Girl Power!

Rachel and I are on our own until Tuesday, since Drew is in Wisconsin visiting Jack, his best friend from college and the best man at our wedding. So tonight I dragged my poor daughter to a meeting of the OAJC board at a big law firm downtown. I was late to preschool and late to the meeting because of a big food festival in Portland this weekend, which normally would be OK except the traffic is maddening and, really, does Portland need ANOTHER reason to stroke itself in public for being a foodie haven?
Sheesh.

Rachel was extraordinarily well-behaved at the meeting. She brought along her stuffed bear, Edgar, that we bought her at Oaks Park a few weeks back, and her book of fairy stickers, and she amused herself for a solid 90 minutes. I peeked outside the meeting room to check on her once in a while but she was fine. (I also brought her some chips). The only times she came in were to hug me, lay her head on my arm and give me a kiss, and once to ask for grapes. At the end of the meeting she came in and hugged my friends Steve Bilow and John Moss. Really, I couldn't have been prouder of her.

Meanwhile, I have been battling a mysterious case of hives that I've had since Tuesday night. They were all over my back last night; I had a rash on the inside of my thighs today and, now, I have hives on my rear end, the back of my legs and on my back again. Also on the tops of my feet. It has been such an uncomfortable day and a half that I made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. Add to that my messed-up sleep patterns AND this tubercular cough I've had for a week and a half, and I'm starting to lose my good cheer. I hope Dr. Singer can make it all better tomorrow.

***

I was feeling itchy and tired when I got Rachel out of the car when we got home, so I was a little short with her.

"I love you even when you're grumpy, Mommy," she said reassuringly. Thanks, sweetie!

***

"I understand everything, Mommy," Rachel said after dinner. I understand that you're sick, I understand that it's late and I understand that your body hurts. All at the same time."

***

We were talking a bit about what we'd do on Sunday when we're in Seattle, and I reminded Rachel that we had seen the King Tut exhibit a few months back.

"I have a idea," she said. "If grandma and grandpa had been living at the same time as King Tut, they would be SO OLD!"