Today I was Ezra’s Ayudante today for I remained home from money job to help Ezra remain home from preschool. He even gave me one of his preschool ayudante stickers to wear. He had me get stickers, play cars, help make cars and buildings with LEGOs and help get him food.
Ezra is feeling better and in better spirits, but remained one more day because his first poop last night after days of stomach sickness was a runny poop and stuck up the house.
Ezra has had a stomach sickness during the past couple days that he got from preschool. We were forewarned of the possibility of Ezra catching the stomach sickness, so we weren’t freaked out like we were years ago when he got stomach sickness, and we are not new parents. This time there was some sleeplessness, lots of changing of cloths and washing of sheets and blankets after a vomiting. Ezra has slept a little more. He’s been fussy, and the binky has been stuck to his face for most of the past two days. Now he is recovering and nearing back to his normal self. I did happen to notice, because it was hard not to, that his farts are stinky manly farts. When I smelled one he let loose earlier today while watching Monster Truck Videos, I was both disgusted at the smell and proud.
My boy can create a stink like me 
I have written it before, and I will write it again: it’s difficult to be a parent when sick. It sucks to have nothing to offer but laying on the couch and drinking water, blowing nose and coughing for fun. It’s hard to answer questions when your voice is near gone. It’s impossible to get excited to play another game of Chase Around when you know your only going to catch a fit of coughing. It’s painful to know you can’t go enjoy a nice sunny day with the kid because darkness for sleep are all that are best for the body, so some day it may shine again.
After a night of sleeping with Ezra as he tossed, turned and kicked me then ask for milk, water and juice to drink to hydrate his fever warmed body at 3:30 in the morning, I feel like I need to sleep.
Ezra is sleeping now. His snotty nose and ear infection not giving him cause to wake. That is good. I need the rest.
Nothing could satisfy Ezra today except being attached to -v-. Even that had issues a couple of times when he wasn’t satisfied with the method of how he was attached to -v-. It is true he’s got a cough and a snotty nose. It is true the ear with the ear tube still inside was oozing fluid, so it’s not like its not without cause or reason. But still, I have to write that it has been a long time since I have felt this relieved that Ezra has finally went to bed.
Ezra’s mood swings swung like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Except the tick-tock of pendulum was cry-shout that started and stopped from minute to minute. One minute he didn’t want the empanada, salsa shouting and crying them to be removed from plate then put back on plate then the next minute he was silent as he ate. One minute he didn’t want books read to him and then he wanted books read to him. Then the next minute he was silent as he listened to -v- read. All the time he was wiping his nose causing one cheek to become more red.
The mood swings were caused by being tired; having a runny nose for weeks; an ear infection; poop that causes rashes because of the antibiotics for the ear infection kill stomach bacteria; and there is a muck sickness the family can’t seem kick. All seems to have pushed Ezra near the edges of sanity and insanity. It has been too much time since he has probably had a great night of peaceful sleep.
We are on another level of antibiotics for Ezra’s ear. He woke up on Wednesday complaining about an owie in his ear, so I got him in to see the doctor. She decided to switch to a different type of antibiotic, because she said that it was either a new infection or the old one didn’t get knocked out by the dose we started two weeks ago…so, it’s now looking very likely that Ezra will get a recommendation for another set of tubes. Those poor ears! He takes his medicine like a trooper….even the additional “medicine” that we’re giving him to help his tummy get the good bacteria back - straight acidophilus bacteria that tastes like weirdly pungent blueberry yogurt. Hopefully he will keep up the good attitude and this ear infection will go away!
The snot is flowing. The cough is hacking. The night will be filled with sleeplessness. …Another cold for Ezra. Another cold for the family.
Ezra went to the doctor today for a hearing test and a consultation with an ENT NP for his ears. The recommendation: Ezra should get tubes. Like I didn’t see that coming. Fortunately, the hearing test turned out well - his hearing is slightly compromised but maybe only because he currently (still…always) has some fluid build-up in both ears, and it was just barely detectable.
We took Ezra to a Baby Loves Disco baby dance party last Sunday. It was a fun time - Ezra got to run around, eat snacks, play with hula hoops, shake some music makers, and grab bubbles. But I wonder, how well did he hear the music?
I can tell when Ezra is growing because my arms and legs hurt more at the end of the day. My muscles are getting bigger as Ezra gets bigger. I wonder if the relationship between Ezra’s growth and the ginormous gunz I pack on each arm could be correlated by some fancy mathematical equation? hmmm…..if only I hadn’t slept through calculus so often.
Ezra is getting so big, he is able to crawl up on the couch, on chairs, and on the guest bed. He is also able to walk up the stairs, one foot per step, just like a big kid, as long as I am holding his hand. We’ve had to bust out the 18 month old clothes and I think we’re about ready to go up a shoe size. I’m glad that throughout the ear infections, teething and such, Ezra’s still been eating enough to keep growing big and strong!
