Shane is away. He's away and i'm really enjoying it. We had and easy dinner, a frolic in the woods and the requisite giant slumber party in my room.
As i was laying there waiting for parker to go to sleep i was struck by the little moments. Tristan was reading her archie comic busting a gut. That girl has the strangest sense of humour. I frequently hear her cracking up in her bedroom to books. In a way i think it's her letting us know that she's up there awake. A little jubilant "hi!" from the eight year old girl.
Toby and parker were both lost in their own little dream worlds. Parker was singing something along the lines of:
twinkle twinkle little truck
abcdefg
all us travellers in the night
itsy bitsy dumptruck
now i know my abc's
thank you for your tiny light.
Toby was squeeking away in a high pitched whisper yell about "cougars in the box…(something, something)" followed by a raucous "in the hole little mouse…(something, something.)"
Eliza was asleep. She was suffering from post-birthday stress all day. Twirling her new gold chain with a heart pendant non-chalantly in front of everyone. Hoping for it to be noticed. She fell asleep before she could finish "Toby and parker are keeping me….(up)"
How wonderful. How lucky i feel during those moments and not just because i know that they are almost asleep.
Shane and i have both been overwhelmingly busy with our own things. We are getting along fine, really well actually. We are just not connecting in that way, the way that husbands and wives sometimes do. Some of them even get to do it in bed i hear. For us long term family bedders the pizzazz of the bathroom counter or rug burn inducing playroom floor has long lost it's sparkle and a good old bed in the missionary position sounds almost kinky.
*ahem*
What i meant to say was that we have no time together. Yet we sit side by side on the sofa at night laptops in, well, our laps and television on. Frankly it's boring and i welcome this little change to my routine. Except that all my favourite shows (sopranos, big love and huff) are not on this week because of memorial day. Stupid memorial day.
Five years ago today eliza was born via emergency c-section five weeks early.
I woke up in the morning and felt a little funky, nothing specific. Just not right. I waited a few hours and decided to go to the hospital because when i had toby i didn't really think i was in labour and went to the hospital to be told i was 7 cm dilated.
At the hospital they did a twenty minute strip that showed no contractions and the nurse went off to look for a doctor to discharge me. While she was gone i watched the heart rate go up to 220 BPM. When the doctor came back twenty minutes later i asked her about it and panic set in. There was calls over the PA for any OB and anesthesiologist available. Eliza was born seven minutes later.
I had a hidden placental abruption because her head was already engaged in the birth canal. She spent seven days in the NICU. Since then it's been wonderful and beautiful. I am thankful every day for being paranoid and going to the hospital when i wasn't sure. They said she would have been dead by that night had i not gone in.
Happy birthday Eliza, i love you with everything i've got.
Part of the dry through the night success with toby has been midnight visits to the toilet, escorted by shane or myself (whoever stays up latest.)
Toby is so cute as he stumbles robot-like to the bathroom with a gentle hand guiding his way through the dark and silent night. He is really still asleep. So much so that we have to help him guide his penis in the right direction otherwise he just thrusts his hips forward and lets it fly all over the bathroom. Everywhere but in the toilet. I think being the cleaner of the bathroom makes me a little bit better at making the target and penis match up. Obviously though the extra attention to the details of target practice wake him up just a bit more.
The other night when i marched him stiff legged into the bathroom he was feeling chatty. Toby, being who he is, was oblivious to the fact that it was the middle of the night and the house was asleep so he spoke in his normal voice which is deep and loud and scratchy; "did anyone get drunk tonight?"
At first i had no idea what he was talking about and just said "no, nobody got drunk."
After i put him back in bed i remembered that he had spent the entire 2 1/2 hours at the baseball game collecting beer bottles and bottle caps and someone had joked that he would be drunk from the fumes. I didn't think he had even heard it.
I am always amazed at what they hear and what they choose to retain. The things that become memories for them.
When we were at a party after our fair the other night the kids were having log rolling contests on the lawn while the adults cheered them on from the balcony. I was overcome with the smell of freshly smooshed grass and beer on the breaths of all the men. It brought back my own flood of memories of nights with my parents enjoying themselves with friends while we played kick the can out on the grass.
The repetition of these memories amazes me. That i am doing the same things that my parents once did. That i am experiencing the same joys and happiness of friends and family.
I've been waiting to say anything because of that whole jinxing thing, but, toby has been dry through the night for two weeks.
I'm so proud of him on this success. In two weeks he will turn 7 years old. He can have friends over for sleepovers now. He has enough challenges on his plate, he really needed this achievement to boost his confidence.
Right before i hit the mattress with a very loud thud i promised my lemon poppyseed cake recipe to a lovely reader.
I spent all day stirring the hugest pots of chili, four of them actually. I had no idea they even made pots that big. After a few minutes of stirring my arm would seize up in pain from mixing 50 pounds of beans and meat (veggie too), but i pressed on into the wee hours of this evening while the men put up tents and stages. It really is quite the spectacle, this fair the school puts on. But, as it comes together i am so happy to be a part of it all.
Awesome! weekend to everybody especially you memorial day'ers.
Lemon Poppyseed Cake courtesy of my *mom
2 tsps. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs + 2 egg yolks
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup poppyseeds
Combine lemon rind and lemon extract and poppyseeds and set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside,
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and extra yolks. Beat well and then
alternate flour mixture with buttermilk and beat well.
Mix in poppyseed combination.
Pour into greased bundt pan, shake pan to level out mixture. Bake at
350 for 60 minutes. Cool before inverting.
Make a **butter icing using lemon juice in place of liquid. Cut cake in
half and use as filling and icing.
Wonderful.
*it's still icksnay on the momnay around here.
**I used four eggs instead of the 3 eggs plus two yolks and it was fabulous. Let me know if you can't find a butter icing recipe. Mine was something like 4 cups icing sugar, 1/2 cup butter, juice of 1 lemon.**