Just when I thought we were past the months of sickness, Jack got my stomach flu yesterday. I felt so bad for him because my own bout with the flu is still fresh in my mind. He would be fine for a bit, and then he would start writhing on the couch and saying "No...no...no...no" until he threw up. It was awful. Fortunately, Lily was at school all day yesterday, so I just wrapped Jack up in a blanket and sat with him on the couch with a Tupperware container at the ready.
Somewhere around 11 am, he finally fell asleep and got his first real break from vomiting. Shortly after noon, he woke up, said "I hungry!" and got off the couch to run into the kitchen. He came back with a packet of instant oatmeal, an instant noodles and meatball meal that Jim bought for some reason, and a can of Chicken and Stars soup. He laid them on the hassock in front of me and said "I hungry now, Mama!"
I decided to err on the side of caution and gave him ice water and two saltines to eat. He wolfed down the crackers within seconds and said "More. I hungry." He ultimately ate about 15 saltines and drank two cups of water. Then he went into the kitchen and said "I eat jam bread," so I made him a jam sandwich. Then he asked for a bowl of cereal, so I gave him some mini wheats. Even that wasn't enough for him, because he continued to repeat "I hungry, Mama!" for the rest of the afternoon. I would have given him more food, but I was already nervous about the amount he'd just eaten.
His ravenous hunger continued through dinner when he ate all of his meal and some of Lily's. This is my child who barely eats anything, ever. I've never seen him put away so much food in a single day.
He slept pretty well last night, and when he woke up this morning, his appetite was back to normal, which means he ate a small breakfast, a few bites of his lunch and no dinner at all. Based on his usual level of food consumption, he probably ate enough yesterday to last him a month!
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Greetings from Sick World!
Now we have flu in the house. Who knew that even if one gets herself vaccinated and vaccinates both of her children, she can still get the flu? I admit, I knew on some level that the vaccine didn't cover every strain of flu, but I figured the odds were slim to none of catching something. We think I caught it from the neighbor's boy, who was actually taken to the ER for his because it caused a terrible asthma attack. Anyway, between that and the lingering Cold of Doom that keeps going around our house, there hasn't been much motivation for me to blog lately. I'm just praying that neither of the kids comes down with it, because there was much vomiting involved and I really don't want to go through that again, even as a bystander.
In other news, I have a few new interests that I want to share. First, I'm really excited about joining Ravelry.com, which is a forum for people who love to knit and crochet. I'm still on the waiting list for my invite, but I should be on-line there some time next week. I've found several projects to put in my queue and I'm currently working on two knitting projects and a crochet project. A bunch of the cool ladies from my parenting forum are already on line and we've been talking about and trading projects already, so I think belonging to a forum dedicated to needle arts will be fun! I bid on a set of 15 pairs of bamboo knitting needles (0-17) in anticipation and won the auction for $14.97 (including shipping). All of my old needles were destroyed in the Great Flood of Our Basement in 2006. So I encourage everyone who knits to join and friend me once you get on (or e-mail me to let me know if you're already a member). C'mon, it's fun!
My other interest right now is decluttering. My mom found a great blog where a woman is trying to get rid of 365 things in a year by donating, selling, free-cycling or throwing them away. I think it would be fun to document my own attempt to declutter, so I may start posting about that once a week. It will be a motivation to get rid of all our extra junk. I'm proud enough that I emptied and organized (1) our nightmare of an office; (2) the guestroom closet; and (3) Lily's two bedroom closets. This is the first time all of the closets on the first floor are neat enough that I wouldn't mind a stranger walking in and opening them. Even better, when I need to lay my hands on something, I can quickly find it in one of my anal-retentively labeled IKEA storage boxes! It gives me an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, I have to tell you.
My third interest is collecting Adams Calyx ware in the Regent pattern. You can see several examples of it here. The pattern was my great grandmother's, and she gave my mother all of her china. Since the pattern I chose at 23 when I got married no longer matches my taste, I decided I would add to my mother's collection. After a couple of months of eBay, I have 4 complete place settings (teacup, saucer, bread plate, salad plate and dinner plate). I've found I can get them much cheaper on eBay than on Replacements.com. I think I'll save Replacements for those items that are particularly hard to find, like the cream and sugar set and the salt and pepper set. I'm going to ask Jim to buy me the teapot for my next birthday/Mother's Day/Wedding anniversary extravaganza! It's a little dear, so I figure it could count for all three presents.
Anyway, these are my latest obsessions. The crocheting project (a sweater for me) is the only thing keeping me sane as we enter week 8 (or is it 9? 10?) of being bound to the house by sickness and/or bad weather.
Also, I know I keep mentioning all of the terrific pictures I have to show here and upload on my Snapfish account, and then leaving you all hanging. Someday soon I'll gather the fortitude necessary to get them on my computer and uploaded. You know from experience that uploading pictures to my blog can become an epic battle between me and the force of evil that is Blogger. The thought of doing it now just makes me too tired for words. I have a movie to show you, too. I'm really nervous about that one because I've never tried to upload and post a movie before.
AND....now that you have patiently waded through my personal news, here's what you were all really waiting to read: Two stories by Lily as well as an in-depth interview!!!
The Bird
Once upon a time there was a bird. He flied in the sky, but he was hungry. He saw a berry tree, he went down to it. He liked the berries on that tree. He was so happy he called his friends over. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself. I believe it is meant to show that she made up the story and I typed it for her.)
Lily: I want to tell about a good thing. I want to tell another story.
The Shy Kitten
Once upon a time there was a shy kitten. He would not go near a house. He knew somebody would get him out because that was a house where no one liked kitties. So he went to see his friend, Butterfly. And he helped Butterfly gather nectar for his family. Then he helped him gather the flowers. He went through the flowers and took some flowers for his mom and gave them to her. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself)
Interview with the Author, Lily Deeds
Mama: How did you like having Emma (her neighbor friend) overnight this weekend?
Lily: I liked it.
M: What did you do?
L: I played with her.
M: what did you play?
L: I played makeup.
M: How did you play makeup?
L: We put it on by finger, but we washed it off.
M: What else did you play?
L: I liked playing with her.
M: What time did you go to sleep?
L: I don't know.
M: Did you stay up late?
L: No, we stayed up all night.
M: Were you tired the next day?
L: Yes.... No.
M: Is it yes or no?
L: No.
M: What is your favorite color?
L: Pink.
M: Why?
L: Because I like the color it makes.
M: What is your favorite food?
L: Ice cream and cake! (Makes slurping sound) Lots of sweet stuff is what I like!
M: What is your favorite cartoon show?
L: Whatever you say my favorite cartoon show is... Secret Squirrel and Adam Ant. I like Secret Squirrel, he's secret!
M: What do you think about your brother Jack?
L: I think he is a very odd baby.
M: Why?
L: Because I like how funny he is.
M: What does he do that's funny?
L: He pretends to go to work. He pretends to go to work.
M: What is your favorite book?
L: If you say so, my favorite book is Lily's Plastic Purse.
M: Why is that your favorite?
L: Because she has glasses with a chain like Mr. Slinger, her teacher, and she has shiny coins that are jingly, and when her purse is open it makes music!
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No! Ask me another question, like "How do you like your cat?"
M: How do you like your cat?
