Sick Sickly

Morgan is recovering slowly with a diagnosis of pneumonia. 10 days of antibiotics should clear up the infection that had her exhausted, with no appetite, for almost 3 solid days. Her fever broke yesterday and she's still warm, but the tylenol seems to be keeping it in check.

Eliza awoke this morning with a cough, but in a good mood. Often she just wants to wander the floor looking for food, but this morning she sat next to me cuddling on the couch watching the news. From time to time she would see something she liked and point to it, look at me and try to say something.

Now at the table, feeding her breakfast, she refuses to let me feed her, she wants to do it herself. Very little food is actually reaching her mouth, most is falling quite short.

But they're both smiling and Kim is getting some rest.

That was weird

No, not that.

Earlier today I was out washing the cars in the driveway. It was hot today, but nothing like it's going to be in the summer. I had the sun in my eyes when I started so I grabbed an old hat off the shelf and got to work.
By the end of the second car I felt like I was going to burn up from the inside. Not a heat stroke moment, not even a heat exhaustion (yes, they're different), just a "fear" of the sunlight. As if I developed a sudden case of photo sensitivity. For the next few hours I was drinking fluids, Kim got me a wet cloth for my head and neck, but I just couldn't shake this feeling of overwhelming heat from the sun.
Even after a shower and a popsicle I felt a little off, getting out to the bar-b-q with dinner was a challenge, but then I felt a bit hungry and had a snack. Keep in mind I already had dinner with no change in condition, even a snack right before.

It was an orange chocolate stick that made it all better. Almost like a switch got flipped in my hypothalamus under the tag "Orange Stick."

Maybe it was the standing infront of the fridge, or the fluids finally kicked in but, well, that was weird.


In other news not of the Justin feeling odd variety...well let's stay there for just another minute. I grabbed my phone out this afternoon to call and wish my mother a happy birthday when the date on the phone said I had missed it. *smacked head*. We were just there and their birthdays are easy to remember (5,10,15 Morgan, Meadow, Jerry) and 5 25 52. No guessing needed. Somewhere in all the Eliza standing, Morgan remarkably smart, yet unable to calm herself down, I missed an entire day.
So Happy Belated Birthday, Mom. I am a retard for missing it, no argument there, I just wish there weren't so many distractions these days. TV, cell phones, blogs, more blogs, facebook, flickr, upload the pictures, download the files, go here, go there. Oregon was so much calmer.
We do indeed look forward to pulling off at the Merlin exit and going through the woods to that house. It is indeed another home for us.
But I digress.

Eliza, as I said, stands well, walks with asistance, but isn't scooting along the furniture quite yet. At this age Morgan was not only already walking, but at 11 months had mastered crouching down to pick things up.

Speaking of the Mona, she has an amazing ability to make us forget she is only a new 3 years old and not 6 or 7. Her deductive skills and ability to change verb tense is not only neat, but she also introduces new words to us. The other day she found Cleo's comb, a small tight grouping of stiff metal brushes. she brought it to me and explained that it should not be located somewhere Eliza might find it, it is too sharp. She turned to walk away, stopped and turned back, "No Daddy, it's too prickly."
Prickly? As opposed to sharp? Briliant that one.

Then onto the after dinner time tonight and Morgan had a complete nuclear meltdown. Heat rash around her neck and arms, muffled crys and whines, screams when anyone but mommy tries to comfort her, and even then. Like a different girl. then after all the drama and the bath, she seems to smile and calmly get her PJs on. After repeated requests, of course.

It's been one weird day here at Carriage House. Let's see what tomorrow has in store.

Back from Camp

We're back home after a long week up at Camp Gray Wolf in Grant's Pass, Oregon.

We always enjoy leaving all the pavement behind and running for the hills, especially with two ready and willing babysitters wishing we'd leave them the children.

Kim and I got some much needed relaxation and the girls a good dose of life amongst the trees.
I'd love to post a ton of pics, but someone already has.

Head over to the Gray Wolf site HERE and see what we all got into while on our little "Vay Cay."

Instead of a bunch of paragraphs, I'll just leave you with some of the more memorable lines from the week:

"Morgan, why do you have a piece of bacon and a cookie?"
"Grandma said I could."
"Mom?"
"She said please..."

"Where's Eliza?" Morgan whispered after Eliza woke up and was "removed" from the room. The girls shared and it worked rather well. At least the last 2-3 nights anyway.

"That cash register on the floor..."
"Yes?"
"It says 'free' what does that mean?"
"It means it's yours!"
So now we have a 1930s cash register. Looks really cool.

"Since my usual salutation seems oddly self serving I will leave you with this. Good luck."
A line from Star Trek. We actually got to go to the movies. $6 too. Gotta love Oregon.

"Bahoooo"
Eliza learning to start her own game of peek a boo with my hat. She pulls it off my head and says a muffled form of 'boo.' Adorable.

