We heard (on American Idol, so you know it must be true) that this winter was one of the worst flu seasons in history. Dunno about that, but in the 9 weeks beginning before Xmas 07 our household of 4 managed to come down with a whopping 9 cases of the creeping crud.
The worst hit was Evelyn, who caught such a bad case of the croup that she ran up a 103+ degree fever and had to have a steroid shot to ensure her windpipe stayed clear enough for her to continue breathing. We caught a sobering and scary glimpse into what it must have felt like in the not-so-distant past when infant mortality rates were high (if you don't know - and we didn't - croup is a viral, flu-like bug that inflames and constricts the trachea).
Thankfully, she's made a full recovery and is back to her normal, absurdly awesome self. Her language skills continue to blossom. We've kind of made an unofficial decision to stop blogging about the specifics because it's hard sometimes as a proud parent to know when you've crossed the line into boorish, boastful territory. Suffice it to say that she's "coming along nicely." If you want particulars, you'll have to come and visit and see for yourself! :)
Her latest obsession is helicopters ("'copter!"). We spot them from the playground at the park sometimes, flying low over the trees. She loves to find them in her picture books (there are more than we thought - a classic case of seeing something everywhere once your mind tunes in to it) and encourages Daddy to draw them on her drawing pad.
She's also becoming a real music-lover. She toots her "flute"(Liz's recorder) at song time and rocks out hard to her favorites songs. The kid has some moves! And she seems to have an innate sense of rhythm, which is wonderful. Favorite songs of late include Hey Jude by The Beatles ("Dude!") My Favorite Game by The Cardigans and Ripple by The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band.
Yeah, dad has been sneaking some Jerry into the playlist. Can't help myself, won't apologize. She also really enjoys China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider from Europe '72. Words can't possibly express the joy I feel when I see my daughter spinning happily in circles to the sound of Ole Jerry's guitar.
Speaking of music, temporary nanny T. has a degree in music therapy and is studying for her qualifying exam. Music therapy is the application of music to help terminally ill patients, children with learning disorders, etc. Might sound a little odd, but research shows it works. The bottom line for us is, T. is super-cool and she knows a gajillion kid-friendly songs. Evelyn had a fantastic time with her and we were sorry when her three weeks drew to a close. She says she'd be happy to be Evelyn's baby-sitter and we will probably take her up on that; I know Evelyn would approve.
In other news, the toddler stuff has evened out a bit. Mom and Dad have been doing a lot of reading and are working hard on communication strategies to minimize the upset and keep all three of us on an even emotional keel. We've seen some temper tantrums but for the most part Evelyn really seems to have an upbeat personality and to want to be a part of the team.
And she finally learned to say "yeah!" For a long while there we'd say something like "Evelyn, would you like a cookie?" and she'd holler "no!" as she grabbed the cookie and stuffed it in her mouth. This was charming at first; not so much after three months.
Last but not least, new Au Pair Nataliia ("Nati") arrived last week and has been settling in nicely. Her English needs some work but with 4 other languages under her belt we have no doubt she'll be fluent in no time. Evelyn took to her immediately, which was very gratifying to see. Just today the three of us paid a post-nap visit to Commonwealth Park to see the ducks and geese and go "bigger!" on the swings. Then Nati cooked us a delicious Ukrainian meal of meatballs and mashed potatoes.
Mom will be done with her business travel early next week and then hopefully - finally! - we can restore some kind of a reasonable rhythm to our lives after several months of lurching from sickness to heartache and back to sickness (Evelyn still asks about "Oh-ee").
I'll leave you with a noble sentiment, courtesy of my business partner/better half:
-- Mike
