I grew up in a normal, middle class family. We weren’t rich but I always had everything I needed. We lived in a nice, colonial-style house with 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. It was a nice house.
Our family cars on the other hand? Not so much.
My parents always seemed to buy cars that were THE most embarrassing. The first was a white Pinto. It was a fun car at first. Until I was old enough to understand the countrywide recall.
Oh, c’mon. You remember! The one that said Pinto’s can catch on fire if hit from behind?
Ooh yeah. Between the ages of 7 and 10, I was terrified to ride in the backseat. Thankfully, my younger sister joined the family and we outgrew that piece of crap.
So, my parents upgraded. To a Cavalier station wagon. Seriously.
And, at first that was a fun car because what kid doesn’t like to ride all the way in the back without any type of restraining device?
Then I realized that a station wagon wasn’t a cool car. And, all of my friends’ families had cool cars. Like sedans.
What isn’t cool about a 4-door sedan?
I endured the embarrassment of the station wagon for years. And then I got my learners permit and, the station wagon was the only car I had to drive.
Any hint of cool that I had as a young, naïve 16 year old was completely sucked out the window.
And, then, as if it couldn’t get any worse. It did. I remember the day with such vivid detail. I had just graduated from high school and was returning from beach week. I got home and no one was there. I waited and waited for hours.
Finally, my mom, dad and sister came walking through the door and they announced they had a surprise outside. Really?! My mind started racing.
I just graduated from high school. What could the surprise be? Could it be a car?!
I eagerly walked outside and my mouth literally dropped.
Sitting in the driveway was a brand new, shiny, bright red…..
Mini van!
Oh, I kid you not! Out with the station wagon and in with the mini van.
From that day forward, I vowed I would never, ever own a mini van. Ev-er. I would always own cool cars that my kids wouldn’t be embarrassed by.
My husband would kid me and ask hypothetical questions like, “What about when we have kids? Will you get one then”?
He wouldn’t even have the complete sentence out of his mouth before I would respond “Hell NO! I will make do with my very cool Ford Escape”.
Fast forward to now. I’m still driving my very cool Ford Escape. And, I still love it. And, it’s working. For the most part.
I drop off and pick up the kids from daycare and this is the area where I struggle the most. In the mornings, I get Kendall out of her car seat first and put her in the driver’s seat while I get Christopher out. It works.
In the afternoons, they have both decided they want to WALK to the car. If I attempt to carry one, they squirm to the point of me almost dropping them. And, if I try to hold their hand, they drop to the ground like they were just shot and refuse to walk.
The daycare parking lot isn’t super busy because it’s exclusive to the daycare but, it’s busy enough. Every day, it’s a test to see how quickly I can get the kids pointed in the direction of the car and actually make it there.
Most days, we make it. And then my go-to move is to put Christopher in the driver’s seat while I get Kendall in her car seat.
We’ve been playing this game for the last 3 months. And then one day, something changed.
I was putting Kendall in her car seat and a mini van pulled up beside us. Nothing new because hello? Mini vans are everywhere.
It was like everything was in slow motion. The mom jumped out and went into the daycare. I was aware of Christopher in the front seat playing with every knob and handle. I was aware of trying to negotiate the car door while straining to maneuver Kendall into her seat.
And, then I saw it. The magic of the mini van.
The mom came bouncing out of the daycare with her 2 kids, hit a button and the side door popped open.
And, her 2 kids ran right into the car! Right into the car, I tell ya!
And! And! She had enough room to actually get in the car to stand in front of the car seat so she could comfortably place her child in the seat without straining her arms, neck and back.
It was a like a dream sequence and I swear the mini van had a halo-ish glow around it.
Honk! Honk! Honnnnnk!
And, just like that, I was brought back to reality by the sound of my son pounding on the car horn.
Oh my God! Was I really just in awe of a (gulp)… mini van?!
I kept the incident silent for weeks and kept telling myself the feeling would pass. But, as I drove around, I found myself longingly watching the mini vans as they passed me on the road. Could it be? Have I reached that point where practicality overrules being cool?
It’s been a few months since all of this happened and I’m still not a mini van owner. The 16 year old in me still has a voice and it’s screaming “You’re still cool! You’re still cool”!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Bug from Hell and First Stitches
Oh boy, did last weekend suck. There was a stomach bug going around daycare that hit both of my kids about a week apart.
Friday
I picked the kids up from daycare at the normal time and the teacher told me that Kendall had just gotten sick for the 2nd time. She woke up from her nap with a deep sounding cough and the teacher thought she might have gotten sick from that. It takes about 25 minutes to get home and I tried to go as fast as I could. No luck. Kendall threw up twice more in the car. All down the front of her, all over the car seat. Gross.
That night, I kept her in bed with me because the cough started sounding croupy. She didn't vomit any more that night.
