War Eagle, hey!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Grandma of the Computer
Today I skype-called my mom, video to video. Her microphone wasn't working properly, so she could see and hear us, but we could only see her. We did our best to sign a few messages to each other, and then I turned the laptop around so that she could watch Brooks playing at the tupperware drawer. When he heard me say his name, he looked up and "OH! HI! I know YOU!!!" flashed all over his face. He immediately dropped the plastic goodies and with lots of giggles and grins, he came flying/crawling over to the coffee table to be closer to Grandma on the screen. He pulled himself up to standing and started bouncing, he was that excited to see her laughing and smiling back at him. They played a game of silent "Where's Brooks?" - our family's version of Peek-a-boo. It just melted my heart to see how thrilled he was to see her. It was written all over his expression, his body language, everything. Of course, it also killed me at the same time. His reaction seemed to prove to me that, yes, he IS missing the family too and that maybe his difficult week has been, at least in part, due to their departure. So sad...
But, I think this just means that we need lots of Trips in 2008!! :)
But, I think this just means that we need lots of Trips in 2008!! :)
Friday, November 23, 2007
The lead paint scare...
Tonight our kitchen door swung shut over a piece of plastic (from Brooks' tupperware drawer) and chipped a big piece of paint onto the carpet.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize this fact until it was too late. My first clue that something was wrong was when Brooks crawled over to where I was working on supper by the sink and he started gagging and vomiting. After clearing his mouth and discovering the wayward paint chips still in his mouth, I saw where the paint had come from and almost passed out. It was a huge hole in a very old painted surface, chipped all the way to the wood. My heart stopped with the fear of the dreaded "lead paint".
The general terror around lead paint poisoning is perhaps like the idea of drinking while pregnant - all I know is that it's dangerous, no one knows how much is too much, and it's best to avoid it all together. It could HURT_YOUR_CHILD!!
I called Eric and he called our landlord ... has the building ever been tested for lead paint? "I don't know but I'm sure it's been freshly painted every 2-3 years by whatever is sold in the shops, and I'm SURE that's safe..." Um, not so helpful. We're talking about a 1/4 inch thick old paint chip maybe dating back to before you were born.
We checked with our UK doctor's office next... They inspired little confidence. "A what-kind-of-chip, dear? I don't understand your question." ... "Oh, your baby has swallowed some dried paint? Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. Is he done choking now?"
Not feeling entirely satisfied, Eric contacted the US poison control center... If the paint specimen was larger than a man's thumb nail, then you should go to the nearest ER, being sure to take a piece of the paint chip with you. Have them run all sorts of chemical tests on the paint and give your child an x-ray or scan to determine how much he actually swallowed and then if the lab tests come back positive for lead, they can flush his system so that the lead isn't ingested. But note, it's very important that you act quickly. You should go now."
Geez!
So then I called the NHS Direct. They'd been very helpful when Eric was sick before Italy. Technical difficulties marred our customer service experience, but after four phone call worth of silly questions - "is your child blue around the face? does your child have a rash? does he have difficulty breathing?" they were able to say with some certainty that Brooks would *probably* be fine. (You did rinse his mouth out with water, right?!) They felt that there was very little that we had to do about the situation in the next 20 minutes. However, if he started to have trouble breathing at any point, or if he experienced any abdominal pain (and how would we know this?!), or if his condition changed at all, then we should call back and give them an update...
ARGH!
So, what does being a "good mother" in this situation mean!?!? Do I rush him to the hospital or do I rinse out his mouth with water and slap him on the back and call it good? I don't know!
In the end we decided to let it go. Brooks seems perfectly fine now and I'm guessing that thousands of children have swallowed worse and survived. Eric is convinced we did the right thing. For myself, I will just be very happy when he's safe in his own bed tonight, asleep, and away from the big bad paint chips.
I guess this equates to letting Brooks ride in a Roman taxi without his car seat... But somehow watching him get sick with something foreign in his mouth made this feel much much worse.
