Early Birds

Well, Tater Tot may not have woken up early yesterday because of the time change, but she made up for it today! We were up at 6am, cuddled up together watching Moana on the couch. I typically get up on a work-day around 6:15 (or 6:30 if I’m feeling extra sleepy), and we don’t wake up Emmie until 7am. So we had lots of extra time together this morning, but at least she was super sweet!

And even though we won’t see the sunrise every morning as we exit the interstate anymore, these pretty clouds are a-ok with me!

Sweet little baby girl was extra happy and adorable today, even with cute funny cow-licks in her hair. She especially loved her new fuzzy shoes with little ears on them!

Um, why does she looks so big in this next photo? Is she like 5 years old all of a sudden?!

And of course she was thrilled to grab a chocolate chip muffin!

She walked straight into her classroom and over to her teacher. Ms. Sheila picked her up for hugs, and Emmie just happily snuggled up with her while I slipped back out of the room. She was perfectly content!

I took an early lunch break today, to run back for another dermatology appointment. I was last there six weeks ago, for a steroid shot in the scar of the cyst they removed from my chest, and they wanted to check on it again. The shot helped to take the redness away, and flatten out the scar, and last time they told me they would do one more. But when I got there today, he said it wasn’t necessary. So I paid my $40 copay and was in and out in 8 minutes total. (Literally, parked at 11:32, and back in my car at 11:40.) He said we could check on it again in three months, but I said no thank you, because I don’t want to pay another $40 for another 8-minute visit…

After the fastest appointment ever, I had a free chicken sandwich waiting for me in my Chick-fil-A app. So I put in my mobile order before leaving the doctor’s office parking lot, and braved the Apalachee Parkway CFA at noon for my free sandwich & a cup of chicken noodle soup. (You Tally peeps know how crazy that one gets!) And it was so worth it. I took it back to eat at my office, and it was delicious. I’m not exactly feeling sick anymore, but I’ve still got some sinus drainage and a pretty nasty cough, but the soup was really yummy and made me feel all warm & cozy, even if it’s not cold outside. (It’s certainly cold inside my office anyways!)

We have a shared Kuerig machine in our snack/coffee area at work, and someone has brought in some hot cocoa k-cups. So I had hot chocolate for my afternoon treat, and it was so yummy and so nice and so warm.

Tonight we were back to a “normal” schedule again, for the first time in like, probably two weeks. With Jeff’s trips to Tampa and then Miami, followed immediately by middle-of-the-night ER visits and a sick toddler, followed by sick parents and Halloween, October was truly a literal whirlwind. So, even though we’re now heading into “the holiday season,” I’m hoping the first few weeks of November offer us some time for rest and relaxation…

Anyways, I picked up Emerson like normal, and we headed on home. The time change is always so weird, and takes some serious adjustment to all around, but I really don’t like coming home at 5:50, and there being barely any sunlight left in the day. In a month or so, it will be full-dark before we even get home, and I hate that even more.

Once Jeff got home a few minutes later, he and Emerson played and took care of things here and there (she’s such a big “helper”), while I made Chicken & Coconut Curry Ramen. This has very quickly become one of our favorite meals, and I can now make it without referencing the recipe. (Note – I also add one diced onion, and an extra clove of garlic, plus some diced carrots if I have them on hand.)

Emmie had cheese noodles for dinner (I’ve gotten her to try this before and she doesn’t like it), and then she just wanted to cuddle and sit in Daddy’s lap while he ate a second bowl of ramen.

Since it was already very dark by the time we finished dinner (and we couldn’t wander around the back yard eating ice like we sometimes like to do), we just sat on the back patio under the porch lights for a few minutes, blowing some bubbles from an ice cream cone shaped bottle of bubbles.

We then got Emerson changed into her jammies, and we got started on our usual bedtime routine.

She was excited and pointing at the muffin on the kangaroo’s food tray

We’ve discovered she does better if only one of us does bedtime (usually me), so it worked out good when daddy had some computer work he needed to take care of. She gets less silly and stays more calm, rather than laying in the floor with him and stalling for forever…

After getting Emmie laid down in bed, I came back to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. Luckily, this meal tonight was a one-pot wonder, and we only used two bowls to eat from – because we also had like 15 mugs & cups from tea & coffee & drinks. But I persevered, and finished them all, with the exception of a few coffee mugs Jeff forgot & left at his office for a while, and needed to soak for a bit…

I mentioned before I’m not feeling too bad anymore, but still just kind of stuffy & cough-y & sinus-y, so I’ve got another cup of hot mint tea with a good dose of honey (my fave), and I’m settling in for some tv-rest-time. (P.S. – if you like drinking tea and don’t have an electric kettle, you’re missing out on the easiest water-boiling experience.)

Night friends!