Put Your Left Foot In And You Shake It All About

Sorry about that. Not only was that last post nearly incomprehensible; I left it hanging there - all twisty and baffling like a homemade windchime - for several days longer than I intended.

Granted in the interim I have only received limited clarification from the pediatrician (not our usual pediatrician, by the way; apparently once you start seeing one person for any given illness they don't let you swap back again - or so I've inferred from my tactful but ignored hints that maybe my real, beloved doctor would like to weigh in.) And Patrick is more or less the same - no crushing headaches, no projectile vomiting but still a little... out of it. And we were exceptionally busy for the past several days. But I am sorry I did not post sooner.

According to the pediatrician the radiologist reported that Patrick has inflammation and infected fluid in multiple sinuses: right maxillary, right ethmoid, left ethmoid and a big maybe whoknows on both the frontal sinuses which are either completely full of gunk or not there at all. Or still forming. Or something. He also has some white spots on his brain, which are signs of inflammation most likely related to the virus from a few weeks ago. My working theory - which has been entertained by no one except my mom - is that Patrick got some random kid illness that spread to the brain fluid, resulting in a viral encephalitis. He was then miserably ill for ten days, gradually got better, flared when his mother stupidly let him do flips and then gradually got better when the internet told his mother she needed to give him large does of medicinal TV and no flips. 

Flowchart:

- either the sinus infections are a secondary infection stemming from the viral whatsit OR
- Patrick has been suffering from chronic sinus infections for an extended period of time (like a year and a half) and the encephalitis developed from there.

(Sorry this must be incredibly boring)

Anyway, I talked to the pediatrician again and she explained what the radiologist had found and then she started discussing ways to manage Patrick's possible migraines, which confused me even further because I had thought that the sinuses would explain the headaches. She said maybe, maybe not.

Patrick's at about sixty percent of his usual capacity and I am very very VERY glad we are seeing the ENT on Friday. I would put money on my belief that Patrick has either an abscess or a cyst or a structural issue somewhere in the bones or the cavities of his head and I think she is the right person to sort that out.

Moving off the topic until then.

A little over a week ago (right at the zenith of the big health scare, actually) I heard Edward talking to Patrick in the bathroom.

He said, "What are you doing Patrick?" and I tensed because I was afraid Patrick was getting ready to throw up again. But no.

Patrick, using his kindergarten teacher dipped in maple sugar voice, said, "I'm going pee in the potty! Edward do YOU want to go pee in the potty TOO?"

Edward said, "OK!"

So Patrick said, "Here. Let me help you. First we pull down your pants... that's right! Great! Then you need to get rid of that silly diaper! Bye bye diaper! Good job! Then you hold your penis like this and step close to the toilet and... pee!"

Nothing happened. But from that moment on Edward refused to put on a diaper except at bedtime. The first day he just peed in his pants all day long and I thought - REALLY Edward? - but by day two he would hold it until someone (me, Caroline, Patrick) would think to help him into the bathroom. Two days later he went to preschool in underpants and had no accidents and he's been reliable ever since. Voila. I call him our dark horse potty prodigy and I am AMAZED that Edward wound up being the easiest to train. Sure he was an elderly three and a quarter and he would have been thrown out of most mainstream nursery schools by now (Caroline and Edward are in the 2-3's class - diapers are cool) but what he lacked in precocity in made up for with speed.

[Did any of you see the Washington Post article about the woman whose child was asked to leave preschool after many weeks of 8+ accidents until she was really toilet-trained for real and the woman responded by: 1) bringing a note from her pediatrician saying it was perfectly normal ; 2) petitioning the school board; and 3) agreeing to a Post interview?]

Oh and the fact that he shouts "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" and then runs around with both fists pumping the air and no pants also scores some points with me. He's mostly dry and he's cute as hell.