L: I love him because he's a soft friend.
M: How do you like having parties here?
L: Because I do like them here, because there's cake and there's always a balloon to take home.
M: What do you think will be different about you when you're five?
L: Because I'll be five years old and I won't really know. Because I'll be bigger than four.
M: What do you think kindergarten will be like?
L: It will be fun but I haven't got used to it yet, so I'll try it a few more times.
M: What's your favorite thing to do at preschool?
L: Color!
M: What kind of things do you like to color?
L: Paper, but they have lots of drawing inside things.
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No.
M: What kind of things to you draw on the paper?
L: Lots of fun things, but there's lots of things to color inside of.
M: Who are your friends at school?
L: All of my friends. All of the friends in school are my friends.
M: If you could buy any outfit, what would it be?
L: It would be a pretty dress. A white dress with pretty yellow flowers and a tiara that was purple with pretty little gems on it. If my cat wored [sic] a dress it would be so funny. I would like it if my kitty Oskar would wear a dress. It would look do funny on him!
M: What thing to you hate the most?
L: I hate the most because... because I don't like to go to bed.
M: What food do you hate the most?
L: I hate the most dinner, because it doesn't taste as good as dessert.
M: What color do you hate the most?
L: None.
M: What clothing do you hate the most?
L: None.
What's your favorite number?
L: 4. Because it's me, I am four!
M: What's your favorite letter?
L: Oh, L. It's in my name!
M: Is there anything else about you that you'd like to tell
L: Yeah, I like how pretty my hair is.
M: Is that it?
L: Yeah. Now you can write some of your stuff. You can write a story or something.
In other news, I have a few new interests that I want to share. First, I'm really excited about joining Ravelry.com, which is a forum for people who love to knit and crochet. I'm still on the waiting list for my invite, but I should be on-line there some time next week. I've found several projects to put in my queue and I'm currently working on two knitting projects and a crochet project. A bunch of the cool ladies from my parenting forum are already on line and we've been talking about and trading projects already, so I think belonging to a forum dedicated to needle arts will be fun! I bid on a set of 15 pairs of bamboo knitting needles (0-17) in anticipation and won the auction for $14.97 (including shipping). All of my old needles were destroyed in the Great Flood of Our Basement in 2006. So I encourage everyone who knits to join and friend me once you get on (or e-mail me to let me know if you're already a member). C'mon, it's fun!
My other interest right now is decluttering. My mom found a great blog where a woman is trying to get rid of 365 things in a year by donating, selling, free-cycling or throwing them away. I think it would be fun to document my own attempt to declutter, so I may start posting about that once a week. It will be a motivation to get rid of all our extra junk. I'm proud enough that I emptied and organized (1) our nightmare of an office; (2) the guestroom closet; and (3) Lily's two bedroom closets. This is the first time all of the closets on the first floor are neat enough that I wouldn't mind a stranger walking in and opening them. Even better, when I need to lay my hands on something, I can quickly find it in one of my anal-retentively labeled IKEA storage boxes! It gives me an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, I have to tell you.
My third interest is collecting Adams Calyx ware in the Regent pattern. You can see several examples of it here. The pattern was my great grandmother's, and she gave my mother all of her china. Since the pattern I chose at 23 when I got married no longer matches my taste, I decided I would add to my mother's collection. After a couple of months of eBay, I have 4 complete place settings (teacup, saucer, bread plate, salad plate and dinner plate). I've found I can get them much cheaper on eBay than on Replacements.com. I think I'll save Replacements for those items that are particularly hard to find, like the cream and sugar set and the salt and pepper set. I'm going to ask Jim to buy me the teapot for my next birthday/Mother's Day/Wedding anniversary extravaganza! It's a little dear, so I figure it could count for all three presents.
Anyway, these are my latest obsessions. The crocheting project (a sweater for me) is the only thing keeping me sane as we enter week 8 (or is it 9? 10?) of being bound to the house by sickness and/or bad weather.
Also, I know I keep mentioning all of the terrific pictures I have to show here and upload on my Snapfish account, and then leaving you all hanging. Someday soon I'll gather the fortitude necessary to get them on my computer and uploaded. You know from experience that uploading pictures to my blog can become an epic battle between me and the force of evil that is Blogger. The thought of doing it now just makes me too tired for words. I have a movie to show you, too. I'm really nervous about that one because I've never tried to upload and post a movie before.
AND....now that you have patiently waded through my personal news, here's what you were all really waiting to read: Two stories by Lily as well as an in-depth interview!!!
The Bird
Once upon a time there was a bird. He flied in the sky, but he was hungry. He saw a berry tree, he went down to it. He liked the berries on that tree. He was so happy he called his friends over. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself. I believe it is meant to show that she made up the story and I typed it for her.)
Lily: I want to tell about a good thing. I want to tell another story.
The Shy Kitten
Once upon a time there was a shy kitten. He would not go near a house. He knew somebody would get him out because that was a house where no one liked kitties. So he went to see his friend, Butterfly. And he helped Butterfly gather nectar for his family. Then he helped him gather the flowers. He went through the flowers and took some flowers for his mom and gave them to her. The end.
lily mama (typed by Lily herself)
Interview with the Author, Lily Deeds
Mama: How did you like having Emma (her neighbor friend) overnight this weekend?
Lily: I liked it.
M: What did you do?
L: I played with her.
M: what did you play?
L: I played makeup.
M: How did you play makeup?
L: We put it on by finger, but we washed it off.
M: What else did you play?
L: I liked playing with her.
M: What time did you go to sleep?
L: I don't know.
M: Did you stay up late?
L: No, we stayed up all night.
M: Were you tired the next day?
L: Yes.... No.
M: Is it yes or no?
L: No.
M: What is your favorite color?
L: Pink.
M: Why?
L: Because I like the color it makes.
M: What is your favorite food?
L: Ice cream and cake! (Makes slurping sound) Lots of sweet stuff is what I like!
M: What is your favorite cartoon show?
L: Whatever you say my favorite cartoon show is... Secret Squirrel and Adam Ant. I like Secret Squirrel, he's secret!
M: What do you think about your brother Jack?
L: I think he is a very odd baby.
M: Why?
L: Because I like how funny he is.
M: What does he do that's funny?
L: He pretends to go to work. He pretends to go to work.
M: What is your favorite book?
L: If you say so, my favorite book is Lily's Plastic Purse.
M: Why is that your favorite?
L: Because she has glasses with a chain like Mr. Slinger, her teacher, and she has shiny coins that are jingly, and when her purse is open it makes music!
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No! Ask me another question, like "How do you like your cat?"
M: How do you like your cat?
L: I love him because he's a soft friend.
M: How do you like having parties here?
L: Because I do like them here, because there's cake and there's always a balloon to take home.
M: What do you think will be different about you when you're five?
L: Because I'll be five years old and I won't really know. Because I'll be bigger than four.
M: What do you think kindergarten will be like?
L: It will be fun but I haven't got used to it yet, so I'll try it a few more times.
M: What's your favorite thing to do at preschool?
L: Color!
M: What kind of things do you like to color?
L: Paper, but they have lots of drawing inside things.
M: Are we done with the interview?
L: No.
M: What kind of things to you draw on the paper?
L: Lots of fun things, but there's lots of things to color inside of.
