Quote of the Week

"No one gossips about other people's secret virtues." Bertrand Russell

Um...

I think you know you have overdone the exercise when you are too sore to wipe your butt. I was never before aware how many muscles wiping used.

Let there be bowling

I wasn't able to make a family bowling night last weekend and from the pics Jess took, it looked like I missed a good time. I hear the highlight involved Ross belly flopping on the floor after an ill-timed trip, but unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence of that one. Joshy has been playing Wii Sports and owns at bowling, so I think it was an extra special night since he was familiar with the game. Here are some shots of the night. You will notice John in socks as he forgot his bowling shoes at home and you can just never seem to rent size 18s.

Ben Follow-up Appointment

Yesterday I took Ben to his post op appointment and he had a double ear infection. So, back on the antibiotics we go. They said that they had to clean up the tubes and then took him into the other room and all I could hear was crying through the wall as I tried to help Joshy carry the heavy fish he had just caught out of the imaginary stream over to the fish container (more commonly known as the door stop). Ben is such a trooper. As soon as he was back in my arms with toy in hand, he was his easy going self. Tonight I was rocking him to the Rockabye Baby take on Smells Like Teen Spirit when I could feel him start to push off my shoulder. I decided to look asleep myself, hoping that not seeing someone to interact with, he would lay back down. Instead, he began to wiggle himself downward, stopping at each large gain of ground to put his head down and sit still. The bugger was sneaking out of my lap. Little by little he scooted down, careful to stop anytime I shifted. When his feet finally hit the floor, he was in a mad crawl out the door and into the hallway, never looking back. Easy going and goal oriented. Hard combination to beat...

Jess and Tina's Idea of a Fun Night

Joshy's Idea of a Riddle

What is hairy and blue and has a stump?

A monster.

No.

A dinosaur.

Nope.

The sink.

Gooooood Jooooooob.

He gets the concept that there is supposed to be a description and someone guesses the answer, I just don't think that he has caught the part where they are supposed to be related. After the first few times, I have learned to forget the description and just start guessing things in his line of sight.

Caution

Today I was driving from an appointment to the gym and I passed a caution sign on the road that made me smile. I have never noticed it before but it was a picture of a duck crossing the road, posted there at the busy intersection. Ultimately ineffective, in that by the time I saw the sign I would have mauled any duck waddling nearby, it was interesting and peculiar. You have to wonder who lobbied for it. Surely it was not in the service of motorists as the deer crossing signs, warning us of impending deer shaped dent in hood. Perhaps someone, having murdered a duck by vehicular duck slaughter, was driven by guilt to erect the sign. Or, perhaps, simply someone with a passion for duck safety and world peace. Regardless, the moral of the story is that if ever there was a sign to steal, that would be the one. I have an assortment of street signs and a cardboard cutout of the Pizza Pizza guy, all gifts from a since dispersed gaggle of teenage boys. This sign though...this would be the piece de resistance. I am suddenly reminded of a Friends episode where Ross is teaching Chandler the art of stealing. The salt shaker is off limits, but the salt...that's okay. Can't take the lamp, but you can take the light bulb. So, I wonder how that works with street signs...

Quote of the Week

"We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones."

Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 - 1680)

Ugh

Randomly, at 1:30 this afternoon, I got a tickle in my nose just in time for my next meeting. I tried to blow it out before leaving the office but with every blow the tickle got worse and my nose progressively leaked faster. Grabbing three tissues, I head to the conference room, the little tickle quickly coming of age. By five minutes in I have three used tissue wads in my hands, reaching the stage of finding the least soggy tissue, unfolding it and giving it another go. At this point, I am involved in the give and take of conversation while trying to casually stick finger, tissue, anything I can up my nose. They are talking reporting and I am feeling up my nasal cavity as far as where nose meets brain and about to go crazy. The professionalism was astounding but I didn't care. I couldn't nose breathe without the nails on the chalkboard feeling but refused to be the mouth breather of the group. Note to self: be less judgemental. It can't be an object because I can't feel it. It can't just be histamines because it feels like a pebble. It is Chinese water torture in the shape of the little tickle that could. Even now I am sitting with tissue wadded up my nose, a mental break away from clawing off my face. For all I know it could be some spider laying eggs or some sucked up dust mite or a sudden onset of allergy but if you wake up tomorrow to find news of me injured by way of ice pick up nose, you will know what happened.

Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day this year, John went over and above. He sent flowers that filled my office with the smell of lilies, made reservations at a restaurant I had always wanted to try and got me the gift I have wanted for so long. A star.

(It is the blue star up and to the right of the two bright stars in the middle.)

In March of this year, NASA will be launching the Keplar satellite which will monitor stars over the next 6 years. If your star is found to host a planet, you will be notified by the research program and will be acknowledged along with the posted finding. I am absolutely thrilled and will be mindful of the satellite launch that is certain to catapult me into astronomical fame.

Explained

Apparently, per what Joshua was yelling as he ran back and forth down the aisle at Wal-mart, he can run so fast because he has "powers in his butt".

