Leina is firmly on the road to recovery. That medicine sure is powerful. The fever, tenderness and swelling are almost totally gone and not a moment too soon. Leina is a still a bit grouchy and not quite back to her sweet little self yet but I know she’ll shake off her funk soon enough.

This morning we headed to the mom’s club halloween social and the girls got to don their costumes. Leina was grumpy and moody so the only pictures I got were of a very sullen Tinkerbell. Kulia, however, refused to hold still long enough for a good shot. Crazy kid. Both girls, however, agreed to pose with their absolute favorite puppy, Melo, who we are watching for a few days. I think Melo has done more to help Leina back onto the road to happiness than any amount of medication. Maybe she should become a therapy dog. Hmmm.

So here, without further adieu, are my little fly girls. (And the snuggle puppy.)

Leina woke from nap yesterday and wandered into the craft room. I took one look at her and said, “we’re going to the doctor.”

Sometimes, your mom sense just starts tingling. She just didn’t look right in her eyes. Something was off. Just wrong. I remember when she was a tiny infant, the doctor told me that if I ever felt something was wrong to bring her in because a mom knows her baby like nobody else. I had no idea what she was talking about at the time. I had just come into my mom powers and hadn’t understood all of it’s quirks. But now, after four years, I’ve pretty much figured it out. Follow your gut.

So I called the doctor at 4:30pm and they said they’d hold the last spot of the day (5pm) for me. Of course, Kulia was still fast asleep and we had rush hour traffic to get through but I’m a big fun of back streets. I worked my mom mojo and had both kids awake, diapered, snacked and in the car in 10 minutes flat and we arrived with 2 minutes to spare. Yes!

The doctor poked and prodded and nodded. The right side of Leina’s face from the front of her ear all down her jaw was swollen and hot. It felt like a large cyst was there. She was talking funny because it hurt to open her mouth and running a slight fever. After ruling out the mumps, (thank goodness for vaccines), the doctor concluded that she has a lymphnode that has gone wild. For whatever reason, it has turned on and is inflamed. By itself, it’s probably nothing that a good dose of medicine won’t fix. If, however, any further symptoms appear, we have some serious testing to do. By the time it was done, it was approaching 6pm and had to throw the girls back in the car and raced to the pharmacy to get her prescription filled before closing. Then, we hit CJ’s for a giant vanilla milkshake for my poor child with the sore jaw. Today, the fever is down and the swelling greatly reduced and Leina has her sparkle back. Phew. I’m hoping this is just some wierd one shot deal ’cause I don’t know how much more adventure we can take.

Poor Kevin, he came home around 7:30pm yesterday and we were still sitting around the table eating dinner. He was very confused but glad to hear his girl was A-OK.

Truth be told, I’m not big on doctors for myself. I moan and groan and avoid them unless I’m on death’s door. But for my kids, it’s a whole ‘nother story. I figure Kevin works very hard and we pay every month for insurance so I’m using it! For a mere $5 co-pay, I’d rather take my kid in and be told everything is fine than have my kids suffer one minute longer than necessary. So when my mom sense tingles, I dig out the five bucks and hit the road.

Now that the danger has been averted, I’ve thrown myself back to my tasks. My mom friend is having a little girl in about 2 weeks and I finally finished her baby gift. I’ve been pretty much stalking her about the baby’s name and she swears they’ve decided to go with Mya. I love making these name banners and I love it even more when the name is short! Lets just hope I spelled it right…

You ever had one of those days when life seemed set against you? Yeah, that was this morning.

Today was the annual trip to the pumpkin patch with Leina’s preschool class. The girls were so excited to pick pumpkins. Here in the burbs, there are alot of working farms around so a trip to the pumpkin patch involves petting every type of farm animal plus one, fresh pressed apple cidar, hay mazes and tractor rides. It’s really rather incredible. Especially coming from SoCal where the pumpkin patch was a corner lot next to the gas station that the local boyscouts manned with some old hay strewn about. Here, pumpkins are a big deal.

I think you can see why the girls were so excited. We had talked about it all week and I’ll admit I was a bit twittery too. I love holding baby chicks and petting fresh puppies as much as the next kid. I imagined myself sipping hot cidar, chatting with the other moms, while our adorable children ran amoungst fields of bright orange pumpkins squealing with delight. Ok, maybe a bit optomistic. Ok, maybe alot. But imagine my distress when Leina woke in a black funk claiming her tooth hurt her. Closer inspecting revealed that the side of her face was slightly swollen. She just had her dentist xrays 3 weeks ago so I knew it was nothing major. She has very very sensitve jaws and the slightest movement of her teeth causes her extreme pain. Trust me, I’ve seen this girl teething and it is hell on earth. Really. I had thought I was done once her 2 yr molars popped through but I guess not. Luck me.

