Our Little Punkin
My first jack-o-lantern
(carved by Mommy!!!)
But I thought I was a little boy
Feelin' spooky
Swamp
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sick Baby
Ugghh... is there anything worse than waking up to the sound of your little boy's raspy, raw cough? Charlie has been a little wheezy for a couple of days, but early this morning he started coughing those painful, chest coughs. It was horrible.
We took his temperature and it was only 100.1. Per the book, for babies over 6 months you don't need to call the doctor until it's 100.5 or higher, so I gave him some Tylenol and we went about our morning. He did play this morning and ate a good breakfast, but was very lethargic, frequently laying his head down, had a runny nose, and his coughs almost had him in tears a couple times.
Since I had a dentist appointment at 9:40 (my mouth is still numb, by the way), I planned to check his temperature at 8:45 and go ahead and take him to Donna's if it hadn't gone down. Then I would see how he was doing at lunchtime. Well, that plan lasted about 5 minutes.
I knew via Facebook that Kate and Lakely had both gotten sick since the weekend, so I emailed Julie and Lea for the scoop on symptoms, doctors visits, prognoses, etc. Julie called and told me that not only did Finley have a double ear infection, but Kate went in on Monday with the same symptoms as Charlie and was put on a breathing treatment and scheduled for a follow-up Thursday to determine whether or not she has bronchiolitis. Obviously, I immediately called the pediatrician with visions of prolonged illness in my head and got an appointment for 11:40 (first available).
After I dropped Charlie off at Donna's, it just got worse. I came home to pump and looked up bronchiolitis in the baby book and found out that it is commonly caused by RSV, which leads to asthma in 50% of kids. Plus, the following article was about croup and detailed the process whereby a baby's air passages can become so swollen that they stop breathing altogether! Needless to say, I was a bit tense as I rushed off to the dentist.
I made it home just in time to pick up Charlie and find out that he'd continued coughing throughout the morning and only napped for 45 minutes. We had a quick lunch and were off to the pediatrician. Like any cautious (aka paranoid) mom, we stood in the middle of the waiting room to avoid touching anything. After a short wait, I detailed Charlie's symptoms to Dr. Rodgers, while Charlie laughed and smiled flirted with the nurses. The doctor listened to his chest, checked his ears, and gave me the news: Charlie has a cold.
The wheezing is just in his upper air passages, and he'll likely eat a bit less than normal and more frequently, since he'll opt to breathe rather than eat. I know what to watch out for as far as nostrils flaring, rapid breathing, etc, but bottome line: it's just a cold.
Now part of me feels borderline munchausen by proxy, but the silver lining to the whole adventure is that FedEx delivered a new batch of flu shots to the pediatrician's office just today. I explained to Dr. Rodgers how Charlie had received his first round but was at the bottom of a very long list for the second, and we got Charlie's second round vaccine!
So I've learned two lessons today. First, I am a bit of a hypochondriac when it comes to my baby boy, and second, sometimes it pays off to make unnecessary visits to the doctor during flu season.
We took his temperature and it was only 100.1. Per the book, for babies over 6 months you don't need to call the doctor until it's 100.5 or higher, so I gave him some Tylenol and we went about our morning. He did play this morning and ate a good breakfast, but was very lethargic, frequently laying his head down, had a runny nose, and his coughs almost had him in tears a couple times.
Since I had a dentist appointment at 9:40 (my mouth is still numb, by the way), I planned to check his temperature at 8:45 and go ahead and take him to Donna's if it hadn't gone down. Then I would see how he was doing at lunchtime. Well, that plan lasted about 5 minutes.
I knew via Facebook that Kate and Lakely had both gotten sick since the weekend, so I emailed Julie and Lea for the scoop on symptoms, doctors visits, prognoses, etc. Julie called and told me that not only did Finley have a double ear infection, but Kate went in on Monday with the same symptoms as Charlie and was put on a breathing treatment and scheduled for a follow-up Thursday to determine whether or not she has bronchiolitis. Obviously, I immediately called the pediatrician with visions of prolonged illness in my head and got an appointment for 11:40 (first available).
After I dropped Charlie off at Donna's, it just got worse. I came home to pump and looked up bronchiolitis in the baby book and found out that it is commonly caused by RSV, which leads to asthma in 50% of kids. Plus, the following article was about croup and detailed the process whereby a baby's air passages can become so swollen that they stop breathing altogether! Needless to say, I was a bit tense as I rushed off to the dentist.