Speaking of cute as hell, Patrick's team had their Destination Imagination competition on Saturday. If you've been around long enough you will know that once upon a time I worried mightily about Patrick's social skills and shyness so watching him interact so comfortably with his teammates all day and then get up in front of an audience and perform was terrific. They learned a lot, they had a great time, they worked well together and they came in a respectable fourth. My mom used to joke that by the fifth or sixth game of one of my brother's soccer tournaments she would secretly start rooting for the other team so she could finally go home. I realized that I was holding my breath during the awards ceremony and that my biggest fear was that they would come in first or second and go on to the state competition or - god forbid - win THAT one and go to globals. So much for unconditional maternal support.

PS Verizon is now available through iPhone and although we are not off the double X austerity budget yet exactly I am hopeful we might be in the future and I am thinking of allocating my ad money for an iPhone. I mentioned this to Steve who laughed. Then he laughed some more. Then he fell on the floor and lay there laughing until I had to nudge him with my foot a little. When he finally realized I was serious he said well ok maybe HA HA HA but even if that wasn't a ridiculous idea when we HA HA have no cell service in the HA HA house and you HA rarely leave HO HO HO except to carpool isn't the monthly charge rather extortionate?

I said - with quiet dignity - that I would ask. So for those of you who do not live in a hollow tree, those of you who do not rely upon tin cans attached with string to communicate with the outside world: how much do you pay a month for your cell phone service and does it cover the internet? I mean, I still don't know how to text nor do I want to do so but is there a way to get google on my phone (and apps! I want to know what an app is!) and if so how much do you pay?   

Comments

[liz]

I have a Droid on Vz and I pay $74/month (with an employee discount), for everything. Unlimited txt, unlimited calls, unlimited wireless.

Now, tit for tat...how much do you charge for your ads? I've been approached by an advertiser and have no clue what to charge.

[Kristin]

My son has a Virgin Mobile plan (I have an AT&T go phone plan) and he pays $25 a month for unlimited internet and texting & 300 minutes a month of talk time. You can get awesome smart phones through them for about $150. You can check out the details at Virgin Mobile's USA site.

[Shannon]

Hopefully Patrick will continue to be on the mend.

Congrats on Edward's potty training.

We started potty training my son when he was 2 yrs, 10 months because I thought he was ready. We gave up 3 months later (about the time my daughter was born). When he was 3 years, 10 months we tried again and finally declared him trained 8 months later (well past his 4th birthday). He was horrible to potty-train.

Now my 25 month old daughter is starting to show interest and can actually pee in the potty on demand. But after our experience with my son, I'm afraid to push her. But I can't wait to get rid of diapers!

[hydrogeek]

I have the HTC Evo, which is an Android phone, and my die-hard apple-using friend (who has an iPhone of course)switched with me for a while. We both agreed my Evo rocked the free world. But yeah, not cheap. I pay something just over $100 a month for unlimited everything. I made the decision to get everything on my phone rather than having a phone and an iPad, though, which is certainly a good option for lots of people, particularly those who are home most of the time. I will say my 4 year old is addicted to Angry Birds, which is nice when I'm trying to cook dinner, but...not nice when she throws a fit.

[Olivia]

I don't know how to text either. The couple of times I've tried I kept misspelling things and then I couldn't delete without making it worse. Maybe it would be easier with a smartphone or phone with a regular keyboard. Anyway, since I don't talk on the phone much and people can almost always reach me at home or at work, my husband and I each have a prepaid Verizon. We pay about $15 each per month.

I'm looking into a Nook, though, now that a friend has one and is singing praises. Being able to carry more than one book with me at all times so I'm not stuck waiting without reading material sounds priceless.

