Photos From Day 1

The alarm went off at 5:30 AM. I ignored it until Doug came over and poked me, “Time to get up, honig.” I barely stirred for a minute, then slowly got up. I put my toiletries bag and 2 pairs of shoes in the suitcase and zipped it up and took it downstairs. I got the boys dressed and showered and dressed myself. My dad showed up at 6:00 AM to drive us, and we were out of the door at 6:15 AM.

As we checked in at the airport, I realized I forgot my cell phone – I left it in the charging station, next to Doug’s phone. He then realized that he also forgot his phone. Oops. I called my dad from the payphone, but it went directly to voicemail. Oh well.

We got through security with no issues (and 11 bins!), and got to the gate. I went to Pikes Perk and grabbed some stuff for breakfast – a steamer for the boys, one for me, an extra hot latte for Doug (skipped the extra shot since it was so early), a strawberry turnover (yum), blueberry muffin (eh) and everything bagel with cream cheese.

The boarding and flight were event-free as well. Although they put us in a funny configuration that would leave one of the boys on their own in a row or a single seat. So we swapped seats with someone so that we each could sit with a boy. Not sure what happened in their row, but Zevan alternated between resting and I let him play 2 full races of the Cars Leapster game.

After we landed, and walked on the tarmac to the baggage claim, we waited a while for our luggage. After a long while, it arrived, Doug picked it up and then casually asked me, ” Did we bring the booster seats for the car?’

Off we went to catch the shuttle to Budget. A 25 minute ride later, we got there, and another 25 minutes and we were in the rental car on the way to Target to buy booster seats. Renting boosters would have cost us $10/day/child = $80. 2 boosters from Target = $40 – and I could upgrade the boosters in my dad’s car.

Boosters and water bought. Now where? After much debate from Zander, we finally decided to go ahead and hit Sea World first.

After much research, I decided to get the 3 for 1 pass – unlimited admission to Sea World, San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park for 5 consecutive days. It really is the best value. I could have saved even more if I planned ahead and bought them from Costco online in time to be delivered before we left. Just a hint to anyone that might be planning a trip to San Diego.

We got there and I decided to pay the extra $5 for preferred parking. That was definitely a good call and well worth the money. I got to park within the first 5 rows from the entrance. Great for getting started, and I knew it would be good at the end of the day.

We started with lunch at Shipwreck Reef Cafe. Zevan REALLY wanted trout, which they didn’t have, but they let us get a side order of teriyaki salmon for only $4.99 with Doug’s seafood entree. I got the burger (pitiful thin little thing) and Zander got a chicken fingers kid’s meal (typical fare).

After lunch we checked out the sea turtles, which were accessible from inside the eating area of the Shipwreck Reef Cafe.

The rest of the day we went from one end of park to another – following the whims of the boys as well as some of the shows scheduled.

We petted and fed dolphins (and a bird stole one of the fish right out of my hands!), watched sea otters, observed moray eels and bat rays, watched a sea otter presentation, trekked over to Arctic World to see beluga whales, polar bears and a huge walrus (that kept chewing, spitting out and chewing and spitting out meal of a fish – disgusting), watched a dolphin show, then the killer whale show – (Shamu and the other whales were awesome – the cheesey “believe” theme and music were unimaginative and overwrought), then trekked across the park again to get on the sky ride, and caught the sea lion show on our way to the sky tower ride before finally heading home.

Zander’s favorite thing today? The Sea Lion/Seal show. Zevan’s favorite? The sky tower and sky ride.

When we got back to the room, the boys changed into swim suits and we headed out to the pool. They had a great time. The pool started at over 3 ft, so Zevan wasn’t able to touch the bottom, except for the stairs, and Zander was barely able to touch bottom with his head above the water. They both mainly started out with the swim rings. After Zander was “warmed up” he swam without the ring. They both are doing really great in the water.

