Kids are doing okay I guess. Mieja has started on her next round of cold, which I am getting used to, so no big deal. I will do a special post(may be some kavadi and karagattam too) to celebrate the day she has been cold free for at least 2-3 weeks. Chula…I don’t even know where to begin! Well she is still complaining that her ‘tummy is hurting’, especially when she is being disciplined.

I am just wondering, apart from experience, how does one pick on the kid really being sick? Last week, Chula’s day care provider told me that Chula was sitting by herself in a corner the whole day and was not interested in doing anything. So I took her to the doctor. The doctor on call, after chiding me, (“If you are coming in with two children, both under three, you must bring some one along with you. Do not come alone.” Yeah doctor, now if you point me in the direction of the spare adult, I am all set.) pronounced that Chula is perfectly okay, may be tiredness and little of the stomach virus, but nothing to be concerned about. But this little girl is up for at least three hours in the night, it is either 12 midnight – 3.00AM or 2.00AM – 5.00AM, she screams, cries, asks to be taken to the bed with me, the minute I settle her down in the bed, screams that she needs to go to her ‘white crib’…you get the idea, I am sleep walking from the crib to the bed and back, carrying Chula. Instances like this makes me think that she is in pain.

But get a load of this:

I am cooking, Chula tugs my shirt, her lips are all pouted.

Chula: Mommy, I am sad.
Me: Why Kannamma?
Chula: Mommy, I am scared.
Me: You are sad and scared? Why?
Chula: Because my tummy is hurting.
Me: I am sorry that you are sad. I am sorry that your tummy is hurting. Is there something I can do to make you feel better?
Chula: Yeah…
Me: What Kannamma?
Chula: Can you put Barney?
Me: !!Speechless!!

…and this….

We are in the library, we are coming down in the elevator.

Chula: Mommy, mommy, what number must I press?
Me:Press 1, because we need to go to the first floor.
(And I bend down to pick up Mieja, meanwhile Chula not only presses 1, but also the alarm!)
Me: CHULA?! What did you do?
Chula, takes a scared look at me and falls on the elevator floor clutching her tummy.
Chula: Mommy, my tummy is hurting.

So I am really confused if she is still sick or major-ly capitalizing on our attention. Do I assume that she is all right and go about the routine or play nurse? Here I was sitting an dismissing Chula’s throwing up and aversion towards food as her regular stints, concluding that it is her acid reflux that is acting up and doubling her regular antacid, but it so turned out that she had a stomach thing after all! So if some one has a dose of veritaserum, please feel free to mail it to me.

One thing is for sure. Thanks to the night stints, she is developing a vicious circle, awake in the night, too tired in the day, sleeping during lunch time and throwing tantrums while she is supposed to play. Ahhhh….