This morning I checked my calendar to confirm plans for Wren's cardiology clinic this month. I thought it was on the 24th of January but I couldn't find it in the calendar.
It has been a whole year since the last checkup. At Wren's last appointment we saw that his gradient (measuring the level of constriction) at his aortic valve was relatively stable, or if worsening doing so at a rate that was statistically insignificant when measured at 4 month intervals.
"Lets see if we can go a year between appointments" said the cardiologist. "If you can handle that, it will give us a larger interval to measure any changes."
I said I could handle it because, with Wren being asymptomatic (as long as you don't listen with a stethoscope) its like having a totally healthy, gonna-live-forever, might-be-a-professional-soccer-player (not a golfer), can-go-on-a-roller-coaster kind of kid. Its only in the awful wait for the results of the echocardiogram - that 20 minute wait in a bleached exam room with nothing to do but worry, you can still smell the gel and you feel like hacking the hospital computer terminal so you can just surf the web for pictures of Hawaii - only in those minutes do you have a "child with a CHD."
After that appointment last January, I called the Heart Center Scheduler and they said that since it was a year out, the calendar was not yet open and to call back. I called back a month later and it was still not open, they said to call back.
But I forgot!
It turns out that Wren is due for his next cardiac clinic but he has no appointment! The Jan 24th Date I was looking at was from last year!
So, I called today and the earliest available is March. I have said that March is fine but asked them to check with the cardiologist to confirm that it will be okay to go 15 months between appointments.
Then I asked "So, if I totally forgot and never called again, would someone call me up and say "Hey, you have a kid with a heart defect who needs treatment?"
There was a pause.
Then [names changed] Susan who used to be Lance who used to be Jeremiah who used to be Sarah said "Well, we'd like to say "yes" but really, we have had cut-backs and there has been a lot of change-over and so, we might not be at that point yet."
So, really, heart parents. It is as we suspected - we are in charge however inadequate we may be!
I am mildly concerned but since Wren is asymptomatic (except on the inside) we hope to enjoy three extra months before the longest 20 minutes in the world in the sterile room. And I hope that the news then, is still good... or gooder.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Adventures in the land of the Snowy Owl
This afternoon I cajoled the kids into a small adventure up to the Skagit Wildlife area in search of Snowy Owls. Typically, snowy owls live in the arctic but have been seen locally as part of a rare irruption into the region. There was even one seen on the roof of the Ballard Library (I missed it).
We drove out at 2pm into light rain and arrived at Big Ditch Slough a bit after 3pm. We had already eaten most of the jelly beans and the fresh-baked thumbprint cookies. We played 20 Questions to pass the time and Frost was banned because he kept "thinking of" things that were tricky like "death", "Diamonds" and "a hand" and then giving us ambiguous answers to our questions.
Thinking of "A HAND"
Q: Is it edible?
A: I guess its edible. You wouldn't eat it but someone might eat it.
As Josh said later "What are you thinking? Of course hands are not edible!"
And Thinking of "DIAMONDS"
Q: Is it like a type of substance, like mineral? Is it like stainless steel, or a metal or some type like that?
A: No.
And then he did Gasoline
Q: Is it man made?
A: No, its natural. Well, its both man made and natural.
Or DEATH
Q: Is it man mad or natural?
A: Both.
Q: But if humans had never existed, would it still exist?
A: Yes.
Q: Its natural then. So, is it bigger than a minivan?
A: It has no form, no mass.
Q: Does it have energy?
A: No
Q: Is it an abstract concept?
A: No.
Q: Well, WTF! I give up. Its another of your odd ideas, isn't it? What is it?
A: Its DEATH.
Q: You're kidding. I told you SIMPLE. Like, nothing that is not in a book teaching kids to learn the alphabet. A = Apple. B = Bear!!! Frost, you are banned.
Later Josh said: "This is remedial 20 questions"
I complained that his Thought Burrito was not a mineral but a plant! He says the categories are Animal, vegetable and OTHER. I retort that animal = things of animal origin but Josh feels that includes only living walking animals. Vegetables are also only plants that look like plants. Once you cook them they are MINERALS.
I need my family to support my version of the game (which we call "Animal, Vegetable or Mineral" Josh, not Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and Other abstractions).
We didn't find an owl, although we wandered in the near sleet and found many bullet casings from duck hunters. The boys are fighting over who has more winchester 12 guage cartridges in their collection.
We did find trumpeter swans which were gorgeous but it was icy and there were high winds so it was hard to see through the water blown into the binoculars.
Later, we headed to another wetland access but again missed the owls. I took some lovely pictures of the half-light under the stormy skies of a 4pm dusk.
On the way home we encountered dangerous conditions - high winds, rain and burritos which would not unwrap. At one point our car windscreen was flooded and we could not see out at all for 3 seconds which has never occurred to me before.
Joshua said I did well to drive straight and brake but I would say that was instinct and you would do the same if someone threw a blanket over your windscreen when you were going 60mph.
We are now preparing for the return to school and work tomorrow and I have not given up on seeing a Snowy Owl.
 |
| NOT my picture: From MyBallard.com 12/29/2011 |
We drove out at 2pm into light rain and arrived at Big Ditch Slough a bit after 3pm. We had already eaten most of the jelly beans and the fresh-baked thumbprint cookies. We played 20 Questions to pass the time and Frost was banned because he kept "thinking of" things that were tricky like "death", "Diamonds" and "a hand" and then giving us ambiguous answers to our questions.
