short on words because I have no words left

Setting: the airport and Massachusetts
Cast: the usual suspects

We walked 40 minutes across the airport only to have a windowless seat. 

Our childhood home is being sold so this visit we're trying to do all the lasts. I wanted to be sure Annabelle got to sleep in my old bedroom so we've been staying in there instead of the guest room. I told her all about the sleepovers and fun memories we have in this room.

We went strawberry picking this morning. The oldest and youngest in our group walk at the same pace so they stick together. I love that Sesame is old enough to remember these special times with Grandma.

Annabelle- water bottle, pajamas, blanket. Living the relaxed life.
Elizabeth- doing all the hard work

Father's Day, Edition 5

If you're wondering if your weekend was wilder than mine, let me put your mind at rest. By 9 o'clock on Friday night I was in bed with a headache and asking Christopher why there was half a piece of dried rice in our sheets. 

No one parties harder than us.

We started celebrating Father's Day on Saturday. We took Christopher to an eclectic sandwich restaurant downtown then did a few errands. On Sunday we presented our various gifts and he requested I make enchiladas. I was behind on cards and gifts so we were finishing them at the eleventh hour. This is what it looks like when you wait until after church on Father's Day to buy a card.

We filled out a paper of facts about Christopher and some of Sesame's answers made me laugh me laugh so hard.

My dad's favorite thing to do is cuddle, hanging out with me.
I love it when my dad plays with me.
My dad's favorite food is pork chops.
My dad is really great at woodworking.
I think my dad is funny because jokes.
I know my dad loves me because I'm a girl.
My favorite thing to do with my dad is help do the chores.
My dad's favorite sport is I don't know. I think it's baseball.
The one thing I hear my dad say a lot is "You have to pick up this and this and this."
I love my dad because he takes good care of me.

AB loves giving gifts so she had been wrapping bits of paper and making cards with glitter for days. She found a rock on the kitchen floor and wrapped it in Rudolph wrapping paper. She loves rocks so I guess she thought Christopher would appreciate one too.

I could put more pictures of Christopher here but let's be honest. He wouldn't be having a Father's Day if it wasn't for us.

we were made for the beach life

I'm about to discuss a whole week of life in one post so settle in and buckle up.

Last Thursday night Annabelle starting exhibiting signs (namely screaming) of a UTI. The next day I kept her home from art camp and brought her to walk-in hours at the doctors. He said he doubted she had an infection but if I wanted, I could take her down to the hospital for a test. I disagreed with his diagnose but he's the one who went to medical school. My degree is only from Web MD. He wrote a prescription for an antibiotic just in case.

We had never been at the hospital so of course, we didn't know where to go. The man behind the registration desk was not one for chit-chat about the weather or our weekend plans. I was reading the paperwork upsidedown as he highlighted the lines to sign and saw a word I didn't recognize. "Aminor." I thought it was a French word. Perhaps is was pronounced ahhh-me-nor. Then he turned the paper around and I saw that it said "a minor" as in "I am signing for a minor." WHY AM I IN CHARGE OF A CHILD WHEN I DON'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH.

When we got to the lab bathroom, AB had the most epic meltdown about not wanting to pee. I wouldn't want to either but she had to do it. I could not convince her to pee. She was crying and screaming and tears were pouring down her face. The nurses said we could leave and bring the pee back later. Sesame skipped out of the hospital as if we had just had a leisurely stroll through a garden center. A few hours later she peed in her pullup. She had several accidents since the night before so I put a pullup on for while we were out and forgot to take it off. How was I supposed to squeeze pee out of a pullup? She must have sensed my frustration (or maybe heard it when I said I was very frustrated) because she pulled out the little potty and went. So back we went to the hospital with a cup of pee. Several things then went wrong at the library and Walgreens so I rewarded us with munchkins and coffee. Eating my feelings since 1989.

Saturday we packed for our long awaited trip to Florida. I planned for us to leave early Sunday morning. We woke up that night not once, not twice but four times to the sound of Annabelle throwing up. The antibiotic was not gentle on her little stomach and she was so miserable. She lay on the couch all morning barely speaking which is how you know when she's sick. I felt nauseous too but I couldn't tell if it was because I felt been cleaning up vomit or because the stomach bug was about to bite. Thankfully she perked up by the evening thanks to zofran so I planned to try leaving the next morning. I packed a trash bag with towels, paper towels, changes of clothes and a cleaner. It was not my first rodeo. I've traveled with a vomiting child before. 

The doctor called the next morning to say she did indeed have an infection. What a surprise! I knew it. My Web MD degree is valid after all. He called in a different prescription so armed with the new prescription and zofran we set off. No one threw up or had accidents. 

"I think I look pretty fabulous. You do too, Mom."

