Some of my favorite children's books, Turkish-style meatloaf in the oven

I've got a Turkish-style meatloaf in the oven: ground turkey, mint, walnuts, panko, parsley, basil...Yum. I also wanted to put forth a list of some of my new or new'ish favorite children's books in case you are bored with the ones you're reading, need a gift, or just like kids books that also resonate with adults. These are smart and/or funny, beautifully illustrated, impart a wonderful lesson or, simply, ways in which to live and act positively, and my kids love them as much as I do.

Otis by Loren Long Otis and the Tornado, also by Loren Long The Curious Garden by Peter Brown Grandpa Green by Lane Smith Say Hello to Zorro by Carter Goodrich The Little Band by James Sage and Keiko Narahashi Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds and Floyd Cooper The Alphabet Construction Book by Jerry Pallotta and Rob Bolster Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld All In a Day by Cynthia Rylant and Nikki McClure

And if you aren't familiar with the old classics, become so!!

All of the Frances books, by Russell and Lilian Hoban The Amazing Bone (Dr. DeSoto, Amos and Boris, and pretty much anything written by) William Steig What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Apple Butter, Jam, PFAPA, Shrimp Deal This Friday

This has been quite a productive few days: 5 or 6 jars of apple butter and four of peach-plum-lime-ginger jam all done;  the house is relatively clean; I've even read bits and pieces of the newspaper. And tonight I'm taking a load off! O and I spent the morning at the doctor, and although he felt terrible and they had to draw blood from his arm (always horrible to watch your writhing, scared baby being held down as a needle approaches!), it was actually a lovely couple hours together. It was so intensely just us and it was very dear. At one point, he kissed my shoulder and said "I love you, Mommy." Did I want to just die?! Indeed.

I also managed to -finally- convince the doc that O just might have the same bizarre periodic febrile disorder (PFAPA) that Jack has and couldn't we please just try the preventive medicine -Tagamet; nothing big- that Jack takes (J has never been sick again since starting on this). Yes! So, here's hoping that after O is all well after this episode, he will be on the PFAPA-avoiding trajectory that Jack has enjoyed for two or so years now.

If any of you out there have children who regularly (the periodicity is key so keep track) get a high fever, lose their appetite and have (or don't) small ulcers in their mouths (J doesn't get these; O had one last time) for 5 days or so, consider asking about PFAPA. Poor J missed about a week of school every month for a year and a half until he started the Tagamet, and I swear to you he's never had an episode again EXCEPT when we left his medicine in Louisiana and I experimented with had he outgrown PFAPA. No, he had not! So we resumed the med and he's never been sick again. Just some random medical info.

If y'all groove on shrimp like I do, USA wild-caught Atlantic white shrimp are on sale this Friday at Whole Foods for $7.99/pound. I'm thinking shrimp burgers!

Ridiculous, revolting night

I could have made the darkest, richest, most reduced apple butter in the world for all I slept last night. O was up nearly every hour, and our evening together culminated in his throwing up all over me and in my bed about 20 minutes ago. DISGUSTING. If you don't hear much from me today, it's because I'm 100% gaga and might have wandered off somewhere.