We were sitting in front of a middle aged couple with a teenage son in church today. I don't know this couple well and was just hoping the kids would behave themselves. Not five minutes into the meeting, I noticed Melissa making faces and sticking out her tongue at the gentleman behind us. I tried to discourage her by directing her attention elsewhere. Ten minutes later she started up again. The woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said that it was her husband's fault, he was the one who started it. Oh! It was a game, I get it.
Then the man drew a picture of a rabbit for Melissa. She was tickled pink. "For ME? Oh thank you! A bunny for ME!" She then reciprocated with a coloring book page that she'd colored. "For YOU!" He thanked her and she said, "You welcome!" The man also drew a frog for Matthew. Matthew in turn seemed quite pleased with his drawing. The gentleman and lady behind us were both all smiles with the kids. Matthew and Melissa were actually very good in church today (which was really wonderful because I was by myself today). They were quiet most of the time and didn't fuss at all or wiggle too much. I only had to threaten baby prison* once. After the meeting the lady said what cute, nice kids I had.
It is really great sitting by people who understand and like little ones.
*Baby prison is the term we use when we have to take them out of the meeting. I sit on the floor of the coat closet (or an empty classroom if we're lucky) with the guilty party on my lap and his or her arms folded. They can yell and fuss, but are not allowed to go anywhere. Baby prison is considered very dull. Coats are pretty boring to look at. When the sinner settles down and is ready to go back, we do!
Actually Melissa is the only one who periodically goes to baby prison now, Matthew outgrew it long ago. He's usually very good in church.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Not just fat!
Yay! I'm starting to look pregnant now, not just really chubby 'round the middle.
Just in the past week I've had nearly a dozen people either tentatively ask if there's a baby on the way, or the more confident ones outright congratulate me. Yes, there is a baby there! Not just holiday pounds. :)
Just in the past week I've had nearly a dozen people either tentatively ask if there's a baby on the way, or the more confident ones outright congratulate me. Yes, there is a baby there! Not just holiday pounds. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Beware the Ides of March
Played with the orchestra tonight. The theme was the Ides of March, so we played a number of marches. Fifteen all told. Whew! It was a fun concert though. We had quite an eclectic mix of pieces featured in the concert. We played Holst's Mars from the Planets, Death of a Marionette (aka the theme song from the Alfred Hitchcock show), Pomp and Circumstance, Stars and Stripes, etc. We had composers from France, Scandinavia, the US, Germany, Italy, Russia, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. A good and somewhat long concert.
It wasn't without mishap though. Our main percussionist was deported (oops!), a good chunk of viola section was MIA due to various mishaps, the oboist who never misses a rehearsal (and is brilliant on the oboe) was gone. To top it off the temperature in the hall was set to roughly 800 degrees F. So there were some last minute part changes and adaptations. We did find a professional percussionist, but he'd never played the music with us before so call time was used to cram cue notes and the basic gist of the pieces for the drummer. I can't figure out what is up with this orchestra and percussionists, we can never seem to retain one for long...
Tired and sweaty, we made it through! From where I sat it mostly sounded great, a few places were just good, and some were eh.
We finished up around 9:30 and I scraped the car windows free of snow (snow!) and drove home.
The kids were good for the babysitter. I bundled them up in the car and took her home. I'll be so glad when Jonathan gets back.
It wasn't without mishap though. Our main percussionist was deported (oops!), a good chunk of viola section was MIA due to various mishaps, the oboist who never misses a rehearsal (and is brilliant on the oboe) was gone. To top it off the temperature in the hall was set to roughly 800 degrees F. So there were some last minute part changes and adaptations. We did find a professional percussionist, but he'd never played the music with us before so call time was used to cram cue notes and the basic gist of the pieces for the drummer. I can't figure out what is up with this orchestra and percussionists, we can never seem to retain one for long...
Tired and sweaty, we made it through! From where I sat it mostly sounded great, a few places were just good, and some were eh.
We finished up around 9:30 and I scraped the car windows free of snow (snow!) and drove home.
The kids were good for the babysitter. I bundled them up in the car and took her home. I'll be so glad when Jonathan gets back.
He is trying to do me in!
His strategy is sleep deprivation...
Everyday this week Matthew has been a little morning lark. He gets up between 5:30 a 6:00 and wants me up too. Naturally I tell him to forget it, it's not really morning time yet. I do tell him that there is plenty of yogurt, cereal, and fruit if he's hungry, and he knows how to help himself. Not satisfied with my answer, he continues to be my little snooze button. Every 15-30 minutes he has another question, problem, or something he's just dying to tell me. Grrr.
I tried to take a nap today while Melissa napped. Matthew was supposed to finish cleaning his room (that he was assigned to do yesterday) or take a nap himself. Instead he searched for ways to keep his mother up.
Crank up music, check. (Mom tells him to turn it down)
Banging around and jumping off of the bed, check. (Mom, now getting somewhat cranky, tells him to knock it off)
Tired Mama falls asleep.
Shortly thereafter he comes in and tells me he is bored. (Mom, now really cranky, yells OUT!)
Few minutes later dozing again. BANG BANG BANG! "Mom I have to tell you something. This magazine is stuck." AHHHHH! His sister is now awake too. (Mom now has smoke coming out her ears) He is informed that his presence is not welcome on any uncertain terms, he is not to be seen or heard while I try to get his sister back to sleep. I scoop up Melissa and take her to bed with me hoping she'll cuddle up to me and fall back asleep. It works, except now I can't go back to sleep.
Resigned I get up. What a lousy nap.
For the record, the room is still not clean....
When is isn't waking me up he keeps up a stream of unrelenting chatter. During lunch he was putting all kinds of different letters in front of his name and laughing hysterically. "If I put a 'T' if front of my name it would be 'Tatthew' Huh, Mom? Isn't that silly? Ha ha ha!" He expects a response for every gem he comes up with. Then when he tires of that he likes to ask obscure questions and wants to know "how come?" "why" or "how" things work. Often times I don't know or have a good answer! I know he's just curious about everything, and this is how he learns. Why, oh why did I pray for bright, inquisitive kids?! So. Very. Tiring.
Reading Progress
On a more positive note, Matthew is really picking up on his reading. A lot of it is self driven too. I really have not been actively teaching much. We do read a lot together though. Today he took Hop on Pop in the car and read a good portion of the book. As we drove to speech class he sounded out the words and I helped him with the ones that "broke the rules." For instance, words like "they" and "good", where you'd think that the first vowel would be long. He did pretty well. In speech class his teacher had him read some sentences too, and was impressed with how well he was doing. His preschool teacher has also commented on his "kindergarten" work in reading and penmanship.
Everyday this week Matthew has been a little morning lark. He gets up between 5:30 a 6:00 and wants me up too. Naturally I tell him to forget it, it's not really morning time yet. I do tell him that there is plenty of yogurt, cereal, and fruit if he's hungry, and he knows how to help himself. Not satisfied with my answer, he continues to be my little snooze button. Every 15-30 minutes he has another question, problem, or something he's just dying to tell me. Grrr.
I tried to take a nap today while Melissa napped. Matthew was supposed to finish cleaning his room (that he was assigned to do yesterday) or take a nap himself. Instead he searched for ways to keep his mother up.
Crank up music, check. (Mom tells him to turn it down)
Banging around and jumping off of the bed, check. (Mom, now getting somewhat cranky, tells him to knock it off)
Tired Mama falls asleep.
Shortly thereafter he comes in and tells me he is bored. (Mom, now really cranky, yells OUT!)
Few minutes later dozing again. BANG BANG BANG! "Mom I have to tell you something. This magazine is stuck." AHHHHH! His sister is now awake too. (Mom now has smoke coming out her ears) He is informed that his presence is not welcome on any uncertain terms, he is not to be seen or heard while I try to get his sister back to sleep. I scoop up Melissa and take her to bed with me hoping she'll cuddle up to me and fall back asleep. It works, except now I can't go back to sleep.
Resigned I get up. What a lousy nap.
For the record, the room is still not clean....
When is isn't waking me up he keeps up a stream of unrelenting chatter. During lunch he was putting all kinds of different letters in front of his name and laughing hysterically. "If I put a 'T' if front of my name it would be 'Tatthew' Huh, Mom? Isn't that silly? Ha ha ha!" He expects a response for every gem he comes up with. Then when he tires of that he likes to ask obscure questions and wants to know "how come?" "why" or "how" things work. Often times I don't know or have a good answer! I know he's just curious about everything, and this is how he learns. Why, oh why did I pray for bright, inquisitive kids?! So. Very. Tiring.
Reading Progress
On a more positive note, Matthew is really picking up on his reading. A lot of it is self driven too. I really have not been actively teaching much. We do read a lot together though. Today he took Hop on Pop in the car and read a good portion of the book. As we drove to speech class he sounded out the words and I helped him with the ones that "broke the rules." For instance, words like "they" and "good", where you'd think that the first vowel would be long. He did pretty well. In speech class his teacher had him read some sentences too, and was impressed with how well he was doing. His preschool teacher has also commented on his "kindergarten" work in reading and penmanship.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Dinner with a Swede
I'm at PyCon this weekend.
Tonight I had dinner with a fellow from Seattle I know from the last two PyCons, and his roommate, a Swede.
We went to a steak house next door to our hotel. It was a pricey restaurant. They had a restroom attendant, who squirted soap on your hands and handed you towels. Trippy. Most of the menu items were in the $30-$50 range and there were some near $100. I just wanted to eat, so I got the $10 hamburger. Seattle guy and Swedish dude got salmon and sirloin.
When the food arrived, my friends' portions were huge, so they offered others a bite to try. I jokingly offered my hamburger to Swedish dude with a grin in mock reciprocation.
He took a bite!
I don't know if that's normal for Sweden or if he thought he needed to humor the crazy American.
Just in case, I didn't offer Seattle guy a bite.
(Then Swedish dude ate his fries with a knife and fork.)
If you're reading this, Swedish dude, no offense taken and I hope none given. Just having some fun with cultural misunderstandings!
Tonight I had dinner with a fellow from Seattle I know from the last two PyCons, and his roommate, a Swede.
We went to a steak house next door to our hotel. It was a pricey restaurant. They had a restroom attendant, who squirted soap on your hands and handed you towels. Trippy. Most of the menu items were in the $30-$50 range and there were some near $100. I just wanted to eat, so I got the $10 hamburger. Seattle guy and Swedish dude got salmon and sirloin.
When the food arrived, my friends' portions were huge, so they offered others a bite to try. I jokingly offered my hamburger to Swedish dude with a grin in mock reciprocation.
He took a bite!
I don't know if that's normal for Sweden or if he thought he needed to humor the crazy American.
Just in case, I didn't offer Seattle guy a bite.
(Then Swedish dude ate his fries with a knife and fork.)
If you're reading this, Swedish dude, no offense taken and I hope none given. Just having some fun with cultural misunderstandings!
Things that make you go hmmm....
after disaster control, that is.
I heard a blood curdling scream from the bathroom, and from the sound of it our son was missing an appendage. I ran into the bathroom. There stood Matthew with one foot in the metal trash can, and the other foot in the toilet that was filled with poop!
I stripped off his clothes and put him in the tub. He had bruised and scraped up the foot that landed in the trash can, hence the ear piercing screams. After he was cleaned and bandaged, (hysterical the entire time, no less), he calmed down enough to take some motrin and talk.
"How did you end up in the trash can and toilet?"
"I don't know."
Hmmm...
An hour later he seemed fully recovered and was running around harassing his sister.
Side note: Regrettably his timing for his misadventure was poor, and Melissa awoke prematurely from a much needed nap. Sigh.
I heard a blood curdling scream from the bathroom, and from the sound of it our son was missing an appendage. I ran into the bathroom. There stood Matthew with one foot in the metal trash can, and the other foot in the toilet that was filled with poop!
I stripped off his clothes and put him in the tub. He had bruised and scraped up the foot that landed in the trash can, hence the ear piercing screams. After he was cleaned and bandaged, (hysterical the entire time, no less), he calmed down enough to take some motrin and talk.
"How did you end up in the trash can and toilet?"
"I don't know."
Hmmm...
An hour later he seemed fully recovered and was running around harassing his sister.
Side note: Regrettably his timing for his misadventure was poor, and Melissa awoke prematurely from a much needed nap. Sigh.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Peanuts
Melissa did not want to put her underwear on this morning, did Not want to get dressed, and most of all did NOT want her hair brushed. Unfortunately her mother did not want her to look like a wild pony, so it was not negotiable.
As I carted her off to the bathroom she wailed, "No! GRANDMA say NO comb hair!" She kept insisting that Grandma would not want her hair combed. When that tactic didn't work she howled, "You comb my hair, you make me cry!" All to no avail. Except for the scowl on her face she did look nice for church.
Which reminds me of last Sunday. I took Melissa to the ladies room before nursery. Out of a stall came a very large women, probably around 300 lbs. Naturally Melissa says the first thing that pops in her head. "Mama! She BIG!" I tried to shush her and gave the woman a quick apology before ducking into a stall. Melissa did not want to be shushed and repeated herself in case I and the rest of the ladies in the bathroom hadn't heard her. I wish I could teach two-year olds tack, but short of that I wish the floor would open up and swallow me.
Matthew went through a similar phase around two. He'd loudly point out anyone who was different. Once while eating at a restaurant we were seated across from an amply girthed couple. Matthew blurted out, "Look! They are FAT! He eat too much! Why he eat too much, Mama?" Ahhh! Fortunately he has since learned that it is inappropriate to comment on people's appearances. It might hurt their feelings. It hasn't dawned on Melissa yet...
This is part of the reason we keep a blog (aside from keeping family and friends up to date). We figure Matthew and Melissa stories will be good fodder for when they are teenagers. Paybacks, my dears, paybacks.
Sigh.
Tonight I made bread rolls and had some leftover dough that I braided into a loaf and left on the stove while the rolls cooked. During dinner I asked Jonathan to put the braided dough in the oven to rise, turn the oven on WARM, put the pan of water in the oven, and lastly put the casserole on low on the stove top to keep it warm. Five minutes later I noticed a burning smell. I opened the oven and smoke poured out. Apparently all the directions had been followed to a 'T' except turn the oven to WARM. Instead he'd turned it to BROIL! In his defense he blamed poor "user interface" On the stove top you turn the knob to the left for low; for the oven it is to the right. To the left is broil!
As I carted her off to the bathroom she wailed, "No! GRANDMA say NO comb hair!" She kept insisting that Grandma would not want her hair combed. When that tactic didn't work she howled, "You comb my hair, you make me cry!" All to no avail. Except for the scowl on her face she did look nice for church.
Which reminds me of last Sunday. I took Melissa to the ladies room before nursery. Out of a stall came a very large women, probably around 300 lbs. Naturally Melissa says the first thing that pops in her head. "Mama! She BIG!" I tried to shush her and gave the woman a quick apology before ducking into a stall. Melissa did not want to be shushed and repeated herself in case I and the rest of the ladies in the bathroom hadn't heard her. I wish I could teach two-year olds tack, but short of that I wish the floor would open up and swallow me.
Matthew went through a similar phase around two. He'd loudly point out anyone who was different. Once while eating at a restaurant we were seated across from an amply girthed couple. Matthew blurted out, "Look! They are FAT! He eat too much! Why he eat too much, Mama?" Ahhh! Fortunately he has since learned that it is inappropriate to comment on people's appearances. It might hurt their feelings. It hasn't dawned on Melissa yet...
This is part of the reason we keep a blog (aside from keeping family and friends up to date). We figure Matthew and Melissa stories will be good fodder for when they are teenagers. Paybacks, my dears, paybacks.
Sigh.