M: Who are your friends at school?
L: All of my friends. All of the friends in school are my friends.
M: If you could buy any outfit, what would it be?
L: It would be a pretty dress. A white dress with pretty yellow flowers and a tiara that was purple with pretty little gems on it. If my cat wored [sic] a dress it would be so funny. I would like it if my kitty Oskar would wear a dress. It would look do funny on him!
M: What thing to you hate the most?
L: I hate the most because... because I don't like to go to bed.
M: What food do you hate the most?
L: I hate the most dinner, because it doesn't taste as good as dessert.
M: What color do you hate the most?
L: None.
M: What clothing do you hate the most?
L: None.
What's your favorite number?
L: 4. Because it's me, I am four!
M: What's your favorite letter?
L: Oh, L. It's in my name!
M: Is there anything else about you that you'd like to tell
L: Yeah, I like how pretty my hair is.
M: Is that it?
L: Yeah. Now you can write some of your stuff. You can write a story or something.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Will the Sickness Never End?
Jack and I are still sick. We both have runny noses, croupy coughs and fevers. I have officially been sick since before New Years. Jack, who went for his 2 year well baby appointment on Monday, does not have strep throat or an ear infection, so I guess what we have is some kind of virus. We weren't feeling too hot until today. We're hanging out at home and took a nap pretty early this morning. I think we both seem a lot more energetic this afternoon.
Jack had to go in for a blood draw this morning at Melrose Wakefield Hospital as a part of his well baby check up. I waited until today because (1) neither of us felt well enough to do it on Monday, and (2) I didn't want to bring Lily. Lily told Jack he was going to get a shot that hurts the last time he needed one, and I didn't want to have to deal with whatever she would have said about the blood draw. The draw is a routine test for lead levels, which is required in Massachusetts. He'll need it for his records when he starts Kindercare part time next month.
Lily has had a big week. When my father was here for Jack's birthday, we ate at the Chinese buffet at the Mandarin in Reading. Since it was just after the Chinese New Year, we all got a present of $1 when we entered the restaurant. We all gave Lily our dollar bills (except Jack, who kept his of course). She decided to use them to buy a stuffed animal from Barnes & Noble. She saw several animals she wanted a few weeks ago when we picked up a birthday present for her friend Clare.
She didn't have enough New Years money to buy her animal, so we offered to pay her for doing some chores around the house. She reluctantly cleaned up the living room one night and set the table. Then she pointed out that she had "millions of money" in her piggy bank. We opened it up and I'll be damned if she didn't have $10.00 in change in there. With the dollar her Granddaddy gave her before he left, her New Years money and the piggy bank, Lily had $15.00 in her wallet to spend at Barnes & Noble.
We went over to B & N after ballet class on Wednesday and she looked at the various animals. Initially, she told me she wanted the unicorn she had seen. The unicorn was $7.95. She had also expressed interest in a guinea pig and a reindeer (both $7.95). Once we arrived in the store, she found a white Westie dog that she liked (no tag). Then she found a "soft kitty" that she liked ($7.95). I reminded her that she already has 4 cats, but she basically ignored me. We checked out a different section of the store. There we found large unicors for $14.95 each. She liked the one posed lying down, but was unhappy that it had a purple ribbon on its neck. The one with the pink ribbon was standing up, and she didn't like that pose. Then she found another soft kitty ($7.95) and proposed buying it. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she found a white puppy ($7.95) and snatched it up. She immediately told me its name was Sarah and that it wanted to come home with her. We ended up walking back and forth between the two sections a few more times, but Lily ultimately chose Sarah.
At the register, Lily said "How will I know what money to give?" I told her that I would take out the right amount from her wallet. She handed me the wallet when we got to the register. With my member discount, the dog was about $7.50. Lily said "Do we have to give her all of my money?" I assured her she would have some left over, and she said "Good, because I'm going to save to buy one of those soft kitties." I said she would have to do some chores to earn money, and she said "Only if I get to make up the chores. I don't like your chores."
Since I haven't really posted about it, Jack's birthday was a success. He had a Thomas cake and Thomas balloons and the kids played pin the number on Thomas and got Thomas tattoos and Thomas gift bags. Jack had three guests: our neighbors Tyler and Emma and our family friend Connor. Connor, who's about 9 months younger than Jack is just as big as him! Connor and Jack had a great time playing with the Thomas train set and Little People Fire Truck Jack got. Lily played with the older kids, although Tyler (5) also enjoyed the train set quite a bit.
Jack literally screamed with joy when he saw me bringing the balloons in from the car. It is my favorite memory from the day. Also, the expression on his face when he saw that his Thomas cake had a real Thomas train on it that road around on a little track was priceless. Worth every penny.
Jack's presents on the day included:
Thomas Stop and Go Train Set and Play-Doh pack (from Mama and Papa)
Little People Fire Truck (from Connor)
Little People Dump Truck set (from the Coles)
Toy Table Saw (from Tyler and Emma, goes great with his toy drill from Christmas!)
Hard hat and big scoop loader (from Grammy and Granddaddy)
Musical saxophone and Pirate Potato Head (from Grandma and Grandpa)
Fishing Set (from Aunt Marcy, Uncle Jonathan, Claire and Andrew)
Small dump truck and scoop loader (from Lily)
Gerald McBoing Boing book (from Cindy Cole)
I hope I'm not forgetting anything! He has really played with everything, especially the saxophone. He gave us quite a performance the other night, and he expects us to applaud wildly at the end. If we don't, he claps for himself until we do!
Jack had to go in for a blood draw this morning at Melrose Wakefield Hospital as a part of his well baby check up. I waited until today because (1) neither of us felt well enough to do it on Monday, and (2) I didn't want to bring Lily. Lily told Jack he was going to get a shot that hurts the last time he needed one, and I didn't want to have to deal with whatever she would have said about the blood draw. The draw is a routine test for lead levels, which is required in Massachusetts. He'll need it for his records when he starts Kindercare part time next month.
Lily has had a big week. When my father was here for Jack's birthday, we ate at the Chinese buffet at the Mandarin in Reading. Since it was just after the Chinese New Year, we all got a present of $1 when we entered the restaurant. We all gave Lily our dollar bills (except Jack, who kept his of course). She decided to use them to buy a stuffed animal from Barnes & Noble. She saw several animals she wanted a few weeks ago when we picked up a birthday present for her friend Clare.
She didn't have enough New Years money to buy her animal, so we offered to pay her for doing some chores around the house. She reluctantly cleaned up the living room one night and set the table. Then she pointed out that she had "millions of money" in her piggy bank. We opened it up and I'll be damned if she didn't have $10.00 in change in there. With the dollar her Granddaddy gave her before he left, her New Years money and the piggy bank, Lily had $15.00 in her wallet to spend at Barnes & Noble.
We went over to B & N after ballet class on Wednesday and she looked at the various animals. Initially, she told me she wanted the unicorn she had seen. The unicorn was $7.95. She had also expressed interest in a guinea pig and a reindeer (both $7.95). Once we arrived in the store, she found a white Westie dog that she liked (no tag). Then she found a "soft kitty" that she liked ($7.95). I reminded her that she already has 4 cats, but she basically ignored me. We checked out a different section of the store. There we found large unicors for $14.95 each. She liked the one posed lying down, but was unhappy that it had a purple ribbon on its neck. The one with the pink ribbon was standing up, and she didn't like that pose. Then she found another soft kitty ($7.95) and proposed buying it. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she found a white puppy ($7.95) and snatched it up. She immediately told me its name was Sarah and that it wanted to come home with her. We ended up walking back and forth between the two sections a few more times, but Lily ultimately chose Sarah.
