Pinkeye, Puppet Shows and Other Musings

A case of Pinkeye has been going through the kids. Amelia had it last week; it's Jack's turn this week. Amelia was very good about eyedrops; Jack, not so much. Then, to add insult to injury, he was up every hour Tuesday night until I finally gave him Tylenol around 3. Then I had to wake the poor guy up at 8:20 Wednesday morning so we could take Amelia to school.

I'm suspecting an ear infection (I've been reading that they same viruses and/or bacteria that cause pinkeye can also cause ear infections.) I've just dosed him with some Motrin before bed tonight, so I'm hoping tonight goes better. Both the kids have an appointment with the pediatrician Thursday for vaccines (one of which I got at the pharmacy today and now have in my fridge), so we'll know for sure about any ear problems then.

At the pharmacy, I also got some Arnica Gel, which the ER doctor had recommended we keep on hand. Apparently, it's an herbal gel which is used to treat bumps and bruises (to keep down swelling). Given our bad luck with heads lately, we'll see if it helps.

And on our way to the pharmacy, we noticed that the "carnival" FINALLY left. Hooray. Of course, it's apparently being replaced by a Guignol (puppet show) that will go Thursday to Sunday. With luck, this will be much less expensive for us!

Doctor's and Puppet Show Updates
Luckily, no ear infection for Jack. They made it through their shots with no problem. Getting their shots was a bit of an adventure. On Wednesday, one pharmacy had only one dose of the meningitis vaccine but said they could get another dose for me by Thursday morning. So Thursday, I go back up and they don't have the vaccine (1 hour before the appointment). So I had to trek to the other pharmacy, and luckily, they had it. It was funny to have their shots sitting in our refrigerator...

We went to the puppet show last night (Thursday). I don't know what I was thinking. It was 6 euros for each of the 3 of us, which I thought was a little pricey. We go in the tent, and the "stage" was actually a lift-up window on the side of a winnebago-like trailer. So we were all sitting there (we went with our neighbor and her two little girls) in our plastic lawn chairs, waiting for the show. It finally began, and DUH, it was all in French. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. Did I really think it WASN'T going to be in French? Oh, well. I got some kettle corn, and Amelia got a giant cotton candy on a stick (which Jack loved as well).

The kids didn't really seem to mind TOO much that it was all in French, but they were a little bored by it all. It lasted an hour (too long), interrupted by one intermission during which they started hawking plastic flags and light up sparkly things and big punch balloons. We escaped with just purchasing the food.

At least we won't have to return to the puppet show. But a circus is arriving in a few days across the street from the Carrefour. Luckily, it's not walking distance, but we will drive by it every day on the way to school. I expect to visit it at least once. Apparently there are tigers involved.

Biking Across Belgium
Well, that's a bit of an understatement. We'll be lucky to bike across town. T.J. got his bike tuned up and he got a child seat installed. The kids are loving it, and it's good exercise for us. Unfortunately, we've discovered that there are a lot of big, gradual hills around town. Great for the downhill ride, but a killer to go back up.

There are lots of bike lanes and trails around town, so it's easy to navigate around town. I took Jack to the market today (Friday), where we picked up a fresh quiche, some wonderful Belgian strawberries (they're smaller and sweeter than normal berries) and raspberries.

Off to get Jack who, apparently, is not going to take a nap this morning. The next post, which I will try to write soon, will cover Mom and Susan's visit to Belgium.

Have a great weekend!