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March 11, 2003
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Monday, March 10th, 2003
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Tell me something (as I sit hear pulling apart a lemon poppy seed muffin), I remember hearing once that poppy seeds could pose a health problem, or maybe aren't good for you. Anybody out there really in the know?
It was a lovely way to kick my day off. Feeling great because I was early, I got a better than ever parking spot in the garage and was grateful for a not-rushed-like-a-maniac morning, the elevator door opened and in walks one of the ladies I work with. Known for her sometimes abrupt honesty, though often written off because of it, I don't mind her character, however miserable she sometimes comes off. She reminds me of the big pink secretary in Monsters Inc, she could even do the voice over.
"How was your weekend?" I asked.
"Hmmmpf. The snow.", she rolled her eyes. Ever dramatic, I proclaimed I would shoot myself in the head if it snows one more Sunday, we've had seven in a row, it mucks up all my plans. She asked how the kids are, she's met them and Remo and I like to think, liked them. I told her they were their usual, wild, bossy selves. As we walked along the corridor to our building, she looked at me, not so long, but hard.
"You know, your face got ugly".
What could I say? It came from out of nowhere.
"How sick were you this time? Your face got ugly, you know? It must be a boy".
I told her that's nice to know, then I tried to make light of the conversation. What was the point in telling her I hadn't really slept for the last two years, I actually didn't have makeup on, I am in fact getting older, but wait a minute, I just had my hair done. It didn't bother me in the least bit, not even for one grab a mirror and start inspecting, second. Now her on the other hand? I think she had a very hard time with the conversation because she's been to my office twice already, the first time she talked about how the girl or the boy makes the mother look terrible when you carry the other out in the front or on the sides. I told her I carried all my children exactly the same, was the same pukey with all of them and believed none of the wive's tales. The second time, she wanted to know if I'd seen so and so and was I going out. Yah, I felt like saying, to jump out the eleventh floor window, want to watch? Sometimes I wonder if life would be more fun if I had a little more evil in me.
In my thirties (bare with me, I've been here for not even two months), I don't care. While I would like it if the rest of the world would get big and fat while I'm busy here, gaining ten pounds a month, I don't actually fret about it. While I am at that wrinkling age and I've been experimenting all over the place with creams, I'm by far, not paranoid about it. More like hopeful I'll be able to hook up with some miracle concoction that'll I'll be able to swear by. I have circles under my eyes I'd love to erase, but unless I find more time to sleep, I can assume they're here to stay. How many times have I told Alicia, one of these days I'm going to get young and funky cool, but the reality is, I most often sway conservative and I would rather put my money into quality anyway. I'd say I take care of myself and if I look ugly all of a sudden, that must mean I didn't at some point. You wouldn't actually go to a VERY ugly person and tell them they were ugly. Right?
But speaking of vanity, Daphne did come over on Friday and lop off our hair. Me, Remo, Brandan and Dee Dee and everytime one of us put that cape on, Kaillan flipped out. Last time I wrote about the little peanut, I think I wrote about how just when we thought she was over the flu, she caught a cold? Well now just when she's on the better end of the cold, we noticed all of a sudden over the weekend she got this tiny goose-bump looking rash all over her body. We're off to the doctor's again tonight. It doesn't actually bother her, or even seem to itch, but I'd like rule out a few possibilities. For the record, I spent over twelve hours getting my laundry up to date last weekend, I've washed and ironed a closet full of all the summer things for the entire family (lest I be bed rested), Kaillan won for volume. Watch me have to rewash all her clothes to ensure no soap allergy. Tell me again why I should be so lucky.
Saturday, we went out for dinner with friends to celebrate Remo's birthday where I had the best cream of potato soup ever. Yesterday, we had tickets to Disney on Ice. Last time I organized one of these group outings for the kids was the circus and I can't imagine what it would take to get me back. The animals looked drugged and sad and ok fine, the kids didn't know any better, but I couldn't get past the cruelty. A big bear driving a little tiny motorcycle. Disney on Ice was more than I even expected. The kids were in awe, props superb, skating impressive and the music and voices right out of the movies. So what's the catch, you ask? Marketing. We got there and couldn't step three feet without a display of Jungle Book, Tarzan and Lion King paraphanelia. And let's face it, what child can live without whirlie, flashing, blinking lights and swords and wands. When every kid in the place had a something, of course I wanted my son to have one. $20, gone. I brought my niece, it was a special date, she was getting a wand. $20. Her brother and sister at home? $20 and $8. Little and big box of popcorn? $13. Hot dogs and french fries? $20. Parking? $10. But man, did I love the show. I was thinking last night, I'm going to have to start funding our Disney piggy bank, I can't wait till we can take our kids to Disney and rumour has it you need to walk into a bank with a mask and a note to get there. I sort of think three years from now would be best, Brandan would be eight, Kaillan five, the little one, a negotiable three and they could store some of those incredible memories forever. I hope I'm still here at Mom's Today so I can beg some of you Disney groupies for help planning it.
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Tuesday, March 11th, 2003
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I couldn't wrap things up in an hour yesterday, so I'm back.
