Little Monkey and Friends

Suddenly, I noticed the strange calm that had descended upon the house.

"What's wrong here?" I thought.

It was too quiet. I looked up from the newspaper and over my shoulder into the playroom.

There they both were.

Playing peacefully together. I ran for the camera.



Busted!



The mutual lovefest and spirit of teamwork continued for a few more minutes. Just long enough for me to take some pictures to preserve for posterity. I will whip these out in the future as proof to be used against them.

"Of course you two love each other and always got along. Look!"



After a quick round of block stacking, it was time to move on to breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Miss Mina indulged in a two spoon serving of Rice Krispies with milk.



One spoon for the food, and one to put up her nose. All the while, she engages in her morning meditation, consisting of deep breaths and healing mantras. The spoon up the nose is a little known move to aid in the thought process.



Food is always a big element of our weekends. Monkey is going for volume these days. Following his hunger strike last week, this is his normal routine. He has an amazing ability to eat vast quantities of food without gaining an ounce. My jealousy cannot be imagined.

Saturday was the usual hectic mess. It reminded me of that scene in the movie, "Mr. Mom" (the go-to reference guide for all my parenting knowledge) where Micheal Keaton faces his first day on the job as a stay at home dad. All morning long, without pause, the daily demands hit him in rapid fire. Managing the kids, juggling the cooking, the cleaning, the errands, the house falling apart around him, the doorbell ringing, the repairmen, the lawn people, the plumber, etc.

We had that day Saturday, but thankfully Monkey Sr. and I were able to tag team through the morning. And in the afternoon, we worked out the kinks on our new Costco shopping game plan. A dull day for the kids, but we made up for it on Sunday.



With a trip to Funtime Junction! Hurray! Ballpits of disease and infection!



Monkey Sr. looks on indulgently.



Until the inevitable arises. Don't even think of putting that effin ball in your mouth kid.



We moved on to safer territory. Just play with the ducks for fun and tickets, kid. The instructions are clear, right? Don't eat them.



Just smack them down with the little punching arm! This was a lovely game that flew in the face of all the "we-don't-hit" lessons taught at home. In less than thirty seconds, our efforts were undone.

Hit ducks.
Win tickets.
Cash in tickets for fun toys.
Hmmm.



I think they had fun. And it's been a long time since our last trip to the Junction.

Labels: adventures, autumn, two monkeys

Another mom recently wrote of her difficulty in keeping up with her child's school PTA soliciting and fundraising activities. I sympathize. I can't keep up with my kid's regular school calendar of events. Every time I turn around, he's scheduled to do something that day that involves a craft, my presence, a food item, a clothing item, a book, a volunteer, etc. No biggie, right? Except that I'm usually the one buying the snacks, baking the treats, packing the backpack, finding parking, digging through his wardrobe for something suitable, or improvising as needed. Because the school tends to send out a dozen emails a week including reminders, I am theoretically on notice as to what's expected. That doesn't make my to do list any simpler.

This week, for example -

When I dropped him off to school on Monday morning, after a week's absence, I learned that it was parent/craft day. Again. Hmm..didn't we just do a parent craft day involving rocks and paint? And did I know about this? Of course, I should have known about it. I got an email..it's just that we had two sick kids at home last week, and things were a little crazy. But one look at the full sign up sheet on the wall that morning, and I knew where I would be at 11:00 that morning. I guess the chocolate covered cherries, soap operas, and spot on the couch would have to wait for another day.



We made turkeys for Thanksgiving.



With feathers. Lovely, twirly orange feathers suitable for throwing or sticking up one's nose. How do I know this? Hmm..



Miss Mina came along for the ride as child care had not been arranged. No problem. the more the merrier. She swiped some supplies and did a craft too. She was also very obliging and sat still for a whole five minutes with a Milano cookie. Just the amount of time I/we needed to glue the feathers on the pot and call it a day.



The next day was "Pajama Day!" at school. This day was in celebration of Maurice Sendak's childhood classic - Where the Wild Things Are. To fully appreciate the book, all the children were instructed to arrive in school dressed in their favorite pajamas.

What do you mean you didn't do stuff like this when you were in school? Personally, I'm not sure I understand the significance of the pajamas to the story. We have the book. Monkey's read it a dozen or so times. It's not one of his favorites. But it's got great illustrations. From what I remember, a little boy misbehaves, goes without dinner, is sent to bed, and proceeds on a magical voyage across the seas to a land inhabited with fantastic wild creatures who pronounce him king.

