And What Would You Do With 10 Million A Year?

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that most people who read this blog are women. So I find it very interesting that my little cheating poll comes back WAY higher than the national average. I agree with anon commenter, that many women keep their relationship indiscretions hidden. There are some close friends of mine that I have never told myself. We all hide a lot.

Yesterday, out of the blue, Avery had a fever. Another mystery illness. Where do they come from and how are they not spread to the rest of us living in the household? She was very cuddly all day, and didn’t want me to put her down. Initially, I was fine with that, because what’s better than holding a compliant baby and besides, Madeline was happy to play around me and was doing a good job of entertaining herself . But eventually I came to understand that Avery didn’t not want to be put down in ANY circumstances—bathroom breaks, pouring something to drink, trying to open a can of soup for lunch were out of the question. Were she maybe 15 pounds smaller, I think I could handle it, but holding a twenty-pound baby while using a can opener in not my strong suit.

Her fever spiked to almost 104, which got me a little panic-y, but then it came down. By five last night, it practically went away, but then when we put her to bed, she was warm again. She ended up sleeping with us because 1.) she is a cute little cuddle monster and 2.) the whole sick thing.

I don’t know if this had anything to do with her sickness, but she smelled like taco shells yesterday. So Sunday it was sausage McMuffin and yesterday taco shells. I find it strange that she smells like foods that we never eat.

Despite being sick and sleeping most of the day, Avery still trotted out her three tricks. First she sticks her arm in the arm and moves it in a sort-of circle, indicating the ceiling fan. This is called Round and Round. Then she claps. This is called Clap Clap Clap. Then she does something we call Nana’s Legacy, because my MIL taught it to her when she was up a few weeks ago. But today, Avery did all three in a row, in this s-l-o-w, laid back, sickly sort of way. Like she was saying “watch this…and now this…and this.” Then she put her hands back down, turned over and buried her little head in my shoulder.

Madeline was the trooper, like I said. I spent a lot of time feeling crappy because I felt like I couldn’t give Avery the attention she needed or Madeline the attention she needed. Such is the indulgent issues of a mother of two. But while I feel so lucky to have this issue, it really does challenge me at times. I feel like I am better when I am not so spread thin. And two kids spreads you really thin. Pretty much across the board, I feel like I am better one-on-one; with friends and family and nieces and nephews. Everything. The polygamist life would SO not work for me.

Political rant: So McCain isn’t really an “economy” guy, which I think is a fuzzy place to be in this economic climate and perhaps not the best thing to emphasize when you are running for president. Behold your republican candidate: McCain said it is not the federal government’s job to bail out people and banks who make bad decisions. And I quote: “It is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers.” Yep, it’s those pesky, irresponsibly acting middle and lower-class borrowers who are bringing the economy to its very bruised knees. And now they expect to be rewarded for their irresponsibility. Please note that this is being written with sarcasm. It just sounds so callous, the way he says it. Besides, the economy wouldn’t be so bad if we weren’t spending a trillion dollars a second for this “war.”

I’m obviously not a master economist so I can’t get terribly technical here. Doesn’t it take two to tango: The lenders and borrowers both bit off more than they can chew. And isn’t this the inherent risk of sub-prime lending anyway? There are millions of people who wouldn’t be able to afford a house if some lender didn’t take a chance on them. So it seems like it’s a win-win situation…until it just blows up out of control.

And it just seems that the trickling effects of a hugely expensive war are to blame too. Regardless of whose fault this is, as families face foreclosure, and families and children and are at risk of being put out of their home, should we be pointing fingers and saying “You were irresponsible. Now suffer.” (ok, that isn’t the exact quote, but that is so what I inferred.) Just hearing that above quote (the real one) from a politician sort of makes my skin crawl. I’m not sure what the best solution is, for our economy and its future, but I do think a tenderness around the subject is in order. And I just get tired of hearing that everything is the fault of middle class or lower class people.

An interesting statistic I read the other day: The CEO of a major insurance company (I think Aetn*) gets over 10 million a year in compensation. Remember that the next time you are trying to get your meds paid for or are denied coverage of your medical needs. Ten million dollars. I know this has nothing to do with McCain’s comment, but it all just makes me wonder.

Pictured above, this is what a sad, feverish baby looks like. Her shirt says: “It was’t me. It was my evil sister.” And below that, this is what her busy and some might say evil-ish sister—who spent the day stealing sick baby’s pacifier—looks like.