The Purpose of Q tips

Annabelle has discovered that the purpose of Q tips is to clean one's ears.

It is amazing (and very scary) how quickly these little people catch on to things. I guess she has watched either me or her Daddy clean our ears using Q tips because this morning, I found her walking around with a Q tip in her ear! This particular Q tip had Vaseline on it too, so she got Vaseline in her hair.

The Q tip she had found was the same Q tip I used to put Vaseline on her thermometer before I inserted it rectally to take her temperature. I guess it is a good thing she didn't connect the Q tip to the thermometer and the thermometer to, well, you know where I am going with this!

I think I'll be careful about leaving Q tips lying around now! She's lucky she didn't bust her eardrum with that Q tip this morning. I wish I could have grabbed the camera for a picture, but I thought my baby girl's ear drum was far more important.

Update: Urinary Tract Infection

It has still been a very hard day for Annabelle, but she has definitely shown some progress. She has wanted to nurse a whole lot more today, but that is fine with me if she feels she needs it.

She only ate maybe a bite or two of cottage cheese this morning and maybe one grape (if that). For lunch, I bought mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese from Boston Market hoping that she would eat some of each, but she wouldn’t eat one bite. She did eat a few of her Daddy’s curly fries from Arby’s, but maybe only three or four of them. For dinner, she wanted nothing except to drop her dried peas into her cup of tea.

Besides the nursing, she does not want to drink anything, and she refuses it completely by pushing it away and saying “NO!” She has not wanted any Jell-O or popsicles, not even one! She did have one popsicle last night (her very first popsicle ever), and she seemed to enjoy it. I actually got some really cute pictures of her eating her first popsicle even though she probably didn’t look her best since she still didn’t feel well.

She woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. with a temperature of 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit (38.7 degrees Celsius). She felt very hot! I gave her another dose of Motrin. She had been due for another dose at 12:00 a.m., but she lasted until 5:30 a.m., so I guess that is a good sign. When she woke up feeling bad at 5:30 a.m., I brought her into the bed with us to sleep. She either kicked or head butted her Daddy in the head this morning, but apparently, he didn’t remember it very well. He actually gave her a dirty look when she did it, although I don’t think he meant to because he was still sound asleep.

She woke up for the morning around 8:00 a.m., and she was happy and ready to play. She still didn’t seem like herself though since she didn’t want to eat very much for breakfast. I had plans scheduled with an old friend who I haven’t spoken with since three weeks before Annabelle was born. That’s another story in itself, but to make a long story short, she felt that I wasn’t trying hard enough to be her friend because I apparently didn’t call her to reschedule after cancelling with her. Oddly enough, the last time I remembered cancelling with her was the same night that my Grandmother passed away (only two weeks before I became pregnant), and I told her that we would need to reschedule because my Grandmother passed away. I was then exhausted my first trimester, and I didn’t feel like doing much besides going to work and coming home to sleep. I didn’t really feel like going to work either! Then, she said that I didn’t call her until 4 months later to tell her I was pregnant. I think it was closer to 3 months later though as I told her in April shortly before April 15th. She doesn’t believe that she was one of the first non-family friends I called, but she was. I, of course, told my best friend, Kelley, first (after the family found out). But, the family didn’t find out until mid-March, and I got pregnant on January 26th. And, yes, I know the exact date. But, she was definitely one of the next people I told besides family. I never realized she was so hurt with me. I thought she pulled away from me because I was pregnant and happily married. So, anyhow, once again, I had to cancel our lunch meeting, and we haven’t seen each other in almost two years! But, I’m sorry; my children will always come first! And, I am glad I stayed because Annabelle really needed me later in the day. Daddy tried to comfort her, but she still wanted her Mommy.

So, around 10:30 a.m., after I called and cancelled with my old friend, Annabelle fell asleep and took another nap in our bed. I, of course, used that time to blog some more. She woke up around 12:00 p.m. with another temperature. This time her temperature was 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. I tried to feed her lunch as I mentioned above, but she didn’t want it.

I finally got some more Motrin in her around 1:30 p.m. She looked miserable, so I told her that her and her Daddy could watch a movie together. Daddy was excited to be able to watch television while Annabelle was awake, so he picked out a children’s movie, Shark Tale. Annabelle rarely ever gets to watch television! So, this was supposed to be a treat for her. She sat on the sofa and watched it a little while, and I jumped in the shower. Probably 15 minutes into the movie, I heard her crying, “Mommy! Mommy!” Her Daddy rocked her while I finished up, and then I sat next to her in the bed to comfort her. She finally calmed down once I laid down next to her. She never did fall asleep though.

She seemed to be feeling better closer to 2:30 p.m., and I just needed to get out of the house for a little while. I’ve been clamped up in a house since Monday because the weather has been bad due to the tropical storm from Florida, and then Annabelle started feeling really bad on Thursday when the weather turned nice again. So we decided to take her for a walk in the stroller. She was happy to go and she cried when I mentioned it to her and then Daddy said it was too hot, so I told her it was too hot. She really wanted to go outside. She actually enjoyed herself, although she didn’t take one sip of juice the entire stroller ride. It just sat there in front of her where she put it on the stroller tray. I kept asking her to drink some juice, and she would say “No,” every time.

After our stroller ride, she played with Daddy from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. while I took a nap myself. She sounded so happy in there playing with Daddy. I kept hearing her say, “Hi Daddy!” It was so sweet. He would say “Hi Annabelle!” in response every time.

Around 6:00 p.m., I decided to try to get her to eat some dinner, but she wanted nothing to do with it. As mentioned above, she just dropped her dried peas into her tea. She maybe took a sip of tea.

I doubt that she has had 4 ounces of fluids (besides nursing) all day. So, I really started to worry about her. I had changed her diaper around 4:00 p.m. and by 6:30 p.m., it was still completely dry. And, when I changed her diaper at 4:00 p.m. it wasn’t very wet, and the urine was very concentrated.

So, I contacted the doctor’s office around 6:36 p.m. (to be exact), and I left a message with their answering service. I still had not heard back from them by 7:30 p.m., so hubby called and left another message. He had a hard time getting through to the answering service though because the line was busy the first few times he called.

Finally, around 7:45 p.m., Dr. Colton returned my phone call. I thought it was odd that Dr. Colton called me back and not a nurse, but that was fine with me. While I was on the phone with him, a nurse did call and leave a message. She called back later, and I told her that I was on the phone with Dr. Colton when she had called.

Dr. Colton didn’t seem to think that she was dehydrated. He said that if she were dehydrated, she probably would not fight me when I tried to give her liquids with a dropper (which she did). Of course, he doesn’t know my child, does he? She’s a fighter! Thank goodness for that or she may not even be with us today! And, she’s a strong little booger (as the nurses even confirmed yesterday after trying to catheterize her). He said that often times children with bladder infections don’t want to drink anything because they fear that they are going to vomit. I don’t think this is the case with Annabelle because she still requested juice on Friday after she had thrown up both times. This is why I became very concerned. I think she knows that drinking causes her to urinate, and she doesn’t want to urinate because it hurts. I hope it isn’t a more serious reason.

He said she needed to get a wet diaper every 4-6 hours. Of course, I told him that I didn’t think she had a really good wet diaper since 10:30 a.m. So, he recommended “dream time feeding” with her for the next one to one and half hours (because she had already fallen asleep for the evening at this point). He said I should give her a teaspoon every 5-10 minutes, and then start doubling the amount as the time continued, and hopefully, she would realize that Mommy isn’t going to stop with the dropper, so I guess I’ll just drink something myself using my own sipee cup. He recommended mixing ½ Gatorade with ½ water. Since I told him I was still nursing, he recommended nursing as much as possible. But, I told him that she had nursed more already today, but I was afraid that she wasn’t getting very much because I had dropped her down to 3 feedings per day over 7 months ago. That is the problem with nursing, you don’t have a clue how much they are getting to drink. He said that if she didn’t have a wet diaper within 2 hours of our phone call to give him a call back, and we could talk about admitting her to the hospital to get an IV. Of course, that is not the route we want to take if we can help it! He said that for someone her weight (approximately 26 lbs), she needed to be getting 1 liter of fluid per day. He wasn’t surprised that she was still running a fever since she’s been on the antibiotics for just a little over 24 hours, and he said she would probably still be running a fever in the morning as well. I asked him if someone would be on call as the Physician’s Assistant had mentioned to me, and he said that he would be in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. tomorrow if I felt that he needed to see her.

