Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
i have some awesome friends!
Three of my best "e-friends" (though they are far more than just strangers on the internet) got together and gave D, DH, and me a gift card for a professional photographer and CD of photos. This is to be our first family portrait after the adoption.
i am completely awestruck! i am so beyond amazed at their generosity!
i am completely awestruck! i am so beyond amazed at their generosity!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Adoption Assistance
Or... not. We got an email the other day from D's foster case worker saying that at this time it looks like D will only qualify for deferred assistance. A couple of things: 1) we're not about to accept such an unofficial answer; we want it in writing with an explanation of exactly what she will qualify for and exactly what we'll have to prove later to change deferred to active assistance, and 2) we asked about the appeal process.
We placed a call to D's brother's mom, and she looked over T's paperwork and discovered that T was given active assistance largely because the tests at his 1-year exam showed some concerns. Specifically, his head circumference was disproportionate and he had to have some MRIs and other tests, his retinal picture or whatever showed some sort of anomaly (and their birthfather is blind in one eye, but it's unknown if it was caused by illness or injury or if it could even be hereditary if it WAS illness), and he was predicted to develop asthma (which he has done).
So now we are reticent to sign any paperwork stating D won't get active assistance at least until she's had those tests, just to make sure there are no problems there. We are going to at least push for D to remain on medicaid. After all, she sees 4 specialists, she's been sick multiple times, and she's not likely to suddenly not need the doctor anymore, you know? If they don't continue monthly stipend payments, we'll live. (Though that means we'll have to stretch hard to make a nanny happen, which is REALLY important to me, so that makes me sad...) But medicaid seems the least they can do. And then we should even be able to qualify for the full tax credit, but won't if she gets nothing at all. And with the tax credit, her college will be pretty much paid for, or we can use the money to redo the house when/if she develops asthma and allergies like her brother. Our house is carpet and our furniture is cloth and that would have to change, especially if there's to be hope to keep our dogs.
i know some of you are probably reading this thinking we're greedy, or crazy, or who knows. And i see your point, but honestly we don't view this as being about US at all. It's D's benefit, not ours. If it were ours we wouldn't fight at all; we're both conflict averse. But, as uncomfortable as it makes us, we feel like D deserves parents who will advocate for her best interests and not just roll over under pressure from the state.
So... i'm not so sure at this point if we'll get to adopt D before (or on) her first birthday. Probably not if the doctor won't do the tests before she turns a year old, because we don't want to close that door until we get through those tests at least. Which makes me sad, but we're going to hold the combo adoption/birthday party anyway. And now the tables are turned on the state because there's no pressure to do it before a year from our side. The pressure is all on the state to get us to finalize ASAP because that means that they can stop paying her monthly stipend and her daycare allowance. Every month it drags on now is money out of their pocket. Hopefully that will work to our advantage.
Oh, and Alan's friends at the tv station managed to wrangle a mug shot of D's biological father, as well as his "rap sheet". He's been arrested/convicted of several things, but the convictions are all petty things, mostly shoplifting and failure to appear and running from a police officer. The very last one made me sad: he was arrested for stealing $16 in meat from a grocery store :(. Not that i condone it in the least, but it's good to know that, even with drug and alcohol problems, he's not violent. And while at first glance, D doesn't seem to look like him, as i look at his picture more, i can see her nose in his face, her mouth (when not smiling) in his mouth, and her round head shape in his.
We placed a call to D's brother's mom, and she looked over T's paperwork and discovered that T was given active assistance largely because the tests at his 1-year exam showed some concerns. Specifically, his head circumference was disproportionate and he had to have some MRIs and other tests, his retinal picture or whatever showed some sort of anomaly (and their birthfather is blind in one eye, but it's unknown if it was caused by illness or injury or if it could even be hereditary if it WAS illness), and he was predicted to develop asthma (which he has done).
So now we are reticent to sign any paperwork stating D won't get active assistance at least until she's had those tests, just to make sure there are no problems there. We are going to at least push for D to remain on medicaid. After all, she sees 4 specialists, she's been sick multiple times, and she's not likely to suddenly not need the doctor anymore, you know? If they don't continue monthly stipend payments, we'll live. (Though that means we'll have to stretch hard to make a nanny happen, which is REALLY important to me, so that makes me sad...) But medicaid seems the least they can do. And then we should even be able to qualify for the full tax credit, but won't if she gets nothing at all. And with the tax credit, her college will be pretty much paid for, or we can use the money to redo the house when/if she develops asthma and allergies like her brother. Our house is carpet and our furniture is cloth and that would have to change, especially if there's to be hope to keep our dogs.
i know some of you are probably reading this thinking we're greedy, or crazy, or who knows. And i see your point, but honestly we don't view this as being about US at all. It's D's benefit, not ours. If it were ours we wouldn't fight at all; we're both conflict averse. But, as uncomfortable as it makes us, we feel like D deserves parents who will advocate for her best interests and not just roll over under pressure from the state.