At the register, Lily said "How will I know what money to give?" I told her that I would take out the right amount from her wallet. She handed me the wallet when we got to the register. With my member discount, the dog was about $7.50. Lily said "Do we have to give her all of my money?" I assured her she would have some left over, and she said "Good, because I'm going to save to buy one of those soft kitties." I said she would have to do some chores to earn money, and she said "Only if I get to make up the chores. I don't like your chores."
Since I haven't really posted about it, Jack's birthday was a success. He had a Thomas cake and Thomas balloons and the kids played pin the number on Thomas and got Thomas tattoos and Thomas gift bags. Jack had three guests: our neighbors Tyler and Emma and our family friend Connor. Connor, who's about 9 months younger than Jack is just as big as him! Connor and Jack had a great time playing with the Thomas train set and Little People Fire Truck Jack got. Lily played with the older kids, although Tyler (5) also enjoyed the train set quite a bit.
Jack literally screamed with joy when he saw me bringing the balloons in from the car. It is my favorite memory from the day. Also, the expression on his face when he saw that his Thomas cake had a real Thomas train on it that road around on a little track was priceless. Worth every penny.
Jack's presents on the day included:
Thomas Stop and Go Train Set and Play-Doh pack (from Mama and Papa)
Little People Fire Truck (from Connor)
Little People Dump Truck set (from the Coles)
Toy Table Saw (from Tyler and Emma, goes great with his toy drill from Christmas!)
Hard hat and big scoop loader (from Grammy and Granddaddy)
Musical saxophone and Pirate Potato Head (from Grandma and Grandpa)
Fishing Set (from Aunt Marcy, Uncle Jonathan, Claire and Andrew)
Small dump truck and scoop loader (from Lily)
Gerald McBoing Boing book (from Cindy Cole)
I hope I'm not forgetting anything! He has really played with everything, especially the saxophone. He gave us quite a performance the other night, and he expects us to applaud wildly at the end. If we don't, he claps for himself until we do!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A Fun Time Was Had By All...Except Me.
We have been very busy this weekend. On Saturday, Lily had her friends Tyler and Emma Lau over for the afternoon. They had a lot of fun playing dress-up and making paper airplanes.
That evening, our friend (and Tyler and Emma's mom) Beth invited us to dinner and made homemade macaroni and cheese that was to die for. The kids played upstairs after dinner and the adults had a few beers and played "Apples to Apples," a hilarious party game. Once the kids went to sleep, we played "Scene It," a video game on the Xbox 360. Everyone got a handheld controller to buzz in their answers about various movies, actors, characters and famous lines. It was a lot of fun. We left around midnight with Jack, but Lily stayed over with Emma. Beth and her husband Alex live across the street, so we've had a few of these game nights and hope to do it more often.
The next morning, we picked up Lily and then headed into the city with the Laus for dim sum at the China Pearl in Chinatown. Jim and I love to get dim sum and were taking the kids into Chinatown once a month or so. We were happy to learn several months ago that the Laus do a regular dim sum there, too! This is the second time we've all gone to China Pearl together. Alex is part Chinese, so he always recommends something new and different for us to try, and the kids love it when our families go out together. This morning, Tyler was on a playdate with one of his school friends, so it was just Lily, Emma and Jack.
Unfortunately, my chest congestion had been getting worse. This morning, I noticed I was having some trouble breathing after going up and down the stairs. By the time we got to China Pearl, I was really having a lot of trouble breathing. We finished dim sum and then Beth and Alex offered to take the kids home while Jim took me to the hospital.
I don't like to go to the emergency room, and I didn't feel like my breathing issues were an emergency. On the other hand, I didn't feel like I could wait until tomorrow, when my doctor has office hours, because my difficulty breathing felt like it was getting worse. Once we got to the hospital, I was relieved to see that the walk-in medical clinic was open, so we went there instead of the ER.
After a chest x-ray and a nebulizer treatment, it turns out that I'm having an asthma flare up. Jim and I were both pretty surprised -- I had medication induced asthma when I was first on heart medication, but it cleared up almost immediately once they switched me to a new med. Neither of us thought I could get asthma from something else, but apparently this chest cold triggered an attack. Good to know. I'm breathing much better and was prescribed some prednisone and albuterol to keep everything clear until this cold goes away.
As a result of my side trip to the hospital, Lily and Jack got to have another afternoon of play time with their friends. When we got home from the hospital, Jim and I went over for a beer and some snacks while we watched the Pats game. I left after a little while to have a nap at home, but Jim and the kids stayed until the game was over. Jack was completely worn out when he got home!
So, everyone had a great weekend, except for me. My weekend was only *mostly* great. I do hope we continue the game nights, though. I haven't laughed so much in years!
That evening, our friend (and Tyler and Emma's mom) Beth invited us to dinner and made homemade macaroni and cheese that was to die for. The kids played upstairs after dinner and the adults had a few beers and played "Apples to Apples," a hilarious party game. Once the kids went to sleep, we played "Scene It," a video game on the Xbox 360. Everyone got a handheld controller to buzz in their answers about various movies, actors, characters and famous lines. It was a lot of fun. We left around midnight with Jack, but Lily stayed over with Emma. Beth and her husband Alex live across the street, so we've had a few of these game nights and hope to do it more often.
The next morning, we picked up Lily and then headed into the city with the Laus for dim sum at the China Pearl in Chinatown. Jim and I love to get dim sum and were taking the kids into Chinatown once a month or so. We were happy to learn several months ago that the Laus do a regular dim sum there, too! This is the second time we've all gone to China Pearl together. Alex is part Chinese, so he always recommends something new and different for us to try, and the kids love it when our families go out together. This morning, Tyler was on a playdate with one of his school friends, so it was just Lily, Emma and Jack.
Unfortunately, my chest congestion had been getting worse. This morning, I noticed I was having some trouble breathing after going up and down the stairs. By the time we got to China Pearl, I was really having a lot of trouble breathing. We finished dim sum and then Beth and Alex offered to take the kids home while Jim took me to the hospital.
I don't like to go to the emergency room, and I didn't feel like my breathing issues were an emergency. On the other hand, I didn't feel like I could wait until tomorrow, when my doctor has office hours, because my difficulty breathing felt like it was getting worse. Once we got to the hospital, I was relieved to see that the walk-in medical clinic was open, so we went there instead of the ER.
After a chest x-ray and a nebulizer treatment, it turns out that I'm having an asthma flare up. Jim and I were both pretty surprised -- I had medication induced asthma when I was first on heart medication, but it cleared up almost immediately once they switched me to a new med. Neither of us thought I could get asthma from something else, but apparently this chest cold triggered an attack. Good to know. I'm breathing much better and was prescribed some prednisone and albuterol to keep everything clear until this cold goes away.
