Hot summer day, tortoise takes a walk.

Crystal finally gets to check out the yard on one of the hottest weekends this year.

She's actually quite fast.

Look at those feet cruising.

Day one, two, and three of the Ant farm

And they're off!

Really slow start day two...

Day three, they pick up the pace. I'll have to take a current picture and post it.

iRachel

Check out my new iTunes widget at the bottom of the blog!

iFad

I've got an iPod...and iTunes.  I love them both with the most materialistic respect anyone could muster up!  So, I've noticed, that other capalistic enteties are absorbing the mini-"i" for their products and services too.  i, Myself, now have an iShark.  My iShark!  My orange tabby, now in his teens, saved from abandonment, and lovey in a way only a ankle high creature with really sharp teeth can be.  To activate my iShark, I need only to be in the driveway or the kitchen.  In either of these locations iShark works well.  When I stand still my iShark circles my ankles.  My adreanline surges (especially if the weather is warm enough for shorts) as I feel iShark's fur brush past.  Only very rarely, but this morning being a rare occasion, does iShark actually bite.  iBitten.

 

Lexie is still at the neighbors having a camp sleepover in their backyard.  I left them last night close to ten, while Corky was still getting the air mattresses ready in the tent.  I'm waiting for Soinja to call or knock to let me know my iGirl is up.  I actually slept till 9:41am, and woke up to the phone instead of an alarm (weekdays) or iGirl (Sat-Sun)

 

Good day to get an iTan.  I'm going out back to read until someone stops me.

 

 

The best 19.99 in a long time!

Yesterday I stopped in a new Grocery Outlet that just moved in two blocks from work.  I happened across a cd/am/fm radio with headsets that Lexie can actually keep on her head.  I got it for her, and last night we had a blast with it.  It is her first walkman, and she loves it.  She kept trying out different stations, having me listen to songs, and dancing around on the deck.  It was such pure joy!  Then I noticed that it even has external speakers too.  Pretty neat.

Tomorrow night is Lucas' birthday party, and Lexie is excited.  She hasn't seen him in a long time.  

It's supposed to be 90 degrees today, so Lex is in a pretty new blue and white summer dress her Grammy got her.

Weekend hope list:

Move bedroom plant out back

mow

plant raspberry

plant wisteria

Today I'm grateful for Lexie, Mom and Dad, weekends, summer, books, iPod, Scrubs, Audible, Walkman, friends, and life.

ANSIEDAD

What a ride.  Mother's day was great, especially the company and the three mile hike.  Dinner was awesome too.  The only down side was on the way to Chris' front door after the hike, I twisted my ankle and fell.  Big problem with this fall, was the element that has been one of my biggest fears for the last five years.  I had a sleeping Lexie in my arms.  I kept hold of her, but she smacked her tailbone on the cement, and then her head.  I can still hear the sound of her noggin knocking the walkway.  I woke her up every half hour during her next nap.  No concussion, she's fine now.  Later, much later that night, Lex finally decided that she wanted to talk to her dad on the phone.  Lexie's dad has no respect for her (or anyone else's for that matter) boundaries.  I'm not sure what his situation was, but he wouldn't let her off the phone.  He babbled to her for an hour and a half while sitting in his car listening to the radio.  She kept trying to interrupt him and tell him she had to get off the phone and go to bed, but he wouldn't let her.  Now she doesn't ever want to talk to him on the phone again.  I know now that I should have taken the phone away sooner, but hind site being what it is, doesn't really change the past.  

Saturday Lexie and I took Griffen and Chance (our charge for Friday night 'till Sunday) to waterfront park.  The dry-land Iditarod.  Griffen leashed on the left side of the baby jogger, and Chance tied on the right.  After a nice stroll up the river, Lexie played in the fountain.  She had a blast and now she has a cold.

Today I'm grateful for: Lexie, Mom and Dad, my job and friends, pets, weekends, Lexapro, iPod, life.

