volcanoes and other explosions

This week has been insane. First, on Monday morning, Redoubt Volcano finally blew her stack, after months of rumbling. But luckily, the ash was headed north, away from us. Then, the power went out - for nearly three hours, for the entire Kenai Peninsula. So of course everyone said it was the volcano interfering with the power plant. But the electric company swears it was not. So life continued as usual, after the power came back on. But not really. This was the week I had overscheduled myself into new heights. I've got four or five wordworks jobs, two library events and a scrabble tournament this week and I offered to do some freelance work for the Tribune. So we mumbled through Monday - council meetings and late-night writing sessions. Then Tuesday - more craziness with meetings and writing. Thea wasn't feeling very well, and had some exlosiveness (which apparently isn't a word) and the like.
And Tuesday night, Thea went to bed and woke up an hour or so later having thrown up in her bed. She was so sad, and it was really all over - especially in that mesh of hair she has. Mess, mess, mess. Got everything cleaned up, her back in bed and a couple hours later, the wails started again, and we did the whole thing over again.
Yesterday, she went to day care, and was fine there, but when we got back, she threw up two more times, and I started getting sick, too. Mine passed quickly, but not before I pulled the plug on one of the many events I was supposed to participate in.


And then there is this morning. Thea was still sick, so Matt and I opted to split the day so we could both work a bit. But around 8:30, the volcano blew again. And then it blew again, really blew. And this time, the ash was headed right for us.
Liam's preschool closed, and Matt came home. The library closed, so another event in my overpacked week was canceled. The boys went out and collected firewood so we could turn off our monitor stove. Thea and I nursed and nursed and nursed. Now, it is 1, and the ash cloud is over us as we speak. It is this huge, black cloud. I haven't really seen the ash coming down yet, but would be awfully surprised if we don't get something. Liam is so jangly. Thea is down for her second nap of the day. Matt's starting the wood stove. And I'm finally getting an afternoon with virtually nothing to do but take care of my kids and lay low. Which is exactly what the doctor ordered. As long as Thea turns the corner soon, I will consider this all a blessing in disguise.

sleep and snot and sauce

We have regressed.

I keep thinking the next night has to be better, but no, quite the opposite. In the past week, we have moved from one or two wakes back to the ever-popular every couple hours from 12:30-5:30 a.m. If I went to bed earlier, I could probably handle it, but as it is, I have been catapulting out of bed to go insert a binky or boob and make the crying stop. The result - more crying, and not just mine, either. Must ... get ... control ...

On that same note, Thea has also increased her exhibition of some less-than-charming traits. She has been testing the waters with increasing frequency. Last night at dinner, she asked to be all done (with sign) and so we put her down. She toddled over to the heater (one of the forbidden fruits) and started turning the temp up to 90. I told her uhhhhohhhh, and she toddled away - for a second. Then she eyed me, smiled a little elf-like smile and toddled right back. When her hand touched the heater, she was looking me right in the eye, grinning. I know this is absolutely the wrong thing to do, but I burst out laughing.

Truth be known, it was laugh or play a long game of pick up the little girl and remove her from the scene of the crime only to have her toddle right back seconds later. I have no leverage. There is nothing I can do right now that will sink in. I can't make her sit somewhere long enough for it to matter, and removing her is just a fun game. The dog bowl is her favorite edition of that game, closely followed by the toilet paper roll, the computer, the coffee cup and anything she can get her little hands on. Love and logic said to try putting a pack-n-play in the living room and putting her in there as a time out technique, and that's probably what needs to happen, because right now, I am losing this battle hands down.

