Because mouse poop is funny

So apparently, if you don't post for a few months, the spammers come and get you. They put comments in random posts, thinking you won't notice.

I NOTICE!! I DELETE YOU!! HAPPILY!!

So for the sake of dissuading the spammers, I shall post. Though I've still not a great deal to say. I'm going through something of a depressive period, and I can't organize my thoughts coherently. It's easier not to write. But write, I shall. For it is now apparent that the penalty for writer's block is spam in droves, and that is unacceptable to me.

Feel free to skip this nonsensical post if you like. I just haven't got much to say.

*sigh*

First things first: I got scholarships! Two scholarships! One of them is a coveted national award. Annually, there's only one of these granted in each level. And I took it for Level 4. So I'm happy. There's cash involved. Now I can afford to buy tires. Because they continue to be punctured on a fairly regular basis. I still don't know why, but continue my conspiracy theories.

Secondly, J was moved into Pre-Kindergarten at school. I thought I had another year of preschool, but Pre-K is here. I'm getting used to it. He likes it a lot.

J says many funny things these days. But by the time I get to my computer, I've usually forgotten. I live in something of a fog lately, I'm afraid. But off the top of my head:

J: When I get big, I'm going to paint all the street lights green.

J: Can we go to the AC/DC Centre?
Note: This is J's term for the "ACT Centre", a pool and rec centre that he really enjoys.

J: Today, we talked about our favourite books at show and tell. Thali's favourite book is called 'Diarrhea Mouse'.
T: I think you mean 'Diary of a Mouse'.
J: No. It's 'Diarrhea Mouse'.
T: 'Diary of a Mouse'?
J: No. 'Diarrhea Mouse'.
H: J. Is the book about a mouse that sits on the toilet all the time and does absolutely nothing else? Or is it about a mouse that writes in a little book?
J: Oooooh ... [giggle] It's about a mouse that writes.
T: Ah. 'Diary of a Mouse'.

The final thing that I shall report on is N. Who is sick. Constantly. He's having teething issues. He had a flu bug a week or two ago. He now has a cold with fever. He is rather inconsolable. Last night, he even cried during bathtime. Poor little Pineapple.

There. I posted. Now quit spamming my comments, you nasty robots!

It is inappropriate to have a "favourite large yucky bug"

Today, I had to phone H at work and have him come home. I've had a severe headache since Saturday morning. My positive thinking and careful Tylenol dosing have not helped it to pass. I couldn't cope with the pain today, so I couldn't take care of the kids properly. I also couldn't drive myself to the doctor because I could barely see. H loaded the kids into the van and drove me to the doctor, then returned home to wait for me to call for a ride home. And I waited at the doctor's office for over two hours before I was seen.

It's a severe sinus infection. Hurts like hell. Imagine someone attacking your eye socket with a crochet hook. Yeah. It's kind of like that. But now, I have drugs. The doctor says I should be feeling better by the weekend.

As painful as this is, though, I think it may actually be preferrable to the torture H had to endure at the hands of our children while I was away.

*********
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
H: (singing) Rock-a-bye baby ...
J: Daddy!
H: ... in the treetop ...
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
J: Daddy!!
H: ... the cradle will ...
J: DADDY!!!
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
H: WHAT, J?!?!
J: I want you to pretend to be the big giant cockroach from "Men in Black".
H: ...
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
H: Rock-a-bye ...
J: DADDY!!
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
H: FINE! (In a really low voice) I am the big giant cockroach from "Men in Black".
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
J: Big giant cockroach?
H: *sigh* Rock-a-bye baby ...
J: BIG GIANT COCKROACH FROM "MEN IN BLACK"?!
H: Yes, J!!!
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
J: Cockroaches are my favourite kind of large yucky bug, because they have big sharp teeth coming out of their cheeks.
H: Good. Is that all?
N: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
H: ... when the wind blows ...
J: COCKROACH!!!

**********
That? Or the sinus infection? I think it's a toss-up. But what would you prefer?

Baby got teeth

So, N cut his very first tooth today. Just a tiny little speck peeking out from his bottom gums, but sharp as all get out. No wonder he was acting so grumpy. His cheeks are all red, and he's been lapping up the Tylenol. Quite inconsollable. Sure must hurt him. Hurts me too. Every time he bites.

