Spent the last day of 2014 in typical Lisa fashion: Drove to Rockville to interview someone for a magazine story. Dropped in to our favorite cupcake shop in Shirlington to get Drew, Rachel and me cupcakes for New Year's Eve. Got home in time to stick a pan of brownies in the oven for an impromptu office potluck -- all desserts. Gathered food for lunch and dinner, since I'm not anticipating the kinds of places I'd go for dinner tonight will be open. Jumped into the shower to get ready for work. Drove to the Metro station and caught a train in time to arrive at work by 3:35 p.m.
Drew took Rachel to a kids/adults Watch Night celebration in Falls Church, and he just sent me an adorable photo of her holding a caricature of herself done by an artist there. I had hoped to call her tonight, but I got caught up in editing stories and didn't get a chance. But the first thing I'll say to her tomorrow is, "Happy New Year, darling girl!" and give her a big hug and kiss. Because the best part of any year is having Rachel in it.
Now I am waiting for the work night to end; they tell us they'll be closing the paper early, which would give me about 25 more minutes to wait. Then when I get home, Drew and I will share cupcakes and, possibly, hard cider/beer/chocolate wine, and hope that 2015 is as fabulous as the best parts of 2014 were.
Happy New Year, everyone! Peace.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Sick Rachel
We've signed Rachel up for art camp this week while school is out and Drew and I have to work (Drew has off Christmas and New Year's Day, which is great, because I'm working both nights). She went Monday, but then woke up Tuesday with a bad stomachache. I had an interview in Rockville, Md., which I postponed until today, even though Drew had graciously offered to come home from work early. Since I was scheduled to work a late shift (4:30 p.m. to midnight) on Tuesday, I told Drew I would take care of Rachel and then bring her in to his office for her to stay with him for an hour or 90 minutes until they could take the Metro home.
This is how sick-kid care works in the 2010s, folks.
Anyway...I had work to do on a magazine story, so I made calls while Rachel read on the couch (and insisted on snuggling against me, which I said was okay as long as she didn't talk while I was doing interviews). Then we moved to the study, where she curled up in the papasan with Caroline, one of her American Girl dolls, and three thick fairy-tale books that I brought down from her room, while I sent e-mails and did more phone interviews. I had finished a particularly productive one when I looked over at her and found that she was fast asleep! Poor kid had really conked out; she has been nursing a cold for the last week and I think she needed the sleep. I shook her awake, made her a quick lunch and then went upstairs to shower and get ready for work. When I came down she was asleep again, and so I woke her up, took her upstairs and she got dressed while I gathered the stuff I needed for work (lunch and dinner).
I got a little lost trying to get to Drew's office (he had agreed to meet us outside) and so we ended up parking the car in a garage (it's only $5 if you get there after 4 p.m.), and we raced to Pew. I had stuffed Rachel's Girl Scout cookie form in a bag with Caroline and some books, and so I raced to work -- arriving 15 minutes late.
Later, after I got home, Drew told me that Rachel had a fine time at his office. Apparently Pew has a hot chocolate machine that has different kinds of hot chocolate, and Rachel loves visiting there for that very reason. She had hot chocolate, and animal crackers -- and then took her Girl Scout cookie form and canvassed the office, selling 20 boxes of cookies. Atta girl! Not even a stomachache (which was fine by the time they left) keeps her down.
This is how sick-kid care works in the 2010s, folks.
Anyway...I had work to do on a magazine story, so I made calls while Rachel read on the couch (and insisted on snuggling against me, which I said was okay as long as she didn't talk while I was doing interviews). Then we moved to the study, where she curled up in the papasan with Caroline, one of her American Girl dolls, and three thick fairy-tale books that I brought down from her room, while I sent e-mails and did more phone interviews. I had finished a particularly productive one when I looked over at her and found that she was fast asleep! Poor kid had really conked out; she has been nursing a cold for the last week and I think she needed the sleep. I shook her awake, made her a quick lunch and then went upstairs to shower and get ready for work. When I came down she was asleep again, and so I woke her up, took her upstairs and she got dressed while I gathered the stuff I needed for work (lunch and dinner).
I got a little lost trying to get to Drew's office (he had agreed to meet us outside) and so we ended up parking the car in a garage (it's only $5 if you get there after 4 p.m.), and we raced to Pew. I had stuffed Rachel's Girl Scout cookie form in a bag with Caroline and some books, and so I raced to work -- arriving 15 minutes late.
