So I’m not up for going into a lot of detail, but I want to remember this stuff down the road.

Angie had a trip for work scheduled to Vegas (for a conference). We talked about me tagging along, but decided against it. Instead, I would play Mr. Mom… The week before, Calen got sick on Thursday and stayed home (with me) on Friday. His fever was gone Sunday morning, so I took him to Daycare on Monday. They sent out a note saying that a lot of kids were sick and please don’t bring them in if they are. I thought I’d do them a favor and tell them that it had come and gone with Calen and share some symptoms.

So about 15 minutes later I get a call saying “Well, Calen is actually still sick”… hmmm, ok, well I’ll come get him (and while I’m there I might as well get Mallory too. So I pick them both up and bring them home. Fifteen minutes later, I hear Mallory say, “DADDY! WE HAVE A MESS HERE!” So I wander into the kitchen to find that she’s had an accident (of the stinky variety) and that it’s escaped onto the floor… Well, gross, but I can do this. And so begins the next 3 days of Mallory being sick out one end, Calen spitting up out the other. The only saving grace was that they took turns and that Mallory made it to the bathroom 4 out of 7 times that first day.

Angie got home from her trip on Wednesday night (just as the kids were feeling better) and they went back to Daycare on Thursday. Friday Daycare was closed, so she stayed home with them.

Then on Saturday Mallory got a fever that lasted a couple days, and on Sunday Calen got the same fever, but his didn’t go way. In fact, it got up to 105 and we went to the doctor. There they decided to prick his finger and take some blood (I offered my finger instead, but they said it didn’t work that way). His blood count came back high, so they wanted to do a catheter and get some “clean urine”. (I did not offer myself for this procedure). After what was a traumatic event for both he and I, the results came back clean. They did decide to put him on an antibiotic just in case though given the high white count. A few days later he was good again and went back to school.

Fast forward to yesterday, when Daycare calls and says “Calen swallowed a staple”… Now I’m not going to go into the “how does a 11 month old get hold of a staple in a daycare class rant” but not knowing what else to do we called the Dr. again, and Angie took him over for an x-ray. Sure enough, an open staple in his stomach. The doctors sent him home with orders to check his poop for the staple for the next few days and if we saw blood to take him to the Vanderbilt ER. (That’s not comforting). I checked this morning (what a fun process) and indeed there was a staple. I was glad to see it out of him with not apparent damage, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope secretly that the daycare had to search his poop today.

Which brings me to the trip to Daycare this morning where Mallory offered me half of a slimy fruit snack. I politely declined but praised her for her willingness to share. She said “I thought you wanted a fruit snack Daddy”. I said “Well, I wanted a whole fruit snack, but I don’t really want half of one”… She said “Are you sad Daddy?” “No, why honey?” . . . she said “Because you are talking slow”. I never would have phrased it that way but it makes perfect sense that she would characterize slower speech as sad. Just caught me a little funny.

Speaking of catching me… a few nights ago she prayed that Kylie would have the “opportunity to come home and see us”… Something magical about praying with your kids I think. Kylie is home and we are glad for it. Calen’s birthday celebration is tomorrow even though his birthday isn’t until the 11th. I’m glad Kylie go to be there for that and I”m hoping to have her car fixed in time for her to drive it back to school. She seems to really be enjoying Interior Design. I hope that she continues to enjoy it or if not that she finds something she can really enjoy doing.

Ok… enough for now. I intended to be short.