For those of you who wonder where I might have been the last 2 weeks, just set your default mode to "Sick Kids" cause that's what mine is apparently set to. In the last 4 weeks, I have made weekly visits to the doctor - 3 times for August (rash, bronchitis, rash again (atopic dermatitis) and the most recently for Brooklyn (bronchitis). I'm there so often I know the nurses like old friends. The doc walks in and doesn't even need to consult the charts.

With August, I've just come to accept that it might be awhile before his skin is truly baby smooth. Right now, it's nubby, bumpy and slightly red. But he is still beautiful beneath his skin issues! He's apparently allergic to something or everything, we can't tell yet. After a week on liquid steroids, he smoothed right up, but once those faded from his system, the little rash critters just sort of snuck back up. Like they were hiding out of sight and once the coast was clear, crept back in. Grr. I am now in possession of so many bottles of lotions and creams and body washes that I could open my own drugstore. A hypoallergenic drugstore.

And if the boy would just stop drooling for a few seconds and let his chin dry, he might not look like his mouth was about to peel off his face from chappedness. Ah, boys. But he is still the apple of my eye and the new love of my life. The way his face lights up when he sees me is priceless. It's a mutual adoration society.

On to Brooklyn. Ok, so she started coughing a few days ago and running a low-grade temp. I began to realize, mid-Friday, that it might be a good idea to get her in to see Dr. J because if things turned nasty, I did not want to have to make a late-night trip to the ER. God was merciful and the clinic squeezed us in immediately. Good thing, too! While in the waiting room, B's temperature jumped up! When they took it initially, it was 101 and she was drooping. Falling asleep on me every couple of minutes, hot and coughing. After ruling out RSV and pneumonia (with a chest x-ray), the doc said he was pretty sure it was bronchitis. By the time I got home with her newly filled antibiotic script and gave her a dose of tylenol, her temp was 103.5!!! I was juggling her on one hip and a hungry August on the other. I was surprisingly well balanced. I quickly called Kyle and said, get home and grab some Sprite on your way. I need help.

It took 6 hours and a cool back for Brooklyn's temp to drop down to normal. And we're still giving her tylenol and motrin alternating every 3 hours. I'm praying that this illness stuff gets bored with us and moves on! In the meantime, I'm relying on the power of prayer and learning to sleep really deeply for the spurts of time that I'm able to. And thanking God for a kind and understanding husband.

And if it weren't enough to be there 4 weeks in a row, we'll be back to the doc on Monday for August's 6 month check up.