I have no idea why my infant insists on banging his head against my head/jaw/face/nose/mouth/ears. I do know that it hurts. He has a hard little (okay, not so little) noggin and he keeps smacking it into mine. I have had a headache everyday this week because WHAM! into my head goes his skull.

I assume it has something to do with his teething, and that he is attempting to express his pain and frustration physically. Still, it hurts! This morning after nursing when I sat him up to burp him he smiled, started swaying back and forth, and then once he had gotten some good momentum going BAM! BAM! BAM! right into my jaw.

Suffice it to say, he is now in his playpen very far away from me. I am popping Ibuprofen and cursing lightly under my breath (while venting via blog). I have never suffered so many injuries cuddling before!

Monkey is on a new Asthma medicine. Her new doctor diagnosed her with Chronic Mild Asthma, basically saying she wheezes at a low level all the time, with occasional peaks when she has been running around or out in the cold. Right now she is on Prednisone, but only for a week as it can have serious side effects with long time use. She is also on a new bronchial steroid because her old one was making her very jittery.

Hopefully all this new medication will get her back to breathing easily. Of course, we can never be without prescription coverage again, as her new bronchial steroid is nearly $400.00 a scrip. Boy did I panic when I saw that! Actually, I freaked when the cost of her meds after insurance covered it was $140.00. Then I looked at the receipts and freaked again, though this time in a “thank the PTB’s for health insurance” kind of way.

Given how common asthma is in children in this country I am amazed that a treatment plan cost over $600.00, when it is for such a short time period. That cost doesn’t include the home nebulizer either, as we already had that. It makes me want to establish a foundation to assist parents of asthmatic children with the cost of their medication. Of course, if I had the resources to start a foundation, I likely wouldn’t notice the high cost of these medications. Sigh.

Anyway, other than being extra hyperactive and nauseated, Monkey is tolerating her new medication well. Of course, she is already annoyed with having to take her inhaler every four to six hours, and she hates the taste of the prednisone, even though we paid extra to have them flavor it. (Last time she chose lemon, thinking it would be lemonade flavored. Nope, it was lemon. Sour, tart, bitter, lemon. This time she chose grape. It didn’t matter either way, she still hates the way it tastes.)

I have to get the rest of our packages together and shipped for our trip home, and then I have to do laundry and pack. When is the technological community going to come up with a transporter? I hate traveling.

The name “melancholia” comes from the old medical theory of the four humours: disease being caused by an imbalance in one or other of the four basic bodily fluids, or humours. Personality types were similarly determined by the dominant humour in a particular person. Melancholia was caused by an excess of black bile; hence the name, which means ‘black bile’ (Ancient Greek μελας, melas, “black”, + χολη, kholé, “bile”); a person whose constitution tended to have a preponderance of black bile had a melancholic disposition. (Thank you Wikipedia)

I think lately I have suffered from an excess of black bile in my system. I feel as though my humors are out of balance. I am sure this feeling has nothing to do with having lost a very close friend and my mother in law in the same year, or by the hormonal tango that comes with pregnancy, birth, and nursing.

I am usually a very hyperactive personality, with a touch of OCD and an endless supply of energy. Now I make a list of what needs to be done, and if there is more than one item on it, I wonder if I will get it finished. Hmmm….. I have to get dog food, I hope I can get home in time to meet Monkey at school.

I have great moments of giggling with my kids, but usually I am tired and I seem to be spending most of each day waiting for it to end. I do not like this feeling.

Any ideas on how to get my humors back into balance?

Oh yeah, please remember to enter the contest before the 14th!

Otter has more teeth coming in. Six of them in fact. He has one that has broken through the surface of his gums right next to his first tooth, then another pushing on the gum next to that. He has three right at the point of breaking through on his top gums, and another that is really close. You can see the outline of his little toofies-to-be below:

It is my belief that he is pushing so hard for teeth because his Daddy gave him steak, and he wants more. I think he knows that a whole world of food will open up to him when he can chew more effectively, and given his current love of food, and insane growth rate, I am sure his body is simply ramping up the tooth development to meet the new steak demand.

His teeth aren’t the only thing ramping up. He is getting closer and closer to crawling every day, he has begun pulling up on furniture to try and stand, he grabs everything in reach (we have to park the shopping cart in the middle of the aisle to avoid spilled and broken goods), and his curiosity is intense.

What is that Mama? Can I grab it? Just… hold…still…a…minute…I almost have the blinking, clicking thing….

He is still a very happy baby, despite his sore gums, and he spends a lot of time beaming his super powered rays of cuteness at everyone within reach. Now he is going to beam some cuteness your way: