Ten cents down

 

We consider ourselves pretty lucky in the health care department so far for our kids. Despite Iver having been diagnosed with a rare neonatal obstructive condition called pyloric stenosis as a five-week-old that required urgent (but totally curative) surgery, we have yet to have any true emergencies and have yet to deal with fractures in either of our two rambunctious boys (we reduced one nursemaid's elbow in Iver on our own, and Niall had a pretty bloody scissors-to-the-soft-palate incident which was our actual closest call. We have expired lidocaine and suture material at home just in case).

We are very careful about kids not putting choking hazards anywhere near their mouths (and I really never worried about choking in either of them as toddlers as they never even got close to trouble; I also admit a bit sheepishly that I was never one bothered enough to quarter grapes or blueberries when they were younger). I remember one time talking to a mom who took her toddler to an ER after he apparently swallowed a coin (unwitnessed, however. When I asked her how she was sure he swallowed it, she said he pointed at his mouth and said, "MONEY!").  I was fairly sure that, despite our (now older) kids putting random things in their mouths from time to time, which seems more gross and really annoying than actually health-hazardous, we'd never be in that boat... however, parenthood has a way of humbling even the most vigilant of us! 

On Saturday evening, the kids were playing in the living room area near an AirFort and Iver got bumped, then pointed at his chest with some discomfort. 

Me: What's wrong?
Iver (7): I accidentally swallowed a dime.

Me: Why was there a dime in your mouth?!

Iver: Niall put it there. 

Me: <<Sigh>> (trying really hard to not to give him a lecture on "I told you that's why we don't like you to have random things in your mouth"!)

He seemed a bit uncomfortable and shaken initially (probably until it passed from the esophagus into his stomach) but obviously was breathing and talking fine. I had him drink some water and he bounced off, unfazed (and was immediately hungry for a banana, which he devoured. Apparently the dime wasn't very filling). 

While I'm a pretty nervous person by nature, I thankfully hardly ever freak out about personal or family health issues (is there an opposite of being a hypochondriac? I almost dismissed Iver's neonatal condition as bad GERD but thankfully took him in to get him weighed and then his abdomen ultrasounded. Doctors make the worst patients [or parents of patients]!). I know that the vast majority of swallowed coins end up in the stomach and then pass uneventfully into the intestines to be eliminated some days later (although previous pyloric surgery is a risk factor for this not happening as smoothly... just our luck!). I did confirm with Up to Date (an actual medical resource) that you should be more concerned with large items (i.e quarters and obviously caustic items like batteries or sharp things) or if you don't see the coin after a few weeks but one less reputable source suggested slicing the poop to locate and document the coin's passage. Unless my kid complains of severe abdominal pain, I am letting this one go (deferring any x-rays at this time, and I am certainly not going to be slicing his poop digging for a dime. I'm not sure I would do it for a diamond, either).

After reassuring Iver (and his brother) that he wasn't going to die from the incident (because they've heard the choking lecture a million times; we rediscussed that a trachea is worse than an esophagus), Iver replied, "Phew. But, man! I'm so upset because now I'm down ten cents!" (But I guess he’s free to mine his own poop … natural consequences?!).

The In-Law-ttery

 

I truly lucked out in the in-laws department.  My parents-in-law raised four kids and are incredibly family-centric and we feel totally comfortable leaving my kids with them to escape town (even the country) for days to weeks.  They also help us a ton with childcare during holes in the school schedules. 

Kelvin has been out of town this week and due to my call and work schedule and public school dismissal, we needed additional adults around for reinforcements! My mother- and father-in-law came up from Orange County last week (to stay for two weeks) and have been sooo helpful with the house and kids.  They've done most of the school drop-offs and pick-ups, especially with a busy Monday overnight call from me and rounding. My father-in-law helps take Pepper out regularly and does lots of home maintenance projects (since neither K nor I are handy), jumping in without even being asked. My mother-in-law, an incredible cook, has been happily in charge with menu planning and meal preparation. I used to feel a lot of guilt with feeling "lazy" when she'd be doing cooking and child-caring (including when we're at their place), but I've definitely relaxed a lot, leaned in, and just allowed her to do what she does best. I really think that (if you're familiar with Gary Chapman's remarkable book on love languages), acts of service and feeding her family are how she shows love, and so I've just received it with open arms (I truly hate cooking and hate even more having my food rejected by picky kids!) and said "thank you for taking this off my plate." They literally bring a suitcase of food up from OC.  

