Wow! What a perfect Trick or Treat Night we had! The weather was glorious, the children were adorable in their costumes and our friends and family's company was a blast. We all gathered at our house and then we headed out through our neighborhood. Andrew enjoyed looking at all the people and sights. While Lily and her good buddies raced excitedly from house to house. This year she really got into it and was thrilled with the haul of candy she brought home. It was just a great time.
Of course, we the parents morphed into Parent Paparazzi and snapped as many photos as we could. I'm quite thrilled with the following three pictures. In fact, I love the third one so much, I'm considering making it our Christmas card. Hey, it's got green and red in it :)
October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
October 29, 2008
Things you can't protect your children from......
Usually I post the happy, daily events in our family life. Today, I feel the need to post about something not so happy. Today was Lily's preschool Halloween parade. It was a fun event and something we all enjoyed. I happened to volunteer for some of the classroom party activities and was hanging out in the hallways with some other moms. A few moms that I knew asked me about Andrew's eye surgery. I was happy to report that his eyes are looking great and I don't think he'll have to have the additional surgery in January. Another woman, whom I don't know, overheard our conversation. She then asked me if the second surgery would make Andrew's eyes look less "chink-y." Yup, she really said it. I was stunned, startled and angry. I think she thought it was funny because she laughed. When she heard my nasty toned response of "I beg your pardon??", she quickly left saying she needed to make a phone call.
All in all, it was just such a startling reminder that my children will encounter racism and I can't protect them from it. I've fielded some rude questions about our family. Usually they are along the lines of "Why didn't you adopt from the US." or "Are they *real* brother and sister?" These, I know how to handle. The comment today really was a first.
October 23, 2008
What a week.........
It took me a little restraint in not using a swear word in the title post. Read on and I'll explain.
Saturday afternoon, Andrew comes down with a fever. I figure it's a virus and I watch him closely, thankfull that he is keeping food down.
Sunday, the fever gets worse and we wonder if we should go to urgent care or just wait till Monday and see our pediatrician.
Monday, we call the pediatrician and they say we can wait another 24 hours or come in. We decide to go in and I'm glad we did because Andrew has 2 ear infections. So, we start the antibiotics. Monday night becomes the worst night ever with constant screaming and a fever of 104
Tuesday, I call the pediatrician who tells me to wait 24 hours to see if the antibiotics help. After lunch, I change Andrew only to discover this scary rash all over him. It really looks like measles. Back to the pediatrician we go. One look and the doctor says, "Roseola", a virus characterized by a high fever and sudden rash.
Wednessday, Andrew is worse. Fever persists, rash is in full bloom, antibiotic side effects are rough and his disposition is at an all time low. I call the pediatrician who tells me to wait it out. It's rough.
Thursday, fever is gone. However, so Andrew's appetite. He's weepy, whiney, clingy and miserable. Another diaper change reveals a new and different rash. Off to the ped's again! At this point, I'm toast. I'm tired and running on empty. I'm also just plain scared that Andrew is not getting better. The doctor's examination reveals that his ears are better. His lungs are clear. His fever is gone. The doctor thinks that we are either looking at a different type of virus or some strange interaction between the antibiotics and virus. In either case, we'll change the antibiotics and see.
I'm now on day 5 of a weepy, miserable, sick little baby. As I give him yet another dropper of medicine to put in his little mouth, my finger bumps into something sharp. I touch some more and feel 4 little points on his gum line. Two on the bottom and two on the top. Andrew is cutting 4 teeth! No wonder he is feeling even worse!
As I write this, I hope that we've hit the all time low and it's only up from here. Wish us luck.........
October 11, 2008
October 4, 2008
Birthday Bash with the Buddies!
Today we had the perfect weather for some outdoor fun! One of Lily's best buddies has a birthday 1 week after hers. So we decided to have a very low key, kid party. We borrowed a bouncy house (thanks Lynn!), had some yummy snacks, went on a pumpkin hunt and had a great time. In terms of kid's birthdays, I believe less is definitely more! I've included a few photos (it's hard to take pictures of kids in a bouncy house) and a video. Enjoy!
http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m244/Melissa-n-Bill/?action=view¤t=10-4034.flv
