If only a spoonful of sugar was all that it took. Giving the little guy antibiotics three times a day is nothing short of hell. It usually takes us a good 30 to 40 minutes for each dose to get the liquid down his throat. Often, all or most of it is spat out or dumped. We have to continue this routine for TEN days (shoot me now!).
We've threatened to take him back to the doctor. We've tried mixing the meds in with food and drink. We've bribed him with treats. We've temporarily taken away his toys and his teetee. We've tried negotiating, reasoning, begging and pleading. His unfaltering pig-headedness makes him immune to all of these ploys. Sometimes he leaves us no choice but to hold him down, plug his nose, and squirt the meds into him mouth.
Today the situation improved slightly. We discovered that he will sort of tolerate the antibiotics if they are mixed in with orange juice. I let him do activities on Starfall while we administer the medication. He can't advance to a new screen or start a new activity until he takes a big swig. This method seems to be working and it is only taking us 10 or 15 minutes per dose.
I'm really hoping that the antibiotics work because I don't think we could survive a second round.
********************
We've had some amazing toilet training success in the last week. He's barely had any wet diapers. Our strategy is to put him in underwear all of the time. If he wants a diaper when we go out he has to wear a pull-up on top of his underwear (to make him notice any accident).
In the last couple of days he's done three or four poops on the toilet. He's also been initiating going to the potty or toilet without being prompted.
When we are out in public he is still reluctant to use the toilet. Even so, we've been carting around his portable toilet seat so that it's there if he needs it. I'm hoping that he won't fall back to his old ways once he's back at daycare....
Positive reinforcement is really paying off. Heck, he's even starting to use it himself. Yesterday when we went to the farm one of the horses took a giant pee in the stable. The little guy watched in amazement. When the horse was done he said to the horse enthusiastically, "Good job!"
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Unfortunately our holiday season is off to a rough start. The little guy had a cold that started off harmlessly enough, but then turned rather ugly. For the past two days he's had a low-grade fever and has been pretty lethargic. This morning I noticed blood in his ear and immediately suspected an ear infection.
We took him to the urgent care walk-in first thing this morning and to our surprise there was barely anyone in the waiting room. Then, the triage nurse took one look at his grayish complexion and let us cut right to the front of the line (thank you!). It turns out the little guy has a ruptured eardrum. We were amazed that he didn't tell us his ear was sore because it is very painful right before it ruptures (sorry if I'm making anyone queasy). He did tell us a few times that his head was sore but he was pointing at his forehead. The doctor said that this is very common with toddlers because they have a difficult time explaining what kind of pain they are experiencing. The little guy is now on some heavy duty antibiotics for the next ten days and the doctor says that he should start feeling much better soon (hopefully in time for Christmas morning???).
Our plan was to have a quiet roast beef dinner tonight to celebrate Christmas Eve. But we've decided that we are going to postpone it until Boxing Day. Amma arrives at 11:00 tonight, so we thought it would be nice to include her in the feast. Also, given the little guy's medical condition, what we really need is a hassle free night. We'll save our strength for tomorrow's festivities. After we open gifts, we are going to make a nice brunch. And then, in the evening, we are going to KM and KSH's house for dinner.
Merry Christmas everyone!
We took him to the urgent care walk-in first thing this morning and to our surprise there was barely anyone in the waiting room. Then, the triage nurse took one look at his grayish complexion and let us cut right to the front of the line (thank you!). It turns out the little guy has a ruptured eardrum. We were amazed that he didn't tell us his ear was sore because it is very painful right before it ruptures (sorry if I'm making anyone queasy). He did tell us a few times that his head was sore but he was pointing at his forehead. The doctor said that this is very common with toddlers because they have a difficult time explaining what kind of pain they are experiencing. The little guy is now on some heavy duty antibiotics for the next ten days and the doctor says that he should start feeling much better soon (hopefully in time for Christmas morning???).
