Fun Through the Eyes of a Child

Wow, what a fun day we had yesterday!!  For Christmas, my dad took mine and my brother's family to see Disney on Ice.  I don't know who was more excited about the gift to begin with, me or....me?!?!?!  We had tickets for the 7:00 show and had planned to go to dinner together beforehand.  As any good Grandpa would, he suggested we eat at Chuck E. Cheese. 

We arrived in town a little bit early and needed to kill about 15 minutes of time.  Rylee has been asking to go to the animal shelter, and as luck would have it, there was one across the street from Chuck E Cheese.  I took her inside and we checked out the adorable furry animals, but what she was most enamored by were the fish!  We spent the most time in the fish room and walked past each tank (there are 50+ of them) twice.  It wasn't quite the experience I thought it would be, but she was happy and that's all that mattered.  I almost couldn't get her to leave to go to Chuck E Cheese (one of her favorite places)!

Chuck E Cheese was fun.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid.  Rylee has been there though and as soon as she saw the building she told us, "There it is!"  She showed us around the place, starting with a ride on the carousel, which my mother told me previously, is her favorite thing there.  James and Rylee played lots of games and Rylee and her cousin rode several of the little rides.  She wasn't interested in dancing with the "band" though...too bad, because I would have been right there dancing with her!  I even got her to sit down and eat a piece of pizza, which I thought would be a huge feat.  

The highlight of our day though was definitely Disney on Ice.  What a fun family show!!  Thanks to my mom and myself, Rylee has over 20 Disney movies and we watch a couple of them each day.  She knows nearly all of the Disney characters and their stories.  In the days leading up to the show we talked about which characters she would see.  Minnie Mouse is her favorite, and while she was looking forward to seeing all of them, Minnie was at the top of her list.  On the way to the arena she talked about Minnie Mouse and that she was going to give her a "high five" when she saw her.  While walking to the arena from the car, Ry said, "I'm so excited!"  As soon as we walked in to the arena, she called out, "Minnie!  Where are you?"  It was quite adorable if you ask me.  We walked around a little bit, checking out the souvenirs and killing time.  When we ran into her aunt, Rylee asked "Have you seen Minnie?"  This girl was bound and determined to see the pretty mouse in high heels.  Ironically, she picked out a MICKEY Mouse souvenir though.

We finally went in and sat down in our seats.  To our surprise, Grandpa was sitting there wearing a Flounder hat, which came with his $12 bag of cotton candy (gotta love overpriced snacks).  As soon as the show started, out came Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Donald.  The beautiful little blond sitting next to me in her Minnie Mouse outfit squealed and jumped up and down in her seat!!!  Oh my word she was excited!!!  She put her hand up to her mouth and giggled uncontrollably...she was shaking, she was so excited!!  I almost shed a tear at how excited she was.  I'm pretty sure I will never forget that moment. 

The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Lilo and Stitch were the shows of the first half.  They were very beautifully choreographed with lots of bright colors and wonderful music.  Rylee loved all 3.  I think The Little Mermaid was our favorite -- it was the most colorful and had the best music.  Rylee loved all of the music.  She is my little dancer and rarely sat still in her seat.  She even claps along to the beat very well. 

After the short intermission was the final show, Peter Pan.  Rylee doesn't know the Peter Pan story, but she does know Tinkerbell and was very excited to see her!  When the show was over she didn't want to leave (never mind it was past her bedtime).  She talked about the show the whole way home and kept asking "Where's (insert any of the characters here)"?  The first thing she asked me this morning when she woke up was, "Have you seen Tinkerbell this morning?"  I may have to take her again :)  I should also mention that Wyatt loved the show too!!

THANK YOU, DAD, FOR THE SUPER FUN EXPERIENCE!!!!

Disney really knows how to bring the kid out in all of us.  I love watching the movies, going to the Disney stores, and now Disney on Ice will be a tradition for me I think.  I can't wait to go to Disney World some day!  I have never been and am so glad I will get to experience it with the children I love most!!

To continue this wonderful weekend and keep the Disney magic going, I am taking Rylee to her very first movie theater movie today.  We are going to see Disney's new animated movie, Frozen.  I have heard nothing but great things about the movie and am excited to see how Ry will do in the theater.  She has a grandma, aunt and uncle who are very frequent visitors to the theater and I have a feeling she will join their club:) 

Thankful

I think about things that I am thankful for quite often, but I'm not very good at making sure to give thanks where it's due.   I could probably write for an entire day to list all of the things and people that I am thankful for, but since I have limited time to write and you have limited time to read, I will just mention some things I have recently been thankful for......