I made it home just in time to pick up Charlie and find out that he'd continued coughing throughout the morning and only napped for 45 minutes. We had a quick lunch and were off to the pediatrician. Like any cautious (aka paranoid) mom, we stood in the middle of the waiting room to avoid touching anything. After a short wait, I detailed Charlie's symptoms to Dr. Rodgers, while Charlie laughed and smiled flirted with the nurses. The doctor listened to his chest, checked his ears, and gave me the news: Charlie has a cold.
The wheezing is just in his upper air passages, and he'll likely eat a bit less than normal and more frequently, since he'll opt to breathe rather than eat. I know what to watch out for as far as nostrils flaring, rapid breathing, etc, but bottome line: it's just a cold.
Now part of me feels borderline munchausen by proxy, but the silver lining to the whole adventure is that FedEx delivered a new batch of flu shots to the pediatrician's office just today. I explained to Dr. Rodgers how Charlie had received his first round but was at the bottom of a very long list for the second, and we got Charlie's second round vaccine!
So I've learned two lessons today. First, I am a bit of a hypochondriac when it comes to my baby boy, and second, sometimes it pays off to make unnecessary visits to the doctor during flu season.
Oh so sick...
Monday, October 26, 2009
What was I thinking?
It's not in any baby books and no well-meaning distant relative suggested it, so why on earth did I think that giving birth would make me crafty? And more importantly, why didn't anyone set me straight??
Back before Charlie was born (when I thought he was a girl), I had these wonderful daydreams of myself sewing all sorts of adorable little dresses for my baby girl -- for the luau, the 4th of July, etc, etc. In my mind they were perfectly sewn and just absolutely precious.
Well, then Charlie came along, and fully aware of just how wrong it is to put a child in homemade jeans, I realized that I would likely only be sewing costumes and dress-up items for him. But still, they would be adorable and creative and perfect...
A little bit of background -- I haven't sewn since college! And other than doubling over and stitching towels for my dad's carwash in KC, I've only sewn 3 things in my life: a pillow for pink-baby, a quilt for my brother, and a dress for myself. All came out usable, but none was anywhere near perfect.
Nevertheless, a few months ago I decided to design and sew Charlie's first Halloween costume. After all, what could be more adorable than dressing up my beloved baby boy as my beloved puppy?
I had it all figured out. My mom had sent me her old sewing machine last year during my earlier delusions. Over 6 weeks ago I bought the fabric, thread, scissors, pattern, cutting board, etc to give myself plenty of time. I even commissioned an extremely talented friend to knit an adorable little hat to complete the costume, which she whipped out in no time and sent weeks ago. I thought about the costume, planned it, decided how I would alter the pattern to allow for Otis' coloring, thought about it some more...and all of a sudden it was 3 weeks to Halloween!
So, two weeks ago I cut out the pattern pieces (all but the altered ones -- these required more thought). Then after even more procrastination, Saturday was the day. Everything was going my way: Jason was home due to high winds, Charlie took 2 naps over 2 hours each... and I sewed. Below is a partial list of the questions that came up throughout the day:
1 - What is interfacing? Will it matter if I don't use it?
2 - (Jason) Do you want me to bring up a table? Wouldn't it be easier than sewing on the box and pushing the pedal with your knee?
3 - Hmmm... I wonder if I should have paid attention to the "Grain" markings on the pattern?
4 - How do I put this thing in reverse?
5 - (Jason) Maybe I shouldn't have opened the window? (As pattern pieces started flying out the door and down the stairs)
6 - If I just pull the top piece while I'm sewing, the seems should meet, don't you think?
7 - Where did that pin go?
8 - How did this huge spot get on the front?
9 - It won't matter if I machine sew this part that they say to hand stitch, will it?
10 - You're kidding right? It can't really be 4:20?!? I bet I can finish this collar, shower and nurse Charlie before 5:15, don't you think?
11 - What direction does Otis' tail bend?
12 - Do you think I can just stuff this with cotton balls?
13 - What if I just sew up the legs, so we don't have to put so many snaps on?
14 - Is it even possible to sew right side to right side with both pieces inside out and match the dots while pulling the bobbin string on the basting to adjust the gathers on the leg hole to fit in the foot?
15 - Why didn't you tell me this was a crazy idea???
16 - Would a male seamstress be a seamster?
Unsurprisingly, we never figured out the answer to many of the questions above -- and some were downright unanswerable, but fortunately, the most important question of the day had an easy answer:
Was it worth almost $100 and 12+ hours to make Charlie an Otis costume for his first Halloween?