Thinking of "A HAND"
Q: Is it edible?
A: I guess its edible. You wouldn't eat it but someone might eat it.
As Josh said later "What are you thinking? Of course hands are not edible!"
And Thinking of "DIAMONDS"
Q: Is it like a type of substance, like mineral? Is it like stainless steel, or a metal or some type like that?
A: No.
And then he did Gasoline
Q: Is it man made?
A: No, its natural. Well, its both man made and natural.
Or DEATH
Q: Is it man mad or natural?
A: Both.
Q: But if humans had never existed, would it still exist?
A: Yes.
Q: Its natural then. So, is it bigger than a minivan?
A: It has no form, no mass.
Q: Does it have energy?
A: No
Q: Is it an abstract concept?
A: No.
Q: Well, WTF! I give up. Its another of your odd ideas, isn't it? What is it?
A: Its DEATH.
Q: You're kidding. I told you SIMPLE. Like, nothing that is not in a book teaching kids to learn the alphabet. A = Apple. B = Bear!!! Frost, you are banned.
Later Josh said: "This is remedial 20 questions"
I complained that his Thought Burrito was not a mineral but a plant! He says the categories are Animal, vegetable and OTHER. I retort that animal = things of animal origin but Josh feels that includes only living walking animals. Vegetables are also only plants that look like plants. Once you cook them they are MINERALS.
I need my family to support my version of the game (which we call "Animal, Vegetable or Mineral" Josh, not Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and Other abstractions).
We didn't find an owl, although we wandered in the near sleet and found many bullet casings from duck hunters. The boys are fighting over who has more winchester 12 guage cartridges in their collection.
We did find trumpeter swans which were gorgeous but it was icy and there were high winds so it was hard to see through the water blown into the binoculars.
 |
| Snow geese on Skagit fields below Fisher Slough (Stanwood area) |
Later, we headed to another wetland access but again missed the owls. I took some lovely pictures of the half-light under the stormy skies of a 4pm dusk.
On the way home we encountered dangerous conditions - high winds, rain and burritos which would not unwrap. At one point our car windscreen was flooded and we could not see out at all for 3 seconds which has never occurred to me before.
Joshua said I did well to drive straight and brake but I would say that was instinct and you would do the same if someone threw a blanket over your windscreen when you were going 60mph.
 |
| Stormy conditions on I5 |
We are now preparing for the return to school and work tomorrow and I have not given up on seeing a Snowy Owl.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
You are Not My Mother
Frost had two soccer games today and Wren and I took a walk outside at halftime. It was bitterly cold so I wrapped a shawl around my head. Wren was upset by this.
He said, "You look like a person from another land! You are not my mother! Take it OFF NOW!"
He was so disturbed that I decided that I shall wear headscarves more often, perhaps wear saris from time to time and flaunt a bit of Zulu finery. Clearly, my child has not been exposed to enough variety if The Other is defined by a headscarf.
I returned to soccer still wearing my rebellious headgear and saw Mark (who hails from India himself). "What's with the burka?" he asked.
Seriously, people. Apparently we need more headscarves around here! Woman of North Seattle, get thee a shawl and wear it! The worst case scenario is that you are mistaken for an immigrant, a Muslim or a Waldorf teacher.
* For those of you not in Seattle, the joke relates to a recent front page article in the Seattle Times which featured a woman in my neighborhood who has taken the Eat Local dictum to a new level by trapping and drowning squirrels to skin and cook in Le Creuset to feed to her upper-middle-class family. Meanwhile, Dad shoots the baby goats to fill the Energy Star deep freeze.
He said, "You look like a person from another land! You are not my mother! Take it OFF NOW!"
He was so disturbed that I decided that I shall wear headscarves more often, perhaps wear saris from time to time and flaunt a bit of Zulu finery. Clearly, my child has not been exposed to enough variety if The Other is defined by a headscarf.
I returned to soccer still wearing my rebellious headgear and saw Mark (who hails from India himself). "What's with the burka?" he asked.
Seriously, people. Apparently we need more headscarves around here! Woman of North Seattle, get thee a shawl and wear it! The worst case scenario is that you are mistaken for an immigrant, a Muslim or a Waldorf teacher.
 |
| Wren, this is not your mother. * |
 |
| This is your mother. |
* For those of you not in Seattle, the joke relates to a recent front page article in the Seattle Times which featured a woman in my neighborhood who has taken the Eat Local dictum to a new level by trapping and drowning squirrels to skin and cook in Le Creuset to feed to her upper-middle-class family. Meanwhile, Dad shoots the baby goats to fill the Energy Star deep freeze.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Happy Birthday Jesus and Me
Its almost time for the after-holiday blues. Wren's birthday is over, Christmas is over, my birthday is over and everyone knows that New Year doesn't really exist for people with kids (who can get a good babysitter on New Year's Eve and even if they could, who would want to go out and stay up late rather than sleep?) So really, for me, 2012 has begun and if I can say so - I have high hopes! It better be a good year. I am holding out for good weather, fewer wars, fewer calamities, good cardiology appointments, a pet that stops peeing on the carpet and health for my friends and family.
