An instant.
That’s all it takes.
You mommies out there know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.
That’s all it took this morning . . .
I woke up tired but became stressed when I discovered baby boy had a fever and Toddler girl royally woke up on the wrong side of her bed. It was a work day for me to head to the office—bad news: daddy would not be able to help get the kids ready or drop them off. More bad news—my hair was drenched in coconut oil that the night before I had brilliantly decided to sleep in for an extra special but now very inconvenient hair treatment. So, I showered while baby boy sipped his bottle in his crib and I continuously rubbed the steam off the shower door to keep a close eye on Toddler girl who was attempting to squeeze the entire contents of a lip-gloss tube and use it as a facial moisturizer.
Well, things can’t be that bad. Right? Right? That’s what I thought as I loaded the kids into the car. I strapped baby boy in first. He was screaming for his bottle. Then I lifted Toddler girl into the car and tell her to sit in her car seat and wait. She actually usually always listens. I’d be right back to strap her in. All I had to do was walk 10 feet from the garage to the hallway side table where I had left his bottle. But, a lot can happen in 30 seconds.
The hand sanitizer. That bottle that I had placed in the front seat JUST yesterday so I would remember to pack it in my bag—was not on the seat when I returned! It was suddenly in the back seat! And Toddler girl was climbing back into her seat, revealing she was up to something.
"What did you just do?" I asked Toddler girl, only for her to tell me she thought she would “wash” her baby brother’s face with it! "YOU DID WHAT!" It was smeared on his cheeks—and feet! He just sat there, the innocent victim, amused by the tingly cool sensation and the attention. The problem?
Just a few months ago I was forwarded an email warning that children can ingest hand sanitizer—all it takes is a few drops--and get poisoned from it. Since then I have been so extremely careful to keep it all out of their reach. (It's an interesting article to read and one to take into consideration.) Until now!
That feeling of dread weighed down in the pit of my stomach and intoxicated my mind, my heart, my body with fear. What if Baby boy got some sanitizer in his mouth? What if he’s poisoned? So I frantically investigated him head to toe—thankfully it didn’t appear so. I further interrogated Toddler girl—things were aligning. He appeared safe. But, the fact that Baby boy was already a bit lethargic with his fever only made me feel more anxiety that perhaps, no it couldn’t, but could it be that he got a drip on his mouth! My mind said he was completely fine. But my emotions ... well, if you didn't read the post about my brief hallucination of how Toddler girl's fall at the playground led to her detached arm, you should, and then imagine how much more I am freaking out in this moment.
Thankfully that was not the case. Baby boy was fine. I am EXTREMELY thankful and relieved. This was another learning experience--I have since banished the hand sanitizer from the car. And, I have resolved to NEVER leave Toddler girl in the car unstrapped---until she is 18! I wonder if they make car seats big enough for teenagers? And, by the way, I did have to leave work early and bring baby boy to the doctor—thankfully it was not a return of his ear infection, but just a virus. Though I’m hoping it’s only teething.
So overall, Thursday, gets the award for my most stressful day of the week. And that's a good thing, because it means tomorrow can only get better. Right? Right! Happy Friday Everyone : ) Hoping it’s a peaceful start to a great weekend for you all.
Do you have hand sanitizer in your car or diaper bag? If not where do you keep it? OR what do you use to fend off the germs.
Like my blog? Support me by voting to the right of this post. It only takes a click and it makes my day. We're still #2 in humor and a few votes shy of being in the top 25 overall in the Top Mommy Blog Directory.
Posted by Laura
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
May 21, 2010
May 4, 2010
URGENT CARE-LESS: When the Doctor Wants to Wash Her Hands of Mommy
It was our last day of vacation when we rushed baby boy back to the Urgent Care doctor because he developed a rash while on antibiotics for his ear infection. I expected it NOT to be a big deal. YES, rashes and antibiotics can mean an allergic reaction to the medicine, which can be serious. The thing is, he developed the rash after being in the sun and it went away within 15 minutes of appearing—long enough for us to have noticed it, called the doc, and driven down the road to the Urgent care for what turned into a roller coaster ride of the unexpected.
By the time the doctor walked into the room, the rash was completely gone. Phew! It must have been the sun after-all. Well, the Urgent care Doctor had other thoughts:
The doctor walks in the room pressing her clipboard to her chest with crossed arms. She glares at me, with those same squinting, beady eyes that whipped me the day before when she arrogantly accused me of causing my son’s ear infection because I had stopped breastfeeding him at 10 months. Without even looking at our baby to see that the rash we called about was now gone, she declares in the most unsympathetic voice, “Your baby has a febrile illness and you need to take him to the ER!”
Febrile illness! What the heck is that! It sounded like some spinal disease that was life threatening. My heart contracted to the point of bursting in my chest.
“What is a febrile illness?” I manage to ask, taking a deep gasp of thick stale office air.
“A febrile illness is a fever!” She explains, rolling her eyes as though I am the most ignorant person on the planet.
“What!” I think. Why are you trying to throw a fancy medical term at me? Just say fever. Okay, I can breathe again. It is only a fever!
“SO, because your child has a febrile illness, you need to take him to the ER NOW” and she spins around ready to leave the room, her hair nearly slapping me in the face.
“Wait. I am confused. I was here yesterday, you diagnosed baby with an ear infection. He had a fever yesterday. We are here today because he had a rash, which went away 15 minutes after appearing. His fever is better today. So, why are you telling me to go to the ER?”
“You need the ER because of the febrile illness! He will need chest x-rays, blood cultures, urine screening. I cannot offer that here in urgent care.”
Then in her annoyance, she asks me, “Why don’t you want to take your sick child to the ER, Mommy!”
Why don’t I want to take my child to the ER! Surely this woman knows NOTHING about me. She hasn’t read this or this and she surely doesn’t know about my horror story of the night I had to spend in the ER last year when I had an emergency appendectomy—I’ll have to share more on that in a future post. Let’s just say they put me next to diarrhea man, with only a shower curtain separating our “rooms,” and yes, I had my infant with me because I was nursing him and had no stored breast milk, and yes, after the nurse goes in between both of our “rooms” they decide to quarantine him! AFTER coming into my room where I have a newborn infant with me. And NO there was NOT even a full wall of curtain separating us. I heard every groan he made, yes, you could smell everything, and all I could think was please let this virus NOT be airborne! Okay, breathe again. Let me compose myself here to continue …
So I reply to her politely but firmly: “I’m just not understanding what has changed since yesterday. You diagnosed him with an ear infection, which is why he had a fever. He’s on an antibiotic that was working fine. We only brought him in here because of the rash, but the rash went away, so it looks like it’s not a rash from the antibiotic because it left so suddenly. Also, unless it is absolutely necessary I like to avoid the ER because I don’t want to expose my child to more germs.”