**********
I'm still pretty sick. The cough has turned bad. I'll omit details, because it's gross and nobody really wants to read the finer points about what you coughed up today. But it's been rough, and I'm really tired, and then I started fearing really bad stuff, because that's what you do when you're displaying truly awful symptomology for more than a few days. So I headed to a walk-in clinic this evening to get things checked out. Two hours later, we knew with certainty that it's nothing especially horrible. But it's not just the common cold either. I've got bronchitis. So I have an antibiotic, and some Codeine cough syrup, and I'll hopefully be feeling better in a few days. Chest x-ray scheduled for the new year, just to make sure things are okay because ... well ... gross details omitted again. But I'm sure the x-ray will be all clear, and everything will be just fine.

("Am I contagious?", I asked. "No. You're infectious", came the doctor's reply. I just love semantics, don't you?)

I got home from the doctor after picking up my antibiotic. I told H I have bronchitis. That's why I've been so sick. That's why my energy has been shot. I want to take my drugs and pass out now, so I can get better. H responded to my glassy-eyed stare by telling me that he's just exhausted tonight, and then asking me to please put both kids to bed and help him carry J's big Christmas present down to the basement before taking the smaller one down by myself, and also, could I please wash the dishes and cook up those pork chops tomorrow. Then he proceeded to lay down on the couch and watch an episode of Law & Order before having a leisurely bath and going to bed before me.

I didn't even kill him a little bit. Too tired. Maybe tomorrow.

Sickos

I am going to post about sickness today. Because really, it's all I've got. There is sickness ... what can I say.

It started when N got what we thought was just a bad case of the sniffles about a week before my exam. He was pretty miserable.

Ever the pessimist, I saw the writing on the wall right then. I figured the very generous N would pass his cold along to the rest of us. H would get it first. He would be laid up all weekend, and unable to care for the kidlets while I studied. J would catch it next. He would be horribly sick and unable to go to school, so I would not be able to study for the days leading up to the exam. Finally, I would catch the dread virus just in time to be thoroughly ill on exam night. But as H readily pointed out: "If you can pass an exam with contractions, you can certainly pass one with a cold." Good point. Still, I preferred not to have to write while ill.

So I prayed. Please, just don't let me get sick until after the exam. Please, oh please, don't let me get sick until after the exam.

As predicted, H caught the cold the weekend before the exam. He was laid up all weekend. But kind and generous family members stepped in and cared for the children so that I could still study. J was hit next, a little later than I had originally predicted. He was home from school Wednesday, the day of the exam. H took a family sick day to care for J so that I could still study. (J's condition worsened on exam night, and he started throwing up. We decided to keep him home for the rest of the week. When we called the school, we learned that Norwalk Virus is circulating. Faaaabulous!)

But it's all good. By Friday, my exam was over. H was feeling completely better. N was almost over it too. Even J appeared to be feeling 100% better. And aside from a touch of nausea, I had escaped completely unscathed.

Could it be? Had I finally avoided catching a cold that had hit the remainder of my household with a vengeance? I am an asthmatic, so one would not think so. But maybe, just maybe it had happened. Finally.

Except that the kids really weren't on the mend. Deceptive little beggars that they are, they apparently simply wanted to instill a false sense of security in their poor mother. And so, late one night on the weekend, with J coughing until he threw up and N barking like a seal on each intake of breath, we headed to the Emergency Room. Two small children, with matching fevers and matching cold viruses. N's cold had turned to croup, and he required steroids. J needed to be watched for dehydration; just keep him drinking, and he should be okay.

But at least H is feeling better. And I haven't caught the virus. It's been two weeks, and I am feeling rather indestructible at this juncture. Two sick kids, climbing on me for cuddles, breathing and coughing directly in my face, but somehow I managed to evade their bugs. Celebrate with me!

Yeah ... Until today, when I awoke feeling like I'd been hit by a rather large truck. J still coughing. N sobbing and miserable, with the mother of all runny noses and croupy coughs. And me, the caregiver, totally incapacitated and unable to function, with a severe headache, fever, ear infection, tonsillitis (again), upset stomach, a hacking cough, and complete exhaustion. I can't even take anything for it, because I'm still nursing N!