Well Fernanda and Julia, yesterday's visit at the pediatrician scored me an embarrassing moment. Just two paragraphs ago, I mentioned Kaillan had a growing very rapidly rash. Keep in mind, this is a girl who has never been remotely decent with seeing the doctor. Where her brother would gladly, happily, balance on his head, stick out his tongue and show off his ear canals, she clamps onto the furniture in the waiting room and wails, no, no, no, when it's our turn. I pried her off and hauled her screaming self into the examining room. Thankfully, before we went in Remo suggested we take most of her clothes off, so half the battle should have been over. Trying to get her on the examining table was like bending an iron crow bar with attitude. She writhed, flipped and leaped. In ten seconds or less, the paper was torn to shreds. The doctor asked me to sit on the chair and hold her so she could be completely restrained. While Kaillan arched and screamed, Remo and I had four hands and arms in all the wrong places. The doctor removed Remo from assisting and had me hold the parts of her that were useful. To get a decent look in her throat, he went into a very unnatural position over or maybe on top of my lap. For a fleeting thought, it crossed my mind that this was very akward. And then in a moment of incredible power, Kaillan took her leather clad, steel toe shoe-boot and kicked it into his scoleeones with such force, the knock echoed. The doctor flew up, whipped around and fell onto the examining table. I wanted to die. Well probably half as much as him.
I let Kaillan down and she spider-manned up Remo's legs. Remo wasn't really sure what had just happened so he interjected with a "you should have seen her last time we were here, she was actually pretty good with you".
Silence.
The doctor went to the sink and started washing his hands and an eternity later he turned around and asked if she went to daycare. I said no, she's alone, but I have a son. Not intentionally, I had emphasized ‘A SON'. The conversation that continued was completely different sided, he was very flushed and had a permagrin. I was sort of pretending I hadn't noticed what just happened, thinking at that very moment, apologising would make it worse, but I know I had a stupid expression and I know I was blazing red. Imagine single handedly leaving the youngest doctor in the practice, one who had devoted his life to taking care of children, unable to have children of his own? Did he wonder whether she was in a day care because she's picking up all this stuff or did he ask because he felt she was a danger to society?
Kaillan has another virus, this one left her covered in zillions of spots from head to toe. The only feel-better treatment is with allergy medication, soothing cream and baking soda baths, but I still say she's not overly bothered by it, though this morning it looked pretty nasty. On the contagious front, he said the rash itself isn't catchy, but the cold that brought it is. I swear all this came because I smugly said a while back that we were pretty lucky with Kaillan, given that her immune system seems pretty strong. No more knocking on wood, next time I'll try not to even THINK it.
It's a bright sunny day in Montreal and it also happens to be Remo's 35th birthday. Dee Dee and Brandan spent yesterday preparing for his party and I wish with everything in me, I could find a way to share Brandan's excitement with you. Pure glee, sheer adrenalin and excitement. They went out in the morning and got him presents and Brandan very carefully picked them out: leggings for playing hockey, a cd, red licorice and a cherry blossom in a box (Brandan always buys him one and Remo always insists that's his absolute favorite), and the gift Brandan is most excited about is this feather duster they bought with a long black handle. What Papa always wanted. They also got another happy birthday banner, the pin the tale on the donkey game and they made the cake. When Dee Dee called me at work to update me on their accomplishments, she also mentioned that Brandan had just skated like a champion at his lessons. Brandan got on the phone with me and told me I could tell Daddy that he did really good at skating, but everything else was a secret. The rest of the night, he did an awful lot of talking to Remo about how we didn't have any surprises for him or we didn't make him a vanilla cake.
At five o'clock this morning, I got up with the kids, flipped fast through a couple cookbooks for a best ever chocolate icing and wished with everything in me, for once, Kaillan would have slept in. How many times did her fingers smash into the cake? How many things were thrown to the floor? How many times did I put her down where she screamed bloody murder? Finally, in an act of pure brilliance, Brandan gave her one of the beater bars. He tore upstairs a couple times to tell Papa to stay up there because we weren't making icing. I actually started to feel bad because for all the time he was being held hostage, Remo must have thought we were making breakfast. Wait till he discovered for a small batch of icing, the kitchen was barely standing.
When I ran upstairs to throw some clothes on, the radio announcer basically told me traffic was starting at my garage door. Though I have people coming for supper and had some things to prepare, though I hadn't yet wrapped the stuff I'd bought for Remo and his cards were sitting on the counter where he'd probably have to move them till I had a chance to write them up, I flew out the door and took one wrong short cut after another. While I actually thought for a fleeting second, how lucky it was that I wasn't part of that six car accident, I spent a lot more time cursing snow, red lights, stop signs and one way, no way streets. Twenty five minutes I stood at one light. By the time I got downtown, my usual garage was full, all the outdoor parking lots within blocks full too and I drove into a nearby $2.75 a half hour hotel. As I went what felt like twelve levels below ground, I wondered if maybe they hadn't yet realized they were full too. I parked on top of yellow lines. My bet is that isn't legal. Getting through the maze of corridors upstairs was a nightmare. I was concentrating so hard on signs one of my contact lenses popped out. I held it like a prized jewel in my fist. Welcome to Montreal. Lose yourself.
Obviously I made it into the office late and I've got to wrap this up now to make up for lost time.
If I don't get back here before, Happy St. Patty's day to you and yours. What I wouldn't give for an Irish drink or a hundred. By the way, week 21 and all seems well and BIG.
Allisun
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