Recovery, still

Well, yes. I totally jinxed us last Sunday when I wrote that Reina was perky and doing so well. Its Friday and today was the first day she made it to daycare, and she only lasted half a day at that. Its been two steps forward, one step back with this recovery. She'll feel good for a few hours and then we'll cut back on the medicine and BAM! she's back in pain and crying and uncomfortable for the next few hours. I know, I know.... we are dealing with a minor surgery, a relatively short recovery and things could be SO much worse. But it has still been a tough week on all of us. The hardest part is seeing the sad look in her eyes and you know just that she can't figure out what's going on. She keeps asking for a band-aid and when I ask where it hurts, she points to her mouth. Did I write about that last week? I have a little bit of a sleep deficit going on right now.

Last Saturday, Will traveled down to Denver with Pop-pop and spent the weekend with him and Grandma Hansen. It was Will's first overnight trip away from parents and it was a smashing success. On Sunday, he fell asleep in Grandma's car on the way home and when he woke up in our driveway he cried and cried because he didn't want to come back. These are the kind of moments that warm your heart as a parent... All kidding aside, I'm glad he had a good time and I like that he's so independent and willing to do stuff without us. The weekend also resulted in one of his more memorable quotes that's unfortunately not appropriate for the blog. But if you want to know what it is, send me an email! He left our house on Saturday morning with his overnight bag, sword, shield and hair on his forehead.

He came back with all of those items, except one. Check out The Hair. Pop-pop took Will for a haircut and I swear it makes him look like he's 16 or maybe 19 and getting ready for boot camp. The sides are super short and the top is supposed to be gelled into spikes but THANKFULLY Will doesn't like that look. Without the gel and scrunching, it totally looks like a flat top. Pop-pop has already been given strict instructions that he can't touch Reina's hair without prior parental approval. I'd complain about the weather again, but nobody wants to read about that and I don't know that I want to remember how cold and gloomy this Spring has been. Suffice it to say, the sun peaks out for brief periods and then it goes away for really long periods and the wind blows and it rains (and snows on May 19) and we all go a little crazy.

When the sun is out, we pack in as many activities as we can. Like sword fighting with 4-yr olds. Because that's the kind of skill he needs to learn right now. Who needs to know how to write his name when he can wield a broadsword with the best of them? Can you major in Musketeering these days? Regardless, Will loves it. He gleefully asks, "Hey Mom, wanna fight me?" "Who wants to do a battle?!" When he's not battling parental authority, he's also climbing tiny lattices to peer over our fence. This is definitely one of those potential "events that precede a trip to the ER" kind of photos. I don't know how much longer that poor little lattice can withhold 46+ pounds of Will Pauley. Label this one, "Why we live in Wyoming." These antelope are in the field behind our house and will spend most of the summer in view of our kitchen window. They were particularly close last weekend and its fun to see their big bellies and know that little tiny antelope babies (yes, that's the scientific term) will be running around soon.

Finally, I have to record a few funny (and sweet) phrases that have been floating around our house lately. When he wants you to do something for him, Will sweetly asks, "Mom, will you do me a favorite?" (favor) When Reina is feeling particularly low, she just wants to be held and she'll come over and say "I want to snuggle Mommy." You can bet that those words stop me in my tracks and that's one of the main reasons I haven't done much multi-tasking this week.

Well, it is the start of the holiday weekend and here's hoping that we have a few minutes of sun and happy, healthy kids running around. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Recovery

