I'll Take This Call In My Office

I'm sure it happens to all of us and sometimes I go in there just to get away from the noise that constantly swirls around my 2 year-old. Then again there are times when I'm not doing it and somebody else is, so it sounds like I am.

I'm sure you have no clue what I'm talking about so I'm just going to spell it out..sometimes I talk on the phone while using the bathroom. There I admitted it. Sometimes I just can't hold it and I gotta take care of business while taking care of business. Perfect example: Phone rings last week, I pick it up, it's somebody I've been wanting to talk to all day, suddenly out of the blue my stomach goes Code Red, the 30 second warming sounds, and not wanting to end the conversation for fear of not being able to get the person back on the line afterward, I simply turn on the sink and finish my conversation.

Then there are times when I'm just walking through the hall and somebody flushes the toilet as I walk past. To the person on the other end of the phone I'm positive they think I'm the one that got caught taking a call in the conference room, but actually I'm just a victim of circumstances. In fact I've even gone as far as putting a phone in the bathroom just in case somebody comes calling the same time Mother Nature does. Trust me it happens more times than you want to know.

I have this obsessive compulsive thing about email and phone calls. No matter where I'm at (the men's room at work) no matter what I'm doing (or which number) I must answer the phone. The house could be on fire and if I heard the email chime on the way out the door, I'd probably stop to see who just left me a message on Myspace.

So the next time you call (which after this post my phone may never ring again) don't ask where I'm at cause you just might not want the answer to that question.

Blockhead Bits (#452)

Who cares about the Oscars? Where are these people you hear about marking their score cards and throwing parties in which invitees all sit around the tube on the edge of their seats just aching for last year's Supporting Actress to peel back the envelope and read off the name of some person we've never heard of from a movie we've never seen.....or plan to see for that matter. 

The Best Movies Of 2007

• Die Hard 4
• SuperBad
• Martian Child
• Little Miss Sunshine

The Best of 2008 So Far

• Cloverfield

The presidential candidate we should have all voted for, but never caught on appeared on SNL this past weekend. Check out him out!!

Why do I suddenly feel the need to vote for Barack Obama? Is it because I can't bring myself to vote for McCain? Yes, there's just something that scares me about him and I'm ready for the war to be over. Does the White House need another Clinton? No!!! We've seen what they can do and I'm tired of my presidents all having the same last names. Do I want to be part of a movement (any movement) so bad that I'm open to supporting someone who could become America's first black president regardless of what his politics are? Maybe. Would it matter if he looked like a zebra if it meant not voting for Hilary or McCain? No!!! I'd probably be wearing a "Vote For The Candidate That's Simply Black and White" button if it meant not voting for the alternatives.

Where do TV exec's get off canceling a show that ends in a cliffhanger? For month's we've waited for Delinda to have her baby only to see her crash to the floor at her wedding after finding blood on her hands and screaming for help..only to be told the next day that Las Vegas would not be returning. Why should I even bother watching new shows if 95% of them get whacked just when they start to get interesting?

When you find mud all over the back of your kids shirt and you realize he hasn't been outside all day, real fear takes a hold of you and you find yourself wishing you never had a nose to start with. One thing is for sure; that diaper requires a two-man plan of attack and everyone is going to get "shrapnel" on them.

Is there anything better than Chicken Spaghetti? Here's the recipe. Give it a try yourself and get back to me:

• 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup spaghetti noodles,1/4 cup green peppers, 1/2 cup onion, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can of Rotel, 1 3/4 cups of grated cheddar cheese, 2 cups cooked chicken, 1/2 stick of margarine
• Brown chicken in skillet till it's good and done
• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Pour mixture into large pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and top is lightly browned

After reading the Sunday paper and their Pulitzer Prize worthy � page expose on high school locker decorations I've decided maybe the Church isn't the only thing having trouble connecting with the rest of the world. Though I do love me a good Dilbert Cartoon and will probably cry when FBOFW ends this September.

