JTOK Chatter > Health & Well-Being > Page 23

Category Archives: Health & Well-Being

Random bits

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

I wish Owen would want to stay outside and play longer. I wish he would understand that this current weather is the best we’re going to have for probably the next three years…that it will soon be too hot to want to stay outside very long. But he usually only wants to stay outside for like 10 minutes at a time, at random times throughout the day.

He has figured out how to unlock the screen door, so he’s taken to just going outside whenever he wants (leaving the screen door open, of course). I’m trying to teach him that he has to ask to go outside, and of course that doesn’t go over very well—he collapses into his go-to whining position (crouches/squats on the floor covering his eyes with his fists and whines gently). I would call it a tantrum but it’s not that bad.

He listens and understands basic commands pretty well—which is fun—like “Bring me your juice” or “Turn your car off” and yesterday he even understood me when I told him his B was up in his room…because he went and got it! Of course, being a toddler, he doesn’t ALWAYS listen…but for the most part he does. He’s also still really good when it comes to picking up toys and putting them away.

His words are still coming along, though honestly I’m probably not keeping track as well as I should. He also seems to be repeating things more, even if he doesn’t understand. Since the last update, we have about 15 more words:

Annie => Little Einsteins character
Awesome
Beanstalk => From a Little Einsteins episode
Blimp
Cage => From a Little Einsteins episode
Cute
Cymbals => From a Little Einsteins episode
Helicopter => Pronounced as hector
Hiding
June => Little Einsteins character
Lion
Mouse
Note => From a Little Einsteins episode, as in music note
Orange
Saturn => From a Little Einsteins episode

We have taught him “please” (which comes out as peas and it’s so cute) but he thinks that’s all he has to say when he wants something. So he’ll be saying “peas! peas! peas!” but we have no idea what he wants. I keep asking him what he wants, and all I get is peas. I keep telling him that I need to know what he wants, or that he needs to say “outside please” but it’s just not getting through. If we ask him if he wants to go outside (or wants a snack or wants to watch rocket or whatever), he giggles. So, we’ve learned that giggling = yes. 🙂

We lost Owen today…for a few minutes!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

We got home from dinner and I was messing around in the kitchen and Owen was playing in the living room and Tom was upstairs. Then Tom came back down and asked where Owen was. I said in the living room. But, nope, no Owen. So we started calling for him—which usually brings him running—but nothing. And we didn’t hear his pitter-patter upstairs (which is where he normally is when he disappears). We checked another favorite hiding place—the closet—and nothing. And he still wasn’t showing himself.

CRAP.

We started getting a littler nervous, even though we knew he had to be in the house—but your mind still goes crazy. Tom checked the garage while I ran upstairs…and nothing. He was totally gone.

:??:

The only place left was the basement—the gate was open, but it’s almost always open and he NEVER goes down there. In fact, he’s only been down there once with us. So Tom ran down there, calling him…and guess who was sitting at my computer giggling? :>>

Hopefully this is the first and last time we lose him. 😮

Final Eye Decision

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

We’re just going with a longer-wear contact in the hopes that it will bother me less…and also using OTC eye drops when they become irritated. He said I didn’t need bifocal contacts (because I can see just fine with my glasses) and that I MIGHT get a bit better vision with astigmatism lenses, but they are much less comfortable. That, and contacts are never as good as glasses at correcting astigmatism. And if I need to start using drops 4-5-6 times a day, then we could look at prescription drops.

So for now, I’m wearing contacts, but only about 6-7 hours a day, taking a day off a time or two a week and just wearing glasses, and hoping my eyes change for the better with time (which he said is still possible).

Eye Aye Aye

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Apparently my eyes went to shit overnight. Or if not overnight, then certainly within about a week or so.

Everything was fine at my last appointment (November) and up until about two months ago I never gave my vision a second thought. Then one weekend we were driving home on the highway and I noticed that some signs—that I’d normally have no problem reading—were blurry! I attributed it to dirty contacts and overtired eyes (not having gotten much sleep the previous two nights), so I just changed contacts when we got home and didn’t think much else about it.

