Beautiful, Uninterrupted Sleep

Paul graciously offered to care for Julia last night and allowed me to sleep in the basement so that I could get a good night's sleep. It was the first time in at least 5 1/2 months (longer if you count getting up to go to the bathroom before Julia was born) that I was able to sleep for 8 uninterrupted hours. It was delicious! Thank you!

Children's Cold Medicine

More news to share….this time about children’s cold medicine. What’s on the market never works 100% but at least it helps a little so that we can all get a little sleep. To prove my point, here is an article from The Wall Street Journal written by a doctor with kids.

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It's Hard to Heed the Experts When Your Kid Has the Cold

By BENJAMIN BREWER
October 23, 2007; Page B10 (The Wall Street Journal)

The runny nose started in the morning. By bedtime, a cold had settled in my 3-year-old son's chest, and a deep, hacking cough could be heard throughout the house.

At 1 a.m., my wife gave me the look that said: "You're a doctor; do something."

That day, she had heard that an expert panel recommended to the Food and Drug Administration that cold medicines be banned for kids because they work no better than sugar pills and shouldn't be used in children younger than 6. Facing a sleepless night, though, we debated our options. Should we medicate him so we could get some shut-eye, or should we ride it out? We opted for the safe-but-noisy course.

Next thing you know, he's in the bed between us, coughing every two minutes with what seemed like all the muscles in his body. At 3 a.m., the racket woke the dog. My wife took the boy downstairs to rock him in the recliner.

By dawn, Dr. Mom had reached her limit. A dose of combination cough-and-cold medication was soon down the hatch.

After the recommendations against over-the-counter cold medicines came out, we heeded them for less than 24 hours in our house. Once my sick son took the medicine, his sniffles and coughing abated a bit. His symptoms returned later that day, after we discontinued the treatment. Our experience showed that whatever mild benefits these medications offer, they don't last long.

The risks with cough-and-cold medication are clear. If you don't know your phenylephrine from your acetaminophen, you can deliver more potency than you had intended by unknowingly combining products with similar ingredients and confusing chemical names.

Overdoses of medication occur all too often; the FDA has linked over-the-counter medicines to 123 pediatric deaths since 1969. Most of the fatalities were in children younger than 2.

Although experts say cold-and-cough medications don't work in kids, the estimated $2 billion in sales of these products each year suggests to me that at least a few people are finding some value in them. But it may be for reasons you wouldn't think of right away.

Parents often believe they are targeting cold symptoms with these medications, when what they are really doing is sedating the child. Sedation and the potential to depress breathing represent dangerous sides of these medicines.

We all want safe and effective treatments for our kids, but we're finding out that our old way of doing things isn't as safe or effective as we thought it was. Back in 2000, we had to give up the old formula Dimetapp Elixir we used with our older kids because the phenylpropanolamine in it was linked to strokes in young women. The reformulated product never seemed to dry up their noses as well as the original did.

Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed is a brand name) has been linked to strokes, too, but it is still on the market as a decongestant. This medication is being replaced in products by phenylephrine, which doesn't dry a runny nose up as well as pseudoephedrine does.

About 800 cold-and-cough products are on the market, and nearly all are combinations of the same handful of ingredients. The main difference is the marketing.

Nothing available is completely safe or particularly effective for kids. Mothers I have talked to were surprised to learn that their kids' cold medications hadn't been tested extensively. Because the old medications are familiar, we sometimes assume they are safer and more effective than they really are.

Another problem is that the alternatives aren't all that great. If you have ever tried to clear an infant's nose with a suction bulb, you know what I mean. The safety and effectiveness of nasal suctioning hasn't been studied any more than the cold medication. Someone's kid is going to choke on too much nasal saline or have an allergic reaction to the latex in the bulb syringe.

Using a cool-mist vaporizer never seemed to help any of my kids, although I see that recommended frequently. Some parents are fans of Vicks VapoRub and similar substances applied to the skin or put in a vaporizer. In my practice, I have seen such products trigger asthma attacks. That is on par with or greater than the risk from over-the-counter cough suppressants, as far as I am concerned.

The crackdown on cold medicines for kids may have an unintended benefit for me. With infant cold medications off the market, I won't miss the parents calling in the middle of the night for recommendations on how much to use. I won't miss meticulously documenting how many tenths of a milliliter I advised a person to give or the liability risks associated with my advice.

My new answer is simple: "It's just a virus, and, unfortunately, there is no safe and effective cold medication on the market that I can recommend to you."

At my house, though, I have found that the advice to hold off on a kid's cold medicine is much easier to give than it is to heed.

Dumbledore

What is there to say? J. K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series) recently announced Dumbledore's sexual orientation. I am struggling to understand the significance of such an announcement. I've only read 6 1/2 books...I'm still trying to finish up Book 6 in between feeding, changing, bathing and entertaining my girls. But seriously, what is the point? Can someone please explain this to me?!

Here's the story.