We had the best time. We grew up so far from Grandma Connie that we only saw her once a year at most. This time we had her to ourselves for three afternoons and evenings. She is hilarious. She knows everyone in her retirement park and is the life of the party. We drove her golf cart up and down the streets stopping at her friends' homes. Most of them are widows or widowers so much of the talk is about who likes who or who wants to be asked out by who. Grandma is happily dating Charlie from four doors down so she isn't looking for anyone, as she frequently points out. She is part of Weight Watchers but doesn't diet on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday because she has standing plans with her friends and wants to eat what they're eating. 

In the morning while she was at work went to the pool or the beach. This is the first summer that AB will wear a lifejacket and float around on her own. What a game changer. I can float around on my noodle and not have her glued to my hip. A new swimming day has dawned. 

It's important to wear proper floation on land. 

Currently- the beginning of summer edition

Reading: The Choice by Edith Eva Eger. I read a higher than normal amount of books about WW2 so when I say this is one of the best books I've read from that time it's because I've done my research. It is so, so good. She survived Auschwitz and became a psychologist promoting forgiveness, healing and compassion.

Listening to: The Happy Hour podcast. The most recent episode was with a woman who was a victim of a home break-in and assault by three men. I was home alone listening when I heard a banging on the door. I froze. The woman in the podcast heard banging before her house was broken into. I thought for sure my life was about to end. At least Annabelle wasn't there to witness the end of her mother's life. All I had to defend myself was a mallet and screwdriver. Spoiler: I'm still alive. It was only the AC repairman coming four hours early. 

The How I Built This podcast. As someone who has 14 different business ideas, I like to learn from others who have grown successful businesses. I disagreed with one lady who was sharing her findings on shopping patterns and what customers want but what do I know? I'm the one who uses all the money-saving apps and she's the one who built StichFix, a highly successful, multi-million dollar company.

Frustrated with: the bathroom walls. And the air conditioner. The landlords finally sent someone over to fix the ac only for it to stop working five days later.  The outlets in the bedrooms all stopped working. Things are literally falling off the walls. The walls here are so poorly built that curtain rods, toilet paper holders and towel rods don't stay up. We hired Carlton the handyman to hang the curtain rods and such up for us and when I was looking over his work he said, "Now remember. This rod is for towels, not hanging on." I'll remember that when I get the urge to practice for Cirque du Soleil after my shower. 

Concentration camps. Assault. Frustration. This post is a real ray of sunshine!

Receiving: fun mail from Michelle. I got an alert saying my curtains had been delivered so when I saw a box on the deck that's what I assumed it was. It was something so much better. Michelle sent me a royal wedding mug straight from Great Britain. I could not be more delighted. She knows the way to my heart! 

Driving: to art camp. Our resident Norman Rockwell had art camp all this week. She spent several days last week very nervous as it was her first camp. She cried a few times because she didn't want to go. She practiced her coloring so she could do a good job. She practiced wiping her own bum. We talked about introducing herself to the other children. I haven't confirmed that she actually did talk to other children because she hasn't remembered anyone's names. She did give me a rundown of how many other girls were in the bathroom with her and how many times she stood on one leg so she shared all the important details. 

We have to leave by 8:30 every morning which is a good hour and a half before my preferred time to leave the house in the morning. The first day she woke up at 5am to discuss the day. I am not a nice mom at 5am. At some point, she crawled into bed with me, fell asleep and we didn't wake up until 7:59. I threw clothes on her, toasted a bagel and we rolled up to the art museum with 2.5 minutes to spare. There was construction going on in front of the museum so I had to find alternate parking after going down two one-way parking lots. Then we had to walk through a muddy field where AB took a sudden liking to examining clovers. She was one of the last ones to arrive but we made it. This does not bode well for next year when we have to be out of the house early to school.

Sesame Says, volume 2

AB: I really like the year 1926.

Me: Why?
AB: That's when my imaginary brother Matt was born.

In the children's room at the library
"Ok, everyone! I'm going to do a concert for you. Pay attention! Mom, do you want to come sing in front of everyone wif me?"
(Has she learned nothing in her four years? I do not perform in public.)

Me: Why are you holding Paige upside down?
AB: Daddy said it's important to support a baby's head.

When we got our new fish, Benjamin "Little Blue" Harrison
"Hi, little guy. I'll give you a tour of our house. These are my dad's drums. He's pretty good at them. Mom doesn't really like when he plays them."

 "I'll get the frogs for you, Mama!"

While playing with Christopher

That is diabolical! 

Mom?
Yes?

Mom?

Yes?

Mom?
YES? Don't keep saying my name if you have nothing to say!!

Thirty seconds later.
Mom?

Yes?

Never mind.