The bad news? Katie threw up all over the couch.
The good news? At least it wasn’t at Sam’s Club or in the car (we had just got home).
The bad news? It was the one morning I wasn’t sitting out there with them and Mr. Tattletale—who normally gives me a play-by-play of everything—didn’t feel the need to tell me. š
The good news? We have a leather couch.
The bad news? It has A LOT of button holes and stitching.
Ugh. Teething sucks. (Especially when she’s never acted like this before.) Poor kid.
Today was Owen’s four-month check up with the pediatric GI. Unfortunately, we really haven’t seen much progress.
He’ll have good days and bad days, but pretty much every day he still has poopy underwear. Some of it is a matter of him not wanting to poop (which he admits) and trying to hold it in, but some of it is still the liquidy stuff that I don’t think he can control—which would mean he’s still backed up (impacted). But since he does seem to poop quite a bit (quantity-wise) I just couldn’t fathom that he was still backed up. Also, it seemed to me that when he has normal poops (i.e. not the soft squishy stuff) he has no problem going—he knows he needs to go and he goes and it’s perfect. We gave up on the daily mineral oil after the first few days because it just gave him diarrhea every single day (which is NOT what it was supposed to do).
So in talking with the doc and telling him everything…he said he thinks that Owen is still impacted. Especially when he asked if I felt that Owen was really ever fully cleaned out (like when we did the 8-hour no-food clean out)—like did he ever just get down to pure watery poops—and I said no. He asked if the semi-regular clean-outs after that were any better (we’ve been doing a semi-clean out about every three weeks) and I said no. So he said that if it was HIS son and he was at the four-month mark with no real progress, he would admit him for a hospitalized clean-out. Which could take anywhere from 3-5 days. IN WILMINGTON.
Hospitalization may sound awful, but he assured me they do A TON of them and it’s really no big deal. Some of the worst cases he’s seen? They remove 10# of poop from the kid! He doesn’t think Owen is that bad, but he thinks it’s the best bet to make sure we’re basically starting with a clean slate so-to-speak. He also warned that it isn’t the magic solution, though it can work wonders and a lot of parents said it was a miracle and wished they’d done it sooner. Of course, it won’t help with his emotional issues about not WANTING to poop, but at least we know we’ll be starting from scratch.
At this point, I’m game to try ANYTHING so I said of course we’ll do that. They said they can pretty much get us in whenever, so I just had to figure out Katie care since she can’t stay there with us. I can also stay overnight, but I don’t need to so if I think he’ll be okay then he can stay by himself.
Of course Owen was there listening to all of this and I was worried he would be freaked out or would refuse to go or would have a meltdown…but the doctor said “Kids don’t mind it at all! They can watch TV, movies, and play XBOX games!” Owen’s ears perked up. The doc asked if Owen would mind going to the hospital and he said no—and he actually wanted to go right then and didn’t understand why he couldn’t. š
So I contacted my sitter (the same one we used when we went away for the weekend) because I know her summer nannying job is over, and she said she can do it…so tomorrow I have to call to schedule. I’m hoping for Sunday because I have a dinner outing planned Thursday, an old friend (one of my high school classmates) coming in from out of town Friday morning, and a birthday party and BBQ to go to Saturday. Then just hope it only takes two days and not four or five.
Stay tuned for updates!
Yeah…she hasn’t been feeling the best lately. Well, let me rephrase. She seems to feel fine and isn’t really exhibiting any crankiness or anything…she just seems REALLY tired. And last night she had a bit of a fever (102) so I gave her some Tylenol before putting her to bed a little early. She slept normally (all night) and her fever was down to 99 this morning. But she was falling asleep on me at 10 (see above photo; her normal nap time is around 11:30-12) and her temp was 100. So when I just put her down for a nap she didn’t make a peep (which is unusual) so something is definitely a little off. Logically I know it’s nothing bad—likely just teething—but I still have to keep my brain from freaking out thinking it’s some warning sign I’m missing…
Happy 12th anniversary from halfway across the world, baby! It feels like just yesterday but also like we’ve been together our whole lives as I can’t imagine my life before you. I love you and miss you desperately!
And this year—after a respectable 11-year run—we FINALLY ended our accidental-turned-scheduled anniversary tradition of having Chinese for dinner. Damn marine corps not offering anything remotely Chinese in Afghanistan today. Hmph.
However.