So... i'm not so sure at this point if we'll get to adopt D before (or on) her first birthday. Probably not if the doctor won't do the tests before she turns a year old, because we don't want to close that door until we get through those tests at least. Which makes me sad, but we're going to hold the combo adoption/birthday party anyway. And now the tables are turned on the state because there's no pressure to do it before a year from our side. The pressure is all on the state to get us to finalize ASAP because that means that they can stop paying her monthly stipend and her daycare allowance. Every month it drags on now is money out of their pocket. Hopefully that will work to our advantage.
Oh, and Alan's friends at the tv station managed to wrangle a mug shot of D's biological father, as well as his "rap sheet". He's been arrested/convicted of several things, but the convictions are all petty things, mostly shoplifting and failure to appear and running from a police officer. The very last one made me sad: he was arrested for stealing $16 in meat from a grocery store :(. Not that i condone it in the least, but it's good to know that, even with drug and alcohol problems, he's not violent. And while at first glance, D doesn't seem to look like him, as i look at his picture more, i can see her nose in his face, her mouth (when not smiling) in his mouth, and her round head shape in his.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Gimme 2 steps, gimme 2 steps, mister...
D is starting to actually enjoy standing and walking now! This is crazy considering for 5 months she's been scared to death to stand unassisted. Now she's starting to feel proud about it, and do it on purpose. She's taken a step toward me when Alan walks holding her hands and lets go at the end (she's also fallen face-first and i have to catch her lol!), and she's done the same in reverse. But those are just when she has momentum.
She took one deliberate step toward me last week, but all subsequent attempts resulted in her falling face-first again lol.
But tonight... tonight she not only took a deliberate step toward me (specifically to grab her hand-knitted elephante toy that Bio made for her that she LOVES) and kept her balance afterward instead of falling into my arms, but at one point she even took TWO deliberate steps toward Ellie! It was a beautiful night and i'm so proud of my girl. i think she's going to be officially walking before her first birthday, but then i've been proven wrong before!
On a sad note, or to keep the Skynard metaphor alive with the "the water fell on the floor" line", bedtime puking is my arch-nemesis.
She took one deliberate step toward me last week, but all subsequent attempts resulted in her falling face-first again lol.
But tonight... tonight she not only took a deliberate step toward me (specifically to grab her hand-knitted elephante toy that Bio made for her that she LOVES) and kept her balance afterward instead of falling into my arms, but at one point she even took TWO deliberate steps toward Ellie! It was a beautiful night and i'm so proud of my girl. i think she's going to be officially walking before her first birthday, but then i've been proven wrong before!
On a sad note, or to keep the Skynard metaphor alive with the "the water fell on the floor" line", bedtime puking is my arch-nemesis.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
i reject your negative labels and substitute my own
Difficult = Active, or challenging, or entertaining
Stubborn = Persistent, or tenacious
Destructive = Inventive, mad problem-solving skills
Hyperactive = Energetic, conscientious
Give me your word for a negative trait and i'll give you a word that would put a gleam in every HR director's eye when reading a resume'.
It all started this morning when Alan called, saying, "D is a difficult baby." (i prefer "challenging", but this isn't exactly news.) The answer to my "what happened" is that as soon as he took D to daycare and put her down, she made a beeline for a baby who happened to be in a swing and attempted to steal said baby's pacifier. Several times. Even to the point of slowing down the swing's controls to make it easier on herself. No one better accuse my baby of being a dummy!
When i picked D up this afternoon, the teacher said she's a very stubborn baby. i had to say, "i reject your negative label. She's not 'stubborn', she's 'persistent'." And boy is she! She will stand next to a cabinet that has some drawings taped to it, look to see if the teacher is watching, and try to remove the drawing. Over and over and over again.
i mean, at 10 months old, there's really no such thing as "disciplining" a baby. There's only redirection. But what do you do if you have an un-redirect-able baby? There are days when i'll literally redirect her for a half hour or more, and she just keeps going back to whatever she wanted in the first place. i have to take her out of the room for a good while, and still she'll go straight back to it when we return a lot of the time. i try to let her just have at it as often as i can if it's safe to do so. For example, right now she's obsessed with the china hutch that has a cupboard in the bottom with stemware in it. It's not something i want to drill holes in for child locks, so i guess we'll be boxing up the stemware and letting D open and close those doors to her heart's content. But to showcase my girly's mad problem-solving skills, for the time being i blocked the hutch with 3 chairs. Which D, who can't even walk yet but likes to slide chairs and stools around like they're walkers, moved individually and lined up in a neat little line of 3 chairs just to get to the cabinet.
i love my entertaining little stinker!
Stubborn = Persistent, or tenacious
Destructive = Inventive, mad problem-solving skills
Hyperactive = Energetic, conscientious
Give me your word for a negative trait and i'll give you a word that would put a gleam in every HR director's eye when reading a resume'.
