Dermatologist Visit

I took Houston to the dermatologist yesterday, and the doc confirmed that he does have eczema, as well as a spot of ringworm on his back. The prescriptions have already started working on the many dry, scaly, uncomfortable patches he has on his sensitive skin.

Gabriel (left) & Zeke almost always wake up happy!

The doc also said that the red stripes he so frequently has under his eyes are symptoms of eczema. We had thought these were results from Houston’s seasonal allergies and had been giving him doc-recommended antihistamine eye drops, which he absolutely hates!

It always takes two people get the meds into his eyes: one to restrain his freak-out and the other to tend to the eyes. So it’s definitely a good thing that we now only have to administer the occasional eye drop when need be, rather than drops once a day.

Standing up & pulling things down makes Gabriel giddy.

The twins are doing excellent, although they’re up to no good a lot of the time. Example: last week they were playing in the nursery, while I was tending to the kitchen. I heard a racket, so I went to investigate. They had pulled down a chair cushion; Gabriel was sitting upon the conquest, yelling triumphantly, while Zeke was mercilessly beating their defenseless prisoner.

Back in the kitchen, I heard some more hoopla. This time, my zany boys had pulled over their huge laundry basket and were basking in all the puke-covered clothing and excitedly throwing pieces into the air.

Attempting one more time to get something done in the kitchen, I heard more suspicious noise. I found Zeke playing innocently enough, but where was Gabriel? That wild child had managed to crawl under the crib all in an effort to chew the tire of one big brother’s Hot Wheel trucks. It was no matter that his head was crushed up against the mattress springs; he was happy as can be. Boys are so weird … and I live with four of ’em!

Houston & his main girl, Dixie, create beautiful sidewalk art.

Other tidbits:

  • The boys love “singing” during Mommy’s power walks. The beautiful sounds often times have my neighbors peeking out of their windows to see what all the fuss is about.
  • Daddy: “Houston, don’t you want to be like Daddy and use the potty?” Houston: “Nope.” Daddy: “So who do you want to be like?” Houston: “Hoo-tuhn!”
  • Zeke’s cruising has greatly improved and he is giving Gabriel a run for his money. Better get my running shoes ready ’cause I will have three very mobile boys before you know it!
  • Houston is finally peddling on his trike. He was virulently anti-pedal for a while, but still liked to “ride” kind of Fred Flintstone-style. Mommy and Houston’s shins are welcoming the advancement.
  • Gabriel is currently our tempestuous child, making Taz look lethargic and lazy. He is wide open!
  • And Zeke is our temperamental boy, crying and making funny angst-ridden faces whenever he wants to be held, which is pretty much all the time.

Zeke enjoys grubbing around on our dirty front porch.

We had a ceremony for Bean last weekend. We dug a shallow hole and put inside it some hair from her favorite sleeping pillow, some stuffing from the pillow, art drawn by Houston and Daddy, and a note from Mommy. I read the note aloud and then Stephen said a prayer. The occasion was sad, but I’m glad there’s some place we can visit with Bean whenever we’re missing our sweet girl.

Bob and Stanley are doing okay dealing with the loss of their sister, but you can tell they miss Bean, too. It’s strange to see animals mourning.

Click the above photo of Zeke to check out all the September photos and the photo of Houston and Dixie to see all the late August shots. Note: Some of the pics are a tad blurry because I thought I was experiencing camera problems. Turns out I just needed to buy new rechargeable batteries. Problem solved.

We Love You, Beanie

Not much out of the ordinary going on in the last lazy days of summer. Although life around the zoo is anything but lazy.

Gabriel is cruising like a champ and will probably be walking very soon. Zeke isn’t much into the cruising yet, but I’m sure will follow suit with the walking as soon as he sees how much fun his brother is having.

Zeke flashes his sweet, squinchy grin.

Houston had lots going on last weekend. He attended a birthday party at the Natural Science Center on Saturday and got to see live tigers, lemurs, monkeys, meerkats, snakes, sharks and other cool beasts, as well as pet some goats, bunnies, turtles, sheep and other friendly animals.

