I'll Take You To The Polo Lounge

Another sleepy day for me, even though I slept a long time. That's so annoying.

I was thinking I should do short posts throughout the day rather than one long one each night, since so many cute little things happen that I forget to post about. Plus I don't know whether the long ones bore y'all. I should paste a poll in here... okay, let me go work one up.

By the way, Cody - Kathie Lee Gifford's son - is 18!!!! Does that shock anyone else?!!

Back to the poll.

Okay. So thanks for voting on that. (Google & Bloglines readers, there is a poll embedded there.)

So, oh yeah, I totally overslept this morning. It's that new phone! I really must read the manual. I thought I was hitting the snooze button for that crucial five more minutes, but really I must have turned the damned thing off, because next thing I know, I'm wide awake and there are six minutes to go before Jack has to get on the bus. I flew down the stairs, bare-ass naked (yeah, I do, don't you? It's Rob's habit, I adopted it), commanded him to throw his shoes on, and threw some things in his lunch box. His bus came while he was still getting his shoes on, and I opened the door while hiding behind it, stuck out my "one moment" finger, and shut it again. I grabbed the shoes and chucked them on his feet, then threw him out the door, peeking through the peephole to make sure he got on all right.

They must think I'm absolutely nuts.

They'd be right.

So again, all I wanted to do was go lie down, but Sophia was knocking about in her room. I sent her sister up to get her and gave the girls some Cheerios Crunch or whatever they're called, and some juice, and fed and watered the dog, and gave the cat a pouch of food, and did this, that and the other around the kitchen. You know, the little things you're always doing.

After they ate, and the email was checked, the girls and I tried to do some origami. We worked on it for quite a while, folding this way and that, before they both got frustrated and decided to color on the papers instead. Hey, whatever works, it's your art - express yourself.

Then I really did need a few quick winks. Sophia was watching Noggin in the bouncy seat right in front of me, and I told Chloë to wake me up in half an hour, giving her the time to watch for. And she did just as she was told, but I fell right back to sleep for almost another half-hour. Oops. Someone was coming in five minutes, and I had meant to grab a quick shower. I'd rather be soaking wet out of a shower than looking like yesterday's garbage when someone new comes a-callin'.

But I did not have time. She was due at 1300. 1300 came and went. At quarter after, I called her on the number she'd called me from and woke me up at this morning, when I was absolutely certain we'd decided on one o'clock, and there was no answer. Just a ring. Okay, but I know she has a tiny baby, and I remember the days when I had my first tiny baby and how difficult it was to get out of the house on time. So I waited. And waited. At 1400, I sat back down on the couch to rest with Soapy for another half-hour until Jack was due home.

Samantha finally arrived at 1415. Dudes, I don't care if you have six tiny babies, you call and let the person know you are running over an hour late. It's the only polite thing to do. I mean, what if I had left?

But she was very nice, and her son, Andy, was just as adorable as can be. He was fresh out of a good long stay in the NICU, and she was a new knitter I happened to 'bump into' on Freecycle, looking for yarn to knit for NICU babies. Well, I contacted her and told her she could come use all the yarn she wanted, IF she would use it to knit for CARE Package. She agreed! 

So I looked through her photo album from Andy's NICU stay, and he was all tubed up and looked so very much like Robby. At 10 days old, they were making final arrangements for him, but the boy miraculously managed to pull through. Yay. So she understands what we're all about, and the need...

Oh, that reminds me of another thing I was going to post: I seem to be the only dork who actually calls CARE Package "CARE Package"; everyone else simply calls it "CARE." Should I just "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and call it CARE too, already? What do you call it?

This month is the fourth anniversary of CARE Package, by the way. I should probably do something celebratory, but nah - we'll do have to do something next year!

Samantha. After showing me her album, I showed her my yarn, and her eyes just lit up! I don't have the biggest or the best stash in the world, certainly, but I have a nice little thing going from all the lovely donations we've received. And I have a huge bin full of lovely, fine baby acrylics that I just don't know if I'm going to be able to use, the way this current yarn is treating me. So I introduced her to that bin, and she pointed out colors and talked about this blanket and that blanket and this blanket, and I was pulling out skeins as she spoke. I must have given her at least a dozen skeins of yarn, and she will probably make four-six little blankies for me. Which is great, because I have a definite shortage of blankets right now.  We're both very excited about this venture together, and I'm really glad to put the yarns to good use.

We shall see. At least I have her number and email address; I've had people come take yarns from me before and never come back again! Fingers crossed that that won't happen this time.

Jack came home shortly after she left, and they were all ravenous for lunch. I made one pouch of Easy Mac for them (Chloë's request), not knowing how much they would all eat. Well, they downed that one right quick, so I made a second and doled it out. Then I made a package of chocolate pudding and put that in the fridge, and they requested yet a third bowl of Easy Mac each! And then they ate a whole bunch of pudding, which is great, because that's tons of milk.  Who cares, except me, who loves it when her kids actually eat a good meal?

Then I sent them up for quiet time. Chloë started boohooing and telling me that she didn't want a nap, and I told her to go take some books upstairs and just read like she can any other time. Jack and Sophie went right up and fell asleep, and I don't know about Chlo, but she never came downstairs again until after 9 PM!

Is there anything better than a kitty sleeping in the sunshine?

I called my sister and chatted her with a minute before my phone died (oh yeah, you need to charge those things, too), and then I really did need a for-real nap. I slept for, like, four hours! Rob came home somewhere in there and told me he was going to buy the Landcruiser he'd just test driven. Right now, it's in good condition; wait 'til he gets a hold of it...

Eventually, I heard Jack crying, and Rob went up to get him, and I woke up, and Sophia woke up, and Chloë didn't... and that's boring. We had dinner, and then I sat down to watch American Idol and do some knitting while the kids played. 

Sophia wanted to do some coloring, which for her means a little scribbling, a little poking holes in the paper - but she's proud of it!

Finally, at nine, Chloë came down while I was checking email, and flew into my arms, crying.

Apparently, her hurt, her stomach hurt, her throat hurt... so I held her and tried to determine whether she was going to puke. She didn't think so, so we moved to the couch so I could hold her. She got up and went to Daddy's couch, and luckily, he brought a garbage can down for her, because she started hurling her poor little guts out. She is such a puker!

Rob went to put the little ones to bed, and I just held my sick baby and prayed for her and rubbed her back and comforted her.  Then Rob came down and held her until she fell asleep on the office couch.

We put in the movie Broken English, with Parker Posey (love her!), while I finished up knitting the front left half of my sweater. Rob fell asleep, Chloë woke up and came to cuddle with me, and the movie was good. I enjoyed it.

I gave Chlo something to eat and tried to figure out how she was hurting earlier. I'm thinking either it's reflux (the sore throat and burning in her tummy) or migraines (which both Rob and I had as kids, and maybe the headaches make her nauseous), and after this hysterectomy crap is over, especially if it happens again, I believe I will bring her to the doctor to check it out.

She seemed better, though, as always after she pukes. She went happily skipping off to bed - my bed, because she knows she can get away with that after being sick. Rob never came back down again, which I hate, because I miss his company.

Well, I've got nothing else. Y'all have been quiet lately. If you're out there, reading this, say hello or something! I'd love to hear from you.

Fin.