So there you have it. Combined with Grandma and Grandpa's picture diary over at the Gray Wolf blog, you have most of the story. But the best part by far, I think, was when we went to see the horse and Morgan was so scared at first until Eliza climbed up with grandma without batting an eyelash. Morgan went from scared to confident and wanted up onto Sugar right then and there. Just as mom got Morgan situated in the saddle and the reins into her hands Morgan says, "GIDDYUP!"

Priceless.

Thanks mom and dad for a great week, as usual.

Photography 101 with Morgan

I never would have thought such a gift would be so exciting for her, but for Christmas Linda got Morgan her own little digital camera. It is specifically designed for kids and burns through AA batteries like nothing.

We recently replaced the batteries and tonight Morgan brought it to me and told me to sit in the middle of the floor, she was going to take my picture.
And it was on. We spent the next hour taking pictures in and around the house.
And now, Morgan will tell you what each picture is and I will do my best to type it the way she says it.

Picture 1.
That's Eliza my baby sister playing in the libing rooms.

Picture 2
That's my park.

Picture 3
Those are rocks. i took a picture of that flowers cause I want to take a picture. I want take a picture now. It was fun. I'm tired.

I thought this would last longer, but now she is more interested in drawing than describing her photos.

More soon, I promise.

Wicked

Kim and Justin took the opportunity with Ken and Linda in town to go see Wicked again.

We left the girls in their care and took the train into the City. It's always neat to go into the City when not on duty, I can enjoy it more.

Kim did a great job getting us a room at the Westin St Francis Hotel, the only building in Union square to survive the great earthquake and fire.
We got the room on Priceline, of all places, and for a steal. Almost 70% off regular price.

We had a fantastic dinner at a place called First Crush, a wine bar and restaurant. The only folks eating dinner in the City before 9 PM are parents and folks going to the show. All three of the tables in our area were headed to the Orpheum Theater for the 8 PM curtain.

The show was fantastic. When we saw it pre-broadway we loved it and when we got the soundtrack there were new songs we hadn't seen, so this gave us a chance to see the numbers that go with them.
The leads were both played by their standbys and I can't imagine the leads doing any better. A few of the songs were tweaked a bit and they changed the ending (I want the big hat back) but all in all we are glad we went.


After the show we went back to the hotel and had a cocktail in the grand lobby of the St Francis. In my great grandmother's day, not just anyone was allowed to do that.
There was a time, long ago, when certain places excluded people based on certain reasons. Some were unfair, others made perfect sense. Kim and I were dressed to the 9s. One step below formal, I'd say, and we wanted to fit in with the theater and hotel crowd, since this is one of the luxury hotels in the City. This photo is a few years old and there is a large seating area where the table and benches are, but the rest looks the same.
When we got to the lobby bar we were almost overdressed. As Kim sipped her wine, and I my scotch, a man in basketball shorts and a t-shirt drank a draft beer. This is not your average hotel lobby. This is the original lobby, the grand lobby, from the 1860s. Back then it was about who you were, now it's about how many people they can get in the doors.

Oh well. We slept in and loved it.

When we returned from our adventure, the girls had been perfectly happy without us, meaning any time we feel like we need a weekend away, we'll just fly a grandparent or two out and we're all set.

Following the Leader

One of the songs from Morgan's new favorite movie, Peter Pan, is Following the Leader.

It's catchy and fun to sing. Even more fun is listening to Morgan sing it behind Eliza in the stroller and Eliza shaking her arms and trying to sing along.

A few mornings back, however, I realized just how long this song has been sung by children.

Peter Pan first appeared in a 1902 short story, later in J M Barrie's novels and in the 1953 Disney film Peter Pan.
The film version has some fantastic songs along with the classic animation and a peak into life at the turn of the century.
But this song's chorus, the "De-dum Dee-dee," has to be the most recognizable part.

At Target the other morning, Morgan and I were wandering the isles, holding hands when she started into the following the leader song. Most of the other children might sing a Hannah Montana song or the opening theme of their favorite cartoon show, but Morgan likes her Peter Pan.
As she was singing and skipping along, an elderly couple was walking past us. That tune must have sparked their memories because as we passed they stopped dead in their tracks to watch her go by. No doubt their minds raced back to when their children did the same thing dressed as John and the Lost Boys oh so long ago.
Morgan has sung and skipped past folks before, but never has someone stopped and watched with a smile on their face, let alone 2 of them.

I can only assume it was this song that did it. And that was pretty cool.

Where are they now?

Here are the finalists from the Orange County Fire Department's Explorer calendar sometime between 1991 and 1993.

One of them is still buttoning his coat, while the other seems to have figured out his equipment much faster and stands proudly, helmet tucked tight under one arm.

Sorry D, I had to. Thanks to D's mom for finding this long lost pic!