Cold Spaghetti

10 days ago, I took Kate to the doctor to get her 22-month wellness and weight check (23.2 pounds). She had fluid in her ear. Doc asked her to come back in 10 days.

Result: original ear cleared up fine. OTHER ear is infected. Doctor suggests antibiotic, strongly suggests it, since I am a let-it-go-on-it’s-own type of parent when it comes to ear infections. I relent, she is certain it’s AOM, and she makes me feel that it may be involved in such a way that clearing up the infection a bit faster may be important. I like the thoroughness of this doctor and she’s been very okay with my (clinically founded and AAP/AAFP recommended) desire to use caution with the use (or, in this case, overuse) of antibiotic for ear infection treatment. So we filled the script.

Thankfully, Kate was happy to take the medicine. It just took her awhile, because she preferred to sip from the syringe between: 1. twirling in circles until she fell over; 2. bending over to walk on all-fours; 3. squealing and shaking her head maniacally; and 4: running the length of the kitchen shouting “MYBABY MYBABY MYBABY” between giggles.

Maybe my experience of seeing really sick people desperate for any medicine and dying for want of an antibiotic has jaded me. Maybe now I am a poor judge of wellness. But seriously, is this a child who currently needs medicine because of illness?

Before work on the siding commenced Sunday morning, we actually DID do a bit of Easter Stuff. I dug myself in a big, deep hole by trying to explain Easter to Will. Luckily, Granna bought a cake so it was easy to distract him. (Note to self: before next year, work out how you are going to explain all religiously-oriented holidays in a neutral manner. Also, determine how, exactly, you will explain why we celebrate Christian holidays, but are not practicing Christians.)
My parents came… and brought back the singing Easter Bunny. We heard the Hallmark version of “Easter Goodies” (think Rockin’ Robin — with the tweeting chick who pops out of the egg) ALL DAY LONG, thanks to Kate’s obsession with it.
The egg-hunt commenced quickly after the kids woke up (so, around 6am). We kept the hunt to the inside, unlike years past, when we could hide eggs outside in the front yard in the middle of the afternoon and announce that we JUST NOTICED that there were EGGS outside!! This is because Will now understands that when someone bringing gifts comes at night, the bounty is to be found at First Light. Which means that parents have no time to get dressed, because OH MY GOODNESS, DID THE EASTER BUNNY COME?! So, we kept the eggs inside to prevent us from having to jump around the yard at 6am in our skivvies. We restrict that behavior to Friday nights, only.Kate loved pulling apart eggs. Finger puppets, Sesame Street figures, stickers, and tattoos were in most. There were some eggs with candy. Kate wanted to try EVERYTHING… and then would spit it out. I cannot understand how I gave birth to a child that does not like chocolate.
What she DOES love, however, ARE SHOES. Especially boots. Here she is, modeling the pair Nana sent. This is before she ripped the liners out and hid them in our tupperware drawer.
Notice all that bounty on the floor? Thanks, Easter Bunny!

Among the questions Will asked me tonight, which included:

“Why do people have different types of blood?” and
“Why do some people eat other people?” and
“Why do people get gas in their belly?”

was,

“Do cats swim?”

Of all of them, that last one was the one that stumped me the most; I really wasn’t sure. Thank goodness for YouTube!

We didn’t participate in any of the many, many, many Easter events all over the city this past weekend. (The kids had their Rainbow Chicken Egg Hunt on the levee on Thursday and saw the Easter Bunny at two grocery stores during the weekend, I figure that counts?) Mostly, because I didn’t want to shlep the kids (a technical term) by myself and felt worn out by the week. Despite a minor set-back in the form of a foot-infection on Paul’s big toe (treated by an on-the-spot-foot-soaking, pedicure, and triple antibiotic cream — future note: Paul is getting regular pedicures from this point on, especially during renovation projects) Paul and my Dad worked on siding the house with Hardieplank. It looks really good:
We haven’t finalized any house color yet. The boards don’t need to be painted for about a year, so we have some time to figure it out. The trim is painted (Paul did that Friday and Saturday before my Dad arrived) — it’s Benjamin Moore Bright White Exterior paint. It’d be nice to keep the trim that color. We’re currently thinking light blue gray exterior with dark dark dark blue shutters and white trim. But the options are endless!
On the back wall, all but the very top board was finished as of yesterday evening. They started the first runs along the sides to make it easier for when Paul is working solo. For solo work, Paul sung the praises of those little leveling meters. He sounds just like an infomercial!