Tonight I made bread rolls and had some leftover dough that I braided into a loaf and left on the stove while the rolls cooked. During dinner I asked Jonathan to put the braided dough in the oven to rise, turn the oven on WARM, put the pan of water in the oven, and lastly put the casserole on low on the stove top to keep it warm. Five minutes later I noticed a burning smell. I opened the oven and smoke poured out. Apparently all the directions had been followed to a 'T' except turn the oven to WARM. Instead he'd turned it to BROIL! In his defense he blamed poor "user interface" On the stove top you turn the knob to the left for low; for the oven it is to the right. To the left is broil!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
More Dreams
Stocks
Last night I dreamed that I put the majority of our cash into medical supply and pharmaceutical companies. Over a few months the stocks doubled.
Then disaster struck.
A flood of lawsuits hit the companies. Some of the lawsuits were legitimate, most were frivolous or riding the coattails the legitimate ones. Overnight the price of the stocks plunged to less than half of what I'd purchased them. I was getting ready to sell them when Jonathan insisted that we wait it out. "We don't want to send the
wrong message to the companies." Yeah, but we might lose everything with this sinking ship.
"But they are good companies, they'll make it."
It's funny, because this is almost exactly how the Merck scenario went, except that the roles were reversed. I'd owned a few shares of Merck for years (even before I went to college!) Then the Vioxx lawsuits hit. I decided to wait to sell because I figured the company would rebound. (As a side note, can you imagine if everyone who had experienced negative side effects from aspirin had sued? I suspect aspirin would have been yanked from the shelves by the FDA.
Common and not so common side effects
After all, people have died taking aspirin. Clearly it's not a "safe" medicine. Better off taking a placebo. In pain? Too bad!)
So I held onto Merck until November of last year when Jonathan read in the Wall Street Journal about a fresh assault on the company. Reluctantly I sold thinking maybe it really was time to bail, and naturally the stock jumped up...
Anyways, my dream ended without resolution. Aside from day traders, who has nightmares about dropping stock values anyways?
The Bunny
I also dreamed about a large brown rabbit. This bunny came bounding into our yard and hopped over to Matthew. I panicked a bit thinking it might be a rabid rabbit. I mean, what kind of sane rabbit hops over to a five-year old? I warned Matthew to stay back. Then I saw the tags on the rabbit and realized it was a pet. I let Matthew pet it, and it snuggled contentedly in his arms. He told me that we needed rabbit after we returned this rabbit to its owners. Yes bunnies are cute, but all I could think of was chewed up electrical cords and upholstery. Shudder. How about a nice fish? Nope, we needed a bunny. Then I woke up.
The Nightmare
In my last dream I was bleeding quite heavily. I was frightened for the baby, and at the same time realizing there wasn't much hope. I woke up practically in tears from this dream. Thankfully I wasn't dreaming for long.
Poor Jonathan gets regaled with all of my wacky dreams in the mornings. I usually forget them after that. It seems that pregnancy does make them much more vivid though.
Last night I dreamed that I put the majority of our cash into medical supply and pharmaceutical companies. Over a few months the stocks doubled.
Then disaster struck.
A flood of lawsuits hit the companies. Some of the lawsuits were legitimate, most were frivolous or riding the coattails the legitimate ones. Overnight the price of the stocks plunged to less than half of what I'd purchased them. I was getting ready to sell them when Jonathan insisted that we wait it out. "We don't want to send the
wrong message to the companies." Yeah, but we might lose everything with this sinking ship.
"But they are good companies, they'll make it."
It's funny, because this is almost exactly how the Merck scenario went, except that the roles were reversed. I'd owned a few shares of Merck for years (even before I went to college!) Then the Vioxx lawsuits hit. I decided to wait to sell because I figured the company would rebound. (As a side note, can you imagine if everyone who had experienced negative side effects from aspirin had sued? I suspect aspirin would have been yanked from the shelves by the FDA.
Common and not so common side effects
After all, people have died taking aspirin. Clearly it's not a "safe" medicine. Better off taking a placebo. In pain? Too bad!)
So I held onto Merck until November of last year when Jonathan read in the Wall Street Journal about a fresh assault on the company. Reluctantly I sold thinking maybe it really was time to bail, and naturally the stock jumped up...
Anyways, my dream ended without resolution. Aside from day traders, who has nightmares about dropping stock values anyways?
The Bunny
I also dreamed about a large brown rabbit. This bunny came bounding into our yard and hopped over to Matthew. I panicked a bit thinking it might be a rabid rabbit. I mean, what kind of sane rabbit hops over to a five-year old? I warned Matthew to stay back. Then I saw the tags on the rabbit and realized it was a pet. I let Matthew pet it, and it snuggled contentedly in his arms. He told me that we needed rabbit after we returned this rabbit to its owners. Yes bunnies are cute, but all I could think of was chewed up electrical cords and upholstery. Shudder. How about a nice fish? Nope, we needed a bunny. Then I woke up.
The Nightmare
In my last dream I was bleeding quite heavily. I was frightened for the baby, and at the same time realizing there wasn't much hope. I woke up practically in tears from this dream. Thankfully I wasn't dreaming for long.
Poor Jonathan gets regaled with all of my wacky dreams in the mornings. I usually forget them after that. It seems that pregnancy does make them much more vivid though.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Exercise
I admit, I've been a couch potato for a while...
(feeling like crud for two months didn't help matters)
I found a spiffy new jump rope that doesn't twist up, and have been doing some light jump roping this past month. Now that I'm getting kind of big, I'll probably phase that out by the third trimester. I did buy a work out video designed for pregnancy, but it has been sitting in pristine plastic-wrap condition until yesterday. Guilt finally motivated me to get off my rump.
Matthew and I got out our floor mats, weights, and step-stools and had at it.
Today my jello thighs are screaming at me, "YOU FOOL! What were you thinking!?" Ugh. 'Course Matthew, just as chipper as can be says, "Let's exercise again Mama!" Groan. He got out the mats and set up the DVD expectantly.
So we exercised. During which time Melissa mostly tried to climb over and on me whenever opportunity presented itself. (It's hard doing push ups with a 2 year old on your back! Get off!) Right now Matthew is fresh and full of energy. I wish I could say likewise, but I feel like someone pummeled my body with stones. It takes what, six weeks to make a habit? I'll give it that...but I sure hope I don't feel like chewed up gum for the whole duration...
(feeling like crud for two months didn't help matters)
I found a spiffy new jump rope that doesn't twist up, and have been doing some light jump roping this past month. Now that I'm getting kind of big, I'll probably phase that out by the third trimester. I did buy a work out video designed for pregnancy, but it has been sitting in pristine plastic-wrap condition until yesterday. Guilt finally motivated me to get off my rump.
Matthew and I got out our floor mats, weights, and step-stools and had at it.
Today my jello thighs are screaming at me, "YOU FOOL! What were you thinking!?" Ugh. 'Course Matthew, just as chipper as can be says, "Let's exercise again Mama!" Groan. He got out the mats and set up the DVD expectantly.
So we exercised. During which time Melissa mostly tried to climb over and on me whenever opportunity presented itself. (It's hard doing push ups with a 2 year old on your back! Get off!) Right now Matthew is fresh and full of energy. I wish I could say likewise, but I feel like someone pummeled my body with stones. It takes what, six weeks to make a habit? I'll give it that...but I sure hope I don't feel like chewed up gum for the whole duration...
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Everyman 6
4 days in a row I've been alert and productive in the early morning hours. This is a big step in the right direction.
As a tradeoff though my body appears to have spread some of the fuzzy over the rest of the day. I feel like I'm at 90% all day instead of 40% from 3:30 to 7 and 100% the rest of the day. On the whole I think it's an improvement. We'll see though over the next couple weeks (a) if it lasts and (b) if the fuzziness eventually goes away.
Breakfast is a challenge. If I eat a couple hours after I wake up like I normally did, say around 5, by lunch time I'm starving. (And people who know me well know that when I'm hungry, I'm grumpy. Blood sugar, or something.) But if I eat a second breakfast around 9 I'm not hungry for lunch until 1 or later, which means I won't be hungry for dinner at a normal hour later on. A half breakfast at 5 followed by the other half at 9 seems to have worked pretty well yesterday. Still experimenting here.
Kids are a challenge (duh). When I started, the kids were sleeping until after 7 pretty reliably, so a 6:30 naptime was safe. Now as it gets brighter earlier they are waking earlier too. If I don't get my full nap in, it takes three times as long to feel rested "napping" while being "daddied" every few minutes.
As a tradeoff though my body appears to have spread some of the fuzzy over the rest of the day. I feel like I'm at 90% all day instead of 40% from 3:30 to 7 and 100% the rest of the day. On the whole I think it's an improvement. We'll see though over the next couple weeks (a) if it lasts and (b) if the fuzziness eventually goes away.
Breakfast is a challenge. If I eat a couple hours after I wake up like I normally did, say around 5, by lunch time I'm starving. (And people who know me well know that when I'm hungry, I'm grumpy. Blood sugar, or something.) But if I eat a second breakfast around 9 I'm not hungry for lunch until 1 or later, which means I won't be hungry for dinner at a normal hour later on. A half breakfast at 5 followed by the other half at 9 seems to have worked pretty well yesterday. Still experimenting here.
Kids are a challenge (duh). When I started, the kids were sleeping until after 7 pretty reliably, so a 6:30 naptime was safe. Now as it gets brighter earlier they are waking earlier too. If I don't get my full nap in, it takes three times as long to feel rested "napping" while being "daddied" every few minutes.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Do Wah Diddy Diddy
Jonathan left the radio on the oldies station last time he was in the car. He usually listens to rock so I wasn't expecting it. I on the other hand, often listen to the classical station or talk radio. When I got in to drive the kids to the park I heard "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do..."
Reminded me of driving with my Dad. He always cranked up the oldies, tapped the steering wheel, and sang along. "There she was just a walkin' down the street singin'."
Melissa was bobbing her head along with the beat.
I miss riding in the car with Dad.
Reminded me of driving with my Dad. He always cranked up the oldies, tapped the steering wheel, and sang along. "There she was just a walkin' down the street singin'."
Melissa was bobbing her head along with the beat.
I miss riding in the car with Dad.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Close but no cigar
I'm not interested in paying the SUV premium (up front or the poor gas mileage), so I'm semi-resigned to having a minivan soon.
But then it occurred to me -- Porsche Cayenne! That, I'm willing to pay the premium for.
Sadly, Rachel informed me that our next car has to be able to accomodate four kids.
And just like that, the dream was out of reach.
But then it occurred to me -- Porsche Cayenne! That, I'm willing to pay the premium for.
Sadly, Rachel informed me that our next car has to be able to accomodate four kids.
And just like that, the dream was out of reach.
Peanuts
"Mom do dogs lay eggs?"
Seeing that our son needed a little more education on mammal birth, I did what any parent in 2008 would do: I turned to YouTube. So this morning we watched puppies being born. Matthew and Melissa were enthralled. "See the puppy coming out of the puppy hole?" "Wow! cool! Puppies are so cute." Matthew wanted to know all about the amniotic sac and waters, the cord, why the mothers' licked the puppies, how the puppies knew when to come out, question after question. He was very impressed. Melissa mostly liked seeing the "baby doggies."
High Praise
We made sugar cookies today. When I finished mixing the dough, Melissa started jumping up and down. She used the same tone we used to praise her for potty-training, "Yea Mama! You DID it! You make cookies. Good Job, Mama!" I cracked up.
The 'A' says Ahh
Matthew has some phonics videos that he watches occasionally. He's pretty much mastered the sounds of the alphabet. Melissa has been absorbing some of the sounds along with him. Today she was chanting "the 'a' says 'ahhh!'" while running through the house.
(Why is it our children run instead of walk?)
Seeing that our son needed a little more education on mammal birth, I did what any parent in 2008 would do: I turned to YouTube. So this morning we watched puppies being born. Matthew and Melissa were enthralled. "See the puppy coming out of the puppy hole?" "Wow! cool! Puppies are so cute." Matthew wanted to know all about the amniotic sac and waters, the cord, why the mothers' licked the puppies, how the puppies knew when to come out, question after question. He was very impressed. Melissa mostly liked seeing the "baby doggies."
High Praise
We made sugar cookies today. When I finished mixing the dough, Melissa started jumping up and down. She used the same tone we used to praise her for potty-training, "Yea Mama! You DID it! You make cookies. Good Job, Mama!" I cracked up.
The 'A' says Ahh
Matthew has some phonics videos that he watches occasionally. He's pretty much mastered the sounds of the alphabet. Melissa has been absorbing some of the sounds along with him. Today she was chanting "the 'a' says 'ahhh!'" while running through the house.
(Why is it our children run instead of walk?)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Everyman 5
Yesterday I got up at 3 and could not stay awake. I pretty much dozed until 6:30, when the kids got up. Ouch.
I guess I'll try 4:30 of core sleep for a few days and see how that goes. This morning is great, probably my best (early) morning yet. At almost 6h of sleep total, I don't think this schedule will be worth the inconvenience long-term. But if it helps me adapt with less mornings like yesterday then I'm okay with it temporarily.
My top priority is to stay as close to 100% as possible during normal waking hours, which might make the adaptation period longer but will keep Rachel (and my boss) happy. So far that much has gone well.
I guess I'll try 4:30 of core sleep for a few days and see how that goes. This morning is great, probably my best (early) morning yet. At almost 6h of sleep total, I don't think this schedule will be worth the inconvenience long-term. But if it helps me adapt with less mornings like yesterday then I'm okay with it temporarily.
My top priority is to stay as close to 100% as possible during normal waking hours, which might make the adaptation period longer but will keep Rachel (and my boss) happy. So far that much has gone well.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's official
Rachel is scoping out reviews of transportation that can fit three children comfortably. You know what that means.
Just to be sure, I ran a search and for the record, nobody makes a minivan with a V8.
Now I understand why all those 40something guys buy sports cars. They're making up for ten years of driving a lawn mower.
Just to be sure, I ran a search and for the record, nobody makes a minivan with a V8.
Now I understand why all those 40something guys buy sports cars. They're making up for ten years of driving a lawn mower.
Metroid Mania
Matthew has been as enthralled by Super Metroid (the SNES title, emulated on our Wii) as he's been by anything. Every night when I get home he tells me about the secrets he discovered or the bad guys he defeated that day.
He's gone through phases with other games before so I didn't think this was worth posting about, but tonight he took things to a new level.
He and Rachel couldn't figure out how to get to some secret area, so Rachel looked up a speed run on youtube. Matthew was fascinated. He and Melissa kept crowding Rachel away from her laptop.
So I put it up on the big screen with the ps3 browser. Matthew is glued to the tube. He's going to have to go to bed without finishing it in half an hour, and I think only the promise (and threat!) of being able to finish it tomorrow if he is good will get him in bed without earth-shaking tantrums.
He's gone through phases with other games before so I didn't think this was worth posting about, but tonight he took things to a new level.
He and Rachel couldn't figure out how to get to some secret area, so Rachel looked up a speed run on youtube. Matthew was fascinated. He and Melissa kept crowding Rachel away from her laptop.
So I put it up on the big screen with the ps3 browser. Matthew is glued to the tube. He's going to have to go to bed without finishing it in half an hour, and I think only the promise (and threat!) of being able to finish it tomorrow if he is good will get him in bed without earth-shaking tantrums.
Visiting the Midlady
(In Matthew-speak) Yesterday I had prenatal appointment the midwife. I always like going. It is a bit of a milestone marker for me. Now the baby is past 12 weeks, now 16 etc. Plus the visits are laid back with plenty of time to chat and listen to the baby. Last visit I didn't bring the crew and the midwife seemed somewhat disappointed that I'd left them behind. This time I brought them with, but with some trepidation. A few weeks before I tried to bring them to a LLL meeting and was absolutely mortified by their behavior. (We left early). I am happy to report that they mostly did pretty well. Matthew was good, Melissa was a little bit cranky (I think she is still recovering from lack of sleep). The midwife's office is well equipped for kids though. She has legos, puppets, videos, and all kinds of toys for little people.