                                             Humongous Mãng Cầu (Custard Apple)

On Sunday, my MIL, the kids, Pepper, and I took a walk at the Arcata Marsh after the rain finally stopped.  The kids were still wild (and wrestling) but at least it was outside (there was some sweet hand-holding, too).

Dressing up and "reading"

Fun phone time

Kelvin should be returning to town by Sunday this weekend (I joke that he's actually not as helpful as my in-laws are with the kids!) if all flights go as planned, and our house will be full again (as will our bellies, due to my mother-in-law!).  

Last of First

Iver is a first grade graduate, with his last day of school on Thursday!

He loves school and had a wonderful first grade year with Maestra Anna and Maestra Martha, full of learning Español, reading at a high level, excelling at matemática (since the fifth graders were learning it, he wanted me to show him how to do long division), playing with kids doing sports and soccer in after-care, learning the violin through school, and continuing to love drawing and arte.  He lost a few teeth and grew many adult ones! He used to love to wear pink and other bright-colored leggings but now has become more of "boy's boy" preferring to don a veritable "uniform" including an adult watch, a blue zip-up fleece and beanie every single day. Despite COVID still looming over us, he didn't miss a single day of first grade due to illness and we're so thankful he can continue attend school in person. 

          Here we are on his   First Day of First Grade  (we burned "zoom school" signs!)

Last Day of First Grade (glad my MIL, who took and picked him up as K is still out of town, took a picture, because I totally forgot to and there were no cute signs made!)

Happy "summer" and onto segundo grado! 

Like/Hike Family!

I have arrived in my forties with middle-aged reflection and nostalgia for people and friendships from different eras in my life, as well as renewed appreciation for those people who have "stuck around" (our good friend Apurva had written in his "friend POD" e-mail chain recently that, per a study he read, most of us replace 50% of our friend group about every seven years). 

I am not very close with people I knew from high school or before, having lived a pretty transient existence with moving a lot in my younger years, and being quite shy and socially awkward during those years. I truly feel like a different person now, in my forties, than in my youth (but isn't that the point-- growing and changing [with hope for the better]?").  I had some great college friends who I still adore to this day and make a point to see when we are remotely near their neck of the woods (my roomie Cathleen and my dear music buddies Laura and Mindy are atop that list). I also made great friendships in medical school, a time when I was (mostly) single and found friends so important-- this was also an age before Facebook, Smartphones, and well before parenthood for most of us, when I could emotionally dedicate myself wholly to people in person (in addition to my studies).  Sadly, I have lost a few people that were important to me due to major worldview differences and have come to terms with the fact that you can't stay closely in touch or in sync with all (and that it's ok to let people go when you no longer "gel")... and I've certainly made some good new friends since (however, as a working mother, my time for deep connection is more divided/limited and the social isolation of pandemic definitely hasn't helped!).

Erin ("EVB" by her maiden name) is one of my dearest friends from medical school at Mayo and someone who I treasure. We have been friends for nineteen years, almost two decades and close to half my life! I attended her very cool Sears Tower wedding to her college sweetheart (another amazing human) TJ just after we graduated medical school. She (a very sporty and adventurous person) did her pediatric residency at Stanford in Palo Also, so we connected quite a few times for some amazing California hiking trips several years-- including Mt. Diablo, Half Dome in Yosemite, and Mt. Whitney, a fourteen-thousand-feet-high peak in the Sierras. We met up one time (pre-kids, I think) when she was in Washington, D.C. doing her peds ER fellowship, but the last time we saw her was during a 2017 trip to Chicago (near her hometown) when Iver was two and a half (how great it is to be able to search my blog for these memories!).  She and her family now reside in the Chicago area but I so wish they lived closer, because we love to do the same kinds of outdoorsy, hiking trips and think we would hang out all the time if we didn't live a thousand miles apart. 

