Dusting Things Off

**Enough of the Elf Family- This one is dedicated to my most loyal fan and possibly the only reader not of blood relation!! Here you go Dan I promise a more regular posting schedule from now on.**
Clearing the cobwebs away and making an apology for my prolonged absence but what can I say life keeps speeding up the pace on me. I feel like a child who has not ridden their bike since last summer so pardon my rusty out of practice writing.
Where to start????
Molly had a urinary tract infection which has been great fun for the whole family. Lets start with the initial visit to her pediatrician. Molly who is usually fine with visiting her much loved pediatrician was protesting the appointment on the car ride over, the complaints became more urgent as we pulled in to the parking lot. We made it in to the building and things seemed to be improving she had sensed her defeat and accepted it with as much grace as any four year old possesses that is until the nurse had the audacity to ask her to urinate in a cup. Peeing in a cup was not what Molly had in mind and as we shut the door to the airplane size bathroom I sensed I was in for a fight. I set my Starbucks cup on the edge of the tiny sink praying it would not spill the "tall" which =very small,overpriced, still full and steaming hot coffee, then placed the clipboard the nurse had given me on the other edge of the sink and had to place my purse on the floor. Yuck, on the floor of a doctors office bathroom I will not even imagine the germs but this was nothing compared to what was in store for me. So as I pull down Molly pants and explain what she needs to do the panic washes over her face. I gave up trying to dechiper Molly's fears a long time ago, the girl is afraid of everything and the simple task of peeing in a cup was just another to add to the list of Molly's ever growing fears. She certainly was not going to hold the cup herself so first I tried to hold the cup in between her legs but she kept pushing it away and clenching her thighs so then I tried another approach and this arrangment actually had the top of my hand submerged in the toilet water, the water where sick people pee. This ranked up there with the time that I looked up from brushing my teeth and in the mirrors reflection saw that I was using the toothbrush I use to scrub the grout along the edge of the toilet and tub, that resulted in a nasty strep infection a few days later. Suffice to say this was a bad start to the day. I am sweating in a small windowless bathroom trying to get a terrified girl to pee in a cup. I even go so far as trying to make a game of it "hey Molly can you pee on mommies hand wouldn't that be funny I bet you can't pee on my hand!" then it was on to the threats "we are never going to Blockbuster again if you don't pee in this cup" I just hope the fan was not drowning out that all of this good entertainment and that the doctors and nurses were able to hear the whole ordeal through the hollow wood door. So we make it through the appointment but obtained no sample so this will be more fun and games for me at home later. I did succeed at home and they were able to diagnose her and get her some medicine. The treatment proved as much fun as the doctors appointment, lets just say that the antibiotics did not agree with Molly's tummy and so Nick and I spent the next ten days cleaning up many accidents and we are not talking about a little pee here. I knew having children would involve a lot of contact with bodily fluid but I had no idea this stage would go on for so long, between bed wetting and sickness I still have almost as much "contact" as I did when I had two little one's in diapers.
On to something a little more pleasant perhaps? Ella has been going through a bit of a stage I guess the developmental theory about 1/2 ages really is true. Both of my children seem to hit bumps in the road around the 1/2 ages. Ella's favorite new phrase is "who cares" she loves to throw this one at me as often as possible. For example Ella please stop pinching your sister, her response "So? Who Cares" I care Ella followed up again by "who cares" you get the idea. In real life it is oh so charming. Easter was lovely when you combine her current attitude with too much sugar. But I know many of you reading love my girls and do not see them nearly often enough so I do not want to blab on and on about the negatives because whatever their few faults they are the most wonderful and charming girls in the world. And Ella is now a charmer with a few less teeth check out the photo!