On Thursday we headed to the hospital at 5:30 (a.m.!!) for Reina's tonsillectomy. She was the model patient. She cheerfully explored her surroundings and watched cartoons while we waded through all of the red tape. She balked slightly at putting on the hospital gown, but really who can blame her. She happily went off with the surgical staff when it was time to go and shed less tears than her mom. The procedure took about an hour and we had to wait another (excruciating) thirty minutes or so after that to see her again. When Will came out of his tonsil surgery, he was standing on top of the hospital bed screaming. Reina was crying and saying "ouchie" but was a little more stoic than her brother. We spent the rest of the morning snuggling her and keeping her comfortable. When the codeine kicked in after a few hours, she was a little entertaining. At one point, she was laying upside down in the hospital bed making weird noises with mouth. I think it was a preview of coming attractions for her college days (that I hopefully won't be observing...). Unfortunately, the anesthetic from the surgery wore off later in the afternoon and we had a hard time keeping the pain under control. The doctor and nurses changed her medicine around and we ended up having to stay overnight so that they could keep an eye on her. She'd been progressing pretty well so we thought we were going home, but it all worked out for the best. We came home Friday at lunchtime and since then she's been making leaps and bounds in her recovery. She slept a lot yesterday (with some canine companionship) and today she's perky and talkative and watching all of her cah-toons. It seems like the worst if behind us (knock on wood!) and this little girl will be back to normal in no time. Stay tuned!

Tonsils, Part 2

Tomorrow, Reina and I will head to the hospital in the wee hours for her tonsillectomy, adenoid-ectomy and another set of ear tubes. We can't really think of much else to do while she's under... maybe pierce her ears? Trim her toenails? I think that just about takes care of it. Glenn's going to get up Will up and off to preschool and then he'll come to the hospital before Reina goes off to surgery.

When Will had his tonsillectomy in November, I was nervous and anxious because I didn't know what to expect. With Reina, I'm nervous and anxious because I DO know what to expect. Will had such a long, difficult recovery and it was pretty hard on his little self. Reina is younger and let's face it, she's my baby (!) and I hate that we have to put her through this. BUT, I keep reminding myself (and Glenn and everybody else keeps reminding me) that we need to do this for her health. She's had a few rough weeks with sleeping and snoring and an ear infection last week, I know that getting that source of infection out will make her better in the long run.

So, I have a bag packed full of new coloring books, the dvd player and her favorite movie (Beauty and the Beast) and a few little trinkets that will hopefully keep her entertained. After spending the night at the hospital, we should be home Friday morning and I'll post another update then. We'd appreciate you keeping our sweet girl in your thoughts and prayers.

Sure

Quick weather update: The sun has disappeared again. It's 41 degrees and there's snow forecast for overnight. I don't need to point out that it's May 14 and we are sitting downstairs with the pellet stove running but I while. As an official representative of the Dept of Agriculture, I'm obligated to say that I'm happy about the moisture.... but why oh why can't it come in the form of rain showers with big blue skies afterwards? Again - sigh.

Okay, now that that's cleared up, let's talk about the kids. When not going a little stir crazy being cooped up inside, they are doing well. Will had a bit of a meltdown this morning because we wouldn't let him use Glenn's fishing rod as a sword. He has a few plastic swords around the house but those won't do right now because they aren't metal. Yes, you read that correctly. My four-yr-old wants an actual metal (steel, bronze, gold, he doesn't really care) weapon. I have this feeling that his college dorm room will be decorated with all sorts of weaponry and no, that won't be weird at all.

Speaking of weapons, he ran around this afternoon with a full-size plastic coat hanger jammed down the back of his shirt. It was his bow and arrow and apparently it shoots fire or lasers or whatever era we are currently in. I countered with The Magic Dishcloth of Destiny but that didn't seem to hold off his fire. It was only when I sent in my Evil Hound Named Trigger that I squashed the rebellion.

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Reina's new thing this week is to give a semi-enthusiastic "sure!" as an answer instead of "yes." Reina, can I give you a hug? Sure. (Like, I guess I don't have anything else going on right now so sure, you can give me a hug. Just make it quick and make sure no one sees you.) To further illuminate her personality right now, I can tell you that her favorite book is one of the Little Critter books, "I Was So Mad." The basic plot goes along the lines of I want to "Insert something my parents won't let me do right here" and then they won't let me do it so in conclusion I Was So Mad. We read it every night and I have a strong suspension that she really identifies with the main character who is mad. At everybody. All the time.