We spent a while in the pool, then came in for a shower and got ready to head out for dinner in Little Italy. It was really late – and of course, even later since the boys were still on Colorado time. I dropped Doug off at the restaurant and searched for a parking spot. I drove around for about 20 minutes – not one spot available for 10 blocks. I stopped at two different lots that were closed for repair. I finally found an open lot about 4 blocks from the restaurant. Just as we arrived, they called for our table. Whew! It took a while to get our order in. Then it took a REALLY long time to get our food. By the time it arrived, the boys were heads down on the table, nearly asleep. Doug and I ate quickly. Zevan ate a few bites before conking out at the table. Zander rested and whined about being tired and maybe took one bite. He was really tired and then fell asleep on the table. Zevan and I went to get the car while Doug paid (and Zander slept). I did stop next door for gelato before getting the car…

We picked them up, and Zander was beside himself with exhaustion. They both fell asleep on the way home and we carried them inside to bed.

Doug and I were tired, too. I read a few chapters and found myself unable to keep my eyes open. Doug was still reading when I fell asleep.

It was a big day.

I’ve been worried about Zander. Lately, he’s been having some trouble with his confidence. He’s been really tentative in his physical skills.

I think it started when his swim instructor for Level 2 said that Zander had all the skills to swim, but lacked the confidence to actually do it.

Then after a few weeks of climbing just fine at the climbing gym, he was suddenly anxious and nervous and didn’t want to try any new routes. He would climb the one route he knew he could do, and he was done for the day. Meanwhile, Zevan would try 3-4 routes and just really work at getting to the top.

Most recently he has been very tentative on his bicycle. On the slightest downhill, he wants to get off of his bike and walk until it’s level. At the same time, Zevan comes barreling down the same hill, “here I come!”

I know I’m not supposed to compare them, but I’m just stating the facts here.

I’ve been trying to be supportive and understanding, but it seems so sudden and odd when he’s excelling at so many things like reading and writing and patience and helpfulness.

And then today, at the climbing gym, I was trying this 5.10 route on the traverse-y wall. I tried to start it a few times, ended up sideways and thought, there’s no way to do this. I can’t do this route. For a split second, I tried to go straight up, but immediately decided that the hold was too far and I would never be able to reach it. So, I gave up on it, and started on a nearby 5.9 route up until the one hold I needed to reach, then finished on the 5.10.

Afterwards, while Lisa climbed the same route, I decided to give a new V1 route a try. I tried several times to start it, and thought, this is crazy – how can this possibly be a V1? I can always climb V1s – this must be misrated.

So Lisa basically had the same results as me on the 5.10 route – we figured that we both must be too short to get to the hold we needed to get to. Then I asked her to try the V1. She got much farther than I did, then stalled, too, about 3 moves later. We were both flummoxed.

Kyle walked by and we asked me to show us how to do both routes. He got right up on the 5.10, and pulled himself up easily. We were so surprised that we asked him to do it again, noticing this time that the wasn’t even maxed out, and that it should be totally reachable for either of us. Then he simply said, “You can do this.” Still skeptical, I got on the wall, and found that he was right, I could do it. And it was actually easy. Lisa tried, too, and was able to get up the same way.

Then we asked him to show us the V1 route. Again, he just pulled up on the wall, and smoothly climbed to the top. He came back down, and asked where I got hung up. I showed him where. He gave me a few pointers, and again simply stated, “You can totally do this.”

I got back on, remembering his movements, and was able to get most of the way up. About halfway, I lost my footing, and slipped off, I hung there for a while, trying to find the foot holds, with them directing me, “a little higher. to the right. higher. almost there”

By the time I got my footing, I thought for sure I was going to drop. “You’ve got it,” he said. And somehow, I did. I pulled myself up, and got to the top. Whew! When I got down, I thanked my coach Kyle and made Lisa go up and do the same.

We laughed at how convinced we were that we couldn’t do it. And that once we got some direction and encouragement, it was totally do-able.

So then I thought back to Zander. And I guess I’m already doing what I can for him. Encourage him, let him know that he CAN do it, and let him go.

