October 28, 2001 - Sunday
Harry had a fever today and was far less active than his normal self. He didn't have much interest in playing outside, a true rarity, and took a three-hour nap in the afternoon. Then, an hour or so before dinner, we gave him some Baby Tylenol and things turned around fast. It's been at least six months since we'd given him any, so today's dose, in accordance with his increased mass, was larger than in the past. It was still a little smaller than the recommended amount on the package, but, boy, did it do the job. Harry was bouncing off the walls to the point that his mother half-jokingly asked if there was caffeine in it. The medicine reduced his fever all right, but it set loose Harry's rested energy from the first two thirds of the day.

For a solid ten minutes, Harry enticed me into a brand new game of "get Harry," in which he would run in circles around the first floor of our house and I would chase and catch him. It's not a bad game for a father and son, especially given Harry's exuberant squeals when I would catch him. But, it did represent a marked transition from Harry's demeanor just an hour or so earlier. In moments like this I often recall a visit from some friends of ours with two children of their own. That day their boy, about two years older than Harry, was similarly making the highspeed rounds of our house with screams of delight and I remember thinking clearly both how loud it was and how likely it was that Harry would get to that volume before too long. It seems he is, indeed, on his way.

Harry did poop several times this weekend. Maybe our good fortune in the meadow helped him out.


Comments, opinions?