Selective Germaphobia

Earlier this summer, I wrote about our daughter's dance with daytime urination syndrome.  This was not a fun time in our household and it made going places almost impossible.  Fortunately, it passed fairly quickly and we have no problem with it anymore.

Unfortunately, Caelyn has decided to take a whole different route to crazy town.  She has what I like to call selective germaphobia.  Essentially, when at home and not kept sufficiently busy, she starts worrying about germs on her hands.

She will ask if she touches this or that part of her leg, does she need to wash her hands.  After she goes to the bathroom and she touches the door before washing her hands, then touches it again after washing them she will ask if she needs to wash them once more as the germs may have moved from her dirty hands to the door and then back to her clean hands.

She has come up with detailed scenarios in which germs have moved from 4 or 5 locations in order to make it back to her body somewhere.  Then her hands will come in contact with that part of her body and she worries that she has to wash them.

We have tried to reassure her that germs don't work that way but she won't listen.  Sometimes this ends up with a crying child, a frustrated parent and a trip to timeout.  It has gotten really old, really fast.

The funny thing about this is it started suddenly and it almost never happens when she is busy.  She can be out playing and never mention it.  Yesterday, she spent three hours at a friends and never once asked about washing her hands.  Today, we spent almost as long at the pool and again, no worries about germs.  But on both occasions, she starts asking about germs as soon as we get home.

Wait a minute, maybe that's the key.  Maybe it's not that she thinks about it when she is isn't busy.  Maybe, it's just that we should really clean this house.  =-)

A Milestone for Our Son

This weekend, I witnesed a milestone in our young sons life.  At only 21 months, there have already been quite a few.  First solid food, first step, first word, first ER trip.  Yes. there have been numerous milestones so far, but this was a big one for a boy.

My mom would say the milestone this weekend was Caleb telling her he loved her on the phone.  Mom was telling him she loved him over the speaker phone when Caleb, sounding very much like Scooby Doo said, "Love you."  Mom howled with delight and I placated her by saying, "If she wanted to believe Caleb had said love you, she could believe what she wanted."  It was only after he had done it multiple times, and only in response to someone telling him they loved him, that I realized my mom was right.  I hate it when that happens. =-)

While the first time a guy uses the words I love you is a momentous occasion, the milestone I am referring too is larger still.  The milestone our son reached this weekend was peeing while standing up for the first time.  At least without a diaper.

Our son hates taking a bath.  He likes to play in the water with the bath toys, but he hates taking a bath.  Truth be told, he is not really a fan of the water either.  He refuses to sit in the tub.  He will stand.  He will stomp.  He will play with the toys.  He will fight you every step of the way during bathing and he will not sit down.  Every bath is done with him standiing so I guess it was inevitable his first pee standing up would take place in the tub.

When he started, his whole body jerked in surprise and he scared himself.  He scared himself so bad, he let out a little cry of surprise and stopped mid-stream.  He then looked a little confused.  It soon started up again.  This time he cackled with delight as the pee hit the water making a splash.  When it was over, he howled in indigation.  He would now simply have to play with the regular bath toys.

A Birthday

Thursday was my wife's birthday.  She turned (redacted) years old and our daughter was determined that there would be a party of some kind or another.  She likes parties.

Thursday, of course, is a work day and my wife went into the office like normal.  This confused our daughter greatly.  Caelyn did not understand why mommy had to work on her birthday.  She was certain the people at the office had no idea it was Kerry's birthday.  Caelyn tried convincing me I should call and let them know.  That way, they would send Kerry home.  She was completely lost when I explained to her it didn't work that way.

She eventually settled for going to a local party store to pick out some supplies for the "party."  We walked in and she proceeded to want everything in the store for her mommy's party.  Banner, ok.  Balloons, ok.  Dora writing pen with fuzzy end.  Yep, got that too.  And then there were the little yellow alien looking smiley face people.  Yes, they are exactly like they sound.

I asked Caelyn if she was picking out things for mommy or herself.  She assured me they were for mommy but that mommy would need to share with her.  And so it went at the party store.  We did not leave with a lot of stuff though not for a lack of trying on our daughter's part.

Later in the day, the weather was nice.  We decided to walk to the train station to meet Kerry.  We never made it.  Our neighbors across the street were out front.  That was as far as we got.  Caelyn started to play with the little girl across the street.  A few minutes later, another little girl from a couple of houses down joined in. 

Before any of the adults made any decisions, our neighbors across the street had a backyard full of 6 kids.  Three girls (including Caelyn) of the same age and their younger siblings.  I texted Kerry where we were.

Kerry arrived a little later and we all hung out as the kids played.  About the time we would normally be starting the bedtime routine, we got home.  Kerry still had to eat and of course, there was the matter of the birthday party.  It may have been late, but there would have to be a party.

Caelyn had hidden Kerry's presents somewhere in the house.  I still don't know where.  After Kerry finished dinner, Caelyn retrieved the presents one by one for Kerry to open.  Once the presents were opened, it was time for cake.  The candles consisted of one large silver dinner candle chosen by Caelyn and the numbers (redacted) and (redacted) to make Kerry's age.

The party lasted well into the night.  Well, maybe just well past bedtime.  The best part was trying to get two children, hopped up on cake, to calm down for bed.

Once More Into the City

This morning at Madison Square Park, Caelyn's favorite children's band, Audrarox. was playing a show.  I decided to surprise her with a trip into the city to see them.  All I told her was that we would be spending the day in the city.  She didn't know what we were going to do.  Despite being bugged mercilessly, I wouldn't tell her.  I was determined it would be a surprise.

As we walked into Madison Square Park, Caelyn asked if we were going to the playground.  She loves the playground there.  She seemed a bit disappointed but took it well when I told her no and we walked past it.  It was then she saw the stage.

After dropping off the stroller, we found a place close to the front.  Caelyn looked up at the stage and stopped short.  "It's Audrarox", she yelled at me as she saw who was behind the stage.  She got excited when I told her that is who we were there to see.

I had picked an open spot near the stage as I knew Caelyn would be heading to the very front as soon as possible.  I wanted to be able to keep an eye on her.  She kept telling me she wasn't close enough and I assured her she could go as soon as the show started.  Finally, I just let her go as she was getting anxious.

When she got near the stage, Audra was walking up.  Caelyn waved and Audra walked over toward her.  I don't know what they talked about but at one point Audra pointed out Caelyn's Ramones shirt.  Audra gave Caelyn a hug and walked on stage.

The nice thing about Audrarox is that they actually do rock.  They are very good musicians who play various styles of music well.  If you never heard the lyrics, you would have no idea the music was intended for kids.  It's a show that the adults can enjoy which is good considering this would be the 5th time we have seen them.

The show started.  Caelyn started dancing.  During the first song, Caelyn ended up on the mic for a little bit.  The rest of the show, Caelyn spent running, jumping and dancing.  At one point it looked as if she was trying to start in miniature mosh pit.

Caleb was not as thrilled.  He had woken up early this morning (6 am) and when 10:30 (the show's start time) rolled around, he was hot, sweaty and tired.  Unfortunately, he decided that being attached to me was the way to make himself feel better.  This only added to him sweating and getting more and more cranky.  He did end up dancing around by the end of the show but I don't think he had all that great of a time.

Once the show was over, I loaded up the kids in the double stroller and walked downtown to my old workplace to say hi.  I have kept in touch with some of the people from the office but several years had passed since I had actually been there.  The core of the company was still the same and I saw some old friends.  The kids were quiet and shy for about two minutes then started to take over the place.