I just wish there was a way for him to actually believe me when I tell him that he can do something. For him to at least give it a try instead of giving up right away.

It’s a hard thing to balance. I guess we’ll keep working on it.

We have been participating in the PPLD summer reading program for the first time this year. Both boys have been reading books to me, Doug and grandparents so that they can color in their bugs and earn prizes.

Zander is reading so well, it’s just amazing to me. Words that I think will trip him up, don’t. Face it, the English language is so full of irregularities, it’s a wonder we can all read at all.

He’s breezed through the Level A and B Bob Books with ease. Today he read two stories to me from Days with Frog and Toad – which is the book he chose as his prize when he completed the Summer Reading Program.

The boys spent the morning with Doug drawing castles and knights. Zander really enjoyed it and even continued to draw more knights during the whole day. He just loves knights and castles and dragons. We’ve got quite a collection of Schleich figures, Safari dragons and a Ryan’s Room wooden castle given to us by May.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Zander announced that he got his first “grown up tooth.” Sure enough, one of his first permanent molars had come in. Wow. He’s going to be 6 in just a couple of months. And that in 16 days, he’ll be starting full day kindergarten at Buena Vista.

Zevan has mostly been reading Bob Books – Level A, Set 1 to me. He’s working hard on sounding words together smoothly. It’s so cute, now, though with the way he says the sound of the letters separately – “duh-og” and “huh-at”

He has also lost most of his baby fat, and is such a boy now. His voice and round cheeks are all that’s left of his babyhood.

He is much more vocal about his wardrobe these days. If there is a clean one, he simply must wear one of his Lego Star Wars t-shirts. He is just *full* of mischief. And jokes and silly dances. He’s a total comedian, this one.

He’s still pretty emotional and gets really frustrated when things aren’t going his way or exactly as he wants them to. I know that this, too, shall pass. Meanwhile, I just relish the fact that he still snuggles with me and that touching my belly comforts him.

My boys are growing up – they are amazing.

THE DRIVE
We headed out Wednesday night at 9:15 PM. I drove the first shift – about 3 1/2 hours. When we got to Denver, C470 was closed! So we turned around and headed up I-25 to 225 to 70 instead. The boys were up LATE just watching city lights and traffic. Zander didn’t fall asleep until nearly 11 PM! They both woke up each time we stopped for potty breaks and gas. So much for sleeping through the entire drive.

My parents drove the next 2 shifts and then I drove the final 3 1/2 hours into Las Vegas. The bummer about driving at night is that you don’t get to see the beautiful scenery of Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

DAY 1 (Thursday)
We got to the Grand Desert Resort around 11:15 AM (the drive was 14 hours), but there were no rooms available for early check in. I took the boys to the pool for a while. It was HOT. Crazy hot. Like over 100 degrees hot.

Then we went to my godfather’s house for food (pancit and crabs) and to wait for a room to be available. They called us at 1:30 PM, but of course, we were eating. Zevan ate rice and pancit. Zander refused to eat anything there. After we all finished up, I took him to Taco Bell and brought it back for him to eat. I slept, they watched TV, my parents, godfather and his wife chatted. We finally headed back to the resort around 6:30 PM. We stopped at Whole Foods on the way back to pick up some groceries.

The boys fell asleep on the way back. Zander crashed hard. I took Zevan to the pool and Zander was out cold. Zevan and I had a nice time in the pool together.

When we got back, Zander was still asleep on the sofa. I put him in the bed. My parents were crashed out on their bed, tv blaring. I shut off their TV, light and closed their door.

I popped some popcorn and Zevan and I curled up on the sofa and snacked. He laid on me while I checked my email (I was able to get a decent free wireless signal). Then we both went to bed with Zander.

DAY 2 (Friday)

Zander got up at 6:30 AM – big surprise. We all got up pretty early actually. We headed down to the South Pointe Casino for their fabulous breakfast buffet. Just $5.95 per person, Zander was half price and Zevan was free! All the breakfast foods you could ever want. Custom omelettes, bacon, french toast, pastries, fresh fruit, cold cereal, oatmeal and so much more. We totally filled up there.

