Better Than Hallmark

Brian and I have been keeping a written journal since we got engaged in 1998. We used to do a pretty good job of writing about places we have visited, big events, the birth of the kids etc. Or at least I thought we had.... it turned out that it has been four years since the last entry. Brian found the journal this past weekend and made time to add an entry for Sweetest Day. Thought I would share.... Shhhh. Don't tell Brian!


Dearest Susan,

Happy Sweetest Day!

To my one and only Sweetie!

I am so thankful to have someone as loving, caring, supportive and kind as you. And thankful that we have two little Sweeties as well!

I truly, truly appreciate all that you are, Susan, all that you do, all that you give. In the four years since I last wrote in this journal (actually 4 1/2 years.. I apologize...) so much has changes in our lives, raising William and Claudia (and our menagerie with our never ending "entertainment"!) yet so much has stayed the same...

I still love you with all my heart and would do anything for you. I do not take for granted what you have brought to my life and how you make our life so wonderful, so meaningful, so interesting. It's comforting to know that we have each other to lean on, to talk to, to share our ideas and concerns with, to smile with when Claudia says, "Be back in a jiff!"

Sharing these moments together and doing our best to enjoy life as much as we can, even when the pace seems so frenetic and there seems to be so much to do....

I thank you for being you and for being my Sweetest, as I am always yours.

All my love,
Brian

The Dangers of Air Guitar

Claudia.

Oh Claudia, Claudia, Claudia.

So you had your first experience with the Valparaiso paramedics last Saturday night. And they weren't here to admire our new sliding glass door (which just happened to be installed by their battalion chief).

Frankly, I'm surprised you held out this long....

The adventure began with an impromptu session of air guitar upstairs. Or should I say "stick" guitar, since the guitars were the sticks from the pirate flags that you and William purchased from the Field Museum. Daddy had cranked up the music and the three of you jammed. While William and Daddy did their best imitation of "stick guitar God", you danced around the room and Mommy innocently watched (cough, cough).

Eventually the concert ended and the crowds dispersed.

I went to brush my teeth (naively assuming that Daddy confiscated the sticks at the end of the concert.......what was I thinking?!) while the rest of you finished getting ready for bed. The next thing Mommy and Daddy heard was you in William's bedroom screaming and gagging.

We rushed down the hallway to see what was happening. You were sitting on the floor crying and still gagging a little, with one of the sticks laying on the ground next to you. Daddy noticed that one end of the stick was wet (the end with the point, as it so happens). Apparently, you had the stick in your mouth and then slipped on the carpet and fell. The stick went down your throat and left abrasions in three different places.... your tongue, the roof of your mouth and the back of your throat.

Still gagging, you were carried down the hall to the bathroom and you began spitting up saliva into the toilet. As you were spitting and crying, I saw droplets of blood on the toilet. Daddy immediately called 911. Even though you appeared to be ok after a few minutes, we waited for the professionals to assess the situation. Meanwhile, Daddy took William next door to Ellie's house.

Within a few minutes we heard the wail of the siren and saw the flashing lights coming up Lafayette St. (I knew there was a reason I installed the new house numbers the other day.....didn't expect them to be needed this soon......).

Daddy went out on the front porch and welcomed in two of Valpo Fire Department's paramedics. The very nice paramedics asked you your name, asked how you were, and explained that they were going to take a look at you. They shined a flashlight down your throat, prescribed a Popsicle and went on their way (after turning on the ambulance lights and siren by your request).

Your throat is still sore, but thankfully nothing was pierced.

A few lessons learned from this episode of "Trauma" (because we aren't big fans of reruns in this household).......

1. No sticks of any kind are allowed in the house
2. Air guitar will remain "air" guitar
3. Popsicles have magical healing powers

My Favorite!

Dear Claudia,

You crack me up! One of the funny things you do is declare everything as your "favorite". For example, as you open your birthday gifts, you smile and loudly state, "This is my favorite!". On to next gift... "This is my favorite!". And so on...

Last week at the grocery store you asked what the purple round vegetable was. I told you it was a head of red cabbage. You insisted I was wrong because it was not red, it was purple (as in DUH.... are you color blind, Mom?) Once you had adequately proven me wrong, you loudly declared your love of purple cabbages...

"OH, purple cabbages. They are my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E!"

So I suggested we buy one. We could make stuffed cabbages, slaw, kraut, soup ... After I ran through my verbal list of cabbage foods, you made a face and said that you didn't like any of those icky foods.

"But Claudia, I thought cabbage was your favorite?"

"IT IS, MOM!"

Okay then.