Springtime afternoon

Yesterday afternoon I cleaned out Crystal's cage.  Then Sam and Alex came over and we watched the tortoise walk around the kitchen.  Lexie and Sam went over to play at Sam's house while Alex and I threw a ball for Griffen.  They all wanted to play in the RV and stay for dinner.  So, we all pilled into my car and went shopping at Safeway for hotdogs, buns, and drinks.  Sam and Alex have tedious little arguments about who's going to sit in front each time they go anywhere with Lex and I.  I had to remind Alex that she sat in front both ways to the cat show and on the way home from the dog park.  Sam won.  Three hyper girls, like a little bubble of energy around me, as we walked through the store.  They were constantly in motion in front of and behind me; moving back and forth like a wave.  We got home, I grilled up the dogs, and they ate in the camper.  Each one takes their hotdog differently; Lexie-ketchup and mayonnaise, Alex-ketchup only, Sam-ketchup mustard and mayo.  Lexie ate all her corn, most of the bun, none of the dog.  Sam ate all the bread and half the dog, no corn.  Alex ate all the dog, half the bread, no corn.  While I found  this interesting is truly beyond me.  A pleasant springtime afternoon.

I brought Lexie's ant farm into work today for show and tell.

Scratch and sniff

When I picked Lexie up from school Wednesday, she had made a little spring book.  She handed to me and asked me to smell the stickers.  Wow!  I haven't seen scratch and sniff for a long time.  I was excited.  The top one had an apple on it, so I'm thinking, "mmm, apple" as Lexie and Ms. Amy watch with great anticipation.  I scratch, I sniff, I furrow my brow, and wrinkle my nose.  I say, "That...is not apple."  And then as I notice the apple has a worm squiggling through it, Lexie and I both say in unison, "Dirt!"  Lexie and Ms. Amy peel with laughter.  Ooohh, you funny girl.

My idea of the perfect lunch/dinner on a chilly day:  A grilled cheese sandwich from Tilly's with a the creamy tomato soup with Asiago croutons from Panera.  Nummy.

My idea of an unforgettable experience, watching Lexie get an ear lavage at the doctors the last visit.  She had pronounced hearing loss post ear infection.  She produces so much wax, that they couldn't see into her ears enough to see if there was fluid.  Wow, what an experience.  First Lexie got all dolled up in a dressing gown with a couple towels padded around her neck.  Next the nurse used a plastic syringe to put some softening stuff in both ears; Lexie did not enjoy this at all.  Lot's of cold, wet stuff being squished into your ear.  Then she sat for ten minutes with cotton balls in her ears.  The, I held her head sideways against my chest and held a curved plastic bowl under her ear as the nurse used a special syringe to force warm water hastily into her ear to push out the wax.  This really didn't go well with Lex.  She squirmed and squealed, and begged us to stop.  I tried to distract her by counting the goldfish that the nurse was coaxing out of her ears.  She became interested and at each "break" from the flushing, wanted to look into the bowl.  A week or so later, out of the blue, she asked me if I remembered when we were at the doctor and the got all the wax out of her ears.  It was a very impressive amount.  She did have fluid and the doctor said it could take quit awhile to go down.  He also said that cold wind wouldn't have any impact on ear health, and that swimming is one of the best things she can do to combat her ear wax production.

Today I'm grateful for; Lexie, my animals, Mom and Dad, swimming, my new PCP, science projects, weekends, nummy lunches, and life.

Brief note

Who new filling out registration forms for Kindergarten could be complicated!?

This weekend, Mom and Dad are helping me with Lexie's doll house.  Lexie will stay with Mom while Dad and I drive to Lafayette and get the house.  We'll store in his shop wrapped in garbage bags.  

I have a new PCP that I already think is wonderful.

