This week, and actually month if you want to be technical, has been hard so far. I normally look forward to June, since I get a week of free vacation while the D's head to Florida, but so far June isn't living up to the hype.
Ava is still sick. Yesterday we took her back in to Dr. H, after watching her fever climb back up past 100 and her rash worsen. The exam showed that her throat is still raw, and her rash has progressed significantly from Saturday (or even from Monday evening), so Dr. H sent us to the lab for a CBC (Complete Blood Count) to rule out any serious bacterial or other illnesses.
Hands down, the lab was the absolute worst experience I've had as a mother thus far. Far worse than any sleep deprivation, any immunizations, anything we've gone through. While immunizations are a quick prick and it's over, lab work is anything but quick. I had to sit in the chair with her on my lap as they tied a tourniquet around her little left arm to get the vein ready. She was hysterical from the second we sat down, almost as if she instinctively knew what was coming, and I was growing increasingly upset as I held my babies flailing body as her face reddened and she wailed. I just kept whispering, "Mommy loves you. I'm so sorry, baby bear." I felt HORRIBLE.
Then, the nurse couldn't get blood out of her arm, thanks to her inherited crappy veins from David. UGH. She then proceeded to stick her heel (SERIOUSLY?? You couldn't have done that to begin with?????), which incited another round of sad, sad baby (and mommy) sobs. It was the worst experience ever. I would gladly go through my failed labor, c-section, you name it every day for the rest of my life to avoid EVER having to do that again. I actually had David drive home with her so that I could use those 20 minutes to cry in my car without upsetting my little girl.
Fast forward to an hour later, post-round two of her antibiotics of the day, and A is throwing up and having diarrhea. Damn you, amoxicillin, for upsetting my baby's tummy. Has she not had a bad enough day? We've been going through about four diapers per dose, and she has to take it three times a day.
Fast forward two hours later, and I'm cleaning up cat vomit off the carpet. Apparently one of our cats is sick also, since that's the second time this week.
Fast forward another hour, and I'm running a fever of 101 and almost incapable of opening up my eyes my head hurts so bad.
The CBC came back and ruled out bacterial illness but pointed at an acute viral infection, so basically, after all that, we just wait for it to clear.
Oh yeah, and as my baby screamed out during the blood draw, I got a glimpse of two very distinct bottom teeth. They've yet to break through, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do by this time next week, since you can see their allotted spots.
Perhaps the combination of teething and being sick is the reason she's up almost hourly throughout the night?? I'm sure it is, but I'm EXHAUSTED. I finally caved at 5AM and put her in bed with me, and she slept an hour and a half then. It might not sound like much, but I'll take it.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Giveaway Alert!
Head over to Three Kids, a Minivan and a lot of love! to enter to win a personalized pillow from Beyond Weddings.
These pillows look super comfy and are the perfect size for our little ones as they grow!
These pillows look super comfy and are the perfect size for our little ones as they grow!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Motherhood = Putting Your Foot in Your Mouth.
Hello, friends!
First things first, Ava is not better :( She's not significantly worse, considering her fever has broken at least slightly (though it's climbing again as of a couple hours ago - not even at 100 though thankfully), but her rash is getting worse. We've gone through lots of speculation in the past 24 hours, from Scarlet Fever (since she has strep symptoms and a rash, which are the two hallmarks of Scarlet Fever) to Measles/Roseola (still not sure on that one) to throwing our hands up and saying "AHHHHH!", though quietly as to not upset our sick and sensitive baby, who cries at the drop of a hat.
It's seeming less like Scarlet Fever, since the rash is more pinpoint than merging together and blotchy, but I'm posting a picture (sorry about your behind on the internet, baby girl, but at least the blog is private???) just in case anyone has any ideas. Please feel free to give any input you have - we're at a loss now and the doc wants to wait until Weds to see us again unless things get worse fever-wise or new symptoms appear.
Here's the pic:
On a side note, baby girl isn't sleeping so well. Actually, let me take that back. She's sleeping just fine IN OUR ARMS. The thing about that, though, is that mama needs to sleep, too, and I can't with her in my arms. Last night she did a lot better, but seeing as how we've put her down twice already tonight and both times ended up holding her afterwards to soothe her back to sleep, it looks like another long night is in the works.
Saturday night, in an act of desperation, I took up reading this article. I have been vehemently opposed to co-sleeping for...ever, but I'm starting to be a bit tempted, both by my lack of sleep, and just the text of the article itself (plus, motherhood is always about personal growth, and isn't it time I became a little less blindly judgmental?? I think so too). I'm just very, very concerned about safety. Won't she overheat? Will we squish her? Will she succumb to SIDS? I'm just SO nervous. I'm less nervous about "spoiling" her, since I don't feel like letting her sleep in our bed is setting a precedent that will last a lifetime, though the thought has crossed my mind. Earlier, though, exhausted and desperate for her to get some decent rest to try to help her get well, I nursed her lying down on the couch after she woke up from a 45-minute nap. The next thing I knew, I woke up an hour and a half later, with baby girl sound asleep!