It's been a good day. (Riiiiight.) I'm going to bed now. I hope to feel better soon. I hope for no bronchitis, the usual development in an asthmatic with a cold. I hope it all departs from my system very quickly.

I am tired. I am sick. But I still feel blessed, because at least the virus failed to catch me until after my exam was done. And really, that was all I asked for.

So, how about you? Any winter colds going around your household? Do you have a tried and true cold remedy (safe for nursing moms)? Do tell!

It never rains but it pours

The kids are sick.

N has some kind of explosive diarrhea stomach cramp issue. Usually very content, he sleeps and screams by turn. The screams are quite disconcerting.

J feels very warm, and he has a cough, runny nose, stomach cramps, and a headache. He's also extremely tired and has no interest in eating (not particularly new, but he won't eat his favourite foods and keeps asking to go to bed instead, which is quite different). He's not even interested in drinking milk. And he's not stalling bedtime, preferring to go straight to bed without snacks, stories, or even being changed into his pajamas. And that's unbelievably weird.

We were set up to babysit I&G tomorrow for L&P. Had to call over there really late, when it became especially apparent that the kids weren't themselves, and tell them the kids are sick. Thankfully, L&P were able to make alternate arrangements. We don't want their kids to get sick. Neither do they. I'm glad we have understanding friends, but I still feel badly about bailing on a commitment at the last minute.

I'm achey all over. Think I'm passing one of the many kidney stones. Hurts, but it's good. Pain means they're leaving my system. I hope they all leave. As long as I don't have to head to hospital for pain meds, it will be just fine.

And of course, my birth mom is fighting pancreatic cancer that is now in her liver. I don't think I've mentioned that on this blog yet. But there you have it.

Fortunately, H feels just fine. We'll all get him yet. Just you wait and see.

You can't always get what you want - Part II

I've been trying to figure out N's fluctuating moods over the past couple of days. Sunday, he slept for most of the day and barely ate anything at all, which was somewhat uncharacteristic. Yesterday, he wouldn't sleep at all. He insisted on constant feedings and cuddles, and he screamed if he was ever put down, which was also uncharacteristic. Last night, it became apparent that N had come down with a bad cold. At least we know why he's been so testy lately.

Yesterday, J was very well-behaved, eating problems notwithstanding. Potty training went well. He watched cartoons and played happily. He napped for a while. Life was good in J's world.

It's a shame the two kids can't both have a good day at the same time. But hopefully, that will come in time.

**********

Yesterday, at lunch:

T: What do you want for lunch?
J: I don't want lunch.
T: You have to have lunch. Do you want ham?
J: No.
T: Well, then what do you want?
J: Nothing.
T: You can have ham, peanut butter, jam, banana, or cheese. What do you want?
J: Ummmm ... peanut butter and jam.

So I make J a PB&J sandwich. I cut it into quarters, and I give him two pieces. He won't eat more than half a sandwich.

J: Can I have some milk?
T: Eat this piece of sandwich; then you can have some milk.

J goofs around a lot, not eating, and testing his boundaries. When Mommy says "Sit on your chair", does she really mean it? What if I stand beside the chair? What if I put one foot on the chair support? Ok, well then, what if I put both feet on the chair support and balance precariously? WHAM! J falls off the chair support and smacks his chin on the table, biting his tongue. J's tongue is bleeding. I crush some ice for him to suck on. J feels better.

J: Can I have more ice?
T: No. Eat some sandwich.

And in the background, N screams.

J continues to goof around. Can he sit in my lap? No. Can I feed him like a baby? No. Ordinarily, I might have done either of these. But N is still screaming, and my hands are full dealing with that issue.

I become desperate. I tell J that, if he finishes his lunch, has an afternoon nap, and sits on the potty before and after naptime, I will make him a snowcone for afternoon snack. J is excited about the snowcone. I tell J that he can pick a flavour. We have orange (orange), cherry (red), or blue raspberry lemonade (blue). J would like ... green!

T: We don't have green.
J: Brown?
T: We don't have brown, J. Orange, red, or blue?
J: Orange!

I agree. I even take the orange mix out of the pantry and put it on the counter, so that J can see it.

