Whap

I mentioned to Steve much of what I told you about Celexa and he nodded and said, yes, yes, true, true, much better, now with 1000% less get-a-grip but... did you also mention the narcolepsy?

So in the spirit of unvarnished disclosure: for the past month or two I have been noticing what might be considered a side effect. Namely, I start to read stories to Caroline and Edward after lunch but we only make it through about three or four books (or half a Curious George) before my eyes roll back into my head and my last conscious thought is of reaching for the remote control. Thus Steve frequently finds me sound asleep under the pages of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, while Caroline and Edward sit on top of me watching Wonderpets. Since my inability to sleep let alone nap harks back into my infancy Steve feels - reasonably - that the Celexa is making me unnaturally sleepy. So be it. Nothing is perfect and when Edward fell and bit through his lip today I was a beacon of maternal calm due at least in part to Celexa.

That said I do find it inconvenient to pass out for an hour in the middle of the day and I will discuss it with my doctor when I see him next month. I've started running again and I think that plus the vaguely Buddhist recommended therapies plus the fact that the children are getting bigger (I have loved loved loved having newborn/baby/toddler twins but the fact that they seemed so breakable and there were two of them and one is Caroline, frankly, stressed me out) might lead to a Celexa exit strategy. We'll see. 

He was his sunny self again by this afternoon but if you look closely you can see where Edward punctured himself and you do not have to look closely at all to see where he hit his chin. He and Caroline were playing in the basement with Patrick and it was more or less at the exact moment that I loaded the dishwasher and reflected upon how nice it was that the kids are old enough to play without constant supervision that Patrick burst upstairs with the news that Edward was hurt. I was able to gauge the severity of the injury less by Edward's shrieks (Edward always sounds like that) than by the fact that having delivered the news Patrick promptly flung a banket over his head.

Edward and I met on the basement stairs and he was bleeding all over the place.

"I bumped my yip," he sobbed "and I am beeding ah ovah the pace."

I gave him a cold, wet cloth and a kiss and some tylenol and decided to take him to the doctor after Steve looked at the oozing lip and shrugged eloquently. Since this is not my first rodeo I packed a bag suitable not only for the pediatrician's office but also for the emergency room. So far only at about 25% of our urgent care visits turn into hospital trips but still... one in four. When I took Caroline into the doctor for her mouth/chin gash we waited for an hour for the walk-in doctor only to be told that they send facial cuts to Childrens' to be stitched. Then we had to drive and wait all over again and the six books I had brought for the lobby were no longer meeting her needs. So this time I was ready.

After he stopped crying Edward realized he quite liked the attention he was getting, which either says "twin" or "youngest" or "hypochondriac." He was very chatty at the pediatrician, telling first the receptionist and then the nurse, "I bumped my yip." When we got into the exam room he stood on the chair in order to see himself in the mirror and then tried different expressions (The Waif, The Urchin, The Orphan) to highlight his pitifulness. 

When the nurse asked how it happened he said, as if surprised by the obviousness of the question, "I bumped it when I falled."

This reminded me of my old friend Pete who jumped from a third story window when his new roommates set the house on fire. They were freebasing in the oven, just in case you were wondering how that happened, and if you were wondering why Pete moved into this den of iniquity it is because he had been crashing in my four room apartment for three weeks and I finally told him he simply must find a new place to live. And yes it has been twenty years and yes I still feel guilty about it.

Pete, who had broken half the bones in his body, was conscious when he got to the emergency room so the nurse gave him forms to fill out. When he was asked whether the given address was his current address he wrote "not anymore" and when asked to describe the cause of his injuries he said "not the fall. the ground." Pete was always very droll.

Where was I? Oh right. I was telling you about how Edward explained that it wasn't the fall it was the rapid deceleration into the arm of the chair that bumped his yip.

The doctor studied his mouth for a long time and finally decided that it was better to leave it as it is. She did not think they could get the edges much closer with stitches and she thought he would basically eat off any dermabond so she told me to watch out for infection and sent us on our way.

