Brave Boy

Poor Liam.  His parents are certainly not winning any Parent of The Year awards this year.

My little guy has had a cold for about a week and a half with a funny little congested cough like it was all upper airway.  His lungs have been clear, but he has been spiking fevers off and on.  He has also been a little cranky off and on, but no other symptoms.    Sunday morning we woke up to find ear wax dripping down the side of his face.  His ear drum had popped due to pressure.  So we brought him in to see the doctor first thing Monday morning and they found a double ear infection.  That’s right, a double ear infection that mom didn’t even come close to catching.  Apparently our boy doesn’t give the usual signs of an ear infection (like tugging on his ears or showing any signs of pain in the area). No changes in appetite or anything.  He is on antibiotics now.  It is the first medicine beyond Tylenol he has ever had so we are monitoring closely for side effects (which we have thankfully seen none of yet).  The bright spot in all of this is that he likes the taste of the medicine so it isn’t a fight to get it into him!

I was so impressed with how cooperative and well-behaved he was at the doctor’s office yesterday.  I strongly suspect it is because one of his favorite dress up games to play is “playing doctor” with his Melissa and Doug Doctor Role Play Costume Set.  He loves listening to “heart beeps”, checking ears, giving shots, and checking reflexes.  Over the last few months of playing with this set he has also learned to stay still when his ears, eyes, and chest are getting checked.  We were able to put those lessons into practice the other day at the doctor’s office.  Sometimes Liam acts like such a big boy it makes me incredibly proud and sad at the same time (and now I have Bittersweet Symphony running through my head).  In less than a month he will be two (and a big brother as well).  Time just seems to be going by so fast.  My baby boy doesn’t really act like a baby anymore.  Although I don’t wish to slow down his growing up I do miss the first years as we have stepped fully into the adventures of the toddler years (which thankfully still include the occasional snuggle for mom) and prepping to be an awesome big brother.

 

 

 

 

Water, Water Everywhere

It is HOT! A full week before summer officially begins and the heat has finally descended on us…. That is right, I said finally. After one of the longest winters in recent memory I really can’t complain about the heat at all. Besides… It is just going to get hotter as we draw closer and closer to July’s muggy 100+ degree heat waves with ridiculous amounts of humidity. The type of humidity that leaves you feeling vaguely damp all the time despite sitting in an air conditioned room. (This is one of the benefits of living by the ocean… Right?) This year we are prepared… Far more prepared than we were last year after they let us take home a baby from the hospital without an instruction manual.

Sunglasses and a hat… its hard to be this cool.. or is it hot? Liam’s first summer.

We now own enough air conditioners that the super drafty house that was built in 1890 actually gets cool… mostly. At least the areas where we spend the most time are cool enough that we don’t want to die or hibernate in the basement. (Is it hibernating if it happens in the summer?)  We also have two awesome new additions to our outdoor area for the toddlers in our lives: a water table and a splash pool. The kids are pretty impressed with these additions, especially since we are apparently raising a couple of fish. Sometimes I swear they smear food in their hair on purpose so that they have to take a bath afterwards (it can’t be just a coincidence that they smear food and then immediately run for the bathroom trying to climb into the tub, clothes and all).

I foresee a ton of water play in our future in the upcoming months, which provides different fun learning opportunities for the kiddos. The water table that we purchased is the Fischer Price Step 2 Arctic Splash Water Table.

The reason I got this particular water table is because it comes with a splash tower. Liam already has a watering can for watering his garden with and we have tossed it into the water table for some fun in there.  It is great for transferring water up to the top of the tower so he can watch it run down (cause and effect fun!).  This water table was also pre-tested and approved by Liam’s big cousin M who got one as a birthday present last year.  For a fun activity in the future I have purchased some larger (too big to choke on) rocks from the pet store (in the fish department) to put into the bottom of the table for some texture variations, and because throwing rocks into the water is fun.  For now we are just enjoying the splashing!

I have yet to take pictures in the awesome pool that my sister got Liam for his birthday, but this splash pool is full of activities.  It has a ring toss and a slide… it is a huge step up from the little wading pools we had when I was a kid??!?  This thing is like the BMW of the kiddy pool world.  Once I actually buy a bathing suit I will be spending my summer sitting in it (whenever the kids let me).

In the market for a Water Table for your little one?  I highly recommend this one as it was incredibly easy to set up and stood the test of 2 toddlers throughout the summer.  
You can find it here: