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August 30, 2004
Friday, August 27th, 2004
Important things first.
We met with the neurologist this afternoon. The diagnosis? Brandan suffers from migraines. They do run in the family; I had one once with the whole aura business, my aunt suffers from them. The doctor explained that while he was genetically predisposed to them, his head traumas probably triggered them early. No need at this point to remove him from sports, though he has to wear a helmet for every activity. A little bang on the head will affect him much profoundly than it would someone without post concussion syndrome. Given that he has symptoms on a daily basis, we have to keep a journal to try to pinpoint his triggers and we'll see him again in November. I was nervous going into this appointment because who doesn't consider worst-case scenarios, the doctor completely distracted me.
When the nurse called yesterday to reconfirm the appointment, she made it very clear (three times) that if we were even a minute late for the appointment, we would lose it. Had our reputation preceded us? Remo and Brandan were there half an hour early, I got there on time, the doctor was twenty-five minutes late.
I'm a laugher. Things that would amuse nobody else make me laugh, and when I get nervous, I REALLY get the giggles. The one person in this world who can set me off without saying a word, because I know EXACTLY what he is thinking, is Remo. And does he play with me. Dr. Cottonmouth (real name changed to protect his identity) spoke with absolutely NO expression. Not only did his eyebrows stay put, but his mouth did not move, not even once. I swear it was frozen. He sounded muffled. I was concentrating so intently on his questions, I was having a hard time answering them properly, awful given that I was there discussing serious business. I leaned forward, far enough that I couldn't see Remo with my Wayne Gretzky peripheral vision. When Dr. Cottonmouth went into the other room, Remo whispered something about how amazing it is that people turn into their profession, which, if you think about it couldn't have been more irrelevant, but I started to lose it. I focussed on the real reason we were there, and then poof, he shooed us out of the room.
Of all the doctors I've ever dealt with in the world, there's only one other I couldn't, can't, will not connect with. Doogie Houser. He looks like he's ten, spends all his time looking the moms up and down and he has an irritable disposition. Don't take my word for it, I come with several testimonials. This is the one two-year-old Kaillan kicked in the sco-lee-oans (pardon my Italian), sending him flying backwards onto the counter. He's the one we saw five minutes later about Brandan's fever. We found out he has an ear infection; it came without a cold, the strangest thing.
You must be thinking I'm a miserable waste of a person for complaining, but WAIT! I have to tell you about the last couple days…
Wednesday night I was over my head at work. It's very rare that I need to stay late but this was an exception. Normally I leave at four, another two hours would help, so I called my mother in-law, who had all three kids, to see if it was all right. She wasn't enthusiastic; Kaillan had been tormenting Brandan all day long. I got so heavy into my work; all of a sudden it was seven o'clock. I packed it in and called Nonna to say I was on the way. She was not happy, I felt awful.
By the time I got out of the parking lot and on the highway, it was seven thirty. Next thing I knew there was a taxi driver honking like crazy at me. I waved an apology, man, had I cut him off? When car number two came along and honked and waved, my first thought was what, what, WHAT???? Then I had a moment of panic. Maybe something was leaking? I played with the side mirrors and saw a flat tire. All this time, I thought a flat tire would vibrate or something. I was stuck in traffic, on a freeway, with nowhere to pull over and holy crap, I couldn't deal with a flat tire if my life depended on it. I broke out in a sweat. Then called Remo. You know when you've lost something and you're frantically ripping everything apart to try to find it, how frustrating it is to have someone ask if you remember where you last had it? Well those are the kind of questions Remo was asking. No, I do NOT know how it happened but I needed to know where I should go right now. Would the thing blow and send me spiralling across eight lanes of traffic?
I called my father in-law and asked him to meet me at the gas station on the highway ten minutes from his house, so I could give him my car seats. He had ten minutes to get himself wound up. My tire had five pounds of pressure left and as I put enough air to get me to the only garage that was open, Nonno pulled in. Wild. First off, he's very into my children. Brandan is his boy, he worries sick about him and he was feverish with a horrible cough. He insisted Brandan had to go to the hospital RIGHT NOW. For antibiotics, obviously. Then he laid into me about the tire and how I have to check every single tire before I drive every single time. What if the kids were in the car? He had arms waving all over the place and I told him he was right but still, he couldn't get enough last words in.
Remo went to go pick up the kids and his mother told him she was very sorry Remo, but Kaillan is like poison. However she could bother someone, she would. If Brandan was watching TV, she would stand in front of it. If Emmie had something of hers she'd grab it back and she wanted everything her way this very second. This week she's been a-bang-your-head-against-the-wall three years old. By the time he got home and I got the hole in my tire fixed and got home, we had the kids in bed and ate supper, it was late.
We woke up late the next morning and raced to get out the door with everything we needed. I got into work and discovered my computer had blown and I might have lost everything (eventually it came back to life). I worked at a ferocious pace all day long and then Remo called to say he would be home late, would I mind picking up the kids (normally we share)? I didn't mind but, ugh.
First stop, Nonna's, where we discussed to death what might be wrong with Brandan and everything that Remo and I are doing wrong for him. It's actually amusing. We went to get the girls at Andree's and ooed over her new kitchen. It wasn't until I got on the road that I considered for the first time, what we would have for supper. I asked my passengers if they wanted McDonalds or lasagna. They hate lasagna.
