Cold Spaghetti

During our flights back from North Carolina two weeks ago, Will had a little trouble equalizing his ears during descent. It was nothing major, very predictable, and he responded well to the standard treatment: holding one’s nose and blowing hard.

Since then, he’s mentioned odd things with his ears. Specifically, that he “can’t hear his voice.” He doesn’t mention it everyday, but has mentioned it enough that we have gone through the processes of being concerned (first 2-3 times) to wondering if it is a new technique from throwing us off schedule at critical points, like at bedtime (occurs after mentioning 10+ times). Because he has not expressed any signs of pain, discomfort, or distress, we have not worried about it.

About a week ago, Will put small foam pieces (parts of foam art sets) in his ears. We noticed quickly and I used a small tweezer to get them out. They weren’t far in, but I didn’t want to use a finger and risk pushing them in further. As far as we could tell, nothing else was in there. Because he didn’t complain about any ear pain, we haven’t worried further. (Besides the general worry that Will is going to start putting wide ranges of foreign objects in various orafices, as children are sometimes known to do.)

Then, last night, Will told us that his ear “snapped.” Or maybe that it “cracked” or “popped” — I can’t quite remember. Whatever he said, it caught my attention and the attention of one of the girls next door and we had a little conversation about it, finally deciding that it was related to his ear clearing as a result of our recent flying, his trip to the pool yesterday morning, or both. He was fine the rest of the night and this morning.

Without knowing anything about the above stories, my friend Chris sent me this. OhMyGoodnessFreakOut. I called the pediatrician and signed Will up to be seen during Kate’s 1-year wellness on Wednesday afternoon… with a note asking if I should bring Will in to be seen sooner. Is it crazy to ask a doctor to look in your child’s ear to make sure it is free of spiders??

On Saturday, Paul celebrated his birthday. Although we were very tempted to take off to Jazz Fest, we decided that we did not want to have to deal with the kids. Huge rainstorms Friday and an extremely humid morning did not strike us as a situation where our kids would be docile and complacent, so we decided to not test it. (*sniff*)
Instead, we went to City Park — to the Amusement area — and enjoyed a wonderful morning of rides and park-like fun! We got there early and waited just inside the gates, where Will could hear the sounds of the Ladybug Rollercoaster (they open early for exclusive use by birthday parties and other events). He’s holding his ears because he felt it “too loud.”
I got a little artsy-fartsy waiting for the amusements to open. It would be a real delight to just go and practice taking pictures for a morning.
Our first ride was the City Park Train, a miniature children’s choo-choo that circles the South end of City Park… around the New Orleans Museum of Art, through the Sculpture Gardens, around the pony rides, duck ponds, and other beautiful areas of the park. Many of them are still in their post-Katrina states. City Park is being slowly brought back, piece by piece, by volunteers… a daunting task for the country’s 6th largest park (and 7th most visited!)
Will was thrilled by the prospect of a train ride.
And I got all artsy while waiting for the conductor.
This is Will’s “smile” face. Is that patriotism on his face, or does he need a trip to the loo?
This incredibly interesting sculpture-on-wheels is decorated with hundreds of Mardi Gras beads and sits in a section of the park that has not seen post-Katrina clean-up. We do not know what it is… although we think it looks like a fish or whale. An early Mardi Gras float? We don’t know.
After the train, Will talked us into letting him on the Ladybug Rollercoaster. It was not a good idea, but what can we say? We’re suckers. Paul got to go with him because it was his birthday. I did my best to catch them as they sped around.
This is just the beginning, Will still looks happy.
He started freaking out a bit when the ride took speed. But it’s a very short ride, so Will did okay. Until the ‘coaster only slowed a bit at the terminal and took off for a second loop. (It’s a two-loop ride, otherwise, it’d be an extremely fast one.)
Will wasn’t thrilled with the experience, although he did very well considering it was his first high-speed ride. No big screams or cries… just an unhappy camper. So we went over to the kiddie rides next.
Even though he could have managed it alone, he asked me to accompany him on the planes. It was your basic airplane-in-circle… round and round, going up if you pull (hard!) on the handles. Will LOVED it.
Baby Kate was content to chill in the stroller through it all. (She went on the train with us, but waited out the rest.)
We checked out of the park after those few rides (there are a ton more — what a great place to visit for cheap kid entertainment!) Based on a recommendation from our neighbors, we went to Russell’s Marina Grill for lunch, out on Lake Ponchartrain. What a GREAT place, PERFECT for my parents. Causal menu, down home feel, very affordable ($8 or less for entrees), and very very family friendly. Worth the drive to Lakeview. Happy Birthday, Pancho!

“Well, Paul, thanks to our son, people think I’m pregnant and have us all freaked out. Do you know what this means?”

“That we’re buying a triple stroller?”

“No.”

“That we’ve surpassed the Minivan and are moving on to the Full Size?”

“No…”

“Will, did you tell your teachers that I had another baby in my belly?”

(nodding) “um hm”

“And is it a sister or brother?”

“Sister. I going to have TWO baby sisters.” (holds up two fingers to illustrate.)

