sick mommy

Came home from work last night with an achy sore throat and general tiredness, probably because of the two nights this week that I stayed up until 1 a.m. (one of those nights was when Drew came home from DC). This is eerily reminiscent of when he came home from Columbia and my entire body collapsed. Not that Rachel is a difficult kid to single parent, but she's at the age where she requires A LOT of engagement -- telling her stories, answering her questions, listening to her chatter on about her day and about life in general. It's fantastic but occasionally draining.

So I had just enough energy last night to eat some pasta and sausage soup. I lay down before dinner and Rachel brought me, without asking, two of her blankets (she folded them up and put them under my head for me to use as pillows); her doll Elizabeth, a plastic horse ("to keep you extra company"), and a toy cupcake. She was so tender and gentle as she gave me kiss that I told her she'd make a GREAT mommy someday. Hell, if her bedside manner is this good when she gets older, she should consider a career in medicine.

This morning I decided to take off work, so I slept most of the day. But I was determined to go to an evening performance of "Penelope," a modern retelling of Odysseus from the point of view of Penelope's suitors. We picked up Rachel from preschool, dashed over to Kenny & Zuke's for a quick dinner (and it was quick, we got served faster than we usually do), then our babysitter Angela, who manages the box office for the theater company that put on "Penelope," watched Rachel while we watched the play. Then she and Rachel took the bus to our house (which Rachel loved), and I went out for fondue with my friend Russ from Willamette and his partner, Andy, who got us the tickets for the play. (Drew had forgotten to give Angela the keys so he had to race home, get them to her and join us later). We just got home a little while ago, Drew took Angela home (she moved to an apartment close by, so the drive home wasn't that long) and I am heading to bed because I feel crummy again.

We have a full weekend ahead -- I need to head to Seattle for some interviews for a story for the magazine, so we decided to spend a couple days up there. Tomorrow we have tickets to see the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, then we're going to Anne and David and Grandma Jean's house for dinner and a sleepover, then meeting Amanda and Jenn for brunch, and then...the whole afternoon is free. We're thinking of taking Rachel to the children's museum or the aquarium. Then Monday we're dropping Drew off at work, I'll take Rachel to the Space Needle and maybe another museum, and we'll meet Daddy for lunch then head to a block party at 5 p.m. where my interviews will take place. Then back to Portland where we hope to arrive by 11 p.m. We're hoping Rachel sleeps in the car.

Happy Friday, everyone!