Tivo is a gift from the heavens. Anything that can allow me to pull up a weeks worth of Blues Clues at will and fast forward through commercials while watching Lost (thus avoiding "What tha!?!?!" being said only once rather than every 15 minutes) can only be described as miraculous and the best thing to happen to families since babies.

Inside My Fortress

I should have been outside cleaning the gutters, but the cloudy weather made for the perfect excuse.

There's a Wee-Swap in a couple of weeks and Lucy could have probably spent the whole weekend going through Fred's old clothes while deciding what to keep and what to sell.

The towel hook in the bathroom has come loose and it needs to be reattached.

My freelance work is still up in the air and I need to add more content to my samples site.

There's no doubt that I wouldn't have had to look too terribly hard to find a hundred things that needed to be done other than watching golf and enjoying a whole pack of PEEPS.

Life is filled with "gotta be done's" and "need to do's". This past weekend though none of it seemed to matter. He's not yet even 2, but I think Fred could sense the mood of the house just as well as Lucy and I. This weekend we were hibernating.

We pulled down the blinds, turned the answering machine on, the computer off, and..we slept. We read books. We watched movies. We made a pallet in the floor and had a picnic as the Curious George movie made us laugh like little kids.

One trip to McDonalds, a stop off at the grocery store for milk, and then nobody was allowed to leave the house again until Monday.....and nobody wanted to. There were too many laughs to be had. Too many pages that needed to be colored. Too many gold fish that needed to be shared.

No bickering over insignificant things. No temper tantrums. No visitors allowed. Just 48 hours of uninterrupted family time.

And now on this Monday morning as I touch these keys for the first time and attempt to turn the wonderland of a weekend into words, I find myself happier, friendlier, less stressed, and more convinced that God is watching over my family. For in my Fortress the sounds of a family in love with life have recharged my weary bones and left me happier than I have been in quiet some time. 

Does God Own A Laptop?

I wrote Religious Disconnect after church mainly out of frustration of not being inspired. I admit I'm responsible for most of the blame when it comes to my current religious frustrations, but I those were/are my feelings and I feel my concerns about the direction of the church are justified.

As you may recall, my exact words were "The world around me is a swirling mix of Pop Culture Chaos, Election Results, Casualty Reports, Housing Concerns, and Missing Children. My days are filled with Potty Training, looking for Freelance Work so I can bring in some extra cash, and completing Letters Of Credit (I work in Accounts Receivable). Now I know that God's teachings are still relevant, I just wish somebody would relate them to me."

Would you believe it if I didn't walk into church Wednesday night to find that a new class was starting that very night revolving around these very same issues?! It was amazing, interesting, thought provoking, and it held on to Biblical fundamentals while at the same time pulling in current topics. Talk about amazing..God is amazing!

Confessions Of A Fatman.

For months I've been screaming I'm going to lose weight and remembering how I yelled at Lucy for "hiding" the Oreos. I've not lost much (ok none) but I'm eating healthier and as soon as it's warm it's work out time!!

We're at the mall and since they closed the bookstore (Where are us men supposed to go while the ladies buy make-up?) Fred and I were taking a stroll around the food court when we came across Little Miss Sunshine and her family. LMS and Fred have been friends since birth (she's a year or so older) and immediately they start hugging. After chatting for a minute LMS's mom offers a couple chicken nuggets. I say no. She says they don't want them. I say she's just saying that. She says she's going to throw them away. So I say:

"Well...maybe Fred would like them."

Not only am I so fat I didn't even consider that she was offering them to him by way of me, it didn't even register that they were meant for him until 8 hours later!!! I'm sitting there eating dinner and out of no where my now full stomach sends a message to my brain along the lines of "OOOOHHHH The nuggets were for the baby!!!"

What a Blockhead.

Grasping At Airplanes

Finally the weather is getting to the point where we can take Fred outside for at least a half hour at a time. Mind you he's only borderline asthmatic, but you can't blame us for being a little gun shy after spending 3 days in the hospital 2 weeks ago. Our problem isn't that it's too cold, our problem is that it's 30 degrees today, 65 degrees tomorrow, and then back down to 30 the next. A little consistency would do us wonders.