I'm frustrated with how much work I'm missing with appointments and court stuff!  Filing a order to show cause to change parenting time is about as pleasant as untangling a huge mess of embroidery thread.  I have to pick up papers the Judge forgot to sign, have Lexie's Dad served with the whole mess (expecting a call shortly after from Grandma Betty asking about it), paying filing fees, filing order requesting removal of divorce attorney, worrying about going to court the thirteenth, etc. etc.  This is tiresome.  Finally CSD and Lexie's counselor are communicating, but it seems that she will be out all week.

Lexie's ant farm is awesome!  I will have to post pictures soon.

Dollhouse Birthday Present

Planning ahead?

I know what Lexie is getting for her birthday/Christmas this year!  I can make $10.00 payments on it, she's seen it and adores it, I just have to hide it for a while.  It's a dollhouse.  I also have to figure out where we are going to put it.  Might be a really good reason to clean out the office, yes, indeed I think that is a grand idea.  I always wanted my Grandmother's dollhouse, and this isn't the first time Lexie has shown an interest in one.  She can decide how much work she wants to put into it, or just play with it with all her toys.  My guess is that it will be a plaything for awhile, but that maybe eventually she will want to decorate it.  If she does lose interest in it, I'll ask her if I can take over.  Where am I going to keep it for half a year?  5' x 2' x 3'.

I found out what school Lexie will be going to next year.  I'm pretty excited about it.

Today I'm grateful for Lexie, Mom and Dad, my awesome friends at work, weekends, iPod, iTunes, books, and life.

My baby brother is a dinosaur

Lexie has been pretend playing for about a week now that she has a baby brother.  Her imaginary brother takes many forms, even sometimes invisible.  Yesterday at Albertson's we bought a two dollar toy that now is playing the role of baby brother.  The toy is one of those dinosaurs that grow (very, very, very slowly) in water, but the new spin on it is that it's inside what appears to be a genuine chicken egg.  I examined it very closely and it looks like the carefully split an egg, re-sealed it, poked three holes (one on narrow top, two on wide bottom) and painted it pink.  The instructions are to put it in a container of warm to hot water and watch as (12-24 hours later) the dinosaur grows and breaks out of his egg.  So, Lex has been watching this all last night, and it was the first thing she wanted to check on this morning.  As of last night, it was starting to show signs of stress and cracking.  This is much more fun than the other "add water will grow" creatures.  She has been so delighted to care for her new baby.

Odd morning car conversation

I'm trying really hard to spend my breaks at work blogging again.  We'll see if it works.

So, this morning in the car, I'm telling Lexie that we are going to start going to the gym again Tuesday's and Thursday's after school.  From her seat in the car I hear her say, "Ok, but this time I'm bringing my crap!"  I just started laughing hysterically.  Finally once I recovered, I told her that that word was this close (holding my thumb and pointer finger about half inch apart) to being a bad word.  She says, "Really?  Why?" and I tell her it's because it is another word for poop.  I'm looking at her in the rear-view mirror, her eyes are open really wide and she is silent.  Finally she asks, "Does that mean Mr. Krabs is poop?"  And I laugh hysterically again, realizing that she had really said she was bring her little stuffed animal beanie baby crab, Claude, with her when we go.  

Whew!

It has been a really, really long time, and we have been really, really busy.  Lexie and I both got the stomach flu three weeks ago, immediately followed by a cold.  Lexie's cold lasted until this week, when she caught another cold.  Mine turned into pneumonia, which I found out when Mom carted me to the ER Wednesday, April 2^nd at 4:00am.  Yesterday was my first full day back at work.  The Saturday before Easter we went with Grammy, and Tracy's family to the Easter egg hunt at Alpenrose dairy.  It was great.  Lexie won one of the big baskets. She still hasn't finished her candy.  Tracy's sister, Tawny, won a diamond necklace in the Mom's egg hunt. 

 

The next day, Easter, Lexie spent at her dad's and when I went to pick her up, she had puked all over his car, and had stomach flu.  I don't think I've been to work a full day since.  She did come into work with me that Tuesday, and spent half a day working with me at my desk.  That was pretty cool.