I debated all the way there whether I wanted to listen with the doppler. Last time I really wanted to hear the little one because I had several occasions of spotting and had been so sick in December. Baby's heartbeat wasn't being picked up by the doppler at 12+ weeks, so the midwife did a quick ultrasound, and there he or she was! Very cool to see. This time I thought, well, I know there is definitely a baby there, and since I'm a low tech gal, maybe we don't need to listen with the doppler. (I try to limit my little ones' exposure from all kinds of things unless strictly necessary). However, we got there and I decided that I still really, really wanted to hear the heartbeat. I'm a sucker for the little hoof beat galloping sound. It's very reassuring, and fun to listen to too. :) Probably when I can feel baby rolling and kicking around it won't be such an issue. Plus later on a fetoscope can be used if I so desire. Melissa laid next to me on the exam table during this. She lifted up her shirt for the midwife to feel the "baby" in her tummy.
Speaking of Melissa, she has put in her vote for a "pink" baby sister. Matthew on the other hand really wants a baby brother because "sisters are trouble."
The baby is growing. I am growing. Eek! My body takes the Costco approach to pregnancy: better pick up an extra 10 gallons of olives, ya never know when you'll need them!
At any rate the lab results all came back great, I am healthy, babe appears to be healthy.
I debated all the way there whether I wanted to listen with the doppler. Last time I really wanted to hear the little one because I had several occasions of spotting and had been so sick in December. Baby's heartbeat wasn't being picked up by the doppler at 12+ weeks, so the midwife did a quick ultrasound, and there he or she was! Very cool to see. This time I thought, well, I know there is definitely a baby there, and since I'm a low tech gal, maybe we don't need to listen with the doppler. (I try to limit my little ones' exposure from all kinds of things unless strictly necessary). However, we got there and I decided that I still really, really wanted to hear the heartbeat. I'm a sucker for the little hoof beat galloping sound. It's very reassuring, and fun to listen to too. :) Probably when I can feel baby rolling and kicking around it won't be such an issue. Plus later on a fetoscope can be used if I so desire. Melissa laid next to me on the exam table during this. She lifted up her shirt for the midwife to feel the "baby" in her tummy.
Speaking of Melissa, she has put in her vote for a "pink" baby sister. Matthew on the other hand really wants a baby brother because "sisters are trouble."
The baby is growing. I am growing. Eek! My body takes the Costco approach to pregnancy: better pick up an extra 10 gallons of olives, ya never know when you'll need them!
At any rate the lab results all came back great, I am healthy, babe appears to be healthy.
Christmas in February
This last Christmas friends of ours gave us the gift of the symphony (any one that we wanted to see) and babysitting. WOW! A date with Jonathan! Alone. Without kids. ;) We took them up on it last weekend.
On Saturday I told Matthew and Melissa that Ellis and Merri were coming over to play with them. They were thrilled. Matthew started running through the house (with Melissa tailing him) shouting "Uncle Ellis and Aunt Merri are coming! Hooray!!" Matthew has known Ellis since he was a baby. Ellis and Grant would come over regularly and Matthew just assumed that Ellis was part of the family too. And Ellis and Merri are...just not biologically. :)
An early picture of Matthew and Uncle Ellis:
Ellis, Merri, and baby Kevin showed up and Matthew let me know that he wanted to be the one to open the door. So he did. We left without so much as a "bye mom and dad." They were already too busy playing.
Anyways we took off on our date secure in the knowledge that the kids would have a Good Time. We saw Peer Gynt performed by the Utah Symphony and Chorus. I've only heard bits and pieces of it and it was marvelous to hear the whole thing. Well, mostly marvelous. Jonathan said, "I don't understand. Grieg wrote music for the gods, just absolutely divine pieces; and then he has stuff that sounds like he was putting filler in for a deadline. What gives? Same composer, same piece, what the heck?" Mostly it was really fantastic though. The narrator was brilliant and really brought life into the character Peer Gynt. I certainly enjoyed it and I think Jonathan did too.
The kids sure had a lot fun. We came home around 10 pm and they were still reading bedtime stories. What great night! Matthew told me a little about the fun things they did the next morning and ended it with, "and baby Kevin was sure cute!"
On Saturday I told Matthew and Melissa that Ellis and Merri were coming over to play with them. They were thrilled. Matthew started running through the house (with Melissa tailing him) shouting "Uncle Ellis and Aunt Merri are coming! Hooray!!" Matthew has known Ellis since he was a baby. Ellis and Grant would come over regularly and Matthew just assumed that Ellis was part of the family too. And Ellis and Merri are...just not biologically. :)
An early picture of Matthew and Uncle Ellis:
Ellis, Merri, and baby Kevin showed up and Matthew let me know that he wanted to be the one to open the door. So he did. We left without so much as a "bye mom and dad." They were already too busy playing.
Anyways we took off on our date secure in the knowledge that the kids would have a Good Time. We saw Peer Gynt performed by the Utah Symphony and Chorus. I've only heard bits and pieces of it and it was marvelous to hear the whole thing. Well, mostly marvelous. Jonathan said, "I don't understand. Grieg wrote music for the gods, just absolutely divine pieces; and then he has stuff that sounds like he was putting filler in for a deadline. What gives? Same composer, same piece, what the heck?" Mostly it was really fantastic though. The narrator was brilliant and really brought life into the character Peer Gynt. I certainly enjoyed it and I think Jonathan did too.
The kids sure had a lot fun. We came home around 10 pm and they were still reading bedtime stories. What great night! Matthew told me a little about the fun things they did the next morning and ended it with, "and baby Kevin was sure cute!"
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Everyman report 4
I'm still not as alert in the wee hours of the morning as I'd like to be. This is normal for this stage in the adaptation from what I have read, but if there's a way to speed that up I'm all for it. So I tried the suggestion of one of the google Polyphasic group members, to try sleeping less at night, for three hours intead of four:
One other thing that might be interesting about this experiment: napping during the day is different from normal naps, at least for me. I dream during these naps, for one thing (which polyphasic people say is a sign the body is adapting -- normally, you won't dream in the first 20 minutes of sleep), but the strange thing is for the first part of the dream I'm still aware of my real, non-dream body, and I'm not entirely assimilated into the dream -- I can think, "Oh, hey, I'm starting to dream. Must be mostly asleep now."
Lucid dreaming is another thing I've been curious about for a while, so I thought this was interesting. Not enough to actively pursue it, but interesting all the same.
I've also noticed that you're taking a 4 hour core sleep. It seems that sleeping in 90 minute chunks is recommended (ex. 1.5 hours, 3 hours or 4.5 hours). It is said that waking up between these 90 minute intervals will likely involve sleep inertia (desire to continue to sleep). I am still fuzzy for about half an hour after my core sleep, and I think it's mostly because of the time.Those of you whose gut reaction is, "Sleeping less to feel more alert? That's insane!" can pat yourselves on the back. Of course, it's possible that me trying this coincided with my body just deciding to not cooperate anymore, but for the last two early mornings I had to take a lot of extra sleep to not be completely wasted the rest of the day. That was not pleasant. So, I'm going to go back to four hours and see if I can pick up where I left off. (Trying 4.5 hours is also an option, but I'm trying to be methodical about this: if going back to 4 "fixes" things, then great, 3 hours really was the culprit for feeling like crap the last two mornings. If not then there must be another factor.)
One other thing that might be interesting about this experiment: napping during the day is different from normal naps, at least for me. I dream during these naps, for one thing (which polyphasic people say is a sign the body is adapting -- normally, you won't dream in the first 20 minutes of sleep), but the strange thing is for the first part of the dream I'm still aware of my real, non-dream body, and I'm not entirely assimilated into the dream -- I can think, "Oh, hey, I'm starting to dream. Must be mostly asleep now."
Lucid dreaming is another thing I've been curious about for a while, so I thought this was interesting. Not enough to actively pursue it, but interesting all the same.
Stupid DMV
Drove to one "one the spot" emissions-safety-and-registration service place today. They were closed on Saturday. Drove to another. They informed me that my windows were tinted 7% too dark and I would have to get that fixed first.
I'd get all indignant about lawmakers with so much time on their hands they can bother passing laws against how dark my windows can be, but after reading how in the UK, you can't legally pay for your own medical care if the government system declines to pay it for you (to all the family pedants: yes, I realize it's a little more complex than that, but only a little), I don't have the energy.
USA: not as fubarred as the UK. Yet.
What a great motto.
I'd get all indignant about lawmakers with so much time on their hands they can bother passing laws against how dark my windows can be, but after reading how in the UK, you can't legally pay for your own medical care if the government system declines to pay it for you (to all the family pedants: yes, I realize it's a little more complex than that, but only a little), I don't have the energy.
USA: not as fubarred as the UK. Yet.
What a great motto.
Things that don't seem to happen when Mommy watches the kids
I let Matthew make his own oatmeal this morning. He thinks he can do it all by himself. In practice this has meant "Daddy does almost everything," but Matthew insisted on another chance. I gave in.
He came pretty close, I'll give him that. Bowl? Check. Oats? Check. Microwave? Check. No spoon in the bowl while microwaving? Check check check.
Milk?
What's that burning smell?
So if you were curious, Matthew has saved you the trouble of checking for yourself: microwaving oats with no milk or water will burn the oats and it will smell nasty -- like burned popcorn, only it doesn't dissipate as quickly. It's four hours later and still stinky in the whole upstairs.
He came pretty close, I'll give him that. Bowl? Check. Oats? Check. Microwave? Check. No spoon in the bowl while microwaving? Check check check.
Milk?
What's that burning smell?
So if you were curious, Matthew has saved you the trouble of checking for yourself: microwaving oats with no milk or water will burn the oats and it will smell nasty -- like burned popcorn, only it doesn't dissipate as quickly. It's four hours later and still stinky in the whole upstairs.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Everyman report 3
So far so good. Yesterday my mind was about 90% and I functioned fine at work. All the offices have windows but there is one room that is either a huge closet or a really small office that does not and is great for napping. No ambient light makes sleeping that much easier. The hard floor is uncomfortable, though; I might make a trip to wal-mart to get an air mattress. (We have a couch that the others sometimes nap on, but it is in a lighted area, so I think I'd rather go with the closet and the air mattress.)
The 11 PM to 4 AM block of time has been hard. Two nights ago I tried adding a second nap at 2 AM, which helped a little but I was still mostly a zombie. So I was thinking about switching back to an 11-3 core block of sleep, and last night when I woke up after my 11:00 nap feeling groggy again I decided yeah, that sounds pretty good, and went back to sleep. Right now [4:30 AM] my mind is probably around 70%; not great, but I've done a little programming successfully already, which is a lot more than I could have accomplished from 11-4 two nights running. I expect I'll be in better shape after my 7:00 nap.
My co-workers took my naps in stride yesterday. (We were one of a handful of companies that didn't get presidents' day off. The parking lot made it clear that we were in a very small minority.) It turns out Gary did something even weirder in his college days: he tried a sleep schedule that essentially put him on a 28-hour "day," so his sleep time shifted around constantly compared to everyone else. That makes my schedule sound normal.
The 11 PM to 4 AM block of time has been hard. Two nights ago I tried adding a second nap at 2 AM, which helped a little but I was still mostly a zombie. So I was thinking about switching back to an 11-3 core block of sleep, and last night when I woke up after my 11:00 nap feeling groggy again I decided yeah, that sounds pretty good, and went back to sleep. Right now [4:30 AM] my mind is probably around 70%; not great, but I've done a little programming successfully already, which is a lot more than I could have accomplished from 11-4 two nights running. I expect I'll be in better shape after my 7:00 nap.
My co-workers took my naps in stride yesterday. (We were one of a handful of companies that didn't get presidents' day off. The parking lot made it clear that we were in a very small minority.) It turns out Gary did something even weirder in his college days: he tried a sleep schedule that essentially put him on a 28-hour "day," so his sleep time shifted around constantly compared to everyone else. That makes my schedule sound normal.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
A letter from Matthew
Dear Uncle Chris,
In preschool we passed out treats in sharing time. Because it was Valentine's!
I played with Emma and Nick at the bouncy place and Madeline and Melissa were there too. I went in with something with a hole and there is a rectangle with a hole for kids to climb in and a rope and kids can slide down. There was also a castle with bumpy slides. I played boxing with Emma. I was the toughest. We went in a SpongeBob one too, that one was silly.
Melissa cut off her hair a little bit in the front. My Dad left out the scissors and Melissa found them.
How you doing, Uncle Chris?
There is Metroid on the Wii, it's SUPER COOL! I found the ball, then the bombs, then the high jump, and missiles.
Love,
Matthew
In preschool we passed out treats in sharing time. Because it was Valentine's!
I played with Emma and Nick at the bouncy place and Madeline and Melissa were there too. I went in with something with a hole and there is a rectangle with a hole for kids to climb in and a rope and kids can slide down. There was also a castle with bumpy slides. I played boxing with Emma. I was the toughest. We went in a SpongeBob one too, that one was silly.
Melissa cut off her hair a little bit in the front. My Dad left out the scissors and Melissa found them.
How you doing, Uncle Chris?
There is Metroid on the Wii, it's SUPER COOL! I found the ball, then the bombs, then the high jump, and missiles.
Love,
Matthew
Generation gap
Rachel was on a cleaning rampage. She found a box of odds and ends that I think has moved with us, unexamined, since our first house together.
Matthew was interested in the contents.
"What's this?"
"That's your dad's old camera."
"Why doesn't it have a screen?"
"It's a film camera."
"What's film?"
Matthew was interested in the contents.
"What's this?"
"That's your dad's old camera."
"Why doesn't it have a screen?"
"It's a film camera."
"What's film?"
Everyman report
I mis-set my alarm last night and instead of taking a 20 minute nap at 11, I slept for 3 hours. So I called that my core sleep for the day. I felt pretty groggy until my 7:00 nap, after which I felt pretty good, around 90% mental capacity. Didn't really feel sleep deprived all day; naps at 12 and 5.
Now I'm proceeding with my original plan, having core sleep from 3 or 4 until the kids wake me up around seven. This appeals to me because I like waking up next to Rachel, and she doesn't want me in the room with her if my alarm is going to go off.
So I napped at 11 and now I'm holding out until 3 before going down for core sleep. I was okay for a bit but now I have to say I'm pretty wasted. Mental capacity: 40%? I did some light programming earlier after Rachel went to bed (I optimized my xml-based template generator by adding a pre-processing phase that cuts the amount of evals during the main phase by half -- see, I told you a few blog entries ago that when I work on a project that I can take pictures of, I have to jump at it because most of my work is just that... interesting) but now my brain is stuffed with cotton. I think I will watch some starcraft videos.
(What, you didn't know you can download videos of Korean professional starcraft matches from the comfort of your own sofa? Ha.)
Now I'm proceeding with my original plan, having core sleep from 3 or 4 until the kids wake me up around seven. This appeals to me because I like waking up next to Rachel, and she doesn't want me in the room with her if my alarm is going to go off.
So I napped at 11 and now I'm holding out until 3 before going down for core sleep. I was okay for a bit but now I have to say I'm pretty wasted. Mental capacity: 40%? I did some light programming earlier after Rachel went to bed (I optimized my xml-based template generator by adding a pre-processing phase that cuts the amount of evals during the main phase by half -- see, I told you a few blog entries ago that when I work on a project that I can take pictures of, I have to jump at it because most of my work is just that... interesting) but now my brain is stuffed with cotton. I think I will watch some starcraft videos.
(What, you didn't know you can download videos of Korean professional starcraft matches from the comfort of your own sofa? Ha.)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Everyman day 1
I'm trying something that I freely admit is a little bizarre: the everyman sleep schedule. Rachel is skeptical but I've read enough anecdotal evidence to think it's worth trying. A sustainable extra 3-4h per day would be pretty awesome. And if this actually works for me, Rachel will be pleased by the side effects -- virtually everyone agrees that a healthy diet is required to make this work.
