Date: 2008-08-05 11:26 Subject: By popular demand Security: Public Current Mood: busy

Taken at the Museum of Natural History earlier this summer:

Date: 2008-05-24 20:57 Subject: Croup, croupier, croupiest Security: Public Current Mood: relieved

So at 11:30 last night, Herself wakes up coughing with a sound I've only ever heard come out of sea lions. We took her outside, to no avail. We put her in the bathroom with the shower generating enough steam to warp a granite countertop. That worked, but as soon as we turned the water off and the humidity started to drop, the coughing started back up.

Pediatrician's office closed, natch. Call number at the local children's hospital goes straight to voice mail. Emergency call number at the local children's hospital goes unanswered.

Pow-wow: Herself is not cyanotic, so there's no immediate danger. But taking her out of the humidity could make things get much worse. We decide she needs to be seen by *someone*, since we've been through a lot as parents, but neither kid has had croup before. Even though the nearest hospital is less than ten minutes away, we're certainly not prepared to treat acute respiratory distress, should it arise en route. So we call 911.

A short while later, I'm waking himself to tell him not to freak out about the houseful of police, EMTs, and ambulance squad folks. He will remember none of it in the morning. We've called a friend to act as a human baby monitor for Himself while we're at the hospital. We choose the more distant children's hospital since they have a pediatric ER--no sense showing herself what the Friday Night Knife and Gun Club looks like.

I know this was totally non-emergent (no lights or siren), but did we have to hit *every* stop light?

And the adventure part is over. Yep, it's garden variety croup, she's on oral prednisolone, and she's basically fine. We got home about 3:00am, and the worst consequence was having to tell herself that she couldn't go to the park because she's contagious. Aside from the cough, low-grade fever and overall reduced energy, she feels fine.

We were the best off of anyone in that ER last night.

Date: 2007-11-10 14:47 Subject: Back from Disney Security: Public Current Mood: rejuvenated

Short synopsis: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, Disney is Disney. A blast was had by all. I'm more susceptible to motion sickness than I thought, but meclizine is good. Himself is more susceptible to carsickness and airsickness than we thought, but nothing The Mouse could dish up fazed him. Herself wants to rock and roll all night, and party every day.

Cool things, in no particular order:

* Herself rocked out to Off Kilter. Loud sounds don't bother her a bit.
* Himself's idea of heaven is Mission Space, Expedition Everest, and Test Track all mixed together.
* reillye likes anything that doesn't simulate height.
* "High School Musical" has the most virulent music EVER.
* It is impossible to explain to an eight-year-old why bad 50's Sci-Fi matters.
* The Disney Vacation Club would probably work for us, provided that we gave up Ocean City, Maryland for good.
* Unadvertised: Ask to sit up front with the driver on the monorail.
* Bobotie is yummy. So is pap, but only if you already like grits.
* Stacey: You watch her the same way as, and for the same reasons that you stare at a car wreck.
* Until this trip, I had never stayed in a >$1000/night suite. Thanks, filthy carpet in our standard room.
* Neither kid was freaked out by 7-foot-tall characters.
* The dining plan is quite cool.
* I see membership in American Coaster Enthusiasts in Himself's future.
* "Turtle Talk with Crush" is a must-see whether Stacey says so or not.

Now it's time to go back and read all those Disney urban legend sites.

Date: 2007-09-03 15:21 Subject: Vacation, all I ever wanted... Security: Public Current Mood: rejuvenated

Our annual week in Ocean City was way too short. Weather was perfect (unlike Ernesto last year), crowds were down (bad for business, good for us), and when reillye and I went to Bethany Beach as part of our whole day together granted by the grandparents, we actually remembered to bring enough money to park for more than 12 minutes. We also saw Stardust at a movie theater that clearly had not updated its projector or sound since the Carter years. Gotta see it again to really see it.

Himself broke all sorts of new ground. More careless than ever with his mini-golf game, he instead braved parasailing, and the biggest water slides at the park. This is great for me, because the water park trip is no longer a) I chase him for a few hours, and b) reillye takes him and I go do the fun stuff. Now we do the fun stuff together. Herself seems to have picked up the golf bug, though.

Also, I got to teach Himself the basics of waves, how they work, and how to swim in them safely and cooperatively, along with a bit of the spiritual significance the ocean has for me. Kid's growing up, that one.

I picked up a nice tan, only using sunblock at the water park, never on the beach. The part of me that's not German-Irish is Scandinavian, which is why I can get away with that.

I learned on the deep-sea fishing trip that I like croaker, even if it's carelessly filleted. But in heaven, the main course is still pan-seared sashimi-grade yellowfin tuna.

[Editor's note: The following is not intended to elicit sympathy from anyone.]

The big surprise was my weigh-in at the gym today. Despite eating healthier than I've ever eaten on vacation (no pizza and we actually snacked on yummy farm-stand cherry tomatoes) and swimming at least an hour every day, I still gained four pounds, reaching my highest weight ever. I'll just call it muscle mass, OK?

