cake with uncle jerry
Monday, August 28, 2006
Black Monday
Today, after a month of being home, Bruce went back to work.
Everyone here misses him. While our ways of missing him are different, we all miss him.
I recognize it is a rare thing for any home to have both parents in the house for any length of time, we like it that way around here. August is often filled with vacations, house projects, day trips, etc. I recognize what I have is unique, and I am uniquely grateful.
Nonetheless, it is a sad day for a certain two little girls when they wake up and only mommy is here. Plus they both have REALLY bonded with their dad and have wanted less and less to do with me as August has worn on.
The good news is the calvary is coming.
Grandma lands in Baltimore tomorrow afternoon.
Everyone here misses him. While our ways of missing him are different, we all miss him.
I recognize it is a rare thing for any home to have both parents in the house for any length of time, we like it that way around here. August is often filled with vacations, house projects, day trips, etc. I recognize what I have is unique, and I am uniquely grateful.
Nonetheless, it is a sad day for a certain two little girls when they wake up and only mommy is here. Plus they both have REALLY bonded with their dad and have wanted less and less to do with me as August has worn on.
The good news is the calvary is coming.
Grandma lands in Baltimore tomorrow afternoon.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Diary of a Neurotic Mother’s Addressing a 24-hour Virus in Evie
(a glimpse into a 2 year old's brush with the Hot Zone)
Many of you people with lives will often have someone come into the office complaining that their child is recovering from a 24 hour bug. In case you have ever wondered what that looks like and why they are so miserable the next day, here is a brief breakdown of the brink and back.
The good news is that this wasn't one of those projectile vomit 'flus - you with delicate constitutions need not worry and can read on.
Saturday night- Evie cries, Daddy sleeps on the floor next to her. (The shark is lurking beneath the surface.)
Sunday morning – Evie feels a little warm, but is acting fine. Jumps all over Sunday school, picks a fight with a boy twice her age and size. Business as usual.
Sunday afternoon – No indication of what is to come
Sunday 7 pm – During a family walk, Evie falls and scrapes her knee. Loses it so completely her mother carries her home. Upon arrival, temperature is taken. 100.7 degrees, Motrin administered.
Sunday 10 pm – Evie wakes up crying, irritable – mother takes temperature – 103.5. Calls father who reluctantly turns off Entourage. Discussion ensues – Evie is taken to 24 hour care center at Kaiser to rule out ear infection, strep etc. for why the fever isn’t responding to drugs.
Sunday 11 pm – Evie enters Kaiser, fever magically drops to 100.9. Strep & ear infection ruled out.
Monday 3 am, parents awoken to crying. Temperature 104.4. Mother administers Motrin, sleeps next to a very feverish child for the remainder of the night.
Monday 8 am, friend calls. Wakes all children and parents up.
Monday 9 am, Tylenol administered, fever 103.4. Cold shower administered.
Monday 10 am, dull listless Evie, won’t eat or drink
Monday 11 am, fever 104.1, still no eating or drinking. Evie won’t move or communicate, refuses to even suck ice. Cool bath administered
Mother contemplates probability of West Nile, Encephalitis, Bacterial Meningitis.
Noon - Evie won’t eat, barely sips juice (AT FULL STRENGTH) won’t take an ice pop.
Mother calls grandmother. Grandmother relates story of 2 year old dying of bacterial meningitis recently – same symptoms.
12:30 Mother calls Kaiser
1:30 Mother calls Kaiser again
1:40 Kaiser calls mother (who clearly now is on their looney list) Evie’s fever is 103 in one year and 101.7 in the other.
Kaiser says to bring her in.
1:50 pm, Evie enters Kaiser. Fever precipitously drops upon entering the building. Pretzels are demanded and ingested. Water drunk.
2:10 Doctor examines Evie. Fever 100.9. Tells mother Evie is overdressed. Just a virus. Rules out West Nile and Meningitis.
3:30 Watching Dora, Evie’s temp is back up to 103.7. Cool bath administered.
7 pm Evie eats dinner. Broccoli and grapes. A glass of water is ingested by offering oreo cookies after sips.
10 pm Evie wakes up screaming. Fever of 100. Mother rocks her, sleeps next to her.
