Day 8

Day 8

Not sure when day 7 ended and day 8 started. ethan showed us the power of his lungs last night, and he was pretty ticked. He screamed most of the night, even if we went and picked him up to rock him, etc. He was just mad. I say that, but who knows exactly what he was feeling. He probably wakes up and finds himself in this crazy cast and tries to get it off of him and can't. Then he screams. So right now I am writing and then going to bed, not knowing what the night will involve. Really, its just like a 40 lb newborn.

We are hopeful about tonight, and have a plan of attack in case the screams start. I will let you know tomorrow how it goes.

So after not really sleeping but not really being awake, I went to teach my high school class. I can only hope I said something somewhat coherent to them today. Afterwards my friend Nan came over with her two children and Ethan & Lelia played at the table. My favorite part of our time together was when Lelia (who will be 3 this year) said to Nan, "Mom, Ethan won't talk to me!" I hated to tell her that Ethan was a man of few words. And by few I mean "car" and "cookie" (He has a few more but those are the most often used words:)

Since Ethan can't sleep really well, the sacred afternoon nap has becomes much shorter. But I had a plan, and was ready when he woke up to jump into bed with him and help him (and I) fall back asleep, and he would never know. Plan failed. I got into his twin bed and he started thrashing at me as if I was making his whole situation worse. So I got up and rocked him in a chair with my neck painfully crooked where his head lay.

Then we had (drumroll, please).... OUR FIRST OUTING in the starfish costume! You'll never guess where we went. No, not the mall or even Target. We went to Lowe's. I've been wanting to make this thing I saw in a magazine for the kitchen wall, and thought I could scope out the parts with Ethan in the wheelchair. So there we went, I strapped the Christmas starfish tree in the backseat, and rolled into Lowe's. The wheelchair is toddler size so I have to bend over to push it, which is kinda akward but it works. I'm sure the people at Lowe's were wondering why I would take my handicapped toddler to the lumberyard, as if to pick up some long 2x4s. But I just kept strolling like this was a normal outing for me. I did manage to also talk on the phone to Lisa while I was strolling (steering one handed on the low rider wheelchair). It was all worth it.

So we got one of Jared's favorite meals tonight, poppyseed chicken and sister shubert rolls. Mama Charlena brought this over with a butterfinger pie... it pretty much made our night. Mama Charlena (aka Charlene Fleming) brought Ethan a happy meal too. Happy Meal=Happy Night (no matter what "super size me" says). We also went to the video store and got lots more dvds (more Clifford, ratatouille (which makes me think of Abby), Up, etc.) The guy behind the counter thought I was really into cartoons, and I'm okay with that.

So here goes another night... I really hate the movie Groundhog's Day because I hate the idea of each day feeling just like the last day. I dislike monotony, so even if tonight is bad, I vow to take Ethan on another adventure tomorrow. I think its time to break out the wagon in Target and load up.

Thankful for:
not living in an apartment where people can hear your child screaming and calling defax, great food, ethan's smiles during the day (just not around sleeping time), and video rental places that do 5 for 5 deals.