We live near an airport and it's a common occurrence to look up and see a small passenger plane overhead. One zipped by yesterday as Fred was learning to kick piles of leaves across the yard. Almost out of instinct the moment he saw the plane directly overhead he began jumping and trying to grasp the aircraft in his tiny hands. This reminded me of what it's like to be a little kid and not have any knowledge of distance or size. How everything could be seen through your thumb and forefinger.

"How big is that tree? Not so big. See I can put it here ] If I wanted to I could put it in my pocket or smash it into tiny bits. Good thing I don't want to huh?"

This seems to be the year of change for the Blockhead family. January was a sandstorm that swooped in and rearranged our lives. What once was a clear path to our goals is now somewhat hazy and we both get the feeling we can only see a few weeks into the future.

Lucy's changed jobs and will be going to Real Estate school in the fall. My freelance work jumped off a cliff and died for a week. Leaving me shooting out job submissions for any topic that I was remotely familiar with. Then just as quickly I landed on my feet as Project Mgr. for this year's Best Of Blog Awards. You'll hear me talk more about them soon enough, just know that it's a major accomplishment and compliment.

Now all in all I'd say that nothings off limits as to what we will accomplish in 2008. There are no boundaries. No rules dictating the impossible. Nothing to stop us from jumping up with all our might and taking hold of our dreams as they zip by overhead.

Religious Disconnect

I am not the perfect Christian. Those of you who know me know that my hearts in the right place and at times I'm as faithful as they come. Unfortunately my faithfulness comes in waves complete with valleys and peaks. One month I may be teaching a class on Wednesday nights....3 months later you may not even see me there mid-week. This is not something I'm proud of, but again those of you who have met me know I'm brutally honest and often too blunt for my own good. Recently though I feel the need to be inspired. I wanna walk into that building every time the doors are open and thank God I have such a great place to hear HIS word. I wanna forget what time it is or what I'm missing out on elsewhere and enjoy the message being given. The thing is......I just don't.

We've thought about changing churches (even did for 5 months last year) but eventually we missed our family and friends too much. And to be honest it's not completely the churches fault I don't feel inspired....well not completely. I'm tired of not relating to what is being preached to me. As you've probably read in my "About me" section, I'm an average Joe. Everyday I get up at 6:00, by 6:30 I'm eating a bowl of cereal while watching the news. Daycare at 7:30. Work at 8:00. Home at 5:30. It's probably not as monotonous as I make it out to be (after all I'll have a 2 yr-old in a month), but my point is I'm not surrounded by Fire and Brimstone all day. The world around me is a swirling mix of Pop Culture Chaos, Election Results, Casualty Reports, Housing Concerns, and Missing Children. My days are filled with Potty Training, looking for Freelance Work so I can bring in some extra cash, and completing Letters Of Credit (I work in Accounts Receivable). Now I know that God's teachings are still relevant, I just wish somebody would relate them to me.

This isn't a dig at this preacher or that guest speaker, because I've heard several over the years and lately they all have the same sound.WAWAAAA WAWAAWAAA WAWAAWAAWAAA. What I want to hear. What I want to feel is PASSION!! CONVICTION!! At this point I'd settle for A CHANGE IN TONE. I want somebody to stand up there and tell me that Book (Blank) Chapter (Blank) Verse (Blank) relates directly to mall shootings by way of (Blank). I want to hear how a tornado can inspire faith in God. How a Presidential Election is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Then again I wonder....if I was given what I wanted would I even listen? And who's to say I am and I'm not.

  

Technorati Tags: faith,God,relevance,christianity,family

Fred says Amen!

Contributed by Lucy

If you know the real Charlie and Lucy ~ you know we are both loud, love to have fun and love to laugh. Why should our sweet little Fred be any different? I have a hilarious story that must be shared.

A few Wednesday nights ago we were at church. Fred was behaving on a moderately good level - UNTIL the closing prayer. Now he knows that after the closing prayer he gets to go to class, sing songs and be with his buddies. Obviously he was ready to go!