Our plan was to have a quiet roast beef dinner tonight to celebrate Christmas Eve. But we've decided that we are going to postpone it until Boxing Day. Amma arrives at 11:00 tonight, so we thought it would be nice to include her in the feast. Also, given the little guy's medical condition, what we really need is a hassle free night. We'll save our strength for tomorrow's festivities. After we open gifts, we are going to make a nice brunch. And then, in the evening, we are going to KM and KSH's house for dinner.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Chappy happy!
This morning the little guy was singing at the top of his lungs, "Frosty the snowman was a chappy, happy soul!"
I kind of like his version.
********************
We bought a Charlie Brown tree today for $20. Baby boy was, of course, thrilled. Hopefully the tree won't topple over because of how heavily weighted down the bottom half is with decorations (in some spots three layers deep!).
I kind of like his version.
********************
We bought a Charlie Brown tree today for $20. Baby boy was, of course, thrilled. Hopefully the tree won't topple over because of how heavily weighted down the bottom half is with decorations (in some spots three layers deep!).
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Funny tidbits
The other day Baby Boy was reminiscing about his recent visit to the doctor's office.
"Did we go to the doctor for a ketchup?" he asked. :-)
*********************
Every weekday morning Baby Boy watches me make lunches for the workday. He's kind of fascinated with the idea of packing a lunch and likes to pretend that he needs one too. Often times I'll find oranges and apples tucked away in his knapsack. And sometimes when I'm preparing lunches I turn my back for a second and a bag of vegetables has mysteriously gone missing.
The other day he yelled, "Bye, I'm going to work. I brought my lunch!" He was trotting away with a carton of cherry tomatoes with a slice of bread smushed inside.
*********************
This morning he was busy playing in the sink with "his guys." His guys are what he calls his sharks, dolphin and whale bathtub toys. At one point he ran into the living room to tell me that he was doing some cooking and asked if I wanted to come see. "Sure," I said. When I got to the sink he showed me his hardboiled eggs (he'd filled a little pot with water and was floating to white egg cups inside) and his cedar plank salmon (a dish sponge on a cutting board). He proceeded to smear the salmon with sauce (bubbles and water).
Underneath his on which he was standing was his teetee (blankie arranges in a little ball) with a stuffed frog sitting on top. He told me that he frog with sitting in the pond and to be careful not to step in the water.
What an imagination!
"Did we go to the doctor for a ketchup?" he asked. :-)
*********************
Every weekday morning Baby Boy watches me make lunches for the workday. He's kind of fascinated with the idea of packing a lunch and likes to pretend that he needs one too. Often times I'll find oranges and apples tucked away in his knapsack. And sometimes when I'm preparing lunches I turn my back for a second and a bag of vegetables has mysteriously gone missing.
The other day he yelled, "Bye, I'm going to work. I brought my lunch!" He was trotting away with a carton of cherry tomatoes with a slice of bread smushed inside.
*********************
This morning he was busy playing in the sink with "his guys." His guys are what he calls his sharks, dolphin and whale bathtub toys. At one point he ran into the living room to tell me that he was doing some cooking and asked if I wanted to come see. "Sure," I said. When I got to the sink he showed me his hardboiled eggs (he'd filled a little pot with water and was floating to white egg cups inside) and his cedar plank salmon (a dish sponge on a cutting board). He proceeded to smear the salmon with sauce (bubbles and water).
Underneath his on which he was standing was his teetee (blankie arranges in a little ball) with a stuffed frog sitting on top. He told me that he frog with sitting in the pond and to be careful not to step in the water.
What an imagination!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Snow day!
Today we had so much snow that I had no choice but to pick up the little guy in the toboggan. He loved it! I did not. My arms are still burning from pulling him up those steep hills. Tomorrow there is supposed to be another huge mess of snow, so I guess I'll be getting my exercise!