As a result of my side trip to the hospital, Lily and Jack got to have another afternoon of play time with their friends. When we got home from the hospital, Jim and I went over for a beer and some snacks while we watched the Pats game. I left after a little while to have a nap at home, but Jim and the kids stayed until the game was over. Jack was completely worn out when he got home!
So, everyone had a great weekend, except for me. My weekend was only *mostly* great. I do hope we continue the game nights, though. I haven't laughed so much in years!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
There's Not Much to Tell
We haven't had much going on here, mostly due to my illness and the 10 inches of snow we got yesterday.
The good news is that I finally feel like I'm getting over whatever evil disease I've been suffering from. The bad news is that I have not been cleaning the house since I got sick and it is terrifyingly unclean. This means that I'll be doing a whole lot of cleaning on Thursday and Friday in order to make sure it doesn't cut into family time on the weekend.
Jim's company was closed during yesterday's storm, so we had a snow day at home. The kids had fun playing snowball fight with Jim and our neighbors Alex and his two kids, Tyler and Emma. I got a few pictures, which I'll try to post later this week, along with some shots of our new office and Lily's new and improved bedroom. Oh yeah, and the kitchen, which a lot of you haven't seen since the (mostly completed) makeover.
In other news, I have jury duty tomorrow in Framingham. I haven't been in a court since May when I was finishing up my last jury trial. My panel is assigned to Framingham District Court, which means that I'm probably going to be up for selection on a criminal case (misdemeanor, since all felony trials in Massachusetts take place in Superior Courts). My educated guess would be a DUI case, since that's mostly what you see in district court -- that or drug charges.
The last time I was called for jury duty, I had to go to Marlborough District Court. As I handed in my juror information sheet, I asked the court officer whether my address would be kept from the criminal defendant. He glanced at my sheet and said "Don't worry, you're never getting on a criminal jury."
He's probably right. When I was trying cases, the last person I wanted on a civil jury was a lawyer. The big concern is that other jurors will be persuaded by an attorney to adopt his/her point of view because the attorney "knows the law." That means that you could end up trying your case to a jury of one, which is never a good thing. In the criminal context, not only would you try and avoid a lawyer, but you'd also want to avoid anyone who has relatives in law enforcement or who has worked themselves in law enforcement. Why? Because these people are more likely to believe the word of a member of law enforcement than the word of a criminal defendant.
I'd actually like to serve on a jury if I could be sure it would be a one day trial. I think it would be interesting to see how a jury panel thinks about evidence. Unfortunately, I don't know any lawyers who have ever served on a panel once they were admitted to the bar, so I'm pretty sure I won't get to, either. I thought I could call myself a homemaker on the questionnaire, but they make it so you have to tell what you did before you were a homemaker. I had already cleverly disguised my law degree as a doctoral degree, but having to state what my last job was kind of blew that out of the water. Oh well.
It is going to be somewhat of a nightmare to drive to Framingham during rush hour tomorrow. Although I really dread the commute, I am trying to psych myself up for the day by imagining what interesting people I will get to see. More on that later, I hope!
The good news is that I finally feel like I'm getting over whatever evil disease I've been suffering from. The bad news is that I have not been cleaning the house since I got sick and it is terrifyingly unclean. This means that I'll be doing a whole lot of cleaning on Thursday and Friday in order to make sure it doesn't cut into family time on the weekend.
Jim's company was closed during yesterday's storm, so we had a snow day at home. The kids had fun playing snowball fight with Jim and our neighbors Alex and his two kids, Tyler and Emma. I got a few pictures, which I'll try to post later this week, along with some shots of our new office and Lily's new and improved bedroom. Oh yeah, and the kitchen, which a lot of you haven't seen since the (mostly completed) makeover.
In other news, I have jury duty tomorrow in Framingham. I haven't been in a court since May when I was finishing up my last jury trial. My panel is assigned to Framingham District Court, which means that I'm probably going to be up for selection on a criminal case (misdemeanor, since all felony trials in Massachusetts take place in Superior Courts). My educated guess would be a DUI case, since that's mostly what you see in district court -- that or drug charges.
The last time I was called for jury duty, I had to go to Marlborough District Court. As I handed in my juror information sheet, I asked the court officer whether my address would be kept from the criminal defendant. He glanced at my sheet and said "Don't worry, you're never getting on a criminal jury."
He's probably right. When I was trying cases, the last person I wanted on a civil jury was a lawyer. The big concern is that other jurors will be persuaded by an attorney to adopt his/her point of view because the attorney "knows the law." That means that you could end up trying your case to a jury of one, which is never a good thing. In the criminal context, not only would you try and avoid a lawyer, but you'd also want to avoid anyone who has relatives in law enforcement or who has worked themselves in law enforcement. Why? Because these people are more likely to believe the word of a member of law enforcement than the word of a criminal defendant.
I'd actually like to serve on a jury if I could be sure it would be a one day trial. I think it would be interesting to see how a jury panel thinks about evidence. Unfortunately, I don't know any lawyers who have ever served on a panel once they were admitted to the bar, so I'm pretty sure I won't get to, either. I thought I could call myself a homemaker on the questionnaire, but they make it so you have to tell what you did before you were a homemaker. I had already cleverly disguised my law degree as a doctoral degree, but having to state what my last job was kind of blew that out of the water. Oh well.
It is going to be somewhat of a nightmare to drive to Framingham during rush hour tomorrow. Although I really dread the commute, I am trying to psych myself up for the day by imagining what interesting people I will get to see. More on that later, I hope!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Still Sick Over Here...
By the time Thursday rolled around, my cold was getting worse and it was complicated by a swollen gland or lymph node (I'm not a doctor, so I don't know) under my chin that made it hard to chew. Sadly, my scheduled trip to the doctor proved to be humiliating and of little help. Jim met me in the waiting room so he could entertain Jack during my appointment. As I was checking myself in, the receptionist heard me cough and made me put on a blue surgical mask. I then had to sit down in the crowded waiting room as everyone stared at me as if I was a leper.
The mask was made of paper formed in a dome, and it had a metal strip over the bridge of the nose so that you could make it fit. After about 30 seconds, the mask made my face sweat. Also, I had to keep pulling the mask down to blow my nose. I decided to leave the mask around my neck and pulled it over my mouth only when I had to cough. Big mistake. The receptionist saw me and said loudly "Ma'am, you need to keep that mask on." I said "I am keeping it on when I cough. It makes my face sweat and I can't blow my nose." She said "No, it has to stay on at all times."
Now I'm not only the waiting room leper, but I've been identified as one who is recklessly exposing everyone to my evil germs of doom. I put the sweat dome over my nose and mouth again and suffered in angry silence for the next thirty minutes. I just know that there were a bunch of dangerously ill patients around me with no upper respiratory symptoms who were sitting there, mask free, enjoying my torture and spreading *their* evil germs of doom to all of the unsuspecting patients.
Of course, once they finally called me in for my appointment, my temperature, which has been between 100-101 for almost a week, was normal, according to the nurse. Apparently, taking the cold medicine that morning was a bad plan, because this bit of information ultimately led my doctor to believe I had a virus and not a bacterial illness. I guess he saw the misery and pleading in my eyes, because he said "I'm 95% sure it's viral, but I am prescribing you a Z-pack to take on Sunday if you aren't getting better by then." He also gave me some cough medicine with codeine to help me sleep.