Absolutely!
I'll post pictures later this week -- Jason is in charge of the snaps because they require a hammer.
Other fall fun:
Back before Charlie was born (when I thought he was a girl), I had these wonderful daydreams of myself sewing all sorts of adorable little dresses for my baby girl -- for the luau, the 4th of July, etc, etc. In my mind they were perfectly sewn and just absolutely precious.
Well, then Charlie came along, and fully aware of just how wrong it is to put a child in homemade jeans, I realized that I would likely only be sewing costumes and dress-up items for him. But still, they would be adorable and creative and perfect...
A little bit of background -- I haven't sewn since college! And other than doubling over and stitching towels for my dad's carwash in KC, I've only sewn 3 things in my life: a pillow for pink-baby, a quilt for my brother, and a dress for myself. All came out usable, but none was anywhere near perfect.
Nevertheless, a few months ago I decided to design and sew Charlie's first Halloween costume. After all, what could be more adorable than dressing up my beloved baby boy as my beloved puppy?
I had it all figured out. My mom had sent me her old sewing machine last year during my earlier delusions. Over 6 weeks ago I bought the fabric, thread, scissors, pattern, cutting board, etc to give myself plenty of time. I even commissioned an extremely talented friend to knit an adorable little hat to complete the costume, which she whipped out in no time and sent weeks ago. I thought about the costume, planned it, decided how I would alter the pattern to allow for Otis' coloring, thought about it some more...and all of a sudden it was 3 weeks to Halloween!
So, two weeks ago I cut out the pattern pieces (all but the altered ones -- these required more thought). Then after even more procrastination, Saturday was the day. Everything was going my way: Jason was home due to high winds, Charlie took 2 naps over 2 hours each... and I sewed. Below is a partial list of the questions that came up throughout the day:
1 - What is interfacing? Will it matter if I don't use it?
2 - (Jason) Do you want me to bring up a table? Wouldn't it be easier than sewing on the box and pushing the pedal with your knee?
3 - Hmmm... I wonder if I should have paid attention to the "Grain" markings on the pattern?
4 - How do I put this thing in reverse?
5 - (Jason) Maybe I shouldn't have opened the window? (As pattern pieces started flying out the door and down the stairs)
6 - If I just pull the top piece while I'm sewing, the seems should meet, don't you think?
7 - Where did that pin go?
8 - How did this huge spot get on the front?
9 - It won't matter if I machine sew this part that they say to hand stitch, will it?
10 - You're kidding right? It can't really be 4:20?!? I bet I can finish this collar, shower and nurse Charlie before 5:15, don't you think?
11 - What direction does Otis' tail bend?
12 - Do you think I can just stuff this with cotton balls?
13 - What if I just sew up the legs, so we don't have to put so many snaps on?
14 - Is it even possible to sew right side to right side with both pieces inside out and match the dots while pulling the bobbin string on the basting to adjust the gathers on the leg hole to fit in the foot?
15 - Why didn't you tell me this was a crazy idea???
16 - Would a male seamstress be a seamster?
Unsurprisingly, we never figured out the answer to many of the questions above -- and some were downright unanswerable, but fortunately, the most important question of the day had an easy answer:
Was it worth almost $100 and 12+ hours to make Charlie an Otis costume for his first Halloween?
Absolutely!
I'll post pictures later this week -- Jason is in charge of the snaps because they require a hammer.
Other fall fun:
Charlie, Kate & Finley enjoying the season...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Mom Hair
I have a new theory on Mom Hair -- the haircuts that new moms get within months of having children. Conventional wisdom suggests that moms do this because they are too busy to style long hair, but when you think about it long hair can be pulled up into a ponytail. Short hair requires styling every day -- even just to go to the grocery store.
I believe that the true root cause of Mom Hair is hormones! Now, I'm not talking about mood swing hormones (though they might be the last straw that actually get us to work a hair appointment into our crazy schedule). I'm talking about the crazy hormones that make all of our hair start falling out around 3 to 4 months. I honestly have lost enough hair to carpet our house 3 times over. It's horrible. It's very difficult not to feel like a bad mother when you pick up your brand new baby, and he's holding a fur ball of long red hair!
I thought that losing the hair was the worst of it, so back in June I went and had about 3 to 4 inches cut off the back of my hair, because the longest layer had gotten so thin and stringy. This worked for a while and seemed like a perfect solution. I could still pull my hair up in a ponytail and Jason still had his long hair. Little did I know, the worst was yet to come.
