Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Menace of a Stopwatch

Yesterday Frost was given a stopwatch. I expected him to time himself doing laps of the house or hopping across the living room. Not Frost. He was reading with great concentration before breakfast and when the time came for him to eat he announced "I have read 3 and 3/4 chapters in 23.85 minutes!" Great, its the reading Olympics.

Wren noticed Frost clicking and carrying the stopwatch and now wants one too. Until he could get his hands on it he carried around a whistle on a string and managed to get himself snared by the neck to a chair-leg. I have taken the toy away.

I am a bit sick today. I have a low fever, chills, aches and a very sore throat. I am at the point of wishing it would just turn into the inevitable cold. Nobody else seems affected so I am hoping it is just my turn for the lurgy that everyone else in the family had a few weeks ago.

Today we received the reminder for Wren's follow-up echo on March 2nd. It is at 2pm and clinic at 3pm. I am of course in dread.

The kids both received Hep B shots today - a series I delayed in infancy. Wren was very afraid of the idea of the shot. I didn't use the Emla because I still had failed to learn how to do it properly. The nurse at our pediatrician explained that you need to use a larger amount than I did last time (about the size of a quarter and quite thick) and to cover it with tagaderm for 1hr +.

I plan to use it for the next Synagis shot.

The next couple of weeks are very busy with school tours - we have Thornton Creek this week and Bryant and Lowell in the first week of May.

Shannon

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Drawing and break

Its mid-winter break and Frost is off school this week. Yesterday we went to Nurturing Pathways dance and Frost helped distract Wren from his moves. It was sunny, and when Wren woke from his nap we went out into the garden and prepared the 'foundation' for the chicken coop which is being delivered Friday or Saturday morning.

The weather has been a bit warmer this week and this afternoon is sunny. I'm wearing a t-shirt indoors and have been out with only a light fleece so its starting to feel amost spring-like. I noticed the crocus are popping up in people's gardens and our cats have been lying on the deck soaking up the sun. This sunshine is timely. The results of a bloodtest run by our naturopath shows I am in the low range for vitamin D. I think she said mine was 34 when the normal range is 33-100. I am supposed to go out and get some 4,000 IU supplement. Ho hum.

Meanwhile, the school tour season is on. Next week I am touring Bryant and Thornton Creek. Lowell the week following. I am still in a whirl about what school option is best for Frost. He narrowly missed testing into APP on the district test but we have his private testing results which easily qualify him and should pass on appeal.

Meanwhile, Frost and Wren have been drawing. Frost has never had a drive to create although he enjoys drawing socially and telling stories through cartoon like creations. Wren on the other hand is a manic drawer. He draws as long as your attention lasts and frequently helps himself to my computer paper and pens to "you draw!" He surprised me yesterday by going into his room with the pens and coming out with this lovely rather representational depiction of a "keleton man". I was less keen on the drawings ON the carpet and crib. Frost's drawing shows a bear in a forest under an apple tree. I like the roots going into the earth and those happy stars.