I saw our usual doctor in the hallway and he came over to ask how Patrick is doing. I told him that Patrick had another episode on Saturday (oh by the way - Patrick had another headache/vomit/fall asleep thing on Saturday) and that we were seeing the ENT next week for a CT scan. He said good and that we should bring him into the clinic again too.

Speaking of Saturday, last week I sent out an email to all the neighbors we know with kids about the same age as ours and said that we were going to be hanging out at our house after dinner on Saturday and they were welcome to bring a bottle of wine and their kids and come join us until bedtime. This was a new form of entertaining for me (wildly half-assed and exponentially liberating) and it was surprisingly fun. We had five or six couples and about a dozen children and I made crab dip and "cookies" (Jane Brody recipe - combines rolled oats and wheat flour with a little egg white, a sprinkle of sugar and few chocolate chips; I figured it was harmless enough for kids at that hour) and that was it. The kids ran around like maniacs, the adults drank wine and watched basketball and when the little kids went home/to sleep we put on a movie for Patrick and his particular friends and continued with the wine and the watching. Or we would have if Patrick hadn't appeared suddenly at my side and announced that he had a headache and needed to go to bed with a bucket right that second. Within five minutes he had vomited, taken some ibuprofen and fallen into a profound sleep in the center of our bed. By morning he was fine again. I continue to be mystified. He had gone to tumbling that day but it was hours earlier so... I don't know. I really don't know what is going on with him and I am anxious to get back to the ENT so we can either diagnose or rule out some more things.

Ah yes. Basketball. Some of you mentioned your surprise that I made it all the way through the month without mentioning the High Holy Days of March. Nerts, I say. First our entire clan got obliterated in the suicide pool (elimination format; one team per day but you can only pick a team to win once during the entire tournament - it takes careful planning, razor sharp instincts and a certain hoops genius. like I said, all five of us got knocked out by day three.) Then I wallowed at the bottom of the money pool until Sunday when all of the sudden my Kentucky pick wasn't looking so very silly after all. In fact, it looks brilliant except for the fact that our old football pool nemesis (PHIL - you have to hiss it, PHIL) also has Kentucky picked and he has more points that I do so there is no way I can win even if Kentucky does. So... VC-who? VCU! Woot.    

I was so touched by Caroline's obvious concern for Edward until she explained that she was crying because she wanted to go to the doctor and get a sticker toooooooooooo. It was all very Madeline.

PS The comforter that allows Steve to play Inuit while I stay sensibly warmed is made by Cuddledown and is from their Dual Warmth line. We got the cheapest option as I recall and it is still very soft and nice and everything. Link here.

PPS Book time!

Patrick and I got lost in the Chrestomanci series. Not, I hasten to say, because of the books themselves but because of our limited access to them in an audio version. We wound up with The Lives of Christopher Chant on cassette, which I cannot play in the car. I tried bringing a forty year old boom box with us as we drove to school but 1) Patrick could barely hear it and 2) it goes through 8 C batteries in, like, twelve minutes. I finally checked the book out for him today and I expect he will simply read the rest of the series. So we need something else to listen to. Is The Hunger Games too much for him do you think? Is Fablehaven worth listening to?

Also, Caroline and Edward have developed a passion for... it's hard to explain but it is a fictionalized account of one of Vivaldi's violin students arriving at the orphanage and it appears at the end of one of their Vivaldi CDs. Edward has a screamy passion for Vivaldi (BiBALdi.) Four Seasons. Fall. Allegro. and Caroline likes most of Winter and the presto part of Summer so that is all we ever listen to in the car. As you can imagine this was getting a bit old (I'm not so into classical and although I guess Vivaldi is fine he's not, like, Mads Langer or anything) so at first I was pleased when they started asking for the Vivaldi story part over and over again. Now, however, however it is driving me to the brink of madness.

We must find something new but what books are there that I can listen to with Caroline and Edward? I tried Stuart Little today and it started well enough but by chapter three Caroline's polite "Bibaldi please" had turned into a shrill "I don't LIKE Stuart! I don't LIKE him! I want that little two inch mouse to go right back down that drain."