About two weeks ago all of the hairs that had fallen out started growing back in. It's bizarre! My head is covered in spikey little baby-hairs. They poke out when I try to do a ponytail. They stick up like a rooster tail at my part. They are horrible! Why did only one of my mom friends mention this to me? When Carmen told me about it last year, I figured it was a rare occurence since no one else had mentioned it. I was totally unprepared for the reality of it. What do you do when even ponytails don't work??
About a week ago I finally got around to reading my September issue of Parents magazine and found a section on Mom haircuts. Desperate for a solution for my stringy, spikey mess, I found a cut that I thought would work. This morning I assured Jason that it would look cuter (aka longer) on me than it did on Jenny McCarthy, and he begrudingly told me that he was fine with whatever I did. I knew he didn't mean it, but I was desperate.
So, I did it. This morning I got my Mom Hair. I think it's the shortest my hair has been since Jason and I started dating. I texted him a picture from the car and he said he liked it. Granted, we haven't seen what it looks like when I try to style it, but I'm hoping that chopping off another 3 inches of hair, getting bangs, and buying 2 oz of Bb Brilliantine for $18 will make my hair thicker and the little spikey hairs blend in sooner.
All I have to say is that Mom Hair resulting form laziness on the mom's part is a myth. The true cause is hormones, just like everything else.
I believe that the true root cause of Mom Hair is hormones! Now, I'm not talking about mood swing hormones (though they might be the last straw that actually get us to work a hair appointment into our crazy schedule). I'm talking about the crazy hormones that make all of our hair start falling out around 3 to 4 months. I honestly have lost enough hair to carpet our house 3 times over. It's horrible. It's very difficult not to feel like a bad mother when you pick up your brand new baby, and he's holding a fur ball of long red hair!
I thought that losing the hair was the worst of it, so back in June I went and had about 3 to 4 inches cut off the back of my hair, because the longest layer had gotten so thin and stringy. This worked for a while and seemed like a perfect solution. I could still pull my hair up in a ponytail and Jason still had his long hair. Little did I know, the worst was yet to come.
About two weeks ago all of the hairs that had fallen out started growing back in. It's bizarre! My head is covered in spikey little baby-hairs. They poke out when I try to do a ponytail. They stick up like a rooster tail at my part. They are horrible! Why did only one of my mom friends mention this to me? When Carmen told me about it last year, I figured it was a rare occurence since no one else had mentioned it. I was totally unprepared for the reality of it. What do you do when even ponytails don't work??
About a week ago I finally got around to reading my September issue of Parents magazine and found a section on Mom haircuts. Desperate for a solution for my stringy, spikey mess, I found a cut that I thought would work. This morning I assured Jason that it would look cuter (aka longer) on me than it did on Jenny McCarthy, and he begrudingly told me that he was fine with whatever I did. I knew he didn't mean it, but I was desperate.
So, I did it. This morning I got my Mom Hair. I think it's the shortest my hair has been since Jason and I started dating. I texted him a picture from the car and he said he liked it. Granted, we haven't seen what it looks like when I try to style it, but I'm hoping that chopping off another 3 inches of hair, getting bangs, and buying 2 oz of Bb Brilliantine for $18 will make my hair thicker and the little spikey hairs blend in sooner.
All I have to say is that Mom Hair resulting form laziness on the mom's part is a myth. The true cause is hormones, just like everything else.
Mom Hair
(as styled by Adrienne)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Nature vs. Nurture
Last night we finally found a food Charlie doesn't like -- spinach. I've been buying up every flavor of baby food I can find in order to expose him to as many as possible in the hopes that he won't be a picky eater, and he's loved everything that's crossed his lips...until now.
We tried spinach and potatoes last night and the first bite elicited our very first grimace -- we didn't even get one with pickles! He opened right up for another bite though and for a while just looked confused. Then he started whining between bites and about halfway through the jar the whines turned to near crying.
The funny part was, he kept opening up for more bites, so I've decided he inheritied my ridiculous optimism. I'm the kind of person that will persist in a friendship no matter how many times I'm cancelled on or left waiting while someone is 5, 10, 15 minutes late. I also truly believe that I'm going to live happily ever after, the sun is going to come out tomorrow, etc.
Granted, I know that a huge part of my optimism is due to my faith in God and His perfect plan for and ultimate control over my life...but I've always been this way.
