So, we're gonna get a little rain

Tropical Storm Edouard is headed our way and predicted to ramp up to hurricane strength. Work is closing today at noon.

Coming out from Quarantine

Little Bit has been sick this week. It started with a cough and runny nose on Sunday. By Tuesday, daycare called us to come get him -- he had a fever of 101. Late Wednesday night, he was really burning up with fever, 103.3 under the arm, so more like 104.3. I got into a lukewarm bath with him, holding him in my lap and snuggling him. I poured the water over his feverish body. I waited and worried, like so many other parents in the middle of the night with a very sick little one. The bath and the Motrin helped. His fever lessened so he was able to sleep. During the last few days, he was either snuggled in my lap or next to me on the couch, feeling bad, or he was running around playing when the Motrin had brought down his fever. No fever since yesterday afternoon, thankfully. He was his usual energetic and bright eyed self this morning.

I've been sick, too, with the zombie sinus infection. I've been on antibiotics about half of the last four months. I finish a course of antibiotics, then two weeks later, I have another acute sinus infection. I saw the partner of my regular sinus doctor/ENT the other day for the first time. He used an endoscope to look into my sinuses. His reaction? "Hell's bells!! That's quite an infection you've got in there!!" I hope the new class of antibiotics and the steroids to reduce inflammation work. Next stop may be nebulized medicine, which is one step away from IV antibiotics in the hospital. The doc actually (ahem) suctioned out some of the gunk in my sinuses. Ouch. Not pleasant. I so hope that Little Bit cheats genetics and doesn't end up with awful sinuses like his dad and I have.

Cruising

Nothing much new to write. I love driving my new car - the inside materials look and feel more high-end to me than the price I paid for the car. I have volume and channel controls for the audio system on the steering wheel - great for a button pusher like me. I also like that I can plug my I-pod into the audio system. All features that I didn't have with my 8 year old car. The 30 mpg also helps.

Though I could write about the adventure to find the title for my old car so I could collect my insurance check. DH and I searched for one whole weekend. Having just moved (that is, just moved 10 months ago), there are lots of boxes not unpacked. The car title was not in the neatly filed manila folders of important documents. We started going through every piece of paper in the file folders just in case. No luck. However, I did find a $200 reimbursement check from last year that was still good. Score!

So, the only thing to do was to drive to the NW side of Houston, about 50-60 miles away, to the only local office to get a certified copy of my title. I drove all the way up there, waited in line, got to the window, and found out that their computer showed my bank still had a lien on the title. @$#!! I had mentioned to DH that I thought I should get an official paper from my bank that the loan/lien was gone, but he said, nah, if the bank mailed you the title (that we couldn't find), then they should have let the state people know. Nope.

I drove back home, stopped at my bank for the official paper, then a few days later, drove all the way back up there. This time, I was driving my new car. Let me tell you, driving my shiny new car, while still having some recent car crash paranoia, through the second worst traffic bottleneck in the country, is not very relaxing. But, I waited in line again, got my certified title, and was able to get my insurance check.

Check out my new ride

The bad news: My insurance declared my old car a total loss. The good news: I bought a new car, a 2008 Honda Accord in this color. Sweeeet!

That darn mouse

We may have really created a monster. Little Bit has not been himself the last few weeks. Even daycare has commented on it; any change can throw him for a loop and into a crying tantrum. The only big change we can think of has been letting him watch more tv lately. Now he wakes early, saying, "Mickey!! TV!" He cries when I tell him it's too early (hello, 5 am), but will go back to sleep for awhile. Later we let him watch cartoons while we get ready for the day. Some evenings, not every one, we let him watch a recorded episode of Mickey Mouse. But, oh, boy, the tantrums, when it's time to turn off the tv to put on shoes and go to daycare or to brush teeth and go to bed. I've not seen him have such tantrums as these so regularly. I want my sweet baby boy back who gleefully runs into the bathroom when I say, "It's time to brush your teeth! Lets go get your step-stool!"

He cries in despair when we want to take off his Thomas the Train nightshirt to put on a t-shirt for the day. He kicks and cries when we try to put on his shoes. He refuses to choose a bedtime story. He screams in anger. We warn him a few minutes before it's time to turn off the tv. We even try to give him choices (which of these shirts or which shoes do you want), but it doesn't help.

So, internets, any wisdom about two year olds (he'll be 26 months old soon) and tv? DH suggested that we go cold turkey on letting him watch any tv for awhile to get it out of his system. Is the tv the problem or is it just his age?

Bye-bye, Mama!

Little Bit has discovered the best joke ever. He says, "Bye-bye, Mama! See ya later!" then promptly closes the intervening door so I'm on one side and he's on the other. He first did it the other night as I was trying to convince him it was bedtime. He closed me in his bedroom, saying his bye-bye phrase. Then, I heard his giggle as he ran down the hall. Last night at dinner, he played the same game with the door at the patio of the Mexican restaraunt. It was so funny that he danced on his little feet in happiness while he laughed and held onto the doorknob.

Lately, he's also been very clingy when it's time to take him to daycare. He protests his shorts, his shoes, the car, anything, and everything. I guess it's separation anxiety. He does his clinging monkey impression at the daycare room. One of the daycare workers has to take him in her arms and distract him with toys.

In other news, I heard from my insurance guy -- he says that they are probably going to declare my car a total loss. I'll find out later today how much money they'll pay me for it. *sigh*

I'm driving a new car

I had way too much excitement on the way home yesterday. A guy turned left into the side of my car, crumpled the passenger door and the car frame and kept going. The idiot had scraped off his license plate with my car door, so now he’s going to get a ticket for hit and run, too. Dumba$$. I wasn’t hurt, but it remains to be seen whether the insurance company decides my car is fixable or a lost cause.

Lots of witnesses gave me their business cards in case I needed their testimony, and two of them even drove after him to try to get his license plate number (not knowing he’d left his front plate at the scene).

I've happily had no car payment on my car for three years now and would be glad to keep driving it. I hope they can fix it. At least Little Bit wasn't in the car with me, though, and I wasn't hurt. I have a 2008 rental for now. I suppose I'll think a little about what kind of new(er) car I might want. I suspect that the cost to fix my old car will be at least as much as, if not more than, what it's worth.