[alison]

We have Verizon w/ 2 smart phones (both Blackberries at this point, probably droids later this year), I don't even know how many minutes we have, 500? We never come close to using them because we have free nights (starting at 7pm) and weekends, and free calling to our "circle" of 10 people. Unlimited texting, and I guess unlimited data. All for the bargain basement price of $132 a month (groan). And that's after an 18% discount through my employer. However, we don't have a landline, so that offsets, what, $20? :)

[Kristina]

It sounds like His & Hers iPhone plans are pretty reasonably priced, which I didn't realize. But the plan for just me alone would cost nearly the same as a lot of other commenters have said their shared plans run. And all I want is Internet and unlimited text (not because I text a lot but because my friends do, and I sometimes like to subscribe to, say, txt alerts about my flight delays, etc., and incoming messages cost the same as outgoing which is absurd). So I got a touchscreen LG featurephone from Virgin Mobile and switched to their 1200 min/unlimited text and data plan, which costs me precisely $42.50 per month with taxes and fees. I've heard some horror stories about Virgin but haven't encountered any difficulties yet, and the minute I do, I'll leave them—because they don't require a contract.

[Katharine]

We have iPhones and At&t and live in an ominously titled "Dead Zone" which is easily rectified with a "MicroCell" -- basically a teeny, tiny cell tower (size of a 1T hard drive? Or 1/3 of a toaster?) -- that turns our house into a den of fantabulous cell phone reception. So, even if you do stay home all the time, you will be connected to the universe constantly.

Another thought might be an iPad? You have wifi in your house, the 3G data plan is much cheaper, you could check email and text (very easy, and the only way to communicate with a high school babysitter) and use apps. Give it a look!

[Traci L]

So Glad to hear things are looking up for Patrick ! Been checking in Daily to see how he is. Will continue to keep checking :)

Android user here, I pay $25 a month no contract through Virgin Mobile for 300 minutes, unlimited text/data/web. LOVE IT! Husband pays $45 for 1200 minutes and unlimited Text Data Web. Our phones were around $170 each on sale (Samsung intercept)

[Betterasamemory]

I am on a phone plan for myself and recently switched from Verizon to Sprint. Verizon has infinately better customer service and coverage. Sprint has way better prices for data. At Sprint, for one line with 450 minutes, unlimited texting, and unlimited data (which I LOVE-email, blogs, music, games, etc) for $69.99 a month. I get a corporate discount, so it ends up being around $60/month. For the equivalent at verizon, it's closer to $90 a month. That said, I wish I had not switched. I never realized how vital good customer service is, and how people doing their jobs CORRECTLY, can affect a phone.

That said, I could NOT go back to a non-android phone. Prior to having one, I thought I'd miss the keyboard and thought email/google at my fingertips was unnecessary. HA!

[Heather]

IPAD!!

There's a new one coming out soon....Yes the machine is more expensive, but you can opt in and out of the monthly wifi fees depending on your travels. If you are mostly home, you won't need to pay a monthly plan (you can use your wireless link at home) but if you are traveling you can sign up and use it for just one month.

[Julie]

Don't get an iPhone, get an iPod Touch! All of the apps, all of the Google goodness, none of the contract! I never use a cell so I just have a junky tracfone but I would DIE if someone took my Touch away. You can usually hijack a wireless signal somewhere or another and I have rarely been without being able to connect.
Next I'm getting an iPad but I will always love my Touch for it's portability factor.

[jen]

We pay $125 for two lines that have data everything. I don't use the data everything since my berry died an untimely death but it was going to be negligible difference in price to rid myself of the data plan but retain my husbands. Oh but I just remembered we have an employer discount which would make it regularly about $150/mo. I am just waiting for my husband's current berry to die so I can get a new phone too.

Glad to hear Patrick is somewhat better and hope you get a final solution soon!

[Jenn]

Also delurking (I think) to comment on a couple of points, most importantly so glad to hear Patrick is doing better and YAY EDWARD, you clever boy!

