We do have our fun. Ok, so the photos are getting a little outdated, but I try never to miss the chance to post a shot of me where I have my eyes open.

A few nights ago, my eyes were open at 1 in the morning in the emergency room at Newton Wellesley Hospital. May I say that NWH has the cleanest, nicest emergency room I have ever seen. Max had a little rash on his foot at bedtime, and when we checked it at 11 it had spread. The doc thought it might be an infection, so off we went.

Max slept through the car ride and first hour of our visit. He did wake up momentarily on the way downstairs from his bed to say, "Dada, I want to go in the yard," but then he went right back to sleep. Last week he yelled to me at 4 am, "Dad! I want to see you!" So I went in. I found him messing with his sock. "Put my sock back on," he said. I did, and he went back to sleep. But I didn't let him play in the yard.

When he became alert at around midnight, he was given a slew of Elmo stickers by the triage nurse, and we were off to the races. He covered himself with stickers, dazzled the doctor by reading his name off his bracelet, and ordered the social worker whose job it is to keep kids amused to, "Make a bracelet that says 'mom' and 'dad'." Her name was Dina, and she was fantastic. She was wrapping up a 12 hour shift, but she made us those bracelets. When she tried to sneak away, Max yelled, "Dina! Come back! I want to sing to you!" And sing he did. After that, she started introducing him as her boyfriend and snuck him some apple juice.

The doctor gave him a delicious cocktail of a penicillin substitute and benadryl, then ordered us to stay for a while in case he had an allergic reaction. When she found Max trying to jump rope twenty minutes later while yowling, "Dada! Don't take off your bracelet!" (it was itchy), she sent us home.