I think that deep down in our DNA both Charlie and I possess a happy gene. Now life experiences and disappointments can block it, I'm sure, but it's there. It's the reason we both wake up grinning in the morning and laugh more than anything else.
As parents, I guess Jason's and my job is to nurture this natural phenomenon within our little Charlie-bear and help it to grow -- but I truly believe it's just part of who he is.
To finish the story, I gave up on the spinach halfway through the jar out of guilt, and we moved on to pears. The whining ceased until the pears were gone, but Charlie was still hungry, so we went back the spinach. He gave it another fair shot and ended up eating almost three quarters of the jar. We'll see how it goes tonight -- who knows, maybe he'll love it!
We tried spinach and potatoes last night and the first bite elicited our very first grimace -- we didn't even get one with pickles! He opened right up for another bite though and for a while just looked confused. Then he started whining between bites and about halfway through the jar the whines turned to near crying.
The funny part was, he kept opening up for more bites, so I've decided he inheritied my ridiculous optimism. I'm the kind of person that will persist in a friendship no matter how many times I'm cancelled on or left waiting while someone is 5, 10, 15 minutes late. I also truly believe that I'm going to live happily ever after, the sun is going to come out tomorrow, etc.
Granted, I know that a huge part of my optimism is due to my faith in God and His perfect plan for and ultimate control over my life...but I've always been this way.
I think that deep down in our DNA both Charlie and I possess a happy gene. Now life experiences and disappointments can block it, I'm sure, but it's there. It's the reason we both wake up grinning in the morning and laugh more than anything else.
As parents, I guess Jason's and my job is to nurture this natural phenomenon within our little Charlie-bear and help it to grow -- but I truly believe it's just part of who he is.
To finish the story, I gave up on the spinach halfway through the jar out of guilt, and we moved on to pears. The whining ceased until the pears were gone, but Charlie was still hungry, so we went back the spinach. He gave it another fair shot and ended up eating almost three quarters of the jar. We'll see how it goes tonight -- who knows, maybe he'll love it!
Good morning, Sunshine!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Lonely...
It's a little before 10 AM on Monday morning and we're going strong. We've already nursed, played and eaten cereal (day 2 of breakfast!). We had to skip our walk due to the near frigid temperatures (the 40s are arctic here in SC!), but we replaced it with a quick run into town for cash and a swing by Starbucks. All of that before Charlie went to Donna's!
Since the drop-off, I've medicated Otis (allergies), had 2 conference calls, cancelled a conference call, researched Operation Christmas Child, found Otis sunshine to bask in twice, pumped, thrown the sheets in the washer, resolved a customer referral issue, researched baby gates and discovered that my internet and phone have gone out. So, while I wait for my personal IT expert to call back and remind me of how to restart the router and other contraptions upstairs, I'm pre-blogging in MS Word.
The funny thing is, despite everything that's going on...despite the fact that I should be very concerned that I'm not going to get any work done today without the internet... despite the fact that I dropped Charlie off less than 2 hours ago...despite the fact that he is currently less than 100 yards away at Donna's house, I miss him. I just want to run over and give him a big hug and see his smile.
We had such a wonderful weekend. Charlie had his first play date with Lakely, Kate and Finley on Saturday. They all seemed to enjoy it and we moms had a blast -- we even got to sit down for lunch together!
On Sunday Charlie slept all through church for us, then we headed down to Mt. P for lunch at Five Guys and a fall festival with Chris, Chrissy, Carter, Cole, Cade and Camden. It was chilly, but a lot of fun. For the very first time Charlie's hair is long enough to be blown by the wind. We thought this day would never come! The whole afternoon was great. Charlie just loves watching the big kids, and it was really nice to spend time with family. Plus, Charlie got his first taste of funnel cake - a critical milestone in any boy's life. (Don't worry, we bought a variety of organic baby food, including spinach, lentils, pumpkin, and mixed vegetables at Babies R Us on the way home, so he's getting a good balance of yummy, toxic food and healthy stuff.)
In other breaking news, Charlie has learned to pull up to standing and now crawls at high speed! So, Jason spent both Saturday and Sunday evenings baby proofing the house. We have 1 gate (the other was defective), covered outlets and "proofed" drawers and cabinets so far. It's crazy to think that Charlie will be trying to get into this stuff soon. Just hanging out with the younger girls on Saturday made us realize how quickly things change.