1. My brother had what my mom parents always called "sinus headaches" from the time he was little (like 2 or 3). Bad headache, vomiting, etc. I occassionally would get them myself. Fast forward about 30 years and I find out that basically any time that you've got a pain in your head and nausea/vomiting (and you haven't had a recent head injury), it's considered a migraine, and most "sinus headaches" are -- in fact -- migraines. The whole "affects only one side of your head" and "you'll have auras before it starts" that I thought were classic migraine symptoms are apparently no longer required for a diagnosis of migraine.

Not all migraines have specific triggers that you can detect, but if Patrick's do, avoidance can help. Also, recognizing the onset and stopping it before it becomes debilitating can help a lot in managing them. I've never figured out my triggers, but I've learned that if I recognize the symptoms early enough, Aleve, a Coke and a short nap usually help ward off the worst of it, without resorting to stronger meds

2. I'm sure the answer is "yes" but just in case -- has Patrick ever been checked for "allergies"? I had recurrent sinus infections ("chronic sinusitis") beginning in about 3rd grade (after my tonsils came out) caused by what the doctor termed "chronic rhinitis." I now take 3 allergy meds year-round (and add 1 or 2 others during "allergy season" in the spring), but I haven't had a sinus infection in 3 years.

3. I have an iPod Touch, an iPad and, as of last Friday, an iPhone. I loved the Touch, but a lot of the apps I was interested in really require anytime internet access (e.g., when I want to find a place to eat when I'm travelling), which you don't have with the WiFi only Touch. I've passed it along to the DH for his use.

The iPad is awesome for web surfing from the couch, emailing from hotel rooms, playing Angry Birds and Sudoku and reading (the backlighting doesn't bother me as much as it does some people). But personally I think it's too big to pull out on the street to get the hours of a store you don't usually shop at or locate the nearest post office when in a new place or check the cost of something on Amazon -- all things I've done with the iPhone since Friday.

I am thrilled to my toes with my iPhone. It's little, the camera is good and the apps are a lot of fun to use. The call quality also seems better than what I got on my Blackberry. We pay about $150 (Verizon) a month for 3 phones with the lowest number of talk minutes, 250 texts a month for each of 2 phones and unlimited internet access on the iPhone. If you already have Verizon, figure the monthly cost will go up about $30 or so for the data plan.

Sorry for the novella ... but that was a very respond-ible post!

[Lisame]

I think iphones should be issued to everyone regardless of financial situation. No one should be without.

As for price; I cheat. I live and work in Downtown Dallas (home of AT&T) and I manage the company's cell phones so AT&T kisses me lovingly often.

My sweetie and I both have fully loaded iphones with unlimited everything, uVerse, internet and wireless in the house (everything AT&T offers basically) all for $250.00 month.

I'm no help. Again, I think everyone should have an iphone.

[ali]

Wasn't that the competition for which Patrick sewed all the pants? I beg you to post a picture (cropped of course, to protect the id of the kids who aren't yours)of the team in their matching Patrick-pants!

Glad P is feeling, somewhat, better and E is dry!

[Jacquie]

Its easier when you've been with a specific company for a long period of time. They usually have something called (what t-mobile calls it) a "loyalty program". I pay, for myself only, 110$ a month for unlimited everything including the "tethering or hot spot/ wi fi " I just turn on my wifi on my phone and my laptop hooks automatically and I have 5 GB for a month for 14.99$ so that is my internet service as well since I don't have it at home. I have the my touch 4g and before I added the internet I was paying 97$ including taxes for just unlimited talk text and "phone web" which I guess is different. If you don't need all that time they have different plans but if you want the i-phone you have to pay for the data plan which can range from 20-40$ a month depending on when and where and who you buy it from. they also have different plans for minutes if you only need say 250 I think is the lowest they go and no text or 100 text you'd probably be paying about 30 for service and then 25 for data (I think Verizon is only 25 for data).
Anyway glad to her that Patrick is on the mend-ish and that Edward is potty trained!!!!! YAY

[Tine]

I'm having the opposite issue vis-a-vis iPhones. My hubs keeps insisting I need one. 'Cause I'm a freelancer & all that. I keep telling him I'm at home all day. We get great cable internet and our home wi-fi works like a charm. WTF do I need an iPhone for? Methinks HE wants me to have it so he can "borrow" it every day. Note: He doesn't need one either. He wants to play, I tell you! I've put my foot down until the dang device and the monthly fee are ridiculously cheap.

