Daily Life

There has been at least one person sick ever since the last week of the play. So I feel like we haven't gotten into a good routine or recovery time since then. The boys got sick, I got sick, Malcolm had an ear infection that the first round of antibiotics didn't touch, then a double ear-infection that the antibiotic messed with his stomach so much that he threw up almost every night for the last half of the regimen, didn't want to eat all day, and lost several pounds. Then I got a miserable head and chest cold again, which I still haven't managed to shake all the way. In between these, Thomas has managed to get and get rid of a cold also.

So while Eamon has been sleeping fine for the most part, Malcolm is not. Most nights he is up multiple times, while a few nights he is up for hours. Bad nights make for late morning which in turn stress out parents and Mommy needs a nap instead of getting chores done. The stress bothers Eamon who turns into a little monster causing more distress and headaches (sometimes literal). That has been life for the past month or so.

We have had good days - days where we play, read, get chores done, eat on time, get into bed at a decent time, and only wake up once during the night, but those days have been rare. At the same time, we have only had a few miserable days where no matter what I did, the boys were cranky beasts, and only a few days when I was a cranky beast which wore off on them turning them into little fiends. On these days, Thomas comes home and we either all melt into tears or the boys go play and leave me alone in the kitchen to somewhat recover until bedtime, when we have a stiff drink - or more often, some hot tea.

Most of the days are in between, where we work on the boys obeying and mommy not yelling, where we play together, and kick the boys out of the kitchen so I can get something done, where we have times of extreme fun and excitement, and times of misery and woe, but all in all it is ok.

Little tidbits of news:
Eamon has started calling me what I call him, so yesterday, he called me "Baby," and today he called me "Sweetie Pie" usually in context of something I tell him, like "You can do it, Baby, get those dragons."
He is so confident :-p When I compliment him or tell him he did a good job, he often responds, "I know," or "It was good."
Getting things out is his forte, but putting things away is nigh unto torture for him.
He is getting better at trying food, especially when Grandpa is feeding it to him, or when Darth Vader is in the bite and the imperial march is accompanying its flight to his mouth.
He is completely potty trained and we haven't had a accident, and been completely night dry for several weeks now.

Malcolm is full of mischief. He is beginning to think that all instructions are games, so "Come Here," is an invitation to play. We have been working on saying, "No Game, it's time to Come." He hasn't caught on yet.
He is also getting into stuff, like my cupboards, especially the snack closet, the "pantry cupboard" (where he takes out all the canned goods and puts them on the table), and the lazy susan cupboard which scares me because I am so afraid his going to pinch his little fingers.
He likes little places, like cupboards, boxes, tents, and cuddles. He reminds me of a certain sister who liked to crawl under tables for comfort.
He is also developing a sense of humor and laughs at funny voices, faces, and even gets some jokes.
He likes to eat what he likes to eat, but has a hard time trying new things, but the doctor says not to worry about that too much right now. So we put a piece of food on his tray and let him touch, smell, play with it until he puts it in his mouth. If he likes it, we will give him more, if not, then we count it as a try and let him eat crackers.
We have discovered that apples seem to affect him, the way grapes affect Eamon. A few bites are fine, but too much leads to upset stomach and nastiness.

Also in the news, we have discovered I am rather violently allergic to raw fish (including the smell of fish cooking) and mildly to iceberg lettuce.
Also, Thomas hasn't had a migraine in 6 days and counting.
I got boxes and boxes of material and some patterns and some costumes and some historically accurate costume research and patterns. I feel that an amazing treasure has been given to me. Now I just need some time to sew.
I have several sewing projects to complete before Christmas. When I think of them all it is a little intimidating, but I also am so happy because I love to sew!

That is the news from our corner of the woods. Maybe there will be some pictures soon. :-)