Except that I started noticing my eyes getting dry or feeling like the contacts were dirty (and sometimes even painful)—after only maybe 5-7 hours of wear—with new to almost-new contacts…in other words, totally not normal. But I suffered through it for a while because I just hadn’t had eye/contact problems before and thought it was a passing thing.

But when a new pair of contacts bothered me after only a few hours of wear, I knew it was time to get checked out. A quick exam showed that my cornea had changed shape slightly, though that shouldn’t have caused the problems. I learned, however, that all contacts are different shapes and styles and what might have worked for me for two or four or eight years might suddenly sit the wrong way or rub a certain part of my eye (making it painful and impossible to wear comfortably) so maybe the cornea was the problem. So I got a pair of trial lenses (which felt better immediately) and made an appointment for a recheck in a week.

And they worked pretty well for a few days…until I noticed that my close vision was blurry. It was at night, so I thought maybe my eyes were just tired. But day after day it was the same, at all hours. WHAT? So I told the doc I had good news (the contacts felt fine) and bad news (now my vision was blurry).

Come to find out, he says I’m headed for bifocals and contacts may or may not help (I think he said they work for 60% of people)…but I’m not quite ready for those. So he gave me a different trial pair that would help more with my close up vision, though distances would be just a bit blurrier (but that my dominant eye would make up for it). Fine. And I left excited. Except my close vision is still blurry—and now, in addition, I get random blurry spots that move around. Which is very disturbing and annoying.

I do NOT want to wear glasses full time so I think we might have to try bifocal contacts (which are, of course, more expensive). At least I’ll get a trial pair of those as well to see if they work (before I have to buy a full set). I’ll get more info Monday when I go in for my second recheck.

Getting old sure sucks.

Billing vs. Insurance

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

I just opened the insurance statement from my ER visit for my cut finger. Once again, I am amazed at what the hospital bills and what little (comparatively) insurance pays and the hospital accepts.

They billed $805.07 and insurance paid $201.61. My responsibility is $25 (which I haven’t been billed for yet).

Yep, this is why people without insurance don’t go to the ER.

My morning shocker!

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓

So Tom left for a work trip this morning. He planned to leave at 7:30, which meant he’d be here to get Owen up. In cases where the timing works like this, I get to “sleep in” and then he always wakes me up before he leaves…so when I woke up at 7:30 I assumed he was still home/just getting ready to leave.

So as I walk by Owen’s room I see he’s not there, which fits what should be. The bottom stair gate is closed, which also fits. But as I get to the living room, I see Owen…but no Tom…and the TV isn’t on. I quick checked the garage and yep, Tom was gone.

❗ 88| ❓ 88| ❓ 88| ❗

Yeah, Owen got up on his own, forced his way out of his room (his room was too hot last night so we opened his door and propped a heavy container of change against the screen door thinking he wouldn’t be able to get out OR my mom-hearing would hear it if he was able to move it), made it downstairs, and was sitting on the couch saying “Watch! Watch!”

I had no idea how long he’d been up, so I called Tom who said he left at 6:15 and Owen wasn’t up then… But still, Owen could have been wandering/waiting for an hour!!! But from what I can tell, he didn’t get into anything bad and probably just played and waited for the TV to turn on! (I’m really surprised, too, that he didn’t come down to our room!)

So, that was my shocker. Good morning, indeed!

I joined…have you?

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

http://www.marrow.org

Thousands of patients hope for a bone marrow donor who can make their life-saving transplant possible. They depend on people like you. You have the power to save a life. Take the first step today.

I’ve always wanted to join the National Marrow Donor Program but somehow just never got around to it. Also, unfortunately, I discovered I was technically over their recommended weight limit. But not by much. At all. So today I was reading the local paper and there was a story about a local girl and her journey…and I went and signed up, a few pounds be damned. I’ve been meaning to lose it anyway, and this just helps add to my resolve.

It’s free to sign up and do the preliminary mouth swab test (they send you a kit) though they do take donations.

Do it. You know you want to help save a life.

My turn at the ER.

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

It started innocently enough, doing dishes. Well, I wasn’t even really washing dishes per se—like the knife wasn’t hiding in soapy water (my mom taught me that knives never go in the water—they sit to the side). I was just washing the one knife, with a scrubby, under water. It wasn’t even dirty, it was just new and needed a cursory 5-second wash. But I wasn’t paying too much attention and I was trying to do it really quickly—and suddenly I felt a ZING! and saw blood spurt into the sink. Egads.