Where do the pajamas come into it?



Whatever. I did appreciate this activity for one simple reason. I dressed him the night before in suitable pajamas, he kept them on upon awakening, wore them to school that morning, kept them on when he got home and had lunch, slept through nap in them, and only took them off at bath time in the evening. That's the longest he's gone in one outfit.



Miss Mina always accompanies us at dropoff in the morning. On this day, I had to stick around longer than usual. A change in medication times meant I needed to give Jordan his meds at school that morning. Again, no biggie. Just a minor adjustment in the day. Miss Mina made herself at home under the watchful eye of two "big kids." I think she loves going to the school in the morning.



It sure beats what I have planned for her at home.



Restocking the pantry shelves, organizing, cleaning...etc.

What do we have to look forward to in the upcoming weeks? Are you ready? We have "Mickey Mouse day" on Monday...which involves dressing the child in something Disney related. In addition to Mickey attire, he is expected to bring along a favorite Disney book or toy for show and tell. Am I the only parent in America who's child does not own a Disney themed toy or book? I must be. We have hundreds of books and toys..but nothing Disney. I dunno...what can I say? I'm not big on the character things. I can barely tolerate the Dora and Elmo carp, and was secretly cheering when so much of it was recalled, because then I had a legitimate excuse to throw it out.

Anyway, I'll throw something together.

Next, we have the big Thanksgiving party. Sign up sheet's on the wall. We have parent teacher conferences...ok, legitimate. No complaining there. After that we have back to back Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa celebrations. I noticed on my calendar that Eid falls in December this year as well, so I am waiting for the school to amend their calendar to include some activity acknowledging this too. Why the hell not. It's not like he's doing math or science in school.

It's all one big party, and I'm just the wardrobe technician, caterer, set designer, and administrative assistant. All these carefully thought out activities and parties might not get him into Harvard, but at least we'll have plenty of great pictures to mull over.

Labels: Jordan, school

Dear God, it's me..Sadaf.

Having survived the past 11 days, you have convinced me. I get it. You have a sense of humor. How else to explain it? Two sick kids, a sick husband, a barfing dog, one raging ear infection, one oozing eye infection, and four molars coming in all at once? If this isn't the stuff of classic sitcom, I don't know what is. But can we move on already?

I'm still mentally replaying the highlights.

Me thinking Miss Mina was all fine and healthy again (ha ha. That was a good one), only to wake up the next morning at 3:00 to the sound of her hysterical screams. It was only once the sun came up that I discovered the source of her agony. Four molars. Plus one random tooth. All coming in at once. She has been inconsolable.

There was one moment of silence during the day while I cleared away the table. It was too quiet. That's always a red flag. I went into the living room to investigate. There she was. Miss Mina was happily sitting on the couch chewing furiously on a half filled peanut butter kong. What's that you say? You don't know what a kong is? Let me illustrate.




That red plastic thing is a kong. That animal enjoying it is the proper four legged one to be doing so. It's a doggy chew toy that you fill with peanut butter to keep them occupied. It is not intended for human consumption.

I paused for just one second to admire sheer determination it must have taken Miss Mina to (a) find the half hidden kong from earlier in the day, (b)seize it before Oscar noticed and (c) climb up onto the couch all by herself to eat it.

I did not take a picture because I was shocked and horrified and snatched it away from her in a fit of screaming and hysteria. The doggie germs were bad enough. But silly me, I was still thinking that she hadn't tried peanut butter yet, and didn't need her succumbing to anaphylaxis shock on my watch.

She was not happy to lose her prize.

Other random moments of hilarity.

Miss Mina took her first steps on the long road towards discovering a calling in life. Looks like we might be raising another doctor in the family. The thermometer was out so often this week, she finally decided to try it out for herself. On her brother. Careful Bean, that one is an under the arm model.



To his credit, he was pretty cooperative about it. He also was trapped in the attached-to-the-table high chair. Love that thing.

I'm not quite sure how we've gotten through the most recent round of sickness. There was a lot of play-dough involved.



And shaving cream.



And computer games.



And chocolate milk.

Beanie is still suffering with those teeth. I'm still squinting through my oozy eyes. Oscar is still randomly barfing from eating too many bits of play dough off the floor.