I went over to the Spa Costa del Sur to see what appts were available. It was my mom’s birthday, so Dad and I treated her to a facial. We ended up booking right away for that morning. My dad was going to take the boys to the bowling alley, but there were no lanes available, and they weren’t interested in seeing a movie with him, so my dad took them back to the resort pool. My mom started her facial at 10:00 AM. I got the boys squared away and was back in the spa by 10:20 – with plenty of time to spend in the spa facilities. Sauna, eucalyptus steam room, hot tub, and the cascading shower… I think I spent most of my time in the steam room and cascading shower. So nice…

And then my treatment –

Goddess of the Sun Ritual
The ultimate in Goddess pampering. Starting with a full body exfoliation with coconut cream combined with your choice of an infusion: Coconut, Starfruit, Passionflower or Pineapple. Once fully exfoliated you will then receive a hydrating body wrap with exotic nut oils from the South Pacific along with a cool stone facial and warmed scalp massage. This treatment brings out the Goddess in you. 80 minutes

My favorite part? The Vichy shower – 9 shower heads moving back and forth while you are lying down… Divine!

Once I was wrapped up and she started the scalp massage, I don’t remember anything until it was done. So relaxing…

My dad came and picked us up. We went to the California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. I ate quickly and headed over to H&M for shopping while my parents and the boys finished up.

My first trip to the dressing room, I had 16 items to try on. While I was in there, the ZBoys came in looking for me. Two more trips through the store and back to the dressing room. I only ended up buying 3 items in the end – a pair of skinny purple pants, a purple/black dress and a turquoise halter top.

While I would have LOVED to shop more, the boys were restless, so we headed back towards the resort. My parents dropped the us off at the MGM Grand Casino. We got there just as the lions came out to play. A brother and sister, just 16 months old. Totally playful and fun. We spent a good hour there, then got some ice cream. We took a quick walk over to M&M World, and i let each of the boys choose from the wide array of colors and flavors and each left with a small bag of m&ms. I called my dad and he picked us up.

My dad had to exchange some shirts that he bought at Old Navy the previous day for another size. We drove there with him, but there were no parking spots nearby. I dropped him off and the boys and I went over to Borders, where I bought a copy of Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich.

After a LONG time, my dad was finally done with his exchange and we picked him up and headed back to the room for dinner in.

After showers and pjs, the boys were in bed, and I was exhausted. I checked email, did a little bit of work, watch Step It Up and Dance with my dad and went to sleep.

DAY 3 (Saturday)
We all got up around 8 AM. We puttered around, trying to figure out what to do for breakfast, and just ended up eating cereal with milk. My parents had plans with my Godfather, and they dropped us off at Mandalay Bay so I could take the boys to the Shark Reef Aquarium. First we checked out the huge aquarium in the lobby. The boys climbed and gave me some good photo ops. We were there before the aquarium opened, so we stood in the long line at Starbucks for a steamer and an apple turnover.

Finally we walked through the casino/hotel all the way back to the aquarium. I bought tickets and we still had 5 minutes to spare before the doors officially opened. Once they did, we each got an audio tour wand and headed in. The boys really liked the audio tour and having their own wand. The quickly got the hang of punching in the numbers for each exhibit. We saw a golden crocodile and a water monitor first off. And it was a really nice tour. All in all, it took us about an 90 minutes to get through – we took our time and listened to each presentation. We all got to touch horse shoe crabs and rays in the touch tank. We also spent a long time looking for and at the sea turtle in the last tank.

After the aquarium we went to the gift shop and I bought the boys two good sized plush sea turtles. I also ended up buying the photo they took of us when we first came in – since it was likely the only picture of the 3 of us I would have from the vacation.