Hooray on the Patrick-potty-training-Edward front! What a fabulous big brother the Twinks have. He's so fabulous that I cannot fathom why the universe keeps smacking him around with health problems. He's got major savings stacked up in the Bank of Karma. It's long past time for that bank to make some disbursements.

[azita]

I love all things shiny and Apple and absolutely heart my iPhone and talked several family members into getting it as well but they have very poor cell phone reception? connection? whatever it is you need to conduct a phone convo reliably where they live and each and every blessed (or cursed) phone call gets dropped at least once if not more, so ... rambling on but moral is that if you're not going to have good reception, skip the iPhone, it is so not worth it, and if instead get the iTouch which has pretty much all the goodness of iPhone minus the phone part. My (hopefully somewhat coherent) 2 cents

[Craftyashley]

Phones: we are cheapy mccheaperstons on the phone issue. I desperately want an iPhone, but can't seem to justify the extra web plan. We currently pay $90/mo for two phones that share a bunch of minutes and have unlimited text. We're with AT&T. Having web would be awesome, I love my iPod touch (typing this on it!) and in retrospect what's an extra $60 really?

[Sarah]

Hope the ENT sorts out Patrick's bizzarro head cavity issue and he feels better ASAP.

I LOVE that Patrick potty trained Edward. Patrick should get some huge treat for that since he did the work. ;)

My 2.5+ year old boy did the same with potty training once I told him I would take him to ride a big steam train. Seriously. Same day, underpants only, very few accidents, hold pee for crazy long periods of time. It rocks.

As for phones, I lurv my iphone. LURV! Hubyy and I got them 6 months after son was born and they have saved our sanity. We can lay with him while he takes seven years to fall asleep (or more accurately after he's fallen asleep but when we know that moving means waking him), and surf or text each other. We share grocery lists, photos, etc. We text like crazy even though we rarely texted before that. We love them to pieces. We recently upgraded to iphone 4s via a trade-in deal. Our monthly bill for ulimited text, data, internet, etc is $150 a month. It's steep but we were paying almost that much for crappy non-internet/non-data phones before that with Sprint. It's how we keep ourselves entertained (and entertain DS).

[Dawn]

I have an AT&T iPhone and AT&T recently provided me with a Microcell to install in my house. The way it works is that the Microcell is attached to our internet connection somehow and then when we're within 40 feet of the thing, it boosts our cell phone reception. I don't know if Verizon has something similar, but my husband is convinced we got it because he kept using AT&T's "mark the spot" app when his phone dropped calls in the basement.

We have two iPhones and a Family Talk plan with 1400 minutes, unlimited night/weekend minutes, unlimited text messages, and unlimited data and we pay about $205 per month.

I really love my iPhone. And honestly, I've been happy with AT&T (we switched from Verizon about 2 years ago).

[AnnaN]

The husband and I picked up iPhones over the summer and I love it! This really surprised me as I am not a gadget hound. I never used my old Blackberry for anything except voice chatting. I don't text or really email, but the apps on the iPhone...oh la. The calendar alone has improved my life immeasurably. The Contacts List and capabilities are fabu. I no longer go grocery shopping with bits of scrap paper and scribbled lists (well, my finger tip typing is getting better and the results are less Fawlty-like, e.g., "Graofrit").

I used to scoff and do a dsicrete eye-roll whenever I heard the phrase "There's an app for that." Now? I wander around, and chirp (whenever appropriate) "ohmigod, there's an app for that!"