I've wanted to try this for a while now and with my sleep schedule whacked out anyway from the all-nighter Thursday, I figure maybe this will be an easier time than most to adjust. Or maybe it won't. Nobody really knows. :)
Since Wednesday night I've slept about 8 hours. So far I feel fine, although I can tell my mind isn't up to anything challenging, like thinking about multithreaded state. I realized a long time ago that this kind of reasoning suffers a lot more for me than the verbal part of my mind when I'm short on sleep. Supposedly it takes a week or longer to go from being merely sleep deprived to adapted.
Also I feel colder than usual. Perhaps my metabolism is slowing. If I am still doing this Monday, I will hit the gym when it opens at 5:30. On Saturday it is closed at 7, at which point the kids will be up. Maybe I will take them with me today a bit later.
[written at 6 AM but blogger didn't post it then]
I've wanted to try this for a while now and with my sleep schedule whacked out anyway from the all-nighter Thursday, I figure maybe this will be an easier time than most to adjust. Or maybe it won't. Nobody really knows. :)
Since Wednesday night I've slept about 8 hours. So far I feel fine, although I can tell my mind isn't up to anything challenging, like thinking about multithreaded state. I realized a long time ago that this kind of reasoning suffers a lot more for me than the verbal part of my mind when I'm short on sleep. Supposedly it takes a week or longer to go from being merely sleep deprived to adapted.
Also I feel colder than usual. Perhaps my metabolism is slowing. If I am still doing this Monday, I will hit the gym when it opens at 5:30. On Saturday it is closed at 7, at which point the kids will be up. Maybe I will take them with me today a bit later.
[written at 6 AM but blogger didn't post it then]
Friday, February 15, 2008
I just discovered the world's best snack food
I felt like cheese and crackers tonight. Everyone else was having Goodwood leftovers.
The pulled pork looked tasty, so I tried some with my extra sharp cheddar and wheat thins.
HEAVEN.
I think I would rather eat more of these than the ice cream cake Rachel got.
I also think I need to do the math on how much pulled pork I would have to buy before it would be cheaper to just get a smoker myself.
The pulled pork looked tasty, so I tried some with my extra sharp cheddar and wheat thins.
HEAVEN.
I think I would rather eat more of these than the ice cream cake Rachel got.
I also think I need to do the math on how much pulled pork I would have to buy before it would be cheaper to just get a smoker myself.
Christine
My parents (mostly my mom; my dad like his job at NJIT) have been talking about moving to Utah for a couple years. Rachel and I would really like our kids to spend some time near at least one set of their grandparents; I never really got to know mine before they died, and I'm a little jealous of all Rachel's childhood memories of hers.
"So, do you think Mom and Dad will move to Utah in the next five years?"
"I don't know. It could be like 'Well, we want to, once Christine finishes her degree.' 'But Mom, she's on her second doctorate!'"
"So, do you think Mom and Dad will move to Utah in the next five years?"
"I don't know. It could be like 'Well, we want to, once Christine finishes her degree.' 'But Mom, she's on her second doctorate!'"
Feeling a little loopy
I've been working on the Rosetta project at work non-stop for about ten days now. Non-stop means a couple hours off nightly for dinner and playing with the kids. The rest of the time is working on Rosetta. Last night we capped it off by working straight through until 7 AM to get things read for our 8:00 demo. I went home and had dinner as described in the previous post, then went back to work after Rachel's orchestra time.
Most of my career has been working on back-end systems so I'm going to take advantage of having a project I can take screenshots of and explain what I've been working on.
Rosetta, as you can guess from its name, translates the unintelligible. In the screen shot -- click on it for a larger view -- you see two panels. In the left there is a textarea labled "Raw view." This is an ancient COBOL system that we're dragging kicking and screaming into a more modern UI. On the right is the modern UI, translated by Rosetta. (Actually, that is the ugly "development" UI, for the demo we sexed it up with chrome designed by a professional. But that code is in another branch and only runs on Windows, and I'm not motivated enough to fire up a VM to take screenshots.)
Rosetta does its magic through a combination of sophisticated reasoning about the raw area, and manually added hints. The rest of the left pane in the screen shot is the "hint editor." To a first approximation, I wrote the hint editor and the layout engine; Gary wrote the low layer that turns the COBOL system's customized vt100 dialect into the raw area and makes the first stab at deciding what it represents.
For an example of the manual hinting -- you can see in the screenshot that there is a table labled Days/Times. The first column is MTWTFSS -- and so is the fourth. The second and third columns are also repeated. The COBOL system does this because it's the only way they can cram the information into 80 by 24 characters, but in a modern UI you'd never do that. So on the right you can see that instead of four rows and 6 columns, we cut it apart and put it back together into the logical 8 rows and 3 columns. This takes less time to add in the hint editor than it took you to read about it here. (I probably don't need to mention that I didn't bother making the hint editor pretty. The user of the system will never see it.)
Ten days and two developers is a very aggressive schedule for this. We had to handle wildly different screen layouts, break some into pop-up dialogs, and make it not look like ass, with just the existing text to go on. At the demo this morning, you could tell that our co-workers in New Jersey were impressed. (A couple of them don't have personalities that let them admit this easily. But it was there even for them.)
There's actually a bit of a back story here. There's a faction in the larger company that prefers to develop software by throwing masses of junior developers at it. There are positive aspects of doing this, especially from a management perspective, but there are also drawbacks. Rosetta was our first semi-autonomous project to sell them on the concept of small numbers of highly skilled developers could do.
We hit it out of the park.
Valentine's day surprise
We moved the Python user group to Wednesday to accomodate Valentine's Day. Rachel's orchestra was not so flexible. So I left work expecting to take the kids to Burger King (and work on the wifi -- more on that subject in a bit) while Rachel led the viola section as usual on Thursday.
I was still in the dark when I noticed that it smelled nice and there was a styrofoam box on the top of the oven, with garlic bread and barbecue sauce. "Oh, Goodwood leftovers! Nice."
Nobody ever accused guys of picking up on hints too quickly.
"No," Rachel explained, and opened the oven to show me the rows of Goodwood barbecue staying warm for dinner. And she even had not-from-concentrate lemonade. What a nice surprise. I had not tried the Goodwood prime rib before. (Do I need to write that it was fantastic? It was.)
What a thoughtful woman.
I was still in the dark when I noticed that it smelled nice and there was a styrofoam box on the top of the oven, with garlic bread and barbecue sauce. "Oh, Goodwood leftovers! Nice."
Nobody ever accused guys of picking up on hints too quickly.
"No," Rachel explained, and opened the oven to show me the rows of Goodwood barbecue staying warm for dinner. And she even had not-from-concentrate lemonade. What a nice surprise. I had not tried the Goodwood prime rib before. (Do I need to write that it was fantastic? It was.)
What a thoughtful woman.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Just the Facts, Mom
We were running errands, and out of the blue Matthew pipes up from the back seat, "So tell me all about babies, Mom."
Me: Sure. What do you want to know?
Matthew: Everything.
Me: Do you have any questions in particular?
Matthew: No, just tell me everything.
Me: Sure. What do you want to know?
Matthew: Everything.
Me: Do you have any questions in particular?
Matthew: No, just tell me everything.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
First Major Dentist Visit
Okay, not the first visit for Melissa. There was that time when she was one year old and bumped her mouth on the wooden horse. She ended up losing a good chunk of her gum and we were worried about her tooth. (Did I write about this?) Anyways, everything was fine, and the gum grew back.
Melissa had a small defect on one of her teeth. The enamel didn't come in on one spot on her front tooth. It was first apparent around 6 months when her tooth erupted. We just kept and eye on it for the first 2 years and diligently kept it clean. After that we started taking her to the dentist for fluoride treatments every 3 months to prevent cavity growth. This was a two second procedure where the dentist put a dot of fluoride on the tooth. Melissa's pediatric dentist didn't want to sedate her to work on that tooth until she was a least 30 pounds. (Which was fine by me because the thought of heavy duty anesthesia on one so little made me very nervous!) Their office also had a policy of no restraining kids because they wanted children to have positive first impressions of the dentist. It worked, because Melissa absolutely loves going to the dentist. They make COOL balloon animals there!
In mid January she cooperated very well for the fluoride treatment, but was still only 28 pounds (fully dressed). I asked if they would be willing to try just nitrous oxide with her to see if it would work. The dentist said they would be willing to give it a shot, so we set up an appointment a month later.
On Monday I took her into the dentist. She was quite pleased to sit in the big chair. She got a pair of sunglasses to wear (they were pink!) and settled in to watch the The Little Mermaid on the ceiling. Dentists offices are so much cooler than when I was a kid! The dental assistant talked Melissa through every step of the way.
"Now I'm going to put on a funny nose that smells like oranges! See? Can you smell the oranges?" Melissa nodded.
"Next I'm going to put some water on your tooth. It kind of tickles! I'll put some on your hand first. Can you feel that? Then we use a little vacuum to suck up all the water!"
The dentist also described each step in simple terms as he did it. Melissa sat there cool as a clam with her mouth wide open. They praised her as they went along, and the whole thing only took about 7 minutes from drilling to filling.
Afterwards the dentist commented on how unusual it was for someone her age to cooperate so well. He was very impressed. I was quite pleased too. You never know with two year olds. Sometimes she is so pleasant and easy, and other times everything is NO NO NO! I was also very relieved to avoid the anesthesia route!
We have really been lucky with dentists with both of our kids.
Melissa had a small defect on one of her teeth. The enamel didn't come in on one spot on her front tooth. It was first apparent around 6 months when her tooth erupted. We just kept and eye on it for the first 2 years and diligently kept it clean. After that we started taking her to the dentist for fluoride treatments every 3 months to prevent cavity growth. This was a two second procedure where the dentist put a dot of fluoride on the tooth. Melissa's pediatric dentist didn't want to sedate her to work on that tooth until she was a least 30 pounds. (Which was fine by me because the thought of heavy duty anesthesia on one so little made me very nervous!) Their office also had a policy of no restraining kids because they wanted children to have positive first impressions of the dentist. It worked, because Melissa absolutely loves going to the dentist. They make COOL balloon animals there!
In mid January she cooperated very well for the fluoride treatment, but was still only 28 pounds (fully dressed). I asked if they would be willing to try just nitrous oxide with her to see if it would work. The dentist said they would be willing to give it a shot, so we set up an appointment a month later.
On Monday I took her into the dentist. She was quite pleased to sit in the big chair. She got a pair of sunglasses to wear (they were pink!) and settled in to watch the The Little Mermaid on the ceiling. Dentists offices are so much cooler than when I was a kid! The dental assistant talked Melissa through every step of the way.
"Now I'm going to put on a funny nose that smells like oranges! See? Can you smell the oranges?" Melissa nodded.
"Next I'm going to put some water on your tooth. It kind of tickles! I'll put some on your hand first. Can you feel that? Then we use a little vacuum to suck up all the water!"
The dentist also described each step in simple terms as he did it. Melissa sat there cool as a clam with her mouth wide open. They praised her as they went along, and the whole thing only took about 7 minutes from drilling to filling.
Afterwards the dentist commented on how unusual it was for someone her age to cooperate so well. He was very impressed. I was quite pleased too. You never know with two year olds. Sometimes she is so pleasant and easy, and other times everything is NO NO NO! I was also very relieved to avoid the anesthesia route!
We have really been lucky with dentists with both of our kids.
First Sleepover
Matthew has been begging us to let Melissa "sleep over" in his room for some time. Sunday night we relented under two conditions.
1. We don't want to SEE small people.
2. We don't want to HEAR small people.
If they broke either of these two conditions, the slumber party would be over.
Matthew laid out the napping rolls, we tucked them in, and turned on the quiet "night time" music. I figured I would end up tucking them into their separate beds within 15 minutes.
10 minutes later it was very quite and I checked on them. There they were, side by side, and both peacefully sleeping. They looked like two fair-haired cherubs dreaming happy dreams.
Who'da thought?
1. We don't want to SEE small people.
2. We don't want to HEAR small people.
If they broke either of these two conditions, the slumber party would be over.
Matthew laid out the napping rolls, we tucked them in, and turned on the quiet "night time" music. I figured I would end up tucking them into their separate beds within 15 minutes.
10 minutes later it was very quite and I checked on them. There they were, side by side, and both peacefully sleeping. They looked like two fair-haired cherubs dreaming happy dreams.
Who'da thought?
First Haircut...
While I blissfully dozed this morning...
Jonathan decided that his hair needed a buzz. He clipped his hair and then left the kit out on the table while he ran for a quick the shower. Melissa decided that her hair needed a trim too, and availed herself of the scissors. Naturally she whacked off the front part because that is what she can see/reach best! Let's just say that she needs a few more lessons before graduating from beauty school. I shudder to think of her skills unleashed on the innocent, unsuspecting public!
Later, Jonathan brought the kids in for scriptures and prayer. "Notice anything about your daughter?" "AHHH! Her HAIR?! Matthew did YOU leave your scissors out?" Matthew denied any responsibility and Jonathan relayed the story. Melissa was happily climbing on top of me seemingly oblivious to her mother's shock.
"I don't think this can be fixed... Oh poor hair!" Jonathan apologized for his lapse in judgment, but what can you do? The deed was done. If she were a boy we could just buzz her head.
After I kissed Jonathan goodbye for work he said, "I guess this means twice as much chocolate for Valentines!" I gave a half-hearted laugh.
I called a neighbor, Kristin, who has a salon in her basement and described our morning's adventures. She had us come right over. Melissa liked sitting in the big salon chair with the fish-covered hair cape.
She kept up a running stream of commentary during the entire process:
"My hair is broken. You fix my hair?"
"I have pretty blue eyes."
"Look! A TV!"
"My hair is broken. Too bad!"
"I try that?" (some bottled hair products)
"I have curly hair. You fix my hair?"
"I play now?"
Kristin cut the top part of her hair so the demarcation between the shorn and unshorn portions wouldn't be so painfully obvious. Then she gave the rest of the hair a good trim. She was amazingly good on such a wiggly target. Two year olds do NOT sit still as a general rule. When I mentioned how impressed I was, she laughed and said this was nothing. She used to work at a kiddie hair cut place. Some kids would scream and thrash through the whole procedure.
Our neighbor said that on the bright side Melissa has curly hair that can kind of cover up the bare patch. Most people wouldn't even notice. On the down side I couldn't help but notice. No longer is she the girl with the curls on her forehead. Sigh. I'm sure that this is the first of many hairstyles and cuts Melissa will inflict on her head that I won't be thrilled with.
I'm thinking of getting some fat stretchy headbands with bows to cover things up a bit. But then again she'd probably just pull them off.
Later...
I wasn't expecting Jonathan home until late because he has a Python (it's a programming language) users meeting in Salt Lake that he heads. He usually goes from work straight there. Hence, I was very surprised when he walked in shortly after 5 with the largest bouquet of long-stemmed red roses that I have ever seen. They are absolutely huge! And stunning! He also gave me 2 lbs of dark chocolates. Wow! I asked if he was afraid I was mad at him. "Well, I figured that now I had 2 reasons to get flowers and chocolate." Sweet man! I wasn't mad, (FYI) but I'll sure take the flowers and chocolates!
So an interesting day. :)
Jonathan decided that his hair needed a buzz. He clipped his hair and then left the kit out on the table while he ran for a quick the shower. Melissa decided that her hair needed a trim too, and availed herself of the scissors. Naturally she whacked off the front part because that is what she can see/reach best! Let's just say that she needs a few more lessons before graduating from beauty school. I shudder to think of her skills unleashed on the innocent, unsuspecting public!
Later, Jonathan brought the kids in for scriptures and prayer. "Notice anything about your daughter?" "AHHH! Her HAIR?! Matthew did YOU leave your scissors out?" Matthew denied any responsibility and Jonathan relayed the story. Melissa was happily climbing on top of me seemingly oblivious to her mother's shock.
"I don't think this can be fixed... Oh poor hair!" Jonathan apologized for his lapse in judgment, but what can you do? The deed was done. If she were a boy we could just buzz her head.
