Apparently Mother Nature was not quite done. She came through yesterday and dropped a couple storms on us that were even worse than over the weekend. The wind was so rough a couple more trees went down in the neighborhood (those Bradford Pears don't stand a chance!), hail fell from the sky and rain flooded the backyard in a flash. The thunder was monstrous and unending. But it came through pretty quick and we had a blue and breezy morning.
The last 24 hours inside the house was a little stormy too. Nathan's little sickness that started yesterday turned out to be a 24 hour stomach bug that kept him from keeping down even water and crackers. "My tummy hurts" he would whine, and then get sick all over the place. As the day wore on he begged more and more for food and water. But we did as the dr's office suggested - small sips every 10 minutes for an hour after he throws up, then a small bit of plain food. If he throws that up, start over. Real food wasn't on the agenda until he stopped getting sick. Needless to say the kid didn't have real food until this morning. He got sick again at 5:30 which is when we parked ourselves on the couch for a few hours. But after a little morning snooze, the 24 hours was just about up and Nathan happily gobbled up a bagel in no time and asked for more. He was jumping all over the couch as usual by 9:30! Poor kid. But I have another notch on my mommy belt and I know what to do should it strike again - for him and us. Also, since it was raining, it was an ok time to chill inside and watch Tangled on Netflix (great movie, btw!).
Today we are taking it easy. A little food, a little rest, a little fresh air and a lot of clean up and we are back to normal. Happy as can be until the next storm hits.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Jumpy Houses
It took a few moments to register why the earth was shaking last week but still, it was only seconds to understand that we were indeed quaking in Raleigh. Nope, not a plane, a truck or the nearby mine. This feeling was too familiar and reminded me of living on the West Coast. Ahhh, to be in fear of "the big one" all the time. I sure do miss that suspense. Not! Actually, earthquakes are exciting but only if nothing bad actually comes of it. And thankfully, nothing did. Just 25 seconds or so of shaking and wondering if we should rescue our sleeping child or what.
I'm glad we didn't have much time to dwell on the event that was kind of a non-event. (Ok, we weren't at the epicenter, but even there things were pretty much ok, so we can move on news media!) Instead we had Irene to focus on for days at a time. The hurricane made her announcement a week beforehand and that too was getting a little exciting as it approached. To get extra bread or not? Do I know where extra flashlights, or any flashlights, are? I guess I'll take in the loose toys on the deck - just in case. The wind blew, the trees swayed, the rain fell. It was more like a rainy day around here. We were lucky to be on the edge of the real action and that's just fine with me. We never lost power and there was a single tree in the neighborhood that fell. The pictures from NY though were pretty amazing. They were right in the path and had flooding and power outages that we didn't even come close to. That too seemed to come and go without too much hoopla. (Yeah, a couple people died but usually those people are too stupid to stay inside and keep still until it's over. Duh.)
So while the coast was getting much more weather than we were here, we went on with our day and had quite a bit of fun. There was a free event at the Fair Grounds where an entire huge building was filled with inflatable jumpy houses and other kid activities. It was big and practically empty which was awesome! Nathan was very excited to jump and be wild for an hour or so - and hardly any lines to keep him back. They had snow cones and popcorn and the only 'admission' was to listen to them preach about Jesus and stuff. It was a church run thing. Don't ask me which. I don't know or really care (sorry, it's just not my thing) but it sure was nice to put together a thing like this. I can smile and wear "Jesus Loves Me" stickers for a few hours if it makes my kid happy.
We were sure Nathan was going to have a nice nap after all that but a quick snooze in the car (like, 2 minutes - seriously) seemed to throw him off kilter. He stayed awake and was ecstatic to see yet another jumpy house at our next destination, a birthday party across the street. The wind and rain moved their party indoors but didn't stop them from blowing up the main attraction in the garage. Nathan and the other kids jumped on and off all afternoon and make me wish we had one of these suckers. They are seriously cool and makes everyone, even the adults, happy.
I left my boys still playing across the street to get ready for a night out. I was off to a bachelorette party that involved BBQ downtown with the girls. After a lovely dinner we headed to Rum Runners, a dueling piano bar. These places are fun but make sure you participate. If you sit up front and they catch you not singing along you're in trouble. Friend Eleni was embarrassed into singing and you can be sure she clapped and sang the rest of the night too. She and I called it a night before midnight. I can hang with the girls, but it's not the same as I nurse my bottled water and know I have to get up in the morning when my kid does.
Leo was a super good husband and daddy the next morning though and made sure to get up with Nathan to let me sleep in a bit. Aahhh....that was nice!
We were all exhausted on Sunday and stayed in to relax. Today I was thinking we would spend some time outside now that the weather has cleared up and has even gotten nice (like not in the 90's). But Nathan had a tummy ache this morning and ended up yacking all over the place. We were on the deck (good boy) so it was easily hosed down. But I have been following him around with a bucket all day to catch his sickness. Poor thing hasn't been able to keep anything down today. We're hoping it's a one-day thing that does not get passed to us.