Happy Bath Time Baby

Bath time is one of Julia's favorite times of the day (second to eating). These pictures were taken post-bath.

Third 3rd Birthday

Two parties didn't feel like quite enough, so we had a third at our house and Grandma and Grandpa S came to celebrate. Elise is an old pro at blowing the candles out and even though she requested chocolate cake, all she really wanted was the frosting. In the end, she had a great time playing in the basement and opening another round of gifts.

Thomas Party

Elise and her friend Ethan had a Thomas-themed Birthday Party on the 12th. It was a cool, sunny day, but that didn't stop most of the kids from having fun at the park. Elise was not happy that she had to wait to open her presents and sat at the picnic table and pouted for a while. In the end, she was running around with the rest of the kids. Here are some pictures:

Wet Willie

Drool-ia strikes again!

Doctor's Appointments

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we had Doctor's appointments for both Julia (yes, again!) and Elise.

Julia is continuing to track the 95th percentile for her height (26 3/4") and 75th for her weight (16lbs, 3 oz.). This was the first appointment we've had that she stayed happy the whole time, even after receiving an oral dose of rota virus vaccination and a shot in the leg. The doctor says she should be able to sleep through the night now....since she's getting up 1 or 2 times currently, that means sleep training is here. She's gone a couple of nights without eating from 7p to 7a, but is still waking up for comfort/her pacifier several times a night. I think it's tougher on me than it is on her. I'm exhausted!

In other news, Julia is rolling in both directions now. She loves to roll around in her crib, but she often gets stuck and becomes upset. With her new found abilities, she's also rubbed a nice bald spot on the back of her head. She enjoys watching Elise and Briscoe play ball outside and she's recently discovered the joys of her kicking machine. She loves playing with her toes and has even figured out how to take her socks off. They make a tasty treat in the middle of the night.

Elise did great for her 3 year check-up. She happily followed the nurse to the scale to be measured. She's not gained any weight in 6 months, but has grown 1 1/2 inches since April (37 1/2" tall, 60th percentile). The doctor says that it looks like Julia is going to be the taller of the two. Elise had her flu shot in the arm and only complained for a few minutes afterward....there were no tears!

First 3rd Birthday Celebration

We were up in Michigan visiting family and friends on Elise's 3rd Birthday a week ago. Here are some of the highlights:

On Thursday, Jon brought over Libby and Reagan to my Mom's house and Jamie brought Kendra (my step-brother's wife and new daughter). My parents were lucky enough to have 3 new granddaughters in a matter of months and this was the first time they were all together. It was fun to see how different they are and what a difference a couple of months makes.

Kendra (b. 7/27), Julia (b. 5/7), Reagan (b. 6/8)

Elise and Libby had a blast together while the moms (Mom, Jon, Jamie and I) gabbed and Paul snapped pictures.On Friday, we headed to our old stomping grounds on the east side of the state to visit with my good friend Emily and her son Noah. It took a few minutes for Elise to warm up to Noah, but then it was just like old times. Elise really misses her buddy.

Saturday was Elise's first 3rd Birthday party. Great Grandma B was kind enough to host it at her house. Elise loved the frosting on the cupcakes and had fun ripping open all of her gifts. Special thanks to Grandma K for making the cupcakes and for helping me buy the food and set everything up! It was another successful event!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elise!

Elise turns 3 years old today. In her honor, here are a few things you may not know about her:

1. Elise is a great food sharer. Even when eating her most coveted foods (like chocolate pudding and M&Ms), she'll offer you the last bite.
2. She is an outdoor girl through and through. She loves to play in Grandpa S's birdseed and in Grandma K's gravel garden path. She's quick to dig in sand, wood chips and whatever else she can get her hands on. She also loves to ride her bike, blow bubbles and play ball.
   
3. Elise is a pickier eater than her father. She will only drink milk and water (no juice or pop, even if offered). She loves tomato soup, pasta and rice. She'd rather not eat anything good for her.
4. She is a great big sister. She loves Julia immensely and is miserable she can't play with Julia when she's sick.
5. Elise might be part monkey. She scales the rock wall and other climbing equipment at the playground likes she's been doing it all her life. She loves to chase Briscoe and wrestle with Daddy.
   
6. She has an impeccable memory. Elise can remember details of events from a long time ago and knows where everything is at in each of her grandparents' houses (including the cookies and treats). She also has some of her Curious George books memorized and can recite them word for word.
7. Elise is very friendly from a distance (saying hello to anyone walking on the sidewalk). But if you get too close, she becomes very shy and takes a while to warm up.
8. She has recently discovered that baking with Mama means licking the beaters from the mixing bowl. She's quick to offer her 'help.'
9. Like her Mama, she requires lots of sleep, yet she really hates taking naps (I love them!). She can quickly turn into a grumpy bear and drama-queen if she is sleep-deprived.
10. She is a bright, articulate, funny little girl. She knows what she wants and how she wants it done (my way or the highway) and can negotiate for anything. The twinkle in her eye and her silly smile make saying 'no' a hard thing to do.