 

From there on out my health went downhill.  I'll spare everyone the details. 

 

We had an exciting Sunday last weekend.  Lexie was staying with her Dad, something that everyone I know, including her counselor and myself, have for a long time believed is not healthy for her.  I've been working with her counselor towards changing the visitation, but honestly, I've been too worried about her Dad's reaction, and the consequences.  We'll, thanks to God for understanding my fears, because Frank ended up doing it all by his self.  This is something I also always figured would eventually happen; it was just a matter of time.  Thanks goodness it happened earlier instead of later.  He has constantly been pestering Lexie that there is another "daddy" living with us, and forcing her to feel defensive when she is telling the truth.  He grills her and puts thoughts into her head, makes her feel guilty, and generally plays on all her emotions.  Sunday morning he called me ranting about false accusations against this imaginary "other man" he insists is living with us.  When I told him he was harassing me, and Lexie, and that I was going to call the police, and hung up, he called the CSD hotline.  From what I'm told, he called repeatedly, changing his story, and prompted the CSD to make a visit.  After they talked with Lexie (Frank wasn't there at the time) they came to visit me and determined that she was in a potentially harmful situation.  They took me with them to pick her up and created a no-contact order until they can do a thorough evaluation.  I've been instructed to modify the parenting plan to limit his contact to supervised visitation only and with a social worker type professional.  I'll go next week to set that up.  I want Lexie to have the opportunity to know her dad, and I can only hope that this "encourages" him to seek counseling.  I'm still scared that he may do something crazy, but at least I have the restraining order.  I feel so much more relaxed and hopeful now. 

 

Word(s) of the time frame: HOPE

 

Dad/Grandpa is doing well.  No Kidney cancer.  He has a procedure next week, but his spirits, as always, remain high.  He is one of my Rocks!  Mom/Grammy, is another!  She has taken such good care of me while I've been sickish.  I love you guys.  Happy belated to Justin, and congratulations on the upcoming marriage.

 

Lexie and I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks the other night, well two nights in a row really.  Funny cute movie.

New Bed...

I need a new bed. Mine is soaked in bile puke and dirty dog feet. It's 3:56AM and I'm still UP. Lexie is finally sleeping, wrapped in a blanket on the living room sofa. I'm simply waiting for the next hour to pass so I can call Mom and ask her if she is awake. What a long night! I was just out on the porch listening to the light rain drops bouncing off the pines and the yard. I came back in the house and realized that Lexie has finally slept for more than an hour without upchucking water-bile. I'm really, really tired, but I don't want to lay down until I know she will sleep soundly. She has been waking up every fifteen minutes to half hour asking for water. When I'm awake and diligent, she gets ice chips and an ounce of water and relaxes for a while. The last time I fell asleep around midnight, she woke up on her own went the fridge, got a cup full of water, too much water, drank it, got back into bed and puked everywhere about an hour after that. So... I'm on the night watch. She didn't like the puking part, I didn't like it either, or the cleaning up part. We really need a new bed now, and I keep trying to figure how we're going to get one. I need more tricks in my book to get throug this. I guess I'll go sprawl on the west end of the couch for a while and see what plays out. Call you in a bit Mom.

Yucky yucky yuck yuck!

3:02am. I'm very tired, but can't sleep because the bed is wet with puke and Lexie is drifting in and out of sleep on the living room couch. I can't find the cleaner I used in the past to "sanatize" the bed, and I'm so frickin tired I almost cried when I realized I couldn't find it. I no way no how have enough PTO to cover a full day off. I disallusioned myself last night thinking that Lexie would have full recovery in the morning. Mostly because her teacher was going to take her on a trip today that I'm sure she would have loved. Beach or Portland art, or maybe even something else, but now Lexie can't go. On top of that, Lexie is her only early morning student, and I'm feeling a little guilty that she'll get up early when she doesn't have to. I'd call her now and tell her to sleep in, if I didn't think she'd have a heart attack and not get back to sleep from having a phone call at 3:00AM. Lexie is sleeping with the aid of the Benadryl her on call pediatrician recommended, so I'm going to go check on her and her fever, then maybe fininsh watching 1408, a movie that I started last evening before I picked Lexie up. This movie was scarring the crudolas out of me last night. I'll sit on the edge (the clean dry one) of the bed and sweat it out. Hope to get some sleep soon. At least Lex hasn't puked in almost an hour. That must be the light at the end of the stomach flu tunnel.

