Two other recent bits about Colin.

I wrote that developmental update while I was at my faculty retreat last week. Since then, Colin has picked up two awesome new things I want to share:

• A while back he learned to sing "Goodnight Ladies." "Goodnight ladies, we're going to leave you now." Then he did a little experimentation with changing "ladies" into people's names: "Good night Mama, we're going to leave you now."
  
  This weekend he started changing the lyrics entirely. Michael left the dinner table to go to the bathroom, and Colin broke into song: "Good night, Daddy, going to pee potty." And this morning, as Alex settled in to watch her video: "Good night, Alex, going to Liberty's Kids show."



• He's started carrying news. We went in to wake Alex up this morning, and he eagerly reported to her about his exciting new pajamas: "Alex! Colin dinosaurs on there!" Michael had a massive sneezing fit, and Colin came into the next room and told me excitedly, "Mama, Daddy sneezed! Daddy sneezed!"
  
  This isn't flat-out funny like singing "Good night, Daddy, going to pee potty," but it's a big developmental leap because it shows that Colin is starting to understand that everyone doesn't know what he knows. That's the beginning of a theory of mind.

Health update.

Home from work for the second day in a row.

Yesterday I felt okay in the morning. In the afternoon I had a fair amount of coughing, shortness of breath, and exhaustion. The evening was rough. This morning already I've had a bunch of coughing and wheezing. Now Michael has taken the kids to the science center and I am being very quiet and sitting very still. That helps a lot.

I remind myself that the steroids haven't even had 48 hours to work.

I'm a little nervous about this evening, because Michael has a board meeting and I'm going to have to get both kids to bed on my own. If I'm totally hardcore about resting all afternoon, I think I can do it. Alex is old enough to be helpful.

(no subject)

I feel much, much better. The lunchtime dose of steroids was apparently the magic pill.

I am still being cautious. I am still planning to stay home tomorrow and sleep all afternoon. I am still keeping my finger over the speed-dial button for my doctor.

(Okay, the last one is an exaggeration, but we are watching this carefully and I will seek medical help if the upward climb is not steady.)

Thanks for the concern, advice, and good wishes.