Later, after I got home, Drew told me that Rachel had a fine time at his office. Apparently Pew has a hot chocolate machine that has different kinds of hot chocolate, and Rachel loves visiting there for that very reason. She had hot chocolate, and animal crackers -- and then took her Girl Scout cookie form and canvassed the office, selling 20 boxes of cookies. Atta girl! Not even a stomachache (which was fine by the time they left) keeps her down.
and on Sunday, we moved furniture
Drew started the massive process of moving furniture around in Rachel's room and elsewhere to make room for her new desk, chair and bookcase. Our guest room, which our friend Auntie Rachel will return to this Sunday since she's staying with us off and on through January, now has a bookcase completely devoted to books about Africa. The shaky bookcase that used to be in Rachel's room is now in the hallway, and until we get her bookcase up, all of her books are on the floor of the guest room. In short, the upstairs is chaos.
But Drew managed to put together Rachel's chair, so that's something. And I moved her bed to another wall and her bins of toys and workbooks opposite the bed, and her American Girl doll corner is next to the bins -- it actually looks like a girl's room instead of a toddler/little kid's room. Also, the glider in which I used to rock Rachel to sleep is now down in the study under the window where our papasan chair used to be; the papasan is now under the window on the opposite side.
All this moving around of furniture and getting rid of toys and clothes (our friends Jeff and Crystal graciously took all of it off our hands to use it for their 9-month-old daughter someday) has made me wistful for the time when Rachel was much smaller and we could actually cuddle together and I could soothe her in the glider, and she had all her My Little Ponies and Barbies (I was playing with Barbies until I was 11; she got rid of all of hers last weekend with a clear-eyed determination that I found breathtaking) and...she is really not a little kid anymore. She's growing up! Too fast.
But Drew managed to put together Rachel's chair, so that's something. And I moved her bed to another wall and her bins of toys and workbooks opposite the bed, and her American Girl doll corner is next to the bins -- it actually looks like a girl's room instead of a toddler/little kid's room. Also, the glider in which I used to rock Rachel to sleep is now down in the study under the window where our papasan chair used to be; the papasan is now under the window on the opposite side.
All this moving around of furniture and getting rid of toys and clothes (our friends Jeff and Crystal graciously took all of it off our hands to use it for their 9-month-old daughter someday) has made me wistful for the time when Rachel was much smaller and we could actually cuddle together and I could soothe her in the glider, and she had all her My Little Ponies and Barbies (I was playing with Barbies until I was 11; she got rid of all of hers last weekend with a clear-eyed determination that I found breathtaking) and...she is really not a little kid anymore. She's growing up! Too fast.
IKEA!
So, on Saturday we woke up and had a fairly relaxing morning before heading to Potomac Mills, an outlet mall about 45 minutes away where I regularly buy discounted clothing. I needed some winter things, and Drew wanted to check out the IKEA to see if he and Rachel could find a desk. So, he and Rachel went to IKEA while I raced through the stores I usually go to. I actually got a bunch of stuff for very little money, which is good, because I hate shopping for clothes and try to do it twice a year at most.
It was around 5 p.m. when Drew called and asked if I was close to being finished. Rachel had been playing in IKEA's play area, but they'd been there all afternoon and it really was time for them to go. So, I agreed to check out the desk and Drew picked me up outside the mall.
So, I've never been inside an IKEA and I was dazzled. Really, it's an amazing place and now I know why so many parents shop there (although the stuff doesn't really last very long, it's well-priced for kids' stuff). We checked out a full-size model of a tiny apartment, and playing on the TV screen was "Singing in the Rain," and Rachel was instantly captivated. So was I; it was the end of the movie, and she announced that she wanted to rent it for family fun night. Sure, we said. Then we checked out the desk she and Drew had picked out -- I wanted a say -- and we all agreed the desk, the chair and a matching bookcase would be good to get, so Rachel and I waited downstairs on a couch while poor Drew spent around an hour arranging for delivery. Luckily Rachel fell asleep on my lap.
When we got home, Drew started up the movie and heated some pizza while I put my new clothes away. Rachel really loved the movie -- a good thing, since Drew and I like it, too -- and during the scene when Cyd Charisse first appears, she said, "I could rock those moves." I didn't have the heart to tell her that there is only one Cyd Charisse, and NO ONE "rocks her moves." Harrumph.
It was around 5 p.m. when Drew called and asked if I was close to being finished. Rachel had been playing in IKEA's play area, but they'd been there all afternoon and it really was time for them to go. So, I agreed to check out the desk and Drew picked me up outside the mall.
So, I've never been inside an IKEA and I was dazzled. Really, it's an amazing place and now I know why so many parents shop there (although the stuff doesn't really last very long, it's well-priced for kids' stuff). We checked out a full-size model of a tiny apartment, and playing on the TV screen was "Singing in the Rain," and Rachel was instantly captivated. So was I; it was the end of the movie, and she announced that she wanted to rent it for family fun night. Sure, we said. Then we checked out the desk she and Drew had picked out -- I wanted a say -- and we all agreed the desk, the chair and a matching bookcase would be good to get, so Rachel and I waited downstairs on a couch while poor Drew spent around an hour arranging for delivery. Luckily Rachel fell asleep on my lap.