So any audiobook recommendations for Patrick or Caroline/Edward or (with summer car trips fast approaching) a trifecta of Patrick/Caroline/Edward appropriateness? 

PPS I am debating a summer return to speech therapy for Edward. I truly cannot decide if his lack of L's and gummy R's and slipshod THs and SHs and CHs are age-appropriate. My instinct is that his speech is getting markedly clearer without any outside assistance and no one else (like his preschool teachers) has mentioned it so I might just be seeing him to his disadvantage through crystalline Caroline. Or maybe he needs a little more therapy. Can't decide.

Comments

[Kristin]

We've begun listening to the Growler Adventures and my daughter adores them. There are songs and stories and they are done by kids for kids (there are adults involved in the actual recording, of course). This isn't a book on tape but rather more like a radio adventure series. There's no narrator - the kids present the story as if it's happening to them right in the moment. Really innovative, smart and fun.

www.growler.com

[Leah]

My mother gave us linen sheets from Cuddledown as a holiday gift a few years ago and it has spoiled us for all other sheets--warm in the winter, cool in the summer, awesome (if wrinkly) at all times. They're wicked expensive though, or we'd get extras.

Have you guys done the Mary Poppins books yet? Seems like they might entertain both ages. Same for Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Both skew younger, but they're still pretty entertaining.

[Marivic]

I love your blog, and your commenters are amazing (so much helpful info!) - thanks!

[Stephanie]

I would say no on the Hunger Games. I liked them well enough, but they are not as difficult or interesting as, say, the Golden Compass series mentioned above, but far more gruesome and disturbing. Wait until he is in very late elementary and in need of dystopian sci fi pulp. If it's fantasy he's into, has he already read the Lord of the Rings series? Or does it need to be sci fi?

[Maureenreads]

I still think you should listen to "The Boggart" and "The Boggart Returns". They are by Susan Cooper and delightful for child and parent alike.

[Anne]

How dare you not like Vivaldi! ;-)

I actually love a lot of his concertos, especially the L'estro Armonico #'s 10 and 11. But then, I'm a sucker for Baroque composers in any form, and especially in a minor key.

(P.S.--I forgive your sacrilege.)

[Sarah]

My son is six month younger than the twins and did a year of speech therapy last year. The sounds you mention are later developing. Sadly, I named my kid Charlie, which is therapist said was just cruel for a kid with a speech issue. Oh well. It's adorable to hear him say it, fumbles and all.

[Becky]

Totally off-topic, but did you and Patrick happen to go to the Macy's flower show today? I swear I saw you guys there. We were walking in opposite directions and by the time I realized where I recognized you from (or thought I did anyway), you were lost in the crowd...

[Terri C]

*I* can't read the Hunger Games. (I see enough at work that for off-work reading I am only able to do bathtub books and the occasional well-crafted police procedural). Sure hope Patrick's appointment gives you some good information. LOVE Edward's photo, and Caroline's honesty about Her Feelings.

[Emily]

re. celexa and sleepiness - My husband started taking celexa ~10 years ago for reasons of anxiety/moodiness/insomnia. And it dealt quite nicely with all three. Maybe you're just now able to catch up on all those years of sleep deprivation due to your insomnia?

One other note. And I'm reluctant to say anything because I hate it when people give medication on advice based only on their own anecdotal data, but this is something that doctors do NOT adequately understand or warn their patients of, and you do need to be aware. If/when you want to stop the celexa? Do a thorough internet search so that you know what you will go through. This is not a pill that you can wean yourself off of in a week or two, and even if you follow the 10% reduction per week protocol, you may end up with some symptoms that are really scary if you don't know what to expect (panic attacks, even if you never had them before, and other really weird physical stuff). It can be done, you'll be fine, but it is not as simple a pill to stop taking as many doctors suggest. Forewarned is forearmed!