The poor guy leading the closing prayer didn't stand a chance. He had hardly gotten started when Fred says Amen. Now mind you, the prayer was not over. Awe how sweet he knows how to pray, right? Yeah sure until you hear the next AMEN! I quickly covered his mouth and listened to the chuckles coming from our friends surrounding us. He was proud - he got a laugh. Maybe that would quite him up - no chance then came a much louder AMEN! Good grief Charlie, help me out a little. AMEN screams our child. By this time he has totally lost it . . . "I SAID AMEN" screams my child. When he was totally exasperated he looks at me with a pitiful face and said "Mommy I say Amen" and laid his head on my shoulder. Poor sweet Fred ~ if it were only that easy, I'd Amen my way to the weekends.

Sorry Mr. Gary ~ that disruption was us!

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: church,prayer,amen,family

This Best Man Ain't Fight'n Nobody!!!

Now that we are all healthy once again and life seems to be leveling out (Lucy is loving her new job and even wrote her very first guest post here last Sunday. Go read it now if you missed it!!) I can finally bring the blog up to speed with what's on my mind this week. I mentioned a few weeks ago that Broccoli and Brookli were going to tie the knot. Well apparently things are moving a little faster than Broccoli expect (after all it took him 10 yrs to propose why rush into anything like a wedding) and a date has been set for November the 1^st.

This past weekend he was in town taking care of some biz. He stopped by to ask me to be his best man and Fred to be a ring bearer. Lucy of course will be the one that gets to train Fred to walk down the isle. So just to mix and lighten things up a bit, I thought it would be cool to chat about where we get our wedding traditions.

 

Tossing The Bouquet:

They say: "Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that stems from England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride's dress and flowers in order to obtain some of her good luck. To escape from the crowd the bride would toss her bouquet and run away. Today the bouquet is tossed to single women with the belief that whoever catches it will be the next to marry"

I say: I think it would be pretty cool to see a bunch of women maul each other and might actually get me to agree to go to more weddings like Lucy is always begging me to.

Giving Away The Bride:

They say: "The tradition of the father giving away his daughter has its roots in the days of arranged marriages. Daughters in those times were considered their father's property. It was the father's right to give his child to the groom, usually for a price. Today a father giving away his daughter is a symbol of his blessing of the marriage."

I say: Though money may no longer change hands in the literal sense, the father (after years of spoiling his beloved daughter) does end up saving quite a bit. The then daughter-now wife has learned to live with getting everything she asks for and transfers this duty from her father to her new husband.

The Wedding Ring:

They say: "The wedding ring has been worn on the third finger of the left hand since Roman times. The Romans believed that the vein in that finger runs directly to the heart. The wedding ring is a never-ending circle, which symbolizes everlasting love."

I say: A lot of women (not Lucy) but A LOT of women think that this vein which links the finger to the heart actually leads to a more shall I say sensitive part of the mans body.

The Best Man:

They say: "In ancient times, men sometimes captured women to make them their brides. A man would take along his strongest and most trusted friend to help him fight resistance from the woman's family. This friend, therefore, was considered the best man among his friends. In Anglo-Saxon England, the best man accompanied the groom up the aisle to help defend the bride."

I Say: The best man should be a permanent fixture always lurking a couple steps behind the husband, cause trust me her family don't quit throw'n stones just because you put a ring on her finger.

The Tiered Wedding Cake:

They say: "The origin of the tiered wedding cake also lies in Anglo-Saxon times. Guests would bring small cakes to the wedding and stack them on top of each other. Later, a clever French baker created a cake in the shape of the small cakes and covered it in frosting. It is now known as the tiered cake."

I say: Let's go back to everybody bringing a cake!!!

The Bridal Veil:

They say: "The bridal veil has long been a symbol of youth, modesty, and virginity and was used to ward off evil."

I say: Can we bring that veil back out once a month?

 

Technorati Tags: weddings,best man,traditions,super bowl sunday,marriage

Anatomy Of A Hospital Visit (Wednesday Morning)

This is the last installment of how our lives were turned upside down last week and how God reminded us of what's most important. To start the journey from the beginning check out Parts I, II, III, and IV.

