Crazy

When did life get so crazy? I had every intention of catching everyone up on what we’ve been up to, but again, life got busy. So for a quick recap..

Last Sunday we were in Madison, WI and Heather & Mason, Kris and Cate, Duc and me had lunch at one of the best Mexican places I have ever eaten at. Wow! Wish I could have tried one of their margaritas too! Anyway, Duc gets restless once he finishes his meal so I let him down to run. And, yes, I am that parent that lets my child run like a heathen making noise—but I do keep a close eye on him and I don’t let him get near little babies or old people (don’t want him knocking either one over). Well, this time he got away from me and darted into the kitchen of the restaurant. When I followed him back there I found him with an audience of THREE adults and I had the strongest memory of eating in Vietnam. Duc had been making eyes at the cutie (not the waitress that was assigned to our table) at the register and every time our waiter walked past he would stop to scratch Duc’s back or ruffle his hair. So, Duc was back in the kitchen hanging out with those two and another gentleman. They held him and played with him while I finished taking care of the bill. It reminded me of being in Saigon and especially the Pho 24 (is that the right name?) and a young man named Duc and a few other men took turns holding and playing with Duc while I sucked down an incredibly hot bowl of pho. We were probably 50 feet from our hotel and the boys insisted on walking us with an umbrella to our hotel. They would not take no for an answer even when we explained how close we were. It was a heavy downpour so it was nice, but I actually prefer a cooling walk in the rain every once in a while. Evidently that would have made me a very bad mother.

And before I forget…Duc had his first bite of cat food! We were at Dustin, Heather and Mason’s house and I put Duc in their care while I used the bathroom. When I came back downstairs I noticed he was chewing. I just assumed they had given him something and then I saw him make a beeline for the cat dish and that’s when I put it all together. I had to pick cat food out of his mouth piece-by-piece since he wasn’t giving it up easily. Too funny.

I should have known from this expression that the little man was not feeling well. Twenty minutes later he had an absolute screaming, crying melt-down (fortunately this is incredibly unusual) so I knew something was wrong and by that night I knew what. He developed a fever on Sunday that didn’t break until Friday mid-morning. Yep, six stinkin’ days of sick and ick. We had to cut short our time with Kris and Cate by a few hours because he would just lay his head on my shoulder and cry. It was awful!

I missed work Tuesday and Wednesday because Duc was so sick. He had to be ON me at all times, which is so not my little boy. For the first time ever he laid his head on my belly and slept. It was hard to get out from under him because he would cry hysterically if I tried to leave. This is way too much information, but I would have to hold him while I used the bathroom. This was a pretty common site last week. His temp was 104* and I had to give him massive amounts of tylenol and motrin in order to keep his temp around 102*. He has a horrible cough that makes him gag and gasp for air. It’s horrible. He had to be on me or touching me at all times, even times when the meds were working and he felt a bit perkier. Even though it sounds awful, and for poor Duc it was, I loved nearly every minute with him this week. When he was feeling good he would cover me with kisses—from my feet to my hands and when he felt bad he would bury his head in my neck and wrap his arms around my neck. Honestly, it was wonderful. He slept in my arms one night because his breathing was too scary for me to want him to sleep across the hall from me. I wish he didn’t feel so bad, but it truly has been wonderful to spend this time with him. You never feel more like a mom than when your child is sick.

I’ve been very busy here at home. A couple of weeks ago I called my contractor/cousin and told him we couldn’t keep putting off the construction because I have this overwhelming feeling that my daughter exists…now it is just a matter of time. He built a beautiful desk/cabinet unit in my living room so I can move my office out of Duc’s room. It is beautiful! I will try to post photos sometime soon—it’s not quite completed yet. He also did some kitchen renovation—added a dishwasher, replaced and extended my countertops to the wall, installed a new cabinet and installed a garbage disposal. Yes, I have been living without a dishwasher and garbage disposal for the last 3+ years. On Tuesday the electrician will come out and put some outlets in so that I can run all my new toys! So excited!

I have also decided I should extend my renovation to painting the kitchen and cabinets. They are a nice calming green right now and I love the color so I don’t know if I just want a fresher color or if I should put a while new color on the walls. I should mention that my kitchen is nearly the same color as my living room and halls. If you have any ideas please let me know! I need a little inspiration right now.

And if that weren’t enough I am also working on my photography website which is not was as easy as I was hoping. Not that I thought it would be easy, but I may have to pay someone to build it for me if I don’t figure it out soon.

Sigh, at least I have plenty to keep me busy!