After I kissed Jonathan goodbye for work he said, "I guess this means twice as much chocolate for Valentines!" I gave a half-hearted laugh.
I called a neighbor, Kristin, who has a salon in her basement and described our morning's adventures. She had us come right over. Melissa liked sitting in the big salon chair with the fish-covered hair cape.
She kept up a running stream of commentary during the entire process:
"My hair is broken. You fix my hair?"
"I have pretty blue eyes."
"Look! A TV!"
"My hair is broken. Too bad!"
"I try that?" (some bottled hair products)
"I have curly hair. You fix my hair?"
"I play now?"
Kristin cut the top part of her hair so the demarcation between the shorn and unshorn portions wouldn't be so painfully obvious. Then she gave the rest of the hair a good trim. She was amazingly good on such a wiggly target. Two year olds do NOT sit still as a general rule. When I mentioned how impressed I was, she laughed and said this was nothing. She used to work at a kiddie hair cut place. Some kids would scream and thrash through the whole procedure.
Our neighbor said that on the bright side Melissa has curly hair that can kind of cover up the bare patch. Most people wouldn't even notice. On the down side I couldn't help but notice. No longer is she the girl with the curls on her forehead. Sigh. I'm sure that this is the first of many hairstyles and cuts Melissa will inflict on her head that I won't be thrilled with.
I'm thinking of getting some fat stretchy headbands with bows to cover things up a bit. But then again she'd probably just pull them off.
Later...
I wasn't expecting Jonathan home until late because he has a Python (it's a programming language) users meeting in Salt Lake that he heads. He usually goes from work straight there. Hence, I was very surprised when he walked in shortly after 5 with the largest bouquet of long-stemmed red roses that I have ever seen. They are absolutely huge! And stunning! He also gave me 2 lbs of dark chocolates. Wow! I asked if he was afraid I was mad at him. "Well, I figured that now I had 2 reasons to get flowers and chocolate." Sweet man! I wasn't mad, (FYI) but I'll sure take the flowers and chocolates!
So an interesting day. :)
Thursday, February 07, 2008
That's MY kid!
Warning: this is a bragging parent post. :)
Matthew really likes his preschool teacher and even drew a picture of himself and his teacher to give to her.
I called her up today to see how she thought Matthew was doing with his speech and in class in general. We've had him in speech therapy for the last several months with a break in December. I think he's improved considerably. He's making sounds that he couldn't make at all before.
His teacher, Ms. Jan, said that he was doing very well and was easy to understand except when he got to speaking too quickly. When he slows down he enunciates clearly.
She then went on to say that she thinks he going to be a writer. He comes up with all kinds of stories and has a fantastic imagination. He also asks lots of questions and loves to soak up information. She also pointed out that his penmanship is coming along nicely and he does a beautiful job with his name. (They practice writing their names everyday and his writing is very clear.)
Ms. Jan says that they have been working on reading 3 and 4 letter words and that he another kid seem ready for easy readers, so she is going to have them work on those separately from the rest of the class starting next week.
Socially, she says he is doing great too. Matthew is a leader and independent thinker. He plays well with the other kids and is well liked, but also has his own ideas about things and expresses them. He accepts defeat well (!) and is quick to tell the other team "good job" when they beat his team. Ms. Jan told me that he stays on task and is just a very pleasant kid to have in her class.
Wow! Maybe we're doing something right. Or maybe we're just lucky.
Either way, that's MY boy!
Matthew really likes his preschool teacher and even drew a picture of himself and his teacher to give to her.
I called her up today to see how she thought Matthew was doing with his speech and in class in general. We've had him in speech therapy for the last several months with a break in December. I think he's improved considerably. He's making sounds that he couldn't make at all before.
His teacher, Ms. Jan, said that he was doing very well and was easy to understand except when he got to speaking too quickly. When he slows down he enunciates clearly.
She then went on to say that she thinks he going to be a writer. He comes up with all kinds of stories and has a fantastic imagination. He also asks lots of questions and loves to soak up information. She also pointed out that his penmanship is coming along nicely and he does a beautiful job with his name. (They practice writing their names everyday and his writing is very clear.)
Ms. Jan says that they have been working on reading 3 and 4 letter words and that he another kid seem ready for easy readers, so she is going to have them work on those separately from the rest of the class starting next week.
Socially, she says he is doing great too. Matthew is a leader and independent thinker. He plays well with the other kids and is well liked, but also has his own ideas about things and expresses them. He accepts defeat well (!) and is quick to tell the other team "good job" when they beat his team. Ms. Jan told me that he stays on task and is just a very pleasant kid to have in her class.
Wow! Maybe we're doing something right. Or maybe we're just lucky.
Either way, that's MY boy!
I fought the law
Got in from Chicago at 2 AM on a flight that was supposed to be in at 11. They kept saying it was going to be on time until an hour before it should have left, then pushed it back an hour at a time. It could have been worse; the flight before was on time... until it was canceled.
So I was eager to get home.
I figured the cops wouldn't care if you speed a bit at 2:30 AM. I was wrong. I tore past one of those lame "stealth" cop cars, the ones that only have markings on the sides and no lights on top. He flipped on his lights and pulled me over.
I tried my dad's technique: tell the truth.
"Do you know what the speed limit is?" "65, sir." "Do you know how fast you were going?" "Over 80." [examines license] "Slow it down, okay?" "Yessir."
So I was eager to get home.
I figured the cops wouldn't care if you speed a bit at 2:30 AM. I was wrong. I tore past one of those lame "stealth" cop cars, the ones that only have markings on the sides and no lights on top. He flipped on his lights and pulled me over.
I tried my dad's technique: tell the truth.
"Do you know what the speed limit is?" "65, sir." "Do you know how fast you were going?" "Over 80." [examines license] "Slow it down, okay?" "Yessir."
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
We're so glad when Daddy comes home...
Glad as we can be!
Melissa has been asking for her Daddy.....everyday.......many, many times a day!
Every time she hears a car pull onto our street she yells, "Daddy's home!"
In the morning she calls for Daddy to come get her. (Jonathan usually takes the kids in the morning. I got it soft, I know.)
She starts looking out the window for him when it gets dark.
During family prayer in the evening she asks for her "Daddy come home."
She is a real Daddy's girl.
Matthew has asked a few times, but he knows his Dad is coming home on Thursday.
Me, I really, really hoping he makes it back tomorrow morning. He's stuck in the Chicago airport. They're calling it the most snow since 1991. Great.
We all miss Daddy.
Melissa has been asking for her Daddy.....everyday.......many, many times a day!
Every time she hears a car pull onto our street she yells, "Daddy's home!"
In the morning she calls for Daddy to come get her. (Jonathan usually takes the kids in the morning. I got it soft, I know.)
She starts looking out the window for him when it gets dark.
During family prayer in the evening she asks for her "Daddy come home."
She is a real Daddy's girl.
Matthew has asked a few times, but he knows his Dad is coming home on Thursday.
Me, I really, really hoping he makes it back tomorrow morning. He's stuck in the Chicago airport. They're calling it the most snow since 1991. Great.
We all miss Daddy.
Little Imp!
It's 11 PM.
I hear an indignant, sleepy, "MOOoooM! She's in here! Melissa's in here!"
I go to Matthew's room to investigate. Matthew is sitting up in bed looking grumpy. There is a suspicious lump of bedding beside him. I pull back the covers and Melissa grins and giggles at me. I tuck Matthew back in. He's out before his head even hits the pillow. I cart Melissa back to her bed and tuck her in as well. She seems quite pleased with herself. What a good joke!
I hear an indignant, sleepy, "MOOoooM! She's in here! Melissa's in here!"
I go to Matthew's room to investigate. Matthew is sitting up in bed looking grumpy. There is a suspicious lump of bedding beside him. I pull back the covers and Melissa grins and giggles at me. I tuck Matthew back in. He's out before his head even hits the pillow. I cart Melissa back to her bed and tuck her in as well. She seems quite pleased with herself. What a good joke!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
I'm such a travel moron
This is my third Hilton of the night.
I'm in Chicago on my second business trip. My boss said he was staying at the Hilton Magnificent Mile. Okay, no sweat. Google [hilton magnificent mile], book a room.
Only he was in "Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile." I got a room in "Hilton Suites Chicago/Magnificent Mile."
It was the top Google hit.
But it gets better. Our hotels are only 14 blocks away from each other, just under a mile. When I left Ben's hotel, I told a taxi driver to "take me to the other Hilton." "The one on Michigan?" he asked. "Yes," I told him. I remembered that the taxi from the airport last night had asked if it was the one on Michigan. I called Rachel and she said it wasn't on Michigan but it was about a block away. Close enough, I figured.
Not close enough. This was another Hilton, several miles away. This time I went to the front desk to figure out exactly which damn Hilton I was in. Armed with that knowledge I took another taxi to, finally, the right hotel.
Now I'm left wondering how on earth my taxi from last night got me to the right one on the first try. Maybe he uses Google.
I'm in Chicago on my second business trip. My boss said he was staying at the Hilton Magnificent Mile. Okay, no sweat. Google [hilton magnificent mile], book a room.
Only he was in "Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile." I got a room in "Hilton Suites Chicago/Magnificent Mile."
It was the top Google hit.
But it gets better. Our hotels are only 14 blocks away from each other, just under a mile. When I left Ben's hotel, I told a taxi driver to "take me to the other Hilton." "The one on Michigan?" he asked. "Yes," I told him. I remembered that the taxi from the airport last night had asked if it was the one on Michigan. I called Rachel and she said it wasn't on Michigan but it was about a block away. Close enough, I figured.
Not close enough. This was another Hilton, several miles away. This time I went to the front desk to figure out exactly which damn Hilton I was in. Armed with that knowledge I took another taxi to, finally, the right hotel.
Now I'm left wondering how on earth my taxi from last night got me to the right one on the first try. Maybe he uses Google.
Developing Empathy
Matthew came out of his room wailing about his popped balloon. I think he was tired, because his reaction was way out of proportion even for the drama king.
Melissa was happily playing with her balloon when Matthew came out. First she tried to give him a hug. When that didn't work she said, "Here Da'chew, here my balloon."
Melissa was happily playing with her balloon when Matthew came out. First she tried to give him a hug. When that didn't work she said, "Here Da'chew, here my balloon."
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Reflecting on President Hinckley
I remember the first time I saw President Hinckley in person. Shortly after he was set apart as prophet, my family drove up for a regional conference in Washington. It was very exciting because we'd never lived in an area the prophet had visited before. I don't remember much of his talk, but I do remember his infectious optimism.
It wasn't until I was in college that I had opportunity to be in the same room with him again. Granted it was a large, packed stadium. Again I remember his sunny disposition. When you listened to him speak, you could tell that here was a good, kind man, and follower of Christ.
He always spoke of women with great respect and tenderness. Here is his tribute to his wife who preceded him:
Later on he spoke of the creation up to Adam:
And this further in the talk:
Another talk that touched my heart was a talk given on forgiveness.
He relayed a story of a terrible crime, deep sorrow, and forgiveness. Truly beautiful.
But really the sum of his character is in what he did.
He gave us the Proclamation on the Family, a plan for smaller numerous temples to bring temples closer to the members, Preach My Gospel for the missionaries, he traveled extensively to visit and fellowship with members all over the world, the Perpetual Education Fund was set up to help those in third world countries, relief efforts were directed to disaster areas all around the world, and lastly he emphasized kindness to all people regardless of creed, race or sex, by his gentle example. I know there are many other things I have not listed that others will.
I would add that may he rest in peace, but I believe he is quite busy doing good in heaven, with his beloved wife at last.
President Gordan B. Hinckley 1910-2008
It wasn't until I was in college that I had opportunity to be in the same room with him again. Granted it was a large, packed stadium. Again I remember his sunny disposition. When you listened to him speak, you could tell that here was a good, kind man, and follower of Christ.
He always spoke of women with great respect and tenderness. Here is his tribute to his wife who preceded him:
"My brethren and sisters, at the outset, if you will bear with me, I wish to exercise a personal privilege. Six months ago, at the close of our conference, I stated that my beloved companion of 67 years was seriously ill. She passed away two days later. It was April 6, a significant day to all of us of this Church. I wish to thank publicly the dedicated doctors and wonderful nurses who attended her during her final illness.
My children and I were at her bedside as she slipped peacefully into eternity. As I held her hand and saw mortal life drain from her fingers, I confess I was overcome. Before I married her, she had been the girl of my dreams, to use the words of a song then popular. She was my dear companion for more than two-thirds of a century, my equal before the Lord, really my superior. And now in my old age, she has again become the girl of my dreams."
Later on he spoke of the creation up to Adam:
But the process was not complete.
"For Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
"And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
"And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman" (Genesis 2:20–23).
And so Eve became God's final creation, the grand summation of all of the marvelous work that had gone before.
Notwithstanding this preeminence given the creation of woman, she has so frequently through the ages been relegated to a secondary position. She has been put down. She has been denigrated. She has been enslaved. She has been abused. And yet some few of the greatest characters of scripture have been women of integrity, accomplishment, and faith.
And this further in the talk:
There are some men who, in a spirit of arrogance, think they are superior to women. They do not seem to realize that they would not exist but for the mother who gave them birth. When they assert their superiority they demean her. It has been said, "Man can not degrade woman without himself falling into degradation; he can not elevate her without at the same time elevating himself" (Alexander Walker, in Elbert Hubbard's Scrap Book [1923], 204).Taken from the 2004 Conference Address
Another talk that touched my heart was a talk given on forgiveness.
I think it [forgiveness] may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed. There is so much of meanness and abuse, of intolerance and hatred. There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness. It is the great principle emphasized in all of scripture, both ancient and modern.
He relayed a story of a terrible crime, deep sorrow, and forgiveness. Truly beautiful.
But really the sum of his character is in what he did.
He gave us the Proclamation on the Family, a plan for smaller numerous temples to bring temples closer to the members, Preach My Gospel for the missionaries, he traveled extensively to visit and fellowship with members all over the world, the Perpetual Education Fund was set up to help those in third world countries, relief efforts were directed to disaster areas all around the world, and lastly he emphasized kindness to all people regardless of creed, race or sex, by his gentle example. I know there are many other things I have not listed that others will.
I would add that may he rest in peace, but I believe he is quite busy doing good in heaven, with his beloved wife at last.
President Gordan B. Hinckley 1910-2008
The Votes are In
Yesterday Jonathan asked Matthew and Melissa what they thought of a new brother or sister.
Matthew: I want a brother!!
Melissa: I wan' a sister!!
Pretty sure that we'll have one or the other. :)
Dreams
Jonathan has dreamed of a little girl. I have too, but my dreams are mostly weird so I usually discount them. Anyways in my dream I was having mild contractions (wouldn't that be great!) lying on my side, and mostly dozing alone on my bed. All of a sudden I feel a slippery baby body slide down my leg, and there she was, all 9 lbs 1 oz of her! At that point I called the midwife and Jonathan in the room. Such fun!
However...
I also still dream about being in college and forgetting to drop a class that I didn't want to take, and then finding out about it just before the major paper for the class is due and the final exam. I HATE those dreams. I always wake up in a panic. For the record this has never happened.
I dream too of being a double agent in Putin's Russia. I have infiltrated the mafia/government and have invaluable info for the US government. In these dreams I am on the run, trying to flee Russia with many narrow escapes. My heart is always pounding upon waking from these dreams/nightmares too. Have I ever been to Russia? No. I don't read thrillers, so where in heck do those dreams come from?
I have lots of other wild dreams too, but after relaying them to Jonathan in the morning I usually forget them.
So no, I don't put much stock in my crazy dreams.
Matthew: I want a brother!!
Melissa: I wan' a sister!!