I've probably mentioned this before, but the kids have learned at Montessori to say "no thank you" when someone is doing something to you that you don't like. Both kids woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and so our house has been ringing with the sounds of "no FANK YOU Bobo!" "No fank YOU REINA" Followed by a shriek and a squeal. At least it's a very civilized sibling fight.

Reina is suddenly interested in all sorts of new things. Mainly, how many different kinds of clothes and accessories she can cram on her body. Today, I tried to clean out the hall closet and optimistically put away most of our winter wear. I did leave a few hats and gloves out for everyone since WE CLEARLY STILL NEED THEM. Anyway, while I was trying to sort through stuff, Reina decided to wear gloves, sunglasses mardi gras beads, fleece jacket and flip flops jammed onto to her socked feet. Girl's got style. (Sorry about the blurry shots but my camera is on the fritz and all I had handy was my phone.) Style and attitude.

I know it looks like there is sun coming through the back window there but it was just the ice crystals dancing in the air. Just kidding. Sort of.

The sun came out!

We finally had some sunny weather this weekend and boy did this family get out and enjoy it. No turkey hunting this weekend so Glenn was home and we checked off a big list of chores. We did some yard work, bought everybody new shoes and just soaked up the vitamin D. The yard was really starting to look shabby so Reina and I weeded while Glenn and Will ran some man-errands. I kept a close eye on Reina for a while because she has this pesky little habit of de-foliating every blooming plant in the yard. I think I'll call her Agent Orange. Alas, I turned my back for a few minutes and the red and yellow tulips that bloomed last week are now pretty green stems. 2-yr old's.

I hadn't taken many new pictures in a few weeks so I made an effort last week to capture some candid moments. Reina loves to help cook. "I hep you!" rings through the kitchen if she overhears us mentioning making dinner, breakfast, anything that involves the mixer and measuring cups. She helped Glenn make stir-fry and cautioned us several times that it was "HOT!" We pug-sat last week while Vicky enjoyed a Spring vacation. Trigger loved the pug. The pug tolerated Trigger. Will loves when the pug visits because Bailey will often sleep on Will's bed. Reina just likes to snuggle anything that will sit still long enough. On Thursday, the kids' preschool hosted a Mother's Day Tea first thing in the morning. When I mentioned to Will that I was going to take him to school that day and stay for a party, he got excited and told me that he had a surprise for me. This shows his maturity because last month, he told Glenn that we had a present for his birthday but that mom wouldn't let him play with the new gun yet.... Anyway, I visited both classes and drank punch at 8:30 a.m. and was showered with these lovely gifts. Will's asked me every morning since then if I'm going to wear my bracelet. He actually picked out colors (or lack thereof) that I wear everyday.... Look! Reina's first set of fingerprints! I feel like her mug shot should be stapled to the corner. It is cute though. It's laminated so I can look back in 10 years when she'll surely have the Hansen man-hands, and remember how dainty her pawprint once was. Who's this big kid living in my house? Will willingly wore his shirt tucked in to church today and he looked so grown-up that it brought tears to my eyes. He's rapidly losing the little boy look and he's no longer satisfied with simple answers to his complicated questions. Riding in the car with him feels like a protracted quiz show episode except sometimes your answers lead you down paths that you are not sure about answering yet (Mom, who built us? Well, God built us. But how? ummmm... you start off as a baby in mom's tummy and then hey look is that a dog over there?) I know, I'm a chicken. Yesterday, we drove to the park to meet some friends for a picnic. Side note: 50,000 other Cheyenne residents seemed to have that plan, too. Anyway, on the way there, we passed a statute of soldier and Will wanted to know who he was, why he was carrying a sword, was he a bad guy, when did he die, what's a statue, how come we have statues and could there be a statue of us someday? Exhausting but also really, really fun.