We headed out to the tram that would take us to Excalibur. Zander and Zevan were very excited to walk through the castle. They were thrilled that it actually had a moat AND lots of knight’s armor displayed.

We crossed the street to the MGM Grand and had lunch at The Rainforest Cafe. I had my first drink of the trip – a rainbow colada, mmm…. The boys had sundaes after they finished their lunches.

We went by the Lion Habitat after lunch. Two different lions were there today, these were older lions, so they mostly just laid on each other. They were really close to us, and really beautiful lions.

After that, we took a cab back to the resort. We went up and changed and then headed down to the pool. We had a fun time- the boys have really come a long way in the water. Zander can swim about 10 ft to me underwater. Zevan can put his head under for 9 seconds now and bob one time. I took some video of the boys swimming.

After a shower and change, we all headed over to The Outback for dinner. I was looking forward to a nice leisurely dinner and a Patron margarita.

Not to be. Zevan was complaining that his butt was itchy and was irritable and crying about it. After we ordered, I took him to CVS and and picked up some medicated wipes and hydrocortisone. And I fixed him up there in the van. Oh, the joys of motherhood.

When I got back to the restaurant, there were NO parking spots. None. I drove around 3 times. I finally found a spot and we went back in. Of course, my parents and Zander were pretty much done with their dinner and Zander wanted to go. I was irritable with hunger and just asked curtly if I could have a few minutes to eat.

I ate quickly – warm steak and lukewarm salad – I didn’t have time or energy to ask them to reheat my food. I was pretty annoyed. Zevan had grilled chicken and fries. My dad took Zander for walk outside.

We made an attempt to see the Bellagio Fountains on the way. Zander kept saying he didn’t want to go. When we got there, we couldn’t find any place to park. After the first two parking garages, we gave up and headed back to the resort.

It was pretty late. The boys got a bath and into bed. I did some preliminary packing, did a load of laundry, checked email, then read my book for a long time before falling asleep.

DAY 4
Checkout day. My parents were up early, and I got up and started gathering everything to pack up. We had to be checked out by 10 AM. As I was packing, my mom let me know that they were going to church at 8 AM. She looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and told her there was no way I could pack and get the boys dressed to go in an hour. She mentioned finding a later mass, and I told her that it was fine – they should just go and we’ll be ready to go when they return.

While I packed, the boys had a breakfast of blueberries, peach yogurt and cereal. I let them play with their Leapsters. We all got dressed and then I packed up our suitcase and snacks and put them in the car. I packed up our swim bag so we could go swimming after check out and put that in the car. My parents got back and I got the rest of their bags in the car as we emptied out the refrigerator and pantry. We packed the cooler and then we checked out. Whew!

My parents went to Chinatown with my godfather and his wife while the boys and I went down to the resort cafe for breakfast (the boys had breakfast burritos and I had a breakfast croissant). Then we changed in the locker room and got into the pool. I read for a while on a lounger. Then I joined them in the water for more fun and a few more videos.

We showered and changed in the locker room. I grabbed a drink from the bar – an overpriced premium Patron margarita that was oh so tasty. The boys got juice and chips for a snack. My dad called while we snacked. I told him to pick us up in half an hour. He *thought* I said to leave where he was in half an hour. We were in the lobby a long time waiting – I actually dozed off while the boys climbed and clamored over me.

He picked us and we went over to the Bellagio to catch a fountain show. While we waited, there was a really great display of trainsets and Americana near the lobby. The boys loved it. And they really enjoyed the fountain show. It was crazy hot outside, but we got a tiny bit of shade and being near the water helped. After the fountain show, we spent more time looking at the displays inside. Then we headed back to the car.

We picked up lunch for the boys and headed to my godfather’s house. More yummy crabs for me. We hung out there, repacked the coolers and then finally headed out around 7:00 PM.

THE DRIVE HOME
I took the first shift and drove for 4 hours. The boys actually fell asleep by 9 PM this time and stayed asleep the whole night. Around 11:45 PM, we stopped for gas (we were nearly on empty, and I was nervous we wouldn’t find a gas station on time). We pulled in to a station at Elsinore, CO. They were closed but the pumps were open.

