Uh oh. Slight weight reduction

Apparently Wren's pediatrician made a mistake on his weight percentile. He is actually 50th percentile for age 3. They had forgotten to enter in his last weight so put the current weight in the wrong age column. He's still doing great being utterly average.

We walked to the coffee shop with Laurie for lunch and I am now readying myself for grouting the window box. I am starting to feel I must get everything possible done with Bill and Judy still here. They are wonderfully handy in everything. There is nothing that has not been done or heard of.

Tonight we are going to Tara and Fred's for "Family Game Night" & pizza. Wren and Frost are excited. I think we will take along pictionary and not one of the more arcane favorites. Frost and I are really enjoying Smallworld which I gave Josh for Christmas.

I have also talked to Laurie about coming for Sunday Roast in February. Perhaps Itea and Courtney could come too - although that would necessitate a rather larger meat alternative.

3 Year Well-Child checkup

Wren had his annual visit to the pediatrician this morning. It was all good news.

In all things not cardiological he is a normal 3 year old.

Weight: 33.5lbs 70th percentile!!!!

Height: 38.5" 75th percentile.

Head: 85th percentile

He has normal eyesight and vision, liver is not enlarged, meets or surpasses all milestones and is a happy chappy.

I was encouraged to Make Friends with some other 3 Year Olds so he has his own friends and not just Frost's. This arose after Wren told Dr L that he liked to play Dungeons and Dragons with "my brother Frost and probably with my friend Alex."

She felt this was not typical play for a 3 year old but sounded fun.

After seeing the pediatrician he had two shots and was full of dread, pain and recrimination. When we returned to the car he asked tearfully whether the nurse had left "those prickles in my arm I think they are still there!"

I assured him they were not but when I lifted the bandaid to prove it he saw BLOOD so that was just as bad.

He is now having a late nap.

Nightus Interrupticus

We had an odd night last night. First, Josh had trouble putting Wren to sleep because of his "sore leg". He has been complaining of a sore leg for a few days. He has had Tylenol at bedtime for the past few nights to help with what we suspected were growing pains.

It was not growing pains but I am going to leave you in suspense for a moment.

At 2am Frost woke us saying he had a very sore tummy. He had been awake since 1am, tried to sleep on the couch, tried to walk around but it was still too sore.

I asked him where it was sore but he was ambiguous - showing various areas on his lower left side and flank. I gave him Tylenol and snuggled him in our bed for an hour but he was still unable to sleep (and so was I) so I got up to google side pain. Because I am neurotic I was thinking appendicitis, obstructed gut, arthritis in the hip etc.

DrSears.com suggested constipation or stiffness from vigorous exercise and recommended a warm bath. Due to the construction and tiling debris in the new bathroom a bath was not possible. I asked Frost whether he might need to poop.

"Oh, yes, I do actually."

At three am we clomped downstairs in the dark, no doubt interrupting Corinna who was sleeping in the basement. Then Frost spent a long time on the toilet complaining that it would not come out. I got the giggles thinking that this was a ridiculous experience and that I had not imagined parenting would look like this when I was single. I think I was in a sleep haze because I only went to bed at 11.30pm due to Nookitis.

Also, part of the reason Frost had this issue was our bathroom upstairs is unusable so he avoids going downstairs because it is time out from playing or reading Foxtrot comics. We are all going through bathroom-absence pathologies. Last night I actually peed in a bucket. I could not be bothered to walk downstairs [if you are not part of my audience able to cope with the idea of peeing in a bucket you can just pretend it didn't happen and is in there for dramatic effect.]

Frost felt better immediately after our basement excursion reached its goal and fell asleep in his bed.

I was unable to get back to sleep. My 15 stitches hurt and I drifted in and out of those strange dreams when you are conscious and 'awake' but the world is subtly altered - for example I had the most gorgeous bird sculpture made out of popsicle sticks hanging from my ceiling and twirling and twirling. Dreaming it turn was keeping me awake.

While lying half awake I realized Dr Sears was right about Wren too. His leg is sore because he has been scooting so much! It is only the leg that pushes the scooter!

Well done, Dr Sears.

The Scooter Movie (at last)

After failing to export the AVI file I have made a movie from the clips and exported via youtube. The boys and Josh are watching a new Simpsons episode while eating the mint infused vanilla icecream Joshua made over the holidays. It is his best icecream ever, by far. I am restraining myself from eating more by eating chips, instead.

