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Sunday, April 22, 2018

Moses supposes our noses are roses*

We have lived here for—what?—eight, nine months now and we still haven't gotten over how dry it is here. Andrew's hands are so dry and cracked it's not even funny and the children have started having bloody noses at random. Rachel was getting them so frequently that we finally thought to get her some nasal spray to help keep things...moist. It seems to have helped her.

One day she was in a particularly sour mood after school and she kind of bit my head off when I asked her to practice the piano. I wanted to just ignore her attitude, but when I heard her sniffling at the piano I decided I had better check on her.

"Rachel, honey," I said. "You know that piano practice is a daily thing. I'm not trying to be mean about it and hope I didn't sound angry when I asked you to practice. I thought I asked you normally but if I raised my voice, I'm sorry."

"It's not that," she quavered.


"But it's something," I noted. "Did anything happen at school?"

Yes. Something happened at school. She opened up and spilled the whole story right there over the keyboard, but that wasn't all she spilled. Right near the end of her story (or maybe it wasn't actually near the end but it was about to be!) she also started dripping blood all over the keyboard.

"Oh, Rachel," I said, jumping up and giving her shoulders a squeeze. "I'm really sorry that happened and I know I don't sound very sympathetic right now but I am! I'm just going to run and get some tissues for you!"

"Whaaaa...? Oh, man!" she said, cupping her hands over her face to catch the blood.

So she dealt with her bloody nose and I tried to be sympathetic about both things (but sometimes I'm not very good at being sympathetic because I just want my kids to stop crying rather than letting it all out but it's good to let all those big feelings happen, I think, so I try to be sympathetic (but it's really not my strong suit)).

She'd had a rough go on a math test (which is rather traumatic when you're accustomed to doing well). I promised I'd help her work on what she didn't understand. When she brought her home later in the week it was all quarts and gallons and pints and yards and miles and inches and feet and...all y'all's system of measurement is straight up nonsensical. She was like, "Help me, Mom!" and I was like, "Uh, yeah, no wonder you got these questions wrong, girl! This stuff is messed up!"

Having done grade school largely outside of the United States, I never really learned US customary measurements (base ten is where it's at, folks). But we worked on it a bit together anyway because sometimes you have to embrace the crazy (5280 feet in a mile. Ain't nobody got time to recall that. Sheesh).

Speaking of embracing the crazy, Andrew's semester is over. He taught his last class on Wednesday which, in theory, has freed up his schedule considerably. Thank goodness because Thursday morning (I think it was) was so crazy, but Andrew was around to help deal with it because he hadn't left for campus before anyone else woke up (for the first time in a long time—he taught a first-thing-in-the-morning class this semester (ouch)).

Benjamin woke up with a bloody nose and his room very quickly turned into what looked like a crime scene because, see, his nose wasn't only actively bleeding. No, no. His sneezing reflex had also been triggered. So he was bleeding...and he was sneezing...and blood was spraying everywhere.

It was so bad.

There were blood splatters on his bedding, his water bottle, the wall, the ceiling.

The trail continued into the bathroom: the floor, the sink, the stool, the shower curtain.

Benjamin took a shower, I took the bathroom, and Andrew (graciously) took the bedroom. Somehow** we managed to have everyone ready for school and out the door at the appointed hour, even though Benjamin wasn't sure he should go (in case his nosebleed started up again). But he did go and he had a great day and it was so lovely out that we stayed to play at the park after for quite a while (with no bloody noses in sight).

* I know it's really toeses. 

** Somehow = because Andrew was home to help deal with everything. Otherwise...I dunno. Things wouldn't have gone as smoothly, that's for sure.

2 comments:

  1. You could try a humidifier. Exra and sadie get bloody noses all the time. Last time ezra was puking he had one....it looked like someone had died there was so much blood amd puke everywhere. Ugh. I miss never having to use lotion or chap stick.

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  2. Sorry for all the bloody noses and chapped hands. And for the trouble with measuring. I rather like feet and inches because I got used to it, and can better picture someone 6 foot 4 vs. such and such meters, but I can see where tens are easier.

    I can't believe Andrew's year of teaching is over already. This year is flying!

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