Bedtime with Pip

I will report on our Seattle date at some point...

Bedtime with the Pip is an event.  She is a stubborn, adorable pill.

Me: Okay, Pip.  Let's tuck you in.
Pip: Okay.
We walk to her room and get her all tucked, with her blankets all perfectly straight on her.
Pip: Wait!  I not brush my teeth yet!
Off we go to brush teeth, get a sip of water, pet the dog, dance down the hall and climb back into bed.
Pip: My bed's all messy.  Please make it all nice?  I need stories.  Two stories.  No, three stories.
I get her all tucked in with her scratchy dee and three stories, say goodnight to Pip and Eli and leave the room.
5 minutes later...
Pip (from her room): Mama!  Maaammaaaa!  Mama!  My bed messy!  Mama!
I walk to her room and straighten her covers, again.  I love you, Pip.  No more getting up.  Okay, she says, with a thumbs up at me.  Love you too.

This can happen multiple times and sometimes even in the middle of the night, or like this morning, at 6:30 a.m.  I try to ignore her and sometimes she falls back to sleep, waking a little later to start the yelling again. 

Pip care, 101:
1. If she starts to dance and fuss, most likely she has to pee.
2. She requires accompaniment for all bathroom issues although she doesn't necessarily need assistance.
3. She likes cereal for breakfast.
4. She doesn't like anyone to sing with her unless you've been specifically invited to sing with her.
5. She doesn't like to be told 'no' and tends to scream her displeasure.
6. Her bed must be made or she won't go into it.
7. She must have a 'scratchy dee' when in bed or when upset or she won't quit fussing.
8. If she naps, it has to be in Mama's bed, not her bed, and she wears nothing but her bedtime underpants and must use the white pillow.
9. She doesn't like yogurt with chunks in it.
10. She calls hiccups 'throw ups'
11. If she asks for 'jenga' it means she wants frozen mango.
12. She won't wear something if she thinks it's a boy color.
13. She climbs everything.
14. She will only speak to/snuggle with Mama in the morning.
15. She loves to be naked.
16. Prefers candy cane cocoa to regular cocoa.  Prefers cocoa to most any other drink.
17. Loves chocolate.  And candy.  And ice cream.  And bi-nana pos-sikle. 
18. She will tell you, loudly, whether she likes or wants something.  Loudly.

I can go on...

Phoebe

Once upon a time, a beautiful baby girl was born to parents Kerry and Caleb.  Kerry worked with Hans at Issaquah and they were all friends with Becky, Chris and Joelle.  Phoebe grew to be an energetic, happy girl, an only child, with a mom who was able to stay home with her at their little island paradise on Whidbey.  Shortly after Phoebe turned three, her complaints of headaches brought their family to a doctor and it was discovered little Phoebe had a brain tumor.  Surgery was performed, excising most of the tumor and a tumultuous year of recovery and adjustment to this new life for Phoebe commenced.  At a follow-up appointment, a repeat MRI confirmed new tumor growth.  Another surgery followed with recovery seemingly easier.  A couple months ago, another rapidly growing tumor was removed days before Phoebe entered a clinical trial in Texas.  Many roller coaster days of hope and fear consumed Kerry and Caleb and all those reading their story on CaringBridge.  Last week?  More continual tumor growth pressured Phoebe's brain and spinal cord.  Phoebe's pain level became the focus for management as the inevitable had to be accepted.  Yesterday, Kerry and Caleb lay their precious daughter to rest, her five and a half years too short a time on this earth.  Becky, Chris and Joelle attended the formal goodbye, viewing little Phoebe on her bed before she was placed in a simple pine box.  Her parents kissed her cheeks before the lid was closed, her father assisting in lowering her into the earth, her mother's anguish akin to having her limbs ripped from her body.  The horror of this tragedy is too close to home.  My eyes burn, my heart aches for Kerry, as I can only hold my children and treasure each irritation, each joy, each moment I have with them.  Today is Kerry's birthday and she is spending the day sitting vigil over her daughter's grave, imagining Phoebe's spirit moving to the next plane.  I am so, so sorry.

Today's Random Thoughts

Abby just ran past me to the bathroom.  It is remarkable that at age 9 years, 9 months, she would still be surprised buy the urge to use the toilet.  Eli and Hazel both jump when this need arises, Eli running to facilities and Hazel "doing the potty dance" until I accompany her. 

