outsidevoice

Yesterday Leah woke up complaining of a sore throat and feeling yucky. Considering Benjamin had fever the week before, this was not surprising. She had no fever and a tickly throat was no reason not to go to school, so I told her to continue to get ready for school. Around that time she lost [...]

So we go out driving around to look at Christmas lights after dinner tonight. On one street that goes nowhere there is a sign that says, “No Outlet”. Husband asks Leah, “See that sign, sweetie? What does it say?” “No outlet, Daddy.” “Right. Do you know what that means?” “Yes, Daddy. It means you can’t [...]

Dear Swimmy, Today you are seven. I know this not because seven short years ago you were ceremoniously cut from my never-to-be-flat-again stomache, but because you have reminded Daddy and I about your birthday about 157 times in the past 2 days. We had your birthday party last weekend and hosted the family as well [...]

Tomorrow morning Husband and I will take The Swimmy for a developmental pediatric assessment to confirm what I’m sure we already know – she has some form of ADD. We will spend hours answering questions while she plays special games and answers some questions of her own. This is after filling out two separate packets [...]

Something happened this Spring Break that I have been dreading for some time now. I knew it was coming. I knew I couldn’t stop it. I know this because Nature always wins. (Write that down.) The Swimmy lost her first tooth. Sigh. Yes. This bothers me. It’s like watching a sad little strawberry plant’s flower [...]

This week I sent in The Swimmy’s camp application for this summer. Normally that is no big deal (except, uh, for the PRICE of entertaining her tiny ass all summer). But this application was a little different. This will be the first summer she goes to “sleep away” camp. For 10 whole days. Dude. Don’t [...]

Late Wednesday night around midnight the phone rang. We knew why the phone was ringing before we even answered it. (And, really? Does anything good EVER end up on the other end of the line when it rings at midnight? No. It doesn’t.) “Hi, Pam? It’s Maurice. Gene has passed.” And there it was. The [...]

My father in law has battled stage 4 lung cancer since a surprising diagnosis in April of this year. A few days ago, after several painful days in the hospital and his blessing, the family started hospice for him and was told it would only be a matter of days before we lost him. It [...]

Dear Swimmy, Today you are six. This is the first birthday of yours that has made me realize you are no longer a baby or a toddler. You are a little girl. And oh my G-d how that wrecks me sometimes. This year you stepped confidently into Kindergarten. Striding through those school doors like you [...]

“Mommy, Benjamin is tearing up my life. He’s not sharing!” “That’s because he’s eight months old and doesn’t understand sharing. He just knows you are the coolest thing ever in his little life and wants to be just like you. You’ll have to cut him some slack.” “Okay, but he still needs to learn how [...]