4:30-A.M-Lucy wakes up to a crippling ache in her back and regrets wanting to lay with Fred on the tiny bed. She asks, but there's no way I'm giving up the pull out chair.

5:30- The air we turned on at 7:00 P.M the night before decides to kick on and turn the room into something resembling the North Pole.

6:30-Lucy sees him first. He must have called her name and tugged on her pants leg. Me? I roll over in my sleep, blink like people do, and am scared to death by the Dr. staring at me inches away from my face. The words we have been dying to hear come are said "You can go home this morning after a shot. Fred, though not completely over the phenomena, is well enough to take med's at home."

8:30-Snatching a bottle of shampoo from the counter Fred begins chanting "BATH BATH BATH BATH BATH" until we get the nurse's approval. It's all we can do to not cry as we all sit in the tiny tub watching him play in the water as if nothing ever happened.

9:00-As if something in his chemical composition has change from the virus that took control, Fred decides he wants bacon and eats 8 pieces in a row. This is the first time he has ever eat anything other than chicken or bologna.

10:00-Sure it meant one more round of screaming, but the shot of medicine also signaled we could finally go home.

11:00-Fred gets a wagon ride out of his room, down the elevator, and to the car.

11:05-Safe in his car seat for the first time in days, Fred does what we would all do in his situation....he falls fast asleep

2:00-Fred wakes up and walks past the Riding Zebra his Gigi got him for Christmas. He walks past the Backyardigans Circus, his mom and I gave him for Christmas. Past the Spiderman Sing-a-Along Pal from Nani. With all the toys and gifts any kid could ever want at his disposal, Fred jumps up and runs for the one toy he has spent days yearning for. A 50 cent Rubber Ducky. With things moving so fast, Lucy and I decide we are in shock, nothing else matters in life but our son, and it's good to be home.

Anatomy Of A Hospital Visit (Tuesday Night)

This is Part IV of our trip to the hospital last week. To catch up, please go back and read Part I, II, and III.

4:00 P.M-The verdict is in. Fred has phenomena and will need to be pumped full of antibiotics.

5:30-Carter shows up. Fred returns back to normal in time to see his best friend over the age of 20.

6:30-Cheeseburgers for dinner. Fred can't sit still and keeps setting off the alarm that warns his IV is in danger of coming out.

7:00-A storm comes through knocking out the power. Lucy is staring out the window when the lightning flashes. She screams and swears she's seen the ghost of my Stepfather (who died this coming week in the same hospital)in a window across the way. I take a peek and sure enough it looks just like him; though it's merely some guy looking out from the cafeteria.

7:15-Neil and daughter Lauren from church show up.

8:00-Dr. returns and gives us a double dose of good news. We can go home the next day and Fred's IV can come out!!!

9:00-With the IV out, Fred  is completely back to normal and begins to feel the walls of the hospital closing in.

10:30-Bed time. Fred falls asleep watching Blue's Clues

Just one more installment to go. Check back in the morning to see how it all ended!!

Anatomy Of A Hospital Visit (Tuesday Morning)

Again, if you are just now joining this thread go back and read Part's I and II

6:30 A.M- I wake up wondering where I'm at and why I can't move my left arm. Apparently I got tired of sleeping half off the tiny hospital bed and tucked my arm into the belt of my jeans so it wouldn't just dangle there. Nurses were in an out all night.

7:00-Fred wakes up and the Blue's Clues marathon begins again.

7:30-Temp. 98!! We begin to think we are going home.

8:00-Dr. comes in with good news and bad news. They feel they have control of the virus, but want to keep him over night to get him re-hydrated

8:30-Fred eats Cheerios and Milk. Nurses decide to start bringing Lucy and I meals along with Fred's. What a blessing those people were. Oh and they had a collection of 100 movies we could watch, but of course we only got to see the 6 Blues Clues tapes they had listed.

10:00-Price Is Right break

11:00-Aunt Mo shows up with balloons and a blue hippo.

