Oh Me, Oh Life...

Um, yeah...

Today began with discovering a singing Henry in his crib covered in diarrhea. OK, maybe not covered - just up to his armpits and down to his knees, soaked through his pajamas, all over two blankets, the sheet, the mattress pad and on the corner of his pillow. Lovely. I am truly nonplussed (LOVE that word) - he has had no appetite for three days, only drinks, I thought it was the heat, but it's got to be more, except, as I said, he was singing his little good morning babble song and giggled when I put him in the shower and hosed him off, and he hasn't had a fever.

I changed my clothes (the crib-to-shower transfer was not a clean one), put the bedding in the wash, and fed the boys pancakes. Henry ate two, and half a yogurt, so I thought he was back to his normal, colon-cleared, bottomless pit self.

We met Auntie S and her little girls to see "Cars" at the theatre to get out of the hot overcast of DC summer. Calvin has been dying to see it. It's an adorable movie and I enjoyed it even though Henry barfed down my arm halfway through. Movie theatres really need more absorbent napkins. It wasn't smelly, thankfully, and he just laid down on my other shoulder and went to sleep. Cal sat still and loved the movie and only had to go pee once during the show.

Anyone else gotten poop and barf on them all in one day? Nay - all in one four hour period of time? Wanna join my club? Bring the pedialyte over and you're in.

*****

Other happenings:

I asked Cal if he'd like to get a DVD player for the plane so he could wear headphones and watch a movie on his lap. He looked at me like I had asked if he wanted Henry to barf on his arm. "Nooo," he said, bemused (another beloved word). I explained that the plane ride would be long and there wasn't anywhere to run on the plane, and he needed to have quiet things to do in his own seat so we don't disturb others, and wouldn't watching movies be a good idea? "No," he said again, firmly. "Well, what would you like to do the whole time we're on the plane?" His answer? "Um, I just want to play 'I Spy.'" Funny and sad all at once, huh?

We went out the Leesburg Outlet Mall yesterday to see what kind of sales were to be had - taking care of the "nothing to wear" problem. I found a super cute $28 shirt on sale for $12 at the Gap to go perfectly with a skirt I've had for a while but had nothing to go with. Brought it home (about a 1/2 hour drive) and the clerk had forgotten to take the security sensor off!!! GRRRR. Do I have time to drive all the way back there? Do I want to? No. I'm done shopping.

I went to the Gap store near me and they don't use the same kind of sensors. They sent me to the nearby Express store, and they don't use those kind of sensors, either. They sent me to the Banana Republic store nearby and they use those kind of sensors but before I could explain myself, the clerk looked at the Gap bag and said, "Uh, This. Is NOT Gap." Give me a break. Like you're not the same company or something, like I can't read or don't know where I really am, and like it was this major faux pas to step foot into Banana Republic when I am just a lowly Gap shopper. Can you imagine if I would have pulled out a WalMart sack? But she did remove the security sensor, so I didn't have to drive all the way back to the Outlet for it, so I will forgive her her store clerk snootiness.

When I got home and tried the shirt on with the skirt, Cal said, "Hey, Mom! Nice shirt. It looks...fabuwus." Thanks, Cal. Can always depend on him for appreciation. Good job trying out a new word, too.

I have succeeded in saying no to a few things lately that would likely have sent me over the edge of Stress Ledge, and it feels good. Sometimes it's really OK to lessen the demands on my time and energy and just take things a little slower and methodically. Not that my life is a total ratrace, but sometimes things just have to give, and I have let them in the past couple days. Also, a friend brought us dinner on Thursday (she said her med student husband would be on an out-of-town rotation for two months later in the year, so I could return the favor then), another invited us over last night, and my laundry is caught up. I'm kinda almost on top of things...

But then there's thoughts like this that make my blood run cold (I exaggerate, but it is a worry...): What if Cal needs to go potty on the airplane? There's not enough room for one of us in those toilets (I personally have been known to avoid them and just wait until my final destination for a toilet with elbow room), but two of us? Cal will need my help - the toilets are too icky and he's too curious to go alone. But do I leave Henry back in the seat, or haul him along?

Who but a mother has to grapple with these kind of logistics?

And how would you answer this question that Cal just posed, as he came running in with a produce bag from the fridge: "Mom, do you want celery like I want celery? Do you?" Where does he get this stuff?