"I don't WANT a cookie!"

?!?
You KNOW your child is sick when she tells you that! Poor kid -- Miriam is recovering from a nasty ear infection. Thank God this is only the second she's had in her life. I don't know what Moms do whose kids have them regularly! She's been miserable all weekend b/c it hurt her to open her mouth. Eating was out of the question. She's basically been living on Pedialyte pops and banana smoothies. I just want to take a moment and get down on my knees and thank that blessed person who discovered penicillin. (my medical history's a little hazy Cassius... was that Pasteur? or Pascal? or some other French P dude? Jean-Claude, perhaps? or Philippe? -that was for you, Suebee) :) I think it's starting to kick in -- this afternoon she ate two bowls each of applesauce, raspberry yogurt, and refried beans & cheese, followed by a bowl of Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream (to make up for not being able to share in the cookies and muffins Mommy and Daddy were eating in front of her all weekend. but WHAT was Daddy thinking when he bought it during Lent? b/c of course Mommy's going to "help" Miriam eat it). :) And she wasn't asking for "yummy medicine kabuzz my ear's still hurting" every 20 minutes. ("Yummy medicine" is cherry-corn-syrup-flavored Tylenol, as opposed to "pink medicine" which even though it's bubble-gum-corn-syrup-flavored Amoxicillin is apparently still yucky. I LOVED the stuff when I was a kid. But the faces she makes when she's taking it are hiLARious. We often have to sing "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" from Mary Poppins, just to get her to open her mouth.)

So, it's been a fun fun fun weekend in the Pickles household!