11:30-Attack of the nurses. All at once we had people pricking fingers, giving breathing treatments, checking pulses, waiting to take him for x-rays. Finally I've had enough.

11:45-I yelled at everybody. Nurses, doctors, relatives, strangers, fictional blue pet owners. "DO NOT TOUCH THE ARM WITH THE IV IN IT UNLESS YOU PLAN TO TAKE IT OUT FOR GOOD!!!"

12:30-Attack of the balloons. After the storm we just spent the last hour suffering through, we were welcomed with an hour filled with one gift basket after another. A giant food basket from my work with a blue puppy attached. Blue balloons and a bunny from Gigi. A dinosaur and a giant puppy balloon from the Morris's. It was good to see Fred finally smile and start to return to normal.

2:00-Knowing how much Fred likes to eat pieces of bread. Pops shows up with a whole loaf.

3:00-Lucy goes home for a shower, Fred takes a nap, and Pop/I eat Cracker Jacks and watch Peoples Court.

Check back this afternoon for the next installment!!

Anatomy Of A Hospital Visit (Monday Night)

STOP!! If you haven't read Part I, go back and catch up. We'll wait.

3:30 P.M-Fever 101.8

4:30-101.4 and a 1/4 cup of decaf tea

5:30- I walk in to find the Gigi and Pops sitting around a still sleeping (never really woke up even during the Dr's visit) Fred whose fever has climbed back to 103.7

5:40 Tylenol to make the fever go down.

6:05-Vomit

6:15- Fred asks for juice and chugs an entire bottle in 3 minutes

6:25- Vomits the juice

6:30-Fever 104 We begin to wonder if the Tylenol that was given to bring his fever down is actually keeping it from getting higher.

7:15-Fever 103.8

8:00-Fever 105

8:05-Msg w/Dr.

8:15-Dr. calls back says head to the hospital as soon as possible.

8:30-Lucy's body explodes. Pop's (who was called immediately after the Dr., along with the Gigi) calls from the E.R. wondering where we are and is told "We can't leave till Lucy can get off the toilet"

9:00-We learn that the worst job in the world is the lady at the admitting desk. We know the Dr. has faxed Fred's info, but she ignores it because she thinks Lucy is holding baby Fled instead of baby Fred.

9:01- Fred vomits all and I mean ALL OVER LUCY while she continues to argue with the evil admitting room lady. Finally she figures out the key to getting into a room pronto. This key is the phrase "IF YOU DON"T GET ME IN ROOM NOW THE NEXT ROUND OF VOMIT WILL BE ON YOU!!"

9:03-Our room is ready.

9:15-Fever 103. More vomit

10:00-We are warned that in no way what so ever do we want to witness the IV being put in. Fred is then lead down to the opposite end of the hall, strapped to a table....and through two doors, the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air turned all the way up, and Pops trying his best to make conversation....we hear Fred screaming for Mommy.

10:15-What was to only take 5 minutes goes on for another 25

10:30-Fred's too dehydrated to allow the IV to be put in after 4 attempts. He is brought back and given juice.

11:00-2nd Attempt at the IV. This time he sees it coming and it's worse. After another 3 attempts.

11:30-Fred is brought back to us with his arm boarded up to keep the IV from coming out of the bend in his elbow I wonder if he thinks the tape and boards were but there to make his arm quit hurting.

11:45-Fred is calm. Lucy and I are dying for a soft drink. Pops and I head out through the abandoned hospital to find a machine. We locate one, but it won't take dollars. That's when Pops sees the janitor cleaning the floor across the hall in the locked cafeteria which just happens to be filled with Coke machines. The janitor says there's nothing he can do, refuses to let us in to get one from the cafeteria, and is told "You're an idiot" by a very pissed off grandfather trying to shrug off his grandsons cries of pain.

11:50-Fever 101

11:55-Pops and Gigi go home for the night now that Fred is stable with a yet to be determined virus. Still thirsty I travel to the 3rd floor for a Coke. It does take my dollar, but is out of drinks. That's when I get the idea to put the dollar in the snack machine, hit the refund button, and take my change back down to the 1st floor machine. I hate hospitals.

