vonRoeschlaub Family News

“I feel like I’m in the tropicals with ten hundred jackets on me.” — Claire complaining about her flannel pajamas.

Avery was eating breakfast and asked “Can I eat you?”

“No,” I replied.

“I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the cereal.”

I grabbed the bowl and shook it while saying in a squeaky voice ” Oh Avery, please don’t eat me.”

Avery laughed and did his own cereal voice, saying “If you eat me I will be in your tummy forever.”

“Avery, food turns into poop in your body.”  He looked stunned at this, so I asked “Where did you think poop came from?”

Smiling he answered confidently “From my butt.”

Claire wanted to know how old Avery needed to be before he could climb into her bunk bed.  The warning label says six, but Claire kept on counting “When he’s thirteen?  When he’s fourteen? . . .”

I cut her off with “When he’s older than Methuselah.”

“Who’s Methuselah?”

“In the Bible he’s the oldest person ever.”

“Oh.  I guess he didn’t eat too much butter.”

At 5 AM this morning I’m headed to Vegas for a week, so of course at midnight Avery came into the bedroom wheezing like a broken squeeze toy.  My first thought was that he aspirated one of his toys.  He goes to bed with a cavalcade of stuffed animals, each with a possible loose piece.  Diana thought the same thing, but with a sippy-cup valve.

After looking with a flashlight and trying to get him to admit to anything in his mouth, we rushed to St. Francis.  They immediately diagnosed it as the Croup.  After a while on Oxygen he insisted he felt better, and went right to sleep when we got home.

I wish I did too.

This morning, while eating breakfast, Avery exclaimed “It is very bright.” No sooner than he said this that the sunlight dimmed significantly.

“Oh,” I said, “the sun went behind a cloud.”

“No, it’s playing peek-a-boo!” grouched Avery. Then he though for a moment: “Or maybe . . . maybe it is playing ‘hide and seek’.”

We brought the kids over to Noni’s house for dinner with Judy, and I told them about a time Edd’s father tried to get him to take a trip to Israel.  When Edd asked why his father suggested it was part of the Jewish experience.  Edd responded “Being shot at by Arabs?  Yeah, I guess that is the Jewish experience.”

Everybody laughed at the story, but a few days later Claire remembered it while riding in the car with Ava.

“Did you know people with experience shoot Jews with arrows?”

I think I’m going to have to be more careful about the jokes I tell around the kids (or at least take the time to explain them).

Avery: I wan’t to live forever.

Claire: Nobody lives forever!

Avery: Oh, no! I don’t want to be nobody!

Diana had her amnio. Everything seemed to go smoothly, and cocoa-bean moved an awful lot. The best view ever, but still no hints to non-professionals about the gender. I’ll try to get a copy of the sono up later.
The doctor’s were surprised how much I knew about the system, but two and a half years in teleradiology is bound to rub off somewhat.

Diana had to visit the doctor, so I had Avery over for lunch. We went to the Subway near the office and he had the usual Turkey with cheese. The guys there are really nice to kids, and they gave him a “kids meal” toy even though he just had a normal sandwich. It’s a sneaker that rolls. I have no idea why they made such a thing.

After eating Avery needed to go to the bathroom, but it took a little work to convince him. We went in and he refused to use it because there was no urinal so it must be the girl’s room. I explained there was no other bathroom, but we still went in and out a few times before he believed it.

Claire’s teacher called to let us know of something that happened in school today.

The lesson was cause and effect, so the teacher gave many examples: “because I ate my dinner, I can have dessert.” etc.  As the class was wrapping up Claire was called to get on her bus and she rushed out.

Suddenly, she returned and announced “Because I forgot my backpack, I might miss the bus.” and left again.