1. My friend Renae for teaching me how to curl my hair
2. My grandma who took note in my "favorite things" post that I like to receive snail mail and sending me letters regularly.
3. Magic Eraser for cleaning my stove with ease
4. My sister-in-law for offering to watch Wyatt for me so I can participate in Rylee's tumbling class with her.
5. My mini-van for hauling all of our crap and being so easy to get my kids in and out of.
6. Target for providing free shipping on all of my online purchases. 
7. Authors for writing books to entertain, educate and make me think. 
8. Waste Management for agreeing to come clear out to our house to pick up our trash so James doesn't have to spend so much time burning it.
9. My daughter for being so willing to help me and using good manners. 
10. All of you who read my blog, and even more love for those who comment on it :)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! 

Never have I....

Previously, I shared with you some of my "firsts", so I thought it would be fitting to also share some things that I have never done.  So, here you are....happy reading!

Never have I...

1. Gone snow skiing or ice skating.  I even grew up in a town that had a ski hill.  I'm just not into doing things that appear dangerous...especially now, after having spent 3 months in a hospital with lots of broken bones.  I would attempt snow skiing though...I think.  Though I hate cold weather.

2. Been pulled over or in an accident where I was driving.  I would not say I'm a great driver though...just lucky.

3. Been to Okoboji.  I felt compelled to write this one, because I think everyone I know has been there at least once. 

4. Used an entire bottle of shampoo, conditioner, body soap, bottle of OTC medicine or scented lotion.  I am a pretty wasteful person.  I get tired of something after about a half bottle and move on to the next thing.  I wish all hygiene products came in travel sizes!  Regarding the OTC medicine, I just don't take enough of it before it expires.  I'm anti-medicine most of the time. 

5. Gone into Target and came out empty handed.  Has anyone??

6. Gone shopping before 5am on Black Friday.  In fact, I've only been Black Friday shopping twice that I can remember and once wasn't until mid-morning.   

7. Smoked a cigarette. Don't even get me started on how disgusting smoking is!!!  I could write an entire blog post on this topic -- ICK ICK ICK!!!  Really, why can't it be illegal???  Wish I didn't ever have to be exposed to 2nd hand smoke either!!  Someone sat right beside me and smoked when I was 9 months pregnant --- hello?!?!?!??  Gross.  End rant.  

8.  Ran a mile.  Nope, not even in gym class.  We always had the option to walk or run, and since I knew I wouldn't be able to run the whole thing, I always walked.  I can do a lot of cardio activities without any issue, but running has just never been something I could master.  I hate the feeling I get in my chest and legs...I'm sure I'm not doing something right, but I just can't get past the quarter mile mark...sad. 

9. Ridden the ye old mill at the State Fair.  I actually just rode the giant slide for the first time ever this year and I've been to the State Fair a lot!

10. Dove into the water.  Yes, this is exactly what you are thinking.  Like, head first diving.  If you weren't laughing at me for something before, I bet you are now!!  I was in competitive tumbling for 6 years and could make my body do all kinds of things.....but diving head first into the water just isn't something I can get my body to do.  I don't know why.  Feet first for this girl! 

11. Been over seas.  I do not like to fly (though I do it occasionally), so it would have to be somewhere that I really want to go.  I do think I will make an overseas trip sometime in my life.  Maybe Denmark and the Netherlands, where my family is from. 

12. Paid more than $14 for a clothing item for my kids.  Normally I don't even spend more than $5 on an item...it's just not worth it for the number of times they will wear it.  Too bad my little girl is probably going to be into style pretty soon :(  The other day she told her daddy, "I like your outfit!" as he came out of the bedroom dressed for the day. 

There you have it...12 things I've never done!  Call me crazy if you want.  My husband is flabbergasted (yes, I just used that word) by some of the things I've never done.  Oh well.  I have lots of life left to try them if I feel like it :) 

Give it to the other kids

I'm not quite sure why yet, but Rylee is always wanting to leave things behind for "the other kids".  She loves stickers and gets excited when somebody offers her one, but 30 seconds later she says, "lets leave it here for the other kids."  Same with her kids meal toy (this always makes me extra happy as I don't want the kids meal toys coming home with us anyway).  She even got to pick out a couple of toys at the doctor's office and we left them behind for "the other kids". 