And there was sooooooo much blood (it’s a good thing blood doesn’t really bother me). It hurt but not like I thought it would. I was actually more ticked because I couldn’t see the extent of the injury due to all the blood. When I finally got to look at it, I saw that I sliced my fingernail at the base along with about a 1/2″ gash in my finger.

Then…the Twitter and Facebook posts commenced. 🙂

2:16pm I just cut my finger with a new knife. More blood than I’d prefer. #thingsthatmakemeswear

2:30pm See? Not TOO bad. Right?

2:45pm It’s bandaged now (with a spray of pain reliever and a big band-aid).

I was pretty sure I didn’t need stitches, but after seeing the picture, friends told me it might warrant a few stitches, but…

  1. I didn’t feel it was worthy of having Tom come home from work so I could go.
  2. I’m not good at deciding, having only gotten stitches maybe twice in my life (I think five total, including childbirth!).
  3. I was actually waiting to examine it more closely—to pull apart the skin to see how deep the slice really was—but I had to wait until it was REALLY done bleeding.

When Tom came home I unwrapped it to show him and it started bleeding again, and he told me I should go to the ER. Ugh.

6:34pm At ER waiting for stitches—Tom convinced me to go. At least they’re fast (waiting for a PA).

7:11pm Up next: tetanus shot, since I can’t remember when I last had one.

7:20pm Well I thought this was going to be a super quick visit—I was triaged and waiting for the PA within 10 minutes. Then it was 30 minutes before they took me to the minor care center. I’ve been here 25 and have seen the PA but am waiting for my tetanus and then the stitches. Hopefully the rest goes more quickly as I didn’t eat dinner.

7:33pm I wish I knew why it took 30+ minutes to get a tetanus. At this rate I’ll be home at midnight. 🙁 Otherwise, I like this place.

7:44pm Harnessing the power of posting… How long does it take to get stitches? (I posted re: the tetanus and had it 5 min later.) #knockonwood

8:14pm I’m all numbed up. The PA was awesome. She said lacerations are her favorite thing and she loves doing stitches. Lucky me! It was neat watching her efficiency…and thinking that numbing agents are awesome, because I should really be able to feel that needle sewing me up! (I had warned her that I might need more than the normal amount of anesthetic—recounting my birth story—but I ended up only needing the usual amount.)

8:20pm Five stitches (which brings my current lifetime total to 10).

8:35pm I guess 2 hours round trip wasn’t bad (from my house back to my house), but it felt soooo much longer. The PA said that tonight was really busy, but you’d never know from how un-busy it looked.

The funny thing is, I’m all about doctors and medicine and having someone be able to fix something, but I really didn’t feel my injury necessitated a trip to the ER. I told the PA I didn’t want to take up valuable time and resources for what was essentially a CUT. She said an ER visit was definitely warranted. Especially if it cuts into the nail (had I cut more of it, she would have had to take the whole nail off!). Well, now I know.

I can’t believe all the normal day-to-stay stuff that is hindered by having this finger out of commission. Like using any silverware, unscrewing jars, putting in contacts (I use that specific finger), writing, picking up Owen, typing, etc.

I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.

Fruit & Veggie Update

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Well, we’ve added a few new things since his appointment, and it seems to be okay so far.

I learned from friends that there are fruit juices that actually have veggie juices in them, so I bought a few varieties of those—and he drinks that mixed with water and likes it. He now also has one smoothie a day (his post-nap lunch/snack) that is made with fresh fruit, the fruit/veggie juice, protein powder, and…spinach! (I tasted it myself and you can’t even taste the spinach!)

We also now add those fruit squeeze packets (applesauce or squash/apple or strawberry—which he used to eat alone but now basically refuses) or jarred sweet potatoes to his pancakes/waffles…and those were eaten no problem.

It doesn’t feel like a lot, but it’s a start.