Saturday
Our pediatrician's office has emergency Saturday morning hrs so I got her an appt at 8:20. The doctor said her airway sounded OK but prescribed 2 inhalers and an antibiotic because there was some fluid started to accumulate in her right ear.
She started to have a little bit of an appetite so I let her have some yogurt. Big mistake. That all came back up. All over Daddy.
Sunday
Cough started sounding a little better and no vomit all day. We kept the diet pretty bland with toast and rice. I thought we were in the clear until bedtime. I was washing my face and heard her cough and then gag. But the time I got in there, she had already vomited all over her bed. I grabbed her and started heading downstairs when the rest of it came up. All down my shirt and in my bra. So disgusting!
Monday
Kept her home from daycare and decided to let her have a little milk around 11:00 am since she didn't vomit the rest of the night. Big mistake #2 and vomit all over mommy again.
The weird thing about the bug is that she seemed to feel fine other than vomiting. She was playing and never had a fever. I decided to chance an errand and we went to Target around noon. Got in and out without any incident.
And, then she got sick again in the car ride home. All down the front of her and all over the car seat. Again.
We got home and I cleaned her and the car up and started putting some of the stuff away that we bought. She came into the kitchen riding their little riding toy car. I had my back turned and heard it fall over but that happens all of the time. And, then she started crying. When I turned around, she was laying face down with her butt in the air and straddling the front of the car. I picked her up and didn't see any blood, checking her mouth and teeth.
We started walking out into the living room and she lifted her head back and then I saw the gash. She had a 2 inch cut under her chin. I have no idea how she cut herself there - she must've cut it on the toy when she fell over?
DH just happened to be home for lunch so I called him and he thought she needed stitches. It wasn't bleeding that bad at all. So, we gathered her up and headed toward to the ER.
Being back in the ER was a little creepy. We've been there twice before with her and neither trip ended well - the first being the meningitis and the second being the return of the bacteria with a blood infection. Oddly, the sounds and smells of the hospital brought back all of those emotions. That hospital has been way too familiar to us.
The nurse and doctor came in pretty quickly and determined that she did need stitches. They asked how it happened and in that conversation, I mentioned why we were home that day. They brought in some Zofran to give her to stop the vomiting and put some nubbing lotion on a cotton ball that we let sit on her chin for 40 minutes before they cleaned off the wound and started the stitches.
She actually fell asleep during that 40 minutes and we had to wake her up for the stitches. She was NOT happy. We wrapped her in a sheet to keep her hands down and the nurse had her head. To make sure it was good and numb, they also did 2 shots and then cleaned and sterilized it.
She got SIX stitches!
She didn't really bother it at all until yesterday and I think it's starting to itch. I take her tomorrow morning to get them out and I'm sure that won't be fun.
And, thankfully, no more vomiting.
Friday
I picked the kids up from daycare at the normal time and the teacher told me that Kendall had just gotten sick for the 2nd time. She woke up from her nap with a deep sounding cough and the teacher thought she might have gotten sick from that. It takes about 25 minutes to get home and I tried to go as fast as I could. No luck. Kendall threw up twice more in the car. All down the front of her, all over the car seat. Gross.
That night, I kept her in bed with me because the cough started sounding croupy. She didn't vomit any more that night.
Saturday
Our pediatrician's office has emergency Saturday morning hrs so I got her an appt at 8:20. The doctor said her airway sounded OK but prescribed 2 inhalers and an antibiotic because there was some fluid started to accumulate in her right ear.
She started to have a little bit of an appetite so I let her have some yogurt. Big mistake. That all came back up. All over Daddy.
Sunday
Cough started sounding a little better and no vomit all day. We kept the diet pretty bland with toast and rice. I thought we were in the clear until bedtime. I was washing my face and heard her cough and then gag. But the time I got in there, she had already vomited all over her bed. I grabbed her and started heading downstairs when the rest of it came up. All down my shirt and in my bra. So disgusting!
Monday
Kept her home from daycare and decided to let her have a little milk around 11:00 am since she didn't vomit the rest of the night. Big mistake #2 and vomit all over mommy again.
The weird thing about the bug is that she seemed to feel fine other than vomiting. She was playing and never had a fever. I decided to chance an errand and we went to Target around noon. Got in and out without any incident.
And, then she got sick again in the car ride home. All down the front of her and all over the car seat. Again.
We got home and I cleaned her and the car up and started putting some of the stuff away that we bought. She came into the kitchen riding their little riding toy car. I had my back turned and heard it fall over but that happens all of the time. And, then she started crying. When I turned around, she was laying face down with her butt in the air and straddling the front of the car. I picked her up and didn't see any blood, checking her mouth and teeth.
We started walking out into the living room and she lifted her head back and then I saw the gash. She had a 2 inch cut under her chin. I have no idea how she cut herself there - she must've cut it on the toy when she fell over?
