Urpiness (adj.): feeling as though urping is imminent.
Ah, the joys of parenthood. It’s a wonder sometimes that the whole human race hasn’t been wiped out by germs and viruses – when we have a situation like we have now, where the three of us are handing illnesses around like hot potatoes, I really wonder how the species got this far. Evan’s had a second round of urpiness, Jan’s feeling urpy, and I’ve never really stopped feeling urpy. The only real unexpected part is really trying to figure out who will be the next to lose their lunch. Place your bets now. For breakfast this morning, Evan’s had a chopped-up banana and some Cheerios (minus milk) as finger food, and I’ve let him pace himself on how fast he wanted to put it down. So far, so good – I’m finding that in many cases, taking a bit of a zen approach and letting him choose his own pace is the key to figuring out what’s up with him. And I have yet to see him feed himself so fast that it comes right back up. I know it’ll happen someday, and that I can’t let him graze freely forever, but for right now it’s useful. Me, I’m still down to one meal a day – I just don’t feel like my stomach can handle any more than that. (I tried to eat twice on Saturday, and paid for it rather messily.) But I’ve got this perpetually dizzy/shaky thing going on that makes me suspect I need to be eating more – I feel really disoriented. I’ve been hitting the multivitamins for the first time in ages to compensate. Maybe I should try some banana slices and O’s…
Potentially more troublesome was my wife freaking out, after bringing Evan home from having his chickenpox shot on Tuesday, when I told her I don’t remember ever having chickenpox when I was little. Apparently this is a biggie, because the vaccine was after my time. Evan came home early from day care on Friday with a high fever, which apparently isn’t that uncommon; a few days after getting the shot, kids can run this little fever for 2-4 days. But if he’s got a fever, he’s contagious, and between not having had the vaccine at any point in my life, I’m the most likely target. And according to everything I’ve read, if I’m exposed while my immune system is already distressed (see above week-long bout of urpiness), I’m really screwed. But despite Jan’s efforts to keep me separated from Evan for a couple of days, in the end, if I’m really screwed, I’m already really screwed and we might as well buckle up for the ride (and the medical expenses).
I was watching the Disney Channel’s newfangled CGI-animated take on Winnie the Pooh – you know, the show where Pooh and Tigger are detectives and Christopher Robin is nowhere to be found (what’s up with that?) – and happened to notice in the end credits that the show’s music is by Andy Sturmer. Holy Jellyfish! Though now that I think about it, there is something very Jellyfish…ish…about the show’s music. In a “Bye Bye Bye” / “Ignorance Is Bliss” kind of way. I’m always glad to find out that one of the ex-Jellyfish guys has landed some sweet deal. Sturmer is kind of conspicuous by his absence from the ranks of Jellyfish alumni with burgeoning solo careers, aside from fleeting appearances on the L.E.O. album a few years ago (has it been that long already?), so it’s cool to hear what he’s been doing with his time: sounding like Pooh.
OK, Evan’s just dumped his last few O’s in the floor, put the empty plate on his head like a hat, and taken off into the rest of the house at a run. Looks like the zen approach worked again – I’m glad somebody’s feeling better.… Read more