… stresses me out.

I’ve been avoiding the fact that I still don’t have a voice recorder. I have IRB… but don’t have a recording device. Today was a research day…. gear research. It feels indulgent.

After Ipod research and review, I think I’m going with a $100-or-less Olympus digital voice recorder. It does everything I need, without attachments and things to loose. I don’t need an Ipod and don’t want to mess with all the gadgets required for voice recording. I’m trying to decide between a few models and force myself to order tonight. I’m trying not to think of the cost of transcription… ugh.

Tripod research took at huge leap with the recommendation from my Aunt Deb, which lead me to this. Protective case/bag/backpack is the next consideration.

H/T: The Curvature

Kate fell… actually, more than once… tonight. The first time, she took out her cheek. (See the big bruise on her right cheek?) I wanted to document the Big Fat Bad Bruise, the camera came out, and Kate gave me her signature move: CHEESE!

She’s not wet from tears (although there were some) — she’s wet from the ice pack we put on her cheek… she ripped open the bag and ate the melting ice. And asked for “More Ice, Please” for the rest of the night.

It seems everyone around me is pregnant! I’ve actually been dreaming of pregnancy lately… it’s got me a little on edge. Some of my friends’ unborn babies have been part of my dreams, too… which has led to some predictions on my part. Annoying, I know, but I’m putting it out there in the hopes it will all get out of my system and I can go back to more indulgent dreams. And just ’cause I’m curious about how these predictions will end up.

EO: It’s a girl.*
KY: We know it’s a boy. But I bought that panda outfit the week after we saw you, with your baby in mind, because I thought it was a boy. I was terrified to admit it to you!
LM: I’ve already told you. Boy.
RM: Truthfully, I’ve thought this one out both ways, but I want for you to have a boy, so I’m going with boy.
HF: We know it’s a girl and she’s due in what… 3 days? I think she’ll be 6.5 pounds.
CR: Girl.*

In other news: anyone have suggestions for a good urologist?

—
* I think these two will be the same sex, so if I’m wrong, I think I’ll be wrong for both.

I just read Schroeder’s interesting post about climate change (well, really, it’s about an endorsement, but there is a lot of good stuff in there with it). He excellently shows cool graphs about spring onset and other global climate-related data. What I found interesting was the reference to China, specifically, that “China [is] on a course to match the entire world’s carbon output by 2050” and another, in a graph, related to China’s need for coal, which is suppose to match that of the remaining world totaled by 2030.

In Reproductive Health and Population Studies (all areas of focus for us Global Health folk) we talk about China quite a bit. One of the issues that is raised involves the great global hand-smacking we laid on China for it’s “One Child Policy,” where Chinese families’ reproductive rights are limited by law: couples register for permission to have a child and pay steep fines if they have more than the allocated One Child. Interestingly, I’ve not met many from China who have had much of a problem with this policy… that they are willing to share, at least. While I am not advocating a limit on anyone’s reproductive rights, ever, there is an undercurrent of a whisper among the demographer and population studies circles of the world that is sort of like the elephant in the room whenever China is discussed. It goes something like this: “we can’t support the policy, but thank goodness they did it…because imagine what we would be facing if they didn’t.“

In the face of all the current discussion on global warming, and the continued discussion that should rightfully occur, China is a particularly interesting subject.