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER,” she fires!
“But can you help me understand? I like to look at this as a point of learning because I also have a 2YO at home. So, they have fevers occasionally, as all children do. What warrants this situation, this fever, that I should take him to the ER?”
Well, that was the end of her explaining. Every other question that I asked was answered with the following broken record recording:
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER.”
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER.”
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER.”
Then, at the end of our discussion, she changes her mind and says that instead of going to the ER she will call the nearest pediatrician for us to bring baby to that office instead.
Translation: I’m having second guesses on my diagnosis. So go to the ER or at least somewhere else so we can ensure nothing goes wrong and you don’t sue me. No, I don’t know what I’m talking about. But if you continue to ask more questions I will continue to use the term “febrile illness” as though it is tuberculosis or cancer and will continue to make you feel like a lazy mother who just wants to avoid the inconvenience of taking her sick baby to the ER while on her vacation.
So what happens? Everything in me is telling me that for whatever reason she has decided to freak out on me and doesn’t want to be held responsible if she made a mistake somewhere and is telling me to go elsewhere so she can wash her hands of the situation. My motherly instinct says baby is completely fine. The rash went away, just go home: his fever is even gone now, rash is gone, he’s doing well on antibiotics, so go home and enjoy the last day of your beach vacation. BUT, the mind and emotions don’t always come into alignment. In my emotions I’m in complete turmoil. I mean a doctor is telling me to go to the ER, shouldn’t I listen? Surely I don’t know better than a doctor!
So, we end up driving 30 minutes away into the next town to the nearest pediatrician office that the Urgent care doctor set up for us to meet with. What does the pediatrician say?
He says baby boy is FINE! The ear infection is a nasty one, but just keep on with the antibiotics because it is helping. NO, pediatrician says, the rash was NOT a reaction to the antibiotics because if it were it would have lasted longer. It wouldn’t have disappeared within 15 minutes, especially because the antibiotic baby is on is one that stays in one’s system for days. So if he were really having an allergic reaction it would still be going on. Well, what about the urine cultures or chest x-rays? Pediatrician says NOT necessary. Because baby is on antibiotics even if they did a urine or blood culture it would come up negative because he’s on antibiotics, so there wouldn’t be any bacteria.
So as it turns out, the best way to freak out your urgent care doctor is to bring your baby back the day after she prescribed an antibiotic to treat baby’s ear infection and tell her your baby has a rash. But, now, be forewarned, because the doctor will reciprocate the favor, freaking out Mommy by demanding that you take baby to the ER to get treated for blood tests, urine cultures, and chest x-rays. Well, that is if you have the doctor we saw.
What’s your urgent care horror story? What would you have done?
Thanks for your continued voting for me in the top mommy blogs. We’re a few votes shy of being in the top 25 overall and are the #2 humor blog. So, keep the votes coming, 1 per day.
Posted by Laura
By the time the doctor walked into the room, the rash was completely gone. Phew! It must have been the sun after-all. Well, the Urgent care Doctor had other thoughts:
The doctor walks in the room pressing her clipboard to her chest with crossed arms. She glares at me, with those same squinting, beady eyes that whipped me the day before when she arrogantly accused me of causing my son’s ear infection because I had stopped breastfeeding him at 10 months. Without even looking at our baby to see that the rash we called about was now gone, she declares in the most unsympathetic voice, “Your baby has a febrile illness and you need to take him to the ER!”
Febrile illness! What the heck is that! It sounded like some spinal disease that was life threatening. My heart contracted to the point of bursting in my chest.
“What is a febrile illness?” I manage to ask, taking a deep gasp of thick stale office air.
“A febrile illness is a fever!” She explains, rolling her eyes as though I am the most ignorant person on the planet.
“What!” I think. Why are you trying to throw a fancy medical term at me? Just say fever. Okay, I can breathe again. It is only a fever!
“SO, because your child has a febrile illness, you need to take him to the ER NOW” and she spins around ready to leave the room, her hair nearly slapping me in the face.
“Wait. I am confused. I was here yesterday, you diagnosed baby with an ear infection. He had a fever yesterday. We are here today because he had a rash, which went away 15 minutes after appearing. His fever is better today. So, why are you telling me to go to the ER?”
“You need the ER because of the febrile illness! He will need chest x-rays, blood cultures, urine screening. I cannot offer that here in urgent care.”
Then in her annoyance, she asks me, “Why don’t you want to take your sick child to the ER, Mommy!”
Why don’t I want to take my child to the ER! Surely this woman knows NOTHING about me. She hasn’t read this or this and she surely doesn’t know about my horror story of the night I had to spend in the ER last year when I had an emergency appendectomy—I’ll have to share more on that in a future post. Let’s just say they put me next to diarrhea man, with only a shower curtain separating our “rooms,” and yes, I had my infant with me because I was nursing him and had no stored breast milk, and yes, after the nurse goes in between both of our “rooms” they decide to quarantine him! AFTER coming into my room where I have a newborn infant with me. And NO there was NOT even a full wall of curtain separating us. I heard every groan he made, yes, you could smell everything, and all I could think was please let this virus NOT be airborne! Okay, breathe again. Let me compose myself here to continue …
So I reply to her politely but firmly: “I’m just not understanding what has changed since yesterday. You diagnosed him with an ear infection, which is why he had a fever. He’s on an antibiotic that was working fine. We only brought him in here because of the rash, but the rash went away, so it looks like it’s not a rash from the antibiotic because it left so suddenly. Also, unless it is absolutely necessary I like to avoid the ER because I don’t want to expose my child to more germs.”
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER,” she fires!
“But can you help me understand? I like to look at this as a point of learning because I also have a 2YO at home. So, they have fevers occasionally, as all children do. What warrants this situation, this fever, that I should take him to the ER?”
