A tribute to The Wire

I saw this clip on someone else's blog and it made me miss The Wire. I think I'm going to have to watch it from the beginning as soon as we finish In Treatment. HBO puts some kick ass shows on the air.

saddened and hopeful

My friend J and her husband B have twin girls, E and S. They are 22-months old. I have only had the chance to meet them once soon after they were born. They were premature and spent a significant amount of time in the NICU before they went home. They couldn't be around any other children for the first year of their lives. J and B recently found out that E has brain cancer. She had a tumor the size of a mango removed on Wednesday night (a week ago). She awaits chemotherapy which starts next week.

J and I went to grad school together and became fast friends. Mr. Doodlebug and I got along really well with J and B. It was one of those friendships where all four of us truly enjoyed each others company. I remember one of the last nights we spent as residents of DC Mr. D took me to Sam and Harry's for dinner. It was half price bottle of wine night so we took advantage and got pretty saucy. After we left the restaurant I called J on a whim to see if they had any plans. They didn't so we went over to their place and laughed and talked and probably drank some more, I can't quite remember. But I do remember the fun, happy, light feeling I had that whole night and then how sad I was that we were leaving DC and our friends to move to Philadelphia.

I think about that night now and think that I never would have guessed that four years later J and B would have to endure such tragic upheaval and incredible stress. I know that E's chances of survival aren't great, and I am normally not the most positive person, but I am thinking about E and her parents and sister all the time. And I am wishing that E pulls through this a survivor.

I talked to J the other day and her optimism and grasp of reality were nothing less than heroic. She actually said to me without the slightest twinge of jealousy, "you're just happy that your kids are healthy, right?" I am glad my kids are healthy, but I wish hers was too.

If you want to follow E's progress J created a blog.

sick

I spent the latter part of my evening cleaning projectile vomit off the rocking chair, rug, floor and stuffed monkey in Pancake's room. Pancake's and my clothing was promptly removed and is currently soaking in the washing machine. I have never seen vomiting of this volume or distance in my life -- and to think it came from a seven month old! I hope it was a result of the phlegm she hasn't been able to spit out or blow out, and not a virus that will lead to more vomiting.

Our other child has a terrible cough and an ear infection. He asked to go to the doctor this morning to get medicine for his ear. Sure enough it is infected. He never had an antibiotic until right before he turned three. Now he's on his third. Being in school sure makes a kid sick!

Fun, fun, fun!

The Phillies

What a disappointing end to a great season. As I've stated before on this blog I am not a huge professional sports fan, but I have come to love the Phillies as my husband and son do, well not quite as much as Mr. D.

I love the scrappiness and heart of the team. The players seem to be good people who are good at what they do and are dedicated to the fabulous Phillies fans. Their game last night, that ended in a 7 to 3 loss, was aggravating at times (Shane Victorino should have caught that ball; Ryan Howard finally showed up with one home run -- too little too late; Chase Utley who was having a great post season couldn't quite break the record of number of home runs in a World Series, tying Reggie Jackson with five; he didn't show up last night like he could have; Pedro Martinez did not pitch well; and Charlie Manual made some interesting pitching change choices).

So now we wait until April, a time of hope and renewal. I am not, nor will I ever be, an Eagles fan. Mr. D told me last night that if the Eagles win the Superbowl it will make up for the Phillies' losing the World Series. That is not the case for me. Of course, if they do make it to the Superbowl I'll make an Eagles cake and invite our friends over to "watch" the game.

Sorry, Mr. D, that your beloved Phils couldn't pull it out this time. Maybe Charlie will pick out some better pitchers for next season -- I would keep Cliff Lee though.

7 months

Pancake is such a happy and delightful baby. She is always smiling at people. Whenever we're out and strangers ooh and aah over her she gives them reason to love her with her huge open-mouth smile.

I can sit her down for long periods of time to play, or watch her brother on the potty. She reaches for toys when she's sitting and then pulls herself back up. She can transfer a toy from one hand to the other. She tolerates her brother's abuse with a big grin on her face. It's hard to convince him that what he's doing might be too rough because she's happy just to be in his company no matter his mood.

Her babbling has become more refined. She imitates sounds she hears like HHHIIIIII. My father-in-law swears he heard her say her brother's name. I'm not sure about that, but her cooing is more purposeful now.

