Everyone Needs A Hazel

Pip is sick.  The past two nights have been pretty miserable with her waking up crying and screaming often in the night with a slightly croupy cough and itchy eye.  We took her to the doctor yesterday since her eye continued to be weepy in case it was pink eye (the doctor gave us a prescription because of the three-day weekend, but was pretty sure it was just a virus that will pass). 

So in our infinite wisdom as parents, we opted to try the "tylenol might help her feel better" approach since she seemed warm and was definitely aching and uncomfortable.  Her response would make one think we were trying to poison her!  Each dosing (of the chewable, sweet grape sugary variety) was a drag out fight with her screaming, spitting it out, growling at us and working herself into hysterics.  I'm not exaggerating.  Last night, we spent three hours trying to convince her to eat the dang thing.  She had a fever and was beyond grumpy.  Three hours of shrieks, screams, NOs and tears.  We tried bribing her with a tic-tac if she ate it.  Finally, I thought to give some to Abby (who also had a legitimate reason for medicine).  I had Abby s-l-o-w-l-y eat the first of the two.  Hazel intently studied her every expression, every movement she made to make sure it wasn't a trick.  Only after determining Abby really did find the medicine okay to eat did she also eat hers.  Pip even said it tasted good when she was done. 

This morning, we had to start all over again with the tears and screaming.  The dang medicine tastes like grape cotton candy.  I just don't get it.  No amount of bribery will work.  She licks her finger and touches it to just keep tasting it, but won't eat it.  Stubborn, stubborn twit.  Finally after having a time out in her room for throwing it and her dish on the floor, she says she'll eat it...and she does...s-l-o-w-l-y...tiny broken piece by tiny broken crumb.  So hope she's fine in a couple hours when it wears off so we don't have to go through this again.

Princesses

Disney princesses are prolific.  They are on just about everything, from shirts to purses to cookies to underwear.  Princesses are largely pink too.  Pip is crazy about the color pink.

"I want this one, Mama."  I turn and see Pip holding a can of Campbell's soup.  "It's not on sale," I reply automatically.  "It has princesses on it!" she tells me excitedly.  Campbell's Disney Princesses Chicken Noodle Soup.

Today has been a more cooperative potty day.  She proudly found herself a princess toddler toilet seat today at the store and suddenly, going potty on the toilet is a much more exciting task.  "Okay kids, when we get home we're going to eat lunch and take naps," I tell the twits.  Hazel pipes up, "No, I go bathroom and go potty on princess potty!"  She's used her princess potty (successfully) three times already.

Subject change: We're unsure Eli's coughing is related to allergies or asthma because the doctor prescribed both medications at once just to get the coughing to stop, so we really don't know which stopped the issue.  We're stopping the puffer and are just using the allergy medicine now.  We'll see if he resumes coughing without the puffer or not.  We're keeping the allergist appointment in October.  We also get to pick random times to spend a couple of minutes to listen to Eli breathing in the night to try and determine if he has apnea.  He sure snores a lot, anyway.

First day of school tomorrow!!  The kids are also excited.  Now if I could just get the youngest two out of my clean laundry piles...

Potty Report & Eli

Our last library visit resulted in Elmo's Potty Time DVD which we were subjected to over and over since Pip decided that was the only thing she wanted to watch.  She viewed it so many times, she even began singing along with the songs.  I took this as a sign she really is interested in using the toilet.  Maybe she actually is.  All I've really discovered these past few weeks is Pip likes to sing, she is interested in discussing everyone else's use of the toilet, and still she refuses to use it herself unless *she* thought of it first (after being reminded of the candy reward).  Her new favorite book is one called I Have To Go.  She calls it "Potty Time with Grover" and must have it with her to read in bed every nap- or bedtime. 

Eli is currently using allergy meds and an asthma inhaler as an attempt to diagnose whether he has cough-variant asthma or not.  We have an allergist appointment at the end of October.  I am hopeful we'll have some clue of what to do with my grumpy, tired boy before then though.

Today is one week until the first day of school!  I love this time of year.

Pip & the Potty

"Di-burr!" Pip shrieks.  Shrieks.  I'm not kidding.  Then she throws her big-girl underpants (pull-ups with princesses on them) across the room.