We’re possibly starting a new tradition as Tom had steak and shrimp…so I figured instead of me just grabbing Chinese take out, I’d go and get steak and shrimp as well!
However.
I didn’t really want to get it take-out (who wants steak and shrimp to cool off on the 20-minute ride home?) but I honestly didn’t want to go by myself (well, with the kids)…so I sent an open invitation to my moms group…and one mom offered to come out with me (well, plus one of her kids). So…YAY for friends! And new traditions!
That said…WOW. I don’t think I’ll be taking the kids out by myself anytime soon. Or if I do, it will be to a FAST FOOD place or somewhere we can get much faster service.
Those of you with small kids will understand—you do everything QUICKLY. You order quickly (you quite possibly even order the kids meals first), you pay the check quickly, and you’re hopefully out of there before the squirming and whining begins. But unfortunately that was not how tonight played out. I fully blame the waitress, who constantly disappeared for loooong periods at every stage of the meal. Tom and I can usually get in and out in under 40 minutes. Ruth and I were there (at the same place) for just under ONE AND A HALF HOURS. Good god.
Ruth was a godsend, though. At one moment when it was a bit of a circus—everyone was noisy, there was too much crap on the tables and nowhere to put anything, Katie had reached for the knife three times in under a minute and was spilling corn all over the floor, Owen was asking for the third time where his milk was (damn slow waitress!), we were trying to share the onion appetizer…all while trying to place our food order—she volunteered to take the kids (my two and her one) for a brief walk so I could have a breather. And then she noticed Katie needed a diaper change so she did that, too.
/sigh
Of course, Owen didn’t follow along quickly enough and then Ruth was too far away for him to chase after so he stayed with me. Then announced he had to pee…so I had to take him back to the bathroom anyway. But then I left him with Ruth and went back to the table as they took a quick roundabout tour of the restaurant and I got to eat three bites of my salad in peace.
Overall it was a great meal—the steak and shrimp were REALLY good. It may have spoiled my usual order at that restaurant as well (I have ever only ordered one single thing every time we’ve gone there). The only thing that could have made it better? To have been able to calmly and slowly eat the yummy meal in peace and quiet—appreciating the food—instead of just shoving in a random bite here and there between managing two kids. Well, I guess that’s technically more than one thing. š
I am so glad to have made a few new good mom friends who just UNDERSTAND and are willing to lend a hand—or supportive meal—when it’s needed.
And on that note… I mentioned that I’d probably order steak every time I went out because I wouldn’t be eating it at home because I don’t grill. And Ruth pipes up “I GRILL!” So I’ll provide the protein and the grill, she’ll provide the actual grilling, the kids can play in the pool…YAY!
If you know me at all, you know we order a lot of stuff from Amazon (and online in general, really—I mean, with two kids, it’s really the convenience factor). And with the quantity we order PLUS my sketchy swiss-cheesed mommy-brain memory, I often have NO idea what’s in each box when it arrives. Tom and I sometimes play a game: Can he open the box before I remember what’s in it? š (If you’re curious, I think it’s about 60/40 to him.)
Well, in my internet travels, I recently saw a really delicious recipe that I saved to Evernote post haste (Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter Sāmores Bars by Cookies & Cups if you’re interested ) but what got me was the beginning text…which sounds just about like our household:
A few weeks ago I opened up my front door to a package.
Now I am no stranger to the package on the front door.
I consider myself a bit of an online shopping expert.But sometimes when you are such an expert internet shopper you forget about the things you buyā¦
That is until the box ends up on the front step.
ORRR the husband intercepts said box, which is basically the worst day of my life.
In these cases he generally stands over me while I open the box, all while I over-explain about how it was āon saleā, a ātotal bargainā or (my favorite) āfor the childrenā.
Anyway, when you open the box itās like a surprise! What did I order? I canāt even remember!
Itās basically like Christmas.
I mean, you all know how much I LOVE CHRISTMAS… š
But now, all I can think about is those yummy-looking S’more bars. Mmmmmm. I wonder how they’d travel to Afghanistan?!?
Well, I’m doing much better than I had anticipated…and life goes on (are you sensing a theme here?)…so we’re having a pool playgroup today! Not everyone could come, but two moms (each who just had husbands come home recently!) and three kids will be great!
…but I made it through. The kids and I had a dip in the pool, I had a drink, I updated the blog, I texted with Tom, and now I’m off to take a sleeping pill otherwise I will be up all night (I can NEVER sleep the first night he’s gone).
