Unexceptional

Even before Patrick became a subject for whispered medical consultation I had lobbied to forego the big kid-filled birthday party this year. He was supposed to be at invention camp last week (missed the whole thing, poor pumpkin) so I suggested we have our good friends over for cake and pizza after camp on the actual day and then he could pick a friend to do something Fun (waterpark, amusement park, Science museum, whatever he wanted) that weekend. He decided that he wanted to go ride roller coasters at the mall of America and we realized that doing so on a Monday was infinitely smarter than on a Saturday; so Steve took the day off today and that is what they did.

The cake turned out well - provided you define "well" as "that which made Patrick happy" - largely because I let him do most of it himself. I made the cake and cut off the rubbery edges (Steve looked at me like I was either brilliant or insane - "you can, just, cheat... like that? make it look all even with a knife rather than bake skills?") and I made the buttercream and then I handed Patrick the food coloring. The yellow looked like the yolk of a hard-boiled egg and the purple reminded me of a guest bedroom in our old house and Patrick said that they were both perfect. Then he and I used the decorating bag together and looped and swirled our way through Happy Birthday Patrick. Then we transformed a few accidental blobs into a 7 and an exclamation point. Then we made the 7 into a 7th because I brushed my elbow against the cake right there. Art is change.

Patrick is feeling better and I have that blinky disoriented sense I get when I see a matinée. You know? When you walk out into the sunshine and you have a hard time finding your bearings. In retrospect it is obvious that Patrick was sick for weeks and weeks and weeks. All of these little pieces that I noticed in passing (like the fact that for two months I could never seem to brush his teeth enough to get them clean? that would be because his entire head had become the Tokyo of bacteria) all fit neatly together now to form a picture of The Dawning of a Serious Bacterial Infection. For once, though, I am not beating myself up about the oh! I should have done! We kept bringing him in; they kept checking him. What else can you do?

This is just idle gossip from the lab but in case you feel like playing Infectious Disease Specialist at home when we saw our pediatrician on Friday he gave me some of the numbers that influenced their decision to admit him. Patrick's white blood cell count was 18000, his sed rate was 72 and his c reactive protein (aka CRP to everyone but me since I could not for the life of me remember the letters in order and kept babbling to my brother about CPR; much to his confusion) was a whopping 150. None of these things meant anything to me but the doctor said the CRP was the highest he had ever seen in clinic and that Patrick must have felt like hell no matter how FINE and GREAT he kept insisting he was.

If nothing else I have concluded that Patrick is never to be trusted again when it comes to how he is feeling and for the next two months or so I plan on personally examining his tonsils at every opportunity with a miner's helmet and a crowbar if needed.

Caroline, speaking of our walking wounded, is suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress disorder when it comes to people and her face. I took her to get her bangs trimmed again and this time rather than admire herself and flip through a copy of Glamor she opened her mouth like a gigantic "O"and SCREAMED. Clearly she has yet to forget the stitches. And, before I forget, a few people in the comments (notably Cris. hi Cris!) educated me about young children and sedation. Apparently it can be done orally with a quick wear-off and a pleasant goofiness. Versed, I think it was called.  So, you know, if it helps you and I hope it does.

Edward has eczema on his eyelids and legs and he is cutting two more teeth. Although technically neither ailment falls particularly high on the family's trauma scoreboard for the month of June they are his and he is making the most of them. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make the eyelids feel better, although cortisone has almost cleared up the stuff on his legs. I trimmed his nails as short as possible to try to help with the King Lear look he is sporting but obviously it is uncomfortable and like Barbara Fritchie, Edward likes to scratch when he is itchy. Any thoughts on the eyelid eczema would be appreciated. We are seeing the pediatrician tomorrow (it's their eighteen month well child check, although the doctor asked me to bring Patrick along too - no appointment needed for him; just to check him over before our vacation) but ya'll always have such clever ideas about such things.

Hey, this has nothing to do with anything but I might as well ask: how much do you pay for your electricity every month, on average? I have been fighting with the electric company for months now but they keep baffling me with their rotating calendar and fluctuating kilowatt pricing and I don't know what else. They claimed our meter was broken so they came out and replaced it in February and the next month billed us $900. NINE hundred dollars for the month, which (considering the fact that we have gas heat and cannot be seen from fucking space) seemed a little outrageous to me. They said that this included underbilling from the previous four months but I went through every electric bill we have had for five years and pointed out that even so it represented a hundred percent increase over the same rough time period from previous years. They said don't be silly. They said that cannot be right. They said well maybe but you know prices have gone up. They said they had something boiling over on the stove and they would have to get back to me later. Steve and I have been virtuous about turning off every light in the house that is not in use. We do not use the central air conditioning. We unplugged the hot tub for the season. And still our last electric bill was over $300. I think we are being robbed at bulb point but I would love to get a global comparison, the better to ginger up my dander for my next call to corporate.

Is that it? Let's see, Patrick better and seven; the starting point for Caroline's metamorphosis into Cousin It noted; Edward itches, damn it; electric company steals from hard-working family because they can... yep, I think that covers it.

[Except: we are going on vacation on Saturday and I am so excited I can hardly wait. Not the 5:30 am departure part; or the traveling with not one but two 18 month olds; or the fact that we can no longer fit into a modest rented compact but need to reserve some sort of circus caravan... but everything else. Very excited.]

PS From today:

   

Between Edward dressing her and Patrick's affection for decorating her with bows, Caroline is going to start to feel like her brothers' own personal Cabbage Patch Kid.

Comments

[Holly]

I love your posts! You make normal life experiences fun and clever. Your desciptions bring me right into the action. I'm glad everyone is doing better, I was pretty worried. What did the twins think of Patrick being gone? I hope you have a great vacation. I often find them more tiring than relaxing! I don't know of any cures for Edward's skin problems, but I imagine one of my fellow posters will.

[wombat]

For Edward's eyelid eczema, try Cetaphil lotion. Not the cleanser, not the cream, but the lotion. My son had eczema (not on his eyes) and it worked well for him. I use the Cetaphil lotion as eye cream on myself every day. It moisturizes, and removes makeup, and does not irritate my eyes. I just close my eyes and rub it all over, and as long as I don't apply it like a contact lens, I'm fine. As an aside, I think using it for years has prevented me from having crow's feet... Give it a shot on your own eyes to verify its mildness and maybe it will work on Edward. As long as you don't get it directly IN his eye, it shouldn't irritate him.

[SarcastiCarrie]

I have eczema on my eye lids. Use Aquaphor or Cetaphil and just water for baths and maybe fairy dust to keep the sweating down in the non-air conditioned Minnesota summer. And of course, All Free-N-Clear detergent for his sheets, towels, and clothes. No dryer sheets.

We'd like to see Patrick's handiwork on cake decorating. Photo?

[CA]

Just for your ego boost before you go on vacation...I love you and your children and your writing. I'm very glad Patrick is doing better. Caroline is gorgeous. And Edward is too precious for words. I will miss you. Don't leave us for too long.

You are most definitely being robbed on the electricity. We pay AT THE WORST $175 a month for a 2000-square foot home with 3 adults currently living here. And we are not careful about conserving. And we have an electric dryer and stove! And we live in the greater Boston area so I'm *sure* our rates are worse than yours...keep up the good fight! Stick it to the man!

[Elizabeth]

We too have gas heat as well...and we have a tank less hot water heater. That being said, this months electric bill was $6.27. That's not a typo.
At $300-900, it sounds like a tankless heater would pay for itself in about two minutes!

[Judy]

I'm so glad to hear that Patrick is feeling better! I've been checking for updates regularly.

For comparison's sake, here in central VA we pay anywhere from $160 month in the spring/fall when the temps are mild and we don't need to run heat or AC to about $230 in the summer when the AC runs full-blast, non-stop (the humidity, she is a bitch in these parts.) We have a two-story home, about 2200 sq. feet, all electric. I think we have a pretty low cost-of-living compared to many parts of the country though, so you may want to take that into consideration?

[teki]

Our utility company offers free energy evaluations to test where the usage is coming from, consider doing that. I'd also consider getting an independent company to come out and look at that meter. That is wayyyyyy too much for electric if you're not using central air.

[M.B.]

I live in Central Texas where it has been over 100 for weeks and hasn't rained in over a month. My air is ALWAYS on between 73 and 76 depending on the time of day or night. We are pretty good about shutting things off but our 11 year old is not so great with that. We have a three bedroom, two bath house. Our bill that I just got today was $174. It ranges between $150 and $200. If I got a bill for $900 I don't think I'd be on the phone. I'd actually be IN the office with them! We have TXU for our electric company. Oh are you allowed to choose your electric company? Here you can so maybe that is why our rates are lower.

[Jess]

I live in small town Wisconsin. We pay about 80 dollars a month for a two story, two bedroom house with a window air conditioning unit. And I am a habitual at leaving the lights on after I've left a room. What if I need to go back IN?

[Amber]

no advice. i dont know what our bills are because the other half takes care of that. i just show up. eczema on eye lids? wow. i just know you cant use cortizone on the face. i made that awful mistake...and the reult? perioral dermatitis. very unattractive. VERY.

loved the post. enjoy your vacation...you deserve this one!

[Olya]

we live in Wisconsin, so our electric and gas bill is combined. Use central air in summer, have electric dryer, husband can't remember to turn lights off to save his life, children rejoice in flipping every switch they can reach, etc. etc. Our house is two stories, around 2700 sq ft. We pay around $500 during really cold winter months, and around $200 during spring/summer/fall. So it definitely looks like you are being ripped off. I think they are "accidentally" multiplying your bill by ten ;-(

[Kris]

Hmmm . . . I live in Denver suburbs, have a 3700 square foot house with a gas furnace and we do use our central A/C for about six hours a day when it gets hot. My gas and electric bill are combined and we pay about $130 on low months (spring/fall) and $400 on high months (summer/winter). Hope that helps.

So glad Patrick is better. I was worried.

[Alexa]

I gasped aloud when I read that CRP. It is supposed to be, like, 145 less than that. I remember in the NICU they were sure Simone had an infection because hers was maybe 20-something. Poor Patrick!

Simone had terrible eyelid eczema, and we used Aquaphor and at one point when the itching and scratching was terrible, our ped. told us we could add a tiny bit of anti-itchy ointment as well (I think it was Aveeno?) Aquaphor is magical stuff.

[Bethany]

Situations could be very different between our two areas and homes, but we have electric everything (heat, a/c, stove), 5 bdrm, 3 bath home and pay about $200-250/month on average (winter is more, summer is less). Although I don't know many facts, it baffles me that your electric could (rightfully) be so high. Keep us posted!

Hey! I just wanted to chime in on the vacation. You never know how the kids are going to act, but we just took a long weekend trip and were pleasantly surprised by how well things went with almost-19-month-old DD. It's the best travel experience we have ever had with her. I'm not saying it was easy cheesy traveling, but we were quite happy I must say. As a point of reference, the conversation before said trip was taken involved lines questioning our intelligence at arranging such an excursion and the horror trip that was our vacation last summer (although an 18 month old and a 6-month-old-wanting-to-be-mobile baby are completely different animals). Anyway, I am wishing you the pleasant surprise we had and keeping my fingers crossed.

P.S. Haven't heard about the in-depth sleep situation lately, but I know you were concerned about night feeding a bit ago. DD really seemed to cut way back on her eating about a month ago (this follows the normal growth chart, too, BTW) and I'm never concerned about getting food into her right before she goes to bed anymore (I had mentioned stuffing her with cheese, previously). I'm not sure if Caroline is hitting that point yet, but wanted to let you know about a possible light at the end of the tunnel coming up ahead.

[mandy]

You have the most adorable toddlers, ever. End of story.

[Abby]

Those are the cutest babies. (Can I still call them such?) Well, except mine, but you get my drift.

And I live in HUMID-AS-HELL North Carolina and our power bill averages $150 to $200 a month in the summer, with the A/C on 24/7 and a husband who thinks the bathroom lights need to stay on all. the. time.

[sarah]

Make sure the eczema isn't due to a food allergy. :(

[Liz]

I live in a suburb of the Dallas area in 3000 sqft home and pay $300-$400 mo in the summer months. We keep it set between 74-76 degrees. We also have a pool - maybe the pool pump helps contribute.

[Sarah R]

So glad that Patrick is better! Now...for some uneventful months for you guys!

[Heather P.]

Holy cats, my mom was barely able to walk when she had a white count of 14,000. I can't believe that poor Patrick was running around insisting he was fine at 18,000!!
Sounds like your Patrick must be like my Padric, in that they don't know how to "be sick". LOL!
I was going to recommend the Aquaphor or Cetaphil. Catch him asleep and dab it on his eyelids. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that picture of Edward putting Caroline's jacket on her. That is just too sweet.
Hope you have a wonderful, and uneventful vacation!

[Pharmgirl]

3 stories, brick, 3800 sq feet - $425 this month

What is it with little boys? Mine had an eardrum burst and all I got was a uh-oh mommy when it happended. He had to be in horrible pain leading up to that but gave no clue.

Glad he's on the mend!

[lisa]

glad everyone is doing better, what a month you had!

for electric: mind you we pay for gas and electric in one...we live in a small two bedroom basement apartment build in the 1920-1930's and Montana winters can be COLD!!!! $75-$150/mo I think....I think it's outrageous, but our last apartment was energy efficient and we never paid more than $100 durring the cold snaps.

[Amy]

Cetaphil is great for eczema. My daughter continually gets it in the oddest places.. beneath her neck, behind her ears, in her armpits.
You are getting ROBBED on the electricity. There is no way you should owe that much. I have a 3000 sq ft split that due to my kids always has lights blazing and TV on, and I think at most I've paid $250. My last bill was $160.

[haitian-american family of three]

Hmmm our electric bill is around 14-19.00 per month, however we live in a 900 sq foot place so that helps keep things cheap-as does living in Seattle, electricity is just about the ONLY cheap thing. (Our grocery, gas and health bills are staggering.)

[Jen]

We use petroleum jelly on eczema. Not on the eyelids yet though.

Our electric bill is $175 per month. We live in Florida, run the air conditioning COLD all the time (for my husband is some kind of vampire that cannot bear heat or light), and do cloth diapers (therefore running the washer/dryer all the time). And my husband works from home so we are both home round the clock. So, yes, sounds like you are getting ripped off.

[suzi]

OK - I work for the power rapers - Here's the thing:

In Minnesota, most of your power is on coal, so you should have reasonably low rates, especially in the summer. I have 1700 sqft in VEGAS and we have high rates (not as high as CA) and I pay about 300$ per month.

SO - my engineering opinion - you are getting screwed.

Here's what you do - call the power company. When you get someone on the phone say, "Hi Phone Person. I had an issue that I didn't get resolved the last time I called. I would like to speak to your supervisor." When that person gets on the phone, you need to ask to speak to their supervisor.

Then explain what is going on - you should NOT pay for a broken meter unless they can prove you broke it. If it is a meter required for the variable power rate stuff, then just opt out of the program and get the base meter put in.

And have them match last year's bills to charge you for the missed months. It helps to pull those out if you can, but they should have it. (You're on XCel's grid, right??)

The key is the person on the phone is a moron. They can handle the BASIC of things, but when it comes to reviewing weird charges, you're best off going at least one, more than likely TWO steps up the phone person food chain.

Take names. If you can't get resolution, then skip the billing pukes, let me know what utility company you use, and I'll see if I can't get you a real service rep.

happy vacation!

[rosie_kate]

Wow, I gasp if my electric bill is $90... Granted, that's with no AC or uh... hot tub, but we do have a big double-element water heater that I like to keep on the high side. $900 is insanity, but even $300 seems a little nuts...

[Cookie]

OMG, those pictures of Edward putting the coat on Caroline are just too cute!

I am glad that Patrick is doing better. I was worried. I kept giving my husband updates on how he was doing. I am glad he had a nice birthday, and enjoyed making his cake. Birthdays are so important at that age.

