Don't panic and 42 other things from the weekend

This weekend is Songkran and that is a big deal in Thailand.  Think of it like New Years, only mix in a little Mardi Gras and a splash of 4th of July (for my American folk) and then make it a 3 day water fight and you get close to the idea of it.  With that, the ladies have the next week off and good lord did they both need it.  Friday at Basis they had a celebration.  Last year I went and did the parents portion and got some pics of Kiddo in her full Songkran cuteness, but this year, I was busy. 

The thing is, after 2.5 years of asking, complaining, nagging, and a few different adjectives in between, we finally got a solution to the problematic floor and windows in Kiddos room.  The solution…. To fix it?  Finally!  Is it gonna get fixed?

NO!?!?!

Oh… Yeah.  Greeeeeat!  OF Course we’d love to pack up and move with 80ish days left in country.  Up.  One flight of stairs.

So, that’s what my Friday consisted of.  Packing and starting to move.  Up.  Exactly one floor.  Same unit, same lay out, same (almost) everything.  Only one floor higher.  Took 2.5 years to get to that solution.  Even though we’d asked if we could do that first year, second year, earlier this year (in the fall), and they just didn’t have a room or open unit.  Now, suddenly, with the situation getting toward unlivable and critical, we can just move to a new unit.

Are you F%#$*@g KIDDING me!

First things first….. It is the same, unless it’s not.  A few of the drawers and closets are slightly smaller.  However, they are a touch bit deeper.  The master bath is a bit bigger, but we lose some toilet space there.  The floors are a different pattern and color and a few of the light switches are off by a few centimeters.  It’s the same, only after 2.5 years of building muscle memory in a place that is almost exactly this, but not quite, it’s a bit disorientating.  I think I now get what Douglas Adams meant when he joked in Hitchhikers Guide/Restaurant at the End…. “A plastic cup filled with liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.”

I complain, in part, because we SHOULD have been offered this and done this move about 2.25 years ago, but hey- Better late than never?  It wasn’t that hard and Kiddo was a GREAT and SUPER BIG help.  Took us most of Saturday (09:30-17:00ish) and Sunday we kind of organized and put away, but also had life and Kiddo and love.  Saturday, though, Kiddo put in the work and helped us 09:30 until about 15:30 and then she just laid around and watched shows as J and I did the finishing push to get it done.

It did give us a chance to pre-pack and move for Shanghai and this summer.  We did get about 20% of our life cut down and reorganized, so that will make the move this summer easier.  There’s the bright side there.  New place, new view (higher), new feel.  And it’s the same.  I know where the pans are.  Where the forks are.  Where the blah blah and blah go, live, etc.  I lost my magnetic knife bar, but I can live for the next few months like that.  Strange to not go to the wall to grab a knife, but we couldn’t move our old one and I’m not getting, mounting, anchoring, and then putting up another knife bar only to move in a 2 months.  I’ll make it work.

If you think that’s the end of the story, it’s not.

Friday night, J and I put Kiddo to bed.  We explained to her that we were going to do some prepacking and getting ready for the move.  We figured that Kiddo had Songkran at school that day, a ton or running, water play, snacks, life, and energy so she would probably crash and die early, even if we had some music going in the living room and small and quiet convos going on.  

Around 20:40ish I was in kitchen working on the spice and dry goods area and J was in the bedroom.  Suddenly I am called and after 20 years with a person, you know their tones and sounds.  

Hey Hon… Could you COME here?

I got moving, thinking that she either saw a creepy bug that she wanted me to deal with or she dropped a med or otherwise and wanted my educated advice on clean up/disposal/otherwise.  As I head to her, I see Kiddo’s door is open.  I should check on Kiddo.

Is it Important?

VERY!

I shoot my eyes over and really open my ears.  I can hear Kiddo, but not see her.  Maybe she just needed to use the toilet.  I can check back on her.

I walk into our bedroom and I see J sitting on the floor with a bag half packed.  Next to her I see Kiddo.  Learning a life lesson.  With a water bottle stuck to the end of her right pointer finger.

J was just looking and trying to figure something out.  I can see her worry and panic.  I go into medicine mode and survey the situation and start planning and go into cold mode.  Those who know the Dark Tower books will know kind of how I get.  I drop into battle mode.  

I start by trying to calm Kiddo and J.  I’m keeping my voice calm.  Everything is cool.  Everything is fine.  There are NO worries here.

Kiddo is starting to feed off J and panic and get frantic.  J is in Mumma Mode and she is not thinking, she is reacting and reaching.  She starts to pull on the bottle and Kiddo says it hurts and stop stop stop.  

OK.  Let’s calm down.  Let’s try to get the bottle off the top and that will give us more to work with and will make it less cumbersome.  Kiddo panics at this since her hand can’t twist that far. WHATDOYOUMEAN?!?!?!  HOWWILLITCOMEOFF????????  Meanwhile, J is freaking as well.  What DO WE DO!?!?!  It’s Really on THERE!  HOW DO WE GET IT OFF?!?!?!

Slow down.  Calm down.  We could try soap….

Great idea!  Come on Kiddo.  J grabs Kiddo and they are off to the bathroom to try soap.  I stay back.  There can be too many cooks in the kitchen.  After a minute and rising panic in Kiddo’s voice, I go to check things out.  J is rinsing Kiddo’s hand in water and rubbing soap all over while pulling ineffectually at the top.

It’s not coming off.  SHIT!  It’s not coming off.  I’ll go get dressed (She was in jammies) and then I’ll get Kiddo some jammy pants (she was in undies and a shirt) and we can go to Nakornthon.

