10/28/07 Halloween weekend

It should have been a free-wheeling, fun weekend, as much as it can be with a sometimes ornery baby. It had all the makings of an even joyful weekend, except for one life-altering detail: migraine. This one just won't go away, and drags down everything I try to do. Much of the weekend is a fog, but I have photos to look back on moments as good ones.

Saturday morning, I took Katrina to a "demolition sale," which is a sale held at a house that will soon be demolished. People arrive with tools to haul off any usable scrap they can find: flooring, windows, light fixtures...and in our case, a plastic playhouse. With Katrina in the backpack, I took a quick survey and decided that despite a few chewed-on spots, it was worth $75 to us. Slapped a "sold" sticker on it, and told them Dave would be back with the pickup later.

When Katrina and I got home, Dave had the boys out at a swim lesson, leaving two balloons unguarded from the innocent and joyful attention of a baby. Katrina had a great time playing with these balloons, that were losing just enough helium to be at floor level but still bouncy.



Boy, were the boys psyched about the new playhouse! They wasted no time climbing up top, where Julian got stuck. We should have our friend Eric tell them about the time he and a pal climbed a cliff and ended up getting rescued by helicopter. Up is easier than down, boys!

At least he's wearing a helmet. They're having a grand time with the playhouse.

Meantime, Katrina hunted birds.


Then we got all three into the car with a bag full of jammies and favorite stuffed animals, and all three went to Tonya's for a Saturday sleepover! Katrina wasn't the only baby there; Blake, 4 weeks older, has been going to sleepovers for months. Tonya said Katrina did just fine, went right to bed and slept all night with no problems. She's known as an "easy baby" when it comes to sleep. I can't complain about that!

I wish we could have made more of the night though. Dave and I went out to dinner, but I couldn't stop thinking about a hot bath, big frumpy sweats and a pint of ice cream. We watched a movie at home, but I had to fight to stay awake, and gladly surrendered when I could finally lay my throbbing head down. And that was the best day out of the last 13 I've had, as headache-days go.

Then today, Sunday, we had two Halloween events. One was another fabulously well-organized halloween party by our 2004 group, including trick-or-treating at little stations where grownups sat down and handed out treats.



Betsy and I get to enjoy our "celebrity status" for a little while longer as the seasoned moms-of-three; two more are expecting their third, and they're always very anxious to get the scoop from those of us who live it! I sure wish I could be more helpful, but the best experience I can offer is to say that it gets more variable and unpredictable. Going from 0 to 1 babies was a big shock to all of us, 1 to 2 really solidified our lives as "parents," but 2 to 3 seems to vary more from family to family. The personalities and family dynamic factors in much more now, since the older kids are old enough to have a much bigger impact on how things work. This could be why 1->2 was so hard (Gabriel was two), but 2->3 has in many ways been easier (Gabriel is five).

Later, we went Webb Ranch for a pumpkin patch outing, since our favorite one with the train is now closed for good. This is a nice farm, with berry-picking and a fruit stand and Christmas trees.

And lots of Halloween activities, including a haunted house and a jump house. Guess who actually went into a jump house and stayed for quite a while!

Meantime, Gabriel and the other kindergartners (plus some younger siblings gamely keeping up) ran up and down the hill.

Incredibly, we had successful group photo-op. We were all shocked at how cooperative and hammy the kids were! (Look for Julian hiding behind his new BFFs disguised as ladybugs.)


Katrina and Dylan made the best of the situation, for a few seconds, anyway.


I skipped the traditional pizza dinner out afterward though, since dealing with wiggly Katrina at a crowded restaurant would have been miserable. When she's walking...my new mantra. My life will change drastically. But for now, I have to keep little creepy-crawler's fingers safe from getting stepped on.

Still, dinner-making at home was torture, even though I had a yummy chicken parmesan all ready to go. Every move excruciating, every step a calculated risk. I'm getting deeply resentful of the drain these headaches have on my life, and what a huge waste of time they are. When I was finally ready to sit down to dinner and try to relax for a few minutes, Katrina needed to go to bed RIGHTNOW, so back on duty again for another half hour.

Despite my growing despair, I couldn't help but laugh with her in the bathtub. It's very very funny for a bath toy to fall off my head, and just as funny when she manages to repeat the game herself. She was being so cute and joyful, it was a very nice time during a very awful time. These are the coping strategies I have to develop: push through the fog to make a point of remembering the moment, to have something good to think about later when the devastating pain surges again.

Speaking of something good to think about....aww, aren't they cute. I think this photo will have to do as *The*Halloween*Photo* even though the boys aren't standing. (When Gabriel doesn't want to sit for a photo, I can often get him to do it anyway by telling him I need him to take care of Katrina. And it's very difficult to get a photo without her in the middle, because both boys want to sit next to her!)


Long after the headache passes, photos like this will help me remember these times as nothing but fun and friends.

10/28/07