Liam is sick - cough and snot and low-grade fever. He's been watching oodles of tv and hanging in there. We did get outside on Saturday, when temps rose to 40 and the sun shone without wind for a change. We toddled down the road, which was mostly ice. Thea fell a thousand times, but just got back up and kept on going. Liam had fun making the crusty snow go whump. We sat for a while in the snow bank as Liam and Thea ate crusty pieces of snow and I sunbathed AK style. Then took several lightening-fast runs down the road before coming in. It was as good as it gets in AK in March.

back home

I'm so glad I posted that before we left because Maui seems like that dream you had that is sort of real-feeling, but not really?
It has been flat-out crazy since we got back, at least on my end. The trip was not so great - Thea opted not to sleep for most of the night, so the only one of us who got any shut-eye to speak of was Liam, who seems to be able to sleep through anything.
We arrived in Anchorage around 5 a.m. and Matt went off to find the car, only the hotel shuttle forgot to come pick him up, so it was well over an hour before he even left. Then it took about another hour to get the car thawed and the two surf boards strapped to the top. I built a pen with suit cases and benches so I didn't have to chase Thea around for two hours.
At 7 a.m., the sky was getting light and we retrieved our cold-weather clothes and got on the road. Thea was asleep within two minutes, so we opted for a wonderful McD's breakfast instead of something more substantial and less dairy-influenced.
Thea and even Liam slept most of the way - I got a little sleep, and took the final shift into Homer. We drove pretty much straight through - and got home around noon to a clean-ish house and animals who were very happy to see us.
There's always a wonderful thing that happens when children are returned to their native environment. It's like Christmas - long-forgotten toys, fond food, books, and of course the pets. Both kids were very jovial. I headed into town to get some groceries and try to get my feet on the ground. It seemed sooo cold. But it was great to be home.
Then it was back to work for me, preschool for Liam, and after a temporary panic that there would be no daycare options, a space opened up and presto, she was back at Nikki's. Whew. The other day I went to pick her up early and she actually ran away from me. No independent steak there, right?
Thea started having stomach problems as soon as she got home - probably a mix of virus and the dairy I ate the final week I was in Maui plus the McDs. It got pretty pronounced for a couple days, and she's still having problems. I want to take her to Anchorage for testing, but I have to leave for a week to do that, and I can't find the time or money to do so.
A week after we got home, Matt was back at work, and went up to Soldotna for the week for training. In the middle of that, I got the stomach flu pretty bad, actually, just about the worst stomach bug I've ever had. But it was fleeting, luckily, and I wound up opting to go to work rather than try to stay home with two children bouncing off the walls. Funny world, eh? Now Liam is coming down with a cough, and Thea seems a tad off - maybe the stomach bug, too? It's a germy world, for sure.
It's amazing how quickly the vacation fades into the background, and the real world comes stomping back all over you. Matt will be gone again next week, I have a board meeting one night and no sitter, a Scrabble tournament on the 28 and 29 that I have no idea how to arrange, get sponsors for, etc, there's a whole week in March that there is no preschool because it is spring break, and then there is the annual fundraiser coming up in a little over a month ... and I've got a zillion freelance projects I should be working on.
The there is the house - so many things to do, so much stuff overflowing out of the corners of our 1,400 square feet. I can't stop myself sometimes and go into a cleaning frenzy trying to put it right, but in the end, the chaos outnumbers the clean so greatly that it makes my eye start twitching. For example, none of the suitcases have been put away yet because they have to go in the shed, and no one can get into the shed until we do a dump run, and that doesn't seem to be happening, so there is a suit case in the mud room that has been there since we unpacked two weeks ago and every time I got to feed the dogs I trip over it. MADNESS! And let's not even talk about the roof leak that is causing one side of the house to fall apart, literally. Really.
Still, it sure is good to be home.

Hawaii III, IV and V

What a blur, and tomorrow we all get on a plane and head for colder climates, so before we go, I thought I'd try to catch up a bit. Because even trying to think back three weeks ago is a bit of a stretch, and as soon as I get home, I'm sure it will all be that much more difficult.