And that's the news. I'm off to NY for a quick jaunt on my own soon. Tim's wedding is getting closer as is the time to find out the sex of Baby Trend #2. That will be an exciting post. Boy or girl we can't wait to find out!
I'm glad we didn't have much time to dwell on the event that was kind of a non-event. (Ok, we weren't at the epicenter, but even there things were pretty much ok, so we can move on news media!) Instead we had Irene to focus on for days at a time. The hurricane made her announcement a week beforehand and that too was getting a little exciting as it approached. To get extra bread or not? Do I know where extra flashlights, or any flashlights, are? I guess I'll take in the loose toys on the deck - just in case. The wind blew, the trees swayed, the rain fell. It was more like a rainy day around here. We were lucky to be on the edge of the real action and that's just fine with me. We never lost power and there was a single tree in the neighborhood that fell. The pictures from NY though were pretty amazing. They were right in the path and had flooding and power outages that we didn't even come close to. That too seemed to come and go without too much hoopla. (Yeah, a couple people died but usually those people are too stupid to stay inside and keep still until it's over. Duh.)
So while the coast was getting much more weather than we were here, we went on with our day and had quite a bit of fun. There was a free event at the Fair Grounds where an entire huge building was filled with inflatable jumpy houses and other kid activities. It was big and practically empty which was awesome! Nathan was very excited to jump and be wild for an hour or so - and hardly any lines to keep him back. They had snow cones and popcorn and the only 'admission' was to listen to them preach about Jesus and stuff. It was a church run thing. Don't ask me which. I don't know or really care (sorry, it's just not my thing) but it sure was nice to put together a thing like this. I can smile and wear "Jesus Loves Me" stickers for a few hours if it makes my kid happy.
We were sure Nathan was going to have a nice nap after all that but a quick snooze in the car (like, 2 minutes - seriously) seemed to throw him off kilter. He stayed awake and was ecstatic to see yet another jumpy house at our next destination, a birthday party across the street. The wind and rain moved their party indoors but didn't stop them from blowing up the main attraction in the garage. Nathan and the other kids jumped on and off all afternoon and make me wish we had one of these suckers. They are seriously cool and makes everyone, even the adults, happy.
I left my boys still playing across the street to get ready for a night out. I was off to a bachelorette party that involved BBQ downtown with the girls. After a lovely dinner we headed to Rum Runners, a dueling piano bar. These places are fun but make sure you participate. If you sit up front and they catch you not singing along you're in trouble. Friend Eleni was embarrassed into singing and you can be sure she clapped and sang the rest of the night too. She and I called it a night before midnight. I can hang with the girls, but it's not the same as I nurse my bottled water and know I have to get up in the morning when my kid does.
Leo was a super good husband and daddy the next morning though and made sure to get up with Nathan to let me sleep in a bit. Aahhh....that was nice!
We were all exhausted on Sunday and stayed in to relax. Today I was thinking we would spend some time outside now that the weather has cleared up and has even gotten nice (like not in the 90's). But Nathan had a tummy ache this morning and ended up yacking all over the place. We were on the deck (good boy) so it was easily hosed down. But I have been following him around with a bucket all day to catch his sickness. Poor thing hasn't been able to keep anything down today. We're hoping it's a one-day thing that does not get passed to us.
And that's the news. I'm off to NY for a quick jaunt on my own soon. Tim's wedding is getting closer as is the time to find out the sex of Baby Trend #2. That will be an exciting post. Boy or girl we can't wait to find out!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Annual Birthday Bash
This weekend we hosted yes another birthday bash. As promised when I met Leo, this is an annual event not to be missed. He sure is lucky he found a girl who likes to entertain. The two of us do a pretty good job of it.
To start the week, we had Grandpa Truck and Babci here for a visit. They arrived with an abundance - no, an overabundance - of NY bread. Bagels, rolls, pretzels, rye bread, challah and my request of 3 lbs of rugula, all from Rockland Bakery. Well, I didn't request 3 lbs of the pastry but I'm not complaining about having a few left still. Yum! We didn't do too much other than hang around and play. Despite his recent knee surgery, Truck did ok keeping up with Nathan. There was lots of time swinging, playing ball and being silly inside too. It was nice for me to get out and do some things without a little boy hanging around me. Going to the store has gotten harder since Nathan demands to walk instead of ride in shopping carts which always leads to touching, pushing, dumping, knocking and playing with everything at his eye level. Yes, it's much easier to do it without him. So I took advantage of the extra hands at home to go out and do stuff.
Party day started with an early visit from Nonni and Poppi who couldn't stay for the evening festivities. But it was nicer to just spend time with them first. Gigi and Grandpa Ed came too so Nathan and Logan (who came with Nonni and Poppi) were spoiled by all the attention for a while. We hung out outside while Leo took care of a live football draft in the living room. I don't have much to say about that - a bunch of football freaks sitting around quietly concentrating on their lists and picks. We shared pizzas and then relaxed in the lull between football and party time.