Well, that was the end of her explaining. Every other question that I asked was answered with the following broken record recording:
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER.”
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER.”
“It is MY LEGAL, Professional, medical opinion, that you go to the ER.”
Then, at the end of our discussion, she changes her mind and says that instead of going to the ER she will call the nearest pediatrician for us to bring baby to that office instead.
Translation: I’m having second guesses on my diagnosis. So go to the ER or at least somewhere else so we can ensure nothing goes wrong and you don’t sue me. No, I don’t know what I’m talking about. But if you continue to ask more questions I will continue to use the term “febrile illness” as though it is tuberculosis or cancer and will continue to make you feel like a lazy mother who just wants to avoid the inconvenience of taking her sick baby to the ER while on her vacation.
So what happens? Everything in me is telling me that for whatever reason she has decided to freak out on me and doesn’t want to be held responsible if she made a mistake somewhere and is telling me to go elsewhere so she can wash her hands of the situation. My motherly instinct says baby is completely fine. The rash went away, just go home: his fever is even gone now, rash is gone, he’s doing well on antibiotics, so go home and enjoy the last day of your beach vacation. BUT, the mind and emotions don’t always come into alignment. In my emotions I’m in complete turmoil. I mean a doctor is telling me to go to the ER, shouldn’t I listen? Surely I don’t know better than a doctor!
So, we end up driving 30 minutes away into the next town to the nearest pediatrician office that the Urgent care doctor set up for us to meet with. What does the pediatrician say?
He says baby boy is FINE! The ear infection is a nasty one, but just keep on with the antibiotics because it is helping. NO, pediatrician says, the rash was NOT a reaction to the antibiotics because if it were it would have lasted longer. It wouldn’t have disappeared within 15 minutes, especially because the antibiotic baby is on is one that stays in one’s system for days. So if he were really having an allergic reaction it would still be going on. Well, what about the urine cultures or chest x-rays? Pediatrician says NOT necessary. Because baby is on antibiotics even if they did a urine or blood culture it would come up negative because he’s on antibiotics, so there wouldn’t be any bacteria.
So as it turns out, the best way to freak out your urgent care doctor is to bring your baby back the day after she prescribed an antibiotic to treat baby’s ear infection and tell her your baby has a rash. But, now, be forewarned, because the doctor will reciprocate the favor, freaking out Mommy by demanding that you take baby to the ER to get treated for blood tests, urine cultures, and chest x-rays. Well, that is if you have the doctor we saw.
What’s your urgent care horror story? What would you have done?
Thanks for your continued voting for me in the top mommy blogs. We’re a few votes shy of being in the top 25 overall and are the #2 humor blog. So, keep the votes coming, 1 per day.
Posted by Laura
May 3, 2010
Beach Week: How to Gain 5 Pounds in a Week!
So we spent last week on a family vacation at the beach. It's always great to get away and spend quality family time together. As I was packing I wore my pedometer: How many steps does it take to pack up a family of four? Well, with daddy's help, I ran around the house like a mad woman packing up both kids, myself, and cleaning the house. By 1:00 in the afternoon we climbed into the car. I checked the pedometer: 4 MILES! Oh it was worth it.
The weather was a bit cool, but warm enough to still enjoy playing in the sand. Yes, baby boy tried eating it.
Swam in a heated pool. Now that makes the beach in April just perfect.
Ate the most amazing food. I am completely spoiled in that my Italian mom and Greek mother-in-law are the most amazing cooks. So you can imagine the two of them cooking together, a mediterranean food heaven! Can we say YUM! So yes, if you're wondering how you can put on five pounds in one week, vacation with the most amazing chefs! It's easy. Woops!
What's a trip to the beach without frequent trips out for ice cream after dinner? Yes, this will also help with the five pounds.
Had a lot of family fun outings, like mini golf with the kids. And while driving I got pulled over!
Got a lot of rest. Though I DON'T recommend having a toddler sleep in your bed. Will be posting on that soon. But, gotta love the way babies sleep.
Saw a double rainbow in the sky! Now that made some rain well worth it! Why does that feel like a metaphor for life--taking rain (trials) to get to the rainbows (promises).
The last day of the trip turned stressful. Baby boy had an ear infection and both kids fevers and coughs. I will be posting more on the disaster at the urgent care. Both kids are doing better now, but in caring for two sick kids and returning home, I've been slow to keep up with blogging. I'll be back with more soon : )
Yet, even in spite of some sicknesses, it was still an amazing trip with lots of fun memories. In fact, when I took this picture of Daddy and little girl playing basketball, I couldn't help but think about the way I often view my life. I see so many goals to be made and many obstacles to overcome; I often feel the net is too high to reach and I'm either unprepared or lacking on my own to score; yet, I know I have God as my heavenly daddy lifting me up to reach the goals, overcome every obstacle, and enjoy the game. Vacations are helpful at putting life and what is really meaningful and important back into perspective.
Oh, and back to the five pounds I put on all week: where my normal daily pedometer count is around 14,000 steps, at the beach I barely made 6,000 steps a day! I guess life's a lot more restful for a full-time mommy when daddy is around all day long and her family is also there to help : ) Well, in the two days home where I'm back to the routine of walking my daily 5-6 miles and 14,000 steps (just in caring for the two toddlers, no not exercising on my own), I lost 2 pounds and have now 3 pounds to lose to get to pre-vacation weight. Thank goodness. Here's to healthy babies and walking!
Has anyone else ended up in urgent care while on vacation? Do share! And How do you loose weight after vacation?
Thanks for your continued voting to the top right of this post.
Posted by Laura
The weather was a bit cool, but warm enough to still enjoy playing in the sand. Yes, baby boy tried eating it.
Swam in a heated pool. Now that makes the beach in April just perfect.
Ate the most amazing food. I am completely spoiled in that my Italian mom and Greek mother-in-law are the most amazing cooks. So you can imagine the two of them cooking together, a mediterranean food heaven! Can we say YUM! So yes, if you're wondering how you can put on five pounds in one week, vacation with the most amazing chefs! It's easy. Woops!
What's a trip to the beach without frequent trips out for ice cream after dinner? Yes, this will also help with the five pounds.
