Happy Easter!

Friends

I took these pictures in January. I think they might have been my attempt at first day of school pictures. I'm not sure.

I love how they are together. Good friends. Companions. Goof balls of great proportions.

What A Year Can Do

Check out my blogging from a year ago.

We cut Eliot's hair off. Our former doggie died. Naomi was just a baby. Life was so different.

Thank You Auntie Laurie

Beware the Ides of March

5:46 am I wake up to Eliot screaming and go upstairs to check on him. A monster was in his room and he is scared. I take him in to go to the bathroom and when I put him in bed realize he feels hot. I cut our new (insanely slow) thermometer out of its excessive packaging and realize he has a fever. I decide to let the family sleep for a while and put him back to bed.

7:08 am The kids are awake. I put a load of laundry in the washing machine which I fear will be the last normal thing I do all day. I wake Aron up and tell him Eliot has a fever. Fevers mean guaranteed visits to the ER and potentially 72 hours in he hospital. Since Eliot was diagnosed this has never happened. I'm nervous.

7:12 am Eliot's temperature under his arm is 100.5 and rising.

7:21 am The Pediatric Oncologist On-Call says we should bring him to the ER. I realize that its almost Holy Week and assume all hell is about to break loose. I start calling in reinforcements (thank you Nan and Rob!) and canceling all of Aron's appointments for the day, all of our evening plans and the babysitter.

7:36 am Aron and Eliot leave for the hospital. My anxiety goes through the roof. All of my fears and anxiety and hurts and injuries and regrets from 15 months ago come flooding back. What if we ignore Naomi. How many thank you notes did I fail to write. How many people was I rude to. The list goes on and on.

9am ish I call my sister Laurie. She offers to come keep me company. I take her up on her offer.

9:30ish Laurie shows up. My anxiety gets calmed a bit.

10:30 ish We find out Eliot gets to come home and that he might have a bit of pneumonia. Although that doesn't totally make sense we go with it.

noonish I realize that my whole body aches and that I'm freezing cold. I also have a fever. Hmm.... no wonder I've been feeling so sick. No wonder I can't concentrate.

1:30 ish the kids are asleep. I pass out in bed, exhausted.

4 ish Naomi wakes up. Eliot is still asleep.

5 pm Eliot is still sleeping.

5:10pm Eliot is finally awake. I look outside and see a note on our car. I assume someone has left it there to wish us well. The suspense of who is so wonderful is killing me so I run out to get it. Its a ticket for $105 because we haven't put our updated tabs on our car. Shit.

7:00 pm Eliot can't believe I'm making him go to bed again. He doesn't want to sleep.

7:20 pm I go outside to put the updated tabs on our car. They don't stick very well. I swear. A lot.

7:45 pm I get in bed, hoping to go to sleep early.

9:00 pm I'm still awake.

late, late at night The kids are awake. The club next door is making noise.

An hour and a half later The kids are still awake. The club next door is still making noise. I'm still awake. I think I have a fever. I think Naomi might have a fever.

Is it March 16 yet?

Coming Home

So much of my life over the past few months has felt like coming home. I'm returning to a new version of the old me. Happy. Creative. In love. Full of ideas. Energetic. Showered.

Tonight I came home from work and found Aron and the kids busy making their new favorite Monday night dinner - pancakes and bacon.

The kids were sitting on the counter, Eliot was stirring some of the mix, bacon was frying, Aron was in just a white t-shirt, Naomi was hanging out.

It was beautiful.

Naomi asked me what I was wearing around my neck.

I said it was a necklace and that I like it very much

Eliot told me how he had dropped a whole bunch of blocks on his leg and it hurt and he laid on the couch and Daddy took care of him.

Naomi told me to take off my jacket - which she does every day I come home wearing a suit.

Just as I went downstairs Eliot asked me if I showed everyone my necklace. He asked in the most genuine, curious way. Why wouldn't I show everyone at work my pretty necklace.

My whole being was taken over by love for him.

It carried me all the way down the steps to take off my grown up clothes and put on my mommy clothes. And putting on my mommy clothes just wasn't so bad.