So, from 8:30 p.m. until 9:40 p.m., I had been waking Annabelle up to give her a mix of Gatorade and water using the dropper. She was not happy with us at all, but she only told me about it (and not Daddy)! “NO Mommy, NO NO!” I really hated to wake her up, but I know she needs those fluids. And, she never decided to drink from her sipee cup herself until I made a deal with her that she could look at the pictures on my computer (that she so badly wanted to see one time after I woke her up and she realized I had the computer in there with us) if she would take a sip of drink for every picture. That deal lasted for one picture!

Dr. Colton actually mentioned to me that even third world countries could get around dehydration without needing an IV because they didn’t have IV’s in third world countries. He mentioned that it just took a little bit of persistence. He was actually very nice when he said it though even though I’m probably not making him sound nice in this blog entry. He’s always been very kind when I’ve dealt with him. I think it was just his way of telling me to be more persistent. Of course, I still feel like the worst Mommy in the whole wide world. (1) Because I should have taken Annabelle to the doctor’s office on Wednesday when she wasn’t feeling well just based on her symptoms with the mucous on Monday and (2) Because I should have pushed the fluids a lot harder all day long. I guess I just assumed that she was actually getting some fluids through nursing until her diapers were no longer wet. Shame on Annabelle’s Mommy!

So, at 9:30 p.m. when I gave Annabelle some more Motrin, her temperature was 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit (although she felt a lot hotter). Hopefully, based on that temperature, she is making some progress. By the way, these temperatures were all taken rectally, so they should be fairly accurate. And, my sweet baby girl actually didn’t give me too much trouble with taking her temperature rectally. Of course, I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had.

Also, one thing I did not know that Dr. Colton recommended. I had mentioned to him that her fever would rise an hour to an hour and a half before the next dose of Motrin was due, but this last time, her fever started to spike around 6:30 p.m. (3 hours before the next dose was due). He said that I could alternate every three hours between Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever down. I did not know that, so that is excellent to know. He also said that I could give her some Tylenol three hours before the next dose of Motrin was due even if I didn’t alternate between the two.

I checked on her around 11:15 p.m. because she cried out in her sleep. She reached down to her crotch to hold herself, so I can only assume that she was hurting while she was urinating. I then felt her diaper, and it felt warm, so I knew she had urinated a little bit more. I guess that is a good sign, but I am going to continue to push fluids down her so we can get rid of this bladder infection! I really think she truly understands that drinking causes her to urinate, and urinating causes her pain.

Hooray! It is 11:50 p.m., and I heard her in there talking to herself and moving around, so I went to check on her. Her fever has broken, and she was actually sweating. That is a good sign to me because I haven’t felt her sweat with a broken fever since her 104 degree Fahrenheit temperature broke yesterday evening. Also, I haven’t noticed any tears with crying, and I had read (and heard from Dr. Colton) that it was also a sign of dehydration.

Please just keep her in your prayers, and keep her Mommy and Daddy in your prayers too that we’ll know the best things for her.

Thank you to everyone who is keeping up with these blog entries. I know they are probably very long and boring to you, but I wanted to document everything for Annabelle as well as myself if Annabelle ever has another issue with another bladder infection.

Jesus Anyone?

If you haven't read my blog entry back in February 2008 titled "Acappella Anyone?" you really should read it. If you don't have time to read it, at least check out the pictures. It is quite funny!

And, this blog entry is a follow-up to that blog entry.

Hubby decided that Annabelle was going to buy him a CD to replace the Acappella tape she tore up back in February. I'm not quite sure how "Annabelle" is going to pay for it, but according to her Daddy, she is! So, should I withdraw the funds from her savings account? Hee hee!

Well, the CD arrived this evening, so hubby decided to play it for Annabelle and me. He put the CD into the CD player, and the first song mentioned Jesus.

A few short verses into the song, Annabelle leaves the living room, goes into her bedroom, and brings back to the living room with her a book of Bible songs that we often read to her.

Coincidence or not? I don't think so. I think she heard the name "Jesus" in the song, and she associated the word with her book of Bible songs.

I often wonder if a child actually connects with the Lord and knows him better than some or most of us. Some things are just very strange and hard to explain. For example, I will sometimes read a little book of Bible inspired stories with Bible versus to Annabelle in the mornings during breakfast that my mom used to read to my brother and me as a child. After I read the story, I will read the Bible verses from the Bible too.