But first, the recap of Holiday 2011:
Christmas in Seattle was windy, so windy that the lighted reindeer ceased swaying his head with squeaky regularity and fell right over on the lawn. The holiday lights swayed mightily, so that verily, they pulled the 24 hour timer off the porch ceiling and left it hanging by a black cable. Remarkably, they kept shining in the spirit of fossil fuels and the human spirit and all things bright and festive.
There were the usual small obstacles and setbacks during Christmas presents. Toys were restrained with twist ties and hard plastic shells. The scissors became lost in the pile of wrapping. My attempt to write down Who gave us What failed somewhere after the 4th gift and the leg of Wren's new Adventure Time Finn figure broke off due to a manufacturing defect and over-eager handling (by Wren's mother).
Then there were the peculiar gifts. The necessary debate about the chocolate picture of a pirate ship with silver cannon balls. Was it a game or a picture? Should it be eaten or preserved (A. Eaten).
The electric hamsters were popular, especially the one that came with a scorpion tank which shot green missiles at Beezle.
Joshua complained he had too many gifts (because he bought himself some).
For the first time in his life, Frost wanted order to appreciate gifts and asked that we open "one at a time" but Wren rejected the notion and kept saying "is there one for me?" Whenever he received a gift he liked (and he liked almost all of them very much), he would ask "Who gave this to me" and then say "I LOVE you SO MUCH!"
Wren's favorite gifts were the Thundercats sword, some Squinkies while Frost diplomatically "liked a lot of things." If pressed, he admitted his favorite present overall was all of them.
Josh made gingerbeer for breakfast.
As with all good Grown-ups, Joshua bought the family the gift he wanted to receive. It was an Apple TV. Unfortunately, on Christmas Day the apple TV didn't work because it lacked an HDMI cable. Lame. It is now working. Joshua and I have decided to cancel our Comcast Cable and go to shows on demand and free-to-air TV. After years and years of cable we are going to have an antenna again!
On Christmas Day itself, the boys got up at 7.20am which was pretty okay. Josh woke up about the same time which meant I had to get up too.
Among the most contentious gifts was a jelly bean dispenser I bought at the Thrift Store and refilled from Costco. It dispenses Jelly Beans with the twist of a knob but the manual said you could set it to only dispense with a quarter (money). After a short but spirited debate with the boys who felt it was unfair to give them a gift and then make them spend money to use it, and a shorter sociological study in which I observed that unrestricted jelly-bean access lead to Jelly Beans before breakfast, for breakfast and after breakfast... etc Josh and I decided to set it to MONEY MODE. After half an hour of googling the coin mechanisms for gumball machines and trying to make the metal blade fit the metal cog Josh said:
"This thing is broken. They threw it out because it is b-r-o-k-e-n"
He worked on in for another half hour with pliers and told me it was fixed but it wasn't and then he said something impolite and went to play Minecraft or watch Soccer or something silent and intense that did not involve Jelly Beans.
I put the Jelly Bean machine on the top shelf in the pantry but this morning it had mysteriously returned to the kitchen counter.
This is all to show that you should really only give your family the presents that you want to live with, not the ones they want.
I shall try and do better next year but overall it was a very happy Christmas, everyone felt loved and appreciated, Joshua went back to sleep on the couch and we didn't kill any pigs or animals for our dinner.
A good holiday for a good start to 2012.
But first, the recap of Holiday 2011:
Christmas in Seattle was windy, so windy that the lighted reindeer ceased swaying his head with squeaky regularity and fell right over on the lawn. The holiday lights swayed mightily, so that verily, they pulled the 24 hour timer off the porch ceiling and left it hanging by a black cable. Remarkably, they kept shining in the spirit of fossil fuels and the human spirit and all things bright and festive.
 |
| The reindeer fell under the Christmas wind. |
There were the usual small obstacles and setbacks during Christmas presents. Toys were restrained with twist ties and hard plastic shells. The scissors became lost in the pile of wrapping. My attempt to write down Who gave us What failed somewhere after the 4th gift and the leg of Wren's new Adventure Time Finn figure broke off due to a manufacturing defect and over-eager handling (by Wren's mother).
Then there were the peculiar gifts. The necessary debate about the chocolate picture of a pirate ship with silver cannon balls. Was it a game or a picture? Should it be eaten or preserved (A. Eaten).
 | |
| Wren's chocolate ship (which is no more). His weird expression is his attempt to look normal for a photograph. Wren says "that expression means that I am kind of neutral." |
The electric hamsters were popular, especially the one that came with a scorpion tank which shot green missiles at Beezle.
Joshua complained he had too many gifts (because he bought himself some).
For the first time in his life, Frost wanted order to appreciate gifts and asked that we open "one at a time" but Wren rejected the notion and kept saying "is there one for me?" Whenever he received a gift he liked (and he liked almost all of them very much), he would ask "Who gave this to me" and then say "I LOVE you SO MUCH!"
 |
| Is this for me? Is this one? |
 |
| Frost, opening a gift Wren wrapped. It contained some of Wren's Playmobil repacked in something from Amazon. Frost acted pleased even though they were his toys before Wren inherited them. |
 |
| Wren, opening the Aquaplay which (a flood revealed) is probably best suited to summer outdoor play. |
 |
| Frost hands out gifts one at a time for a short period. |
 |
| Frost before opening gifts. |
Wren's favorite gifts were the Thundercats sword, some Squinkies while Frost diplomatically "liked a lot of things." If pressed, he admitted his favorite present overall was all of them.
