Whenever he comes even close to skinning a knee — the surface of the skin isn’t even broken; maybe there’s just a wee abrasion — he calls out with a dramatic intensity on a par with graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, “IS IT BLEEDING?!”
Don’t know when it will be that I stop keeping Band-Aids (the never-fail placebo) in my wallet. When that day comes, a major chapter of this parenthood will have come to a close. Of course there’ll be whole new ones to follow. Probably in which I turn around and apply the Band-Aid to myself. (“Is he even in this ZIP CODE?! This AREA CODE?! The frigging TIME ZONE!” Or, “Would it kill her to just text me back A SMILEY FACE EMOTICON SO I KNOW SHE STILL POSSESSES THUMBS AND EYEBALLS?!”)
That day will come. And I’ll be damn lucky to see it.
In related news: right around when I got the good news this blog was a finalist for Best LGBT Blog for the 2011 Bloggies (about which, again: thank you! whichever of you nominated it! now aren’t you glad the voting period is over and I can get that sticky post down off the top of the page?), I got even more fantastic news. And I’m not talking about the boychild finally (FINALLY!) forming a more direct relationship with our household plumbing system, if you know what I mean. That itself was thrilling news. Thrillinger still has been the unexpected appearance on the horizon, then the bearing down la the Queen Mary (and you have to picture me dutifully bobbing around in my dingy, waiting to flag this baby down for ages), of a real, live, bona fide, fantastic, made-to-order, I couldn’t be more hopped up about it, full-time, J-O-B.
I am a modest and circumspect type (*cough!*), so I will wait a bit ’til I say much more about it other than, WAHOO!
All the hopping around the house WAHOO-ing was quickly followed by feverish flow-charting and Excel-wrangling and phone-calling and text-messaging, since we had to facilitate the transition for the first time in our parental history from being one-and-a-half income-earning parents to being two full-timer/ over-timers. Overnight, the childcare puzzle bumped up from tic-tac-toe-level complexity to three-dimensional chess. (Fortunately, as we’ve learned before, the more the merrier.) The S.S. Full-time J-O-B comes at what feels like an optimum time, family-wise. And we live in co-housing community, so no matter how wobbly the transition, we’re likely to be able to summon helping hands when needed. Hey, what do you think we’ve been meeting and compromising and processing like mad for, these past five years? The steep discount on our shared DSL? The eased grocery run burden? The free ‘n’ easy loaning back and forth of sugar-beers-cars?
Perhaps not surprisingly, through all the hub and the bub, I have been unable to give all my LD-appropriate thoughts the time and care they so richly deserve. Smack dab in the midst of the Bloggie voting period. So that whatever droves might have drove here wound up seeing… well, the blogular equivalent of my butt crack smiling sideways up from the rear of my jeans waistline as I bent over tending to my offline life. Heck, I even had a great chat with Cheryl Kilodavis, author of My Princess Boy, when she was in town over a week back. My fondest hope is that my interview with her gets to see the light of computer screen sometime before my interview with Lisa Cholodenko and Annette Benning does. Which, given I talked to those gals going on nine months ago, ain’t saying much. Still, a gal can hope.
Meanwhile, I tell myself what gobs and gobs of spiffy Anglomaniacal merch can now help remind me: keep calm and carry on.
Right, so mebbe this one’s appropriate too. Every few days at most:
I loved the bandaids, but the coffee mug made me spit my own coffee in laughter. Yay!
and Congratulations! what exciting news. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who will suggest that it is not the frequency, but the quality/thoughtfulness/photo-awesomeness of the posts. Not to mention the flat-out adorability of the subjects. We’ll keep coming back for more.
I must now admit that after I posted that comment, I shelled out the $ to get the mug, in hopes that it inspires all who see it bringing the Lapsang Souchang to my lips.
And thank you sooooo much, Sister Reverend. I very much appreciate your quality-over-quantity note And the exceedingly good judgement re: the adorability of the subjects (couldn’t agree with you more!). And the companionship here for such a long while. So long as you persevere in checking in, I will definitely keep doling it out. In fits & starts, perhaps, but dole I must.
I love that mug! I think I’m going to have to borrow it from you from time to time, in counterpoint to the more sedative poster I have my office!
WOOO-HOOOO!
yaaay for job! yaaaaaay for you!!!!
yaaaay for excel spreadsheets!!
changes come like bullets someone in a punk band in the 70s said…
congratulations.
panic and freak out then keep calm then freak out.
Thank you so much for the reminder of the “IS IT BLEEDING?” (with the horrified voice) question of childhood. My 11 year old son still worries about the bleeding, and my 14 year old son LOVES bandaids, especially big ones, so the girls can see them and he can “show off” his “battle scars”.
Congratulations on your new J-O-B. I am sure once the dust settles that your family will settle in to a routine that will work for you all. So keep on keeping calm and carrying on… 🙂
Carol Rood
http://swimbeauswim.blogspot.com
Love the Band-Aid and mug! (And they’re both better than that other piece of well known British advice, “Lie back and think of England.”)
Congratulations on the job! Well deserved, I’m sure, and I know you’ll be splendid at it, whatever it is.
Congratulations!! 🙂 I’m sure the 3D chess will work out splendidly. And again, I was hooked quickly, so I’ll definitely keep checking back for the fits and starts of blogging to come – indeed, quality is far more important than quantity. Have a blast starting this next chapter, and yes, embrace both the calm and the panic….each has it purpose and its place!
Thank you, Natalie, and thank you Dana, Carol, and directorgrrl. After Day One I’m a bit more “mug” caption than “Band-Aid” caption. Looking to turn that around by the end of the week. I’m a tireless optimist.
Congratulations, LD! New chapters are a grand thing. I’m still waiting for pix of the new digs, btw. I may be waiting in vain, and I accept that. Just sayin’. The house reno curiosity is strong with this one.
Band-aids in the wallet is a brilliant idea. Thank you so much!
Also? I bought a 5×5″ version of the “Keep Calm” version for Jill’s office when we first moved into our house. Too bad she works in the living room instead of the office.
I am a new follower and love your blog. Where ever did you find those fab band aids?