I’m using the word “comedy” here in the truest sense of the Greek… meaning humor, mishaps, pitfalls and accidental shenanigans combined with good-nature and love (loose translation).
Friday morning dawned grey, and the sky spit mist and drizzle. Kenny and I shared a plate of scrambled eggs and then I bundled us up to take Dudley out for a walk. Just before I got him into his warm clothes, he threw up – a little unusual, but he’d had a runny nose and a light cold, so I didn’t think too much of it. I did think of it when he spit up again as we were going out the door. But Dudley was tugging on his leash, and I figured the fresh air would do Kenny good.
That was one of those mis-guided thoughts of first-time Mommy-hood.
Twenty minutes into our walk, Kenny started projectile vomiting over and over. I picked him up quickly, and within seconds we were both completely soaked in everything he’d eaten or drank in the last twenty-four hours. We were a mile from the house, and I was afraid to have him ride in the stroller. For one, it was soiled and stinky, and second, the design of the jogging stroller doesn’t allow him to sit up all the way, and I was afraid he’d choke. So I wrapped him as best I could in the damp and smelly blanket he’d been tucked in with, and with Dudley trailing behind, we trudged home.
Fortunately, Kenny seemed to feel a lot better with an empty stomach, and he giggled and sang all the way home. We got into the house, where a contractor was doing repairs on the roof, no less, I put Dudley upstairs, changed us both in record time, and we set off in the car to the pediatrician, who is forty minutes away from our house. (The distance is ridiculous, I know. It’s a long story, and we’re working on a change.)
Anyway, he slept the whole way, and was in high spirits by the time we got there. The doc said that it was most likely just a case of his tummy being full of all the drippy mucus in his nose, and that he needed lots of rest and fluids. To celebrate his clean bill of health, and because it was lunchtime, we went to a little cafe, where my little boy ate nearly half my lunch, then we returned home where he took a two hour nap, and I took a shower that lasted almost that long.
When Casey got home that night, he dragged in several packages that had been dropped off by our garage. One was a new backpack I’d ordered from REI, and the other had a “Michigan Department of Agriculture” sticker on the side. Casey and I looked at each other and both said, “What on earth did you order?” But the pizza arrived and we sat down to eat. Suddenly, he jumped up and said, “Oh No! Where was that from?”
The package contained one hundred and twenty (120!) tulips! I mean, tulip BULBS. What Casey had thought he ordered was a surprise for me… the ultimate in romantic bouquets… 120 of my favorite – tulips – just because he loves me. I was elated at the thought of what he’d done. And I laughed for a good ten minutes at the thought of planting that many bulbs this weekend. My sweet, wonderful, gloriously amourous husband! He was so bummed that the “flowers” were bulbs, and while the concept of that much gardening is frightening, I cannot be sad, but am instead joyous! What beauty we have to look forward to in the spring! And what a sweet and unexpected gift from my perfectly lovable husband.
(I’ve only planted ten so far… I need to get this written and get out in the dirt!)
Saturday was a wonderful day. Lots of cuddling, a trip into Annapolis, lunch at an ourdoor cafe, a little shopping for Mommy and ice cream cones and long walks. When we got home, we put Kenny to bed and Casey and I had a “date night” right at home. We opened a bottle of our favorite wine and sat out on our deck looking out at the water as the light faded. We just sat and talked, all the worries and stresses of the week past melting away, and enjoyed each other and the friendship we share.
Today is bright and beautiful, Kenny is napping (he actually fell asleep in the new backpack on our walk – not at all a good idea for it’s design. We had to get him out and Casey carried him home. Consider that another in the comedy of errors), and Casey and Dudley have driven off to Wings To Go to get sustanence for the four o’clock NY Jets game.
Sitting here on the screened porch, one ear listening for sounds from Kenny, I’m struck again at the beauty of where we live, and the incredible blessings of this life, tulip bulbs and all.