Now only about 200 days left…
Tom leaving is always hard, and as the time draws nearer, it gets exponentially harder. But there are stupid little things that you don’t think about or don’t expect.
One of Owen’s random cartoons this morning (that we’ve never watched before) played Pachelbel’s Canon in D. SERIOUSLY?!? A song from our wedding? The day he leaves? Sure, THAT won’t set me off. š
Tom’s side of the bed cleaned up.
His side of the sink cleaned out.
His stuff not in the shower.
His shoes not on the rack.
The remnants of his last-minute packing on the kitchen table.
The random shirt hanging over the tub.
It’s seemingly never ending.
After a few days none of it will really bother me, but for now…it really sucks.
Tom told me his finalized departure date tonight…right before he fell asleep…and it’s just REALLY hitting home now and it’s all I can do to not have my ugly cry right now. In bed. With his arm around me. š
We have 12 days. August 8.
I hate when shit gets real.
The local autism society hosts “sensory friendly” movies at our theater—lowered volume, not completely dark, no ads or previews, you can get up and walk around, and you can bring your own snacks—which we thought would be a great first experience just in case…
As we were wandering around showing him the lobby, he immediately noticed the Planes sign and was very excited. š
Today’s showing was Despicable Me 2—and he was excited because he likes the minions.
And…he loved the movie and did REALLY well. He didn’t talk that much and only got up once. He did ask for popcorn after his crackers were gone…so Tom bought the cheapest $7 bag…and Owen ate about six pieces. Which means we got to eat it (though I’m not complaining—it was delicious).
He did SUCH a good job that we stopped to get ice cream on the way home.
And since he did such a great job, we’ll try to take him to one more regular movie before Tom leaves…
So, overall…the sensory-friendly movie experience was…interesting. For the most part it was okay but there were more than a few very young (read: too young) kids there who were running around. Now, this showing was meant for allowing that…which I understand. But really, if on a basic level your child is too young to sit still for even 15 minutes of a movie—and you’re constantly chasing them or herding them—I don’t think they should be there–even if it’s a more friendly version. There were also lots of crying babies/kids and noisy older kids…which I was okay with the older kids (this was an autism event after all) but the babies? Still no excuse…but I know some were there because the parents didn’t want to get a sitter. (The people next to us brought SIX kids—three of which were too young IMO.)
So while it was okay and Owen enjoyed it, I’m hoping he’ll do okay at a “real” movie…so we can hopefully avoid some of the other shenanigans.
It’s amazing that shortly after Express-Scripts merged (or whatever) with Medco things went to hell.
And by that I simply mean I needed a refill but it said I didn’t have any but they would check with my doctor. Cool, that was easy.
A week later I get a phone call saying they’re having issues, my doctor came back as a…are you ready? DENTIST. WTF? And they gave me a completely wrong number (including the area code). But the doc’s name was right. SERIOUSLY? I gave her the right number, she thanked me, and said they’d keep trying.
A few days later I get an automated call. “We’re still having issues. Would you like us to continue working on it or would you like to cancel the order?” Um, why the F would I want to cancel the order? Yes, continue.
A few days later, another automated call asking the same thing. Yes, continue.
A week later I decided to check online and gee, it says it’s canceled. SERIOUSLY? I’m glad someone got back with me about this drug I needed refilled and they canceled without telling me.
So I played with the automated attendant trying to get info (impossible) and then finally got transferred to an attendant after 10 minutes. Twenty minutes later I get a rep who starts with “Our systems are down and I can’t help with any account or order information but you can wait for another rep. It will take about an hour.”
Ugh.
So I just basically told her what was going on (see above) and she said she’d transfer me to someone who could hopefully help me. I ask if I’m going to have to wait an hour. Oh no, she says. Then she transferred me…right back to the initial automated shit I had 30 minutes before. š
URGE TO KILL.
It’s a damn good thing I don’t need this drug immediately. And now I get to make another phone call at another time. Yay.
We were in the upstairs living room and she was playing in a drawer of the entertainment center (her new favorite thing is putting stuff in drawers). I’m glad I didn’t see it happen or I would have likely freaked the F out. But one second she was standing at the drawer, I looked away, the next second she was sitting down next to the drawer and screaming. My first thought was she fell and smacked her chin on the drawer. So I grabbed her and checked her out and didn’t see any red marks and there was no blood in her mouth…so then I actually looked at her face and HOLY CRAP. It looked a little worse than the pictures (which were taken later, after her bath) but even so, she only cried for about a minute. Of course, she wouldn’t let us put an ice pack or anything on it. Silly kid. I’m sure she’ll have a black eye tomorrow.
