Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

Step 1 – wake up to feed baby at 2:00 am Saturday thinking you’re a bit engorged

Step 2 – after 7:00 am feeding realize that it is probably a plugged milk duct, take something for a terrible headache

Step 3 – while running errands develop body aches and flu like symptoms

Step 4 – come home and collapse from exhaustion

Step 5 – wake up approximately one hour later, with chills, take temperature, think “a fever of 102.6 is probably not good.”

Step 6 – contact doctor’s office, get diagnosis that strikes fear in the heart of nursing mothers everywhere – the dreaded “m” word – mastitis

Step 7 – immediately turn all household and child care tasks over to your wonderful husband

Step 8 – spend most of the weekend wrapped in your blanket and lying on the couch as you fight fever and infection

Yeah, that’s how I spent my weekend.  Hope yours was better!

It’s days like these that make one wonder whether you’re cut-out for this motherhood thing…

The days that begin at 2:30 a.m. (thanks, insomnia) with the knowledge that there is a 19 month old to be chased all day; the realization that it is only a few weeks until the newborn will be keeping you up and the 19 month old will still need to be chased. The days when Da-da goes to get the toddler out of bed only to find her throwing up. The days when, based on the state of her bedding, the toddler apparently threw up all night long and you didn’t know because she never cried or called out in the night. The days when you run errands after 6 hours vomit free only to get home and the toddler to throw up again before you can get her jacket off. The days when vomiting ceases only to be followed by a diaper, the likes of which you haven’t seen since breastfed-baby-blowouts. The days of terrible smells lingering in your nose. The days of multiple baths and multiple loads of laundry. The days of cleaning upholstery and floors.

However, it is days like these when the busy toddler stops long enough to snuggle on the couch and read books; when long naps mean Momma gets a nap, too; when you realize that you are the only one who can make it better, ease the fear, and comfort with just the right snuggles.

It is these tough days, interspersed with the “routine” days, that make one recognize what motherhood is. It is days like these that when you appreciate that the positives far outweigh the negatives. It is days like these when you comprehend how deep your love is for that little one. It is days like these when you know you would never give up motherhood just to avoid days like these.

Here we are again in a new week and with a new list of things to be thankful for.

Day 10, Saturday: Not in high school anymore –  Saturday evening I attended my 10 year high school reunion.  It was nice to see some people who I haven’t had the opportunity to see in many years, but I was reminded once again how glad I am that I’m not in high school anymore.  I’m thankful that I don’t have to deal with the popularity stuff, the cliques, and all of the other things that seemed so important when I was walking through that time period.

Day 11, Sunday: Safe travel -  In order to attend my reunion Matt and I travelled to Nashville and back home this weekend.  I am thankful that God watched over us in our travels during this trip and so many others.

Day 12, Monday: My bed –  Yesterday I was thankful for my soft, cozy bed, a clean toilet, and a husband who was willing to stay home from work to tend to Little while I struggled to keep anything in my system.  It was a rough day filled with stomach virus fun, but we made it through to the other side.

Day 13, Tuesday: A good sleeper –  Today (and so many days in her life) I am thankful that Little is a good sleeper.  Her sleeping habits allow Matt and I to sleep through the night (for many months now) and me to take a nap in the afternoon if I need it.  Today I definitely needed the nap as I continue to recover from my bout of yick yesterday.

So, what are you thankful for this week?

Friday evening Matt and I decided that it’s time to make the final push and finish decorating our kitchen. This will involve painting the laundry room (which is open into the kitchen), replacing cabinet hardware, and adding artwork, decorations, etc to the walls in the eating area.

Saturday morning we woke up with some errands to run and headed out early hoping to beat the heat and the crowds. The first stop was Wal-Mart where we pretty quickly picked up the few things we needed. Next up was Lowe’s where our list consisted of blinds, cabinet hardware, and paint. The search for hardware proved futile and we opted to wait until next month to get the blinds. On to the paint area where we quickly (believe it or not) found a color that we liked and got the paint mixed. Although our Lowe’s stop only yielded a one out of three success rate, we were knocking out our errand stops.

We loaded up at Lowe’s and set off for Bed Bath and Beyond – our final errand – before going to Barnes and Noble to have a little fun time. As we pulled out of the Lowe’s parking lot I handed Little her cup of water. This is where things got interesting.

There were a few minutes to kill before BB&B opened so we were cruising around the mall parking lots. All of a sudden there came from the back seat a gagging sound followed closely by the sound of vomit flowing from Little’s mouth. Then it happened again. I turned around to see our poor baby girl covered in puke with more still coming up.

Matt pulled the car into a parking space and we hastily retrieved napkins from the glove box and wipes from the bag. Little started crying, so I pulled her out of the carseat while Matt continued cleaning up with mess. I changed her out of her messy clothes into the only backup outfit we had in the car – a 9 months size onesie.

She really looked pretty pitiful with her red eyes, mussed up hair, and too small outfit but we soldiered on to BB&B – which was a fruitless stop – before we brought the poor girl home.

So, in the end we came home with paint and a stinky car; definitely an inauspicious start to the day.

(Fortunately, Little is not sick; it seems this was an isolated incident.)

I was able to get Little in to see the pediatrician this morning. The good news is that she doesn’t have chicken pox. I was really not looking forward to dealing with chicken pox on top of moving next week!

The less good news is that she has a skin infection called impetigo. It is caused by strep or staph bacteria (I told Matt this weekend that I was afraid it might be a staph infection) and characterized by the small red bumps and honey colored crust that we’ve been seeing. The doctor recognized and named it as soon as she walked in the exam room.

We start a 10 day round of the antibiotic Omnicef today, and hope that the medicine will clear the infection from her system. Very good news overall, but her poor little face still looks terrible!