Quotable EJ and So Much More

It has been awhile since I have taken the time to blog. Shame, shame, shame, on me, I suppose, but I don't think that my hiatus was avoidable. Before the holidays, I posted about Shawn's death, which threw me out of a "let's write about funny things around the house vibe," then within days of his passing, EJ got sicker than she'd ever been, which made things decidedly unfunny around here. It was a perfect storm for blog avoidance---lack to time, lack of will, lack of subject.

At one point in my blogging history, EJ's bout with seven days of fever, two visits to the doctor, and one trip to ER sandwiched in the middle of that, would have been an entry I would have written up, if for no other reason than for the catharsis of documenting it. It was so unfun, though, and I was so exhausted in the midst of it, the best I could do was Facebook updates (i.e., Day six of fever) and occasional tearful calls (mostly from fatigue) to close friends. It may sound amazing, especially given how much we have to pay for the most basic of health care, but it took seven days and one great doctor (in the end) to figure out that our very articulate child complaining of sharp pain in her ear was actually on to something, and taking out the earwax that obstructed the view of the nasty ear infection she had was really all that was necessary to get her on the road to recovery. It would have been lovely had that discovery been made before six additional days of pain, $1,000 in medical bills, and a "bonus prize" of pneumonia been added to the mix, but I quibble.

To make it all more fun, we discovered that EJ is allergic to amoxicillin, although her reaction to that drug happened (thankfully) on her last day of treatment, and after she had made an amazing recovery. Hives, swelling hands and feet, etc.---those were just a fun "extra" so we could remember the whole experience even more fondly, I'm sure.

SO. No blogging before the holidays, for obvious reasons, then Christmas and New Year's hit, and I was just out of habit, plain and simple. She lost her first tooth in January, which is totally and completely blog-worthy, but even then, I didn't make the time. I want to make up for that lost time now, though, with five quotable moments.

1) What are we, anyway?
a.k.a., "Mom, are you sure you know what you are talking about?"

The time: The last day before EJ got sick, a few days before the Hannukah party at her temple-based preschool, just home from school. It was an extremely bitter cold day that day, so we were little frozen nuggets by the time we got to our building.
The place: In the foyer at the bottom of the three flights of stairs we needed to climb to get to our condo.
The situation: A good friend called my cell from Washington, and I asked her if I could call her back, since we had just gotten home, were weighed down with winter gear, and needed to climb up all the stairs. She replied that she'd be out and about, and I asked her if she was preparing for Hannukah.

The conversation:

EJ: Who's getting ready for Hannukah, Mom?
Me: What?
EJ: Who was on the phone getting ready for Hannukah?
Me: Oh, that was Auntie Tasha. She's getting ready for Hannukah.
EJ: Are we getting ready for Hannukah?
Me: Well, I know you are at school, honey, but at our house, we are getting ready for Christmas. Remember, that's why we put up the tree, and have the advent calendar, and the advent wreath, and are talking so much about baby Jesus being born. That's Christmas.
EJ: It is Hannukah at school, Mom, but not at our house?
Me: We can do some things at home for Hannukah, too, sweetie, but we are Catholic. Catholic people celebrate Christmas, because we believe in Christ. Jewish people celebrate Hannukah. And remember, Jesus was a Jew, so he studied what you study at school.
EJ: Mom....[long pause for a flight of stairs]
Me: Uh huh?
EJ: I'm pretty sure we're Jewish. Yep. We are. With a Christmas tree.

Moral of the story: Take a more serious look at the neighborhood Catholic kindergarten.

2) Please, do not alert the authorities.
a.k.a., Before you panic about what your child says, consider alternative meanings.

The time: Getting ready for school one morning in February.
The place: My bedroom.
The situation: EJ came in to my room as I was getting dressed, wanting to get dressed alongside me. Monkey see, monkey do.