You see, my doctor does not like to prescribe antibiotics unless the bacterium are standing on your face and waving at him. He is of the opinion that Americans take too many unnecessary antibiotics and are therefore increasing the number of resistant diseases. I know he's right, but his diagnosis (or lack of one) left me feeling at a loss. I felt so sick, I could barely make it through the day taking care of the kids, but I ended up agreeing that I would wait until Sunday to start the antibiotics.
Jim agreed I should wait to take the Z-pack. The doctor also recommended that I take Claritin, and since Jim's company makes Loratadine (same thing), we have tons at home. Jim felt that the Claritin was going to fix my situation. So I followed instructions.
...and I got sicker and sicker, and my jaw hurt even more. I finally broke down this morning and took the first two pills in the Z-pack at about 8 am. Now, maybe it's a placebo effect or maybe my "virus" was already turning the corner, but by 4:00 pm, the soreness and swelling under my jaw was significantly better. I personally believe that the antibiotics are playing a role. When I mentioned it to Jim, he told me "It can't be the Z-pack already." Later this evening, however, he said "I told you to take the Z-pack on Thursday."
Huh? Apparently it was his evil twin that told me to follow the doctor's instructions. Whatever. The jury's still out on whether my other symptoms are abating. I got a lot of rest today, courtesy of Jim watching the kids and I hope I'll start to feel better when I wake up in the morning.
And Jim? He's been out with his friends 3 times since I got sick. He's out tonight with our neighbor, who is watching his two kids alone this weekend while his wife is out of town. Alex, the neighbor, called me 30 minutes into his time alone with both kids and asked if they could have a play date at my house, but I digress. As Jim was getting ready to go out, I mentioned how often he'd been out this week.
Jim: "But it was at night when the kids were in bed."
Me: "Did you ever think I might like someone to take care of me after I've been taking care of the kids all day feeling sick?"
Jim: "Oh. I'm sorry. But I have to go because I promised I would."
I don't begrudge him time out with his friends, and lord knows that no one really wants to hang around with a sick spouse who spends the evening coughing up a lung, but it would have been nice to have someone take care of me for a while. Just sayin'.
The mask was made of paper formed in a dome, and it had a metal strip over the bridge of the nose so that you could make it fit. After about 30 seconds, the mask made my face sweat. Also, I had to keep pulling the mask down to blow my nose. I decided to leave the mask around my neck and pulled it over my mouth only when I had to cough. Big mistake. The receptionist saw me and said loudly "Ma'am, you need to keep that mask on." I said "I am keeping it on when I cough. It makes my face sweat and I can't blow my nose." She said "No, it has to stay on at all times."
Now I'm not only the waiting room leper, but I've been identified as one who is recklessly exposing everyone to my evil germs of doom. I put the sweat dome over my nose and mouth again and suffered in angry silence for the next thirty minutes. I just know that there were a bunch of dangerously ill patients around me with no upper respiratory symptoms who were sitting there, mask free, enjoying my torture and spreading *their* evil germs of doom to all of the unsuspecting patients.
Of course, once they finally called me in for my appointment, my temperature, which has been between 100-101 for almost a week, was normal, according to the nurse. Apparently, taking the cold medicine that morning was a bad plan, because this bit of information ultimately led my doctor to believe I had a virus and not a bacterial illness. I guess he saw the misery and pleading in my eyes, because he said "I'm 95% sure it's viral, but I am prescribing you a Z-pack to take on Sunday if you aren't getting better by then." He also gave me some cough medicine with codeine to help me sleep.
You see, my doctor does not like to prescribe antibiotics unless the bacterium are standing on your face and waving at him. He is of the opinion that Americans take too many unnecessary antibiotics and are therefore increasing the number of resistant diseases. I know he's right, but his diagnosis (or lack of one) left me feeling at a loss. I felt so sick, I could barely make it through the day taking care of the kids, but I ended up agreeing that I would wait until Sunday to start the antibiotics.
Jim agreed I should wait to take the Z-pack. The doctor also recommended that I take Claritin, and since Jim's company makes Loratadine (same thing), we have tons at home. Jim felt that the Claritin was going to fix my situation. So I followed instructions.
...and I got sicker and sicker, and my jaw hurt even more. I finally broke down this morning and took the first two pills in the Z-pack at about 8 am. Now, maybe it's a placebo effect or maybe my "virus" was already turning the corner, but by 4:00 pm, the soreness and swelling under my jaw was significantly better. I personally believe that the antibiotics are playing a role. When I mentioned it to Jim, he told me "It can't be the Z-pack already." Later this evening, however, he said "I told you to take the Z-pack on Thursday."
Huh? Apparently it was his evil twin that told me to follow the doctor's instructions. Whatever. The jury's still out on whether my other symptoms are abating. I got a lot of rest today, courtesy of Jim watching the kids and I hope I'll start to feel better when I wake up in the morning.
And Jim? He's been out with his friends 3 times since I got sick. He's out tonight with our neighbor, who is watching his two kids alone this weekend while his wife is out of town. Alex, the neighbor, called me 30 minutes into his time alone with both kids and asked if they could have a play date at my house, but I digress. As Jim was getting ready to go out, I mentioned how often he'd been out this week.
Jim: "But it was at night when the kids were in bed."
Me: "Did you ever think I might like someone to take care of me after I've been taking care of the kids all day feeling sick?"
Jim: "Oh. I'm sorry. But I have to go because I promised I would."
I don't begrudge him time out with his friends, and lord knows that no one really wants to hang around with a sick spouse who spends the evening coughing up a lung, but it would have been nice to have someone take care of me for a while. Just sayin'.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Now I'm Sick...
Lest anyone think I'm not keeping up on my blog, I just wanted to let you know I'm getting slowed down by my cold/flu/infection or whatever it is I have going on right now. Jim was recovered from his illness by Tuesday, and Lily and Jack both seem fine (although Lily still has a croupy cough). I can't seem to shake the sickness I've had since last week, probably due to the fact that Jim feels he's "taken enough time off from work lately" and can't help me with the kids this week. As a result, it's difficult for me to get much rest.
So, today my neighbor Beth took Lily to ballet and kept her at her house to play with her friend Emma so that I could take a real nap this afternoon while Jack slept. That was nice, and I feel much better this evening as a result. Jim was supposed to be home at 3:30 to give me a break, but he ended up walking in at 5:30, so Beth really did me a favor keeping Lily all that time (11:45-5:30). Once Jim got home, she invited both kids over for a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Jim took Jack over there so I have a bit of quiet time to myself.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, and I'm actually hoping that whatever I have can be treated with antibiotics so I can get rid of it quickly. We'll see.
Lily had a terrific day at her friend Emma's and I found out her ballet costume will be ready soon! It sounds like they will be dressed as little Santas, but since this is based on a 4 year old's description, I'll have to wait until next Wednesday to see what it really looks like.
If anyone is interested in attending Lily's first ballet recital, it will be on Sunday, May 18th. According to the newsletter Lily brought home, there will be a lottery for the tickets. I have no idea why. This is what the newsletter says (all grammatical and punctuation errors are in the original):
Recital tickets are done by a lottery, starting Monday, January 28th - February 2nd students will be able to pick a number out of a jar and we will record that number next to your name on our studio roster. This will be the order your tickets are pulled for the lottery. In April you will pick up a recital ticket order form, with your name and number on it. You fill out how many tickets you need and for which show and hand it in paid in full. You will be able to pick them up at the front desk starting April 28th -- May 3rd. Any tickets still available will be on sale starting May 4th.
