Ear Infection

Now Maria is the only one who's never had an ear infection, never taken antibiotics.

Here's a pro tip: if it seems like your child is sick, has a fever, and is stuffy, but is also A RAGING LUNATIC, IMPOSSIBLY FUSSY AND UNWILLING TO BE PUT DOWN OR STOP CRYING, chances are very, very VERY good that that child has an ear infection. You're welcome.

I'm editing this to say that she also couldn't get comfortable - she slept with us, in our bed or on the couch, for two nights and she kept shifting and shifting.  Of course I thought she was just being difficult, it was between 11 at night and 3 in the morning, but now that I look back on it, it was a lot like Felicity was acting when she had her ear infections.  I've never had one, but I guess it's just awful.

We went to CVS to the Minute Clinic.  I wanted to go to the IU Urgent Care where I've been taking Felicity but there was a horrible traffic jam and I didn't have much time because Anthony had to get to swimming, so I went to the Minute Clinic.  There was ONE person in front of me and she was in there FOREVER, Lord, Lord, I was getting tense!  Veronica was really taking a turn, lying down on the floor, falling asleep, crying, etc.  It was awful.  I wanted to ask the guy who was the husband of the lady who went in there what she was in there for?  To discuss End of Life issues?  LORD!

Anyway, once we got in there I could see why it took so long, the NP was super, super SUPER slow.  She didn't have a great bedside manner, she couldn't really get that thing into V's ear to see what was going on.  Veronica was screaming and screaming and she didn't stop for NINETY MINUTES.  I had to take her home so Mike could get Anthony to swimming, so I just loaded up the other two girls and we went BACK to the CVS to get the prescription going.  I dropped it off and then drove through Steak and Shake to get them something to eat and went back.  I picked it up, it was only $3.50 with our insurance and you sure get what you pay for, because I got home and that stupid amoxicillin was POWDER that I was supposed to MIX on my OWN.  It called for 67 ml of water.  ?  Who has that measuring capability in their house?  Not ME!  I called and had it out with the jackhole pharmacist and we went round and round, he said they were 'real busy' that day.  It scares the hell out of me to think these people are in charge of anything, particularly dispensing drugs.

BUT he fixed it and Mike picked up the rx on his way home from swimming and she took some and she seems better this morning, already.  We have our last ballet class today and a recital, so I hope she can go.

Sunday

Veronica just stopped knocking at her door.  The other night, she was sleeping and Maria couldn't and tonight it's the opposite.  We took everyone to church today and I am sorry to say that Veronica was AWFUL.  AWWWWFUL.  Mike ended up taking her to the car and putting her in her seat to wait it out.  She ran away, slapped at him, and was super noisy.  Then we got home and even thought we had breakfast ready, she went right to the couch and fell asleep for like two hours.  Poor baby, she must have been tired or not felt well.  I never have that as my first thought when they are bad,  even thought it is usually the cause of it.  I just think hey!  They're being so bad!  Ha!

She is doing just great in ballet and she is having fun while Maria is in gymnastics.  She is (this is a theme, I guess), pretty bad and messes up a lot of stuff but overall she's okay.  It's hard for her, she's jealous that she can't go to gymnastics too, I'm sure.

She talks so much and it's getting clearer.  We miss speech therapy and her therapist but in some ways, it's like we never had it, like I never wondered if she'd ever talk.  Sometimes she sings and dances to the Backyardigans and I can't get over it, I feel like my heart will burst with happiness and pride and relief.  Then other times she comes bashing in when I am putting the baby down and she says WHAT YOU DOING, MAMA, YOU PUTTING FELICITY DOWN, MAMA? and I just think SHUT UP!  Ha!

Ballet

She started ballet a few weeks ago, after ONE YEAR spent looking longingly into that room, now she's in it! The first week I think the teacher wasn't so sure if she could do it, you're supposed to be three and V. has a few months to go, but she has really been doing well with it, so she's there to stay! It's a good thing too, because I can't say what would happen if I told her she couldn't go.