Had a lot of family fun outings, like mini golf with the kids. And while driving I got pulled over!
Got a lot of rest. Though I DON'T recommend having a toddler sleep in your bed. Will be posting on that soon. But, gotta love the way babies sleep.
Saw a double rainbow in the sky! Now that made some rain well worth it! Why does that feel like a metaphor for life--taking rain (trials) to get to the rainbows (promises).
The last day of the trip turned stressful. Baby boy had an ear infection and both kids fevers and coughs. I will be posting more on the disaster at the urgent care. Both kids are doing better now, but in caring for two sick kids and returning home, I've been slow to keep up with blogging. I'll be back with more soon : )
Yet, even in spite of some sicknesses, it was still an amazing trip with lots of fun memories. In fact, when I took this picture of Daddy and little girl playing basketball, I couldn't help but think about the way I often view my life. I see so many goals to be made and many obstacles to overcome; I often feel the net is too high to reach and I'm either unprepared or lacking on my own to score; yet, I know I have God as my heavenly daddy lifting me up to reach the goals, overcome every obstacle, and enjoy the game. Vacations are helpful at putting life and what is really meaningful and important back into perspective.
Oh, and back to the five pounds I put on all week: where my normal daily pedometer count is around 14,000 steps, at the beach I barely made 6,000 steps a day! I guess life's a lot more restful for a full-time mommy when daddy is around all day long and her family is also there to help : ) Well, in the two days home where I'm back to the routine of walking my daily 5-6 miles and 14,000 steps (just in caring for the two toddlers, no not exercising on my own), I lost 2 pounds and have now 3 pounds to lose to get to pre-vacation weight. Thank goodness. Here's to healthy babies and walking!
Has anyone else ended up in urgent care while on vacation? Do share! And How do you loose weight after vacation?
Thanks for your continued voting to the top right of this post.
Posted by Laura
April 8, 2010
When Mommy Becomes a Human Tissue
We’re going on 9 straight days of leaking noses in my house. Yesterday, thanks to the AC breaking, I grabbed a T-shirt and shorts to stay cool; they happened to both be black. At the end of the day, I looked at myself in the mirror and was surprised to see silvery iridescent slime streaks across my black shirt that glowed in the florescent bathroom lighting—like slug trails illuminating on the sidewalk under moonlight. Yes, my children had left their marks on Mommy. Those hugs and squeezes were really the strategic wiping of drips on Mommy’s shirt; why use a tissue when you can hug Mommy and wipe your nose at the same time!
Well, not today! I thought. Because today I was going to work with Daddy. The kids were dropped at Grandma’s house while Mommy actually got to fix her hair, do her make-up, and wear a nice black dress, and remember what she used to look like before chasing around Mr. Poopie with the wipe all day long. Well, in returning home from work this afternoon, 2YO runs up to me to give me a big hug.
“Mommy! Mommy!” She comes running, clearly with something sweet to tell me. What would she say? Would it be the “I missed you” or “I love you, Mommy.” No, today it was going to be something extra special—I could tell by that look in her eyes. I call her to sit on my lap when she whips out that little pointer finger a few inches from my face and with both a sense of delight and great pride declares, “I have boogie on my fin-ga, Mommeeee!”
And there it was, this decrepit yellow shrivel, perched out and gripping on for dear life. I could almost hear it hissing: “Go ahead, tell her to put me in a tissue. You'll regret it!”
Now what could this ug-laaay little booger do to me? So in spite of the threats I say, “NO, we don’t pick our noses, let’s get a tissue.” Well, before the words are even out of my mouth, Toddler-girl is shoving that finger in her mouth! “Oh, nooooooooo!” I cry, with disgust. I don't know how, but that boogie enticed my poor child to taste it! “NO, We don’t eat boogies---“ and before I can finish my sentence, 2YO does what in her mind is the next best practical idea, pull it out of her mouth and immediately wipe it on Mommy’s knee! So, there I am with this elongated booger stretched out several inches across my bare knee in the shape of a V as though it were claiming “victory” over me. That was when I looked down and realized . . . I have become a human tissue! Yet another thing to add to the list of having earned my badge in motherhood.
Thanks for voting for me in the Top mommy blogs. You can vote 1x a day by clicking to the right of this post.
Posted by Laura
Well, not today! I thought. Because today I was going to work with Daddy. The kids were dropped at Grandma’s house while Mommy actually got to fix her hair, do her make-up, and wear a nice black dress, and remember what she used to look like before chasing around Mr. Poopie with the wipe all day long. Well, in returning home from work this afternoon, 2YO runs up to me to give me a big hug.
“Mommy! Mommy!” She comes running, clearly with something sweet to tell me. What would she say? Would it be the “I missed you” or “I love you, Mommy.” No, today it was going to be something extra special—I could tell by that look in her eyes. I call her to sit on my lap when she whips out that little pointer finger a few inches from my face and with both a sense of delight and great pride declares, “I have boogie on my fin-ga, Mommeeee!”
And there it was, this decrepit yellow shrivel, perched out and gripping on for dear life. I could almost hear it hissing: “Go ahead, tell her to put me in a tissue. You'll regret it!”
Now what could this ug-laaay little booger do to me? So in spite of the threats I say, “NO, we don’t pick our noses, let’s get a tissue.” Well, before the words are even out of my mouth, Toddler-girl is shoving that finger in her mouth! “Oh, nooooooooo!” I cry, with disgust. I don't know how, but that boogie enticed my poor child to taste it! “NO, We don’t eat boogies---“ and before I can finish my sentence, 2YO does what in her mind is the next best practical idea, pull it out of her mouth and immediately wipe it on Mommy’s knee! So, there I am with this elongated booger stretched out several inches across my bare knee in the shape of a V as though it were claiming “victory” over me. That was when I looked down and realized . . . I have become a human tissue! Yet another thing to add to the list of having earned my badge in motherhood.
Thanks for voting for me in the Top mommy blogs. You can vote 1x a day by clicking to the right of this post.
Posted by Laura
April 4, 2010
About Me: My breaking points ...
A sign that you're at your breaking point is when your face hits the carpet, your skin digging into the scratchy fibers in a puddle of your own tears as you cry out for a miracle. Last year this was a familiar place for me. In Friday's post, I asked you to tell me where you get your strength. Today, I’ll share where I get mine.
