Toilet Phones, and Charley'isms

I've been a total slacker with the blog the last couple of days, but I've actually been really busy. Charley has had a cold or allergies (probably both) since Friday, which means she hasn't been sleeping well. Hence, I haven't been sleeping well! Last night was a little bit better, though, so I finally got caught up on some sleep, thank goodness. I was looking tired...VERY tired. And let's be honest, that's not a good look on anyone!

So, I have to get  caught up here a little bit. Saturday I was supposed to go to one of my oldest friends' baby shower. It turned out I had to work and couldn't go until later in the day, but I got myself all made-up and fancy before going to work...at the gym. I got Charley all ready and as I stood up, I heard a "Plop!" sound in the toilet. Sure enough, I had dropped my phone in the toilet. Yuck. Lucky for me it was just in water, but still, it's gross. I dried off the phone, thrilled it still worked, and was surprised I'd gotten away with dropping my phone in water with no real issues! Yeah, I was fooling myself. When I got in the car, I realized that my phone was leaking water. I hadn't thought to take out the battery and see if there was water INSIDE the phone. It was early, give me a break! So, I turned my phone off and took out the battery as I drove to work. When I put my phone back together before I went to the shower, of course, it didn't work. It worked a little bit, but there were clearly some disconnects, so I left it lying out, to try to dry it out. I drove to the shower...and 45 minutes later I still couldn't find it. I didn't have a way to reach anybody and ask for directions, so I was basically screwed. After an hour of searching, I gave up. I was SO disappointed to miss the shower. I LOVE baby showers! From there, I met my dad at an electronics store and bought a replacement iPad. I'm going on a plane this upcoming weekend with Charley, and if we didn't have an iPad, I think the whole plane would be in for it!  We got a mini this time, not just because it's more affordable, but also because I think it will be easier for Charley to carry and NOT destroy. Fingers crossed!

I know I've said in recent posts that I've really been in need of a break, lately. I noticed that the YMCA, where Charley and I go just about every day, had a parent's night out event. Basically, I could drop Charley off at 4 and pick her up at 7:30, without spending an arm and a leg. I took advantage. I went shopping with one of my friends, and was planning on meeting some of my girlfriends for drinks later in the evening. But by about 5:00, it became clear that I wasn't going to last for drinks. I was exhausted. When you look in the mirror and the dark circles under your eyes make it look like you have two black eyes, it's a sign that you need sleep. I needed sleep. I was bummed to miss out on girl time, because I really need a girls' night, but I needed to take care of myself. It worked out just fine, too, because Charley still wasn't feeling great, and I would've felt bad leaving her with a sitter after she had been occupied with other people all day long! When I picked her up at the Y, she was talking the ear off of one of the employees (go figure). She was happy as could be, but her poor little nose was running, and she was coughing. So I got her home, had her in bed by 8:30, and I went to sleep shortly thereafter. It was great.

She looks like she has sneaky intentions...

Sunday, I awoke, CERTAIN that my phone would be dried out and working perfectly! I turned it on. It worked!!! But there was only like 15% battery left. It wouldn't charge. Ugh. So, I went to the Tmobile store, and was told that I basically needed to get a new phone. Bye bye tax refund! Lucky for me, I had insurance on the phone, but they didn't have my phone in stock when I called the number, so somehow it worked out that I paid $150 and got an iPhone instead of a replacement for my old phone. BEST DECISION EVER! I'm a little addicted. The iPhone is AMAZING. Charley and I met up with my friend Sean and his daughter at the Mall of America after that. Charley had been talking about it all day. Sean and Haley went on rides, while Charley and I walked around, primarily people watching (which is an incredibly fun activity at the MOA), and it was nice. I just HATE the Mall of America on the weekends. I was pushing a stroller, but I was on a mission. Most stroller pushers at the MOA have a habit of randomly stopping, looking around, and talking to the group of 18 people they are shopping with, who are spread across the entire hallway so nobody can get by. Good thing I have quick reflexes, or I might have run over some feet! It was fun, and great for Charley, because she loves kids. It is really nice to have a few friends with kiddos for her to hang out with... But I was ready to leave after an hour or so!

I went to the gym Sunday night, and then again in the morning yesterday. Before we went yesterday, I had a couple of things to pick up at Target, so we stopped there first. Charley insisted on carrying the basket, which was her size, of course, so it extended our shopping trip by at least 10 minutes. When we went up to the checkout counter, Charley was rambling, as usual. She said to the cashier, "Oh my gosh, she is SUCH a dork!" I was mortified.The lady looked at me and asked, "What is she saying." I just replied, "I have no idea! Sometimes it's hard to understand what she's saying." But it wasn't hard to understand. It was clear as day. Thank goodness the cashier had missed it! Phew. From there, we went to the gym where Charley told the childcare worker who checked her in, "Usher is so HOT!" She was on a roll, I'm telling you! For the second time in 15 minutes, my face turned all kinds of shades of red. The employee just laughed, and said, "He sure is!" Ah well, at least she's not saying, "Oh crap!" anymore.

With all of the crazy stuff Charley says and does, sometimes I forget how smart she is. She really is a bright kid. And cute. Yes, I'm a mom, raving about how wonderful my child is...But when we got home yesterday, I got myself all set up on the couch, and Charley insisted on sitting next to me with her toy computer. She began "typing," and then said, "Good morning, James! How are you today? Mommy's teaching right now." She was talking into her computer, the way that I do when I'm teaching classes. It was cute. Then she looked at me and said, matter-of-factly, "Mommy, I'm teaching a class right now." She continued "teaching" for quite some time, and got very excited when my students actually started showing up to my class and she got to say hello. It was fun to watch, and just shows how she observes EVERYTHING.

One final note this morning...It snowed like CRAZY last night. Just one more reason to look forward to Vegas. 4 more days! Have a great day!