Thursday, July 26

After several days of not going to sleep until nearly 2am, I finally got to sleep "early" last night, at about 1:00. Alarm went off at 5:45 - ugh. Had a moment of panic in the shower, thinking we had forgotten to run the dishwasher, so that woke me up. Fortunately, David had done it.

Got the kids up and ready, made instant grits in a paper cup for Sofia. Steve The Limo Guy showed up at 6:45 to start loading us up in his giant black van. He is a native New Yorker, still with a very thick accent after decades in Boston. Very very funny and friendly guy. The whole ride in to Logan was a riot.

Got to Logan plenty early. Checked in - Sofia loved riding in her wheelchair, but also alternated walking. Sam was freaking out about going through security, but that went smoothly (as smoothly as can be expected with 5 backpacks, a wheel chair, a car seat, two pillows, and 5 pairs of shoes and liquids bags).

Settled in to chairs, and took turns foraging for food. Micah was a little punchy, but he calmed down once he ate. Sofia was excited to see the planes and anxious to get on one already.

We were the second party to board, letting an elderly gentleman with a wheelchair on first. Got settled. Then had to get back off the plane - “delays on the ground in SF”. Waited around, flight was delayed for about an hour. Got back on in the same manner.

And I guess the flight was smooth. Mostly, Sofia (and Micah a lot) kept saying “Mommy” and demanding my attention, and Sofia went to the potty what seemed like once every 20 minutes. I managed to get a few 10 minute naps in, but nothing major. For a while I switched seats with Sam, who was across the aisle with David, but most of that time, Sofia kept calling me to come back. She watched 2 videos on her machine until the battery gave out, and most of two videos on my laptop. Boys watched the flight movie (Clash of the Titans) and played their games and read. David read and watched TV.

Sofia did not like the descent into San Francisco. She was ready to get off the plane, and the pressure must have hurt. But she was a good girl, and we were, of course, the last ones off the plane.

My awesome cousin Bruce met us in Baggage Claim, and we loaded in to his SUV, which he is loaning us for the weekend. The drive up to San Rafael took over an hour, but was lovely. Madlyn (his awesome wife) met us at the hotel. It was really lovely to see them both. They went off to run an errand, I took a shower, and we stretched for a bit. Micah was bouncing off the walls the entire time after leaving the airport, so David took the boys down to the hotel’s fitness room to burn off some energy.

Met Bruce and Madlyn for dinner at Pasta Pomodoro in Novato. Yummy food, and fun to be with them. The kids ate well and behaved fairly well. Of course they also mostly fell asleep in the car on the way home. We got everyone up and into bed - Sam’s on the pull out couch in the living room (we’re in an Embassy Suites) and Micah and Sofia are sharing a double bed. Everyone’s asleep except me. Must have had too much Coca Cola on the plane (not counting the can that spilled all over me - gosh, that made the trip so much more comfy!), or gotten a second wind.

Plans for tomorrow: breakfast and pool/gym/hanging out at hotel until noon. Muir Woods and Mt. Tamalpais. Then back to see Bruce and his many collectable cars. Then off to Napa to stay with Adam and Agnes.

Logan Airport

The alarm went off way too early! But we got ready, and Steve The Limo Guy showed up at 6:40am. Ride to airport took less than an hour ( and was quite fun, peppered with Steve's observations about life and driving). Checked in, got through security with minimal hassle. Once through, Sam started to relax a little, but he is still super-anxious. Boarded early. And then deplaned. Ground delay in San Francisco. So we are back in the terminal waiting to board again. It is still gonna be a loooong day!

Getting Ready for an Adventure

Well, I'm not finished packing yet, but I think I'll be done by the time the car arrives tomorrow morning. We are off for four whole weeks! First to San Francisco/Marin County/Napa Valley for a few days, then to New Zealand. Yes, the five Rothkopfim ("im" is how you make something plural in Hebrew) will be trekking around the entire North and most of the South island for three weeks ... ... in a Campervan! Yup. Ok. I promise I will blog all about it. And also I will at some point blog about the Bar Mitzvah, which was FABULOUS. Gotta go pack...

Springtime

It's certainly been a busy few weeks. Micah's cold got worse and worse, although the fever broke after 4 days. Turned out to be Reactive Airways Disease, which is Micah's version of Asthma. So a few days of Albuterol and twice daily Flovent for the foreseeable future. At least he's better. Still coughing a little, but better. He was really run down, from the lack of oxygen flow. Poor baby.

My house is GORGEOUS! (Although of course still messy). The process was:
1. Ready to start


2. Sam helping Travis (Laura's boyfriend) do the installation



3. Add some paint


4. Ready for a princess




Sofia couldn't wait to mop...


We actually have the Dining Room table IN the Dining Room. First time in years!!!