When Aunt Jessi watches the boys...

We come back to children who are bathed...

And covered in tattoos.

We love you Uncle Ross and Aunt Jessi.

Congratulations Sarah and Tobi

Meet Éowyn.

Thank you, Sarah, for including me in the journey of these past few weeks. She is truly lovely to behold.

Sick again

Please keep Ben in your prayers because just as he has begun to recover from the ear infection and surgery, he has contracted a virus. He looks miserable and is sporting fevers of 101+. I feel as though we have not had more than two straight weeks of wellness since his first ear infection at 5 weeks old. We are woefully behind on shots and that also makes me worry. I just want him to have a stretch of wellness so that he can have some rest.

Did you hear something?

John and I were lounging this evening, watching our TiVo'd episode of Lost when we could hear what sounded like someone singing outside. John made the "shsh" sound, loosely interpreted as mute the TV and stop talking. The more we craned our ears, the more the sound took on the flavor of a child's voice, maybe laughing, maybe crying. John heads out the front door but as soon as it opens, the sound is gone. Joshy's room is above the living room, so he heads up to make sure that it wasn't a "I sound like a foreign child in a nearby field when I sleep" situation. As soon as we give up the hunt and settle back down, the sound starts up again. This time I am determined to find the source, starting to fear that there could be a child who managed to let himself outside, reminiscent of John's 4am treks from his house as a child unbeknownst to his parents. John heads out the back door into the pitch black, as buy lights for the back is still on the to do list. I, in turn, head out the front, standing in the cold in my shorts and t-shirt, scanning the darkness for what I am now certain is a babbling child. I can see barely anything, suddenly aware that our street is not well lit and thankful for the cop car parked two doors down. John joins me on the porch, equally frustrated that this noise is seemingly generating from nowhere. As if the ground beneath us is crying. The only thing that we can plausibly think of is a neighbor child throwing a severe enough fit that the wales drifted through their brick walls, across the night sky, into our living room and over the convoluted scripting of Lost. The sound is surrounding us and I can not figure out how it hadn't drawn anyone else out of their house. It has now been 15 minutes of searching when I see the glint. I hone in my eyes and as they adjust, realize that we have been frantically searching in the night to stand between harm and a black stray cat. Then he died. Not really but it makes for a better ending.

That boy can run

Yesterday was the first Saturday in a four Saturday program called Kids in Motion. It is a 30 minute class exercise class for 2-4 year olds that involves parent participation and lots of fun. At one point we were laying on our stomachs, half the class on one side and half on the other. When they said go, we had to jump up, run across to the other side and flop back onto our stomachs. The first side to all flop down wins. Well, at the first whistle, we hop up and I am fully planning on jogging along with Joshy. As the boy takes off in front of me, I pick up my pace and eventually am running to stay along side him. We get to the other side first with time to spare and all I can think is that this boy is fast. It wasn't a one time fluke either. Every time we ran sprints, he was zooming across the floor in a low gait, each step looking as though it could cause a disastrous fall. Almost as though his speed has developed faster than his ability to control it. He was so happy to be exercising, exercise day woooo, as he called it and it made me realize that we really do need to find some good outlets for all this energy. They are having soccer sign ups at the Y and since that is almost all running, I am thinking that we might give it a try.

Ben Update

Cubby bear is doing well after the surgery this morning. He did have a rough go of it coming out of the anesthesia though. Expecting the same experience as when Joshy recovered from anesthesia, drowsy and in need of cuddles, I was caught off guard when instead, Ben just fought and fought against me to the point where I could barely hold him. It was quite clear that his mama had underestimated his strength. Still, once the disorientation passed, he began to relax in my arms, only crying when any medical personnel walked by. He ain't no fool. Since he had his adenoids out as well, he has had blood discharging out of his nose. Not running, but enough that by the time he wakes up from a nap, it has smeared and dried all over his face and you would have thought that he had just been thrown through a window. You know...in a cute way. Mom is coming to hang out with him tomorrow but even by tonight, he was a tired version of normal easy going Ben. I just watch him sometimes doing an everyday thing like eating pineapple, two in the mouth for every one in the lap, or sitting on the floor and figuring out how to work the light saber and I can't believe how much I love this boy.

PS - Kudos to the Surgery Center who was so good with Joshy who ended up tagging along. They gave him a clipboard to draw on and didn't bat an eye when he ganked the apple sauce his brother wasn't eating. Speaking of which, Joshy was such a good big brother, doting on Ben and as always, making him laugh. I am incredibly proud of him.

Superbowl

Congratulations to the Steelers on a game well played. It was a good game. Down to the wire good game. The type of game that pulls in even those of us who are just in it for the commercials...On a side note, although considered rude to attend a party without bringing a "dish", when only 5 adults are present, you most likely do not need queso, guacamole, 7 layer dip and large pizzas. Wonder how many Weight Watcher Points that adds up to...

Ben's New Found Love of Books