What have we been doing around these parts? Well, some of us have been learning new skills. Matthew hits milestone after milestone at an alarming rate and is so mobile and full of energy that I fear that walking is soon on the horizon. He is only 7.5 months old but he drags himself army-style across our floors like he's wearing a uniform. The only time he is still is when he is sleeping and even when in arms he quivers with energy.
Amazingly we only had one visit to the ER this winter. At least, I think so; my memory grows foggy with age and children. Mariana (the subject of this visit) took this photo and kindly documented a tired mother and the time: 1pm, not 1am, thank you, sweet Jesus! I've been in that ER at 1am far too many times.
I somehow managed to go shopping while at the hospital and grabbed this hat for Matthew in the end-of-season bin for $5. I think I lost it in Halifax over the March Break: dear hat, you gave us a good six weeks, thank you.
Note the drool. Mariana has been sick on and off since her third birthday in early November. Her second to last bout was in February and included a high fever and a very stiff neck. It was the stiff neck that sent me to the ER. Fortunately, the stiffness was from side to side and didn't denote meningitis. However, the attending doctor thought that she had abscessed tonsils and sent us to CHEO. I picked up Dave from an ice-fishing field trip and we drove to Ottawa where she was diagnosed with lymphadenitis (a very enlarged and infected lymph node). She was put on a course of antibiotics and was soon back to herself. The amazing thing is that we hadn't really realised that she hadn't been truly herself since early November. The behaviour that I had chalked up to a late reaction to the birth of her baby brother turned out to be Mariana feeling unwell for three months. The antibiotics obviously cleared her system of a bug that she had been fighting for months. The drool? Her tonsils and neck were so swollen that she had trouble swallowing. This is a first for me in terms of symptoms and I will store it in my mental Rolodex.
Matthew came with us to CHEO and astounded us by his docile and happy nature. Poor eighth baby: he spends much of his time at home because I don't have to cart him with me everywhere I go, as there are so many hands to look after him. Thus, we simply hadn't realised how good he is at travelling, nor how extroverted he is.
We made it home just short of midnight and Jacob and Hannah were awake and waiting. They immediately took Matthew and fed him a full banana and yogurt while I got ready for bed. Praise God for teenagers!
I love this photo, so I had to include it. Plus, Matthew's halo of hair must be documented.
Biggest brother with the littlest brother: what a difference in size. I am regularly astounded when I do the math and think things like, Matthew will be 10 when Jacob is starting a career. Hopefully...
For now, he's just got to hold on for dear life.
Speaking of holding on, one of Matthew's standard greetings for me is to lurch toward my face and suck my chin. It's absolutely charming and such a gesture of love that says, "Mommy, you are all mine." We will let him think that for now. There are seven others, little man.
