I can be Charlie Brown in the Green House

Man, screaming yourself to sleep must be really fun for how much Holly is doing it lately. I'm glad we don't live in an apartment any more or everyone would think we're the world's worst parents.

Holly's cold has continued throughout the week, to the point where I had to take Friday off because her fever was too high to be at daycare, and I handle lack of sleep better than Jody. Not really bragging, I just do...to a point. I'm better at going at it stubbornly for sometimes days at a time and then crashing hard. Like when I fell asleep with the baby in my arms at the hospital after 36 hours of no sleep. Hey, I didn't have the hardest time that day, but man, my feet stunk after wearing the same shoes for that long. Holly was just so warm as newborn in my arms...one minute I was enjoying her and one minute later (by my perception) she was gone. I almost had a heart attack that I had dropped her until I was told she was taken out of my arms a few hours (!?) earlier.

Anyway, since Holly was still sick on Saturday with the infant Motrin having less and less effect, we decided to call the doctor. Since it's Saturday, we can only get the on-call doctor at the pediatric hospital. A couple hours later when they called back, they told us since her fever has been around for a couple days, and her behaviour is not normal, we should take her to the ER, since that's the only place open that can check her on a Saturday.

My kids will not get sick on a Saturday ever again. It costs much more to be randomly sick on a Saturday rather than a Wednesday.

So after a couple hours in the Emergency Room at the local hospital, where Holly is now in full spirits for the first time in days, we get in to finally see the final doctor. I love the 4 doctors who ask the same questions to make you feel like you're being serviced before you get to see the REAL doctor. Holly loved the hospital and was bright eyed for the first time in a week, and flirting with all the doctors, and generally looking not sick enough that we looked like paranoid new parents even though we were TOLD to take her there by our doctor, who wasn't working today. Now, even though her fever is up, it's not up enough for the doctor to be worried, and even though there's a rattle in her lungs, it's not rattling enough for the doctor to be worried, and we look kind of like dinks who are out $75 and 5 hours of their time. We at least got a prescription for a sinus infection drug that we got with a shrug and a "maybe this is the problem" look.

At least Holly had a good time. Then she promptly got hotter when we got home and spent 3 am to 4 am screaming at the top of her lungs.

Then she had the world's hardest poop. I would have screamed for an hour pushing that one out.

So it's time for prunes this morning and some daddy-baby adventures to places that are open early on Sunday so Mommy can get some quiet rest.

The moral of the story is that in the States, if you want more affordable health care, just, watch what day of the week your baby gets really sick on. Otherwise, you're surrounded by real emergencies and doctors rolling their eyes at you and your baby.

This Halloween's Hottest Costume...

So, it's 1:20 am, and I've got nothing else to do (thanks to a screaming child who decided that it was morning...God bless teething), so I thought I'd post something to my blog.

Now, I have this weird feeling I've mentioned this last year...or it's similar to my post about the "My Pet Monster" birthday cards I saw awhile back...I can't be bothered to read through my own archived posts. But anyway, so, I was at the Mall of America last weekend, just cruising around, trying to pass the time away with the baby. They have a discount store there called "Petters". They sell the stuff that Dollar Stores think is too crappy and old to sell, so it's full of great stuff that's so great that you don't want it at all. They had their Halloween stock out, and because it's all older overstock stuff, from years ago, none of the costumes were anything any kid would want. My favourite thing that no one would want? A "Small Soldiers" costume. Remember that movie? Exactly. (I actually, for reasons I can't remember, saw it in theater). Can you imagine a 10 year old kid showing up for their school's costume party at Halloween dressed as a Gargonite? Tell me that there's a single kid who would know what they were dressed as. You can't. I almost would love to dress up as Archer from the movie...just to be an ass who is trying to be more obscure than you. Seriously? Small Soldiers?

Also, it was Minnesota Wild day at the mall to celebrate the upcoming NHL season. In a great, sad, moment, they were having a raffle for a "Family pack" of tickets. So, I'm filling out the ticket, and an old man comes up to the perky young ladies who are in charge of the Wild booth at the mall. The old man comes up and says to them, "You say a 'family' pack of tickets. What if you're a family of one. How many tickets do you get?", in the saddest, pity me voice ever. The girls awkwardly explained that it was 4 tickets, regardless of how big your family was. They guy wasn't even there alone, he was with 3 of his buddies, so it wasn't like he was the loneliest guy in the whole wide world. I don't know...it just stuck with me since, and since I have time to kill, I thought I'd mention it. It's not like I have a real point to make by talking about it.