12:30 am Evie wakes up, demands father. Goes to sleep on mother’s side of the bed. Mother stuck on the floor all night.
Tuesday am, fever 101. Acting like a normal child (not a normal Evie) parents have a glimpse into what a normal energy two year old is like.
Tuesday pm, awakes from nap demands ice pop and a trip to the pool. Everything is blissfully back to normal?
Many of you people with lives will often have someone come into the office complaining that their child is recovering from a 24 hour bug. In case you have ever wondered what that looks like and why they are so miserable the next day, here is a brief breakdown of the brink and back.
The good news is that this wasn't one of those projectile vomit 'flus - you with delicate constitutions need not worry and can read on.
Saturday night- Evie cries, Daddy sleeps on the floor next to her. (The shark is lurking beneath the surface.)
Sunday morning – Evie feels a little warm, but is acting fine. Jumps all over Sunday school, picks a fight with a boy twice her age and size. Business as usual.
Sunday afternoon – No indication of what is to come
Sunday 7 pm – During a family walk, Evie falls and scrapes her knee. Loses it so completely her mother carries her home. Upon arrival, temperature is taken. 100.7 degrees, Motrin administered.
Sunday 10 pm – Evie wakes up crying, irritable – mother takes temperature – 103.5. Calls father who reluctantly turns off Entourage. Discussion ensues – Evie is taken to 24 hour care center at Kaiser to rule out ear infection, strep etc. for why the fever isn’t responding to drugs.
Sunday 11 pm – Evie enters Kaiser, fever magically drops to 100.9. Strep & ear infection ruled out.
Monday 3 am, parents awoken to crying. Temperature 104.4. Mother administers Motrin, sleeps next to a very feverish child for the remainder of the night.
Monday 8 am, friend calls. Wakes all children and parents up.
Monday 9 am, Tylenol administered, fever 103.4. Cold shower administered.
Monday 10 am, dull listless Evie, won’t eat or drink
Monday 11 am, fever 104.1, still no eating or drinking. Evie won’t move or communicate, refuses to even suck ice. Cool bath administered
Mother contemplates probability of West Nile, Encephalitis, Bacterial Meningitis.
Noon - Evie won’t eat, barely sips juice (AT FULL STRENGTH) won’t take an ice pop.
Mother calls grandmother. Grandmother relates story of 2 year old dying of bacterial meningitis recently – same symptoms.
12:30 Mother calls Kaiser
1:30 Mother calls Kaiser again
1:40 Kaiser calls mother (who clearly now is on their looney list) Evie’s fever is 103 in one year and 101.7 in the other.
Kaiser says to bring her in.
1:50 pm, Evie enters Kaiser. Fever precipitously drops upon entering the building. Pretzels are demanded and ingested. Water drunk.
2:10 Doctor examines Evie. Fever 100.9. Tells mother Evie is overdressed. Just a virus. Rules out West Nile and Meningitis.
3:30 Watching Dora, Evie’s temp is back up to 103.7. Cool bath administered.
7 pm Evie eats dinner. Broccoli and grapes. A glass of water is ingested by offering oreo cookies after sips.
10 pm Evie wakes up screaming. Fever of 100. Mother rocks her, sleeps next to her.
12:30 am Evie wakes up, demands father. Goes to sleep on mother’s side of the bed. Mother stuck on the floor all night.
Tuesday am, fever 101. Acting like a normal child (not a normal Evie) parents have a glimpse into what a normal energy two year old is like.
Tuesday pm, awakes from nap demands ice pop and a trip to the pool. Everything is blissfully back to normal?
Friday, August 18, 2006
No, Mommy! Go Away!!!
You would think those might be the words of the garrulous Juliette, but no, it is actually one of Evie's favorite things to say when she is upset.
We are back from a week at the beach in Duck, NC with a houseful of almost complete strangers. We brought no toys. Here are some lessons...
1. Never, Never try out an almost two year old in a big-girl bed for the first time on the first night of vacation. (Picture all four of us spread out in lounge chairs on the deck watching the stars at 4:30 am so as to not wake anyone else.)
2. In the car, children require 5 potty breaks for every single adult break. Often in rapid succession - they really aren't faking when they say they really really have to go that fifth time.