We had a breather between batches of relatives, and enjoyed letting the cousins get to know each other better. Kirra was squiggling by week three of our trip - a sort of a military crawl technique. Now, she is pretty excited to see Thea and is almost crawling and for sure capable of covering some distance fast. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Week three was punctuated by illness. I dragged Liam to the beach one morning when it was a little windy and chided him for insisting on having his sweatshirt hood up, and being so grouchy. By afternoon, it was obvious that he was more than grouchy - he was sick. By evening, his fever was 102 and he fell asleep on the couch by 5 p.m. and didn't wake until 10 p.m. That night, he was sick once - I won't go into the details, but I do think it is amazing that one child can wipe out an entire room in a single shot. He was sick the next day, and his fever went up to 104, at which point I knocked it back down with meds. The next day was the same thing, although he started to improve by evening. And I believe that was the day that Grandma Jan and Grandpa Tim arrived, so Matt and Thea and Aunt Jenny went off to the airport to greet them, and Liam and I stayed home and watched Madagascar for the zillionth time.


But later, the grandparents party bravely entered the zone of sick to be properly welcomed to Hawaii by us all. And so began a series of dinners and beach days that lasted two weeks. Liam recovered, except for a cough that lingered for about a week, and amazingly, none of the rest of us got it. Also extraordinary - Grandma Jan didn't get a super-bad sunburn this year. Not surprisingly, Thea took to Grandpa Tim like a twinkly-eyed kid who had just met her match. And Liam spent time with them being properly doted on one-on-one. There was also quite a bit of pool-going as Jan and Tim's condo had a nice kiddy pool.

On week 4, Liam met a friend- Skyler. Skyler was playing down by the tidepools where all the good stuff happens, and he and Liam struck up a fast friendship for several days before Sky had to leave. His parents are from California, and we enjoyed their company quite a lot as well. It was such a relief for all of us to have the kids playing together so well and using up all that energy that is inflicted on the first available adult if not drained by kids.

Most of the remainder of the trip was absorbed by beaching - Thea truly loves the water, and did wonderfully in the waves. She was adored by so many passers-by - some even stopped and took her picture. I don't know what it is about that kid, but she's got something special. What Liam does with words, Thea does with a certain demeanor. But then again, I'm biased.


We did a few road trips - up to the volcano - which Liam LOVED and was mighty impressed by, and over to a waterfall. We also went to the aquarium, which both kids enjoyed quite a lot this time around - last time Liam was wee and didn't really get it, but this time it was good stuff.

Matt got some good waves mid-way through the trip before it all pooped out, and the last week has been punctuated by cloudy, cool weather, winds that blow pool chairs into the pool and that sort of thing. It's almost as if the island is helping us prepare for returning to the land of brr.

While Liam is looking forward to getting back to his school, pets, toys, room and routine, Thea has some tough days ahead of her. She is only a few feet from my bed right now, and has taken to waking up and demanding food four times a night. That, my friends, is going to stop the SECOND we are home. Extended breast feeding is bad enough, without extended nighttime crap. NOT OK. But when you are all crammed into one room, the only alternative would be to go crash on the couch while she cried it out, and that always seems like too much work.

We got some sad news today about this condo we've rented for three years now - the owners are moving into it because of tough economic times. So we assume it will not be available next year. We have looked at a couple other units in the building - including a three bedroom, and hopefully something will come together. I'd thought about even doing xmas here next year. But since I can't even figure out next week let alone next year, I'm thinking it's a little crazy to go trying to nail everything down. Still, as we leave this wonderful, warm place each year, it's almost as if we need that assurance that there will be a next time to make returning to the land of brr OK.

Maui weeks 1-2

I know, I know, we've now been in Maui for over two weeks and have I made a single attempt to record these beautiful days into memory (this is as close as I come to having a memory, it would seem.) No. Not a single attempt. But in my defense, I have intentionally let the blog lapse a bit. I'm still working during my time here, and I like to use my non-vacationing kid-free time for that rather than blogging. But, today is Sunday and I'm feeling a little anti-work, so blog it is.