Only a few weeks after just giving birth to my precious baby boy, a series of sicknesses and unusual circumstances hit my family and me so forcefully I quickly realized I needed a strength greater than my own ability to get me through: 7 straight days of vomit and diarrhea hit my NON-potty trained toddler-girl where the first 6 days I cried for her, and finally on the 7th day, I cried for myself in exhaustion. Let’s skip over the surprise emergency appendectomy that sent me running to the emergency room in my bathrobe in severe pain, realizing I had no stored breast milk for baby boy and following surgery was not allowed to pick up infant boy for 4 weeks and toddler-girl for 6 weeks; pass over those two other bouts of the flu and stomach virus that again went through my house that left me begging my Urgent care doctor to just go ahead and inject me with whatever anti-nausea med available. Skip over the normal adjustments of a very strong-willed creative toddler girl who was fascinated with taking off her poop diapers and painting the crib and walls with it’s contents and a determined but exhausted mother who nursed an infant with one arm and had the Clorox wipes in the other. And of course, skip over the five times total that both cars broke down, we refinanced the house, got into a minor accident, and toddler-girl fell down the entire flight of stairs but was unharmed!
But there’s one story in the mix of stressful things listed above that would be an injustice to skip over. Let’s go straight to the part of series of events where I am crying in my room in the middle of the night, and I am completely overwhelmed: Toddler-girl had suddenly developed all the symptoms of what we later realize is Kawasaki disease: 105 degree fever, rash starting on hands and feet then all over body, sores in mouth, red eyes, we spend all night in the emergency room, FIVE different doctors, none could help. It was too early to diagnose, but if you don't treat it by day 10 (treatment means hospitalization), it affects the heart. Two days later, the symptoms are raging. I read about how John Travola's son died of heart disease and he had Kawasaki disease as a child! I read about how the research shows that kids who contract it (as it is not contagious and they are not sure how children get it but believe it is caused by a microbe) have had recent exposure to carpet cleaning or stagnant water. Just the night before Toddler-girl spent the night at her grandparents’ house whose 20-year-old carpet was just cleaned! I have never felt so overwhelmed in my entire life than to see your precious child sick and helpless and all you can do is wait on tests. The more I researched on the Internet and looked at pictures of other kids with Kawasaki, the more overwhelmed I felt as my daughter looked just like them and all the symptoms matched. What happened next is nothing short of an absolute miracle. I was completely overwhelmed with fear in my room, I didn’t know what to do, it was the middle of the night everyone else was asleep, even my husband was knocked out from having spent the previous night in the ER with her. As I’m praying, all of a sudden I went from feeling 100% anxiety to 100% peace—a peace so overwhelmingly comforting and outside of myself that I didn't feel I deserved or even expected, I just knew God was answering my prayers. As I was praying I was reminded of how God did a great miracle in my past and how I had told him I would NEVER forget that miracle. As I was praying for her, I heard Him say, "It's time for a new miracle. Do you believe I will heal her?" I had no question in my mind he was with me because there was no way in my own human strength I could find an ounce of peace. Well, within one hour of praying we checked her temperature and it was gone! It dropped from 105 to 98 degrees and the rash disappeared. That's my greatest miracle!
What got me through?
1.) Having a supportive and encouraging husband who is great at making me laugh in just about every situation, a mom who came to my rescue on numerous occasions, great family and friends.
2.) Friends who didn’t judge me for all my complaining, when I felt at the end of myself and didn’t feel like being positive!
3.) A Moms' group: a group of 2-3 other moms that I consistently met with once a week for play dates (when we were healthy). This helped me keep my sanity, knowing there were other moms going through the same struggles.
4.) This is the most important of all for me: God. I am extremely thankful for having such a supportive husband and family and friends but . . . It was many times in the middle of the night when no one else was around that I felt God meet me where no one else could. In my extreme neediness and exhaustion, I found strength beyond my own capabilities extended by a loving God who freely gives to those who ask.
Only a few weeks after just giving birth to my precious baby boy, a series of sicknesses and unusual circumstances hit my family and me so forcefully I quickly realized I needed a strength greater than my own ability to get me through: 7 straight days of vomit and diarrhea hit my NON-potty trained toddler-girl where the first 6 days I cried for her, and finally on the 7th day, I cried for myself in exhaustion. Let’s skip over the surprise emergency appendectomy that sent me running to the emergency room in my bathrobe in severe pain, realizing I had no stored breast milk for baby boy and following surgery was not allowed to pick up infant boy for 4 weeks and toddler-girl for 6 weeks; pass over those two other bouts of the flu and stomach virus that again went through my house that left me begging my Urgent care doctor to just go ahead and inject me with whatever anti-nausea med available. Skip over the normal adjustments of a very strong-willed creative toddler girl who was fascinated with taking off her poop diapers and painting the crib and walls with it’s contents and a determined but exhausted mother who nursed an infant with one arm and had the Clorox wipes in the other. And of course, skip over the five times total that both cars broke down, we refinanced the house, got into a minor accident, and toddler-girl fell down the entire flight of stairs but was unharmed!
But there’s one story in the mix of stressful things listed above that would be an injustice to skip over. Let’s go straight to the part of series of events where I am crying in my room in the middle of the night, and I am completely overwhelmed: Toddler-girl had suddenly developed all the symptoms of what we later realize is Kawasaki disease: 105 degree fever, rash starting on hands and feet then all over body, sores in mouth, red eyes, we spend all night in the emergency room, FIVE different doctors, none could help. It was too early to diagnose, but if you don't treat it by day 10 (treatment means hospitalization), it affects the heart. Two days later, the symptoms are raging. I read about how John Travola's son died of heart disease and he had Kawasaki disease as a child! I read about how the research shows that kids who contract it (as it is not contagious and they are not sure how children get it but believe it is caused by a microbe) have had recent exposure to carpet cleaning or stagnant water. Just the night before Toddler-girl spent the night at her grandparents’ house whose 20-year-old carpet was just cleaned! I have never felt so overwhelmed in my entire life than to see your precious child sick and helpless and all you can do is wait on tests. The more I researched on the Internet and looked at pictures of other kids with Kawasaki, the more overwhelmed I felt as my daughter looked just like them and all the symptoms matched. What happened next is nothing short of an absolute miracle. I was completely overwhelmed with fear in my room, I didn’t know what to do, it was the middle of the night everyone else was asleep, even my husband was knocked out from having spent the previous night in the ER with her. As I’m praying, all of a sudden I went from feeling 100% anxiety to 100% peace—a peace so overwhelmingly comforting and outside of myself that I didn't feel I deserved or even expected, I just knew God was answering my prayers. As I was praying I was reminded of how God did a great miracle in my past and how I had told him I would NEVER forget that miracle. As I was praying for her, I heard Him say, "It's time for a new miracle. Do you believe I will heal her?" I had no question in my mind he was with me because there was no way in my own human strength I could find an ounce of peace. Well, within one hour of praying we checked her temperature and it was gone! It dropped from 105 to 98 degrees and the rash disappeared. That's my greatest miracle!
