Sunday, July 23, 2006

July 22, 2006

This weekend have been terrible in Boston. Rainy, drizzly, humid, yuck. Laura and her buddy "Omi" were planning to go to a small zoo called Buttonwood Park today but due to the weather, we changed plans and went to the Boston Aquarium. Apparently everybody and their mother had the same idea. It was MOBBED!








































































All in all the outing was ok. Laura wasn't really interested in the fish. She would probably have had a better time just hanging out with Thomas in a playroom. The large tank scared her b/c the fish are magnifide and in reality, pretty scary looking. She was pretty cranky most of the day.
We went to Legals Seafood for lunch and went back to the aquarium for another hour afterwards but it was completely packed by then and not worth the effort.

Friday, July 21, 2006

July 17th, 2006

After work, I went home and got everything ready to go to the gym to workout for half and hour and then swimming with Laura since the weather was hot and muggy.
I got to daycare and the staff told me that she felt hot after she woke up from her nap. I felt her and compared her to another kid and she did feel warm. The activity plans were ditched and I brought her home.
Temp was 102.5. I gave her some motrin and a tepid bath. She perked up pretty quickly and we stayed home doing various stuff. I ended up taking her to the park and putting her on the swing for a while. Sooo humid.
At about 8pm I gave her another bath since she was doused with bugspray. She was playing in the tub for a while and then all of a sudden she started getting distressed. I took her out and she started shivering. I could see the goosebumps on her skin. Poor girl. I bundled her up. Her forehead was hot but her hands, feet and nose were cold. I gave her some more motrin. Put her in the bed and bundled her up. Temp: 102.8
At 11pm, I checked on her and she was HOT! Ear temp: 106!
Hubby got a large bowl with ice water and we dipped towels and layed them on her back and her head. I got her a couple of pedialyte ice pops and she chomped them down. We got her temp down and gave her some tylenol. She was up again at 1am and 4am. I gave her some more Motrin at 4am.

It's amazing how quickly this all happened. I'm just grateful that I had those freezer pops that I tucked away in the freezer months ago.
She went to the pediatrician the next day and he found nothing. "It's a virus going around."

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

21 months


Nothing very exciting this month.
When Laura started off her 21st month, she was sick with repeated bouts of "asthma" and we were giving her neb treatments pretty regularly. All the change in weather and rain did not help the situation. At this time, she proved to be pretty needy. It was exhausting b/c she would constantly want to be held. She's also getting so heavy now that it's not that easy. The tried and true Elmo videos are no longer the hypnotizing tool so after coming home from work, after picking her up from daycare and then having her say "up n down" which means "pick me up", was becoming incredibly tedious because, you know, you have to make dinner. That's what the videos are for! They are the tools to give you a solid 30 minutes to make something and then feed the child, wash her up, change her clothes, put her to bed and then go to bed exhausted and start all over again. But this time, the videos only gave me 5 minutes at a time b/c she wants you to WATCH the videos WITH her or you have to hold her while you are making dinner. This lasted for a few weeks and hubby was not a big help since he was working and in the middle of 2 intense classes which met 4 times a week! I don't know how single parents do it.
"Mommy, up n down" typical Laura wanting mommy to hold her.


A recent BBQ at a friend's home(a black/asian couple). This is Noah who is maybe 6 months older and they could pass as siblings.

By the end of the month, Laura was better and a sweetheart (not sooo needy). We would go to the playground much more often and meet up with her buddy, Thomas. She's becoming much more social and interactive.


Laura is also becoming more proficient with the potty training and has much more control of her bladder. Mind you, she is still peeing in her diaper but I think if I take her to the bathroom every time I had to go, she would get it. It's hard when it's not reinforced at daycare.
I took Laura to the family pool at our gym. The first time was months ago (in the winter)and Laura did not have a good time. She just clung to me the entire time. We only stayed in it for maybe 15 minutes and the whole drying, changing, etc was such a pain that I felt it wasn't worth it. We did go to a friend's pool last month but she pretty much stayed in her float the entire time.
Since the weather has been so hot and humid, I decided that it would be refreshing. She loved it. I don't have any photos b/c I can't take any when I am actually in the pool with her.
We first went into the pool and I just held her for a while. Then I let her hold on the side and she actually took instruction from me like blowing bubbles in the water and tilting her head back all the way to wet her hair. Then she played on the stairs for the next 30 minutes. I think she found it fascinating that as she would get deeper, she was getting lighter. She hasn't mastered the effects of buoyancy and would forget to hold the side and partially go under! I took her again the following week and I tried to teach her how to jump into the pool from the side so that I would catch her but she is still very cautious and would only 'jump' while she was in the seated position.

Laura being silly with a piece of paper in her mouth

If looks could kill (after taking away the little piece of paper!)


So at the end of the month, when hubby was almost nearing the end of his classes, we took a much needed outing to JP Licks which is a local ice cream eatery. We left the house close to 9pm b/c it was a spur of the moment thing. It's funny b/c when I was single and care free, I remember going to late movies and coming out of the theatre at midnight and seeing these little kids coming out of the theatre as well. I would think, 'how could these parents be so irresponsible to allow their children to stay up so late and watch a movie?! How DARE they?!' By the time we got our ice cream and sat down to enjoy the sweet delicious treats it was close to 10pm and I was feeling those eyes of disapproval from strangers but NOW I understand why parents take kids out so late. It's a special treat AND keeping them up so late ensures some sleeping in the next morning. A true luxury.

Pouty after just waking up from a nap. Still dazed.