So we got to Maui in one piece, despite a few calamities - Liam was running a 103 temperature for the whole trip up to Anchorage, and the weather was not great - think glare ice much of the 5-hour trip. But we made it. Got to the airport no problem. Got on the plane no problem. Had a pretty mellow flight, despite being crammed into three seats. It was good. We landed in Kahalui, Matt's boards (yes that is plural!!?) arrived undinged and so did our bags. The only glitch was that we still didn't have the combo to the condo key box when we touched down, but a little email searching and I found our landlady's phone number and got the combo. Fade to black on day 1.

The next week was mostly acclimation. Thea enjoyed her first shoe-free walking experiences outdoors, quickly deduced that eating sand was overrated (only took two days of cement diapers to determine that) and Liam was in the water on day 2, instead of the last day like last year.

Dan and Amanda and their littles Gracie and Maddie arrived the day after us, so we had a few co-dinners and enjoyed a beach day or two together before Dan's relatives arrived. It was great having someone from home around - Matt and Dan especially enjoyed a cold beverage on the deck several nights after kids had gone to sleep. And Amanda and I ran a 5K race together one morning. Very nice.

We also had a great time getting to know Kirra, Matt's sister's baby, who is now 6 months old and wanting very much to crawl and keep up with her bigger cousins. Thea really seems to enjoy her company, too. Liam has had a bit of challenge adjusting to his new role sharing the limelight, but he's managing fairly well.

On week two, Matt's dad David arrived. He and Liam immediately disappeared to build elaborate sand castles on the beach across the street from the condo, and it was a relief to have another adult around to share the kid energy. We had several more gatherings of zillions of people, several more beach days where Thea got braver and braver in the water, and then it was time for Grandpa Dave to leave and Dan and Amanda took off, too.

Now, we are starting week three and our friends from Alaska Mistee and her kids Bjorn and Leaf have just arrived, so hopefully Liam will have a chance to do some playing with someone his own age, which he desperately needs. Sometimes it works at the park next door, but not always, and adults just don't play pirates like the kids do.

We've gotten Thea's allergies pretty well under control since we've been here, but she's only eating a very few things - chicken, turkey, rice, corn, wheat, carrots, peas, beans, grapes and pears, essentially. It worries me to feed her such a limited diet, but then again, Liam eats about the same number of items, really, so I guess I shouldn't stress too hard.

Thea has turned over a new leaf or two when it comes to acting up. I have had to do the drop and leave technique on her a couple times in the past week for grabbing my hair and even head-butting me when she isn't pleased with the outcome of things. I am trying to keep my cool about it all, but it does worry me a bit. What do the next few years have in store for me, I wonder?

It usually takes us about two weeks to settle into life in this climate, and it does seem to be getting easier to get to the beach, apply sunscreen, etc. I'm not getting as much work done as I would like, and I need to get a little writing in on my book, but other than that, it's pretty easy living, and the kids sure do love the beach and being able to play outside every day. I'm trying to work up the nerve to enter a half-marathon next weekend, despite the fact that I can't run more than 5 miles at a shot. And we no longer glow when we go out in the sun. So that's a step in the right direction, eh?

mother nature meets murphy

Murphy's law, that is. Yesterday, a crazy storm blew into town. Tomorrow, the day we are supposedly driving to Anchorage, another one is scheduled to arrive. Rain. High winds (122 mph gusts were clocked near Anchorage). Car-swallowing puddles. Nothing but fun for the whole family, for sure.

Meanwhile, the saga of Thea's latest setback continues. On Wednesday morning, she woke up at 4:30 a.m. with a big blowout. At 5 a.m. she had another. We got up. At 7:30 she went back to sleep, and I did too - but by 9 a.m. we were both up and the tummy troubles continued. So I called the hospital to see if those test results were in, because we really hadn't fed her anything too out of the ordinary - pork, rice, chicken, peas - I did feed her some banana, which we haven't done much of because she hasn't seemed too into it. So maybe that was it. I don't know. But I really wanted to find out if the test results revealed anything new.

The hospital said they were done and had been sent to the medical clinic. I called the clinic to see how I could get the results. They said they weren't there. I told them the hospital said they had been sent. The said they weren't there. I asked if this limbo-problem happened often. The nurse offered no ideas.

