We're home. We had a fabulous time (which I'll tell you all about later, which by my timeline means that post will be up...oh, February of '10.) and now we're sick.
And by 'we're sick' I mean the Royal We. King Max is sick.
It's our first sickness here at the American Dream and I'll be honest...I'm not handling it all that well. It's ripping my heart out. Case in point, we brought him in for a second check up when his fever was still at 102 while on Tylenol and after 48 hours of antibiotics and as Dr. Courtney (She's young. She's blonde. She's awesome) was making some notes on his chart I noticed it said "nervous new mom" ah, yes. I can't even pretend to be offended by that because I am like a SNL sketch of a new mom lately. I am a little embarrassed but they treated me very fairly at the pediatricians so I can't complain.
So, a double ear infection. Yikes. Poor Monkey is burning up, and miserable. Not his happy, silly self. Although (dangit) Lazy Town still brings a smile and a giggle when that rascally Robbie Rotten is on.
Max is taking it all in stride though, except the pediatricians visit. Let's just say that getting his temperature taken is not on his list of experiences to revisit. Those screams are the worst I've ever heard come out of his precious little mouth. And then...Dr. Courtney dared to look in his ears! The torture! Honestly? It looked and sounded like torture. She said today his ears looked worse than two days ago. Sigh.
So I've got a message for ESPN24 or whatever channel ESPN is up to. You don't need to air any more Strongest Man or Woman competitions. I can tell you right where to find them. In any children's hospital in the world. It was really tough for me to be strong enough for Max who was freaking out...and this is just an ear infection!
I'm thinking of all the mommies I know who are strong for their children, the ones who have cancer,or breathing problems, heart problems, the ones who are really truly sick. The mommies whose babies need test after test, blood draw after blood draw, surgery after surgery.
I'm thinking of my mother, because I was one of those babies.
I'm thinking of Dub who has found a strength I've never seen in her before she had Zuzu. Of my other best friend J (more on her soon!) whose son is healthy but is on the spectrum and she has handled all his therapies with a strength and grace that I never saw a glimpse of while we were drinking Pepsi and smoking cigs late into the night during college.
I went to Childrens Hospital with Dub and Zuzu for his blood test while I was home and I was just unprepared. I asked Dub how she didn't cry every time she went there and she said "Sadly, you get used to it"
So my hats off to you moms. In case no one has told you lately, you are amazing.
3 comments:
She actually wrote "nervous new mom" in your chart??!!
It reminds me of that Seinfeld episode when Elaine switched doctors bc it said she was a "difficult patient" only to have her old doctor inform her new doctor. She could not escape the label no matter how often she changed doctors.
My youngest had tubes in his nose, taped to his face when he was just two weeks old. He had a respiratory virus and he almost died. When you're in that situation you find strength you had NO IDEA you were capable of having. They wanted to put a catheter in him and an IV and do a spinal and my husband and I said NO WAY. What saved him was when his older brother sang to him when I held the phone up to the baby's ear. THAT was amazing!
I hope your sweet baby is feeling better now.
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