So, both kids are sick. Not ER-sick, just cough/snort-themselves-awake-repeatedly-in-the-night sick, alternating also bawling-with-frustration-at-being-unable-to-sleep sick. (In Rockstar’s case, replace bawling with punching his pillow a few times before diving back down into its depths, a mildly eyebrow-raising phenomenon he has only vague recollection of in the morning. Well this is after all the boy who ski-ed in his sleep when he was last at ski camp.)
The Miss…
This would about sum up the night
She coughed a lot more lying down, which I guess was because her nose was running down the back of her throat – and so I was rocking her upright in a sling. I am exceedingly grateful she didn’t throw up in bed, because she does that quite often when she’s phlegm-y. Sometimes even when not that phlegmy. There you’d be, minding your own business and well, sleeping, and suddenly she sits up, heaves once – and her entire dinner is out. If upchuck were a sport, she would make at least the heats in the Olympics.
In the wee hours of the morning, the power goes out. This has not happened in……. ever? Once ever? (We would later be told by the night guy in the lobby that the entire building went out “because of an emergency”. Nothing further.) The stillness wakes both the Miss and myself immediately. She wants water, and so I wander out to the kitchen to warm her drinking water.
There are people in other parts of the world who have never had electricity, but as I ineffectively flick switches I get more and more concerned, especially when I look across at the next tower and still see some electric lights on. See, if it’s the entire street, people will probably scramble to fix it even if it is 4am. If it’s just your apartment, then you’re looking at dealing with a night receptionist who is potentially very insensitive to the fact you are already exhausted from repeatedly struggling to put your sick kids to bed (depends really who’s on that night but I say this because when our ceiling leaked we had one concierge who said “Have you asked your maid to wipe away leaks-that-may-not-even-be-leaks before calling me? Because you really need to manage your own helper first.”)
As I walk out into the otherwise dark living room trying to figure out whether to even bother with the fuse box something stands out. The quiet, calm light in the dark place.
We couldn’t find the right batteries when we bought these decorations from Ikea and earlier tonight was the first night I switched them on after finally locating the right cells.
(Why yes, one of our decorations on the tree this year is a little light-up diamond ore square of Rockstar’s.)
This was taken a few hours before the first blackout
The crazy disco star which is otherwise plugged into the wall was off, but on a whim I had left the battery-operated snowflakes and lamp on (they use only a couple small batteries). Obviously, with the kids sick and cranky, putting batteries in wasn’t exactly a priority. But somehow I’d just done it. The first metaphor.
Now, I love hustle and bustle, lotsa lights and street sounds… I’m a disgusting city person. That night in the sudden silence, with no whoosh of air cleaners, no light from the sockets where our various tech are charging (I know. How first-world-problem is that?), I find the dark and quiet disconcerting. Disorienting. The little hard-to-find-battery operated Christmas lights stand out in sharp relief. What are the odds the Japan Home you have tried several times before (not to mention all the other JH outlets and supermarkets) would literally JUST get a shipment of CR2032 batteries for when you happen to try One Last Time The Very Evening The Power Decides To Go Out Later In The Wee Hours Of The Morning?
But before I think this, I think I’m Not Alone. We see Him, if only we look. (Usually we don’t. We’re busy checking our iPhones.)
Peace On Earth, Goodwill To All…
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Epilogue: Oh, and then the next night around 8pm when the Rockstars were fully awake and we were trying to get dinner in them, it happened A. Gain.
This is them entertaining themselves with some swinging light toy (Rockstar is actually standing right next to her)
Oh, here he is. (Yeah, the diamond ore light didn’t survive til Christmas before getting unwrapped). 3 light settings on the thing, to be sure…
I know how difficult it is to sleep with a congested nose and cough. Hope both Rockstars get well soon.
The little lights in the otherwise dark room really give me a sense of quiet and peace. Bring new meaning to Silent Night.
Thank you for sharing this testimonial.
Thanks for the encouragement.. Hope you don’t think I’m “reading too much into things”, but honestly I had never seen that battery EVER, before that day. And then it was where a previous very similar-looking battery was, only the actual number on the packaging was different and I was “Is that really….?”