Anyone with co-sleeping experience, good or bad? Concerns? Benefits? Am I entering dangerous territory with regards to ever re-claiming my bed? I've yet to allow it, but I'm oh so tempted, especially with a sick baby. Surprisingly enough, D is totally, 100% for it. What the what?!? That totally caught me off guard, but I'm glad to know he's fine with whatever I choose.
Alright, off to try to rest. Hope everyone is having a lovely week so far!
First things first, Ava is not better :( She's not significantly worse, considering her fever has broken at least slightly (though it's climbing again as of a couple hours ago - not even at 100 though thankfully), but her rash is getting worse. We've gone through lots of speculation in the past 24 hours, from Scarlet Fever (since she has strep symptoms and a rash, which are the two hallmarks of Scarlet Fever) to Measles/Roseola (still not sure on that one) to throwing our hands up and saying "AHHHHH!", though quietly as to not upset our sick and sensitive baby, who cries at the drop of a hat.
It's seeming less like Scarlet Fever, since the rash is more pinpoint than merging together and blotchy, but I'm posting a picture (sorry about your behind on the internet, baby girl, but at least the blog is private???) just in case anyone has any ideas. Please feel free to give any input you have - we're at a loss now and the doc wants to wait until Weds to see us again unless things get worse fever-wise or new symptoms appear.
Here's the pic:
On a side note, baby girl isn't sleeping so well. Actually, let me take that back. She's sleeping just fine IN OUR ARMS. The thing about that, though, is that mama needs to sleep, too, and I can't with her in my arms. Last night she did a lot better, but seeing as how we've put her down twice already tonight and both times ended up holding her afterwards to soothe her back to sleep, it looks like another long night is in the works.
Saturday night, in an act of desperation, I took up reading this article. I have been vehemently opposed to co-sleeping for...ever, but I'm starting to be a bit tempted, both by my lack of sleep, and just the text of the article itself (plus, motherhood is always about personal growth, and isn't it time I became a little less blindly judgmental?? I think so too). I'm just very, very concerned about safety. Won't she overheat? Will we squish her? Will she succumb to SIDS? I'm just SO nervous. I'm less nervous about "spoiling" her, since I don't feel like letting her sleep in our bed is setting a precedent that will last a lifetime, though the thought has crossed my mind. Earlier, though, exhausted and desperate for her to get some decent rest to try to help her get well, I nursed her lying down on the couch after she woke up from a 45-minute nap. The next thing I knew, I woke up an hour and a half later, with baby girl sound asleep!
Anyone with co-sleeping experience, good or bad? Concerns? Benefits? Am I entering dangerous territory with regards to ever re-claiming my bed? I've yet to allow it, but I'm oh so tempted, especially with a sick baby. Surprisingly enough, D is totally, 100% for it. What the what?!? That totally caught me off guard, but I'm glad to know he's fine with whatever I choose.
Alright, off to try to rest. Hope everyone is having a lovely week so far!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
June Is REALLY Not Going My Way.
Dear June,
Seriously, can you cut me a friggin' break?!?
Regards,
B
As you all know, I had a crappy start to my week. While it got better from there - mainly - I still felt overwhelmed the ENTIRE week, and was really, extremely, SUPER exhausted. Three kids all day long, one who won't nap, the other two who don't nap, and all three who need something from me constantly, constantly, constantly, just kicks. my. butt.
Anywho, thanks to my long, long week, I've been so looking forward to this weekend arriving. D's parents were coming into town today to see Ava, but other than that, our weekend was free, and I couldn't wait to just lay around the house!
Fate, however, had other plans. I noticed last night that Ava had what looked like a couple spider bites on her face. I kept an eye on them, having been bit by a brown recluse two summers back, but they didn't seem to be anything worth writing home about. This morning, it seemed as though they had gotten smaller, so I figured all was well. That is, until I went to get her undressed and into her clothes for the day, and noticed that she had them ALL OVER HER BODY.
Naturally my first thought was chicken pox, so I called her doctor, who, being the world's greatest pediatrician, routinely provides his patients with his home number. Have I mentioned how much I love him??? Anyhow, after taking her temp (which was 101 - ahhh!), I called Dr. H and he agreed to meet us at the office ASAP, so off we went. I've never had chicken pox and had been kissing all over her, so that was yet another big worry on my mind, seeing as how I have a lot to do at work this week to help get the D's ready for their vacation at the end of the week! Luckily Dr. H said he didn't think it was the pox (YAY!), but that between her fever and her inflamed throat, that the rash was likely just a fever rash. Works for me. I'm actually pretty thankful for the rash, seeing as how I would never have known she was sick if it hadn't manifested itself in time to tell me. It doesn't seem to burn or itch or cause her pain, either, so hopefully after 24 hours on the Amoxicillin she'll be her old self again :) She's been a trooper for being a sick little baby, smiling and cooing and playing with her grandparents today, so hopefully she's on the up and up, though her fever has yet to go down, despite numerous doses of Tylenol. I've been told to alternate Motrin and Tylenol now in order to a.)increase effectiveness, and b.)keep either from building up in her teeny tiny system, so we'll be heading out to buy some Motrin first thing in the morning.