Weight: 21lbs. 11oz. (was 20lbs. 14oz.)—down to the 65th percentile (from 81st)
Height: 30-1/4″ (was 29-3/4″)—down to 80th percentile (from 97th)
Head: 18-1/2″ (was 17-3/4″)—down to 65th percentile (from 79th)
For comparison, Owen’s 12-Month Check-Up was:
Weight: 26# 4oz (95th percentile)
Height: 32″ (95th percentile)
Head:47cm (75th percentile)
I’m REALLY glad she isn’t following in his statistical footsteps anymore!!
Once again, the milestone questionnaire they give you is a joke. I mean, sure I know if she’s walking along the edge of the couch, taking a few steps on her own, or saying a few words…but how on earth would I know if she “reaches for a Cheerio inside a closed clear plastic container”? And I haven’t had her attempting to scribble yet, so that makes me feel like I’m slacking. š And those are the only two things that I remember—I should have taken a picture of the form.
But she passed everything with flying colors. She didn’t even make a peep when they poked her finger for the iron test! (And as usual, she pulled the band-aid off within minutes.) And she only squawked for like 30 seconds when she got her two immunizations.
The doctor was impressed with the foods that she eats and that we’ve already transitioned her to whole milk…and said we need to try to get her off the bottle by her next visit. I know, I know—I wish she already was but she has ZERO desire to give up the bottle.
So, Katie loves playing with Charlie. For the most part, Charlie doesn’t mind—but every once in awhile she’ll have enough and give Katie a swat (she has no claws so it’s not dangerous). Sometimes Katie stops…sometimes she doesn’t. Once in awhile Katie gets a quick nip and it shocks her but doesn’t really hurt her.
Until tonight.
She got bit HARD. At first we didn’t think too much about it but she was screaming harder and louder (and longer) than normal…so I took a peek…and saw blood. Yep, Charlie bit her hand so hard it drew blood. Poor kid. ((A day later you can still see the teeth marks and bruising.))
Guess who woke up with all three Ss this morning?! Plus drippy, too, I guess.
š
Best we can tell, it was allergies of some sort (the snot—though plentiful—was clear). And she was definitely pathetic looking—red-rimmed and runny eyes, sneezy sneezy sneezy, and continuously dripping (and sometimes spraying) snot.
Good times.
I was checking Google maps today to see how many in-ground pools were in our subdivision (for no real reason other than it’s a question that popped into my head while driving to Costco) when I realized that our satellite view has been (somewhat) recently updated.
I love how much I can determine from what we can see:
Previously, our view was fenceless. Now? The shed is there (so, after April 2012) but there’s a dead spot in the backyard grass where the pool was (so, after October 2012) but wait!—that’s not Tom’s car OR my car in the driveway!—whose is it? Aha! Dad and Linda’s minivan! And they were there in February 2013. And from the amount of stuff on the curb, it looks like garbage pickup day so it’s a Monday morning. And Tom’s at work (hence his car not being there) and since my car isn’t there I’m guessing I was running errands.
Looking back at my calendar, Katie had a 9:00 appointment for her flu booster on Monday, February 18…so that’s when Google got us.
Creepy or cool?
So I had been DREADING this talk. We all know how much Owen loves his daddy and misses him when he’s just at work for the day…
We ordered the Sesame Street Deployment video (Elmo’s daddy goes away to help people, Elmo’s mommy stays home) and watched it ahead of time—and I couldn’t make it through without crying (but then, the last month is the most emotional for me).
So at breakfast, we finally told Owen about Tom leaving and Owen’s immediate response was “But I don’t want you to go. I will miss you.” Tom assured him that he would miss him, too. We told him it was like when daddy had to go to school before and was gone for a lot of days, but this time he was going farther away and wouldn’t be able to come home on the weekends. Owen told Tom that he would go to school, too. š
Then we showed him the Sesame Street video…and he seems okay so far. It just seemed like any other Sesame Street episode to him. But now out of nowhere he’ll say “Elmo’s mommy stays home.” And I reassure him yes, Elmo’s mommy stays home—just like I will be here with him and Katie. I also repeat “Grown ups come back” (which is from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood when Daniel Tiger doesn’t want his parents to go out for the night—the babysitter tells him that grown ups always come back).
