Go Team!

It's been a week.

Last week on Wednesday we took Eileen for a 6 month follow up on her food allergies.  She is doing so much better. The boys were perfectly behaved in the waiting room. Everything was going swell and the doctor starts to do general vitals.  Eileen has a low grade fever.  Huh.  Eileen has a giant swollen lymph node on the left side.  Double huh.  Doctor recommends that after we do a quick retest of blood for food sensitivities that we head on over to Children's for a more extensive blood draw.

Eileen was brave, but not strong enough to ward off a vasovagal reaction --almost vomiting twice, cold sweat, shaking.

Okay team.  Let's go.  Eileen-you get to cheat on your diet.  We're all going to Dicks for burgers and shakes! We get to Children's and wait forever to get into the lab.  Linus is being super big brother and giving Robin rides around the waiting room and playing with Eileen, even bouncing her on his lap.  When it came time for the blood draw, I watch awe and sympathy go across his face as Eileen bravely gave them her arm.  Another vasovagal reaction.  By the end we were ready to just all go home and go to bed.

The next day (Thursday) we leave school early to get downtown for an ENT appointment for Robin to address his snoring. This time Eileen and Linus got to be perfectly behaved.  As luck would have it, the doctor had an opening in her schedule the following week on a day I just happened to have the morning off for school.   Surgery?  Sure why not.

By Friday, I am a little emotionally spent.  We know that Eileen has some sort of infection and it's not mono or mumps. The doctor tells us to wait a week and then head back to Children's.

Yesterday (Tuesday)  I woke all the kids up at 5 am, got them all dressed in comfy clothes, fed Linus and Eileen, and headed downtown for a 6:45 am check-in for Robin.  I give props to the surgery center for having complimentary coffee.  After an hour, Robin is finally called back.  I leave Eileen and Linus (and the ipads) in the waiting room.  Robin and I spend another 45 minutes waiting in pre-op.  The big kids were perfectly behaved in my absence according to everyone around them.  Robin's surgery went quick (it was just adenoids).

As I predicted, Robin had a hard time coming out of anesthesia. It took longer then expected.  Once awake, he was so so incredibly sad and sounded terrible.  Robin proceeded to cover me in coughs, spit, boogers, and melted popsicle.  He started to do a little better once they put some pain meds in his IV.  Robin wouldn't respond to any questions until I finally asked if he wanted Linus and Eileen, to which he answered, "Yes."  About the time we were wheeled into recovery, Linus had apparently started getting worried and alerted the receptionist. The nurses went and got the kids so they could join us.  The staff told me how well behaved they were in the waiting room.

Linus and Eileen immediately climbed onto the bed with us.  It was one of those times when you can just feel the love between these kids.  The nurses came in and asked if they could take our picture because it was all just a little too sweet.

Eventually, we were finally released.  I drove home, mildly stressed and pretty exhausted.  I dropped the kids at home, changed my clothes (since Robin had done a number on them) and headed to parent teacher conferences.  Why? Because I am awesome.

After two days of parent teacher conferences, I'm a little fried.  I'll cap off tomorrow with a trip to the dentist for me with all three kids in tow as soon school gets out.  From the dentist we will head to Children's for another blood draw for Eileen.  Good times. Good times.

It's been a week.  Motherhood can be pretty crazy.  And sometimes your kids rise to the occasion, with zero complaint, and are all kinds of awesome.  I'm so proud of them.  Go Team!  We'll rally in the morning.

Rainy Day

It's been a dreary wet winter.  So much rain, and worse, no sun. Make all the jokes you want to make about the Seattle rainy festival, it's been a brutal one this year.  Linus of course loves particularly dreary days.

Notice the river of water running past my house and the high backsplash of rain droplets on puddles. The drains in our driveway were overwhelmed.

We started out our Saturday morning with swim lessons for Eileen and Robin.  Eileen wouldn't let me snap a pic of her. Robin was all smiles, even when he got water in his face.

Linus and Dave have started going on morning runs during swim lessons.  Sometimes it's nice to have a fireplace to dry things.

After a good run and a hot shower, Linus was in good spirits and decided that it was a good day to learn some cooking skills.  He made gluten free, dairy free pancakes from scratch.  He cracked the eggs himself.  Robin and I were both impressed by his griddle skills.