I suppose the trade-off for fabulous weekends is lonely Monday mornings. All things considered, it's a pretty small price to pay.
Since the drop-off, I've medicated Otis (allergies), had 2 conference calls, cancelled a conference call, researched Operation Christmas Child, found Otis sunshine to bask in twice, pumped, thrown the sheets in the washer, resolved a customer referral issue, researched baby gates and discovered that my internet and phone have gone out. So, while I wait for my personal IT expert to call back and remind me of how to restart the router and other contraptions upstairs, I'm pre-blogging in MS Word.
The funny thing is, despite everything that's going on...despite the fact that I should be very concerned that I'm not going to get any work done today without the internet... despite the fact that I dropped Charlie off less than 2 hours ago...despite the fact that he is currently less than 100 yards away at Donna's house, I miss him. I just want to run over and give him a big hug and see his smile.
We had such a wonderful weekend. Charlie had his first play date with Lakely, Kate and Finley on Saturday. They all seemed to enjoy it and we moms had a blast -- we even got to sit down for lunch together!
On Sunday Charlie slept all through church for us, then we headed down to Mt. P for lunch at Five Guys and a fall festival with Chris, Chrissy, Carter, Cole, Cade and Camden. It was chilly, but a lot of fun. For the very first time Charlie's hair is long enough to be blown by the wind. We thought this day would never come! The whole afternoon was great. Charlie just loves watching the big kids, and it was really nice to spend time with family. Plus, Charlie got his first taste of funnel cake - a critical milestone in any boy's life. (Don't worry, we bought a variety of organic baby food, including spinach, lentils, pumpkin, and mixed vegetables at Babies R Us on the way home, so he's getting a good balance of yummy, toxic food and healthy stuff.)
In other breaking news, Charlie has learned to pull up to standing and now crawls at high speed! So, Jason spent both Saturday and Sunday evenings baby proofing the house. We have 1 gate (the other was defective), covered outlets and "proofed" drawers and cabinets so far. It's crazy to think that Charlie will be trying to get into this stuff soon. Just hanging out with the younger girls on Saturday made us realize how quickly things change.
I suppose the trade-off for fabulous weekends is lonely Monday mornings. All things considered, it's a pretty small price to pay.
Being good while the mommies eat lunch
(Thank goodness for baby gear!)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Flu Shot Frustration
Every decision seems so much bigger when Charlie is involved -- and every inconvenience so much worse! Jason and I started thinking about flu shots over the summer with all the publicity around the H1N1 virus. I never realized how scary stuff like the flu can be when you have a small baby. We have been incredibly blessed and Charlie hasn't really been sick yet (just a couple cases of the sniffles that cleared up in a matter of days), so I can't even imagine what it would be like for his first illness to be the full blown flu or even worse, the swine flu.
After much consideration and discussion, Jason and I decided to get Charlie the seasonal flu shot, but to forego the H1N1 vaccination -- it's just too new. We're not completely convinced that we're making the right decision, but we're going with our gut instinct. Plus, we figure the facts that he's not in group daycare, he doesn't have any older siblings in school and neither Jason nor I work with children or in healthcare are all on our side.
All that being the case, Charlie had his first seasonal flu vaccine dose at his 6 month appointment in early September. He did great (I didn't do quite so well -- apparently flu shots reactivate my childhood asthma for about 24 hours -- yuck!), and we were on track to get the follow-up dose this afternoon. Unfortunately, Charlie's pediatrician's office called yesterday and they're out of the vaccines. They suggested that I take him to CVS, because they've heard that they have plenty.
So last night I called CVS to confirm that they knew how to give the second dose of the two part vaccination required for first timers and was told that not only do they not vaccinate anyone under the age of 9 (!), but they only vaccinate one day a month. They suggested that I call Walgreens. Walgreens told me that they do in fact vaccinate every day, but again only people over the age of 9. Correct me if I'm wrong but according to all the doctors on the news, small children are at the highest risk for the flu (whichever variety) and should be first in line for vaccinations. If that's the case, how come establishments that only vaccinate pre-teens and older have plenty of flu shots, but pediatricians offices are out?!?
This morning I called our pediatrician back to try to coerce them into finding a second dose and let them know that the alternatives they are providing to parents are useless. The result is that Charlie is at the bottom of a lengthy waiting list and can possibly expect to get the second dose of his flu shot in early to mid November -- but no guarantees. They have ordered 4000 doses, but are only receiving 20 to 30 at a time.