I started reading this book back in October 2006 off and on. Then, I got busy, and I stopped reading it to her for awhile. Then, one day a long time ago (probably in March or April), before she was saying much of anything, I swore she pointed to the Bible and said, "Bye bull."

And, one day within the last month or so, we were all going shopping, hubby, Annabelle and me. I asked Annabelle what she was going to buy. She said, "bye bull." Hubby heard her too as he said, "That is going in the blog!" It never did officially make it into the blog (until this evening though).

Maybe that is why young children inspire so many parents to start attending church. I know hubby and I really need to get going with that as Annabelle is only getting older! She needs us to keep her close to the Lord (as she apparently already is close to Him right now).

The Hunt for Suprax

When the Physician’s Assistant, Suzanne, prescribed Suprax to Annabelle, I asked her if she could make sure she prescribed something that came in generic as well. She said, “I don’t know if this one comes in generic, but if they don’t have it, just have the pharmacist call us.”

So, after we leave the doctor’s office around 11:30 a.m., we head straight home to get Annabelle settled and more comfortable. She was feeling much better at this point (or so she seemed). Of course, that is pretty typical of this child. Every time I’ve taken her to the doctor for an illness, she perks up again to her happy little self. As soon as we walked into that doctor’s office, she was smiling and laughing again. Of course, she had just had a dose of Tylenol.

She comes by that quite honestly too. The same day I was hospitalized for a bladder infection gone bad into a kidney infection back in 2000, I had visited the doctor only a few hours before. He told my mom when he spoke to her later that day that she needed to take me to the hospital immediately, and the only reason he had not hospitalized me earlier in the day was because I looked happy, and I looked like I wasn’t feeling too bad.

Anyhow, I got Annabelle settled with Grandmama, and I ran to Publix to fill her prescription and purchase some popsicles, Jell-O, Gatorade and fruit. When I dropped the prescription off with the pharmacist, she told me that they didn’t have any of the Suprax on hand, and also that she has called around to other pharmacists before and it was very rare for anyone to carry it. Of course, she said that she was happy to call around. I asked her to call around if she didn’t mind, and I told her that if she could not find it to please just call the doctor’s office and see if there was something else they could prescribe instead. However, I did explain to her that this was Annabelle’s first bladder infection, and the results of the culture were not back yet to identify the bacteria that had caused the infection. Therefore, the Physician’s Assistant was prescribing an antibiotic that would fight most of the bacteria causing bladder infections. So, I thought it probably made sense to find the Suprax (or its generic) if it could be found.

After I finished grocery shopping (and before I checked out), I went back by the pharmacist to pick up the prescription. She told me that she had found it at Walgreen’s at Oak Grove. I asked her if the generic prescription was available, and she said that particular antibiotic did not come in generic.

So, since I had popsicles to purchase and Publix subs for lunch for Grandmama and Granddaddy (and me), I decided to head home first to get the cold stuff in the fridge. But, first, I decided to stop by CVS on the way home because this is normally where I fill my prescriptions, and I thought it would be easier to just have CVS fill the prescription while I went home to get everyone fed. I knew it would probably take longer at Walgreen’s because I’ve never filled a prescription with them before, so they don’t have all of our insurance information on hand. And, I thought they could easily contact the doctor’s office to see if there was another generic prescription that would do the job as well. The pharmacist seemed to think that there was probably another prescription that would work too, but she first needed to contact the doctor’s office.

She told me she would try to contact them, but they may be out to lunch since it was close to 12:59 p.m. when she called them. She was able to contact the doctor’s office, but apparently, the doctor had already left for lunch (naturally). She asked me if I wanted to wait until the doctor returned to see if he would recommend something else, but I told her that I would just go ahead and have the Suprax filled with Walgreen’s since I knew they had it on hand.

On the way home, I tried to contact the insurance company to make sure that Suprax was not a non-preferred drug. I definitely did not want to end up spending $60 - $75 on an antibiotic when a generic drug could be prescribed instead.

Well, that was a fun phone call. I could have sworn the last time I called the insurance company that pressing “0 0 0 0 0 0 0” connected me with the operator. But, that wasn’t the case this time! Instead, I had to listen to them tell me to enter some number that I only assumed was my insurance ID # only to then hear them repeat back the wrong number! Not to mention, I had to listen to “Did you say benefits and eligibility?” “YES!” I said. “Okay, we are connecting you with benefits and eligibility. Please state your [something] number.” Finally, I was connected with the operator, and I’m not sure what I did wrong to finally be connected to a human voice, but I was!

