vonRoeschlaub Family News

Claire had a play-date with Ava today, so Avery and I went out to pick up a blanket for Victoria. On our way to the hospital to see Diana he fell asleep, but woke up cheerful when we got there.

Diana called the nurse to have Victoria brought in and Avery held her for a moment. I fed her for the first time (well, Diana had fed her earlier) and she is one hungry little kid. I had to burp her after every half ounce, but that was about ten seconds of bottle. She polished off all two ounces and kept looking for more (no crying, though). She did cry a bit when I changed her diaper, but that was it.

She also spent the whole time looking around, especially at Avery. She’s going to adore her older brother.

Perhaps sensing the pending change in his life, Avery had a hard time sleeping last night.  He was up a few times, once because something in his room was going to eat him, the last time for the more mundane problem of his nighttime sippy cup being out of water.  Needless to say down at eleven up at four is not a happy night for me, but the constant interruptions just made things even more difficult.

Still no solid decision on a name.

Last night Avery had another bout of missing Cloud Blankey.  He told Diana that he missed Cloud Blankey so much and maybe it went to Mars and he would never see it again.  Diana and I set out on a mission to find Almost Cloud Blankey, which seems to have also gone missing.

I got a flashlight and searched under, over and behind Avery’s bed with no luck.  I remembered the last time I saw Almost Cloud Blankey was in our bedroom, so I checked the closet, the bassinet and under Diana’s side of the bed.  When I looked under my side of the bed, down by the foot I thought I found Almost Cloud Blankey, but when I pulled it out it turned out to be Cloud Blankey!

Diana and I presented it to him.  At first he didn’t see what it was, but when he realized he had an enormous smile.  He asked where it was and when I told him he said “That’s funny.”

Phew!

After being put to bed, Avery came back downstairs looking for Cloud Blanky.  It had been missing last night too, but Avery didn’t notice.  He noticed tonight, so we searched the house, then the car.  I even looked in the garage and laundry room.  No luck.

As the search progressed Avery became more and more weepy until he finally burst into tears.  Cloud Blanky would miss him, he was sure of it.  I called my parents, but they weren’t home so I couldn’t find if it was over there.  All attempts to calm him failed, and finally we broke the cardinal rule: we let him into bed with us.

Even that was not enough, and he cried for half an hour before calming down enough to explain.  He needed something furry and warm to keep his eyes closed in the morning.  He accepted Almost Cloud Blanky (pretty much the same blanket, but predominantly white instead of being predominantly blue). He is still heartbroken, but he is calm enough to fall asleep, I think.

Some wisdom from Avery: Jesus came here because this was the real world and it was sad.  Cloud Blanky loves Noni, but it will still miss him and want to be with him.  When he is very sad, his boogers melt.

I just returned from California for a three day trip, missing Avery’s birthday by less than an hour thanks to repeated flight delays on Friday. Fortunately, Avery’s party was scheduled for Saturday, so I didn’t miss his birthday as he sees it. We had a good time, but there was a surprise this morning.

When Claire woke me, it was to invite me downstairs where she had prepared breakfast for the family all by herself. Eggo waffles and orange juice, but she also put out the syrup and honey, a few pieces of fruit, the plates, and even poured the juice into the glasses. I assume Diana gave her a hand with reaching the glasses, but she has been known to climb on her stool to do it.

It was worth getting up after only four hours sleep for. Claire knew it was hard for me to get up, since just before going to bed that night she told me “I’m going to let you sleep late, you know how? I am not going to make breakfast, for you.”

Thanks!

The kids and I went to Noni and Grandpa’s to assemble the new Jungle gym Avery got for his birthday.  As Noni and I assembled, the kids turned on the hose and made a “pond”.  After it was done, and the kids had played for a while, we went inside and cleaned up.  I called Diana and told her we were coming home, then hunted for the kids, finding Claire upstairs watching TV.

As we were talking, Avery walked in and announced “I am naked.”

“Yes,” I said, “why are you naked?”

Avery contemplated this looking down to make sure.  “Um, because I have no clothes on.”

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.”

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’.”

Avery: I wan’t to live forever.

Claire: Nobody lives forever!

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