Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Never a Boring Moment in This House.

It's been an exciting past few days, but not the kind of excitement I would like. Where do I even start?

David's cough came back a few weeks ago; the same cough that resulted in weekly doctor's visits last year. Since his cough kept him up all night long and interrupted his naps, he was extremely cranky and temperamental when awake -- so much that I was afraid to say anything that could set off his temper tantrums. Seth even borrowed a book from the library called "Parenting the strong willed child" and we take turns reading it. I must admit that after reading a few chapters so far has helped my relationship with my son.
Even though the doc still doesn't know what causes David's cough, the medications for asthma seem to be working. At least now he can sleep at night (and so can Seth as he was the one getting up all these nights to comfort him) and David's behavior improved a lot as soon as he started getting enough uninterrupted sleep.

The following week we were back at the pediatrician's office for Julia's 15-month routine check-up, except there wasn't anything routine about it. The doctor was trying to clean Julia's ear with a long plastic stick (I have no idea what its medical term is...) and he scratched the inside of her ear which then started to bleed. Neither one of my kids had ever screamed as loud, or as long, as Julia cried. She was hysterical, and wouldn't calm down for over an hour. Seth rushed home from work, but thankfully Julia's behavior was normal after her nap, although she still seem bothered by her ear. Needless to say, it was the last time we saw that particular doctor.

Today I took both kids to the hospital, or as David called it "a big house." (Every time we "take a tour" of a house we are potentially interested in purchasing, I tell David he is going to play in a 'big house.') David was getting a precautionary chest x-ray to rule out any serious issues with his lungs, and Julia went in for some blood work - another routine procedure at this age. Oy! They did great during their appointments, but not the waiting in between. For reasons beyond my comprehension, David wanted to use every single bathroom in the building. (Was he constipated, or overly curious?) After the third time, Julia, who had to accompany her brother during each bathroom visit, decided she'd had enough, threw her body onto the bathroom floor and refused to get up. At times like this, I look forward to their naps.

If you take all the madness out of our lives, we are a regular, yet busy family. Our days are filled with playdates, park outings, tricycle riding and even an occasional TV show (if David behaves well. ) Lately, our kids have been obsessed with Laurie Berkner (thanks, Ms. Anne!). We listen to her CDs in the car, in the house and even when they're falling asleep. I let David and Julia watch her DVD, but only a few songs at a time and they get very excited when I reach for the remote control. I know our kids are TV-deprived because they'll even watch CNN when it is on.


David loves having tea parties with me and Julia. They'll pretend to pour and drink from the tea cups (which are made in China and probably are covered with lead paint) and eat pretend -cookies and cupcakes.

I am already getting prepared for those cold winter days when it's too cold to play outside or when they're sick. I restocked our inventory of arts and crafts supplies and the kids and their friends have been having fun time doing all sorts of projects.


David and Julia patiently wait to see their daddy walking down the street from work since it's getting too dark and cold to meet him at the bus stop.


David's been brushing his teeth a lot lately in preparation for his first dental appointment in a few months. Recently, Julia has joined him, but I think she just loves looking at her reflection in the mirror and chewing on sweet children's toothpaste.


I know the worst challenges of the winter are yet to come and I don't think I'll ever be prepared for them. We'll just take one day at a time with a lot of patience, playdates, play-doh, and a few bottles of children's Tylenol (or was that recalled?).

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