Season of Sickness

The other day, the nurse practitioner at Lyla's pediatrician's office said, "Never will she have a sicker year than the first year at daycare." No. Kidding. Luke and I think we could count the number of healthy weeks she's had since August on one hand. This Christmas, Lyla was ill the entire two weeks we had off and seemed healthy for just one measly day following the treatment of her double-ear / bacterial lung infection (ie: two rounds of painful broad-range antibiotic injections, breathing treatments four times a day, and harsh oral antibiotic medicine) before she was slammed with yet another viral infection.

Five trips to the doctor later, we are still battling "the crud."

The positives: 1. Lyla has become a pro at pointing out all the yellow fish in the waiting room aquarium, 2. She is no longer driven to tears of fear by the scale or forehead thermometer, 3. She is now able to (very) clearly communicate when she is ready to leave (bye-bye's? go? all done?), 4. Lots of snuggle time with Mommy, 5. Learning how well root beer, M&Ms and Elmo work as bribery tools, 6. A future in the medical field?

The drawbacks: 1. Copays, copays and copays, 2. Prescriptions, prescription refills, dosing medicine, bribery in exchange for consumption of said medicines, 3. An absurdly inappropriate amount of Elmo, 4. Dwindling sick days available at work, 5. Dwindling tolerance of lack of healthy sleep, 6. A whiny version of an otherwise joyful child who now cries immediately when not serviced with all her favorite toys, videos, snacks and affection, 7. A disgustingly cluttered and filthy house which is otherwise just "cluttered," 8. A grouchy Mommy, 9. A child who has come to expect her day to be filled with time spent "watching" [Elmo, herself] in front of a screen (TV or computer), 10. A sick little girl who just breaks your heart.

Clearly the drawbacks outnumber the positives.

She does manage to make "nebulizing" look slightly adorable, though...