Ocean Shores

on the sand
Originally uploaded by anneke boudreau

We spent a long weekend in Ocean Shores, WA with another family (who also has a young child and a husky-mix dog). We took the Seattle/Bremerton ferry both directions. Z slept through the ferry ride there, but fully explored the ferry on the way home. We had sunshine on Sunday and spent a couple hours digging and running on the sand. Iko and Kodiak ran and ran and ran on the beach - chasing birds, each other, and peeing on all sorts of foul-smelling things. Despite learning the lesson multiple times, Iko drank too much saltwater.

Sunday night we noticed bazillions of birds flying along the shore - flocks and flocks of pelicans, gulls, terns, and who knows what else. On the way back to the house, we thought Z was having an asthma attack so called Children's After Hours who diagnosed his breathing over the phone and said it wasn't asthma (thank goodness) but that he did have a lot of gunk in his lungs that could either be from allergies or a cold, "If it's allergies, the longer you stay, the worse it will get." Since it was too late to leave Sunday we considered leaving Monday morning, but decided to stick it out. I'm glad we did, because Monday night all the planets aligned for a "parents party" of wine, games (Dr. Seuss trivia and yahtzee), and lots of laughter. Overall, a fantastic weekend. We need to do more of these!!

There are 19 more photos of our Ocean Shores weekend.

vocabulary

Speaks:

• up, ball, mama, dada, keekee (cracker, rice cake)
• kitty, car, no, yaya (yes),
  
• moo ("what sound does a cow make?"),
• ooo ("what sounds does Iko make?"),
• goo+[two undecipherable syllables] (good morning)
• home, wawa (water)
• down, uh-oooo (uh-oh)

Signs:

• more, done, drink, eat
• ball, train, airplane
• help, baby, story, friend
• hello, good bye, good night, good morning
• bath, work, where, "i don't know"
• mama, dada

Yesterday, as we parked in our garage I asked Z, "Where are we?" He replied, "Home."

Boost

I ran about 2.5 miles today - the longest I've run in 24 months (gack!). It was a good mental hurdle to overcome and gives me a boost of confidence. I'm aiming to do a 3 mile run by the end of the week then maintain that for a few weeks. From 8 September through November I'll need to up my distance each week if I'm to be in shape to do the Seattle 1/2 marathon in November. But, if all I do is consistently run 3 miles 2-3 times per week, I'll be golden....then aim for the Vancouver 1/2 in May.

Blue Drama

What's up with the planets this week? Two bridges and a mine collapse, the world markets are aflutter, and we spent Wednesday in the ER. [cue the dramatic music!]

Wednesday morning around 9:30, I was in a great groove at work when the daycare center called, "Someone fed Z eggs for breakfast. He's vomited and his lips are turning blue." "I'll be right there." While I was on my way, they administered an epipen and called 911. I arrived before the firetruck and found the director holding Z in his diaper on the changing table - hunched over, spaced out, covered in red spots, and bluish-white. I picked him up and heard the sirens approaching, we walked outside.

The 5 (or so) firemen monitored his heart rate, airways, and skin color as they collected information from me and held oxygen to his nose to keep him awake. When the medics arrived they loaded us into the ambulance, strapped me onto the gurney holding Z and we were off to Children's Hospital ER - the director of the daycare center came with us. During the ride, his skin turned bright pink, his lower jaw chattered, and he was lethargic for most of the trip except for one brief instant where he sat up and talked. But, he quickly slumped back into my arms. At this point, my biggest concern was about oxygen to his brain and brain damage.

We arrived in the ER around 10 a.m. They wheeled the gurney into a room and transferred us to the bed. They put an oxygen monitor on his toe, listened to his heart and lungs, gave him a dose of Benadryl, and a dose of a steroid. His skin was still bright pink which made his lips look yellow and he remained lethargic until around noon. They said this lungs and heart sounded great and his oxygen levels looked good. He settled into a nap around noon but it quickly ended a few minutes later when the nurse took his blood pressure. Around 1:00, his color started to return to normal.

He was ready to go home around 1:30 - he kept climbing into his car seat that was sitting on the floor. He was bored with the video and ready to roll. We didn't get out of there until 2:45 or so.

Thanks to Z&X who visited us - with the intent of giving us a ride home but the doctors held us longer than they could wait. And many thanks to TS who picked us up.


With the number and severity of Z's allergies, I had been dreading this experience - knowing it was inevitable someday. But when? with whom? what would happen? In some ways, it's a relief that we've lived through it and know what to expect. I learned a lot. I was amazed at Z's resiliency and surprised myself with my calmness...although I fell apart at 4 a.m. the following morning - alone while J was in Dallas.