Now, back to the baby, and the PBS documentary on raptors. Woo-hoo! PBS never fails in the middle of the night, especially when you only have basic cable thanks to reduced budget caused by growing family and economic downturns. Everything is coming up Brian.

No, wait, this sucks.

Well, not the show on birds. That's pretty cool.

Living Life to the Fullest

You've never really, really experienced all life has to offer until you've spent several nights and days (and nights!) dealing with a sick baby. Finally, you find that excuse to not sleep that you searched for so often in your younger years. Nothing sounds better to tired ears than the sound of furious baby cries, that attack both your nerves and your empathy in a way only a parent can understand.

...and of course, I had to immortalize said sick baby in an expensive portrait studio shoot. Oh, I couldn't reschedule, because I had a coupon! The people told me it was a great deal, that they didn't even know they had it on the internet (thank you, Entertainment Book, and thank me, for being a great personal search engine for bargains), which made it go from "holy shit this costs a lot", to "holy crap this costs a lot". So, when we look at that runny nose and puffy eyes, and that tired, dazed, past your bedtime because the photographer took so long to get to us that it ran past your bedtime, we'll smile at the memories.

...and it's still all worth it for baby smiles.

Yes, and I know no one likes blogs by parents about parenthood. Does that stop anyone? Besides, my blog is usually about nonsensical things that no one likes, so it can't be any worse.

Things I hate about me #109

I hate that I can't pull the trigger on going out and buying a meal I really want from a restaurant. It's not that I'm too lazy (though that should be put into consideration). I'll instead go just as far, or further, and go to a restaurant that I'm less interested in and get something else instead. Hell, sometimes I'll even pay more for it. I just go to the place where they're selling something I'm really excited for, and then go "You know...I really shouldn't. It's too many calories/costs too much/too busy/I'm not as in the mood for it as I thought I was/etc". Then I'll stop somewhere on the way home at some place that's either: too many calories/costs too much/is busy/I'm not in the mood for. But it's safer, somehow. I don't know. Maybe I just don't want to be disappointed. Maybe I feel better about myself if I'm not "spoiling" myself. Maybe I don't want to eat something I really want alone, because usually it's something with vegetables in it, so it's somewhere Jody won't go, and then I feel guilty...or something. Or maybe I'm just stupid in the head. Anyway...here's a toast to mediocre meals that I really didn't want but ended up wasting money on (I'm looking at you, McDonald's & Subway).

Seeing as I live near a tourist spot (the Mall Of America), I've been thinking about how many photographs and home videos I'm accidentally in the background of. I've gone to Florida a lot as well, so that doubles the amount of chances. So, to all the people who've saw my ugly mug in the background of a would-otherwise-be-cherished pictures/video...I apologize for my existing and my chronic bad timing in walking past people with cameras. If you were wondering who that guy was, Hi, I'm Brian Skinner, and I'm just a Canadian who works at a Minnesota drill bit company...you know, like most Canadians. I hope I wasn't looking like I was hugely mouth breathing in your photo, or worse, picking my nose (hey...I was a kid in Florida a lot..the humidity makes the nose run...stop judging).

I think that's all I have to say...if I had anything to say in the first place.

So when the hell are they going to put Booberry back on the market for Halloween? Everything else Halloween is already in stores now. Sheesh.

Halloween Candy - Now Available at a store Near You!

I wonder what percentage of Halloween candy purchased in early/mid September actually ends up in the bellies of trick-or-treaters...and how much during that long march to October 31st, ends up in the bellies of those who bought it?


...yeah, I'm just re-posting my notes from Facebook over here because I'm too lazy to have more than one thought lately.

Uninstant Gratification

As much as I love peanut butter in my chocolate (and chocolate in my peanut butter), I don't think that mini reeses peanut butter cups are worth the effort of all the unwrapping it takes for so little peanut butter cup. No I don't.