Sick again!

I'll put the cute Maggie stories at the top of this so everyone can read what they really want.

Yesterday I was doing a kickboxing video while Maggie was awake (I usually do it while she sleeps) and she was cracking up at the crazy woman on the video, kicking and punching into the air. She came up next to me and started doing all the moves (well, her version of them), lifting her knees, punching her arms. I got a good workout just from laughing at her.

Yesterday I found a bug in our living room and although I normally rely on Grant for all bug-killing duties, he wasn't here. I had to kill it myself. So Maggie and I ran over to get a shoe and then she watched as I smashed it mercilessly. The rest of the day (and much of today) she would say, "Bug! Mama's shoe!", often repeated several times in a row. I wonder if I scarred her and she'll end up volunteering for PETA. (Is there a PETB - People for the Ethical Treatment of Bugs?)

Maggie is sick again with some kind of virus. She's had a little runny nose and other sinus-type symptoms, and then on Monday afternoon her eyes started oozing green stuff. Pretty disgusting. I called her pediatrician, with whom we had an appointment on Tuesday for her 18-month checkup, and the office said that since she had a fever (101) they didn't want to just treat the eye stuff and to bring her in for her existing appointment.

Her eye stuff was gone by Tuesday although I fully expected her eyes to be crusted shut in the morning (they weren't). We went to her appointment and he said it's just a virus, the eyes were a symptom, and we didn't need to take any medication for it. Later that afternoon (after going to Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day (strawberry ice cream for her, strawberry kiwi sorbet for me) she had a fever of 104! It really scared me, although she was still acting sweet and not particulary sick (a little wimpy). I called her ped and they said to give her iboprofen for the fever and just to watch her. That helped, but last night she coughed about every 5 minutes (I know b/c it woke me up!) and didn't get a very good night's sleep.

She's doing better today - lower fever, no crusty eyes, still sneezing and coughing - and right now she's sleeping with some Robitussin DM in her for her cough.

As far as her 18-month visit, things are great! She gained a pound and is 22 lbs (20%) and 31 1/2" (45 %). She's on track or beyond with all of her developmental milestones, and even said, "Bye-bye, Dr. John" at the end of our appointment. We expect to start potty training in earnest in 2-4 months. No more diapers. Yippee!

I have to admit - I've been very impressed with the immunity-boosting powers of breastfeeding. Before she was weaned she was never sick (besides the odd sniffle) and since she was weaned she's had several big illnesses.

On another note, Grant has been leaving around 7am and returning around 8pm for a project he's working on right now, leaving me on my own feeling kinda run-down and caring for this sick kiddo. Let's just say that every day I've been thanking my lucky stars that I'm not a single mom. I have LOTS of respect for single parents who don't have a partner to relieve them. (Plus I feel bad for Grant b/c he's really missing his regular time with Maggie.)

So that's pretty much the news for us.

For those of you who didn't hear - my surgery is scheduled for July 11 and we're fortunate enough to have Grant's mom and grandma come out to help care for Maggie during that time. Lucky for me, also, that I have so many friends and family who will be able to help after they leave!

All right, now I'm going to try to see if I can scrounge up anything for dinner.