By 6pm the party was in full swing. Family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances old and new - we had a full house. Probably around 40 people in and out, including lots of kiddies running around making messes and keeping each other busy. I kept it simple this year and got sandwiches and chicken fingers from Harris Teeter, as well as a cookie birthday cake. Unfortunately, Leo was so busy being a good host (and playing games I'm sure) that he only got a half a finger and no cake. :( I will make it up to him with his favorite dinner tonight I think!
It was also our friend Heather's birthday, her 30th, so we made sure to include her in the festivities as well. Kaitie made a pinata filled with all sorts of goodies that the kids loved knocking down. I think Leo eventually busted it open. Eleni bought a giant container of cream puffs from BJ's which was even better than the cookie cake I think. Everyone brought food to share and it was pretty much all gone by the end. We were all stuffed!
The crowd cleared out by 11p or so (early for us!) and I flopped into bed a half hour later. We were hoping Nathan would follow our lead and sleep in the next day. We did let him stay up until about 10:30p. He was such a good boy running in and out and playing with all the big kids. (Our friends are amazing btw, all of them keeping an eye out and hanging out with him. We even have a handful of offers to come watch him!) He was still going strong only minutes before i called for bedtime, he was just rubbing his eyes as he ran around. He went down easy. But he didn't find it necessary to catch up on sleep the next morning. At 7a I set him up in front on Mickey with some milk and he was happy as can be. Thank you Walt Disney - I love you!
Sunday was low key. Truck left to go to Kerri's for a few days and we took our time coming to life. I had to clean up from the party and do laundry. I definitely earned the two hour nap that I enjoyed later on. It was heavenly. Even Nathan slept for two hours.
Today is Leo's birthday and, as mentioned, I have a birthday dinner to create. The heat here is not nearly as bad as it had been so I'm sure we'll get out into the fresh air too. I'll have to post pictures of my other project - the bedroom. It will be complete soon so stay tuned.
To start the week, we had Grandpa Truck and Babci here for a visit. They arrived with an abundance - no, an overabundance - of NY bread. Bagels, rolls, pretzels, rye bread, challah and my request of 3 lbs of rugula, all from Rockland Bakery. Well, I didn't request 3 lbs of the pastry but I'm not complaining about having a few left still. Yum! We didn't do too much other than hang around and play. Despite his recent knee surgery, Truck did ok keeping up with Nathan. There was lots of time swinging, playing ball and being silly inside too. It was nice for me to get out and do some things without a little boy hanging around me. Going to the store has gotten harder since Nathan demands to walk instead of ride in shopping carts which always leads to touching, pushing, dumping, knocking and playing with everything at his eye level. Yes, it's much easier to do it without him. So I took advantage of the extra hands at home to go out and do stuff.
Party day started with an early visit from Nonni and Poppi who couldn't stay for the evening festivities. But it was nicer to just spend time with them first. Gigi and Grandpa Ed came too so Nathan and Logan (who came with Nonni and Poppi) were spoiled by all the attention for a while. We hung out outside while Leo took care of a live football draft in the living room. I don't have much to say about that - a bunch of football freaks sitting around quietly concentrating on their lists and picks. We shared pizzas and then relaxed in the lull between football and party time.
By 6pm the party was in full swing. Family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances old and new - we had a full house. Probably around 40 people in and out, including lots of kiddies running around making messes and keeping each other busy. I kept it simple this year and got sandwiches and chicken fingers from Harris Teeter, as well as a cookie birthday cake. Unfortunately, Leo was so busy being a good host (and playing games I'm sure) that he only got a half a finger and no cake. :( I will make it up to him with his favorite dinner tonight I think!
It was also our friend Heather's birthday, her 30th, so we made sure to include her in the festivities as well. Kaitie made a pinata filled with all sorts of goodies that the kids loved knocking down. I think Leo eventually busted it open. Eleni bought a giant container of cream puffs from BJ's which was even better than the cookie cake I think. Everyone brought food to share and it was pretty much all gone by the end. We were all stuffed!
The crowd cleared out by 11p or so (early for us!) and I flopped into bed a half hour later. We were hoping Nathan would follow our lead and sleep in the next day. We did let him stay up until about 10:30p. He was such a good boy running in and out and playing with all the big kids. (Our friends are amazing btw, all of them keeping an eye out and hanging out with him. We even have a handful of offers to come watch him!) He was still going strong only minutes before i called for bedtime, he was just rubbing his eyes as he ran around. He went down easy. But he didn't find it necessary to catch up on sleep the next morning. At 7a I set him up in front on Mickey with some milk and he was happy as can be. Thank you Walt Disney - I love you!
Sunday was low key. Truck left to go to Kerri's for a few days and we took our time coming to life. I had to clean up from the party and do laundry. I definitely earned the two hour nap that I enjoyed later on. It was heavenly. Even Nathan slept for two hours.
Today is Leo's birthday and, as mentioned, I have a birthday dinner to create. The heat here is not nearly as bad as it had been so I'm sure we'll get out into the fresh air too. I'll have to post pictures of my other project - the bedroom. It will be complete soon so stay tuned.
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