But, I am fairly confident the monkey is well enough to be going to school tomorrow. And God, in conclusion, I'd like to say that as flattered as I am that you've chosen me as the subject of your merriment, perhaps there's more pressing matters to attend to now. Thanks.

humbly yours,
Sadaf

Labels: misadventures, two monkeys

At least one of us is feeling better. Thumbs up for Beanie! She seems to have shaken the bug that's bitten all of us. That leaves Monkeys Jr. and Sr. Hopefully by the weekend...fingers crossed.

And so passed the longest day of our lives. It consisted of endless hours of caring for, feeding, changing, medicating, wiping noses, suctioning snot, taking temperatures, worrying, and entertaining two sick and feverish monkeys. No one was happy. No one wanted to eat, drink, stop whining, or amuse themselves for one minute.

Since Jordan started preschool, this sick day routine has become a regular part of our lives. He seems to be well for a couple weeks, catches a bug, and then is out for an entire week. At this rate, I'm going to have to do a dollar cost averaging of exactly how much his tuition is, in light of the time he actually spends in school. This may be turning out to be a much more costly endeavor than we previously estimated.

It was a long day. The hours blurred between light and dark as one or the other woke up around the clock. Whimpers here, a scream out loud there, a request for milk, or a midnight snack. And the fun began all over again officially in the "morning."

And because the day was not perfect enough, it was cold, rainy, and windy outside. No chance of even a quick romp on the driveway with some chalk.

How did we manage?

T.V.

A lot of it. All day long. Endless loops of Baby Galileo. Over and Over and Over again. For the uninitiated, this is a video from the Baby Einstein series. In it, dimwitted puppets prance around and "teach" your child all about the planets, stars, and galaxies. But not in any meaningful or interesting way. And it's basically just one big psychedelic toy commercial. Complete with kangaroos. And mobiles.

I hate it. Jordan loves it. He whines the loudest. Guess who won?



Miss Mina tried to exercise her veto option with the new found power of the remote control.



While Jordan rediscovered Oscar's leash.



And attempted to take himself out for a walk. I might use that strap later to hang myself out of sheer desperation, but I'll try to get a good post in before I do. I'd like to end it with a bang.

Labels: misadventures, two monkeys

I would like to take this day, as I have been doing, to remember someone very special. Her name was Breanna, and in her extremely short life, she accomplished an act of heroism few adults could ever claim. She saved my son.

Today, she would have been three years old. If she had survived.

Celebrating the life of an infant, who was taken away when she was only two months old, takes on a special significance for me because our family directly benefited from her death. It sounds horrific to put it in those terms, doesn't it? It's true though. Truth can sometimes be a hard thing to grapple with. It doesn't always make sense, or seem fair. Sometimes when you lay awake at night listening to the sounds of suburbia, it hits you in the face and knocks you cold.

It boiled down to this: My son needed a heart transplant urgently. He was given a very short time to live. No one believed he would last long enough for a heart to be found.

But he did. Breanna's heart beats inside of him. Do I have a reason to celebrate? Of course I do. My son is alive. But never for one minute do I ever think that...without also thinking about the baby girl who died. The two events are joined together, forever inseparable.



Your life was short Breanna, but you were loved. You were a beautiful and joyous baby girl who will forever grace our memories with your smile. Today would have been your birthday.



Rest in peace baby girl.

Labels: Jordan, reflection, transplant

After weeks of anticipation, Halloween finally arrived and the I ... err, the kids, could not be more excited. The costumes were all set to go, Monkey was having a party at school, we were going trick or treating in the neighborhood in the evening with friends, and Monkey Sr. was even coming home early from work to join us.



Little Monkey got to wear his costume bright and early.

Presenting - Little Monkey, firefighter extraordinaire. Yet another of my thrown together creations. Jacket - his yellow rain slicker, doctored up with red electrical tape, hat - courtesy of Jeff's childhood, pants, t-shirt, etc. - all regular play clothes. Firetruck prop - a gift courtesy of our favorite Floridian...Grace.



Miss Mina wanted in on the early morning photo-op, even without a costume. As she pushes the Monkey around on his firetruck, she learns a valuable life lesson. Women are always in the background doing all the unseen, unappreciated things. In other words - the hard work. Better get used to it Bean. Cuteness will only get you so far in life. Meanwhile, Monkey counts on one hand the number of times he has ever helped out.



