Fishing with Opa

Same Old Same Old

My parents arrive for a long overdue visit tomorrow morning. Hooray to that!

But before then I have a large project to complete that I've known about for months and only now have had a chance to really work on. It used to be that I would procrastinate until a project became imminent. Now I just can't get to a project until the deadline is near. I suppose I prefer it this second way. It feels less like the delay is my own fault.

But the scrambling to get things done is pretty much the same.

A Photo Essay

We're building a new garage to replace the one we had from 1920. Dave has spent months sorting out the details of this colossal undertaking that so far has involved a couple of approvals from the city and much negotiation with the neighbors over a sewer line that isn't ours. We learned that we'd have to remove six trees to make this whole thing happen and today the last three came out. I've included this photo essay to offer a glimpse of the goings-on over the past week. The change is exciting and, of course, so hard.

Number 44

I was so pleased to spend my evening last with none other than The SavvyMom and Miscellaneous Missives. Those are two fine human beings. I love reading about their lives on the blogosphere, but it's a real treat to be face-to-face now and then. We texted A Little Leeway since we were thinking and talking about her greatness. Her reply made us all laugh heartily. 

Now I'm ready to enter this last day of the long weekend with a sense of purpose and calm.

Well, this is crazy.

Eloise had another scary episode while sleeping, and we had to have the tall and friendly folks from fire and rescue here again. We actually have no idea what happened and are not even sure we needed to call the emergency responders, but in the moment when she just wasn't responding to us, it seemed like the only thing to do.

Basically, I think she had a seizure related to a viral infection. It's fairly common. But terrifying. The other possible story is that she was just freaking out in her sleep and we couldn't wake her. Either way, she was fine within minutes and just stared at everyone like,"What the hell's going on here, people. Put me back to bed." She never had to make the trip to the hospital, which was a relief, but I can't say I slept very well with the monitor on volume level a million.

We're all hoping for a better night tonight.

E I E I . . . Oh

Since I'm not teaching right now, I don't have anything behind-the-scenesy to share during the month of May, but I did get to hear a school story from one of Sam's teachers today.

During a rousing rendition of Old MacDonald. . . "with an oink, oink here and an oink, oink there . . ." Sam raised his hand. When the teacher called on him, he said in all earnestness, "Mrs. M, you kind of look like a pig."

And there you have it.

Lulu Bean

I recommend looking at this picture 30 to 40 times a day. That's what I do, anyway.

8:30 pm

I can't stay up any longer. This is probably because:

1) We let Sam eat a lot of cheese curds at the cabin yesterday. He was up several times in the night with a bellyache.

2) My head is so full of fluid from my allergies that it took me a while to find a proper sleeping angle each time Sam woke me up.

3) I have so much work to do that just thinking about it makes me want to sleep.

It's pretty clear what needs to be done. Why fight it?

Weeza Weeza

I've been writing a lot about Sam lately, but you should also know a few things about my daughter, Eloise. Basically, she's a crazy child. Where Sam is overly cautious, she's overly adventurous and stubborn. O M G, the stubbornness. She's only 16 months old, but I swear she knows exactly how we'd like her to act and purposefully does the opposite to make a point and have her way. Sit down while I brush my teeth? Not a chance. Eat one raspberry at a time? No way. Turn around to back my way off the couch? I think I'll just leap.

And here's the thing. She's also SO smart and funny and adorable that I'm kind of thrilled that she's a spitfire to boot. I mean, it's going to drive me insane, but she'll be just fine in this mad world. 

Just fine. 

How Do You Spell Targaryen?

Dave and I just had an epic miscommunication.

He thought I was working and I thought he was working and neither of us bothered to tell the other person how much we really wanted to watch the DVR'd Game of Thrones episode when really we were both just toodling around online.

This is probably a scenario in some self-help marriage book, and it's clear that we've failed.

Two If By Boat

Wouldn't you know it. Sam was sad as could be that he had to return home from Nana and Papa's today. "I just like it better there," he told us. He also said he'd prefer never to go on any trips with us so he can stay with them and that we should let him spend the night when we go out to dinner or a play, too.

On our end, Dave and I walked around historic Boston, visited the storied Harvard campus, viewed some fine art at the MFA, and ate several glorious meals at renowned eateries. And one day we even slept in. 

All in all, the weekend away from our children was a resounding success.