Definitely Out Like a Lion

Here's the verdict - both ears infected, left worse than right, 10 more days of antibiotics and another follow up with the ear, nose, and throat specialist...poor kid, he's so snotty, and congested, hopefully after a day or two of the antibiotics it will clear up! Is July almost here?????

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lion

Well the month of March is almost complete...I feel like this month went by sooo fast. This was such a busy week that I am glad it's Friday and we can have some family time. This week I had so much to do for work and a conference to go to today that I feel a bit tired...good night for a glass of red wine! My parents babysat Colin today, or "ditty" and "ditty" (Grammy and Grampy) as Colin calls them and I am so grateful that they are close by...sometimes I don't know what I would do without them...I feel like Colin has changed this week, he is now putting words together and tonight he was cruising on his "Na-no" (Elmo) riding toy. He would go from one end of the downstairs, down to the other end of the house and once he got up enough speed he would lift his feet up and just let the thing go, it was so cute! The cutest thing he has been doing lately is repeating back"yuv-u" (love you!) and the best was when I checked my voice mail coming home from work one night around 6:30 and I heard "Hieee, Mommy, Yuv-u"! My heart melted and I think I will save that message forever and if I am ever having a bad day I will just replay it! Being a mom is the best job in the world!

Oh yeah, Colin has yet again another horrendous cold with another low grade temp (about 100 degrees at dinner time)...figures we go see the ENT on a Thursday and all is good and then Monday he gets a runny nose which is now full blown green boogers! So we'll probably be off to the doctor's in the a.m. having our millionith (is that even a word?) ear check!

Cruisers Size 4

So we were only joking about the potty training, although Ryan is quite eager to finally get to toilet train right in his own home and not in the stall of a school bathroom! We are still in Pampers Cruisers Size 4's and I am sure that will be for a bit longer...!

"Eeee - U"

That is Colin's latest obsession - the trash...I think it all started when Mommy and Daddy were having a difficult time getting his diaper changed. We then made it a funny game where we would say "P-U, Colin" about his dirty diaper...well that turned into Colin saying "eee-u" each time he saw a wrapped up diaper about to go into the diaper pail. He has definitely moved right along and now it's every time he wakes from his naps as he points to the diaper pail saying it, whenever he sees a tied up bag of garbage ready to be brought outside, and what's even funnier is that he loves to walk and see the big dumpsters outside saying "eee-u" all the way down the driveway (moving his hand like he is wafting his nose!)...now things have really gone too far...this morning he said "eee-u" with a slight grunt and a grab of his diaper. Yes, he was going to the bathroom! This is the third of fourth time he has talked about the "eee-u" in his diaper, but the first time he has actually said it while going...when I told Ryan he said, "he's ready for potty training, he will be potty trained this weekend!" My response was "then we are having another baby!"

Wait and See

Much to our relief Colin does not need tubes in his ears (yet)...in fact his ears looked perfect today according to the ENT...Monday the right ear was red and there was fluid, but his little body fought it off and they were clear today (no antibiotics - yeah!). That's a good sign, that they are clearing up on their own "quite nicely" according to the ENT. He is sure that the Eustachian tube is still red and inflammed and that can take a few months to actually heal...hopefully we can avoid colds (ha! one of the downfalls of daycare!). So if all goes well and we go through the summer like we did last year (nothing) then we'll be all set! Thanks for thinking of us everyone, you know I was so worried about this, but thankfully it's only his ears - we're very grateful!

World Series 2007????

So our hopes are a little high this year! We are hoping that Colin's shirt might be good luck and they'll bring a championship to Boston again this year!

So once again we were at the pediatrician's office today - low grade temp on and off now for a few days, batting at his right ear a little bit, index finger in it every so often - the verdict - still one slightly red, fluid filled right ear (however the texture was good - having been through this so much I do know that's a good thing) ! We got a prescription for an antibiotic, but the pediatrician was hoping we could hold off filling it unless his symptoms get really bad, then the ENT can see the infected ear and maybe his body can fight it off...ughh! Anyways, the McAuliffe clan is quite ill right now - one niece recovering from Bronchitis, one in the doctor's today to be checked for strep throat, and another just diagnosed today with bilateral pneumonia who had to get a shot of heavy duty antibiotics in both legs...yuck!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So after the snowstorm that hit us this Friday, we were finally able to spend St. Patrick's Day (actually the day after) with my family...we celebrated Auntie Beth's birthday (March 20) at Grammy and Grampy's house with a yummy boiled dinner and some shamrock birthday cake! Thanks Grammy for cooking a great corned beef dinner! Colin tried some, seemed to like it, but was quite content having mac-n-cheese with his cousins (all but Sammy who was sick again, poor thing, Colin is doing better and hopefully our appt. this week will go well)! Of course our camera battery died, but we did get one picture, will have to upload it later, the battery is still charging...Let's hope spring is just around the corner, that weather last week was such a tease! Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone!

Future Rock Star!!!

So we bought Colin some new tub toys this weekend...as you can see he was "rocking" out with his new xylophone...maybe in 14 years or so it will be with an electric guitar in the basement! Kind of an uneventful weekend which is nice...once again we forgot to change the clocks until I awoke around 5:45 to Colin's calling and realized that we had not changed them before going to bed, we always do that...he has been OK today, I hate it though...I think it is because I have been putting off work that I need to do all weekend and now it's already 8:00 p.m. The weather was just too nice. We were able to get out for some walks and even to the playground yesterday...Hopefully no more snow! I also had the all frequent reminder that being a parent is one of the hardest jobs, especially when your child is sick. As mentioned in a previous entry Colin has had a month of ear infections. Well he is just finishing up his second round of antibiotics, however his cold symptoms have been slow to resolve. I am constantly putting the ear thermometer in and probably have done more damage to his hearing than the ear infections have, but occasionally throughout the day when I feel him he feels "warm"...a couple of times it has been up around 99 degrees... does that warrant a call to the doctor? My mom always says go with your gut and for some reason my gut is saying that he still has something lingering in him...I hope we are not at the doctors again this week...we'll see, I was going to give him another day with a good night sleep and a less runny nose and maybe it will clear itself up!

A Face Only a Mother Could Love!

Colin loves pasta with sauce! As you can see...Not much going on except another ear infection! I thought we had made it through the winter, but I was wrong. In early February, February 9 to be exact, we went for his well visit and the doctor found one in his right ear, not too bad though. I thought it was just teething that week prior, but I was wrong (the guilty feeling was only minor!)...So another round of antibiotics and I thought we were in the clear...then a week after finishing them, he still had cold symptoms. So last Sunday off the doctors we went. Diagnosis - no ear infection, just a cold. Yeah! Until this Friday when he developed a low grade fever and had this horrible cough. So back to the doctors we went - you guessed it, another ear infection in his right ear. Another round of antibiotics, but this time we went slightly higher in the dosage. We see the ear, nose and throat doctor in a few weeks and the hope is that we won't have to have tubes! He did so well for so long, 8 months without one...but 9 ear infections in 16 short months feels like a lot...so we'll see, I trust ENT so we'll see what he says. So with 2 copays and the antibiotics this ear infection cost $55 - thank god for health insurance, can't imagine what it would have been without!