Pretty sure that we'll have one or the other. :)
Dreams
Jonathan has dreamed of a little girl. I have too, but my dreams are mostly weird so I usually discount them. Anyways in my dream I was having mild contractions (wouldn't that be great!) lying on my side, and mostly dozing alone on my bed. All of a sudden I feel a slippery baby body slide down my leg, and there she was, all 9 lbs 1 oz of her! At that point I called the midwife and Jonathan in the room. Such fun!
However...
I also still dream about being in college and forgetting to drop a class that I didn't want to take, and then finding out about it just before the major paper for the class is due and the final exam. I HATE those dreams. I always wake up in a panic. For the record this has never happened.
I dream too of being a double agent in Putin's Russia. I have infiltrated the mafia/government and have invaluable info for the US government. In these dreams I am on the run, trying to flee Russia with many narrow escapes. My heart is always pounding upon waking from these dreams/nightmares too. Have I ever been to Russia? No. I don't read thrillers, so where in heck do those dreams come from?
I have lots of other wild dreams too, but after relaying them to Jonathan in the morning I usually forget them.
So no, I don't put much stock in my crazy dreams.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Our kids are not introverts
I was talking with my friend Ben over lunch yesterday about extroversion. Ben is one of the most gregarious people I know, but he claims that he's not really an extrovert, because "If you put me in a cave for three weeks with my laptop and some books I would be fine. And productive. But a real extrovert, like my wife, would go insane without being around people." (Rachel agreed with this characterization of Jessica.) But he admits that he never feels the need to go recharge by himself after being around people too long.
Matthew is a full-fledged extrovert.
I got up early this morning (6:20) because I went to bed early last night with a headache. It was very pleasant, being alone in the dark and silence.
Then Matthew got up. He's been an incessant stream of chatter for half an hour. I've tried to deflect it with "uh huh" and "talk to Mommy when she gets up" but it is not working. I am being dragged out of my happy place.
Right now while I'm writing this:
"Do you like the songs? On Metroid? I like them. I like the songs on Metroid."
[10 second pause] "Can I have some lemonade? Can I pour myself some?"
[10 seconds] "Dad, sometimes when I slip, I put my hand down, and I don't get hurt."
[10 seconds] "When the fireplace is fixed, do you think we can turn it on?"
Melissa might be more in the middle. She enjoys chattering at us and her brother, but occasionally she will go "hide" behind the curtains in her room and play quietly by herself.
Matthew is a full-fledged extrovert.
I got up early this morning (6:20) because I went to bed early last night with a headache. It was very pleasant, being alone in the dark and silence.
Then Matthew got up. He's been an incessant stream of chatter for half an hour. I've tried to deflect it with "uh huh" and "talk to Mommy when she gets up" but it is not working. I am being dragged out of my happy place.
Right now while I'm writing this:
"Do you like the songs? On Metroid? I like them. I like the songs on Metroid."
[10 second pause] "Can I have some lemonade? Can I pour myself some?"
[10 seconds] "Dad, sometimes when I slip, I put my hand down, and I don't get hurt."
[10 seconds] "When the fireplace is fixed, do you think we can turn it on?"
Melissa might be more in the middle. She enjoys chattering at us and her brother, but occasionally she will go "hide" behind the curtains in her room and play quietly by herself.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Things that make you go "hmm"
Top hit for Rachel's do-it-yourself Google search: "Help! I have a leaky bathtub faucet and a lazy husband!"
Yes. Yes, you do. Call a plumber.
Melissa after a "facts of life, 2 year old style" book: "You have baby in you tummy!"
No, Daddy's just fat.
I weighed myself. 190. Ouch.
(Although, for the record, she also claimed, "I have baby my tummy!")
Yes. Yes, you do. Call a plumber.
Melissa after a "facts of life, 2 year old style" book: "You have baby in you tummy!"
No, Daddy's just fat.
I weighed myself. 190. Ouch.
(Although, for the record, she also claimed, "I have baby my tummy!")
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Peanuts
- Bedtime is 8:00, or 7:30 if Mommy and Daddy are already tired. Melissa turns the light back on after being put down and plays until 10:00 or later. We are sort of okay with that (the exception is when she does not take a nap and is cranky all day); it appears that she just needs less sleep than Matthew. The funny part is that when she is ready to go to sleep she will turn off the light and get in bed. When Matthew stays up partying he goes until he drops, and we'll find him on the floor with the light still on.
- Today we got to church late and the sacrament was already being passed, so we waited in the foyer, periodically reminding the kids (well, Melissa) to be quiet. Melissa must have thought it was a really long, really boring prayer. She got off my lap and urged me to "You wake [get] up now!" Not yet, I told her. A minute later she got up again and declared "Amen! You wake up now!"
What happens in Utah when the president of the Church dies
President Hinkley died at 7:00. We were finishing the first round of a game of Mag Blast at the cousin dinner Rachel was hosting when one of Laura's friends texted her with the news. That killed the game of Mag Blast, and pretty much the whole phone system in Utah. It's 8:40 now and Rachel still can't get through to call her sister.
Our younger, hipper guests were all texting instead. Texting uses several orders of magnitude less bandwidth than voice so that was going through fine. Some people experienced this after 9/11, too; if you're ever in an infrastructure crisis and need something to get through, send a text even if you're an old fart.
(This is why US companies have a real racket going charging extra for texting privileges. In fact, I've heard that in the Philippines texting was free until the government started taxing it. The cost to the carrier of texts is so small that this is actually plausible, and it does appear to have at least some basis in fact; I found an article online referring to free texting in the 90s, but I can't find anything authoritative about what changed.)
Our younger, hipper guests were all texting instead. Texting uses several orders of magnitude less bandwidth than voice so that was going through fine. Some people experienced this after 9/11, too; if you're ever in an infrastructure crisis and need something to get through, send a text even if you're an old fart.
(This is why US companies have a real racket going charging extra for texting privileges. In fact, I've heard that in the Philippines texting was free until the government started taxing it. The cost to the carrier of texts is so small that this is actually plausible, and it does appear to have at least some basis in fact; I found an article online referring to free texting in the 90s, but I can't find anything authoritative about what changed.)
A week of health
Until this week, Rachel's had about five days total of feeling good since the beginning of December. She's caught every cold that came through our area, badly. I joked that she was a human petri dish; she didn't find that very amusing.
This week Rachel got all better. What a relief. I didn't realize how draining it was until it was over. Daddy is much less grumpy now.
This week Rachel got all better. What a relief. I didn't realize how draining it was until it was over. Daddy is much less grumpy now.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Peanuts
Melissa informed me that she wanted a robot, a dog robot, a pink dog robot. She explained that Matthew too would like a dog robot, only his should be blue. "For my birthday, I wanna pink dog robot!" Hmm. Not sure where to find one of those...
Wednesday morning Melissa woke up dry! We're hoping this repeats itself and someday turns into a trend.
Wednesday morning Melissa woke up dry! We're hoping this repeats itself and someday turns into a trend.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Dancing with Daddy
(Rachel posted about this briefly but I thought it deserves multiple paragraphs. :)
Often in the evenings I will turn up some music while I do dishes. This is the kids' chance to harass Daddy to dance with them. I find it particularly hard to refuse Melissa's outstretched arms and "You dance me, Da'yy [Daddy]?"
The problem is, Melissa doesn't like craning her neck back with a partner twice as tall as she is. Nor does she like me to get down on my knees to be closer to her level. So last night when a laundry basket was left within reach, she turned it upside down and climbed on it to be tall enough to dance with me as an equal. She was tickled to death with her cleverness.
Of course then Matthew was jealous and had to have a turn on top of the basket. I have to admit that I like dancing with Melissa better. Moshing with Matthew tires me out!
This morning I resisted the invitations to dance at first. So Melissa went downstairs and brought up a two-foot-deep plastic toy bin and did the same thing with it. "You dance me, Da'yy?" I acceded.
Sometimes she really does get disappointed though. Once Melissa got her church dress on Sunday morning, she proclaimed, "I ready dance!" Alas, we were running late, and church was not for dancing.
Although come to think of it I don't know exactly what she did in nursery later. It's quite possible she convinced the teacher to dance.
Often in the evenings I will turn up some music while I do dishes. This is the kids' chance to harass Daddy to dance with them. I find it particularly hard to refuse Melissa's outstretched arms and "You dance me, Da'yy [Daddy]?"
The problem is, Melissa doesn't like craning her neck back with a partner twice as tall as she is. Nor does she like me to get down on my knees to be closer to her level. So last night when a laundry basket was left within reach, she turned it upside down and climbed on it to be tall enough to dance with me as an equal. She was tickled to death with her cleverness.
Of course then Matthew was jealous and had to have a turn on top of the basket. I have to admit that I like dancing with Melissa better. Moshing with Matthew tires me out!
This morning I resisted the invitations to dance at first. So Melissa went downstairs and brought up a two-foot-deep plastic toy bin and did the same thing with it. "You dance me, Da'yy?" I acceded.
Sometimes she really does get disappointed though. Once Melissa got her church dress on Sunday morning, she proclaimed, "I ready dance!" Alas, we were running late, and church was not for dancing.
Although come to think of it I don't know exactly what she did in nursery later. It's quite possible she convinced the teacher to dance.
I Want My Grandma!
I was tucking Melissa back into her bed tonight when she told me, "I want my Gran'ma." "We'll see her someday soon..." I murmured. "I want Gran'ma come to Mama's house, see Lissa!"
Yeah, I'd like that too.
Yeah, I'd like that too.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Snow, snow, everywhere!
It dumped over a foot of snow here this morning. The kids were delighted, naturally. "It's snowing! Wow! It's snowing! Hooray!!!" They went out to "help" Daddy shovel, out again to play, and Melissa and I went on an evening trudge through the stuff (her idea- "I go on walk w' you?"). Traffic was really poor. The plows couldn't keep up with the snowfall, so Jonathan stayed home today. Good thing too, there were quite a few accidents, and at the point of the mountain (where we are) was especially bad. Lots of injuries, but no fatalities, thankfully.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8034091
We finally saw a plow in our neighborhood around 6 PM. The improvement was rather marginal, though. Now we have 4-5 inches of packed snow & ice on the road.
The kids think all the snow is absolutely wonderful. I remember when I was a kid and loved the stuff too. I lived in Iowa then, and there was always plenty of snow in the winter. Oh what fun my sister and I had making caves, licking icicles, building snow creatures, and pulling each other in the sled! My Mom would have to make me come inside to warm up and dry out my mittens and clothes.
I guess I've just gotten old. It's a lot colder than I remember as a kid. Snow isn't nearly so fun anymore...
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8034091
We finally saw a plow in our neighborhood around 6 PM. The improvement was rather marginal, though. Now we have 4-5 inches of packed snow & ice on the road.
The kids think all the snow is absolutely wonderful. I remember when I was a kid and loved the stuff too. I lived in Iowa then, and there was always plenty of snow in the winter. Oh what fun my sister and I had making caves, licking icicles, building snow creatures, and pulling each other in the sled! My Mom would have to make me come inside to warm up and dry out my mittens and clothes.
I guess I've just gotten old. It's a lot colder than I remember as a kid. Snow isn't nearly so fun anymore...
A new record
Matthew was "cleaning his room" all day Saturday, Sunday, and today, with breaks for meals, church, etc. He is still not done.
From the Peanut Gallery
Melissa's latest line whenever she gets a minor injury is to announce in plaintive tones, "I need to go see the doctor." or "I need to go to the hospital." She says this in such a mournful way, while sadly shaking her head. Injuries such as stubbed toes, little scratches, and bumped heads all require professional medical attention according to Melissa. Fortunately she will accept a kiss and a bandage instead. I'm guessing that this notion comes from the time Matthew gashed his toe open and needed stitches. She hasn't needed to see a doctor since the unfortunate Plant Incident (in July). Silly girl!
Matthew's Sunday school class still does not have a permanent teacher, so they have had a series of substitutes. Yesterday he told me that his eighteen year-old teacher was a grownup kid. "How so?" I asked. "Well, she's big like a grownup, but she doesn't have kids yet, so she's a grownup kid!"
A few weeks ago we visited some friends of ours for dinner. Melissa declared, "I want eggs! I want eggs!" over and over. What? We were scratching our heads until Jonathan figured out that she must have remembered that they went egg hunting there at Easter time. That was 8 months ago! What a memory that kid has!
Matthew's Sunday school class still does not have a permanent teacher, so they have had a series of substitutes. Yesterday he told me that his eighteen year-old teacher was a grownup kid. "How so?" I asked. "Well, she's big like a grownup, but she doesn't have kids yet, so she's a grownup kid!"
A few weeks ago we visited some friends of ours for dinner. Melissa declared, "I want eggs! I want eggs!" over and over. What? We were scratching our heads until Jonathan figured out that she must have remembered that they went egg hunting there at Easter time. That was 8 months ago! What a memory that kid has!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Peanut holds forth on the cinema
Matthew: "Dad, kids don't like boring movies."
Me: "Sure. Adults don't like boring movies either."
Matthew: "Yes they do!"
[Dad and Mom laugh. Fortunately Matthew is not offended, deciding only to enlighten us.]
"Adults like movies where they just talk. Kids don't like that. Kids just like kids movies. Little girl movies, and big boy movies."
Me: "Sure. Adults don't like boring movies either."
Matthew: "Yes they do!"
[Dad and Mom laugh. Fortunately Matthew is not offended, deciding only to enlighten us.]
"Adults like movies where they just talk. Kids don't like that. Kids just like kids movies. Little girl movies, and big boy movies."
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Girl and Her Pig
Yesterday we went to the dentist. Melissa insisted on taking her beloved pig, Oink, along with her. In the excitement of picking out a treasure from the treasure chest, she forgot Oink. She didn't notice Oink missing until after the office had closed. Since she sleeps with her pig every night, bedtime was rather traumatic.
Today we went to pick up Oink FIRST thing. Melissa is a happy girl again.
Today we went to pick up Oink FIRST thing. Melissa is a happy girl again.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Birds and the Bees
Matthew has just started asking about babies (quite a few of his friends have new baby siblings) and how babies get inside Mommies. We're not sure how much detail he's looking for, and since he's asked at inconvenient times such as right before sacrament meeting, we've managed to dodge the question. Daddy, chicken that he is, told Matthew to ask his Mother since supposedly I'm the expert. Ha! So it looks like we need to sit down with him and give him some basics.
In searching for a simple book to aid us, I ran across a German one that we probably won't be using....
http://www.planetdan.net/pics/babies/2.htm
The illustrations crack me up (especially the hearts on the car and the lego facial expressions), but it might be a bit much for Matthew.
In searching for a simple book to aid us, I ran across a German one that we probably won't be using....
http://www.planetdan.net/pics/babies/2.htm
The illustrations crack me up (especially the hearts on the car and the lego facial expressions), but it might be a bit much for Matthew.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Oink
Andrea gave Melissa a piggy bank when she came out a couple weeks ago.
Melissa LOVES that piggy bank. It makes a chime when you drop coins in, so every morning she begs two pennies from me and puts them in and takes them out, over and over. (Every night, she loses her pennies in her bedding doing this in the dark.)
Melissa named her piggy Oink. "Where my Oink?" "There my Oink!"
Melissa LOVES that piggy bank. It makes a chime when you drop coins in, so every morning she begs two pennies from me and puts them in and takes them out, over and over. (Every night, she loses her pennies in her bedding doing this in the dark.)
Melissa named her piggy Oink. "Where my Oink?" "There my Oink!"
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Winning is all that matters
Rachel and I have tried to encourage Matthew to take losses with equnimity, with some success. But I don't think he really buys the "trying your best is what matters" thing.
Case in point: he's been winning a lot at Bomberman the last couple days. I knew something besides increased skill was involved; he's not that good. This morning I watched him play and he proudly showed me his secret:
Play 3 on 1.
He creates a team game with him and two computers vs one computer. Heh.
Case in point: he's been winning a lot at Bomberman the last couple days. I knew something besides increased skill was involved; he's not that good. This morning I watched him play and he proudly showed me his secret:
Play 3 on 1.
