Saturday, June 28, 2008

Have you ever seen the rain.....

If you live in the Toronto area you would have heard the thunderstorm early Saturday morning. I'm sure most of you just rolled over and snuggled under the covers and went back to sleep.

Well that wasn't exactly what happened with my girl Sophie and I. Lets go back to yesterday and I'll explain. As you know it was hotter than Hades yesterday and the AC at my work wasn't working. I left work a little early yesterday due to the fact I wanted to visit my Grams and I have the "best boss on the planet earth." So off I went. I hadn't got far when I smelled something burning. Was it the construction site I just passed? Was it my engine? I pulled over at a gas station and filled my loser cruiser with gas - almost 80 bucks! WTF? As I was getting back to my car I smelled the hood of the van. Yes, a very scientific diagnostic process done by mechanics everywhere. I popped the hood and smelled again. Oh yes, a burning smell coming from my engine. Damn. Here I was at Dupont and Davenport on a Friday afternoon and my car was close to catching fire.

I called the CAA and they came and showed me where to put water in my rad but I still had engine trouble. The high heat sign turned off on my dash so I knew at least I could drive - with no air conditioning. The CAA guy said if my car started to overheat on the way home I should turn the heat on as it sucks the heat off the engine and dumps it inside the vehicle. I told Mr. CAA man he was some kind of masochist and he just laughed at me.

So I made it home and was a basically just a puddle of a person. The family was supposed to go to ribfest - because hot damn our family loves Bar B Q. BUT. Darling Soph was a mess. Hot and crying and coughing with a chesty cough. I sent Alan and Charlie off to ribfest and took Sophie to the walk in. I swear to god that in two hours I must have aged two years. My poor sweaty toddler was miserable and just cried and cried. and kept repeating things like "Sophie go park?, Sophie go park?" or "Mommy mommy let's go Mommy!" and then she would cry for daddy. I ramped up the "Mommy show" and carried her around the waiting room. I kept saying inane things like, "look at the flowers! what colour are they?" You know the whole distraction thing.
Anyhoo after a diagnosis of two ear infections and armed with a prescription we went to the drugstore where it took at least forty minutes, aka. an ETERNITY, to get her antibiotics. The crying, crying, crying and tears and snot and sweat and hot toddler in my arms squirming, squirming while I was once again pointing out things, "look! Dora!, is that Boots? and hey, the Big Red Chicken!" (I love the big red chicken.)

Needless to say I was frazzled. I got her home and drugged up and gave her a quick bath and plonk into bed she went. Thank you Jesus. She was so tired she was out like a light.

Now came an evening of indecision. We are supposed to join family at the cottage this weekend. Should we stay? Should we go? Whats better for the baby? Will it disappoint family that came all the way from Ireland? UGH.

Happily I only had to get up with Soph once last night. She was up at 5:30 so I brought her downstairs and we went out on the porch. It was teeming outside and it was warm and humid. We have a covered porch so we sat down and watched the rain run down out street. She kept pointing things out, "grass drinka water! Trees drinka water! Car get wet." Then a huge flash of lightning flashed across the darkened sky. The thunder was crazy loud and I was worried she would cry. She just started squealing and laughing. "Storm! Loud Storm!". Thank god. She is a storm lover like her Mom.

After these marathon parenting sessions when I think my nerves can't take anymore I always feel closer to my children than ever. After a long night at the hospital with Charlie due to croup or hours in a waiting room with Sophie I feel sometimes we have walked through fire together and have come out stronger on the other side.

No comments: