The Misadventures of Little Philip

* Philip has recently discovered that he LOVES to be outside. On Saturday, we got a truckbed load of mulch and began sprucing up our flowerbeds along the front of our house. Philip had a great time wondering around us as Matthew and I raked out old leaves and dug up old plants. He even touched a worm for the first time and tried to pet the neighbor's cat.

* Yesterday, I took Philip outside for a few hours around lunchtime. Again he played with the neighbor's cat and watched me do back-breaking work spreading mulch. Unfortunately he took a good tumble in the front yard and wound up with grass in his hair and on his face and lots of scratches. I also noticed some yellow mucus collecting in the corner of his left eye.

* This morning I took Philip to his pediatrician. He has pinkeye! Last night, his eyelid began swelling. This morning, I found Philip looking like he had a run in with Rocky last night. His poor left eye was swollen shut and crusted closed. A warm washcloth helped it open and then a cool one brought the swelling down. He did surprisingly well with his first drop of medicine at lunchtime today. We'll see how the 3 a day for the next 6 days go!

* I hate to say it, but my boy has my temper! He is rapidly entering the terrible two's early. When he gets frustrated he has an outburst; recent examples: scratching my neck, trying to bite me or his own hand, and today pulling several strands of hair from my head! My prayers need to pick up double-time!

* Not to end on a bad note, we are so excited to see examples of Philip's growing intelligence. He can now point out animals in his books (cat, dog, sheep), can do simple tasks when asked ("Philip, go put that DVD on the table.") and has begun trying to wash his own hair in the bathtub! So cute. Our next big milestone will be saying real words. That will change our world!