Last week, Jeremy had pneumonia. This week, he is scrubbing the patio deck. And chasing the dogs. And entertaining the rest of the kids at day care with his new-found sound effects ("uh-oh," groaning in mock strain, roaring like a dinosaur). And literally running circles arounds his mommies, making up for time he lost while he was sick.
What a relief to use the past tense when describing his illness. The only remnants of the ordeal are a few stray marks on his cheeks from where the oxygen tube was taped, and the twice-a-day breathing treatments to keep his airways clear.
Oh, one other thing reminds us of Jeremy's hospital stay: his mastery of the word "no." Barb and I have prided ourselves on not overusing that particular two-letter word with him. Probably since he was 9 or 10 months old, he has had no problem shaking his head from side to side to express disagreement. But it wasn't until last week, after being poked and taped and measured in every which way, that Jeremy -- in justifiable exasperation -- clearly pronounced his sentiment about his retreat at Club Kaiser Permanente: "no."
Luckily, Jeremy also does not overuse his new word. He saves it for when he means it, and then very calmy and matter-of-factly says, "no." It actually is kind of nice, because we can ask him questions about what he might want or need, and instead of him getting frustrated, he now says yes or no. It's like playing a game of "you're getting warmer." He makes it especially rewarding when we guess right, because he likes to draw out the affirmative, like "y-y-y-y-eah!"
To the dozens of folks at Club Kaiser who tended to Jeremy on his road to recovery, his mommies say "y-y-y-eah!"
