Mommy’s bags are unpacked…for now

One of the perks of my job is I get to travel to some pretty interesting places. My territory comprises all of the west so I get stuck visiting cities like Phoenix, Denver, Seattle and San Fransicso. Since I am officially in the last trimester I am done for now - officially banned from air travel and none to soon. I was just about to have to ask for the extenstion belt for the airplane seats. I like to travel a bit but it is always hard leaving for any length of time. One of the things I have done to pass the time is to photograph the places I go. Here are a few that I took on a recent journey to San Francisco back in April.

I have seen these little houses a million times on television or in photographs, but was awestruck at magnificent view and the beauty of this area of San Francisco. It is appropriately called “Post Card Row”. I knew it was hilly there but had no comprehension of just how hilly.

The Golden Gate bridge is an icon I have again seen a million times, but pictures cannot even begin to capture the awesome size of this structure. I stood there for over an hour in the freezing mid-April bay wind taking photo after photo. Even when I finally left I did so reluctantly.

I was fortunate enough to have a beautiful view from my hotel window. For a couple of hours I layed there and just looked out at the lights. It reminded of when I lived in Chicago and the view from my 17th floor apartment. Ironically, my apartment number is Chicago was 1705 and my room number in San Francisco was 1704.

I took a long walk though Chinatown which was just around the corner from my hotel. I just walked and snapped and didn’t really try to frame anything. I thought this image really showed the beautiful architecture.

Another Day, Another Diagnosis

I was about 8 months pregnant and talking with my cousin Kathy on the phone about my impending motherhood. She is about five years older than me and has three sons, one of which just finished college (she started a tad bit earlier than me). We grew up around each other and spent many happy days playing together at our grandmother’s and great-aunts houses. Our grandmothers are sisters and are two of eight Harper sisters for which my son is named after.

Kathy is a charge nurse for an OB unit at a hospital in Southeast Missouri. I remember our conversation so well because we had a long talk about daycare and the pros and cons of working when they are so young. She told me if you can make it through the first year of day care, you can survive anything. She also told me that they will either be sick when they are babies or sick all through Kindergarten - either way those immunities will be built.

Today I got a call from daycare - Harper was running a fever and I needed to come pick him up. I was greeted by glassy eyed whiney baby. All clear signs of a long night ahead. I had already called the doctor’s office so they were anxiously waiting our arrival. The good news is he doesn’t have another ear infection, the bad news is it’s either Strep or Hand, Mouth and Foot disease which by the way sounds totally disgusting and highly undesirable. But my pediatrician assured me it was totally common and pretty normal for babies in day care. Oh the guilt!

So here I am writing again (I am totally hooked by the way) and he is in his bed sweating out a fever and crying out periodically in what I can only imagine is pain and distaste at his current diagnosis and really hoping it just the Hand, mouth foot thing. That is another thing I never thought I would hear myself say.

Harper turns 10 months old on Sunday and I really hope by the summer he has started to become immune to whatever else is out there. It was been such a long winter and today was just another day and another diagnosis.