Maternity Leave



I started my maternity leave yesterday.

Considering my due date is, well, today, I figured it might be time.

I’m having an absolute blast.

I’m sitting in front of the Internet, nibbling on an apple, sipping some fresh-squeezed orange juice (at least, that’s what it claims on the Minute Maid carton), and occasionally biting into a 2 lb chunk of cheddar cheese.

Yeah, that’s right. I have no shame. Admit it: you guys all wish you were as classy as me.

Right now the DragonMonkey is peaceably watching TV, taking a break before we head over to Frogg’s Bounce House. I don’t normally plug places on my blog, but WOW. This place is incredible. Bounce houses, slides, air hockey, train tables, baby toys, toddler toys, comfortable couches, air conditioning, Michael Buble singing in the background… Unlimited monthly pass for only $30 a month? Am I in dreamland?

Every once in awhile, even I have to admit there are perks to living in Orange County.

At any rate, since I am about to spend another full day letting the DM romp in toddler heaven, I don’t feel too guilty about plopping him down in front of the TV and ignoring him for a bit.

After all, the DragonMonkey isn’t usually much of a TV watcher.

Of course, that was before we bought Big Bertha.

Big Bertha is our new television.

After over two years of saving up, the Bean and I bought one of those large-screen, wall-mounted, high-definition, Internet-savvy TVs.

The Bean is in love.

He sits in front of it, turning it on and leaning back with all the excited, expectant air of a man at a strip club awaiting a lap dance.

“Look at the clarity!” he exclaims. “Look at the color!”

“Yeah,” I reply.

His voice drops lower, almost sensuously so. “It’s like we’re looking through a window into someone’s living room…”

Mmmhmm“, I say absently, nose buried in my book.

“With the LED it reduces the glare impaction….” his voice is turning husky.

I glance over at him, annoyed. Maybe I should leave the two of them alone?

“You can see every detail…”

And the truth is, you can.

The Bean and I butted heads over Big Bertha for quite awhile before we ended up making the purchase.

I wanted a TV large enough to be able to see from the couch and thin enough that we could hang it on the wall.

The Bean wanted a TV with advanced enough technology that it could double as a portable space station if NASA ever had the need.

Who do you think won?

Well, let me put it this way.

When we used to watch Avatar, Neytiri used to look like this:

Now that we have paid an exorbitant amount of money for our fancy new television, I can now watch Neytiri in all her blue-ray glory, which leaves her looking more like this:


GIFSoup

Oh, well. At least the Bean is happy.

In fact, he’s so happy he even created an entire Facebook album dedicated to the television.

No, I am not kidding.

He has close-up photos of mounting plates and Cat-6 Network cables, all of which he describes in passionate detail.

I’d be jealous, but I guess I can’t really complain, seeing as how my own Facebook page is covered with one album from our marriage and about 76 million photos of Bunnygal’s horses.

Anyways, I’m off to Frogg’s to go see if I can bounce the Squidgelet out.

How much do you want to bet that all I end up doing is bouncing out some pee and wetting my pants?

Again?


What Am I Going to Do With Two Kids?



How tonight would have gone down in my single days:

“Hi, I’m here about the ad for the tv stand?”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry, we don’t have any of that particular model in stock, but I can show you a slightly smaller one so you can get an idea if you’d like it.”

That’d be great.”

We walk over to the tv stand.

“Oh, that’s pretty. And the center drawer can be removed, so we can fit all the equipment in the glass section?”

“Yes.”

“And it comes in this color?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. I’d like to order it.”

“Thank you. Sign here, here, and here, and we’ll give you a call when it’s in stock.”

“Thank you.”

****************

How tonight REALLY went down:

“Hi, I’m here about the ad for…DRAGONMONKEY, GET BACK HERE… for the tv stand?”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry, we don’t have any of that particular model in stock–“

AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA!

“Yes, I see the drinking fountain. I’ll get you some water in a second. SHHHH. I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, we don’t have any of that model in stock…”

AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA! AGUA!

DRAGONMONKEY, HUSH! If you don’t knock it off, no water for you. EVER.”

Agua? Agua? Mas Agua? Bye Bye? Go? Go? Go? Go? Go Car? GO?”

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

“…but I can show you a slightly smaller one so you can get an idea if you’d like it?”

“Huh? Oh, uhm… sure. What? Sure. Whatever…DRAGONMONKEY, NO TOUCH! DON’T TOUCH THAT! DROP IT!”

We head in the direction of the tv stands, the DragonMonkey lunging left and right, straining against the leash of his monkey backpack like an angry pitbull.

“TAKE MY HAND. NOW. DON’T TOUCH.”

“Ma’am, this is the tv stand. It’s slightly smaller, but….”

“I’m sorry, one moment…” I interrupt her and bolt (well, waddle, really) after the DragonMonkey, who has somehow managed to yank his monkey leash out of my hand and is flying helterskelter towards the open door and parking lot.

DRAGONMONKEY, WAIT!”

Hahahahahahahahahaha! Go! Go! Go! Hahahahahahahahaha!

I catch up with him, lunging forward to grab his collar the second before he hits the street, and end up grabbing some of his hair with it.


Ow! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MWAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!! OWWWWWWWW!

I bend over and hoist him up to my shoulder (no small feat, seeing as how my due date is only days away) and huff my way back into the store.

OW! OWWW! OWWWWWWWWWW!

The DragonMonkey sobs incoherently, grasping at the back of his head melodramatically.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” I raise my voice to be heard over his tortured screams.

Uhh… I was saying this is similar… to, uh…”

The young woman in front of me is obviously childless. She keeps glancing at the DragonMonkey, and then back at me, waiting for me to acknowledge his obvious injury.

“He’s fine. He’s just tired. What about this tv stand?”

“It’s similar in style, but slightly, uh… smaller…” She seems distraught at my apparent lack of sympathy, so I give in to peer pressure and rub the DragonMonkey’s back absently.

The DragonMonkey calms his screams, mollified that I am at last acknowledging the grievous, evil, torturous thing I just did to him.

In fact, he’s so mollified that he immediately begins twisting around in my arms. “Go? Go? Go? Agua? AGUA? AGUA? AGUA?”

I drop him to the floor, taking a firm hold on the edge of the leash, wishing for the millionth time that it was legal to use a choke collar on a child. I’ve trained dozens of hyperactive dogs to heel… why can’t I manage one two-foot toddler?

“So, is there, uh, a big size difference between–STOP IT, DRAGONMONKEY — the two units?”

In an attempt to control him, I pick him up again. He immediately arches his back, flailing around like a seizure patient.

UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP! UP!

He’s saying up, but he means down, and eventually I drop him at my feet, where he begins straining at the leash again, lunging at glass table tops and suede leather couches that I am deliberately keeping just out of his reach.

I’m beginning to understand why some animals eat their young.

The saleslady and I start increasing the pace of the conversation, both of us sensing that a meltdown is only minutes away.

“Differences?”

“Smaller. Shorter. Same Style.”

“Same color?”

“Yes.”

“Price on the internet?”

“Yes.”

We sound like two auctioneers haggling over the price of a horse, but it gets the job done.

I mean, I know it’s my fault— the DragonMonkey has a cold. He missed his nap today. It was past his bedtime. I should have known better and not even tried to go to the store….

Still, what am I going to do with two? Good Lord. Good thing he’s cute.