Is it Spring Yet???

I feel like winter has gone on forever this year, and it seems like Kate has been sick most of the last three months. First it was the pneumonia that ended with her in the hospital for two nights and the later tests to make sure she didn't have an immune deficiency or cystic fibrosis (since this was her third pneumonia in 2 years). Then there was the stomach bug that I ended up getting too (and although I do admit to being prone to hypochondria, I seriously felt like I was going to die). Then this Monday afternoon, Kate's daycare called to say she had another high fever and was having breathing difficulties again. In the end, I'm pretty sure it was just an upper respiratory virus and we were able to get her breathing issues under control with every four hour nebulizer treatments. But seriously - when is this going to end???

And the other issue all this sickness presents is: Who is going to stay home from work to take care of Kate? Paul and I actually had a pretty decent system worked out in that since I work an early shift (7-3:30), I could go into work from 7-12 (so work more than 1/2 my day) and then I could come home and Paul could go to work from 12:30-6:00 (so work more than 1/2 his day), and we could both use the least amount of leave possible. That is until the economy went to hell and Paul's business was sold and the employees essentially "rehired" as new employees, losing all their leave and starting back at zero.

So...through no fault of Paul's, I'm now it on Kate's sick days, which means we're sending her back to school earlier than I would like.

For instance, I took this Tuesday off, but we sent her back to school Wednesday (yes, we were "those" parents who dosed their kid with Advil in the car before dropping them off with the theory this would buy them 6-7 hours before the fever spiked again, at which point they'd be on their way to pick up said sick child from daycare anyway). I felt really bad about this, but seriously, what was the alternative?

I did get a laugh out of the whole situation, though, when I picked up Kate on Wednesday from school and she seemed better, but still lethargic. I asked her if she was sick or just tired and she gave me the most pitiful face and said "I just have melo-drama." At first, I had no idea what she was saying so I asked her again and she said "That's what my Dada told me. I just have melo-drama." It was so appropriate, and she clearly got that "melodrama" from me...

Other recent funny Kate-isms:

1.) She's taken to correcting everything people say. For example, we were in the car yesterday and I told her "Look at all that traffic!" and she told me "No, Mama, you said it wrong. Those are not traffic - those are cars!"

2.) Obession with Hamburger Helper - this one is actually quite embarassing, but another part of me thinks I need to capitalize on it and get her in a Hamburger Helper commercial - she is obsessed with the stuff. She asks for it all the time and a few days ago, when we were in the car (once again, stuck in traffic), I asked her,"I wonder where all the people in these cars are going - where do you think they're going?" To which she replied," They're going home - to eat their Hamburger Helper." Yes, I have set the bar low.

3.) And to prove that she does not lack for self-esteem: The gymanastics class she's in gives all the kids medals at the end of the sessions. Kate already had a medal from the first session and we told her she was going to get a medal for the end of the second session too. Paul asked her "Do you think you should get another medal?" and she said,"Yes, because I'm that good because I'm Kate Gray!" So there you have it....

We both pity her future husband - and future employees....

Some new pictures