‘Everyone is Elmo’ reaching new heights
In honor of Will’s favorite new game “Everyone is Elmo,” where he happily calls everyone and everything “Elmo,” Mergerson has decided to make the next 317 posts to his highly entertaining and well-written blog, Elmo.
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Updates and fun
Entergy, our power provider in New Orleans, has filed bankruptcy. It seems like a strategic move on their part to get more money out of the feds, but has stalled our access to information about the state of our neighborhood. Still, the mayor says that power is “close” to being back in our zip code, the sewer is safe, and water is “almost usable”. Paul still has plans to return a week from today with Alex to check things out.
On the lighter side, you can get your “Make Levees, Not War” t-shirts and other Katrina survival gear here.
And if you’re into Magic (or been unwittingly exposed to it by a spouse) you’ll find these very funny.
Everyone is Elmo!
Will has subtle ways of making us crazy. An example.
We are changing Will’s diaper, of the Pamper’s Baby Dry variety. These diapers feature Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Grover, and Big Bird in the center of the front band. Will knows all of these characters without question and loves to reach over into the nearby pile of diapers, take them out one by one, and name each face.
But this morning, he decided that they all were Elmo. We showed him Bert: “Will, who is this?”
“Elmo!”
“Will! This is Bert! You know Bert!”
“Elmo!”
And so on. Repeat for 3 minutes. Try Grover, Big Bird, and Ernie. Results are the same.
Then, just as he is finished getting changed, he picks up the same Bert-embossed diaper and says, quite clearly, “Bert.”
“Yes!” We say excitedly, “that’s Bert!”
He looks quizzically at us, looks back at the diaper, and with a sly smile breaking out on his little face, says, “No. Elmo.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I have the distinct feeling that my sanity is being tested…
On ebay
I’ve resorted to ebay for maternity finds. I won three auctions tonight — all maternity pants — for a total of 9 pairs of pants for about $23. Even with the additional $12 or so in shipping (they were all from the same seller) I figure it’s a good deal. Fingers are crossed that they get here quickly and actually fit…
Signs of Rita
We have had a windy, rainy day and night. Last night, the rain started in torrents and continued through the day. According to the news, we’ve had more rain than Galveston and Houston — which I believe. Even a few tornadoes. The rain should stay for days.
Last night, low lying clouds were flying across the sky at unbelieveable speeds. Even Will noticed, pointing upwards and saying “sky!” with a tone of disbelief and wonder. It was very impressive.
Having fun with Granna! Will raided my parents’ bookshelf in their living room — a few wooden carved animals and some books. He was very intent on running around with one of the finds from the shelves explaining what it was to us over and over and over again: “Duckie! Duckie! Quack! Quack!” Then my Mom and Will started on a serious game of hide and seek. Playing this game with Will means you always end up with lots of tickles, hugs, and kisses! 
Rita
As Hurricane Rita, still a very strong category 4, moves on to Texas, we let out a huge sigh of relief. New Orleans will no doubt see some intense winds, but not a direct hit. It seems like Katrina was a good lesson for many in Texas and west Louisiana… so many folks on the news have been saying that they normally wouldn’t evacuate for a hurricane, but after Katrina, changed their minds.
My friend, Niki Wolf (formerly Peterman – you can see pictures from her visit to NOLA in the February archives), is in the touring company of Evita, currently showing in Houston. Her cast is stuck in the city, the prospect of leaving too daunting for a large cast with trucks and crew. They are holed up in the city’s Doubletree hotel and will be hunkering down among 600 guests to weather the storm in the interior hotel conference rooms.
Tulane University’s School of Public Health was temporarily set up in Houston and has shut down again. Our department (International Health and Development) head and several faculty were in Galveston; they’ve left. Two evacuations in a month! We have other friends in the area (like Bela’s brother and sister-in-law!) and are hoping that everyone is safe.
Meanwhile, friend Alex has tickets to fly into NOLA next Saturday. Paul is picking him up and they are planning on spending a few days in our city to assess damages to our homes and neighborhoods. Alex lives in a beautiful house in Lakeview, the charming family-oriented middle class neighborhood on the lake side of the city… a few short blocks from the 17th street levee breech. We are thankful that we don’t have the additional worry about this storm covering our thoughts.
Wonderful surprises!
In the last two days, we have had a sudden flood of incredible surprises that have us literally walking a little higher.
The Lemms, friends of ours from Michigan, sent a huge care package with a ton of clothes, fun kids CD, and even Halloween washcloths for Will! Then, a generous check came from Gary and Deb Scheib in Pennsylvania. (My Aunt Deb is the family photographer who takes all the great pictures at our family events!) And then, Paul’s company, SAIC, deposited a cash bonus and encouraging note to employees who have been displaced by the hurricane. Every act of kindness has made a big difference to us and we are so grateful and thankful!
