PMS is in town and she's kicking my ass. Worst of all, she's living in my head, shouting horrible/demanding things at me, such as, "You can't handle this!" and "Feed me chocolate!" I argue with her on the first one, but not the second. She can have all the chocolate she wants. Especially if that'll keep her bitchy self under control. Otherwise, I just cry.

So yeah, much of today was spent trying to convince myself that I could handle whatever I was going through at the time. Screaming child, cramps, fatique, blah. And lo and behold, I'm doing just fine. The other thing PMS always tries to convince me of is that I'll be happiest if I stay home and sleep. She is a big fat liar. What really makes me feel good is going for a walk and getting some fresh air and sunshine, which is just what I did today. Vic and I went to the park and I recognized lots of people there. And they recognized me! We chatted and laughed at the cuteness of the kids together. It was really great!

For much of the day, Vic seemed sad and/or angry at the world around him. Or just plain exhausted. It seems to be a mix of teething and probably some delayed reactions from the vaccinations he got yesterday. You know, I think it's fortunate that we can't remember those times in our lives: teething, being stabbed by needles, diapers, being surrounded by people who don't speak our language. It seems pretty frustrating. So, even though I am sometimes exhausted by trying to figure out the best way to handle Vic's cranky times, I still wouldn't want to trade places with the little guy.

His best moods (and therefore my favorite time of day!) take place in the evenings following his afternoon nap. He makes all sorts of cute playing noises, like, "Wheee!" and "Ooo... Wop! Da..doo..." It's much cuter than I can depict using onomatopoeia (wow, I haven't used that word since high school). You'll simply have to take my word for it.

Today, though, he wasn't super interested in playing after his nap. He was still out of sorts, so I actually ended up just holding him, rocking him and singing to him for a whole hour. At that point, he decided he was ready to get down on the floor and play some more, and soon, "Skip to My Lou" was playing repeatedly as he chewed on the musical toy and its plastic buttons. Beth returned home shortly afterwards and this time Victor didn't kick me out right away, like yesterday! He waited to wish me "bah-bah" until I'd grabbed my purse.

Oh did I tell you what he did yesterday?? He picked up his copy of Goodnight, Moon, placed it directly in my face, then climbed into my lap to hear it! Awesome! I actually really like that book. It makes me want to go to sleep! He also offered me a toy plastic person he'd been sucking on, and when I said, "No thanks, that's okay," he put it right back in his own mouth. Heh. Maybe I'm missing out on the tastes of today's plastic toys?

So yes, more difficult day than yesterday, but I suppose that's par for the course. Sometimes I freak out over my own thoughts/worries regarding being a parent one day, but I guess I really need to focus on taking my life one day at a time, yes? I think so.

So other "today" news:

- My stupid eczema is back. It's cream time again, I guess. And I have a single bump in the palm of my left hand that doesn't itch. Also eczema? I have no idea.

- My thumb looks more like my thumb and less like the horrors of Hell today. I bought hydrogen peroxide at the store this afternoon and will soak it tonight.

- I ate the world's most delicious brownie for PMS's sake. She was appeased; I sighed a breath of relief, and enjoyed a reprieve from her abuse.

- My clothes came out of the dryer this morning more wrinkled than I've ever seen them. However, since I hate ironing and am the laziest girl ever, I'll probably just re-wash everything rather than iron any of it.

- I wore a shirt in my "possibly alter with some sort of sewing device/possibly give away" pile. One woman asked me what the logo meant and I got to tell her briefly about the dog training program of the shelter I used to work at. Maybe I'll keep it. Still considering re-shaping it somehow for a more flattering fit. I say that like I know how to or have any experience doing such a thing. Well, I don't. But it could still happen. Maybe. Some...day.....

- I want more tee shirts to feel comfy in. Must go shopping.

- I miss dogs. I saw a terribly cute one tied to the park fence today on the other side of the kiddie park. He looked super friendly, but of course, with no owner in sight, I wasn't about to touch him. You just never, ever know. I need to go get some Loki loves, and might even drop by the shelter I used to work at before caring for Vic sometime next week. The two locations are fairly close to one another, so it'd be pretty convenient, and hopefully fun, too.

- Nina called to check on me and to update me about my upcoming pre-K classes, starting June 17. She's so sweet! Time to start planning my new curricula!

Okidoki. Going to clean my thumb and go to bed early. Early for me, anyway. Gotta teach in the morning! Bought back-up chocolate just in case PMS gets uppity on me either tonight or before I head out tomorrow. Damn her and her reign of terror!