It's time for Pip to lose the diapers.  I'm ready.  I know she's ready, despite the constant protests.  Even the candy bribery and the special Elmo or "Abby-Abby" underpants does not seem to sway her stubbornness when it comes to using the toilet.

"Hazel, do you want to go potty?"

"No."

"If you go potty on the toilet, you get a candy."  She was with me when we bought the Skittles and watched me put them in the jar, explaining the entire time how she gets one when she gets pee in the potty.  I think this is a part of parenting everyone hopes to forget, never wants to talk about, and wishes they didn't really have to do.

"Candy?  Oh-kay, I go potty."

We race to the bathroom with me following her little naked behind running through the house.  Three drops in the toilet and forty sheets of toilet paper later, she's done it!  Yay!  We go back to the kitchen for her one Skittle.  "Okay, let's put your panties back on since you're a big girl."

"Nooo!" she shrieks again.  "Di-burr!"

Arrgh...

Backyard Camping

We're heading to Portland on Wednesday.  The kids and I were talking about where we're all going to sleep since those Dean girls have taken over Mom's house and I mentioned sleeping in the tent at Uncle Alec's and Auntie Meta's house.  Abby started in with her 'poor me' repertoire about never getting to go camping so I suggested we put up the tent in our backyard or--better yet--why not spend the night in the playhouse?  The kids were all over that idea and chose to spend the next three hours before bedtime preparing for their big night.  Even Hazel got into the excitement and took her blanket and pillow out there to snuggle with her siblings.

Bed time comes and goes.  I wanted to get Miss Hazel into her bed, but she stomped past us dragging her blanket and pillow again, hurrying in case we dared stop her.  All the children are outside, calling us on the phone every ten minutes to ask the time and when will the stars come out?  We finally put the kibosh on Pip hanging outside anymore...she was too tired having avoided her nap yet again and was such a grumpy, grumpy girl.  I tucked her into her bed and she kept asking, "Mom, when I-li come-ing?"  I leave her reading.

We checked on the children shortly after 10 and Eli was too tired to stargaze and Abby was busy trying to convince him to join her as she adjusted the blanket on the lawn.  We left them to their adventure and went to bed.  11:41.  Abby opens our bedroom door.  Turns out, my little lambs were scared out there on their own.  The last time their father slept out there with them.  Hans went out to rescue them and bring them to their own beds.  Made for a late night.  I'm so glad they're not too big for me yet.

Pip

Trying to potty train Pip has been a bit of a challenge.  She's aware of what's going on with her body, but she has little to no interest in using the toilet.  We've decided to be a little more pushy and get her out of diapers, so this morning I got her in a pull-up and spent time talking to her about using the toilet.  "Do you want to pee on the potty?" I ask her again.  "No...no potty," she says and then runs to the bathoom and bring me her potty.  So proud, she sits down and works to pee.  I just shake my head.  All that hard work and she didn't even pull down her underpants.  Good thing she's cute.

Origami Foxes

I'm just writing now.  Forget sounding fancy or smooth in what I'm writing...I just want to get the gist down so I don't forget.  In re-reading previous posts, I've already discovered many entries I had forgotten and that's just sad.  The three lovelies are growing and maturing so quickly.  They'll be moving away before I know it.

Eli spent Wednesday and Thursday folding and folding many origami foxes, plotting how he could sell them for 25 cents each.  He waited in the yard in the rain on Thursday, holding the bag of foxes and his small, quickly wilting, difficult-to-read sign.  After twenty minutes or so, soaking wet, he came inside discouraged.

Yesterday morning, he had Abby's help.  He set up a small table in the front yard and displayed his array of foxes across it.  Holding a brighter sign, he stood behind the table, watching every vehicle as it passed.  Finally, one man stopped at the end of Cougar Lane and got out to ask Eli what he was selling.  He bought four.  Four origami foxes which have a slightly disturbing similarity to something I won't mention as I don't want Mom to complain about my TMI again.  Eli sold out by noon yesterday and earned $7.00.  Poor Steve, who was here to help Hans work in the garage, was even compelled to purchase a fox.  Eli saw Steve getting into his car to leave and Eli walked over and pressed his sign on the window.  He sold one to Miss Suzy, our mail lady, and one to the son of the grumpy dog-hater across the street.

Hans is going to teach him to make origami cranes now.  Wonder how much Eli can make selling those.