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Taking Deep Breaths

Yesterday evening Tali's little cold invited a fever to join in and after recommending some a combo of Advil and Benadryl to get her to sleep, the doctor asked that I bring her in today for an exam. Turns out Tali has her first ear infection, along with the cold. Yipee!

For being sick, Tali was pretty well behaved at the doctor's office. But that's where my luck ran out. As soon as we go to the pharmacy to fill her prescription, Tali turned into a monster. She threw the biggest tantrum to date and there was nothing I could do to calm her down - even the new tips the doctor gave me didn't work. She was literally kicking and screaming so much that the group of mentally disabled people in front of us were all staring. Then, as if it wasn't bad enough, some scary looking old lady came over and said "come to Grandma, I'll take care of you" and tried to pick her up! Of course, Tali would have none of that and the tantrum got even worse.

After I dropped off the prescription and got her registered in the system, I decided to take her next door to the deli for a treat while the medicine was filled. A mini chocolate muffin will make any kid happy, right? Nope. I finally calmed her down, gave her the muffin and she took one bite then started her tantrum all over again. After a few minutes, we left the deli (I figured it was more rude to disturb customers in a deli than a drugstore) and went back to the pharmacy, hoping the prescription was ready.

We only waited a few minutes (which seemed like an eternity) at the pharmacy and then we were off to the car. Tali had been asking, through tears, to go home so I thought I was in the clear. But seconds later Tali decided that all the bones in her legs had simply disappeared and she dramatically crumbled to the floor of the store. So I picked her up - kicking, screaming and trying to wiggle out of my grasp - and barely made it to the car.

 Tali's tantrum in the car.

For the first half of our car ride home, she continued with tantrum. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, she suddenly passed out. Of course, I had to wake her when we got home so that we could walk to our apartment (I ended up carrying her halfway - kicking, screaming and wiggling again). Oh, and did I mention it was raining the whole time?

Finally, some peace and quiet!

I'm not sure how I made it home with her still alive, but I did. If I were about three months further in this pregnancy, that little incident would've probably put me into early labor. I know she doesn't feel well and it sucks for her, but sheesh! Enough is enough already. I'm exhausted.

Progression of a Cold

Tali has another cold (if you're not keeping track, that's the third one this season) and I've started to see a pattern in how she reacts to my "care" during a cold.

Day 1: She'll tell me if her nose is running and happily accept me wiping her nose. She'll also let me use the nose syringe a few times a day.

Day 2: She prefers to wipe her nose on the back of her hand or on her sleeve. Or, she'll wipe it with a tissue if I offer one to her. She will let me wipe her nose if I come by with a tissue. She opposes the nose syringe but will finally give in and let me do it.

Day 3: As soon as she sees me come near her with a tissue, she says "no" and runs away. I must tackle her to the ground to wipe her nose. If I offer her the tissue she'll dab her nose for a second (getting nothing off) and then throw it on the floor. No nose syringe.

Day 4: Usually, this is the day she starts to get better and I don't have to chase after her with tissues. On this day, she'll accept the occasional wipe of the nose. That will be tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

First Haircut

Today we took Tali to get her first haircut. Both H and I liked her long hair, but it was time for a little trim. Her hair was so much shorter in the front that it looked like she had a mullet.

So, dressed in her favorite shirt (her dog shirt) and armed with Puppy for a little extra support, Tali sat in the little car and watched TV as she got her very first haircut. She wasn't happy about the smock, and after a few "off, please" requests, the hairdresser took it off and just cut her hair without it.

 

The cut took only five minutes and the hairdresser added some nice layers to compensate for the shortness in front. When finished, Tali played in the car for a minute or two before she was ready to get out. 

All in all, it was much more traumatic for me than for Tali. She didn't shed a tear. It'll take some getting used to (she lost about an inch in the back - a lot for someone that size), but her hair looks much better now. 

Madeline

In an effort to save money on books (we read a lot of books over here), I finally got my act together and checked out some children's books at the library yesterday. I picked five books that I thought Tali would like. Out of the five, she's already become obsessed with Madeline - we've read it to her three times and she's read it to herself quite a few. Tonight, when she once again selected that book before bed, H said "you might as well buy this book for her." So much for saving money on books.

Snow Day (Again)

Yesterday was our third snow of the winter, and the second biggest. H worked from home in the morning then took Tali and Jackson out to play after lunch. Tali now has a snow suit (another hand-me down from her friend Autumn) and it took a bit of convincing to get her into it. But once she saw how much fun H was having in the snow, she willingly put it on so she could join him.


This time, both Jackson and Tali had a blast. The snow was just deep enough that it was fun to play in but not too deep that it was difficult for them to walk or run. Tali explored, made snow balls and destroyed H's snow man. Jackson ran and ran and ran through the snow.

Eventually, he tried to get Tali to play with him. She just thought he was being funny.

After 10-15 minutes, Jackson tired out and went inside to rest. Tali, however, stayed outside for about 45 minutes and was not happy when we finally brought her in for her nap. But she did eat all the snow off of her gloves (yum!) before she was done.

Manners

We're working hard to teach Tali manners. "Please" and "thank you" are slowly starting to become part of her vocabulary. But today in nursery school Tali took it upon herself to teach manners to her friend. One of the little girls coughed and Tali turned to her and said "cover your mouth when you cough." How funny!

Food, Glorious Food

Tali digging in to the veggie platter at her class Hanukkah party last month (that's her boyfriend in the background - feeding her a carrot).

At Tali's two year check-up last week, the doctor told me once again that I should expect to see Tali's eating habits change. I heard this at age one and at eighteen months. But Tali just doesn't seem to listen. If anything, the amount of food she'll try and eat continues to increase. I'd be okay if it decreases (it would mean saving money on grocery bills and diapers), but I just don't see it happening.

For months, I've wished she would eat breakfast in the morning. She'll drink milk (with a splash of yogurt) and be perfectly happy. But by 10:00 she's hungry and begging for a snack. This all changed last week and now it's as if she can't get enough. Yesterday, she had two small pancakes, 1/4 of an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese and an entire banana! And yes, she had a morning snack and lunch. While that breakfast might be a bit excessive, she is eating breakfast regularly and it's not decreasing the amount of food she eats the rest of the day.

As far as what she'll eat, her palate is still pretty incredible for a toddler. Like most kids, she loves fruit. But she also loves vegetables and will eat a plate full of broccoli over a plate of pasta any day. Actually, my one struggle with her is grains. It's a bit difficult to get her to eat pasta or bread (that's where breakfast is coming in) as she'd prefer fruit, vegetables, meat (salami or sausage? LOVES it) or cheese. So while other parents have to push the healthy stuff, I'm begging Tali to eat a few bites of bread or some macaroni and cheese.

I'm not complaining, really, I'm not. She has a very healthy and mostly balanced diet. I'm just amazed. And I'll continue to be amazed as long as her eating habits and preferences continue in this direction.

Speaking Clearly

Ever since Tali turned two, her language skills have exploded. Yes, she's been speaking for a while, but now words that were only understandable to me are now clear to everyone. For example:

blahties is now blanket
darfur is now downstairs
car is now cair (chair)
boop is now book
catid is now cocolate (chocolate)
sow is now snow
snat is now snack
Mata is now Samanta (Samantha)
Ice is now Eloise

And so on. There are some words that H and I work on with her, but most of the words just magically morphed into the correct (or close to correct) pronunciation. Unfortunately, there are some words - like mateo instead of tomato and matawoh instead of vegetables - that we just can't seem to fix. But, as H says, she won't go to college mispronouncing these words.