Here's praying for a really good night of sleep tonight.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize this fact until it was too late. My first clue that something was wrong was when Brooks crawled over to where I was working on supper by the sink and he started gagging and vomiting. After clearing his mouth and discovering the wayward paint chips still in his mouth, I saw where the paint had come from and almost passed out. It was a huge hole in a very old painted surface, chipped all the way to the wood. My heart stopped with the fear of the dreaded "lead paint".
The general terror around lead paint poisoning is perhaps like the idea of drinking while pregnant - all I know is that it's dangerous, no one knows how much is too much, and it's best to avoid it all together. It could HURT_YOUR_CHILD!!
I called Eric and he called our landlord ... has the building ever been tested for lead paint? "I don't know but I'm sure it's been freshly painted every 2-3 years by whatever is sold in the shops, and I'm SURE that's safe..." Um, not so helpful. We're talking about a 1/4 inch thick old paint chip maybe dating back to before you were born.
We checked with our UK doctor's office next... They inspired little confidence. "A what-kind-of-chip, dear? I don't understand your question." ... "Oh, your baby has swallowed some dried paint? Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. Is he done choking now?"
Not feeling entirely satisfied, Eric contacted the US poison control center... If the paint specimen was larger than a man's thumb nail, then you should go to the nearest ER, being sure to take a piece of the paint chip with you. Have them run all sorts of chemical tests on the paint and give your child an x-ray or scan to determine how much he actually swallowed and then if the lab tests come back positive for lead, they can flush his system so that the lead isn't ingested. But note, it's very important that you act quickly. You should go now."
Geez!
So then I called the NHS Direct. They'd been very helpful when Eric was sick before Italy. Technical difficulties marred our customer service experience, but after four phone call worth of silly questions - "is your child blue around the face? does your child have a rash? does he have difficulty breathing?" they were able to say with some certainty that Brooks would *probably* be fine. (You did rinse his mouth out with water, right?!) They felt that there was very little that we had to do about the situation in the next 20 minutes. However, if he started to have trouble breathing at any point, or if he experienced any abdominal pain (and how would we know this?!), or if his condition changed at all, then we should call back and give them an update...
ARGH!
So, what does being a "good mother" in this situation mean!?!? Do I rush him to the hospital or do I rinse out his mouth with water and slap him on the back and call it good? I don't know!
In the end we decided to let it go. Brooks seems perfectly fine now and I'm guessing that thousands of children have swallowed worse and survived. Eric is convinced we did the right thing. For myself, I will just be very happy when he's safe in his own bed tonight, asleep, and away from the big bad paint chips.
I guess this equates to letting Brooks ride in a Roman taxi without his car seat... But somehow watching him get sick with something foreign in his mouth made this feel much much worse.
Here's praying for a really good night of sleep tonight.
Thanksgiving in London
Yesterday didn't really feel like a typical Thanksgiving, but we did celebrate it over here and felt grateful to be together.
The highlight of the day was the annual Thanksgiving Day Service for Americans in London at St Paul's Cathedral. It's hosted by several American congregations in the city and I sang in the choir at this service 10 years ago, so it was fun to take Eric and Brooks back for it. The enormous church was packed, the readings were great, the hymns were exactly what I would have chosen (Come ye Thankful People Come, We Gather Together, and America the Beautiful among others). The charity that they had chosen to support this year was IJM UK - a ministry that's very close to our hearts. Brooks made it through 85% of the service before getting tired of sitting quiet and still and eating his Cheerios. I scooted out with him to a side aisle for the last few minutes.
After the service, we feasted at the Old Bell pub in "the City" (the square mile center of London, sort of like Chicago's Loop) - it's the place where Eric and some of his co-workers have gone out for a group lunch a few times. It was the perfect pub atmosphere, and Brooks napped in his stroller while we sat by the fire and enjoyed our sausage and mash plates "Toad in the Hole" style.
When we finished lunch, Eric zipped back to work, and Brooks and I returned to St Paul's to browse through the gift shop and wander through the crypt museum. It was nice to be out and about with Brooks and absolutely no agenda.
After St. Paul's, Brooks and I caught a bus and rambled through the center of town, heading down High Holborn to Oxford Street to stroll through the shopping district. Oxford Street feels sort of like Chicago's Michigan Avenue with lights and Christmas decorations up everywhere, and PEOPLE - lots of people. No actual Christmas shopping for us, but Brooks was just about done by that point, so after I got a cup of hot chocolate we headed home.
