Sam "spells"

New trick ; )  It's cute, but he has no idea what he's saying

Thanksgiving

                    Family picture before Sam escaped to eat crackers.

                    Every beautifully set dinner table needs a train or two.

Thanksgiving Thoughts- Thich Nhat Hanh

This food is the gift of the whole universe—the earth, the sky, and much hard work.

May we eat it in mindfulness, so as to be worthy to receive it.

May we transform our unskillful states of mind, especially our greed.

May we accept this food so that we may realize the path of understanding and love.

View from the Pool

Ahh, sunshine.  Back to the New England chill.  Need to plan a warm vacation again soon!  Sam loved looking at the boats going by, the Florida version of large trucks ; )

Joys of Travel

We had a pretty successful trip to visit Chris's family in Fort Myers, but so many moments of traveling with a toddler that just made me, in the words of a former co-worker, take, "deep yoga breathes," to maintain my sanity.
I think my all time favorite was having to put Sam's bottle into an airport security machine that tests for explosives.  I mean, I get it.  I know the age that we are living in, and the measures that are in place for our security and safety, but in the moment, I just had to laugh.  I probably did look like a crazy person, possibly an unsafe one, standing in front of the machine.
We got to security, juggling the baby, shoes, carry-ons, and pulling out the zip-lock baggies of things like extra milk (everything else got checked).  Meanwhile, we had to say, "bye-bye" to every item that we put onto the conveyer belt and assure Sam that it was okay to put things on it and that we would get them back.  At the same time, an overzealous security guard was barking orders at my husband about his laptop, belt, arrangement of items, and everything else.

"Butterfly the case.  NO!  Open it, open the case, secure the laptop in it, and butterfly it.  Take the laptop out.  Now put it back.  In the case.  Butterfly it.  Open the case.  Put the laptop in, secure it.  NO!  Unzip the case."  This was from the other side of the metal detector which meant the guard was essentially yelling, which Sam took as Chris getting in trouble.

So Sam's bottle has disappeared through the X-ray machine, the man is yelling, Sam is trying to jump out of my arms to run after his bottle, and I am trying to take my scarf off ("TOO Bulky!!!"), while holding/restraining Samm.
Finally Sam and I are allowed through the machine, Chris is sent back for more instructions, and as I start to breath normally, the bottle is confiscated.
Now Sam is starting to wail, since Daddy is back there, I am out here and the bottle is walking away with a stranger.  I also can't collect the items we have put through because I have to follow the bottle.
I'm barefoot, trying to watch my purse (still in the X-ray machine), hold the squirming baby, and seeing if Chris will ever make it through, when the (luckily) nice (female) security guard places Sam's bottle in this space age machine and presses a button.
Sam is whimpering and starting to cry more loudly (and we're now on day 4 of the croup, so crying is not helpful).
"Ohhh.... microwave bottle," I feebly tried to reassure Sam.
"NO MIC-RO-(W)AVE!!!"  Sam yelled.
I prayed this would be a quick process.  We watched the machine blink and blink and then a button lit up red and said something helpful like, "seek attention."  Crap.
"NO MICRO-AVE.  BOTTLE!!!!"
The security guard and I looked at the bottle in the machine which was now requiring higher powers.
She called over her supervisor.
"Umm, it's soy milk?" I helpfully offered.
"BOTTLE!!! MAMA, DADA!  DADA..." (clearly I was not effective enough for Sam in this situation).
They took the bottle out and reset the machine. They ran it again.  Visions of confiscated bottles flooded my mind (pouring out alcohol down drains when I was underage & caught.)
"He can drink it in front of you?" I asked.  The machine beeped and Sam yelled more loudly.
"BOTTLE!"
Finally Chris escaped as I was handed back the bottle, which apparently was no longer radioactive/explosive.  And we put ourselves back together, collected our belongings and headed on our way.  This was at 6:30 am on the way down.

Airport

                            Sam could have stayed here for hours.

"Cracker Broke"

Sam was eating a cracker the other day and figured out that he could snap it into pieces.
"Mama cut!  Crack-a cut!"  surveying the cracker he changed his mind, "oh, bwoke.  Cwack-a bwoke."
He thought about it for a minute and held it out again.
"Tape?"