After the office visit, I took the kids to a nearby pizza place I used to frequent.  Sitting outside in back of the place, I was reminded that while our local pizza place in Jersey is very good, it is still not New York pizza.  The kids pigged out and we headed back to the van.
The return home was uneventful.  Caleb had fallen asleep in the stroller on the ride back to the van and never woke as I placed him in his car seat.  Even Caelyn fell asleep during the drive home.

One Long Fun Sunday

We normally go into the city on Sundays for church.  We have deep roots there and though we now live in Jersey, we still consider Gustavus Adolphus our church home.  If the weather permits, we typically try to do other things in the city after church as well.  Usually, it is playgrounds or street fairs.  Things we can do as a family.

Today, at Summerstage in Central Park, was Global Family Day.  Before we went to that though, one of Kerry's college friends was in town for a conference and met us at our church.  After the service, we all went to lunch before he had to catch a flight back home.

(Before lunch with Kerry's college friend, Caelyn had to hop on our friend Donald's Ducati and rev the engine a little.)

After a nice lunch at Lyric diner, we drove uptown to head to Summerstage in Central Park.  In addition to clowns and several booths of kid friendly items, many of which were free, there was live music and acrobatics. Other than brief clips on the internet, we were not familiar with any of the acts but the kids love live music so we guessed it would be a safe gamble.

The only question mark was the weather.  It was hot.  Not sure what the exact temperature was but mid to upper 90s was about right.  Fortunately, there are some shady areas at summer stage.  Unfortunately, none of  the shade was up by the stage where our daughter has to be.

The first act to play was a group of four 13 year old kids.  They were not bad.  Excellent considering their age.  The band could actually play and the female singer had a pretty good stage presence.  Since our son loves girls that sing, I took him up front near his sister.  He did get the singers attention and a wave but due to no nap and 90+ weather, he really didn't seem to notice.

The second band were good musicians but the singer was a bit to sing-songy for me.  Caleb and I moved back into the shade.  He was more interested in a nap anyway.  Which is what he did.  He decided that if he couldn't have his crib, I would be it and he passed out.  I spent the next couple of hours with him laid out across me.

The third group to perform was Bethany and Rufus. They played traditional American folk and roots music.  It wasn't music made for kids but it was music that the kids enjoyed.  They even did some gospel.  The highlight for me was when Bethany's father joined them onstage. 

Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, is Bethany's father. They did a few songs together and ended the set with Puff the Magic Dragon.  Watching them, I felt like a kid.  Peter Yarrow decided that there would be no sad ending to the song today (perhaps because his 3 year old granddaughter was onstage singing with them at this point) so he improvised an extra verse where the little boy grows up and has a son of his own who seeks out and befriends Puff.

(Three generations of Yarrows singing together.)

The finial act was Ralph's World.  I did not know them but heard nothing but good things about them.  Seeing them live, I understand why.  They are really good.  The kids loved them and if the screaming moms behind were any indication, so did the adults.  Caleb started to wake during the end of their set and danced a little but was far to tired to do much.

(Ralph joins the crowd for his last song.)

After the show ended, Caelyn went to meet Ralph and get a picture.  It is getting pretty ridiculous.  She has it in her head that at every show she attends, she should be able to get on stage or at least meet the band.  Of course, this is probably because at almost every show she has gone to, she either ended up on stage or met the band.

(Caelyn with Ralph of Ralph's World)

We finally got home around seven and turned dinner over as fast as possible to get two very tired children to bed.  Two very tired children, now sleeping soundly.

Still Three Behind His Sister

Our son has been getting more and more reckless in his bid to visit the ER for himself.  He has been there in the past with his sister but never for an injury of his own.  I guess he was jealous of all the attention his sister would get because his actions of late seem like those of someone determined to end up in the ER.

His crashes and falls have gotten more and more frequent and daring.  Hardly a day passes without a new shot to the head and a new bruise.  Two nights ago, it was a bruise on the forehead coupled with a cut eyelid.

The cut on the eyelid could not be cleaned as any peroxide or neosporin would ultimately end up in his eye.  We used a damp paper towel to see how bad the cut was.  He didn't like that very much but we were able to figure out the cut didn't need any special treatment.

