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!