A.k.a. "Chuck E. Cheese's."
Today was my darling son's fourth birthday (seriously? How did this happen?) Ever since he learned to talk he has been on about going to Chuck E. Cheese's. The nearest one is in the city and Robert and I have never been inclined to waste a meal eating there when we've been in the neighborhood so we hadn't indulged him as yet. When I decided we were going to forgo a party this year I came up with the idea of coming up here and doing a little party, just the five of us, at Chuck E. Cheese's. He has also been asking me continually since our Tulsa trip last month, "When are we going to go to the hotel again?" so we decided to make it an overnight trip. Now we're here at the AmeriSuites; Eliza and I safely ensconced in our room and Robert and the older two down at the pool.
Prior to Chuck E.'s we made a visit to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History at OU. We'd been before but it had been over a year so the kids didn't have much recollection of the previous visit. They loved it! Johnny, who is slightly obsessed with the movie "Night at the Museum", was thrilled to see "Rexie" in the dinosaur display area. It was actually an Allosaurus and not a T-Rex but we didn't tell him that!
The party was at 4:00 and it went well. We got pizza and an appetizer platter and cake. Chuck E. himself came out and put on a show. Then JZ opened his gifts, which were all a hit. Robert and the kids then spent another hour-and-a-half after that spending all the tokens which had come with our birthday package while I spent most of the time hanging out in the van with Eliza (believe me, it was preferable to simmering any longer in that flashing, blinking, pinging, child-infested hell).
Incidentally, everyone to whom I'd mentioned Chuck's had warned me that the food stunk but, and maybe this is just because I was starving, I didn't think it was too bad. Keep in mind, though, that I am a fan of crappy pizza - I actually like Domino's. But Robert didn't think it was too bad, either. It's not like we'll be driving along in the city next time we come up and suddenly say, "Gosh, I'm in the mood for some Chuck E. Cheese's!" but it wasn't terrible. I wasn't sorry I wasted being hungry eating there, let's put it that way. So perhaps, in the future, we can be talked into going there again. It will have to be a while down the road, though. I need time to recover.
I have to give props to Eliza, too. She saved the full meltdown mode until we were actually in the car, heading for the hotel. She was running on fumes and I fully expected her to fall apart as soon as we got in the restaurant. She held it together admirably, though. I wish I could say the same for the birthday boy, who had a screaming hissy fit in the hotel room about wearing his floaty over his bathing suit. Eliza was going, full-bore, by this time, as well. I'm sure the people in the rooms on either side of us were thrilled to bits that we'd arrived. We got the floaty crisis sorted out, though, and the three of them took off for the pool, and I got Eliza to sleep very easily (though she's already woken up once, about forty minutes after she went down, which I'm hoping is not a portent of things to come tonight).
All in all I think Johnny had a great birthday. Madalyn had fun, Eliza wasn't a total terror, and Robert and I found everything fairly tolerable so I think the day was a success all around.
I just booked our California plane tickets. We don't leave until July 11th but I'm going to go ahead and start freaking out now, mmmkay? Bear with me.
I have, in the past, been a bold and hearty traveler. I didn't bat an eye at flying alone with Madalyn and barely gave a thought to adding another kid to the mix. But the idea of flying, alone, with THREE of them, one of them being Eliza? It has me completely intimidated. Earlier today, before I booked the tickets, I was wishing I didn't have to go at all. It's not being there in California that I wish to avoid; it's entirely the day spent getting there that has me running scared. Which is why I bit the bullet and bought the tickets -- once we actually get there I will be glad we went to all the trouble. Until it's over, though, I will be shaking in my boots. Which, when you think about it, probably isn't the best state of mind in which to start out. Perhaps between now and then I can talk myself down somewhat.
After all, for all I know, it may go wonderfully. Madalyn's a big help. Eliza does take a pacifier now and, when things really go south a boob nearly always will settle her down. Plus her very favorite place to be is in my arms and, luckily for her, I didn't book her a seat, which means she will be on my lap the entire way. So perhaps that will be enough to keep her relatively content. Also, in another 3 weeks, she may be to the point where she will hold and gum toys, which will add another trick to the arsenal for occupying her. And, really, it's she about whom I'm worried, one hundred percent. The older two are a breeze. They were little to no trouble last time we flew and they were an entire year younger then. I know Madalyn will be a big help. She will be designated baby-holder if I need to hit the ladies room on the plane.