As we finished filling up, I noticed two children – a boy and a girl, about 5 and 6 years old, playing near the station. I didn’t see an adult anywhere around. As we pulled out, I circled the lot and confirmed that there were no adults/parents nearby. My parents actually suggested that these children were ghosts. I had to admit, it seemed an awful lot like those 80s horror movies. We passed an open garage door on a home about 150 yards from the station, and I wondered if they had snuck out.

I had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped at the next stop to do that. There were police having a coffee there, so I went over and told them about the children I saw. They called dispatch to send someone over there. I felt better about that.

My dad took the next shift. I slept in the back. I awoke briefly when they stopped to switch so my mom could drive. Then I went back to sleep. The next time I woke, we were stopped again – at the Colorado border, just outside of Grand Junction. I took another shift of driving. We stopped for the last time in Castlerock for breakfast at BK.

I took the boys to the bathroom. I picked up Zevan so he could pee, and he said he had to poop. Since I was already holding him, I told him to pee first. He did. And at the same time, he pooped. On my shorts. And my sandal. YUCK. He had also messed in his pants. GREAT.

My mom knocked on the bathroom door, and I let her stay with Zevan so I could clean up, go to the car and get a change of clothes for Zevan and me.

I came back, we all cleaned up and then FINALLY sat down to eat. I’m not a big fan of fast food breakfast, but it was convenient and I knew the boys would eat it, so there we were.

After eating, my dad took the last shift into town. It was so nice to get to our exit and head home. We dropped my parents off first, unloaded their luggage and cooler.

Then I took the boys home. Unloaded our luggage and cooler and cleared out the car.

We were home! YAY!

Tonight the ZBoys and I are embarking on a road trip to Las Vegas with my parents.

I’ve been prepping for a while now. The van has had an oil change and now has 4 brand new tires. I took EVERYTHING out and vacuumed and Armor-All-ed it. I put in a bag of books and toys for the boys. We’ve got a first aid kit, my toolbelt, a blanket and jumper cables.

Our suitcase is packed and already in the van – filled with our clothing, toiletries and pool accoutrements. I’ve got DVDs and audio books on CD for the boys already in the van. I charged and packed up their Leapsters. I brought the Uno cards.

I have their booster seats set up with their seats slightly reclined because we are driving through the night. We have 3 drivers – and 12 hours of driving time ahead of us (not counting potty stops and meal stops).

I’ve got snacks – pumpkin seeds, Craisins, beef jerky, Mini Fruit Roll Ups, dried edamame beans, trail mix and graham crackers. I still need to stock the cooler with water, juice and diet Coke.

I’ve got to grab my laptop and running shoes and I think I’m done. Anything else I forget we can buy when I get there.

I’ve got 2 plans/goals in Las Vegas – 1) Shop at H&M and 2) Spend a half day at the Spa Costa del Sur

Other than that, it’s pool time and visiting sites time with the ZBoys and meals with my father’s high school friends, including my godfather, who actually lives in Las Vegas.

Some possibilities
Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage
The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
Lion Habitat at MGM Grand
M&M’s World
Lied Discovery Children’s Museum
Zoological – Botanical Park
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix
The Aquarium at the Silverton Hotel

…And of course the fountains in front of the Bellagio

The volcano is under renovation until October, bummer.

If we do 2 or 3 of these things, that would be more than enough. I plan on spending as much time as we can at the resort pool (and hope that they have cabanas for shade… )

It’s been ages since I posted… and a lot has been going on.

HEALTH
I’m on the losing end of a battle with a sinus infection that will not die. This is the one I had in April, and I thought I was rid of it, but it came back. I’ve already been through one round of antibiotics and treatments from Dr. Callahan, and it’s still lingering.

Tomorrow I will start the next round of antibiotics – the kind that will make you violently ill if you ingest any alcohol – even mouthwash or marinade.

