My Son The Milk Addict

This was September 7th (my birthday) after we came home from the zoo. He had a great time, and so did I.

Yep, he is. He had the worst kind of tantrum, today. It was the, out in public, on a crowded buskind. If he wasn’t strapped in his stroller, he would have kicked everyone’s ass on that bus. I had just picked him up from daycare and he was fine until we got to the bus stop. I wasthinking, “maybe he’s just a bit tired”. He was falling out and whining, kicking and waving his arms. When the bus came, I thought, maybe he was going to calm down because we were in motion and not standing still. Boy was I wrong, it only got worse. The bus was crowded and I should have waited on the next one but I was tired and all I wanted to do was to go home and rest. So, we’re on the bus and for the next 10 seconds, everything was ok – or so I thought. He cried, he kicked, he screamed, he tried to fall out but he was strapped in the upright position, so it had no effect.

If you couldn’t see where the noise was coming from, you would think he was either possessed or someone was torturing him. His screaming could have peeled the paint off a wall. This was the longest bus ride ever! The screaming and hollering continued for a while and then he decided to pull on people’s sleeves. He was screaming, and reaching for things to grab since he couldn’t grab the person he was mad at. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with my usually happy boy.

Then, it hit me: he wanted some milk. I got off at the next stop and found aconvenience store and bought him some milk. Poured it in his sippy cup right in the front of the store. He grabbed that cup and he looked up at me with so much satisfaction and with a “it’s a bout damn time you figured it out!” look on his face…

All over some damn milk! Really?! He had a nervous breakdown over some …some milk?! I thought there was a toothache or crankiness, but milk?! He nearly ripped a poor woman’s arm off because he wanted some milk.

Oh, did I tell you the part where he was trying to take one of his shoes off to throw at me or whomever? No? Okay, well after he stopped grabbing people he decided to go a step further and take one of his shoes off and toss it at someone with so much fierce and anger, I’m sure who ever it would have it, would have been upset. I was so embarrassed, but at the same time, I did not care because there was nothing I could do. The only option was to spare the people on the bus any more glass breaking cries by getting off the bus and find him some milk and then walk the rest of the way home.

After he consumed all of his precious milk, he was happy, bubbly, a joy to be around. Everything was peachy-keen.

Lesson of the day: Never, ever leave daycare without a fresh cup of milk in a sippy cup or there will be pain.

So yea, my son is a milk addict and I think he needs intervention or something. I think I need to call up A&E and see if they do specials on toddlers.

A Tuesday To Remember: A Single Mother’s Strength Put To The Test

I would have posted this yesterday, but my everything was put on hold the moment I felt the worst pain anyone can feel in their face. Just a warning, this is a long read.

Yesterday, I started my job at the Federal building, I was very excited to start and couldn’t wait to meet my co-workers. I woke up on the right side of the bed and everything was going fine until I got my son on the bus. We made it to our stop and passed our stop, so I had to get off the bus and walk back to where I should have gotten off and take him to daycare. I get to the daycare and everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off. There was a gas leak and the kids needed to be transported to another facility until everything was fixed. I signed him in and they told me he would be at such and such place and they will bring him back to the daycare when I’m on my way to come and pick him up after work. I say my goodbyes and kissed my sweetheart and left to head to work. The bus was 10-15 minutes late so I ended up late for work by 30 minutes; oh, did I tell you that I sprang my ankle rushing to get to work? Oh, yea I did. Anyway, I arrived at work and I get the tour and meet everyone (everyone is so nice and I absolutely love it!), I got work supplies, a laptop and nice chair for my cubicle that I’ll be sitting in for now until whenever. Those items though weren’t available until the following day so I ended up sitting at my empty cubicle playing Tetris on my phone. Time flew by and it was time for me to pick up my lovely, handsome son from daycare. I called and told the nice lady who takes care of my son that I’m about to be off soon and she told me that I would have to go get him all the way on Kinsman.

After I finish my phone call with her, getting directions and things like that. I get my coat, say goodbye to all the nice and lovely people at my job and I leave. I stopped by a CVS to grab my sweetie something to eat and drink because he’s my sweetie and I love him. Um, I get to the counter and then at that moment, I just knew the universe was out to make my day a shitty one. There was no money on my card, embarrassed  I apologize to the clerk and leave CVS and head home to change out of my work clothes. The bus came on time, it wasn’t crowded and I was able to find the church without incident. When I got there and I seen his fat little face, I didn’t realize how much I missed him and I picked him up and covered him in kisses. The nice lady then says, we forgot your child’s stroller at the daycare. My day hasn’t been so great so far but I’m thinking, “Well, that’s OK  we’ve walked to the daycare from thebus stop before, no problem”; for some reason, I was in good mood, don’t know why. So me and sweetie we are on kinsman about to cross the street when the bus comes and I wave it down and it goes right by so we walk. We walked and walked and walked. The place was on 90th and Kinsman we were now on 79th and Kinsman. I needed to go to my grandma-ma-ma’s (don’t laugh, that’s what I call her now) because she wanted to see “munchkin”. So I check on my phone to see when the next bus that runs up and down 79th will be coming; it was 1:24 pm, the next one don’t come until 2:27. I said, “Oh hell no! I’m not about to be standing here for no hour and 2 minutes waiting on no damn bus!” Sweetie as well as the people driving by looked at me like I was some crazy drunk woman with a smart phone. I was pissed. Okay, for those who do not know about Cleveland, at all. This walk me and sweetie took is one I will never take without a stroller ever again. These blocks are long as hell and let’s just say we walked all the way from Kinsman to Woodland (Google it). My son was fine, he got upset when I wouldn’t stop so he could drink from his sippy cup. I, on the other hand couldn’t remember the last time I walked that far before I had him. After a bunch of stops, carrying him half of the way and letting sweetie grab at every weed possible on the way – mind you, this baby is 30 pounds – the sun was out, it got warm and luckily I only had on a sweater or I would have been pissed to have to carry him, and my winter coat. Anyway, we made it to E 79th and Woodland and we sat at the bus stop. We were 5 minutes shy of when the bus would have made it to 79th and Kinsman at 2:27.