Finally, J begins to eat. He eats one quarter of sandwich. But it has taken him 45 minutes to do this. He is rewarded with a glass of milk. He drinks the milk. He will not touch the other quarter of sandwich.

N continues to scream.

I become frustrated. I set the oven-timer for 10 minutes. I tell J that he has 10 minutes to finish his other quarter of sandwich. When the oven-timer goes off, lunch is over. And I leave the kitchen to try and console N in the living room.

J follows. He periodically goes back to check on his sandwich, but he does not eat it. When instructed to do so, he sits back at the kitchen table. But he does not eat.

Once N is reasonably calm again, I return to the kitchen. There are 2.5 minutes left on the oven timer. The quarter sandwich is completely whole. With considerable prompting and pleading, J has four bites of his second piece of sandwich before the timer goes off. I decide that this is probably good enough; I just give up in despair. It's been an hour, for crying out loud!

I take J up for potty and naptime. The process takes time. J dawdles. N lies in his bassinet and screams. J does not care that his baby brother is in distress. He continues to dawdle. But eventually, he settles. Promises of an orange snowcone continue to be effective.

While J has his nap, I feed N a lot. N squawks and snuggles, and refuses to settle. Finally, N has a quiet moment. And this is when J awakes and wants to get up. I get J. J sits on the potty, but only because I remind him that he will have his snowcone when he is done.

We come downstairs, and I begin to make J his snowcone. I remind him of his flavour choices. J still wants orange. Is he sure? Yes.

I make J his orange snowcone. I make one for me too, so that we can have snack together. We sit down together with our snowcones. I begin to eat my snowcone. J does not eat his. He plays with it instead. And after a period of time:

J: I don't want it. Can I have a red one instead?

I will not make snowcones in a variety of flavours!! If you eat the orange one, I'll make you a red one later.

J does not eat his snowcone. Instead, he runs into the living room and wakes up N. N returns to screaming.

**********

J asks for a hamburger for dinner. We make hamburgers. J eats his hamburger. (Score!) He won't eat the bun, but that is not unusual for J. We try, but we never really expect it.

J wants to go for a walk after dinner. We go for a walk with the boys. J wants to go and see the fountain and waterfall in the adjacent neighbourhood. So that is where we go. We return to the house.

J: Can we go to the playground?
H: It's too late to go to the playground.
J: Can we go to the playground?
H: No. It's too late.
J: Can we go to the playground?
H: Not tonight. When we go for our walk tomorrow night, we can go to the playground.
J: Can we go to the playground?
H: We can go tomorrow night!
J: No! Today!!
H: No! It's too late!!
J: I want a hotdog!!!

**********

Some days, it takes a lot of effort to keep from uttering expletives in front of our impressionable toddler.

**********

It was a rough night. N needed to be held upright and have his nose frequently suctioned. He is still sick and out of sorts. I got very little sleep. Fortunately, both H & J managed to sleep through it all. H has a sore throat this morning. I hope he manages to fight this off. J still appears okay. I have no symptoms yet. But I don't want to take a sick N out anywhere, for fear that he may get sicker. I have cancelled plans and appointments for today.

We will have a pleasant day in instead. I hope N feels better soon.

Poor little man!

J is sick.

He threw up repeatedly last night. He seemed to feel better after each hurl, but he continued to throw up as the night wore on. We went through an awful lot of bedding and pajama sets. It was well after midnight before J got to sleep.

H stayed home today to look after J. I still can't care for him until the new baby arrives, and it seemed like a good idea to keep the little tike home.

It was.

J awoke at his usual time of around 6:00 a.m., and would not go back to sleep. He had several tantrums, quite out of character from his usual sweet little self. And in the late morning/early afternoon, he started screaming, sobbing, and dry-heaving. He could not be consoled.

H and I decided that J needed to see the doctor.

H took J to the hospital to be seen. Not a long wait. Good doctors. Prompt care and diagnosis. I love the Stollery.

J has a gastrointestinal bug and was slightly dehydrated. They gave him a blue Pedialite popsicle, which he thought was quite yummy. He spilt some on his clothes, so they put him in hospital issue blue and white striped toddler pajamas, which I must admit are really cute!

He seems to be feeling a lot better now. He went to bed early, and so far he is sleeping peacefully.

