The Brookston Family Blog
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So far today, Alice is still under the weather. Her bad cough is still there and so is her congested nose. She’s going back and forth between appearing just fine and lethargic and tired. Of course, she didn’t get much sleep last night nor is she making up for it by napping today. And she’s engaging in some odd behaviors involving lingerie.

Alice snuggles with Sarah’s bra while watching the Wiggles.

After school today, Porter really wanted to make his own toast, which we then buttered with peanut butter.

Porter waits for the toast to pop, as Alice watches.

I had a hard time saying goodbye and leaving the kids at the park in Berkeley.

Alice waves from the swing.

Porter gives me an energetic wave goodbye.

After Porter’s haircut yesterday, the kids and I went to Berkeley’s Aquatic Park to meet up with the Grandparents on their way back from San Jose, who had kindly agreed to watch the kids for a few hours and pick up Sarah at the Ferry so I could go to my beer tasting.

Porter shows off his new haircut at Aquatic Park.

Alice does some climbing.

Porter with lower ears.

Yesterday, Porter got a haircut. Given his history with having his hair touched, let alone cut, I always expect the worst. Meltdowns and traumas have not been uncommon. But yesterday’s haircut was by far his best to date. He sat in the chair alone (he used to sit on our lap while they cut his hair) and didn’t fidget or try get down from the chair once. He still didn’t much care for the vibrating electric razor thingy and voiced his opinion about it (”I don’t like that!“) but he sat still for it and was relatively calm throughout. All in all, a huge improvement!

Porter in the chair.

Alice watched with interest, though from time to time she laid down on the big red teddy bear in the corner.

Porter getting his haircut.

The top-of-the-head pony tale that Sarah has lately be subjecting Alice to doesn’t always stay neat and tight together. Sometimes it spreads out and gives more of a spikey look to it.

Spikey Alice.

Last night, I had part two of the Celebrator’s holiday beer tasting so I didn’t get home until about ten. Sarah and I were talking and we could hear Alice on the monitor. She was coughing something fierce, but even more troubling, she seemed to be having trouble catching her breath. It sounded labored, like she was struggling to breath. From the kids’ bouts with croup, we knew certain things we should do for this, such as a steam bath or bulbing her nose, but these didn’t seem to be helping all that much. Her nose was very congested and gunk was pouring out, but no matter how much we got out there was still more. So after we tried everything we could think of, I took Alice down to emergency to make sure her lungs and breathing were okay.

They tested her for RSV, but happily that came back negative. They listened to her lungs and checked out her ears and that all looked okay, too. The chest x-ray, however, showed a slight abnormality on her lungs. The doctor couldn’t say for sure that she has pneumonia but the x-ray is “suggestive” of it and so in an abundance of caution he’s prescribed a course of antibiotics. We got back home around one-ish, exhausted but medicated.

Alice at the emergency room.

She kept running her hand over the bed rail, over and over again. It was as if she found it comforting.