The Christmas flowers have wilted and we have dismantled the Christmas Tree and chopped it up for yard waste collection. I always feel a bit sad putting away the decorations and taking down the tree. There is so much excitement and anticipation in the holidays that its sad to feel that we must labor through a year of life before we get to have the cold again. Also, even the slightly milder weather we've been having is reminding me that it will one day warm. I am not ready for sunlight and warmth AT ALL. I have been dreaming of storm watching on the coast and I need many more months on the couch with this Nook thing before summer. I guess I have some time left in the gloom :)

Magnuson Park - Scooters again

Yesterday Wren and I went scootering at Magnuson Park while Frost scooted to U-Village with Elias and Lauren. At Magnuson, they have opened a new area of wetland trails by the playing field construction and I was glad I remembered my binoculars because the area was full of tweeters with spotter scopes and camouflage gear. The object of their attention was a suspected garganey - a rare vagrant from Asia. There was much debate among viewers who thought they saw a band indicating it could be an escapee from a collection. Complicating the issue was the question of identification. Was it a garganey or a green-winged teal variant?

I include the discussion from the Tweeters List at the end (for those ornithologically leaning).

Meanwhile, Wren could not believe the quality of the newlaid bitumen trails. He thought they were paint. He kept getting off his scooter and kneeling down to touch the ground saying "it is paint?" He didn't believe me when I said it was not and kept saying "Its paint? Its PAINT!"to himself as he scootered along.

Scooters have brought a new vocabulary to our mouths. Wren says "I am a good scooterer." I am not sure that is a word but what is better? I am a scooter rider? I am a scootee? I scoot well? None sounds as precise as scooterer so I have entered it into popular parlance by responding "Yes, you are a great scooterer."

"Amazing." Says Wren as he scoots off into the distance.

We scooted all along the waterfront from the boat launch to the bathing area. I also saw a huge flock of greater scaup on the Lake with some bufflehead and common goldeneye mixed in. We have decided to keep a family bird list for the year. Our list yesterday while scootering was:

bald eagle

bufflehead

common goldeneye

merganser

greater scaup

golden crowned sparrow

american widgeon

garganey

american robin

american goldfinch

bushtits

Wren is back at preschool this week. Today he went in his pajamas. It is one week until cardiology clinic and I am starting to veer towards the maudlin with thoughts like:

"Poor Frost, to have a brother who is in such peril. If only he could have a normal healthy brother who would be with him his whole life." [note: Wren acts like a normal brother in all respects.]

"Maybe Wren has paler greyer poop due to liver damage which means his heart is in trouble."

We also have Wren's 3 year "well child" visit in the next week [checking] on THURSDAY and I have a mammogram this week too so we are into all things medical for a bit. I hope all are uneventful. Last year at my mammogram I was alarmed when the technician asked me if I gained weight. Apparently I needed "larger plates". I am now going for a run so as to ensure plate shrinkage this year. If my goal is reached they will be chasing me with little postage stamp plates a year from now!

On a more thrilling note, we had our first BATH in the new bathroom this weekend. It is unfinished but the cabinets have been delivered and the grouting and installation should proceed quickly this week. We all love our bath although I think we slightly overbought (in terms of size). Wren's head is barely visible over the bath rim when he sits upright in the bath and it easily fits myself, Frost and Wren in a shared bathe. I fear our water consumption will not trend in the right direction. Even Josh has been bathing!

Picture later. Run now.

----------------  TWEETER STUFF ON GARGANEY ---------------------------

Tweeters mailing list Tweeters AT u.washington.edu http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

Subject: garganey/teal at Magnuson Park
From: "Eugene and Nancy Hunn"
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2010 11:02:31 -0800

Tweets (long),     Brien Meilleur and I relocated the alleged Garganey (referred to as the "Garganey" hereafter) this morning about 9 AM in the big pond near the playing fields at Magnuson Park and are busy backtracking.     It was certainly the same bird we saw December 29 and that Brien saw on the 31st. It dove repeatedly, was very active, and kept to itself as before. The speculum was conspicuously visible at all times as the bird swam and on several occasions climbed out onto the bank. However, the upper speculum border was not pure white but showed some buffy white toward the body. The face pattern and bill size and color were as we had noted before, but there was a distinct, though quite restricted whitish border to the base of the tail on the outside edge, where on a Green-winged one would find a whitish patch, perhaps formed by the under tail coverts. The throat appeared pale, as is said to be a Garganey feature.     We then went looking for some Green-winged Teals for comparison and found three females on a pond to the east. On these three the speculum was never visible as they foraged, nor did they ever dive, as the "Garganey" did nearly constantly. The face patterns of these female Green-winged Teals lacked the dark shading below the pale bar beneath and behind the eye that is said to be characteristic of the female/eclipse male Garganey face pattern. -These female Green-wings also seemed to lack the pale throat. Two of the three female Green-wingeds showed much more conspicuous white patches at the base of the tail, though the third closely approximated the "Garganey." We also noted that the flank and rump feathers on the Green-winged females seemed much more coarsely patterned than on the "Garganey," and the back feathers showed rusty centers and pale rusty margins, while the "Garganey" seemed much plainer and grayer overall on the back and rump and more finely patterned on the flanks.     At this point we went back to have another look at the "Garganey." We first noted a male and female Green-winged Teal where the "Garganey" had been, but while studying them as they foraged on the far bank, the "Garganey" climbed up beside them and engaged the male Green-winged Teal in a beak wrestling match. During this agonistic encounter we could see the "Garganey's" belly well and it appeared to show a decided contrast between the white belly and the patterned breast, said to be a Garganey feature. The "Garganey" then swam off by itself and resumed diving, the speculum conspicuous as before.     So we are no longer certain about this bird being a Garganey but don't find that it fits Green-winged Teal all that well either. A hybrid is perhaps possible. Green-winged features on the "Garganey" include the buffy coloration on the upper border to the speculum and the pale base to the tail. The inner wing panel is not pale gray like a male Garganey but rather evenly dark gray like a female Garganey or Green-winged Teal, though the upper wing panel seemed pale gray on our first encounter. Garganey features include the face pattern (though it is less conspicuous than most) and pale throat, the conspicuous speculum visible at all times, the odd behavior, including constant diving and an aggressive encounter with the male Green-winged Teal, and details of the breast, flank, covert, and rump feathering and perhaps head and bill shape.      Go figure. I have some more photos which I will have a closer look at shortly but don't expect they will resolve the issue. An odd duck, to be sure. 

