She finally succumbed.

Me: *seeing Teenager skip a hesitant near-love confession scene* Don't like the mushy stuff?

Teenager: Meh, it gets boring after the first one.

Me: Wait until you get twitter pated. Hey, have you even been twitter pated yet?

Teenager: I don't like Twitter.

Me: *doubles over laughing* *Teenager threatens to bombard me with popcorn*

I explained what twitter pated meant. He informs me it has not happened yet.

This pays him back for poking me in the cheek with a potato chip. We do not have the relationship my mother and I have.

IDK IS FOURTEEN!!!

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?!?

*flails*

His birthday present is a new phone. Mama A got him Spiderman cupcake cake. Brilliant! He's getting a bowling party this weekend, I'm staying home w/the Cuteness.

HE'S AS TALL AS I AM!!!

THERE IS STILL A MUSTACHE!!!
*flails*

do not survive kindergartners being ill. The Cuteness Chronicles are in their second day of "She vomited for no apparent reason twice in three days and yet afterwards is able to eat just about anything and the only reason she isn't getting ice cream is I'm concerned about dairy."

She stayed home Monday because of getting sick in the car on the way home from Mama A's. I get a call today from the school at 8 am informing me she was sick in the classroom, which is why they want kids to be upset tummy free for 24 hours before coming back. I picked her up and brought her back. She's eaten two decent meals and everything's staying down, so WTF?

It turns out His Royal Highness is suffering from a similar issue, so there will be no drives down to Bermania to pick up mice and visit Queen to Queen this week.

I now have to go roust IDK from his bedroom so we can get dishes done. He was Not Happy about being withheld from his video games until the dishes were finished. Chores, dude. Get used to it.

Or "Why I Missed a Weekend".

As some of you know, IDK got his appendix out Saturday. He complained of localized abdominal pain Friday night around 9pm. Echoes of Zahde's story of her appendix adventure rang in my head and I looked up the symptoms and then called Mama A to stay with Cuteness while we trundled off to the ER.

Three hours later, he's saying he's not in pain. I sigh and check with the triage nurses about blood work (its own drama due to IDK's terror of needles). Elevated white blood cell count.

Right. So an infection is in process. We're staying put.

By 2 am, we're in a room, FINALLY, and he gets trundled off for an ultrasound. I see something that looks like a sausage.

By 4 am, we're admitted to Peds and surgery is scheduled for Saturday morning because the surgeon on call didn't need a CT scan to see there's a serious problem. IDK passes out, finally and I get to sleep sometime around 5:30 after answering all the med history questions.

By 8 am, they're ready for the surgery. I drag myself out and along for the walk to OR, IDK has 5 med students observing today. One brunette takes one look at IDK's quiet weeping and covers her mouth, turns away. I smile ruefully. She comes back and talks to him gently, assuring him he'll be comfortable. My rueful smile gets bigger. They wheel him away and I stumble to the Atrium with an escort and then to the cafeteria for coffee, getting lost along the way.

I color, read a magazine, sing "Rooftops" as I'm all alooooooonnnneee. By 9:30 the surgeon and students come, let me know the appendix was very inflamed but intact and due to IDK's nervousness, they want to keep him until Sunday for observation. I'm fetched about 15 minutes later to walk to Recovery and then back up to the room.

Saturday is spent coaxing him to drink and move, with limited success. Saturday night we get him actually up and walking.

Today he ate breakfast, so they let us come home. He's currently watching reruns of Young Justice while I update and catch up.

Thank you, everyone who wished and prayed and worked for IDK's health and recovery!! I really appreciate it and it gives me a lot of comfort to know I have such a wonderful community.

Next time I'm taking the bloody laptop.