Ear Infections, Elephants & Earthquakes

It's been a crazy week.

We started it off with a trip to the family doctor because the boy was having a hard time sleeping and that is not the norm. This is the same kid that slept through the night on the night we brought him home from the hospital. I'd like to say we only had to wake him to nurse but honestly, we didn't. He nursed. We changed his diaper. But the boy never really woke up. All that to say, he likes to sleep so when he doesn't, even just one night without crying, I KNOW something's up. Sure enough. He had a double ear infection...again...this is #6 in his short two and a half years but it's only the second over the last year so although we've considered tubes, it's not something we're leaning towards at this point.

Sadly, as a result of the ear infections, we have to nix this week's swim lesson but we did have some fun yesterday at the zoo. Our local zoo recently got their elephants back from a fairly long visit to another zoo...they were on "dates" with some of the other zoo's elephants and the zoologists have been happy to report that at least one of the dates was successful and there will be a new baby elephant at our zoo sometime this May. In addition to the elephants being back, the zoo was opening a whole new elephant area complete with a demonstration pavilion, and a long winding bridge which overlooks the new savanna. I have to give the zoo credit, they did a great job...but it's hard not to compare any zoo experience with Disney World's Animal Kingdom. If you or your kids have never been but love animals, you NEED to go. (And when you do, check out the safari first thing in the morning, it's breath-taking!)

The trip to the zoo was tempered with the sobriety of what was going on in Japan. I have two close friends from high school ( married now, as well as their daughter) stationed on a air base outside of Tokyo and a college friend who was a foreign exchange student and my roommate for a semester from northern Japan. My American friends are safe and I know that the Air Force will take care of them if anything further happens but once I heard where the epicenter was, my heart dropped. It took some time but I got in contact with her and miraculously not only was she safe but her family has all been accounted for as well. There were some injuries but nothing it seems too serious. I pray that they all remain safe and the government is able to get control of their nuclear facilities as soon as possible.