When the weather started getting colder in the last week, we started insisting that the little guy wear his snowsuit. He didn't like this idea on bit until daddy told him it was like an astronaut suit. Apparently being an astronaut is cool! Every time he puts it on he brags that his astronaut suit is blue and that other astronauts get to wear white. Hey, whatever works!
***********************************
What is it with all of the illnesses? I just got over three nasty colds in a row, with maybe two days of respite in between. Frankly it's embarrassing. Everyone at work must think I'm really sickly (I guess I am sickly now that I have a toddler in nursery school).
Just when I thought the worst was over, I got a stomach bug. It's not serious enough for me to stay home from work, but bad enough to make me feel like crap pretty much all day.
Oh the joys of winter!
**********************************
Some quick highlights:
- The little guy is really getting into 30 piece puzzles. He's able to put them together all by himself with little or no guidance.
- We got him some new skates and a helmet on the weekend. Can't wait to try them out!
- I accidentally let him fall asleep watching teletoon about a week ago. Ever since, he begs me every night to watch the "bunny show" (Bugs Bunny)
- He's become quite the chef. Our pots and pans are always full of apples, oranges, lemons and other assorted fruit that he nabs from the fruit basket.
- We bought some sprinkles to make "rainbow" pancakes a few weeks ago. Now he thinks that sprinkles should go on everything, including his morning oatmeal. I think I should start pouring them on the foods we can't get him to eat. It might just work!
When the weather started getting colder in the last week, we started insisting that the little guy wear his snowsuit. He didn't like this idea on bit until daddy told him it was like an astronaut suit. Apparently being an astronaut is cool! Every time he puts it on he brags that his astronaut suit is blue and that other astronauts get to wear white. Hey, whatever works!
***********************************
What is it with all of the illnesses? I just got over three nasty colds in a row, with maybe two days of respite in between. Frankly it's embarrassing. Everyone at work must think I'm really sickly (I guess I am sickly now that I have a toddler in nursery school).
Just when I thought the worst was over, I got a stomach bug. It's not serious enough for me to stay home from work, but bad enough to make me feel like crap pretty much all day.
Oh the joys of winter!
**********************************
Some quick highlights:
- The little guy is really getting into 30 piece puzzles. He's able to put them together all by himself with little or no guidance.
- We got him some new skates and a helmet on the weekend. Can't wait to try them out!
- I accidentally let him fall asleep watching teletoon about a week ago. Ever since, he begs me every night to watch the "bunny show" (Bugs Bunny)
- He's become quite the chef. Our pots and pans are always full of apples, oranges, lemons and other assorted fruit that he nabs from the fruit basket.
- We bought some sprinkles to make "rainbow" pancakes a few weeks ago. Now he thinks that sprinkles should go on everything, including his morning oatmeal. I think I should start pouring them on the foods we can't get him to eat. It might just work!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Another first!
Tonight we decided to take the little guy to the movie theatre for the first time to see Madagascar 2. We predicted one of the following two scenarios:
1. He'd be totally freaked out and we would have to leave after 5 minutes
2. He'd totally LOVE the movie and want to stay at the theatre all night
Thankfully he went with scenario 2. It didn't even bother him that his chair kept on trying to swallow him up! Throughout the movie he had a giant grin on his face. At one point he turned to daddy and said, "After this one, can we watch another movie?"
The whole "you have to be quiet in the theatre" message was lost on him. We had to hush him several times during the movie when he cried out, "What's he doing mom?" or "Look, there's a flamingo!" or "Is that a television?" or "Can I have some more chocolate?" Luckily there were only a handful of other people in the theatre and they were sitting really far away from us.
I'm looking forward to more nights out at the movies. Even if they are all rated "G."
***************************
In other news....
Today was baby boy's annual visit to the doctor. He's in the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. Long and lean, just like all of the other kids in the family. Fully clothed, he only weighed 30 lbs. The doctor said that there was no reason for concern and to keep giving him Homo milk.