I’m sure there will be worse times…but for now—when I’M still fragile—I’ll take his nonchalance.
As I walk into the living room this morning:
Tom: Look who just got up!
Me: Katie?
Tom: Yes, she slept in!
Me: Oh, you mean after crying for 20 minutes at 6:30?
Tom: I didn’t hear her over the fan.
Me: I did. I’ve been up since 6:30. FAIL.
The baby monitor goes back up today (it was down from vacation). I only have four more weekends of not having to get up with the early-rising kids…and I need every last one of them to be successful.
Katie still has diarreah…and this morning was a bit worse than normal with three full diapers before her morning nap (it’s been maybe once per day up until now). This, of course, necessitated two outfit changes as well.
Then.
THEN.
I was standing in the kitchen talking to my mom when I look up to see Owen in the hallway just standing there but looking kinda…strange…and quiet. It didn’t register. Then he threw up as only Owen could do—basically just opened his mouth and it comes spewing out. That’s when I noticed the PILES of puke in the living room. Ugh.
Well, I immediately pulled him onto the linoleum, knowing that he likely wasn’t done because when he pukes, it’s not just once or twice—it’s usually at least 3-4 times. And if you try to move him, he’ll puke the entire way and you’ll have a bigger area to clean up. And yep, he puked three more times.
Luckily Katie was down for her nap.
Unluckily Tom was out getting his hair cut.
Luckily my mom was there.
Unluckily she wasn’t feeling well, either.
I stripped Owen and gave him a quick bath then started the cleanup. During which I discovered he also puked on the couch and iPad.
š
At least we had brought carpet and upholstery cleaner with us (something I’ve learned to do with two kids and a dog). So I was on my hands and knees scrubbing for 20 minutes and of course Tom walked in right as I was finishing. š Them I had to change clothes because I had puke splatter plus wet knees from cleaning the carpet.
As usual, Owen didn’t appear to be sick (before or after)…so who knows why he puked.
Then when Katie got up from her nap, she was sitting in my lap…and let’s just say I had to change clothes again. š
Then at dinner, Owen was eating too fast while simultaneously eating like a horse and not chewing well enough and he started coughing HARD…which—yep, you guessed it—leads to vomiting! At least he puked onto his plate and we had nothing to clean.
It’s rare he pukes at all, so to have him do it twice in one day? We wondered if he really might be sick (both Tom and my mom had a day of the icks) but he had no other symptoms and we knew the second time was from coughing. I think everything was just a big coincidence.
So, Owen has had loose (but still somewhat formed) stools for a day or so, culminating in full-fledged diarrhea today. It’s hard for me to tell what should be normal since he is on a prescribed daily regiment of Miralax, Activia, and mineral oil.
You’d immediately think one of those three things (or the combo) was the cause…but he’s been taking the Miralax and Activia for almost three months now. And adding the mineral oil shouldn’t have that effect (I asked the doc what it would do because I was worried about diarrhea and he said just make it easier to get rid of…he specifically said it wouldn’t cause diarrhea)…but even if it was he’s been on that for a week and I’d think it would have happened before now?!
So I thought about discontinuing the mineral oil and just seeing what happens—he seemed to be doing fine without the oil the first 6 weeks but the doc really wanted him on it. But then I actually looked up mineral oil and of course…yes, it can cause diarrhea in some people. And of course that would be Owen. š
So I’m obviously stopping the mineral oil…and I hope things, um, firm up by the time we leave for our 900 mile two-day road trip.
This sucks.
I thought I was brushing dirt off Owen’s neck this morning (he had just been outside for a few minutes)…but it didn’t brush off. Okay, maybe it was dried dirt…so I used my nail. And it still wasn’t coming off.
OH MY GAWD IT WAS A TICK!!! EEK!!! (I’d never actually seen one in person but I was pretty sure that’s what it was.)
I only semi-panicked. š
I scratched/pulled it off, took it to the kitchen where I put it on a bowl and took a picture of it (so I could make sure later), then squished it to death with a knife. Then Googling affirmed it was a tick. EWWWWW!!!
