Kate beams

Kate beams. She really does. She sees Mommy in the doorway coming home from work, or me when I pick her up at daycare, or Jack when we pick him up, and her face lights up. I can usually draw a beautiful, goofy, toothy grin out of her without much difficulty, and it's something to see. She beams.

Kate dances. We put music on, or it comes on the TV, and she rocks back and forth, side to side, up and down. Usually smiling or laughing. Her feet don't move, but she dances.

Kate gets sick. It's been a rough first few months of daycare for her, with the last month about the worst. First she had this coxcsackia whatever thing, then fevers, then colds, then a cough. Currently an ear infection, which we've just begun treating with antibiotics but as I write this has yet to go away, and thus has yet to allow any of us a decent night's sleep. For a while things seemed to come and go and we didn't go to the doctor, but by Sunday she had a cold, cough, fever, and wasn't sleeping. It was high time. Ear infection, at a minimum; we treat that, and see how it goes.

She's no fun sick. Pretty much makes it clear how miserable she is; sometimes it almost feels like she's blaming us. "Don't you put me down!" "YES, I want more milk." "NO, I don't want that bland food. Give me MORE FRUIT, I say." Although really, it's rare that she's angry. More often she's just miserable. Quick to nap, then absolutely wretched when she wakes up, clinging to me and not wanting to be put down for a second. These are the times I see just how much I can do while holding Kate in one arm. Make coffee? Check. Cook dinner? Depends on the meal. Manipulate three different remotes to watch a DVD? Well, it really depends which of Jack's toys are in the way, but it can be done.

Last night, all night, every hour, she woke up, angry, frustrated, miserable, probably in pain. We did what we could, but it's tough when she doesn't even want to sleep, or at least isn't willing to sleep -- maybe lying down bothers her ear. This morning she was just pathetic, exhausted. This afternoon, clingy, fussy, wrecked.

Tonight she's sleeping, so far. I've got my fingers crossed. Maybe tomorrow she'll be beaming again.