My other thought for today: When Mom was my age (36), her youngest child was 9.  Her oldest was 16.  No wonder Mom would curl up for twenty minutes on the sofa with barely her nose peeking out from the sleeping bag.  I'm exhausted and I only have my three!  Thankfully, Pip is sleeping again at night since she's feeling better.

Tonight is Parent Night for ELENA students (ELENA being the gifted class for Abby).  I wish I was more impressed or at least appreciative of the program.  I felt it merely required more homework and study for her to do instead of being an interactive, entertaining challenge.  She certainly doesn't need more busy work.

Now, after an hour-long, exhaustive search for my cell phone, it returns in the hand of a neighbor girl.  She found it at the far end of our property...somewhere I had been nowhere near.  Frustrating, frustrating. 

To top everything off, I went to the store and forgot the evaporated milk and chocolate cookie crust I need for Lime Delight tonight.  Arrgh.

Eyebrows

Pip still has a temperature.  Ugh.  "My ear all better, but my eyebrow still hurt.  This one," she says, pointing to her left eye.  Least we know I can take her pains seriously.  (cough, cough)

Cookies are done!  Abby made her goal of selling 500 boxes.  I've been dreaming cookie sales and am so thankful I can move on to something else now.  Although, we asked a girl how she was doing with selling when we stopped at Rite Aid and found out she'd already sold 570 boxes and was going for 600.  Abby's already declared that 600 is her new goal for next year.  We did nine site sales this year, most outdoors, during the only snowy, freezing weather we've had this winter... Argh.

Oh, Pip

My silly, silly Pip, so sick with a fever and congestion, spent yesterday singing and dancing.  "I shake my fanny, Mama," she says to me, "because you like it."

Singing, take 1:


Singing, take 2: See her poor, red-rimmed eyes and snot?


I love her finales.

She woke before midnight last night with a temperature over 104 and the dang tylenol wasn't cutting it.  Two hours later, around 2 AM, she is awake again, still burning up and I turn on Blue's Clues and hope the ibuprofen does what the tylenol wasn't.  Finally, around 3 we were able to sleep again and she didn't wake until 10.  Poor, sweet baby.  I've already had to dose her again since her temp was over 101.  Doctor's office said to bring her in tomorrow if the fever doesn't quit.

On another note, I went to Mary Purcell Elementary's Student of the Month assemblies today.  Both Abby and Eli were presented with awards for January Students of the Month with the theme of "trustworthiness."  The principal reads the student's nomination form and then the student receives their certificate, nomination form and a special "Student of the Month" pencil.  It has been big, big news at our house since this was Eli's first time and he was very excited to sit on the stage (oooh!) to await his award.  He stressed this fact before he left for school this morning, as well as requesting I sit somewhere he can be sure to see me.

Oh, and Robyn?  Pbbt.

Dees

Hazel wants two dees at bedtime now.  Not just one.  It can't be a fuzzy dee either.  She wants a scratchy dee.  Fuzzy dees are the true original dees that began as Abby's security so long ago...their edges have now frayed (Abby liked to suck on the trailing string, Eli liked having two or three at all times).  Hazel likes those scratchy ones, the ones that still have their hemmed edges.

The original cloth diapers I received for baby Abby as burp rags morphed into 'dees' for each kid.  They all formed their attachments, with Eli having liked them the longest so far.  Hazel's quickly coming up on his record.

I'm going to be so sad when I have to say a goodbye to these simple security manifestations someday.

The Other Kid

With cookie sales in full swing and the weather being so wickedly cold, I have been working on being comfortable leaving Harvey home alone.  I stopped leaving him a couple of months ago after coming home to find powdered sugar all over the living room, the brown sugar eaten, rice strewn about and the flour bag halfway between the kitchen and front door.  

Two days ago, we left him home and arrived back to find he had pulled a new box of Cookie Crisp cereal (yes, I can be a very nice mom) out of the grocery bag, tore into it and managed to eat half of the cereal.  He'd also pulled the plastic bag off the newspaper.  The only real mess was the scraps of cereal box and bits of plastic bag.  Not too bad, considering how mischievous he'd been previously.

Today fared a little better.  He did manage to get into the cereal cupboard again, but this time, only the powdered sugar, flour and bulgar wheat bag ended up in the living room, none of it spilled or eaten.  The brown sugar, still in its bag, was by the dining table.  Much less mess!  Maybe there's hope after all.