Real Life

I've been hit with the worst stomach bug in my knowledge of stomach bugs. It's been ridiculous. Vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever, the whole 9 yards. It struck late in the night on Saturday (thankfully right after N had returned home from the casino AND I had gotten K to bed) and has kept me fairly miserable ever since...present included. The worst of it does seem to have passed, but I'm still weary of straying too far from a toilet...gross.

Naturally, N seems to have come down with some version of my illness...pretty much from the moment I became sick, so poor K has been stuck at home for longer than I care to remember. Normally, we're out the door at noon and spend hours at the local parks, museums, ect... so that we're not home again until 6 or 7! So, today I ventured out to a local indoor play space that's only a short bus ride away...maybe it's all the ginger tea I drank before going out, or maybe it's just the 'newness' of getting out of the house, but I felt well enough to do some grocery shopping and swing by the IKEA before heading home.

Since we're still living out of an extended stay hotel (and will for the next month or so), space has been a bit...smothering? Yes, we're a good family...good dynamics, lots of love and respect, but all of us seem to be a bit short tempered and the limited space available in a hotel Studio can drive one bananas. K is two, with all the energy and LOUDNESS that entails. Additionally, he doesn't go to bed before (gasp!) midnight. So, we've been toying with ways to give K his own space and things to keep himself entertained during the later hours of the evening when I just CAN'T mother with the same empathy and consideration as earlier in the day.  I found a tent...a cheap little $10 IKEA tent with lots of room for a curious little boy.

As I write this post, my little one is hopping around his tent pretending to be a frog...complete with "ribbets". He's pulled his train track inside and refuses to allow the motorized Thomas train engine to 'escape'. Whenever such an attempt is made by the brave Thomas, he is met with an instant attack of toddler frustration and a resounding "No Thomas!" that would cause the most dedicated escapee to reconsider.

It's a pretty sweet show.