Fall at the Zoo

Offices, Pharmacies, and Too Much Medication

Sam's been a trooper through all this illness, down to me losing my patience over silly stuff that wouldn't normally bother me ("mama said, "NO pouring your bottle on the couch!!!  SAM, NO!!!") and getting dragged from appointment to appointment and various pharmacies.  I usually try to leave him with Chris or my parents when I go to the doctor's, so that not only he is not exposed to random germs, but I can also actually carry on a conversation with the doctor.
His last appointment to check on his ears, ended with Sam screaming, "Bye-bye, bye-BYE, BYE-BYE.  Buses, outside BUSES!" as I tried to get the final directions from the tolerant doc.  (His reward for going to the doctor is to see the buses in Davis Square afterwards and the statues on the bike path).  When I look back at photos from Halloween and see how pale and sick he was, I'm just glad he's feeling better.
Today he entertained the masses as the useless pharmacist searched fruitlessly for a prescription that had been faxed in, which she just couldn't locate.  Sam waved over my shoulder at the line forming behind me, "hi people!"  he called, "Mama, people!  HI people!"  I didn't dare turn around because I was afraid of how many "people" were the line now.
Then he got down and did his new walk, a giant side step from side to side, which luckily the "people" were amused by.  Thank God he wasn't screaming Sam, but cute entertainer guy.
We then got to drive two towns over to my doctor, where he entertained the waiting room, while I double-checked that the prescription had been sent (it had), but they don't answer phones on Saturday, so I had to go there to find out.
We have been really trying to keep him in a routine and get out and about with him (even if it's playing with keys at Daddy's office), despite everyone feeling crappy.  With my super-duper doses of antibiotics (4 pills together on day 1?), hopefully I will feel better soon.
Since we didn't track down the medication till this afternoon, I didn't get to take my horse-size dose until around dinner time.  Chris went to the Bruins game, and I plodded through the nighttime routine in a medicated haze, feeling slightly dizzy and hoping Sam would be in his crib before I potentially passed out.  I finally got a very hyper, very tolerant little guy down to bed.  He won't know what to do when everyone is back on their feet!
Times like this make me think of how lucky we really are.  At the hospital getting a lung x-ray yesterday, I saw so many little tikes getting carried into the ER by their parents, and a little girl who was a patient there.  I think of a colleague, Danielle, who passed away last year from cancer, how I imagine that she lived with the pain day-to-day while she worked until months before her death.  I think of families who have lost their dads or moms, watched them suffer.  This is all a minor inconvenience to us, and it is taxing enough.  Finding the strength to get through a long-term or terminal illness is just something I can't imagine contending with.  Hoping for healthy days ahead for everyone.

Supporting Teachers

Supporting Mama and the Watertown teachers.  We haven't had a contract since the month Sam was born, he's 19 months old now!  This was taken back in October.  There was a protest outside the School Committee meeting after they failed to honor a contract they had agreed to in a mediation meeting.  We've been on Work-to-Rule since last spring, which makes any extracurricular activities and help pretty hard to do.  Sam thought the protest was pretty cool for a while, except he was confused when people clapped for  speakers, I think he was expecting music (or maybe a giant truck to appear?).  Hopefully there will be an end to all of this soon, but it's not looking promising.

Getting There

     Sam & Chris napping (Sam is down by his waist) ; )

We're slowly recovering from this crazy week(s) of illness.  It makes me so thankful that we usually are healthy and intact (other than occasional broken bones).  People who deal with long term health issues amaze and inspire me.
It's going to be a long day tomorrow for all of us.  Sam seems to be the healthiest of all of us, and he's still not a hundred percent.  He went to daycare for two hours on Friday just to keep him in the routine a little bit and so that I could have a break and rest.  He's eating again and running around.  His dump truck has been "zooming" a lot, always a good sign.
"ZOOMMMM!" little running feet, "Oh!  Crash!  Bang!  MESS!!!" and then he fetches the dustpan and brush which doesn't really help.
 Chris was diagnosed with walking pneumonia also and a sinus infection, so we have been alternately attempting to nap, care for Sam, as he runs his business.  GrandJoe and Auntie Tess have both given us breaks and Fifi offered to come and stay for a couple of days.
It will be nice to be back at work in some ways.  I feel like I haven't seen the children in forever and that I don't have that much instructional time with them in the month of November either.  I think Annie, the cat, will the happiest to see us all out of the house tomorrow.  Sam has developed a jealously over her as well as loving her too much at the same time.  The few times he has been out of the house this week, I swear she has looked at me with relief.  He has a few scratches that are the result of his full body "guggles" (snuggles) with her and his attempts to share everything, from his food, his crayons, and then when he tried to paint her the other day.  At the same time, he won't tolerate her playing with his toys (he immediately puts them away- I think it's a result of daycare) or let her sit on our laps.
Hoping for health as the weather gets colder!

Everyone's Sick

Another bout where the entire family is sick, and those who aren't are staying away with good reason.
I failed to take Sam to the doctor, since he never manifested a fever, and I figured he could articulate (or at least scream) if something really hurt.
After waiting way too long, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with walking pneumonia, then GrandJoe took Sam in, only to find out that he had an ear infection "in addition to his upper respiratory infection."  To be fair, I had been on the phone with them earlier in the week and they told me not to bring him in without a fever, to treat him "symptomatically."  Chris scheduled to go to the doctor tomorrow morning.
So now we are attempting to rest.  Ha.  An 18 month rests the first day, and sporadically after that.  And Mama gets to chase him around and encourage quiet activities that don't involve "zooming,"  as well as battle out taking medicine.
He has been very good all things considered and as yucky as he feels.  Of course, after not saying a thing about not feeling good, other than "boogs" when he had snot running down his face, he told me last night after the doctor, "Mama, mouth hurt (I'm assuming throat).  Ear hurt."  Awesome.  Helpful information a few hours or days ago.
Hopefully this will all be over soon, going on four days of missed work and emailing choppy sub plans.