8 Hour Chicken Pox

In continuing along our disease-infested path, Tipton had a double ear infection and a red, itchy rash this past Monday. Got him in to the doctor on Tuesday and he was prescribed another round of antibiotics. This time, however, they've given him something different - and it seems to be working. So, now Tipton is on the mend. But heaven forbid both of the children be healthy at the same time! Lilli had been "off" all week - not really eating, sleeping A LOT, etc. I attributed it to the three molars she's cutting. No. Thursday night I checked on Lilli and she was burning up. Her temp was 103.4. I gave her some motrin and held her in my lap in the rocking chair. I pulled her shirt up to help cool her down faster. That's when I noticed a red spot on her tummy. I sat there, rocking, staring at the spot. Then I pulled her shirt up further and saw another red spot. Hmmmm. High fever, red spots. Hmmmm. Then it clicked. I pulled her pants off and she had red spots all over her legs. Chicken Pox. Or, in Swedish, Vattkopor. And yes, Lilli's had the chicken pox vaccine. Tipton, too. I kept her in my bed that night, so that I could keep an eye on her. In the morning she woke up bright eyed and full of energy. No spots, no fever. Later that day she started running a fever again, but no more spots. No fever on Saturday. And today she's really cranky, but no fever. And still no more spots. Must have just been the 8 hour chicken pox.

Snow, Bald Spots and Ninja Turtles

This has been a very strange month, weather-wise. One minute it's bright and sunny and the next minute...

Snow! But the snow hasn't really amounted to anything. A couple of mornings there has been enough snow on the cars to scrape off and make snowballs. But there hasn't even been enough snow on the ground to make a snow angel - let alone a snowman or to go sledding.

I refilled the beanbag the other day. It seems that Lilli got the "bean bag" gene from Dave...

She can't lie down in it without falling asleep, either.


Lilli's hair was growing out so nicely and was starting to get long in the back. And then all of a sudden she started pulling her hair out again. And she started pulling it at the 'swirl' in the back. So it looks like she has male pattern baldness (and she's not even three, yet!)

So I got her hair cut. When I see her pulling her hair out, I get the urge to just shave it all off - solve the problem once and for all and have her go all 'Britney.' But Maria, the woman that cuts our hair, would never go for that. Instead she gave Lilli an adorable haircut, and even 'painted' Lilli's hair...

Pink and blue. And yes, Lilli is wearing a sleeveless sundress - and it was snowing that day.

Here is Lilli's artful pose (with pony on her head), looking playfully over her shoulder to give you view of what the back/sides look like.

After the haircut it was time for Little Gym. After their class, they get a stamp on their hand. Or, if you are Lilli and all the instructors adore you, you can have them all over your body if you ask nicely. What this next picture does not show you is that she has stamps going all up and down her legs, too.

Here's a better view of Lilli -the punk rock, biker two-year-old.

And last, but certainly not least... Dave bought the kids t-shirts when he was in Beijing last week. Lilli's favorite movie is currently Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so of course he got his little girl a t-shirt with the Turtles on it - and she was absolutely THRILLED and wants to wear it every single day. (I have to hide it so that I can get it into the wash - if she sees it in the dirty laundry she pulls it out and puts it on.) Currently, this is Lilli's favorite outfit...

Pink crown (that I knitted for her), TMNT shirt, pink pants, pink socks and pink sparkley shoes. Totally Lilli.

Glad Påsk!

A Visit from Aunt Jenni & Easter Preparations

Aunt Jenni came to visit the other day. She'd just had a (work) trip to India. She bought Lilli another sari - one with 'sparkleys!'

I think she likes it. (Note that she is wearing her pink sparkley shoes.)

Grandma Suzie had sent the kids some "paint your own" marshmallow bunnies.

Tipton gives Aunt Jenni a refresher course on how to play Checkers.
Saturday night before Tipton went to bed, he had to leave a snack for the easter bunny.
"Dear Easter Bunny, Eat the carrots before you eat the chocolate easter egg. Open the easter egg by pulling the cover off. Bye-bye. From Tipton."

Overheard

Tipton - "Mommy, I hear the hopping of the Easter Bunny! He's really close - he's right outside!"

Overheard

Lilli - "My butt is working!"

It's been a long time between posts. And the reason why? Well, we've been sick. And then we were sick. And then the kids were sick. Then just Tipton was sick. Then just Lilli was sick. Then both kids again. Then Tipton. Then Tipton again. See? Not very interesting. And discussing the healthcare system over here just makes me angry and frustrated. (I will never, ever again complain about healthcare in the US. It may be expensive, but it is SOOOOO worth it!)


And now, for some entertaining pictures...



I made a new hat for Lilli.



On one of the rare days when I did not have a sick child, I went to Lund with some friends and we went to Sländan - a really cool yarn store. I treated myself to a little "retail therapy."



The owner of this store is very nice. So nice that she threw in a free knitting spool for Lilli.



When we went into the yarn store, Lilli immediately wanted out of the stroller. She walked over to a needle display and picked out two pink plastic needles and said "I need these!" Then we started walking around, petting the yarn. She is destined to be a knitter.

We have found a new cereal. I saw the name and just couldn't resist.

The kids love it. And it's made with 'dinkel' flour, which is supposed to 'stay' with you longer. So it's actually pretty good for them. Tipton eats it without milk - first he sorts the numbers, then he eats all the zeroes, then all the ones, etc. And I just love hearing Lilli ask for "More Happy Dinky!" The back of the box has little paper dolls that you can cut out.

Milli had sent me some lovely soft pink yarn (that I am going to use in a log cabin blanket for Lilli). Only, one of the packets of lemonade that was also in the box exploded, and the yarn was all sticky. So I wound it into hanks and washed them. When they had dried I put them over the back of a chair, to start winding them back into yarn cakes. Lilli snatched a couple of the skeins before I could wind them and wore them around the house like a tutu.

She kept saying "I'm dancing girl!"

The past two months have been cold and rainy, so we haven't had a lot of outside play on the weekends. But we have had several impromptu concerts. Oh, and Lilli has been picking out her own outfits. (She seems to get her fashion sense from my grandfather.)

Tipton's latest obsession is K'Nex. In this picture he is building one of the creatures from Lilli's Kid K'Nex.



On a rare weekend when no one had a fever (and trust me, they have been RARE) we went down to the harbor for pizza and to look at the waves. And boy were there waves! It was so windy that at times I had to hold onto Lilli to keep her from being blown over. In this picture she is holding onto her little pink poodle purse so that it doesn't blow away.



Dave has gotten Tipton addicted to video games on the cell phone. I never know where my cell phone is anymore, because if I put it down on the counter Tipton is right behind me carrying it off somewhere to play a game. I don't even know how to play the games on my phone.






My friend, Tierney had a baby. A beautiful little girl named Alessandra. I made her a little outfit.




One afternoon Lilli comes hopping out of her room exclaiming "I'm a bunny!"

Tipton is destined to become an engineer - he is always building things, either with Legos or K'Nex. It seems like every picture I see of Tipton - I can see what he's going to look like in 10 or 15 years...

Lilli is worn out after a long afternoon of shoe shopping. She put her babies down for a nap, then laid down to take one herself. In her new pink sparkley shoes. Of course.

There have been a lot of 'spontaneous' naps the past two months.

Happy Birthday to Me! Dave got me roses and tulips and new earrings. Tipton gave me a purple pen with a heart on it that says "Mamma." And I made myself breakfast tacos.

It's Easter season, so we we dyed eggs. The kids LOVED writing on them with a white crayon to make designs. (I did, too.)