After a lot of research and discussion we decided to opt out of the flu shot. Neither of us fall into the high risk category, and frankly there isn't a lot of scientific evidence out there to show that the flu shot is effective in protecting people against the flu. The doctor took the opportunity to remind me (or guilt me) by saying that young children die every year from the flu. I guess he's just doing his job...And as parents we're just doing our job too by not exposing our son to unnecessary injections.
1. He'd be totally freaked out and we would have to leave after 5 minutes
2. He'd totally LOVE the movie and want to stay at the theatre all night
Thankfully he went with scenario 2. It didn't even bother him that his chair kept on trying to swallow him up! Throughout the movie he had a giant grin on his face. At one point he turned to daddy and said, "After this one, can we watch another movie?"
The whole "you have to be quiet in the theatre" message was lost on him. We had to hush him several times during the movie when he cried out, "What's he doing mom?" or "Look, there's a flamingo!" or "Is that a television?" or "Can I have some more chocolate?" Luckily there were only a handful of other people in the theatre and they were sitting really far away from us.
I'm looking forward to more nights out at the movies. Even if they are all rated "G."
***************************
In other news....
Today was baby boy's annual visit to the doctor. He's in the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. Long and lean, just like all of the other kids in the family. Fully clothed, he only weighed 30 lbs. The doctor said that there was no reason for concern and to keep giving him Homo milk.
After a lot of research and discussion we decided to opt out of the flu shot. Neither of us fall into the high risk category, and frankly there isn't a lot of scientific evidence out there to show that the flu shot is effective in protecting people against the flu. The doctor took the opportunity to remind me (or guilt me) by saying that young children die every year from the flu. I guess he's just doing his job...And as parents we're just doing our job too by not exposing our son to unnecessary injections.
Monday, December 01, 2008
We've survived the terrible twos!
It's official. Baby boy is three years old! To mark his big day we had his first ever birthday party with friends yesterday. We kept the event nice and small -- just a few kids, some pizza and cake. There were no organized games or loot bags. The idea was to just let the kids run around and play.
In the morning, baby boy was absolutely beside himself with excitement. When the first guests arrived at the door he was actually shaking in anticipation. And of course they all came in the door carrying gifts! And there were not one, but TWO cakes in the kitchen including a chocolate one with rainbow sprinkles on it! Oh, and there were candles on the cakes! Plus his brand new backhoe that daddy gave him was sitting on the coffee table waiting to be shown off! (am I doing a good job of capturing the excitement that was in the air?)
Other than a few turf wars over toys and a broken juice glass, the party was a smashing success (a noisy, exhausting success). Afterwards we all slept for two hours.
In the evening we went to KM and KSH's house for dinner and helped decorate their Christmas tree. Baby boy was in heaven because he got to hang all of the non-breakable ornaments on the tree. I wish I had taken a picture. It was so cute! All of the bottom branches that he could reach are three layers deep in decorations. He was so pleased with himself and his decorating job!
In the morning, baby boy was absolutely beside himself with excitement. When the first guests arrived at the door he was actually shaking in anticipation. And of course they all came in the door carrying gifts! And there were not one, but TWO cakes in the kitchen including a chocolate one with rainbow sprinkles on it! Oh, and there were candles on the cakes! Plus his brand new backhoe that daddy gave him was sitting on the coffee table waiting to be shown off! (am I doing a good job of capturing the excitement that was in the air?)
Other than a few turf wars over toys and a broken juice glass, the party was a smashing success (a noisy, exhausting success). Afterwards we all slept for two hours.
In the evening we went to KM and KSH's house for dinner and helped decorate their Christmas tree. Baby boy was in heaven because he got to hang all of the non-breakable ornaments on the tree. I wish I had taken a picture. It was so cute! All of the bottom branches that he could reach are three layers deep in decorations. He was so pleased with himself and his decorating job!
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