who specializes in organizing paper stacks on my desk, blood and medical terms don't phase me. When JP's lung collapsed in college (a rather fantastic story I should really share sometime, though it highlights what a terrible girlfriend and fake-doctor I was) I watched the surgery and wanted to know everything about his treatments. It's been a while since I've had any medical drama in my own life now that Landon only goes to the doctor for check-ups and JP and I generally stay out of the emergency room. While Landon is a very active little boy, he had yet to really hurt himself -- until last night.

For reasons only he understands, Landon was standing on his cozy coupe, which was lying on its side, and trying to jump off it. Not the best idea. He slipped and hit his head on the pointy corner of our TV unit. He was sobbing, blood started pouring down his face, and he kept trying to put both his hands on the cut to make the pain stop- soon his hands and face were smeared with blood and I was trying to hold him and figure out how bad the injury really was.

It was the saddest thing. He looked shocked that he was hurting and he was clinging to my shoulder sobbing "no mama no" and shaking his head. I had to wipe away the blood with a towel and put pressure on the cut so I could see if the bleeding would slow down on its own. And because I had to do that, I couldn't let him bury his head into my neck like he wanted to and he just looked so bewildered that he hurt and mommy was being mean and not immediately making it better. Once I could actually see the cut I decided it would be fine- the bleeding was slowing and it wasn't nearly as big as I originally feared. We cuddled on the couch while I held the towel to his head and pretty soon he forgot about the injury and was jabbering excitedly about the Spiderman band-aid I promised to put on his forehead.

There's a lot of things that make you a mom. The sacrifices, the constant need to worry about one thing or another- the fact that your life is no longer just your own. But one of the most gratifying is the power you have to make things better. Even with blood pouring down his face, Landon just wanted to be held by mama and he had complete faith that I would make everything ok. Me and the Spiderman band-aid. It's an honor and awesome responsibility, and one of my favorite perks of the job.