Day 3 of seclusion

Next up: West Nile, SARS and maybe some Avian Flu?

Something is seriously wrong with my girl! I may need to leave her outside to wander the streets until she feels better because the smells coming out of her are revolting. I think she has been eating grass again. I tell her not to but she doesn't understand. Oh, Dorothy!

In Nori news, we survived Day 3 of H1N1. It was not a great day, but she is actually doing pretty well. She is unbelievably cranky, off the charts cranky and needs my attention constantly, including when she is supposed to be asleep. But all things considered, that's not bad and we are grateful! Her cough is still there but no worse than yesterday and she didn't even run a temp today. I would say the Tamiflu is doing the trick but I'm not sure how much she has actually swallowed. We have been having epic battles getting her take it. She says, "medicine... yuck!" and spits it out or turns her head away. We have tried it all: bubble gum flavoring from the pharmacy, served in Hershey's chocolate syrup (main food source of Gramsie Hol), begging & pleading and finally we "swaddled" her (think straight jacket) and forced it down the hatch. Not fun.

I declare that tomorrow will be better!

Welcome Baby Harrington!

“Yet to be Named” Harrington baby girl was born this morning, June 29, 2009
at 7:26 AM.  She weighed in at 7pounds 14 oz.

Congrats Katie & Jeff! Name that lady and send photos!

my summer uniform

I have one in every color of the rainbow

I have a gray, light brown, dark brown and white pair

I have one white and two black pair

Kid stuff...

How did this happen?

Purell everything

Nori has been swabbed and is confirmed to have the flu, likely H1N1 (they do not specifically test for that) given it is the only flu virus out right now and is everywhere. The good news is that in healthy people/hot chicks it is nowhere near as dangerous as first predicted. The bad news is it is still the flu and no fun! She was crabby yesterday but that's all. This morning she woke up with a fever of 101, cough and runny nose so we took her in.

Nori is on Tamiflu but Jake and I are on Relenza which works better on adults as a preventive (it's an inhaler where you breathe in a crushed pill... Jake says he is certain it is just like what the kids do when they smoke Smarties). While I would not say I am sick, I feel tired and achey but I'm not too sure how that is different than many other days of my life although yesterday I spent the whole day kissing Nori and sharing food so it doesn't look good for me. Jake feels okay and so left the infirmary to go play tennis.

The weirdest thing is that she is basically in quarantine for the next 7 days. Remember how I was hoping for that miracle to stay home? It's here! Nori's daycare at Tammy's house is closed anyway as 3 kids there have H1N1 or (Tammy'sFlu as we call it) but now I even have a doctor's note saying I need to stay home with her. If only she wasn't ill and banned from all public places and all humans in general, this would be great!

Cool Saint Paul stuff...

Such as local artist Steven David Clark whose work hangs at the walls on at the JCC which I noticed on my way to Bodysculpt (BTB, I no longer do push-ups, it hurts my shoulders blades. Someone tell Stephanie she can't make me.).

On a related note, we are going to the Farmer's Market tomorrow. I am going to buy some dill and smoke it. I love the smell of fresh dill!

Trader Joe's is finally open! As soon as the crowds die down, I am so there. Perhaps you can buy Ben & Jerry's FroYo Chocolate Fudge Brownie there? Not made in Saint Paul but often consumed in Saint Paul by yours truly and it is quite cool.

p.s. don't freak grandma but 3 kids at Nori's daycare have H1N1.

thumbs and stuff

Never fear, the thumb will go on. Baby got her bandage off to reveal a sore yet healing thumb that in all likelihood will be covered by a normal fingernail in just 2-4 months time. Stitches will dissolve and she is water safe. Now we just to plan for some pool time this weekend! I have heard something about Splash Pads...where might I find one of these things? Heather of the EO?

Last night we had a BBQ with Jake's long-lost Winona friends. Leave it to Facebook to reunite the scattered Class of 95! Lots of cute kiddos and good times were had!

In other news, being at work is TORTURE! Summer is notoriously slow and I am literally dying to be home. I remember feeling this way last summer, too. I am praying for a miracle to happen which would allow me a lesser appointment time (say 10 months a year?) or an even a more miraculous miracle that would let me stay home with Nori. Jake is NOT FOND of this idea! I know, I am lucky to have a good job and everybody has to work blah blah blah but my heart is not here right now although my body is. It's a tough thing because we *love* our home, neighbors and location so right now we are just not willing to make any big changes (like a move to the boonies) that would cut expenses enough to enable me to do this. So for now I whine...

