Kid Things (3)

More Sick

February 22 2010 · comment

8 Comments
Posted in: Daily · Tags: grrr face, life

“We’re going somewhere this weekend, right?” I said with eyebrows raised. It wasn’t so much a question as a demand.

“Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t care, just OUT OF THIS HOUSE.”

This was an exchange Saturday morning. We were all finally on the verge of well. After having spent the better part of 2 weeks stuck inside with the sick and snot and used tissues, I was ready for fresh air and a reason to wear something other than stale pajamas. I’m sure the kids were, too. I really didn’t care what or where, we just needed to go. Cabin fever would be an understatement.

Not even a few hours later, however, Maddie came down with a fever of 102.

Whoever is up there, playing the pranks, this isn’t funny. Over two weeks now, of ear infections and colds and almost pneumonia and barking coughs and a runny nose and breathing through one’s mouth and a congested, stuffed up head and administering medicine. Now, a fever. Because, you know, something was missing. Which means in lieu of going out, I watched Olympic curling and had to deal with a pitiful, unhappy toddler.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

There’s always next weekend, right?

I probably just jinxed it.

Misty Water-Color Memories

February 19 2010 · comment

7 Comments
Posted in: The Kids · Tags: family, motherhood, photos

During my pregnancy with Ethan, and then Maddie, too, I had dreams about all the photo opportunities ahead. The reality is, I’ve been more concerned with surviving. When Jayden was an only child, I remember photographing his every inconsequential move. Back when everything, even the simple act of eating a cookie, was amazing and cute. While it’s still mostly amazing and cute, it’s also now a lot of work and shouldn’t I get him down off the table first?

Thus, a lot of memories haven’t been recorded.

This is especially displeasing to my mother, who is constantly urging me to “get a picture of that!”. “You should keep that camera around your neck”, she tells me. Usually when the kids are in the midst of less than stellar behavior while I’m on the phone with her, which seems to happen often.

For example, my mom has said I should have gotten pictures of:

Maddie hitting the cat
Maddie trying to ride the cat like a horse
Maddie sitting on her brother’s face
Maddie kicking her brother in the face
The boys dragging each other around by their shirts

She says she wants a representation of them “just being kids”. Apparently, that means beating the crap out of one another, and sometimes the cat for good measure. However, I don’t believe the degree of desperation in their howls would shine through enough on film. I’m thinking I should just make a video instead.

Good Times

February 17 2010 · comment

20 Comments
Posted in: The Kids · Tags: Ethan, good, Maddie, motherhood

When the kids are good, they are really good. But when they’re bad, they’re awful. They have their moments. Of course, the excessively loud, tedious episodes seem to outnumber. Or at least those are easier to dwell on. The good, though, they can be great.

Maybe it’s because the bad times tend to happen in grand calamities. They consume me: my voice raised and eyes wide and body tense. They make me question and worry that I’m doing everything wrong because it shouldn’t be this hard. Why is it always so damn hard?

The good are smaller, quieter, blink and you’ll miss it. Like a brief reset to make it all bearable. Tiny flashes tucked inside my pocket. There usually isn’t much of a story to share when things are well.

Sometimes, though, like yesterday morning. Ethan and Maddie are cuddled together in a hug. His arms are tight around her and she has her head on his chest. They’re both smiling up at me, not wanting to let the other go. He’d then give her a kiss on the forehead and she’d lift up to give him one back. Brother and sister. Little and littler. Simple and delicate and rare. For a few minutes it was almost the picture of perfect.

Almost.

The only way it could have been better is if my son had been wearing pants.

Good times. I’ll take ‘em however I can get ‘em.

Chainsaw: A Love Story

February 16 2010 · comment

9 Comments
Posted in: The Kids · Tags: Jayden, quirky

Jayden sometimes has bizarre preferences for toys. For instance, we were at a thrift store this past weekend. After taking the kids to the doctor. Where we were told, oh hey, yeah, they’re really kinda sick. So it totally makes sense that we schlepped them around to dirty thrift stores. Awesome idea.

Anyway, as with most stores, thrift or otherwise, the kids bee-line sraight for the toy section. There, they tend to dig and grab at anything they can get their fingers around and then refuse to let go. It’s the ultimate in impulse decisions, and that’s why our house is running out of space.

Ethan claimed yet another stuffed panda to add to his collection. Maddie got a book. Jayden, though, found the gem amongst gems.

A toy chainsaw.

He wouldn’t put the thing down. Of course we bought it.

As we were standing in line for check-out, there was a nice woman behind us making small talk with Jayden. In place of hello, however, my son blurted out, “I have a CHAINSAW!”.

“Oh, neat”, she replied, politely but hesitantly.

“Yeah, it’s a CHAINSAW!”, he wouldn’t stop.

She probably thought he was crazy. She may very well be right. That was the most animated he had been in days, though, thanks to a double ear infection. Turns out, stopping by the thrift store was, actually, an awesome idea. Especially when we returned home and he screamed through one end of our house to the other, wielding this bright red plastic chainsaw above his head like a merry mask-adorning Texas madman.