Harry and the Cat

Home today with my little man and a bad case of strep throat. I'd been feeling good and then this hit me on Monday morning. Harry decided to sleep a little later today, which was nice, and I rested. I'm watching him play in the backyard now with the newest addition to the family - a black and white "tuxedo" kitty who has taken up residence here. He's a sweet cat - might have once been someone's pet because he's very friendly. He lets Harry and Olivia pick him up, chase him around, and even allows Harry to "pet" him - which means Harry smacking him on the back. Now the cat is lying in the grass and Harry is sitting next to him - almost on top of him - and petting his tail. It's kinda sweet. Maybe this cat will help Harry learn to be more gentle - if that's possible. I'm learning quickly that boys don't really understand that word - especially when they're two and a half. the cat doesn't run - just hangs with Harry, which is more than I can say for Priss. She's not crazy about the kids, but then again, she's a mama kitty who rules the roost. She's also not too keen on this new cat, but he doesn't seem to care. Her hissing hasn't deterred him. He's younger than she is and not fixed - something we'll have to do very soon if he's going to stay.

The sun is shining today after a few much needed days of rain. I like the rain and I'm always sorry to see it go. But it's nice that Harry can play outside this morning. I am waiting for my antibiotics to kick in and make me feel better - or at least make me feel like doing something. I'm sitting here typing because I can't bring myself to get up and do the dishes. I'm too tired. But I have to teach tonight, so I need to at least get myself psyched up for that. Luckily it's just one class. We are supposed to go to the coast this weekend too - spend some time in Cambria with the kids. The weather doesn't look very nice though - clouds on Saturday and rain on Sunday. Not exactly beach weather.

Harry has just come in and he's filthy. Looks like he sat in some mud. His new haircut makes him look like a little boy now rather than a baby. He looked up at me and said "Hi!" when he walked in. He can be so darn cute. Then he turns back into the wild animals and starts chasing Priss with one of the dryer balls. She's desperately looking for a place to hide. Time to step in.

An update

We went to the clinic early on Friday and Harry has a bad ear infection - as I suspected. I also have an ear infection on top of a sinus infection and a bronchial thing that has caused me partial laryngitis. That sounds bad, but honestly, the worst part is my plugged ears. My hearing is actually decreased by about 50% because of all the fluid build-up in my ears. The doc says it won't go away for at least 3-4 days. In the meantime, Harry and I are suffering through together, and last night was particularly bad. He was up at 3:30 crying in pain and it took an hour (and Ibuprofen) to calm him down. I'm just waiting for those antibiotics to kick in and heal us! Harry is not in the best mood - crying a lot and not eating much - typical sick kid behavior. I'm just trying to deal with the hearing loss. It sounds as if I am underwater and everything is just muffled. I can't hear the phone, the timer on the oven, or a lot of what Joe says to me. He thinks that's funny, of course. I felt like one of my ears was clearing up last night, but then it was completely plugged when I woke up today. Joe took the girls to Nana's this morning to make gingerbread houses and I stayed with Harry while he slept. I have so much to do around the house and not much energy. I want to get the tree decorated, the laundry done, and get the house somewhat in order. I had planned on Joe helping me while the kids napped today, but he is gone to Mike Yates' house to teach him how to play Axis and Allies - another geek recruit.

