Birthdays and Stuffed Bunnies

So Tuesday was my birthday and it passed without much fanfare. I got a card from Daughter#1 and from my Dad along with a very generous check. i called him and thanked him for that. Ann sent me a e-card and Daughter#2 and Daughter#1 both called to wish me a Happy Birthday. So all was well with the world. No cake and ice cream to celebrate after work since I had rowing practice and did not get home until 8:30. A little late to celebrate when you get up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready for work.

August has really brought the heat. Apparently our coach got the memo and headed to the beach for the week leaving us to more or less coach ourselves. Considering sprint season is over and our first Head Race isn't until September 15 when we race around Wye Island, its not that big a deal. We ended up with 12 rowers and only one coxswain so we took out an 8+ plus a Quad. I was in the Quad again. In the bow seat. We got the Quad without the foot rudder. Apparently being a lightweight, its hard for me to bring enough strength to bare to turn the boat around the tight turns on the Occoquan. Consequently it takes us so long to complete a turn we spend 85% of our time trying to get the boat to turn. That means applying pressure on on oar and light pressure on the other instead of equal pressure on both. needless to say we didn't keep up with the 8+ very well. Plus it was HOT and HUMID. We looked like we had jumped in the reservoir we were so soaking wet after practice. We're suppose to have more of the same this afternoon. I've been slugging down water all day to get ready.

After posting the previous entry, Daughter#1 called to tell me I forgot to add in two things that were fun about our many trips down to Children's Hospital. The first was the cafeteria and the other was the Velveteen Rabbit. The first thing we would do when arriving at Children's was to go get blood drawn from the lab and then head to the cafeteria for breakfast. It took about an hour for the lab to run her blood and have the results ready for the Doctor. We would kill that time in between by going to the cafeteria. There we would snarf down donuts, bear claws and blueberry muffins until we had sufficient sugar highs and full bellies. another ritual was our reading of the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. We originally picked this book to read because it was literally the only book still in once piece. I guess the other kids hadn't gotten around to ripping it up. We loved it and read it over and over or more exactly I would read it to her. Daughter#1 gave me a copy for Christmas a few years ago and after all the presents were opened we sat down to read it again. I could barely make it past the point where the old bunny is turned to real by the fairy and nursery magic: "I am the nursery magic Fairy," she said. "I take care of all the playthings that the children have loved. When they are old and worn out and the children don't need them any more, then I come and take them away with me and turn them into Real."
"Wasn't I Real before?" asked the little Rabbit.
"You were Real to the Boy," the Fairy said, "because he loved you. Now you shall be Real to every one."
Its still one of my favorites and it made the many hours we spent at Children's a little more bearable.