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

Perspective

Not a vegetarian?

Dear Diary,

I am so misunderstood. If one more person sends me this article , I am going to cry. Don't they know by now that Jake makes my dough fresh daily? It breaks my heart that people I thought I trusted think I buy it in a tube. Oh Diary, you are the only one who gets me!

Since you are my loyal confidant, Diary, can you help me with another problem? My dear mother is supposed to be packing up her house and getting it ready to sell so she can move in with my gramps this summer, but all she does is plant flowers in his yard and take him to Sam's Club to buy pop. How ever can I get her to stop procrastinating, rent a dumpster, purge and pack? Please don't suggest actually talking to her about developing a plan, setting a timeline and asking for help because the minute she hears my voice she simply tunes out.

Thanks Diary...I appreciate your wisdom and creative problem solving!

your always,
SoS

Happy F Day!

Former sports fiend lives with 3 girls...now prefers pink lemonade to beer

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, especially Jake, my dad Bill, Steve (best FIL ever over 80% of the time) and my Papa Michael! I asked Jake how he would like to celebrate so we did just what he asked...had a big breakfast at Keys and took a power nap for 3.5 hours. We were all beat from too many weekends away so a very lazy day was in order. Couch, here we come.

Laurel Avenue BP 2009

Yesterday was our annual block party and it was extremely fun! How cool is it for the kids to block off the street and get together with all your neighbors for food and fun! Nori bounced in the jumper ("I dumpin' ''), took wagon rides with her fellow one-year-olds, Declan and Estelle, and viewed a firetruck and ambulance up close and personal. Grandma Liz & Grandpa Steve and Aunt Elle (straight from working at camp, dirty laundry in hand) were even here for a bit, too. We are lucky to live near such cool peeps right in the heart of Saint Paul!

Looking for the Dalmation?

"dumpin' " is hard work...

neighbor Mi Shaun suites up courtesy of SPFD

Aunt Ellen is not 31 yet

Big Girl!

I know Belle!

Listen for yourself (camera quality of course)! As expected, Abby was wonderful in Beauty and the Beast! He voice was so strong and clear, she is so talented. I am so proud of her! I even cried when she was separated from her dad and then again when she came out with her yellow princess gown on. And to think, I used to give her vocal lessons!

Abby as Belle

Good luck Abby!

Tonight is opening night for my beloved cousin/Goddaughter, Abigail Jane Anderson, as she plays the lead of Belle in the musical Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, er, at White Bear Lake High School!I have no idea how they are going animate her but it should be phenomenal no matter what. My little cous is a star!

Clearly, the Anderson kids are far more successful and cooler than any another of us members of the Hengel family, what with Fluffy crowned Homecoming King and Abby starring in a play. Thank goodness WE finally amounted to something!

Where is Thumbkin?

They called it a "nail bed injury" but I call it a " Do-It-Yourself Fingertip Amputation" courtesy of dear old mom

So much for those superior parenting skills! We had a our first emergency visit to the ER last night after I completely slammed Nori's tiny thumb in the door crack. I was shooing her out of the laundry room as I left it and closed the door behind me. Suddenly, I heard the most horrific cry only to see that her thumb had disappeared behind the door on the hinge side. When I opened the door to remove her thumb, I saw a very deep gash halfway through her fingertip and the nail was standing straight up! It started to bleed and when I realized how serious the cut was, I freaked. I called Missy in a panic asking what to do since we have never even been to Urgent Care let alone the hospital. I was totally confused and could not think in my panic. Thankfully, Missy helped me make a plan telling me to ask a neighbor to drive us to Children's Hospital which is exactly what I did. My neighbor Jill drove us while her husband Erik went to get Jake from his tennis match at SPA.

Children's was wonderful, they got us in right away bypassing the registration desk and long wait. They checked Nori out, numbed the thumb, and X-rayed her. She has a bone fracture on the tip, she lost the entire nail and had to have 10 stitches on her tiny thumb. There were many tears by her and I both. Hopefully, the nail will grow back but there is a chance it might not and even if it does, it might look a little funny. Luckily, she can always paint it pink. She also has to follow-up with the hand specialist next week to see how she is healing. She is on Motrin for pain and an antibiotics to prevent infection from the bone break. After we left the ER, she cheered up enjoying a late night romp through CVS in just a T-shirt and diaper, yelling "I want toy!!!". Considering her ordeal we let her pick out a toy and of course, she chose another baby to add to her collection. She does not seem to be in too much pain now so I sent her to daycare but told Tammy to call me if she seems unhappy or sick. The trick will be keeping the bandage dry and clean for the next few weeks.