My recommendation for Edward's eyelid eczema is Desitin Clear, which you should be able to find at drugstores or Target. Although, Vaseline would probably work just as well. I occassionally get it on my eyelids and it has helped me immensely. It lubricates the skin and allows it to heal, without irritating the eyes. (http://www.amazon.com/Desitin-Clear-Ointment-3-5-Ounce-Tubes/dp/B000WE37N6)

[Melissa H]

Let's see, my billing is automatic so I don't pay as close of attention as I should but it flags at over $250 for electricity and it's NEVER been flagged. Found a bill from January and it was $130 when I was presumably running the electric heater. Even in the HOT Sacramento summer we only get up to $200 and in spring we can be as low as $10. You are getting screwed somehow. Good luck.

And I can be the first to wonder how/why you are possibly organized enough to have five years worth of old bills to compare/review? I was boggled and impressed.

SO glad Patrick is better--scary stuff!!

[Marsha]

Outside Philly we pay roundabout $100/mo. for three story, non-a/c'd, leaky old farmhouse.

Do you have a phantom load situation? Is that the right phrase? Something where some input is switched on and just stays on but there's no obvious power suck? There's an official name for it but darn if I can recall what it is.

Glad P. is better. I don't blame you for looking forward to seeing the back of June. It was kind of junky here, too.

[Pam L]

My electric bill is a budget bill of $170 a month. We DO use A/C but just started for the season as it was so cool here until this week. This new monthly bill is up from last year but now I have a $100 credit already, so who knows. We have bout 2100 sq feet and there are only 3 of us here, but I am here allday working at home so we have 2 computers always running and all the various entertainment boxes adn devices that they say you should unplug whenyou are not home, blah blah blah. Well, I AM home and we never unplug anything. I have one DH who would never turn lights on if I didn't walk into the house and say "Are you a bat? Do you live in a cave?" and turn on a few lights to keep from walking into walls and such, and one son who cannot come upstairs without turning on every single light up here, loft recessed lights, 4, bathroom lights, 4, light in each room, you betcha. He's the one who slept with lights on until he was 10, so... And I think $300 just for electric is crazy high. But now my gas bill, separate company, is really wacky, like too LOW and I know I am going to get hit with it when they figure it out. But for now it works for me.

Too cute with Edward dressing Caroline. What sweeties !

[Kristin]

$900??? I have Dakota Electric over here in Apple Valley, and my last bill was $69. That's with central air! I just looked at my bill online and we used 580 kWh at 0.0725 per kWh... what does your bill say??

[Brigid Keely]

At our last place, which was a 3 bedroom apartment with gas heat, winter billing was about $100 per month. It was higher in the summer because our central air was electric. However, we also think someone else was using our electricity because sometimes we'd blow a fuse when the fridge kicked on, and nothing else was turned on.

[Sarah]

On the power issue, we have a combined gas/electric bill of around $300/month. We use the budget program to spread it over 12 months. That's gas heat, gas stove, gas hot water heater and electric a/c. Plus 3~ computers on nearly 24/7. We're in Wisconsin. We don't conserve enough, we turn the heat up to be warm in winter. And the a/c runs a lot in summer. $900 is highway robbery.

Have a marvelous vacation. The kids are adorable as always!

[Joanne]

For about 1,700 sq ft (3 bdrm, 2 bath), with natural gas heat and water heater but an electric dryer and no a/c, in central Canada, we're paying about $120 - $160 a month. It has gone up lately, but not like yours.

[Jen]

2200 sq foot two story with gas heat in the midwest...budget billing $90/month and that is with four kids who open windows while the air is on and leave lights on constantly.

[Karen]

So glad that Patrick is feeling better. Was so worried.

My son had spots of eczema when he was around Edwards age. I took him off milk products and it cleared up. Worth a shot, maybe?

[Karen]

Oops, forgot to tell you my electric is around $200-up to$350 in the summer. I'm on Long Island,NY. You're getting robbed.

