The Crickets Sang

Playing the piano is very emotional, Reader. Sometimes I do it instead of crying and feel the same sort of relief afterwards. Sometimes I play until my fingers are numb and nearly limp from the exhaustion and demand of the anger that must come out somewhere and feel vindicated from the actual physical action. Sometimes I play to listen to the very songs that others spoke onto pages of notes and to hear their rages or sobs.

Tonight I opened up the living room window for the fresh air (and, I guess, to tell the world what needed to be said) and let Chopin orate - again and again - until I felt he had said all that he ever had to say through one waltz (Opus 69, no.2). I played it repeatedly from beginning to end like carousel music or a music box that did not need rewinding. Then I uncluttered the worn, dog-eared sheet music in front of me and presented a clean copy of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. After dizzying rounds of Chopin's waltz this music was a still pond at night.

And the crickets sang.

The sun had set while I was practicing and I did not realize until I was lost in Beethoven's laments and resolutions that the crickets were the only noise left besides my playing. When I had started out there were lawn mowers buzzing down the street, children squealing with excitement while playing outside, cars and motorcycles roaming past. People walked by and their conversation hovered and mixed with the notes, and they continued on as children went inside and outdoor activities were traded in on this, a school night. And at some point the crickets woke up after the warm sun left and started to carry on the way that crickets do every night, every where. But I will tell you, Reader, they are a moving companion to Beethoven.

Single Mom

When I say that, I don't really refer to the fact that my nomadic Husband is humoring his vagabond shoes. I mean that my oldest daughter was spirited away faster than I could even comprehend earlier this morning. So I am a mother of one child today, which means the title should read "Single Child", but it does not. Being Mommy to a single child after managing two is like only having to carry one paper bag of groceries to the car unaided instead of, say, twenty. So I thought, for posterity, that I would post a picture of what Mary gets to do when Emma is not here. Yes, Emma, that is a cookie that Mary is enjoying. I am sure she misses you-Somewhere in there.

So why was Emma removed from the house? Well, Reader, I think I mentioned that raging sinus infection that sent me weeping and crawling to the doctor last Saturday. Well, it has not improved one whit (what the heck is a whit, anyway?), so my Mom took Emma home with her in an attempt to lighten the load over here. I have never been so happy to say good bye to my mother - or my daughter, for that matter. My mom had come over earlier this week (in response to my BEGGING her on Monday, at a point when the needles behind my eyes would not let me see straight) to stay and help me with the girls. Today she had to go to my Brother's house to watch his daughter Katelyn while he worked, so instead of running over there and leaving me to sob on the couch while my children tried to prove the Survival of the Fittest Theory, she sagely left with one of them, promising to return by dinner. I called the Doctor. The rotten, not very understanding, removed from the situation Doctor told me that it may take 10 to 14 days on the antibiotic (Bactrim) for any noticeable changes to occur. And that it may really take up to 21 days to knock this out of my system.

I cried.

I told her I had 2 small children that were in danger of being eaten by their sick and bedraggled mother. I explained that my husband will be gone for 2 more weeks and I just couldn't POSSIBLY endure that amount of time if I didn't feel better than this. Please, I begged, isn't there ANYTHING else that can be done?

"Get some rest."

Just recalling that conversation makes me want to cry again.

Spam Control

Sorry, folks. I am irritated by this spam crap, so I have changed the settings so that you have to go through the "Word Verification". If I cannot get the spam to stop (I had to delete 14 spam comments on the last post) I will also have to not allow anonymous posts. I hope that this does not deter some of my favorite anonymous posters like my friend McBetty and Mrs. B. I just can't take all of this random stuff popping up. Also, I'll write a nice post later. Right now I'm just doing an "FYI".