3. Strangers are better than toys. (Both girls loved every adult and every child in the house!)
4. Nothing tires little girls out more than a day at the beach.
5. When Evie has reached her limit in the car, she HAS REACHED HER LIMIT. ALL WILL SUFFER!!!! (see the title!)
It was a fun week, but it is good to be home! :)
We are back from a week at the beach in Duck, NC with a houseful of almost complete strangers. We brought no toys. Here are some lessons...
1. Never, Never try out an almost two year old in a big-girl bed for the first time on the first night of vacation. (Picture all four of us spread out in lounge chairs on the deck watching the stars at 4:30 am so as to not wake anyone else.)
2. In the car, children require 5 potty breaks for every single adult break. Often in rapid succession - they really aren't faking when they say they really really have to go that fifth time.
3. Strangers are better than toys. (Both girls loved every adult and every child in the house!)
4. Nothing tires little girls out more than a day at the beach.
5. When Evie has reached her limit in the car, she HAS REACHED HER LIMIT. ALL WILL SUFFER!!!! (see the title!)
It was a fun week, but it is good to be home! :)
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
At what price, Love?
(Alternatively titled, "living for jenn")
This morning, breakfast rolled around.
As usual, I asked Juliette what she wanted and offered a few helpful suggestions...cereal? french toast?
She then asked a question that stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Are there any bagels left?"
"Excuse me?" I asked, wanting to have heard her wrong.
"I asked, Are there any bagels left?"
In a split second, for the first time I am confronted with the decision as to whether or not I really love Juliette. A selfless mommy would have replied "of course, darling" and run to the freezer to extract one of the lovingly cryopreserved circles of happiness. Not I.
I thought through my options--
1. Pretend I didn't understand - no, that would work with Evie, but not Juliette at this point.
2. Lie, say "no."
3. White lie, say "I'm not sure" immediately follow with a distract - "wanna watch Dora???"
4. Make up some arbitrary rule - disqualifying Juliette from eating bagels - "they are a choking hazard for Evie, you need to set a good example..."
5. Control the damage, "there aren't very many, how about you, Evie and I split one?"
6. Recognize giving a bagel is symbolic of the sacrifice of parenthood, lovingly give the bagel to my eldest.
7. Recognize a lesson in sharing was at my fingertips.
8. Recognize the last two answers are not my style, but give up the bagel anyway.
Guess which I chose???
This morning, breakfast rolled around.
As usual, I asked Juliette what she wanted and offered a few helpful suggestions...cereal? french toast?
She then asked a question that stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Are there any bagels left?"
"Excuse me?" I asked, wanting to have heard her wrong.
"I asked, Are there any bagels left?"
In a split second, for the first time I am confronted with the decision as to whether or not I really love Juliette. A selfless mommy would have replied "of course, darling" and run to the freezer to extract one of the lovingly cryopreserved circles of happiness. Not I.
I thought through my options--
1. Pretend I didn't understand - no, that would work with Evie, but not Juliette at this point.
2. Lie, say "no."
3. White lie, say "I'm not sure" immediately follow with a distract - "wanna watch Dora???"
4. Make up some arbitrary rule - disqualifying Juliette from eating bagels - "they are a choking hazard for Evie, you need to set a good example..."
5. Control the damage, "there aren't very many, how about you, Evie and I split one?"
6. Recognize giving a bagel is symbolic of the sacrifice of parenthood, lovingly give the bagel to my eldest.
7. Recognize a lesson in sharing was at my fingertips.
8. Recognize the last two answers are not my style, but give up the bagel anyway.
Guess which I chose???
Thursday, August 03, 2006
4 Things to Love about Juliette & Evie Today
1. Evie singing bubble-ooo for "w"
2. Juliette mis-pronouncing "q" as a "w" - i.e., "squirrel" is "swirl"
3. Evie stopping her sobbing during a tantrum to say "hello" to the airplane over our head
4. Juliette making up "cards" for visitors and family and then demanding to know when they are sending one back
2. Juliette mis-pronouncing "q" as a "w" - i.e., "squirrel" is "swirl"
3. Evie stopping her sobbing during a tantrum to say "hello" to the airplane over our head
4. Juliette making up "cards" for visitors and family and then demanding to know when they are sending one back
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