An Iowa Mom

If The Finger Fits ...

Guest Blogger Today - My Step-Father aka PawPaw. 

Why?

Well, he recently copied me on a story he shared with a friend.  It was his recollection of a conversation that took place between him and Molly a couple weeks ago. 

I asked him if I could share his version with you ... and he quickly granted me permission. 

Good grief! 

Too bad he couldn't have been so easy to persuade when it came to letting boys with pierced ears in our house.  The ones who drove up with Tone Loc's 'Funky Cool Medina' ba-ba-ba-booming, giving reason for our windows to rattle.  Ya know, back when I was 15 years old. 

Just sayin' ... PAW PAW ...

Ahem.

So, anyway, we're stepping back again ... to early July ...

G-daughter no.4, tender age of five, and I were sitting on the sofa together early in the AM and I was reading to her, as is our habit when I'm visiting.  She often rises early to snuggle and read. 

As I read, she was feeling my hands, fascinated by the difference between my hand and hers.  Arthritis has bent the 1st joint (distal phalanx) of three of my fingers, and she kept running her finger up and down them, feeling them.  They don't feel any different, they're just bent. 

Finally, she looks up at me and quietly asks, "What happened?"  I explained about arthritis.  She asked, "Do they hurt?"  I told her that happens 'sometimes'. 

Then, after a whole minute or so, she looked at me with this serious visage and asked, "Do you use these to pick your nose?" 

This is not the kind of thing about which my laughter is able to be constrained, so I woke up the rest of the household that morning, I'm sure.  During breaks for breath, I did explain that all fingers do that job equally well. 

I do so love Molly.

Welcome To The Chaos ...

Stepping back to late June ...

My mother and step-father made a long and tiring trip from Montana to visit us.  I'm pretty sure they just wanted to see the grandkids ... but Big Daddy and I are a part of that package, so they got stuck looking at our ugly mugs too!

Amazingly, after eighteen LONG months of not seeing their "Maw Maw & Paw Paw", the kids were able to spot their vehicle coming down the street from afar and I must admit were pretty gentle in their welcoming.

As far as my kids go that is ... 

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What fun we will have!! 

Stepping Back ...

Yeah ... I've been gone for awhile.  Again.  That should be nothing new for you, as it seems over the past year or so this has been a regular occurrence.  However, this time ... the reason has been just pure chaos. 

Some good chaos.  Some not so good.

Some that I'm anxious to share with you.  Some that I'm not.  But I will.

I'm going to step back a couple months.

And move forward.

Which will eventually bring you back to the present.

In time.

My Little Brown Eyed Girl

Yesterday afternoon I glanced over at Molly and noticed her eye was a tiny bit swollen, along with a small welt that resembled a bug bit.  I was not concerned, as we spent the entire evening the night before outside in a neighbors backyard ... along with approximately 1,394,502 pesky mosquitoes ... so the chance she was bitten was not a small one.

Complaining that it was a tad bit itchy, I dosed her up with some Benadryl and watched to make sure she kept her hands away from it ... and expected an early bedtime, like I do everytime she chews up one of those little purple tablets.  Just sayin'.  

Quite honestly, I just kinda blew it off and figured that she'd wake this morning and it would be gone.  Ya know?  Like any other bug bite.  Any other place.

But it looks worse.

Like this:

 
Oops, I suppose you can't really see much from her self portrait that she drew of her and Emily after she caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror. 

So, check this out:

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Has that ever happened to you or your kids?  I mean, what the heck?  Can a doctor do anything?  Or does it just take time?

And yes, obviously I'm thinking that my Internet friends are all medical professionals.  Why else would I be telling you all of this?