Author: eaumaison (Page 108 of 210)

A couple weeks ago we took Jack to Tiny Town, Colorado!  He was sick in that indestructible, two-year-old way that they drip snot and cough but are still hyper and demand entertainment.  That night I got sick, in the thirty-year-old way that I drip snot and cough but want nothing more than to hole up in the basement with Tylenol, a box of tissues, and season five of The West Wing for three days straight.  I even called in sick to work – I have to be REALLY worn out to do that.  I think I’ve only done that twice before in three years.  Then Ben got sick and I continued to have little energy and had to work for a whole week while Jack continued to ping around the house, a typical ball of chaos and fun-seeking boy-mass.  Jack watched a lot of Dinosaur Train that week. 

All of that is to excuse this very delayed post about Tiny Town.  Jack LOVED it.  Did not want to leave.  Wanted to ride the choo-choo all day.  You should have seen the reverence with which he gave the conductor his ticket for punching.  Oh, but you can! For I am posting pictures and video finally. (Credits to Amanda and Ben)

Out of no where Jack started pointing out backpacks to us and calling them by name.   He’s always been enamored with the body part “back,” pronouncing it “baugh-ck” with much reverence while patting his.

I hardly ever buy Jack toys or clothes, but couldn’t resist getting him his own. He picked out the puppy from the adorable Skip Hop line of animal designs.

It tickles me so to see my little guy trucking around in it. Especially because he gets off balance by the addition of one book. 🙂

I also can’t resist encouraging his verbal skills by these indulgences.  He seems to be on the slow end of normal.  Not delayed, consistently making progress, but behind most other two year olds we meet.  I kept waffling on whether to call Early Intervention for an evaluation, but he continued to make small steps on his own.  Looking back now I see that his vocabulary has vastly expanded this summer.  He’s more willing to try to mimic a word when we break it down for him and it’s not uncommon for him to say a two word phrase (with a little help). 

He said his first spontaneous sentence a few weeks ago.  We were at a playground all alone for an hour.  Some kids showed up and started climbing the tower– HIS tower.  Jack stamped his foot and said “No! Play! Out!”  I was at once filled with pride that he spoke multiple linked words and disappointment that he didn’t want to share.  Being a parent often gives me this strange mix of conflicting emotions. 

Still no purposeful “Mommy” since I posted he finally said it.  Once in a while he calls me “Bobby,” but not often.  I theorize that he knows it’s wrong so he doesn’t call me anything most of the time.  Don’t know why he can babble M-sounds but uses a B in words (“Bine!” is one such frequently used fervent and loud statement.)

I'm having a bad morning and it's only 9 am. So I made a good breakfast to try to fix it.

We were all hit with a bad cold last week. Still recovering too.

 Today is our tenth anniversary!  Crazy. 

We plan to really celebrate in about a month, after Ben graduates.  We are taking a trip to San Francisco with a stopover in GJ to drop Jack off with the grands (or “grampkees” as he says).  It will be our first trip away from our little guy.  As much as we love him, I’m looking forward to being solo for a long weekend. 

So I didn’t plan for our anniversary this week.  That’s how I ended up working today, and it’s the first of 3 shifts in a row (4.5 total for the week).  We got each other silly gifts in the morning.  Ben made sure to include daffodils and tin, the assigned gifts for tens year.

Tonight Ben picked up Fat Sully’s pizza, our new favorite.  The guy gave us a free salad to celebrate!  We ate it while watching Seinfeld.  I was in the mood for some retro TV. 

 I love you, Ben!

Can you imagine his excitement?

I had a staffer meeting this morning that took me away from church. I gave a presentation and it went really well.

When I got home Ben was babysitting Wolfie. Our friends had watched Jack last night so we could get dinner and a movie. Now they are seeing a matinee while we watch their kid. It's so nice to have a couple we can trade with.

Now that I was home we had enough hand to wrangle dog and toddlers out to the park. We are learning important lessons about hitting the ground and not t people

Three years of nursing plus one year of clinicals, and I got my first dirty needle stick last night.

It happened after working for 14.5 hours. I was cleaning up an apheresis treatment set-up. I had taken over the treatment from another nurse. He used a needle at a junction where I prefer to use a stopcock. He also used a needle without a safety device. Grrr.

I slipped while trying to detach it for disposal in the sharps bin. A little poke can generate a lot of hubbub and paperwork. They did a rapid HIV on te patient that came back negative. This morning I had blood draw at my occupational health clinic. My manager has been very helpful and supportive in figuring out all the paperwork. The patient had a hepatitis panel drawn earlier this month which was also negative, but they redrew for protocol.

I'm certain nothing will come of this. She's clean, I'm vaccinated, yada yada. But boy does it suck to get a needlestick. You can't help but feel super stressed.

I can't wait for this summer to end.

Ben and I like to really cut loose after Jack goes to sleep.

Yup, it’s like party central in here.  Hopped up on Coke Zero and Chipotle, making yarn and playing a Batman video game.  We are positively RECKLESS!

Ben eating kippers at the deli.