The Life & Times of Finnegan Buckley The terribly exciting and ever expanding world of me, myself

Today started like any other day. Woke up about 6:30, had an english muffin with Dad. Mom came down after her shower and we waved goodbye to Dad about 8:15. About 2 hours later, all hell broke lose.

While Mom was making the bed I decided to explore her closet. Now understand, I’m not a closet novice, I have treked through closetville many times without incident. But, like many others, I lost concentration for just a second.

Wham, down I went like 31 pounds of limp toddler.

I can’t tell you exactly what happened, but it hurt. I’m not sure if my tooth went through my lip, or if I just bit it, but I do know I was losing blood at a rate that hasn’t been seen since Rocky II.

Help Help! Someone Call 911 !

Mom picked me up and told me everything was going to be okay, but I wasn’t buying it.

We called Dad at work and asked him to come home. I think Mom was panicked.

Dad was home in about 20 minutes, by then blood had slowed from a gush to a slow seep. Dad suggested that Mom call the pediatrician and see what they suggested. Some sadist there thought a couple of stitches might be in order.

A few minutes later we were on our way to WakeMed Cary Emergency Room. Dad kept muttering about, “there goes three hours”.

When we got to the ER, we waited in the waiting room for a while with Jerry Springer blaring, and no toys.

Things actually moved along fairly quickly, we were in an exam room in about 30 minutes. That’s when they said something about “stitches” and disappeared. I was hoping that they forgot about us as we watched Tom & Jerry.

Nurse Ratched

No such luck, nurse Ratched and her evil sidekick returned with a cart filled with instruments obviously taken from Saddam Hussein’s  torture chambers.

First they quietly sneaked me onto a baby papoose board. Then they wrap me up with the velcro until I was completely immobilized. As I waited for the water boarding to begin, I felt the male nurse hold my head steady, someone slipped a paper thing over my head with just an opening for my mouth, then, I’m told, a gigantic needle came towards my big, sore, swollen lip.

About 3 seconds after my bloody, cut, painful lip was stuck, and injected twice with a needle the size of a Louisville Slugger, I feel the tug of dissolving thread being pulled through it. In case I haven’t mentioned this yet… OUCH!

After what seemed an eternity, the blood soaked paper thingy was removed and I could see my parents standing there. Yup, just standing there. Not trying to stop the torture, not calling 911, just standing and watching.

I feared they were about to sell me into some Asian slave trade or something, but apparently they had finally snapped out of their funk, and now were all lovey-dovey. They asked the nurse for a Popsicle for me, but I was so traumatized I couldn’t even eat it.

I rode home in a state of semi-conciousness, sucking my thumb, with my green popsicle running down my arm, until I finally gave up and closed my eyes. It had been a tough morning and the only way to deal with it was to take a 3 hour nap.

I don’t know if your mom ever tried to convince you that “playing in the snow” was fun, but mine tried that line on me recently.

Looking out the front door in Georgetown, MA

So, first we leave the 50 degree weather of beautiful central North Carolina and drive all night only to arrive in the snow covered, below freezing, God forsaken area known as Massachusetts. During our 4 or 5 days up there we saw even more snow fall. My Mom convinced Dad that “Finn would love going for a sled ride”. I had no idea what a “sled ride” was, but 30 minutes later, I was face down, boogers flowing down my face with a slightly bloody nose from my slip and fall.

Let me warn any other toddlers out there, DO NOT be swayed by your parents memories of how much they used to love playing outside in the snow. Of course they did, it was the stone age, what else were they going to do all day? Luckily we were soon on our way back to a more sane climate.

Then yesterday, the unthinkable happened. The dreaded snow weather had followed me like a US Marshall after a fugitive. Mom and Dad always brag about how they haven’t had to shovel since they moved to NC in 2003, well those days are over. 6 inches of snow fell over night!

You gotta be kidding me!

Snow started falling around midnight while I was sleeping, and by the time I woke up, there was already a couple of inches on the ground. I looked out the back door in shock and horror at the evil whiteness that had enveloped the yard.

It continued to snow and snow and snow all day!

When I heard my Mom on the phone with Mrs. Lewis next door asking if she had mittens I started to panic. I knew what she was up to. Mittens? That could only mean one thing – cold, wet and possibly a bloody nose again.

Unfortunately, since I can’t form sentences yet, I couldn’t explain my displeasure and the next thing I know, I’m being stuffed into a snowsuit.

I was then dragged outside in the snow to sit on a sled that was cold and wet. I’m still not sure how anyone calls this “fun”

Riding on the sled between Mom’s legs wasn’t bad, especially since Dad was pulling us. Then Mom decided to let me have all of that “fun” alone. Umm, no, that wasn’t going to happen. WHAAAAAA!

We walked back to the house where Dad and I threw snowballs at Mom, hopefully she got the hint

So today we rang in the New Year with a little New Year’s Day cake.  And for those of you who didn’t notice, I’m a big fan.  Especially of the frosting part.
Here’s a little sample:

We spent most of the day just hanging out…me, mom and dad.
Did a little playing…a little napping….then watched Madagascar 2.

Oh, and uncle Brad came over and brought us some pizza from Mellow Mushroom, which totally rocked.
Pizza and cake – it doesn’t get much better than that!