[Mrs. G]

Though I don't think it's quite what you're looking for in length, my daughter really loves Zin Zin Zin a Violin. You get to hear each instrument alone and then with a group as they come together to form a symphony.

http://www.amazon.com/Zin-Violin-Caldecott-Honor-Book/dp/0671882392

[Ruth]

Oh! One more series ... has Patrick read Redwall (by Brian Jacques) yet? (Heh ... I just turned to my 17 year old and said, "Help me! The books with medieval mice." He knew instantly.) Great books, and available on CD as well.

There's also a cartoon version that ran on PBS.

[Christina]

I want all of your kids to be healthy and urgent care-visit free for a long long time, if the universe is listening to me. Poor Edward and Patrick, and sticker-deprived Caroline.

My son's a few weeks older than Edward and Caroline, and while his Ls are fine (I can't remember them ever being y-like, which could just be mummy brain memory failure) his th- and sh- sounds are still pretty much d- and s-. So I'm delighted Kim says it's appropriate -- I hadn't been worried, but started after reading this to wonder if I should be. Yay for the commenters here.

I'm also delighted by @GJM's son's love for the "Statue of Livery" which mine calls the "Statue of Liver-ty."

Further love and delight for the story about Pete. I hope he recovered quickly and found better roommates from then on.

[Anna]

Those sounds Edward has trouble with are all ones expected to be mastered later. If 'sh' is still a problem around age 4-5, then you'd work on it. (I worked in a phonology clinic with a 4-year-old on that sound.)

re: Celexa...a side effect you might not experience...but might...is an inconvenient sexual one of being really eager to get ON the bus but then never actually ARRIVING ANYWHERE, if you know what I mean. A month after I stopped it, I was back to normal. (Thankfully.)

Still holding Patrick in my thoughts...

[SusanOR]

Um, no audiobook recommendations here. We're still doing music that I can stand to listen to (until I get sick of Bob The Builder music and announce that Bob needs to take a vacation!)

In our car:
They Must Be Giants -- NO (some delightful lyrics)
The Alphabeticians - Rock (local Portland kids band, delightful lyrics, available on the net)
Bob The Builder -- English version
Peter, Paul & Mary - Greatest Hits
Pete Seeger - The Children's Concert (great old folk songs, includes Abiyoyo - a preschool hit around here)
IZ - Facing Forward (includes Hawaaian Supa' Man)
Jimmy Buffett
Motown (anything at all - my daughter rocks out to "My Girl" - she calls it the song about meeee! We've got the soundtrack to The Big Chill in the car, a nice sampling of Motown)

[Susan]

It really is too bad Caroline is not more articulate, no?

[Kirsten]

I'll second Frog and Toad, Frances and the Mercy Watson collection. We have all of these memorized at our house and I am woefully behind on my NPR podcasts now that the toddler controls the audio selections. We also have a fun Dr. Seuss collection, if you can get past Kelsey Grammer's recent escapades while listening to Cat in the Hat. I've gotten some good ideas reading the comments...might actually swoon if I hear Neil Patric Harris reading Henry Huggins.

[Nikki]

Caroline's sad face makes me think of my own personal sadness at age 4 when my younger sister was the lucky recipient of a SUCKER after an emergency room visit for a tremendous goose egg on the forehead following an ill-advised attempt at diving from the sink into the bathtub. The fact that /I/ suggested that my 2.5 year old sister "dive" into the tub didn't phase me, I was pissed that I didn't get any candy... and my mom didn't know of my role in the incident until my sister and I were in college. She tried to ground me. 20 years later. Hope Edward heals quickly! :)

[Kate]

What?! No love for Butler??

That is all.

[jennamom2boys]

Re: celexa exit strategy. Why not try Lexapro? It's the same medicine but they've fooled with the molecule so that less of a dose has the same effect, which means bothersome side effects are maybe less of a bother. I am a HUGE fan of Lexapro. It's the only thing that keeps me from being immobile on the sofa for fear of... everything. Just happened to be reading this and it made me think of you! http://crazymeds.com/

[jen]

I didn't find The Hunger Games all that dark...I mean not any more so than LOTR, the later Harry Potters, Percy jacksons, etc. I don't know though, mine is still 3 so take it with a grain of salt. I would say you could probably read it within a day or so and decide for yourself. Mine doesn't really like to listen to stories yet but he will gladly listen to ME tell him stories so maybe make some up on the long car rides...we have a hamster who gets out of his cage and has adventures. Its rather fun to come up with new ones.