“Two sisters and no brothers, wow.”

“Oh, I going to have two brothers later.”

Who was that pajama-clad lady running barefoot through the street, wildly waving a child’s sippy cup?

Me. It was me, providing this morning’s neighborhood entertainment.

Will is 3 and is dutifully learning all of things that will help support his development into a full-blown kid. Part of this process is learning songs, something that is fun, but also has a dark side.

In the beginning of learning a song, Will remembers various pieces. So when he sings it, it is as if each phrase is on a small card, with Will singing the phrase as he randomly selects one of the cards. No cards ever leave the deck, so the same card can be drawn and repeated over and over again. It goes sort of like this:

“My poor MEATball….ran into a BUSH…out of the door…my poor MEATball…poor little MEATBALL…ran into a BUSH…fell on the floor…my poor meatBALL…on some spisghetti…my meatball…somebody sneezed.”

This is the cute part. This is when we grow incredible quiet, turning down all other noises to secretly listen. It’s the stuff parenting dreams are made of.

And then there are the other songs. Our current winner of “most annoying thing my son does” goes like this:

“Trick-or-treat, smell my feet…” (and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat…)

Yes, THAT annoying thing. Ugh. If he knew anymore of it — especially if he knew it had something to do with underwear — I think it would be the only thing he’d ever say. The current mode of operation is to ignore it and redirect him to something else. I don’t want him to think that the phrase has any power over me — although in truth, it’s repetition is like kryptonite, slowly eating away at my Supermom powers. I’ll hang in there. It will wear off eventually… right?

I almost forgot to wax on poetic about the marvelous Tampa Airport. The Southwest terminal was a dream for parents… wide, open, lots of chairs in open places, a huge changing station counter-top surrounded by mirrors, and even a flight-themed preschooler and toddler play area. Will loved “flying” in the squooshy airplanes.
Kate, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with being kept inside of an airplane (hadn’t she already done that once on this day and was preparing to do it again?) See that face? She was much more content running out of the play area and getting chased to come back inside.

… are updated.

Kate had her first day amongst the big(ger) kids yesterday. Her beloved babyroom teacher, Ms. Gladys, packed up her things and moved them next door, to Ms. Gwen’s “House of Twos.” (Actually, the kids are all age 1. But it’s her “House of Twos” based on a joke Paul made and the subsequent drawing I made for her in HOB style.)

Although she’s wandered into Ms. Gwen’s room a number of times, she was not so sure about being dropped off in it. There were some tears. But, when we went to pick her and Will up in the afternoon, she was happily playing on the porch with a ton of toddlers with full sets of teeth and clothing sizes more akin to their ages. Kate is TINY in this sea of curly headed 1 year olds. Make no mistake: our little 17 pound munchkin, wearing her 3-6 month dresses from last year, was holding her own without a problem… but my goodness did she look petite! Kate is no longer nursing during the school day. We experimented last Thursday with this, just to see how it would work for Friday while Paul and I were at Jazz Fest. It was fine, so now it’s the mode of operation. I’m not taking this as a sign of early weaning, though: when I pick her up after school, she bounces her head against my chest, mouth open, hands pulling. She’s made it clear that she’s not ready for that.

What she IS telling us she’s ready for is FOOD. With her three tiny bottom teeth, she is demanding TABLE FOOD. No more of that pureed nonsense, NO SIR! Pass the chicken and the carrots, rice and potatoes. Try baby food and risk being showered with it from a continuous, well-spread raspberry. Ms. Gladys has had to duck to prevent getting pelted with Cheerios as Kate fired them, one-by-one, from her mouth like a tiny canon. (Gladys said that Will was walking by just as Kate was doing this and said, “Don’t worry, Ms. Gladys. Katey does that at home, too.”) Kate is quite clear on her likes and dislikes, tasting everything at the front of her mouth before deciding whether or not it gets to pass. Right now, her current favorite is spaghetti. The problem it presents is that Will also likes spaghetti and is happy to ask for it whenever his sister is eating it. (Question: Do Italian children also say “spisgetti” when they are preschoolers? Or is this purely an phenomena of US children?) Kate also likes ground meat, chicken, potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, Kix cereal, french fries, oatmeal, grits, rice, and strawberry shortcake. She isn’t keen on tofu. We are waiting for the pediatrician okay before starting milk and dairy products. Until then, she drinks juice, Vitawater, and sugar-free Koolaid or Crystal Light from a bottle or sippy cup. (She has refused to drink breastmilk or formula from a bottle for months. All that milk pumped in the freezer? Worthless.)

We have no grand plans for her birthday next week. We told the girls next door that we’d get a little cake, invite them over, and put Kate in her diaper in the high chair and let her go to town with a sugary piece. My dream is to celebrate her birthday with pictures — dress up the kids and take them to the park for pictures and playtime. The way I see it, Kate’s birthday is a celebration for me, too. *I* made it a birthday, after all!