It's hard, having the girls be so close in age. Maria is taking a gymnastics class and Veronica was FURIOUS the first time we went and she couldn't go in. She stomped her foot, crossed her arms AND blew a raspberry at me! But I always remind her that SHE can go to ballet TOMORROW (gymanstics is on Thursdays) and she is usually okay with it.

Lord, God, we had a rough day today. We went to Chic Fil A to meet some friends and toward the end, Veronica was very unhappy. It's so unsual for her to be so whiny and horrid. I mean, she can be as bad as anyone, NO ONE would keep on their damned socks so they were walking around a restaurant in bare feet, which, ugh, but she was really unhappy and she kept saying her belly hurt. She wasn't hot or anything and she had eaten okay so I had no idea what went down. My friend Silvia carried the car seat to the car for me, THANKS GOD, or I would have been in trouble. So we go to gymnastics and we are there a few minutes and I start to smell something. I asked her, Veronica, did you poop? NOOOOOO, she said, and then I moved on to something else. Then a friend of mine came in and she said, does something smell?, and I remembered what a LIAR V can be so I took her to the bathroom. Oh Lord. LORD. It was all over her legs and all the way up her belly to her NECK practically. She was wearing a dress and a diaper and these super cute long baby legs/socks and there was poop on the top of each sock (it goes up to her thigh) and all on the INSIDE of her DRESS! And of course I had no other outfits for her and of course my friend was staying outside with Felicity, who was asleep but I figured who could wake up at any time. So I scrubbed at everything with the wipes, I must have used 100, and I rolled down the socks a little and ... we just went back out there. V was wearing a cute sleeveless vest, like as a jacket, so I put that on her and zipped it up. It was all fine for a while until I looked over at V and she had her vest off and she was SHOWING some kid the POOP STAIN on her dress. We bugged out of there, Lord, Lord, the SHAME. I felt like *I* had pooped my pants, sheesh! And is it ironic or just annoying that Veronica didn't give a HOOT!

Anyways, ballet, pooping, school's fine. I intend to start her in pullups here soon, maybe Monday. I can't just put her in underwear for preschool, because of health codes (ha ha smart people), so I bought some Princess pullups and off we'll go. I think she'll be fine once she gets started but I have to wait until her belly is all better before I start, obviously. Felicity has been sick with something viral and Anthony and Veronica just seem to have some d-ha and nothing else. I feel like from September-April, it is literally always something with them.

But isn't she cute? Her hair is starting to grow a little, thank God. Sometimes she asks me to put it up and ha ha ha boo hoo, you should see it! It's a WRECK! A cute wreck, but still.

Blockhead

Isn't she fun? Look at her little arms, dancing. She is so funny and so full of personality now that she is talking more! She was sick last week - was it last week? It must be two weeks ago, now. I forget if I said, but she'd be all fevery, hot and red cheeked, and I'd say, take your medicine, Veronica and she'd say, all bleary, "I fine, Mama. IIIIIII fiiiiiine". Poor stupid baby.

I can't believe she'll be three in four short months! This winter has gone by fast, mostly because the weather has been so good. I'm sure I just cursed us all but what can you do? I am worried it's going to snow and ice the whole Superbowl week or weekend or whatever it is. It's so exciting that it's here in town, I'd love to all go downtown but I am just going to have to hope for another Superbowl in a few years, so the kids can be old enough to enjoy it.

Anyway, Veronica. I have no complaints. I took Maria to Disney on Ice today and I only had one ticket for her and I don't think Veronica would have enjoyed it as much, if her behavior at church is any indication, but she was very cool and good natured about it. We promised her a trip to Costco - Costco! - as a runner-up prize and she was fine with that. We are just crazy about her.

Boo!

She is a funny girl, she was so determined to get in that hamper the other day when I was exercising. I put the baby down for a nap and then ran into my room to do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, which is good and hard but only 22 minutes long so it's ideal for my short-napping baby. Anyways, the girls were in here with me, playing a game on the computer, while I was working out but they like to exercise too and I guess Veronica was doing a Feat of Strength or something, to show me how she could crawl in the hamper. She really does like to have fun, I'll say that for her.

