What we've been up to

Why, you ask, have I not been blogging? Well, in the past 2+ months, we've had

-5 calls to the pediatrician
-3 visits to the pediatrician
-1 ER visit
-1 urgent care visit
-1 visit to the plastic surgeon, and
-5 physical therapy appointments.

And thanks to our high-deductible health plan, we get to pay for all of it out of pocket. God bless America indeed. (Although I am fairly certain we have spent less than our taxes would/will increase with government-provided universal health care.)

I think my pediatrician thinks (a) I am crazy, (b) I never watch my children and/or (c) all of the above. After all, nothing inspires confidence in one's parenting skills like calling the pediatrician for the third time in a month and saying, "I think my preschooler just broke my toddler's nose with a pair of binoculars."

On our off days, we have managed to squeeze in a little fun.

We drove out to New Jersey to celebrate Poppa's birthday since he just happened to be in town (or 90 minutes away from in town). Two days late, but it's the thought that counts, right?

John and I went for a carriage ride in Central Park.

I was the victim of a minor hit and run while driving someone else's car. (In all fairness, not sure that really deserves a spot on the "fun" list.)

We read The Cricket in Times Square for book club then found a caterpillar on the sidewalk near our house. I can see it now---The Caterpillar in Sutton Place: A Sophisticated Companion Volume for the Child in Every New Yorker.

Evelyn and Samuel grew up too fast.

We saw semi-blasphemous advertisements on the subway.

In other advertising news, the borderline pornographic and completely inappropriate advertisement for the Showtime series "Hung" that graced the corner by Evelyn's school for about 6 weeks is now gone. Thankfully.

Evelyn had a birthday. Because I am the funnest mom ever (if not the most diligent; see above), she got three parties (friend, family, school) and an iPod Touch.

In related news, Evelyn now has her first Barbies. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Also, Laurel visited for Evelyn's birthday and bought her presents at the Disney store.

Also, we went to Shake Shack and discovered that blurry Hyrum bears an eerie resemblance to Voldemort.

We went to Canada to visit John's parents (of whom we took no photos; fail).

I entertained my children with YouTube videos.

John rode an electric scooter.

I crashed an electric scooter. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet.

We played at the playground.

It was a worthwhile trip, which is saying a lot since it required our driving 16+ hours in less than three days.

So, that's pretty much it. Interspersed among calling my pediatrician and enjoying the hospitality of various doctor's office/hospital waiting rooms, I managed to orchestrate a pretty decent start to fall. Bring on Halloween!