Because her teeth hurt, she refused to eat. You think Leina with sore teeth is bad, try making her hungry as well. Like her father, Leina quickly turns grumpy when hungry. The idea of dragging her around a pumpkin patch with a swollen face and a grumbling stomach was not my idea of fun. However, I did survive teething and had learned a few trick of the mom trade. I am not about medicating my children so out came the tylenol. Add to that, thinly sliced banana wedges and lots of milk and I had her semi-human and we headed for the door with 2 minutes to spar. Of course, that’s when Kulia stopped, squatted, and announced “poopie mommmie!”

Oh my. But we made it. The animals and pumpkins were enough to keep Leina mildly entertained but she didn’t have a very good time. There was lots of whining, irrational tears because the pumpkins were too dirty, and mommy cursing artfully whispered under my breath. I’ve decided we will go again with Kevin once the tooth ache is passed for a second try. But I’me very disappointed that the stars were so misaligned this morning. Oh yes, and did I mention that Kevin has a 5:30pm conference call tonight and won’t be home ’til very very late?

But here are the best shots of my pumpkin girls. Enjoy.

The girls love playing superhero. Kevin gets the role of Batman and Leina is his side kick Robin. Funnily enough, in their version of Batman, Robin runs around making the rules and bossing poor old Batman around who is often found sprawled upon the bed perusing a woodworker magazine. Who knew Batman was a woodsmith? Kulia, not to be left out, has developed her own character named “Superbaby!” (Yes, the exclaimation mark is meant to be inside the quotes. That’s how she says it.) Super baby runs around after Robin and can only be stopped for a drink of milk or when patches is lost/misplaced. The other night Leina asked for a mask and I whipped this up for her.

I give you, Robin….

And Superbaby!

Kevin has grumbled that he wants a mask too. Now that picture would be worth some bucks.

Aside from costuming superheros, I’ve also begin working on Christmas presents. Yes, I know it is only early October but I’ve learned my lesson. One minute the leaves are falling and the next the light up reindeer have migrated to our front yard and the tree is lit and decorated. So I’m starting early this year. Very, very early. So early, in fact, that I have penciled in time for the flu, a few colds, and a couple of dark procrastination periods. HA! Take that Christmas! Here are a few of the on-going projects scattered across my desk.

First, a Thanksgiving banner for sweet Anna…

Then, a very cute crow quilt for Auntie Bev that I found the pattern for at the quilt show with Kat. (Here’s hoping she isn’t a veiwer of my website…)

I am currently taking orders for other Christmas presents. If you have been nice this year, please leave a comment with your request and I’ll put you in the cue. But now, I must return to my needle and threads. Only 78 days till Christmas!

(Oh yes, did I mention that Kevin finally left me directions for how to post pictures to this site. Are you excited or what?!?!)

I love it when the seasons change. I think it may be because I spent so many years in Southern CA where the difference between summer and fall is a mere 5 degrees. Lets face it, palm trees in the fall look pretty much the same as palm trees in the summer. And winter. And spring.

So when I moved here to Oregon, that first fall was magical. I vividly remember walking the back path to campus with my mouth open and my eyes like saucers. I still have the leaves I picked up and marveled over. I loved pulling out my sweaters and boots and winding a scarf around my neck. Coffee tastes life-sustaining on a blustery fall morning and the casserole section of all my cookbooks become dog eared and dirty.

New seasons always feel like new starts for me. A chance to shake off last seasons failures and start fresh. New wardrobe – new beginnings! So I find myself embarking on new plans. A plan to whip this house into shape. A plan to finish my crazy projects that have stagnated. A plan to whip my lazy butt in shape. Of course, all this planning exhausts me but a nice cup of coffee yanks me back on my feet and I’m off again. So this fall, I plan to shed a few pounds, clean out some dirt, and put the finishing stitches on a few projects. Of course, somewhere along the line I’ll burn out but that’s ok. Winter is right around the corner and another fresh start will be here before you know it.

Now all I need to do now is dig out my black kick-butt boots and I’ll be mentally prepared to tackle fall head on.

Kevin just called me from San Francisco. Yes, he is back on US soil and I am so very happy. If all goes smoothly, he’ll be walking through the front door sometime this afternoon and it won’t be a moment too soon. Of course, he’s been up for 14 hours straight and has another 10 to go before bedtime so I’m guessing he’ll be a bit punchy but I don’t think the kids will care. I know I won’t.

We had a minor breakthrough at preschool this morning. For the first time, Leina ran into the classroom and then turned to me and said, “shoo shoo mommy.” No crying or fussing. No hand-holding and anxious eyes. Just excitement and eagerness to get started fingerpainting. That’s what I’ve been waiting for!

After drop off, Kulia and I headed home for some tv and snuggle time. Leina normally dominates the remote so for sister to get to pick her favorite shows is a real treat. Her current favorite is Yo Gabba Gabba which totally freaks me out. Why do kids love such strange shows?? Thankfully, the little laptop works on the sofa so I’m not forced to watch it. I do love the snuggles though. I have to sneak in as many as I can because once Kevin is home, I’m going to be playing second fiddle. I can hardly wait!