of blood, tears, and stuffy noses

I was run over by a truck yesterday. Or so it felt. Monday night, Grayson woke up about an hour into the night, crying like he was having a nightmare. After he couldn't calm himself back down, I went in, got him settled, and he fell back asleep.

15 minutes later, he was screaming again. My wife went in that time, tried to calm him down, did, and at that point we were both getting into bed (around 10:30, I think).

A few minutes later he cried out again, and we noticed his nose sounded stuffy, so she suctioned him out.

When she returned, she noticed some pink on her shirt, and assumed that the aspirator had given him a little nose bleed (happens from time to time, we avoid using it unless it's really bad- he's learned to blow his nose thankfully).

At about 11:30 she went in again because he was being fussy..turned on the light, and I hear commotion, an "oh my goodness", and my name being called. Now, I really wish I'd taken a picture, but his sheets had blood all over them and he looked like a boxer that had been punched in the mouth. At some point during the times he'd woken up (or perhaps he did it in his sleep and that woke him up?) he managed to bite not one side, but both sides of his inner cheek. I'm talking huge chunks. So the inside of his mouth was really swollen and he was not happy. The initial pain must have gone away, because he didn't complain about it while up, but he couldn't sleep because he must have kept irritating it. Compound all of that with the fact that he's been drooling like a beast, so 2 year molars must be on the way, AND he had a very stuffy nose (I attribute to the teething). So, to sum up, we all had a tough night. I took him to see the doctor yesterday morning, and she said though it looked bad, the mouth heals really quickly, and she just told me to avoid certain foods, provide lots of cold foods, and give tylenol/motrin as needed. Everything seems to be okay now, with the exception of his stuffy nose. Fortunately, yesterday's nap and last night went perfectly fine. Now I have to catch up on things that did not get done yesterday because I was just too tired to do them.

Another Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day for my wife's mom. We had the family over to our house, and I grilled teriyaki chicken, bell peppers, squash, zucchini, and onions- without getting soaked by passing showers, remarkably enough. It was a nice, relaxing day, with not a lot on the agenda. Those kind of days are few and far between. I'm thinking this week is going to be a steak week. I haven't cooked any steaks or burgers on the grill yet, and prime grilling weather is soon approaching. Actually, any weather is good grilling weather, though I'm not sure I'll be one of those who grills in the snow.

Backtracking a little bit, my interview at the board of education went very well Friday afternoon. Lasted about an hour, easily the most thorough and professional interview I've ever gone through. Lots of questions that were similar to the interview for the teacher education program, and by the end of it, I felt like she really liked me. It was nice to find out that she was a person who saw me working with special needs kids as an assistant a few years back and actually recommended that I get certification in Special Education. I'm now waiting on the principal to contact me. Considering he has already recommended me for hiring, it seems that it's just a formality until I can sign a contract. Hoping to before the beginning of June.

Back to the day's activities. Grayson and I decided that today we were going to eat lunch with Jennifer, so we planned an entire morning around that. We went to the library across town and got some books not available here in town, hung out with Memaw for a few minutes, then went to Barnes and Noble for a storytime they do every Monday. He had a lot of fun, though not as fun as at the Library. I'm very impressed with his ability to sit and listen to the story being read, especially as other kids are walking around. We browsed the books, played with a train set, and eventually left for lunch. As a side note, I could easily budget $50 a month just on children's books for Grayson. Getting books from the library every week helps alleviate the desire, but we love getting books!

Grayson is currently...hmm..I can't say with certainty what, which means I'd better check. Sitting on the couch, eating cheese. Better make sure the couch is clean before Mama gets home...

Let's Play Catch Up

The semester is over, exams are submitted, and I now have 3 weeks of a break before the summer session begins. Grayson is doing his thing, exploring the backyard, reading books, watching his favorite cartoons; I'm trying to catch up on a semester's worth of housework, maintaining a lawn, reading books that have been on hold since December; my wife is counting down the days until summer break. Not a lot has gone on lately, well except that little natural disaster we had down here in Tennessee. During the storms, only our sun room received flooding. Fortunately, it does not look to have sustained long term damage, though my wife wants to have someone come out and inspect the wood that may be rotting. I spent the better part of two afternoons cleaning out our gutters after the rains, and hope I don't have to get back up there again this season.

I have an interview at the board of education this Friday! I've already met with the principal at the school I'd like to work at, and I'm certain he intends to hire me as soon as the board gives their approval. I'm not technically going to be eligible for the transitional license until later in the summer, but hopefully I can get prior approval to be hired. My Master's degree and full licensure won't occur until next year, but I can live with that.

A rant: So, Gray and I were at the library yesterday and today. This morning, during story time, the children (typically up to age 3) sit on the floor, in chairs, or in their parent's lap. Well, there was this one child that was 3, going on 4, and he just would not sit down. He would just stand in front of the book and point at things. None of the other children could see because of him. The librarian quietly suggested that he sit on the floor, which he did not do. Fortunately (at least I thought), his mother (or grandmother) came up and told him to have a seat. He sat. For all of 7 seconds, then proceeded to stand up again. She asked him to sit down again, and he ignored her. Alright, this is where I got frustrated. I have a 21 month old who HATES sitting still, yet he can sit in a chair by himself for 5 minutes while the story is being told. This little brat not only cannot stay out of the way, but his caretaker has ZERO control over him. She must have said to him "Sit down" or "come here" a dozen times. Did she actually physically go and get him? Nope. I am guilty of making idle threats, but if I'm in public, I follow through. I can't imagine what she was thinking, with all those other parents right there hearing her. It's one thing to let your child just go wild and not care about the other kids, another to actually realize they are doing something inappropriate and still not do something about it. Grr. I wanted to take grab the child and say "IF SHE TELLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, YOU LISTEN, YOU LITTLE SNOT NOSED PUNK!" (well, maybe not in those specific terms)