It's quiet...too quiet...

It's quiet in my house, and not in a good way. Ben has been gone for a whole 10 minutes maybe and it feels like it has been a lifetime. His grandma just came and picked him up to keep him for a few days. Kristen and I are both sick. I seem to be on the up and up (though to be honest I seemed to be on that trail a few days ago but clearly was not) but Kristen is just starting the trip down the trail of sickness that I've been taking. It started off with being a bit nauseous and weak, then an extremely sore throat developed and a lot of sinus pressure. Eventually the sore throat mostly passed, though it left a cough, and last night a fever (that I didn't know I even had) finally broke. Kristen seems to be at the weak and sore throat stage.

As hard as it was to decide, we realized that we just couldn't put Ben at risk by keeping him here. I passed this to Kristen so it could pass to him, and Kristen cannot take proper care of him in the condition she is anyway and neither can I. My mother offered to keep him for a few days and after a few minutes of thinking and trying to justify putting him at sickness risk, I asked her to come down and get him.

He's with her till Sunday, and it's already different. I'm just waiting to hear him cry from the back, as if his absence from the room is just him taking a nap. I'll miss him interrupting my writing of notes to be picked up and held or played with for a while. I'll miss his laughing. He doesn't giggle, he laughs. I'm going to miss him dipping his food in ketchup and then just eating the ketchup. I'll miss his bath time which he just loves. I'll even miss The Wiggles playing over and over and over and over.

I know it's for the best, but it isn't fun. I don't like it at all. I guess this is just part of being a parent though. After my mom drove off with Ben, Kristen looked at me and said, "He isn't going to understand" and that's true. He won't understand why mommy and daddy aren't there to kiss him good night or to play with him and tickle him, but being a parent is doing what you have to do even if the child doesn't always understand.

Sing Sang Sung

I usually check out the free stuff that iTunes puts out every week because sometimes they'll have some really good songs or music videos up. A while back I got lucky with a little gem by Air called "Sing Sang Sung." I liked it a good bit, but was really happy when Ben revealed that he loved the song and the music video. He's a very busy and independent kid so anything that can get him to slow down is great. Anything that can get him to stop in his tracks is a life saver.

This video has actually been of great use to us. When Ben was younger, he hated getting his fingernails and toenails clipped, but once this video started he could care less about what you were doing to him.

Today it really came in handy for me just as a father. Kristen and I were on the couch together. Ben was up on it as well going back and forth between us as he usually does. You just cannot stop that kid. He is one of the most independent children I know. Well, I put this video on and he finally stopped moving. Not only that, he was actually willing to lay down on my chest and watch the video. I, of course, put it on to repeat the video over and over and over and over and...well you get the picture. We probably listened to it 5 or 6 times through. I don't really know, I dozed off for a moment, just glad to have that brief moment with my son. Ever since he learned how to move on his own, lying down and being still hasn't happened, unless it's nap time.

That makes this a nice day.

Love you all,

Carl