A Facebook Feed coincidence that reminds me that we are all on the same track in life.
Two of my totally unrelated by any means realms come crashing into the same topic.
Meanwhile we too had a noteworthy extended bathtime tonight since the twins discovered the sand box at the playground on the first day back to school. It was like they built sand castles in their hair.
A co-worker friend of mine came into my office with a very interesting question that I did not know how to answer. He asked if 1) it would be offensive or 2) just plain wrong of him as a non-Jew to post a mezuzah on his new home that he and his wife are building.
I honestly don't know how to answer this. I told him I would ask some sources and get back to him. So here I am asking.
After thinking a brief moment, I came up with this PC answer, hoping that it appeases him in this world of non-Jews where I am an outsider and a minority...the only one on my floor and in my entire company as far as I know.
I told him that if it was important enough for him to ask about it and to be considerate in the thoughts of others, then it must be meaningful for him in some way and that I would think that he should hang it up. Of course, he most likely won't have a a sofer write the thing or a minyan present when he hangs it or a rabbi to check it occasionally, so the religious significance is much less in any case. But he will feel peace at having it on his home (and some other quote on his back door) and not having a regret at not having that extra added protection in this world.
I still intend to personally question a few rebbitzens but I think he would never invite me over so it for sure wouldn't offend me,
He is also consulting with an "observant" friend of his, Brian, who lives elsewhere than the great state of Texas and I encouraged that as well.
So School is literally just around the corner and to make all the fervent running around getting school supplies and uniforms and diapers and pictures and new backpacks and lunchboxes and food for lunches just that much more complicated with 4 children and one driver and a host of other players, my little blonde bombshell has decided that he needs to walk around everywhere dragging a stuffed eagle parrot with him. At times he also adds a bright red parrot, a bear-headed monkey puppet or a kissy stuffed fish to the menagerie. Yesterday he was lining up cars and trains of all sizes and colors just to see if I was paying attention he started carrying a few of those around for a little while also. We went to his back to school bash for the twins and he had to have the eagle in the car where we saw a train IRL and he crowed "train, mommy, train" at least 5 times just to make sure I saw it. Then he wouldn't leave the eagle in the car and carried it around all through the school even though he knew that it was the same place he had been going most of the summer. The bouncy house was NOT for him, although his brother tried it and loved it until it got too crowded with older kids who made him bounce around more than he wanted. It's going to be another LONG year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatocele
I read this today when doing some research about something and I started to cry.
These things are what led my baby (OK so he's my oldest, but whatever) to have 1 then 2 chest tubes and ultimately lung surgery.
We pretty much early on had him tested for CF knowing that I was a carrier, but that Eran was not. Negative.
He also had a TB test in the hospital that was also negative.
Whatever caused these poor holes (I had been refering to them as pockets of air in my mind) in my baby was not very nice. And it took them lots of IV antibiotics and even some that had to be cleared by the CDC to get him better.
And he STILL had to have surgery.
Then the surgeon had the fortitude to blindside me with the news that it was NOT lung cancer when we went to his 6 week check up. I had no idea they were even considering this as an option or if it was just a routine test that they run when they have to take a tisse sample.
Um, I think I am glad to have been naive. And visibly pregnant at the time.
Isn't that always the case.
Thanks be to G-d for getting us all through it.
I guess I get sentimental around this time of year. His 6 week check up after the intial pneumonia was around Labor Day and the lung surgery was Sept 19. I always thought somehow that we would celebrate that day like another birthday - the day we got our little boy back.
...is no more.
We have outgrown our current bed room situation (the twins sleeping at the foot of my bed, sometimes even in their own toddler beds rather than between us and/or on my head) and have made the former guest room into a bedroom for the littles that will soon morph into a study for Yoni as well. And I'll be covering the mirrors with a curtain of some kind as soon as I can figure out how to do so.
I even had the opportunity to tell my mother in law this morning, on her daily call looking for her son who won't answer her calls because his ancient flip-cell phone (that he won't part with) isn't working, that when she comes to visit she and Avi won't have where to stay by us. She didn't seem too broken up about it.
But that also means that my brother and his family also won't have where to stay if they want to come play with (just) us for a weekend. :( Guess we'll have to re-invest in blow up matresses for my kiddos to sleep on.
And when my brother and I get together, for some reason lately, we stay up much later than we should - especially knowing that we have toddlers (and others) that will be needing attention a very few hours later...
So Jonathan lost yet another tooth this week and I am still incredulous that I was the one who pulled it. Tooth Fairy was tired and not very creative so he got a $5-note and a note that had fives all over it (and 5 flossers and a pencil). The *5* theme was for the 5 holes currently in his mouth.
Then last night he had a migraine, poor kid - or maybe it was dehydration, or lactose intolerance, or not wearing his glasses enough - whatever, he spent an hour puking up his lunch later that night. Of course I tried to keep the other kids at bay, didn't happen so well. Closed the bathroom door and much screaming ensued from the other side. And at some points there was lots of wailing and screaming inside the bathroom as well. Finally we got his clammy body under the shower for a minute or two then got some tylenol down him as well as a few sips of water, and he fell asleep sitting up in front of the porcelain goddess wrapped in a towel. We eventually got all the others out of the way and got him off to bed (with a trash can, just in case) You would think he was a college kid in a dorm room experiencing his first drunken, overindulgent party [Can't wait for those calls]. But no, he's my special 8 year old who must have over done it (again), whatever "it" was.
But even more impressive was that he just called from the grandparnents crowing that he learned to ride his bike [after grandpa removed the training wheels and inflated the tires]! (12:30 in the crazy Houston heat) Still has what to work on (getting on, turning, stopping) but he is such a great kid! So being the mom that I am, I heartily congratulated him and then admoinished him to drink something. Of course I meant water. well he goes to get a bottle of tea. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. that stuff dehydrates you. So I approve a bottle of powerade as a subsititue, still suggesting the water option. He pushes for the powerade, which we don't even have often in our house. Then it comes to light that he and his sister are eating a bowl of ramen noodles for lunch. With that going in their system, the need for electrolytes from sweating is greatly decreases since there is all that sodium and proceesed stuff that my system can't take anymore in those noodle bowls.