What got me through?
1.) Having a supportive and encouraging husband who is great at making me laugh in just about every situation, a mom who came to my rescue on numerous occasions, great family and friends.
2.) Friends who didn’t judge me for all my complaining, when I felt at the end of myself and didn’t feel like being positive!
3.) A Moms' group: a group of 2-3 other moms that I consistently met with once a week for play dates (when we were healthy). This helped me keep my sanity, knowing there were other moms going through the same struggles.
4.) This is the most important of all for me: God. I am extremely thankful for having such a supportive husband and family and friends but . . . It was many times in the middle of the night when no one else was around that I felt God meet me where no one else could. In my extreme neediness and exhaustion, I found strength beyond my own capabilities extended by a loving God who freely gives to those who ask.
March 30, 2010
Mommy Faces Greatest Fear: The Public Restroom
So don’t ask me why these things happen to me, but sometimes they do and last night it did! Remember how last week I was capturing those nomadic poopies while quarantining Daddy? Well Mr. Poopie was NOT very happy with me; perhaps he didn’t appreciate my letter setting the record straight or the way I destroyed him with only one wipe. Well, last night he brought a sudden attack against me like I never knew existed but NOT while I was at home in the comforts of my own sanitized bathroom. He waited until I was stranded out in the middle of a mega craft store without a stroller. He waited until Daddy had left and I was just standing there holding my little 2YO’s hand to strike me so hard it sent me running to the public restroom like there was no tomorrow.
I ran so fast across the store, which by the way, why is the restroom when you really need one always located on the furthest side of the store! Poor little-toddler-girl’s tiny legs could barely keep up.
“WHERE ARE WE RUNNING TO?” she shouts.
“The bathroom.” I whisper.
“WHY ARE WE GOING TO THE BATHROOM, MOMMY?” She innocently loudly inquires, announcing to the entire store what I don't want them to know. The worst part is that a germaphobe Mommy was forced to bring her 2YO, who I repeat was NOT in the sanitized bubble of a stroller but free to walk and talk and touch the walls of the stall while Mommy felt helpless. Thank God, I had my bottle of purell on my keychain strapped to my belt buckle!
I call Daddy on my cell to cry out for help, BUT, of course he does not answer. Has the stomach flu finally gotten me too? Now what? How do you distract a 2YO while you’re having some major issues going on and toddler is fascinated by her new unsanitized surroundings? Let’s see: I told her a made up story about a princess who found a butterfly—which only entertained her for 20 seconds; we counted the tiles on the floor—got to 10 and lost interest; we talked about how dirty and germy the bathroom floor was—tricky, sometimes that makes her want to touch it even more; I praised her repeatedly for what a big help she was to Mommy by just keeping me company and not touching anything; we discussed the princess stickers that Mommy would buy for her for not touching the baby changing station that was sure to be housing an entire nation of E. coli; and finally we established that, No thank you, Mommy does NOT need help flushing because Mommy so deeply enjoys this task herself. Overall 2YO did very well. When we got to washing our hands I felt relieved: I even questioned if this might be a new stage where 2YO can handle being in a public restroom. But wouldn’t you know, just as we dried her hands, she noticed some pink dried soap on the edge of the sink and before Mommy could yell “Don’t touch,” her little arm in one stroke had swiped the pink residue and shoved those fingers in her mouth!
HANDS IN THE MOUTH! Now, the exit strategy was really in effect. Of course as we open the door, there's daddy. A moment too late. Sigh. We run across the store to the door and, yes, I keep my word and buy 2YO some stickers on the way out. Then, to top off the perfect evening, when we get in the car a tantrum arises so mightily that the two middle aged men who were walking nearby slow their steps and stare at me appalled with their cell phones in hand. Their faces said it all: surely, surely, this child who is kicking and screaming is being kidnapped! Should they call the police? One man pretended to walk away but only took five steps and then glared at us through his peripheral vision. The other man's feet were glued to the sidewalk right in front of our car. NO, It couldn’t possibly be that this child just never took her nap, is frustrated cause Mommy prematurely ended the fun trip to the craft store and is thus having a tantrum. Perhaps they never met a melodramatic child before. Or a Melodramommy.
"Excuse me, Sirs, ahem, yes the two of you who have been staring at me!" I yell rolling down the window while driving away (No I didn't really, I just fantasized about it later).
"Do you really think I'd be that stupid to kidnap a child who's so effective at throwing tantrums! Oh, just read my blog. Buh-bye."
Thanks all for voting for us by clicking to the right above this post. We’re now #6 in the humor category!
"Excuse me, Sirs, ahem, yes the two of you who have been staring at me!" I yell rolling down the window while driving away (No I didn't really, I just fantasized about it later).
"Do you really think I'd be that stupid to kidnap a child who's so effective at throwing tantrums! Oh, just read my blog. Buh-bye."
Thanks all for voting for us by clicking to the right above this post. We’re now #6 in the humor category!
Posted by Laura
March 21, 2010
When Mommy Becomes a One-Legged-Chicken
Craziness hit our house this morning: That big-ole-heavy-glass-jar filled with thick alfredo sauce that had been sitting on the very top shelf of the refrigerator door secretly attached itself to the bottle of maple syrup; so when I innocently lifted out the syrup to decorate 2YO’s waffle, BAMB! The jar detached itself from the syrup and came crashing down full force like a mallet striking the center of my left big toe. And that’s not the end of the story.