It all started this morning when Alan called, saying, "D is a difficult baby." (i prefer "challenging", but this isn't exactly news.) The answer to my "what happened" is that as soon as he took D to daycare and put her down, she made a beeline for a baby who happened to be in a swing and attempted to steal said baby's pacifier. Several times. Even to the point of slowing down the swing's controls to make it easier on herself. No one better accuse my baby of being a dummy!
When i picked D up this afternoon, the teacher said she's a very stubborn baby. i had to say, "i reject your negative label. She's not 'stubborn', she's 'persistent'." And boy is she! She will stand next to a cabinet that has some drawings taped to it, look to see if the teacher is watching, and try to remove the drawing. Over and over and over again.
i mean, at 10 months old, there's really no such thing as "disciplining" a baby. There's only redirection. But what do you do if you have an un-redirect-able baby? There are days when i'll literally redirect her for a half hour or more, and she just keeps going back to whatever she wanted in the first place. i have to take her out of the room for a good while, and still she'll go straight back to it when we return a lot of the time. i try to let her just have at it as often as i can if it's safe to do so. For example, right now she's obsessed with the china hutch that has a cupboard in the bottom with stemware in it. It's not something i want to drill holes in for child locks, so i guess we'll be boxing up the stemware and letting D open and close those doors to her heart's content. But to showcase my girly's mad problem-solving skills, for the time being i blocked the hutch with 3 chairs. Which D, who can't even walk yet but likes to slide chairs and stools around like they're walkers, moved individually and lined up in a neat little line of 3 chairs just to get to the cabinet.
i love my entertaining little stinker!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Well, crap, i did jinx myself
D didn't STTN either Friday or Saturday night :(. Friday she woke once briefly, and i was able to get her back to sleep with maybe 1/2 oz of formula total. So at least we're not making that worse. Last night, though, she was up twice and wouldn't go back to sleep at 4:30 am for a long time (and i never did). There's more, but i'm too tired to post it right now.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Jinx
i fear this post will totally jinx it, but we've had some good luck (?) with sleep lately. D has slept through the night from 8ish pm to 6ish am (or beyond one day) two nights in a row. Guys, i can't tell you how awesome that feels! Additionally, she STTN two nights last week, just not consecutively. This is almost as many nights STTN in the last 2 weeks as we've had in the last 8 months! Actually more.
What's changed? Well, reflux seems better. i can hear her laryngomalacia a bit, but not too much compared to even a month ago. The only thing *we've* changed is that i stopped giving her yogurt because she seemed to spit up more when that happened. She's still had some dairy, though, mostly in the form of cheese, such as in her spaghetti or other pasta, so i'm not sure that's the total problem. The other thing that's changed is that she's lost weight. Perhaps that makes her meds work better, but one wouldn't think it would affect THAT much. Since we changed the food schedule for daycare the last time, D has lost weight because she's eating more solids and less formula, but she seems full and frankly she was a pretty, um, dense baby to begin with, so i'm not going to stress about. (Please don't misread this; we didn't do this on purpose as any sort of weight control, it just happened naturally and she doesn't seem hungry or grumpy or unhappy. She's also more active of course.)
So, who knows if it will last, but we're enjoying it right now! Alan and i have been talking about limiting her night feeds if she DOES wake at night now. Since her reflux is improving (PLEASE let it have finally turned the corner!), i don't feel as badly about withholding night feeds as i did when she was, say, 6 months old and simply couldn't eat enough during the day because of the reflux. So, i think the strategy will be to feed her just a couple of ounces at night if possible, maybe putting 2 oz in a bottle and then mixing 1 oz with 1 oz formula in another bottle, so she (hopefully) falls asleep on less than 3 oz total. i imagine that if i woke up every night at midnight and ate a big midnight snack, i would start relying on that midnight snack every night and wake up for it. i think we're in that spot with D now. So if we can reduce that reliance on nighttime food without using harsh methods, more the better!
What else is going on in life? Well, work is expectedly crazy right now. i've worked late every night until tonight, but i finally got through the March month-end process (a week late! But it's new to me...), so hopefully i'll have some time to actually streamline the daily processes. i'm finally not feeling horribly sick, and looking forward to a weekend in the beautiful weather.
What's changed? Well, reflux seems better. i can hear her laryngomalacia a bit, but not too much compared to even a month ago. The only thing *we've* changed is that i stopped giving her yogurt because she seemed to spit up more when that happened. She's still had some dairy, though, mostly in the form of cheese, such as in her spaghetti or other pasta, so i'm not sure that's the total problem. The other thing that's changed is that she's lost weight. Perhaps that makes her meds work better, but one wouldn't think it would affect THAT much. Since we changed the food schedule for daycare the last time, D has lost weight because she's eating more solids and less formula, but she seems full and frankly she was a pretty, um, dense baby to begin with, so i'm not going to stress about. (Please don't misread this; we didn't do this on purpose as any sort of weight control, it just happened naturally and she doesn't seem hungry or grumpy or unhappy. She's also more active of course.)