The girls go back to preschool tomorrow, they've been off for two weeks! It feels like a VERY long time to me, and to them too, I'm sure. Today Veronica was so crazed that she flat out left me at the store. I took her and Maria and Maria was the good one! V kept lying down on that dirty, dirty floor and then she'd stand up and I'd say, "Come ON, Veronica!" and she'd fold her arms and turn away from me. CHARMED, I'M SURE, I always think. But mostly she is funny and sweet.

I have been terrible about keeping up with these lately, I'm sure it will get easier soon but for now I have to get to bed! Veronica's here, she's fine, she's looking forward to her birthday in May. We've been having so much birthday talk - first the baby Jesus, then Maria and now the long wait until May. I hope the time flies, for all our sakes!

Repair

We got her hair fixed today, kind of. At first we were going to cut it all as short as it is in the back, from where Maria cut it, but then the lady and I sort of pushed all her hair back and with those bangs, it looked especially demented, so she said, really quickly, "I can just blend it in!". Ha! She was pretty good but this lady used the blow dryer on both of them and on poor Veevsy Voo, she turned it up to HIGH! She has like 10 hairs on her whole head! I didn't want to fight and it only took like two minutes, PLUS it wasn't going to kill her but Veronica hated it. Finally she said "I ALL DONE, MAMA! I ALLLL DONE!", and I told the lady, she's all done, in case you didn't hear, and she turned off the blow dryer. But then they got their (damned) balloons and all was forgiven. I had to feed the baby right before we left so I didn't get a picture of V in the salon, or the haircut shop, as Maria calls it, but here it is as home, while she was enjoying some Chicken McNuggets. She's so cute, right? It's a good thing, man, because she has turned on us and she is b-a-d. we have her penultimate speech therapy appointment tomorrow, it's so bittersweet. We are really going to miss Kristin, she has made a huge difference in Veronica's life and I couldn't pay her back if I wanted to. Of course, she's probably also made Veronica this BAD, but what can you do? I'll take it.

Library

Here's Veronica, taking a break during a music parade last week at the Library. We really enjoy this story hour that we go to, and Veronica is leaning on Mike in this picture, and BOY are these girls going to miss him when he goes back to work next week. It's so much easier with two of us, we can 'get down', which is Maria's thing, but Veronica asked about it today, too. I'm trying to tell them that there's not going to be so much getting down once Daddy goes back to work, but it's not really taking, I bet.

Veronica had speech today, what can I say? She did just great, her sentences are long and involved and except for some pronunciation issues, which are typical for her age, she's just fine. That sentence is so much more exciting to me than it seems just sitting there on the page.

Now that I have another little baby, I have been thinking so much about when Veronica was a little wee thing. She was so screamy and cranky, and I was so worried about her. I sort of have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when it comes to infants. Anthony was such a rough, rough baby and he turned out to have autism and I worry the whole time now, when I am pregnant and then when I have a little tiny baby who is screaming at me all day that it's the same thing all over again. It's a terrible feeling, to worry like that and even though I try not to, I can't. So I think about when Veronica was so little and screamy and then when she was bigger and not so screamy but still pretty crabby and then just poof! one day she got so sweet and turned into the Veevsy Voo that we all know and love.

But then she wasn't talking and I started to get worried again, I was glad to call First Steps and just find out whatever we had to and get to work on fixing whatever the problem was. I was so relieved when she did so well at the evaluation, but poorly enough that she felt like she needed services.

We have lucked out so much with her therapist, AND even with the therapist that took over when our Kristin went on Maternity Leave. She played a big part in Veronica's success, as did my mom. Stacie, the interim therapist, had a better, more objective look at what was happening with Maria running the show during her therapy, and she's the one who said "this is hard with this other one talking all the time, no WONDER Veronica isn't!". Then my mom took Maria every week so Veronica could have true one-on-one therapy and I think that made all the difference. Now Maria has been with Mike every week for the last six weeks and starting next week, we'll be all together again. But Veronica really knows who she is and she knows that this is HER speech therapy and she'll be just fine.

So. In short, Veronica's fine, and even though she had a rough start, she is doing great, thanks to her speech therapist, her interim speech therapist and my Mom. It takes a village, I guess!