Josh made gingerbeer for breakfast.
As with all good Grown-ups, Joshua bought the family the gift he wanted to receive. It was an Apple TV. Unfortunately, on Christmas Day the apple TV didn't work because it lacked an HDMI cable. Lame. It is now working. Joshua and I have decided to cancel our Comcast Cable and go to shows on demand and free-to-air TV. After years and years of cable we are going to have an antenna again!
On Christmas Day itself, the boys got up at 7.20am which was pretty okay. Josh woke up about the same time which meant I had to get up too.
 |
| Beezle wishes Josh "Happy Christmas" "We say MERRY CHRISTMAS in America, Mom" shout the boys. "MERRY Christmas" |
Among the most contentious gifts was a jelly bean dispenser I bought at the Thrift Store and refilled from Costco. It dispenses Jelly Beans with the twist of a knob but the manual said you could set it to only dispense with a quarter (money). After a short but spirited debate with the boys who felt it was unfair to give them a gift and then make them spend money to use it, and a shorter sociological study in which I observed that unrestricted jelly-bean access lead to Jelly Beans before breakfast, for breakfast and after breakfast... etc Josh and I decided to set it to MONEY MODE. After half an hour of googling the coin mechanisms for gumball machines and trying to make the metal blade fit the metal cog Josh said:
"This thing is broken. They threw it out because it is b-r-o-k-e-n"
He worked on in for another half hour with pliers and told me it was fixed but it wasn't and then he said something impolite and went to play Minecraft or watch Soccer or something silent and intense that did not involve Jelly Beans.
I put the Jelly Bean machine on the top shelf in the pantry but this morning it had mysteriously returned to the kitchen counter.
This is all to show that you should really only give your family the presents that you want to live with, not the ones they want.
I shall try and do better next year but overall it was a very happy Christmas, everyone felt loved and appreciated, Joshua went back to sleep on the couch and we didn't kill any pigs or animals for our dinner.
A good holiday for a good start to 2012.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Wren's Teeth
This morning Wren had his first crown. It is silver and he is quite proud of it. Joshua said "you are now a cyborg because you have a metal tooth"
While we were scooting Wren asked: "Mom, is my tooth made of metal?"
I replied that it was made of surgical steel.
"It IS made of metal Dad!" he said gleefully.
Enthusiasm aside, Wren is just five years old so its very unfortunate that it came to this and you are probably thinking is this dentist on crack?
She is not. She is a really most excellent and kind dentist. When we first started attending her practice five years ago we could only get an appointment for preschoolers because she was so highly regarded and fully booked during school hours. Years later we have caused her to come in twice on holidays to deal with Wren's dental issues. So, she is nice and skilled but we are rather weary of seeing even the most lovely dentist.
So, how did we come to this?
Kids with heart defects have to be careful with dental care and hygiene. You may have heard the urban myth about human bites being the most infectious? It is most likely untrue but while being less toxic than a dog's bite, a human mouth has plenty of thriving bacteria. People with various heart conditions are at higher risk of getting bacterial endocarditis from bacteria in the bloodstream, released during dental procedures. As a result, Wren's must get more aggressive dental treatment and take amoxicillan at every appointment. Yes, I know that's an antibiotic by the way.
Because we live in the progressively anti-antibiotic environment of naturopathic Seattle, I am going to give you the longer answer about dental care so you don't blanch when I mention Wren has had antibiotics 8 or 9 times in the past 4 months, that's with every filling. But wait, I am getting ahead of myself.
Wren required 5 fillings when he had his first dentist visit. We don't know why he had so many cavities. He and Frost eat a similar diet but Frost has had only one filling by age 10. These things are sent to try us, I suspect.
Unfortunately, for reasons not fully understood, some of Wren's fillings in the lower molars keep falling out, cracking and coming loose. Since October, we have been to the dentist for a cavity replacement every second week - for one of two fillings. Finally, when the right cavity fell out for (what feels like and may well be) the 5th time, we decided to try something else. Wren has been doing very well with the new fillings, the doctor does them quickly with a dental dam or cotton rolls, but he grinds his teeth at night and for that or some other reason, they are not remaining in.
The new plan is to crown all the teeth that have recurrent filling loss.
Today, for the first crown, it took about an hour for the whole appointment and the worst part was getting on the "tooth raincoat" or dental dam to keep the tooth dry. Wren has a strong gag reflex and so dental work causes him to panic when his open mouth causes him to retch. Coupled with some drama and discomfit from the analgesic shot, he was very sad and stricken.
Sadly, a third filling which had not been replaced to date had looked odd to me the night before. I asked the dentist to look at that too and she said it has also cracked. She gave me the option of a crown next week or another temporary, done today. I picked the temporary as it may give us a few weeks of wear and allow Wren to do some forgetting of the trauma before the next crown. One down, two to go.
