My Best Gift Ever

Yesterday morning as I checked my email, a remote control car drove up next to my chair. On it was a napkin, on which my son had written "I love you," and I heard the kiddo giggling in the hallway.

Just one more reason I love having a boy. :-)

Any Excuse to Eat Cookies

Suzy-dawg has been moping around all day while I work, so I gave her a Greenie and now she's hanging around and clearing her throat as though hinting that I should give her another one. No chance, I say. And if she barfs on the rug, no more chances ever.

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This morning I reminded the kiddo that today would be the last day of school before Christmas vacation. He said he wasn't happy about that. Turns out he has a huge crush on a girl at school and would rather go to school every day so he can see her. This is the first grade, folks. Oh, and he said another girl in his class kissed a boy in his class. That prompted a casual discussion about personal space and ways to show people we like them (like drawing pictures to give them, or looking for opportunities to be kind and helpful to them), without causing any hint of a ruckus in the heavily P.C. public school system. Besides, those kids are too young to be kissing! Okay, I kissed a boy when I was in third grade, but that was Catholic school. ;^)

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Suzy won't sit down, and I already took her outside for potty. I swear she thinks she's getting more treats. Either that, or she's planning to sneak away and poop in the bedroom. If she does, guess what little creature I'm having for dinner tonight.

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My son's schedule this year for the holidays is crazy. Usually he goes to his dad's house every Wednesday night, and he always goes to his dad's on December 24 (all day/night) and returns on December 25 at 11:00 a.m. to celebrate with me. Since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, we'll have the wacko Christmas schedule and then he'll go to his dad's on Wednesday night, then back to my house on Thursday. At least December has five weekends and I get every fifth weekend (I get every second weekend, too, but there are only four months each year that contain five weekends), so the kiddo will be able to plant himself somewhere for several days in a row.

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I can't tell you what Suzy is doing right now. It's definitely not ladylike. Or maybe it's reeeeally ladylike.

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We haven't put up any Christmas decorations yet this year, so we'll be doing that on Sunday. (Yep, this weekend is the fourth and therefore split between the kiddo's dad and me.) I've been dealing with some heavy personal stuff and just haven't gotten around to the whole tree thing. But a tree we will have, by golly! Fake! Made in Thailand! Currently all crunched up in a box! But the kiddo will love it just the same. Last year he observed that our tree is somewhat short, especially compared to the giant tree his dad always gets. I told the kiddo our tree is small like he is, and when he gets taller, we'll get a taller tree. He liked that idea. A couple of days ago I said we would have a Christmas tree decorating party, and the kiddo loved that. "With streamers and balloons and everything?" he asked hopefully. No, said I, with our Christmas tree and ornaments and cookies and zany Christmas music that inspires us to dance in the living room and run circles around the coffee table. (I'm not kidding -- the kiddo goes nuts for the Russian Dance, to the point that I worry he'll be celebrating Christmas by cracking his head on the coffee table.)

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Suzy is now passed out on the floor by my desk. I feel better now. Back to work.

Happy holidays to you all! :-)

In Case Anyone's Wondering What I Want for Christmas

Sung by Gayla Peevey at age 10 in 1953.

I Sooooo Want to Hang with These People

I somehow think their sense of humor bodes well for their marriage. ;^)

Just a Few More Details

So! The party was beautiful. My sister lives in a cozy, antique, hidden house, and always lines her front walk with luminarias for the party. I made those this time, and they were lovely as usual, showing guests the way to the house. Sis had baked about a ton of different kinds of cookies and made several different kinds of soup (perfect for the California cold), and served everything with all sorts of breads. She also devised a Christmas cocktail and had a little naming contest, which people liked. Her place was all decked out for Christmas, and the dogs were there, which is always fun. It was great to see folks I see only once a year at my sister's house. My parents also came, as well as some of my sister's colleagues, and it was nice to put faces with some of the names I've heard so often. Of course, Suzy had a grand time being petted and held by various people, and even fell asleep for a while next to my mom. :-)

The thing with my salivary gland was/is totally weird. It just suddenly swelled up the day after the party and kept getting bigger, to the point that I looked like I had half a case of the mumps. Oh, I see now via Google (why did I look up the images? why??) that MUMPS IS AN INFECTION OF THE SALIVARY GLAND! Ack. Do I have the mumps? Well, I didn't have a fever or any other symptoms, and apparently other things can cause the parotid (salivary) gland to become infected, so...hmm. I'm on antibiotics and applying cold packs as advised, and the gland (right under the ear and behind the jaw) is much less puffy today, so I guess everything's gradually getting better. At times like this, I just thank God for Western medicine, as uncool as that may sound to some. ;^) I was plenty anxious about the whole thing, and am still a little uneasy about it. Wouldn't you be so if one side of your face and neck suddenly started to swell? I thought so!

On almost getting overcharged at the walk-in clinic: We were told the fee for a basic office visit, and told that any labs, X-rays, etc. would cost extra. Okay. So we waited for the doctor, who finally came in and spent about 90 seconds in the exam room. On our way back out, we went to pay the bill and it was twice the fee for a basic visit. We asked why the fee was double, and the receptionist didn't know because there was nothing informative written on the bill. We asked her to please go back and ask the doctor why he'd charged us double, since there were no labs or blood draws or anything. She did, and returned looking like she'd gotten somewhat chewed out. The doctor had told her that in "all [his] years" of working there, that's how much he'd been charging, but he did adjust the bill and we paid only the basic fee. I guess he's been overcharging people for years and no one has ever asked about it!! Oh, and the doctor looked like Santa Claus and wore a Santa tie, but boy, was he was grumpy. ;^) I'm so glad I was with my sister for the whole doctor experience. The pain and initial mystery regarding the swollen gland, and the difficulty (and subsequent long wait for the explanation) regarding the bill, would've been much more difficult to handle if I'd been alone. Just one more reason that I want to move closer to family.

Anyway, tonight my son is once again coughing. Longtime parents assure me that kids get sick less frequently as they get older and their immune systems develop, but it saddens me to hear the little guy coughing when he's trying to sleep. I gave him cough medicine, turned on the steamer and elevated his pillow, but he's still coughing. This morning he was coughing, so I had him blow into the flow meter and his numbers were just fine. I'll try again tomorrow and if the numbers are significantly low, off to the doctor we go. *sigh* I'm really hoping this time it's just a regular cold that will resolve soon.

Maybe by Christmas we'll both be all better. Doggone it -- yes, we will!

Weekend Summary: Blog Fodder

Where do I begin? This weekend was amazingly busy, and featured a wonderful Christmas party, an anxious dog, an infected salivary gland and/or lymph node, a whole lot of personal anxiety, a cranky doctor wearing a Santa Claus tie, and some quality time (for me -- ahem) with my sister-the-shrink. The term "blog fodder" popped up at least three times in the past two days.

But dang, I feel tired just summing it up. Better get back to sleep and pick this up in the daylight. Now where's my antibiotic prescription and my ice pack...?