Yesterday I mentioned that Graham's request for hugs was priceless. And right about now I'm grateful that some things, like kisses and love, are still free. Graham has been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia and a double ear-infection, so we are going to concentrate on snuggles, popsicles and "The Incredibles". (I guess there are other kids in the Pediatric wing that think they're superheroes, too.)
Although I fully expect to return home tomorrow to a noisy home and a healthier son, please keep us in your thoughts and look for my next post on Monday. I'll be sure to keep you posted during the week.
See you soon!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The Cost of Sickness
Basic digital alarm clock, shining brightly at 12:15am, 1:28am, 1:55am, 2:42am, 4:17am, 5:56am: $9.99
King-sized Target comforter, now covered in vomit: $89.99
Dry cleaning fee: $27.99
Children's Tylenol, clearly not digested: $5.99
Phone call to on-call doctor at midnight: Free
Hearing your sick boy say, "I'm sick, Mommy. Can I have a hug? Your hugs make me feel better."
Priceless.
King-sized Target comforter, now covered in vomit: $89.99
Dry cleaning fee: $27.99
Children's Tylenol, clearly not digested: $5.99
Phone call to on-call doctor at midnight: Free
Hearing your sick boy say, "I'm sick, Mommy. Can I have a hug? Your hugs make me feel better."
Priceless.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Round Two
Remember how Cael was sick?
Remember how Cael got better?
Remember how Graham never caught it?
Strike that last part.
Graham is chubby knee-deep in high fevers and children's ibuprofen. When he woke from his nap yesterday looking very flushed and hot to the touch, I knew that he was headed down the same path his brother had walked. But just as most illnesses seem to with my boys, Graham is handling it with slightly more spirit yet much tougher symptoms.
Those symptoms roused me out of bed last night at 3:30am, only to discover that all of the lights were on in my previously dark house. When I stumbled into the living room, I found my Bubba asleep and red-faced on the couch, the refrigerator door open in the kitchen and beeping in protest. Wanting to move him back to bed, he opened his eyes and told me that he had "frown up in his bed" and had no idea where he was, likely a product of the 104 degree fever he was sporting.
So this time it's Graham's turn to snuggle into my bed and drown his sorrows in ice-cold Gatorade and "The Incredibles". We did venture out of the house to see the doctor and for Mommy to vote at the local Catholic church. After I filled out my ballot, Graham made sure to let all of the voting volunteers know that "Mommy voted for Jesus", while pointing to a large oil painting in the room.
If only Jesus could be President. There would be no homelessness, joblessness, and just maybe, no more fevers for my sweet boys.
Remember how Cael got better?
Remember how Graham never caught it?
Strike that last part.
Graham is chubby knee-deep in high fevers and children's ibuprofen. When he woke from his nap yesterday looking very flushed and hot to the touch, I knew that he was headed down the same path his brother had walked. But just as most illnesses seem to with my boys, Graham is handling it with slightly more spirit yet much tougher symptoms.
Those symptoms roused me out of bed last night at 3:30am, only to discover that all of the lights were on in my previously dark house. When I stumbled into the living room, I found my Bubba asleep and red-faced on the couch, the refrigerator door open in the kitchen and beeping in protest. Wanting to move him back to bed, he opened his eyes and told me that he had "frown up in his bed" and had no idea where he was, likely a product of the 104 degree fever he was sporting.So this time it's Graham's turn to snuggle into my bed and drown his sorrows in ice-cold Gatorade and "The Incredibles". We did venture out of the house to see the doctor and for Mommy to vote at the local Catholic church. After I filled out my ballot, Graham made sure to let all of the voting volunteers know that "Mommy voted for Jesus", while pointing to a large oil painting in the room.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Super Sleeper
I always hoped my children would be like those kids that fall asleep in
the car at the end of a long day, their parents gently carrying them to
bed only to wake up the next morning wondering what the heck happened.
Come college, they'll usually discover that tequila happened.
Cael has never been one of those kids, however. He has always required a serious parental intervention to encourage sleep; in a dark room with no toys, no books and nothing of interest whatsoever.
But since
Halloween, two things have changed in my house-- two things that I
thought were unrelated but I am now beginning to think may have a link.
Since Halloween, Cael has been wearing his Iron Man costume a little
bit every day. Also, Cael has taken an unsolicited nap every day.
