July 26, 2006
meanwhile, I’m trying to forget that I’m not going to BlogHer this weekend
Wade’s been on a business trip this week, one of those seven-airports-in-four-days, wake-up-in-a-different-city-every-morning trips. He called me every night and said, “Are you okay? Really, are you OKAY? I just want to know if you’re okay.”
I was fine. The weather was good, the kids were great, and we went swimming every day he was away (because my goal, when I’m alone with the kids, is to WEAR THEM OUT so they will fall asleep early and sleep late). This time, I learned the secret to getting by without Wade, and no, it’s not booze or drugs. It’s sunscreen.
Specifically, Coppertone Continuous Sport Sunblock Spray.
On a normal go-to-the-pool weekday, I make Wade put sunscreen on my back before he leaves for work. This isn’t a completely terrible system, but it’s not great; Wade leaves around 7:00 and the pool doesn’t open until 10:00, so by the time we get ready to leave the house, I need to reapply which I can’t do without help, which is why I have Wade! Charlie is always willing to smear a little lotion on me, but he loses interest fairly quickly and usually leaves me covered in goop.
And then I end up sunburned. Which I HATE, especially if there’s no one to rub aloe on my back. Where’s the spray aloe? Someone needs to invent THAT. Soon.
But THIS week, I was able to hose myself down with the Continuous Spray action, which was FANTASTIC! No sunburn!
But I’m really glad Wade is home.
The boys and I drove Wade to the airport on Sunday and dropped him off; Charlie spent the whole ride saying, “But Daddy! I don’t WANT you to go!” That evening, while the boys were eating their dinner, Charlie asked how many sleeps until Daddy came home. “Where’s Daddy?” Henry asked.
I assumed he was confused because Wade was going to be so many places, so I said, “Well, right now he’s in Memphis because his flight was cancelled, but later he will be in Newark, and the tomorrow he will go to Raleigh . . . “
Henry looked at me and said, “When did he leave?”
“What?”
“When did Daddy leave?”
“Today.”
“Oh. How is he getting to New Jersey?”
“On an airplane.”
“How did he get to the airplane?”
“We took him to the airport. Remember?”
“We did?”
Five minutes later, when I mentioned the babysitter (who has BEEN HERE BEFORE, more than once) Henry said, “Do I know Charlotte?”
Charlie said, “Henry, you remember Charlotte!”
And Henry finished his milk and said, “Okay, Charlie, just help me remember.”
“The last time she was here you sprayed her with the hose,” I told him.
“Ooooohhhh!” he said. “I know her! She’s nice.”
Tonight, when Wade was tucking Henry into bed, he said, “I missed you, buddy. Did you miss me?”
Henry said, “Sure, Daddy.” Then he thought about it and said, “I don’t remember missing you. But I think I did. I guess I did. I’m sure I did! Don’t you think I did?” Then he got up like ten times to see if Wade was still here. I think he missed his daddy,but it’s hard to tell, since he seems to have some sort of VERY-early-onset Alzheimer’s, most likely caused by the spray-on sunscreen.
Posted by Susan @ 9:06 pm • Uncategorized
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July 26th, 2006 at 11:04 pm, lildb Says:
oh, my god. I LOVE that sunscreen. I’m thinking about asking it to marry me. (do you think it’s too early in the courtship? maybe it’ll turn out to have a monsterously cancerous dowry. crap.)
July 27th, 2006 at 4:32 am, Jenny Says:
Early onset alzheimers? i have that! I’m pretty sure. Maybe not. Oh yeah, I’m sure I do.
PS. I love the spray on sunscreen. Our kids can be in treatment together.
July 27th, 2006 at 7:17 am, Kvetch Says:
Back at the ranch…
I’m not going to BlogHer either. I just found you through Mamazine.
July 27th, 2006 at 12:02 pm, wordgirl Says:
I’m not going to BlogHer either. Last spring I was secretly laughing up my sleeve about everyone who was going and now? And NOW? I’m barely able to keep myself from screaming “TAKE ME WITH YOU” to all my friends who are there. Envy: It’s an ugly, ugly thing.
July 27th, 2006 at 12:10 pm, Jenorama Says:
Ooh, the sunscreen sounds great.
Henry sounds just like my mother. I am deeply sorry.
Guess who is at the DMV getting her name changed on her driver’s license today???
July 27th, 2006 at 12:25 pm, mamatulip Says:
You and I have the same mission in motherhood: I wake up every morning with the sole intent to wear my children out so they will nap. And then they wake up from their naps and I wear them out some more so they will go to bed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…Julia was up until 11pm last night. God help me.
I have to tell you, that man in your sidebar that’s scowling and pointing at me is kind of freaking me out.
July 27th, 2006 at 1:45 pm, rachel Says:
I love that sunscreen! I spray it on myself happily. But my sensitive kiddos freak out about it - they hate the smell of the alcohol.
Oh, and FYI, if your kid scratches your other kid, watch out with the sunscreen - the scratchee with shriek when the alcohol hits the scratch. gah.
I’m not going to BlogHer either. Instead I get the Big Family Vacation with the family members who think I’m nuts.
July 27th, 2006 at 2:12 pm, clickmom Says:
No BlohHer for this blogger either. It’s like High School when I (I swear this is true) didn’t realize every one else was going to the prom with a date and showed up solo. (Hmmm…I think I’ll have to blog about this….)
July 27th, 2006 at 2:14 pm, melynda Says:
I used that sunscreen this summer - love it! Although, the first time I used it I sprayed my legs liberally and then sat on the lounge and read a magazine. When I got up, the alcohol in the spray had lifted the ink from the magazine cover and deposited it onto my thighs.
July 27th, 2006 at 3:09 pm, Candace Says:
We won’t go to BlogHer together. How’s that?
July 27th, 2006 at 3:20 pm, Velma Says:
Not only am I feeling sorry for myself because I’m not at BlogHer, but Blogger was being a pain in the rear all day long and so I couldn’t even comment on my favorite blogs and now my kids are screaming and I can’t even think coherently and aaaaaaarrrgh!
July 27th, 2006 at 4:57 pm, Mamacita Tina Says:
Thanks for the tip on the sunscreen…gotta try it.
As for Henry, he’s just living in the moment. Don’t we all get that way at times?
July 27th, 2006 at 6:01 pm, Anne Glamore Says:
I wish I’d invented that sunscreen. We’re going thru gallons of it!
July 28th, 2006 at 9:30 am, Laura Says:
Oh lord, we have been going through this same thing with G. Every time I have a conversation with anyone else in the same vicinity as her, she always asks afterwards - where are we going? Why are we turning here? When I mention that she was present FOR THE WHOLE CONVERSATION, she either looks slightly panicked and says, “Oh - I wasn’t paying attention.” or she just stares off into the distance and says, “I’m sorry, I was tuning you out.”
She is tuning me out!! 11 is an interesting age.