I spent the afternoon getting a pedicure and then heading over to work to scour the faculty room.  It was a serious job.  I even brought my own cleaning supplies.  In my absence, games were played, rooms were cleaned, work was done in the garage.  After dinner, Eileen and I went to the bookstore to buy birthday presents for a few people and accidentally came back with a bag full of books for the family and my classroom (plus birthday presents).  We finished the day with books.

By contrast, Sunday was a different beast.  I woke up to sun, birds chirping, and Robin's cold infecting my body with renewed vengeance (decreased lung capacity, hoarse voice, cough, lots of nastiness).  Robin was very sick all week (we even took him into Children's Thursday night).  That's 4 weekends in a row of sickness for anyone who is counting.

While I fought every urge to spring clean, I watched my kids play outside.  Who knew how invigorating fresh air and sunshine could be? I found myself singing, "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah."  You know that part, "Wait a minute.  It stopped raining.  Guys are swimming.  Guys are sailing."  Baths were definitely needed by the end of the day. I did manage to finish writing/planning a new unit for 6th grade science so that's fun too.

Dave went for a run today with Robin.  They went to a park Dave had not been to before.  Dave told me we should go there sometime again as a family when we are all finally healthy.  That sounds nice.  I'm looking forward to spring -- fun, fresh air, and the epitome of health.

Insta-Fail

I tried to hop on the Instant Pot bandwagon.  I kept hearing about this miraculous device, not just on Facebook, but from those around me.  Could it be true?  Could I have an awesome dinner in 20-30 minutes that used real ingredients?  I finally took the plunge and ordered one.

My instant pot arrived and promptly sat on my dining room table for a little over two weeks.  Sunday I unwrapped it, perused a few recipes online, and planned to finally give it a try this week.  I selected a honey sesame chicken recipe, served over a rice.

I am not mechanically inclined.  Directions and schematics frustrate me, mainly due to the required brain focus that I just don't always have the energy to give.  I battled through my work fatigue and set up the instant pot.  I decided to heed the manual's advice and do a test run.  What I thought was going to be a 2 minute test run ended up being more like a 20 minute test run.  The cushion I built into my meal planning time was gone.

While preparing the sauce, I discovered my honey supply was significantly lower than I thought.  I called my mom and using the promise of dinner, had her bring me some honey.  Another delay.  Get everything in the pot and it to go.  I'm thinking, "Sweet.  Here is the 20 minutes of magic."  Silly me. Try 20 minutes to warm up, and THEN 20 minutes of magic.  Dinner window smashed.

When the chicken was finally done, I followed the directions to use the quick-release valve.  Immediately, the sauce began spewing everywhere.  I couldn't stop the spewing because well, you know, threat of scalding burns.

Upside?  I paired it with steamed carrots and jasmine rice.  The rice was perfect.  Linus liked the rice. Eileen liked the chicken.  Robin ate nothing, but did so politely and without throwing anything.  The sticky mess all over everything motivated me to do the dishes and clean the kitchen, so that's done now.

In conclusion, I am not a convert to the Instant Pot craze.  I will try again.....eventually.   With the time it took me to do this, I could have cooked dinner on high in my crockpot with way less mess.  I think I need an Instant Pot tutorial.  In the meantime, I will just mess around on pinterest and see if something amazing pops out at me.  Winning recipe will not have the possibility of spewing sticky liquid.

Old Faithful

Behold Old Faithful

This trashcan from IKEA and I have been through a lot together.  It was purchased on a whim sometime in the early 2000s, unaware of its destiny.

Old Faithful's destiny was realized in 2008 when I became pregnant with Linus.  It was my near constant for companion for 9 months.  I suffered morning sickness 24 hours a day from 6 weeks pregnant to the last bitter push of labor.  It was with me when I scared Dave half to death, vomiting in bed at 2 am.  It came on car rides.  I came to know its inner rings quite intimately.

Old Faithful got a brief reprieve before the next pregnancy.  Despite morning sickness not quite as severe,  he rendered services frequently and without judgement.  Two years after that, Old Faithful answered the call once more.

Old Faithful's main service as a vomit receptacle came to an end with the birth of Robin.  Pulled out of retirement for occasionally sickness,  Old Faithful found a new home beside Linus' bed as a trashbasket.

Until this past weekend......

Saturday started out lovely.  I took Robin and Eileen to swim lessons.  Linus and Dave went to the Pinewood Derby.  As swim lessons ended, I began to feel less than awesome.  Over the course of the 5 minute drive home, things became touch and go.  And then just go.