I adore Caroline's expression in that picture. She's a doll. Glad to hear Edward was not seriously hurt and hope you hear good things from the ENT appt for Patrick.

[tuesy]

We have an excellent CD of Peter and the Wolf as told by Dame Edna. It rocks.

[Alexicographer]

@Kim thanks for posting that link to ASHA. My DS is about a year older than Edward and still hasn't mastered Rs, Ls, and Ss (FWIW, Julia), leaving me wondering if I'm being too blasee about all this. I have a friend who's a speech pathologist and who assures me my son's language development is normal, though she works with (older) kids with issues (in the schools) leaving me to wonder if she sees so many problems that it's hard to remember what normal is. But honestly, it's far from obvious to me from what you (Julia) write that Edward's development is in any way unusual -- maybe just being around Caroline makes it seem so? Of course it's always possible I'm way off but the ASHA site seems overall consistent with what I'm being told, which is that even at 4, those letters can be problematic.

[AnnWS]

I agree that Wee Free Men, A Hatful of Sky, and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs, are wonderful. Hilarious and clever. I often had to sit in my car and listen until the end of the chapter. The fourth--I Shall Wear Midnight--was just published last fall and not readily available on CD (and read by someone else).

How about some Sherlock Holmes for Patrick and you? There are "radio plays" but the stories are available, too. Not exactly action-packed, but good puzzles.

And I agree--no Hunger Games yet. It is "Survivor" with teenagers, but to the death. And the deaths are grisly and of people we like. (Hard to imagine how the movie will be anything but R-rated if kept true to the book.) I thought the 3rd one--Mockingjay--was particularly heavy and dark--took me a long time to get through it because of all the deaths of children and others. Needs a lot of discussion. I listened to these, too, and they are tough to listen to (although the narrator was great.)

Washington County Library subscribes to two useful electronic resources. NoveList K-8 and NovelListPlus can help find new books based on characteristics of books you like. Handy to search from home. If you create a NoveList account, you can maintain lists of what you want to read.

[ivfcycler]

Dark is Rising series!

[Shannon B.]

A possible thought on Patrick from someone who is definitely not a doctor: I have a good friend who started having fainting spells that we thought might be blood sugar related. He would suddenly turn green, feel nauseas, his eyes would roll back in his head and he would pass out. Turns out it had nothing to do with blood sugar, but was in fact anxiety attacks. He is such a laid back guy that he had never really experienced anxiety until his late twenties when he got laid off and because anxiety was something he was so unaccustomed to he couldn't handle it.

Maybe?

[Helen]

Hello,
Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper, Truckers (Bromeliad) Trilogy by Terry Pratchett, Wee Free Men Series by Terry Pratchett - basically anything by Sir Terry, the man is a God when it comes to humourous, clever writing with a real understanding of the ups and downs of being human (or troll/or gnome/or dwarf/or werewolf etc etc), Isabel Allende's kids eco series City of the Beasts etc.,the Narnia series ,Alan Garner. Hunger Games - recommend you read them all first, then decide. Very violent and I found them fairly depressing - go for Terry Pratchett!

[Jody]

Of course I'm defensive because I'm copping to letting ten-year olds read The Hunger Games, but fair warning, the first Redwall book has many, many gruesome deaths (of animals, but they've been thoroughly anthropomorphized) and Alex Rider won the "which death is the grossest" competition at our dinner table, going away by a mile. Although in that case, it was the gruesome bones-exploding-from-within death of a bad guy, not the never-explicitly-described we're-all-still-grieving death of one of the heroine's one true friends.

Actually I came back to suggest Diana Wynne Jones's books, especially Howl's Moving Castle and House of Many Ways (there's a third Howl-tangential book, Castle in the Air, but it's not quite as good). If those are available on audio tape, they would be excellent choices.