So, who knows if it will last, but we're enjoying it right now! Alan and i have been talking about limiting her night feeds if she DOES wake at night now. Since her reflux is improving (PLEASE let it have finally turned the corner!), i don't feel as badly about withholding night feeds as i did when she was, say, 6 months old and simply couldn't eat enough during the day because of the reflux. So, i think the strategy will be to feed her just a couple of ounces at night if possible, maybe putting 2 oz in a bottle and then mixing 1 oz with 1 oz formula in another bottle, so she (hopefully) falls asleep on less than 3 oz total. i imagine that if i woke up every night at midnight and ate a big midnight snack, i would start relying on that midnight snack every night and wake up for it. i think we're in that spot with D now. So if we can reduce that reliance on nighttime food without using harsh methods, more the better!
What else is going on in life? Well, work is expectedly crazy right now. i've worked late every night until tonight, but i finally got through the March month-end process (a week late! But it's new to me...), so hopefully i'll have some time to actually streamline the daily processes. i'm finally not feeling horribly sick, and looking forward to a weekend in the beautiful weather.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Rash, cloth diapers, EC, and more
We've cloth diapered since Wednesday, and i guess tonight is the last night, which i won't deny makes me quite sad. i've always wanted to CD, since i was a little girl. i remember brainstorming diaper liners (cheesecloth? Ew lol) with my mother when i first started babysitting around 12 years old. i used to CD the few dolls i had even though we had some disposable doll diapers. But even if Alan were willing (and i've pretty much promised not to push CD with D in hopes he'll CD with baby number 2 should there be another), Tennessee state law actually won't allow a "day care center" to use cloth diapers! Can you believe that nonsense? Schools and churches are exempt from that rule, though, and there are some that use CD's, but most don't have full-day programs. *Perhaps* after we can hire a nanny, if we get to do so...
Anyway, we had 2 Thirsties fitteds with velcro closure, 1 Kissaluvs fitted (hemp/cotton blend) snap closure, and 1 Babykicks one-size pocket fitted with snaps (also hemp/cotton blend). Those 4 dipes got us through the last 5 days. i must say i'm in love with the Thirsties, and yes velcro is a pain in the wash, but it really wasn't a problem so far. Of course, with time, it will wear out faster than the snaps will, but still. They are SO soft with the velour inner stay-dry section, and very effective. Not very trim, though. The KL was my second favorite.
The rash is all gone, and D seems very happy again, even after she wets. Which is rare because we've been SO diligent with EC. Take today, for instance. All day she wet her diaper one time total. The rest of the day she went in the potty. One of the days she didn't wet a diaper at all for 24 hours! It's pretty incredible!
i thought it was pretty funny that i mentioned to Alan that if we CD'd full-time, we'd have more than 4 diapers. Like probably 20. He said, "More like 29." "Why 29?" "Because it's the most i could say without making you mad." LOL i guess the laundry was pretty annoying to him. Can't blame him there.
D is doing well. She spent a lot of time with her Grammy this weekend. They came to visit yesterday, and because we're still sick, i asked Alan to see if they would help out yesterday afternoon, which they did. Then they asked to watch her today instead of daycare. D was in a great mood when i got home, but promptly melted down. They'd told me she'd just gotten up from a very long (2 hour) nap, and wouldn't need her 5:15 pm nap, but she had a meltdown when they left and refused to eat any solids, drank half a bottle and conked out around 6:15. It's almost 9:15 and she's still sleeping, in her Easter dress lol. i'm guessing she's down for the count, at least until she gets hungry. Poor thing didn't eat too well today, but it sounds like she had a ton of fun!
Anyway, we had 2 Thirsties fitteds with velcro closure, 1 Kissaluvs fitted (hemp/cotton blend) snap closure, and 1 Babykicks one-size pocket fitted with snaps (also hemp/cotton blend). Those 4 dipes got us through the last 5 days. i must say i'm in love with the Thirsties, and yes velcro is a pain in the wash, but it really wasn't a problem so far. Of course, with time, it will wear out faster than the snaps will, but still. They are SO soft with the velour inner stay-dry section, and very effective. Not very trim, though. The KL was my second favorite.
The rash is all gone, and D seems very happy again, even after she wets. Which is rare because we've been SO diligent with EC. Take today, for instance. All day she wet her diaper one time total. The rest of the day she went in the potty. One of the days she didn't wet a diaper at all for 24 hours! It's pretty incredible!
i thought it was pretty funny that i mentioned to Alan that if we CD'd full-time, we'd have more than 4 diapers. Like probably 20. He said, "More like 29." "Why 29?" "Because it's the most i could say without making you mad." LOL i guess the laundry was pretty annoying to him. Can't blame him there.
D is doing well. She spent a lot of time with her Grammy this weekend. They came to visit yesterday, and because we're still sick, i asked Alan to see if they would help out yesterday afternoon, which they did. Then they asked to watch her today instead of daycare. D was in a great mood when i got home, but promptly melted down. They'd told me she'd just gotten up from a very long (2 hour) nap, and wouldn't need her 5:15 pm nap, but she had a meltdown when they left and refused to eat any solids, drank half a bottle and conked out around 6:15. It's almost 9:15 and she's still sleeping, in her Easter dress lol. i'm guessing she's down for the count, at least until she gets hungry. Poor thing didn't eat too well today, but it sounds like she had a ton of fun!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The rash is definitely improving!