DH just happened to be home for lunch so I called him and he thought she needed stitches. It wasn't bleeding that bad at all. So, we gathered her up and headed toward to the ER.
Being back in the ER was a little creepy. We've been there twice before with her and neither trip ended well - the first being the meningitis and the second being the return of the bacteria with a blood infection. Oddly, the sounds and smells of the hospital brought back all of those emotions. That hospital has been way too familiar to us.
The nurse and doctor came in pretty quickly and determined that she did need stitches. They asked how it happened and in that conversation, I mentioned why we were home that day. They brought in some Zofran to give her to stop the vomiting and put some nubbing lotion on a cotton ball that we let sit on her chin for 40 minutes before they cleaned off the wound and started the stitches.
She actually fell asleep during that 40 minutes and we had to wake her up for the stitches. She was NOT happy. We wrapped her in a sheet to keep her hands down and the nurse had her head. To make sure it was good and numb, they also did 2 shots and then cleaned and sterilized it.
She got SIX stitches!
She didn't really bother it at all until yesterday and I think it's starting to itch. I take her tomorrow morning to get them out and I'm sure that won't be fun.
And, thankfully, no more vomiting.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wordless Wednesday
I have a great story about somebody's first stitches but for now.... here's a few pics.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ahem (tap, tap tap...). Is this thing on?
My name is Suzanne and I'm a horrible blogger.
I've been trying to think of some witty post that would ooh and aah all of you. But, truthfully, all I have is stories about diarrhea, fevers and snot.
You can thank me now. I'll spare you.
So, how about if I just make this the most random post ever and write down whatever comes to mind?
* Kendall continues to build on her vocabulary. New words this week are Mo Mo (Elmo), Oh baby, shoes, cheese, and no no no (as she shakes her finger)
* Reading with her is like a quiz. She points at things so quickly and won't let it go until you say the word. If you hesitate or get it wrong, she keeps going back to it until you say it. Hey! Who's the one learning to read here?
* Christopher has learned to throw. We're having a hard time getting him to understand that it's OK to throw the soft ball. Not so OK to throw the blocks and basically anything else that's hard which, invariably always hits Kendall in the head.
* The twins 2nd birthday isn't until October and I've already started putting together ideas. No, I'm not a planner. Not me. Not at all! I think the front runner at the moment is a local zoo that has some smaller zoo animals as well as a petting zoo and wagon and pony rides. I had their 1st birthday here at the house with family only and I decided this year, we're going out. It's just too hectic to try to plan and host. And, don't even get me started on what a scam it is to pay for these birthday parties! Good grief!! We're looking at close to $500 if we do the zoo.
* My niece's 3rd birthday is coming up in a few weeks and we're planning a trip to the National Zoo. Depending on how that goes, the above point might get thrown out the window. What if my kids have some random phobia of zebras or something?!
* I was climbing into bed the other night (don't worry, I'll keep it clean) when the phone rang. I thought to myself, "Who in the heck is calling this late?" and then realized it was only 8:30.
And, speaking of 8:30.... it's time to hit the hay! This old Mama needs her beauty rest.
I've been trying to think of some witty post that would ooh and aah all of you. But, truthfully, all I have is stories about diarrhea, fevers and snot.
You can thank me now. I'll spare you.
So, how about if I just make this the most random post ever and write down whatever comes to mind?
* Kendall continues to build on her vocabulary. New words this week are Mo Mo (Elmo), Oh baby, shoes, cheese, and no no no (as she shakes her finger)
* Reading with her is like a quiz. She points at things so quickly and won't let it go until you say the word. If you hesitate or get it wrong, she keeps going back to it until you say it. Hey! Who's the one learning to read here?
* Christopher has learned to throw. We're having a hard time getting him to understand that it's OK to throw the soft ball. Not so OK to throw the blocks and basically anything else that's hard which, invariably always hits Kendall in the head.
* The twins 2nd birthday isn't until October and I've already started putting together ideas. No, I'm not a planner. Not me. Not at all! I think the front runner at the moment is a local zoo that has some smaller zoo animals as well as a petting zoo and wagon and pony rides. I had their 1st birthday here at the house with family only and I decided this year, we're going out. It's just too hectic to try to plan and host. And, don't even get me started on what a scam it is to pay for these birthday parties! Good grief!! We're looking at close to $500 if we do the zoo.
* My niece's 3rd birthday is coming up in a few weeks and we're planning a trip to the National Zoo. Depending on how that goes, the above point might get thrown out the window. What if my kids have some random phobia of zebras or something?!
* I was climbing into bed the other night (don't worry, I'll keep it clean) when the phone rang. I thought to myself, "Who in the heck is calling this late?" and then realized it was only 8:30.
And, speaking of 8:30.... it's time to hit the hay! This old Mama needs her beauty rest.
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