I should have put the camera down to help her up, but, um, I didn't
Those are Old Navy coupons I received in the mail and she played with them for like FIVE WHOLE MINUTES. F.I.V.E. One two three four FIVE. And then she got bored and started screaming and I grabbed the camera.
You must have a dooce® Community account to leave a comment.
If you've already registered, login.
If this is your first time posting here, snag a free account.
FM Living
Sarah said:
That picture is hilarious!
Thank you for sharing your stories...you have a gift, and you have touched so many people, Heather.
You be well, too.
11.20.04 - 04:48 AM / 1goli said:
do I dare do the whole "YAY! I'm first" jig?
11.20.04 - 04:49 AM / 2coskel said:
as a fellow medicator, I very much understand that post about suicide - I spent months thinking the same thing. I still have my bad days, and don't really have the support system that others do, but nothing like inner resources, eh? Thanks for all the laughs, dooce - you make a LOT of people very, very happy. :)
11.20.04 - 04:53 AM / 3eco2geek said:
Dooce, you're hysterically funny, fearless, and wise.
That's actually a scary picture. The background, her eyes, and her mouth are all deep pools of darkness.
11.20.04 - 04:54 AM / 4Steve J said:
Good morning all. Long time "listener" first time "caller". I know, that's pure cheese.
OLD NAVY! And coupons in the mail! How can I score some coupons?
Heather, I love your blog. You have an amazing family and I enjoy reading about your lives.
As for grabbing the camera when your kid was screaming and probably needed help, I would do the same with my kids! Haha.
Steve
11.20.04 - 04:55 AM / 5slick said:
hahah! that's too cute. thanks for making me smile this morning :)
11.20.04 - 04:55 AM / 6Alex said:
That is sheer and utter helplessness at it's purest form. Leta, you poor thing! :D
11.20.04 - 04:55 AM / 7Alex said:
ARGH! I meant "ITS" -- not "IT'S".
Sorry...I'm *really* anal about that.
11.20.04 - 04:56 AM / 8Alex said:
Heather, have Leta's top teeth come in yet?
It doesn't look like they have from this angle, but I could be mistaken.
I was just wondering how her teething went? Right now, my kid is in teething hell.
11.20.04 - 04:58 AM / 9Peter Hentges said:
Thud.
That's the sound of me mentally hitting the floor with the suicide news. I know just how you feel, having suffered depression for several years now (probably more than I realized). I take my meds, yes I do. And I try to look out for my friends who seem to be in the same state I was.
A good friend recently started taking anti-depressants. She's having a hard time with the side-effects and is working to get the right medication/dose. I hear her grumble and can't help think, "It's so good to have you around to complain."
It's good to have you, too, Heather.
11.20.04 - 04:59 AM / 10-leslie.- said:
What would life be like if you didn't get to make fun of your child's helplessness every once in a while? :)
11.20.04 - 05:04 AM / 11brittney said:
Hey, the Dooce. I wanted to say a lot more people than you are thankful you are alive. A lot more people than just your family and friends.
The title "You Be Well For Me" gives me chill bumps.
11.20.04 - 05:05 AM / 12angela said:
Aren't those GAP coupons?
By the way, all of the people who post just to be first (and aren't) really annoy me.
11.20.04 - 05:08 AM / 13Cori said:
gotta love Old Navy! hate those damn commercials though!
11.20.04 - 05:11 AM / 14Amanda said:
Of course you grab the camera first. How else will you have proof that your children were like most childre, out of control. I take pictures of my kids so when they grow up and are telling their shrinks just how horrible I was I can kick in the door and be all like "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"
11.20.04 - 05:32 AM / 15Laurel 825 said:
(Cute kid, per usual. Chuck could replace "Magic" as the Old Navy dog.)
My teenage son is under psychiatric care. Those claims...and no other for assorted medical services...are bounced back to us after nearly every appointment. The Dr's office claims to process and code them correctly, the insurance company says the office didn't OR that they never received the claim and then the corporation that runs the Dr's office (and nearby hospital) sends shit letters saying we owe them money still. In the billholder, behind my checkbook, on any given day, is the latest statement w/ who I spoke to at the office, insurance and corp. level and the date such-and-such check was sent. I had surgery for Crohn's in August, was in the hospital for 5 days (!) and all of THAT (!) was processed without anyone saying "blip." Gaslighting, me thinks.
11.20.04 - 05:33 AM / 16AndreaBT said:
Angela, chill...it's just a game :) No one takes it that seriously, neither should you.
And I've got quite a few pictures of my daughter when she was screaming or otherwise upset. I want to remember ALL parts of her childhood (and darn if she wasn't just as cute when she was screaming) :)
11.20.04 - 05:36 AM / 17Colleen from NJ said:
Leta: "these coupons are for December? I can't wait that long!"
