My Flip Side – W2

“The Flip Side” is a meme I’ll be joining in with every week. It gives you an opportunity to share a self portrait – reflection, shadow, or classic type portrait. This is a great incentive to practice the art of the self portrait if you want to increase your photography skill. My interpretation is going to involve my sharing of photos that have any part of me in them. I’m going to share several every week, that I captured the previous week. I hope to see you playing along, too!

A sick day took him.

He didn’t need to take a sick day.  After all, he had nowhere to be, but with me. He had no way to call in sick, unless you count him coming up to me on Thursday afternoon, hands held out dramatically, with a glorious, thick streamer of snot hanging from his nose, saying, “Um. Mommy? I have a snot.”

Thursday night was full of the stuff nightmares are made of: he puked up part of his dinner because he was gagging on mucous, came to bed with me after his second screaming awakening made it clear I’d be running to his room all night long otherwise, kicked me repeatedly for the next 8 hours, woke at least once an hour screaming and crying, telling me it hurt and yelling “NO NO NO”, accused me of making his throat hurt (ouch, dude), refused to drink anything, and rounded it all out by peeing in the bed in the morning and then telling me to get up and make his breakfast.

I was so tired.  And so very grumpy.  Then, while I was peeling his wet underpants off of him, I suddenly smiled. I thought about how I had patted his back over and over again all night long. It reminded me so much of long nights when he was this little kid baby:

That was March ’08. I can’t believe it was that long ago. It seems like just yesterday.

But yesterday was forever ago. And it will never be again.

I looked at him, shivering before me after I got him out of the wet clothing. He looked back at me solemnly, and then reached his arms around my neck, climbing into my lap. He held on tight, snuggling his head into the curve of my neck, and we just rocked for a little while, together.

I mostly think that colds are from the very Devil himself; they are miserable, horrible things that torture us and make us feel as though a close cousin of death has crawled inside our faces and set up camp.  And when our kids are sick, it is the worst.  It is so awful to watch them suffer.

But sometimes I experience these tiny moments when I wonder if they are some kind of weird gifts to parents – obviously not in the times of worry and pain, but during those moments when our kids slow down and just want to be held again, loved again, rocked in our arms, or when they just nap in our laps again. These are gifts, even though given in sickness, and it is these little capsules of memories gone suddenly burst open, and a chance to teleport to another moment in time again, for just awhile, that make me smile even as he sniffles.

A sick day took him.

I was there where it delivered him, all day long.

Braden: “Mommy, I need to be fixed.”
Me: “You need to be fixed? Why, are you broken?”
Braden: “Yes, Mommy. I’m broken with sick.”

I am his designated fixer, and he is the spark of magic in my life.  I’m reminded, again, that whatever age he is right now, it’s my favorite one.

Weekly Winners, September 19-25

September 19th – 25th
Some of these shots taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (on loan from a friend)
Others taken with my iPhone.

Chocolate pudding makes mouths happy.

Like Mommy & Daddy’s… but oh, so tiny.

Bright-Eyed Spidey Fan

This is the “Leaping Into Your Heart” pose.

My boys like to play in the rain. <3

Lounge Hound

Little Sickie on the Couchie

An 8-Legger’s Weaving Project

Literal & Figurative rays of sunshine at my breakfast table.

Yup. He makes me happy when skies are gray.

To view all my photos, visit my Flickr Photostream

Wanna Know More?

Weekly Winners Information

All My Past WW Posts

I am having a hurt.

I miss this time.

The further we go in, the more painfully aware I am of the no rewind button on my kid.

Totally still need that sticker on my forehead that says “appreciate today.”

(And pie, I really, really need chocolate pie. But that is another story entirely. I think I just cheapened this post? Fuck it. I’m sorry.)

In the rain.

I like rain.  I am opposed to the idea that it means you can’t still enjoy being outside.

I wrote a poem about it last year.

Braden loves to play in the rain.

He always has, and I’ve always allowed it.

I recently enjoyed running in the rain during a tropical storm for a couple of days. In Texas, any run without the hot, beating hell of the sun is pretty much awesome, though.

Last night we chose to eat at a Tex-Mex place for dinner – Chuy’s.  They have good food and margaritas, and there’s a fun patio with room for kids to run around in the grass and play.  We love sitting on the patio there.

Apparently, we’ll even do it in the rain.

There was only one other family out there. They were laughing at the whole thing, having a good time, too. I kind of think we should have gotten their number.

What do you like to do in the rain?

My Flip Side – W1

It’s all iPhone this week, baby!

“The Flip Side” is a meme I’ll be joining in with every week.  It gives you an opportunity to share a self portrait – reflection, shadow, or classic type portrait.  This is a great incentive to practice the art of the self portrait if you want to increase your photography skill.  My interpretation is going to involve my sharing of photos that have any part of me in them.  I’m going to share several every week, that I captured the previous week.  I hope to see you playing along, too!

Weekly Winners, September 12-18

September 12th – 18th
Some of these shots taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (on loan from a friend)
Others taken with my iPhone.

Playing with my meat.

We are master architects.

Day breaks on our sleepy, little town.

Radish Heaven

Little, Bikin’ Mofo

Asleep under the couch. What, you don’t do that?

Lunch Happened: Greek Salad & Hummus by Moi

I grow trees in my kitchen.

Slightly more awesome than creepy. Slightly.

Healthy snacks are full of win.

WAGON WHEEL!

Fridge full of New Belgium beers: A true thing of beauty.

To view all my photos, visit my Flickr Photostream

Wanna Know More?

Weekly Winners Information

All My Past WW Posts

A whole bunch of random crap all at once. You’re welcome.

• I posted a review of this Wired Sea Cuff on my review blog – cleverly named: lotus reviews. I know, I know – my creativity astounds you.  The post is a giveaway post, so go find out what I think of the Wired Sea Cuff and then enter to win $50 to spend at Studio Jewel. (Ends TODAY 9pm CST)

(Coming up, I’ll be running review/giveaway posts about 2 different camera bags, as well. Keep your eye on the review blog if that kind of thing interests you. Subscribe here.)

• Because I know so many of you dig photography, I also wanted to tell you about a fun meme that a couple of my friends are doing.  It’s called “The Flip Side” and it gives you an opportunity to share a self portrait – reflection, shadow, or classic type portrait – every week.  This is a great incentive to practice the art of the self portrait if you want to increase your photography skill.  I am going to be playing along.

• The September issue of Room 704 is up. The theme is “Educate.”  I write/edit on that website, and I’ve got 3 posts there this issue, including one that basically outlines what a moron I was in grad school.  It’s fun to self deprecate.  At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

• I’m still running like a mofo. I’m currently using the Bridge to 10K app (picks up where C25K left off and trains you from 5K to 10K level).  Running makes me feel powerful and strong.  Yes. It is hard.  But POWERFUL! and STRONG!  Also, my legs look insanely better than I think they ever have before.  EVER.  So there’s that.

If you want to stay apprised of all the fitness nonsense I get up to, join me on Dailymile.

• I’m going to be running the Austin, TX Komen Race for the Cure on November 7th.  I’ll be talking about that here again more between now and then, but for now, I’d like to ask you to go ahead and think about sponsoring me.  I’d really like to raise a good chunk of money.

• Oh, and my kid is apparently in training to be a shoplifter.  Go figure.

Happy Thursday!