This morning at breakfast, Audrey asked us "How do you get money?"
We said "You have to work for it."
This started a little discussion about chores, her job chart, and earning quarters, etc.
It got quiet for a minute or two, and then Audrey said: "Well Mommy, how do you get money, because you don't work for anything."
I took a deep breath. Motherhood is such a thankless job sometimes. I hope she gets to be a stay at home mom someday ...
At this point, my great husband jumped in and said "Audrey, Mommy's job isn't very fair, because Mommy works very hard, and she doesn't get paid for it!"
Thank you Chad. And Audrey, some day you will understand ...
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A new look!
Hooray for free blog backgrounds at www.thecutestblogontheblock.com !!!
I finally figured out how to change my background and this website has so many great backgrounds. I can even change it for the seasons if I want to (and that is SO "me" to do ... yes I have fall decorations up... I'm a geek, I know) Even better, they tell you exactly how to do it, so a computer dummy like me can figure it out.
Hope you like the new look. I love polka dots, but I was getting sick of the old background.
Have a great day!
I finally figured out how to change my background and this website has so many great backgrounds. I can even change it for the seasons if I want to (and that is SO "me" to do ... yes I have fall decorations up... I'm a geek, I know) Even better, they tell you exactly how to do it, so a computer dummy like me can figure it out.
Hope you like the new look. I love polka dots, but I was getting sick of the old background.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Friends
When Audrey was little, I remember wondering if she would EVER just run off and play with her friends rather than stand behind my leg or say "I want YOU to play with me!"
Today her friend came over after school. They ate lunch, then ran to Audrey's room, slammed the door in Carter's face, and proceeded to play quietly for the next hour. They came out to ask for chocolate milk, goldfish, and a Caillou show. I was happy to oblige. Afterward, they played games together for awhile, and then decided to play one of their favorites "Sicky" (basically, one person pretends to be sick and throwing up, and the other "takes care" of her. Don't know why that is so much fun, but they really seem to get into making throw up noises!!)
They play together so nicely (and even quietly!) that it really makes my afternoon easier. Maybe she should have a friend over every day! It's a joy to watch Audrey becoming more mature and truly enjoying real friendships.
Side effects?
Houston, I think we have a problem.
Yesterday I picked Audrey up from preschool, and her teacher told me that Audrey had been teary twice that day.
Teary?
Audrey has gone to preschool for two years already, and she has only ever cried ONCE. On the very first day she ever went to school. So I was a little baffled by that. I asked Audrey about it, but she is not big on sharing feelings so I didn't get a whole lot out of her on the subject. She just seemed kind of embarrassed by my questions, so I left it alone. But I kept thinking ... what's the problem here? She has been a little whiny and weepy over the past few days ... what could be going on?
And then I remembered: she just started two new meds. I looked at the side effects for each of them, but neither described moodiness or emotional sensitivity as possible side effects.
Then I was talking to a neighbor later on, and she told me that her nephew had the SAME issues after taking the same medication. Hmmmm....
I started looking around online, and found many other reports of the same kind of side effects, especially in children. Many people also reported their children struggling with aggressiveness, night terrors, etc. - thankfully we have not experienced any of that!
Medications have always seemed to me to be such a mixed bag. On the one hand, I am grateful that we live in an age where our kids don't have to die of various diseases, and I'm thankful for the treatments we have for when our kids do fall ill. Yet, the side effects (and navigating the process of discovering them) can be so frustrating. I hate the idea of my child suffering with asthmatic symptoms, but I also hate the idea of her personality being altered. And I'm not sure which one I hate more. Probably, the personality change though.
So we'll stick it out for a while and see if her body (and personality) adjust to the new meds. If not, something's gotta give.
Yesterday I picked Audrey up from preschool, and her teacher told me that Audrey had been teary twice that day.
Teary?
Audrey has gone to preschool for two years already, and she has only ever cried ONCE. On the very first day she ever went to school. So I was a little baffled by that. I asked Audrey about it, but she is not big on sharing feelings so I didn't get a whole lot out of her on the subject. She just seemed kind of embarrassed by my questions, so I left it alone. But I kept thinking ... what's the problem here? She has been a little whiny and weepy over the past few days ... what could be going on?