As I have been purging my house to get rid of things we don't use, I hadn't touched many of the kids' things.  Every time I went to the basement to go through the toys, I kept hearing a familiar 2 year old voice in my head saying, "Mommy, where's my (insert donated toy here)?"  So, I decided to have her help me pick which toys we would donate.  This ended up being so much easier than I had anticipated.  She was more than happy to give up some of her toys.  She is still saying "I have a lot of toys!  Let's give some to the other kids." 

As the holidays are approaching and I am planning my annual charitable donations, I think I need to embrace Rylee's thoughtfulness and start teaching her about helping those less fortunate than us.  She and I could both also gain something from performing more random acts of kindness.  I'm not sure she will truly understand it this year, and possibly not next year either, but I figure it can't hurt to start early. 

I'm thinking about having her pick out a toy for Toys for Tots, helping put food in the barrels at the grocery store, and shopping for an Angel Tree family.  I am also contemplating buying some small gift cards to places like Starbucks and Dairy Queen to hand out randomly during the month of December -- my thought being, Rylee will help me hand them out and see how excited strangers get to receive an unexpected gift.  Perhaps I will have her help me make something to leave for the mailman as well. 

I am feeling overly generous this year as I have been realizing how wasteful I am.  Whether it is food or household items, I have thrown away all kids of perfectly good items.  I bought a sandwhich at the mall last weekend and only ate half of it.  I was so embarrassed to throw away the other half; I was hoping no one would see me.  I wish I could buy food in "petite" sizes at restaurants because I rarely eat it all and feel horrible throwing the rest away.  Anyway, realizing that I have enough things to be able to just throw stuff away, made me think of those who are much less fortunate and I am feeling the need to up the ante on my donations this year (and I will count donating a couple hundred items from my house to Goodwill this past month a huge increase already). 

If anyone has suggestions on charitable things I could with Rylee, I would love to hear them!!  In addition, as you are shopping on Thanksgiving, or very early on Black Friday, or seeing a movie on a holiday, remember that the employees working are missing time with their families (or sleep) and we should be overly appreciative of them!!  If you make a stop at Starbucks, maybe buy a $5 gift card for a working mall employee :)

Go AWAY Monsters!!

Do you have monsters in your house??  I do, and they keep me up all night!  They only reside in Rylee's room and don't seem to care if the light is on or off.  UGH!!!!!

For the past 9 months Rylee has been waking up at night at least 3 times per week, crying that there are monsters in her room.  We will sometimes spend over 2 hours trying to get her to go back to sleep.  Add that to an infant who still wakes up to eat at night and you get a couple of tired, crabby parents!! 

We have tried having 3 night lights on in Rylee's room to now having a lamp on in her room, and it's not helping.  I actually think the lights make it worse because then she sees shadows.  I have taken almost everything out of her room and I always shut her closet doors to limit the items she might interpret as monsters.  She takes really long 3 hour naps everyday and never has any problems with monsters then, even though her room is nearly as dark during the day as it is at night.  During the day though, she won't go into any room by herself as "there are monsters in there."  It's so annoying! 

She does watch tv, but mostly Disney movies and cartoons that don't even have a single scary character.  Most of the Disney movies have a "bad guy", but she has never said that any of them are scary and she always wants to keep watching them, so I can't imagine the movies are causing the issue???? 

We have had several people recommend the "monster spray" (water bottle and water), but we haven't wanted to try it yet because then we are acknowledging that the monsters might exist.  We always tell her there are no monsters.  Last night however, she almost made the monsters believable.  I asked where the monster was and she said, "on the wall", but then a few seconds later she said, "he's by my bed!!" and she got up and ran out of the room.  That was the first time that has happened and I followed right after her because I didn't want to get eaten by the monster either ;) 

After talking with several parents who have or have had a 2 year old, it sounds like this is a pretty common phase.  This has me thinking.....maybe monsters really are real!?!?!?!  Think about it....how many memories do you have as a 2 year old??  None?  I don't have any at all.....so maybe, there really are monsters, but they only bother 2 year olds as they know our brains won't remember them as we get older and thus, no one will believe a 2 year old when they are seeing monsters.  Makes sense, right??  Let's compare notes about the monsters.....Rylee always says her monster is "yellow" when I ask her what it looks like.  Anyone else have a yellow monster??

