Pain in the Neck

First, I want to thank everyone who tweeted, facebooked and texted me support and positive thoughts yesterday. It really meant a lot to know that other people out there are thinking about us and wishing us well. I know I was pretty vague about what is going on with the tween so I thought I'd fill y'all in.

He was in DC on vacation with his grandparents over Thanksgiving (more on that later) when he first noticed the pain. There was no catalyst to it, no big neck jolts or anything. He woke up, ate breakfast and then they started going about their day as tourists. He said he first remembers it after breakfast, it definitely wasn't there when he woke up that morning. He didn't say anything about it at first because he just thought it would go away. He mentioned it to me in passing on the phone, but didn't make a big deal out of it so we let it go.

When he got home (last Wednesday) he started complaining about it a little more frequently. He walked around in the morning and in the evening with his hand around the back of his neck, flinching every once in a while, but otherwise in good spirits. But by Thursday evening we decided we needed to have him looked at, to figure out what was going on and how we can make it go away.

Friday we went to his pediatrician. He did a bunch of neurological tests (all normal), narrowed down the fact that it was skeletal rather than muscular (which is even more puzzling), prescribed a week of rest, ibuprofen and ice, then sent us to get some xrays.

The ibuprofen and ice did nothing for him. The xrays all showed everything as normal. The whole "rest" thing didn't go over well.

Saturday afternoon the pain started spreading. Where it was first located on just one particular vertebra, it had now moved up and down  his spine by one or two vertebrae each way. This concerned me.

Monday morning he woke up in tears. So I called the pediatrician and in we went. Same neuro tests (all normal), same stumped doctor. He gave us an urgent referral to an orthopedist at Children's and they managed to get us in that afternoon.

After chatting with the nurse, resident intern, and the orthopedist, it was decided that the best course of action was to order a bone scan for him. We have an appointment this Friday that will take us most of the day, followed by an appointment with the orthopedist to see how to proceed.

If we don't get answers from the bone scan, the next step will probably be an MRI and/or a CT. The orthopedist also suggested scheduling some physical therapy for him to help relieve the pain. And though I want his pain to be relieved, I also want to know what the heck is causing the pain.

And  here we are. Waiting. He's still hurting, but its a tolerable pain and he makes it through the day just fine. Mornings and nights are the harder part.

Please keep those positive messages coming in. We're trying to keep upbeat, trying to take the whole "its probably nothing serious" approach. But distractions and hugs, for all of us, are always accepted.

I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry.

I heard a noise I couldn't quite pinpoint coming from down the hall. I was trying to get some work done. The toddler was busily doing something.

Finally it started to bug me, that noise. So I got up to check it out.

"Look mommy, I'm building a mountain."

That would be the entire contents of her dresser. On her floor. The noise I heard were the drawers closing.

I let out a little noise that was not quite a laugh, but not quite a choked back sob. I just took a picture of the mess and left the room.

She is quite pleased with herself.

I, however, might need a drink.

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States. It's going to be a strange one for me. My family of five is spread out this year and I'm having a bit of a hard time.

The tween left on Monday with his grandparents, to surprise his aunts on the east coast. It was a very last minute decision. He is having a blast and they are spoiling him rotten. I am excited for him; he is having wonderful adventures and the adults are enjoying playing tourist again, seeing their city through young, fresh eyes. But I miss him. The house is very quiet without his goofiness, his movement, his constant dialog of football plays as he uses the furniture as tackling dummies.

The teen is leaving this afternoon. He is going to Hawaii with his dad's family. I think he will have fun once he gets there (I hope), but he is a big ball of stress right now. He is missing five days of school next week and I think it might give him an ulcer (only partly kidding). For various reasons, he can't take all of his homework with him, which put a ton of stress on him this last week to try and get as much of it done as possible, while still working late at school for his journalism class (the paper goes to press soon, they've been at school until at least 8:00 all week). Knowing what is looming over his head when he gets back ... well, he's had a couple breakdowns. I hurt for him, knowing how much this is stressing him out. I wish I could help, but instead we just get the brunt of the freak outs. I am crossing fingers that he will find a way to relax and enjoy the trip, and not melt down again when he gets back to reality.

Man, this senior year is hard.

Anyway, it will just be the hubs, the toddler and I in the house for a solid week, without our boys. I am already wandering around lost in this quiet.

