scary weekend with one cool doctor

[Hanging out with Uncle Chris ]

I assumed something was up when she was not having a good time at the Olive Garden with Mom's straw and lemon. We can usually take her to a dress-code restaurant without any concern for her behavior.

Saturday, 8:30pm : 103.5 degrees. Yikes. Call #1: pediatricians office. Call #2: ER "well, you'll have to come in so we can take a look. " grrr. Call #3: Pediatrician's work cell phone (from office answering machine). He immediately answered his phone, meanwhile having supper with his family. He did not rush the conversation and made sure all of my questions were answered.



I thought to myself, "all of the critical things I have said about him just went straight out the window." what a guy.


He makes me feel better:


"Babies have remarkable high fevers for common/non serious viruses"


"Motrin works better at reducing fevers than Tylenol. (ibuprofen vs. acetaminophen)"


"Playing, happy, and eating when fever goes down are all good signs- assessment is based on how the baby is acting and looking, not on temperature alone."



Sunday: 9pm: 104.8. OMG. We immediately give Miss L some Motrin. Ironically, the doc. calls on Michael's cell thinking we just tried to call. well as a matter of fact...


So after Michael explains that her temp is back up, the doctor says, "Why don't you guys come by my house tonight and I'll take a look at her. I've got some basic stuff here that should due."





huh? Are you from the 18th century? Are you planning on locking us in a basement because your a serial killer? No one does this anymore!





So here we are at 10pm on a Sunday at Larkin's Doctor's house as he accesses her unexplainable high fever- pro bono, to boot.





He concludes that everything checks out fine: heart, lungs, ears, nose, throat. His assumption? Roseola. The non-threatening, non-irritating, measles-like rash. (Roseola actually starts with a high temp and is then followed by the ugly rash)- just in time for Christmas- yeah!


She may not have Roseola, but that is what the doc. considers right now.





For the next half hour we discuss research findings on fevers (contrary to popular belief, they do not cause brain damage- it is the virus that is causing the fever that also causes the brain damage), his kid's illnesses (highest of his son's fever was 107 degrees), explanation of roseola and how it's often misdiagnosed (parents take baby to ER, ER doc prescribes antibiotics, rash breaks out in a couple of days= everyone assumes baby is allergic to the antibiotic.)





By 10:30pm we bundled Larkin up, said our Merry Christmases and off we went. Not only did this man save us a $200 + ER bill, but was more than willing to share his time, his home and his expertise for the sake of the child, not for the sake of the paycheck. It makes me feel so blessed and reassured that there are good Christian people in this world among all of the bad news we here.

God Bless everyone! and have a MERRY CHRIST-MAS!

Saying Goodbye (to Boobilicious Milk) is Hard to Do.

This topic was requested by many. Luckily they were mainly other young mothers that have not stopped breastfeeding yet. Only a few were from strange men with odd fetishes. Ok, that was a lame attempt at funniness... I'll try again later.

For those that knew I was exclusively breastfeeding Larkin, it was probably a little surprising that I switched to formula so quickly after she hit 6 months. Here is my rendition:

ah, the breastfeeding saga. You know, sometimes by the end of the day I think- "How in the world would I have been able to pump today? Thank God I'm not messing with that anymore!" And then other times, the withdrawl from addiction sets in and I crave nursing time (especially at night or in the morning when she is so snugly and calm).

My goal was to make it to 6 months- I made it to 6 1/2. We had a good stopping point because I had a 3 day business trip. So I planned that when I got back, I would start nursing again since we both had a 3 day break..... But that 3 day break just

made me want to ditch work and be a stay at home mom- I missed her so much! So, the morning after I got home from my trip, what do I do? Yep. I nursed her. Me and Larkin's addiction totally trumpped my plan.So instead of quitting cold turkey, I stopped pumping altogther (what a wonderful feeling of relief!) and kept nursing in the morning and at night for a couple of days, then just at night until my milk dried up. By the end, she wasn't getting more than an ounce or two (I assume), but it was out of habit and she was happy with that. Now we just rock in the same place that we were nursing and she doesn't need a bottle right before bed.

Overall, it was a smooth transition. I just wish I had much more milk frozen. I ran out really fast, but that's because I was barely keeping up production at 6 months. That's when I knew it was time. I HATE giving her formula. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that it spoils in an hour at room temp. What a ripoff. Boobilicious milk can stay at room temperature for hours AND is free AND smells better (going in and coming out)! Anyway, she was exclusively on breastmilk for the first 6 1/2 months and now she's eating other things and she's healthy, so I'm ok with it. In hind-site, I would have

concentrated more on stock-piling, so that we could go the full year without formula.

BTW- My boobs didn't get sore as many a legend has it. They got full, but since I nursed for a little while without pumping, they were fine. I don't think Larkin really noticed the transition. She's been on the bottle since she was 3 months old and she's always had a hard time falling asleep, so we didn't have anything unusual happen.

... Exept a couple of weeks after I had dried up, a friend of mine was nice enough to give me a back massage and when I got up, I was leaking- I think she knocked something loose in there.

I really do miss "our time." It's an unexplainable connection that I truly believe only comes from Mother giving her own food to Child. She knew that milk was made with Mother's Love. Now, she is becoming a daddy's girl more and more everyday. I warned Michael that our next child is getting nursed until 3 years old if he keeps it up. ; )

Seriously though, I think I miss it because my baby is growing up and I'm not ready for her to. Other than that, all is good.