Halloween, Sickness, Straight A's & Sprinkles!

It seems like Bailey has stayed in trouble for the past few days.  It started on Sunday when she decided for whatever reason that she didn't want to sleep during her naptime.  This is very unusual, especially for a weekend day, because she usually takes a good, long 3-4 hour nap.  We just left her upstairs in her bed, and she sang and sang forever until Lauren finally went to get her after she came home from soccer.  The trouble was not that she didn't take a nap.  The trouble was that she pulled down her curtains!  I don't mean she just pulled down the curtain rod.  No, she completely ripped the rods out of the wall, putting several nice size holes in the wall for Daddy to fix!  Otherwise, we had a great Sunday.  Lauren had soccer practice, and then went to eat lunch with her teammates afterwards...Eastern Empire Buffet (YUCK)...always a hit with the tweens!


October 31, 2011
Today of course was Halloween.  Lauren and I made lots of treats for the daycare class party on Friday, so I think Bailey was a little confused as to whether Halloween was on Friday or Monday.  The two little ones have had coughs for about 2 weeks now.  When we first took them to the doctor, of course there wasn't much she could do because they basically had colds.  But poor Liam has started wheezing very loud and his cough sounds terrible.  I wanted to take his temp this morning, but couldn't seem to find the ear thermometer.  We looked everywhere!  Then it hit me that Bailey likes to play with that thing (obsession with sickness and medicine), so I asked her if she knew where it was.  She was so excited and took off running toward my closet.  She moved my hanging clothes out of the way to reveal her usual hiding spot, and sure enough, there it was!  I made a big deal out of how proud I was of her showing me where it was...you know, for the next time the car keys are missing!

No fever for Liam, but his wheezing sounded terrible and I wanted to be sure it wasn't RSV, so off to Dr. Bivens we went this afternoon.  She said the wheezing had definitely gotten worse, but with no fever or secretions, it wasn't RSV and there wasn't anything in his lungs.  She prescribed ol' faithful Zopenex for breathing treatments.  He is a little young for it, but hopefully it will stop all of this from turning into pneumonia.  He weighed 15 pounds, 8 ounces today...solid as a rock!  I went back to daycare to pick up Bailey, and she was so confused why "Baby Rim" was already in the car and not in the nursery.  I explained that I took him to the doctor, and she then began telling me that she was sick (her nose hurt) and she needed to go to the doctor too...this lasted the whole way home.

So, Bailey's newest obsession is sprinkles.  Because I love to bake (bake...not cook...bake), I have acquired quite a lot of sprinkles.  I keep them in the bottom drawer under the oven...coincidentally, the only one in the kitchen without a childproof latch.  Bailey recently discovered them and now tries to sneak them every chance she gets.  One day I went to the restroom and couldn't find her when I came out.  I called her name over and over, and then heard something moving in the pantry.  I asked, "Bailey, are you in the pantry"?  She answered, "No"!  I opened the door, and there she was on the floor with about 10 bottles of sprinkles, shoveling the candies into her mouth. 

Anyway, within 10 minutes of getting home today, I caught her in the drawer again.

Bailey thought it would be a good idea to put Liam's allergy eye drops in his mouth...spanking #2 for the day.  I guess she thought she was giving him medicine.  It scared us at first, but I don't think she actually got any in his mouth.  After the usual dog and pony show of trying to get everyone dressed in their Tinkerbell & Peter Pan costumes and out the door on time, we headed to the neighborhood park to eat pizza and let the kids play.

We skipped the hay ride and took the golf cart since it was pretty cold and they were both still coughing.  Lauren wouldn't be caught dead trick or treating with her parents, so she and a few of her friends dressed up as Siamese twins and Coach Chad took them trick or treating.  Surely this will be the last year she wants to dress up!?!  Liam was wrapped up in blankets, strapped into his carset in the front with Daddy.  I rode on the back with Bailey and kept her covered with a blanket in between stops.  We didn't stay out long...it was so cold, and Bailey didn't care one way or the other.

November 1, 2011
Lauren got straight A's on her first report card.  Junior High...new school...much stricter rules and harder classes...nothing fazes this child!  And we're talking HIGH A's.  Her overall average was 97!!  Surprisingly enough, school picture day at St. Fred's involved no drama this morning!  I should have known as reliable as Lauren is that she would get herself up early enough.  Then she asked me to straighten her hair, and there was no sighing or complaining or "Owwwww!".  Heath didn't have any shampoo in the shower this morning...not because I forgot to buy some, but because Bailey dumped out the entire container in the shower last night.  Another new favorite...dumping all of our bath products slowly down the drain.  We had been trying to do Liam's breathing treatments without Bailey seeing what's going on because...well, you know if it's medicine she loves it.  And the panda machine is her absolute favorite.  I didn't get a chance to put up the machine this morning before she saw it.  "I want panda"!  So I let her have the little bit that was left from Liam's treatment (she still has a cough...can't hurt anything!), then she just breathed in the air when the medicine was gone.

I was in my bathroom getting dressed when I heard the door to the carport open, then close very quietly.  My first thought was that Heath had forgotten something, but then I realized he was already at his 8:00 appointment.  So I went to check it out, and immediately noticed Bailey was no longer on the couch.  I opened the door, and there she was...squatting down behind my car with a bottle of sprinkles in her hand.  How does this child think of these things???  Hmmm...if I close the door really soft and go in the garage, Mommy will never know I'm gone!

Bailey has bitten kids in her class twice last week, and again today.  We have to get this under control or she could get kicked out...seriously!  We've tried every punishment technique with no luck.  Heath put her in her room tonight...no candy, no TV, etc. etc.  Say a little prayer for chompers!  She has to get over this soon!!