Health updates

We're nearly finished with January, folks. And it's about time. There has been a sickness plaguing this house since before Christmas. I'm ready to be rid of all of it. Bennett continues to have a runny nose and cough, but it doesn't seem to affect his sleep so much this week. Brian has had symptoms since late December. He finally went to the doctor last weekend and received some antibiotics and super powerful cough medicine to help him sleep. However, the night sweats and fevers continue. When Bennett and I went to the doc for his fifteen month checkup this morning, I was able to obtain a script for Brian to get a chest x-ray. We'll figure out how to do that this week. I really hope that he doesn't have pneumonia. Really. Also at the appointment this morning, we learned that I likely have scoliosis. WHAT?!?!

Yes, it's true. At an appointment I had for a work physcial/PPD test a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to the PA that my left shoulder had been feeling kind of tingly lately. She asked me to get my back x-rayed and the results are that there is some curvature in the cervical and thoracic spine. I have a referral for a local orthopaedist and will try to make an appointment in the next couple of weeks to see what's going on. Ugh!

Bennett had his first trip to the ER on Martin Luther King, Jr. day (which was Monday a week ago). He had been on Amoxicillin for a week before we noticed a pink rash covering his torso that then moved to his back. He spiked a fever on Sunday after his nap (102), so we got him in to the docs office Monday afternoon (after I had my x-rays in the morning). His temp there was still 102 and she wasn't sure what was going on, so she sent us down to Children's Hospital for a chest x-ray (gracious, my family will be glowing before too long!).

We were at the hospital from 4pm until 10pm, with no conclusive answer, except that he doesn't have pneumonia AND neither Brian nor I want to have to see him go through an x-ray like that again. He had his arms velcroed above his head and his feet were strapped down as well. He didn't cry until we were told to leave the room - we were tearful as well. The staff were all very friendly, but we had very few supplies and without knowing how long we were going to be there, we were afraid to have one of us leave to get food or drink . . . Bennett subsisted on Pirate's Booty and 8oz of milk that one of the kind nurses found for us. Really? They don't just keep a stash of milk in the ER at a CHILDREN'S hospital. For shame.

Life at UB Child Care Center is going much more smoothly these days. Bennett was moved to my classroom by Thursday of the first week. We all decided it was in his best interest to have him with me and it has been a great transition. Granted, he still cries when I leave the room, but he seeks comfort from the other teachers, which makes me so very happy! He's getting a little better about napping while there - and we're still working on that. Today he got bitten by another child, but otherwise is no worse for the wear. I'm very thankful that he is not the biter!

We're looking forward to visits from family soon - it gets lonely up here in the snow. I think we've got about six inches still on the ground. Yesterday, we made it up to about fifteen degrees, today is was nearly 32, so things were melting . . . We're being much more vigilant about keeping the steps cleared since I fell on them a little over a week ago. My bruise is finally healing - it's about six different shades of bruise at this point!

Hopefully, we're done with doctors very shortly. I'd like to have a little normalcy in our household. I certainly don't want Benadryl and Dimetapp to become de riguer.

2011 begins with tears

Bennett and I had our first day at University at Buffalo Child Care Center today. I was working and Bennett was supposed to be having a great time. Instead, he cried. A LOT. I think I heard him howling for the first 45 minutes he was in his classroom. I am just around the corner, so I could hear him loud and clear when his door was open. Poor baby - missed his playmate.

The report from his teachers at the end of the day was that despite the fact that he was particularly clingy in the morning (i.e., crying the second anyone put him down) he calmed down a bit after his quick nap and was able to enjoy the toys and other kids in his class. YAY! Also, he refused breakfast (cheerios and pears), snack (ritz crackers and water) AND lunch (grilled cheese, tomato soup, orange pieces and steamed carrots), but chowed down on afternoon snack (three pancakes, an entire can of pears and a full glass of milk). I guess he was hungry?

He was very happy to see me at the end of the day, even though he burst into tears at the sight of me. I'm told this is a normal response? We had a nice drive downtown so that I could get fingerprinted (again) and he fell right to sleep on the way home. We met Brian at the front door and played with his new Christmas toys for a little while before bathtime. Then, a nice warm bottle and baby was out like a light before 8pm. It's 10:30 now and we haven't heard a peep! I think he's a little tired.

We report back at around 8am tomorrow - I'll let you know how it goes.