Oh Lisa, I'm so sorry.

Kat, you gotta do what you gotta do, but as a parent, your first charge is your kids. If you can't manage the kids and the other things you have to/want to do, you are not evil if you say no.

Cindy, I don't feel evil but I do feel like my dad is not well and I need to see him. He's been hospitalized twice in 3 weeks and has undergone one heart procedure and has another tomorrow.

Here's another wrench. I'm scared that if we go away, we'll lose our awesome nurse who actually got Grace to eat some applesauce by mouth today.

Ideally, I'd be able to leave Grace here and just take Noah. Or maybe I should just go by myself and leave both kids here. But I also worry that if things go downhill with Dad, I won't be able to fly out and I certainly won't be able to take the kids and my kids should get to spend time with him while they can. Morbid much?

our awesome nurse who actually got Grace to eat some applesauce by mouth today.

That gave me a happy!

I hope you can work it out without too much more stress, Kat.

Oh Kat, that's all so sad and hard. You'll do your best deciding. If you feel like you should be there, then you should.

One thing to think about -- your kids are really, really little. Even if God forbid, this is a last chance (and it doesn't look like it), they probably won't remember much. So, in my opinion, you should probably think about deciding on what works best for you and your dad.

If Katie et all can handle the kiddos while you're out of town, it might work easier for you all if you went on your own. I know it's awkward with Grace newly home, but she's loved Katie from birth and she's got Noah. You won't be a bad mommy if you decide you're putting your role as daughter first for the next little while.

Enh. Stress is my bedfellow right now.

Also, I have to throw together an anthology of the work that I've taught at UCLA last week and this week. AND I should write letters to all my students. Both have to be done by Friday. (I have half the anthology laid out, minus artwork, but I am missing the other half of work. So maybe tomorrow will be a work day!)

Life is really good. There's just a lot of it right now.

eta Cindy, I know. But without K and the kids then I'm stuck with just my dad and that's a stress of a whole 'nother time! I know K can totally handle it, but it's hard to be the only one with no one for relief. She's been doing it for the past two weeks while I've been teaching and it's exhausting. I think if I fly I have to take Noah too because it's too hard otherwise.

Would Grace benefit more from building the growing routine, or would the change not be too disruptive?

If the kids stay here and K needs a hand, I'm so happy to help.

Sorry I fell off the planet.

It appears that I'll be hauling a huge bag of vegetables with me to the convention hotel tomorrow, because my CSA haul was kind of ridiculous this week and people have expressed interest in food that isn't from the House of Meat (aka Outback, which is in the hotel).

I'm totally going to invite ladies back to my room to feast upon my magnificent tomatoes and enormous cucumbers.

The issue is that my sister and my niece flew from Hawaii to Ohio to drive with my mom.

Ah. Okay. Let me know if the situation changes any. I'd be happy to do it. It isn't as big a deal as peeps are making it sound; it would work fine for me as a business trip. Plus, I've got friends up there I haven't seen in a while. So no big! But awesome for your fam to get time together.

Anyway, don't stress about it too much if possible. It sounds like a lot of lot, but it also sounds like whatever decision you make will be okay.

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT GRACIE EATING. And also your nurse sounds totally awe, so I hope you can keep him.

Also, sorry, Cash. I hate stuff like that.

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