FITNESS
I’ve been running about 2-3 times per week. Climbing 1-2 times per week. On Monday I did the Incline in 46:33 with Rose Ena and May and May’s 2 nephews.

NUTRITION
Pass.

WORK
Work has been steady, all maintenance and current clients. That’s my goal through the summer. When the kids are back in school, I’ll be more open to accepting new clients.

FAMILY
Doug and I have been enjoying NetFlix selections – movies and most recently, the 3rd season of Weeds and the first half of the first season of Californication. We’ve enjoyed a few date nights these past few weeks as well.

We took the ZBoys to see Kung Fu Panda – a movie that we all enjoyed.

The Zboys have been going to their Summer Blocks program, enjoying the new backyard ponds at my parents’ house, and a kiddie pool at Doug’s parents’ house. They are also attending currently attending swim lessons – Zander has really improved – he can back float, front float and bob under water – 5 times, as well as hold his breath underwater for 5 seconds. Pretty amazing stuff. Zevan is also doing well, although he had some issues during the first few classes this session. He can also bob a couple of times and put his head in the water.

Zander is now an amazing reader. He can read so many words! He reads every sign and poster and words he sees. It seems like it all happened so quickly.

Zevan is reading well, too. He’s read the first 4 Bob books (Level A, Set 1) to me. I’m so excited for both of them.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

We had a fantastic 4th of July at Tom and Georgiana’s house – with an awesome, civilized fireworks display viewed from the Cheyenne Mountain Resort Golf Course.

We have had visits from out-of-town friends. First, Keith and his daughter Autumn, who have been living in Australia for the last 3 years. We had lunch at my parents’ house, and we met up with the ZBoys for a free swim at the Aquatic Fitness Center.

Most recently we had a visit from Jimmy, Rose Ena, Rob and Ariana. The Zboys thoroughly enjoyed their company – as did Doug and I. We had a great time – hiking Seven Bridges Trail on Saturday, a couples night out on Saturday night, a BBQ on Sunday, the Incline Monday morning, dinner at Il Vicino Monday night, then the zoo and a sleepover on Tuesday (Rose Ena accompanied me to girls night out while the guys stayed home with the kids and watched The Mist) – and finally breakfast at Denny’s this morning before they headed to Ouray for camping.

MEDIA
I’m hooked on the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I finished High Five and am next in line for Hot Six at the library (all 9 copies (including 2 large print) are checked out. Seven Up is ready for pick up. Oh, and I just found out that there was a new Atticus Kodiak book by Greg Rucka Patriot Acts was published last year!

I’m watching reruns of The O.C. – I really miss that show. For my reality fix, I’m watching Design Star – and there is even a likeable contestant from Colorado Springs to root for, Matt Locke!

Good grief.   

So, today I went for a 7 mile run, then went climbing, then went to the pool with the boys for 45 minutes before their swim class started.

I took a shower while they started class, and when I came back out, Zevan had to go potty.  So we headed back into the locker room.  We went through the first door, then I held open the 2nd door, and Zevan slipped on the wet floor (Zander had fallen in the same spot just before we went swimming just an hour earlier), and I saw his head hit the side of the door.

He immediately started screaming, and I scooped him up, and we headed into the locker room so I could comfort him.  As I walked in, several girls in the locker room started screaming, “He’s bleeding!  His head is bleeding!”

I looked down and blood is just pouring down the side of his head.  CRAP.   

I sat him down and tried to find the general place where it was coming from.  Then I pressed a towel against it.  Everyone is looking at me, chattering advice and whatnot.  I loudly asked through the din, “Can someone please get me a lifeguard?!”  Sheesh.   

