Visit from Grandma May 22, 2008
Posted by spacemom in : In A Family Way , 2 commentsLuna: Grandma? Are you going home today?
Grandma: I just got here yesterday! Why? Are you tired of me telling you what to do?
Luna: Yes
About that paper? May 22, 2008
Posted by spacemom in : Current Affairs, Seeing the World Through Astronomy, In A Family Way , add a commentYes, well, I am kinda blowing it off right now.
I know, I know, I will get back to it soon.
I need to world to slow down a little. I survived yesterday (still not sure how). Jay had a major breakthrough on his data for his talk and we discussed the view graph slides and BANG! He has one kick ass talk for Spain now! Yippie! However, he got a call this morning from the hospital. He DID break his finger, so keep it splinted for 4 weeks.
My parents are in and settling in for their long stay. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but sometimes, family needs to be far away, you know what I mean?
Luna’s still a little out of it. She has an ear infection and fluid in the other ear. Lovely. She told me yesterday that she needs to take 1 teaspoon of the medicine. I asked her how she knew and she said that’s what the doctor said. Oh great! She’s paying attention to the world! This could be good or bad! On the other hand, she’s walked into two walls in the last 12 hours. Methinks she’s having some perception issues.
I am also contemplating sending a letter to a friend. She has blown me off lately. Of course, she has blown off her family, kids, husband and everything else lately because she has taken A JOB. Not that she hadn’t worked out side of the house before, but suddenly this JOB is the only thing in her life… Sigh… I am torn between ignoring this or working it out with her.
Anyway, I should do this paper, eh? It IS my ticket to France in June!
What a pain in the neck! April 4, 2008
Posted by spacemom in : In A Family Way , 2 commentsYesterday was a little odd. Mom and I talked and then I texted to my sister. My sister is not allowed to receive personally calls, emails or anything at work, but we sneak her text messages.
Yesterday, Dad had neck surgery. He was developing bone spurs that were impinging on his nerves. When the doctor got in, there was no disk between those two cervical vertebrae. It was bone on bone. Kind of scary. Anyway, they inserted a new disk, removed bone spur, had to add cadaver bone (I am still not sure why) and send him on his way. Truly! He is going home today! It’s amazing. It’s not for insurance reasons but that he will get more rest at home.
Modern medicine! Wow!
Protected: Back in Boston November 27, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : In A Family Way , Enter your password to view commentsThe Land of the Cleves November 21, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : In A Family Way , 2 commentsAh- Thanksgiving, time to visit family and fun! We are currently in Cleveland, getting ready to celebrate Jay’s parents 50th anniversary. Keith and Lee are coming before Friday. This should be <sarcasm>FUN</sarcasm>. Right now, it is fun because it’s just us and the grandparents… but soon… Sigh
August 13, In bullet form August 13, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Dr. Jay, Travel, In A Family Way , 10 comments- Fail to fall asleep with feelings of impending doom. Find out Jay feels the same way
- Wake up at 4:00am, eat breakfast over sink with dining room table and couch at my back. The flooring guys are to arrive at 7am.
- Get the girls up and changed, Okay Luna got half changed…At least she got a fresh pull-up
- Car to arrive at 4:30 for a 6:05am flight.
- At 4:35, panic sets in
- at 4:40, hyperventilation starts, I start to move things to our car
- at 4:50am, cab arrives. I am in full adrenalin mode
- Get to airport at 5:15 (for a 6:05 flight!!!!)
- Takes over 10 minutes to check luggage. 1 guy working.
- Security line is long. Really really long. Panic really really sets in
- Our flight gets called to the front of the line…Whew…
- Jay and I get separated in security… We each have a girl.
- Soleil finds a dime on the floor in front of the security. Almost have a melt down over not taking the dime through the machine. Manage to deflect this by tossing it in with our shoes.
- Get dime back. Discover Murphy’s law of Airports is in force. The gate is the one PHYSICALLY furthest from security.
- Play " I can get to the gate first" Final boarding call as we hand our tickets over. No sign of Jay or Luna. SHIT
- Jay and Luna arrive at 5:55. Door shuts behind them WHEW.