Then, apparently, I was connected with the wrong department, so they had to reconnect me. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait as long as I did the first time around. Dave with the insurance company helped me, and he was able to find that this particular drug fell under the $20 copay for name brand drugs.

So, granted, at this point, I am very, very frustrated. Why couldn’t the Physician’s Assistant prescribe something that was commonly carried? It really irritates me more to think that she possibly prescribed Suprax because someone in pharmaceutical sales is pushing this drug. I tried to search online before I left to fill the prescription to find out if the drug was a new drug, but I couldn’t find anything, so I finally left the house around 2:15 p.m. to head to Walgreen’s to get the prescription filled. I really would have preferred a generic prescription, but I didn’t want to spend any more time waiting on the doctor to prescribe yet another drug that may or may not come in generic.

When I arrived at Walgreen’s, there was a wait as they seemed very busy and everyone was either filling prescriptions or talking on the phone with insurance companies. After she gathered all of Annabelle’s information, she asked what time I would like to pick up the prescription. I told her I was planning to wait, and she told me that it would probably take 30 minutes. So, that would mean the prescription would not be ready until 3:00 p.m. I decided to leave and come back because I needed to run one other errand, and I figured I could finish that errand in 30-45 minutes.

I arrived back to pick up the prescription around 3:30 p.m. The pharmacist asked the girl I was dealing with whether or not the prescription was covered. She told him it was, and he told her to look at the price. So, she contacted the insurance company, and she asked me a few more questions such as who is the primary on the card and is Annabelle the child. Then, she asked for Annabelle’s social security number. Naturally, I don’t have Annabelle’s social security number memorized. I guess she could tell I was discouraged because she then asked for hubby’s social security number. I do have that number memorized, so she was able to process everything using hubby’s social security number.

I started to pay my $20 copay, but I then asked her if Walgreen’s still did the deal with getting a free gift card if you had a new or transferred prescription. It never hurts to ask! She walked away for a minute, and then she came back with a coupon. She found a coupon to get me a $25 gift card with a new prescription! Finally, something went right! Of course, I don’t normally shop at Walgreen’s, but I am sure I can find some groceries to spend it on.

So, I left Walgreen’s, and I got home around 3:45 p.m., shortly before Annabelle woke up from her two hour nap. When she did wake up, she was so miserable she could not even stand up in the crib. She just cried for me. When I picked her up, she felt very, very hot. Grandmama held her while I measured out the medicine. I gave her a dose of Suprax (1 teaspoonful) at 3:51 p.m., and I followed the Suprax with a dose of Motrin at 4:00 p.m. I took her temperature before I gave her the Motrin, and it registered 104 degrees Fahrenheit orally! Poor baby! I really hope this medicine does the trick.

And, would you believe that the retail price for Suprax is $199.99! I saved $179.99 because we had insurance on Annabelle. It seems like the insurance companies would offer an even bigger discount (besides a $10 copay versus $20 copay) for generic prescriptions. I would not think that generic prescriptions would be that costly, but maybe they are.

And, one last note of mention. The pharmacist asked if I wanted to add flavor to the medicine for an additional $2.99. I passed on it just hoping that Annabelle would not spit the medicine back out. I think it must actually taste good (without the flavor) because she took the medicine without a problem. And, the medicine smells fruity.

Diagnosis: Urinary Tract Infection

Have I mentioned that I do not like to take my daughter to the doctor because: (1) The doctor normally tells you that it, the illness, is a viral infection, and they cannot do anything for it. (2) It costs me a $40 copay every single time one of us goes.

So, this time, I should have taken my sweet sick baby girl to the doctor (on Wednesday)! Grandmama was right, but I didn't listen because I just didn't feel she was sick enough. I'm not quite sure what I define as "sick enough" yet, but I obviously should have realized that Annabelle was "sick enough" when all she wanted to do on Thursday was sleep and not play!

So, Annabelle woke up this morning and called out to me for "juice, mama, juice." But, I was sound asleep, and I felt her, and she didn't feel hot. She felt warm, but not hot. I'm not sure what time that was.