I hope he doesn't get anyone else sick! L&P babysat J for a little while yesterday, and he played extensively with their two girls. He seemed fine at the time. But now, I'm concerned for the continued health of their family. J's bug is pretty nasty. And little Iz has such a glass stomach

On a bright note, I didn't go into labour while J was vomiting. So much for Murphy's Law. Score!

Also: I am 36 weeks pregnant now. So while I'm not at term yet, I'm in the safety zone - can go to our first choice hospital and everything. Got to get the bag packed. Otherwise, all systems are go!

Still having cravings. Now it's orange creamsicles. Mmmmmm ... so good ...

The end result

Lie down. If you sit up, you get pelvic pressure and may deliver early.
Sit up. If you lie down, you get reflux.
Lie down. If you sit up, you get morning sickness.
Drink milk. It fights the reflux.
Don't drink milk. It makes the morning sickness worse.
Drink ginger ale. It fights the morning sickness.
Don't drink ginger ale. It's too acidic and aggravates the reflux.
Drink peppermint tea. It soothes the stomach.
Don't drink tea. It doesn't mix well with stomach acid.
Eat breads. It absorbs some of the stomach acid.
Eat nothing, or you'll throw up from the morning sickness.
Eat anything you can so you don't lose more weight in the pregnancy.

I have discovered that it doesn't matter whether I sit up, lie down, eat, drink milk, drink tea, drink ginger ale, or do anything else ... the end result is that I will throw up regardless. And that's just a lovely thing.

Stomach flu

I have the stomach flu.

How, you may ask, can I tell that it's the stomach flu? How, you may logically wonder, can I tell the difference between the stomach flu and the typical pregnancy type nausea and vomiting that I have experienced throughout the entire pregnancy?

The answer is this. J has it too.

I got sick with it yesterday. J developed the same symptoms this morning. Now, we wait for H to get it too. Our family believes in sharing. Since H is the only fully functioning member of our household, he really can't afford to be sick. Therefore, he is required to catch this bug as well. It's important.

I should be preparing for my exam. It's next Monday, and I'm not at all ready for it. But I'm exhausted and nauseous, and my head hurts. I sure can't concentrate on exam prep.

I think I'll have a nap instead. I'll worry about the exam another day. Hopefully, I'll be ready to write next Monday. So far, I'm not doing so well in my practice exams.

Just get that 53% and move on.

**********

On another note, I am still trying to figure out what key I keep hitting on my new laptop that seems to change certain keys to French characters. It only happens when I'm online. And then I have to close Explorer and go back in. As soon as I do that, the keyboard appears to reset itself. I have no idea how it keeps happening.

I feel less than stellar today. Can't figure out course or computer, and am losing focus.

G'night.

Things have been quiet here lately

I am aware. Time for a few updates.

I'm about 16 weeks pregnant with #2 now. Already on bed rest, and have been for over a month now. I'm bed resting until at least 20 weeks, and we'll see from there. There are complications and, if they do not resolve, I'll likely be on bed rest until delivery. I'm due end of May. Bed rest is boring. There's not much that I can do. I miss work. It's hard to get to the computer. It's tough to blog. The worst part is that I can't pick up J. I miss cuddling my little boy. Thankfully, I have a supportive husband who has been taking good care of me and J. I just wish I could contribute. But I can't.

We went to Maui for a week in September. That's where we learned that we were expecting #2. It was a fantastic trip! Thankfully, the morning sickness didn't start until we returned. It's been pretty bad, though. I can't keep down even my prenatal vitamins. I'm concerned about proper nutrition for baby. But I'm doing my best.

On the J front, potty training is going well. J is rewarded with a sticker for sitting on the potty, and he receives an extra sticker for peeing. He usually gets two stickers. But he's not yet telling us when he needs to go, so he's generally wet between trips. I hope he will be trained soon. It would be helpful.

Also, we have managed to wean J from his "Ne-naw" (aka soother). He was only having it during naps and night. But we explained to him on Monday that Ne-naws are only for little tiny babies, and he's a little boy now and much too grown-up for a Ne-naw. He barely even squawked about it. Honestly, it was more tragic for me - my baby is growing up!!! But it needed to go, so it is gone.

