Swine Flu

Diana and Bailee went to the Swine Flu Shot-a-thon on Friday. They spent two hours sitting out in the cold and wind (poor planning on the Health Department's watch), waiting. Diana still does not qualify for a shot, but Bailee got hers. She ran a low grade fever on Friday and Saturday and did not feel well. Last night the fever disappeared and she perked right up. We heard that this is a normal reaction to the flu shot for kids, so don't freak out if your kidlets don't feel well post shot. Normal, normal, normal. It seems like half the population is freaking out about the H1N1 shots, but Dr. Oz (from Oprah) and every other doctor I have heard speaking on it say that it is not a risk. Given Bailee's asthma and the fact that she becomes extremely ill whenever she has a respiratory illness, we felt that it was important to protect her. As a teacher, I see how fast sickness can spread in a classroom, even when you are harping on hygiene and disinfection everything. Kids, by natural, are prone to passing on bugs. When it comes down to it, you have to decide for yourself (weighing out the risks etc.), but I am really glad Bee will have an immunity edge.

Yesterday we had to take Miss Ballet Star down to the Pointe Shop in Pocatello for new pointe shoes. Yes. Plural. The shank on her last pair of Grishkos (which I had hoped we could dye for the party scene) went soft in the center, so they have to be replaced. Ouch and dang! That meant we had to buy two new pairs for NUTCRACKER. She got another pair of Grishkos to dye, then begged for a pair of Gaynor Mindens. They are more expensive, but are designed to last far longer than other pointe shoes. Bailee's feet are stable right now, so we decided to go for it. I don't want to have to make another ballet run to Pocatello until spring.

Bailee gets her braces (last week we got spacers) this Tuesday morning. I think she's going for black and orange. I recall when silver train tracks were the only option. Times sure do change. She'll have to have clear for NUTCRACKER, but Dr. Mooso said she can play around this time, as they will replace them in late November/early October. We are certainly learning a lot this year!

Murphy's Law Day

What a day. I came home from a rough day at school to the news that Grandma and Bailee had a visit from the fire department an hour or so before. Our stove caught fire! No damage to the rest of the house, but the stove is a loss and will have to be replaced. Great.


Since we had no way to cook dinner (and we were feeling sorry for ourselves) we decided to go out to dinner. We stopped in at Red Robin, which is one of Bailee's favorites (she loves their onion rings). Two bites into our meal, Diana produced a piece of wire from her food and proceeded to cough and choke. We had to rush her over to the E.R., where they did x-rays to see if she had swallowed a piece of the wire. Given the deluge of swine flu fearful, it took well over three hours. No wire was found, but her throat was scratched and the incident provoked an asthma attack. They gave Diana a breathing treatment and told her to stay on a liquid diet for a while.


Red Robin and their staff were great about the whole thing. They didn't charge any of us for our meal and the corporate office is going to cover the cost of the hospital visit. The manager called several times this evening to check on Diana. I thought that was pretty decent. Mistakes happen to all of us, and I thought that Red Robin handled the incident in an honorable and caring way. Will we go back to eat there again? Yes. Accidents happen, despite our best efforts and precautions.

Happy Columbus Day

Only in America would the federal government take the day off to honor a man who didn't know where he was. Okay, I respect what Columbus did - it did take guts to embark on his journey, etc. However, the fact remains that he had not a clue as to the fact that he had just landed on a new continent. Amerigo Vespucci figured that out, and while he had the two new continents named after him, the man did not rate his own federal holiday. Go figure.

I have decided that I am allergic to my new school. I have been nursing a respiratory malady since school started, and it just is not getting better. No fever, but I sure feel terrible. At the moment I fear that I am moving into a case of bronchitis brought on by having my tissues so irritated. Very NOT fun.