A back view of the costume. They were pretty excited to get started.



Unfortunately for Miss Mina, we had a long wait ahead of us until it was time to go trick or treating.



While we sat around waiting, Little Monkey partied it up with his buddies at school. This is one of the pics they sent home for the parents to enjoy. In it, we get a sense of how far our tuition dollars are stretched in the name of education. I was very pleased to see Jordan eating his snack. Considering it was a cupcake with a mound of sugar on it in the shape of a ghost...I should not be too surprised. I did have two questions though.

One - what's up with the kid and the breadstick? His sentiments regarding his snack - as it compares with that of his classmates - are pretty clear.

Two - considering I supplied the majority of the juice boxes on that table, I'm curious why my kid is without a freakin beverage. Not that he seems to give a crap. Again, his priorities are apparent.



After snack, it was time to let the demons/kids loose on the playground to burn off some of that artificially enhanced energy. This was one excited kid.



So excited, in fact, that he skipped his nap that afternoon. Anyone who knows me well, knows how fanatical I am about that time of the day known as "nap." It is a sacred time at our house. And much like any other shrine, I expect the sanctity of our walls to be blessed with peace, quiet, and obedience.

And that means two sleeping monkeys for at least two hours. That did not happen. For over an hour, Little Monkey lay in his crib shouting, "Happy Halloween!!"

Over and over again.

Then, he moved on to other holiday inspired variations, such as "Trick or Treat!" He proceeded to catalog everything we would be doing after nap, what he had done before nap, what he ate for lunch, the contents of his crib, the contents of his room, the contents of his diaper, etc.



In contrast, Miss Mina snored away for an epic amount of time. When I finally heard her begin to stir, I raced in. She was almost groggy from the sleep, and in no frame of mind to begin the process of getting dressed.

Hence the grumpy face.



But finally, we were out the door. Joining us on our first Halloween adventure - our good buddies, David and Julia. Here Julia and Mina show off their wings.



I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this adventure. It was a learning experience for me too. At some houses, we were greeted with smiling faces, babies dressed for the occasion, and loads of candy.



Some people got into the spirit of the night with decorated houses. At this house (one of my favorites on the block), the couple waited outside with treats, and their dog Casey - a Scottish Terrior, dressed as a skunk. Forgot to get a pic of that, but anyone who dresses their dog for Halloween wins extra points in my book.



I love the people who don't skimp on the good stuff. Halloween is a time for chocolates. Not toothbrushes, apples, or play dough. Sorry. Just sayin.




And even when the little ones were too tired to go up to the door themselves, some neighbors insisted we take something for them anyway.



But, as we all know, every party has a pooper. Our block had one big poop.



To these people, Monkey Sr. and I have this to say... BWAAAA!!!



Which brings me to the question of our own house. What's the etiquette for Halloween night when you are out trick or treating and can't be home to give out candy to people at your door? Do you do nothing and hope the kids understand? Do you leave candy out for them and hope they will take a piece or two and not the entire bowl?

I decided to leave a bowl out, with an explanatory note. Of course, as Monkey Sr. pointed out, my note was riddled with spelling errors, so who knows if anyone could actually make sense of it or not. But, when we got back, there was still candy left over, and no egg on our door.



Despite the fact that we practiced the trick or treat protocol, when it came time to execute, Little Monkey froze up. In fact, he bailed out after about three or four houses. Monkey Sr. took him back to our door for a bit to have a chat. They rejoined us as we continued around the block. Goes to show you, you just never know what to expect with a toddler.



Thankfully, our man David got the hang of the game quickly and executed all the door ringing like a champ.



Eventually, Little Monkey made the connection between the door bell ringing, the greeting, and the getting of candy. I think Pavlov's dogs might have figured it out a little faster, but once the epiphany registered, there was no stopping him:

"Next house!" He roared. Unfortunately, he was not able to pick up on the subtle cues of who was home and who wasn't. No lights, mailbox full...probably not a house worth visiting.



And by the time Monkey was totally into it...the rest of us were totally exhausted and ready to call it a night.



So, the little firefighter had to content himself with a close examination of our lit jack-o-lantern, a quick dinner, and an expedited bedtime routine.



Of course, the task of examining the holiday loot was left to me. Enough said on that point.

Happy Halloween everyone! (congratulations, you made it to the end!)

Labels: adventures, autumn, friends, holidays