Linda and I are babysitting today..well, Linda is babysitting..I’m sitting here writing about it offering to do my part as soon as I’m finished which is why I may be dawdling some.
But it really is great to have a little kid running around the house again looking for the toys and music boxes she knows grandma keeps hidden away especially for her…plus asking questions….lots and lots of questions.Grandpa..can I play your guitar? Pleeeeeeeeeese?Ella, who turned four in March, has had a rough couple of years due to her susceptibility to nearly every illness known to kid-dom.. especially her ears, nose and throat. The last few weeks have been especially difficult because between monthly bouts with strep throat..she fell off the monkey bars at daycare and fractured her little arm.
For some time now, her mom and dad have been worried sick over Ella’s constant battle with tonsil and ear issues that would have her waking up at night screaming in pain.
Plus she seemed to be having trouble hearing and snored like a lumberjack. After several visits to the doctor, it was decided to take some drastic action. So, last week, on the same day her cast was removed, Ella underwent surgery to take out her tonsils and adenoids plus had tubes put in her ears.
She’s just now starting to act like her old self and ready to tackle the world of daycare again..but not before she spends a day or two with grandma and grandpa who had forgotten about the challenges (and delights) of dealing with a four year old’s curiosity and limited attention span.
I’m this afternoon’s entertainment director and plan to strap her into the back seat of our Camaro and go for a convertible ride to the lake for a picnic consisting of orange juice (she’s on doctor’s orders to drink lots of fluids to keep her still tender throat from getting too dry and bleeding again) and some cold macaroni and cheese..or maybe a cheese pizza..or perhaps a stop at McDonalds where she may or may not eat a kid’s meal..depending on the prize that comes with it.
Later we’ll stop at B&G for a strawberry ice cream cone which she can now enjoy for the fun of it rather than sore throat therapy.
After that we might head over to the neighborhood city park playground where she can go down the slide and on the swings all she wants but no matter how much she begs, we’re not letting her near the monkey bars. No sir..not on our watch.
By the time her daddy picks her up this evening after work, I’m sure Linda and I will look at each other remind ourselves how we’re getting too old to keep up with an active child like Ella. But, like with all of our grandkids, we’ll also be anxious for the time when they can come back.
Just give us a couple days to recuperate.