Communicating with your child

So I recently gave my friend, Helena, a book called The Baby Whisperer solves all your problems. I read this book when Laine was an infant and it was very helpful. I think the same author should write a book called The Toddler Whisperer solves all your problems because clearly I still need help. I finally took Laine to the pediatrician yesterday morning after we spent the last 2 weeks not getting very much sleep. She kept waking up in the middle of the night screaming hysterically and was having problems going to bed too. I thought she was getting her 2 year molars but when teeth never emerged, I decided that I either had a toddler behavior problem on my hands or some other medical problem. So I went to the doctor yesterday and my opening line to Dr. Gilbert was, "I may be paying $20 to waste your time." She laughed. I was relieved when she told me that Laine had an ear infection in her right ear. The tube was no longer working and not allowing any fluid to drain so she will probably have to have it replaced. It was really strange that besides not being able to sleep, she had no other symptoms of an ear infection. She did get q tips and try to clean out her ear, but I thought she was just immitating us. So now she is on amoxicillin (yeah Publix for free prescriptions) and more importantly we all slept through the entire night. The funny thing was that when I dropped her off at school yesterday, she pulled on her right ear and told me "ear, hurt." Nice, 2 weeks later she found the words to tell me what was wrong. And to think, I get to start this journey of trying to figure out what a non speaking child is telling us all over again. And I'm sure it will be completely different signs that the next kid will give to us. This reality was really clear to me last Friday when I was visiting Helena and poor baby James cried for 3 straight hours. I felt so bad for her. Luckily he is doing much better now. Helena even ventured out to Babies R Us yesterday, which moms know can be quite the adventure.