We only have one stop both going and coming back and I selected flights on the outward-bound trip that give us about two hours' connection time. That will go a long way toward reducing my anxiety level because it means even if we're a bit late coming out of Dallas we should make our second flight easily. At least I won't have to stress the entire however-many hours from Dallas to Phoenix, wondering if we'll make our connection or be stuck in Arizona overnight.
Lastly, we are coming into the airport that's only 15 minutes from my parents' house. (The other options are two or more hours away.) It cost a little more but I simply could not face the thought of traveling all day and then having to drive for hours more after we finally get off the plane. The extra expense is worth it, to me. I've got to be good to myself once in a while. When Eliza gets a little older I won't mind sucking it up and exploring options that require a bit longer drive. Right now it would just be a bit much.
Well, that's all I've got. If that doesn't help me simmer down a bit I don't know what will. Actually, I do feel a bit better. Still not looking forward to the trip but I think I'll at least be able to stave off the real anxiety at least until closer to the departure date.
Wish me luck, everyone. I will need it.
I was just watching an episode of "Gene Simmons: Family Jewels" in which Gene and crew visit London. I'm just catching little bits and pieces of the sights in the background and it's making me pine like crazy. How can you miss somewhere you've never gone to begin with? At the risk of sounding melodramatic, my heart positively aches to go there. It must be done, and soon. I can't wait ten years or more.....I don't even want to wait five. And yet the costs of taking a family of five across the pond must be astronomical. It would be easier and more feasible to consider just myself and Robert going but I don't know that I would want to make a trip of that magnitude without the kids (plus who would watch them even if I'd consider it?) Madalyn and John-Zachary want to go there nearly as badly as I do, anyway.
I guess I should start a savings account. And who knows what will happen in the future? Perhaps we could be closer to being able to swing it than I think.
It's not the best quality or the greatest cinematography but it's still cute. I'll try to do better next time.
(Make sure you have your volume turned up.)
We are now wireless, folks.
At Walmart last weekend I stumbled upon a wireless router thingie (I'm so tech-savvy) originally priced at $90 but marked down to $50. It appeared to be a pretty decent one from what I could tell with my vast computer knowledge (in other words, I had to come home and post to some forums to ask how to figure out if the thing would even work with my laptop).
At any rate, it turned out to be just what I needed (amazing!) and I finally got it set up today. I can now go anywhere in my entire house (and probably out in the front yard, as well) and be online. So where am I sitting right now?
In the exact same spot I've always sat to use the laptop ever since we first got it.
But, darn it, I could get up and go to another room if I wanted to!
(By the way, I'm finding out all kinds of cool stuff they have nowadays. You can make your printer wireless, even. I can put it on my network -- the router has room for four devices -- put the printer in the sun room and print stuff on it from the laptop in the living room. How cool is that? I'll be thrilled to get the stupid thing off my living room floor!)
The day I had yesterday, people. Holy crap.
About 1 a.m. yesterday Eliza woke up after having gone to bed normally and sleeping about 3 hours (also normal range). Usually I nurse her back to sleep and pop her in bed and that's the last I hear of her for a couple more hours. Well, this time she started crying right away, so we were on to round two of nursing to sleep and putting back to bed. Didn't work. It continued to not work allllllll night long. And then continued allllll day long. She was one unhappy camper. She did take a couple short-ish naps earlier in the day but mostly it was cry, cry, cry, fall asleep at the breast and begin rooting frantically when she lost it (normally she might do this once or twice but then stays asleep after a while). Finally she even quit being soothed by nursing and was crying no matter what I did. It would range anywhere from a low-level whine to an all-out scream. She was not running a fever, from what I could tell, but I thought there had to be some explanation for all of this as it most definitely was not normal. Finally, in desperation, I called the pediatrician....at 4:00....on a Friday. I was told to take her to Quick Care at the ER so off we went.
"Fast" forward (ha.) to FOUR HOURS LATER. Robert had gotten home from work and came to the hospital to pick up the older two kids so it was just me and Eliza there. She had calmed down some once we got there and had actually dozed off on my lap a few times and now I was feeling pretty silly. She did kick up again once the doctor came around so he got to hear her, at least. After speaking (brusquely) with me he slapped a diagnosis of colic on her, "colic" being code for "I have no idea why this baby is crying but I will gladly charge you $300 for your visit." We were given a prescription for an anti-spasmodic and sent merrily on our way.
