Of course.

Of course it happens that as Vinay is winging his way across the east coast to a conference for three days, Amiya pukes moments after going to bed.

He's not going for a vacation, so I'm certainly not upset with him. More with Murphy and his freakin' law.

So now she's in our bed where she'd better not puke because A. I'll probably puke as well and B. I can't put a new sheet on that bed without Vinay's superhuman strength.

1-800-MAR-RIOT

Photos

Amiya at Explore A Shore at The Florida Aquarium

Meeting Diego at the zoo on Saturday. Kev didn't really get it ... until he got it. And then it was "Go Go! Go Go! Go Go!" for a looong time.
Preview of Kev's future facial hair courtesy of Cocoa Wheats.

Amiya and Kev in shirts Grandma embroidered for them. Amiya's is made to match Ellie and Kelly and Kev's has a big ol' pear on it as a tribute to his fruit binge a few weeks ago.

Somewhere in there is Kev playing in the fountains at the zoo.

My favorite kind of penguin.

$3 for a 45 second pony ride.
It was worth about $20 to see how excited she was.

Amiya driving a Jeep at the zoo. Daddy was giving her the standard lecture, "Always wear your seat belt, drive slowly, no boys in the car."

Amiya News

Amiya has started preschool - finally! We had a bit of a concern when her school moved to a new location and the location wasn't up to code, but things are finally getting going and Amiya couldn't be more excited. Her teacher this year is Ms. Amina and Amiya loves that their names are so similar.

Before this school year started, we had requested that Amiya not be in the same class as her good friends Gabe and Aubrey. These three have been together since they were two years old and while it was great last year when school was very new to all of them, I felt it was really important that Amiya work on her skills making new friends. The first day of school was terribly hard on the way - Amiya cried, I cried, Kev cried. She didn't want to go, she didn't want to make new friends, etc. But, when I went to pick her up in the afternoon, she didn't want to come home. Since then, she reports that things are really great and she has lots of new friends. So, in hindsight, it was a good move, but a difficult one to deal with on the very first day!


Here you can see Amiya and Aubrey at a recent playdate. It should come as no surprise (based on previous posts) that Amiya is pushing her fondness for Indian attire onto her friends. She and Aubrey played dress-up for two hours with bangles and bindis and the works. And since this love of Indian attire is so strong right now - I'm working it in our favor! Amiya has agreed to have a joint birthday party with Kev this spring (whoohoo - only one party!) if on her actual birthday, she and Aubrey can wear Indian clothes and we'll all go out to eat at an Indian restaurant. I can't tell you how excited she is about this (and me, too!).

A Sorry State Indeed

Just about a week ago, we handed Kev his very own fork and spoon to feed himself. I'm not sure why we didn't do it earlier - it never really crossed our mind. Perhaps because we have enough of a mess to clean up after every meal, snack, etc.? Anyway, it was probably long overdue and now Little Man is entirely full of attitude about eating.

Here we see his overall mood when it comes to being bothered whilst eating. It's a bit Mary-Kate Olson, don't you think? ie. If I glare at the camera long enough, it'll go away. He was new to the fork here, but the mashed potatoes seemed to provide a good incentive to getting it to work. The broccoli was finger food (and that's fine) and the meatloaf (made in an amazing cheddar cheese pastry crust) was pushed to the side with disdain.

Here you can see him when we take the fork away. Except that this is relatively calm. He looks upset but not terribly so. Had you been in our home just one short hour ago, you would have seen terribly upset. Screaming, slapping food away, etc. All over three lousy crinkle cut carrots. The child hates carrots and wouldn't eat them for anything. Poor guy doesn't yet know that without veggies, there's no dessert!

And then there was lunch today, when he would not, I repeat would not, sit in his high chair. Screaming, clawing at me to be held, etc., but no going in his high chair. So there he sat in my chair, eating his pear slices* and sucking on his grilled cheese until it dissolved in his mouth in a gooey, cheese slime. Nevermind that he bumped his mouth not once, but twice, on the table, resulting in a split lip that must have really hurt, there was no going to that high chair. So, we'll be pulling out the booster chair and strapping it to a regular chair for this kid.