We tried having her sleep in the living room last night to see if it would help her, but she still woke up twice crying for us.  The living room is a much farther walk for us than her bedroom, so we won't try that idea again.  And I refuse to have her sleep in our room.  She's a smart girl and she will start crying "monster!" every night if she knows it will get her a free ticket to sleep in our room.  Plus, she rolls around and kicks too much at night and then I really don't get any sleep. 

Today I'm going to remove nearly everything from her room, not let her watch any tv from the time she wakes up from nap until she goes to bed and read her some fun upbeat books before bed so she has something positive on her mind as she goes to sleep....we will see if that works.  Her Daddy also talked to her about the monster spray this morning and she sounded excited about it, so I told her she could help me decorate the bottle.  Hopefully all or some of these items will help, because we can't take any more unnecessary sleepless nights!!

Oh What Fun....!

Tis the season.   The season of stress.  Prior to having kids, I loved Thanksgiving and Christmas….now, I’m not sure what I think of it. 

For starters there is trying to plan a time to get together with both sides of our families.  And within each side, there are mulitiple families to work around.  You know what I mean??  This year we all kind of decided to pick a day and stick to it each year.   I am hopeful that this will work out going forward and save the stress of choosing a day to get together.

The day really shouldn’t matter as long as you get together with family….but I’ve been alone on the actual holiday before, and it is kind of depressing.  And I feel like if you don’t get together on that exact holiday (mostly just regarding Thanksgiving), then what’s the point of even getting together, because then it’s just another day.   One year James and I were alone on Christmas so we went deer hunting – of course he shot a deer that day and I felt horrible, because I was just sure the deer was probably on his way to Grandma’s house for Christmas dinner L 

Then there is the gift exchange.  This has changed from year to year on both sides.  As our families keep growing and more kids are added, it gets harder and more expensive to buy gifts.  I remember how much fun Christmas was the first year that I had a child – I realized just how much joy little kids bring to Christmas! 

So, then do you buy for all of the kids, or just some, or none and just spend money on your own kids??  Do you decide you don’t want your kids to think Christmas is just about presents and decide to keep it simple or not do gifts at all??  Do you set a dollar limit, or just go crazy because you know how excited they will be to get everything on their list??  Phew, so many decisions!! 

Do you still buy for adults and how many and who and what’s an appropriate amount to spend??

How about this one… do you give a list of things you’d like (or your kids would like), or do you leave it all in the hands of the giver??  As the giver, would you prefer to have a list or do you like the thrill of shopping for that perfect gift?? 

Sometimes I think the gift giving is more about the giver…you know they spent lots of time searching for that perfect gift….and then…you really don’t need it/want it/like it and you end up taking it back or giving it away anyway.  A friend told me that a relative of hers has given a gift right back to her and said, “I won’t use this, you can have it back.”  Yikes huh?!?!  So maybe it would be better if we all gave lists…

But then, what’s the point of giving a gift if the recipient is basically asking for it??  I used to always give a “wish list”, but then my husband opened my eyes to how silly that is.  Every year I agree with him more and more.  If I want to get someone a gift, I want to pick it out on my own without a “wish list”…but then that goes back to “if the recipient doesn’t like it/need it/want it, then giving the gift was more about me than the recipient--- it’s a vicious circle I guess.   And gift receipts??  I am HORRIBLE at remembering to get a gift receipt…it’s just one more step in a process that already stresses me out.  A friend told me that her mother-in-law keeps all of the gift receipts and then if you need one to return an item, you have have to ask her for it.  I’m sure that’s her way of keeping tabs of whether or not someone liked the gift she got them.

So I guess we should ask ourselves, “what is the purpose of giving a gift?”  Are we doing it because we want to, or because “we have to because we drew their name” or because “we have to because it’s Christmas and we will look like a scrooge if we don’t”???  Oh jeesh, just thinking about all of this just makes me want to say “no gifts please, let’s just celebrate being together”. 

My husband prefers the “I’ll get you a gift whenever I feel like it and not just because it’s a holiday and I ‘have to’” method.  I’m liking this method more and more because it means so much more to me on a random day than “because he had to and only had 2 days left to find me something”.  I have been in a store numerous times and seen that perfect gift for someone, but instead of giving it to them right away I stash it away for a holiday so I’m not scrounging for something for them later…and by the time the holiday gets there I either forget I have it, or it doesn’t seem so exciting anymore.  Thus, maybe we should just give gifts randomly throughout the year instead of just on a holiday…maybe it will mean more to the recipient??  But then if you give a gift to one person on a random day, do you have to make sure to buy something for another member of that household  soon so they don’t feel left out?  Oh brother!  Can we just all agree to buy our own gifts? ;) 

Speaking of which, I know people who do buy their own gifts and then the “giver” just pays them back for it. To me, that falls under the “I am getting you a gift because I have to” category.  But at least the recipient gets what they want I guess. 

Miss Minimalist (the author of the book I referenced in a prior post) recommends opting out of gift exchanges and instead getting together for an experience – a movie, dinner, game, concert, etc.  Experiences create way more memories than gifts do.  I can’t tell you very many gifts my mom has given me, but I can name off a mile-long list of things we have done together.  I will buy myself whatever store item I want, but I might not buy myself an “experience” item,  like…I don’t know…say, tickets to the Jason Aldean/Florida Georgia Line concert on January 16 (tickets go on sale November 15…just sayin!) so that I could share that experience with someone.  Another experience I would love to receive as a gift is to wake up to a peacefully empty house and sit on the couch reading a book uninterrupted all day long. 

As I don’t have many people to buy for this year (just the way I like it), I am already about 80% done with my shopping.  I used to love to shop a little bit at a time throughout the Christmas season, but having kids makes that so hard.  It’s easier for me now to shop online or pick a day to shop without kids and get it all done.  As the giver, I prefer to shop without a list.  I usually start thinking of things to get people a few months early and I write down my ideas to reference later.  The hardest part for me has been knowing where to cut off the gifts for my daughter.  She is at a fun age where she is into so many things that I am constantly seeing items that I know she would love.  Some I have been able talk myself out of and others go straight into my cart.  I wouldn’t even buy anything for my infant, as he is too little to understand, but I don’t want the 2 year old to notice, so he got a couple of presents too. 

Now that I’m nearly done shopping and the get-together dates have all been planned, I think I can relax and take in the sights and sounds of the holidays.  I'm even contemplating buying cable for the month of December (we can do that easily with our small local cable company) just so I can watch all of the holiday movies (and DVR lots of Disney movies that are going to be on).

What is your biggest stressor when it comes to the holidays?  Do you have any gift giving tips or horror stories to share?

Clean my house with just water??

Earlier this year I had posted on Facebook how much I dislike mopping.  Someone commented that I should look into the Norwex mop, as it makes mopping so much quicker and easier.  This was about the 5th time I've heard someone tell me how much they love their Norwex products, so I decided to research it. 

If you haven't heard of Norwex, basically they make cloths and mops that claim to clean your house using only water.  They make other products too, but I'm just discussing the craziness of using only a cloth and water in this blog.  You can read more about their products and how they work at www.norwex.com. 

I was very skeptical, so I did a Google search for something like "Is Norwex worth the money?" and "Does Norwex really work?"  The majority of answers were "yes" and "yes". 

As I am purging my house to get rid of LOTS of items (this is going wonderfully by the way), I am drawn to the thought of getting rid of most of my cleaning supplies and just having some cloths to clean with.  As luck would have it, my sister-in-law recently started selling Norwex, so I have easy access to ordering their products. 

I am kind of a germaphobe sometimes and I want to make sure that when I'm cleaning, the germs are being washed away as well as any dirt.  Too many times I've had someone leave my house and call me the next day to tell me they have the stomach flu, bronchitis and even shingles.  So now every time someone leaves my house I immediately get out the Colorox wipes and clean every handle, light switch, remote, drawer pull, hand railing, microwave buttons, etc. to rid my house of germs that they may have brought in with them.  I like the clean "bleachy" smell of the wipes -- they make me feel like my house is truly clean.

So, can I clean with just a cloth and water and feel good about the cleanliness of my house??  I am leaning towards "yes".  I have just started using my cloths and mop.  I do LOVE dusting and washing windows with just a cloth and water.  I am pretty amazed at how well the cloths work for those two items.  I was also able to get all of the hand prints off of our t.v. with just the cloths and water.  I had tried several other methods to get the prints off and none of them worked, so I am sold on the cloths for handprint removal! 

I have wiped down my kitchen and bathroom counters with the cloths as well.  They did clean them very nicely and picked up lots of dirt/crumbs/etc, but as far as getting rid of the germs, I will just have to trust that they are working.  I think for everyday use I am comfortable using them.  If someone in my house is sick though, I will probably double up with the Clorox wipes. 