Anyway, they drove to California from the Midwest (31 hours!) on their summer vacation to do some park-hopping including Yosemite, Sequoia, and camping in Redwood NP north of us, and were able to stay with us for one short weeknight this week (Iver still has a couple of days left of school; otherwise, we would have been interested in joining them on some of the adventures!). Unfortunately, Kelvin was away at a long-postponed community health center conference in Puerto Rico and missed their visit, but my in-laws helped "host" in his absence, and we had a wonderful time connecting about the challenges of parenthood, the pandemic, and just catching up on the years including our families and busy lives.  You know who your good friends are when years can go buy without seeing people, and it feels just like old times. 

Our kids played well together!  Erin and TJ's daughter Ellie is calm, soft-spoken and so sweet, and their son Alex (one year younger than Iver) loved water gun spraying, fort-playing and stuffie-fighting with Iver and was thrilled to have some boys to roughhouse with (I think Ellie was a bit alarmed at the level of noise with the three boys!). Niall was in a bit of a cranky mood and refused to cooperate for the photo documentation for the night and (I think) felt a bit left out as the olders played but it was okay since he had loving arms (and grandparents) around for comfort.  

I made air-fried chicken tenders, broccoli and corn muffins and my mother-in-law had yummy sticky rice with mango for dessert.  Erin's family took over the boys' room and their beds (and enjoyed some indoor sleeping time and hot showers!) and the kids had a sleepover in my king bed with Kelvin out of town. 

Erin and her family left early the next day to head to Lassen NP and then back to Illinois and I wish we had had more quality time to connect!  However, she (who also loves to vacation dream) is already busy planning future years' family summer vacations that include a lot of hiking and may even invite us along (the western part of the U.S really does have the best natural wonders!)!. I love our like-family friends! May our (hiking) paths cross again really soon.

Ultra-liable

 

Niall (4): Mama, do you know about Ultra-liable? 

Me: Uh, no. I don’t think so. Tell me. What’s that?  (Another superhero I don't know?!)

N: It’s a geyser. You know, that shoots water out of a hole every hour! 

Me: Ultra-liable… Old Reliable… aah, are you taking about Old Faithful?!  

Niall: Oh, yeah!

Me: Clever boy!  We'll take you to see it someday!

Azalea Reserve Rain

On Saturday, Kellie and I went for a early-afternoon walk at the Azalea Reserve part-way between our two houses. We have had quite a bit of weekend rain this month including during our walk, which is good to avoid the droughty conditions that lead to severe California wildfire seasons (however, I wish it would rain during the week and give us some sunny weekend days. It was muggy and almost eighty degrees here on Friday, which is very unusual for the coast).  Kellie and I actually went on a very similar walk almost exactly one year ago (the rain was heavier that day from what I recall).

The azaleas were in bloom (above). Kellie, who has been volunteering with the local Native Plant Society, pointed out a lot of other plants on our way. 

Twinberry

Ceanothus (blueblossom) 

 Pacific Ninebark

We saw a good number of these (I think) redwood sideband snails.

(on a different walk, marsh horsetails):

I'm thankful for the rain this month (although entertaining kids indoors, with Kelvin gone to a conference in Puerto Rico) is not my favorite.  

Alicia en el país del las maravillas

After a two-year hiatus, end-of-year school plays appear to be back on!   Iver's elementary school put on a bilingual production of "Alice in Wonderland" this past Friday. 

There was a lot of preparation and costume-making at school. The fifth graders were the main characters (Alice, Mad Hatter, Caterpillar, etc.), fourth graders were narrators, and the other grades performed musical numbers in Spanish.

 First graders performed "La fiesta del jardín," where they were dressed as flowers (including Iver as a tiger lily).

Kindergarteners were very cute teacups performing "Feliz no-cumpleaños."

Second graders were Cheshire cats.

Third graders were the "cards" but we didn't get a picture.

Niall hasn't been to many plays in the past two years and wasn't super quiet or calm in the audience.

al fín

Proud grandparents (who are in town for a couple of weeks!)...

... and parents!

Maravilloso!