An unexpected trip

As a parent I have come to expect the unexpected. Still, I was not prepared to deal with anything like this past nine days. About a month ago Cordelia started throwing up every night in bed. When this started her and I were just getting over a nasty cold so we didn't think much of it. When it just wouldn't go away I took her to the walk-in clinic. We got some medicine, but that didn't help. I tried to get her an appointment to her pediatrician, but he was on vacation. So again, we went to the walk-in. This time we got some antibiotics and for a week she didn't throw up once. Then the throwing up started again and more frequently. We waited until her one year appointment that was scheduled later in the week. The doctor was concerned about her weight and what he heard when he listened to her chest. We spent three hours at the clinic that day doing a sweat test for cystic fibrosis, an x-ray and a second visit with the doctor. The clinic was also super busy that day because there was no school and kids kept coming in for flu shots. After all the tests were in, the doctor said he knew what the problem was as we walked back into a room to see the x-ray. That walk seemed to take forever as all the terrible thoughts of what could be wrong with my girl filled my brain. We now know that Cordelia had a diaphragmic hernia and we would have to go to Minneapolis soon for surgery. A half hour after I got home, the doctor called to say he talked to someone in Minneapolis and they wanted us there the next day. What followed was a mad dash to get ourselves ready for our very unplanned trip. There are so many stories to share about this so it will dominate the blog for awhile. The computers available at the hospital did not allow blog access so I couldn't do any blogging while there. So I have a lot of catching up to do.

Crafty

I try not to buy anything Martha Stewart related (she must be stopped!), but I just can't help myself sometimes. Especially around the holidays. The other day I picked up a special holiday magazine of her's. There is so many good ideas in there and I want to do some handmade Christmas gifts so I had to buy it. I've been feeling crafty so I started on one project. It's an ornament, but I think I'm going to tie them onto presents. It's a piece of wire with beads strung on, then bent to make a star or a letter. So I made a star last night and after much bending, had the star exactly how I wanted it. Of course mine didn't look perfect like Miss Martha's, but it was still nice. Forward to this evening, when Fred asked Torii to show me what happened to my star. I made the mistake of leaving it on the computer printer last night and the boys found it. Now it was just a long bumpy line. When I asked what happened Rion said, "I thought it was one of those bendy toys."

You look familar

Yesterday, my mom and I took Torii out, while big brother was with Grandpa. Our first stop was at McDonalds and of course we had to go to the one with the play area. As we were eating, a girl from school walked by and said, "Hi Fred." And so it begins. People will get the boys mixed up just like they did with my sisters and I. Being the oldest, I don't think I got it as much as Kelly. And having gone through schools before her, I think she was probably compared to me more often than the other way around. Now I will probably hear those same complaints from Torii in the future.

People in the neighborhood

The other day when we came home from school the boys noticed our neighbor and their dog was outside. Of course, they had to go over and say hi. It didn't take long before Rion asked for a snack. I told him it wasn't very nice to ask that and he said "sorry.... please?" Well, that wasn't what I meant. Our neighbor said it was fine and of course they could have a snack. She loves to treat the boys.

Pop culture references

This cartoon was from a Reader's Digest. I've had it taped to the computer desk for awhile, but just got around to scanning.
I've also heard some other funny references on TV lately. The first comes from Spaceballs the Animated Series. After Scroob tells Lonestar his plan he says, "so what are you going to do about it?" Lonestar replies- "I'm going to blog about it! Then my family and friends and God willing 12 other people will read about it."

The second is from The Big Bang Theory. Not about blogging, but my other online addiction. The girl next door became addicted to an online game and is constantly bugging Sheldon with questions. Sheldon is so frustrated that she won't leave him alone. At one point he says, "I even changed my Facebook status to Sheldon can't get Penny to leave him alone."

Party!

Cordelia had a wonderful first birthday. She wasn't really sure about the cake. It took a little prodding before she started to dig into it. When she figured out how good it was, then she really got into it. By the time she was done she had a full beard of frosting. She got mad when I took the cake away and gave her a bath. I think there's still a couple of frosting marks on the tub from her trying to get out. Grandpa and Grandma also came by to watch the big event. After getting cleaned up, Cordelia opened presents. The boys were really good about trying to show her how to rip the paper off. She could have cared less so I let the boys do it for her. It was eating at Torii all day long. He knew what was in the presents from us and he couldn't wait to open them. He did rip one open while I was making dinner. Then he was so excited when the gifts were opened. Cordelia got new toys, but really so did the boys. Rion really liked the bowling game from Grandpa and Grandma. Of course, he invented new ways to use the pins. This morning the boys were eating breakfast when I noticed Cordelia standing up beside Torii and looking up at him. Both Rion and Torii had one of Cordelia's new toys and Cordelia had a look on her face like, "those are my toys." I tried to tell the boys those toys are for babies, but they still want to play with them.

Running into friends

Now that Rion is in school it's weird to see his social circle expanding. We keep running into his classmates while we are doing errands. It's just different to see him say "hi" to someone I don't know.

Another funny thing from school last week- as we were leaving, two girls from Rion's class saw him leaving. In unison they both said, "Hiiiiiii, Freeeeed." Oh great, the girls already like him.