Seders were lovely. Simple - only my inlaws, Laura and Lilie and Travis, and on second night, my friend N and her kids.






Sunday of Passover, we went down to visit my parents, joined by my sister and her family. It was a lovely day, and the kids had fun outside.

My Sam:


David and Micah (sharing a hair style...)


Micah in action:


Sofia had fun putting flowers in muy hair, and then I had a crack at hers:




Eying Daddy's hair, too...


The boys were off for Passover, so we left Sam with my parents for a few days. Sofia had school, so I got some one-on-one time with Micah. He had a few nice playdates, with other day-school or home schooled boys. His friends are all adorable, and all look alike. Very sweet.

My folks brought Sam back on Thursday, and my mother and I went shopping for curtain patterns. She's offered to make the curtains for the living room and dining room. We found a pattern, but ran out of time for selecting fabric.

Nice Shabbat with D&E and their girls, first time in a long time. Went to shul with Nicki and the kids in the morning - it was not only Yiskor (the Memorial service at the end of Passover) but also Peter's Yartzeit (anniversary of death). I can't believe it's been a whole year already.

Laura ordered a dress for Sofia's birthday, and it arrived Saturday. She promptly put it on (complete with rain boots) and started beating up the bushes in the front yard. My delicate flower...


Yesterday, Sofia went to a birthday party for one of her classmates. It was all the girl from the class, and they were just so darn cute!

I love how close they all are. And VERY girlie!

Today was the Boston Marathon. We tried sitting outside, but it was just too darn hot, so we went up to watch from the wonderful view in David's office:





I've had a migraine for the past several days, so it was good to keep cool. This afternoon my neighbors hosted a barbeque. It was fun to get together. I wish David didn't have to work. The boys stayed late, but Sofia and I came home after a few hours so she could watch a princess movie.

The boys watch The Matrix last night, and now they are watching the second movie. Not my favorite - I don't love the violence, although I do find the SciFi concept interesting.

Sofia's on vacation this week, but the boys are back to school tomorrow. i have to teach first thing, so I'll bring the laptop and let Sofia watch a movie while I'm teaching. Hopefully it'll work...

Nar Mitzvahs keep coming along. The first one, my student/neighbor, was a couple of weeks ago, and went great. He did really well, although no one could hear him because the microphone did not reach to the Torah. I have another one this Sunday, and my other student is doing great. I'll miss hers, though, because it's the same time as my nieces' B'not Mitzvah.

I think I got a photographer for Sam's - waiting for confirmation that the guy is available both Friday and Sunday. The Cantor gave us permission to take formals on Friday before services, since Shabbat doesn't start until really late.

Health and Wellness Update

We made it through last week without too much trauma. I had no voice most of the week, and felt horrible for several days. Finally saw my own doc, who said the laryngitis would just have to take care of itself, but gave me antibiotics for my infected ears. Whew. That helped A LOT!

Sofia showed the after-effects of the apparently VERY strong steroid they gave her in the ER. Days of bounciness! She was a wild woman. But at least she got better.

Micah continued a downward spiral until the weekend. Now he's going to miss at least three days of school this week due not only to The Cough, but also a high fever that he just can't seem to shake without meds. Poor boy is miserable, and bored.

David and I went to NYC for the weekend, leaving our children home with Laura and Lilie. Unfortunately, most of the weekend, Laura and Micah were sick, so they didn't do much of anything, but the girls had a blast. And Sam used up his yearly quota of nurturing - it's REALLY not his strong suite!

So Micah's been home for two days, continuing tomorrow. He's so tired and achy. Popping between freezing and boiling. And freezing when it's 80+ degrees out!

Sofia's MWJDS aide was also out sick yesterday, so she missed MWJDS - I wasn't going to leave Micah home all afternoon while I acted as her aide.

We had a nice time in NYC, despite the trillions of drunken green people celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Oy! We saw "Avenue Q", which was hysterical, met my friend R for Sunday brunch, and otherwise just relaxed and walked around.

Gearing up for all the b'nai mitzvah - one student has less than two weeks to go, another has 6 weeks. The other one I'm officiating at is in a month. And Sam's is 3 months from last Friday!!! I solved the table decorations dilemma that was keeping me awake last week (don't know why it was). Bought 35 plastic bins at Christmas Tree Shop and spray painted them metallic silver. Will fill with art supplies to donate somewhere.

Gorgeous weather the past couple of days. Today I also rented a truck (oh yeah, I drive a pick-em-up-truck!) and picked up all the flooring, so T can come up this weekend and put hardwood floors in place of the horrid stained pink carpet. YEAH! Also had a painter come for an estimate...but have not heard back from him... Hmmm...

Get Us Healthy Already!

What a weekend. Week. Month. Something like that.

Sam was sick for a couple of weeks. Missed a few days of school, was generally miserable and uncomfortable, with sore throat and bad cough. Viral, nothing to be done.