We are spending the evening tomorrow with my husbands family, about 40 of them. It will be loud, the alcohol will be flowing, the football will be on ... but it'll be different. Weird, not having MY little family together.

But I am thankful they are safe and happy and well taken care of. I hope the teenager finds some peace and relaxation in the sun. I hope the tween is distracted enough not to be sad. And I hope the vodka is cold where I am at so I can warm myself up with some liquid happiness.

I will leave you with a little laugh I got today from a friend on facebook. The 32 Rules of Thanksgiving Touch Football. My favorite is number 6: "A Nerf ball is okay but you should own a leather football. A leather football is one of the things every home must have, like a dishwasher and a bourbon distillery in the garage."

Happy Thanksgiving.

Saying goodbye to my soccer team

In a few hours we will head out to the very last soccer game that I will coach with my 18 year olds.

That's me. Doing my coaching thing.

I'm having a hard time with this. I've watched these kids grow up. I've coached them for five years, but even before that I hung around at practices, scrimmaged with them when they needed extra players, cheered them on from the sidelines.

Most of these kids have been part of my life for a very long time. And it's almost over.

This has been my first real moment of "this is it" with the teenager. We've shared soccer since he was on his first team at age five. Thirteen years of memories, and now it's about to be done.

I'm going to be a basket case.

But these are teenage boys and they don't want to see that. I have to figure out a way to hold it together while these goofballs that I love come together on the field for the final time.

I have to figure out a way to laugh and cheer and smile and suck it up. I have to  say goodbye to 17 silly, dopey, funny, amazing kids that have, for the most part, found a place in my "mom" heart.

Yep. I'm a basket case. No way around it. Goodbye's just suck, I have no profound words to get me through it.

*sob*

Update 10:30pm: It's done. It's over.

We had a great game (we won, 3-1), it was a lot of fun. It was a little physical (we drew our second yellow card of the season. Awesome.), the teenager made some AMAZING saves in goal. Some of the guys played in their pajamas, because we made a deal last season.

I made them cookies. They brought me flowers. We had a group hug.

And now we are done.

*sniff*

Life

The varying degrees of my day:

"Mommy," says the toddler, holding a coin, "do you want heads or Veggie Tales?" It took me a minute to understand she was trying to flip the coin and wanted me to call a side. Cute.

It's 35 degrees today. Everyone at school was dressed with hats and gloves and down coats. Not my tween. He was wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt with an under armour underneath. I had to argue with him to get the under armour on. His sweatshirt was "in his backpack."

The teenager has officially applied early action to two schools. Applications have been sent to Georgetown and Northeastern. He is VERY excited.

Halloween fun

Halloween is fun when there is a toddler in the house. It's also fun when said toddler decides, on a whim, to dress up as a super hero. In her brother's old Darth Vader costume. With a tu-tu. And her velvet cape. Because, really, that is just awesome.

Princess Vader, the super hero

Our first outing in the costume was to the grocery store. She was quite a hit. Then we went to big brother's "Mad Science" party at the elementary school.

I was a little worried about bringing her to the party with a classroom full of tweens, but the kids were great with her. She went to each station with her brother and all the other kids doted on her. After all the activities were done, while the kids were "cleaning up," the teacher put on some music (Thriller) and they all cheered as the toddler did a goofy little dance for them.

Can you say sugar high? And missed nap time?

Later in the evening my niece and nephews came over to create the chaos that must accompany any Halloween night. To counteract the madness, the adults in the house enjoyed some hot chocolate with a choice of Rumpleminz or Baileys.

And then they were off to beg for candy, while I held down the fort at home and enjoyed the quiet house.

Happy Halloween from Princess Vader, Yoda, Thomas the Train, the Leopard and the Football Star.

It's a scary world out there

There was a stabbing this week at my former high school (video news story). I'm having a hard time moving on from it.

Monday afternoon, I logged in to facebook to find my feed filled with different links and updates about the story of the stabbing. I have friends with kids that attend the school. I have a high school senior at a different school, and two more that will be there someday. I have multiple friends who, like me, are former graduates that just can't believe this happened in our quiet little home town. This freaks me out.