I did read about a couple different lab experiments to test the validity of the cloths removing germs and I was surprised with the results.  Not only did these cloths remove 99% of the germs, but a paper towel and general purpose cleaner removed 0% of germs!!! 

The mop is amazing too as it eliminates a lot of time spent cleaning my floors!!  It's almost fun to mop now ....almost. 

Norwex also makes body cloths that claim to clean your body with......you guessed it, just water!  I wasn't even considering getting these, but my brother recently tried them out and posted on Facebook that he actually felt cleaner using just the cloth in the shower than he does when he showers with soap.  I'm still skeptical, but plan to give it a try.... I promise to do it on a day when no one has to smell me :)  I would LOVE to get rid of some bottles in my shower! 

So as I'm moving as close as I can to minimalist living, I am super excited about cleaning with just cloths and water and eliminating the need for so many of my cleaning products -- not to mention spending less money on them -- I'm all for fewer items on my grocery list!! 

Do you use Norwex??  If so, what product(s) do you recommend I try out?? 
Want to try Norwex??  Here is my SIL's website  www.GraciaAbrahamsen.norwex.biz

Halloween and Surgery - "Frightful" week

What an eventful week!  Let's start with Halloween.

I wasn't going to take Rylee trick-or-treating this year, because 1) we had a Halloween party and she got to wear her costume there, 2) it was going to be chilly out and 3) she really doesn't need a bucket full of candy, let alone the night before surgery (more on that later).  When I found out that the mall was having trick-or-treating on Tuesday night (the 29th) and it would of course be indoors, I decided to go ahead and take her there.  I was looking forward to a fun evening, just she and I.  On the way to the mall she asked, "Mommy, where's your costume?"  Hmmm.... I hadn't even thought about wearing a costume.  I felt really bad -- of course it would have been more exciting for her if we were BOTH wearing a costume -- what was I thinking?!?!  And then on Halloween evening when I saw so many pictures on facebook of parents dressed up with their kids, I felt like the worst parent ever!!  I like Halloween -- why not dress up with my kids?!?!?  So, I am going to start planning my costume for next year now so I'm not scurrying for something last minute and I am going to be one of those awesome parents who takes part with their kiddos :) 

Okay, on to surgery.  Rylee had a small cyst right above her eye that we have been monitoring for about 2 years.  As it was slightly growing and the opthamologist didn't think it would ever go away on its own, we decided to go ahead and have it removed. 

I have no problems watching my children get shots, and handled Wyatt's tongue clipping at 2 weeks old with no problem.  I really wasn't even worried about Rylee's surgery.  It was a little hard watching her go back to the surgery room crying because she was scared and we couldn't go back with her (the nurse pretty much grabbed her and whisked her away because she was hanging on to Daddy begging him to come with her).  But what was really really hard and I wasn't prepared for at all was watching her come out of anesthesia after surgery.  Wow! 

A nurse came to get us and as we walked back towards the recovery room I could hear a child crying, but it didn't sound like mine.  I also saw a nurse cradling the crying child, but she didn't look like mine.  I was wrong - that child WAS mine.  It was the strangest thing and I can't even begin to describe it, but basically she was still pretty "out of it" and was scared.  I could tell she was trying to say "mommy" and "daddy", but to anyone else it just sounded like a lot of random letters coming out of her mouth as she was crying and trying to breathe.  I sat in the recliner and the nurse handed her to me.  I just couldn't believe this was the same child I just left an hour ago.  Her face was puffy from the surgery too.  James and I talked to her to assure her we were right there (she barely had her eyes open).  It took her a very long time to calm down and be able to talk and breathe normally.  I was scared -- what was wrong with my child?!?!?!  The nurses assured me this was a very normal thing for a toddler as they are very disoriented and don't know what's going on or what has just happened.  They assured me also that the child I'm used to would return after a post-surgery nap.  Good thing they were right, because that was the worst thing I ever experienced with Rylee so far.  She slept on the way home and was ready to sit on the couch in her spot (she is very Sheldon Cooper-like when it comes to her spot on the couch) and watch a movie.  I brought out a mirror for her to see her bandaged eye -- she got up and looked at it about every 20 minutes for awhile. 

After a few hours at home and a little food in her tummy she is starting to return to normal.  I'm hopeful that a long afternoon nap will help as well.  The best part of this experience has been all of the cuddle time we are getting with her :)