Christmas isn’t over yet, and my house shows it. New things do not have homes; large things are taking up precious floor space; clutter and debris decorate every flat surface.
The couch has been a sick bed for three days and with the recent spike in temperature, the almost 8 year old is on his way to the doctor.
Bill hasn’t returned to school yet, and neither have the neighborhood children. This is a mixed blessing. Routines are disrupted in favor of Christmas break playtime, and this contributes to the havoc in my home. But at least it is Bill, and not me and all the kids, taking Billy to the doctor.
Peter is still having big-time trouble sleeping. It’s a vicious cycle: missed naps and delayed bedtimes simply lead to mid-night wakeups and early rises, and each day gets worse. I chickened out on the Benadryl. The package said “Ask a doctor” for under age 6, and I didn’t have one of those handy. I took Michelle‘s advice and started looking for Hyland’s Calms Forte 4 Kids (I have used their teething tablets with success), found none locally, and so ordered some online. We’re waiting, but last night was awful, today’s nap time was difficult and short, and the ensuing tantrum was enough for me to google Benadryl dosages based on weight. I am hoping for a good night’s sleep tonight. I really do not like drugging my kids, but we have tried everything. We’re not rookie parents; we’ve got plenty of tricks up our sleeves, and he was a good sleeper until recent events (new baby). I hope the Hyland’s gets here tomorrow, but I think it will be Monday instead.
Power surges keep taking out electronics in my house. The usual victims are those evil incandescent light bulbs, but we’ve also had the thermostat, the cable box, the hairdryer, the microwave, and the coffee maker come under attack. Worst of all is the new (to us) treadmill, which I would really like to use, but which remains lifeless awaiting yet another replacement part. Somebody is scheduled to come out on Wednesday to investigate. I fear the damage that will occur between now and then.
The year is off to an ominous beginning. I think tonight I’ll let Calgon take me away.
Reit This Way 
Oh, you poor thing! Take a nice soaking bath and (not said in a rude way) remind yourself of the blessings you do have. Right now my dh is late because he is awaiting tissue samples from a toddler, very likely with cancer. Yes, I have had a crummy day too, but hearing about the plight of others and praying for them sure puts it in perspective.We will pray for your kidlets tonight, especially Peter and Billy.
You’re right, Kat. I think the lack of sleep is making me whiny.
Now I’m a lawyer, not a doctor, so take this for what it’s worth: don’t fret so much about Benadryl. For various reasons, my kids (3 boys) have all taken 12.5 mg of Benadryl, with doctor’s blessing, as young as 6 months. I was told repeatedly by numerous doctors that it is very, very hard to OD on Benadryl. I will warn you though that it can overexcite kids just as much as it can knock them out. Depends on the kid, in my humble experience.Whatever you decide and however it turns out, don’t forget that you are a loving parent. Your hemming-and-hawing over a dose of Benadryl demonstrates that. Good luck.
My husband just bought a surge protector for the treadmill and I think I called him foolish. I guess I better go take that back. Hope life gets better as well as Billy.
Actually, Barb, this second part went AFTER we had the surge protector up, but the company said that a surge was the only likely cause. I will be unplugging the treadmill when not in use…if I ever get it IN use.
Michelle, I have used Benadryl safely on my son (he’s 14 months) a couple of times (for his allergies), and my SIL has also used it with all 5 of her children. I got dosing info from my doctor, and I use the children’s benadryl allergy kind. The link below tells you dosing info for all weights (instead of ages) for kids. It is from Dr. Sears, and so is pretty credible. Hope this helps.http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T088800.asp
Ummmm, my 7 yo goes off the hook when he’s on Benedryl. Codein does the same thing to him. And you’re right about ODing on Benedryl. It’s really hard to do. He loved the taste of it when he was 2 and I found him with what had been an unopened bottle with 1/2 of it down him. Poison control said to just watch him and make sure he didn’t go to sleep for a couple hours. No problem! He didn’t go to sleep or stop running for 4 hours.
I was going to mention the benadryl for the toddler. We had to give it to David when he was having his episodes, which at the time they weren’t sure if they were seizures or allergic reactions, so the ped had us give him Benadryl as a precaution. So, we gave it to him not really knowing if it would help. But he did sleep, and he was under a year when we gave him the medicine. I think I gave him a quarter of a teaspoon. I hate drugging the kids as well, but sometimes when you are endlessly sleep deprived, it’s something to consider. I’m not sure of the exact dosing for your little one though. Hopefully the Calms Forte will come soon. If it’s any consilation, David has been a horrible sleeper since birth. Last night, the only way I could get him to sleep was to walk and sway him back and forth for twenty minutes. He’s almost 13 months old, and I’m starting a bad habit. But, I need him to sleep, so I do it. Wishing you a reprive and some serious down time. 🙂
Kristina,That reminded my of when my oldest got the top of a Children’s Tylenol bottle. We had no idea how much the 17 mo old had swallowed, but since Tylenol is very dangerous if overdosed, we took him in to the ER. We finally returned home safely, at 10pm. At 4am I started having contractions and my 2nd child was born at 9am. Talk about sending a mom into shock!
Also wanted to reassure you about the Benedryl – Nicholas took it on a daily basis (for allergies) when he was 12-18 months old. Now it didn’t make him sleepy, but he wasn’t hyper either. (Poor kid still has my allergies!)
I thought this was supposed to be about the rosetta stone. I need information on it for my project.