The Drudgery

Here's the problem:

1. I cook dinner like a good wife and mother

2. I put the dirty dishes in the sink

3. Said sink is approximately the size of a toaster

4. Sink is so full of dinner dishes that no room is left to actually wash dishes. (To be honest, it has breakfast and lunch dishes as well)

5. Pack dishes into tote, carry tote up the deck stairs, load into MIL's dishwasher . . . 45 minutes later: CLEAN DISHES!

I'm pretty sure that this actually takes more effort than simply washing the dishes as they're dirtied, but for some reason, I feel defeated when I look at a pile/mound/mountain of nasty dishes. Whatever works, right?

Not Fair

Yesterday morning began with a blocked line . . . not a fun way to start your day! We made a quick run into the hospital where, after some serious moments of doubt, Tamara was able to flush the line. Happy day!
Late afternoon found us at the glacier looking for bears, NOT climbing rocks and NOT getting wet in the lake and life NOT being fair. Not fair for Abby because I wouldn't let her do these things so Luke wouldn't feel left out. Not fair for Luke because he shouldn't do those things either. He was infusing at the time so we just tucked his bag into the cargo pocket of his shorts. I thought the line was pretty much invisible, but apparently the line combined with the gauze "sock" covering the port made for some curious stares and even a few comments. Marty heard a "poor little guy"! Poor little guy, yes. But poor little guy, no. It could be so much worse than playing at the glacier on a sunny day with a line in!

Don't Worry About Tomorrow . . .

While the fam is out in the micro-skiff on Auke Lake I'd thought I'd blog a bit about tomorrow.

My Proposed Schedule (If Only!):

6:30 am Wake up, take a shower, drink a cup of coffee, have a moment of quiet while experiencing no stress or worry, simply focusing on The Grand Plan and where I fit in.

7:15 am Wake The Boy, beg him to hush and not wake his sister, get him to down the liquid Valum that Dr. M mercifully prescribed, have him drink his Chocolate B, and the gently break it to him that today is the day he starts IV treatments . . .

7:45 am Jump in the red car, drive to BRH Infusion Therapy, check in and be ready by 8am SHARP! Be greeted by a kind and patient nurse who will then describe our infusion options, choose the best one and get on with it.

8:30 Rejoice that a quick and painless procedure is done and over with, quick infusion. . .Maybe work on "sobering up" TB before his sister sees him :-) Stop by the ER and have a brief but reassuring chat with the doc about infection control procedures for the evening infusions.

All though I know this may not be how it all goes down, I am choosing to be optimistic, open minded, and positive. My prayers are simple: Let this be but a stepping stone away from the unknown, may we be both a presence and a light, may TB be healed completely. Amen.

For Robyn

The obvious question is: What should I write about that is even remotely interesting? I love reading Robyn’s blog about daily life, craft projects, fun things the kids have said, all of it! Makes me feel like we’re still a part of each other’s lives and still connected. If nothing else, maybe my blog will make Robyn feel the same!

Abby and Luke have started their summer swimming lessons, which they love. Every weekday morning, at the crack of dawn (at least it feels like the crack of dawn in summer) we head downtown for a 30-45 minute session.

Abby is now a proficient swimmer which means my heart remains in my chest when she’s around water. Deep end, high dives, jumping off the dock, whatever, she can swim!

Luke, however, is a different story. My boy has always, always lacked both a fear and respect for water and thinks he came out of the womb swimming like a dolphin. Any gray hair that I’ve grown so far can be directly linked to my son and his relationship with water. The good news is now that he’s 5 he realizes that there are natural consequences for going in over his head or staying under too long. Just yesterday I felt a ray of sunshine when he told us that he doesn’t like sinking! Imagine! The other good news is that he’s nearly there. Nearly able to swim the length of the shallow end, nearly able to not drown, nearly able to come up for air and risk the other kids getting the water toys before he does. This is all very exciting for me, and probably for all the other parents watching swim lessons who are only a little irritated at my massive intakes of air and jumping out of my seat each time I see imminent danger from behind the window. I do realize that it’s most likely my issues we’re dealing with here!

And before I forget . . . The picture is of Abby's first near-miss with stitches. Underneath the band-aid you will find a one inch cut just shallow enough (not deep enough) for stitches, but the perfect size for glue! The cut is from, essentially snagging her chin on the bottom of the pool, which pretty much makes me shiver every time I think about it! She was a brave, brave girl who will forever be great full to Dr. Amy for saying, "I think I'll just glue it shut!"