Stitches

We had our first really bad accident last Friday night. The day had been wonderful. Just before dinner, Glenn arrived home with a box full of belated birthday and Christmas presents from Aunt Kelly & co. He was thoroughly enjoying every minute of opening the packages. He had his bath and was watching Little Einsteins. I left the room to get his bottle and said to Glenn, "Can you please watch him for a minute?" "Sure," he replied. Well, not more than 2 minutes later, I hear Kannon cry and Glenn say "Oh my God, OH MY GOD,!" I turned the corner and saw Kannon, in Glenn's arms bleeding profusely from the face. Glenn turned his back for a minute to get on the computer (which I have told him a THOUSAND times NOT TO DO!) and apparently Kannon grabbed our dog, Lucy and she bit him.

It was pretty bad. He had 1 puncture wound above the lip and the other started next to it and tore down through his lip. We took him to the ER and, fortunately, were sent to the "fast track". "Fast Track" is a relative term, however. We arrived around 8:30 and did not see a doctor until around 10:30.

She decided that it would be best to call in a plastic surgeon to do the stitches. Because the bite ripped through the vermilion border (his lip line) if it was stitched carelessly, his lips could have been permanently misaligned. We had to wait for the doctor for about an hour. When he finally showed up, we quickly realized that he was worth the wait. He even brought his iphone preloaded with "Yo Gabba Gabba"! We tried to distract Kannon, but it was hopeless. He fought like crazy. All in all, he ended up with 5 stitches. It broke my heart.

He had his follow up with his plastic surgeon on Wednesday. Note to Kannon - maybe you should be a plastic surgeon! Then, you could have a beautiful office on Park Ave & 70th street where you could offer cappuccinos to your patients, too! The doctor said that it will likely be a permanent scar, but it is healing well. We can call him in 3-6 months if it still looks really bad.

Ironically, Kannon is more interested in Lucy than ever! He goes after her constantly and fearlessly. I guess he hasn't learned his lesson, but I have and I really hope Glenn has!

Rejuvenated

Today, I feel as though my soul has been rejuvenated. I hate this time of year. I hated it before losing Dashiell. The days are generally cold and gray. There are no holidays to look forward to. It just seems to drag until Spring nears and the daylight lasts longer. Having lost Dash on Christmas day gave me a whole new reason to detest this time of year. I returned to work 8 days after giving birth to him. In retrospect, I realize how stupid that was. When I think of this time of year, it brings me back to sitting at my desk alone at American Express crying all day long. Last year, although much better, was still really rough. I found out that I was losing my job on 1/14. Kannon was in the ER on 2/2 and my back deteriorated beyond the point of no return on that same day.

That said, I feel like today is the first day of Spring. Why, you ask? Because yesterday, for the first time since August 2008, I had a date with Glenn! To make it even better, the date consisted of a wonderful Broadway show (Ragtime) and dinner at an Italian restaurant. The show was fantastic. Ironically, Glenn and I saw the original Ragtime almost 12 years ago to the day, on 12/31/97. It brought me back to that time, which to be honest, did make me a little sad. I was an actress auditioning full force back then. Now, I'm the right age for my type and I can't help but to wonder what my life would have been like had I trudged through and stuck with it. On the flip side, I most likely would not have Kannon or Dash.

The show resonated with me in an whole new way now that I am a mother. I heard so many of the lyrics, which I've heard a million times, in a new way. The subject matter is particularly relevant now, given the economic meltdown, Obama as president, etc. It reminds me how far we have come, but how far we still have to go.

At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and sitting in a dark theater holding Glenn's hand. On the way home, we called to see how Kannon was and my dear friend, who was watching Kannon, suggested that we go out to dinner. At that moment, the heavens opened up and I heard angelic music. Really? Dinner at a restaurant with my husband? Can this be happening? We enjoyed ourselves immensely. When we got home, Kannon was sleeping. Of course, he woke up several times in the night with the teething and all, but I really didn't care. Yesterday was a fantastic day. Thank you, Taifa & Paul for the best present ever!!!

Hello 2010!

I have said goodbye to 2009 happily, but with mixed emotions. Many awful things happened last year, but I also had the opportunity to see my little guy grow up during his first year.

Bad memories:

• Losing my job
• Having back surgery and the looong recovery
• Living through a colicky baby while not being able to walk and trying to apply for jobs
• Not knowing when and if I' ever be employed again

Good memories (which far outweigh the bad):

• Getting to stay home with Kannon until he was just over 10 months old. (if only I could win the lottery and stay home with him permanently)
• Having my surgery done by an amazing surgeon at an amazing hospital
• Getting not one, but two job offers and ending up exactly where I should be
• A much closer relationship with my in-laws, especially after my father in law came out from Vegas not once, but twice to stay with us and help out during my recovery
• Having my entire family (almost) together to celebrate my niece's birthday
• Watching Kannon take his first steps, smile for the first time, learn to wave bye bye, watch him during his first "real" Christmas, experience his first birthday with him, watching him experience the zoo, the aquarium, sitting on Santa's lap, Toys R Us in Times Square, the swings, the park, etc.
• Glenn getting an agent - finally!
• Watching Glenn be the most amazing and engaged father ever
• A stronger, deeper relationship with Glenn

I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2010. Let's get this party started!