Over the week I've read pretty much everything I can get my hands on about this story. I've read about the victims, one who almost died. I've read about the suspect, who had been planning to stab someone all weekend; she didn't care who. She said the victims were just "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

That's a tough one to swallow.

I read about the boys who heard the screams and ran into the bathroom to help. I can't get one of their comments out of my head; "I just don't ever want to hear a girl scream like that again." That makes me want to cry. This is a kid. He's only 17. That's just too much reality for someone that age. Well, for anyone really.

But I'm trying to push through the fear and the anguish and see the good things that have happened as a result of this tragedy. I found stories of other neighboring high schools dressing up in red, black and white (the high school colors) in a show of love and support.

 I found this video and story, about a playoff game that happened Friday night between Snohomish and Jackson high schools. All the students, from both schools, wore pink in honor of the victims. T-shirts were sold to raise money for the families. The cheerleaders, from both schools, wore pink to cheer their teams on, instead of their own school colors. I'm proud and overwhelmed.

And I read the letter from the Sheriff to the students and staff at the high school.

"Instead of anger and rage, I witnessed genuine concern for all involved."

That he took the time to write this, to tell them all how impressed he was with their strength and composure during the crisis, makes me proud to be part of this little town with the big heart. 

It gives me some hope, knowing that the students and are coming together to heal, that the families of the victims are together and trying to get back to normal. That they will all be able to grow and move on and be better people. That they have all learned to survive, and to keep moving forward.

It's a scary world for sure. But it is also a small world. As hard as this week has been for everyone in and surrounding this community, I'm so happy to see the silver lining. 

Most of all, I am happy to hear that April, the victim that almost died, is home with her family. Life will really go on. She's going to be okay. The community will be stronger. We will all move forward. And we will all stand just a little closer together.

Pumpkin Patch

Today, the preschool class got to go on their first field trip; to the pumpkin patch at a local farm. The toddler was sooo excited. Daddy got to come too, which made it extra special.

First point of business, a class picture. Trying to gather multiple toddlers together to pose for a group photo is pretty much like herding cats. We couldn't even get them all next to the truck, let alone standing still and looking at the camera.

The solo photo worked out much better.

 
After checking out the cute animals (including one very loud goose), we set off to find her perfect pumpkin. We spent lots of time wandering up and down the pumpkin patch with her saying "nope, that's not the right one." And also splashing in every puddle she could find.

First field trip was a success!

Sleep issues with the tween

The tween has been having a battle with sleep as of late. It goes back to almost infancy, when he was diagnosed with night terrors (not fun!). He's not having the terrors again, but he wakes up some mornings with big, dark bags under his eyes. He already has issues focusing, but with this lack of sleep it makes it so much harder for him during the day. We've been troubleshooting different ideas, but to no avail. He has trouble falling asleep and he has trouble staying asleep. We finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday.

The first thing they did was test him for anemia (negative). Then we talked about his sleep patterns and how to watch for the signs that he is tired. We are supposed to watch for the time when he is engaging and conversational, but not silly or overly emotional (is there such a time?).

At that point, we should give him another 20-30 minutes and then start the bedtime routine (apparently, if he is already yawning and acting tired, he should already be in bed).  The doctor  also  recommended we give him Melatonin supplements every night for at least two weeks, to see if that helps him fall asleep. (Note, he was much more refreshed this morning)

We chatted a bit about other ideas (shower before bed, move bedtime a bit earlier, bedtime and wake time should be the same every day, etc) . Then she did a quick exam.

As she was feeling around his throat, she asked if thyroid issues ran in our family (no). Apparently his are slightly enlarged. She ordered a blood test to check his thyroid level, and his Vitamin D level for good measure. This was his first blood draw (that he can remember) so it was a little exciting for him.

We should get the results today.

Side note: I googled 'thyroid problems in kids' so I could put a link over that word up above. Doing medical research online, based on scary words your doctor uses, is never EVER a good idea. I am now in a total panic over the possibilities. I've also just realized my doctor said she will be out today. I think I will go call the nurses line. And pace the house until I hear back. I'll post an update as soon as I hear.

**UPDATE 2:00pm: Thyroid tests came back completely normal. Whew.

Proud mama

And for the latest in the teenagers accomplishments: he came home from school yesterday telling us that his principal had nominated him for a leadership award and a national scholarship. He didn't have a lot of information (they are going to tell him more on Tuesday), but we did learn that the principal can only nominate one senior student from the school. He's obviously impressed the administration, which pretty much rocks!

