This is outside my culture of origin, so don’t be surprised if I don’t do it very well. It is also a longish story, which will come as no surprise.
To tell the real story I have to tell you this one. Lila likes to watch YouTube videos of Disney songs and occasionally we look at the connected links. One of those links led us to the promotional videos for the movie “HOP” which is about EB, the son of the Easter Bunny. One of those video’s features a long joke about EB seeing something gross but pointing out that rabbits can’t actually throw up. So he says, “There I was, ‘Herk’, ‘Herk’ nothing’s coming up,” with a sound effect and a funny hand gesture. It’s kind of a crass joke, and Lila didn’t really get it so she made me explain it to her a number of times with unknown comprehension.
Anyway, I told you that story to tell you this one.
Lila got sick Saturday and let me know this at half past midnight by throwing up her body weight plus 5 pounds. I had a seen everything she ate that day and I’m telling you the two piles did not match up. The few other times she’s been sick, that would have cleared up the problem, but this time it sadly didn’t. I got her cleaned up and set up in my bed where she managed another, much more reasonable, bout of nausea. I got her set up on the couch on a tarpish blanket or two and set to cleaning the mess in my bed assuming the worst was over. I was wrong, as the poor thing woke up every 60 to 90 minutes retching out the nothing that was in her stomach for a while, having a sip or two of water, receiving what comfort I could offer and then going back to sleep to start over again. This was not fun. Sometimes she would just sort of pass back out, sometimes she would cry a little because it obviously hurt.
At 5:30, we’re both pale and exhausted. She spits up the last bit of the heaves, has a sip of water, looks up at her obviously worried father and says, with gestures and the right voice, “Herk, Herk, nothing’s coming up,” and gives me a winning, reassuring smile.
I don’t know if she was trying to make me feel better, pleased at the timing of her little joke, thrilled to finally really get the joke, or some combination of the three. I’m also not exactly sure I can name what the wave of pride that washed over me was proud of. Her comic timing? Her response to adversity? Her combination of diverse but convergent things? I just know she made the joke and I felt the wave.
Beverley came out by herslef this week. It was so lovely to spend some time and a few meals together
Lila needed to time to get reaquainted and they were tight in no time
Lila striking a pose in a new outfit
On the ONE day it didn't rain we shot out to the beach for some vitamin D
There's a lot to explore
See that sunshine?
Beverley has a habit of writing children's names in the sand with little interest from said child
The original diddlee-dee
She's wearing well for an old bird
A change of clothes was required, no suprise there
There was a lot of reading, which was just peachy with Lila.
We LOVED having Beverley here. She's the best 