And then I remembered: she just started two new meds. I looked at the side effects for each of them, but neither described moodiness or emotional sensitivity as possible side effects.
Then I was talking to a neighbor later on, and she told me that her nephew had the SAME issues after taking the same medication. Hmmmm....
I started looking around online, and found many other reports of the same kind of side effects, especially in children. Many people also reported their children struggling with aggressiveness, night terrors, etc. - thankfully we have not experienced any of that!
Medications have always seemed to me to be such a mixed bag. On the one hand, I am grateful that we live in an age where our kids don't have to die of various diseases, and I'm thankful for the treatments we have for when our kids do fall ill. Yet, the side effects (and navigating the process of discovering them) can be so frustrating. I hate the idea of my child suffering with asthmatic symptoms, but I also hate the idea of her personality being altered. And I'm not sure which one I hate more. Probably, the personality change though.
So we'll stick it out for a while and see if her body (and personality) adjust to the new meds. If not, something's gotta give.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Break out the swiffer dust cloths ...
So last Wednesday, Chad and I took Audrey to a pediatric allergist. I am now so glad that we sprung (sprang? I should know this by now...) for the more expensive health insurance because we could just take her to a specialist without a referral.
I have suspected, oh, probably for a few years now, that Audrey has allergies. Every fall in particular she starts up with an itchy, runny nose, itchy eyes, and a nighttime cough. This year, the kicker was when she started complaining that she sometimes couldn't hear clearly from her one ear. After taking her to the pediatrician to rule out an ear infection, I still had no answers. The pediatrician was so stinking non-committal ...
Him: "No ear infection or anything, so she could just have congestion from a cold..."
Me: "Well, how do you know if it's a cold or allergies? This is ongoing and happens every year at this time."
Him: "Hmm, well, it's hard to tell."
Me: "Well, this has been going on for longer than a cold, and she has these same symptoms every fall."
Him: "I guess you could try some claritin and see if it helps."
Me: "I have been giving her claritin for months and it no longer seems to be helping." (I had already told him this earlier in the appointment, but I guess he didn't remember that from 5 minutes ago.)
Him: "You could also try giving her a little benadryl."
Me: "So she can be in a coma all day?" (okay, I didn't really make that smart alecky remark, I just wanted to...)
Anyhow, he didn't seem too concerned about finding a solution to Audrey's ongoing problem (and this was not her regular pediatrician, by the way, just the one that is always available when you need a sick appointment!) So I finally got some advice and a doctor recommendation from a friend whose child has allergies, and although we had to wait a month for the appointment, it was totally worth it. They did testing and we found out EXACTLY what she is allergic to. The good news is: She is NOT allergic to Diesel. The bad news is: she is very allergic to dust mites, which pretty much pervade our home, I'm sure. They are in carpet, stuffed animals, pillows, curtains, mattresses, sofas, basically any upholstered item. The doctor also said that they love to hang out in clutter. Unfortunately, so does my daughter! Her room is full of collections of every kind and has an abundance of stuffed animals and pillows that she gets tearful about having to part with. I am not quite sure how to handle all of it, so I think we will make some gradual changes. Oh, and I suppose I will have to be a little more diligent about dusting and vacuuming ... ugh.
The other news, which was actually more surprising to us, is that she has asthma. Apparently asthma and allergies are very closely related to each other, although I'm not sure how. (Guess I'll be checking some books out of the library on this topic.)
We came home with a couple prescriptions, one an allergy nasal spray, the other an inhaler (which includes one scary looking mask). After dropping over $100 at Target getting them filled (don't get me started on the pharmaceutical industry, I'll save that rant for another time!), we proceeded to spend a few very unhappy evenings attempting to get Audrey to cooperate with taking her meds. She was terrified by the mask, even though she had used it at the doctor's office while we were there. We ultimately had to use what we call in the psychology field "exposure therapy" ... you know, where you force someone to confront the thing they are afraid of, which results in them no longer being fearful ... somehow easier to do when it isn't your screaming 5 year old, however. Anyhow, after two tough nights she now takes her inhaler with NO trouble at all, so I guess it was worth all the holding her down and forcing her to do it. Yuck. Hope we don't have to do that again.