He creates a team game with him and two computers vs one computer. Heh.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Ego surfing
I'm pleased to notice that I have retaken the #1 google hit for [Jonathan Ellis]. Some poser calling himself "Jonathan Ellis, spiritual director" managed to knock me off briefly when he bought the jonathanellis.org domain. Order has been restored.
True Love
Love is not chocolate and flowers (though those are nice).
Love is going to the store at 10 at night to purchase embarrassing personal products for your beloved. Without even being asked!
Thank you, Sweet Husband, for the Tucks pads.
Happy bottom!
Love is going to the store at 10 at night to purchase embarrassing personal products for your beloved. Without even being asked!
Thank you, Sweet Husband, for the Tucks pads.
Happy bottom!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Daddy is an introvert
Rachel took the kids while I napped from 10-12. (I feel very lucky indeed that Matthew cleaned his room during this time.) I had the kids the rest of the day, before and after.
When I have the kids all day or nearly so, I'm usually feeling pretty frayed by the end. I feel like yelling, "Stop talking at me! Stop! I need some quiet!" Sometimes I do yell that. It doesn't make much difference either way. The stream of chatter will die down briefly; then, "Daddy, I need tell you someping." Or they will start fighting with each other which is almost as bad.
Today was a day that included a nap, so really it was a pretty easy day. And I still got to that point. Fortunately we were in the car on the way home when the last of my reserves left me, so I turned on some rock music. Sometimes that works; they seem to abhor silence, but if I fill the void with other, less demanding noise, they'll accept that. Sometimes.
On the one hand I feel like a terrible dad when I unravel like this. I've been thinking about that, trying to figure out how I get to that state. My patience is very binary -- either I'm fine or I'm completely out.
The more I think about it, the more I think it's because the kids simply don't give you time to just be by yourself. I realized years ago that I need time alone to recover from being "on" socially, and being "on" as Daddy takes a similar toll. As Jonathan Rauch explained,
Rachel is an introvert too. This is one reason Rachel is usually very glad to turn the kids over to me when I get home. She feels this relentless assault on her patience, too, although perhaps she is not quite as introverted as I. Or maybe she has just had more practice dealing with incessant five- and two-year old demands. Or most likely of all she is just a nicer person than I, which is one reason I married her.
This makes me think. I haven't read much about the just leave me alone for a minute feeling in parenting material. Is this something nobody wants to admit? Or do they all just have extraordinarily undemanding children? Or are they all extroverts and easily take it in stride?
Maybe I just haven't read the right books.
In the meantime, I think it helps to realize conciously why I sometimes suddenly feel so irrationally impatient with the kids. But reason only takes me so far -- it's like if you're hungry, knowing why you're hungry maybe be comforting at some level ("because I skipped lunch to get that fix in before the next build"), but that doesn't actually make you any less physically hungry, dammit.
I think I'll try taking regular "leave me alone" breaks for ten minutes or so, even when I still have patience reserves left.
When I have the kids all day or nearly so, I'm usually feeling pretty frayed by the end. I feel like yelling, "Stop talking at me! Stop! I need some quiet!" Sometimes I do yell that. It doesn't make much difference either way. The stream of chatter will die down briefly; then, "Daddy, I need tell you someping." Or they will start fighting with each other which is almost as bad.
Today was a day that included a nap, so really it was a pretty easy day. And I still got to that point. Fortunately we were in the car on the way home when the last of my reserves left me, so I turned on some rock music. Sometimes that works; they seem to abhor silence, but if I fill the void with other, less demanding noise, they'll accept that. Sometimes.
On the one hand I feel like a terrible dad when I unravel like this. I've been thinking about that, trying to figure out how I get to that state. My patience is very binary -- either I'm fine or I'm completely out.
The more I think about it, the more I think it's because the kids simply don't give you time to just be by yourself. I realized years ago that I need time alone to recover from being "on" socially, and being "on" as Daddy takes a similar toll. As Jonathan Rauch explained,
Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially "on," we introverts need to turn off and recharge. My own formula is roughly two hours alone for every hour of socializing. This isn't antisocial. It isn't a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating.(If this sounds bizarre to you, you are an extrovert and you should read his whole article.)
Rachel is an introvert too. This is one reason Rachel is usually very glad to turn the kids over to me when I get home. She feels this relentless assault on her patience, too, although perhaps she is not quite as introverted as I. Or maybe she has just had more practice dealing with incessant five- and two-year old demands. Or most likely of all she is just a nicer person than I, which is one reason I married her.
This makes me think. I haven't read much about the just leave me alone for a minute feeling in parenting material. Is this something nobody wants to admit? Or do they all just have extraordinarily undemanding children? Or are they all extroverts and easily take it in stride?
Maybe I just haven't read the right books.
In the meantime, I think it helps to realize conciously why I sometimes suddenly feel so irrationally impatient with the kids. But reason only takes me so far -- it's like if you're hungry, knowing why you're hungry maybe be comforting at some level ("because I skipped lunch to get that fix in before the next build"), but that doesn't actually make you any less physically hungry, dammit.
I think I'll try taking regular "leave me alone" breaks for ten minutes or so, even when I still have patience reserves left.
Time to make the pancakes
Melissa was up at 4:30, probably because she was hungry. She wasn't interested in lunch or dinner yesterday. I told her to go back to sleep.
She was still up at 5:00, so I let her out ("I tum [come] out now") up and heated up some leftover pancakes, which she devoured. ("Pantakes!") Then I put her back to bed. (5:20.)
The light came on and I heard playing noises. Then the noises stopped. (6:00) Twenty minutes later I dared go in and transfer her to her bed. Then back to bed myself.
She was still up at 5:00, so I let her out ("I tum [come] out now") up and heated up some leftover pancakes, which she devoured. ("Pantakes!") Then I put her back to bed. (5:20.)
The light came on and I heard playing noises. Then the noises stopped. (6:00) Twenty minutes later I dared go in and transfer her to her bed. Then back to bed myself.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Mr. Mom reads the walkthrough
Rachel is on vacation full-time again today.
I took the kids to wal-mart in the morning, stocking up on milk and staples. This is not unusual; I probably make about 60% of the wal-mart runs anyway. (But I get only about 40% of the groceries, since Rachel's trips are more productive. I take my time, spending ten minutes in the toy isle, five minutes watching the goldfish, ...)
Lunch was at Arctic Circle where we had corn dogs, a food Rachel does not approve of. But she wasn't there, so the kids enjoyed their dogs. That and a couple of Arctic Circle kids cones got us all the way to my favorite time of day, nap time. Melissa was drooping in her seat on the way home so I knew she would fall asleep when I bounced her on my knees, and she did. Unfortunately, Matthew never did fall asleep.
But then Rachel and Andrea got home. Andrea wanted to play more Escape from Monkey Island, so she and Rachel hung out until Melissa got up. In honor of family home evening we went up to Salt Lake to see the lights on Temple Square. Matthew complained that he wanted to go home whenever he remembered how miserable he was, playing his game boy. I told him that we weren't going to let him hold us hostage this time with bad behavior and he eventually resigned himself to his fate.
We saw the lights, sat through one and nine-tenths of a song in the Assembly Hall, and had hot chocolate and dessert at the Joseph Smith Building.
Then we came home and put the kids to bed. Andrea is playing Monkey Island again. If we hadn't gotten her a wedding present two years ago I would suggest getting her a ps2. Rachel never lets me get anyone a ps2 but everyone else is getting the happy couple china and bedding and boring stuff. I think they'd appreciate something fun.
Andrea is going home tomorrow. Mr. Mom is off duty.
I took the kids to wal-mart in the morning, stocking up on milk and staples. This is not unusual; I probably make about 60% of the wal-mart runs anyway. (But I get only about 40% of the groceries, since Rachel's trips are more productive. I take my time, spending ten minutes in the toy isle, five minutes watching the goldfish, ...)
Lunch was at Arctic Circle where we had corn dogs, a food Rachel does not approve of. But she wasn't there, so the kids enjoyed their dogs. That and a couple of Arctic Circle kids cones got us all the way to my favorite time of day, nap time. Melissa was drooping in her seat on the way home so I knew she would fall asleep when I bounced her on my knees, and she did. Unfortunately, Matthew never did fall asleep.
But then Rachel and Andrea got home. Andrea wanted to play more Escape from Monkey Island, so she and Rachel hung out until Melissa got up. In honor of family home evening we went up to Salt Lake to see the lights on Temple Square. Matthew complained that he wanted to go home whenever he remembered how miserable he was, playing his game boy. I told him that we weren't going to let him hold us hostage this time with bad behavior and he eventually resigned himself to his fate.
We saw the lights, sat through one and nine-tenths of a song in the Assembly Hall, and had hot chocolate and dessert at the Joseph Smith Building.
Then we came home and put the kids to bed. Andrea is playing Monkey Island again. If we hadn't gotten her a wedding present two years ago I would suggest getting her a ps2. Rachel never lets me get anyone a ps2 but everyone else is getting the happy couple china and bedding and boring stuff. I think they'd appreciate something fun.
Andrea is going home tomorrow. Mr. Mom is off duty.
Mr. Mom takes a break
Sunday was a family day. I cooked pancakes for breakfast; Andrea got the kids ready for church, and Rachel made split pea soup for dinner. Other than that everyone pretty much took it easy. I finished All Corvettes are Red. Then I spent a few minutes pricing vettes on AutoTrader and EbayMotors, but I was just window shopping.
Matthew got Andrea to play some video games with him, probably the first time in her life she's held a playstation controller. After Matthew picked a couple games like Soul Calibur 2, Rachel intervened and set up Escape from Monkey Island.
Women love LucasArts adventure games. (I wonder if that genre might still be around if they'd figured out how to market it to that demographic.) I introduced Rachel to computer games through Grim Fandango, and Monkey Island had the same effect on Andrea. She was still playing when I went to bed at 11. She was still playing when Rachel went to bed at 12.
Matthew got Andrea to play some video games with him, probably the first time in her life she's held a playstation controller. After Matthew picked a couple games like Soul Calibur 2, Rachel intervened and set up Escape from Monkey Island.
Women love LucasArts adventure games. (I wonder if that genre might still be around if they'd figured out how to market it to that demographic.) I introduced Rachel to computer games through Grim Fandango, and Monkey Island had the same effect on Andrea. She was still playing when I went to bed at 11. She was still playing when Rachel went to bed at 12.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Mr. Mom goes to the bouncy place
We survived Sky High (the real name of Some Dude's Playground -- Rachel says she remembers it under the old name, but I don't). As soon as he woke up, Matthew complained that he was starving. So as soon as we got there I ordered the pizza. (So much for cooking dinner later.) The kids ate about five bites total and went back to playing despite my warnings that it would get cold. (It did, but the kids didn't care.)
Finished The Paypal Wars. I'm going to give a copy to all my "government regulation is the answer to all our problems" friends.
Bounced with the kids enough to be sore. Bouncing just works a lot better when you have a five year old's moment of inertia.
Now it's time for some quality time with Duck Tales, courtesy of the library earlier. Then bedtime.
Finished The Paypal Wars. I'm going to give a copy to all my "government regulation is the answer to all our problems" friends.
Bounced with the kids enough to be sore. Bouncing just works a lot better when you have a five year old's moment of inertia.
Now it's time for some quality time with Duck Tales, courtesy of the library earlier. Then bedtime.
Mr. Mom
Rachel is on vacation.
Rachel hasn't had a real vacation since Matthew was born. I'm convinced that when you're full time Mom it's not a real vacation if the kids are with you. So I've been trying to get Rachel to take a vacation for a while now. I had one myself with my brother Grant a few years ago -- we drove up to San Fransisco for the World Cyber Games. (This year the WCG was in Seattle, and for a while it looked like I was going to be able to combine a family trip with some hardcore nerd action but it didn't work out. Yes, I'm a geek.)
Rachel never did find a good vacation time that would work for her and one of her friends. It's true that a shared vacation is more fun than a vacation alone.
But now Rachel's sister is getting married in January. I suggested that Rachel fly up and spend some time with her, see Seattle, maybe Victoria, or even fly somewhere else entirely with Andrea. Sort of a last hurrah before Andrea's life gets more complicated too. Fortunately, Andrea had some rare time off from work so it looked like it might happen. But for one reason and another they decided it made more sense for Andrea to fly here instead, leaving me with the assignment of keeping the kids out of the way during their vacation.
My job started after work yesterday. Evenings with the kids are my specialty, thanks to Rachel's orchestra practice, so this was cake. We went to the library, which was closed (6:00 on Saturday -- doh), and headed for Arctic Circle. On the way, Matthew claimed to see a "new slide," i.e., fast food with play area. I humored him because hey, killing time was the name of the game. And it turned out that he was right -- Del Taco had a small play area that I never noticed. It's not going to see much time on my Slide Rotation calendar, though; the kids enjoyed playing, but didn't eat any of the food. Even the quesadilla. They scarf Rachel's quesadillas.
Today we paid a visit to Uncle Ellis, followed by a trip to the library (open, this time), and lunch at Carl's Jr. Matthew likes Carl's Jr because he can refill his glass at the fountains All By Himself. Right now the kids are napping; this afternoon we will visit The Bouncy Place (Google thinks its real name is Some Dude's Playground. I think Google is smoking something) and hopefully that will get us close to dinner time. If Rachel and Andrea are back from The Nutcracker, I'll take them out to eat, otherwise Daddy's cooking dinner.
Kid play areas are a little on the boring side for dads. But thanks to my Christmas wish list I'm well supplied with reading material. Last night was All Corvettes are Red. (The title comes from a quote by a GM manager, which concludes "The rest are mistakes.") Today I started The Paypal Wars. Paypal turns out to be one of the most interesting books on entrepreneurship I've read in a while. Corvettes is less interesting to anyone who isn't already a fan of the titular car. Unless you have a sick fascination with dysfunctional bureaucracies; there's lots of that involved, too.
Rachel hasn't had a real vacation since Matthew was born. I'm convinced that when you're full time Mom it's not a real vacation if the kids are with you. So I've been trying to get Rachel to take a vacation for a while now. I had one myself with my brother Grant a few years ago -- we drove up to San Fransisco for the World Cyber Games. (This year the WCG was in Seattle, and for a while it looked like I was going to be able to combine a family trip with some hardcore nerd action but it didn't work out. Yes, I'm a geek.)
Rachel never did find a good vacation time that would work for her and one of her friends. It's true that a shared vacation is more fun than a vacation alone.
But now Rachel's sister is getting married in January. I suggested that Rachel fly up and spend some time with her, see Seattle, maybe Victoria, or even fly somewhere else entirely with Andrea. Sort of a last hurrah before Andrea's life gets more complicated too. Fortunately, Andrea had some rare time off from work so it looked like it might happen. But for one reason and another they decided it made more sense for Andrea to fly here instead, leaving me with the assignment of keeping the kids out of the way during their vacation.
My job started after work yesterday. Evenings with the kids are my specialty, thanks to Rachel's orchestra practice, so this was cake. We went to the library, which was closed (6:00 on Saturday -- doh), and headed for Arctic Circle. On the way, Matthew claimed to see a "new slide," i.e., fast food with play area. I humored him because hey, killing time was the name of the game. And it turned out that he was right -- Del Taco had a small play area that I never noticed. It's not going to see much time on my Slide Rotation calendar, though; the kids enjoyed playing, but didn't eat any of the food. Even the quesadilla. They scarf Rachel's quesadillas.
Today we paid a visit to Uncle Ellis, followed by a trip to the library (open, this time), and lunch at Carl's Jr. Matthew likes Carl's Jr because he can refill his glass at the fountains All By Himself. Right now the kids are napping; this afternoon we will visit The Bouncy Place (Google thinks its real name is Some Dude's Playground. I think Google is smoking something) and hopefully that will get us close to dinner time. If Rachel and Andrea are back from The Nutcracker, I'll take them out to eat, otherwise Daddy's cooking dinner.