I'm amazed at how quickly I stop caring about everyone else's children and just want my son to be vaccinated, but I try to remind myself that a lot of kids either haven't had the first dose yet, go to group daycare, have older siblings in school or have parents that work with children or in healthcare. Plus, with Jason and I both getting vaccinated, we should stay healthy for him (yes, honey, that was meant to make you feel guilty enough to stop at the next Walgreens you pass and finally get your shot...) So far I've been able to change my own mind for about 2 to 3 minutes at a stretch, but inevitably the mama bear comes back out and I want my Charlie's dose now!
The nurse at the pediatrician's office did tell me that it's possible the first dose will do the job on it's own and the second dose is just to "make sure", but I think she may have just been pacifying me. Either way, it looks like our only option is to wait. And worst case scenario, if Charlie does get some strain of the flu, I know we'll make it through it. So far I've had 2 good friends whose sons have been stricken with H1N1. One is is still in the trenches but one is fully recovered, so I know the experience is survivable -- even for the mama bear -- but I truly hope it doesn't strike here.
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After much consideration and discussion, Jason and I decided to get Charlie the seasonal flu shot, but to forego the H1N1 vaccination -- it's just too new. We're not completely convinced that we're making the right decision, but we're going with our gut instinct. Plus, we figure the facts that he's not in group daycare, he doesn't have any older siblings in school and neither Jason nor I work with children or in healthcare are all on our side.
All that being the case, Charlie had his first seasonal flu vaccine dose at his 6 month appointment in early September. He did great (I didn't do quite so well -- apparently flu shots reactivate my childhood asthma for about 24 hours -- yuck!), and we were on track to get the follow-up dose this afternoon. Unfortunately, Charlie's pediatrician's office called yesterday and they're out of the vaccines. They suggested that I take him to CVS, because they've heard that they have plenty.
So last night I called CVS to confirm that they knew how to give the second dose of the two part vaccination required for first timers and was told that not only do they not vaccinate anyone under the age of 9 (!), but they only vaccinate one day a month. They suggested that I call Walgreens. Walgreens told me that they do in fact vaccinate every day, but again only people over the age of 9. Correct me if I'm wrong but according to all the doctors on the news, small children are at the highest risk for the flu (whichever variety) and should be first in line for vaccinations. If that's the case, how come establishments that only vaccinate pre-teens and older have plenty of flu shots, but pediatricians offices are out?!?
This morning I called our pediatrician back to try to coerce them into finding a second dose and let them know that the alternatives they are providing to parents are useless. The result is that Charlie is at the bottom of a lengthy waiting list and can possibly expect to get the second dose of his flu shot in early to mid November -- but no guarantees. They have ordered 4000 doses, but are only receiving 20 to 30 at a time.
I'm amazed at how quickly I stop caring about everyone else's children and just want my son to be vaccinated, but I try to remind myself that a lot of kids either haven't had the first dose yet, go to group daycare, have older siblings in school or have parents that work with children or in healthcare. Plus, with Jason and I both getting vaccinated, we should stay healthy for him (yes, honey, that was meant to make you feel guilty enough to stop at the next Walgreens you pass and finally get your shot...) So far I've been able to change my own mind for about 2 to 3 minutes at a stretch, but inevitably the mama bear comes back out and I want my Charlie's dose now!
The nurse at the pediatrician's office did tell me that it's possible the first dose will do the job on it's own and the second dose is just to "make sure", but I think she may have just been pacifying me. Either way, it looks like our only option is to wait. And worst case scenario, if Charlie does get some strain of the flu, I know we'll make it through it. So far I've had 2 good friends whose sons have been stricken with H1N1. One is is still in the trenches but one is fully recovered, so I know the experience is survivable -- even for the mama bear -- but I truly hope it doesn't strike here.
Healthy Charlie
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Routine vs. Flexibility, Intervention vs. Independence, etc...
I'm confused. Like all parents, I'm sure, Jason and I try to do what is best for Charlie with every choice and decision we make -- but what do you when you get conflicting advice...or when your gut is giving you conflicting direction.
In my own life I am very structured and I like routine, but I also love surprises and spur of the moment fun. We have Charlie on a fairly regular routine --
According to the books I've read this is all well and good, but I worry that maybe he's not learning to be flexible. Should we be throwing more variation into his days, so he can deal with it? What tends to happen is that he'll have a couple weeks of routine then one week where everything is a mess because we travel or have guests or have other random commitments.