The Fablehaven books were very popular here, and they are nice chunky books, five to the series.

[Terrill]

Oh, yes, I bet Patrick would like Hatchet.

My younger daughter (two months older than C & E) loves the audio CDS we have of

1. Kevin Henkes stories

http://www.amazon.com/Lillys-Big-Day-Other-Stories/dp/0061130443

2. A very British woman reading Francis

http://www.amazon.com/Frances-Audio-Collection-Read-Book/dp/006085281X

And there's nothing like hearing your three-year-old repeat Francis' witticisms in a fake-British accent!

[Tine]

Falling asleep in the afternoon after reading 3 or 4 picture books isn't narcolepsy. It's normal. I highly doubt I'd make it through 2 without nodding off! :)

[babelbabe]

Stuart Little always creeped me right out, so go, Caroline!
and while *I* loved The Hunger Games and have even tentatively recommended them to my 10yo (who by dint of his Star Wars addiction is inured to over the top death, destruction, and mayhem...), I am not sure they'd be ok for Patrick. He seems a tad on the sensitive side for them - they are very violent and can be wrenching. you could read them first and see - you'll zip thru them and they are GOOD.

[Lis]

Hello! Long time lurker first time poster.

Diana Wynne Jones (who died earlier this week, sadly) wrote many many books. Chrestomanci is her best known creation, but the Howl's Moving Castle series is excellent, as are the Crown of Dalemark quartet. My personal favourite is Archer's Goon.

I'd also recommend Garth Nix, if fantasy is a favoured genre.

Not sure how many of these are on audio...

[Jenn]

The 39 Clues series comes in Audiobooks. Have no idea what the books are like myself but Sam is OBSESSED with them, as he tends to get with books, and well, um, everything. The first is written by Rick Riordan. I think he's read/listened to all of Riordan's stuff. Sam really enjoyed the last two that were outside of the Percy Jackson series.

[Elinor]

I highly recommend everything by Diana Wynne Jones. Definitely would recommend Archer's Goon for Patrick. You'd also both probably like Homeward Bounders. My favourites are Fire & Hemlock and Hexwood, but they'll maybe be better in a few years time -- slightly more adult themes. I hope you get to some more of them -- they're brilliant.

[Elinor]

Also by Diana Wynne Jones is the Dalemark quarter, also brilliant and age appropriate I think. And also A Tale Of Time City by her is great too.

I'd also second the person who recommended Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series. And both me (aged 16-18) my mum (older) and one of my brothers (12-14 at the time) devoured Tamora Pierce books but they always seemed a bit of a guilty pleasure...

[H]

Huh. Well, my kids are into the classics too right now - you know, the Beatles, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Madness, KC & the Sunshine Band... Yellow Submarine has been on repeat for the trip to school this week. Thank goodness our drive is only 10 minutes!

When we were kids, before the age of travel DVD players (looong before), we liked to listen to ballets. Swan Lake was a favorite, actually. And the Mozart operas can be surprisingly entertaining, too, esp. the Magic Flute.

No book suggestions... but I love reading everyone else's. I'm waiting patiently for the day when I can strap the kids in for a 10 hour road trip and make them listen to the Hobbit!

[Alison]

I don't think my kids realize that you can listen to anything other than NPR in the car... That's my solution, and I'm sticking to it.
:)

[Sara]

I just wanted say that what you are describing with celexa is what I went through with lexapro. I don't know if they are in the same class but I was told anything in lexapro's class would cause that same side effect. Of course I could never go anywhere on the bus either (as mentioned in the comments above)....its amazing I didn't change meds faster! :)

[Jan]

I am a SLP and from what you have described his speech is age appropriate...the sounds you mentioned develop at a later age. Save your money... :)

[Steph]

Afraid I'm not much of a help on the books. My 15 month-old is more content in the act of destroying them as opposed to reading them.

I had crippling migraines in my youth and what Patrick is experiencing sounds exactly like what I endured. Huge hopes that the CT reveals the cause.