And finally, because food is his favorite thing lately, he has figured out how to help himself to foods in the pantry. Let's cast aside all that stuff about how a parent should never compare children - Amiya is four and a half and has yet to help herself to a snack. Kev is 18 months and waltzes into the pantry like he owns the place and pulls out what he wants, clamors over to the table, hoists the snack up and then himself. So, I'm going shopping tomorrow and swapping out everything in the pantry. Carrot crackers, carrot chips, carrot whatever. That'll teach him!

*Yesterday's pearcapade seems to have no ill-effects on his digestion, in fact quite the opposite, so more fruit for Kev today!

Grocery Bills Going Up

So I walk into the kitchen after using the bathroom and cleaning up the bedroom a scoce. This is what I see:



And this is what I picked up off the floor around the chair:

Vinay's on diaper duty tonight. :-/

And so it begins....

remember those posts about Amiya playing with her poop?

It's started again, except that this time it's with child #2 (pun intended) AND Vinay was home to partake of the full joy of the moment.

I was picking apart a seam on Amiya's school bag, Vinay was setting up new solar lights and Amiya was twiddling about all around us. Kev was sitting in his high chair watching the shenanigans. I looked up and thought, "Bizarre that it's 8 AM and Vinay gave him an oreo already." And then lightning struck and the next thought I had is not suitable for print.

And then we were off. Vinay later remarked that there's nothing quite like a shit-smeared tot to get two people working efficiently as a team.

Vinay found the whole experience from initial discovery to biohazard decontamination showers (for us) disgusting. I'm the jaded professional it appears as it was just another notch in my Mommy belt. Amiya found the whole experience funny and bizarrely seems to enjoy my recounting of her own fecal escapades.

And, because I love you and am sensitive to the fact that you are not the fecal cleaning expert that I am, I have spared you the pictures.

Tell me how much you love me!!!

So, we're 7 weeks away from The 3 Day. I'm tired. Tired of walking, tired of Gatorade, tired of walking, tired of Panera (our pit stop) and mostly just tired of walking. But I'm not complaining because I'm not one of the ones dealing with chemo, radiation, etc. Just walking. I can handle it.

But, if you'd like to make sure I handle it really well the weekend of, think about dropping me a note, won't you? I don't really need you to tell me how much you love me, but I'd sure love to get a note from the "post office" at camp that says you're walking a mile around your neighborhood at the same time that I'm walking mine.

Here's what the 3 Day wants you to know:
* Only letters will be accepted - no boxes or packages.
* Letters must be postmarked 2 weeks prior to the event to ensure delivery at the 3-Day Camp Post Office.
* Send to:
3-Day Camp Post Office
[Participant Name]
PO Box 5487
Sarasota, FL 34277-5487

* Unclaimed mail will be available by request for 2 weeks after the event. Anything still in our hands after those two weeks will become property of the 3-Day and will be destroyed.

So, please think about sending me a little note. It'll be like you're there with me, massaging my feet or lancing my blisters! (How's that for incentive!?!?)

And, if you've got a few extra minutes on your hands and you want to give a boost to some other amazing women, here are the women on my team who would also appreciate a word or two of encouragement. It doesn't matter if you don't know them - we like when strangers honk and cheer us on on the road, so a letter isn't any different!

• Connie Bainbridge, Survivor, Fellow Training Walk Leader
• Margaret (Maggie) Brodsky
• Mary Dobson - Fourth time participating in a 3 Day
• Jennifer Erdmann
• Pat Fairbanks, Second time walking, raised almost $10,000 in two years
• Whitney Lohr
• Amy McCall
• Jessica Rasco, Second time participating in a long distance breast cancer walk
• Joyce Raidle, Fourth time participating in a 3 Day

Feel free to pass this to friends and family - the more mail the merrier!

Christy