Last night we took Charlie with us to Bible Study, so he was up about an hour and a half later than usual. He did much better than Jason or I would have thought while we were there -- except for the incident of stealing Little Phil's toys. (Apparently we have a little bully in training.) Which brings up another question -- what are you supposed to do in this situation? I took the toy from Charlie and gave it back to Little Phil, but should I have just let them "work it out"? At 7 and 8 months is that even possible? It is just so hard to know what to do.
All in all, Charlie always does pretty well. If he misses naps or stays up late he is sleepy and a little grumpy, but has never had a meltdown. I'm sure I'm over analyzing the whole thing, but it's so hard to know what the right thing is to do...
My goal is to raise a happy, independent, loving, confident, considerate, little boy. I'm just not sure exactly how to do it!
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In my own life I am very structured and I like routine, but I also love surprises and spur of the moment fun. We have Charlie on a fairly regular routine --
- 6:30 - wake up & breakfast
- play
- 7:40 walk
- 8:45 Donna's
- play
- nap
- 11:30 or 12:00 lunch
- play
- nap
- snack
- 4:30 home
- play
- 6:00 dinner
- play
- 7:30 snack
- 8:00 bed
According to the books I've read this is all well and good, but I worry that maybe he's not learning to be flexible. Should we be throwing more variation into his days, so he can deal with it? What tends to happen is that he'll have a couple weeks of routine then one week where everything is a mess because we travel or have guests or have other random commitments.
Last night we took Charlie with us to Bible Study, so he was up about an hour and a half later than usual. He did much better than Jason or I would have thought while we were there -- except for the incident of stealing Little Phil's toys. (Apparently we have a little bully in training.) Which brings up another question -- what are you supposed to do in this situation? I took the toy from Charlie and gave it back to Little Phil, but should I have just let them "work it out"? At 7 and 8 months is that even possible? It is just so hard to know what to do.
All in all, Charlie always does pretty well. If he misses naps or stays up late he is sleepy and a little grumpy, but has never had a meltdown. I'm sure I'm over analyzing the whole thing, but it's so hard to know what the right thing is to do...
My goal is to raise a happy, independent, loving, confident, considerate, little boy. I'm just not sure exactly how to do it!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Like a Baby
Our family has been struck by the cold bug this week. Charlie woke up with the sniffles on Monday morning, and by lunchtime Jason was miserably congested and achey. Thankfully, my immune system has seemed a bit stronger and I didn't really get sick until yesterday -- which got me through a business trip to Wake Forest and house guests Wednesday night.
The crazy thing is that Charlie has been a trooper all week. We can tell he's been having trouble breathing, but he hasn't complained at all. His only reaction has been to nap a bit longer during the day and go to bed a bit earlier.
Jason and I are another matter altogether, though. We have both been moaning and groaning about not being able to breathe, not being able to taste, the horrific affects of Tylenol Sinus Daytime (I truly felt like I was on drugs -- and am not sure if I should have been left alone with Charlie! I was jittery for 5 hours after I took it!), etc, etc. I personally was convinced that my head was going to explode during an American Marketing Association luncheon yesterday, and Jason has found it nearly impossible to wrench himself out of bed in the mornings (worse than usual!).
Charlie, on the other hand, still rolls over and smiles as soon as we turn his light on, laughs at Otis, grins for Donna, and he appears to be trying to make words -- nothing is coming out, but he's sure contorting his little mouth into some interesting shapes.
I wish Jason and I had acted like babies this week -- we would have been much more pleasant to be around.
The crazy thing is that Charlie has been a trooper all week. We can tell he's been having trouble breathing, but he hasn't complained at all. His only reaction has been to nap a bit longer during the day and go to bed a bit earlier.
Jason and I are another matter altogether, though. We have both been moaning and groaning about not being able to breathe, not being able to taste, the horrific affects of Tylenol Sinus Daytime (I truly felt like I was on drugs -- and am not sure if I should have been left alone with Charlie! I was jittery for 5 hours after I took it!), etc, etc. I personally was convinced that my head was going to explode during an American Marketing Association luncheon yesterday, and Jason has found it nearly impossible to wrench himself out of bed in the mornings (worse than usual!).
Charlie, on the other hand, still rolls over and smiles as soon as we turn his light on, laughs at Otis, grins for Donna, and he appears to be trying to make words -- nothing is coming out, but he's sure contorting his little mouth into some interesting shapes.
I wish Jason and I had acted like babies this week -- we would have been much more pleasant to be around.
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