Right on track for sometime next century

Okay, I'm here. Jeez. I swear, I am back on track now. Non stop posting. Also, my laundry will be caught up, my house will be clean, and my kids will have matching clothes every day. Okay, I am exaggerating. But I have been out of control with my lack of on-top-of-my-life-ness. I have neglected my friends, ignored my housework, and totally given up on cooking. I have no excuse at this point- Josh's dad came into town and is currently caring for Al. (Yes, that dad. But that is another conversation for another time.) I guess I must be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. :) If I have been neglecting you personally, my to-do list for today includes sending electronic flowers and candy. New and improved with no megapixel after-taste. Keep an eye on your inbox, people.

Dex's vocabulary continues to improve, and he is regularly using little sentences now. Things like, Where are you?, Go out!, and (while madly waving his arms at the light switches) On!Off!On!Off!. Claire was just like this at 18 months and she hasn't stopped talking since then. I get that he is talking early, and is somewhat more advanced than his peers. But I could settle for mediocrity if it meant we could occasionally get a moment's silence, right? Darn us and our difficult genius qualities. Sigh....

Emma is happier at school. This is a relief for all of us. She is still not thrilled about going, but almost never cries when we drop her off. At the recommendation of her therapist, we instituted a reward program for going to school without crying. If she goes all 5 days without crying, there will be a reward on Friday. Some weeks it is a trip to McDonald's, some weeks a local kids' museum, and occasionally, a new (small) toy. Her life is now measured in how many days til she gets a new Power Ranger.

But the biggest news of all lately is my mom. She got the results of her liver biopsy back and, after a year and a half of being off of the interferon therapy, she has had no deterioration of her liver. No scarring, no cirrhosis, no nothing. Seriously? We actually got good news for a change?? Things like this just don't happen to us. There is a very small segment of Hep C patients who do not respond to the treatments but, for no obvious reason, never develop cirrhosis. We are starting to have a glimmer of hope that she may actually be in that segment. Yay for medical mysteries!

Boo for the season finale of Nip/Tuck. This being the only show I dedicate any time to, I expect stellar work. I'm not buying the bear-making faux agent, nor am I getting into the incestual brother/sister relationship. You've pushed it too far this time, Nip/Tuck. Too far, I say! I'll have to find something more realistic. Life maybe General Hospital. (Maggie! The only way to save him is to give him half of a monkey's brain!) Or All My Children. (Mark, she is your SISTER. And your mother...) Is Passions still airing??? (My tiny doll will kill you in your sleep!)

yawning..

Wow. I am tired.

It has been a hectic couple of weeks, with illnesses, grandpa-care, and VACATION. My vacation went about like this: Load up the car and drive for 6 hours. Get lost a few times and almost-collisions a few more. Pick up Karin from the airport, get some dinner, go to bed, wake up sick. Wander around Ikea in a foggy confusion, followed by a trip to the doc in a box. (Wait, stop right there, you say. You got sick on your vacation?? That's right, people. If there is a way to screw up a vacation, I will find it.) Take antibiotics, shop some more, drop Karin back off at the airport, and drive back home. It wasn't all bad. I got to see Karin and finally meet baby Preston. I got to spend some QT with seester. I got to spend most of 4 days not taking care of anyone but myself.
Historically, I do not have good luck with vacations. I don't know why I would expect anything else. I generally need some time to recover from vacations. It's sad, really.
I came home to a spectacularly clean and organized house. It was a little depressing to see how much better they function when I am out of town. I am not exactly sure how Josh managed this feat, but I am going to ask questions. And I am going to take notes...
Thank you, Megan, Karin, and Michelle for tolerating my whining, and for joining me on a weekend away from children. And for sharing my germs. I hope you are not all sick now...