Honestly, the afternoon and evening were hard. I think Brooks was aware of my exhaustion and sadness and the fact that I missed my family. He seemed to be asking "so where are all those other great people? I want my playmates back!!" I'm afraid that maybe we've spoiled him with constant interaction and fun for the last month, and now that we're just the two of us again, he's easily bored with me. We played with his new piano (a birthday gift) and the blocks and boxes which are current favorites, but he was a bit fussy all afternoon. He ate some supper, had a bath, read some stories, and then screamed his head off when it was time to go to sleep. Perhaps there is some separation anxiety happening - apparently this is the time for it. I'm not sure what's going on with him. Maybe he's just out of sorts, too...
Eric didn't get home until after 11:00pm. We had agreed that our pub lunch was going to be our special meal for the day, and since he was out of the office for several hours for the service, he decided to just stay and get his work done. I probably should have taken the opportunity to go to bed early, but I didn't, choosing to wait up til he got home. As soon as he walked in the door, Brooks woke up crying again. After he was finally back down, and after we had supper (toast and eggs for me, pb&honey for Eric and a bowl of ice cream), and done a few chores, we turned in - it was after 1:00am.
A strange thanksgiving, with not a single bite of turkey... but I did have moments of thankfulness. Not a typical holiday at all, but I'm pleased that the morning was so meaningful.
I spent some time thinking of family and friends, where you were, what you were doing to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I missed you all and hope that each of you are well. Drop me a line and let me know how you celebrated.
Hugs from this side of the Pond...
The highlight of the day was the annual Thanksgiving Day Service for Americans in London at St Paul's Cathedral. It's hosted by several American congregations in the city and I sang in the choir at this service 10 years ago, so it was fun to take Eric and Brooks back for it. The enormous church was packed, the readings were great, the hymns were exactly what I would have chosen (Come ye Thankful People Come, We Gather Together, and America the Beautiful among others). The charity that they had chosen to support this year was IJM UK - a ministry that's very close to our hearts. Brooks made it through 85% of the service before getting tired of sitting quiet and still and eating his Cheerios. I scooted out with him to a side aisle for the last few minutes.
After the service, we feasted at the Old Bell pub in "the City" (the square mile center of London, sort of like Chicago's Loop) - it's the place where Eric and some of his co-workers have gone out for a group lunch a few times. It was the perfect pub atmosphere, and Brooks napped in his stroller while we sat by the fire and enjoyed our sausage and mash plates "Toad in the Hole" style.
When we finished lunch, Eric zipped back to work, and Brooks and I returned to St Paul's to browse through the gift shop and wander through the crypt museum. It was nice to be out and about with Brooks and absolutely no agenda.
After St. Paul's, Brooks and I caught a bus and rambled through the center of town, heading down High Holborn to Oxford Street to stroll through the shopping district. Oxford Street feels sort of like Chicago's Michigan Avenue with lights and Christmas decorations up everywhere, and PEOPLE - lots of people. No actual Christmas shopping for us, but Brooks was just about done by that point, so after I got a cup of hot chocolate we headed home.
Honestly, the afternoon and evening were hard. I think Brooks was aware of my exhaustion and sadness and the fact that I missed my family. He seemed to be asking "so where are all those other great people? I want my playmates back!!" I'm afraid that maybe we've spoiled him with constant interaction and fun for the last month, and now that we're just the two of us again, he's easily bored with me. We played with his new piano (a birthday gift) and the blocks and boxes which are current favorites, but he was a bit fussy all afternoon. He ate some supper, had a bath, read some stories, and then screamed his head off when it was time to go to sleep. Perhaps there is some separation anxiety happening - apparently this is the time for it. I'm not sure what's going on with him. Maybe he's just out of sorts, too...