- Decent flight, but Soleil wakes me the only time I fall asleep. Flight attendant in first class is taken in by Soleil and gives us fresh, hot biscuits.
- Arteries harden shortly after eating said biscuits.
- Get to Dallas/Fort Worth. Find food and play area.
- Get on next flight. Find a kind person is willing to switch an aisle for a middle so Jay can sit next to us. She must have kids. She knew who Nala and Simba were.
- Flight is okay
- Arrive in Seattle.
- Luna LOSES it and can’t decide which parent she wants for potty. (she wants Daddy in the girls bathroom)
- Carry her to potty while getting bit on the shoulder. Get her to go by reading Sleeping Beauty while she is being devil child on a bathroom floor. Can you say screw the 5 second rule? I knew you could!
- Amazed her bladder did not explode in a horrific urinary disaster after seeing how much she peed.
- Got back to Daddy. Got a smart cart for luggage
- Read The Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty to both girls.
- Daddy says we are ready and go to Hertz
- Jay gets car, I continue to read.
- Hertz tells us to get car in slot B34…Turns out it was B348. B*tch forgot to put the 8. Took us 15 minutes to find car
- Jay finds car just as the luggage all falls off the smart cart. I caught the camera bag just before it was to hit the ground.
- Get all of the luggage, car seats and kids in car
- Go to get the power cord for DVD player. Where’s the bag we packed it in?
- SHIT! Jay left it sitting NEXT TO THE BAGGAGE CAROUSEL!
- Jay returns 15 minutes later while I feed children Ritz crackers. They will be well preserved
- Ask directions to Bremmington Ferry, get stupid answer (follow the signs)
- Get caught in three different construction areas.
- Make it 30 minutes before Ferry is to leave. Soleil fell asleep.
- Jay goes to find food. Returns JUST as our line is entering the ferry.
- Calm ferry crossing
- Construction on the other side of the crossing
- Get told by SIL "I sent you directions"
- Check emails that are printed out. Shit, can’t find email with combination code.
- Stop at grocery store. Get food for the remainder of the week. Girls need bathroom.
- I find a drive through Starbucks (THEY HAVE DRIVE THROUGHS? WHO KNEW?)
- Get back in car. Continue on and realize we REALLY don’t have directions to BILs guest house.
- Try to call, no signal. Get signal, lose call
- Get on Island
- Get to the road that the key is on. Still can’t get combo or exact location of the key
- Fuck it, we go to the gate and sneak in behind someone
- Get to the house. Wireless is open access, get SIL on the phone
- After getting verbal "eye roll" we get instructions to get the key
- Get the key
- Come back, empty car
- Take girls to the beach
- Then back for ice cream
- Then stories
- And bed.
- And now we are cooking dinner
- Can I go back to sleep now?
Quiet day July 31, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : I dream of sleep, In A Family Way , 3 commentsSorry no real posts today. I did some web design at work and then went home early and took a 2 hour nap. I am lucky. The building we work in was built in the 1930s. You know, when women were "weak" once a month. So all of the women’s rooms have beds in them (I kid you NOT). I am planning on taking in a pillow tomorrow. I’ll take 1 hour naps at work during the day to help with the sleep. I spoke to my bosses and they both suggest using my sick time to get better. I agree.
In addition to the mono, I have anemia caused by the mono. My liver enzymes are off as well, a slight case of hepatitis. Apparently, 90% of mono sufferers develop hepatitis while the mono runs its course.
I am angry and frustrated.
Then we receive news that Lauren is having some bone marrow trouble. She is getting a few pints of Cleveland’s finest in a transfusion this week. I feel stupid for being upset that I am sick when Lauren is fighting cancer. She’s got one more chemo round left. She might have to miss the fall semester of her sophomore year. This bites.
Lastly, Jay started the methatrexate yesterday. Turns out it is an intramuscular injection. Ick…
A weekend recap July 24, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Life...otherwise, Kids, In A Family Way , 4 commentsWe had one heck of a busy weekend. It kept me far from t he computer and either holding walls or holding court with pirates!