He watched two episodes of MAD TV on the iPad and I had a core workout to balance on the dentist's chair and hold the iPad above him while not getting in the way of the dentist and her assistant. At the end of it, Wren was sad and needed a smoothy so Josh went to Whole Foods for one.
Peanut Butter Moo'd and Minecraft helped during the recovery and he is now a happy cyborg. Till next time.
While we were scooting Wren asked: "Mom, is my tooth made of metal?"
I replied that it was made of surgical steel.
"It IS made of metal Dad!" he said gleefully.
 |
| "I have a metal tooth!" |
Enthusiasm aside, Wren is just five years old so its very unfortunate that it came to this and you are probably thinking is this dentist on crack?
She is not. She is a really most excellent and kind dentist. When we first started attending her practice five years ago we could only get an appointment for preschoolers because she was so highly regarded and fully booked during school hours. Years later we have caused her to come in twice on holidays to deal with Wren's dental issues. So, she is nice and skilled but we are rather weary of seeing even the most lovely dentist.
So, how did we come to this?
Kids with heart defects have to be careful with dental care and hygiene. You may have heard the urban myth about human bites being the most infectious? It is most likely untrue but while being less toxic than a dog's bite, a human mouth has plenty of thriving bacteria. People with various heart conditions are at higher risk of getting bacterial endocarditis from bacteria in the bloodstream, released during dental procedures. As a result, Wren's must get more aggressive dental treatment and take amoxicillan at every appointment. Yes, I know that's an antibiotic by the way.
Because we live in the progressively anti-antibiotic environment of naturopathic Seattle, I am going to give you the longer answer about dental care so you don't blanch when I mention Wren has had antibiotics 8 or 9 times in the past 4 months, that's with every filling. But wait, I am getting ahead of myself.
"Certain heart conditions and structural defects increase the risk of developing endocarditis (heart valve infection) following dental procedures. Bacterial Endocarditis means infection in the heart, specifically the heart valves (bacteria = germs; endo = inside; carditis = heart inflammation). It occurs when bacteria spread through the bloodstream and land inside the heart and grow there. Usually, if there are bacteria circulating in the bloodstream, they don't stick to the inside of the heart: the blood flows smoothly. If the heart is abnormal due to certain types of surgery or other defects, there may be rough surfaces causing turbulent blood flow (known as a murmur) to which bacteria can attach and cause infection. Antibiotics are used to try to prevent this dangerous infection in some cases. The decision whether to take antibiotics depends on two major factors: first, is the procedure likely to cause a significant number of bacteria to enter the bloodstream; and second, is the heart particularly subject to infection."
Source: ParentHeartWatch
Wren required 5 fillings when he had his first dentist visit. We don't know why he had so many cavities. He and Frost eat a similar diet but Frost has had only one filling by age 10. These things are sent to try us, I suspect.
Unfortunately, for reasons not fully understood, some of Wren's fillings in the lower molars keep falling out, cracking and coming loose. Since October, we have been to the dentist for a cavity replacement every second week - for one of two fillings. Finally, when the right cavity fell out for (what feels like and may well be) the 5th time, we decided to try something else. Wren has been doing very well with the new fillings, the doctor does them quickly with a dental dam or cotton rolls, but he grinds his teeth at night and for that or some other reason, they are not remaining in.
The new plan is to crown all the teeth that have recurrent filling loss.
Today, for the first crown, it took about an hour for the whole appointment and the worst part was getting on the "tooth raincoat" or dental dam to keep the tooth dry. Wren has a strong gag reflex and so dental work causes him to panic when his open mouth causes him to retch. Coupled with some drama and discomfit from the analgesic shot, he was very sad and stricken.
Sadly, a third filling which had not been replaced to date had looked odd to me the night before. I asked the dentist to look at that too and she said it has also cracked. She gave me the option of a crown next week or another temporary, done today. I picked the temporary as it may give us a few weeks of wear and allow Wren to do some forgetting of the trauma before the next crown. One down, two to go.
He watched two episodes of MAD TV on the iPad and I had a core workout to balance on the dentist's chair and hold the iPad above him while not getting in the way of the dentist and her assistant. At the end of it, Wren was sad and needed a smoothy so Josh went to Whole Foods for one.
Peanut Butter Moo'd and Minecraft helped during the recovery and he is now a happy cyborg. Till next time.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Badass Poser
Every now and again the boys turn the music on loud and "do a dance party."
Other times, Wren suddenly decides to dress "like a bad dude."
This was one of those moments. Music and badass. It was the first time Wren totally dressed himself (jeans over his pajamas, bling and flip flops). He is wearing the dragon shirt he received as a birthday present. Perhaps it was the shirt that inspired the badassness.
Other times, Wren suddenly decides to dress "like a bad dude."
This was one of those moments. Music and badass. It was the first time Wren totally dressed himself (jeans over his pajamas, bling and flip flops). He is wearing the dragon shirt he received as a birthday present. Perhaps it was the shirt that inspired the badassness.
 | |
| Wren: See, I am a bad guy. Josh: Well, you should try holding your gun like this then and let me help you do up your pants. |
 | |
| Wren: I hold it like this? Josh: Yes. And who made your hat? Wren: Mom made it. Its Mom's hat. |
 |
| Wren: Wait, wait. I have one more. How does this one look? Did you get that one? Let me see! |
Wren is Five Years Old
 |
| Wren dressed as the Birthday Boy for his birthday ceremony at school |
There is no appreciable difference in him although he wondered whether he had grown 3 inches on the morning of his birthday. He felt that there should be a visible change.