A continuous moment of profound gratitude

I wake up...A LOT.

During the night, I wake up every 15-42 minutes. Makes sleeping a sport rather than a bodily necessity as far as I figure.

This morning, I'm up at 6:21, actually earlier, but that's what the time said on my Windows task menu when I sat down to type this.

So I wake up alot. I sat out on the deck this morning. It's almost Spring and the mornings heat up faster and warmer than usual. I sat on the deck, and the lid (ceiling of the deck that Dad built) started warming under the impending morning sun and started dripping. Water from ice formed atop is seeping through the seems. It normally would'nt do that, but apparantly the weather is changing faster than usual today. So...the drips start falling from the ceiling, telling me that it will be a warmer than usual day, and I sit, awake...

I am blessed.

I start with being alive, then I have the best parents in the world Mom=Sandy, Dad = Dale.
Then I realize I have the best daughter in the world = Lexie. Best dog, Griff. Many cool cats, Tiki, T-Swoop, Miadda, Chikita. Best friends Tracy, Tobie, Cherri, Michelle, Val, Barb. Best bosses, Barb, Jeff. Best job, how do I explain in short narrative, I don't. Best school/daycare for Lexie (comes with best teacher), Best books, Crapoola, best everything. Tiki is pawing at me now, Lexie is waking up and it's time to go cuddle and wait to get ready for a fun Easter Egg hunt at Alpen Rose. Those chocolate easter eggs are waiting.

I really will try to blog more often.

The event that started this, Lexie got her very first paper cut. I wanted to blog it, for some weird reason. She has a paper cut on her right forefinger from a school project. Got it on Friday, March 21st. I want to "record" bloggishly more of her experiences. So I'll get right on it.

Every one at work is getting a big kick out of this one...

Cool for Lexie, embarassing for me.

I have no idea what I was going to type in this post. I just found it in my "pending" posts. Hmmm.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie-pop?

It's almost three in the morning. My sleep hours are frightfully messed up. I woke up Saturday morning, after having one full workday in the last one-and-a-half weeks, and thought it was a weekday. Instead of the alarm, it was Mom calling on the phone with a short list of "potential" trip-mates, for my up-coming business trip to Coos Bay. My first thought was Aunt Chris, and I (still in sleep stupor) called Chris' number to invite her, forgeting that she is at Inga's. Then I went to the car to drive to the store, and my awesome neighbor, and friend, Sonja abducted Griffen to play with her Labrador in her back yard. She has been such a great friend to me over the last year, that I couldn't help but to ask her to accompany me on the trip. Should be fun. Originally the plan was for Lex and Mom to come, but... Dad's kidney (left) had decided (as if an organ has a decision making process) to be onry. So, this wonderful procedure is to be done on the same day I'm scheduled to witness and dissect Bay Clinic. I'm still hoping Aunt Chris can entertain Lexie as Mom frets and Dad succombs to more scopes. I'm pretty sure I have one of the strongest, most intelligent, patient, positive families in the lower 48. So, I woke up at 2:00am, having napped a better part of Saturday away, and went out back for cool air (like a unmaintained engine, I run -sleep- hot), and discovered that we have an owl! Who-who-who-who...Who. Griff and I listened to the owl for about twenty minutes. I decided to come in, couldn't sleep, again, so here goes another rubber tree, I mean blog entry.

Good night, or good morning, I suppose.


I haven't asked mister owl how many licks to the center of a tootsie-pop. It just seems so enigmatic.