I have a few questions about this information:
(1) Why is a lottery necessary? Is it because there are a limited amount of tickets available? Or does it have to do with where your seat is in the audience?
(2) I have to PAY for my tickets? Whaaaaat? I'm paying for her lessons and the costume (quite a bit for the costume, actually). I hope at least two tickets are comped and I'm only paying for additional seats.
If you want to attend, please let me know before April 1st so that I can put in my order.
So, today my neighbor Beth took Lily to ballet and kept her at her house to play with her friend Emma so that I could take a real nap this afternoon while Jack slept. That was nice, and I feel much better this evening as a result. Jim was supposed to be home at 3:30 to give me a break, but he ended up walking in at 5:30, so Beth really did me a favor keeping Lily all that time (11:45-5:30). Once Jim got home, she invited both kids over for a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Jim took Jack over there so I have a bit of quiet time to myself.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, and I'm actually hoping that whatever I have can be treated with antibiotics so I can get rid of it quickly. We'll see.
Lily had a terrific day at her friend Emma's and I found out her ballet costume will be ready soon! It sounds like they will be dressed as little Santas, but since this is based on a 4 year old's description, I'll have to wait until next Wednesday to see what it really looks like.
If anyone is interested in attending Lily's first ballet recital, it will be on Sunday, May 18th. According to the newsletter Lily brought home, there will be a lottery for the tickets. I have no idea why. This is what the newsletter says (all grammatical and punctuation errors are in the original):
Recital tickets are done by a lottery, starting Monday, January 28th - February 2nd students will be able to pick a number out of a jar and we will record that number next to your name on our studio roster. This will be the order your tickets are pulled for the lottery. In April you will pick up a recital ticket order form, with your name and number on it. You fill out how many tickets you need and for which show and hand it in paid in full. You will be able to pick them up at the front desk starting April 28th -- May 3rd. Any tickets still available will be on sale starting May 4th.
I have a few questions about this information:
(1) Why is a lottery necessary? Is it because there are a limited amount of tickets available? Or does it have to do with where your seat is in the audience?
(2) I have to PAY for my tickets? Whaaaaat? I'm paying for her lessons and the costume (quite a bit for the costume, actually). I hope at least two tickets are comped and I'm only paying for additional seats.
If you want to attend, please let me know before April 1st so that I can put in my order.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Still Sick at My House
Jim got sick in the middle of the night, and Jack started throwing up this morning. Lily seems to be fine now, so she went to school. I'm suffering from a chest cold, but so far I'm staving off the stomach virus.
Jack got much better after he napped this morning, and is now running around the living room playing with his trucks and hot wheels. I had to go into the kitchen for something, and I told him "Don't do anything naughty while I'm gone." As I stepped out of his sight, he kept repeating "anything naughty!" over and over again. Then I heard some crashes, so I ran back into the room. He was dropping everything he could find behind the couch. Perhaps this explains the large number of items I keep finding there!!!!
Lily asked me more questions about God on the way to school this morning. She asked again if God had any pets, and I told her he had all the pets who went to Heaven. Then she asked if the cats took turns sitting in his lap. I told her that God was so big, all the cats could sit in his lap at one time. We then had this conversation:
Lily: "Is he bigger than those trees?"
Me: "He's bigger than the whole world, because he made the world."
Lily: "Are we in his stomach?"
M: No, but we are all a part of God and God is a part of all of us.
L: He must be humungo! Did he make that house?
M: Yes.
L: Did he make me?
M: Yes. He made everything in the world.
L: Did he make all the worlds? (To Lily, a "world" can mean a different town or country)
M: Yes. And he did it in 6 days.
L: That was so fast!
M: On the seventh day he rested.
L: He was probably tired out.
M: Probably.
Then we got to school. I asked her if she wanted to go to church some time.
L: No. I don't want to go to church.
M: But at church you can hear people talk about God.
L: I already know about God.
M: They sing songs about God there, too.
L: No thanks!
I'm really curious what is making her ask all these questions lately!
Jack got much better after he napped this morning, and is now running around the living room playing with his trucks and hot wheels. I had to go into the kitchen for something, and I told him "Don't do anything naughty while I'm gone." As I stepped out of his sight, he kept repeating "anything naughty!" over and over again. Then I heard some crashes, so I ran back into the room. He was dropping everything he could find behind the couch. Perhaps this explains the large number of items I keep finding there!!!!
Lily asked me more questions about God on the way to school this morning. She asked again if God had any pets, and I told her he had all the pets who went to Heaven. Then she asked if the cats took turns sitting in his lap. I told her that God was so big, all the cats could sit in his lap at one time. We then had this conversation:
Lily: "Is he bigger than those trees?"
Me: "He's bigger than the whole world, because he made the world."
Lily: "Are we in his stomach?"
M: No, but we are all a part of God and God is a part of all of us.
L: He must be humungo! Did he make that house?
M: Yes.
L: Did he make me?
M: Yes. He made everything in the world.
L: Did he make all the worlds? (To Lily, a "world" can mean a different town or country)
M: Yes. And he did it in 6 days.
L: That was so fast!
M: On the seventh day he rested.
L: He was probably tired out.
M: Probably.
Then we got to school. I asked her if she wanted to go to church some time.
L: No. I don't want to go to church.
M: But at church you can hear people talk about God.
L: I already know about God.
M: They sing songs about God there, too.
L: No thanks!
I'm really curious what is making her ask all these questions lately!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Lily's Unicorns
Just a quick post for tonight. We're all kind of under the weather here with some kind of cold/stomach bug. Accordingly, not much of interest has occurred lately!
I did want to telly everyone about Lily's new invisible friends, Snowflake and Uni. She invented them a week or so ago. Today, they made one of their increasingly frequent appearances and she told me quite a bit about them. They were sitting right next to me, but of course, I couldn't see them. They are both female unicorns, and only Lily can see them. She's not sure what they look like, except that they look "kind of like a rainbow."
They are not very well behaved in the car, let me tell you. Today, they kept pulling on their leashes to let Lily know they wanted treats, and she had to repeatedly remind them that there were no treats in the car. The only treat they want is orange circus peanuts. They also like to drink water "like dogs." The other naughty thing they do is to push Lily aside to get in front of her "so they can see things." They have to see whatever she's seeing. In Lily's words, "they are always interested."
At home they like to watch whatever Lily is watching on TV. They sleep in the livingroom in special sleeping bags "made for them out of stuff that unicorns like." The bags are pink, purple and "rainbowy, like the unicorns." They can't sleep in Lily's room because they snore and keep her awake. They do not like loud noises and they are scared of the city, monsters and "bad things."
Oh, to be 4 again!
I did want to telly everyone about Lily's new invisible friends, Snowflake and Uni. She invented them a week or so ago. Today, they made one of their increasingly frequent appearances and she told me quite a bit about them. They were sitting right next to me, but of course, I couldn't see them. They are both female unicorns, and only Lily can see them. She's not sure what they look like, except that they look "kind of like a rainbow."