Here are some pictures of him on his birthday and at school.
 |
| There were honey buns for snack at school on Wren's birthday |
 | ||
| Wren showing us the book he received from Grandad Peter. We are also showing Grandad Peter because International Family do not always have the luxury of seeing their gift. |
 | |||
| Wren with the school pig. |
Christmas Shopping with The Boys
Today was my first real day of vacation. As a very part-time worker, that means the first day I was not trying to do two things at once. I planned to focus on Christmas Holidays.
Of course, then plans changed.
One of my clients was offered a fabulous opportunity to pitch our products at a national level and so I ended up on the phone and laptop for much of the morning instead of taking coffee on the Eastside while Wren hammered out some Minecraft and Frost played MTG.
All was not lost. By 2.45pm we had hit the 520 bridge and were crossing from the eclectic outdoorsy nonconformism of Seattle to the high-end mall of Bellevue Square. It was busy. Driving over the 520 bridge we noticed the flashing signs announcing tolling would commence on December 29th. New speed limit signs have been installed which can change the speeds to compensate for traffic volume. Frost and Wren chanted whenever the speed limits changed. At one point they flashed from 40 mph to 30 mph as I approached causing the boys to shriek a warning.
Parking at B-S was awful. Two entrances were closed with LOT FULL signs up and we had to loop the block to enter of 4th Ave NE rather than wait in the endless line to turn into the main entrance. We let the luck duck out of the window to find us a parking and pretty soon an elderly couple waved us after them as they walked back to their car.
We were parked!
Our first stop was The Lego Store. It was standing room only. Wren had some money to spend - his birthday money from Great Granny Charlotte. He wanted to buy "fighting man lego". We looked around and he finally settled on a Pirates of the Caribbean Set which will have to be built with assistance. It has "a cage of bones."
We had dinner at Boom Noodle and then headed to Sephora to buy some scent for me. Frost and Wren tested lots of scents and Frost managed to squirt Wren in the eye with something from DKNY which burned a lot. A nice aesthetician popped Wren up on a stool and tried to dab his eye clean with a cotton pad spritzed with water but I didn't think it was working so I licked his eye clean which rather horrified him. At some point during the Sephora interlude, Frost got lost and ran out of money to buy my gift so he was stressed and upset when he finally found me.
He got lost again after leaving me at the Red Mango store with all the bags and saying "I am going to find Sephora." He thought I would stay still there, anchored somewhat by material objects and sloppy frozen yogurt but he underestimated my desire to continue with our mission.
We also discovered a gourmet oil and vinegar store which was weird because I have had "Gourmet Oil and Vinegar" on my wish list for AGES and never thought a specialist store would exist. Frost and Wren tasted vinegars and oils, much to the amusement and appreciation of the staff. They said "Children generally tune out in our store."
Wren liked truffle oil but his favorite was fig infused vinegar. Frost's favorite was blood orange oil. I let each of them buy their favorite for my birthday present. Frost ate a lot of extra bread and oil to make sure he really liked them. Wren kept losing bits of bread from the poky toothpicks into the oils. The bread was really nano-croutons, not big enough to poke with a toothpick so it was not surprising.
I am also unsure whether he changed his toothpick often enough.
Oddly, I met three people who commented that I was "from South Africa?" Seriously, in months in Seattle nobody has made a point of it. The oil store carries a range from the Cape and the guy in the Microsoft Store guessed I was South African. Finally, a fellow customer in the Stride Rite Store (where we got Wren snow boots on sale) wanted to talk about all her South African jewish friends at the JCC.
We came home and the boys played.... Minecraft & Halo.
Beezle is going crazy with fierce love of the plasticized fabric on the underside of his puppy bed. He wants to kill the fucker since he has been denied access to badgers for his whole life, really. Its so unfair.
Of course, then plans changed.
One of my clients was offered a fabulous opportunity to pitch our products at a national level and so I ended up on the phone and laptop for much of the morning instead of taking coffee on the Eastside while Wren hammered out some Minecraft and Frost played MTG.
All was not lost. By 2.45pm we had hit the 520 bridge and were crossing from the eclectic outdoorsy nonconformism of Seattle to the high-end mall of Bellevue Square. It was busy. Driving over the 520 bridge we noticed the flashing signs announcing tolling would commence on December 29th. New speed limit signs have been installed which can change the speeds to compensate for traffic volume. Frost and Wren chanted whenever the speed limits changed. At one point they flashed from 40 mph to 30 mph as I approached causing the boys to shriek a warning.
Parking at B-S was awful. Two entrances were closed with LOT FULL signs up and we had to loop the block to enter of 4th Ave NE rather than wait in the endless line to turn into the main entrance. We let the luck duck out of the window to find us a parking and pretty soon an elderly couple waved us after them as they walked back to their car.
We were parked!
Our first stop was The Lego Store. It was standing room only. Wren had some money to spend - his birthday money from Great Granny Charlotte. He wanted to buy "fighting man lego". We looked around and he finally settled on a Pirates of the Caribbean Set which will have to be built with assistance. It has "a cage of bones."
