It Sounds A Lot Worse Than It Is

Miss A is just getting over Fifths Disease. Which is a ridiculous name because it sounds so terrible. It's other name, "Slap(ped) Cheek" sounds silly and less serious somehow.

I was somewhat familiar with it because my niece had it a couple of years ago. When A started getting it I was pretty sure what it was. At first it looked kind of like a bruise or bump but then the full on rash broke out. Other than that her symptoms were quite minor. Mostly just a slight fever and itch but WOOOOO Boy the crankiness. I have to keep taking deep breaths and reminding myself that she is unwell. Otherwise I'd be giving her away.

Her behavior has not been unlike when she was having a terrible reaction to cold medication. I'm not sure what that means exactly since I was only giving her regular Tylenol. I guess being sick just makes her crazy. It's awful for all of us.

We are finding ourselves being a little lenient in the discipline department because otherwise she'd be in time out ALL DAY. And that's not fair. Especially since it's not her fault she's sick. We make sure she realizes that her behavior is not cool but she promptly apologizes and we move on. Also, her behavior is SO uncharacteristic (she threw a fork at lunch today) that it's obvious to us it's due to illness. It puts us in a awkward position because it feels like she is 'getting away with' all kinds of crap but we are hoping things get back to normal soon. It had better. My patience is wearing very thin. Sick or not, I've had enough.

You can see the rash on her cheeks here but the picture doesn't do it justice.

On The Mend

We are gradually getting back to normal around here. That must have been one wicked ear infection Miss A had because she had an afternoon nap THREE days in a row! The kind of nap where she just crashed out on the couch. That almost never happens. It worked out well that it was Spring Break this week. I'm certain she wouldn't have been up for school.

We have been watching a lot of movies. Also, I think anglophilia is hereditary, otherwise it's just rubbed off on her. She seems, like me, to be drawn to all things English. Examples that come to mind are "Mister Maker", "Charlie & Lola" and the most recent obsession is "Number Jacks". This is a very odd little British show, the point of which is to teach kids about mathematics in a fun way. I am all about her getting a head start in the math department although if she takes after me she's in BIG TROUBLE there. (My brain is not wired to comprehend math in any way. It fact, repels all things math related.) I had to link this video because this guy, the Numbertaker, is one of the 'villians' of the show. Basically, he steals things. And is so creepy, he even scares me.



I have already had the appointment with my orthopedic surgeon. I will be having a day surgery to remove the various metal bits from my ankle. It seemed like a good idea until I thought about having an epidural again. And basically being stuck on my rear for a week afterwards. (Which I wish I could actually enjoy but it will only stress me out.) In any case it needs to be done. I do not enjoy the feeling of tangled elastic bands in my ankle which periodically snap back into place so the inconvenience of having surgery will have to be endured.

Finally, I'm going to share the most hilarious Twilight spoof. It is terrible. Which is what makes it so good.

And The Winter Goes On, and the sickness goes on

So. While some of my fellow blogging friends in locations other than here are preparing to start planting gardens and flowers, I was dumped upon by a ridiculous amount of rain (which fell upon plenty of remaining snow) and then a ridiculous amount of snow. Wee!

The day it rained I spent a fun filled day of going to the walk in clinic with the baby, mopping water up in our basement, going to the walk in clinic with Miss A, waiting at the pharmacy for a prescription. Awesome. I took the baby to the doctor for a referral. She is still hacking and snotty and I am SICK of it. He told me that the fact that she has been sick so long is actually not unordinary but he would refer her to a pediatric allergist. When I mentioned that she's been getting up at hourly intervals in the night he basically told me that he thinks she's 'playing me'. Really. Maybe so. But I suspect that the fact she is so congested that she has difficulty nursing may also have something to do with it. (On a side note I also was referred to my surgeon regarding the metal hardware I'm still sporting in my ankle. It's bothering me so I'm pretty sure I'm going to need it removed.) Miss A was running a fever, which is why I took her in. Turns out she has an ear infection in BOTH ears. Since this is her second within three months she had to go on a different antibiotic. This one is VILE. It's basically like sand in syrup. Ugh! I mix it into yogurt and spoon it into her. So far she hasn't protested much.

The water in the basement thing is a drag but it's manageable and could be a lot worse. (it is in other areas of the city)

I am just so ready for spring. I don't ever remember being so eager for winter to be over. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we are getting one of these!

Aaauuugh

That zombie speak for "I'm freakin' tired." And since I am currently a zombie from lack of sleep pardon me if this post is unintelligible. I'm here. Barely. And I trying to put something out there.

The baby. The sweet, sweet smiling baby. She won't sleep. At least not for any human length of time. Mostly two hours at a time. The other night she was up every hour. If she ever sleeps for three hours it is NEVER during the night. No. Because my theory is correct. She is in fact, a secret weapon sent here from the future to keep people, me for starters, from accomplishing world altering tasks. Yeah. Um. Did I mention I'm tired? Anyway!