She has two teeth (the two bottom front ones) and enjoys teething biscuits. Her teething has caused all of us many sleepless nights. I hope she doesn't get any more for a while. She's gaining weight quickly and has a few rolls on each thigh, they're incredibly cute.

She will play on her back for a while but when I try to give her a little "tummy time" she acts paralyzed and whines to be moved to a more comfortable position. Since I'm more concerned with keeping her happy than ensuring that she crawls she doesn't get much time on her belly. She loves her Exersaucer. She will play in it for up to 45 minutes at a time. She's not a huge fan of the bouncing seat that hangs in the doorway. I still swaddle her before naps and bed time even though she's outgrowing the pre-made swaddlers I have. She sleeps much better so I'm going to continue swaddling.

She recently discovered the xylophone and is thrilled to make such loud sounds. She still puts everything she gets her hands on in her mouth. She also still loves to eat, both breastmilk and solid foods. When I'm feeding her solid food she sits with her mouth open anticipating the next bite. When she finishes her meal she cries that it's all gone, no matter how much she's eaten.

She just started waving. The first time I noticed it it was directed at a cashier at Acme who was waving and talking to her. She held her tiny hand up, palm facing herself, and moved her four fingers up and down. She did it again for me today so I'm pretty sure it was an actual wave.

I love to kiss her slightly pudgy cheeks and around her neck. She squeals with delight when I do that. She also loves to be tickled under her arms. She thinks that's hilarious.She's so squeezable and cuddly and adorable. I love this age.

potty trained

Since my three and a half update post on October 1st Doodle has made great strides in using the toilet like a big boy. Dare I say he's potty trained! He rarely has accidents and when he does they really are accidents rather than purposefully peeing in his underwear. I still put him in a pull-up for sleep at night (not for naps any more) but it is almost always dry in the morning so I probably don't need them any more. It's just so much easier to change a pull up then change his full size sheets and pajamas in the middle of the night.

First Tooth

I thought this news deserved its own post. Pancake got her first tooth today. She is the exact same age that Doodle was when his first tooth poked through the gums (October 29, 2006). Pancake and Doodle are incredibly similar babies in so many ways and this coincidence is pretty amazing.

This picture was not taken today, but on our trip to Hilton Head.

Hilton Head

We were in Hilton Head, SC for a week with Mr. D's parents. We left on the 15th after Mr. D got out of work, sat in traffic for the first four hours of the trip, drove to Rocky Mount, NC where we stayed in a pretty nice motel for $40! and that included breakfast (fresh made waffles, bagels, cereal, juice, coffee and donuts). We drove for another five to six hours the next morning/afternoon before we finally arrived at my in-laws' time share in Hilton Head at 4:00 p.m., just in time for the Phillies playoff game against the Dodgers, which they lost. Not a great way to start our second vacation of the year, but it ended well with the Phillies going to the World Series and a much more pleasant drive home. Before we planned this trip I really had no idea how far south Hilton Head is. It's down there.

While in HH (the initials on the Euro-stickers down there) we biked on the beach and the great bike trails, swam in the heated pool and soaked in the hot tub right outside our building, ate good food and drank good wine (a few fruity tropical drinks too), played tennis and ping pong, and took a day trip to Savannah, Georgia, which is only 20-some miles from HH. The downside was that our family of four slept in one bedroom the size of a small hotel room. Doodle was in the double bed next to ours and Pancake was in a pack-n-play at the food of Doodle's bed. Doodle had a cough which woke me up when I wasn't being woken up by my restless baby girl. I don't know if it was the new surroundings, Doodle's incessant coughing or her teething, but Pancake slept like crap while we were away. Not only did she sleep fitfully but she took FOREVER to fall asleep -- screaming in my arms until she finally passed out.

One morning I slept in -- one, out of seven. Our week away made me appreciate our house where everyone sleeps in their own rooms and there are lots of places to put Pancake down. Overall, though, the vacation was great and there is something to be said for appreciating your daily life.

Since we've been back we carved pumpkins, Doodle went to school, which he really seems to like now, and we went to gymnastics class today where both kids wore their Halloween costumes (Doodle was a firefighter and Pancake was an alligator (same costume as Doodle three years ago)).

A few pictures:

That is the sock that she pulled off laying across her chest. She's in the bike trailer.

Doodle is in a phase where he doesn't like to look at the camera, let alone smile for it, when I'm trying to take his picture. So this is the only close up I have of him from the trip.