Maybe ten minutes away from McDonalds, I got into their drive-through. While all three of my children bothered each other, I hollered over them at the intercom my complicated happy meal order. Apple slices instead of one of the french-fries. A little ketchup on one, plain cheese on the other. One girl toy, one boy, one milk, one orange juice. Every person in every other car knew our order but the guy taking it.
We made it home before the sun went down. As we pulled in the driveway, Kaillan screamed bloody murder. Brandan put his gum in her hair. Can you imagine? He knew he was in trouble, ran straight up to his room and would've stayed there had he not needed every calorie in his happy meal. Both kids complained they weren't hungry. Brandan's excuse was that he didn't feel well and I told him he had to eat anyway. Five minutes later, he started coughing so hard that he threw up. Nothing builds a worse parenting moment. Two minutes after that, while I was making Brandan some plain toast, Kaillan said she had to pee, NOW. All this time, Emmie was clinging to me like a baby monkey. I needed to feed her and find out how to get the gum out; maybe it would be easier before it dried? Kaillan yelled from the bathroom that Brandan hadn't flushed after the last time he threw up. I told her to flush and go while I ran upstairs for my helpful hints books. She went on top of it. I managed to wrestle Emmie off myself for two minutes while I prepared her food, only to look over and see her with her hand in the unflushed toilet. Oh. My. God.
Heloise told me to use peanut butter or Vaseline on the gum. I decided Vaseline would be slippier so I slapped it on and was grateful and surprised when it worked. My crisis then evolved into how to get the Vaseline out…
I can't tell you how many times I washed Kaillan's hair. Like I had all the time in the world and like she was a willing participant. Hey, let me offer up another helpful tip, with lice around the corner…lavender. Wash the kids hair in lavender, apparently they'll avoid it. I'm
using one by Johnson&Johnson I bought at Walmart Special thanks to Sydney's mom Shelley for the tip. Reminds me, I have a fantastic lemon square recipe of hers to post on the board.
Friday turned into the weekend turned into Monday.
August 30th, 2004
On Friday, my sister in-law learned of a reorganization at work that earned her a big promotion. It was bittersweet in that most of her closest friends will probably lose their jobs. While she should have been proudly leaping all over the place with excitement, celebrating with glee was inappropriate. She was going to a little pub with one of her friends, so at eleven o'clock at night; Claudia and I went to surprise her. I felt like a teenager trying to get ready - except that I was asking my husband if I should wear this or that. In all this, my sister in-law mentioned my niece's guinea pig, Blueberry, died that day. Three years ago, I named that guinea pig and I didn't know they still had him. I have no idea where in the house the little guy lived, but anyway, bye Blue…
Saturday, Emersan and I ran some errands. I love taking my kids out individually because no matter how little they are, we have fun. Emmie was totally charming. Giggly. We rounded one of the aisles at Walmart and my heart skipped. Cabbage Patch Kids. In the eyes of some, OK OK, many, these are not attractive dolls. But I loved mine. I didn't have a lot growing up and when I got one, I treasured it. My grandmother and my aunts bought me two more. I ended up giving all three of them to the kids in Chernobyl. When they were popular I was oldish, but I played dolls and Barbie's late. I took my role as an adoptive parent seriously. I wanted so badly to buy Cabbage Patch Kids for my girls and my nieces for Christmas. But which one? Should I choose one that looked like them or had a name or a birthday that was meaningful? I took all the boxes down inspected them, single-handedly turning the place into a buzz much like twenty years ago. For me, it's not another generic doll. I'm trying to find one that has the same big brown eyes as Kaillan or green like Emmie. It'll be the fun of taking care of it, keeping the adoption papers in a safe place, for using the crazy name they gave it and celebrating the birthdays. They're little girls and it's fun to play one.
We started Brandan on antibiotics for his ears; the strong ones you take only once a day for four days and you're cured. In the middle of Saturday night, he stood beside our bed and said he felt like he was going to throw up. And then went about it. On everything we own. It had to be he continued later that day when Remo's family was over for lunch. When Nonna and I peeled Brandan's clothes off him, Nonno saw him and really freaked. San Antonio, look at the size of him, my father in-law wanted an ambulance to pick him up right now. Truth be told, with everything Brandan's had in this last little while, he really, really did not need this. I'm fairly certain he has a gastro, though he has no fever at all, but if he is not ok in another day or so, I'm going to ask them to do a complete check-up. I want to be sure. Today he's with Remo and Nonno and still throwing up. I've never seen Nonno so beside himself. I just want to go home.
We're muffin people, I make healthy ones and freeze them for lunches or snacks on the go. I have maybe 400 bananas waiting to be muffined tonight. They're going to have to jack up the prices of bananas because it's really hard not to buy them when they're practically free. Don't you think banana bread is one of those things you can easily get sick of? Hard to believe apple season is weeks away.
Last entry I mentioned the benefits to Alka-Setlzer? Look what else you could be doing with a sheet of Bounce!
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It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
It also repels mice... spread them around foundation areas, or in trailers or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
Repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
Eliminates static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
Put a Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food.
Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
Eliminate static electricity from venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. Keeps them smelling fresh.
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Gotta run. Will hit the boards tomorrow. After morning one of grade one. And Dr. Bray.
Allisun
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