But the poor little thing is sick, probably with the bronchitis i've had. She's coughing all the time. The pedi gave her Azithromycin (you may know it as a "Z Pack") for the diarrhea because there was a little blood in her stool, and that should help with the bronchitis, too, so i'm trying not to freak out about it but i feel so badly for her.
The irony is that, while she's having trouble sleeping for the coughing, her sleep actually seems to be improving lately. Specifically it's easier to get her to sleep, and she's having more nights of sleeping all the way through the night (2 in the last week i think). Even for naps, it just takes a little rocking and lying her down, and she goes right to sleep. (We've never been an "it takes hours and hours to get her to sleep" family, but it usually takes a bit more effort.) i hope it is indicative of her passing out of the 9 month sleep regression period and her sleep just maturing in general. We'll see, i guess :).
Today, i am just plain wiped out. Alan was up with D for about an hour around midnight i think, and i went and took over. After a cycle of her coughing every time she started to fall asleep in my arms in the rocker, i just put her in the crib. (i took cough syrup with Vicodin, so i couldn't cosleep with her, and it wasn't working for Alan anyway.) She woke up coughing quite a lot, but she didn't cry or fuss. Such a doll! i also coughed a ton because i was sleeping in the regular bed in the nursery instead of the recliner i've slept in for the last week or so, which makes me cough less.
D woke at 5:30 with a wet diaper, and i couldn't get her back to sleep. After an hour of her fussing, whining, crying, and nothing working (not hungry, diaper good, not playful, not cuddly, etc), i woke Alan and went back to sleep for 2 more hours (this is not like me at all!). Then i met someone to loan out my Pikkolo, did some grocery shopping, got home and made some baby food, and Alan went out to run an errand and D took a nap. So did i. Another 2 hours of sleepy time and i still feel like i have zero energy and zero strength. i don't know what the deal is, but i'm weak and dizzy and blurry around the edges. i hope it clears up soon! i'm also hoping Alan doesn't get sick since he's picking up my slack.
The irony is that, while she's having trouble sleeping for the coughing, her sleep actually seems to be improving lately. Specifically it's easier to get her to sleep, and she's having more nights of sleeping all the way through the night (2 in the last week i think). Even for naps, it just takes a little rocking and lying her down, and she goes right to sleep. (We've never been an "it takes hours and hours to get her to sleep" family, but it usually takes a bit more effort.) i hope it is indicative of her passing out of the 9 month sleep regression period and her sleep just maturing in general. We'll see, i guess :).
Today, i am just plain wiped out. Alan was up with D for about an hour around midnight i think, and i went and took over. After a cycle of her coughing every time she started to fall asleep in my arms in the rocker, i just put her in the crib. (i took cough syrup with Vicodin, so i couldn't cosleep with her, and it wasn't working for Alan anyway.) She woke up coughing quite a lot, but she didn't cry or fuss. Such a doll! i also coughed a ton because i was sleeping in the regular bed in the nursery instead of the recliner i've slept in for the last week or so, which makes me cough less.
D woke at 5:30 with a wet diaper, and i couldn't get her back to sleep. After an hour of her fussing, whining, crying, and nothing working (not hungry, diaper good, not playful, not cuddly, etc), i woke Alan and went back to sleep for 2 more hours (this is not like me at all!). Then i met someone to loan out my Pikkolo, did some grocery shopping, got home and made some baby food, and Alan went out to run an errand and D took a nap. So did i. Another 2 hours of sleepy time and i still feel like i have zero energy and zero strength. i don't know what the deal is, but i'm weak and dizzy and blurry around the edges. i hope it clears up soon! i'm also hoping Alan doesn't get sick since he's picking up my slack.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Tonight, for once, i feel like a pretty good mom!
i know i'm a pretty good mom. i know it intellectually. But i so often get bogged down by what i *don't* do right. Got frustrated when i fed her solids. Didn't enjoy rocking her to sleep enough when it took too long. Got too interested in a tv show or something on the internet instead of giving D my undivided attention for a while. You get the idea. All the reasons all of us are probably insecure about our parenting.
But tonight, i don't know, it just feels right. i guess because D is "helpless" again with this rash, my patience comes back like it did when she was brand new. Or maybe i'm just feeling better enough myself, who knows. But i feel like i've been doing a good job the last day or two.
