Return of the Barfer

Katelynn's disgusting habit of making herself throw up has re-surfaced. (See previous post in November for more gory details!) Not sure if it is her cold and phlegm in her throat... or maybe I am just hoping it is that praying that she hasn't simply decided it is fun.

Today she threw up in her car seat...just a little bit...but even a little bit of barf requires the full extensive car seat cleaning process. Then we got everything put back together and re-installed. The seat was still damp, and she did it again on the way home from dinner.

Aaargh!!!!! Parenting definitely builds patience... At least I am getting fast at getting the seat cover on and off. And from now on, one of us will be riding in the back seat with her.

A Baby "First" that is NO FUN

So, I know most of you fellow moms out there have already dealt with your share of ear infections. In fact, my friend Becky's son Hayden just had tubes put in today, poor guy! I just read the other day that 75% of babies get an ear infection by the age of three. I thought, "Wow, Katelynn hasn't had to deal with that yet." Then boom, murphy's law for thinking that - she has a double ear infection!

She was up screaming for three hours in the middle of the night on Thursday. She has always been such a good sleeper that I was a little panicky when I couldn't get her settled back down. Since she never had fever, the ear infection didn't occur to me for awhile. I was very close to taking her to the ER when she finally settled down and conked out till morning. There was a discussion with the on-call nurse somewhere around 4 am.

I started wondering - why the heck do little kids get these all the time and adults rarely do? I read up on this thrilling topic and learned the interesting information below. (Side note - The things I learn about now are so different than they used to be! They all seem to revolve around a 20 something pound little goober.)

• Babies are born with round heads to get through the birth canal. As a result, the Eustachian tubes (connection between the ears and the back of the nose) like horizontally in kids until three years of age.


• This keeps the tubes from draining effetively. As a child grows, his head and face elongate. The Eustachian tubes ultimately slant downwards and work better.


• When a child gets a cold, the virus causes the lining of the Eustachian tubes to swell, making the tubes even more inefficient. Bacteria like to grow if the fluid sits there long enough. The body's immune response to the bacteria creates pus, and that is the definition of a middle ear infection.

So there you go. Ear Infection 101 in a nutshell.

Future Computer Geek

Nothing really makes Katelynn smile as much as a good pounding on mommy or daddy's laptop.

Cabbage Patch Abuse

This is what Katelynn did with her cabbage patch a few days ago. I am not sure whether I should laugh or be disturbed about it! Poor, humiliated Abigail the cabbage patch.

Inspirational Link

I recently received an inspiring email from my boss about a young man named Nick Vujicic, who was born with no arms or legs. He is a motivational speaker that has travelled the world, and an inspiring Christian. Watch this 6 minute video - you won't regret it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DxlJWJ_WfA

Katelynn's 15 Month Stats

Katelynn is officially following in mommy's footsteps, at least at this point! She had her 15 month well check today and she was 97th percentile for height, but only 10th for the height/weight ratio. The doc said she is "long and lanky" but very healthy.

A Popular Phrase I Could Do Without

I seem to be hearing it all the time now from friends - "Welcome to my world!" - in response to whatever I just shared about my life. Am I the only one, or does this phrase rub some of you in the wrong way? When someone says it to me, I wish I had not opened up my heart and shared what was going on in my life. To me it is the same thing as "So what?" or "Been there, done that."

It is not that I expect someone to say "Oh, poor Katie" when I have relayed a story about Katelynn's antics, a bad day, etc. I'm just sharing life with friends, not complaining or looking for major condolences. But, personally I think Miss Manners would say that a simple response like "I know how you feel" would convey a much nicer sentiment than "Welcome to my world."

I think it is the fad phrase of the moment, and I hope its moment passes quickly!

Random Things Katie Recommends

• Financial Peace University: www.daveramsey.com ..."where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice"


• The Grocery Game: www.thegrocerygame.com ...save money on groceries and have fun doing it


• Recipes Galore: www.allrecipes.com ... the detailed reviews help you know you will have a winner ahead of time! I have found so many new "keeper" recipes this past year with this site.


• Shoe Shopping: www.zappos.com .... buy shoes; return them for free when they don't fit (which they almost never do on my 11AAA foot)


• Travel Tips & Trip Reports: www.flyertalk.com ... ultimate frequent flyer nerd community. Figure out which room is the best, which hotel manager to talk to to get upgrades, etc.
• Teva Olowahu flip flops: http://www.teva.com/ProductDetails.aspx?g=w&categoryID=38&productID=6840&model=Olowahuz ... always have to get at least one new pair every summer. SO comfortable, and cute too!


• Bargains, bargains: www.ebay.com .... Check ebay for nearly anything you normally buy at the store. In the past several months I have purchased the following on ebay: labels for my label maker (yes I use it - all the time), makeup, hair products, and a hard to find diaper bag.
• Billy Blanks Tae Bo: http://www.billyblanks.com/ .... This will kick your butt, not to mention make it very tight.

Katelynn's Blanket Obsession

Katelynn has officially chosen her comfort/ security object - a large, extremely soft blanket that has been in our living room for years. She has started throwing hissy fits if she sees it go into the wash. We actually have two, which is a source of great confusion for her. She only wants whichever one she has, even though she can't tell the difference. :-)

She loves to throw herself onto the blanket and roll around on the floor. She is becoming more and more demanding about bringing it in the car, into her high chair, outside on a walk, etc. We try to appease her as much as possible, but I draw the line at letting her eat on top of it!

Paradise

Gene and I spent a week in Hawaii in January, and Katelynn spent a week of vacation with Nanna and Grandpa. This picture is at the Nakelele blowhole on Maui. Another wonderful moment of the trip was seeing an 80,000 pound humpback whale breach 4 times in a row, only 50 yards from the boat we were riding. (That is when they do a full-body leap out of the water; Gene calls it "flipping.") We will continue to dream about living there someday. Sigh.