Bailee is definitely the tween supreme. She had a major trauma drama meltdown this weekend. We were searching for a pattern for a new dress for Clara (her part in THE NUTCRACKER), but were unable to find anything appropriate. That led to tears and frustration over being so little. Honestly, she is not THAT little. Truth be told, she is growing like a weed. Unfortunately, she compares herself to all the American Amazons that surround her. Plenty of her friends are petite, like she is, but she only acknowledges those who are already over 5 feet tall. Poor girl. Life is SO hard when you are 11 and everything is the end of the world.

We attended the annual Harvest Fest held at Snake River Landing this past weekend. It was cold, but the sun was shining and we had a good time. Bailee had her favorite junk food - a Winder Funnel Cake. She also petted about 30 different dogs who had participated in the canine costume contest. Pretty cute. They ranged in size from minuscule to massive. There was a baby miniature Schnauzer and a full grown Bull Mastiff. Whoa! He was as big as (if not bigger than) the ponies that were giving pony cart rides to the kids.

We're prepping for Bailee's braces. Tomorrow she goes in to her regular dentist for a thorough cleaning and checkup. Next week they start installing the braces. Installing. Man, it even sounds horrible. I have these visions of construction workers that work on skyscrapers that I am NOT sharing with Bailee.

October At Last

I FINALLY had the time to download the 125 (!) photos on our digital camera, so I'm adding a few to this blog (even though they are out of date). This is a photo of Bailee's dance studio float filled with hot dancers at the end of the Spud Days parade.

Only Bailee would get a caramel apple with a smile on the bottom!

The brave Bailee on one of the "big kid" rides at the state fair. She apparently was looking forward to it!

Idaho's weather has turned, so it is goodbye to temperatures in the 80s and
hello to nightly freezes and highs in the 50s (if we are lucky). Fall has
arrived in earnest, which is actually a goo thing. It will
settle the kids at school down a little, and it is certainly nice to be finished
with marathon yard and garden work.

We cleared out the garden this past week and have picked most of our plums. Now we just have do the freezing and canning. It's a lot of work, but I actually enjoy it. This is a very cozy time of year. I have some fond memories of family sessions at the kitchen table cutting up vegetables as a kid. Those were good times. I hope Bailee enjoys those activities as much as we did.

Believe it or not, we have had our fist Parent-Teacher conferences. It seems disgustingly early, but I am certainly glad that they are behind me. Now we can settle down to the business of school. We are officially finished with open houses, dedications, and all that other garbage that has been added to our workload. I am hoping that we can all get into a nice routine now.

Stay tuned for the continuing drama of "THE CLARA DRESS." We found out that
the dress for Clara in THE NUTCRACKER weighs 30 to 40 pounds. It's always been
an issue for the girl playing the part, but it has become a major issue with Bailee. She weighs 60
pounds soaking wet and after a big meal ... less when she is dancing hard. I
have visions of her lurching across the stage like the Hunchback of Notre Dame! We're trying to
convince the studio owner that a new, lighter dress is in order. Otherwise we
may have to stuff helium balloons under the skirt!

I feel sorry for Miss Bailee this week. She is sure that we are trying to turn her into a pincushion! Thus far she has had a flu shot, her DPT booster, and the Menactra shot. She still has to get a pneumonia shot (her pediatrician advised this to protect her lungs if she gets the Swine Flu - she has asthma that really flares up when she is ill). Poor kid. Every one of those shots have really hurt. She has let us know that she is tired of sore arms and feeling puny afterward. Oh my. It's hard for her to see that this is supposedly for her own good.

Just to keep life from getting too boring, I'm having more car trouble. While
taking Bailee to eat
between dance classes, I noticed the sound of something dragging under the car.
Sure enough, there was a piece of metal hanging down from the engine.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!! I limped the car to Sunnyside Auto and am now waiting for word on what
is wrong. Huge dollar signs keep appearing before my eyes! This also left me
with no way to get to a class I was supposed to be taking at my district office
this morning. I hope that car trouble is a good enough excuse. This reminds me
of a picture from my Mary Engelbreit calendar - Life is just so DAILY! Isn't
that the truth?!