Poor little A :( I'm sorry you're sick!
Hmm...this post seems to be incoherent and one giant run-on sentence. Perhaps I should head to bed.
Seriously, can you cut me a friggin' break?!?
Regards,
B
As you all know, I had a crappy start to my week. While it got better from there - mainly - I still felt overwhelmed the ENTIRE week, and was really, extremely, SUPER exhausted. Three kids all day long, one who won't nap, the other two who don't nap, and all three who need something from me constantly, constantly, constantly, just kicks. my. butt.
Anywho, thanks to my long, long week, I've been so looking forward to this weekend arriving. D's parents were coming into town today to see Ava, but other than that, our weekend was free, and I couldn't wait to just lay around the house!
Fate, however, had other plans. I noticed last night that Ava had what looked like a couple spider bites on her face. I kept an eye on them, having been bit by a brown recluse two summers back, but they didn't seem to be anything worth writing home about. This morning, it seemed as though they had gotten smaller, so I figured all was well. That is, until I went to get her undressed and into her clothes for the day, and noticed that she had them ALL OVER HER BODY.
Naturally my first thought was chicken pox, so I called her doctor, who, being the world's greatest pediatrician, routinely provides his patients with his home number. Have I mentioned how much I love him??? Anyhow, after taking her temp (which was 101 - ahhh!), I called Dr. H and he agreed to meet us at the office ASAP, so off we went. I've never had chicken pox and had been kissing all over her, so that was yet another big worry on my mind, seeing as how I have a lot to do at work this week to help get the D's ready for their vacation at the end of the week! Luckily Dr. H said he didn't think it was the pox (YAY!), but that between her fever and her inflamed throat, that the rash was likely just a fever rash. Works for me. I'm actually pretty thankful for the rash, seeing as how I would never have known she was sick if it hadn't manifested itself in time to tell me. It doesn't seem to burn or itch or cause her pain, either, so hopefully after 24 hours on the Amoxicillin she'll be her old self again :) She's been a trooper for being a sick little baby, smiling and cooing and playing with her grandparents today, so hopefully she's on the up and up, though her fever has yet to go down, despite numerous doses of Tylenol. I've been told to alternate Motrin and Tylenol now in order to a.)increase effectiveness, and b.)keep either from building up in her teeny tiny system, so we'll be heading out to buy some Motrin first thing in the morning.
Poor little A :( I'm sorry you're sick!
Hmm...this post seems to be incoherent and one giant run-on sentence. Perhaps I should head to bed.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Few Tips.( UPDATED)
-Although, as we all know from my post two days ago, I could use some tips myself :)
On a related note, thank you to everyone for the kind, reassuring words. Some days are just so hard that they catch me off guard, and Tuesday was definitely one of them! I so appreciate all the sympathy and positive thoughts!
Ok, now for a few quick tips:
*Courtesy of Boston Baby Mama, a site that always makes me wish I lived in Boston, or at least had a community like this here!:
Keep a white towel in the back seat of your car during these hot summer months so that when your car is outside in the sun you can place it over the carseat (when baby is not in it obviously) and it will keep the buckles and seat from getting hot.
*If it weren't for my crock pot and steamer, we'd starve. The crock pot, however, is kind of a pain to clean, right? Not anymore. Just toss a tablespoon (you can eyeball it!) of dishwasher detergent into the crock pot and soak in hot water to have stuck on food and stains vanish!
*Have a baby blowout? Toss the clothes directly into ice cold water, and even the toughest stains will be much more likely to come out! Shout helps the process along too :)
From a fantastic reader:
Another baby stain tip...if you have a stain that just won't come out...or you didn't get to it fast enough...soak in a bucket of hot water with a scoop of oxiclean for a couple days...and bye bye stain!
Thanks, Stephanie!!
Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend again!
On a related note, thank you to everyone for the kind, reassuring words. Some days are just so hard that they catch me off guard, and Tuesday was definitely one of them! I so appreciate all the sympathy and positive thoughts!
Ok, now for a few quick tips:
*Courtesy of Boston Baby Mama, a site that always makes me wish I lived in Boston, or at least had a community like this here!:
Keep a white towel in the back seat of your car during these hot summer months so that when your car is outside in the sun you can place it over the carseat (when baby is not in it obviously) and it will keep the buckles and seat from getting hot.
*If it weren't for my crock pot and steamer, we'd starve. The crock pot, however, is kind of a pain to clean, right? Not anymore. Just toss a tablespoon (you can eyeball it!) of dishwasher detergent into the crock pot and soak in hot water to have stuck on food and stains vanish!
*Have a baby blowout? Toss the clothes directly into ice cold water, and even the toughest stains will be much more likely to come out! Shout helps the process along too :)
From a fantastic reader:
Another baby stain tip...if you have a stain that just won't come out...or you didn't get to it fast enough...soak in a bucket of hot water with a scoop of oxiclean for a couple days...and bye bye stain!
Thanks, Stephanie!!
Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend again!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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