Kiddo absolutely freaks out at that.

Nope.  No Nakornthon.  It’s fine.

J takes off and starts dressing herself, looking for insurance cards, passports, and anything we might need at the hospital.  I keep my calm voice and talk to Kiddo.

It’s cool.  No need to freak out.  I got you.  Let’s just calm down and come with me.  We are going to do something silly and fun and then the top will come off your finger.  Ok?  

I’m just rubbing Kiddo on her back and chest, trying to lower her anxiety and heart rate.  Let’s you and me come over here into the kitchen.  We need to get your hand cold and that will help.  Let’s just put your hand up here into the freezer.  Don’t worry, the ice won’t melt in 2 minutes.  We’ll just put your hand up here, yup, just hold it up as high as you can and hold it in the freezer.  Let’s think cool thoughts.  I was still running her back and chest.  I could feel her breathing and heart slowing.

Then, J pops back into the scene.  Fully dressed, passports and all ready and she’s got Kiddo’s PJ pants.  

Put these on.  Kiddo.  KIDDO!  Help Mumma.  Lift a leg, we need to get you dressed to go to Nakornthon.

Heart rate spikes.  Rapid breathing and crying start again. 

I touch J on the shoulder and look her in the eyes and face.

NO!  We are NOT getting dressed.  Look.  LOOK!  We have our hand up and in the freezer.  It’ll help cool it down.  Then, we can get some cooking oil and we can drip some of that on her finger and we can have Finger Food.  Yum!

Kiddo snaps her head up when I say that and sees that I’m joking.  

Dada- You are NOT going to eat my finger.

Sure I am.  Nothing better than Kiddo finger with a side of stuck in water bottle.  Yum!

J starts to calm.  Kiddo starts to calm.  We are all calming down and just relaxing.

J picks up the vibe and sees that I’m in charge and have a battle plan and gets on board without hesitation.  **Props to J for that.  Panic can take over, especially with your own kid, and J was panicked, but she fought that and jumped on the team and was a great help.

After another minute, Kiddo says her hand is getting reallllllyyyy cold, especially her stuck finger.  

OK, good info.  Some blood supply cut off, but the finger isn’t blue and she can still feel and wiggle it.  Good.  We are still a good ways from critical.

Oh.  It’s getting cold.  Perfect.  That means it’s almost eat TIME!

Kiddo half giggles at that.  Good.  We are all calm and chilling.

I drip some oil onto her finger and let’s just get that back above our head so the oil can drip down the finger.  A little on the other side as well.  Give the top a little wiggle and twist.

OK Kiddo.  You ready?

I get a nervous head nod.  She is trusting, but scared and worried and anticipating pain and a hospital trip and every other worry a 6 year old can have.  

Great.  In a minute we can all laugh and cry about this, but for now, you need to help me.  I’m going to hold your wrist and then, with my other hand, push on your finger and the top.  You try to pull your finger out.  Ok?

Nervous and scared, but trusting - Ok Dada.

OK.  GO!

Firm, but gently, I push pull and can feel her pulling.

Ouch…. Ouch…. OUCHouchOuchOUCH… Off!

Her knuckle was a bit scrapped up and we washed her hands and get her a bandaid and icepack for the knuckle, but it was off and done.  We got her retucked and in bed and that was that.  She was great the next day.  Said the finger didn’t hurt.  No swelling and she can use it normally.  And she helped us move and carry and pack stuff all day.  So, it seemed like there was no permanent and long term damage.  Just a scare and life lesson.

In the panic and rush we didn’t get pics, but we should have.  At least of her hand with the top stuck to it.  Because Kiddo did a job of it.  When she gets stuck she doesn’t mess around.  LOL

Actually, I am very proud of Kiddo.  Firstly, she got stuck, but she’s 6 and that happens, but like the blue babe from before we moved to BKK, she tried to fix the situation and solve the problem herself.  She did try, for about 2 minutes, to get her finger out herself.  She didn’t scream and cry at first.  She kept it together and worked the problem alone.  When that didn’t work, she came to us.  Then, when Mumma was panicking and freaking, she listened to Dada and rode the calm train and we solved the problem.  Yes, she had a moment of panic and freak out, but 90% of it was calm, cool, working with J and myself and even knowing the pain was coming, but trusting that it wouldn’t be bad, it wouldn’t last, and that we would solve the problem together.  Very very proud of Kiddo.

J also.  She was panicked and freaked out.  She couldn’t slow down to think of a solution and was worried.  She did, however, calm down and listen.  Take direction.  Assist and calm herself to help me calm Kiddo.  She saw what I was doing.  Elevate the hand, cool it down, keep calm and approach the problem one step at a time.  Mostly it was just staying calm and keeping Kiddo calm.  She also was gracious enough to recognize my part, that I had a plan, that we were going to work the plan and that we were 100% in control and that it was a problem, but not a PROBLEM.  Work the problem and solve it.  It can be hard in high emotion situations to calm yourself quickly and listen to others.  J did that very well and even recognized her failings and short comings after the fact and thanking me for my calm and coolheadedness.  

It has certainly been an exciting 48 hours here.

Let’s go, Kiddo.  We now live on 4, not 3.  We will soon not even live in the building anymore, but instead in Shanghai.  Before that though, we have Brewers tickets for your first MLB game.  In Milwaukee.  With Dada and Mumma and Auntie Jesters.  Let’s hope that our summer move goes as smoothly as this one and that if we DO have problems, they aren’t as bad as the Stuck Finger Problem and can be solved just as easy (or easier) and with all of us- You, me, Mumma- Working together.