Doing better and getting in trouble

Just a short update. On Tuesday I took Finn back to his doctor and he is responding well to all his medicines. She said she was happy she didn't admit him to the hospital. He is still coughing, but we are hoping for a speedy recovery. I am so happy we can treat him at home. His doctor wants to put him on cortisone (inhalation twice daily) permanently now, or at least until May. One side effect is that it will probably inhibit his growth. Since he is small already we are not too happy about that, but I'd rather have a healthy child than a big child of course. We are not sure this will prevent him from getting pneumonia, but it is worth a try. Finn is in good spirits otherwise and at times full of energy. Sometimes he seems a bit groggy or is cranky, but all in all we are doing okay. Lily still has a runny nose and is coughing some, but her teeth don't seem to bother her as much (and no, they have still not broken through).

The kids sure are keeping us on our toes, and not only health wise! Want some examples? The other day we were playing in Finn's room and I went to the bathroom (two doors down the hall) for a few minutes to brush my teeth. The water was running, but was I dreaming or did I hear hammering? I ran back to find Finn hammering away at his wall with a wooden toy hammer, with Lily looking on admiringly. Our walls are brick covered with concrete plaster, and Finn had done a good job getting a few big chunks out. Neil managed to repair the holes with plaster supplied by our landlord; now we just need to paint it yellow and it will be good as new.

Yesterday I took the kids shopping to the nearest grocery store. That in itself is always an adventure, with Lily sitting in the baby seat of the cart and Finn sitting in the cart itself. But other than Lily eating half my shopping list and Finn mutilating some broccoli nothing bad happened. No tantrums, no cartons of eggs on the floor, no dropped jars. Then, as I was putting Lily and the groceries in the car, Finn wandered around the car to admire the ditch in front. When I went to get him he stood in it - ankle deep in icy cold water with normal shoes on. Remember Finn has pneumonia and temperatures were just above freezing. I was happy we were only 5 minutes from home. And I was happy I bought him good Italian leather shoes - his pants were wet but his feet were dry.

Then, bathtime! They both love it. As the big tub was filling up I was getting Lily undressed in the bathroom. Finn was there too, excitedly throwing toys in the tub. Then he bent over the edge of the tub to touch the water, but our tub is pretty deep and - you guessed it - suddenly all I saw were his feet up in the air and then "SPLASH"! He fell into the water headfirst, fully dressed, leather slippers and all. Thankfully Neil came running to pull Finn out and give him a lecture, because I was temporarily incapacitated laughing into a towel.


And now, last but not least, a picture of Lily the climber (and yes, it does worry me):