Owen’s 2-year well-visit

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

His current stats:
Height: 39″ (greater than the 97th percentile) — was 37.5″ at 21mo
Weight: 38# (greater than the 97th percentile) — was 35# 7oz at 21mo
Head Circumference: 50cm (between 75th and 90th percentile

Well, there’s nothing like a well-visit with the pediatrician to make you feel like a failure as a parent.

:**:

She’s not really worried about his speech (or lack thereof), but she IS worried about a) his weight and b) his lack of eating fruits and vegetables. He is 39″ and 38#—which is apparently off the chart (100+ percentile). She’s fine with his height, but she would like to see him weigh 33-34#. SERIOUSLY? He’s always been a big kid…but you’re telling me he needs to go on a diet? Of course she didn’t call it a diet but said he needs to be on skim milk (vs. 2%), I should limit the quantity he eats (especially the carbs), and he should get more exercise. Good lord. And she was amazed at what he won’t eat, saying that even though this is the age to be picky, if he’s still this picky in 6 months, she will recommend occupational therapy!! 😮

So I’m supposed to try and get more creative in giving him veggies…which sure sounds nice, but it’s kinda hard when his food options are already so limited. He won’t even let a veggie get near his plate and pushes your hand away (or hands it back to you if you sneak it on his plate)—how can I sneak it in? He loves yogurt and dips everything, but he won’t even eat veggies dunked in yogurt. We’ve tried raw, cooked, microwaved, roasted, etc., and nothing makes the cut. The kid doesn’t even really like french fries! So I’m supposed to give him a V8 or one of the fruit blends to see if he’ll drink that…and I’m supposed to make him yogurt/veggie smoothies and hope he’ll drink those. And I should let him help pick out foods and let him help prepare his food—um, yeah, I think he’s still a little young for that.

And of course, on top of all this, Owen was a screaming hot mess the entire time because he didn’t get his post-nap wake-up period (he took a 3-hour nap and woke up at the last possible minute before I was going to call to reschedule, which meant we had to fly to get out of the house on time). He bawled when we set him on the scale, he screamed when we tried to measure him, he refused to let the nurse or doctor listen to his lungs/heart…in short, it was a nightmare that Word World AND a sucker didn’t help. That’s what I get for forcing the issue and not wanting to reschedule. 😐

I just really hate feeling this way after each well visit, like I’ve failed at major things and now my kid is doomed. I know he’s not, but it sure feels that way after a visit.

🙁

Owen: 1 – Mommy: 0

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

I do not want the Terrible Twos. DO NOT WANT. I really don’t have the patience…as today proved.

He has been good so far…but today, I took him to get his hair cut (which is never really FUN, but even with the crying and snotty nose it’s usually not THAT big of a deal) and he started crying and screeching before I could even get his coat off.

The sucker didn’t help.
He didn’t want to play in the water.
He didn’t want to watch Word World (which ALWAYS works).
He didn’t want to play with the comb.
He didn’t want to sit on my lap.
And you can’t hold him down.

Needless to say we left without him getting so much as his hair combed.

Owen: 1
Mommy: 0

I laughed it off at the salon, but I really just wanted to scream at him (which I know wouldn’t do any good, it was just my first reaction). And I never did scream at him but I did tell him sternly that mommy was NOT happy. I’m sure it didn’t register but I felt a little better.

I know in the grand scheme of things a haircut is not a big deal but its just so damn frustrating. And I know it’s only the beginning.

🙁

Oh noooooo!!!!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

GUESS WHO CLIMBED OUT OF HIS PACK AND PLAY THIS MORNING?!?! 😮 :no:

I heard him making noises (through the wall—I’m in the bedroom next to his) but then it was quiet again so I thought I’d just let him lay there. He’s always been pretty good about laying quietly once he gets up, so I didn’t bother to turn the video monitor on. But then I heard him chattering again so I went in there. 

And imagine my total shock and surprise to see him standing at the end of the bed, as if he just slid off (the PnP is between the bed and the closet door with barely any space on the sides…so my guess is that he somehow got out onto the bed and didn’t just go over the end of the PnP). 

Oh. My. 

He hasn’t ever tried to escape before, so I think he was just trying to get his B (blanket) which he had chucked over the edge. At least I hope that’s all it was, because I am not prepared to deal with this right now (away from home).

Hoo boy. 