The condo unit we rent every year is on the market. Very tempting, but very inadvisable while we're on one income. We left a letter asking that the owners (new or current) let us stay through the Labor Day weekend next year. Then maybe it won't seem so short.

Date: 2007-04-07 14:29 Subject: Happy birthday Herself Security: Public Current Mood: cheerful

Two years. When did THAT happen?



[Back in NJ. Only minor flight delays on the way back.]

Date: 2007-03-16 18:50 Subject: Back from the hospital - All good Security: Public Current Mood: relieved

We just got back from the hospital. They rehydrated her. She loves IVs - especially when they forget to hold down her arm and the first one pops out and they can't do a second one in the nicely popped up vein so they have to use the invisible collapsed vein for the second one. Yowch. She also loves antiemetic suppositories - yowch more.

But now she's more colors than just Sherwin Williams Linen White, and her blood work was all good, so we're not worried about serious problems. Let's hope this thing just burns itself out.

Date: 2007-03-16 12:09 Subject: Off to the hospital Security: Public Current Mood: vicariously sick.

Herself hasn't been able to keep anything down over the last three days. So it's off to the hospital for IV rehydration and hopefully an antiemetic.

Poor kid's not loving life right now. :(

Date: 2006-10-31 14:16 Subject: Herself, month by month Security: Public Current Mood: lazy

Every month, we take pictures of Herself in the same spot on the couch in our family room. I finally got around to uploading the first twelve here. There are some newer ones I have yet to get to. We have the same thing for Himself (annual pictures after he got past toddlerhood), but those are chemical photographs, so I'll have to scan them.

Date: 2006-09-06 08:19 Subject: When did THIS happen? Security: Public Current Mood: old

Himself starts first grade today. Herself turns 17 months tomorrow.

One other thing about the trip: When you're facing ten hours in the car with no DVD or anything like that, how do you keep the are-we-there-yets down? reillye had a divine inspiration: She borrowed from the library the seven-CD unabridged audiobook of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Brilliant. Worked wonders.

Date: 2006-08-14 14:15 Subject: Good news Security: Public Current Mood: relieved

Herself's fat-absorption test I alluded to here came back normal. She's healthy, just tiny.

ETA: In the last five weeks she's gained over a pound and grown over an inch. That's even more of a relief!

Date: 2006-08-01 14:50 Subject: A fun procedure Security: Public Current Mood: hot

So the latest hypothesis regarding Herself's lack of growth is malabsorption of fat. There's a lab test for that, which required us to keep a detailed diary of everything she ate for four days as well as collect and freeze all of Herself's, um, solid output for the last three of those days. Those of you who have changed a toddler's diapers know how much fun that was. Those of you who have not, I assure you, you don't want to know. I hope we get some useful results from this.

There must be something wrong with me that on the hottest day of the year (Newark has just tied its record high as I type this, and the heat index is 112), I'd have oatmeal for breakfast, spend the morning moving furniture around my lab, then go out for lunch.

Date: 2006-07-18 10:35 Subject: Herself is OK Security: Public Current Mood: relieved

We took Herself to the GI specialist yesterday, and to our relief, he was unconcerned. They're still going to run some routine tests, but even though she dropped below the third percentile for weight, he said that's actually not uncomon for large babies (she was 10lb 3oz at birth), and what's more important is that she's eating well, and in good health otherwise. He also noted that the CDC height and weight percentile standards are based on a study done with farm children in Iowa, YMMV.

Our regular pediatrician was also concerned that she hadn't transitioned to table food yet, but the GI doc was also not worried about this since she eats a good variety of foods. Her typical lunch and dinner are first, a meat/vegetable mix, then a serving of baby oatmeal, then either a jar of fruit or a fresh banana. (It may be just me, but it seems like baby foods are much tastier now than when Himself was eating them.)

I'm not surprised to hear all this since I was tiny as a child too. Not quite as low on the percentiles, but all through grade school I was the smallest kid in the class by a head.

Offtopic: I set a record for the longest commute to work today: 95 minutes, instead of the usual 45. Thank you to whatever dump truck lost its gravel load on 287[1] causing a 12-mile backup, giving me the opportunity to view the scenic back roads of Somerset, Middlesex and Monmouth counties.

[1] That's our equivalent of the Baltimore or DC beltways, 494 around the Twin Cities, the 405 in LA, 880 in the Bay Area, or the M25 around London.

Date: 2006-07-13 10:14 Subject: Update Security: Public Current Mood: contemplative

It's been awhile since I've posted anything of substance. So here's what's going on.

Speaking of substances, the Cymbalta is helping on both the emotional and physical sides. For the last couple weeks, I haven't had a single full-on migraine, and that hasn't happened in years. Also, the "soldiering on through life" thing has abated a good bit, and I'm staring to get interested in things again, as opposed to just putting one foot in front of the other 18 hours a day. The side effects are still there, but it's a small price to pay. The only problem is that Cymbalta is not in my insurance's formulary, so I may switch to Effexor (the only other SSNRI out there) for the lower copay.

We're a bit freaked out over Herself's most recent examination, where in the last several months she's only gained a couple ounces and grown a quarter-inch, when she should have gained a couple pounds and grown at least 1-1.5 inches. She's also not saying new words, although it's clear her receptive language is fine. She's has a few words and gestures, but they're still catch-alls, like "oof-oof" (woof minus the W) whenever she sees any animal--by now she should at least have a different word for our dog. Hopefully these are both benign conditions, but we're taking her to a GI specialist to make sure there's no problem with her digestion that would inhibit growth or other development.

I have a Father's Day credit for a one-day Scrabble tournament, but I'm not sure when I want to go. Since Himself's baseball ended I've finally been able to get back to club, and while I've been playing pretty well (including back-to-back 500 games for the first time), I can see where I've backslid badly in word knowledge. I figure the best thing to do is get myself motivated to resume studying, and when that's established well, do either Bayside or Philly a few weeks or a month later.

I'm back in the gym a decent amount now. It's tricky trying to do a hard workout when the meds are keeping me Benadryl-drowsy. I just have to tell myself, "It's only the drugs." My strength is coming back nicely, and hopefully I'll look decent by the time we go to the beach the last week of August. I must be off to a good start, because I don't feel too self-conscious when I'm at the swim club, and reillye isn't complaining ("OMFG cover that up, teh scrawn!!11!!one!!!").

Date: 2006-04-22 13:11 Subject: Good news and bad news Security: Public Current Mood: worried

The good news is that Herself took her first steps yesterday.

The bad news is that we found out Annie (age 9) has severe hip dysplasia, beyond what can be treated medically, and needs surgery. If you ever had a dog go through this, I'd like to hear which procedure you chose, why, and how well it worked.

Date: 2006-04-07 11:35 Subject: Still a baby? Security: Public Location: On hold with the IT help desk Current Mood: busy

Happy First Birthday Herself!

Is she still officially a baby? I guess she will be until she starts walking (any day now it looks like), at which point she'll be a toddler.

I can't believe how fast the year went.

Date: 2006-01-23 11:03 Subject: I was only off by 80 days or so Security: Public Current Mood: pleased Current Music: uh-oh

An eventful weekend for Herself.

She's been making a lot of intentional phoneme sounds for awhile now, including something that sounded like "uh-oh", but we wrote that off as wishful thinking. After all, that was Himself's first word. On Saturday, though, she clearly said it when her spoon dropped to the floor, and then she did it again. And then, it became a game. Hand her the spoon, she says, "Uh-oh," and drops it on the floor. So we decided to make it official: "Uh-oh" is her first word, just as it was her brother's, and the official date is 1/21/06 (my guess was last November 3rd; yeah, no).

Then yesterday, her cranky mood was explained by her third tooth poking through. She has had her two bottom front teeth for awhile now; this was one of the top front teeth. The other will come through any day now.

She also understands a phrase she's already come to loathe: "No-no, yucky." :)

Date: 2006-01-13 09:53 Subject: Sessile no more Security: Public Current Mood: worried Current Music: Going Mobile - The Who

Herself is officially crawling as of this morning. She can also stand up while holding onto something, and do the standing-up part on her own, but she hasn't started cruising[1].

We're pretty much caught up on the babyproofing, but I'm sure she'll find the one thing we missed.

We're pretty relieved that she crawled before she walked.

[1] "Cruising" refers to a sideways pseudo-walking while never losing contact with a stationary object like a table or the side of her crib. (It has nothing to do with street rods or street hookups.)

Date: 2005-11-09 12:04 Subject: No word spoken but some understood Security: Public Current Mood: pleased Current Music: Same boring telecon

OK, so I was off on my prediction of when Herself (who turned seven months two days ago) would say her first word, but it appears she's starting to understand some.

She's been responding to her name for awhile now, and just this morning, when reillye asked, "Where's Daddy?" she looked over at me. We did this several times in two different rooms, so I don't think it was a fluke. Also, she looked at Annie (the dog) when asked, "Where's Annie?", and when we tried it with Annie out of the room, Herself looked at the door.

We're getting there.

Date: 2005-11-02 12:03 Subject: An open letter Security: Public Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: Boring Wednesday telecon

Dear Herself,

Your mother, brother and I love you very much. We cherish every moment with you.

Is there any way those moments could start after 5:30am?

Love,

reillye, edhorch and Himself

11/3: 5:09am
11/4: 6:48am w00t
11/5: 5:20am
11/6: 7:35am, after being up from 10:30pm until 1:00am
11/7: 5:55am

Date: 2005-10-11 10:29 Subject: Six month stats Security: Public Current Mood: busy Current Music: Officemate on telecon

Weight: 16lb 2oz, 50th percentile.
Length: 27+", 90th percentile.
Head circumference: 17+", >97th percentile.

Also, she's been making lots of phoneme sounds, so anyone want to prognosticate on when she'll say her first word? I'm going for November 6.