A Family That Poops Together

I am so thrilled and proud to annnouce...and just in the knick of time....Seth is now regularly pooping in the potty. And, not a moment too soon!!

This past week, we have all taken turns running to our respective bathrooms. Luckily, we have two, and Marc isn't home during the day.

We got hit with the most nasty stomach virus. You've probably either heard of it, or experienced it by now. It's taking families by storm, and hits you like a ton of bricks if you get it.

I was actually laid up in bed one day last week and wound up cancelling a gym apppointment, which I hate to do. I must admit, this is one way to start a diet, since you can barely eat. But, who wants to be sick to lose weight.

Tonight we ventured out to the diner, thinking we were all relatively on the mend. If we ate lightly, we'd be okay, we presumed. Well, it hit me like a tons of bricks yet again, once we got home.

Thankfully, we have plenty of saltines, ginger ale and Gatorade in the house, from last week, so we're well stocked. But, when is this going to be over? Seth's pediatrician warned that even if you think it's done, it might not be. She's seen alot of relapses....terrific!!

Crossing my fingers this will be a better week.

I don't know about you....but this winter has been so sickly for our family. Nothing serious to speak of, but still, it's quite the challenge to keep us all well.

Hope your family is having better luck. And, if not, at least you know you're not alone.

Sick Days

Seth's pre-K called yesterday. I know whenever the phone rings, and it's the school nurse, that it's not good news. Seth had a 101 fever she said, and was very uncomfortable. I had to come pick him up right away.

I have to admit...I lost it at that moment. In my time of frustration, I said to her, "You know...this isn't mom's taxi service. I'm in the middle of some things now. I will get there as soon as I can."

Well...she didn't seem to like that response, and the next call I got was from the school social worker. I explained that I would definitely get there within the hour. That I don't live around the corner, and I work part time from home, and can't just drop everything and run over there this very second. She seemed to understand a bit more, though really, she wanted me there pronto too.

Now...I could see if Seth had, G-d forbid, some awful, contagious disease. And, believe me, I understand that you don't want whatever it is to spread throughout the entire school. That said, I drove him directly to the doctor who squeezed us in before the after school rush. Turns out he has some kind of virus, which you don't treat with medication. I more or less suspected this, but since he had a chesty sounding cough too, I wanted to be safe.

Did you know they can diagnose the flu in a child immediately by popping a cotton swab in their nose and testing it on the spot? Takes about 10 minutes for results. Unreal. Luckily it wasn't the flu. I waited anxiously to hear, since I did not get the flu shot and have never been keen on it. When I was little I recall getting the measles vaccine and wound up with a case of the measles from it. To this day, that left me a bit vaccine phobic, at least for myself.

I asked the pediatrician for a doctor's note for the school, and he looked at me funny. I explained it wasn't because they think Seth might be playing hookie, but rather, more to document to the school that Seth has been seen by a physician.

So, Seth was home sick today. He seems improved, and no fever. Monday is a holiday, so we have a long weekend ahead, with some cold weather coming, so Seth will need to be somewehat housebound to get fully well. This means mommy may go a bit stir crazy too, but Tuesday is another day. And, hopefully a healthier one...and crossing my fingers that Marc & I don't catch this from Seth. We've both had more than our share of awful colds already this season.

The Whites of Seth's Eyes

Over the summer, due to all the swimming in our community pool, Seth's eyes often got irritated due to the chlorine. Since then he's been fine, until yesterday.

Sunday morning, he awoke with two red eyes. Out of the blue. We quickly called the doctor....getting a doctor on a Sunday is no easy feat. She said it's probably an allergy. He should take Benadryl and use Visine. What does he sleep with, she asked?

His favorite teddy is always by his side, along with a host of other animals....subject to change on any given day. Piggy, bunny, woofy dog, etc. She said they could be carrying irritants. Teddy, a dust mite culprit?! Beloved teddy?? I guess it's not entirely shocking since teddy seldom gets a bath. Frankly, it slips my mind to do it, but it does make sense.

That said, we gave teddy a good soaking. But, Seth's left eye was still quite red today. We kept him home from school and made a doctor's appointment. Luckily he wasn't symptomatic, so he didn't have discomfort. He was just restless all day, missing his friends in pre-K.

We had to wait all day til our doctor appointment, and then sat restlessly an hour in his waiting room. I just kept thinking what a germ factory this is. No wonder kids get sick so much. A mere trip to the doctor's office for one thing can expose you to a host of other unwelcome viruses, etc. I now carry Purell with me wherever I go and often spring it on Seth.

I hope this isn't the start of a challenging winter for Seth healthwise. It was just two weeks ago that I took him to the doctor for a flu shot. No offense to the pediatrician, who I happen to like a lot, but I'm not looking to be a regular in his office.

Seth was thrilled not to get a shot this time...and he made out well in the end, with his usual lollipop.

We're keeping him home again tomorrow, and he's now on prescription eye drops. It's like torture to give them to him, but hopefully it will do the trick.