This May Take Longer Than I Thought....

I said I was going to knit...and knit, I have!  My approach to this project was the same as when I've had other "good" ideas...like, removing tile from the bathroom walls, or reupholstering the dining room chairs, or redesigning a room...unbridled enthusiasm and a teeny tiny bit of "know how".   My enthusiasm regularly outweighs my ability in almost every arena.  For this knitting project, I dusted off my handy dandy "teach yourself to knit" book, consulted a few knitting pals...heck, I even looked up a website (ravelry.com).  So, as I read the pattern, I smiled and nodded along as if I understood...I asked a few questions and smiled and nodded, murmured an "mmm-hmmm" here and there.  Yes, yes!  Of course I understand "gauge" and "worsted" and "cast off"!  I mean, who doesn't???  Ha!

As I started this soon-to-be blanket, it became clear to me that I was knee deep in bulky yarn and circular needles and I was going to sink!  The pattern was to knit 10, pearl 10, knit 10, so on and so on with a certain gauge...but every time I got started, a nurse or a doctor or a janitor or a food service person would knock on the door and I'd immediately lose count.  My yarn of choice is too thick for my untrained eye to see where I left off or count backward...I think I lost a stitch here and there...just ignore that hole right there!  Oh well!  I gave up on the pattern, but since I had the yarn already and the time (Trey can sometimes take up to 2 hours to fall asleep while at the hospital!)...I forged ahead, simply using a knit stitch for the whole thing.  It keeps my hands busy and I can easily keep one eye on Trey as he tries to bust out of his cell...er...crib.  I have no idea how long it will take to finish...or what size it will be, but at least I'll be able to say that I made it!

Whadya Know Joe?

Every time we see Grandma, she says to Joe, "Whadya know, Joe?" and he responds, "I just got back from Buffalo!".  That's just cute!  To continue my fairness routine, let me tell ya about a kid named Joe.  He's probably the most gentle hearted almost 8 year old I know.  I realize that I don't know THAT many almost 8 year olds, but still, Joe is right up there.  He's zipping right through the second grade and learning so much both academically and socially.  The social part can be worrisome at times.  We've had to have chats about the difference between what's actually appropriate and what other kids at school will do...and say...and write on a bathroom wall for Joe to repeat in front of the whole class because he didn't know that "d*ck" is a bad word.  Don't worry, he knows now.  Joe is very interested in learning some martial arts this year...our YMCA requires kids to be 8 before they can sign up for class.  Somebody better tell Bella to watch out...being gentle hearted can only go so far...

p.s Bella may have lost her first tooth...but Joe has, clearly, lost more than that...

Bella

If I don't blog equally about each child, will one...two...all three end up in counseling about the unfairness of it all???  To even the blogging score...and to lighten my mood a bit, I mean really, the oncology unit is NOT a barrel of monkeys, I wanted to share a Bella update.  She is cruising right through Kindergarten...do you know it's February already?!  Bella has lost her first tooth!!!  And just like big bro Joe, her grown up tooth grew in before the baby tooth fell out.  Bella can READ!!!  She read our whole night time book the other evening!  She has declared her love for a boy named Nicholas in her class.  She's sure she will marry Nicholas, which is fine with me because I like his mother...plus this means she's finally grasping the concept that she cannot marry her cousins. (Will this push her further towards counseling when she reads this some day?)  And, by some recent test scores, our feisty diva may, in fact, be a bit brighter (sans the marrying family members thing) than her gifted older brother.  (That will definitely push Joe towards counseling in the future)....We love her with all of our hearts, even if she pushes us to our limit E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y.  She's my baby girl!

Patience for Patients

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" ~Romans 12:12

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." ~Psalm 27: 13-14

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." ~Hebrews10:36

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~Isaiah 40:31

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." ~Ecclesiastes 7:8

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." ~Romans 8:25

Here's to being patient.....

Job Opportunity????