[AKD]

I have no advice about Edward's eczema, but just wanted to say, WOW on the size of your readers' houses. I'm so California-centric I forget that the average American house is over 2000sf. Our house is 968sf. Our electric and gas bill is combined and averages about $90/mo in the winter, $40-50 in the summer (we don't have AC)

[Lulu]

have a great vacation-so happy to know that patrick is better, really better.

[The tooth fairy]

You still brush his teeth for him?

[Xcel]

Do you have any neighbors who are kinda reclusive? But whose homes have a round-the-clock dim glow?

'Cause those grow lights consume a lot of electricity.

If those numbers are right, I'm guessing you have some neighbor who REALLY owes you for all of that free electricity they've been stealing...

[JuliaKB]

A w00t, and also a whew, on Patrick's marked improvement. I am too relieved for words. Those are some very scary numbers. And damn, but I think the kid lost all credibility on the question of his ability to perceive own sickness.

It's too bad about the inventor camp. Monkey just did robotics, and is beyond excited, and we are thoroughly impressed. (Oh, speaking of... maybe you can get him the Lego WeDo kit [what they used in robotics camp to great success] to make up for the lack of inventor camp? It's like Mindstorm, but cheaper because it runs off a computer rather than internal chip.)

I am loving the pictures, btw. They are totally adorable. I have no eczema advice (currently trying to figure out if that's what on the Cub's leg, or just heat rash-- he doesn't seem to scratch at it, but it's been there a while, so I don't know), but as for Caroline face story, I not only believe it, I am here to caution you that it may be here to stay for a while. To wit. Monkey disapproved of her 18 months shots, which were given by our doctor himself, and to which she had unobstructed view. She objected loudly. When I had to bring her in because she was unwell about a month later, she was not pleased, even though previously she liked going to the doctor. At that visit, though, she started crying and climbing me before we ever made it into the building. The doctor thought she'd be over that by her 2 year old appointment. May I just take this opportunity to say that he was wrong-wrong-wrong? We ended up needing to talk about it every time we went to the doctor for a looooooong time after that. And that's just run of the mill shots, not an exotically memorable thing like stitches...

Well, have a great vacation. With easy flights on underloaded planes, so you could stretch out and occupy as many seats as you could possibly want. With great food, good wine, and most relaxing times ever. That would only be fair.

[Julie]

We live in St. Cloud, with an electric dryer, stove, and water heater. 1500 sq. ft. house, 3 adults and we paid $80 for the bill from 4-26 to 5-26. $225 11-20 to 12-23.

Regarding the Eczema, check and see if Edward's bath soap contains Ammonium lauryl sulfate or Sodium lauryl sulfate. They always aggravate my skin.

[Suzanne]

2500 square feet, we live in Central Texas (have had the A/C running constantly) and last month our bill was $186.

[vanessa]

So, so glad that Patrick is still doing well. Or at least better. I dont know what any of those numbers mean, but I am so glad that he had a happy birthday.

[Carrie (in MN)]

Someone above mentioned not using creams with cortisone near eyes because of it leading to some other kind of rash. The other reason not to use it near eyes is it can lead to increased pressure in the eye which ==> glaucoma. I have (other) eyelid issues and use baby shampoo to wash them every night. So glad to hear Patrick is better and I agree with above, your toddlers are the cutest evah!

[Kelly]

Southwest suburb of Chicago, 2700 sq. feet with 4 kids, 2 adults and in the winter we pay about $130 per month and around $200 in the heat of the summer. We do use compact fluorescent bulbs but the bulbs saved us about $30 a month when we started to use them. We keep our outside lights on all night, every night as well.

Do you live in the boonies? Sometimes that drives the utilities price up, but my LORD!

I know very little about eczema, sorry.

[Laurie A]

Just asked DH who does the bills how much our electric bills are. Here in the Hudson Valley of New York, just north of NYC, we average about $225/month with a high of $300 with the C/A set at 72-73 during the summer. I'm a SAHM and there are always at least two if not four TVs on in our house all the time, plus four computers, the fridge, and a wine cooler running.

So glad Patrick's doing well and was able to enjoy his b-day.

Have a fabulous vacation. No assvice re: excema or the onset of Cousin It-itis.

[tgsdmom]

Have the greatest vacation.