Sick Kid

Lexi has been battling with an upper respiratory infection (hacking cough, runny nose) and an ear infection for 3 weeks now. We hadn't known about the ear infection at all until we took her to the doctor. Her ears really don't seem to be bothering her. But the cough is driving us crazy - sometimes it just sounds really awful. This means that she doesn't sleep well so neither do the rest of us. Then Thursday night, she was asleep at 6 pm and felt really hot. Her temperature was over 102 degrees. We gave her tylenol to get it back down and she slept fitfully, but in the morning, she wasn't hot and ate her breakfast well. But Friday night, she was kind of warm again and it continued throughout the weekend. Wierd thing is that during the day, she would have no temp at all, but in the evening, she would get warmer. I made a doctors appt for her this afternoon and took her to day care this morning. But she had copious amounts of green mucus coming out her nose - so we had to come right back home. She is still coughing but her nose isn't running as much any more. We just want her to be well. She really had not gotten sick before we moved back to the US.

Updating

We haven't written in a while but here are some new tidbits about Lexi.

1) Today, we had Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas for lunch. Lexi hungrily polished half of mine. That girl can eat when she wants to!

2) She keeps saying 'be back' - as in Mom will be back at the end of the day to pick me up from day care. I think it is less of a hardship for her to be there but she still cries every morning when I leave her. She now goes every day with the family picture clutched in her hands. One of the teachers suggested this might help her feel more calm. Not sure if it does or not.

3) She is indicating more and more when she needs her wet pants changed but still refuses to even sit on the potty. Sigh.

4) Monday, Lexi will move with the other bigger kids into the other day care building. As school is starting, the 5 yr olds have left, leaving space for the just turned twos. Will this be any better for her?? I hope it's not worse at least!

5) Mom and Dad are being firmer and sticking with 'no' when we say 'no.' I think she is slowly getting used to this though there is still a fair amount of drama involved.

6) She is finally enjoying riding on Dad's shoulders. It used to cause her to cry, but she thinks it is fun now - especially when Dad 'gallops' like a horse.

7) Her 'thank yous' and 'welcomes' are coming more automatically now and she even says 'I lebe you' every once in a while. She is also picking up new words from day care and seems to be trying to count more.

Learning her own songs

For grace before meals at home, the three of us hold hands, and sometimes Sarah and I will sing (something like "Be Present at Our Table"). Because Lexi doesn't know the words to table prayers or can't sing a standard grace, the holding of hands is something she can do and is her way of participating.

Since I picked her up from daycare after work today, Lexi has been in a good mood. She must be feeling better from her cold and ear infections and/or is starting to enjoy daycare.

Tonight in the middle of dinner, Lexi extended her hands and said, "Hands." So we all held hands again in a circle. Then she started singing a short song - all by herself (of course it was words that we didn't understand). When it was over, she said, "Yay!" and clapped a little. Then I commanded her as she often commands us: "Again."

So we joined hands again, and she repeated her song, complete with the "Yay!" at the end. She must have learned her song at daycare today. Yay!

2 years old!

Vital Statistics on her 2nd birthday:

Height - 2 ft 9 3/4 inches
Weight - 24 lbs
Favorite Word - Mine
Favorite Food - Cake

As if we didn't already know Sunday (and the terrible twos) were not far off

Scene this morning:

It's a few minutes before 6:00 a.m. I had been awake for about a half hour anyway. I get out of bed. Lexi is already awake and has asked Sarah to lift her out of the Pack and Play, where she sleeps next to Sarah. Lexi is lying on the floor, almost wedged in between Sarah's bed and her toy box. She's throwing a mild tantrum:

"I want the cracker."

Whining.

"I want the cracker!"

Whining.

"I need the cracker."

This is the first time I've heard her say need in a sentence, instead of want. I didn't know a 2-year-old's requirements so early in the morning were that serious.

So I take her to the kitchen and try to convince her that we don't eat crackers first thing in the morning, offering her some cereal instead.

More whining.

So I offer her a graham cracker, figuring that wasn't so bad.

But no, she wants an animal cracker.

Three animal crackers later, finally we have a quiet child.

Lexi turns 2 on Sunday, but she's already days ahead of this terrible phase.

Jesus!

I wouldn't say that we necessarily talk about Jesus much around our house but Lexi knows the word. And when she sees a church (not sure how she is identifying it, maybe just the cross on top), she says 'Jesus'. Today she was also singing a little song about Jesus; not sure how she came up with that either. Sometimes, we are amazed and amused by what Lexi picks up and what comes out of her mouth!

And in other news, she had a hard time at day care today. Lots of crying and no nap, but she did eat.