Last week, I finally went to the doctor for a sore throat and swollen glands. I was tested for strep (neg) and given amoxicillian. Normally, it does not affect me, but this time, I have been suffering backaches, migraines, dizziness, nausea, etc. I missed the med on Sunday morning. By Sunday afternoon, I was feeling great! except my throat was hurting, badly. I must be reacting to the amox. I called today for some hope of relief.
We had FIL for the weekend. We love him, but I swear, he never raised young children. MIL must have done it all. He was okay watching them and even let us get a night out. But when the kids were rude (ie, failed to say please or thank you to us), he would lose it. Now I am fully aware that the kids are incredibly polite…to other people. I have seen it at daycare and in public. But to us, Snork! No way in hell! That’s okay. We keep working on it and they are growing up. But they still are 3 and 5. I can’t expect a please every time (okay I can expect, but let’s be realistic. Do you ask your spouse please EVERY time?) but I can explain when I am upset. He just kept going off the handle. Sigh.
Saturday involved a great deal of small trips, getting things ready for our Pirate Birthday party for Soleil. Then on Saturday night, we went out for the Harry Potter movie. In between, the book came and I started reading (I am a fast reader, so I always read the books first and let Jay go second). After the movie, we called home.
No answer. We tried again. No answer. So we drove home (we live 7 minutes from the theatre) and it turned out that Luna woke up and fell asleep on Grandpa in her room and he fell asleep in the chair holding her. It was very cute and he woke up and we put her back in bed. Then we went back out for desert.
I finished "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at 5:15am. Stopping twice for the girls…
Sunday I could barely stand from dizziness. I skipped the amox because of it. We got everything ready in time for our little pirates to come. We had 4 games set up, but one was dropped. We had every kid make a label for their goody bag and explained that pirates have to earn their booty. Then we did games. Walk the plank over one of our swimming pools while wearing an eye patch (they kept the eye patch and the candy for crossing). Then knock down the ship with cannonballs. That proved harder than we thought, so all of the kids tried and tried and finally we got one girl to knock it down. They all got more candy for that. We had a "draw the X on the map" (like pin the tail on the donkey), but the heat was getting to the kids, so we went in. They all picked candy to eat while waiting for pizza. After pizza, we announced that FIL had found a treasure map and needed help. All of the kids followed him and found the clues that lead to U, then V, the W and finally X which had the pinata hiding under it. Each stop had a prize, a flag, a bandanna, chocolate coins… and the we did the pinata and finally cake and ice cream cake. (my famous sandcastle cake!)
This party required the most planning, but it also only cost $100 (including cakes and pizza). Not bad. Then the girls and I went blueberry picking and we had pancakes and blueberry sauce for dinner! YUM!
This was a great weekend and we finished up with an ice cream party yesterday at work. Soleil was born on the 3rd anniversary of the launch of our telescope. We have an ice cream party every year for the launch date and Soleil was excited to announce that it was HER BIRTHDAY! It was very very funny.
Protected: A visit to the state… July 12, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Depression, In A Family Way , Enter your password to view commentsLunar Discoveries July 7, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Kids, In A Family Way , 2 commentsI am in North Carolina, on the edge of the Smokey Mountains. We are visiting my parents in their "rustic" mountain home ( apparently, in North Carolina, rustic means "the contractor can skimp on straight pieces of wood and say But it is rustic!")
This is a Luna and Mommy trip. I did this trip with Soleil when she was 3. It went a bit differently. Mostly because Luna is a daddy girl and Soleil is a mommy girl. A 5 am flight (yes, we left our house a 3:30) and away we went.
I am starting to discover more about my little girl once I get her away from her sister. She is very expressive. We found a lollipop at Cracker Barrel yesterday (side note: do the people in the south eat anywhere else?) and she took a deep breath and said "Oh this is a wonderful lollipop!" She has had a few moments where she needs Daddy. She has asked to fly home to daddy a few times, but right now she is making Monkey bread with Grandma and having a ball.
We watched Poppa feed the local cows some carrots. She was beyond amazed. Today, we are going to take her to the Smokeys. I can’t wait.
I can’t describe all of the little nuances I am discovering about Luna, but despite the separation she is making huge strides in finding herself as a person instead of just being Soleil’s little sister.