Eric didn't get home until after 11:00pm. We had agreed that our pub lunch was going to be our special meal for the day, and since he was out of the office for several hours for the service, he decided to just stay and get his work done. I probably should have taken the opportunity to go to bed early, but I didn't, choosing to wait up til he got home. As soon as he walked in the door, Brooks woke up crying again. After he was finally back down, and after we had supper (toast and eggs for me, pb&honey for Eric and a bowl of ice cream), and done a few chores, we turned in - it was after 1:00am.
A strange thanksgiving, with not a single bite of turkey... but I did have moments of thankfulness. Not a typical holiday at all, but I'm pleased that the morning was so meaningful.
I spent some time thinking of family and friends, where you were, what you were doing to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I missed you all and hope that each of you are well. Drop me a line and let me know how you celebrated.
Hugs from this side of the Pond...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
My heart
I told Eric last night that I have the emotional fortitude of a kitten right now. I have no "passive courage" or "resolute endurance." I'd like to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and just stay there for about a week.
The driver of my cab last night even commented that I looked "troubled". I had nothing to say in response. I had picked up several bags of groceries and was treating myself to my first post-grocery cab ride in London so that I could meet back up with Eric and Brooks on-time. What did I have to be troubled about? How could I complain about anything?
~ My healthy, beautiful child was a year old yesterday.
~ I had just said goodbye to my family after a fantastic month-long visit, including three weeks in my favorite country.
~ I was returning home to a man who loves me well and is proving to be a great partner on this London adventure.
My current "troubles" are those of the very, very fortunate - I know this. But I was still so melancholy. And the dark, cold, rainy night didn't really help.
However, watching Brooks destroy his buttercream-frosted cupcake last night improved my mood tremendously. Perhaps another day or two of *slowly* recovering from the chaos of the last month would do me some good. And maybe counting a few other blessings would give me some additional perspective.
There is much to be thankful for, even over here in a country that isn't celebrating it with a special holiday.
The driver of my cab last night even commented that I looked "troubled". I had nothing to say in response. I had picked up several bags of groceries and was treating myself to my first post-grocery cab ride in London so that I could meet back up with Eric and Brooks on-time. What did I have to be troubled about? How could I complain about anything?
~ My healthy, beautiful child was a year old yesterday.
~ I had just said goodbye to my family after a fantastic month-long visit, including three weeks in my favorite country.
~ I was returning home to a man who loves me well and is proving to be a great partner on this London adventure.
My current "troubles" are those of the very, very fortunate - I know this. But I was still so melancholy. And the dark, cold, rainy night didn't really help.
However, watching Brooks destroy his buttercream-frosted cupcake last night improved my mood tremendously. Perhaps another day or two of *slowly* recovering from the chaos of the last month would do me some good. And maybe counting a few other blessings would give me some additional perspective.
There is much to be thankful for, even over here in a country that isn't celebrating it with a special holiday.
so many thoughts
I don't know where to begin. Honestly. There is way too much. Too much life to summarize with a few photos and a story or two...
My family's month-long visit
Italy as a tourist
Italy as a mom
Italy with my family
Brooks' first birthday
Life as an ex-pat (have we *really* been over here for three months!?)
I have a ton of thoughts, but they are all jumbled right now.
And I realized to my horror that my sister boarded the plane yesterday with ALL the Italy photos. I didn't take out my camera very often on the trip, we primarily used hers, but I had every intention of downloading the pictures to my mac before she flew home. Hopefully, I can get them from her by disc or something in the next week or two. But anyway, I'll have to re-post at least the first few stories later once I have pictures...
Anyway, just acknowledging that yes, we're back to our usual family of three, and are catching up on sleep and laundry. And no, my creative writing juices have not yet started to flow. Hopefully soon.
My family's month-long visit
Italy as a tourist
Italy as a mom
Italy with my family
Brooks' first birthday
Life as an ex-pat (have we *really* been over here for three months!?)
I have a ton of thoughts, but they are all jumbled right now.
And I realized to my horror that my sister boarded the plane yesterday with ALL the Italy photos. I didn't take out my camera very often on the trip, we primarily used hers, but I had every intention of downloading the pictures to my mac before she flew home. Hopefully, I can get them from her by disc or something in the next week or two. But anyway, I'll have to re-post at least the first few stories later once I have pictures...