He sounds like a Golden Goose. Ezra’s sore throat has goose like sounds flowing forth from Ezra when he laughs or cries. As -v- has said, he sounds like a kid losing voice because of puberty when he makes talkie sounds. He sounded like he was coughing up a golden egg during Monday when coughing. Now a cough sounds like a cough. The cough has subsided. The snot, too.
I find the goose sounds he makes cute, but it is caused with coughing and snot, so I hope the goose sounds and the golden goose gone, so his playful talking, laughing and crying may return us Golden Pig.
On Friday, Ezra received a clean bill of health for his ear infection! This was good news for sure.
Kalab went to Vegas on Friday, leaving Ezra and I to make plans of our own for the weekend. I decided that it would be fun to go to C-town to visit grammie and grampie T. Me and Ezra zoomed down after dropping off dad at the aiport. We arrived less than 2 hours later, and Ezra proceeded to run and explore - this was the first time he’s been to visit as a super mobile walker. He had lots of fun playing with bamboo in the backyard, trying to figure out how to wield an imaginary light saber/fishing pole/javelin. We had yummy food, including more fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Getting ready to leave on Sunday, Ezra seemed a little extra tired. He ended up sleeping the whole way home, and was then a little fussy. We had dinner back in P-town with DJ and G, and then I took DJ to the airport and swapped him for Kalab. Ezra put up with the dinner and the trip to the airport, but wasn’t his normal self, and he probably just wanted to be at home. He was happy to see dad though!
Sunday night Ezra developed a cough, which may or may not have been the cause of the vomiting at about midnight followed by a fever. It was either that or the 1/2 pint of strawberries Ezra ate on Sunday. Or maybe it’s just some mystery virus. Ezra seemed OK Monday morning, but then I got called to come get him from daycare at about noon because he had a fever and had puked again. So Ezra and I came home and got to hang out with dad for the next 36 hours. Ezra was generally OK, but dad and I went through our own little set of maladies, including, I think, a case of food poisoning!Â
Wednesday morning came and Ezra awoke in pretty good spirits, and went off to daycare with a spring in his step with dad and I sort of shuffling and limping along after him…I’m hoping that our rollercoaster of health has just about reached the end of the line!
So on Saturday night, the longest night of the year, Ezra went to sleep late. Then he woke up a couple hours later crying loudly. And again a couple hours after that. The same thing happened Sunday night, and looks like it will happen again tonight. The main reason, I speculate, is Ezra’s stuffy nose.
This stuffy nose is sometimes a runny nose, which creates its own issues. But it is definitely a stuffy nose when he lies down. While he’s sleeping (or trying to sleep) he makes all sorts of noise with this stuffy nose - like a cross between an elephant and Kalab snoring. I think it makes it hard for him to sleep because he’s not fond of breathing through his mouth, and there’s too much snot in his nose.
I guess it’s just a cold? He’s in pretty good spirits when he’s awake during the day, which is good. There hasn’t been a fever yet either. To top it off, there might be some teething going on, because he’s also been drooling puddles all over the house. Whatever it is, I hope Ezra feels better soon!
It is comforting to know that Ezra can find a cold during vacation time. It is comforting that even on vacation he can still smile through a cold.
It is also comforting to know teething and fussing over teething doesn’t stop during vacation time. And that even during vacation time a cough from a cold and fussing over teething will make Ezra wake during the night.
The snotty nose of Ezra is no longer lonely for there is a cough. Though his sleep last night for Ezra wasn’t deep causing sleeplessness for -v-, he appears to be getting better, but -v- is still sleepy. Fortunately, the nose of Ezra is not as runny with snot. However, the cough remains.
Unfortunately, -v- and I are having some of the symptoms of Ezra’s cold. -v- appears to be now more effected by the cold, but I have been feeling some of the symptoms. Symptoms that are becoming familiar once again after what feels like months since we all have had our last cold. I was almost beginning to think we had some how become more immune to all versions of the cold virus in our living area after suffering months of continuous sickness, but it seems just like Ezra finds every dirty spot on the floor while crawling that Ezra can also find a cold.
Ezra’s medication routine is getting more and more challenging. We’ve added amoxicillin to his daily regiment of Zantac and flouride, and top it off with a dose or two of Tylenol for his earache or tooth/gum aches. It’s like we’ve got an old person living with us what with all the prescription meds and droppers lying around the kitchen counter. If Ezra could talk, he could bond with his grandparents and great grandpa about all the medications they have to take every day and how it’s such a pain in the butt to keep track of all of them.
Ezra ate some avocado today and he was really excited about it. Combined with last night’s positive potato experience, and I am feeling better about the future of Ezra and solid foods. But oatmeal is still not something he’s showing much excitement about. Maybe he wants his grains as bread.