Then on Sunday, Daddy and Uncle Greg took Houston to his first baseball game, which featured corn dogs, Gatorade, spazzing out in the kids’ play area and, of course, learning about America’s favorite pastime from Daddy.

 

Houston waters our outdoor pal, Paul the praying mantis.

I will turn 38 years old on Sunday. Crazy, huh?! Sometimes my body certainly feels that old, but I feel like a spring chicken otherwise. Having three crazy hoodlums surely helps to keep me young and zany!

Click the photo of Gabriel below to see all the recent additions to the August – Part 1 gallery. And the above photo of Houston to view all the latest photos.

Gabriel loves bubbles & taking baths w/ his brothers.

On a sad note, our 13-year-old cat Bean has been missing for a few days. She used to go off for days at a time when she was young and spry, but she hasn’t done that in about a year or so.

Also over the past couple of years, she seems to have aged an eternity, acting and looking much older than her age had previously shown. Goopy eyes, skin allergies, bad hips, major weight loss … she wasn’t in top form as of late.

Bean snuggling w/ Beeler back in early 2007.

We hope she returns home, but I have a feeling we might not ever see our sweet Beanie girl again. For those of you who know her, please say a prayer that if she has gone to kitty heaven, she passed quickly and peacefully in her beloved outdoors.

Walking, Bleeding & Puking

We really enjoyed Aunt Lisa’s week-long visit. She was a tremendous help with the kids and the housework, and did every bit of the cooking during her “vacation” at the zoo.

One day when she and Houston were at Target, Houston kept excitedly saying, “Man here.” (“Man” is what he calls Spider Man.) Lisa assumed that he had seen some cool Spidey products. Houston’s growing persistence paid off when Lisa finally spotted a kid dressed in full Man garb. They approached the young Spidey and his mom, and talked with them about Houston’s love of the super hero. Houston even got to high five Spidey, before he had to go fight bad guys.

Zeke, Houston & Mommy at the “Hands Off My Healthcare” event in Burlington.

On another shopping trip, Lisa allowed Houston to walk, instead of ride in the cart — a first for Bull. He would say, “Walking … walking … walking!” while gyrating in a contained sphere around her and holding her hand. Lisa said he did a surprisingly good job of reigning in the obvious thrill he was experiencing with this newfound freedom.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos during Lisa’s visit; it was just too crazy busy, even with an extra set of hands. However, you can click the photo below to view all the pics from one of the Patients First rallies we attended in back in early August.

Stephen, Gabriel & Miss Heather kill time in the shade before the rally begins.

Health flash: I started doing hardcore power walks with the kids in the stroller. I hope to do it at least three times a week for 30 minutes, and do one bike ride on the weekends. Although I’ve probably never been this strong upper body wise — yeah, little humans make great barbells — I’ve also never weighed this much in a non-pregnant body.

Houston has to ride, instead of walk, on these aerobic strolls, which was disappointing to him at first. But I explained that I have to be thin and strong to be the best Mommy I can be. He seems okay with it now and often cheers me on during walks, saying, “Mommy, thin … Mommy, strong … Mommy, go!”

This morning, Houston busted his lip (again), but this time it was on the coffee table. Our awesome neighbors, Shawn and Milt (Dixie’s parents), dropped by to make sure the bloody injury didn’t require a trip to the urgent care. Houston was very brave and let me ice his lip right after the injury. And I handled the stressful situation quite calmly, so I’m proud of the both of us!

Clan Dillingham in front of the Patients First bus w/ Dallas Woodhouse, NC director of Americans For Prosperity.

Other stuff:

  • On 8/15, we bathed all three boys at once. Nobody got hurt or anything, but it was still controlled chaos. We probably won’t attempt that again for a while, but at least Stephen took some decent video of the occasion.
  • On 8/16, Gabriel and Zeke turned 10 months old. I cannot believe they’ll be 1-year-old dudes in less than two months!
  • Gabriel and Zeke are cruising up a storm. I’m sure they’ll be walking (and talking) before we know it.
  • I cancelled the twins’ upcoming appointment with a gastrointestinal specialist, since their puking has improved. It surely hasn’t ceased, but I think I can handle this moderate amount for another month or two. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!