If anyone out there has any experience with asthma and/or allergies, and any words of wisdom, I'd love to hear your input. This is all new to me!
I have suspected, oh, probably for a few years now, that Audrey has allergies. Every fall in particular she starts up with an itchy, runny nose, itchy eyes, and a nighttime cough. This year, the kicker was when she started complaining that she sometimes couldn't hear clearly from her one ear. After taking her to the pediatrician to rule out an ear infection, I still had no answers. The pediatrician was so stinking non-committal ...
Him: "No ear infection or anything, so she could just have congestion from a cold..."
Me: "Well, how do you know if it's a cold or allergies? This is ongoing and happens every year at this time."
Him: "Hmm, well, it's hard to tell."
Me: "Well, this has been going on for longer than a cold, and she has these same symptoms every fall."
Him: "I guess you could try some claritin and see if it helps."
Me: "I have been giving her claritin for months and it no longer seems to be helping." (I had already told him this earlier in the appointment, but I guess he didn't remember that from 5 minutes ago.)
Him: "You could also try giving her a little benadryl."
Me: "So she can be in a coma all day?" (okay, I didn't really make that smart alecky remark, I just wanted to...)
Anyhow, he didn't seem too concerned about finding a solution to Audrey's ongoing problem (and this was not her regular pediatrician, by the way, just the one that is always available when you need a sick appointment!) So I finally got some advice and a doctor recommendation from a friend whose child has allergies, and although we had to wait a month for the appointment, it was totally worth it. They did testing and we found out EXACTLY what she is allergic to. The good news is: She is NOT allergic to Diesel. The bad news is: she is very allergic to dust mites, which pretty much pervade our home, I'm sure. They are in carpet, stuffed animals, pillows, curtains, mattresses, sofas, basically any upholstered item. The doctor also said that they love to hang out in clutter. Unfortunately, so does my daughter! Her room is full of collections of every kind and has an abundance of stuffed animals and pillows that she gets tearful about having to part with. I am not quite sure how to handle all of it, so I think we will make some gradual changes. Oh, and I suppose I will have to be a little more diligent about dusting and vacuuming ... ugh.
The other news, which was actually more surprising to us, is that she has asthma. Apparently asthma and allergies are very closely related to each other, although I'm not sure how. (Guess I'll be checking some books out of the library on this topic.)
We came home with a couple prescriptions, one an allergy nasal spray, the other an inhaler (which includes one scary looking mask). After dropping over $100 at Target getting them filled (don't get me started on the pharmaceutical industry, I'll save that rant for another time!), we proceeded to spend a few very unhappy evenings attempting to get Audrey to cooperate with taking her meds. She was terrified by the mask, even though she had used it at the doctor's office while we were there. We ultimately had to use what we call in the psychology field "exposure therapy" ... you know, where you force someone to confront the thing they are afraid of, which results in them no longer being fearful ... somehow easier to do when it isn't your screaming 5 year old, however. Anyhow, after two tough nights she now takes her inhaler with NO trouble at all, so I guess it was worth all the holding her down and forcing her to do it. Yuck. Hope we don't have to do that again.
If anyone out there has any experience with asthma and/or allergies, and any words of wisdom, I'd love to hear your input. This is all new to me!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Progress?
This is what our basement looks like right now ...
Do you think it'll be done by Christmas?? (AND, we have overnight guests coming in October, and this is where guests usually stay ... uh-oh ...)
Chad's working hard on it, but when you work full-time, take on church responsibilities, have 2 little kids who need lots of attention, and a wife who needs at least a wee bit of attention, well...it is just slow going.
Do you think it'll be done by Christmas?? (AND, we have overnight guests coming in October, and this is where guests usually stay ... uh-oh ...)
Chad's working hard on it, but when you work full-time, take on church responsibilities, have 2 little kids who need lots of attention, and a wife who needs at least a wee bit of attention, well...it is just slow going.
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