Our first year here, I had recently been discharged (read: signed out AMA) from a local hospital and was recovering from pneumonia. Last year, I was 14 months pregnant with Kate and in Mobile, awaiting signs of labor. This year, the kids were in school — and we were at Jazz Fest, loving every minute. It was a wonderful day; perfect for taking in the one-of-a-kind music, food, culture, and celebration that is New Orleans and Louisiana.

Our strategy, as first-timers: spend the day walking the field, make no plans or commitments to performances, just get a sense of the festival, the crowd, and the range of experiences.

Our highlights…
Mardi Gras Indians (the above are Semolian Warriors) on the Jazz and Heritage Stage. Jazz Fest includes 11 stages — some open air (like the Jazz and Heritage Stage seen below) and others in tents. Tented stages have areas with bleachers and chair aisles for seating — big pluses for getting out of the hot sun.
In the Southern Comfort Blues Tent, we grooved to Bryan Lee and the Blues Power Band… great performer, fabulous musician… screeches with the best of ’em!
Jazz Fest has big crowds, so many use interesting hats to stick out.
Michael Ward, adult contemporary in the WWOZ Jazz Tent. It was like seeing a concert with 1500 versions of my mother. (My Mom LOVES smooth jazz and, as she says, would have “eaten it up with a spoon.”)
With the tents, it was very easy to sit comfortably and occasionally walk up to the stage for better photography opportunities. It was great to be in a crowd, but still have this ability to come in close and have an intimate moment with the music and performers.
Make no mistake: the Gospel Tent is WHERE IT’S AT. For pure energy and excitement, you will not be disappointed with any performance. LOVED IT.
This is Lyle Henderson & Emmanuel. This is right before he told us that he was “feelin’ something movin’!” among us.


Seriously great performer, awesome powerhouse of energy.
The massive Acura stage (below). This is where Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Harry Connick, Steely Dan, Brad Paisley, ZZ Top, and a bunch of the other big performers are playing it out (Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Ludacris, Bonnie Raitt, Counting Crows, and others are playing on the Gentilly Stage on the other side of the track.) We walked by to check it out — and see the crowds — and decided to stick with our initial impressions: steer clear of the big names and stick to the local performances.
That’s George Porter, Jr. and the Runnin’ Pardners up on the Acura in the picture above. Dr. John (who we would have loved to see) came up next… but we decided to get our funk out with da’ good Doc later at some local venue. (Anybody wanna babysit while we check out Dr. John at Jazz Fest nights this week???)
More crowds. I was torn over the controversy of the “big names.” I like the idea of keeping it to our local musicians and cutting ticket prices by keeping big names out. Yet, it’s great that the crowds congregate to the big stages and let the rest of us enjoy the festival with relative space and ease.
My favorite area was around Congo Square and Lousiana Folklife Village — Louisiana artists (including Zulu coconut history and artistry) and African-American heritage.
Guy sets up in style near the Fais Do Do Stage.
Looking out to the Grandstand. The Fest takes place at the New Orleans Race Track/Fairgrounds. I can only imagine how muddy it might get in a heavy rain…
Paul gets us Mango Freeze… one of the many unique and incredible delights at Jazz Fest. Many go to the ‘fest just for the food. We admit: that only would be reason enough. We sampled a large variety of tasty treats including the Mango dream (below), Andouille Calas with Green Onion Sauce (good gracious were these good — they are like Cajun Rice Cakes with sausage… wow), Pecan Catfish Meuniere, Mandarin Orange Ice Tea, and the obligatory Frozen Cafe au Lait. We have a list of other things we’d like to try next Friday… including the Carribean Fruit Salad, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tajadas (plantains with spicy pork & pickled cabbage).
We saw a Native American Pow-Wow and friendship dance in the Louisiana Folk Village.


We also had a nice conversation with one of the artisans who weaves the incredible beads that make the Mardi Gras Indian costumes. His studio and much of his work was lost in Katrina — and volunteers from Kansas were instrumental in rebuilding a more structural sound workspace (one of architectural significance, to hear him talk of it) and reclaim his home and family. He told us about his wife, his concern over her emotional state in dealing with the losses caused by the storm and Great Flood. Finally, he told us about teaching his younger son to carry on in his talents.
A couple enjoys the music from the Fais Do Do stage — one of my top choices for music (it’s a close contender to my number one: the Economy Stage). I am turning into a huge fan of Zydeco and Cajun music.
Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie were awesome. I want to learn some French just to be able to sing along!
The Economy Hall Tent is my favorite for music: Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz! We caught Mari Watanbe’s Chosen Few Jazz Band in the morning and Leroy Jones and New Orleans’ Finest in the afternoon… where enthusiastic music lovers of all ages had started to Second Line around the tent.




How can you not fall in love with this city?

We were too tired, had too much work (and no babysitter) to go on Saturday or Sunday. But we hope to head back out this Friday! (Or maybe get out for some Jazz Fest nights this week!) The only real tragedy in all of this is that our house is not full to the rim with guests. Apparently, we haven’t been doing a good job about getting the word out about this incredible event. Open doors, y’all, come on down!

By the way, you can stream live music from the WWOZ tent during the ‘fest. (Or just tune in to some of the great music shows and live broadcasts everyday.)