The conversation:

EJ: You know what?
Me: What?
EJ: I won't cry, even if you beat me.
Me: WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?
EJ: Mom, I promise I won't cry, even if you beat me.
Me: EJ, I would never, ever beat you. Where did you hear about beating?
EJ: Mom, you can finish getting dressed first, if you beat me at the dress-up game, I won't even cry.
Me: Oh, my goodness. EJ, "beating" has a few meanings, and one of them is for games. Do you think we are playing a dress-up game now?
EJ: YES! You and I are getting dressed, and if you finish first, I won't cry.
Me: Please do not say that you "don't cry when mommy beats me" at school, okay, and you can win the "getting dressed" game. Deal?

Upon further reflection, I thought about how one week prior, EJ had had a total meltdown at school dismissal because her friend was able to get her winter clothes on faster than she did. EJ is usually the one to finish first, and then they walk out together, but when the tables were turned, my kiddo just freaked. We had to do a time-out, and had lengthy discussions about how "you can't always win" and "it is okay for others to beat you at games, you can't have a tantrum when you are beaten."

Uh huh. Beating. At games. Deep mommy sigh of relief.

Moral of the story: Your kid will repeat everything you say, so choose your words wisely.

3) Nationality.
a.k.a., When you are Italian, Swedish, Irish, Lithuanian, German, Norwegian, and English, it might be easier to "think local."

The time: Lunch, the first Friday of Lent.
The place: The sushi counter seating area at our local Whole Foods.
The situation: EJ and I were sharing a lunch---pizza for her, sushi for me---and people watching.

The conversation:

EJ: [Reading the sign over the pizza counter] That says PIZ(rhymes with "whiz")-ZA, Mom, but we say "PEET-ZA." That's silly.
Me: That's because it is an Italian word, and in Italian, the "I" makes the "EE" sound. Do you know whose family is Italian?
EJ: Papa's!
Me: That's right! Papa's mom and dad came from Italy, so they are Italian. Nana's mom came from Sweden, so she is Swedish. Grandpa's Mom's family is from Lithuania...etc."
EJ: You know what I am?
Me: Well, you are all of those things, sweetie. In America, you get to be some of everything!
EJ: I'm a Hyde Parker. That's it. Because I'm from Hyde Park.
Me: You and the president, baby.

Moral of the story: This kid is so south-side.

4) Why God Made Winter
a.k.a., I may want to move to the south, but I don't speak for everyone.

The time: The morning walk to school, on one of the snowiest, coldest days of the winter.
The place: Between home and school.
The situation: I'm freezing, EJ is throwing herself into fresh piles of snow to make angels at every turn.

The conversation:

Me: EJ, we have to get going. It is freezing.
EJ: I love the snow, Mom! I just love it! Snow is PERFECT for four-year olds. JUST PERFECT.

Moral of the story: I used to love snow, too. I should improve my attitude, and wear an extra layer.

5) So this is why she likes to watch us work!
a.k.a., Time to get those parental controls up and running.

The time: Yesterday morning, March 13th, while I was at work and Mike was home with the kiddo.
The place: At the laptop.
The situation: EJ was playing on the computer at her usual haunts (pbskids.org and starfall.com) while Mike did some work around the house.

The conversation (approximated from Mike's description):

EJ: Daddy, I went to Jungle Junction! I'm on the Jungle Junction game.
Daddy: Really?
EJ: Yeah, I found it on Google!

Moral of the story: Baby books may need to include an entry for "Baby's first successful search engine use."

So that's what's up here. We are waiting to hear what kindergarten options will be available for this bright, sassy, fantastic kid of ours, and should know within the month. We're heading to Florida soon, too, where EJ will have an appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and further her recent Cinderella obsession. The sun is finally shining more regularly, and the temps here are starting to climb. We even got our first "spring" day at the park next to our house this week, and we went with friends, which made it even more fun. We hadn't been there, except to make some of those infamous snow angels, since November. It felt glorious.

I'll close with a photo of our girl on the swings, welcoming park season. Here comes the sun.