I'll keep you posted!

Nice words from the teenager

It's time to take down the teenagers Mother's Day message on my bedroom wall.

I do it with mixed feelings, but it needs to be done. But I don't want to forget it, because it warms my heart, so I am going to memorialize it here on the blog.


The message on the wall:

THIS MOTHERS DAY

I'd like to take a moment to thank you for everything.

Thank you so much. Thank you for accepting us and thank you for being there.

You've done so much for this family: keeping it together, chasing after the toddler, cleaning up lipstick and nail polish stains, listening to my rants and dealing with my solitude. And all without requiring gratitude.

Today, I hope, can be a day where we show you that gratitude that we oftentimes do not; show just how much you matter!

I hope you have a fantastic day.

Love, *the teenager*

National Merit Commendation for the teen

‎"Oh, by the way mom, I'm a National Merit Commended Student" the teen says, as he's eating dinner and working on his laptop. Because it's not such a big deal or anything.

We are thankful that he at least thought to tell us.

Here is a bit more info on what this means, exactly:

In late September, more than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT® receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states. Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit® Scholarships, some of these students do become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.

And just in case the teen is reading this:

Special Scholarships
Every year some 1,300 National Merit® Program participants, who are outstanding but not Finalists, are awarded Special Scholarships provided by corporations and business organizations. To be considered for a Special Scholarship, students must meet the sponsor's criteria and entry requirements of the National Merit Scholarship Program. They also must submit an entry form to the sponsor organization. Subsequently, NMSC contacts a pool of high-scoring candidates through their respective high schools. These students and their school officials submit detailed scholarship applications. A committee of NMSC professional staff evaluates information about candidates' abilities, skills, and accomplishments and chooses winners of the sponsor's Special Scholarships. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.

Good job honey! All that hard work, those sleepless nights, the stress and frustration of this IB program, this makes it all worth it, right?


Right?

Toddler going on teenager

Because this is too damn cute not to share ...

The toddler found my lipstick in the car (we were waiting for the teenager to get done with an appointment), so I showed her the mirror to help her put it on. This girl is SOOOO ready to be a teenager.

Sigh.

Bullying in the tween world

The tween is having a bit of a problem with one of his classmates at school. Most days, when I pick him up from school, the first ten minutes or so are spent listening to him vent about one particular classmate. It's frustrating and heartbreaking and reminds me why I absolutely hate recess at the older elementary ages. The politics of 4th, 5th and 6th grade kids ... oy. It makes my heart hurt. Both of my boys were/are always way more stressed about the social complexities of recess than about school work.

Mostly the current issues revolve around the daily football or soccer game. Said kid won't pass the ball to my tween, tells the others not to pass him the ball because he's not very good. He "can't catch", he "can't score", "don't pick him for your team" or "don't let him play with us, he sucks."

I really don't like this kid.

I don't really think that whether my son is a good athlete or not should even be relevant in this story.

He is a good person, he loves sports and he wants to play them with his friends. This kid is taking the fun out of it. I mean come on; it's recess.

So today, during the daily football game, this kid told all the other kids that he'd seen my son at soccer try-outs last spring and that he didn't make the team because he sucked at soccer.

The mama bear in me just about lost it when I heard this, especially listening to him try to choke the words out without giving in to the frustrated tears. I gave him a hug. A big bear hug that I didn't want to let go.

Because he was embarrassed.

For not making a select team.

He's ten, for crying out loud!

I asked him, again, why he continues to play with this kid. But the answer never changes. "Mom, I'm not trying to play with him, but we all want to play football/soccer and there is only one ball. The recess teachers say we have to let everyone play."

We hugged some more, because I just needed to keep him close. We talked about a lot of things, about how proud I am of the person he is today. About what a good sport he is with his own soccer team and how proud we are that he is out there giving so much effort trying to better his skills. Eventually I got him smiling. He even laughed a couple times, and he shifted gears a bit, felt better about things.

But I still can't let it go.

This is my sweet, empathetic child, the one who feels everyone else's emotional pain as much as his own. He is getting a rough lesson right now, and I want it to stop.

But I know I can't fix it. I know that I can only give him the tools, then he has to figure out how to apply them. This is part of growing up.