Hey look! It's Trigger laying down again. I usually can't get a picture of him because he goes around the house at 2000 mph. It was warm and he had a couple of long walks today so he was nice and tired. Yeah!

One last note to record for posterity. Will and Glenn were racing around the living room yesterday morning playing some sort of version of bad guy battle/soldier/fight scene thing and Will shouted "We are going to light this place up!" Yeah, we're really not sure where that came from. I can't think of a Disney/Pixar movie with that line and we keep a close eye on the other things he might watch so this is a new one. If he starts spouting lines like "say hello to my leetle friend," someone is going to have some serious explaining to do.

It's May - and it's still snowing

With all of the other news going on in the world this week, I feel a bit silly complaining about the weather. But I'm going to do it anyway. There's not much new to report on from the Pauley household. The weather is bringing us all down. This weekend was windy, cold and there were even a few snowflakes. I know that we choose to live in Wyoming but I'm really over it. The kids are getting stir crazy inside and although the grass is greening up, nothing else is growing. It's too scared to. I know that I should be grateful that we are not dealing with tornadoes and all of that devastation but I could really use some sun. And a nice gentle breeze .

Okay, enough griping for one night. We had a busy week and a really fun weekend. Last week we had the annual parent/teacher conference with Will's preschool teachers. It's always interesting to hear about his day-to-day adventures. He will share a few details on the ride home every day but depending on his mood, I usually just find out if he played outside, sat in time-out or what he had for snack. At the conference, Will's teachers said that he is doing well in most areas. He really likes to build towers and stack blocks by shape and put stuff together. He's less inclined to work independently and initiate projects on his own. He likes to watch other kids start something before he'll dive in. We also found out that he's a bit of a social butterfly. I imagine that he treats preschool somewhat like a cruise ship. You go to the Aloha deck and sit in sun and laugh and have fun and then you move to the Lido deck for shuffleboard and lunch, and you are still laughing and carrying on. I can't tell if Will's the ring leader or just a member of the Good Times Gang but the kid loves to laugh.

Reina's class doesn't do parent/teacher conferences, but if they did we could all sit around and talk about how Reina's language is increasing by leaps and bounds, even if her primary language is still Rein-ish. At home, her new favorite activity is roll call: Where's Daddy? He's hunting. Where's Bobo? He's in his room. Where's doggy? He's outside. Where's Pop-pop? He's at his house. Insert complete list of family here and once you reach the end of the list, start over again from the top. She asks the questions and I'm expected to provide a timely answer, or the question is just repeated until I do.

This weekend, my Aunt Mary and cousin Katie came to town from Minnesota for a quick visit. We all got up at the crack of dawn (okay, it wasn't even really dawn. It was 3:30 a.m.) on Friday morning to watch the Royal Wedding. Yes, we were one of 'those' people. It was really fun and I'm glad I watched it live, even if I was in a sleep-deprived trance the rest of the day. Later on Friday, we went to Fort Collins to shop for bridesmaids dresses and other finery. You know what's not easy? Keeping both Will and Reina occupied in a bridal shop. Or a make-up store. Or a clothing store. We had a really nice visit and both kids warmed up to the relatives pretty quickly.

No pictures of the kids this week because it's been that kind of a week. On Sunday, all of the houseguests were making their way back home and Glenn was still turkey hunting so the babysitters came over for a few minutes so that I could jog and exercise Trigger. He was so tired out from playing with the kids while I was on my run, that he kept laying down on our walk. Needless to say, we all took long naps Sunday afternoon.
In what has to be in the running for 'worst picture ever,' I was walking Trigger last week at dusk and spied a great horned owl on our neighbor's roof. Now I realize that this picture could be anything... bobcat, paper bag, traffic cone... so you'll just have to take my word for it. Trigger and I stood and watched the owl for several minutes and he kept turning his head all the way around and looking at us like "What? You lookin' at me?" Living on the edge of the prairie certainly has its disadvantages when the wind is howling, but it's time like these that make it all worth it.