Ups and Downs

Overall, everything is going well here in the Wensuc household, but it is a week of ups and downs.

On Sunday, Blanden came down with some sort of terrible stomach bug -- except that we don't refer to it as a "bug" to him because he is afraid of bugs. He spent all day lying on the floor and the couch and alternately napping and watching Elmo videos and the movie Ratatouille (the "mouse who cooks" makes him laugh). He hasn't really eaten much more than a piece of toast or two and some pretzels each day since, though we are making sure he stays hydrated.

On Monday, he was still mellow but seemed to be perking up a bit. So after his nap the three of us (Blanden, Ellis, and me) headed to the Denver aquarium for an afternoon outing. (Given that it has been near 100 here lately, we are keeping cool by playing in Blanden's pool or looking for fun indoor, air-conditioned activities.) We hadn't been to the aquarium before and it lived up to its local reputation: overpriced, a bit too commercial, small, but fun to check it out just once. Ellis slept in his sling while Blanden ran from one tank to the next, admiring all the big fish, including sharks.

Today, Tuesday, is beginning to resemble Sunday. Blanden asked Daddy to carry him down the stairs after he got up this morning (this from the toddler who likes to do nearly everything all by himself) and then promptly fell back asleep on the couch. Hmm ... I'll let you know how this goes.

I hope Blanden is feeling much better by Wednesday because we have plans to visit cousins Jeremy and Gretchen and play in the sprinklers in a park near their house. We are really looking forward to it!

And then Thursday, unfortunately, will be the toughest day of the week. You may remember back in January, after my 20-week ultrasound, that we posted the news that Ellis was diagnosed with renal pyelectasis, in which one kidney was more swollen than the other and may signal urinary reflux. He had an ultrasound a couple weeks ago to check up on this, the results of which called for further testing. He is currently on an antibiotic to prevent an infection, and on Thursday he will have a VCUG, which is an x-ray examination of his bladder and urinary track. Naturally, the need for this makes us sad. It is hard to believe our smiley, mellow, and otherwise seemingly healthy little guy may have some trouble lurking inside, but we are keeping it in perspective. So far this appears to be exactly what I had as a child, so we are hoping Ellis eventually outgrows it, as I did...

The good news for Thursday is that that evening, Grammy arrives back in town for a one-week stay.