May had JUST left with Madison minutes before.  I asked someone to check my locker for my phone.  No dice.  She offered hers, but of course I don’t know May’s number   

The lifeguard came in, already with gloves on and a bunch of gauze pads.  They cleared out the locker room.  For 10 minutes, she just kept swapping out the blood filled gauze for a clean one.  They decided to call the EMTs.  This whole time, Zevan is screaming. I’m kneeling in front of him, trying to keep him focused on me, and asking him to take some deep breaths.    Every so often, he’d reach up, touch my face with his little hand, and repeat, “Mama, mama, mama, mama…”  then start crying again.

Another 5-10 minutes goes by (who knows?) and finally the bleeding is subsiding.  The EMTs arrive.  He’s now calmer for longer than he is upset.  They offer him a sucker, which he gladly takes.  The EMTs suggest that he be taken to the hospital to be seen and are giving me the option to take the ambulance or take him in my car.  Meanwhile, Zander is finishing up his swim class and wondering where I am.  I tell the instructor to tell Zander that we’ll be out in a minute (the locker room is still closed so they can clean up the blood).  I tell the EMT that I’ll take Zevan to Penrose Main (in the hopes that my mom is working tonight)

I ask to use the phone, and I call Grandma and Grandpa – they leave immediately to pick up Zander.  Then I call Doug to tell him what’s going on.  I try to call my parents to see if my mom is working (she works at Penrose Main).  No answer.

I see Zander through the glass, shivering because I’m not out there with his towel.  The EMT is trying to talk to me, and I interrupt him again – I need to get to my other son, please.

Zander is visibly relieved to see me and is very concerned about Zevan and asks him how he is feeling.  I explain the situation, and he’s very agreeable.    Zevan would rather go with Grandpa, too, please. 

We head out to the parking lot, and wait for Grandpa.  When he shows up, Zevan and I head to Penrose Main.  I keep him talking to me so I know he’s not unconscious or showing signs of a concussion.

We get to the hospital, and I carry him in.  We check in and we wait.  Doug shows up.  And we all wait.  Then we FINALLY get in and they take his info and vitals.  Then we go back into the waiting room and wait.  Doug goes to Burger King and gets us dinner.  He also points out to me that my shirt has blood all over it. I hadn’t even noticed.  My parents call – from Denver – my mom’s not working today   I call May and vent a bit.

Doug returns with food.  We eat it, play with Zevan’s kids meal toy and wait even more.  I tell Doug he should just go home.  Just as he is getting up to leave, they call us back.  We go into one of the triage rooms.  They hook him up to the monitor.  And we wait some more.  I tell Doug again to just go home.  It’s already past the boys’ bedtime, and Zander needs to go to sleep.

Zevan and I cuddle on his little triage bed.  It’s actually kind of nice to spend time together, snuggling, with no other distractions.  I’m exhausted, and he’s in good spirits, so it’s okay. 

The doctor finally comes in and takes a look.  He tells me it’s fairly superficial, and that it doesn’t look like he needs stitches.  He’ll send someone in to clean it up.   

Again we wait.  And cuddle and play. And then someone comes in – she cleans it up – he protests, and whines a little, but it’s fine.  I *finally* see the actual cute for the first time.  It’s about a half inch long and already scabbing over.  She puts neosporin on it, and we’re good to go.  I ask about swim class on Monday.  She needs to ask the doctor.  Then the check out nurse comes in and I ask again about swim class on Monday.  She also needs to ask.  Then she comes back in and tells us it’s okay.  We can go home!  YAY!  It’s 8:20 PM.

On the way home, we stop at King Soopers to pick up some groceries and a treat for him.  My parents call – on their way home from Denver.  As we are checking out, my parents show up at King Soopers – they just HAD to see Zevan.    My mom asks how I am, and I tell her I have to be fine right now, glancing at Zevan.  Truth be told, I’ve been wanting to cry ever since the first drop of blood.  But that has to wait.

Now I’m home, the boys are in bed, and I’m too tired to even cry, I think.  I need to get out of my bloodstained clothes and get some rest.

Everything’s fine.  We’re all okay.  I just needed to get that all out.

And I’ll need some back up when I ask the AFC to install some slip proof flooring in that entry way.