Heather, your last post will touch a lot of people (I'm sitting here with my nose running in my yogurt). We just got a new governor here in NJ whose wife had horrible depression, so mental health care reform is one of his top priorities. I hope it catches on. I hope that poor family will be supported.
11.20.04 - 05:42 AM / 18Chessy said:
Thank you for your seemingly effortless way of putting things in perspective. From the sobering story of your sister's neighbor to the girlish glee in which you photograph your (suffering) child, you master the art of life's balance. It takes nothing for me to tell you thanks for sharing, so I will. :) Dooce is a good place to visit daily.
11.20.04 - 05:42 AM / 19betty said:
You can give her paper and she doesn't reduce it to a slimp pulp and choke on it? My 10 month old is forbidden from paper contact. Even those seemingly sturdy board books get gnawed to mush.
11.20.04 - 05:50 AM / 20maggie said:
Oh Heather-
I have two comments:
1. Thank you for sharing your story and helping others come to terms with mental illness. It's ironic that sometimes the better insurance you have, the more trouble you have paying for psychiatric care--for example, some private insurers will only pay for a 3 day stay at an inpatient psychiatric unit with 3 months of follow-up outpatient care, while medicaid will pay for someone to sit in a hospital for a year if necessary, pay for all their meds, and allow the follow-up care the people need (granted, it will likely be at a public hospital, but the doctors there are, if anything, more dedicated to their patients). It's very frustrating to see patients who are high-functioning in society forced to cope on their own and bear the expenses out of pocket--these kinds of financial stressors are quite anti-therapeutic and are responsible for many people going off medication before it's really safe. This is not the way our society should work!
2. I believe Leta is thinking, "50% off fleece pullovers?! I'm so there. If I start screaming and waving the coupons, mom will have to bring me shopping!" She's going to be a handful when she turns 13...
Take care, Heather.
11.20.04 - 06:05 AM / 21Moxie said:
Leta is channeling her inner Morgan Fairchild.
11.20.04 - 06:11 AM / 22Human Writes said:
Ten bucks says she started eating those coupons shortly after the pic was taken.
11.20.04 - 06:12 AM / 23Terri said:
I have so many pictures of my daughter screaming, obviously me NOT helping. These are the best pictures I think. Talk about showing the little monster's true side! ;)
Awesome post by the way. I'm sure you realize how many people you touch (and help) everyday. Thank you.
11.20.04 - 06:12 AM / 24Sarcastic Journalist said:
I'd be crying too if I realized they were only for 10% off.
11.20.04 - 06:14 AM / 25the niffer said:
Alex: it's ok to be anal about that stuff. You are not alone.
Have you read Eats, Shoots & Leaves yet? Vindication for folks like us.
Dooce: the more that people like you talk about mental illness and the more that people like us read about it, hopefully the sooner we'll change attitudes toward it. Keep it up.
11.20.04 - 06:19 AM / 26Sue from Ohio said:
OMG! GAP, OLD NAVY and BANANA REPUBLIC!!!! Wooohoo....time to go online shopping....I can use ONE CARD to shop at ALL THREE! Leta just wanted to do some online shopping, I think...'I don't want to play with these damn coupons, I want to GO SHOPPING!'
On a different note, an acquaintance of mine killed himself back in August by hanging. He left his wife and 18 month old...plus 2 other children from previous wives. He was only 34. I am still in shock and sometimes I think, maybe if I would have been nicer...but that wasn't the problem. I'm angry at him for doing it to his family but mostly, angry at him because I can't tell him off for doing it...strange, I know.
11.20.04 - 06:36 AM / 27Psycho Kitty said:
Thank you for writing about this. My ex *finally* took the step of checking himself in to a facility. I've been so worried about him for so many years that I had reached the point of hopelessness; I do hope that this step will be the first he takes to wellness. It's encouraging to read about others who have been down that low and made it back to the surface.
11.20.04 - 06:49 AM / 28Me myself and I said:
Dooce, you are so brave, and you inspire me every day. I too suffer from clinical depression, and have for twenty or so years. I'm still not quite brave enough to tell very many people, but I'm getting there. One day I'll "come out." Although my mental illness is hereditary, it is also related to severe abuse I suffered as a child, so the 'coming out' thing is so very complicated.
Thanks, Dooce, for bringing lots of light to my days!
11.20.04 - 06:58 AM / 29Julie said:
This is one of those pictures she'll try to hide when she gets older. Wait... she CAN'T... it's on the INTERNET!
Heather, I share the admiration of your other readers. You are fantastic, girl! I can't stop reading your amazing stories.
11.20.04 - 06:58 AM / 30