Toddler Differences 101

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

I was really looking forward to seeing Owen with our friend’s son, Bodi, who is about six weeks younger. I was pretty sure Owen would tower over him and outweigh him (he did, by about 5” an 5#), but beyond that I wasn’t sure what the differences might be. And boy, were they interesting.

While Owen knows his letters, Bodi doesn’t have the first clue. On the other hand, Bodi completely understands commands like “Go put your cup on the shelf” while Owen’s comprehension isn’t quite that advanced. Bodi knows a variety of sounds (animal noises, car noises) but Owen knows some numbers.

Bodi NEVER sits still, has to touch everything (and hand you everything you’ve set down), and has to be strapped in his high chair. Pretty much as long as Owen has toys around, he doesn’t touch things he’s not supposed to and you don’t need to worry about him diving out of his high chair (my friend was amazed when I left Owen just sitting in the booster seat to grab his food from the kitchen, or that I left my expensive camera on the desk within toddler reach)—and he often just sits quietly and sucks his thumb. Owen doesn’t make much noise but Bodi is a big jibber jabberer and shrieker/shouter (something else Owen didn’t like). Bodi’s sleep schedule is about 7p-7a with an hour nap, while Owen’s is about 8p-6:30a with a 2+ hour nap (though they did manage to sleep together in the same room pretty well).

You can tell Bodi has been around other kids (day care) because he doesn’t mind other kids in his space—while Owen kind of freaked out…a lot…whether Bodi was touching him, taking a toy, handing him his sippy cup that he previously set down, or just walking by him. They did have some cute moments together, but for the most part, Owen tried to keep his distance. He was perfectly content to play by himself, while Bodi wanted whatever Owen was playing with. Needless to say there was a LOT of whining (mostly on Owen’s part) and we are seriously considering putting him in daycare for a few hours a week just so he gets more social interaction (since we no longer meet with my mom’s group) so he’s not as much of a crybaby. That said, I still think he did pretty well, considering this weekend was the first real one-on-one time he’s spent with another toddler. (He’s spent time with his six-month older cousin, but only for maybe a half day.)

We also learned that Owen isn’t quite the beastly eater we thought he was—Bodi blew him out of the water, so-to-speak. We know Owen doesn’t eat a great variety of foods, but he can make up for it in quantity. But Bodi, besides eating most anything (from what little we saw, he ate green beans, stuffing, black refried beans, oatmeal with apples, bananas, apples, nacho chips and salsa, and pizza)…eats a TON of everything. For dinner, we had pizza—something Owen loves so I thought he’d eat a lot. Well, he ate a piece plus some crackers. Bodi? Three pieces…plus a handful of carrots and dip and Owen’s leftover crackers and pizza. EEK! It’s impressive to watch.

Flu shot!

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

His current stats:
Height: 37.5″ (greater than the 97th percentile) — was 35″ at 18mo
Weight: 35# (greater than the 97th percentile) — was 32# 7oz at 18mo

If you may recall, at his 18mo appointment, the doc was concerned about his [lack of] speech development and wrote us a prescription for an evaluation. At the time, we really weren’t that worried and just decided to wait it out. Well, he has been getting a lot better, but he’s still behind—so we wanted to go ahead with the evaluation, except I had misplaced the prescription. So I asked her to write a new one. However, after some discussion, she agreed we could actually wait until his 24mo appointment. She was impressed that he knew most of his letters, has probably 10-15 words, understands simple commands (she loved the bedtime ritual one, where he will go to his bedroom when you tell him it’s bedtime), and follows some directions.

He was a trouper with his shot and only cried for maybe 30 seconds (if that).

Whimpering, night #3.

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Last night was better—he woke up crying (more like loud whimpering) at 8:45 and since he didn’t sound too bad, we let him cry, hoping he’d go back to sleep. Which he did after about three minutes.

As we were going to bed about 9:45, he did it again. This time it was a loooooong seven minutes before he soothed himself and went back to sleep.

This morning Tom asked if I heard him crying at 2am (I didn’t—I was apparently dead to the world) and Tom said it only lasted a few minutes before he was back asleep.

So it looks like maybe we’re on the upswing?