The first time he conked out in my bed, I thought it may have been a residual effect from the round of antibiotics he was finishing. I hadn't even considered the possibility that he was physically and mentally exhausted from throwing punches at pillows, blankets, the wall, the furniture, his brother, the dog, my rear end, his coat, his own legs, the floor and any other surface that didn't retreat when he would approach. His fatigue couldn't be from that. No way.
But as the days continue to pass, we are developing more of a love-hate relationship with that costume. When he wears it, he mimics the violent behavior of superheroes (mainly because I don't let him watch the shows and he has been left to guess how they would fight crime). But when he wears it, he is also getting a great deal of additional exercise and rest.
Clearly I can't let him continue to beat on his friends and family, so I think Iron Man will soon be put to rest along with Cael's new-found interest in napping. But that conversation will be an ugly one, so I'm already trying to compose an argument that won't result in a right hook to the eye. Maybe something like, "Iron Man is only visible during Daylight Saving Time" or "Iron Man has a lot of seasonal anxieties and will be available again after the stressful holiday season". Think he'll buy it?
Or maybe Captain America's secret weapon is a vial of Melatonin...
Come college, they'll usually discover that tequila happened.
Cael has never been one of those kids, however. He has always required a serious parental intervention to encourage sleep; in a dark room with no toys, no books and nothing of interest whatsoever.
The first time he conked out in my bed, I thought it may have been a residual effect from the round of antibiotics he was finishing. I hadn't even considered the possibility that he was physically and mentally exhausted from throwing punches at pillows, blankets, the wall, the furniture, his brother, the dog, my rear end, his coat, his own legs, the floor and any other surface that didn't retreat when he would approach. His fatigue couldn't be from that. No way.
But as the days continue to pass, we are developing more of a love-hate relationship with that costume. When he wears it, he mimics the violent behavior of superheroes (mainly because I don't let him watch the shows and he has been left to guess how they would fight crime). But when he wears it, he is also getting a great deal of additional exercise and rest.
Clearly I can't let him continue to beat on his friends and family, so I think Iron Man will soon be put to rest along with Cael's new-found interest in napping. But that conversation will be an ugly one, so I'm already trying to compose an argument that won't result in a right hook to the eye. Maybe something like, "Iron Man is only visible during Daylight Saving Time" or "Iron Man has a lot of seasonal anxieties and will be available again after the stressful holiday season". Think he'll buy it?
Or maybe Captain America's secret weapon is a vial of Melatonin...
Friday, November 2, 2012
Ism of the Week
"Mommy, look! The kitty is in my airplane."
"Yeah, I see that."
"I think he's going to fly all over the world. He'll fly to Walmart and then to HyVee and then to Olive Garden. And maybe he will do flips in the air and fly over the water."
"Oh, wow. And maybe he'll use the radio to call his kitty family."
"Whatever, Mom. He's a cat. He can't talk. Jeez, Mommy..."
"Yeah, I see that."
"I think he's going to fly all over the world. He'll fly to Walmart and then to HyVee and then to Olive Garden. And maybe he will do flips in the air and fly over the water."
"Oh, wow. And maybe he'll use the radio to call his kitty family."
"Whatever, Mom. He's a cat. He can't talk. Jeez, Mommy..."
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Trick Or Treat
After the last few days of Halloween flurry, I
think I might start holding classes and charging for products, because I
feel as though my home is a Michael's craft store.
Even before the Halloween festivities began, we were preparing for the big day with a Halloween party at Cael's preschool. Because his teacher had requested that the kids not wear costumes representing media characters or any costume with a mask, Cael's Iron Man outfit was rendered useless. Instead, we dressed him up in the firefighter outfit he'd received from my sister Amy and her family (sans axe, of course).
He was
surprisingly good-natured about the switch, but I attribute that to the
promise of pumpkin carving later that night. For some reason, making
jack-o-lanterns is so enticing that it can eliminate almost any
undesirable behavior.
When pumpkin season is over, maybe we'll start carving watermelons.
But sadly, we didn't carve those pumpkins. Between dinner and baths and Halloween preparations, it didn't happen on the 30th. Instead, we spent some time constructing a Halloween costume for my nephew. Keaton is a big video game fan, Minecraft specifically, and wanted to be one of the characters for his costume.
The creators of this game should be ashamed of themselves. Not just because of its addictive nature, but because of the intentionally poor graphics that make the characters little more than a cluster of oversized pixels. So what did we do?