But, when she woke up the second time and said, "juice, mama, juice" and I looked down at her at 8:00 a.m., I realized that she was holding both ears. She was sleeping as she fell back asleep right away, but she just looked like something was bothering her. I felt her chest and when I did, I somewhat panicked. Her heart was beating very fast! It really scared me, but I did manage to stay calm.

I called Children's Medical Group at 8:03 a.m. to be exact (per my cell phone detail) to schedule an appointment. My doctor, Dr. Calk, was not in the office today. I forgot it is a holiday weekend! So, the first appointment they had available was for 9:40 a.m. at the Atlanta office (near our house). I scheduled the appointment, but I told the lady that I really needed to speak with a nurse immediately because I was concerned that I needed to take her to the emergency room. I was so worried that I honestly kept repeating to the lady scheduling the appointment that I needed something before "8:40 a.m." instead of "9:40 a.m." She finally cocked an attitude with me and said "8:40 a.m." after she had probably already told me "8:40 a.m." three or four times! I apologized and told her that I was just worried about my little girl. I'm not sure why I apologized, but I do understand how annoying I must have been!

Grandmama and Granddaddy were still sleeping, which is very odd because Grandmama is always awake normally by 7:00 a.m. at the very latest. But, we did have her up very late last night around 2:00 a.m. helping with a sick child. So, I ran in and knocked on Grandmama's door. I asked her to check Annabelle out for herself, and she also became very worried. In the mean time, I grabbed the Tylenol and administered a dose. Grandmama (and Granddaddy too) kept watch on Annabelle while I ran around frantically trying to get myself ready to go (shoes on, keys handy, etc).

I also contacted the Children's Medical Group in Suwanee only to find out that they didn't allow the children to float between offices for their appointments. I told her that I really felt that Annabelle needed to see someone sooner than 9:40 a.m., but she said that their first appointment at the Suwanee office was 10:00 a.m. (or maybe 10:40 a.m.). She also mentioned to me that the nurses didn't arrive until 9:00 a.m. so that is why I had not heard back from a nurse yet. I just wish the first lady at the Atlanta office who scheduled my appointment had told me that! Surely they have someone who can return a phone call before 9:00 a.m. If you call after hours, they return your phone call within just a few minutes!

Shortly after I administered the Tylenol, Annabelle seemed to be feeling better, so I also felt better, and I spent a little bit more time grabbing my belongings so I didn't have to make a trip back to Grandmama and Granddaddy's house to gather our things later. We were out the door and well on our way to the Atlanta office by 8:40 a.m. Grandmama sat in the back seat with Annabelle to comfort her while I drove. Granddaddy planned to come later to pick Grandmama back up. Before we left, I told them that she seemed like she was feeling better, so I knew we'd be alright to make it to the doctor's office on our own. Grandmama insisted that she wanted to go though as she was very worried about her only granddaughter.

Before we even pulled onto the interstate at Steve Reynolds Boulevard, Annabelle proceeded to throw up everything she had just drank. It broke my heart to hear her and know that I could do nothing to help her, but I did feel better that at least Grandmama was in the back seat to comfort her. Poor baby couldn't even cry for some reason immediately after it happened so we only assumed that the crying was making her ears hurt so much that she didn't even want to cry. Grandmama said the vomiting was projectile. I've always wondered how I would respond to a child vomiting in my car, but honestly, I did not once think about my car. Well, I didn't at that moment. I am sort of thinking about it right now as I really need to go get that car seat cover and clean it. I think I'll wait until hubby gets home to watch Annabelle before I do that though.

So, since she had thrown up everything, and she was now wearing vomit that Grandmama described as looking somewhat like she had thrown up coca cola (and she had only had some juice and milk since she threw up at 2:00 a.m.), and since she was feeling much better, and because we were way ahead of time, I decided to run by the house to clean her up a little and grab a clean shirt for her to wear.

Note to self: Keep clean clothes and a clean towel (for vomit) in the car at all times!

Did I mention that traffic was unbelievably light? Thank goodness! We must have arrived at our house by 9:05 a.m. at the latest. At that point, Annabelle still looked pretty miserable, but she wasn't shaking. We left the house at 9:26 a.m. to arrive at the doctor's office by 9:39 a.m. Perfect timing!

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait in the waiting room very long. And, I am still trying to understand why they couldn't schedule an appointment for earlier since the waiting room was almost completely empty. There was only one other baby in the well section and one other child in the sick section with us.