2:00 A.M.-Having slept all day, Fred is feeling better from the med's and we all fall asleep (Lucy in the fold out chair and I curled up in the tiny bed next to Fred) watching the Blue's Clues DVD Lucy managed to snag on the way out.

Check back tomorrow morning for the next installment!!!

Anatomy Of A Hospital Visit (Monday Morning)

This week after a month filled with one dilemma after another, God took a moment and reminded us of what's most important in life. Over the past few weeks I've been stranded by the side of the road in short sleeves, next to a river in the 10 degree temps that have gripped our area. My freelance income has all but disappeared due to reasons beyond my control. I've had to use a vacation day and a sick day, in order to take care of Fred. After 9 years at Suntrust Bank, starting as a part-time teller and battling her way to Asst. Mgr. Lucy was given a can't refuse offer to not only work for a long standing prominent real estate firm as their office mgr...but this fall her new employer has promised to send her to real estate school free of charge on the condition she sticks around for a couple years. And then Sunday night at 11 P.M. our washing machine which is less than 2 months old quit in mid-rinse leaving us elbow deep in cold water as we scrambled to figure out how that could be possible. It also left us wondering how things could dare get any worse. That next morning we got our answer.

What you are about to read started out as a way to track the changes in Fred's temp, but eventually turned into a form of escaping the unbelievable events that were taking place all around me. And it all started........

Monday Morning

6:15-Alarm went off and the week began

7:30-Dropped Fred off at daycare with a high five and the image of him running to play with friends echoing in my mind as I made the 20 min. trip across town to work.

9:30-Daycare calls. Fred has a fever of 101

10:00-Doubtful that anything is wrong. Lucy heads toward Fred wondering how things could be bad as they were described on the phone.

10:15-Things are worse. Fred's fever is climbing, can barely raise his head, and begins throwing up. Without a second thought Lucy grabs him and immediately heads to the Dr. despite the fact they claim to have no time to see him and are booked till 4:30. Her exact words were "Tough I'm on my way"

10:30-Fred vomits in the car twice. Lucy calls to tell me this is major and something feels seriously wrong. I meet her at the Dr. moments after she arrives.

11:00-You know things are bad when the Dr. claims to be all booked up then rushes your child in after taking one look at him.....or maybe it was the fact that he puked in the lobby.

11:30-After a complete exam and of course x-rays (they always do x-rays on Fred), the Dr. calls it a virus. He says to watch his fever (which reached 103.9) and things should be fine in a few hours. I follow them home in order to make sure everyone is settled in before heading back to the office.

11:50-Fred vomits in the car again

12:10-More vomit

12:30-With vomit covering several towels and multiple outfits, I begin trying to get somebody to fix our washing machine for free per the instructions of the warranty......and was pretty much told it wasn't going to happen today.

1:00-Fred's fever drops to 102.6 and barely blinks when Blue's Clues comes on. This is a major sign things are off, because the kid dances the entire time it's on no matter what.

2:00-I head back to the office thinking everything is fine. Plus as long as I work 4 hours it doesn't count as a sick day.

2:30-The washing machine repairman who couldn't come till Wednesday, shows up. All Lucy can do is point the way. The motor has burned out, is replaced, and the warranty does cover all the costs.

Check back this afternoon for Part II

It is a Super Bowl!

Contributed by Lucy

We have some exciting news to announce ~ not only did the New York Giants win the Super Bowl but Fred went pee pee for the first time tonight in his big boy potty! He was so excited by the sheer fact that he was doing it and the music being played by his potty that he jumped up mid-stream and peed in the bathroom floor. Luckily I was able to get him back on track and he finished up in the potty. He has the cutest little potty, whenever there is any liquid in the bowl it plays a little song, super huh? He is very proud of himself and we are proud of him too. His prize was a Backyardigan's book. Which he referred to as the "Yardies" - whatever. He's happy and we just saved a bunch of money on our car insurance . I mean diaper bill.

It only gets better from here right?