- Falling Into Fall -

I was going to title this post "WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS," but then I realized we're already nearing the end of October, so...

 ...hey...

...hiiiii...

...HELLO! 

Here we are, "officially" falling [or maybe already fallen] into 'da smack dab middle of FALL!  I'm loving it.  Life with COVID-19 rages on, though we're learning how to tiptoe around it cautiously since we've realized it isn't going away anytime soon.  We've been able to grow more confidently optimistic through it all and finally mustered up the motivation last month to go out to eat for the first time since March!!! Outdoor patio dining, of course... ;)  It was wonderful!

Also! Scarlett had a mini-series of firsts recently in the realm of FIRST visit to the dentist [for which Harper prepared her really well for many weeks prior!]...

 ...^^ no cavities, might I add...

...and FIRST visit to the hospital. [Well, kinda/sorta.] 

NOT FUNNY BACKSTORY ^^:  Harper had her cousin over to play one Saturday afternoon, and the two older girls were dividing up a bag of marbles into bowls pretending they were blueberries.  Rumor had it that Scarlett put one of said "blueberries" in her mouth and swallowed it, and Scarlett didn't deny the accusation!  Let it be known that I usually only seek out medical attention for my offspring if they're near death; so, in my mind, this was no big deal and certainly not worth an Urgent Care/E.R. trip over the weekend.  [Edited to add before the mom-shaming commences:  Scarlett was breathing normally, eating normally, peeing/pooping normally, AND sleeping normally, and I carefully and continually assessed all of those factors!  ...If the marble went down ok, it should slip back out ok!]  So anyway, we laughed it off, resurrected the toddler potty from the basement storage, and committed ourselves to mushing through every single one of Scarlett's #2's with a disposable fork until the glass prize [re]appeared.  On day 5 sans marble, I decided it would be prudent to call the pediatrician's office [mostly just for a little reassurance/pat on the back that we were doing everything right!].  Long story short, they ordered STAT X-rays, and we were checked into the Imaging Center attached to the local hospital 45 minutes later.

 

Thanks to COVID, the door screeners only allowed one lucky parent inside the hospital.  Brian waited in the car while Scarlett and I waited...and waited...and WAITED in the radiology waiting room.  She was so good and wore her mask like a champ the entire time; all the receptionists and other patients loved watching her and interacting with her as able! :)  Finally we got called back, and she was so brave to lay on the exam table for the X-ray [topless, might I add, since the radiology tech thought the pom-poms on her shirt might be confused with nothing other than ...A MARBLE! lolololol].  They told her to take a breath in and hold it + not move a muscle -- which I thought were ridiculous instructions for a 2-year-old -- but she did it perfectly!  Immediately afterwards, she was dismissed from the Imaging Center with a handful of souvenirs, including but not limited to: Mickey Mouse disposable mask, hospital bracelet that was just her size, and an arm's-length roll of princess stickers! 

 

During dinner, we got a phone call from the pediatrician with the results, and...

 

...

 

...

...

 

...

 

...NO MARBLE PRESENT.

 

"So either it passed before you started examining her stools [not possible], or more likely she just never swallowed a marble in the first place.  Either way, good news!  Have a great evening!" the pediatrician said.  

 

"Real cool $300 story!" Brian said.

 

But all joking aside, we are happy to know that Scarlett is healthy and all is [slash was always] well!  No sweat off this sweet girl's back! :) 

Keeping on the Scarlett train:  aside from dental exams and X-rays, she has been 100% LOVING her 1:1 time with Mommy while Harper is at school 5 days/week!  After accompanying me to my annual well woman exam one morning where she was full of recurring questions like, "Mommy, what 'dis?" and, "Mommy! WHHHHHAT 'DAT?" for the entiretyyyyy of the appointment, she easily talked me into celebrating with donuts and shopping afterwards! ;) :)

She and I also pulled out alllllll the summer annuals last month and planted a bunch of beautiful new mums! MUMS THE WORD! 

After we shipped Scarlett off to spend the night at Grammy and Papa's one evening, we enjoyed a pizza and movie night home alone with juuuuust Harper...

 ...and vice versa the next weekend!  The kids are totally different when they're by themselves, and both nights provided much needed quality time for all parties involved!!!

When Harper gets home from school every day, there's still plenty of [socially distanced] "school" going on inside our home...

...and gosh, Harper's creativity is soaring these days!  She is soooo artistic; she thinks of something she wants to make and goes to town cutting paper towels or construction paper -- and voila!  Disposable masks and family flip flops and mermaid tails and rainbow monsters be hers! 

Next!  The kids recently found a tub of Beanie Babies hidden away at my parents' house, and they have been LOVING them!  Ahhhhhh, the good ole' days... Are you even a kid if you don't experience a little magic from the 90's?!  Between dressing the animals, taking them for stroller rides, and making a zoo to separate all of them into categories, these old Ty dolls have provided many hours of entertainment!  [See, Dad...........it was all worth it!]

 

Lastly! ^^ National Daughter's Day was a few weeks ago, and we definitely celebrated how blessed we are to be able to call these beauties ours!  Admittedly, at times, life's a "zoo" with these two......but I assure you we wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy fall, y'all!  ...Hopefully it's still fall by the time I put you to sleep with another humble-jumbled super long and ultra boring mom-post again.

Until then.............. :-*