Family Hike

We packed up the kids and drove about 40 minutes to go for a hike. My kids are still sick, but I figured a little fresh air would do them good. Plus, it was very possible I'd go crazy if we stayed cooped up in the house.

Checking out a big rock.
Crossing a little bridge.
It's really fun to watch Leo discovering nature and really enjoying the outdoors.




Stopping for some lunch.



Look how long Serafina's hair is getting.
Serafina was in the carrier for the hike, but Leo walked the whole thing - 1.6 miles. I offered to carry Serafina because I was certain Tom would end up having to carry Leo. But the little guy proved to be a big kid.

Oh and Serafina did much better in her morning dance class. She didn't demand I hold her the whole time and seemed to actually enjoy it a bit.

Fire House Field trip

Leo developed a bad cough yesterday and didn't get much of a nap because of the coughing. Last night was really rough too. I had to pretend it wasn't happening. This morning, I ran around the house getting us both ready to head out for his school's field trip and leave things set up for the sitter to be with Serafina. I would yell from whatever room I was in for him to drink some water as he hacked and hacked on the couch. I should have kept him home or maybe taken him straight to the doctor, but the train had already left the station. I was scheduled to work the field trip, the sitter was coming and I had to take this coughing kid to the fire house. He wasn't just coughing a little; he was constantly coughing and couldn't even eat a decent breakfast because of it. I made a doctor's appointment for the late afternoon before leaving the house.

The field trip was fun. The kids did a great job paying attention and being polite. Leo did a good job covering his mouth with a few reminders from mom.

Here he is having his turn in the fire engine. All the kids got to walk through it, but Leo took a seat inside. Maybe he was hoping they'd get an emergency call and he could ride along.
Getting some help out.
Waiting their turns to try out the fire hose.
This little boy is named Prakhar. I can never understand a word he says and he's not very good at sharing, but check out the look on his face. Could he be more thrilled about spraying that hose?
Leo's turn.
Fireman Jim put on all the gear to show the kids he wasn't scary and they shouldn't hide from him in a fire. Not sure any of his training prepared him from this kid swarm, but maybe that outfit will keep him from catching their cooties, especially from my kid.

The class posed for a picture.
We headed over to an adjacent park after for a little play time and snack.

About 40 minutes before the field trip was suppose to end, Leo sat on one of the playground's rocking animals and just laid his head down. I was talking to his teacher at the time and she said, "why don't you go ahead and take him home." It was seriously one of the most pathetic things I've ever witnessed. She assured me that the remaining parents and her could handle the small amount of kids there and I apologized for even bringing him in the first place. She's a mother of five, so she's seen it all.

He had almost no nap and then we headed to the pediatrician's office. I like her and all, but I don't want to have to see her twice in one week. Serafina decided to get upset right when the doctor came in for her exam, but Leo was fine to sit up on the big table by himself. He answered all the doctor's questions and followed her directions for breathing deep. Turns out he had a fever and (drum roll) a double ear infection. Yep, four out of the eight ears in this family are infected. She took a look at Serafina's ears too and they haven't responded to the antibiotic, so she gave them both a different type of medication. I hope we have some improvement soon. Already they seem to be sleeping better than the last couple nights.

18 month check-up

I love my pediatrician. She's very easy to talk and she's good with my kids. She's also an expert on dealing with neurotic parents. She has the ability to be reassuring and address my concerns without making me feel like I'm crazy. I know I'm crazy, but I don't need the doctor to be dismissive because of it. So we started off Serafina's 18 month appointment by discussing her speech development. She was encouraged by the number of words Serafina is saying (currently seven) and said that is normal for her age. She also understood why I've been concerned since she did stop speaking and she drops words from her vocabulary. She offered to refer us to a speech therapist, but we're going to hold off. She outlined what she should be doing by 24 months - 20 words (1/2 of them need to be understood by others) and linking two words together - so we can determine how she's progressing. We'll have a follow-up phone call in a month and instead of seeing her at 24 months, which is typical, we'll go in at 21 months.

Serafina gained some height and head circumference, but has dropped off in the weight department. She use to be in the 90th percentile for weight but in the last six months, she's hasn't even gained a full pound. Now she's down in the 33 percentile. The doctor isn't concerned since her other measurements are on track and she's a very active kid. Plus, she eats...a lot. In fact, her love of food is a frequent joke for the women who watch her at the gym. They tell me, "she got a little upset, but then we gave her the snacks." The doctor would like to see a least a little weight gain in the next six months.

In fact, here she is with her mouth full of food.
She's had a cough for a while and though the doctor said her lungs sounded good, her ears didn't look good. In fact, she has a double ear infection. I felt so bad that I was clueless but she hasn't spiked a fever, pulled at her ears or any other signs. She's been cranky, but she's always cranky so that's not a symptom. She's on an antibiotic and I hope she improves soon. Since she's probably in pain, I decided to spare her the pain of vaccination and held off giving her shots until she's over the infection.

Leo is having another field trip on Thursday. This time to the fire station and I'm assigned to work that day. I'm excited to go since I need to take some pictures for the yearbook. We are going to the same fire house we visited once before. In preparation for the big outing, Leo made a fire hat and truck in class today.

See...

See...this is the reaction when Daddy comes home during bath time.

See...this is what happens when Mommy gives me a super fierce blow-out


See...this is why Mommy thought I would like dance class.

Tiny Dancer

Apparently, even if a child loves to dance at home and at Disney on Ice shows, it does not mean she will love to dance in a dance class. This morning Serafina proved she wasn't down to boogie. Of course, it was just the first class and she might warm up to it. When Leo was in dance class (in this same studio, with the same teacher), he just watched the first day. But Serafina not only didn't want to participate, she didn't want me to put her down, so I had to hold her and do the silly dancing at the same time.

She warmed up a bit at times and I was able to put her down long enough to take a few pictures.


Doesn't she look cute in her tutu?
Climbing back into my arms.

Talking

Me: Leo, don't back-talk me.

Leo: Well, then I'm gonna front-talk you.

18 months old

Here's my baby, very much not a baby anymore. She is still as joyful and difficult as always. She's becoming picky about food and finds throwing it to be the best way to communicate her displeasure with what's being served. She can be extremely affectionate but loves to torture her brother by stealing his stuff. She still doesn't do much talking but loves reading books.
She's wearing her owl shirt because owl is a word she uses consistently.
Leo gets in on the picture action.
Tom fixed his haircut.
She dumped Raggedy Ann in the hamper.
Brushing her teeth before bed.