We had dinner at Boom Noodle and then headed to Sephora to buy some scent for me. Frost and Wren tested lots of scents and Frost managed to squirt Wren in the eye with something from DKNY which burned a lot. A nice aesthetician popped Wren up on a stool and tried to dab his eye clean with a cotton pad spritzed with water but I didn't think it was working so I licked his eye clean which rather horrified him. At some point during the Sephora interlude, Frost got lost and ran out of money to buy my gift so he was stressed and upset when he finally found me.
He got lost again after leaving me at the Red Mango store with all the bags and saying "I am going to find Sephora." He thought I would stay still there, anchored somewhat by material objects and sloppy frozen yogurt but he underestimated my desire to continue with our mission.
We also discovered a gourmet oil and vinegar store which was weird because I have had "Gourmet Oil and Vinegar" on my wish list for AGES and never thought a specialist store would exist. Frost and Wren tasted vinegars and oils, much to the amusement and appreciation of the staff. They said "Children generally tune out in our store."
 |
| Frost at the oil and vinegar bar in Bellevue Square. |
Wren liked truffle oil but his favorite was fig infused vinegar. Frost's favorite was blood orange oil. I let each of them buy their favorite for my birthday present. Frost ate a lot of extra bread and oil to make sure he really liked them. Wren kept losing bits of bread from the poky toothpicks into the oils. The bread was really nano-croutons, not big enough to poke with a toothpick so it was not surprising.
I am also unsure whether he changed his toothpick often enough.
Oddly, I met three people who commented that I was "from South Africa?" Seriously, in months in Seattle nobody has made a point of it. The oil store carries a range from the Cape and the guy in the Microsoft Store guessed I was South African. Finally, a fellow customer in the Stride Rite Store (where we got Wren snow boots on sale) wanted to talk about all her South African jewish friends at the JCC.
We came home and the boys played.... Minecraft & Halo.
Beezle is going crazy with fierce love of the plasticized fabric on the underside of his puppy bed. He wants to kill the fucker since he has been denied access to badgers for his whole life, really. Its so unfair.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Blogging on the blogger iPhone app
It was extremely icy this morning when I woke Wren for the antibiotic premed for his 9 AM dentist appointment. It was his eighth dentist appointment in the space of three months as his fillings keep falling out. We are not sure why but at least he's getting better at having them done, repeatedly.
Before we left he begged to bring the iPad so he could listen to the Yogcast Minecraft podcasts but I explained they need wifi to work so we brought Beazle as a therapy dog instead.
Driving home, the sky was a brilliant blue and we can see the neighborhood reflected in the chrome Christmas decorations hanging on the bare cherry tree.
I recorded this blog post on my iPhone.
Before we left he begged to bring the iPad so he could listen to the Yogcast Minecraft podcasts but I explained they need wifi to work so we brought Beazle as a therapy dog instead.
Driving home, the sky was a brilliant blue and we can see the neighborhood reflected in the chrome Christmas decorations hanging on the bare cherry tree.
I recorded this blog post on my iPhone.
Friday, December 9, 2011
The 2,592 Thousand Seconds of Christmas
This evening I have ditched making dinner and baked Gingerbread instead. With days so short and school only letting out a week before Christmas, it seems there is never enough time for Holiday activities like baking and cutting paper snowflakes and shopping for gifts together (instead of making an Amazon Wishlist and sending out cards (not e-cards) and going skating and for light displays and making decorations for the tree and all that.
Everything gets squeezed into a few days of high drama, hence, the gingerbread at 5pm.
"Can I eat another gingerbread man?" Frost asks, wondering how far my festive spirit will take me.
"After dinner." I insist, leaving the exact nature of dinner ambiguous.
The sink is overflowing with mixing bowls, baking trays, spoons and a whisk still dripping with white frosting and I am counting on serving Wren and Joshua with the leftover lamb and beef cottage pie I brought home from the PTA Christmas Party last night. Frost and I will have to do some kind of exploratory cooking with a can of beans and a panini press.
The sun set two hours ago and its only 6.15pm, the holiday lights I hooked onto the eaves of the house have turned on with their timer (installed today) and we just bought and decorated our tree.
I squeezed it in on a Tuesday night after school - already dark at 4.30pm when we arrived, Wren said "I am freezing I will wait in the car!" but I didn't let him.
The boys ate two candy canes (each) and had a fight over trees - Wren wanted a tall skinny one while Frost wanted a "bushy one with more room for decorations." Wren reviled the word "Bushy" and kept shouting "I HATE the BUSHY ONE". I asked the Christmas Elf assisting us to give us a moment and toured the aisles of trees for a compromise TALL, and full figured one. Thankfully it was one of the cheapest in the yard - a mere $25 for a 7 foot tree (which is actually 8 ft because it hits our ceiling and had to be trimmed.)
Is Father Christmas Real
Wren has been battling the tradition of Father Christmas. Yesterday, he asked me:
Wren: Mom, tell me the truth of this. Does Father Christmas 'xist? I think he does NOT.