The day after: Look at that big owie!

Needless to say, I feel terrible. Not only for the pain I caused her but also because she had this brand new, perfect little thumb that is now messed up! It's a real reminder of all the little hazards around the house, a wake-up call to baby-proof as much as I can, and to think ahead about where little fingers and toes might be found. Poor girl!

Baby talk

This blog can not hope to keep up with Norelle's verbal development as it is happening at such a rapid rate! She is a talker, just like her Funcle Charlie. Her words are so cute with her little baby accent. As you know, she worships her daddy as everything that is cool is "Daddy". She saw an Elvis clock (where his hips swing back and forth to tick tock) pointing at it saying " Daddy!". When she is sad or tired she screams, "I want Daddy! Want Daddy! I want Dadddy! Want Daddy! Dadddddy!!" You get the idea. Yes, she loves her mommy too she just forgets to yell it, probably because she knows I am her soulmate and will never leave her side until the second I die. Yesterday, her phrase was "Up-ee! Up-ee! Up-ee! Fly plane. Choo Choo" followed by uncontrollable laughter. She knows when she is being a comedian because she will say "Silly!" or "I funny". She is a fan of sitting in chairs by herself, "big gurl"-style. She knows a few colors, especially blue, red and pink although often they are not actually blue, red and pink. I would say she can count to two but that would be lie because she will ONLY count the number 2. So, you say "one" and she says"two" and then you do the rest.

Other interests include books, animals and an obsession with smelling feet, toes, shoes, and socks. She also is very curious about the potty. I bought her very first DVD called Once Upon a Potty for Her and we now watch it together to learn more about what really goes on in the mysterious bathroom. One of these day, she will get her own potty to practice on...

I know what you are thinking, that Nori is not the first baby ever to learn to talk and think but you are wrong! She is amazingly gifted and it is all because of my superior parenting skills. I just KNOW it!

Chicago

City girl dreams of the perfect day: pedi, Bikram yoga sesson and sushi

The ladies made it home but both Jake & Curious George are lost at the airports, O'Hare and Midway, respectively. Jake may be lucky enough to get hotel voucher for his trials but CG is probably still stuck in the X-ray scanner.

Not all of Chicago is wheel-friendly-
Nori got Cleopatra'd up and down many a stair

While the weather was hit and miss, the city itself was fun! We saw some famous people who unfortch were not Oprah or Obama such as Mike Ditka (at his restaurant), Kenny Chesney (sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame), Shawn Johnson (appearing at the Navy Pier for Lunchables) and Michael Cuddyer (walking a stroller across the street).

Wrigley Field - Go Twins!
Just for the record, Grandpa Steve did not get to go here until he was 37
...so age 1 is very young.

For once I feel like I am not single-handedly supporting the economy as there were tons of shoppers & diners out and about. We flew, walked, ate, explored, napped, cheered, swam, shopped, bbq'd, and otherwise enjoyed our time!

BBQ at Fifield's
(simultaneous Puerto Ricano college graduation party next door
...they danced and he got a car!)

Gramsie's Gone!

After another night of girl time, Hol left this morning. If you are wondering why I am the way I am, consider this: my mother would not let me go to bed last night until we finished watching two episodes of "Kendra", the new reality show about Hugh Hefner's ex-Playboy bunny. I am sure Kendra never thought her target audience was a 56-year-old lunch lady (I think my mom especially enjoyed learning some new moves from Kendra on the stripper pole Kendra had installed in her living room). When I asked my mom if this was the kind of content she wanted her daughter watching, she said "Who? You? Yeah".

Before this educational programming, when Nori was still awake, Hol taught Nori how to wish on her white-haired troll, Ishmael. While rubbing his hair, you say "Oh Ishy...I wish, I wish, I wish for...". I wondered out loud if this wasn't teaching Nori to have an external locus of control but Gramsie told me to shut up. Oh, mothers!

Tomorrow we fly out to Chicago, rain or shine. I want shine.

Girls' Week!