Always Expect the Unexpected

Well, dear Reader, I am running on little sleep today. I cannot sleep when Jim travels. I have the hardest time going to sleep or getting sleepy. I dither about going to bed, and then I read until I pretty much pass out from exhaustion. So last night I fell asleep about 3:30 or 4 am. Then I got up around 7:15 with the girls. Nap time was a disaster - 1 hour cumulative nap for Mary Lee. Need I say more? I did not get any additional rest today. After Emma got up I took the kids for a walk to get them out of the house. We went over to my friend Trica's house (pronounced Tricia, just spelled funny) to visit her and her 16 month old daughter, Zoe. We decided to stay outside in her yard and Trica filled up the kiddy pool. Well, Reader, I had not planned on a water affair, so off came the girl's dresses. You must realize that I am fully against infant and toddler nudity (partial or otherwise), especially outside of one's own house. So, this was a big concession to some summertime fun. Well, then Emma's pull-up diaper got so inflated that it literally slid off. So I took Mary's diaper off too, after realizing it was the size of Montana. I not kidding here; I have seen a lot of wet diapers in my day and these two were the largest. I think the pool had to be refilled as well. But I digress. So Emma, who is on again / off again potty trained (still coming off of the bladder infection) , was buck naked in the pool and announced that she had to "make pee-pee". What do you think I did? The non-Mommy Ann (the one who would not had even considered HALF naked children in the private, fenced-in courtyard on an impromptu water play date) would have asked to use the bathroom and rushed the anxious child inside and successfully deposited the offending excretions in the proper place, returned the bathing suit to it's wearer, and gone back outside and let her daughter finish playing. Mommy Ann of two toddlers screamed, "DON'T PEE IN THE POOL", swooped down and grabbed Emma, held her over the grass, and let her pee while she was dangling in the air, NAKED and wet. Emma was then unceremoniously splashed with pool water before being returned to her previous spot. I looked at Trica and said, "Let's never speak of this again". For reasons I cannot comprehend, she just laughed. Sure, I thought, YOUR kid wasn't going to pee in the pool - what was I supposed to do? Really, Reader, I thought I did a pretty good job of thinking fast. Now, if Trica never invites us over again, I will know that there was another option - I just don't know what it is. Trica did ask if this meant I was not going to capture this moment in Emma's scrapbook, so I think it was all good. I think.

"As You Wish"

Laundry Room Closet: Before and Still in Progress

So Hubby and I are.... um.... 'discussing' changes to be made to the house. This is why I posted earlier about decorating and dreaming. He wants to add an entire new room on the second floor as well as move the laundry room up there. He says that interest rates will continue to rise and this will be the only time we will be able to do it. He is BENT on this. I want to paint the living room and add the chair rail moldings before the holidays. So we.... um... 'discussed' these and other things, where I informed him that I don't WANT to move my laundry room, I like it where it is. If it was more usable in it's multiple uses. I think I mentioned this before on the blog. So we look it over and he says, "OK, let's go to Home Depot". Do you remember, reader, the Pottery Barn cost of $560? We walked out of Home Depot with an $88 purchase. Two days later, I've got a bench. Now Hubby worked long and hard on Saturday and got most of the rough finishing done. Sunday would have seen this completed and painted, except that my ridiculous Sinus Infection flared up and I could do nothing this morning except sob in a corner of the room. So work was dropped while I slept some of the pressure off and the girls got some quality Daddy time. Later in the afternoon I was up to sitting on the couch and watching the kids while Jim finished the finer details of construction. It is now up to me, reader, to paint and to get the baskets and organizing tools to complete my beautiful new room. Hurray! I'll post the completed project when I get the chance. Remember that hubby will be traveling for a few weeks, so it may take longer to complete the last steps then it did to build the whole thing.

Now, don't you agree that this project was the better solution?

Sure you do.

Dreaming and Decorating

Ok, readers, I am really lost in dreamy world. Let's pretend, for one minute, that I won a shopping spree at Pottery Barn. First, here is the idea for what my laundry room closet will turn out to be like (but in white): http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpcfurbchbch%7Crshop%2Fshpcfurbchbch%7Crshop%2Fshpcfurbch%7Crshop%2Fshpcfur%7Crshop%2Fpipcbabdvtptn%7Cgp5884%7Ck%7Cs&pkey=cfurbchbch&gids=p3616 . Wow that is a long link - but worth looking at. So, $560 right there, just to go in and remake closet. Ok - there's more - check out this duvet cover set - I realized when I washed sheets yesterday that we actually have THREADBARE spots in them. So, the new dream set :http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpcbabdvtptn%7Crshop%2Fshpcbabdvt%7Crshop%2Fshpcbab%7Crshop%2Fpipcfurbchbch%7Cgp3616%7Ck%7Crshop%7Cs&pkey=cbabdvtptn&gids=p5884 . Wow - another long link. But wait, I've only just begun. Let's talk about the kids' rooms/furniture. At some point they will have to have beds as opposed to the nice, convenient cribs the currently have. So, I am IN LOVE with this bed :http://ww1.potterybarnkids.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpak%7Ccfrnbrd%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fk%2Fshpak%7Ccfrn%7Cda%7Crshop%5Fk&pkey=cfrnbrd%7Cak&gids=k4165 - Madeline headboard, and it would great with a trundle bed or 2 for friends to sleep over. That runs about $700-1000 each bed. No problem, who needs that extra money laying around? And go ahead and look at the Madeline dresser while you're at it, and the Madeline Storage Desk. Let's move on to bedding: The Charlotte bedding - comforter and sheeting - is ideal for frilly girl's bedrooms. I am also enchanted with the solid matelesse (sp?) throw covers. MAN OH PETES this is awful. But, in my head, I have furnished the bedrooms (including my own) with piles of soft patterns and warm colors, all in Pottery Barn style. **SIGH**. Even if I won a shopping spree there, It would be enough money for all of it. Maybe just the bedding for us, and part of the bench/wall system for the new laundry room area. Yeah, that's it..... The kids can sleep in cribs until they are 6, right?

And So it Goes

Here's the rundown:

Emma has a bladder infection

Mary has an ear infection

I may have a sinus infection

We are one happy, sick family. It would explain why I have had such a short temper with the girls the last couple of days. Getting up with Emma many times a night (sometimes for an hour) caused me to get less sleep when I needed it the most. Interestingly enough, since my fan base seems to love the poop/pee topic, the bladder infection made Emma behave in the weirdest ways. Most notably, she would squat wherever she was (ice cream store, front porch, play park) and pee right through her clothes. A nice, solid stream that could not be mistaken for anything else would suddenly come out, along with the announcement (in case I hadn't noticed the action), "Momma, pee pee!!!". Yes, that was fun. So the training diapers went back on (nappies, for my British reader) until she is over this infection. Thankfully, hubby stayed home this morning the help with the children (see reference to my physical health). He ended up taking Ms. Emma in this AM to see the Doctor, who could not be seen yesterday but was available "right away" this morning. Apparently, it merely depends on which receptionist you get. I really liked this one.

On other notes, I am trying to figure out how to fanagle some home improvements. Yes, reader, we have only lived here for 3 years. However, the paint the builders put on is thin and worrisome at best, and I still have some places that need to be painted. Now I will tell you I spent a good amount of time last year while on bed rest (that is a phrase that does not really explain what happens when you are bulbously pregnant and have a toddler at home) sketching up decorating plans for the main floor. Every room has 'stages' in which to decorate and there is one room - the front living room- that remains as white as Mary Leona's soft skin. This must be attended to as quickly as possible. Also, one of our neighbors has transformed their laundry room by removing the closet doors in the room and putting a bench and various other usable things there for their children. I am so impressed with this possible use of space that I wanted to tear down the doors myself today. My headache, for better or for worse, is impeding immediate progress on that front. Hubby's solution is quite grand - he just wants to add another room on the second floor and move the laundry facilities there. I only realized he was serious after a solid week of hearty gaffawing at the idea. I'll let you know how that goes (*!snicker!*). I think I will scan and upload some of my sketches just for the heck of it. Just so you can share in my dream of a fully decorated/painted house.

Crying

Psalm 130 v.1-2, 5-6

Out of the depths I cry to you,
O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentiveto the voice of my supplications!

I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits,
and in his word I hope:
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

I am not one to quote bible verses, especially on a blog that is supposed to be about the children. I am afraid, however, that a post about the children in my current state of mind would incur a visit from social services. So I was bumping around on blogs, when I meant to be playing a mindless video game to relieve some tension, and I found a blog by Apostle John. Huh - Derek will recognize him as someone who commented about his posting potential dating info. Others will recall that the Apostle John lived in the time of Christ. So, of course, I had to check it out (http://apostlejohn.blogspot.com/). It is an interesting blog, so I checked out some of the blogs he referenced - I HAD to read St. Casserole's input (http://www.stcasseroleblog.blogspot.com/). She had quoted these verses and I felt they were particularly calming. So, there you have it.

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" or, Politics Across the Pond

I have never been very politically aware, as my husband will tell you. But lately, it seems that I cannot help but have an opinion on things political. So I am deviating from the normal topic of poop and commenting on Tony Blair's anti-terrorist measures announced recently. So Tony has allowed Britain to "expel foreigners who preach hatred, close extremist mosques and bar entry to Muslim radicals", and also those who speak, write, or give sermons supporting terrorism. Let me make it clear that I do not support terrorism in any intentional way (even when Tony isn't looking), so I am not making any judgment on his rulings. But it sounds faintly like the Salem Witch Hunts or the Spanish Inquisition, where you could turn in your neighbor or family member for no better reason than you felt like calling him/her a witch/heretic/terrorist. At least this time it does not mean torture or death, just exportation. So where are they going to send these...... infidels? Australia? Or back from whence they came, where they can gain a following, whip up MORE anger and hate, and be living testaments to the oppression that is the free world? I particularly like the following statement, taken from a Reuter's news site:

"Blair said Britain could override human rights laws if courts blocked deportations and London failed to gain assurances from other countries that they will not torture deportees. Britain's courts have in the past thwarted government expulsion measures because the European Convention on Human Rights requires guarantees deportees will not be mistreated.

"The circumstances of our national security have now self-evidently changed ... We can retest it and if necessary we can amend the human rights act and that covers the British court's interpretation of the law," Blair said." (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050805/ts_nm/security_britain_dc)

That's nice. In other words, "we tried to deport people before for various reasons and then decided not to because the other country would not make promises it would not keep, but now we are just going to change the law to say we can make them go home if we feel like, even if they are going to be tortured". It looks a little murky to me. I wonder what the Queen thinks of it. Can you see her signing a Royal Proclamation to that extent? Not that I am making a judgment, only that it makes me scratch my head and say, "Hmm. Wonder where THAT is going to lead".

Ga! Game and Food Strikes

Mary's new game has some form of complex rules only she can understand. She particularly likes to do it with bloomers or panties, whichever she can find. Since Emma is potty training (STILL) she seems to be able to find both of them with surprising recurrence. Then she stands up, taking the bloomers in her hands, and lifts them over her head. She takes 2 or 3 steps and throws her item to the ground and yells, "GA!!!". Then repeat. Emma has tried to play the same game with her and she just gets mad - apparently Emma does not understand the intricacies of the Ga! Game.

Emma is on a food strike. She is subsisting, I am convinced, on a half a banana a day and a bit of pudding. I refuse to bargain with her, offering multitudes of different dishes to please her. So Mary is getting to eat a lot of Emma's non-eaten meals. This is a good thing, because Mary is storing up for a long hibernation, or a growth spurt. She is eating 3 times what I think Emma would (normally) eat and sleeping inordinate amounts of time. Any day now she is going to be huge.

Speaking of growing, Mary had her 1 year well child appointment last Friday. She is 22 lbs and 31 inches long. This puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. Wow! Emma always lives in the 25th and 50th percentiles, so I was shocked to hear this. Of course, with the way the girls are eating, it would make sense.