When the bus came I got him in the seat, he was tired and thirsty, I was tired and hungry; as well as pissed. We make it to our stop and walk to grandma-ma-ma’s and she’s so happy to see her great-grandson. My mom was there, too and she was happy as well. I sat there and rested for at least an hour. I fed my sweetie green beans, potatoes, and cornbread – which he loved. My mom made me the best hamburger in the world (I don’t know if I was hungry or it was really good) I pretty much scarfed the entire hamburger and washed it all down with some of the best kool-aid I’ve ever tasted.

Our bellies are full and I’m in better spirits considering. I decided it was time to head home for the day. I saw when the next bus to home was coming and we waited and then when it came we got on the bus. Sweetie fell asleep before we got downtown and I wanted so badly to switch places because I was so tired. We made it into the apartment and I lay him down and put him to sleep and everything was going fine until 9:30 at night. Here comes the good part…

The good part…

Around 9:30 pm, I encountered the most painful toothache one could have. The entire right side of my face felt like it was punched by Sagat from Street Fighter. My teeth felt like they were hooked up to a car battery and someone was revving the god-damned engine. I called up Ced (my good friend) to see if he was home so I wouldn’t have to take the baby with me to the emergency room – he wasn’t. He gone say, “Why do you wait till I’m not at  home to die?” I wanted to kill him in that very moment. He told me to call an EMT, I really didn’t want to go but this pain felt like Thor was in my mouth playing a game of golf with my teeth. By 10:30, I was in tears. There was no one I could call to take me to the emergency room. I was not about to call 911 just for a toothache; someone with a much more serious problem needs that EMT. I crawled around crying and getting dressed. I proceeded to get sweetie together as well as his diaper bag. He may not have understood me but I was apologizing to him because he was sleeping soundly and peacefully. He was probably damning me to whatever evil place he know of. I couldn’t blame his questionable looks and evil stares he was giving me when I was getting him dressed.

Now it’s 10:50 pm, and we are walking up 9th to catch a bus to University Hospital. Well, the pain got so great on the bus I thought I was going to blackout. The bus driver was driving slow and stopping and sitting at every other bus stop because he was early and didn’t want the other buses to be off schedule. I wanted to scream at this evil person who is obviously out to get me that’s driving the bus to screw the other bus drivers. My teeth were playingWWF with each other one side of my face, causing my entire right side of my face to feel like a laid my face down on an electrical current for kicks. After an excruciating 30 minutes, me and the sleeping baby finally made it to the hospital. I’m relived and my hopes were up, I’m like, “Yes! I’m here, my arms are tired, my legs feel like shit  my face feels like death, but I’m here”. I get up to that damn evil counter and tell that evil woman that I’m in excruciating pain and you know what that evil woman told me? “Uh, well, there is a 6-hour wait to be seen by someone.” I looked at her like she just killed my only child. I was so mad and in so much pain I cried all the way back to the bus stop and sat there with my sleeping child in tears. 5-minutes later a bus come up the street. I was glad that it was coming so quickly and thought maybe the universe had decided to pick on someone else for a while. I was wrong. That bus said at the top “NOT IN SERVICE”. I sat down and cried some more. It wasn’t until 30 minutes or so later when a bus came strolling up the street. I called my grandmother and told her that I just came from the emergency room and they had the nerve – the audacity to be out of rooms and that I would have to wait to wait 6 damn hours. I bluntly asked did she have any drugs — she did. I get to 79th and Euclid, walked up the street, got to granny’s and she gave me an oxy.

Just for the hell of it, that pain went out fighting. It took 15 minutes for that pill to actually give me some relief. Then when it really kicked in I was so damn happy I could have started dancing. Before that, I was crying, I woke up half the house screaming and moaning.

The baby knew something was wrong because he wouldn’t leave my side and he kept putting his hand on mine and looking at me with sad eyes. All I could do was apologize to him, I felt so badly that I had him out that late because of my pains. That is a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I would have gladly traded labor pains for the kind of pain that was running through the right side of my face. All I have to say is that I need to be more grateful for things because there are people in pain and there’s nothing that can get rid of it. The fact that I have the privilege to be able to get rid of mine shouldn’t be taken for granted.

I have a dentist appointment next Tuesday. I really…REALLY hope I can make it to Tuesday. That pill I took last night is still working but not as good as it was when I first took it. The pain is there and it’s giving me a very, very mild headache but anything is better than what I went through yesterday. There may not be much food in the house for the baby and me (I could go without – like I’ve been doing) but if I’m not 100% capable to take care of myself, how can I take care of my son?