Bringing Hoof and Mouth Back
Luke, reading the underwater menu at a local country club. Photo credit: Bridget Boockmeier and her GoPro.
We've had a lot of drop-ins, meet-ups out of the house, and house guests in the last two weeks. Our friends Topaze and Luke and their three boys stayed with us last week and the girls got to meet crazy auntie T and we got to catch up with those people whom we miss very much. Uncle Matt and Uncle Joe visit soon and we can't wait to spend time with the girls' godfathers. I think Mom and Alan are coming back to visit in a few weeks too so we are happy. Many of our favorite people are in our orbit recently.
The mystery of why the girls' reports from Love Without Boundaries was in Spanish is solved. There are people who volunteer for LWB in Spain and who posted the twin's information to their contacts and those are the people who sponsored the girls and paid for their food and other essentials. Therefore the monthly updates were geared towards them and in their language. Sponsors were also able to choose Western names for them, Chloe (Opal) and Violeta (Lola).
While waiting for the girls to come to us and us to them we sponsored a little boy named Cayden who had a throat cyst that has recently been removed and allowed him to gain weight - at 6 months he weighed very little and looked fetal. We get multiple, personalized updates on him from the most caring staff/volunteers I've ever encountered. If anyone is looking for a good cause, this is it. You can directly make a difference in one child's life or if you choose, you can donate to the organization. We are forever grateful to LWB for providing the excellent foster family in which Opal and Lola were placed. Their organization gave them an advantage after a rough start in life. For anyone who is interested - LWB has a Facebook Page and if you join, you can see the children who are waiting for homes, children who have been placed with families and see all the work that goes into finding families for these children and also giving children the medical attention that they need that has to be paid for somehow. That's how we found Cayden. This is a worthwhile organization to support and any amount and energy goes far.
Both girls were sick this week with hand foot and mouth - should I capitalize that?- disease. They don't call it hoof and mouth like they did when Annabel and Luke caught it which I think is too bad because it's funny and scary at the same time. Things change but they stay the same. I also have the sense of humor of an 11 year old. HFM is viral so, nothing to do but understand where all that whining is coming from. Maybe that's why Lola became so needy and clingy last week, she was beginning to feel under the weather and when she threw up on me at the beach in Michiana on Sunday, that explained a few things. Opal seemed fine until I peeled her bathing suit off at home and a weird red rash was all over her torso. She woke up with a fever the next day and the rash rested on her face. They both are fever free today but Opal is rashy in general. At the dermatologist's office today at Lurie, the doctor explained that her skin condition is probably viral in nature and will eventually run its course but that she also has hives for which it is hard to find a root cause. We will get a second opinion next week. Yesterday, Annabel ran a fever. Like pins dropping at a bowling alley.
I took the girls to the Garfield Park Conservatory today, my favorite place in Chicago. Annabel and Luke spent a lot of time there when they were smaller and now it's the twins' turns. I fall in love with that place over and over again every time I go.
The street in front of our house continues to be resurfaced. The workers like to rev up the heavy machinery at the girls' nap time and ending right around when they wake up, it's like they know. The girls sleep about 2 hours for naps regardless of the noise. I have yet to get to all of the Thank You notes that Annie pointed out is a good problem to have but it is driving me crazy because I have a LOT to send out so I have not forgotten you. I check my email, make some calls, probably watch an episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia which is my latest reset button, read my book. I will focus soon, I promise. This week I made the THIRD call to Public Works about the fact that the very nice man who operates the Waste Management truck forgot to take our trash away on Friday when he saw I needed to exit the garage. He sped north giving me room to make my turn but forgot to back up & get empty the bin and it only just got taken away today. Diapers in a trashcan in the hot sun draw flies the size of which I haven't seen around here, and I was feeling a little grossed out. So you see. Movie star stuff happening over here.
A beautiful night and the moon will be full in tonight. I think of all the time I spent thinking, are we ready to do this all over again? The wordless whining of toddlers, the sick kids in hot weather, vomit in the car and in my hair (not mine), doctor visits and cancelled plans and arms full with hot skin and not caring if they're contagious, earlier mornings and six people's schedules to consider and my question, I realize, was wrong. It should have been, what really matters to us?
Enjoy the weekend, all. Be well and happy and healthy.
L