Anyway, just acknowledging that yes, we're back to our usual family of three, and are catching up on sleep and laundry. And no, my creative writing juices have not yet started to flow. Hopefully soon.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
home sweet London home
We landed at Gatwick from Rome last night around 10:30pm and after immigration, customs and a long ride home, we were in bed around 1:00am this morning. It's really good to be home. It's really amazingly good to see Eric. Really, really good. I missed him.
I'm looking forward to unpacking and doing one tiny load of laundry after another until all my clothes are clean and folded and put away in drawers and wardrobes - which now seem enormous by comparison to the suitcases we've been living out of for the last three weeks!
I'm also looking forward to enjoying London with my family, this time sans stomach flu. Ie, now we can explore our new home and catch a few sights with a British accent, rather than an Italian one. That is if we can all get out of bed. We're pretty tired. Maybe we'll just sit and look at each other, and relive the Italian Familia Adventure of 2007 in story, in photo, and in song. Yeah, that sounds pretty good.
Momma, Daddy, and Sissy return home on Tuesday (Brooks' 1st birthday!) - so sad, but then they probably do have to return to their own lives someday! I plan to sleep for 24 hours straight after they leave and then start telling some stories then. Photos and details to come.
Is it true that Thanksgiving is in five days? Nothing could feel further away from reality to me at this point. Where AM I?! My brain is still in the time-warp of an extended vacation, exacerbated by the fact that it was a foreign holiday... Strange.
Ciao! I mean... cheerio!
I'm looking forward to unpacking and doing one tiny load of laundry after another until all my clothes are clean and folded and put away in drawers and wardrobes - which now seem enormous by comparison to the suitcases we've been living out of for the last three weeks!
I'm also looking forward to enjoying London with my family, this time sans stomach flu. Ie, now we can explore our new home and catch a few sights with a British accent, rather than an Italian one. That is if we can all get out of bed. We're pretty tired. Maybe we'll just sit and look at each other, and relive the Italian Familia Adventure of 2007 in story, in photo, and in song. Yeah, that sounds pretty good.
Momma, Daddy, and Sissy return home on Tuesday (Brooks' 1st birthday!) - so sad, but then they probably do have to return to their own lives someday! I plan to sleep for 24 hours straight after they leave and then start telling some stories then. Photos and details to come.
Is it true that Thanksgiving is in five days? Nothing could feel further away from reality to me at this point. Where AM I?! My brain is still in the time-warp of an extended vacation, exacerbated by the fact that it was a foreign holiday... Strange.
Ciao! I mean... cheerio!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Ciao!
Greetings from Siena. Having a GREAT time in Italy with the family. So many memories (most of them good) and so many beautiful sights, yummy meals, and fantastic experiences. I'm already looking forward to the process of sorting pictures and writing blog stories.
This is my first time to check email in more than a week. I can't believe how offline I've been... but there has been so much to see and do and eat! :)
Eric left today to return our rental van and head back to London to work for a few days. Fortunately, he found a very cheap return flight that will allow him to join us in Florence this weekend. So far, in the last 10 days our itinerary has included...
Milan - check
Venice - check
Padua - check
Ravenna - check
Assisi - check
Siena - check
Civita - check
Orvieto - check
Whew! No wonder we're tired! And for the rest of the trip?
San Gimignano - tomorrow
Florence - taking a bus there on Thursday
Rome - taking a train there next Monday
London - flying back the following Friday (Nov 16)
Love to all back home. Come back soon for pictures and stories.
This is my first time to check email in more than a week. I can't believe how offline I've been... but there has been so much to see and do and eat! :)
Eric left today to return our rental van and head back to London to work for a few days. Fortunately, he found a very cheap return flight that will allow him to join us in Florence this weekend. So far, in the last 10 days our itinerary has included...
Milan - check
Venice - check
Padua - check
Ravenna - check
Assisi - check
Siena - check
Civita - check
Orvieto - check
Whew! No wonder we're tired! And for the rest of the trip?
San Gimignano - tomorrow
Florence - taking a bus there on Thursday
Rome - taking a train there next Monday
London - flying back the following Friday (Nov 16)
Love to all back home. Come back soon for pictures and stories.
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