The Big Thanksgiving Feast at Gramma's

What a day. Our crazy Thanksgiving dinner was a lot of fun and a bit odd at the same time. It was a mixture of old and new - nostalgic and forging new ground. It was just funky enough that it would have made a great holiday movie. Both my parents were there: Dad and Karin, Mom and Steve (who did the cooking), and all the kids and their significant others including Danielle and Alan, Sarah and Rocky, and even CK and Ryan, who made a late appearance. The most interesting addition to the group was Taylor - our poor displaced cousin. He had nowhere to go this Thanksgiving with his dad and mom both miles away, so he came and stayed with Mom. It was great to see him and hear all about UCLA dental school. He's all grown up now, but still the same old Taylor - making friends wherever he goes and never at a loss for words. The adults ate at Gramma's big dining room table where we used to sit years ago when I was a kid. I can barely remember the last time we ate in there, but it was probably just after my parents split up when I was 11 or 12. After the feast, everyone had a chance to say what they were thankful for this year. Most of us teared up, and Nonnie was mentioned several times. By the end, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. I think only Karin was a bit confused about the purpose of the toast, and said some odd things about my dad's libido - I'm still trying to work that one out. Grandad also seemed confused, but in a much different way. He was fine early on, but then didn't seem to know what was going on later in the evening. The little kids especially seemed to befuddle him. I watched him following them around, picking up after them, and asking who they were. Mom thinks the whole event might have been too much for him. It just makes me sad. I hope we can do it again next year, but I won't hold my breath. Even with the sometimes strange moments, our Thanksgiving was definitely one to remember. With everyone together at the same time, it was truly a wonderful sight and an amazing accomplishment.

Happy Thanksgiving?

Well, today was officially Thanksgiving although not really. Our family celebration is not until tomorrow afternoon out at Gramma and Grandad's, which is something we are definitely looking forward to. The day started out okay. I was still feeling bad, so I slept in. Joe was up with Olivia just after 7:00 and then went out to get donuts for everyone. I woke up and realized Harry was still asleep too - a bit late for him. That should have been the first sign. I did my usual hacking and coughing until I could breathe normally, but now I had a new symptom: my ears were plugged. No matter what I did, I couldn't unplug them. We had breakfast and I started cleaning up while Joe and Lily went to the Rescue Mission to serve food during one of the many Thanksgiving shifts. I managed to get some laundry done, clean up the kitchen, and get the kids some lunch by the time Joe got back from dropping Lily off at her grandparents. I felt all right, just still completely plugged. Everything sounded strange - like I was inside a barrel - and I could hear myself chewing inside my head, which sounds particularly unpleasant. The kids went down for naps and Joe and I started cleaning the living room in preparation for Christmas decorating. We specifically tried to clean the rug - which is a color far too light for any sane person with children to choose for their home. It's supposed to be an off-white with brown flecks, but in places where it's walked on, it just looks dark and gray. It will have to be professionally cleaned to ever look decent again. Just about the time Joe brought in the tree, Olivia woke up. She was so excited to see the tree - "It's Christmas?" she asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up. "It's Christmas!" she cheered, jumping around the living room. Harry was a bit groggy when he woke up but seemed okay. My ears continued to stay plugged and my hearing was decreasing quite a bit. At one point, Joe told me the phone was ringing but I swear I could NOT hear it. I made dinner while Joe worked on a string of lights on the tree that was burned out, but my ears were bothering me more and more. We ate dinner and I began to feel lethargic. "I'm not feeling good," I told Joe. I looked over at Harry, who hadn't touched his food, and realized he was pulling at his ear. That was the second sign. Joe's brother Jeff called shortly after dinner and that's when Harry started crying. I went to get him out of the high chair and realized he was burning up. I took him into the cool shower with me and he just laid his head against me and whimpered. Joe took his temperature afterward and it was 104 degrees - sign number threel! There's no doubt he has an ear infection, which strangely enough, is probably my problem too. We gave him a dose of Ibuprofen and dressed him lightly. Olivia, sensing what was going on, told us: "I need to give Harry a hug," and she did, whether he wanted it or not. "Poor Harry," she lamented.

So now we have to decide whether to go to the ER or wait it out until morning and go to Urgent Care. I can only imagine how many people wind up in the ER on Thanksgiving. I don't think I can subject Harry, or myself, to a crowd right now. Harry seems to have calmed down since his Ibuprofen and is getting sleepy. We will be heading to Urgent Care as soon as it opens tomorrow morning and hopefully still make it for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow afternoon. To be continued...