Max and his new baby sis in 2005.
A couple of months ago, one of Max's doctors gave us a prescription for Transderm Scop patches to help with the drooling. He does it a lot, and if he isn't wearing a bib his shirt gets all wet. These patches, worn on the neck for a few hours a pop, are typically used for motion sickness; one of the side effects is that they dry you up, and so they're used to counter drooling.
Dave brought them home from the pharmacy about two months ago and they've been sitting on the kitchen counter ever since because I can't bring myself to give Max unnecessary medication. I've also heard about an operation that can reverse the salivary glands so saliva flows backward, down the throat. That seems kind of icky (to use the technical term) and again, I would not want to make Max undergo anything purely for aesthetic reasons. Unless we reach a point where it bothers him.
The drooling gets to Sabrina. If we're all hanging in bed, she'll point out the wet spots he's left on the comforter or pillow. And if Max sits too close to her on the couch or leans over to peek at a video she's watching on the portable DVD, she'll whine, "Max drooled on me!" Typically, I'll respond, "OK, then move away!" or "Honey, it's no big deal, just wipe it off." My daughter, the priss.
Yesterday she asked me, "Why does Max drool?"
I froze for a millisecond, not sure exactly what to say. But then I remembered to keep it simple and told her, "Because he has a little trouble using his mouth, and some drool comes out."
Then I pressed her: "Why are you asking?" I wanted to know whether another kid had asked about it. I wanted to know what, exactly, was on her mind about Max.
She didn't say anything, and clearly wanted to move on. I let it go.
I hope I handled that one right. I know there will be many more questions coming down the road.