I do banking from my iPhone, find directions to everywhere/anywhere, check the weather, update my Neflix Q, etc. I don't normally like e-readers, but the graphics on the phone are amazing. And downloading the free classics to the Kindle app makes waiting anywhere more bearable. I'd much rather wait for my oil change while reading Pride and Prejudice than the available old magazines in the shop.

As others have mentioned - if you have wi-fi, you need not worry about lack of cell service in your home. In parting, I have only two words for you:

Buy iT.

Oh, make that four, I forgot:

Angry Birds.

[Kate]

I have the iPhone through AT&T, and I just pay for the fewest number of minutes (I'm a big fan of texting now!), which I think is 400/month, and I pay &75/month, which includes unlimited internet and texts. I think it's actually a pretty good deal.

[carosgram]

I have an iphone with AT&T. I pay 70.45 /month for 450 rollover minutes of talk. 200 text messages and unlimited data (internet). When I talk nights/ weekends/ or to another iphone it doesn't cost me minutes. I love the apps - checking on movies times etc., adding up the calories i eat each day, finding places to eat or sleep in new places, KAYAK for travel ( has unlisted phone numbers for all airlines so if you get bumped or cancelled you can call another airline immediately to reschedule) and all the free games etc. I have one of the old (before 3G) and am happy with it. Good luck in choosing what you want. By the by I also have an apple computer which links with my iphone and backs up all my date as I keep my calendar and contacts there also.

[amanda]

We use Verizon, and have had no problems. As a rule we love it. Husband switched from ATT which was a nightmare.

We have a family plan for two lines, totaling about 120/month. The "data package" for the internet and such as 30/month (included in the 120 i mentioned).

[Denise]

My work pays for my cell phone service, and while I know that is not an option for most people, can I suggest...business expense? Surely you could write it off.

My husband has had no end of troubles with his iPhone. It continually loses contact with its own SIM card and sometimes can't be charged. Since he won't check any voice mail on religious grounds, it makes it pretty hard to stay in touch.

I have a Blackberry for work and I think it's much easier to type on, but the browser isn't as sexy. Still, I'm mostly typing (responding to e-mails while I'm at t-ball practice or whatnot as though I'm fully engaged at work) and not browsing so it works for me.

[Kez]

Coming back to say that if you do decide to go for the iPod Touch or iPad, you'll need to factor in the cost of at least four, or possibly five, of them. As a previous commenter said: Angry Birds.

[fidi]

Yay Edward. Isn't it nice to get rid of all the diaper stuff? And you were worried he may not be potty trained by summer... I had the same worry with my almost 3 1/2 year old, that he would not be ready for summer school (he will be 3 3/4 by then). My husband just took the diapers away over the winter holidays and we emerged diaper free. Turned out that he was better at daycare than at home, since he is in love with the small toilets they have. My older one was trained over a weekend when he was 3 years and 7 months or so. I really don't know of too many kids that are potty trained before 3. I think the so called "average" age is total nonsense and so thinks my pedi. He just gives a "normal range" and says most kids fall into that and most of the kids in his practice are older than 3. My friends daughter is an exception, she was trained before she turned 2 years old, but her mom had to ask her every 1/2 hour or so for 9 months if she had to go potty. She also refused public bathrooms which made outings rather challenging. My friend said that the early potty training comes with a lot of disadvantages. I think our "late" kids are also accident free faster. After 2 months I hardly worry about accidents anymore.
All the best to Patrick, I really want him to be 100% again.

[Christine]

We have iPhones with AT&T and they just gave us a Micro-Cell (I'm assuming because we've complained about getting poor coverage in our house and the whole new competition thing with Verizon). It's amazing - we have fabulous reception now! I don't know if it's something you can get for any network, but it apparently normally runs $200. The husband took it down to where all internet and wireless stuff happens and plugged in some stuff and it works.

Good luck!

[Sarah]

Thinking all the best for Patrick's complete recovery.