Now, you know, it's one thing to have a frustrating time with the medical profession, but when your child is suffering, it rachets everything up a notch. So I called back to the hospital - oh, they just aren't looking in the right place, said the lab tech. I will call them for you, she said. I called back to the clinic a couple hours later, only to be told there was only one result in and no one knew what it was meant.

At this point I basically gave up. I took her in this morning for a check-up, and asked if I could find out what the one result was. The nurse, who hadn't looked at Thea's chart and didn't even know she had allergies, said the lab tech was delayed and wasn't here yet and so I couldn't get them. Then, about 20 minutes after I got to work an hour late on the busiest day in the world, they called and said actually, all the results were in - they had been in the file. And they had all come back negative.

So now I have to research more about what that means, because as far as I heard, that just means she's not at risk for the throat-closing kind of allergic reaction. that doesn't mean these foods won't upset her stomach and give her the runs.

Good news is Thea is doing much better today - eating normally and pooping normally, too. So who knows. It's so frustrating. Maybe she had a bug. Maybe it was bananas. Maybe she shouldn't have dipped her corn cake in the dog water bowl. Who on earth knows. So we just muddle on.

But I must say, I'm far more understanding in the shortcomings of science than I am in the shortcomings of medical professionals.

needles and pokes

Today we spent a good half of the day inspecting, detecting and injecting Thea. It was pretty rough. We slammed a bunch of appointments into one visit because Matt has insurance right now while he's working for a few days training to be a trainer of firefighters. Coming from Canada, it feels so strange to not be able to just get the health care you need - especially for my children. But here we are.
First we had our 1-year check-up. That went well. Thea is following a wonderfully steady curve up the growth chart with a weight of 24 pounds (is that all - when she is squirming it feels like 50) and a length of 31 inches, which is almost exactly where Liam was at 1 year. She's in the 90th percentile for height, 88th for weight and 80th for head size. All good stuff, considering the struggle we have been through to give her a nutritionally balanced diet.
Then, sadness, her shots - three of em. Tears.
And on to the next appointment. We met with the nurse-practitioner who works with allergy testing next. We talked about options for testing, and I found out there was no easy (read quick) result for some of the foods I suspect most, like tomatoes and potatoes. So that meant we had to do some blood testing. But first, we did three panels of skin tests, which revealed some interesting things. Her response to milk had decreased significantly, and beef showed no response. That means in another six months or so, we can probably start doing isolated introduction of those foods and see how she handles it.
It showed three new allergens, however. Salmon and tuna popped up slightly. I don't think she's ever had either, so her response could be more dramatic if her body had a chance to develop the allergy. Ironically, I have always said there are two foods I can't eat - and salmon is one of them. One bite makes my stomach feel like an over-inflated balloon and very uncomfortable for hours.
But the big whammy du jour - cats. She showed her most dramatic response to cats, which didn't show up at all last time. So now we have to monitor that and factor it in. My thought is we'll start by looking at an air purifier and vacuuming often and go from there. Right now, I haven't seen her having an extreme response to interactions with the cat, in fact I think I have more itchy eye issues with the cat than I've seen her have. So we'll just see. But I did a lot of vacuuming today as a result.
So Thea was subjected to a lot of pokes at this point, and was starting to get sad every time someone inspected her. But it wasn't over yet. She had to get her first blood draw, and we won't get the results for a week for over a dozen foods.
We had to sit forever in the waiting area for the woman who would take Thea's blood for the other tests. Then, she tried to find a vein and couldn't find one. So she sent us up the hill to the hospital. It was so hard, holding her still while they inflicted pain on her little body. I know many people go through this, but I'm just going on record as saying that was tough. Finally, it was over, and we went for a drive while she took a much-needed nap.
Thea fell asleep tonight at 5 p.m. and hasn't gotten up since (it's 10 p.m. now) Probably the immunization shots, combined with the stress of the day. I figure she won't care if she sleeps one night in her clothes.