Kid play areas are a little on the boring side for dads. But thanks to my Christmas wish list I'm well supplied with reading material. Last night was All Corvettes are Red. (The title comes from a quote by a GM manager, which concludes "The rest are mistakes.") Today I started The Paypal Wars. Paypal turns out to be one of the most interesting books on entrepreneurship I've read in a while. Corvettes is less interesting to anyone who isn't already a fan of the titular car. Unless you have a sick fascination with dysfunctional bureaucracies; there's lots of that involved, too.
Getting Old...
At the beauty counter in the mall, a sales lady was helping my choose a foundation. She suggested the "age defying- wrinkle minimizing" formula. "Hey!" I squawked, "I'm in my 20s!" "Oh. Well, how about this?" Later on as she was applying the foundation she remarked that I had a remarkably "mature" face for 20. "Well, I'm in my 20s, though actually closer to 30." She replied a bit flustered, "You still have a mature face for your age."
"Mature" is code word for OLD. Gee thanks!
To think that just 5 years ago I was mistaken for a teen mom! Which reminds me of another great story...
He Didn't Make a Sale
When 8 months pregnant with Matthew (and I get very great with child), a door to door salesman rang the bell. I answered the door, and before I could I could say a word, he asked if my MOTHER was home and could he speak to her, or the head of the household!!!!
After I got over my shock, I laughed. He was duly informed that he was looking at the lady of the house, and no, we were NOT interested in his wares.
"Mature" is code word for OLD. Gee thanks!
To think that just 5 years ago I was mistaken for a teen mom! Which reminds me of another great story...
He Didn't Make a Sale
When 8 months pregnant with Matthew (and I get very great with child), a door to door salesman rang the bell. I answered the door, and before I could I could say a word, he asked if my MOTHER was home and could he speak to her, or the head of the household!!!!
After I got over my shock, I laughed. He was duly informed that he was looking at the lady of the house, and no, we were NOT interested in his wares.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Strep Throat Part ll
It's Baaacck! I think I shared my germ with Jonathan, who in turn reciprocated. Tis the season for sharing, right? Good times! Oh yeah! We'll be popping pills on Christmas. Meanwhile, I'm going to wash all the doorknobs (again), throw out the toothbrushes (again), and wash all the sheets and blankets (again). This time we'll both be on antibiotics so hopefully we'll banish it for good.
As long as the children don't get it too....
As long as the children don't get it too....
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Christmas terrorists
We had our "neighbor gifts" all taken care of. Eight families on our street, eight gifts, finished. Rachel put them together and Matthew and I delivered them. (Matthew was pleased with this little bit of exclusivity -- "This was a job for just two people, huh Dad?")
All done.
Or so we thought. Today someone not on our street dropped off a gift for us. How inconsiderate! Now we have to reciprocate; that's Just How It's Done. Argh!
As long as we have to make more gifts now, maybe we should drop some off at random peoples' houses while we're at it. Just to mess with them.
All done.
Or so we thought. Today someone not on our street dropped off a gift for us. How inconsiderate! Now we have to reciprocate; that's Just How It's Done. Argh!
As long as we have to make more gifts now, maybe we should drop some off at random peoples' houses while we're at it. Just to mess with them.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Poor Jonathan!
Jonathan is really sick.
He's got chills, sore throat, and an earache. His throat is coated white. The strep test came back negative, but the doc gave him a prescription of antibiotics in the event it gets worse and the test was just a false negative.
I think we should quarantine ourselves until April...
He's got chills, sore throat, and an earache. His throat is coated white. The strep test came back negative, but the doc gave him a prescription of antibiotics in the event it gets worse and the test was just a false negative.
I think we should quarantine ourselves until April...
Praying with two year olds
Melissa wants to participate in family prayers now. Mostly this means occasionally she will consent to repeat a prayer as prompted by Mommy or Daddy.
Tonight I was prompting.
"Heavenly Father,"
"Healy Fader,"
"We thank thee for our family."
"Thank you family."
"Bless Daddy to get better." (Daddy has a nasty cold.)
"Bless Daddy det beyer."
"Bless the kids to be good."
Melissa unfolded her arms and looked back at me indignantly. "I am!"
Tonight I was prompting.
"Heavenly Father,"
"Healy Fader,"
"We thank thee for our family."
"Thank you family."
"Bless Daddy to get better." (Daddy has a nasty cold.)
"Bless Daddy det beyer."
"Bless the kids to be good."
Melissa unfolded her arms and looked back at me indignantly. "I am!"
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The difference between men and women, continued
The local classical station was describing Romeo and Juliet yesterday. I wasn't really interested until they said something about a "bedroom scene." That got my attention. I grinned at Rachel: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yes," said Rachel. "I need to look up my grandparents' address."
--
Along the same lines, Rachel says she can tell when I am really sick when I lose interest in sex. I can tell when Rachel is really sick when she loses interested in cleaning.
--
Friday I wore a white T-shirt to work. I don't have very many white shirts because they show stains much better than black ones. Between myself and my kids a white shirt's half-life is about a week.
Friday Rachel gave me spaghetti leftovers to take for lunch.
You can see where this is going, can't you? Yes, I got some sauce on my shirt. But resourcefully I scrubbed it out with hand soap! Super-husband saves the shirt!
I was rather pleased with myself. When I got home I told Rachel, "you can't even see where I spilled the sauce!" She looked a little closer and pointed, "There." She was right. I was a little crestfallen.
"That's okay," she comforted me. "I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said anything. And I'm sure any man wouldn't notice at all."
"Yes," said Rachel. "I need to look up my grandparents' address."
--
Along the same lines, Rachel says she can tell when I am really sick when I lose interest in sex. I can tell when Rachel is really sick when she loses interested in cleaning.
--
Friday I wore a white T-shirt to work. I don't have very many white shirts because they show stains much better than black ones. Between myself and my kids a white shirt's half-life is about a week.
Friday Rachel gave me spaghetti leftovers to take for lunch.
You can see where this is going, can't you? Yes, I got some sauce on my shirt. But resourcefully I scrubbed it out with hand soap! Super-husband saves the shirt!
I was rather pleased with myself. When I got home I told Rachel, "you can't even see where I spilled the sauce!" She looked a little closer and pointed, "There." She was right. I was a little crestfallen.
"That's okay," she comforted me. "I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said anything. And I'm sure any man wouldn't notice at all."
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Tic tacs
Matthew's favorite thing to buy is tic tacs.
Rachel was a little outraged at the single box surcharge, so she got a four-pack and sold them to Matthew individually for the cheaper bulk cost. It's about $3 for the four-pack, over 30% off the price if you bought them singly.
I applaud the frugality that prompted this, but I had slightly mixed feelings about it at first. Mostly because as soon as he gets his allowance he spends most of it on another box of tic tacs. He bought all of Rachel's initial four-pack and another that I picked up. That's six weeks of allowance at a dollar a week. (Currently we are out of tic tacs, and he is out of savings. Call it a draw.)
The more I think about it, though, the less I'm worried that we're teaching him to go for instant gratification instead of saving. Mostly because I remember back to when I was five.
Back then I got fifty cents a week as allowance. I remember because it took me two weeks to save enough to buy a seventy-five cent soda at a convenience store a few blocks from our house. (I'm pretty vague on the actual distance. To a five year old it was a long ways but it was almost certainly under a mile.) I did this with a significant portion of my allowance; the only other purchase I remember from that time period was a pair of vice grips. I don't remember whether that pre- or post-dated the discovery of the orange sodas.
Here's the thing, though. I didn't even particularly like the soda. But I kept buying it! Crazy!
This illustrates a couple relevant points, and one irrelevant (?) one:
Rachel was a little outraged at the single box surcharge, so she got a four-pack and sold them to Matthew individually for the cheaper bulk cost. It's about $3 for the four-pack, over 30% off the price if you bought them singly.
I applaud the frugality that prompted this, but I had slightly mixed feelings about it at first. Mostly because as soon as he gets his allowance he spends most of it on another box of tic tacs. He bought all of Rachel's initial four-pack and another that I picked up. That's six weeks of allowance at a dollar a week. (Currently we are out of tic tacs, and he is out of savings. Call it a draw.)
The more I think about it, though, the less I'm worried that we're teaching him to go for instant gratification instead of saving. Mostly because I remember back to when I was five.
Back then I got fifty cents a week as allowance. I remember because it took me two weeks to save enough to buy a seventy-five cent soda at a convenience store a few blocks from our house. (I'm pretty vague on the actual distance. To a five year old it was a long ways but it was almost certainly under a mile.) I did this with a significant portion of my allowance; the only other purchase I remember from that time period was a pair of vice grips. I don't remember whether that pre- or post-dated the discovery of the orange sodas.
Here's the thing, though. I didn't even particularly like the soda. But I kept buying it! Crazy!
This illustrates a couple relevant points, and one irrelevant (?) one:
- To a five year old, two weeks is forever. There was no point in saving longer than that because a five year old is just completely unable to focus on events past that time horizon. A soda was the best option available for less than a dollar, so that's what I bought.
- The main reason I kept buying the soda was I was in charge. My mom took the attitude that if I bought it with my own money I could do with it as I would. Sugar was otherwise controlled with an iron fist but that soda was mine.
- I've always been absolutely terrified of new situations. To the point where I couldn't function sometimes, when I was younger. (Another story: in fourth grade, thanks to my dad's tutoring, I was put in the "accelerated" program with sixth graders, studying 8th grade math. The teacher told my father that for the first couple days I was so flustered I couldn't have counted my toes.) Even though I knew I didn't really like the orange flavor I still got that instead of trying a different one.
- Eventually, I did save up for the vice grips. Probably when I was a little older.
Jingle Bells
Right now I am in my room. Melissa is on the potty taking care of business. She's also serenading all who care to listen to her version of Jingle Bells. Where she doesn't know the words she substitutes "la la la all the way." Not only that, but she's in tune and she's pretty good! I didn't even know that she knew Jingle Bells! I wonder where she picked it up?
No Thank YOU!
Saturday is the day we clean rooms in the Ellis household. The rest of the week the kids can live in their natural messy habitat, but on Saturday, the Health and Sanitation Department, chaired by Mom and Dad, insist on seeing the floors in the rooms. Plus our kids would run out of clean clothes if we didn't make them fork the dirty clothes over from all of the places they've squirreled them away.
Melissa is now old enough to start picking some toys up and putting clothes in the right drawers. The past few months we've been sitting in the room to supervise and direct the process. Cleaning her room is not her favorite thing do, but most of the time she goes along with it. Yesterday there was mutiny in the ranks.
"NO! I NOT clean room. I NOT!"
"NO Thank You! No thank YOU!"
(waves her hands, and then crosses her arms)
"Oh yes you are going to clean you room! Let's go!"
"No thank you! No, no, NO!"
"Yes you are!"
(Daddy picks her up and hauls her to her room)
She protests all the way there, but once in her room seems amendable to the idea of picking up. 'Course whenever Daddy left the room for something, she high tailed it out of there too. Guess she was trying to see how serious we were!
Melissa is now old enough to start picking some toys up and putting clothes in the right drawers. The past few months we've been sitting in the room to supervise and direct the process. Cleaning her room is not her favorite thing do, but most of the time she goes along with it. Yesterday there was mutiny in the ranks.
"NO! I NOT clean room. I NOT!"
"NO Thank You! No thank YOU!"
(waves her hands, and then crosses her arms)
"Oh yes you are going to clean you room! Let's go!"
"No thank you! No, no, NO!"
"Yes you are!"
(Daddy picks her up and hauls her to her room)
She protests all the way there, but once in her room seems amendable to the idea of picking up. 'Course whenever Daddy left the room for something, she high tailed it out of there too. Guess she was trying to see how serious we were!
Letter from Matthew to Uncle Chris
Dear Uncle Chris,
I have my own tic tacs. Orange kind that are sweet and they are my favorite. The bomb game is fun (it's a game on the DreamCast)
Today is my mommy's birthday. Me and Daddy gave my mom presents. When I turned five I got my own suit. It fits perfectly.
(Yesterday) Santa Claus said when he picked my up to sit on his lap, "oh, you're getting to be a big boy!" Then I got a candy cane. (At the breakfast with Santa) I had brown muffins with chocolate chips and hot chocolate.
When I playing out in the snow, Mama moved the shovel and it got in my eye. It was bleeding, and I cried a lot. I had to go to the doctor to make sure my eye was ok. It was, and that's all. (We had an unfortunate incident last week. I was shoveling snow and ice, Matthew moved right as I was flinging a load of ice with the shovel. It got him in the side of the face, but just missed his eye. He's doing fine now.)
Are you feeling better Uncle Chris?
Love,
Matthew
I have my own tic tacs. Orange kind that are sweet and they are my favorite. The bomb game is fun (it's a game on the DreamCast)
Today is my mommy's birthday. Me and Daddy gave my mom presents. When I turned five I got my own suit. It fits perfectly.
(Yesterday) Santa Claus said when he picked my up to sit on his lap, "oh, you're getting to be a big boy!" Then I got a candy cane. (At the breakfast with Santa) I had brown muffins with chocolate chips and hot chocolate.
When I playing out in the snow, Mama moved the shovel and it got in my eye. It was bleeding, and I cried a lot. I had to go to the doctor to make sure my eye was ok. It was, and that's all. (We had an unfortunate incident last week. I was shoveling snow and ice, Matthew moved right as I was flinging a load of ice with the shovel. It got him in the side of the face, but just missed his eye. He's doing fine now.)
Are you feeling better Uncle Chris?
Love,
Matthew
Saturday, December 08, 2007
I'm So Glad That He's My Dad!
I have been fighting off a severe head cold this week and have not been getting much better. Last night my Dad called me and asked about my symptoms. I described them, and he had me look down my throat. Couldn't get a good view of things, but I did notice that my tongue was coated white. Thinking that was odd, I mentioned that, and my Dad asked me to check my lymph nodes to see if they were swollen. Check. He thought it sounded like strep to him so he called in a prescription for me. I wasn't so sure, because in addition to the very raw throat, I'd been having so many cold symptoms- very bad congestion, coughing, sneezing, headaches, etc., which are not ordinarily associated with strep. So I went to the AfterHours InstaCare to settle the matter. They did a 5 minute strep test which came back positive.
I have a pretty smart Dad.
If he hadn't called, I likely would have waited it out a few more days...
So I just started the antibiotics several hours ago. Driving back from the clinic and pharmacy was a bit of a trick. In addition to it being dark out, it started snowing pretty hard and the plows hadn't cleared the roads yet. It had rained earlier and there was a slick layer of ice under the snow. The defrost in the car wasn't working well, the wipers gave out, and so visibility was virtually nil. I pulled over in a parking lot for 15 minutes and scraped the car a few times and wiped the inside windshield. It got marginally better, but I still needed to drive with the windows down in order to see. I prayed I would make it back safely without incident, and I am happy to report that I did.
Right now I am up at 3 AM because I CANNOT get warm and my throat feels like someone sandpapered it and then stuffed my mouth full of cotton. Swallowing is well nigh impossible. I am hoping the antibiotics start working soon... Die strep die!
I have a pretty smart Dad.
If he hadn't called, I likely would have waited it out a few more days...
So I just started the antibiotics several hours ago. Driving back from the clinic and pharmacy was a bit of a trick. In addition to it being dark out, it started snowing pretty hard and the plows hadn't cleared the roads yet. It had rained earlier and there was a slick layer of ice under the snow. The defrost in the car wasn't working well, the wipers gave out, and so visibility was virtually nil. I pulled over in a parking lot for 15 minutes and scraped the car a few times and wiped the inside windshield. It got marginally better, but I still needed to drive with the windows down in order to see. I prayed I would make it back safely without incident, and I am happy to report that I did.
Right now I am up at 3 AM because I CANNOT get warm and my throat feels like someone sandpapered it and then stuffed my mouth full of cotton. Swallowing is well nigh impossible. I am hoping the antibiotics start working soon... Die strep die!
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