Oh, and after reading the comments, I am now horrified by the premise of this Hunger Games series and will make sure to put it on the "avoid" list for later. Yikes!
Loved A Wrinkle in Time and perhaps the George and Martha series would be a good one for the twinkles? I vivdly remembering both my mother and I laughing until we cried while reading the one involving the pea soup.

[Gillian]

Have you ever done a food diary with Patrick to see if his headaches are food related? I can't recommend a Naturopath enough. It's worth a shot, no? My Naturopathic Doctor changed my life, and my son's life too.

[Throwingutah]

Here's another vote for leaving Edward be. My firstborn is of the "won't use a word until he's sure how it's pronounced" school, so someone who charmingly mispronounces things is a little...new. We visited the pre-K speech people about his esses and his "th" and "ch" sounds (which were Not Up to Par) and damn if he's not getting them right by the end of the school year.

[Eva]

We do lots of kids' books on CD from the library and my kids will listen to anything once. Some of the favorites:
Anything in the Skippy John Jones series.
Bear Snores On and others in series (maybe too young now?)

[victoria]

Julie, if you are in a mood to do public service announcements about Celexa, have you ever thought about discussing its impact or lack thereof on your weight?

I was an an SSRI for years, and couldn't figure out why I was fat no matter how strenuously I dieted + exercised until I stopped the SSRI, at which point I dropped 4 sizes in a few months.

I've been scared of SSRIs ever since.

[winecat]

Glad to hear very one is mostly in one piece.

RE:Celexa have you tried taking it at night. For myself I usually wake up around 5:30 or 6, take it and go back to sleep but your gang is probably already stirring at the hour.
Call you Doc and she what he/she says.

[Cathy]

Has Patrick read any of the Gordon Korman books - the ones from the MacDonald hall series?

The three year old in my house is enjoying Dr Seuss books on CD - Green Eggs and Ham and other Servings of Seuss (read by David Hyde Pierce, Jason Alexander, and Michael McKean). We also have a bunch of D*sny/Pxr CDs that have the story of a movie and three songs each on them.

[llcsis]

At some point, someone must have mentioned the Indian in the Cupboard series. I was amazed that 1) it was a series, 2) it was better than the movie and 3) i liked them so much that I couldn't help myself and read ahead of the kids on my own.

I thought Mr. Poppers Penguins would lose my kids (about 3 and 5 at the time) but they loved it. Go figure.

[Erin]

What about Gordon Korman? Specifically his Bruno and Boots series (a group of friends at a boy's boarding school in Ontario) - both my brother and I loved them when we were about Patrick's age (and, I confess, I rebought them all from Amazon last year to reread and feel like they hold up).

[Alex]

I was on Paxil for several years and just got sleepier and sleepier on it until I was sleeping about 16 hours a day (seriously, no exaggeration). I eventually switched to a different medication and I don't think it does quite as good a job of controlling my depression, I'm able to be awake about 14 hours a day, which is a nice change. So trying different meds might be worthwhile--but, be aware that it can be a rough process. Some AD meds are awful to go off, and others are awful to start. (Going off the Paxil was hellish. (You know how when you spin around for a while, after you stop if feels like the room is still moving? I had that for about two weeks. The first time I tried I gave up after a few days; I eventually had to block out two weeks when I didn't try to work or do anything else except avoid puking.) But from what my doctor said, apparently most people manage to function while they're changing meds, and I am glad I did it, now that it's over with.

So my advice would be to consider trying different meds, but be ready for the fact that you will almost certainly feel crappy and may be totally incapacitated. If my experience is a guide, when your doctor hears about your issue, s/he'll probably immediately suggest a different medication, with the assumption that you'll make the change immediately, but remember that you don't have to actually do it right away. (They will not tell you this, but you don't!) Obviously there's no good time to know in advance that you're going to feel like shit warmed over, especially since you're SAHM with three kids and can't call in sick from that, but you can pick the time that it would suck the least.

[heather`]

I am surprised no one mentioned it, but "The Mysterious Benedict Society" is a series that I think would appeal to all of you. Maybe you have already read it, though.