Meet Keaton. AKA "Minecraft Guy"/"Pixel Man"/"Can't See Through Eye-Holes & Running Into Walls Man".
I was happy to help with his costume because I love that sort of project, but my type-A personality wouldn't let me get to sleep until I'd at least begun to tackle those pumpkins. I got the white and traditional orange pumpkins hollowed out and cleaned, and when I began to tackle the bumpy pumpkin I knew I'd made a major error.
The skin was like
stone, and it took nearly an hour to cut the lid from the top of the
gourd. The thought of carving either a car (Graham's choice) or Iron
Man (Cael's choice) into the face of this rock was daunting, so I
sketched out a snake that would slither its way between the bumpy
steel-like warts on the pumpkin.
The regular pumpkin was up
next, but because it was already after midnight, I didn't have the
energy for Iron Man and dug out the "Incredibles" logo, which I knew Cael
would enjoy even though it wasn't his first choice.
Only my
white pumpkin remained and I carved a traditional face into its flesh,
alongside a small "C" and "G" gourd for each of the boys.
Who needs sleep, anyway?
Finally, Halloween was upon us. Between spooky temporary tattoos and roasted pumpkin seeds, the day went quickly and it was time to get our treat on. Cael looked very authentic in his Iron Man costume that he was finally allowed to wear, and Graham brought his own brand of super to Halloween as "SuperWhy", a superhero whose power is "the ability to read". Aren't PBS superheroes thenerdiest best?
Because it was only about 40 degrees
outside, we tried to move quickly from house to house, Graham escorting
Keaton so that he didn't run into any mailboxes or garage doors. Within
a few minutes and a few houses, Graham hit his stride and Cael petered out.
For such an outgoing, energetic kid, he is
unusually prone to feeling shy and responds with major frustration. So
instead of filling his pumpkin bucket, he spent the majority of the
night hanging back with Daddy while Graham raked in the loot, Keaton
avoided potholes, and Amy and I huddled together for warmth.
When we got back to the house, the boys dug into their goodies, each eating three pieces within seconds before I was able to confiscate the bowls and begin the year-long process of rationing the candy until next Halloween.
And next time, I'll start getting ready in September.
Even before the Halloween festivities began, we were preparing for the big day with a Halloween party at Cael's preschool. Because his teacher had requested that the kids not wear costumes representing media characters or any costume with a mask, Cael's Iron Man outfit was rendered useless. Instead, we dressed him up in the firefighter outfit he'd received from my sister Amy and her family (sans axe, of course).
When pumpkin season is over, maybe we'll start carving watermelons.
But sadly, we didn't carve those pumpkins. Between dinner and baths and Halloween preparations, it didn't happen on the 30th. Instead, we spent some time constructing a Halloween costume for my nephew. Keaton is a big video game fan, Minecraft specifically, and wanted to be one of the characters for his costume.
The creators of this game should be ashamed of themselves. Not just because of its addictive nature, but because of the intentionally poor graphics that make the characters little more than a cluster of oversized pixels. So what did we do?
Meet Keaton. AKA "Minecraft Guy"/"Pixel Man"/"Can't See Through Eye-Holes & Running Into Walls Man".
I was happy to help with his costume because I love that sort of project, but my type-A personality wouldn't let me get to sleep until I'd at least begun to tackle those pumpkins. I got the white and traditional orange pumpkins hollowed out and cleaned, and when I began to tackle the bumpy pumpkin I knew I'd made a major error.
Only my
white pumpkin remained and I carved a traditional face into its flesh,
alongside a small "C" and "G" gourd for each of the boys. 
Finally, Halloween was upon us. Between spooky temporary tattoos and roasted pumpkin seeds, the day went quickly and it was time to get our treat on. Cael looked very authentic in his Iron Man costume that he was finally allowed to wear, and Graham brought his own brand of super to Halloween as "SuperWhy", a superhero whose power is "the ability to read". Aren't PBS superheroes the
Because it was only about 40 degrees
outside, we tried to move quickly from house to house, Graham escorting
Keaton so that he didn't run into any mailboxes or garage doors. Within
a few minutes and a few houses, Graham hit his stride and Cael petered out.
When we got back to the house, the boys dug into their goodies, each eating three pieces within seconds before I was able to confiscate the bowls and begin the year-long process of rationing the candy until next Halloween.
And next time, I'll start getting ready in September.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween!
Hope you have a spook-tastic, trick-and-treat filled Halloween night! Stay safe and see you tomorrow!
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