J likes all kinds of books and toys now. He will often play with things that aren't really his toys. We have to monitor for safety. He has claimed one of our Halloween decorations - a silver skull - as one of his new toys. Apparently, J does not find this gross-looking thing particularly scary. We are having trouble getting it back into storage, since J keeps hiding it among his other toys. J also loves the design that is on the back of one of our rocking chairs. He thinks Design looks rather like a face, and he has conversations with it, shares toys with it, etc. Ah well, a couple of imaginary or inanimate friends never hurt anyone.

J enjoys singing. His favorite song is still "Mighty Machines", but he also enjoys "Jingle Bells" and "Mister Golden Sun", among other little tunes. He prefers to sing in a gruff and grumbly voice rather than his usual sweet little voice. He sounds rather like a Sesame Street monster when he starts up, I swear. But it's very cute.

Now, onto the school front: I'm almost through my stats class. Thankfully, when I was put on bed rest, the teacher turned it into a distance ed class for me, and I have managed to get good grades while lying still on my couch. It has not been a really tough class. I've got enough marks to pass the class already, and a couple more projects to complete still. Hopefully I'll be able to complete them. I've gotten doctor permission to take a winter class also, provided it too is distance ed and can be completed while I lie down. So I'll be taking Finance next. It's a long process to get my designation, but I'm sure it will be worth it once it's all done.

I'm tired. I'm bored. Send emails. Phone me. Whatever you've got to do. I'm relying on others for entertainment now. So go on ... entertain me!

I will now end this post with a things you never thought you'd hear your child say:

J: Kitty is eating my skull!!

Exam is done!!

I feel quite strongly that I passed that. I can already see areas where I messed up. And there was one question that totally threw me for a loop. I know for certain that I have lost a good five marks on the obvious stuff that I missed. But I passed, and that's all I care about!

I took every blessed second of that exam. And I didn't get to double-check anything. So I hope I did things right the first time.

So there ya go. Done Level 1. And I have next term off of school, which will be really good. Woot!

**********

In other news, poor little J is all sick again. He has a very bad chest cold, and has been coughing a lot. I forgot to call daycare today to let them know he wouldn't be there. So I feel pretty badly about that, but such is life. I'll phone them tomorrow and apologize for the oversight.

I hope J's cold is just the typical thing. But it's right down in the chest, and it makes me a bit nervous. I do not like the sound of that cough.

Peel me a grape, you bastard!

Another day, another trip to emergency.

J is still sick. He stopped throwing-up on the weekend, but has continued to have diarrhea something fierce. And he was very lethargic, not urinating as much, and just generally acting listless and very different from his usual happy little self.

He was so obviously dehydrated there was no missing it.

So we spent many hours at emergency with the very moody and irritable J, who made insane demands the entire time (read: title to this post). There was much screaming. J at us. Me at nurses. (Okay, I didn't really scream, but I was annoyed and it showed; I swear it can't take 2 hours to clean a room in ped's!)

Much monitoring of J's condition will be necessary over the next little while. Electrolyte solution must be pushed with might and main. And hopefully, he will start having normal bowel movements again very soon.

**********

I am exhausted. Long day at work. Long evening at emerg. Long night of studying. Submitted my quiz, and amazingly got full marks. But I accidentally screwed a friend over when I gave her faulty advice on her quiz that ended up costing her half a mark. I feel badly about it, because I was very sure of myself. But I guess things have changed over time, and I've been out of the loop for some 3 years now. I should not pretend to know the law any longer; it changes too fast, and I haven't kept up. For the future, I must remember to liberally use those three little words: "I don't know".

Stoopid me!

**********

Miserable. Moody. Tired. Worried. Anxious. Busy. Exhausted. Angry. Guilty. Panicked.

Zzzzz...

More on "Love"

This morning, while having a cuddle:

T: I love you, J.
J: Love you, Panda.

I am really starting to take this personally.

**********

I had a very sore throat yesterday. Today, it is not anywhere near as sore, thanks to copious amounts of lemon with honey and chicken vegetable soup with garlic. But it has gone down into my chest, and I have laryngitis again. I sound just delightful, I assure you.

Lots of steam. Lots of soup. Lemon with honey. Halls cough drops. Cough syrup. Hot baths for aches and pains. Naps whenever possible.

I need to do some studying, but I'm too sick to be able to do much of anything. And tomorrow, I'm back at work. I can't afford another sick day, so I have to go in whether this is still happening to me or not.

At least J appears to be feeling better. He ate half a hotdog for lunch. This is more than he's eaten in days. Score!

My J is sick

Terribly stomach-flu type sick. Vomiting on the couch and in the car kind of sick.

Today, he threw up after trying a small taste of grape jelly. Refused Digestive biscuits and toast. Held down nothing but milk. Ate one single Cheerio for dinner. Had a 3-hour long nap, some nasty messy diaper issues, and is now in bed for the night.

Obviously, today was not good for daycare. So I was home with J. I am glad I have a job where they are so understanding about this stuff, but I really wish J weren't sick so often. I feel like I've missed an awful lot of time from the office ever since J started daycare. I've missed time because J's been sick. I've missed time because of my kidneys - stone still hasn't passed, in case you were wondering. I've missed time because of exams. I've missed time because of the furnace. Just generally, I've missed time. And I'm tired of missing time.

I'm off two days a week for the rest of January and the first couple days of February, because J's schedule requires it. I knew about it well in advance and am taking vacation days. That much is fine. But I wish I didn't have to miss all the other time leading up to it.

I'm a mom, a student, and I work full-time. It's a lot of stuff to juggle. I knew that. I know that. I think I can handle it. I just need for outside forces to stop interfering. And I don't know how to make that happen.

Work is busy. I have files to do. I need to be there to do the job. I want to do the job to the best of my abilities, to learn, and to advance. I'm good at the job, and I have a lot of potential there. I think they see that in me. I just need my life to come more in control so that I can exercise that potential and actually work my usual hours on a regular basis. It's important. But how do I make that happen?

I feel frustrated.

No. Not that end.

J's favorite little Boppy Bear sprung a leak. Oh noes! (Boppy Bear was a birthday present, and J loves it. It's a little yellow inflatable bear. You can push it down, and it will spring back up. Hours of entertainment!)

Fortunately, Boppy Bear came with a repair kit. H grabbed the kit and prepared to fix Boppy Bear. The instructions said to remove the paper backing and press down firmly over the hole, then re-inflate in 20 minutes.

H cut a little piece off, and attempted to remove the paper backing. He finally got the paper backing separated from the patch, and tossed it aside. Then he held the piece down over the hole. He took his hand away. The piece slid off of the hole. He tried again. And again. And finally, he said "Well, how is this stupid thing supposed to work".

I wandered over to investigate. I picked up the piece. I turned it over. I grabbed the instruction sheet. I read them over. Then I looked at H and said "It's not working, because you are trying to repair the hole using the paper backing. The piece that you discarded is the patch".

J's Boppy Bear is patched now. Soon, I shall inflate him again. I hope he will hold air now. (Floppy Boppy is no fun at all.)

**********

J has a raging double-eye infection. We are using polysporin drops to try to clear it up. That and frequent baby shampoo washings of the eyes to keep them relatively gunk-free. The doctor thinks it's viral, so we just have to wait it out. But his eyes are really puffy and gunky, and he has big purple circles under them. He's feverish and generally unhappy. He's not eating, and isn't even drinking much at all.

My poor baby! I hope he feels better really soon.

**********

We bought J a Christmas gift tonight. It's really exceptionally cool. It's a ride-on motorized trike-type motorcycle, with rechargeable battery.

They had three of these in pink, but J got the last little boy's motorbike in the store. His is red and black, with flames painted on it. They're suitable for ages 3 to 7, according to the package, but J will be fine as long as he's supervised. That, and we probably just won't charge the battery until he's closer to the age group; until then, it will be more of a push-and-ride toy.

Anyway, this thing looks really cool. And it looks really expensive. But it wasn't. At all. We always look for sweet deals, and sometimes things work out. I really love sales and places that let you collect points toward purchases. YES!!

I hab a code

Adudder wud. Wit J id daycare, we're boud to keep gettig sig here. Bud I'b tired of id, ad I wish id wud stop dow. I do't feel gud ad all. I'b tired, ad by doze is all plugged ub.

Stoopid doze.

Why so dumb, chum?