When we got home, Drew started up the movie and heated some pizza while I put my new clothes away. Rachel really loved the movie -- a good thing, since Drew and I like it, too -- and during the scene when Cyd Charisse first appears, she said, "I could rock those moves." I didn't have the heart to tell her that there is only one Cyd Charisse, and NO ONE "rocks her moves." Harrumph.
Busy lead-up to New Year's
So, last weekend passed in a bit of a whirl, and now the year is almost over. Some highlights:
--Rachel and I spent all of last Friday, Dec. 26th, cleaning her room. And when I say cleaning, I really mean "purging." We got rid of FIVE BAGS of clothes, toys and games that she no longer uses. I didn't even have to fight with her; she actually wanted to throw away more than I wanted her to, so I held some clothes and dolls back for the day when (hopefully) she has her own children and I get to be a grandma! We started the morning kind of tired and cranky, so after breakfast we went up to her room, cuddled on her bed and fell asleep for 90 minutes. Rachel is so sweet when she falls asleep with me; she grabbed my arm, wrapped it around her chest, and then dropped off. When we woke up, the cleaning went much faster.
--The whole process took about 5 hours, and by the end of it, I was pooped -- so much so that I couldn't even think about cooking (and Rachel said she didn't want meatloaf, anyway, which was Drew's suggestion), so we decided to meet him at a place we all like -- the Silver Diner in Clarendon. I could barely eat, my brain was so tired and Rachel didn't eat much, either. When we got home, she asked that I read her a book, and when I said it had to be a short one, she chose "Little Duckie's Day" (yes, Tia Daniella, we are still reading it!). And then suddenly she burst into tears and told me about a situation that is bothering her at school -- Sidney and Simone, the other two members of "The Buddy Trio," constantly fight with each other and put Rachel in the middle, and they each tell Rachel about the other, and she hates being in the center of their squabbles. (Gee, it's amazing what your kids tell you when you least expect it.) I told her she should firmly tell them both to not put her in the center of their fights, but she says she has and it didn't work. I told her I'd work on thinking of some solutions. "If you think of something after I'm asleep, don't hesitate to wake me up and tell me," she said earnestly, which just about broke my heart. I really am thinking about some good advice to give her, but I can't think of anything beyond what I've already advised.
--Rachel and I spent all of last Friday, Dec. 26th, cleaning her room. And when I say cleaning, I really mean "purging." We got rid of FIVE BAGS of clothes, toys and games that she no longer uses. I didn't even have to fight with her; she actually wanted to throw away more than I wanted her to, so I held some clothes and dolls back for the day when (hopefully) she has her own children and I get to be a grandma! We started the morning kind of tired and cranky, so after breakfast we went up to her room, cuddled on her bed and fell asleep for 90 minutes. Rachel is so sweet when she falls asleep with me; she grabbed my arm, wrapped it around her chest, and then dropped off. When we woke up, the cleaning went much faster.
--The whole process took about 5 hours, and by the end of it, I was pooped -- so much so that I couldn't even think about cooking (and Rachel said she didn't want meatloaf, anyway, which was Drew's suggestion), so we decided to meet him at a place we all like -- the Silver Diner in Clarendon. I could barely eat, my brain was so tired and Rachel didn't eat much, either. When we got home, she asked that I read her a book, and when I said it had to be a short one, she chose "Little Duckie's Day" (yes, Tia Daniella, we are still reading it!). And then suddenly she burst into tears and told me about a situation that is bothering her at school -- Sidney and Simone, the other two members of "The Buddy Trio," constantly fight with each other and put Rachel in the middle, and they each tell Rachel about the other, and she hates being in the center of their squabbles. (Gee, it's amazing what your kids tell you when you least expect it.) I told her she should firmly tell them both to not put her in the center of their fights, but she says she has and it didn't work. I told her I'd work on thinking of some solutions. "If you think of something after I'm asleep, don't hesitate to wake me up and tell me," she said earnestly, which just about broke my heart. I really am thinking about some good advice to give her, but I can't think of anything beyond what I've already advised.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Rachel and Sidney
Rachel has a friend, Sidney, whose mom and dad recently went through a divorce. Sidney was a problem last year in that she wasn't very nice to Rachel or the other kids in kindergarten. We heard she was in the counselor's office a lot, working through some anger issues, and I told Rachel to try to be extra nice to her. The result: Sidney has glommed onto Rachel, following her around this year even when Rachel doesn't want her to, saying to Rachel, "You're my only friend." But she's still sometimes mean to her, calling her "Crutch Baby," because of the crutches, and not listening when Rachel wants her to do something.
