Never Say Never

You know those times when things are going along really well and then you slip up and say or think something like "finally, sunny weather" and then boom - a snowstorm hits? Well last weekend was one of those weekends. On Thursday night, the eve of my coveted four-day Presidents' weekend, I made the comment to Bradley that, "Wow, I'm so happy we're all well again". Not two hours later did Carter have a terrible runny nose. Thinking it was just a fluke, I further taunted the cosmos by saying, "I'm going to take a nap EVERY day of my four-day weekend". That night our energetic two year old became a coughing seal who couldn't breathe. That's right folks, croup had found its way into Carter's system. The sounds were so severe and startling that at first, we thought a small dog over at our neighbors' vets office was being sacrificed. Bradley decided to sleep with him on Friday night to monitor his breathing.

First thing on Saturday morning I called our pediatrician in Medford. We drove the hour or so up there (in a snowstorm) and were given a dose and prescription of steroids to bring down the inflammation in his vocal chords. Great, we thought, a little steroids and everything will be back to normal. Wrong again.

About two hours after the first dose of steroids we realized that Carter seemed to be running into things and clumsily falling down. He was also extremely tired and his usual two plus hour nap was shortened to almost 45 minutes. Not to mention that his pleasant and giving personality was replaced by the ghost of Chuckie. The kid was needy, clingy, ravenously hungry, hitting, it was just crazy. After a little soul-searching, I decided to look closer at the steroid label. I found that the side effects were as follows: difficulty sleeping, feeling of a whirling motion, increased appetite, increased sweating, indigestion, mood changes, nervousness. Well, we were four for seven in that set of side effects.

We finally got the demon child to bed around eleven pm. I know that "demon" seems a little strong, but he was a COMPLETELY different child. I took the duty of sleeping with him so that Bradley could finally get some sleep. Strike four.

Around three in the morning I woke up to pee and noticed that all of the lights downstairs were on and I could smell a burning candle. Not knowing what the heck was going on, I walked downstairs to find Bradley cleaning our wood floor on his hands and knees. Yes folks, the weekend had gotten even better, Maggie had sh** all over our downstairs. All of the rugs had to be washed, the floor spot cleaned, and then sanitized. By the time we got to bed at five am, we were able to catch about thirty more minutes of sleep before Chuckie, I mean Carter, awoke.

I think that I did finally get a nice nap on Monday and I am so thankful that Carter is well. I also value Bradley's strengths as a father and true partner/team player. I am a little nervous that we will be outnumbered with two kids, but it is just another reminder that life is so very unpredictable.

Laughter for the Heart

Right after it seems like we have all recouped from one heck of a head cold, something much more hideous comes along. . . head lice!!! No, we DO NOT have it in our home, but it is running rampant through the schools here and I am extremely paranoid about getting it. In an effort to shield us from these hideous creatures I have been requiring the household to add a daily dose of tea-tree oil to their beauty regimes.

When you live in Scott Valley, tea-tree oil is not something you can just run down to the store and pick up. No, in fact I had to make several phone calls before I found someone who had a little in their home. I decided to take their bottle and replace it when I made the "big trip" into Yreka.

Not only is tea-tree oil hard to find in our immediate vicinity, but it's also hard to find in Yreka. The only place that sells it is called "Nature's Kitchen". Suffice to say , the name pretty much speaks for itself. It is very "natural". Bradley has never been into this establishment, but because of who my parents are (God love them) I have been a regular since I could walk. Needless to say, once you enter the store you are immediately enveloped in incense, natural foods, various pieces of spiritual guidance, plants, potions, elixirs, bran muffins, bald men in white linen. You get the idea. Well I head on into the place without breaking stride, meanwhile my poor husband and son are trapped in the threshold just trying to take in the entire surroundings. Carter really didn't seem that bothered by the change in scenery at all, in fact when we left I asked him if it was like Nene and Biyah's house, and he said "Yesh".

While I am trying to make my tea-tree oil purchase, I also decide to have a smoothie. Being as now I have gestational diabetes, I thought that the natural place could satisfy my cravings in a healthier way. Bradley ordered a smoothie too and Carter opted for the carrot cookie. While we were waiting on our treats, Carter began taking in everything at eye-level. As it was the weekend before Valentine's, there was quite an array of au natural semi-erotic material for viewing pleasure. Carter kept pointing at naked pictures of Adam and Eve asking, "Daddy, what's this for?". Bradley just calmly replied, "decoration, look at the plants". We thought the semi-nude photos were the worst until we looked over and saw Carter copping a feel on the boob of a wooden sculpture of a pregnant woman. Again, he asked , "What's this for Daddy?" and Bradley replied, "It's de-cor-a-tion", while turning a terrible shade of red. Needless to say, Bradley and I just couldn't get out of there quick enough, but Carter on the other hand, could have stayed for hours.

We got to the truck and tried out the smoothies. Bradley and I almost gagged - they were WARM and Bradley says the banana was probably "beyond banana-bread ready". However, when I passed it to Carter he said "Yum, thank you mommy!"

Although all of this rambling is quite funny, I have to admit that I have learned a little lesson about Carter. While we are so concerned about how he'll react to something "weird, or different", he seems to be as cool as a cucumber and totally accepting of differences. Case in point, we went to eat with my parents on Sunday and a man with downs syndrome was fascinated with Carter. Carter was again, as cool as a cucumber and welcoming in communication.

I hope that my son will stay like this forever. He is so pure in his thoughts and welcoming with his heart, which is so appropriate in light of the coming holiday of St. Valentine's Day. I love you Carter, for so many reasons, but especially because of your generosity of heart!

Sleepless in Fort Jones

I've finally come to the realization that a sleepless night happens very regularly with kids and that a full night's sleep is a luxury. I know that this seems like an obvious epiphany, but I think I was just in denial.

When Carter was only six weeks old, he started sleeping through the night. Even though the doctor tried to warn us that it would only be temporary, I prescribed to positive thinking and believed that it would last. After he started waking up during the night I made another naive mistake of just putting him in the bed with us. Although he was extremely content, I think this ultimately cost us five years off our lives due to sleep deprivation. It's impossible to get into REM sleep with constant wiggles, jabs, and poking.

Next, we decided to be "tough" and have him go to sleep in his own crib. Finally, after many nights of laying on the ground holding his hand through the crib rails, and trying to make a stealth escape, it worked - he was falling asleep on his own. Soon we knew the time we had come to put him in a "big-boy" bed. We tried to make the transition slowly. First we brought in the bed, next we showed him his new truck sheets, and amazingly enough he took an intense liking to his "new bed".

I love laying next to him in bed, snuggling into the covers, and reading him stories. After the stories are over, he usually asks me "Mama, lay down too?", and being the gullible one I am, I do lay down and he strokes my arm. Sometimes he'll ask for his flashlight which his "Bi-yah" has hidden in the racks of the top bunk.

Even though right now I know that, with a new baby coming and Carter sleeping in his own bed for an eight or nine hour stretch, it is my prime time to get ANY sleep for a LONG time, I can't resist snuggling in with him at night and catching a few hours of sleep next to him.

He looks so tiny in his new bed, but I know one day it will one day be too big for him. Sometimes I secretly hope he will wake up so I can sleep next to him in his new bed.