Socialization Update

We're starting to establish networks and routines. Dani has gone out with girls twice now on the weekends, and she's not eating her sandwich in the bathroom stall by herself any more. I have some pretty good work friends that I get all jazzed when I see we're on the schedule together. One of my co-workers is expecting a baby & I went to her shower yesterday. It was fun. I realize now that a big reason that they hired me is the expectation that I will fill in for her when she's on maternity leave for 12 weeks -- the bad part is that she works full time & I really don't want that. Kind of wishing they'd been up-front about that expectation, but I am per diem & the beauty of that is I am completely entitled to say "no". And I plan to.

Nile was caught snoozing in class and I had to go up & talk to his teacher. A little bump on this new road of me being a single mom during the week: I go to bed before the kids (that's what happens when you have to leave your house at 6:00 to be on time for work). And Nile was staying up pretty late, apparently. World of Warcraft is addictive and should be a schedule II drug. I hope I've fixed that problem but not sure at this point. And Nile still says "fine" to every question, no matter how ridiculous. (how was lunch? did you like math class? what do you think of the teacher's purple mohawk?)

No full license for Dani yet, but she's driving again and doing fine. She even drove in some of the downpours we've had lately and came through like a champ. She actually is driving with more confidence here than in NJ; maybe it's because the roads are not all windy little two-lanes up and down mountainsides.

More freaky-deaky stuff at the house. I came home last week to find that the guest bathroom had flooded several rooms. Not badly & all on the stained concrete so no true damage, but still a pain. I called a plumber. He looked really hard but couldn't definitively find the source of the problem. Finally settled on this: one of the kids had plugged the toilet in the morning as we were frantically trying to get out the door (is there any other way to start the weekday? not at our house). Ummm....OK. So we clean up and I lecture the children. But then it happens again, days later: water appears (same area) and it's hard to find a source. It was not the toilet this time, so now I'm questioning whether it even was that to begin with. Anyway, everything clean and working and no water today. Hope it stays that way.

I'm having lunch with Cecilia this week, the woman from Michigan that I met online. We didn't realize we were both nurses (although she hasn't practiced in more than ten years) until she came over with her girls. But we have a lot in common and it's great to have a non-work, non-family friend. I found a good pediatrician, whom I had to call on this morning when Dani had her first Texas migraine (last night was loads of fun, but - hey - we stayed out of the ED so it's all good.)

I haven't been able to swim in the pool for a while. This tropical storm has made it either too rainy or too cool almost every day. Except of course, the days I work 12 hours and get home at 8:00 or 9:00 pm. Those are the nice, hot sunny days; I'm indoors and never even look out a window. Getting worried that the lap-swimming days are over unless I get used to having blue lips.