They are not very well behaved in the car, let me tell you. Today, they kept pulling on their leashes to let Lily know they wanted treats, and she had to repeatedly remind them that there were no treats in the car. The only treat they want is orange circus peanuts. They also like to drink water "like dogs." The other naughty thing they do is to push Lily aside to get in front of her "so they can see things." They have to see whatever she's seeing. In Lily's words, "they are always interested."
At home they like to watch whatever Lily is watching on TV. They sleep in the livingroom in special sleeping bags "made for them out of stuff that unicorns like." The bags are pink, purple and "rainbowy, like the unicorns." They can't sleep in Lily's room because they snore and keep her awake. They do not like loud noises and they are scared of the city, monsters and "bad things."
Oh, to be 4 again!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Sick.
My, didn't we have fun last night?
First, Jack woke up 6 times between when I went to bed and when Jim got home, thus ensuring I never actually fell asleep. Second, Lily woke up as soon as Jim got home and asked to come in our bed. Third, Lily tossed and turned in the bed and kept me awake for another 45 minutes as Jim snored blissfully next to me. And then...
Lily said "My stomach doesn't feel good, Mama." That made me sit right up. I asked if she was going to vomit and she said "Yes." That made me jump out of bed and grab her. We started running to the stairs, but poor Lily couldn't make it. She threw up right at the top of the stairs. It was a great shot -- she missed herself and me, but managed to hit every single stair and both walls.
As soon as she was done, she tried to head back to our bed. I told her she had to sleep downstairs with me to be close to the bathroom. "Why?" she said "My stomach is fine now." 4 years of experience has taught me that kids rarely get sick just once. I got her settled in and then spent 40 minutes cleaning up the mess on the stairs. Lily kept up a running commentary from her bed while I worked:
"Why do you keep making that noise, Mama?" (I was gagging repeatedly because while I can clean up almost any kid mess, I am not good with vomit.)
"I'm cold. Can't you hurry up, Mama?"
"I feel fine now, let's go upstairs to your bed!" Yeah, right.
We moved into the guest room bed and I loaded her up with blankets because she was cold. We just lay there staring at each other for a long time. She asked me why I was still awake, and I said "In case you get sick again, I can help you." "Oh, I'm not going to be sick. I'm better now."
That lasted about 10 minutes. Just as I started to doze off, Lily said "Bucket." That made me leap up and grab the plastic bin next to the bed. We waited and nothing happened. "It went away. Sorry. I feel fine now." It became a little routine. Lily would get into the covers and complain of being cold. Then she would kick off the covers because she was too warm. Then she would toss and turn restlessly and I would reach for the bucket, because I knew then she was about to say "Bucket!" again. We played this duet for some time, but Lily could not throw up. When she finally did, I could see how relieved she felt. It truly does feel awful to be nauseated like that all night. She fell right to sleep after she was sick, and I went and cleaned up.
Just as I was crawling into bed next to Lily to go to sleep, I heard Jack wake up. I waited, but it was clear Jim was going to sleep through Jack's cries, so I went upstairs. Jack was crying "Mama! Mama!" I settled him in bed next to Jim, but as soon as I moved away from the bed, Jack started shrieking for me. I decided to take him downstairs with me, too. At first, he wanted to get up, but after I sat up in bed for about an hour holding him, he was finally willing to lie down next to Lily. He was really croupy, so I suspect that's what kept waking him up. After some experimentation, I found that propping him up on a pillow kept him sleeping comfortably. Remarkably, Lily did not wake up once during the entire process.
When I finally had both kids asleep, I inched in next to Jack. The guest room bed is only a full, so I was clinging to the edge to keep from falling out. Just as the sun started to peek through the shades, I fell asleep. Just in time for both kids to wake up and ask me for breakfast.
Both kids seem just fine this morning. Why is it that if a kid gets a stomach virus, it inevitably starts in the middle of the night? There must be some explanation for it.
I'm willing to bet that Jim will remember nothing that went on during the night, even though I woke him up once to warn him that I'd removed some of the treads from the stairs to clean them. Any takers?
First, Jack woke up 6 times between when I went to bed and when Jim got home, thus ensuring I never actually fell asleep. Second, Lily woke up as soon as Jim got home and asked to come in our bed. Third, Lily tossed and turned in the bed and kept me awake for another 45 minutes as Jim snored blissfully next to me. And then...
Lily said "My stomach doesn't feel good, Mama." That made me sit right up. I asked if she was going to vomit and she said "Yes." That made me jump out of bed and grab her. We started running to the stairs, but poor Lily couldn't make it. She threw up right at the top of the stairs. It was a great shot -- she missed herself and me, but managed to hit every single stair and both walls.
As soon as she was done, she tried to head back to our bed. I told her she had to sleep downstairs with me to be close to the bathroom. "Why?" she said "My stomach is fine now." 4 years of experience has taught me that kids rarely get sick just once. I got her settled in and then spent 40 minutes cleaning up the mess on the stairs. Lily kept up a running commentary from her bed while I worked:
"Why do you keep making that noise, Mama?" (I was gagging repeatedly because while I can clean up almost any kid mess, I am not good with vomit.)
"I'm cold. Can't you hurry up, Mama?"
"I feel fine now, let's go upstairs to your bed!" Yeah, right.
We moved into the guest room bed and I loaded her up with blankets because she was cold. We just lay there staring at each other for a long time. She asked me why I was still awake, and I said "In case you get sick again, I can help you." "Oh, I'm not going to be sick. I'm better now."
That lasted about 10 minutes. Just as I started to doze off, Lily said "Bucket." That made me leap up and grab the plastic bin next to the bed. We waited and nothing happened. "It went away. Sorry. I feel fine now." It became a little routine. Lily would get into the covers and complain of being cold. Then she would kick off the covers because she was too warm. Then she would toss and turn restlessly and I would reach for the bucket, because I knew then she was about to say "Bucket!" again. We played this duet for some time, but Lily could not throw up. When she finally did, I could see how relieved she felt. It truly does feel awful to be nauseated like that all night. She fell right to sleep after she was sick, and I went and cleaned up.
Just as I was crawling into bed next to Lily to go to sleep, I heard Jack wake up. I waited, but it was clear Jim was going to sleep through Jack's cries, so I went upstairs. Jack was crying "Mama! Mama!" I settled him in bed next to Jim, but as soon as I moved away from the bed, Jack started shrieking for me. I decided to take him downstairs with me, too. At first, he wanted to get up, but after I sat up in bed for about an hour holding him, he was finally willing to lie down next to Lily. He was really croupy, so I suspect that's what kept waking him up. After some experimentation, I found that propping him up on a pillow kept him sleeping comfortably. Remarkably, Lily did not wake up once during the entire process.
When I finally had both kids asleep, I inched in next to Jack. The guest room bed is only a full, so I was clinging to the edge to keep from falling out. Just as the sun started to peek through the shades, I fell asleep. Just in time for both kids to wake up and ask me for breakfast.
Both kids seem just fine this morning. Why is it that if a kid gets a stomach virus, it inevitably starts in the middle of the night? There must be some explanation for it.
I'm willing to bet that Jim will remember nothing that went on during the night, even though I woke him up once to warn him that I'd removed some of the treads from the stairs to clean them. Any takers?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