And as much as the iPhone is awesome, we still went with an android through Virgin Mobile. $25 for 300 minutes (which I never even get close to) and unlimited text and internet. It is the same coverage as sprint.

The negatives - either slower internet than iPhone or my Sprint coverage was not as good as the dad next to me with an Iphone the other day. And you buy the phone, but at $25/mo for service it is really easy to make that math work.

[winecat]

Much relief about Patrick, I think.

We too live in a tin can and string area. If it's raining and I stand in the middle of the driveway crying I can get my therapist, otherwise it's pretty iffy. So although I would LOVE an iphone I stick with my same old not even a smart phone for car emergencies.

[Naomi]

I have a cheap pay-as-you-go phone from Virgin Wireless that costs about $12/month since I don't use it much.

I also have an iPod Touch. We have wireless at home, most of the places I spend a lot of time have wireless access, and we get our Internet from USI so we can even take advantage of the citywide wireless (although it's flaky and works best if I'm standing RIGHT UNDER one of their magic boxes). There's no subscription fee and I can have apps and it's small enough that I can carry it in a pocket or hooked to a belt. I would totally love an iPad, too, though, those things are cooooool.

[Cheapy McCheaperson]

I'm too lazy to read through all the comments, but if no one has suggested it yet, why not just get an IPAD TOUCH (iTOUCH). It's an iphone without the phone service. Retail is $229 to $399 but you can find them for less than that. It has wifi. You can play all the apps on an iTouch. You can make skype calls from it. It may even have 3G or 4G or one of those Gs I never use. It has 2 cameras. It can record HD video. It has no monthly service charge. Make sure you get the most recent version (Gen 4?).

I know this because I was recently considering getting one so I could use it to show off photos of my 3 yo daughter easily. But I'm cheap, so instead I ended up buying a $10 photo keychain from Amazon that can hold 100 photos.

You know all the things the iXL can do? Letter writing - that's an app! Photo gallery - that's an app! The drawing feature - that's an app! Story - that's an app! Music player - that's an app! An app is a stripped down program with a very narrow focus for what it can do.

[animzmirot]

I am the epitome of New England frugal. I have an IPod touch which does practically everything except make phone calls. For my phone I have what my kis affectionately call "the ghetto phone" which has a keyboard and texting and could get the internet if I didn't have the Itouch. The plan is from MetroPCS and it cost $40/month. Basically I get all the goodness of an Iphone for an elcheapo price. Best thing about this whole plan was that when my kids were in high school I could text them to their ITouchs and never had to pay a penny for phones for them.

[Karen B]

I can now admit that I fervently prayed for a 4th place finish every year when my daughter was in DI - high enough to make the kids feel good, out of the danger zone of advancing - and I was not only a mom but also the coach! DI is a great program, but for the parents it lasts forever, and that whole "thou shallt not help" thing is HARD.

[Melissa]

Boring as hell? Hello, no! Thanks for the update!

[Patricia]

My son, who is all about tech, told me that the iphone was the only item that lived up to the hype. I agree - love mine - more than my computer! Cost, as others have noted, from AT&T, runs around $150 for hubby and me - includes everything.

Yay Edward!

[Wendy]

Sprint HTC Evo is the best phone ever. I pay around $80/month for unlimited everything. I believe the iPhone/pod/pad/whatever and Droid apps are very similar. But if you want to use Google (email, calendar, etc.) to its fullest potential you need a Droid smartphone (it automatically syncs contacts and calendars!!!), and Evo is a fabulous choice.

[jen w]

So, you wouldn't be able to use the phone at all at home? If not, don't spend the money. It is really expensive to have the data packages. I have t-mobile HTC, love it. With me, my hubby, and son it is close to $200 per month. I use it a lot, so does my hubby for work. If i couldn't use it at home, I would not get one. I would recommend an ipod touch. You can get internet and all the apps on it, and no monthly fee (just the charge for songs, apps that cost money etc). But if you have wifi, you can get internet on it. Even better would be the ipad (we don't have but I want one!) if you are willing to spend that much.