(Oh, friends suggested it was his second set of molars…which it might very well be, though it’s nearly impossible to check since he won’t open his mouth on command and if you stick a finger in you get chomped.)

Not a fun day or night.

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

11:49am

Owen just woke up mid-nap crying like crazy. I went up to get him and he proceeded to vomit all over. I don’t think he’s sick, so maybe the violent crying provoked it? Or maybe he didn’t feel good and that was why he was crying. The fun thing with toddlers is you’ll never know. 🙁

7:00pm

We put him down for the night and it was like any other night behavior-wise, so we hoped for the best. We hoped he was extra tired since he hadn’t really napped at all. He finally fell asleep around 7:30.

8:26pm

He woke up crying again…but no vomit. /phew

He was inconsolable for a good 10-15 minutes—not wanting to be held by either of us, not wanting to rock, not wanting any of his toys, etc. He did let us take his temp (which was a little high (100-101) but nothing to worry about. He finally took a few teething tablets (which he LOVES and usually cures anything!), but he was still upset and definitely not ready to go back to bed. So we all watched an episode of Sesame Street in our bed, gave him some Tylenol (against his will).

9:46pm

When Sesame Street was almost over, we asked if he wanted to go to bed and he grabbed his blankie and got off the bed! He laid there quietly for awhile and finally fell asleep about 11. I had stayed up to watch, having been assigned kid duty from 10-3 (Tom had 3-8).

11:32pm

He was up crying madly at 11:30—inconsolable for a good 15 minutes. I finally got him quieted down in the rocker after about a half hour, put him back in the crib…and he immediately started up again, completely inconsolable (again). So after more rocking and attempts at consoling…we ended up downstairs on the recliner at 12:30 where we both slept on and off.

4:00am

I desperately had to pee, so decided it was time to try going upstairs. I carried him to his crib and kept my fingers crossed. Tom tolled over and I gave him the quick update (he hadn’t even known I was gone). Of course I was wide awake and didn’t fall asleep until probably 4:30-5:00.

5:47am

I heard Tom get up, rolled over, and went back to sleep until 8. Turns out Owen slept until about 7 and was quiet until about 7:30 when Tom got him up. So, apparently Tom got the easy hours, though he says he didn’t sleep much anyway.

I hope it was a one-night thing, because that was not fun. This is about the same thing that happened back in May when we were staying at a hotel in Frankenmuth and he woke up crying in a daze (but no vomit)—and later, at my mom’s house, when he got sick at bedtime then refused to sleep in his pack-and-play and I had to sit with him in a rocking chair all night.

Isn’t parenting fun? 😮

Costume photo shoot

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Taking pictures this year was a lot less fun than last year—he didn’t like the costume and refused to be still! So, this was the best of the bunch.

Unfortunately, the photo shoot ended when he tripped on something in the garage and skinned his nose. It looks extremely pathetic (can’t tell yet if it will be black and blue), but he was over it in about two minutes once I gave him a sippy cup of milk. I think most of what looks bad is dried blood that he won’t let me clean.

Sweet hubby!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Tom asked me to change my chiro appointment this afternoon because of the Tornado Watch. When I called to reschedule, I was going to lie and use Owen as an excuse…when she asked if I was canceling due to the storm. I said yes, then told her that my husband had actually called me and asked me not to go out with Owen and she said “Oh, that’s sweet.” 🙂 (She also said that they were getting a lot of cancellations.)

Sleeping in…today only!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Every time Owen sleeps past 6-6:30 (which is quite rare), I get excited that it might mean his sleep schedule is changing and I’ll be able to sleep in… Then again, I also freak out thinking something might be wrong with him and I have to listen to him breathe via the video monitor. 😐

This morning he ended up sleeping in until almost 8! He might have been up REALLY early and fell back to sleep, but he was still sleeping when I first looked at the monitor at 6:30.

Stinker.

First hives!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Owen just woke up from his nap with major hives on his legs. :??:

There has been NOTHING unusual ingested (no new foods) or applied topically (same lotion as always) this morning…so it’s freaking me the hell out. Google says as long as his face isn’t swelling (cutting off the airway) to just treat with Benadryl to lessen itching (though he doesn’t seem to be itchy or uncomfortable in any way) and if they last longer than a week, then contact the pediatrician.