Fast forward five minutes later when I’m whimpering to myself in throbbing pain. Having hobbled like a one-legged chicken over to the couch and repeatedly maneuvered the bag of frozen peas in attempts to discover a non-pain-inducing position, I both kindly and not-so-kindly tell toddler-girl that she may NOT touch the swollen toe that I suppose is appearing to her like this magical fuchsia and lavender balled ornament that she just cannot resist trying to touch, especially when it’s sporting her favorite colors.
Ten minutes later: Several more yelps up to sleeping husband with requests for him to go get crying baby boy who is still upstairs in his crib. Right then, just as I’m staring at the bag of frozen green peas, I hear daddy yell down the most ironic of all statements: “Did you give him peas for dinner last night? … He threw up peas all over the crib!”
Could this story get any worse? Never underestimate the power of a crazy morning. (In fact, I think I will switch to the third person narration to give this story full effect.)
Mommy is sitting there in pain when 2YO whines that dreaded, “My tummy hurts!” Mommy leaps off that couch on her one chicken leg, lifts little girl to the potty JUST in the knick of time. A surprise explosion—captured! Yes, Mommy grins with delight seeing that we made it to the potty. Mommy hops to the other side of the house and back to grab the wipes and get her disposable rubber gloves to properly sanitize little girl. Daddy, on the contrary, is functioning as the two-legged headless chicken, stripping down a dirty but still ever-so-cute baby boy, scrubbing down both baby and the smelly crib, and running outside armed with rubber gloves to shake those peas out of a soggy crib sheet. Now that’s what you call teamwork!
So how does this story end? When all are cleaned and redressed, several hours later, all agree they never want to see peas for a very long time. Mommy and Daddy look at each other and roll their eyes; this was nothing compared to last year. Then, baby boy goes down for his morning nap. Mommy hobbles into her warm bed with her big sore toe sticking out from under lots of comfy covers. Toddler-girl snuggles next to mommy watching cartoons, and Daddy surprises Mommy with breakfast in bed—Greek eggs, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Perhaps there is a happy ending to this story after all (even if only lasting a few minutes).
Posted by Laura
Posted by Laura
March 20, 2010
Mommy Confession #872: The Blankeee with Rainbow Sprinkles
My little girl's favorite blanket, the pink one that has the plush velour trimmed with satin, the one she named "Soft Blankeee," the one she has snuggled with every night ever since an infant, the one that she named the adopted fifth member of the family, the one that on Thursday night when she woke up with a tummy ache--it successfully caught EVERYTHING, the one that as I carried it to the laundry room with full intent to salvage it--made me NEVER want to inhale again, the one that now stands as evidence proving raisins and rainbow sprinkles aren't always easily digested . . . I just couldn't muster enough strength and courage to clean it. Yes, I double and quadruple bagged it, sprinted outside in the midnight hour in my bathrobe and bright yellow rubber gloves to the garbage can, and whispered, "Byebye, Soft Blankeee, it was nice while it lasted."
Bright Idea:
If people can buy a look-alike fish or hamster to replace one that died, surely I can replace a blanket? Right? Good for me I just found out about a mom blog offering a blankee giveaway. Check it out at 3underthree. The offer ends Monday, March 23. There's still hope.
Posted by Laura
Bright Idea:
If people can buy a look-alike fish or hamster to replace one that died, surely I can replace a blanket? Right? Good for me I just found out about a mom blog offering a blankee giveaway. Check it out at 3underthree. The offer ends Monday, March 23. There's still hope.
Posted by Laura
March 15, 2010
How to Quarantine Mommy
Yesterday, I quarantined my husband (see the post Seven Ways to Quarantine Daddy.) On top of getting to spend the entire day in bed, enjoying undisturbed napping, and a most important toy-free path to the toilet, he got served breakfast, lunch, and dinner in bed—yes, I got off the hook easy since all he wanted was water. And after I put the kids to bed, dealing with a few tantrums, as a 2YO and 1YO surprisingly don't automatically adjust to daylight savings, I made a late night trip to the ole Food Lion to get his one craving, vanilla ice cream sandwiches.
Well, today, I think it’s only fair that I invite him to return the favor and quarantine me: No, you don’t have to wait for Mommy to be sick with the stomach flu. Just grab the kids and take them away for the day. No need to barricade the door. I voluntarily will lie in bed all day long. No questions asked. And when you return, don’t forget to bring home the ice cream. I’ll take a Cold Stone signature creation “All Lovin’ No Oven”—because the name says it all.
Posted by Laura
Posted by Laura
March 14, 2010
Seven Ways To Quarantine Daddy
So it’s 4 p.m. and I confess I haven’t yet brushed my teeth because I dread going into the bathroom to get my toothbrush. I washed my face with shampoo from the guest bathroom. Yes, I’m still wearing the clothes I slept in. The problem? It happened early this morning at 4 a.m. A sound no mother ever wants to hear: a roar coming from a yellow-faced daddy that described all he ate for dinner last night and all day long for that matter in one prolonged breath. Food poisoning? Stomach virus? All I know is that there is no quicker way to get this mother out of bed. In fact, I’m thankful the ceiling fan isn’t directly above my side of the bed or I probably would have hit my head and been flung into the bathroom while jumping out from under the sheets.
So what do you do? How do you keep the two toddlers as far away from what could be the queen mother of all viruses--the stomach flu? There’s only one answer . . . We must quarantine daddy. Look, I hope you are never in the same predicament. But, it’s always wise to be prepared.
Here’s seven ways to quarantine daddy:
1.) Get geared up with a mask. If you don’t have one handy, hold your breath when in the same room. Look, breathing isn’t that important right now. Weigh the priorities!
2.) Bring him a glass of water and toast with a note that says, “I love you. Feel better.” You've got to show some compassion but again I repeat, DO NOT breathe until you are out of the room.
3.) Barricade the bedroom door so he can’t come out. Look, you gave him bread and water; he has all he needs to survive for the next while.
4.) Open all the windows to air out the house. Don’t worry if it’s freezing outside, this will only help the air flow more quickly.
5.) Grab the Clorox wipes and a can of Lysol disinfectant and begin happy sanitizing.
6.) Wash your hands! Don’t forget you have to scrub for 30 seconds to eliminate all the germs. Oprah suggests you sing “Happy Birthday” twice. But considering the circumstances, I think a more appropriate song would be, “I Will Survive.”