I hate it.

It sucks.

I know there are bigger things at stake here, on all sides. This other kid is turning in to a bit of a bully. At some point, I might have to start chatting with some teachers. More importantly though, I need to make sure my son can hold his head up at school, be proud of himself and the things that he has achieved. And I need to help him understand that he cannot let anyone else define him, that he needs to respect himself and love himself and find the strength from within to deal with this, or any, adversity.

That's heavy stuff for the end of the night.

Thankfully, though, there is twitter. I just saw this tweet and it made me laugh. And shift my own gears a bit.

@christine_gibbs: Life is tough. I recommend getting a manicure and a really cute helmet.

So now I will go to bed, perhaps pondering what sort of helmet I need. Because tomorrow is a new day and we're going to kick some ass.


And maybe get a pedicure.

Lighting the Night

This past weekend, the tween and I joined hundreds of other local peeps doing the Light the Night walk around Greenlake to support, honor and remember those who have fought against blood cancers.

Participants are given a balloon in one of three colors: gold for those honoring someone who lost the battle, white for those who are surviving it, and red for those of us supporting the fight. There are little lights in the base of the balloons; as it gets dark it is quite impressive to see all the lights twinkling around the lake. I'm so bummed I can't find a good picture of us walking the lake, because it's a pretty amazing sight. Perhaps I can get my photographer friend to take a few next year (I'm talking to you, Craig).

From the Light the Night facebook page.

I do this walk, and raise money for this cause, because it has affected people I care about. This is my second year, and it is one of those events I will do forever. Because it's that important to me.

Let me introduce you to Ashley. This is her, two years ago, right before she was diagnosed with ALL.

She was 4. She was diagnosed very early, with no symptoms, because it was caught while she was being treated for something else.

Then the battle began.

And it sucked.

This is Ashley, mid treatment, while she was on her Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World.

And here she is today, with her family, at the Light the Night walk.

They will be done with treatment in December. But I don't imagine the fear will ever go away.

Watching my friend go through this is heartbreaking and empowering all at once. This whole family amazes me and I am so proud of how they have all survived this horrible, terrible disease. Check out the charity they started to help other families who are fighting this same disease. (And while we are supporting them, check out their little family business here).

As we walk around the lake, there are signs put up along the path. The first set of signs are the ones in memory of those who have passed away, the ones we are honoring. Heartbreaking though it is, one of Ashley's friends is in that group. A little girl who was going through the same battle, but she didn't make it.

You guys, she didn't make it. She was just a little kid, with a whole life she didn't get to live.

.

After a moment to remember her, we move on to the photos of those we are supporting, those who are surviving. And there, two pictures before Ashley, is a photo of another friends son.

You guys, cancer sucks. Any kind of cancer. It hurts so many people.

We need to find a cure.

Please do what you can to help support the fight, even if it's something as simple as holding a balloon. Because even that can be powerful.

Honoring the survivors in the pre-walk ceremony

pictures

I can't get enough of this photo of the tween and the toddler.

I took it after school one day last week. The tween complained the entire walk home from school and I wouldn't let him come in the house until he got over it and left all the 'grumpy' outside. The toddler was trying to cheer him up.

Today, the toddler found my aprons (actually, this one belonged to my grandmother and I love it. Technically it's supposed to wrap around your waist, but she has her own style). She also found her brothers chef hat. And moved her kitchen from the dining room into our kitchen.

She keeps her kitchen as clean as mommy does.

And finally, in case you missed it on facebook or twitter, the new uniforms arrived for the teenager's soccer team.

Senior year insanity

Before Pierre and God come in to the picture, the teenager has to get in to college. And before college, he has to survive his senior year.

Last night was open house at the high school. We got to spend 10 minutes in each class, meeting the teachers, getting a quick recap of what the year will be like for them, and hearing things like "you should have already heard about this from your child".

Ummm, no. Teenagers, by definition, do not communicate with their parents.

The teenager, if you haven't been following along, is in a program called IB, or International  Baccalaureate. To quote the Urban Dictionary definition, IB is "A malicious program aimed at the unnaturally brighter population in an attempt to overload their brains, thus reducing them to vegetables without lives ... In an attempt to shove too much information down the throats of students, the program ends up significantly improving the core skill required to succeed in IB: Bullshit." Thus the phrase 'IB, therefore I BS' was born. 

