Two more days till we leave!

Thursday to run errands, Friday to pack, and Saturday morning we go! Well, I hope we ALL go...

Ryan has been in the little hospital in Boyle since Sunday night. He has been battling an ongoing infection from a procedure he had done on May 31. On Sunday, we decided enough was enough, the pills were not working, and it was time to get it looked at, NOW.

So, he has been on IV antibiotics (Abx) since then. The first Abx did not seem to be working, so he was switched to a second one yesterday. Tomorrow, I drive him to a different Hospital in Westlock so he can have an ultrasound to check for an abscess. He has been having some pain, but it has improved since starting the IV therapy. Our hope is that the second Abx will work, and he can be discharged on Friday taking oral Abx. We shall see how it goes.

So, yesterday, I played chaperone to 4 Jr. High girls while the school visited Ft.Edmonton. Wow, they have done a great job in that park. You can even stay overnight in the hotel that is in the middle of the 'town'. The park has become one of the 'you gotta check this out' attractions for people who visit us. Like all heritage type parks, it is not very stroller accessible, but that was my only criticism. Evelyn threw one great big fit, then settled in and was well behaved. Ethan just loved being in the hip hugger carrier and did not make a peep - even though he missed a nap!

Today, Ryan got a 'daypass' to leave the hospital for a few hours and we went to school for the last day and award ceremony. My little sister got two awards for 'most improved' and 'citizenship'. Ryan really wanted to say goodbye to the kids. I am glad he was able to go.

Evelyn was generally naughty and not listening, so I decided it was time to go. (Ryan had work to do, so we were going to come back and pick him up at 2 pm). Well, Evelyn did not like that we were going without him and she escalated into a massive tantrum. Screaming, kicking, scratching, crying... not a pretty sight. I wrestled her out to the car, then went back in to collect Ethan. She was still screaming, and screamed all the way home (all 1 km) then continued to scream and kick when I stopped the car. I was not able to even undo her seatbelt. So, she stayed in the car while I took Ethan inside, then, when I went out to get her, she managed to calm down a bit. Once she could actually hear what I was saying, I asked if she wanted yoghurt and strawberries for lunch. Immediately, she stopped all her sniffing and whining and was bright and happy. I think I was more emotionally exhausted by her drama than she was!

Evelyn and Ethan have been interacting a lot more this past week. I think that Ethan starting to make real verbal sounds has gotten Evelyn interested in him. He will start "Ba Ba-ing" in the car, and Evelyn will answer. Ethan thinks that is pretty funny, Evelyn loves to be funny, so the game continues. Now, when Evelyn is tired and in the car, all the rules change. Ethan can do nothing right. She gets upset that he kicks his foot, or does a raspberry, or looks at her, (or looks in her general direction for that matter). Ethan is totally nonplussed by her drama and seems to just be thinking "She is paying attention to me! Cool!".

They played a game of hide n' seek a couple days ago. Ethan was on my lap and Evelyn was popping up beside the chair in the living room, then crouching down, then up... Ethan would lean toward her whenever she popped up and they would both giggle.

On Sunday, just before I took Ryan into the hospital, Evelyn fell asleep in her high chair while she was eating her dessert. It was so funny to watch. She kept tilting and starting and leaning and jumping. I washed her hands without her waking up, and she only opened an eye for a moment when I washed her face. She slept spread-eagle while I put her night time diaper on, then, the moment she touched the bed, she was wide awake. "Stories?, book? sing songs?" I thought I might get her to bed without a fuss. Nope. She was awake until about 9 pm. She fell asleep cuddling Serena. What a monkey!

On Monday night, I had Serena come and babysit while I went to visit Ryan without the kids. Evelyn knew I was going, and decided to come too. So, she went and put her boots on, then her hat, then she asked me to hand her her jacket. Thus attired, she waited, and waited, and waited at the door so she would be ready to go visit daddy. She was hanging out there for at least 20 min. Not getting into anything, not making a fuss. Just waiting. I finally convinced her I needed to change her diaper (See previous posts on potty setback) and managed to get the hat and boots off. The jacket had to stay though. When I tried to get her PJ bottoms on her, she looked at me with a quizzical expression and said "No jammies. See Daddy!" By the time Serena arrived, she had lost the fight and let me go pretty easily.

So, that has been our life for the past few days. I have much more respect for single parents than I did before (which was still a lot of respect). I also have a lot more respect and understanding for K-A and all that she had to do when K was away.