"No! No! No! No! No!"

Our three year old has no doubts about his opinion. Trouble is, he doesn't really know what he is holding this opinion about. But Egil is in de-tox. We are weaning him off two tough habits at once.

First, although Egil is unaware of it, we have been gradually decreasing the Phenobarbital he has been on since he was seven months old and seizures began to rack his tiny body after a bout with encephalitis. After two heavily sedated years with a high-powered drug, it is time to see if he can transition to a less befogging, mind-numbing medication. We're almost there. Its looking very good. But Egil, our cheery, sweet toddler, has been very bad.

Second, and Egil is VERY aware of this, we are attempting to get that ubiquitous thumb out of his mouth. By now he is so conditioned…