And seriously, that BS thing is pretty accurate.  

We are also in the midst of the college application process at the moment, which is confusing and overwhelming. He's decided to apply early action to Georgetown and U Chicago. He's also looking at applying to Brown, Northeastern, U Maryland, UW, and possibly NYU. At the moment his plan is to major in philosophy with a focus on politics and to get into a pre-law program.

That give me a headache.

Other than college essays and IB insanity, he is also taking an extra period to work on the student paper. We learned last night that 60 students applied to be part of the staff and they only took 18, which makes it pretty cool that he is part of this team. I'm excited to see his first byline!

He is also working one day a week (teaching swim lessons), playing soccer, and on a local swim team. He is even considering joining the high school swim team, which is MAJOR because he has fought us on joining school sports for years. I'm excited to watch him compete. I love watching him play soccer, I get to see a side of him I normally miss (social, competitive, focused on something other than academics).

The insanity that is senior year for IB kids; it's crazy. We are consumed with college essays, his extended essay, IB exams, community service requirements, soccer, (possibly two) swim team(s), his job, the student paper ... and somewhere in there is sleep, family time and a social life he has just begun to embrace. Not to mention grauation, senior prom, senior party, graduation party, his 18th birthday ... it's going to be a crazy, emotional year.

And then it will be done.

And he will leave.

And I will be an emotional wreck.

first day of kindergarten

Soccer for the tween

This past summer, the tween got to practice soccer with a select team (see here for the back story). Now that the rec season has started, he's joined up with his original rec team for practices and games. It pretty much sucks.

After spending all summer playing soccer with kids who WANT to be at practice, who are excited to improve, who are driven and competitive and focused, it has been a hard adjustment back to a rec team. The kids are great, even the ones who aren't particularly athletic. It's just that not all of them really want to be there, to improve their game. Or want to play soccer at all. He is so frustrated when he comes home from practices, now that he's had a taste of more advanced play.

And the games. Sigh. We just try to be really patient and supportive. To give him the tools to motivate himself, to be a good sport even when he is frustrated, and to be a good teammate.

It's going to be a long season.

In last weekends game, he rocked in goal the first half. He made some great saves and was reading the game really well; I can see that the coaching he got over the summer has paid off. A couple goals went in, but sometimes that just can't be helped.

In the second half he got to play on the field; the coach put him in as a forward (which is his preferred position). He had a few chances to score, but with only a couple of the kids actually putting forth significant effort, things weren't looking particularly good for our hero(s).

At one point, I called him over to the sideline and told him that if he scored a goal, his dad would give him $5. A few minutes later, he finally got one in the back of the net.

Bribery is a wonderful motivator.

This is going to be a long season, but we are doing our best to see the silver lining in each game. He's decided to stick it out with this team for the season, and to do his best to improve enough in the off season to own it at try-outs next spring.

Lord help us. I might need to stock up on vodka.

A day in the life of my teenager

getting his groove on with one awesome cousin

The teenager announced that when he moves out to start his real life (presumably after he completes his two PhD's), he is going to get a chocolate toy poodle and name it Pierre (there's a story, you'll have to ask him). I told him this was unacceptable, we don't DO little dogs. So, after a little arguing, he has amended his statement.

He is going to get a pygmy goat and name it Pierre.

Later we were discussing Chaz Bono (because, you know, he's been a little in the news lately) and I told him that his mother was Cher (which was news to him! How did I neglect teaching him these important pop culture tidbits??). I'd heard that at birth, Sonny and Cher* had actually named their daughter God. This made him laugh and, atheist that he is, he decided this was brilliant and wants to do this too.

But he's not planning on having children. The plan is to get TWO pygmy goats. One named Pierre and one named God.

To keep in his apartment in New York City.

Of course.


*editors note: I've since learned it was not Sonny and Cher who did this. It was Grace Slick who was rumored to have named her child God at birth. According to Snopes, this is a false rumor. See here.

Mommy, I'm stuck

I've been preparing to write an update about the boys as I was told recently that I don't post enough about them. But damned if the toddler has stolen the show again today.

I was working on the final draft of the PTSA newsletter (the one that was supposed to be at the printer yesterday. Eek) when the toddler, in a panicked voice, says, "mommy, I'm stuck".