I fed J some apple pieces the other night. He decided that he only likes the juice, and he spat out the chewed up pieces once he'd gotten the yummy juice out. Then he tried to give them to me in a most unpleasant way, resulting in a new episode of "Things You Never Thought You'd Hear Yourself Say":

"Mommy does not want to eat your regurgitated apple bits.

**********

I went to the doctor last Monday. I said that I appeared to have developed a bladder infection. A urinalysis showed nothing. I was on antibiotics for the bronchitis, so shouldn't have developed a bladder infection. I was told to drink cranberry juice and go back to see them on Friday if I still didn't feel better.

I decided that this meant I had developed a severe case of hypochondria. There is nothing wrong with me. And if I simply ignore it, it will go away.

Friday.
Saturday.

And on Sunday, I was in such tremendous discomfort that I could no longer ignore the situation. It's real, dang it! I went back to the doctor. But if it's real, and it's not a bladder infection, what could it be?

I had roughly three hours to ponder that while I waited in the doctor's office for it to be my turn. I was not bored, for I got to run to the bathroom every ten minutes. I was even given a little cup by the nurse so that they could check in the office rather than sending me out to a lab. "But it's not a bladder infection" I thought inwardly; "we've already established that". Confident that my urinalysis would reveal nothing, and that it wasn't all in my head either, I waited to discover just what the heck else might be causing the symptoms I'd been exhibiting.

Saw the doctor.

It's not all in my head. I should have known that. Because it appears that there is nothing in my head.

I have a severe bladder infection. It's resistant to the antibiotics I was taking. I needed new antibiotics. Five-day course. And if it's still like this at the end of the treatment, I will need to take an anti-spasmodic drug to finish the job.

It hurts. A lot.

I feel foolish. I should have trusted myself. Shouldn't have waited so long. Should have persisted after the first test showed nothing. Probably should have just made them redo the test. But I did none of these things. And now, I will have to endure this intense discomfort for a longer period of time.

At least I went back before it worked its way up into my kidneys. That's a good thing, right?

What is with this stupid bug???

Well, it started over two weeks ago now. It started with major muscle spasms. And then it turned into stomach trouble, combined with major muscle spasms. Then I developed a twitch in my right eye. Next came the sore throat. Then the runny nose, and then the bronchitis cough. And that's when I lost my voice completely.

I said enough. I went to the Medicentre. I got drugs to help fight this.

My voice is starting to return, and my eye has finally stopped twitching (knock wood). I'm still getting some muscle spasms and some stomach trouble, but it's not as severe as it was, and I am hopeful that it will go away soon.

But now, I have apparently added a urinary tract infection to my woes. And it hurts. A lot. It kept me up from around 3:00 on last night. It came accompanied by chills. It was not enjoyable in the least.

I've called in sick from work for the day. I almost never do that. But it's that bad.

How did this happen? I'm on antibiotics! This should not have happened!

I am hoping that my regular doctor can see me today. If not, then maybe someone else in his clinic will be available. I need to get whatever the heck mutant viral pest thing is causing this awful condition out of my system once and for all. I just don't know how to do that.

Just a 53%

That is all I need on the final exam. Just a 53%. With my quiz and midterm marks, a 53% will get me a passing grade, and I will never have to see this course again.

75% would get me the coveted 80% that I was hoping to get in all of my courses.

But I'm something of a realist. Sometimes. And I'm shooting for the 53% on this one. I'm back at work, with a child, and I've been sick and haven't had time to devote my all to studying for the exam. As long as I pass, I care about nothing else.

53%. Please let me get it.

**********

Still sick. Pukin' sick. Went back to work today, though. But it's icky. I hope this flu leaves soon. I can't cope.

**********

J walks a lot now. He's not so good with talking yet, and really just makes jibberish sounds. But he does enjoy the sound "Uh oh", and he says that frequently. He's also still not so good with eating, and will still only eat finely pureed foods - or else he gags and vomits. But he can really walk. He seems to enjoy it. He laughs and laughs! Today, he walked from the kitchen to the front door to see me when I came home. Then he turned around and walked back to the kitchen to visit with H some more. He didn't even fall down once!

**********

Feverish. Sweating. Bed now. 'Night.

Sadly Sickly

Both my men are sick. Poor men!

Stomach flu. Stay away.