Pictures of Birdwatching and Christmas

I promised some pictures in my last post. Here they are!

Frost pursues the marsh Wren into a thicket. His feet are in the brambles and he is making a sucking lip cheeping sound "as a way to call the bird like Granny does." The bird does not emerge.

A little flock of golden crowned sparrows was so bold as to come right to our feet. We threw cookie crumbs for them but they thought we were attacking. Later, they returned and ate them. This is the one and only time I have managed a decent picture of a wild bird with my point and shoot camera.

Here the boys stalk the marsh Wren from the bullrushes into the long grass. "He is in there" said Frost. Wren was caught up in the urgency of the situation but crept along with a loud narrative which would have warned any bird to lie low.

I was so busy roasting the lamb that I forgot to take pictures on Christmas day. This photo was taken the day after - of a gift the kids were given by their aunt. It was a "cookie decorating kit" with a box of snickerdoodle cookies, a tub of candy and a tub of frosting. I told the kids they could eat "the candy on their cookie, not from the tub." Foolish me. That simply created an incentive for Frost to load his cookie up with an unchewable load. Here is the picture of what kids do with sugar if they are not restrained.

Finally, the only Christmas Day picture worth sharing is giving me problems. Its a movie of the boys just after they opened the scooters they were given by Granny. These are the best gifts of the season. We have done many rides around the block and to the coffee shop. Since this wobbly start, Wren has learned to scoot and steer and can now move under his own steam all the way to the coffee shop at adult walking speed or above. He has had a few spills but is more afraid of his hair getting stuck in his helmet (as happened today) than accidents.

Omens and Ornithology

We've been indoors too much over the holidays so today, despite blue skies which brought frozen ponds, I took the kids birding at Montlake Fill. The Fill is a famous and favorite site for local birders and has been described as "one of the best birding locations on the West Coast". For Christmas, Mum and I gave Frost a pair of binoculars thus ending, forever, the binocular wars of yore in which each child formed an enemy faction demanding control of the 'noculars and waving them about fruitlessly "I can't SEE ANYTHING" while the rare bird flew away.

Today, there was amity and joy as we saw the following birds.

I even saw a lifer - a marsh wren. It was a good bird (not as good as the crowned sparrows who rustled in the grass by my feet close enough for a passable shot with my point and shoot canon). Frost caught the bug and tried to track it in the grass, creeping along and making cheeping noises with his lips as we have seen Granny do.

I took the sighting of the marsh wren as a good omen. (Cardiology clinic on Jan 11th has me spooked and so I am reading omens in the clouds and blog posts).

"This means that Wren is going to be very healthy next year." I said.

"Or it means that Wren is going to fall in a marsh" said Frost, cutting to the quick of the difficulty with interpreting omens.

I think I am right although I was careful to guard Wren on the banks of Lake Washington after that even though he was excited to get a clam that he saw "innawater".

Other excitements were:

• A bald eagle hunting for ducks over the Lake;
• A red-tailed hawk which flew overhead and landed on a tree right next to us [that means I will look passionate in pants next year];
• The ponds all frozen over (so the kids could smash the ice with stones and dance them over the surface through the reeds);
• A jet making contrails in the high blue.