Is the rash clearing up? It's hard to say, but it does *seem* a bit better, even as the day has gone on. We got a Rx rash cream from the pedi and i've been applying it when i put a diaper on D, but that has been rare actually. From 12:30-8:00 pm, she was only in a diaper during her 2 naps; the rest of the time she was naked or wearing just a dress. And, believe it or not, we had no accidents tonight! No wet or dirty diapers, either. She peed in the potty around 5 times (i didn't count) and pooped in the potty twice. i gave her 3 short oatmeal baths and a long one. And i applied lanolin frequently when diaper-free and the Rx cream before putting on diapers at naptime. Oh, she did wear a diaper during dinner because she sometimes poops at dinnertime. So that, too.
i thought there was no way 4 cloth diapers would be enough to CD full time, but it was worth it for as much time as possible. Turns out we didn't need ANY lol. (Yeah, we'll definitely need one tonight, i'm sure, but it's still fun to think about!)
i hope and pray this works, because i hate how much she must hurt. i sometimes get "diaper rash" when i get sweaty in summer or get wet from rain, and it clears up in a day but is so annoying in the meantime. i can't imagine how much worse this is for her!
But tonight, i don't know, it just feels right. i guess because D is "helpless" again with this rash, my patience comes back like it did when she was brand new. Or maybe i'm just feeling better enough myself, who knows. But i feel like i've been doing a good job the last day or two.
Is the rash clearing up? It's hard to say, but it does *seem* a bit better, even as the day has gone on. We got a Rx rash cream from the pedi and i've been applying it when i put a diaper on D, but that has been rare actually. From 12:30-8:00 pm, she was only in a diaper during her 2 naps; the rest of the time she was naked or wearing just a dress. And, believe it or not, we had no accidents tonight! No wet or dirty diapers, either. She peed in the potty around 5 times (i didn't count) and pooped in the potty twice. i gave her 3 short oatmeal baths and a long one. And i applied lanolin frequently when diaper-free and the Rx cream before putting on diapers at naptime. Oh, she did wear a diaper during dinner because she sometimes poops at dinnertime. So that, too.
i thought there was no way 4 cloth diapers would be enough to CD full time, but it was worth it for as much time as possible. Turns out we didn't need ANY lol. (Yeah, we'll definitely need one tonight, i'm sure, but it's still fun to think about!)
i hope and pray this works, because i hate how much she must hurt. i sometimes get "diaper rash" when i get sweaty in summer or get wet from rain, and it clears up in a day but is so annoying in the meantime. i can't imagine how much worse this is for her!
Cloth diapers night one, morning one
Well, D woke up with a diarrhea incident in the middle of the night and didn't want to go back to sleep. Alan got up with her, and after hearing some noises off and on on the monitor for about an hour, i went up and took over and let him go back to bed. He dropped the diaper off in the washer and set it on cold water soak, and i don't think it was too bad for him.
i finally got D back to sleep by cuddling in the bed in her room with her, until about 5:30, and then she was awake. She has only peed outside the toilet once today that i know of, so that has to feel better than sitting in a wet diaper for some amount of time. i know it's early but we actually both thought it looked a little better this morning.
i stayed home from work again, and Alan had planned to have both caseworkers over this morning, so that's done for the month. He took her to the doctor, who said the diarrhea is probably a virus but the cough could be a bacteria, so she's going to start taking antibiotics (azithromycin, aka Z Pack, but of course it's liquid) today. Hopefully that will help. The rash is not a yeast infection, so that's good. We got a Rx cream that is supposedly magic, and most of the afternoon except during naps has been "naked baby time". She had a blowout in the cloth dipe at the doctor's office (poor Alan!), but otherwise no poops, so i'm starting to get scared as the afternoon wears on.
The new dipes came today via UPS overnight, and they're in the wash. We have to keep D out of daycare tomorrow again because she had a fever today, so hopefully the rash will go away by the end of the weekend so that we don't have to worry about her sitting in pee (or worse!) at daycare.
i finally got D back to sleep by cuddling in the bed in her room with her, until about 5:30, and then she was awake. She has only peed outside the toilet once today that i know of, so that has to feel better than sitting in a wet diaper for some amount of time. i know it's early but we actually both thought it looked a little better this morning.
i stayed home from work again, and Alan had planned to have both caseworkers over this morning, so that's done for the month. He took her to the doctor, who said the diarrhea is probably a virus but the cough could be a bacteria, so she's going to start taking antibiotics (azithromycin, aka Z Pack, but of course it's liquid) today. Hopefully that will help. The rash is not a yeast infection, so that's good. We got a Rx cream that is supposedly magic, and most of the afternoon except during naps has been "naked baby time". She had a blowout in the cloth dipe at the doctor's office (poor Alan!), but otherwise no poops, so i'm starting to get scared as the afternoon wears on.
The new dipes came today via UPS overnight, and they're in the wash. We have to keep D out of daycare tomorrow again because she had a fever today, so hopefully the rash will go away by the end of the weekend so that we don't have to worry about her sitting in pee (or worse!) at daycare.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The silver lining to this day
is that i did not get peed on. i did, however, get pooped on and puked on. And i have bronchitis. But at least i didn't get peed on!