We saw the Physician's Assistant, Suzanne, which I didn't realize when I made the appointment, but it really isn't a big deal as she seemed to explain things a little better to me anyway. I really like Dr. Calk, but sometimes he just talks way over my head!

I described all of Annabelle's symptoms to Suzanne, and fortunately, I had made a list of the symptoms before she actually walked in the door. My list (per my note book) was as follows:

Bloody mucous in vaginal discharge
Threw up Tylenol at 8:45 on the way to doctor
Dark color (like coca cola) in throw up this a.m.
Threw up last night around 2:00 a.m.
Woke up holding her ears this a.m.

If I had not made a list, I probably would have forgotten to tell Suzanne that Grandmama had seen bloody mucous in Annabelle's diaper on Monday. Grandmama saved the diaper for me and when I finally saw it that evening, it had turned a light yellow and green color. I really didn't think much of it although Grandmama kept saying that she was worried Annabelle had a bladder infection.

I guess those Moms of ours do know a little something after all! Of course, she should have that symptom down pat as I had my share of bladder infections as a young girl and a young woman. Annabelle comes by it quite honestly, poor thing!

First, Suzanne checked Annabelle's chest, and then she checked out her throat, and then she looked in at her ear drums. She said her ears looked great, and she didn't notice any other problems that would be caused by a respiratory infection. So, she concluded that it was probably a bladder infection based on what we had told her.

She said that she would need to get some urine to make sure it was or was not a bladder infection and that would require a catheter. What? Seriously? You are going to catheterize a 22 month old? Okay. You are the expert. Sometimes I think I trust the "experts" a little too much, but I figure that I don't have a major or any education in the medical field, so they probably know best, right?

So, she sends the nurses into the doctor's office. Three of them! I said something like, "You guys have the fun job!" and "Wow, this must be serious if three of you are needed." I think I said the second line, but if I didn't, I sure thought it!

So, one of the nurses cleans Annabelle up, and before they proceed with the catheter, another nurse prepares to hold my daughter still. Ha! They didn't realize just how strong she is until the process started. Before they started though, one of the nurses said, "Wait! Do you think I should grab a cup in case she starts to pee?" You think?!?! Of course, I didn't think of it, but you think that they would have brought the cup in the room with them before they even started.

The nurses then "try" to catheterize her. Bless her heart! She was really hurting as she just cried and screamed, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" I heard this over and over and over again as tears streamed down my sweet little girls face. Finally they stopped and the nurse said, "Mama, we cannot get the catheter to go in because she has adhesions that are blocking the way." So, I am thinking, "Okay, what do you want me to do about it? Please just hurry or stop hurting my baby girl." I know they were really trying their very best though. I know no one would want to hurt a sweet and innocent child, so I didn't say anything.

Then, Grandmama spoke up and said, "Can you not put a bag on her?" They all thought about it and then one of the nurses said, "Yes. We'll go check with Suzanne." So, they left, and then they came back with another catheter and said, "Suzanne wants us to try again because the bags are not sterile and some of the bacteria in the bag could show up in the urine test." Great!

So, we start this process again, but this time, the nurse who tried the first time held her from the head of the table while another nurse tried to catheterize her. Annabelle screamed and cried once again, and I wanted to scream and cry along with her. Finally, the nurse got the catheter in, and about that time, Annabelle starts peeing all over the table. The nurse who remembered the cup grabbed the cup and put the cup under the stream of urine. She got almost a full cup of urine!

Did I mention that just before they started one of the nurses asked me, "She has had something to drink, right?" Well, you know, I hadn't thought about it, and the Physician's Assistant never asked me either, but yes, she had. I just wasn't sure it was enough. However, I thought that the catheter would go in and then it would stay in there until she actually did urinate. I didn't realize it was supposed to make her urinate.

After that traumatic experience, Annabelle screamed for probably 10 minutes. She just kept saying, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" as she shook her head no. And, she continued to say that to me after she was dressed back into her diaper and I was holding her close to me.

And, now that I think about it. The catheter probably hurt her more because she did have a bladder infection. If you've ever had a bladder infection, you know just how sensitive that area can be. Bless my little girl's heart!

While Annabelle was screaming, Grandmama reminded me that Suzanne said that we needed to have Annabelle's finger pricked to do a CBC or Complete Blood Count. So, I decided to go find the nurse to get the second and final pain out of the way while Annabelle was still somewhat upset. They directed me to the lab where the blood is drawn.

