Less than Twelve Parsecs

Our family generally celebrates two Easter holidays every year. This first one, the American holiday, got a bit of everything: Easter Bunnies Egg Dyeing Egg Painting, and  An Easter Egg Hunt variation: bags of treats with chocolate eggs inside, due to a timely lack of the usual plastic egg containers at the store where the Bunny stopped for groceries. Later that day, Mara properly referred to this as an " Easter Bag Hunt ".  Anyhow, here are some of our fun moments! We made hard-boiled eggs. Some we painted with little brushes. And some others we dyed by leaving them in little cups with dye.  It took a looooong time, so we had a lot of conversations. Then we went on the trail of the Easter Bunny, whom kitty had seen hiding things around our yard.  We found 12 surprise baggies with chocolate eggs, bunny crackers and some small toys. Gaius discovered and picked up two of them.  Daddy found two as well, but let Mara do the picking.

Middle of the night. Bap. Bap. Bap. Bap... [endlessly]. Both Mommy and Daddy converge to the source of the noise: the door to Gaius's room. It's Mara, knocking. Parents: What is it, Mara? Mara: I was needing you, Mommy. Daddy goes back to sleep, I join Mara in her bedroom. She's looking at me with very large, lucid eyes. Mara: I think nice beetles give hugs. Me: They do? Mara: Yes. [giant nod] Mara: I have a lot of beetles in my bed. They are nice. I put them in this corner. She gestures toward the corner where she usually sleeps; now she's still lying in bed but closer to the door, I can only assume in an attempt to allow space for the beetles. Me: Are they dream beetles? Mara: Yes. They are A LOT. [another hugely convincing nod]. Me: I see. And they're nice and give hugs. Mara: Yes. Mara: And I have a baby praying mantis in my bed.  She is nice too. Mara: And a spider who is nice. The End P.S. This

The past week has been hard. So hard. Comparable to having a newborn just arrived home, while the dad and toddler are also sick, mom is recovering, and there's nobody else to help. It wasn't even a big deal, really: just Hand, Mouth and Foot disease. Writing "just" in front of it makes me bristle a bit though. It is a simple-enough coxsackie virus , very beautiful under the microscope. Once you got it there's nothing you can do but endure, but it has no long term repercussions. It should be simple, right? Well, what it did to us was "simple" as well if you look at each symptom, but the cumulation brought us into Armageddon. Here's the aftermath. Zombie-Plagued Face Award Out of all of us, Gaius had the best zombie-looking rash on his face: bumps on his chin, around the mouth and one surprising one on his left eyelid. He also sported some mild bumps on feet and hands and other parts, but those were barely noticeable and didn't

Mommy: How do you want to fall asleep for your nap today? Mara [eyebrows furrowed in concern]: I do not want to sleep. Mommy: When Daddy finishes eating, it is nap time. You can either go on a stroller ride, or read books in bed. How do you want to fall asleep? Mara [continued look of concern]: I do not want to choose. Well, there goes that parenting strategy...