After last Friday's fun with my sister's family, i woke up on Saturday with a bad sore throat. The clinic doctor diagnosed me with tonsillitis, though it seemed more to me. But he Rx amoxicillin so i figured it wasn't a big deal even if it was, say, strep (he didn't do a strep test, but i usually get false negatives anyway and it comes back positive from the culture), since i would be on antibiotics.
i skipped work Monday, but worked from home ALL DAY. Hard. Tuesday i went in because there was a lot of work to get done, but i had a horrible cough developing, just deep deep awful hacking cough. So Tuesday i went to the clinic after work and had a friend watch a very unhappy D for me. My tonsils look way better, but i now have bronchitis. And he told me to watch it or it would become pneumonia.
Poor D was miserable all night. i assumed it was because she's at the age of being a little off around strangers, and leaving her with a friend she hasn't seen in a long time, but this morning the slight redness she had in the diaper area was a raging awful bright red diaper rash. Poor girl was MISERABLE!
i spent the day hunting up some cloth diapers locally, in hopes it will help clear up her rash. But we did "naked baby time" essentially from the time she got home until the time she went to bed.
And, like i said, i did get pooped on once (i knew because she screamed instantly!), and i got puked on BAD, but i did not get peed on. Instead, i put her on the potty twice and both times she instantly peed. My bet is getting it away from her skin immediately on the potty feels a LOT better than having it sit on her skin in a diaper, so she may be sort of holding it on purpose. Or maybe she just loves me :).
So, for those who care about cloth diapers: i bought 2 Thirsties fitteds and a Thirsties cover from the nice lady who runs a diaper service in Nashville. i also ordered with overnight delivery a Kissaluvs and a Babykicks, both fitteds (the BK is one-size, so that's nice), and a Sckoon breathable cotton cover. i figure the more breathable the better. And for overnight, i took 2 old wool sweaters and turned them into 2 pairs of "shorties" and 1 pair of "longies". The shorties she's wearing tonight (i let the others lanolize longer) are a little too "shorty" so they're likely to leak tonight if D does pee (she pees about half the time now and waits for the potty about the other half), but frankly i don't care anymore. As long as it helps her rash.
After last Friday's fun with my sister's family, i woke up on Saturday with a bad sore throat. The clinic doctor diagnosed me with tonsillitis, though it seemed more to me. But he Rx amoxicillin so i figured it wasn't a big deal even if it was, say, strep (he didn't do a strep test, but i usually get false negatives anyway and it comes back positive from the culture), since i would be on antibiotics.
i skipped work Monday, but worked from home ALL DAY. Hard. Tuesday i went in because there was a lot of work to get done, but i had a horrible cough developing, just deep deep awful hacking cough. So Tuesday i went to the clinic after work and had a friend watch a very unhappy D for me. My tonsils look way better, but i now have bronchitis. And he told me to watch it or it would become pneumonia.
Poor D was miserable all night. i assumed it was because she's at the age of being a little off around strangers, and leaving her with a friend she hasn't seen in a long time, but this morning the slight redness she had in the diaper area was a raging awful bright red diaper rash. Poor girl was MISERABLE!
i spent the day hunting up some cloth diapers locally, in hopes it will help clear up her rash. But we did "naked baby time" essentially from the time she got home until the time she went to bed.
And, like i said, i did get pooped on once (i knew because she screamed instantly!), and i got puked on BAD, but i did not get peed on. Instead, i put her on the potty twice and both times she instantly peed. My bet is getting it away from her skin immediately on the potty feels a LOT better than having it sit on her skin in a diaper, so she may be sort of holding it on purpose. Or maybe she just loves me :).
So, for those who care about cloth diapers: i bought 2 Thirsties fitteds and a Thirsties cover from the nice lady who runs a diaper service in Nashville. i also ordered with overnight delivery a Kissaluvs and a Babykicks, both fitteds (the BK is one-size, so that's nice), and a Sckoon breathable cotton cover. i figure the more breathable the better. And for overnight, i took 2 old wool sweaters and turned them into 2 pairs of "shorties" and 1 pair of "longies". The shorties she's wearing tonight (i let the others lanolize longer) are a little too "shorty" so they're likely to leak tonight if D does pee (she pees about half the time now and waits for the potty about the other half), but frankly i don't care anymore. As long as it helps her rash.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
This weekend
The long weekend started out pretty good. First, my crazy coworker was moved to another workgroup on Thursday. Wednesday, when the news came out, she said she was happy. Thursday, she sure didn't show it! She came back after lunch to her old desk beside me. i asked, with a totally friendly tone, "Hi, L. How's your day going?" She got totally defensive and snapped, "Why?!?" i didn't quite know what to say, so i just said, "Being... friendly." "Why?!?", she repeated, "is my day not supposed to be going good?" "L, i was just trying to be friendly and ask about your first day in your new job." What a nutjob! i'm so glad she'll be moving! (Even though that means i'll be taking on almost all of her job AND my job, too.)