She had been using one of the antique fire hose nozzles we have (the husband used to be a fireman, we have some fun little collectibles from the past) as her telescope. She loves to search for things with the smaller nozzle, holding it up to her eyes (squinting closed the eye that is peeping through the nozzle, very cute) and tiptoeing around me while I work. Well, she had sat down and decided to put her fingers, one at a time, into the small opening on the top.

The middle finger got stuck.

At first, there was just a mild panic in her voice, but it escalated as she kept pulling on her finger. I went over to take a look and tried to gently pull, to no avail. I picked her up, trying not to giggle (because, come on, it's kind of funny) and carried her upstairs to the sink. We ran cold water over her finger for a few minutes, which she did NOT like, while I tried to figure out what the next step should be. I couldn't find the Vaseline, which was the first thing that occurred to me. I was at the point where someone needed to help me, but where does one turn in this kind of situation? I'd feel completely ridiculous taking her to the ER, but wasn't sure the doctor would see us on such short notice.

I called my father-in-law (a former EMT/medic type, the one I always turn to for medical situations when I don't want to go see the actual doctor). After I assured him, over the hysterical toddlers screams, that everything was really okay, he suggested I try liquid soap (duh, why didn't I think of that? It was right in front of me).

I picked up her hand/nozzle (dude, that would be a great super hero attachment!) and tried to move it back to the sink. She started screaming "Don't cut it off!"

In hind sight, "well, lets just cut it off then," is perhaps not the best comeback to the imaginary wounds the kids come to us with.

After a couple minutes, the soap greased the finger up enough and it slid out. Whew.

That's when the tears really started. "I want to call daddy" she tells me, between sobs. Daddy, of course, does not answer the first two calls. So we decided the best way for her finger to feel better would be to make chocolate chip cookies. Because chocolate cures everything.

On the right is the offending nozzle. While waiting for the cookies to cook, she is eating a spoonful of peanut butter with chocolate chips sprinkled in. This is what daddy suggested would make her feel better. Parenting 101, right here.

Preschool fun

Today was the first day of preschool for the toddler. Here is our review, in pictures.

"I don't WANT you to take my picture". Sigh. She'll need to get over that.

Having fun in her new classroom. Coloring, play-dough, painting and the water table. 

Important preschool activities.

Time to sing and dance. She picked a triangle and was excited to hear a song she knows from her dance class. Being loud inside ROCKS when you are in preschool.

Outside play time. It's fun to be a toddler.

Making new friends is pretty cool too. These two are about the same age, and both equally bossy. It will be fun to see how this friendship progresses.

It was a good day to be a toddler.

A glimpse into my morning

I could hear water running in the bathroom sink this morning. When I went to check, the toddler had filled the sink up with hand soap and water and was giving one of her (plastic, thankfully) baby dolls a bath. Messy, but cute.

I went back to my laptop to get some work done and a bit later she came out to me, dripping wet. She had decided to stick her head under the faucet and wash her own hair. With the hand soap. She used a dish towel to dry off.

Surprisingly, the bathroom wasn't a total, waterlogged disaster. I am, however, going to need to buy some new hand soap.

Holiday Weekend Highlights

Three day weekends rock; I have decided this. We should have more of them. So we can have more memories like these ...

Friday night, we went back to my home town for a football game. The hubs and I sat in the bleachers and held hands. For real, we got to hold hands. And sit together. We never get to do that.

Saturday the toddler helped daddy mow the lawn. While wearing her jammies and 3-sizes-too-big, fur lined, Care Bear snow boots. Because that's how she rolls.

Later, we had a campfire with the neighbors. With s'mores. In the backyard. Dude.

Sunday we spent a day at the lake, watching the kids play in the water. And in the sand. And it was relaxing. With three toddlers! Who knew?

Then I got to have drinks with a client. After watching another client play with wedding dresses. Because this is my job, and it rocks.

Monday I spent hours and hours of uninterrupted time pinning and on etsy (for clients, of course) in my jammies. Yay!

Meanwhile, the teen who goes everywhere in a button down and tie, the one who thinks New York City is heaven and will not consider a college unless it's on a coast or in a big city, went to the state fair. And he texted his commentary to me. Freakin'  hilarious.