I've talked with several people (moms, doctors) about next steps. The consensus is that this daycare is the safest place for him to be: they handled the situation well and they certainly don't want to live through this again any time soon so they should be extra vigilant. Also, to switch now would mean educating a new staff about his allergies. But, I do have concerns and a long list of questions that I'll take to a meeting with the director on Tuesday. I kept Z out of daycare on Friday. I will likely leave him there on Tuesday if everything seems in order. Intellectually, it seems a good decision. Emotionally, I will recite the above reasoning like a mantra to calm myself. :)

As I joked with a friend, we can add several new "firsts" to Z's babybook: first epipen, first ambulance ride, first trip to the ER....

whew. I'm thankful that Z is strong and healthy; that the daycare center acted quickly and appropriately; that I was strong and calm for both of us; that we're surrounded by good friends; that we got the medical attention we needed.

self-portrait, anniversary

self-portrait
Originally uploaded by anneke boudreau

I love that Z and I are looking at each other in this photo - it shows the connection that's growing between us. He is understanding so many thing recently. A friend told me that he's learning about emotions and that I should help him understand them. I've only tried it a few times - he starts whining or crying and I'll say something like, "Z, I understand that you don't want your diaper changed right now, but we need to do it. We'll be done soon. Please be patient." And, he's quieted down! I don't know how long this will work, but it's a very comfortable approach for me. It allows me to settle and perhaps that helps him settle. Although, it feels like we're on that upward slope of a roller coaster and we're going to fly down the other side on a wild ride.

He discovered this blue, floppy hat that used to be mine. It looked so funny with his orange hawaiian shirt and he knew it - he acted very cheeky and cute.

Several months ago, urged by Grandma MB, I made reservations for J and I at The Herbfarm. Then, it we learned that J's sister would be in town and she offered to stay the night with Z. So...last night, we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a 9 course meal with 6 different wine pairings.

Before the meal we sipped a lavender-infused punch while we toured the wine cellar (the oldest wine is from 1792!) then took a tour of the garden. While on the tour we ate day lillies - they're crunchy!, tasted several varieties of basil, and learned all sorts of interesting things about the herbs that were used to prepare our meal. The Herbfarm grows much of their own food, especially hundreds of varieties of herbs, and purchases meat, fish, wine, and other produce from local farmers and fisherman.

Before the meal, the chef and sommelier told us about the food and wine pairings: the tuna had been caught just off the Washington coast earlier in the day, the prawn and crab had been alive until a couple hours before our meal, etc. etc.

The restaurant seats about 50 people and the staff must be around 20 - every one of them was introduced before the meal. The service was amazing. Each time I got up from my seat, I would return to a crisply folded napkin across my plate plus a sprig of lavendar or a card wishing us happy anniversary - something on the table had always moved when I returned.

The servers would talk about each dish as they brought it to us and the sommelier would tell us about the wine pairing - reiterating what the chef and sommelier had said at the beginning of the evening.

The theme for the night was, "Great Basil Banquet." There are so many varieties of basil! Each course used a different basil and in a unique way. From Basil-Mint Aioli to Lemon Basil Flan to Cinnamon Basil Ice Cream. It was all fantastic.

Throughout the night, J and I relived memories from each of the 17 years that we've been together. He remembered things I had forgotten and then one of his memories would trigger one of mine. We've had a great run so far.

Then, we looked forward. What kind of life do we want to lead? What do we want to show Z? When will we travel to Europe for his first time? Should we buy land out in the country and assemble our family from all over? One thing is clear - we want to focus on our family and find more time to be creative.

During coffee, one of the co-owners (who manages the amazing collection of wine), set a bottle of wine on our table. They had had alternative wines for sale throughout the night, so we thought that this was something we could buy. Then we looked at the label - Boudreaux cellars. 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. As the sommelier poured us the last wine of the night - a 1910 Barbeito Bual Madeira - we asked about this bottle. "Let me ask Ron about his intention." She returned and said, "It's a gift. Happy Anniversary!" wow.

We slept in this morning, watched a movie, ordered room service, then returned home. CL gave us an awesome gift by taking wonderful care of Z for his first night away from both of us. It sounds like he missed us, but he did good. He's such an awesome kid. I was so excited to get back to him this morning.

The stargazer lilies bloomed on Thursday - our wedding flower on our anniversary day.

Here's to 10 years!