Illness stalks the household!

Both Krys and I had fevers over the weekend (mine was probably because I had to go into the dentist last week to get a root canal started - yay! - and I forgot to take antibiotics), but what was really awful was Norah's health. On Thursday night she started feeling sick in the stomach, and while she managed to get to sleep, she woke up early on Friday needing to poop, and then she threw up a bit. Krys took her to an urgent care place because her doctor wasn't open yet, and it turned out she has a kidney infection. Nasty! She had complained about it hurting when she peed, but not very often, so whenever she said so, we told her that if it happened again she needed to tell us about it. But then she wouldn't tell us (if it hurt, which it might not have), and time would pass. So she must have had a urinary tract infection but we just didn't know it, and it migrated up into her kidneys. No fun. She got medicine and she seems to have rebounded quite well, but we keep telling her that she has to let us know if it hurts when she pees and she has to wipe herself better. But it was an unpleasant day on Friday and even into Saturday a bit. Mia, who is generally as healthy as a horse (with, you know, one small exception), survived the weekend hale and hearty. She rocks!

Sicknesses stink. Go away, diseases!!!!

What's a Commie, Godless, America-Hater like me to do?

The other day Norah started singing a song. She was making up some lyrics, not singing lyrics at other parts, but when she got to the chorus, she was very clear:

"And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free."

Yes, the Lee Greenwood song. Now, it's not a particularly egregious song, is "God Bless the USA." I mean, it's been co-opted by the nutty right, but lyrically, there's nothing wrong with the song. I just know it from the accretions of right-wing wackiness that have attached themselves to it, so I was taken aback by Norah singing it. She said she learned it in music class. I'm not terribly happy about it, as I wish they would sing other, less polarizing patriotic songs (even "God Bless America" would be better), but whatever. I just found it surprising that she learned it in music class.

Of course, yesterday she came home and started singing something that makes me yearn for the days of Lee Greenwood:

"Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who?"

Really, Norah's school? She lated amended it to "Who let the tigers out?", which makes me think they were learning to identify animals using the song and whoever taught it to her used it because it was catchy, but still. She wouldn't tell me where she learned, claiming she has always known it. Yeah, I'll bet.

So, if you're a good atheistic communist who wants the United States to crumble into ash (like all liberals MUST be, right?), which is worse: the Lee Greenwood song or the Baha Men song. Man, what a crappy choice.

Weight check!

Mia got weighed on Thursday, about a month after she got weighed the last time. Once again, she gained two pounds in a month, so she's now up to 45 pounds. No, it's still not great. But she is gaining weight steadily, so that's something! I have to take her to the gastroenterologist in December for a follow-up check-up, so we'll see how she's doing at that time. Considering that two months ago she was not even 41 pounds, we'll take a gain of four pounds over two months!

Is it time for Norah to get her own apartment?

On Friday Norah got out of school early. She was released at 1.25, and I calculated that she would get to the bus stop around 1.50, as it seems to take that long for her usually to get home. So about 1.45 I went to the door ... and there she stood. She had gotten off the bus by herself and walked home. I was a bit taken aback. I figured she probably could walk home by herself, but I was surprised she had taken the initiative like that. First of all, the bus driver shouldn't let her off the bus if I'm not there - the kindergarten and first-grade kids aren't allowed. So technically is was illegal for her to get off the bus. I'm not that bothered by the fact that he let her off the bus, because it would have been annoying to wait until she came back around, but usually, when I pick her up, there's another kindergarten kid who gets off as well. His mother is late usually 2-3 times a week, but I always hang around to make sure he doesn't wander off, plus some of the older kids usually do so as well. I asked Norah if the other kids stayed around, but she said no. Of course, she hasn't quite grasped the concepts of truth-telling and lying yet, so who knows if the kids were there or not. I don't know if the mother of the other kid was there, either. If she was, I wish she had returned the favor and waited with Norah. Maybe Norah just took off!

I hate when she gets released from school early, because I really don't know how long it takes for her to get home. At least now I know I have to leave a bit earlier! But I thought it was pretty cool that she walked home all by herself, even if she did have to cross our street to do so (and it doesn't have a lot of traffic at all, so it's probably fairly safe). She's getting bolder every day!

Halloween with the kids!

Yes, we have pictures. Norah has inherited Krys's absolute love of Halloween (or perhaps Krys has forced her love of Halloween on Norah!), so of course we went out trick-or-treating. Mia isn't as jazzed about it as Norah is, so after a while, she was clamoring to go home. I told her if we went home she was going to bed, and eventually she decided that was better than getting pushed around the neighborhood. Norah and Krys stayed out a little longer and had some fun. I went home and put Mia to bed. She was happy.

It's always difficult putting a costume on Mia, because of her wheelchair - it never really looks great, especially because Krys always gets her a dress of some sort. This year she was Ariel. I hope that next year she gets her a costume that has pants. Even though she's a girl. Norah, meanwhile, was Rosetta the fairy, a friend of Tinker Bell's from the Tinker Bell movies. I don't know why she picked Rosetta. Who knows what strange things are going on in that five-year-old brain!!!!!

So here are the pictures of Mia and Norah:







I also forgot to post the pictures of the girls from their photo session in August, which we try to do every year (we skipped last year, unfortunately). Mia didn't smile as much as we liked, but here they are:







Look at those cuties! I hope everyone who cares to celebrate Halloween had a good one! We, of course, are mean and barely let the kids eat any of their candy - Mia doesn't want it, and we dole it out extremely carefully to Norah. She doesn't really love a lot of candy, though, which is handy. I'm sure someday she'll whine for it, but that won't be this year!