That's a lot of happiness for one weekend.

Hope your Labor Day Weekend was filled with equally meaningful moments!

Friday Night Lights

I got a little dose of high school flashback last night. Opening day of high school football, the hubs former high school v. my former high school (played in my little hickish, cute home town).

It was fun to be back there for the evening. I grew up in a football town; whenever I see those high school football movies (and especially my favorite TV show) it makes me smile and remember what it was like on Friday nights back then. The whole town pretty much shuts down, everyone has a personal history or investment with the coaches and athletes on the field. Friday nights are the social highlight of the week.

One of the highlights of the evening, other than being back at my old high school, was watching my neighbor show our friend from Germany what its like to be a teenager in the states. They got in the school spirit (after spending hours figuring out just the right outfit. Oh how I miss those days) and were ready to cheer on their team. Check out how cute they are!

This wasn't the final outfit, there were some changes and additions. My favorite part, once they got to the game, was their eyes. Check out the gold sparkle!

It was fun to watch the girls be teenagers, it was fun to flash back to my high school days and see all that school spirit (from both teams). Mostly, it pretty much rocked to be able to hang out and have fun with the hubs. We don't do that enough.

Happy labor day weekend!

Adventures in a walking boot

If you haven't heard, via twitter or facebook or just my general complaining and pissiness, I am on crutches. Again.

Short version involves a rain boot and some swearing. X-rays, a fractured bone in my foot (though they can't actually find the fracture), a bad sprained ankle, more swearing. A walking boot. Pinched nerve in  hip, no more walking boot. Crutches and an appointment with the orthopedist. More swearing. Vicodin.

I'm sure that clears it all up.

Since I've been taking it easy and staying off my feet, we've gone to see the blue angles (from the coolest vantage point along the I-90 floating bridge), I've gone to a couple Sounders games, started coaching the teens soccer team, watched Motley Crue and Poison in concert (including the two mile walk back to the car because the light rail wasn't running AFTER the show) and spent 11 hours coordinating a beautiful wedding on a very big farm.

Apparently, this is why I developed the pinched nerve. And am now on orders to stay off my feet via crutches.

Hence the pissiness. And now I have to figure out how to transport three dozen cupcakes from my car to the venue tomorrow while on crutches. Any ideas?

I have been taking cell phone pictures through my adventures, and so I leave you with them.

Apparently the Blue Angels put the air show on just for her. Wasn't that nice of them? 

If you look closely at the pic of me on the bottom left, it is the only pic of me wearing the damn boot. Hopefully. Thanks to my friend Spicy for the pictures of the bands (yeah, she got to chat with Tommy Lee. Totally jealous!)

A sneak peak at the wedding last weekend. Most awesome wedding dress EVER. Look at the bottom, it was like stained glass. Stunning.

I wish you a happy weekend of rainbows and butterflies. And all that other crap.

Suburban Seattleite going even more green

Two cool things I've discovered to help with our recycling goals.


OPTING OUT
Just recently, living in King County, they've made it a little easier to opt out of all the junk mail you receive (here). I'm pretty excited about this, we get an insane amount of junk mail. And college literature. Damn that smart teenager.


LUNCH FROM HOME
I'm pretty stoked about these all inclusive lunch boxes. I first came across the bento box style at Laptop Lunches. 

Though I totally love the idea, the price makes me shy away a bit, as well as the number of pieces (we don't ALWAYS get the containers back when the tween takes them to school). I love that they all fit nicely in the box though, and it's a great style for the older of us in the house (me, hubs, teen). They have some really fun bag styles too.


I've been thinking about biting the bullet and purchasing one, but today I saw this post with a link to Go Green Lunch Box. The prices are a pretty similar, but mostly I love that the lunch container itself is one piece (as opposed to the several pieces in the bento box). Plus there is room for the (included with purchase) water bottle. Brilliant planning GGLB folks!!

There are different bag styles as well. I love their FAQ page, and the information about how much waste per school year it is for kids who bring lunch from home using plastic/disposable bags (yikes! 67 lbs a year?!!?!).


Overall, I think I am sold on the go green style for the tween and am excited to be cutting down EVEN MORE on our carbon footprint. I think this whole suburban Seattleite thing has finally kicked in. Next thing you know, we'll be buying a Prius.