I checked out the rest of his body and didn’t find anything (and there was nothing on me or Maggie). But of course it had been on his neck right on a freckle so I was paranoid there was still tick pieces in his neck…so I got out the lighted magnifying glasses to try and see better—which didn’t really help but Owen loves them—and assured myself it was just a freckle.
I then emailed a pic to Tom and he said the mouth was still attached so that was good.
So, where the hell did it come from? It’s not like he’s been tromping through backwoods North Carolina. He plays in the back yard! It wasn’t too attached so it couldn’t have been on him for too long…
/shudder
Today was Owen’s six-week follow-up. Here, he’s being a good big boy getting his blood pressure and temperature taken.
Overall the doc said he was doing well, and assured me—after I expressed concern that we had one perfect week then completely regressed—that it was normal. He informed me that it could take (and usually takes) as long to fix the problem as it took to cause it…which gives us many many many more months of this.
So we were all outside at playgroup. Of course Katie didn’t want to sit still in my lap so I just let her go. At first she was content to just sit there.
But then she was OFF LIKE A SHOT and was obviously THRILLED to be free and had a ball zipping around, through the gardens, over obstacles, always looking back at me and giggling. See her?
All the boys had bats and were hitting balls off tees. We had to turn them around a few times so they weren’t hitting them toward Katie. Then another mom grabbed Katie from under the trampoline so I took her.
Just then, one of the little boys tried to hand me a ball and asked if I’d play catch with him. I said “How about I toss you the ball and you can hit it?” Of course not expecting my throw to be anywhere good enough OR for him to hit it like a major leaguer. Yep—CRACK!!—direct line drive to Katie’s head (in my arms). It was a plastic ball so obviously not life-threatening, but still obviously a painful shock.
I wasn’t mad or anything—I mean, it was totally my fault—but who thinks a 4yo could hit like that?! The kid’s mom felt awful. She said “I should have warned you he can really hit.” And he was so cute. He came up and said “I kept my eye on the ball!” I said “Yes, you did, and you did a good job. It was my fault. You’re not in trouble.”
She was totally fine and didn’t cry for too long…and just developed a big round red welt after a bit.
Well the pediatrician says impetigo or herpes so she’s being treated for both. It’s still contagious, but not as bad as molluscum.
That said, I texted my sister the diagnosis (and of course I didn’t get her text until I left the office) and she said “It’s not herpes if it’s on her finger, too.” Hoo boy. So now I’m leery if these docs don’t even know something that seems basic… But I guess we’re covered either way with the meds (one twice a day for seven days and one five times a day for 10 days).
We were also referred to an ophthalmologist since it’s by her eye so that’s this afternoon.
—
Ugh. That was painful.
Our appointment at the eye doctor was 1:15 and as a new patient I had to be there at 1:00. Fine. We got in about 1:25 so not bad. Then it was AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER by the time the doc came in. Oh, at about an hour someone finally came in and said “He just got back from surgery, he has one quick thing to do, then he’ll be in.”
What? JUST got back? At 2? So why the hell were we scheduled for 1:15? (They didn’t say emergency surgery.) And then it still took another 30 minutes.
The pediatrician didn’t say “Good news, they squeezed you in!” so I assumed we had a normal appointment. Apparently not.
So let me just tell you HOW MUCH FUN it was with an already over-tired baby WAY beyond her nap time and an energetic 4yo cooped up in an exam room. Thank heavens Tom met me there and could help out. I may have lost my mind otherwise.
And the actual doc part? Seriously two minutes. GRRR. One squirt of dye in her eye and a quick look with a blue light to see if there were scratches. Nope, okay, use this ointment. See you in two weeks.
š
Then Katie was out within two minutes of me starting the drive home.
Ugh. Poor Katie.
Before we left, I noticed two red spots on her face by her eyes. I just thought they were random baby pimples and didn’t think much else about it.
We came home and she had another one—and the old ones weren’t gone. Another day, and she was up to five—all around her eye.
It was at this point I decided to ask my sister, Kathryn, who has professional dermatology experience. Her diagnosis was Molluscum, a type of wart. (FYI: don’t google–EEK!—though the pics are all WAY worse than what she has.)
Unfortunately, they are contagious, and can be spread on herself or to Owen (or to us). š But how do you keep a baby from touching her eyes/face/mouth? EXACTLY. YOU CAN’T.
