Terrible Twos or an Ear Infection?

Two weeks ago, I had a screaming, crying, clingy child on my hands for a few days. The first day, I though he was just having a bad day. The second day, I thought we had just hit the terrible twos. The third day, my mom and dad said he was probably sick somehow, but I had no running vehicle at my disposal. The fourth day, I took Shane to the Dr. and found out he had an ear infection, the poor kid!

Those were really difficult days. It was like a continual tantrum, and nothing I did made it better. I wished during those days that I was still nursing him because I know that would've comforted him, but I seriously wanted to pull out my hair. And naps and sleep went way downhill. I naively thought that we had hit the terrible twos and this was just something I was going to have to deal with. Silly me, I know. I don't know what I was thinking...he was a completely different child!

So I took him to the Dr. and she could only see part of an eardrum in one ear, the rest was too covered by wax. But what she could see was inflamed and red so she decided on ear infection (he also had terrible breath, which was one of his few symptoms). In retrospect I wish I'd asked her to do something about the wax buildup but at the time she told me to try to flush it with warm water during bath time. As far as I can tell, that hasn't done anything! And he HATES it. I usually can't even get any water in.

We were prescribed amoxicillin, a teaspoon twice a day, and I'm also using colloidal silver. He is so good about taking his medicine and letting me put drops in his ears! He also quickly went back to himself; happy, smiley, easygoing. Thank God! This (at 20 months) is also the first time he's ever had to take medicine for anything. Well, other than Tylenol occasionally for his teeth.

I wonder if this will become a pattern though. Nathan has a massive overproduction of earwax (seriously, it's nasty) and he had a lot of ear infections as a kid. I'm guessing he probably should've had tubes. So I'm really hoping that Shane hasn't inherited his daddy's ears!

Sweet Shane

Generally when it's time for Shane to go to sleep I lay down, cuddle him up tight, sing and rock, and pat him and say "shh" if he starts talking. Ideally he goes to sleep pretty quickly. I generally sing him a mix of hymns and Sunday school songs, and he sings too, or sings alone if I don't sing to him. It's precious.

Last night though, he turned the tables on me. He scooted up the pillow until my head was at his chest and wrapped his blankie around between us. Then he wrapped his little arms around my head and neck and shooshed me while he patted me with his chunky little man hands  and sang me a song. I just about died of the sweetness!

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26 Weeks {4 Days}

Hey, check out the countdown ticker.  We're under 100 days left until due day! Not that I expect to have her by then, but it's still exciting.

You can see a picture of me at 26 weeks with Shane here. I think it looks like I'm about the same size, surprisingly.

We had a checkup this week, and everything looks good. Azaria is measuring on track and her heartbeat was 140 bpm. Emily confirmed what I already knew, she hangs out on my right side.  I've been taking my sugars and Emily said they are really good and she would be surprised if I have diabetes.  We are still going to test at 28 weeks though. I've gained 12 pounds which is more than I'm really happy with but it's not that much. My BP is still low, although higher than other weeks at 103/67

How Far Along: 26 Weeks, 4 days.

Total Weight Gain: 12 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Always. Maternity clothes are expensive, invariable cut too low, and are not made to last. I'm finding that a lot of my shirts are getting holes in them. Um...why?
Stretch Marks: A bazillion. But no new ones.
Sleep: Not great. Shane has been waking up screaming inconsolably at night, so between that and getting up to go to the bathroom I'm pretty tired. I don't seem to have a lot of energy lately! I am SO not looking forward to the work of this move, whenever it happens.
Best Moment of the Week: We had an appointment this week, and went to Central Market. Love that place! Something that is really neat is that Azaria responds to Shane's voice. It's so sweet!
Worst Moment of the Week: Shane has spent the last few days screaming. It's been VERY difficult, and it's so hard and stressful to keep your cool when your kid is just angrily screaming at you for hours on end! Nothing I did was right, not playing, books, puzzles, nothing. I took him to the Dr. yesterday and found out he has an ear infection, so hopefully the behavior improves as well!
Movement: What, you didn't get the dance party in my womb memo? Haha. She is very active and she likes to hang out on my right side. It's really neat that she is big enough that I can palpate exactly where she is now.
Food Cravings: I like sweets, unfortunately.
Gender: Girl! Azaria Natalie.
Labor Signs: I started having Braxton Hicks around 14 weeks. They are getting a lot more frequent now, and stronger, especially when I'm doing a lot.
Belly Button: Getting shallower. Sometimes it pokes out when I cough. I never had an outie with Shane, but I'm wondering if I might with this one!
Wedding Rings on or Off: On.
What I miss: Well, I miss being able to sit on the floor for long periods of time and playing and wrestling Shane. I also feel like it's been a very very long time since I was well rested! I doubt that's going to change anytime soon, with two under two!
What am I looking forward to: Finding out when we move--c'mon Navy, I need some answers!
Weekly Wisdom: Not having a vehicle? It's the pits. Also, if your kid has a dramatic personality change, there might be something wrong with them. 
Milestones: Under 100 days now!
Weekly Verse: Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

Pudding Painting

Pudding painting is a fun activity, and easy to clean up. We did it in the bathroom so I could just rinse it all down when we were done, but if it were warmer outside you could also do this in the yard on an old shower curtain. I mixed my pudding with water so as not to waste milk.

 Clean up is pretty grody!

 But then you get a clean, happy kiddo!