One day he will tell me that Father Christmas is not real and that "Mom brings the presents" while the next he will tell me that he knows that he exists because he "sees him with his minds eye". This mind's eye thing is a recent concept he came up with to explain the fact that his Waldorf teachers at preschool insist there are fairies while others (like me) can't see them. Wren says you see them "in your minds eye".
This morning the Mind's Eye took on new significance in this conversation:
Wren: I am getting ALL the mods on my Christmas List. All the toys except the Ninjago Fire Fortress (a $110 Lego set I said "no way" to."
Shannon: Who said that? Did Daddy say that?
Wren: Father CHRISTMAS said that.
Shannon: Father Christmas spoke to you?
Wren: I hear him and GOD with my Mind's EAR. He is the Boss of Winter and now its Winter so he said I can have all the presents on my list except that Fire Fortress.
Shannon: I think he's wrong honey. You can't get all the toys on that list.
Wren: Well, if he is WRONG then GOD Does Not 'ZIST!
Shannon: [WTF?] What has that got to do with it?
Wren: Well, Father Christmas and God do not lie and make mistakes. Does Jesus LIE?
Shannon: No.
Wren: And you said that that they is WRONG and I do not get all the presents so then THEY DO NOT ZIST.
Shannon: Maybe you didn't hear them right?
Wren: I do. I have a minds eye and a mind's ear and with my mind's ear I can hear moles digging in the underground "dig, dig, dig" and I can use my mind money - it cost 190 points - to get minds feeling so you can feel the earth turning and the sun turning and the trees growing with their magic. And I can see father Christmas and fairies with my mind's eye!
I must now go and microwave that Shepherds Pie!
Everything gets squeezed into a few days of high drama, hence, the gingerbread at 5pm.
"Can I eat another gingerbread man?" Frost asks, wondering how far my festive spirit will take me.
"After dinner." I insist, leaving the exact nature of dinner ambiguous.
The sink is overflowing with mixing bowls, baking trays, spoons and a whisk still dripping with white frosting and I am counting on serving Wren and Joshua with the leftover lamb and beef cottage pie I brought home from the PTA Christmas Party last night. Frost and I will have to do some kind of exploratory cooking with a can of beans and a panini press.
The sun set two hours ago and its only 6.15pm, the holiday lights I hooked onto the eaves of the house have turned on with their timer (installed today) and we just bought and decorated our tree.
I squeezed it in on a Tuesday night after school - already dark at 4.30pm when we arrived, Wren said "I am freezing I will wait in the car!" but I didn't let him.
The boys ate two candy canes (each) and had a fight over trees - Wren wanted a tall skinny one while Frost wanted a "bushy one with more room for decorations." Wren reviled the word "Bushy" and kept shouting "I HATE the BUSHY ONE". I asked the Christmas Elf assisting us to give us a moment and toured the aisles of trees for a compromise TALL, and full figured one. Thankfully it was one of the cheapest in the yard - a mere $25 for a 7 foot tree (which is actually 8 ft because it hits our ceiling and had to be trimmed.)
 |
| Our Christmas tree with some birthday presents around it. |
Is Father Christmas Real
Wren has been battling the tradition of Father Christmas. Yesterday, he asked me:
Wren: Mom, tell me the truth of this. Does Father Christmas 'xist? I think he does NOT.
One day he will tell me that Father Christmas is not real and that "Mom brings the presents" while the next he will tell me that he knows that he exists because he "sees him with his minds eye". This mind's eye thing is a recent concept he came up with to explain the fact that his Waldorf teachers at preschool insist there are fairies while others (like me) can't see them. Wren says you see them "in your minds eye".
This morning the Mind's Eye took on new significance in this conversation:
Wren: I am getting ALL the mods on my Christmas List. All the toys except the Ninjago Fire Fortress (a $110 Lego set I said "no way" to."
Shannon: Who said that? Did Daddy say that?
Wren: Father CHRISTMAS said that.
Shannon: Father Christmas spoke to you?
Wren: I hear him and GOD with my Mind's EAR. He is the Boss of Winter and now its Winter so he said I can have all the presents on my list except that Fire Fortress.
Shannon: I think he's wrong honey. You can't get all the toys on that list.
Wren: Well, if he is WRONG then GOD Does Not 'ZIST!
Shannon: [WTF?] What has that got to do with it?
Wren: Well, Father Christmas and God do not lie and make mistakes. Does Jesus LIE?
Shannon: No.
Wren: And you said that that they is WRONG and I do not get all the presents so then THEY DO NOT ZIST.
Shannon: Maybe you didn't hear them right?
Wren: I do. I have a minds eye and a mind's ear and with my mind's ear I can hear moles digging in the underground "dig, dig, dig" and I can use my mind money - it cost 190 points - to get minds feeling so you can feel the earth turning and the sun turning and the trees growing with their magic. And I can see father Christmas and fairies with my mind's eye!
I must now go and microwave that Shepherds Pie!
 | |
| Wren drew this Rat King / Lizard King character and asked us to make it so Josh and I made it from FIMO. He is going to stand up to be used in D&D miniatures |
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| Wren doing a forced smile at Swansons where we went for lunch |
 | |
| I am DONE now. I demand a cookie. Stop taking pictures of me with your stupid iPhone 4S 10 mpx camera |
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| I am a fish. How many days till Christmas? How many hours in a day, again? |
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