What, me worry? Yes.

For the last few months I’ve been in a state of confusion.

Not in the comedic sense… but not in the overly dramatic sense either. Kind of a middle ground…

The writing has dried up… the ideas have vanished… and time has evaporated…

My life is, for the most part, good… I have a steady job, I have my health (save for this damn right foot that hurts beyond belief), I have a wife and daughters who love me, I have the means to build a house, I have the time to do things I enjoy… and yet… something’s missing.

And I have no idea what.

I just haven’t been in, the mood, to mingle lately… in real life or in the blog life. I read posts by my blogmigos, yet I don’t comment because I can’t think of anything to say or simply don’t want to…

I just don’t know…

Time Apart

Regular readers of my blog know that The Peanut Butter was diagnosed with a “seizure disorder” a little more than a year ago and was prescribed medication to combat it.

When she started kindergarten this year, HoMu and I, along with her teacher, noticed that at times she wasn’t paying attention in class, was easily distracted, seemed distant and un-interested and sometimes would act as though she didn’t know something even though she did the day or even hours before.

Like we did before she was put on the medication, we started researching the side-effects of her medication again and discovered that these were indeed side-effects of taking it. So at her bi-annual exam with her Neurologist, we discussed with the doctor and it was decided that we would wean her off of the medication and, for the last 8 weeks, we’ve been doing just that.

After being dropped from 4 doses a day to 2, she showed a drastic increase in her testing and schoolwork, scoring a 27 on a numbers test weeks before when she was under full dosage to an astounding 49 (out of 50) when her dosing was cut in half.

She is now totally off the meds and, knock on wood, has not had a seizure during that time… and today she starts her 48-hour, in-hospital EEG at the University of Chicago Hospital (also where they were born) to see if she is still having them (she was having them in her sleep, hence the 48-hour EEG).

This is significant for two reasons: First; hopefully we can find out if she has, as most children who develop this type of seizure disorder do, grown out of the seizures.

Second: this means that she and The Jelly will be separated… for 3 days/2 nights.

For those of you reading that don’t have twins, everything you’ve heard about the connections that twins have with each other is, for the most part, true… and in the past, their separations have not worked out very well.

So this time we’re trying something different.

I am teaching two ‘Introduction to Public Speaking’ classes this semester and this week are final exams and final speeches, so I can’t cancel class. HoMu will be staying with The PB in the hospital and I will be down here with The J. But since I teach tonight until 10:00, and in an attempt to make The J more at ease, one of my SIL’s graciously said that The J can stay with them… so rather than staying up late until I pick her up… and rather than staying with a set of grandparents, she will be with one of her Aunts and Uncles and three of her cousins…

Hopefully my nephews and niece will help The J get through this first night… my wife will help The PB get through her first night… and me? Well… in front of people I will be the strong father, stoic and solid. But when I get home tonight, with no one around, and when I start thinking about my wife and daughters and what one of them is going through at the hospital and the other is going through away from her sister… I’m sure I’ll sit down for a nice cry…

And I have no problem with that…

Uh-Oh

The Jelly has been running a fever all weekend (of course she has, it was in the 70's all weekend, so naturally she gets a temp and has to stay inside) so Honey Mustard took her to the Doctor this morning.

The diagnosis? '034.0'

That's Strep Throat for you non-healthcare folk out there.

So The Jelly has strep... meaning no school today or tomorrow... and, coincidentally, they don't have school Wednesday and Thursday for Parent-Teacher conferences and Teacher's Institute... so The J has a nice 6-day break...

Wish I could get strep...

Any wagers about how long it takes for The Peanut Butter to get it?

From the files of The PB & The J

It dawned on me the other day that I hadn’t written about any tales of The Peanut Butter & The Jelly in a while. They must have sensed that, because they decided to do something about their lack of showing in my blog by themselves.

A couple of weeks ago, after yet another trip to the doctor to have The PB’s ear’s checked (she’s had an ear infection for 11 of the last 14 weeks), the pediatrician referred her to an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist to see about getting tubes put in her ears.

Last week it was decided, after much discussion, that she would indeed get tubes put in… ‘just like her little cousin’ (My youngest niece, 20 months old, had tubes put in the first of January).

The procedure was scheduled for Tuesday and it was decided that HoMu would take The PB to the hospital, while I would make sure The J got on the school bus.

HoMu and PB had to be at the hospital by 7:30… as they’re getting their coats on to leave, The J jumps out of bed, runs into the kitchen, and starts screaming that she doesn’t want her sister to go to the hospital. She wants her sister to go to school with her and sit next to her on the bus like they always do.

You can see it in her eyes; she’s worried about her sister going to the hospital and doesn’t like the idea of going to school without her.

We’re able to calm The J down, and as they’re about to leave, The J bear-hugs her sister for a solid half-minute (although it seemed more like 30 seconds…) and says; “I love you sissy. I’ll see you after school and we can play if you feel good.”

That twin-connection thing you always hear about… it’s real. And it’s one of the many reasons that I agree with Matthew when he says; “having twins is awesome.”

It is... it truly is...