E. was actually good for the half hour it took till we got home; quiet as a mouse. I got her to sleep with no problems at 9:00.....but then she awoke at 9:30 and all hell broke loose again. On an average night she can be counted on 90% of the time not to wake up again (for several hours, I mean) once I get her to sleep for the night. The rare times she does wake up all I do is go nurse her down again and that's the end of it. Well, last night she refused. Every time she turned loose she'd immediately rouse and start rooting. Eventually we devolved into crying and not wanting to nurse at all. This is when I handed her to Robert and said, quote, "I have HAD IT!" He hustled her off to the sun room and I folded some (massive amounts of) laundry. By the time I was done he had her quiet, rocking her in her car seat. I went to lie down on the bed, meaning only to rest a minute until she started crying again and then take her. Two hours later I opened my eyes and Robert was bringing her to me.
Unfortunately we had the same results with my trying to get her back to sleep in her bed this time. After lots of crying Robert took her again around 1 a.m. and told me to go back to sleep, which I did. I knew nothing more until he brought her to me at 5 a.m. (5 a.m., folks! Now THAT is a great husband for you!) I am not sure what all she did in the four hours he had her. I think she may have slept some in her bouncy chair because I found it turned on with a blanket sitting on it. My poor, dear husband is still asleep, however, so I haven't been able to ask.
Anyway, Eliza was finally so tired that I nursed her down, popped her in her bed (with great trepidation, I might add) and she stayed asleep for a little over two hours. When she woke up I got her back to sleep and back to bed for another two hours. At 9:30 I got her back to sleep yet again, this time leaving her in our bed and stealing away.
Y'all, I do NOT know what to make of this. Yes, she has been a little stuffy-nosed since last weekend but it's never bothered her to where she didn't/couldn't sleep before. When she woke at 7:30 I could tell she was REALLY congested so I did the saline-and-suction thing (which she was thrilled to bits about) and then was able to get her to sleep after that. But she was not congested like that yesterday so that isn't the explanation for the craziness. I really don't believe the colic diagnosis; at least not in the sense that it's colic related to intestinal issues. I have never heard of a 9-week-old baby developing colic when she hadn't had it before. Her digestive system is supposed to be getting more mature, not more sensitive. But, you know, they see a baby with no fever who's crying and who isn't injured and they don't have any incentive to look any further into it. Oh, by the way, I gave her some of the medication as soon as we got home and, as you can see, it didn't do a thing for her.
Of course, I'm freaking out about the whole thing. As is my wont when one of the kids has a bad day I walk around thinking, "Oh my God, what if they are like this FOREVER??" as though alien body snatchers might come in the night and take over. But that won't happen, right? I mean, a baby wouldn't just change, literally overnight this much, permanently, right? It has to be just a temporary discomfort and she'll go back to normal when it's gone. So then the paranoia sets in: "What if it's a serious medical condition and it takes us a long time to sort it out?" I am dreading the thought of her waking up again right now because I don't know who I'm going to get. Will it be Normal Baby, who, in retrospect, I now realize isn't that difficult to deal with, or will it be I-Hate-the-World Baby? I don't know if I can take another day like yesterday. I am trying to be optimistic and look to the fact that she has been sleeping well since about 5 a.m. but that could just be because she finally reached the point of exhaustion where she couldn't keep it up any longer. In other words, perhaps she is only recharging for the day ahead. *gulp*
At any rate, I went through a very long period of feeling very sorry for myself last night. I'm feeling a bit better this morning; sleep does wonders for one's attitude. It's hard not to be pessimistic when you're running on a ninety minutes' sleep. Still, though, sometimes it seems like the cosmic universe is out to smack me down. I have told people numerous times that whenever I mention to any of my friends that Eliza is behaving a specific way (usually when I'm reporting an improvement) she immediately does a complete 180 and regresses to doing worse again. I am sure people think I'm exaggerating but I'm not. The night before this happened? I had posted a long update about E. on the forums I visit, telling about how much better she was doing and how I expected she'd keep improving, and how the Amby bed seemed to be helping some. I had refrained from saying anything about how she was doing for TWO WEEKS prior to this, for fear of "jinxing". When I finally do say something, it all falls apart. As usual.
Well, I'm being paged from the bedroom, so off I go to get her. I wonder who she'll be today. Send positive thoughts my way!