Two weekends ago, at a mutual friend's birthday party, an adult asked Sidney to get Rachel a cup of hot chocolate. Rachel asked Sidney to put marshmallows in it, and Sidney huffed, "I'm not your maid," and then refused to get her the hot chocolate. Whereupon Rachel burst into tears, mostly of frustration, about "Sidney's not being a very good LISTENER!" and so I took Rachel into my lap and tried to soothe her.
"I'm not as mature as you think I am, Mommy," she sobbed, and so that shocked me so much that I just held her for a bit.
What made it doubly hard was that I had witnessed Sidney's mom, Nicole, trying to leave the party early go to meet a friend downtown for an event at the symphony. Sidney clung to her mom and physically attempted to keep her from leaving, crying and throwing her arms around her mom's legs, begging her not to go. It was heartbreaking, and I could just see how churned-up that kid must have felt inside. Her dad came to pick her up later, and he seemed perfectly nice, until the mom of the girl whose party it was said to me later, "Don't you think Chris [the dad] is a d--k?" At which point I talked a bit about my frustration about Sidney's behavior toward Rachel, and then Kelly, the mom of the girl whose party it was, said that her daughter, Libby, had come home crying every day about Sidney being mean to her, and she had finally talked to the school counselor about it, and the counselor had given Kelly and Libby some advice on how to deal with it, and so things were better now.
I certainly don't think Sidney's occasional meanness rises to the level of having to see the school counselor, and Rachel really needs to learn to deal with friends who won't do exactly what she wants at any given moment; it's not my job to smooth a path for her. It is my job to teach her how to cope when friends and acquaintances disappoint her, which I'm trying to do. I just hope she learns before the meanness gets really ugly in middle school and she'll need to have a tougher shell to deal with it.
Two weekends ago, at a mutual friend's birthday party, an adult asked Sidney to get Rachel a cup of hot chocolate. Rachel asked Sidney to put marshmallows in it, and Sidney huffed, "I'm not your maid," and then refused to get her the hot chocolate. Whereupon Rachel burst into tears, mostly of frustration, about "Sidney's not being a very good LISTENER!" and so I took Rachel into my lap and tried to soothe her.
"I'm not as mature as you think I am, Mommy," she sobbed, and so that shocked me so much that I just held her for a bit.
What made it doubly hard was that I had witnessed Sidney's mom, Nicole, trying to leave the party early go to meet a friend downtown for an event at the symphony. Sidney clung to her mom and physically attempted to keep her from leaving, crying and throwing her arms around her mom's legs, begging her not to go. It was heartbreaking, and I could just see how churned-up that kid must have felt inside. Her dad came to pick her up later, and he seemed perfectly nice, until the mom of the girl whose party it was said to me later, "Don't you think Chris [the dad] is a d--k?" At which point I talked a bit about my frustration about Sidney's behavior toward Rachel, and then Kelly, the mom of the girl whose party it was, said that her daughter, Libby, had come home crying every day about Sidney being mean to her, and she had finally talked to the school counselor about it, and the counselor had given Kelly and Libby some advice on how to deal with it, and so things were better now.
I certainly don't think Sidney's occasional meanness rises to the level of having to see the school counselor, and Rachel really needs to learn to deal with friends who won't do exactly what she wants at any given moment; it's not my job to smooth a path for her. It is my job to teach her how to cope when friends and acquaintances disappoint her, which I'm trying to do. I just hope she learns before the meanness gets really ugly in middle school and she'll need to have a tougher shell to deal with it.
Rachel is on crutches again...
and we are trying to figure out what's going on. We've done an MRI -- nothing there. X-rays: Nothing there. Blood tests for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme Disease -- nothing.
Crutches are beginning to seem like the new normal around our house, which is definitely not okay. Otherwise, Rachel is her normal, cheerful self. She can get around quite fast and well on the crutches, but her armpits hurt when she uses them a lot and I am looking forward to the day when we can hang up the crutches for good.
Our orthopedist suggested we visit a rheumatologist, and Drew is hoping we can get an appointment next week. I do, too. I am really trying not to worry that something is wrong, but Rachel can't put her foot down or bear to have anyone touch it. The only place she feels sort of okay (as in, not in pain) is in the bathtub. So there is definitely something happening down there, we just don't know what.
We will keep you posted as things develop.
Crutches are beginning to seem like the new normal around our house, which is definitely not okay. Otherwise, Rachel is her normal, cheerful self. She can get around quite fast and well on the crutches, but her armpits hurt when she uses them a lot and I am looking forward to the day when we can hang up the crutches for good.
Our orthopedist suggested we visit a rheumatologist, and Drew is hoping we can get an appointment next week. I do, too. I am really trying not to worry that something is wrong, but Rachel can't put her foot down or bear to have anyone touch it. The only place she feels sort of okay (as in, not in pain) is in the bathtub. So there is definitely something happening down there, we just don't know what.
We will keep you posted as things develop.
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