Along with the not sleeping there is also the crazy, growing up too fast business. The girl is just over seven months old, has mastered crawling and now look at this.



That's right. Standing. For crap sake. I mean, seriously. And with the standing comes the falling. And the crying. Oh, the crying. And then the forgetting and the doing it over and over. And she's also trying to climb up on top of the things she's standing at. And trying to grab other things and walk over to them. I remember when Miss A was doing this at nine months I thought it was crazy and dangerous because, wow, she's still a baby, but her sister... I should have guessed by the beating I took from her while she was in utero.

Because she is such a busy pants I finally had to get her out of the bassinet, (I was procrastinating because #1 she has been a terrible sleeper and I felt guilty about her disrupting Miss A so often in the night and #2 she's been sick FOREVER and I was waiting for her to get better.) this caused me a great deal of stress leading up to actually doing it but has actually been a much easier transition than I would have thought. Miss A seems oblivious to the numerous times I/we are in and out of her room as well as to B's wailing if I can't drag my sorry, half dead butt there quickly enough. It gives me the opportunity to cover up her cute little tushie when it's sticking out of the blankets and has given me a new reason to love/appreciate her, because she keeps right on sleeping. A is THRILLED to finally have her sharing the room, in fact she cried the first morning after Baby B slept 'with' her because B had gone to bed after she did and got up before she did and in the morning when A peeked in the crib she was convinced that she hadn't slept there at all.

Bathing in the big bathtub is also a new event, exciting to both girls. I snapped this cute photo to commemorate the first one.



Here is a picture of the child that sleeps. I rarely get photos like this anymore...



And here is the secret weapon during one of her brief sleeping sessions.



I'd like to ask the me from the picture what I'm so smiley about. Come on. You're flippin' exhausted lady!!

What I'm Sick Of

Winter

Cold

Snow

Having sick kids that never get better

Coughing

Fevers

Snot

Medicine

Inhalers

Being cooped up

Being tired

Only getting two hours of sleep at one time

Not being able to work out

Pimples

Crying

Whining

Having a sore back

Cooking

Rushing

Being late

But I never get sick of these faces...

I'm So Glad That's Over

Attempting Jedi Mind Control

I feel like I am losing my mind. What with the not getting more than two hours of sleep in a row (for days now), administering steroids, medication and an inhaler several times a day, listening to screaming while I get the bare minimum done, and being bossed around by a three year old who goes to her room several times a day declaring "I am MAD!!!" AND I'm actually just starting my work week today. Weee!!

I can however, count on Miss A to keep things interesting if nothing else. She has been trying Jedi mind control with me. This morning I'd put a Baby Einstein video on to try to CALM DOWN THE BABY! When I left the room for a few moments to, I don't know, GO TO THE BATHROOM WITHOUT BEING DISTURBED FOR ONCE, she came to tell me that she didn't break "anyfing". Ah ha. "What happened?" I asked. She had tried to rewind the movie and it crashed and went to the main menu. (blah, blah, our computer is our television, blah, blah.) Anyway, I fixed it. Later she was in her room playing and she called for my help. She had used one of her little chairs to climb into the crib but couldn't get out. "I'm not in here." she told me. "Um, dude, yes you are." "I'm not." she insisted.

Perhaps if she waved her hand in front of my face while saying it I would have bought it. I think I should be worried.

I'm Going to Pump...You Up!

Anyone recognize that old SNL reference? Wondering about it's relevance in this post? Basically, I'm trying to make light of a crappy situation.

Baby B has been sick for about three weeks. Whatever it is has morphed several times starting with a slight cold, runny nose and a bit of a cough to croup and now it's an ear infection and... well the doctor didn't say exactly. We'll say congested lungs. She vibrates when she breathes.

So, she's on antibiotics, a 'puffer' and wait for it... steroids. Awesome. My baby is on steroids. Only for three days but still. I was joking to Peter that she would be able to start doing chin ups with him downstairs.

In reality it's not funny at all. Miss A was never this sick as a baby. It's awful to try to get all of that medicine in her without her spitting it out or gagging. And keeping that mask on her face for an entire minute while I give her the puffer is torturous for both of us. And the poor thing hardly has a voice when she cries. My heart is a little bit broken.

I also admit to wondering if all this medication (steroids in particular) are really necessary. The trouble with walk in clinics is that you always see a different physician and every physician has a different opinion on how something should be treated. And with something like this we couldn't see our family physician because it would take to long to get in to see him, she'd have pneumonia by then. So I'm just trusting that this is the right course of action and I just want my baby to be well.

The funny thing is Miss A is done her medication today and I was looking forward to that because I found it a pain to remember to give it to her. At least she took it by herself and was all "Yum! It tastes like banana!". I should have known I wouldn't get off so easy. However, she is taking it all with a goofy baby grin on her face and hardly complains which actually breaks my heart even more.