So last night, he decided to pull out all the stops.

While the rest of the family was in the kitchen, Caleb was running around the house.  We didn't actually see the fall but we heard it.  It was a very loud crash in the living room.  Then the screams started.  These were not the normal I hurt myself screams.  These reached a new level for Caleb.

I picked him up and started the blood check.  There was no blood.  What I found was the largest knot on some one's head I can ever remember seeing.  It was right in the middle of his forehead.

We had to make a quick decision on what to do.  Over the last five years I have seen enough cuts, bruises and head trauma that I could probably work triage at a pediatric ER but this thing was huge.  It stuck out close to 1/2 inch. 

I quickly went through concussion signs.  He never passed out.  He started screaming immediately on impact.  He wasn't throwing up and he was tracking things fine with his eyes  Nothing pointed toward a serious problem but man, that thing was huge.

Looking at it, Kerry wondered if we should call 911.  Considering he had no concussion signs, we decided that would be a bit much.  However, as I told the triage nurse, while I would be willing to bet my house that nothing was seriously wrong, I was not willing to bet my son's health on it.  So, off the ER Caleb and I went with me praying along the way.

Caleb was calm on the trip to the ER.  It was his bedtime and I think he just wanted to sleep but he was still awake when we arrived.

Checking patients in at the ER desk last night was a nurse.  He took a quick look at Caleb, assured me it didn't look like there was any problem and checked us in.  During the check-in process, he called pediatrics to see if we could skip the line a bit considering Caleb's age and sent us to the pediatric waiting room.

We were quickly seen by the triage nurse and sent back to wait for our named to be called.  Maybe 15 minutes had passed when the triage nurse called us back in and introduced us to the doctor.  We had indeed skipped much of the normal process.  A process, I am familiar with from our daughter's previous visits.

The doctor looked Caleb over and told us there was nothing to worry about.  It was exactly what I wanted to hear.  We received our discharge papers and headed back home.

As we needed to check him several times throughout the night, Caleb stayed in our bed.  Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.  I was consistently kicked and punched throughout the night.

Today, Caleb has not slowed down a bit.  He still has a pretty good knot on his forehead and that cut over his eye.  He looks as if he lost a fight.  However, he has already started shooting for ER trip number two. 

As I have been writing this, there have been two crashes and a lot of jumping on the couch.  Maybe he is his sister's brother after all.

These pictures were taken by Kerry after we returned from the ER. 

Too Much Heat

It has been hot this week.  Really hot.  100 + degrees hot.  I know, my friends and family down south are laughing.  I can hear them already.  It been hot down there for a while but what they forget is we are not equipped to handle the heat up here.

I don't just mean we aren't used to it.  We aren't, but I mean the infrastructure as well.  This past week, NJ Transit had delays all over the rail lines because train engines would get too hot triggering an automatic shut down.

Then there is the lack of air conditioning.  I remember in Houston, there were parking garages that had air conditioning.  I am not joking.  Here, most people don't have central air in their houses or their apartments.  At best, most have a few window units. 

Our next door neighbor has a gas grill outside by their garage they cook on almost everyday during the summer because it is too hot to cook in the kitchen.

We are luckier than most as the back of our house is a fairly recent addition and we have central air back there.  The vents run into a couple of bathrooms, the family room and the play room.  We have one vent in the kitchen as well.  There is no central air in the front of the house or upstairs.  We do have a few window units upstairs though.

Our air conditioner in the back of the house ran non-stop for about 4 days and still the temperature in the downstairs area was 80 or above.  In our son's room upstairs where there is no window unit, the temperature would reach 98.  Needless to say, he slept in our room for several nights.

It has started to cool down a bit.  We still can't get much of the house below 78 but at least we've broken 80 now.  And things are looking up , tomorrow the high is only supposed to be 80.  Maybe we won't melt after all.