Ouch, Ma!

It looks like Emily has another ear infection. Here's a classic sign - rubbing at the ear with that "It hurts, ma" look on her face.

Emily's birthday is in two days and her surgery is in six days, so we'd hoped she'd stay healthy long enough to enjoy the former and get through the latter. Apparently her ears didn't get the memo. She seems to have a cold - the first sign of that was lots of crying at bed time. I think the reason she cries when we put her down to sleep is that the pressure in her ears really hurts when she lays flat. Normally this pressure is tolerable, but when she has a cold she gets a lot of fluid and it becomes painful. An infection can cause pain too, I'm sure. I'm taking her to the doctor today (sigh). They know me by my first name there, and it's a busy pediatric practice.

I hope that the infection won't compromise her surgery. She really needs those tubes. I know she'll be a lot happier without the constant stuffy ears. Hopefully it will give her the confidence to take a few unassisted steps.


I call this Emily's "burglar" walk. She cases the inside of the house by holding onto the wall and moving around all over the place. I believe she's quite capable of walking unassisted, but she lacks the confidence (fluid in her ears can throw off her balance, which is precarious anyway since she's just learning to walk). She gets around pretty good like this, but I know she'll be a much happier baby when she's finally walking on her own.

The countdown to surgery has begun, so I'll be posting much more frequently. Please say a prayer or send out a positive thought or two for Emily to help her (and us) get through the next week. Surgery is Tuesday April 19th at 7:30 am.