January 29, 2007

Well, we’ve arrived in DC. We’ve been here just over a week now and I’m
starting to get a good feeling for the area.

I’ll spare you the details of the shady Russian movers, the blizzard that
decided to hit the day we needed to drive through it, the failing of our
brakes (I found religion) and the overpowering scent of floral perfume
emanating from our sheets which consequently invaded my dreams with images
of grandmothers at high tea.

I write this from a furnished studio corporate apartment roughly double the
size of my last place. This building is weird. The hallways are dreary a la
The Shining – I keep waiting for the little girls that want to play…

The complex seems to be populated by young hot co-eds with UMD proudly sewn
in felt across the asses of their sweat pants, (seen ONLY in the laundry
room area) blind women, and doddering Alzheimer’s sufferers (“sufferers” is
not quite accurate as most of them seem blissfully happy) The fogies hang
out in the lobby and strike up conversations with Karis. Karis is either
delighted by them, or falls immediately to sleep (which, incidentally
doesn’t stop them from talking to her) So far I’ve met “No name” Whose
short-term memory lasts approximately 7 minutes. So, in the 60 minutes I was
stranded in the lobby with her, guess how many times she asked me if I was
the mom, and if I breast-fed? Quick! Do the math!
We also spent quality time with Anne. Anne claims she is only 5 feet tall
(I’ll have to take her word on that as she was sitting down) Her height, or
rather the lack there of, is her reason for not having children. She
couldn’t bear the thought of giving birth to a short boy and having him
ridiculed and beat up all his life. Anne also very much enjoys pudding cups.
They’re so easy! What will they come up with next?

The blind women each have a large breed of service dog. The dogs are in fact
the only way I can tell the blind women apart. So far I’ve met three of
them. They are all tall, thin, beautiful and have the EXACT same medium
length straight brown hair. Yes, blind super-models with proud guide dogs.

House hunting is EXHAUSTING. It’s a far cry from my days of watching the
Home & Garden channel’s House Hunters. That show makes it look so fun and
easy, and the featured people always seem to get their offers accepted with
little or no hassles. Wow. Who would have thought real life could be so
different from what is portrayed on TV.! (Note the sarcasm)

Jesse is working (as usual) day and night. He likes the office and the ease
of communicating with co-workers that used to require phone calls or email.

Karis is flourishing! She alllllmost has her two bottom teeth in. The nubs
can be seen just level with her gum line. She is also minutes from
officially crawling. Her new favorite activity is bathing in her new rubber
ducky tub. She kicks and splashes fearlessly.

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WWW sent us copies of our shoot from Thanksgiving. They were super nice! (Again with the red hair?)

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January 13, 2007
She floats!

We had a play-date yesterday at Trump Towers. We go over every so often so Karis can play with the twin boys that live there. The boys are 10 months older than Karis and very active. Karis loves to watch them rough house.
While we were hanging out in the toy room their mom suggested we all go swimming. I starred ahead like a deer caught in headlights and tried to recall when the last time I shaved was. I agreed to go because I was excited to see how Karis would like it. I’d wanted to get her in a pool for some time now.
I dressed her in a swim diaper and borrowed red-stripped swim trunks. She looked like a darling, chubby little boy. We all trooped down to the pool and she was very calm as we lowered ourselves into the water. It was a heated pool, but not as warm as a bath would be. She shivered and looked at me as if to say, “Why are we taking such a cold bath?”
All in all she LOVED it. She splashed and kicked. She was even relaxed enough to float on her back. It was the most delicious sight to see her floating there with her doughy belly and chubby thighs bobbing above the water. Her body stayed pretty rigid whenever she was on her back. She kept her head above water by bending her neck at a perfect 90-degree angle. I could see the tension in the flex of her little ankles.
She was so trusting. I really think my calmness helps to keep her relaxed. She reads me like a pro. She reminded me of my Jack Russell terrier, Andy. Andy was always game for anything. He’d ride in tractor buckets or on the backs of livestock – wherever I put him. He’d look at me to make sure I knew what I was doing, and then he’d accept whatever it was we were doing and enjoy the ride.

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Cousin Lisa was flipping through American Baby Magazine at the pediatricians office today when she stumbled across our pic from the shoot we did back in November. “Hey, that’s my cousin!”

It’s alway fun to see what pictures they chose to go with. I just love it when I sport a double chin! Tres sexy. And what’s with Karis being a red head?

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January 5, 2007

We almost lost The Boy yesterday.  I was just waking up and snuggling with the baby when my phone rang. I picked up and The Boy said, “What are you doing?”  I answered, “Just laying in bed.” He then said, “I guess you didn’t get my message.” The Boy proceeded to tell me that he had been in a MAJOR car accident that morning. He and Patrick were driving to Dan’s house for the New Year kick off meeting. Patrick was following too closely behind a big truck and had limited visibility. He almost missed their exit. He swerved onto the exit going about 55mph when they both realized at the same time that there was a divider directly in their path and there wasn’t any time to swerve and miss it. Patrick managed to swerve just enough to avoid a head on collision, which would have put The Boy through the windshield. (He had taken his seatbelt off minutes before to put something in the backseat and hadn’t refastened it!) The Jeep hit the divider, flipped TWICE and slid about 20 feet down the highway. The Boy was thrown into the rear of the Jeep. Patrick curled into a ball to avoid being crushed.  An ambulance happened to be traveling behind them on its way to another accident. The EMT’s were amazed to find Patrick and The Boy not only alive, but also virtually unharmed. They said they usually have to put a sheet over cars as bad off as theirs because nobody survives.

I spent the day in a mild state of shock. The Boy opted to continue on to the meeting after being checked out at the hospital. (I could have strangled him for not coming straight home to be hugged and fawned over!) Every detail I noticed around the house made me pause a minute and reflect. Oh, The Boy left his flip-flops in the bathroom – that could have been the last time he ever wore those flip-flops. Look, The Boy’s shirt was casually tossed over the back of a chair – that could have been the last time he ever touched that shirt. It was so bizarre. Every stupid little detail seemed so dramatically important. The Boy’s toothbrush resting by the bathroom sink was just a toothbrush, but if the accident had had a different outcome that toothbrush would have become a treasured last reminder of my precious Boy.
It’s funny; every morning as The Boy leaves for work He says good-bye and opens the door. The light from the hall turns him into a silhouette as I squint to watch him leave. It’s very ethereal and I always think to myself, please God, bring my Boy safely home to me! Yesterday was one of the first times I hadn’t had that uneasy feeling. I didn’t beg for my Boy’s safe return. Thankfully someone else was on duty!
You would think a near death experience like this would cause a man to take stock of what is really important in life. Make a man pause to appreciate the simple blessings of family and love. If you thought that is the effect it would have on The Boy you would be wrong. Even as I type this entry he is upstairs feverishly working. The Boy almost dies and continues on to a meeting rather than coming home to hold his baby girl in his arms one more time. I just don’t get it.
I am so thankful that my Boy is still with us, alive and strong and whole. I see the way Karis’s face lights up when her daddy comes home and I have to hold back tears of gratitude and relief. Whoever you are, reading this journal, put it down and go hug your loved ones. Tell them how very much you treasure them. Do it now – this journal will still be here when you get back.

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