And of course, with all the kid meds I have in the house, I don’t have Benadryl…though I do have Benadryl spray that we had for Maggie. 🙂

Stay tuned.

Two hours later…

Well, honestly, we could have handled that batter. Geez, you’d think two college-educated adults could figure out dosage information—WITH THE USE OF THE INTERNET—in under 10 minutes. 😐 (The box says not to give it to kids under 2 and to ask the doc for dosage for ages 2-5…but the internet [and our doc] doses by weight…so I was going by that. Then we couldn’t find a quick and easy conversion from mg to ml so I found a weight dosage chart, but then Tom misunderstood and was going to give him a very small dose…we FINALLY got it figured out after much arguing and researching.)

That said, I completely forgot we had a ziploc of meds somewhere. I found the boxes (kept for dosing info) so thought that was all we had so didn’t even look. So I went to Rite Aid, got the Benedryl, came home, and then tried to find our droppers because he can’t take it from a cup. Yeah, they were in the ziploc with the other meds. Where the Benedryl (well, Waldryl) was. So we had it the whole time and I didn’t need to run to the store and Tom didn’t need to come home. (Well, he didn’t NEED to come home, though it made it easier for me to run to the store…and he wanted to come home to see the hives.)

And to top it all off, by the time we figured out the dosing and gave it to him, the hives were pretty much going away so we could have likely skipped the meds entirely. 😐

I have a headache.

First fall down the stairs

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Oh. My. Gawd.

I just had complete heart failure.

I left the gate open and Owen headed upstairs, which is actually fine because he can go up with ease. But I didn’t want him up there, so I caught him about 3/4 the way up and took his hand to lead him down. He knows how to come down by himself and has done it a few times, though I usually still hold his hand (or stand in front of him to watch him and/or catch him if he should fall).

But today I decided to let the dog out (in her crate in the room at the top of the stairs, which I can reach from the stairs) and in the three seconds it took me to finish the last 1/4 of the stairs and unlatch her gate, he fell. I watched him slide down, head over heels, about three steps. It all happened in s…l…o…w motion, I swear. But it happened so fast I couldn’t even get to him to stop him. I just kept watching him slide…and tumble…

It’s a curved stairwell with a big wood platform about halfway down, and he bonked into that as well, before sliding down another few stairs.

He was in shock, I think. Mostly like “What the hell was that?” Then he started crying…but it wasn’t a horrible cry (as we heard before when a 4×4 dropped on his toe) so I didn’t think it was too bad. Within a minute (or less) of me cuddling him on the steps (making sure he wasn’t bleeding anywhere), he was off down the rest of the stairs, apparently no worse for the wear. He grabbed a burpie from the couch and was off to the living room. It was a good 10 minutes before my heart stopped racing and I calmed down.

I guess he’s not quite ready to go the stairs alone.

The disease called “Perfection”

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

http://www.danoah.com/201…perfection.html

This is an article EVERYONE should read. Immediately.

As a warning, the following post was written in complete desperation. I have recently learned some very sobering truths from people that I love dearly. These truths have set in motion a quest within me to do whatever I can to make a change. Today is not geared at funny. Today is geared at something greater. Read it to the very end. I promise you will be affected in a way you have always needed to be. I spent more than twelve hours writing this post because its message is that important to me.

I wonder. Am I the only one aware that there is an infectious mental disease laying siege on us right now? There is a serious pandemic of “Perfection” spreading, and it needs to stop. Hear me out because this is something for which I am passionately and constantly hurting. It’s a sickness that I’ve been trying to put into words for years without much success. It’s a sickness that I have personally struggled with. It’s a sickness that at times has left me hiding in dark corners and hating myself.

And chances are it’s hit you too.

To keep reading and/or see the full post on the author’s blog, click the link above.

Owen, please stop growing!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

We just moved him into size 6 diapers. At 19 months. The 5s were just leaking way too much. We thought we’d at least use the Size 5 overnights for during the day—except he completely soaked through it and his pants in 2.5 hours. 😮

And I bought some clearance PJs today at Target—size 3T, thinking I was planning ahead—except I looked at the weight range listed on them: 32-35#! So they should fit him now! 😮