What the heck, I'm up...

So it's 2 a.m. - waay past my normal bedtime. What am I doing awake? For one, I'm battling writers block. I'm working on the latest round of corrections for my dissertation. This is an important revision, as this draft will go to my committee for approval before I can move on to the next step. Three of the members have not seen a draft since December, and if they don't like the direction I'm going in, it could be back to the drawing board. I was chugging along on corrections when I hit a dead end. This dead end, coupled with a severe shortage of free time to work on the dissertation, led to a stand-still in writing and a load of anxiety. I decided that I would stay up as late as possible tonight and just work, no matter what actually came out. That strategy has actually proven useful so far. But in the meantime...

Oliver went for his nine month check-up yesterday (I know -- he's so old now!) and we found out that he also has bronchial-itis. Back on the nebulizer for him. The doctor was nice enough to inform me that croup is also going around. Great. Mac and Oliver both wake up coughing today - not croup, just coughing. But low and behold, as soon as I get Mac to bed tonight, I hear the tell-tale seal barking of croup. Before it could turn into full-blown croup, I put her in the bathroom with steam. Still coughing. I get her ready to go out onto the porch into the cool night air. Still coughing. Who wakes up but Oliver, and his cry is sounding a little bark-y. So I bundle them both up, stick them in the car, and drive around with the windows down. The coughing slows down, but it's still intermittent and bark-y. Back into bed with warm juice for both of them (and all I can think about is the sugar on their teeth all night -- ugh!). Oliver has stopped coughing and she is coughing only occasionally. Of course, this is the one night that Tim is not home -- he is at the midnight showing of Indiana Jones (lucky!). But the good thing about croup is that it is supposed to be gone by the morning.

Other than his cold, Oliver got a good review at his check-up. He also went to CHOP last week for Spina Bifida clinic, and he got a good review there, too. Neurosurgery even offered to let him go six months (instead of three) between visits. That made me too nervous, so I'll still take him back in three months when we go back for clinic. The pediatrician at CHOP did mention that Oliver is a bit on the large side, and suggested we watch his intake so that he doesn't get too heavy. I get her point, since he doesn't burn calories as quickly as other babies, since he is less mobile. But really, you can't put a baby on a diet! But in case I didn't get the point, the orthopedist actually called Oliver's legs obese! Excuse me?? I left CHOP in a total huff, but have since calmed down. My home pediatrician said that his weight is fine, and that his eating schedule is a healthy one. But it is a thought that I will hold onto -- I guess his diet does have to accommodate the fact that he won't be moving around as much as one who is "fully mobile."

I guess I should get back to my dissertation and at least finish the section I'm working on. Since I'm up...