I alerted Dave to the fact that my body had become a volcano.  He texted back he wasn't feeling so hot.  And then began many many hours of fevers and violent illness.  The kids have never enjoyed so much screen time in their lives.  I was reminded of the old Hallmark Hall of Fame version of The Secret Garden when everyone is dying of cholera.

Amazon Now saved the day.  With the touch of a few simple buttons on his phone, Amazon delivered Gatorade and Wheat Thins in less than an hour.  God bless technology.

Dave and I were still in illness moving towards recovery yesterday.  Today I think we are just plain tired.  I am happy to report that Old Faithful is now safely back next to Linus' bed.  The weekend was a less than pleasant reminder of how much I hate being pregnant.

Farewell old friend.  May the road rise up to meet you....instead of me.

From the Mouths of Babes in February

Robin:  I need more dinner.
Me: Why?
Robin: My nipples are hungry.

Linus:  It would be okay if you and dada died. I mean it would be sad but it would be okay.
Me: What!!??!
Linus:  Well then Melanie and Mason would be my brother and sister.  (Linus loves babies.  Melanie and Mason are currently just god-siblings)

Looking at map of Disneyland
Me:  What ride should we go on?
Eileen:  That one (points to symbol). The bathroom ride. giggle giggle giggle

Linus sometimes finds interesting ways to entertain himself in the morning while hanging out in my classroom.  Earlier this month, he decided to build a rat trap.  I suppose it's better than the booby traps he has left for me on occasion. And yes those are periodic table of elements building blocks.

Linus and Lucy

A new baby cousin joined the family, Lucy.  We had to wait until we returned from our trip to meet her.  We are in love, no one more perhaps than Linus.

                                                 He could have stared at her for hours.

I love how much she looks like one of my babies.  I wouldn't let Dave name one of our kids Lucy once we had a Linus.  So he now can thank his brother.  I got to do fair bit of snuggling myself of course.  Linus loves babies.  All babies.  He has big plans for a babysitting business.  He is even willing to learn to change diapers.

Eileen liked Lucy from a far but doesn't have much interest in holding her.  Robin was being a wolf all day, a good wolf (not like the bad wolves who blow down houses).  Lucy wasn't too unnerved to have a large beast hulking over her.

My niece, Abigail, is pretty proud of her new baby sister.  She doesn't seem too upset to have lost her place as the baby of the family.

Seriously, this kid could hold babies all day long and never tire.  I predict that Linus and Lucy will become quite a pair.

God the cuteness!

Robin loves babies too, especially when they are teeny tiny.  Baby Charley is now a regular companion.  Baby Charley even came with us to the dentist this morning for a teeth cleaning.

And before anyone suggests it, I don't get to have any more babies as much as my kids may beg and plead.

Linus did enjoy his other cousins for a little bit.  It's stunning to me just how easily he blends in with them all.  Linus has become interested in Rubics cubes at the same time as his 15 year old cousin.

I only have to wait a few more days until I get to snuggle this yummy newborn again.  Linus already has big (epic to use his words) plans for loving on Lucy.  Hopefully, he will let the rest of us enjoy the new addition to the family.

Rite of Disney Initiation

Prayer of A Young Charlotte
Dear God,
    Please please please let my family go to Disneyland.
 I promise to be good.  I'll never ask for anything again.
 Disneyland is the happiest place on earth.  My life will
 be complete if I could just go there. Thank you.
 Amen.
(uttered every night ages 5-9)

I desperately wanted to go to Disneyland when I was a child.  My desire was only heightened by the commercials I saw on the Disney Channel.  It seemed like everyone but me got to go (this perception was probably boosted by the fact that I went to a private school).  My wish finally came true when I was 9 years old and my family went to Disneyland 3 days after 3rd grade let out.  We stayed at the Seven Seas Westward Ho Motel and it was magical.  My chest practically burst with joy the first time I walked down the Mainstreet of Disneyland.

The second time I went I was a young adult.  Dave and I went during a road trip on our one year wedding anniversary.  It was Dave's first time at Disneyland.  We had a great time and enjoyed our ability to go as single riders and move quickly through the park.

Dave and I decided to finally take our own children to Disneyland this year.  As luck would have it, the kids were aware of Disneyland due to their friends.  Just as I purchased tickets, the kids started asking when we would ever go.  I brushed them off with worries about cost.  I'm so mean.