Here is our bird list:

1. Belted kingfisher
2. Golden crowned sparrow
3. Song sparrow
4. Bald eagle
5. Bufflehead
6. Coot
7. Marsh wren
8. Gadwall
9. American widgeon
10. Hooded merganser (eating a fish)
11. Cormorant (catching and swallowing a fish)
12. Red winged blackbird
13. Red-tailed hawk
14. Crow

Heepy Burfday to Moi

Its ironic that the thing many mothers want from their beloved families is for them to go away for just one hour. Its a very loving thought. We all know we would be more present, prepared and peaceful if we had a little time out and, try as you might, its hard to find someone (other than the stray grandparent) to take the kids OUT without you. We also know we would have a lot of fun in a house suddenly quiet enough to hear a fire crackle, to play classical music, to boil a kettle and make a cuppa while the water is still hot.

My beloveds have gone out to buy me a cake. Its blissful and I will love them more when they return.

Of course, its also ironic that I spend the time while they are out doing mundane tasks like cleaning the living room, rotating the laundry......

[ASIDE: While we are redesigning the bathroom environs, should we move the washer and dryer up from the basement? Its an option. How much is it worth to NOT carry loads of washing up and down the stairs? I am having trouble answering and I am not sure whether its my frugality, my concern for the various other uses of the large closet they could go in or just a self-deprecating sense that I am lazy to consider it. Do I need that exercise? [yes] Is it fun? [No] Is it likely to get worse as the kids get bigger and their clothes are smellier and heavier? [yes] Are they going to help more [slightly]. Would it be cool to have more storage upstairs for books/art/cleaning stuff/ games? [Yes] What would you do?]

and writing this blog.

Still, housework done alone to the crackle of the fire is strangely satisfying.

I have had a good birthday so far. We had a lovely walk to Vios for breakfast (Josh commented that if it were not my birthday we would be driving) and I slept in until 7am even though Wren was up from 5.30am. Josh looks okay but may fall asleep during Avatar 3-D this afternoon.

I am going to stop typing now. I can hear the keys clacking and that's a sign I could use the peace elsewhere.

Remembering many, remembering one

I always enjoy the day after Christmas. You don't have anything scheduled and you can subsist on leftovers. The kids play happily with the new toys and you can spend the whole day in your pajamas with very little chance anyone will come by and if they do they are likely to be people you feel like seeing in your pajamas anyway. Frost and Wren played well today and we took the scooters for a ride to the park (even though it required dressing.) I made Pho for dinner from leftover lamb roast and Frost went out for half the day with Alex.

Still, today is clouded with a bit of melancholy for me. Perhaps because I lived in Indonesia, grew up by the sea and respect it, I felt personally very moved and horrified by the 2004 tsunami. All my life I have had nightmares about big waves which approach from distant horizons while I am trapped against a sandbar, wall or eroded beach and cannot escape. As the news came out those 5 years ago I felt a real sense of the horror and watched for news of the areas affected.

Recently I've been using Youtube to rewatch those early videos taken by survivors and remembering the unimaginable force of the sea which simply rose up by 20 feet and came inland before sucking out again. I also saw a special featuring survivors. Many of them remain traumatized by their experiences and the loss of children, partners and others close to them.

Also, this morning I woke and checked Jack's blog. Jack is a boy who is almost a year older than Wren and also has Shone's Syndrome. You parents of heart kids will know the feeling of commonality with families whose children have a similar diagnosis. Jack and his family have been in Boston for 6 months during Jacks very difficult recovery from a bi-ventricular repair. He had been on the fontan route until his left ventricle and mitral valve were considered worth saving. Unfortunately, he had a series of complications which led to rounds of infection.

This morning I opened his blog to find he had died. It is very sad. My heart goes out to the family.

I know that life is mixed with joy and suffering and you can find both wherever you look carefully. Still, these many and this one are those I feel for at the moment.

HAPPY Christmas

The family have left and now the kids are roaming around trying to figure out how their various presents work. I fell asleep on the couch with a chicken puppet on my hand while Wren spoke to the chicken. Somewhere in the distance Frost said something about desert and then they went away.

Holidays are lovely but damn, they are hard work. There's all that wrapping, anticipation, planning, cooking, sharing, rushing around, eating, eating and you forget to take a picture. Then there's the crumbling and squashing of packaging to try and get it in the bin.

I feel very lucky.

The table looked fabulous, it really did. We made our own centerpiece from greens and holly in the neighborhood. The leg of lamb was slightly underdone despite people arriving for dinner later than expected. I wish I had a picture.

Joshua has offered to photoshop a pretend one for me.

All day Frost has nagged me about saying "Happy" Christmas instead of "Merry Christmas". I told him its what we do in South Africa. He is not sure, yet. I made Christmas pudding, brandy butter and we lit the pud. It felt good to share traditions from my own Christmas's past and to have Frost explain them to everyone. There was some concern about the quarters in the pudding. Couldn't we choke?

All have survived and we look forward to catching up again soon and to exploring all our presents. I missed my nap ;) Wren did too. Its early to bed.

Frost tells me "chicken likes chewing on evil pirates" so I better go since Wren is upset.