Sofia and I started getting sick last week.

It starts with the nose, or course. And then the throat. The cough. The nose. And for Sofia, tummy trouble, too.

Wednesday night she was up a lot.

Thursday, I stayed home and rested most of the day.

Thursday night she was up a lot more.

Friday, Sofia had to stay home. She spent the day demanding to see the Alvin & The Chipmunks ChipWrecked movie, which will not be available until March 27. Ugh.

Friday night, we had a quiet Shabbat dinner, just the four of us (David was in the UK).

Friday around midnight, she woke with a really bad croupy cough. She was having a lot of trouble breathing. I tried saline nebs, then I tried steamy shower. Nothing. Called our pediatrician, who could hear Sofia coughing over the phone. Go to the ER.

So 1:00 am, Sofia and I are in the ER. (I woke Sam to tell him we were leaving). They eventually gave her a dose of steroids, and then a cool mist treatment. We were home by 3am. They wanted to do an xray, but I 1) didn't think it was necessary, and 2) knew there couldn't possibly be enough people on duty at that hour to hold my daughter still for an xray anyway. So no xray.

So we got to sleep around 4am. Missed the bar mitzvah in the morning - I found out later I was supposed to have an honor, too. Bummed. Sofia also missed her reading group for the second month in a row. Bummed.

Sofia spent the day bouncing off the walls, she was so pumped up from the steroids. And so tired, too. She just couldn't think straight. Poor baby.

We went out around 4:30 to pick up David from the Logan Express bus. She did sleep a few minutes in the car, but woke when he got in.

Went back home, and at 7pm, Sam and I left so I could take him to the bar mitzvah party (Micah was starting to not feel well, so he stayed home). I spent a few hours with a friend who lives near the party, which was nice.

Came home around 10:45. Sofia woke a few times, and then at around 6:30 am, she had an hour of Night Terrors. I'd forgotten about them. She used to get them when she was a baby and toddler, on days when she was very over-tired. An hour of sobbing and crying, from my daughter who usually does not cry. Not fun.

She finally fell back to a sound sleep on my lap, so we stayed abed until about 11:30. David and Sam went for a quick hike. When they came home, I left to go to the Special Needs Camp Fair. Didn't find any afternoon programs. What do people do after summer school????

When I got home, David and Sam left again. They ended up driving all the way down to Newport and back! I took Micah and Sofia out for a walk and some playground time, but really, none of us had much energy. We stopped for ice cream, and then came home to rest. I rented the first Chipmunks movie for her (she still wants Chipwrecked) and took a nap.

Made dinner; David and Sam got home at 7 and David turned right around to go to a meeting for the parents in Sam's class. I felt horrible and did not want to go. Besides being exhausted, my throat felt like it was full of razor blades. Horrible.

I let the boys watch a movie, and Sofia was still having trouble settling down, so everyone was awake when David got home. He and I fell asleep before any of them!

Micah's not feeling great today, but they are all back in school. My throat feels better, but I still don't have a voice (have not had one since Friday). Sofia is a little better, still coughing and stuffy but not as bad as last week.

UGH!

Sofia's 7th Birthday party

Such fun. It was a lovely weekend, ending with a fantastic party.

Friday evening, D and her daughters at our house for dinner. Shul in the morning, "Synaplex", where we have multiple options for prayer and study. I went to Torah study first, and then got the be the Gabbai (the person who assists the Torah readers) for the school service.

David took off for England in the afternoon (boo hoo), but Laura and Lilie came up in the evening, so that was fun.

Sunday morning, it was fun watching Lilie and Sofia together. The two girls wore their tulle princess dresses, and we all went to the Purim carnival:


After the carnival, we went in to Brookline, to use my expiring-tomorrow Groupon for Rubin's, the kosher meat restaurant. However, the Groupon is not valid on Sundays. But they gave me the credit for the amount I'd paid for the Groupon. Just didn't get the deal. But had a yummy lunch.

Came home for a little while, and then off to the party. Same as usual, at My Gym where she has her gymnastics class. We got the 4:30 - 6:00 time slot. I invited all the kids in her day school class, but only the girls from the public school class. We ended up with only about a dozen kids (only two boys, and my boys were each assigned to one of them), but it was just lovely.

The best best best thing was right at the beginning of the party. The teacher, Mr. Dave (an absolute Pied Piper - see the videos below) had the kids sit in the circle, and at first they all sat near him. But the instant Sofia sat down, on the other side of the circle, all the girls RACED over to sit with her!


It meant so much. Sofia doesn't talk about individual kids at school, so we don't really know how her friends think of her. It was so nice to see them vying for a spot next to her.

The dancing was pretty wild:




And the Sofia and her friends had lots of fun activity:






Then it was time for cake (of gluten-free cupcakes!):


Yum!