My mom is here hanging with Nor, Dor & I this week! Last night we had an extremely classy Girls' Night In complete with a KFC dinner in our pj's, puzzles and books. After T.McB was tucked in, we watched Whale Wars (these idiots take ridiculous risks but it makes for good tv) and The Bachelorette (new lady, same old crap).

Look at my students!

My CMgt students are involved in a really cool international competition, Solar Decathlon, to build a sustainable house. Check it out!

North Shore

Back from our weekend in Duluth! Our mini-vacay was fun as Nori enjoyed exploring the hotel room, staying up late, skipping naps, and being on the town. We explained to her that Duluth is the city where we became a family so it is *our* special place. We strolled Canal Park, had lattes & scones in the sun on an outdoor patio over looking the lake, and got caught up on Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood at the hotel. We also visited with some work friends who we traveled to Maui with back in the bank hayday before the TARP funds ruin all the fun.

Moose and loons everywhere!

We also had a great visit with our new relatives (a.k.a our birth family). I would be lying if I didn't say it was emotionally exhausting! Even when everything is going smoothly, there are complicated emotions underlying adoption but thankfully we are all mature and committed to a positive, rich life for Norelle. It strikes me how lucky Jake & I are to have been raised in stable families, have opportunities for higher education and thus good jobs, and positive role-models to learn from. We take it for granted that everyone has these opportunities but our visits remind us that this is not the case. On the plus side, we picked up some nature-inspired decorating tips for our house...

Have a bare wall? Why not mount that deer you slaughtered!
Better yet, have 3 in one room staring at you to keep you company!

City slickers touring the stables...

We are so blessed Nori is our beloved daughter and we would not have wanted it any other way. God had a plan for us and it was perfect! Of course, He's not finished with us yet!

JS + WF = true love

Happy 10 year work anniversary to Jake and Wells Fargo. 9 bosses, 5 moves (Roseville, Mpls, Saint Paul, Bloomington, Mpls) and a few grey hairs. You are a company man!

A baseball post...for Steve.

As you may know, I am a true sports fiend. I like the word fiend because it conveys my unnatural passion for athletics. I'm am probably like this because I was raised by a single mom, never played sports myself and occasionally visited my dad who once cheered when the football crossed the "seventy" yard line. It was kismet when that I married Jake and met his dad. Pretty much all we think about are MN sports.

Some things about baseball confuse me. Why are there a million names for different names for hits like: dingers, bloopers, poppers, dribblers, zingers, dongers, ploopers, etc? Seems weird. Why can't the base runner just run all over the over field to avoid getting tagged? Wouldn't it be more fun if he could dart around in the outfield, weaving in and out, until someone dropped the ball and then sprint to the base! How come sometimes the base guys have to tag the runner and sometimes they just step on the base? How does the catcher remember all the different hand signals to give the pitcher when I heard they change the signs up all the time? And how immature and ridiculously hilarious is it when the coach yells right in the umpire's face, nose to nose, like a bratty kid trying to get grounded? They say "Oh no Megan, he's just sticking up for his guys" but I am so embarrassed when he does that!

How about this new rule I came up with called, "banking runs"? Have I mentioned this before? If the Twins win a game by more than 5 runs, they can bank all those extra runs, minus 5. Then, they can choose to use them in future games. So, when they win by 20, they have 15 runs to play some other day when they really need them! The catch is that no one, especially not the other team, will know when/if they are going to play their runs until the last minute. Thus, no one will know who is really winning until the last minute. Clever, huh? And then you have to wonder, does the other team (not the Twins) have banked runs that they are going play?

I think I am taking this game to a new level...

Want Daddy!

Hiking at Minnehaha Falls last weekend...

What is Nori's favorite phrase when she is sad? It's "want Daddy!". Too bad Jake is in Charlotte, NC for a couple days (hopefully not being told he has to move there) for a total revamping of his job, thank you Wachovia-Wells merger. We head to Duluth this weekend for some summertime fun on the lake and visiting of friends and new relatives. Next week Jake is off to Chicago for a conference. Remember when he went last year and that guy wanted to pay to smell his feet? Hmm. Luckily, Gramsie Hol is going to be here to help me next week and then T. McB & I will join Jake, Steve, Liz & Funcle Char and their Winona friends in Chicago on Thursday for lots of good food, baseball games, walking, and big city downtown, beep! beep!