Thursday evening i spoke with D's bio-brother's mom. We set up a date to go to her house on Saturday morning. She also gave me some bad news; T had a febrile seizure, and they tend to run in families. The good news is there's no link to epilepsy and they usually stop when the child is school-age, but now we have one more thing to watch for. Also, in addition to asthma, he is allergic to pretty much everything including the family dog, which they rehomed. This has been my nightmare since we found out he has asthma, is that D will, too, and we'll have to give up the dogs. Of course it would be a last resort to rehome them, but it's still very scary to me, an avid dog person. But i remind myself that my sister is allergic to cats and a little bit to dogs, but i am not and neither are my brother or other sister.
Friday, Alan had to work, but i had the day off with D. We went to my dad's house and met my sister, her husband, and 3 of her 4 kids; the oldest was heading to Disney the next day with Show Choir. My dad acted completely surprised to see us, even though my sister had called to ask him earlier in the week.
We had a ton of fun playing with her kids. My niece Sadie (9) was absolutely in love with D, and my nephews (10 and 16) were pretty interactive, too. i got about a million awesome pictures, and i kept the camera in "sports" mode (meaning quick trigger, one picture right after the last) and even made a little video out of some of them. i sure wish i could show it!
Unfortunately, i woke up on Saturday morning with a HORRIBLE sore throat. i had a little sore throat on Friday but nothing major, and then Saturday i wanted to die. Who remembers that old commercial where the little girl is thinking, "It will hurt if i swallow. It will hurt if i swallow." And then she swallows and says, "MOMMY!" i was that little girl. i felt like i had a fever, but i couldn't find my thermometer. But Alan didn't think i did, based on feeling my forehead. i took a couple of Tylenol and later on i headed down to the walk-in clinic. They diagnosed me with tonsilitis (because my temp was only 99.6, even though i'd had the Tylenol a couple of hours earlier) and prescribed antibiotics. Really the sore throat was my only symptom; i just had the tiniest bit of nasal drainage, but very minor. And obviously i had to cancel the appointment with D's brother, so we rescheduled for next Saturday. ::fingers crossed that everyone feels healthy::
Today, though, the sore throat is, if anything, worse. i most definitely have a fever, and i'm coughing like crazy with congestion in my chest. i'm actually a little afraid it's something like bronchitis instead of tonsilitis, but i'm on antibiotics so i guess it doesn't matter much what it is exactly. i'm really worried about work tomorrow, though, considering how i've been feeling in the mornings and evenings. i don't want to get everyone sick, but it's so new in the new job responsibilities. Ugh.
Thursday evening i spoke with D's bio-brother's mom. We set up a date to go to her house on Saturday morning. She also gave me some bad news; T had a febrile seizure, and they tend to run in families. The good news is there's no link to epilepsy and they usually stop when the child is school-age, but now we have one more thing to watch for. Also, in addition to asthma, he is allergic to pretty much everything including the family dog, which they rehomed. This has been my nightmare since we found out he has asthma, is that D will, too, and we'll have to give up the dogs. Of course it would be a last resort to rehome them, but it's still very scary to me, an avid dog person. But i remind myself that my sister is allergic to cats and a little bit to dogs, but i am not and neither are my brother or other sister.
Friday, Alan had to work, but i had the day off with D. We went to my dad's house and met my sister, her husband, and 3 of her 4 kids; the oldest was heading to Disney the next day with Show Choir. My dad acted completely surprised to see us, even though my sister had called to ask him earlier in the week.
We had a ton of fun playing with her kids. My niece Sadie (9) was absolutely in love with D, and my nephews (10 and 16) were pretty interactive, too. i got about a million awesome pictures, and i kept the camera in "sports" mode (meaning quick trigger, one picture right after the last) and even made a little video out of some of them. i sure wish i could show it!
Unfortunately, i woke up on Saturday morning with a HORRIBLE sore throat. i had a little sore throat on Friday but nothing major, and then Saturday i wanted to die. Who remembers that old commercial where the little girl is thinking, "It will hurt if i swallow. It will hurt if i swallow." And then she swallows and says, "MOMMY!" i was that little girl. i felt like i had a fever, but i couldn't find my thermometer. But Alan didn't think i did, based on feeling my forehead. i took a couple of Tylenol and later on i headed down to the walk-in clinic. They diagnosed me with tonsilitis (because my temp was only 99.6, even though i'd had the Tylenol a couple of hours earlier) and prescribed antibiotics. Really the sore throat was my only symptom; i just had the tiniest bit of nasal drainage, but very minor. And obviously i had to cancel the appointment with D's brother, so we rescheduled for next Saturday. ::fingers crossed that everyone feels healthy::
Today, though, the sore throat is, if anything, worse. i most definitely have a fever, and i'm coughing like crazy with congestion in my chest. i'm actually a little afraid it's something like bronchitis instead of tonsilitis, but i'm on antibiotics so i guess it doesn't matter much what it is exactly. i'm really worried about work tomorrow, though, considering how i've been feeling in the mornings and evenings. i don't want to get everyone sick, but it's so new in the new job responsibilities. Ugh.
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