[B.Mare]

Whoops, am I ever late on the catch up. We're had our own (mercifully relatively minor) infection stuffus to deal with here and so I've fallen behind. Lordy what a nightmare you've been having. Wishing Patrick (and you!)the best.

And this is timely because my god, have I been wanting an iphone but am swithering.

[PiquantMolly]

Delurking to say glad things are looking up for Patrick and I'll be waiting to see what the ENT says.

And? I was in Odyssey of the Mind (the precursor/kissing cousin of Destination ImagiNation) when I was in junior high and then again in high school in Minnesota. They always have a balsa-wood-structure-with-associated-skit division, and when I was a senior in high school our team won first place at district. And then first at state. And then on to globals in College Park, MD. My poor parents! I understand you completely.

I was in the skits. Not one technical-y engineering-y bone in my body.

[elsimom]

One more vote for the ipad. You can use it anywhere there is WiFi (i.e. your house, the parking lot of Patrick's school, Caribou, etc.) and then you can just go with el-cheapo cell phone for actual phoning.
Also - no one has mentioned this (that I saw) but to get the Iphone you have to pay for the phone itself in addition to the service. So - since you have to pay for the phone, and then the service, you might as well buy an ipad and have all the really great features.
I just got back from vacation, so had missed all the updates on Patrick - my goodness! (why had I not followed while on vacation? - see above notes re: work-issued phone). Keeping you all in my thoughts.

[kara]

Continued good thoughts for Patrick, and congrats on Edward's recent accomplishment.

I accidentally left my cell phone in a taxi several years ago and honestly haven't missed it. I carry what is effectively a $35/mo tin can around for emergencies and it works just fine. I wish I didn't find smart phones distracting - I feel left out!

[Genevieve]

A sinus infection can definitely make migraines much worse - sinus pressure can affect them - so it could be a bad sinus infection and also migraines. But the good thing there is once the sinus infection is cleared up, that could make the migraines much better (if that's what they are), maybe a rare or occasional thing.

[Christine]

I don't use internet on my phone because I would never get off the internet on my phone. My husband's blackberry costs us about 110ish a month for the data plan and the bells and whistles.

SO glad that Patrick seems to be feeling better and that his various issues seem to be getting treatment. Phew! But do keep us posted.

[Queenie]

I'm in Europe, so what we pay for the iPhone is irrelevant (cell phones are cheaper here, anyway). You know what I love about it, though? I shut off the roaming features when we are at home (cell phones in Europe come with limited data plans, and I'm always paranoid about going over), and set it so it is pulling off our wifi internet at home. This is PERFECT because I can read my email and easily surf the internet with one hand on the iPhone, because it is small and great, while using the other hand to do baby stuff. It's like having a little mini computer. With awesome apps.

[Libby]

Oh my gravy. I missed all the medical drama!I am relieved that there is no tumor but still concerned about the infection. I hope everything is resolved quickly and that he is back to his healthy self in no time.

I used to laugh about people addicted to their iphones. Then I go one. And I love it, so much. We pay to much but it's worth every single penny. Being able to google stuff and access your e-mail while on the go is too fantastic for words. And there are so.may.cool.apps! I think our plan is like $150 for my husband and me and it includes everything. We only have a limited number or minutes and texts a months but we don't run out as we don't talk just to talk. It works for us.

[AnnaN]

Wishing all is well for the ENT visit today.

[Nicole]

Julia:
Have never commented before, but have been following you since pre-Patrick. Did you ever get the results back from the Lyme test? I was hospitalized with Lyme two years ago (2 months after giving birth to twins) and ended up with Lyme encephalitis - same symptoms as what Patrick has been going through. Just throwing it out there. I'm glad he's feeling better!!

- Nic