Some day I will go back to work, either out of necessity (these knitting projects aren't gonna pay for themselves!) or sanity (once all the children are in school, there's only so much time I can devote to Facebook).  I think I have come up with a perfect job (besides the actual job that I want at American Eagle folding clothes)!  A "bathroom break giver" at the Children's Hospital!  I'm sure there is a better title for this position, but for now, work with me.  "Potty Break-er"???  "Gimme A Break-er"???

Starting at 8:00 am, I would visit rooms that had patients under the age of 3 that had only one parent staying with them overnight.  I would then offer said single parent a 10 minute opportunity to use the bathroom however they see fit.  I would stay in the room with the child and make sure no bodily injury was inflicted.  Let's not get crazy, though...I'm not offering to take your kid to the playroom, feed him or her, teach him or her a foreign language, a musical instrument or anything educational.  I'm strictly keeping your kid safe while you pee and brush your teeth.  Don't waste time by checking your FB updates, folding sheets or finishing that magazine article you started last night.  The clock is ticking and there are other parents that have to go potty.  I promise not to ask what you were doing for so long in there or pass any judgment...you do what you gotta do.  I'll come back around later in the day to give you another break, but don't make foolish mistakes like chugging a gallon of water (or coffee) that will leave you uncomfortable for quite some time.  And yes, I realize that the nurses will ask each time they leave the room if you need anything, but let's be honest...they're offering to bring you a water bottle, snack, fresh towels or linens...not a bathroom escape.

What do you think?  I think it has potential.

p.s. I know that if it was urgent the nurses would absolutely help however they could, my point is that I don't think babysitting is in their job description and they shouldn't have to do so.

A Stitch in Time

Every once in a while, I get a bee in my bonnet about wanting to do something, go somewhere, learn something, build something.  While I was pregnant with Trey, I had a hankerin' to learn to knit.  I envisioned all the free time I would have on my hands since all a new baby does is sleep, right?  What was I thinking?  Free time?  Really?  I don't know what happened to my brain, but I still wanted to learn how to knit.  For Christmas that year, my aunt got me a knitting starter kit.  Saaaa-weeeet!  Immediately, I got a skein of ugly green yarn and set to work.  Using only a book with pictures and descriptions, I did it!  I made a rectangle!  And a square!  And a single strand!  Then I put the needles down and picked up a baby, drove kids to school and baseball games and Science Fairs and family functions...yada, yada, yada.

But!  After the last stay at the hospital, I realized I needed something more to do than read and try to watch a muted t.v. while Trey slept.  Both activities were starting to hurt my eyes.  Today, Bella and I hit up Pat Catan's, which is an awesome mega craft store.  I had already picked a blanket pattern, so I let Bella pick the yarn and got a fancy circle needle thing-a-ma-jig....

I'll let you know how it goes!  Any tips???

A Spoonful of Sugar...

As we settle into our new "normal" over here, we continue to face challenges that can be frustrating or scary or both.  Things like, why can't we get a thermometer that gives the same temperature 2 times in a row???  How can 2 thermometers put under the same arm at the same time give 2 different answers?  Do the doctors really trust ME to give Trey his daily shot???  Hmmmm....

Anywho...part of our routine is to give Trey an anti-biotic twice a day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  This is a pretty critical medicine in that it helps to protect him against pneumonia and other junk like that.  Here's the problem, Trey could possibly be the worst medicine taker ever.  Okay, that's a hyperbole...he's the worst medicine taker in this house!  Now, that's accurate.  The medicine we have is in liquid form and has grape flavor added to it.  We've tried mixing it with juice, water, food...to no avail.  It's almost like he can sense the medicine is lurking in the drink or food.  His eyes flicker quickly between his Sponge Bob sippy cup and me as I casually try to look like this is a regular cup of juice.  Maybe I have a "tell" or a tick or something, because that cup goes flying!  We resort to Jay restraining him with one arm and opening his mouth with the other while I put the syringe thingy in the back of his mouth and blow in his face to make him swallow.  Trey screams the whole time until he chokes on the medicine, then he tries to spit it out.  It's quite the ordeal.

So, anyone have any helpful tips?  Trey is not quite old enough yet to understand bribery...but I'm not above trying just about anything....