7.) Finally, grab the car keys, diaper bag, load the kids in the car, and just drive somewhere far, far away.
Good luck! And, if you have any other suggestions to add to the list, please be sure to post your comment.
Posted by Laura
Posted by Laura
March 4, 2010
Melodramommy Escapes Close Encounter
Yes. That woman. That mother who got out of her car in the parking lot, wrestled the 40-pound double-stroller out of a tiny trunk when she spotted something so terrible in her mommy world, her heart stopped, eyes bulged--even the three hairs on her chin stood straight up—that woman who when she spotted it, in one breath she had that stroller pinned down and shoved back into the trunk all while leaping into the car; in fact, if she could have climbed into the car through the trunk, she would have. Pale trembling fingers gripping the wheel, jiggling keys, a heavy foot commanding a most necessary get-away, all while explaining to the kids there will be no doctor’s check-up today; forget the exciting 2-year-old pep talk given on the drive there on how fun it is to go to the doctor but, of course, DON’T forget the part about how important it is to keep our fingers out of our mouths.
Yes, that panic stricken woman peeling away and leaving a somewhat apologetic message on the doctor’s voicemail that she would need to reschedule today’s appointment because there in the entrance to the doctor’s office was a man wearing a forbidden blue surgical mask that was screaming, “hi there, I have an extremely contagious disease. Yes, come bring your two healthy children in here and let me expose them to a wonderful stomach flu or swine flu if you’d prefer.” That’s what she saw. That’s what she did. And, yes, that woman was me.
And that’s how I handle the doctor’s office. How do you? What would you have done?
Posted by Laura
Posted by Laura
December 18, 2009
Melodramommy Meets Urgent Care
As I write my first post, I'm already feeling the effects of the NyQuil I added to my own sippy cup tonight in efforts to combat what I think has been a lingering sinus infection. Here's a story for you of the drama from just today:
So, having my sleep disrupted the previous night from coughing, which made my voice sound a weird mix between an adolescent boy and my great aunt who smoked 30-years-one-too-many cigarettes, I determined that I would finally go to the doctor. The problem was that the weather forecast predicted a snowstorm; not the most enticing conditions to venture out to the doctor, keeping in mind I'd be lugging my 2-year-old girl and 10-month-old boy. Long story short, I find myself at an Urgent Care. Surely, it being a closer drive and not requiring an appointment would get me in and out in time to make it home before the snow. NOT SO.
So, having my sleep disrupted the previous night from coughing, which made my voice sound a weird mix between an adolescent boy and my great aunt who smoked 30-years-one-too-many cigarettes, I determined that I would finally go to the doctor. The problem was that the weather forecast predicted a snowstorm; not the most enticing conditions to venture out to the doctor, keeping in mind I'd be lugging my 2-year-old girl and 10-month-old boy. Long story short, I find myself at an Urgent Care. Surely, it being a closer drive and not requiring an appointment would get me in and out in time to make it home before the snow. NOT SO.
I get there, lugging in my long double stroller with both canopies engaged to act like shields against any lingering viruses in the air. I intentionally sit myself on the furthest side of the waiting room, as far away from the pale young woman whose frown greeted me at the door. As I sit there, waiting and waiting, all I can think is: Ms. Receptionist, can't you see I have a crying baby whom I am trying so hard to keep away from all these sick people. Can you call me into the room already? Then, an older looking Hispanic man goes into the restroom and begins a series of flushes that announces to all, stomach flu. By the third flush, all I can think is GET OUT OF HERE. Six flushes. He walks out of the bathroom, feet dragging, and walks up to the water fountain, which is only 10 feet from me and the stroller, and rinses his mouth out in the water fountain! As I hear the man swishing the water in his mouth, all I can think is, PLEASE tell me this man isn't dancing his post-vomitose tongue in the water fountain where people are going to drink! And PLEASE tell me this isn't happening so close I can hear it!
As I'm listening to this man's clunk of spit hit the metal rim of the fountain, I am so horrified as the reality of this man's stomach virus germs are within reaching distance to both my baby and me! The secret, silent, germaphobic alarm bells were sounding before I even walked in the room, you can imagine how they sound now! For a moment, I envision and relive one of the most dramatic, scarring motherly memories that occurred only 7 months earlier when my non-potty-trained toddler endured SEVEN DAYs of vomit and diarrhea that made me give her showers, with yellow, elbow-high rubber gloves to rinse off the remnants and made me feel like I was driving a de-sterilization Nazi camp--keep in mind I also had a 7-week-old infant I was desperately trying to keep healthy and away from the threat. After that passed, we did have second bout of the stomach bug, one that only lasted two days a person, but went through my ENTIRE family. So, here a few months later, is it any wonder why I might be just a little overly sensitized to the possibility of a third GI manifestation!
So I wait for the man to take a few steps to my left, the door is on the right, and I gracelessly grab the stroller, quickly ask for the receptionist to return my health insurance card, and sprint out the door, pushing the stroller with one hand and retrieving the disinfectant wipes out from my purse with the other hand and had everything wiped down before I even reached my car. SAFETY! Upon returning home I washed my hands for so long that I actually have some dry skin cracks on my knuckles. I'm sorry but, sinus infection or not, I'm not about to stay in the waiting room with my little baby boy when there is a man walking around with a stomach virus, spewing his germs in the fountain next to me.
The moral of this story for all you melodramommies out there: just don't go to an Urgent care. Avoid it at all costs. And if you do go, wear a radioactive protective suit that covers head to toe, perhaps one with its own oxygen mask and tank, and wear that--don't forget to put one on baby too. But don't bring your baby and don't go unprotected. And finally, if you should ever be that person who has the stomach bug and is in the urgent care, PLEASE don't be rinsing out your mouth in the public water fountain, ESPECIALLY if there is a woman with a baby next to you. You think she doesn't hear, but in reality she is listening with every hair on her head standing, head tilting, eyes squinting, stomach pitting, heart palpitating, hands gripping the stroller, and it might take her all day and even blogging about it to get over what you just traumatized her with--that is IF she's lucky.
Well, I'm struggling to stay awake. The NyQuil has set in. Until next time.
Posted by Laura
Posted by Laura
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