My sis said to keep her (and Owen) very moisturized because it spreads more easily to dry skin. So I lathered her up really well last night…but then she woke up with three more around her mouth and one on her finger! Ugh. I bandaged the one on her finger but then I have to watch that she doesn’t chew the bandaid off (and swallow it). And of course it’s one of the two fingers she puts in her mouth to comfort herself. š
They’ll (supposedly) eventually go away on their own but it sounds like it’s something that can stick around for a long time (like 5 years) and the best treatment is burning or freezing. š Though my sis says from what I’ve said and pics I’ve sent they don’t seem to be that bad. There are other creams but Googling says they’re not very effective (and my guess is they shouldn’t be applied around a baby’s eyes).
I just hate that she has to deal with this. (Okay, I’m not kidding anyone. I hate that I have to deal with it as well.) They look awful but don’t seem to itch (fingers crossed). Though she does seem to be more cranky than she’s ever been…and I’m guessing her no-nap days are because of this somehow, too, though she does sleep all night.
We have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow so we can confirm. We don’t need to quarantine ourselves (you just have to take precautions) but I really want to because it just seems easier. I did cancel our playgroup date tomorrow but I’m sure we’ll be back next week depending what the doc says.
I just hope there’s something we can do…
I meant to post this on Mother’s Day but I forgot. So today will have to do.
SOURCE:GraphJam via The Gentleman’s Armchair
Having fun while I wait for the doctor*.
(*Nothing worrisome. I was just getting a refill of Nexium and having her look at my “poop knee.” She prescribed an anti-inflammatory.)
So, I completely forgot about my knee and tried to kneel on it today while cleaning the floor…and almost collapsed in pain.
This can’t be good.
It’s okay standing—and walking and on stairs I can feel it—but anything requiring a 90Ā° bend hurts (unless I’m laying down) and any pressure is killer.
It sucks because I tend to kneel quite a few times during the day and I have to consciously remind myself to kneel on one knee only.
This morning at breakfast I gave Katie a straw sippy cup to play/practice with. I marked where I filled it so I could tell if she actually drank anything or was just playing. And damned if she didn’t actually drink some! Then I let her have it during play time and she drank more! So…it looks like we’re going to bypass the hard spout cups. WOOHOO! (Owen didn’t drink out of straw cups until probably 1.5-2—but I don’t think we even gave him the chance because typically regular sippy cups come first so that’s what we did.)
At her second dinner (when Owen was finally eating at 8:00) I gave her the cup again and she was drinking and drinking. She’s still obviously getting used to the flow because she’d often choke a little bit on a big gulp of water. She’s also learning to hold it and pick it up…something she’s refused to do with her bottles thus far.
But look at how VERY proud of herself she is!
ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE!
THERE YOU GO!
TA DA!
I’m really wondering if she’s going to be done with bottles sooner rather than later. She still drinks SOME but it’s really few and far between (I can’t tell you the last time she drank a full bottle in one sitting)—she’d much rather eat real food.
For the past few days my left knee has been a little sore and has felt like it just needs to crack and I wondered what I did to it…but today I had the AHA moment.
Yep, it’s messed up from kneeling on the (ceramic tiled) bathroom floor multiple times a day (at five minutes a pop) for almost two weeks while Owen poops. š
The bathroom is too small for a chair. The stool is uncomfortable (it hurts my butt plus there’s not that much room so getting up and down is hard plus getting up and down is hard enough at almost-40). So it looks like I get to stand…which doesn’t sound bad but really gets old and tiring FAST.
I’ve started calling it my Poop Knee. Think it will catch on?
So in the meantime, I’m walking almost with a limp, it STILL feels like it has to crack OR that it might just give out on me at any random moment, and I’m taking anti-inflammatories.
But the good news is that he’s pooping!!!!
EDITED TO ADD:
A friend asked why I don’t just sit outside the bathroom?
Well, we might get to that stage, but remember he is blowing balloons to “help” the process along. Which still doesn’t require me to be close…except he’s learned that if you blow hard enough and let go, the balloon takes flight and it’s HILARIOUS. If I want him to stay on the toilet I have to hand it back to him. Lather, rinse, repeat.
He IS getting better (even trying without the use of the balloon) but I still need to be close enough for SOME balloon retrieval and verbal prompting… I watch him closely and I think a lot of the time if I wasn’t right there reminding him he’d just end up sitting there halfway trying and not REALLY trying.
So if we can get the balloon thing under control, I’ll be able to move away. Baby steps. š