This glamorous life

Life always seems more glamorous when you’re writing about it as opposed to living it. Maybe I’ll feel better at the end of this post…

Charlotte saw the dermatologist again yesterday. She has retracted her initial diagnosis and has offered up a new one. Originally, Charty was diagnosed with eczema. And it did look like eczema but it didn’t make sense that she’d have it. From our research it runs in families, is common among children who also suffer from allergies, asthma, hay fever, etc. and she doesn’t have any of that. It’s also more common among babies that aren’t nursed past 6 months...HELLO?

Now the dermatologist is thinking that it is something viral - that maybe she picked it up from her gymnastics class...She's upped her dosage of steroids and we're trying a stronger topical. She's not allowed to be around other kids, she still can't play outside, she has to be kept cool and calm inside. One look at Charlotte yesterday and the doctor said, 'she's not taking her medicine'. Well, no, but it's not for lack of trying. She simply holds it in her mouth and spits it out. They say not to give babies medicine laying down, they need to be sitting up so that they don't choke. But it's just not working. We've tried mixing it in sprite, grape fanta, coke, ice cream and it's all no go. If it's not better by next Wednesday the doctor wants to biopsy it. We certainly don't want to have to do that if there is any way possible we can help it. It will be so traumatic for her. Charlotte really likes baby Tylenol. When she find a bottle (sounds weird, I keep a couple things like that under her bathroom sink in a basket) she'll bring it to me and ask me to open it. We're going to have the pharmacist flavor her meds with cherry and then I'll put a dose in a cleaned out Tylenol bottle and try giving it to her that way. I'm not hopeful but I swear...if this doesn't work, I'll have to hold her down and force it...or Adam will...I DON'T WANT HER TO CHOKE!!! Oh jeez...being a parent is SO HARD! The decisions...

Oh the dilemma the struggle the turmoil. Will this skin rash never end?!?!?!

So that's been the past week. Me worried sick over the state of her skin, Charlotte bored and cranky and itchy and Adam working, taking my frantic calls no matter what meeting he's in the middle of or who he is in the middle of fussing at.

I felt really guilty for Charlotte last week so we did some retail therapy. I let her run around, explore, play and select toys at Toys R Us. Of course, what she wanted was the tricycle which isn't exactly an indoor-friendly toy. She did get a basketball goal though, for inside (guilt). What we need is a mini trampoline...

I asked Charlotte last night where Eloise's belly button was. She looked at me, looked at Eloise (poor Eloise, completely oblivious), looked back at me, said, huh and shrugged her shoulders. Then she ran over to Eloise, plopped down on her belly and tried crawling up under Eloise to find it.

Moses likes to lay in a basket of blankets on one end of Charlotte's bed. Charlotte likes to stock pile her stuffed animals into her bed then she stands up, carries one over to Moses's end (where he is laying on the other side of the tall rail) and drops them...right on his head. Poor Moses. He'll look at me, where I can't help but laugh and gives me (what I imagine to be) an Eeyore...thanks for noticing...

Charlotte got an Elmo potty. She sits on it, and when she does Elmo talks which would totally make me uncomfortable but Charty seems to like it. She just sits there and then goes to get toilet paper and crams it between her legs (well, that's something). When I change her diaper I'll sit her on it. A couple mornings ago I got her up and changed her diaper and sat her on Elmo. She looked at me, jumped up and peed right on the bathroom floor. I said uh-oh and plopped her back on Elmo and said, tee tee on elmo potty. She jumped up and ran into her room and finished tee-teeing on the rug.

We will be indoors for the 4th of July. They shoot fireworks here on the hoooch, not at the park, boo. We will be bored to death. Chris & Aubrey are coming to stay with us this weekend so they will be bored to death as well, but actually, that should make mine & Adam's weekend a bit more fun. Remember...Charlotte can't be outside and she can't be around a bunch of people. All I have to look forward to is the red, white & blue trifle I'm making (cool whip, blueberries, strawberries). I am proud to be an American and I am thankful of our independence and suddenly I feel a bit spoiled and self-involved.

Will someone please drink a vodka tonic for me, oh, and lay in the sun, be completely self-indulgent...Katy in Aruba...

Last Sunday Adam was home and I got to go to the library and the grocery store all by myself and what a nice treat! I felt so...RELAXED. Then later that evening Adam took Charlotte for a bike ride and I got to go on a nice long run alone and the weather was great and I had a super playlist on.

And Charlotte will be alright.

And life is good.

Happy 4th of July.