no doubt

 Levi, Ivey and I have been traveling back and forth from Nashville where Ivey's pediatrician and allergist are to Memphis where we have been visiting family.  I don't really mind transition or travel but after 5 weeks I am ready to be back to some kind of normal.  The update on Ivey's infection is that it was tested and the bacteria was resistant to the antibiotic that she was taking as we expected.  So we did 10 days of a new antibiotic.  We also have been doing 20 minute bleach baths every day, swabbing her nose morning and night and slathering all kinds of cream all over her eczema spots.   Four days after finishing the medicine she got a new infection.  I threw a mental fit that was close to spilling over to a physical fit on the floor.  So we went back to Nashville and our pediatrician put her on another round of antibiotics.  I'll just take this moment to do a little 'tree branching' as I have dubbed the way I write and talk.  I may have a main point but there are usually a 100 things I will branch off and say while getting there.  This first branch is that God has totally blessed us with our doctors too.  They have gone out of their way to help us and have been so kind.  If you need a pediatrician and a fantastic nurse I would 100% recommend Dr. Leeper and Nurse Erica at Brentwood Childrens Clinic.  Also, if you need an allergist Dr. Belleau at Cool Springs Allergy associates is awesome! Once Ivey completes the 10 days I want to watch her for at least a week and then we will go back to the other 1/2 of our family assuming that she gets no other infection.  Otherwise, we will see what we should do next.
So, in the meantime we have been able to see some great friends whom I love dearly.  I can't even say how much I have enjoyed being able to call them on the phone and being able to speak to them face to face.  We have also gotten to do several fun things.  One of them being the pool with aunt Katie who I think might not be able to show her face at her apartment complex any more.  I bought each of our kids snorkel masks because while Levi does ask for things at the store I have never seen him react in such a begging, pleading and groveling way as he did when he spotted these things in Target.  I had to get them for my fab five since they had just recently mentioned wanting them at the beach.  I let Levi have his today for this pool occasion.   Since he doesn't yet have experience with snorkels he would barely let me get it on before he bolted to the pool cannon balling three kids and almost four teens.  That was a bad decision.  Water gushed into the snorkel and down his lungs and he buoyed up and out of the water just as fast as he went in gagging and hacking and making awful sounds.  I know this doesn't sound good for me but I immediately laughed hysterically.  Gagging noises and dry heaving really gets me tickled for some reason.  And when Katie(who was in the pool by him) and I made eye contact I really lost it.   He got out and walked over to me holding his throat and looking serious and gave him his towel.  He just kept coughing and spitting and making all kinds of crazy sounds.  I just kept laughing and patting him on the back until it became obvious he was going to really vomit so I turned him toward the landscaping and he threw up whole pieces of macaroni.  I was thinking about how I was going to have to teach him to chew his food when I realized that everyone had gotten out of the pool and the four teens left completely.  It turns out that I didn't see that he had vomited some macaroni in the pool too because it is hard to see when your laughing hysterically.  Poor Aunt KayKay quickly tried to sweep the junk out while warning the other kids to get back.   Of course I then needed to apologize and explain to all the pool patrons that he just hadn't learned how to use the snorkel yet.  You would think after 6 years of parenting this child that I would have known to leave then but some of us are slow.  I made him sit for long enough to calm down from this unfortunate episode and then allowed him to go back in a little more cautiously and with better instructions this time.  Unfortunately, it worked and he went in down the stairs and was able to put his face in without the tube going under water.  This new approach allowed him to carefully study the bottom of the pool and just as all the kids had gotten back in the pool he surface and shouted that there was macaroni on the bottom. Where the heck are my sunglasses!
Also, I have had lots of time to listen to the radio.  I love the radio.  I have spent some major time catching up on music video's too and I just really want to say that I love No Doubt's video 'Settle Down' and Gwen Stefani makes me want to wear lots of eyeliner and dance weird.  There are six people I know who can attest to the fact that I do not look even a fraction as cool as her doing this.  Plus, what could be a better anthem for this time in life when my kids act like all I feed them is chocolate cake and narcotics while I am trying to remember if I really did dope Ivey up with all the prescribed medicines?

get get get 

in line and settle down, 

get get get in line and settle down

I really mean it this time
and you know it's such a trip
don't get me staaarted
I'm trying to get a hold on this.

I'm a rough and tough
I'm a rough and tough
I'm a rough and tough
and nothin's gonna knock this girl down