I cashed in my personal days and we were off!  Unfortunately, our trip was planned to coincide with the worst storm in years in southern California.  We packed lots of socks, extra shoes, raincoats, and hoped for the best.  Going in February, and in the rain, means smaller crowds (yay!) or lots of ride closures (boo!) for rain and refurbishment.  The only two I was really bummed about being closed were the Matterhorn and Pirates of the Caribbean. We stayed at the Grand California.  This was cool because it has its own entrance in California Adventure and it is right at Downtown Disney.  This made it easy for wanting to take breaks during the day, especially for Robin.  It also means we got to "magic morning" every day.

Our first stop at Disneyland was City Hall.  There we picked up a disability pass for Robin.  This pass made a huge difference in our experience.  Since most Disneyland ride lines are not wheelchair friendly, the pass allowed us to bypass lines and enter through the exit.  For some rides, it meant getting our own version of the fast pass.  California Adventure is wheelchair friendly.  Robin's stroller counted as his wheelchair.  Having the pass meant that while we still had to wait in line with everyone else, Robin got to stay in his stroller.  I cannot imagine not having the ability to let him be in the stroller.  Lucky for us, Robin loved his stroller.  He frequently would grunt and then pull down the top.

Eileen insisted we get our ears before we did anything else.  In addition to ears, each kid was allowed to buy one toy.  Linus built his own light saber, Eileen got a Mickey bubble wand, and Robin got a Robin LEGO set.

These boys might look cute, but this pictured caused our first full day at the park to start with squabbling children. Awesome.

The character breakfast at Storyteller Cafe was great.  They were able to easily accommodate Eileen's dietary needs.  Unfortunately, we had to pretty much throw Eileen's diet out the window for most of the trip.  Unless we were eating at one of the super fancy Disney restaurants, the menus were not accommodating.  Eileen had never been happier.

Robin was not a fan of the Disney characters walking around.

Jungle cruises are very intimidating.

Eileen impressed me on the trip.  She didn't complain about being tired or her feet hurting or not being able to walk.  I was shocked.  She went on all sorts of rides.  Her bravery increased as we went on more rides.  She even conquered Space Mountain.  Her favorite rides were Small World and the Symphony Swings.  Eileen truly loved everything, even the ducks that were all over.

Well except one thing....In her words it was the "dumbest, most terrible ride."  Splash Mountain.

So many good times.  Robin loved everything he could go on, especially the "up and down horses" (carousel) and the Gadget Coaster.  Linus loves thrills.  He really is the perfect companion for amusement parks.

There were many sweet moments.  Eileen reminded me again how much this girl loves her mama. I love these pictures of the two of us at the Alice in Wonderland house.

 Linus loved Robin. 

Linus and Eileen fought non-stop the entire trip.  Linus demanded to know who I loved more, him or Eileen.  Here's how that conversation went:
Me:  "Daddy, duh. Don't ask me a question if you don't want the real answer."
Linus: "What!?!"
Me:  "Think about it.  Daddy always lets me be in charge, have my own way, and get whatever I want."
Linus:  nods in complete understanding
I don't love Dave more than my kids, but Linus needed an answer different than I love you all equally in order to be satisfied.  He knew I wasn't being serious.

Occasionally, Dave and I would split up.  This is what happens when Daddy takes the kids to the Tiki Tiki Room for a second time.  Fake nose picking.

It was an exhausting trip. We walked a ton, ate lots of junk food, went on tons of rides.  I was grateful that my kids had zero desire to go meet Disney characters.  In fact, Eileen came out strongly against anything princess.  Since it was Presidents' Day Weekend I made my kids go to Great Moments with Lincoln.  Lincoln's sage words still hold true.

The rainstorm came on full force on our third day.  It wasn't so bad at first.  Less crowded, short lines, but wet.  And then.....OH MY GOD!  As we tried to make it to cover, I thought to myself, "This was a mistake."  We finished the day sopping wet.  The wet clothes and wet shoes smells took multiple times through the wash.  In the end, I can view certain moments (like getting into a Small World Boat swamped with water) through a comical lens.

During our final day of vacation, we slept in, packed, went out to breakfast, played at the LEGO store in Downtown Disney, and then went to the LEGO Batman movie.

We all headed home exhausted.

Eileen took a final shot as we flew home.

I had fun.  I'm exhausted.  I'm ready for a vacation from my kids.  I don't think I'm ready to become a "Disney Mom" just yet, but I would be happy to go back in a few years. I watched moments of sheer joy in my kids' faces.  There is so much of the world for us to see and experience.  Almost 30 years since I first went to Disneyland, and it is still a magical place.