Tuesday, February 01, 2011

What Does it Mean?

Quickly fading tan lines.
300+ pictures to wade through.
68 emails waiting at the office.
One child up early and cranky; the other sleeping late, fighting jet lag.
Freezer meals being defrosted at a wild pace.
Late night wake-up calls.
A kink in my neck from dozing in a rocker.
Lines of snot and drool down every shoulder.
An afternoon spent visiting the doctor instead of working at the office.
2 laptops and piles of office work upon our kitchen table.
Verbal roshambo to negotiate who has the more pressing deadline and who gets the next shift at home.
All manner of nose drops, ear drops, and pain medicine lined along the changing table.
The magic pink liquid sitting in the fridge.

Ah yes... we are back from vacation.

and

oh no... Josh is sick.

Ear infection compounded by an emerging tooth and "crunchy" lungs. Glad my mommy instinct got us into the doctor on Monday afternoon, so the magic of amoxacillin could begin in earnest. I was laughing this morning about how quickly my attitude can shift when we are fighting a cold. In most cases, we strive to seek natural products and avoid chemical exposure, but when the screaming starts... bring out the big guns! In this case they take the form of antibiotics, ear drops, tylanol, ibprofen, probiotics, and pediasure. We're attacking this thing from all angles and Josh should be fine to go back to school tomorrow. Good thing 'cause that pile of unread work email is starting to catch up to me...

On a separate, but somewhat related note: Our quick decision trip to the doctor allowed us to do a 15 month weight check for Josh. I wasn't going to take him in because he has been eating so. much. better! He also seems to be growing out of his clothes, so I figured he was pushing 20 pounds and didn't need the interim check (our next "well child" is at 18 months). Imagine my surprise and dismay to see the scale read 18.2 pounds. Um, that's less than a pound gain in the last 3 months.

This time, the doctor wasn't so concerned. Since we've already done all the tests to rule out scary things, it's just a matter of making sure Josh gets enough calories to match his non-stop activity.
Have I mentioned my parents
nicknamed Josh "The Shark"
because he never stops moving?
Our short term solution is to add Pediasure or Carnation Instant Breakfast to his diet. Where Owen LOVES milk and would easily drink 24 ounces every morning if we let him, Josh struggles to down 8 ounces in a whole day. So, we're trying to make those few liquid calories count. We'll see in April if it makes a difference. Good news: Josh loved Pediasure last night - who wouldn't? It tastes like a milkshake! - and consumed the full 8 oz bottle with (okay, in place of) dinner.
Vacation pictures coming soon.

3 comments:

Jen said...

Alissa, Your Josh is so like my Max in the weight department. We are big fans of pediasure, whole milk and anything high calorie we can try to squeeze in him. My kids just never stop moving and their metabolism runs so hot they just burn it off so fast. Max is only 21 pounds at 2. I was so hoping for 23 at his weigh in. I always over estimate. Keep up the good work. Its so funny that we stress about getting enough calories in our kids when we hear so much about obesity in our country.

SBM said...

Um, welcome back? Whoa, that's a tough way to return from a sunny vacation! Can't wait to see where you guys went. Hang in there! The work's not going anywhere.

Colleen said...

I'm excited to hear the good part of that post...VACATION! I hope Josh is feeling better already. And Carnation instant breakfast is a twice daily part of Luke's diet, and he rarely agrees to drink any regular milk these days, but at least he's getting the calories. Good luck! I know the weight thing can be a stressful struggle. It drives me bonkers!