The last time

I just put my four-year-old to bed for the last time. Tomorrow she turns five. Five! FIVE! I can't believe it. Five. What a very short time it takes them to get there. What fun it is to be a part of. Tomorrow Kutey will be five. And I will just have to accept that there is nothing I can do to keep them little forever.

All before breakfast!

This morning when I made my way downstairs, I found this:



Kiddo actually started on his school work. Before I made my way downstairs. He had gone through what he normally does and figured out what he could do without me. "Pick one." I have a card that lists several "enrichment" activities for him to do. Each day he picks one of them. Tangrams, Logic Links, KenKen puzzles, Sudoku puzzles, and, of course, his favorite, Build-it Cards. So he picked one. And did as many cards as he could before he ran out of blocks. We have 3 sets of 20. That was enough for 6.

After he ran out of blocks, while I was getting breakfast, he picked another.



He and Kutey had a blast making things that stood up:






It started the day of well. We got through so much. All because Kiddo chose to start the day.

A Surprise Outing

Today (Thursday) we had a surprise outing! You know, the kind where you plan for a month, buy tickets, hide them in the cupboard, but don't tell the kids. Why not tell them? Because the look on their faces is priceless when they figure out where you are.

This was a trip for Kutey. Kiddo and Daddy and I went along, but it was ultimately for Kutey. We don't often go on field trips that follow Kutey's interests; Kiddo's love of history lends itself to field trips much more easily than princesses. But not today! Where did we go?



Disney on Ice, Princess Wishes!

I know, I know. But if you saw that little girl's eyes light up when we got inside the arena and I asked her if she knew where we were. Pure joy. "Princesses Dancing on Ice!" Worth it. So worth it. And after our last few weeks, it was nice to see some pure joy and a little sparkle in those beautiful eyes.



The show was fine, not as good as the one we saw in December 2009 (yes, this was the second time we saw "Princesses Dancing on Ice"), but still good. Kutey loved it, Kiddo? He tolerated it, but he was not thrilled by any part of it. Not even when they lit the ice on fire. Nope. He didn't hate it, but, well, he kept saying he would rather be doing school.

It may have been that he was simply tired. Both kids fell asleep in the car on the way home. I wasn't terribly surprised Kutey did, given that she has been taking naps everyday since she got sick. I was a little more surprised by Kiddo. Crowds and noise are not his thing, though, so I am sure that tired him out some too.

It was great family outing. I just love to watch Kutey absorb "Princesses Dancing on Ice." I love that she calls it "Princesses Dancing on Ice." I love that she so loves princesses. And I love that we could go on an outing that was completely her.

104.4

No, that isn't a radio station. It is a temperature. Specifically, it was Kutey's temperature yesterday on our second trip to the doctor this week. Monday was the first, on day 5 of her fever. She tested positive for influenza, so we were sent home--fluids and rest.

But the fever got worse. It fluctuates greatly. She'll have no fever in the morning, but by mid-afternoon, she is feverish again. Wednesday she started complaining her ear hurt. Wednesday night she didn't sleep. She cried and said "ouchy, ouchy, ouchy," all night long. Thursday morning it was back to the doctor.

And that is where the 104.4 temperature was recorded. And an ear infection (with rupture) was diagnosed.

She is on antibiotics now, which are helping. She had no fever this morning, but she does again now. 9 days of fever and counting.

Why do kids always seem sickest in the middle of the night?

We spent yesterday pondering whether or not Kutey's cough was getting worse and whether or not Kiddo was getting sick. By the time they went to bed, they seemed OK. Kiddo was likely getting a cold, but Kutey seemed no different than she has for the last couple of weeks. She has a lingering cough, but my Pediatric Nurse Practitioner friend didn't seem concerned when she heard it on Thursday. Even when I said it had been around for a few weeks. So we all went to bed.

Kutey woke up at 1 am and called for me. She sounded worse, but I expected to be able to go in and get her to go back to sleep. When I opened the door to her room, however, it became apparent something different was going to happen. She was struggling to breathe, it sounded completely wheezy. I brought her to our room, so she wouldn't wake up Kiddo, and held her for a bit, trying to calm her down, poor miserable thing. Then I tried to lay her down again so we could all go to sleep. No go. I tried propping her up, since being vertical seemed to help. Nope. So I propped myself up with pillows, and laid her on my chest, and tried to relax her, while in my head I am frantically wondering whether we need to be at the ER, whether it is worth waking up my PNP friend, and absolutely not sleeping. Neither was hubby.

Eventually (it felt like HOURS, but really, it was only about an hour), I was able to lay Kutey down and her breathing had eased. She slept the rest of the night (I, on the other hand, woke up several times, just to make sure she was still breathing!). She woke up this morning at about 9, chipper as all get out, ready for breakfast, seeming none the worse for the night. Yes, she has a cough, but no fever, and certainly nothing that is raising any concern.

Why do they only seem terribly sick at night, when I am to tired to be rational? Why?

I guess I should just be grateful it seems to have been brief. Hopefully we will all sleep tonight...

Buffalo Bills

This morning while we were at my MOMS Club meeting, Kutey was in the kids room. We got there halfway through the meeting, in time for the speaker (I planned it that way). I took Kutey's coat and sent her into the room, not really worrying about it (I made sure the adult in charge saw she was there, but that was it). I went in and set Kiddo up in the back of the room, then quickly sat down to listen to the speaker. I had been sitting down for 2 minutes when one of the moms helping in the kids room came over to me. It seems that they were having snack, but Kutey would not have one until I said it was OK. Oy. Both of my kids are like this. They will not take something offered to them unless I say it is OK. I don't know where it comes from. I don't remember making an issue of it. I don't mind, it is just kind of funny.

I asked Kutey about it after the meeting, and she said she told the mom she wasn't sure if she should have a snack. The mom knows me and understood what that meant, and hence came and asked me. I asked Kutey what the snack was and she said "Buffalo Bills." Don't know what that is? Me either! Care to make a guess (and no fair guessing if you were at the meeting!)

Siblings

Kutey has been sick since yesterday. She has a cold, so she has been tired all day and spent the better part of the day watching movies and falling asleep on the couch. Her nose is raw from wiping. She can only breathe through her mouth. She has been miserable. But you can't keep her down. Kiddo is currently outside where Kutey would LOVE to be. She is an outdoor girl. Telling her she can't go outside is one of the worst things you can do. But she is sick, so I can't let her go out. Instead, her wonderful brother is playing a basketball game in front of the window where she can see him, giving her frequent updates on his status in the game, and making sure she is included, even though she can't be out. In return, Kutey is sitting in her little chair right at the door cheering him on against his imaginary opponent. They are each having a great time with their part. It is times like these that I am grateful for children who get along so well!

Restaurnauts

The other day we were at a gathering at a friend's house. As we were getting ready to go, Kutey and Kiddo both said they were hungry. I told them we would get some lunch. Kutey asked if we could eat at a "restaurnaut." Both of my kids say restaurant this way. I think it is cute, and actually have a hard time saying it correctly these days. The woman hosting the gathering looked at Kutey, smiled and asked "Do astronauts eat at restaurnauts?" All the moms there giggled a little, but Kutey got a very serious look one her face and responded "No, astronauts eat on spaceships." That's my girl!