In the lab, they let Annabelle pick out her own band aid. She picked some duck band aid, but I cannot remember the Warner Brothers creatures name, but I'm fairly sure it was a duck. I thought for sure she would have picked out the cute Tweety Bird band aid, but apparently, she wanted the duck band aid.

She cried when they pricked her little finger. It was just a very traumatic day for her! Last time she had her finger pricked at her 12 month appointment, she didn't cry at all!

By the way, on our way to the lab, we ran into Suzanne, and she said that Annabelle definitely had a bladder infection, but she would see us back in the doctor's office after the CBC results were back to discuss everything.

So, the diagnosis for today was as follows:

Before Suzanne left the first time, she looked at Annabelle's labia because I mentioned that she still had the labial adhesion that I just couldn't stand to do anything more than put the cream on as directed by Dr. Calk. So, Suzanne looked at her labial adhesion and said that it looked pretty thinned out. She said that I should just apply a little Vaseline on a Qtip after bath time and when I was cleaning her and gently pull down on the thinned out part with the Qtip to slowly pull it apart. Oddly enough though, after the catheter was inserted, her labial adhesion seems to be gone. Poor baby was obviously screaming for several reasons. They had separated the adhesion while they were trying to catheterize her.

Annabelle's urine showed nitrites which is a sure sign of a bladder infection. They then looked at the urine under the microscope and saw a lot of bacteria, so they are certain that she has a bladder infection. However, they have to send the urine off to have a bacteria urine culture done, and they won't know until Tuesday the exact bacteria that caused the infection. In the mean time, Suzanne wanted to get Annabelle started on some antibiotics that apparently fights off most of the bacteria that causes bladder infections.

Annabelle's white blood count did not look too high. If it had been 20,000 or higher, they would have started with an injection of antibiotics right then. And, honestly, I wish they would have just done this now as you'll soon learn about my adventure to fill the prescription in another blog entry!

Suzanne said that if Annabelle's fever does not go down within 48 hours that I should call the doctor on call. If the fever is not gone by Sunday morning, I should call the doctor on call then as it will be close to the 48 hours, and they actually have a doctor that comes to the office on Sundays for a few hours to see select patients. Interesting! Why is it that every time I call after hours to speak with someone that they always have the on-call nurse call me back? And, I have called with things I consider pretty serious, such as allergic reactions to foods. Suzanne said I should call between 7-7:30 a.m. on Sunday because the doctor on call will normally see patients earlier in the morning between 8-10:00 a.m.

Suzanne prescribed Suprax, one teaspoon a day for 10 days. She said that if Annabelle throws up beyond 20 minutes of me administering the medicine, that I don't need to give her another dose, but if it is before 20 minutes, I should give her another dose right away. She said the same goes for Tylenol and Motrin.

She recommend Tylenol (1.6 ML) and Motrin (1.875 ML) for the fever. The dosage amounts are based on Annabelle's weight being 26 pounds. However, she did say that Motrin was better for higher fevers. And, you only have to administer Motrin every 8 hours versus 4 hours with the Tylenol.

Suzanne recommend to give her plenty of fluids (obviously). She said that Pedialyte is great if Annabelle will still take it, which she's never had it. So, she said the light colored flavors of Gatorade would work well too. Also, fruit popsicles are a favorite while they are sick too (again, obviously).

By the way, Annabelle weighed 27 pounds at her last visit only a week or so ago, and she weighed 26 pounds today. Poor baby does not have an appetite!

And, last but not least, Suzanne recommended that since Annabelle has now had a bladder infection that she go to Egleston or Scottish Rite for an outpatient visit to have a renal ultrasound done over the kidney area as well as a VCUG which is a diagnostic for kidney reflux. Apparently, the kidney reflux is an anatomical problem where the urine back flows into the ureter.

I actually had the VCUG done back in 2003, I believe. Unfortunately, they would need to catheterize her again, and then they would insert some die to see if she had the back flow. The nurse asked if I had the problem with the back flow, and I told her that the diagnosis was that I did not.

So, anyhow, she gave me a referral, and then before I left, I stopped by the referral office for them to make an appointment. They are supposed to contact Egleston, and then Children's Medical Group will call me back with an appointment time.

I am now thinking that I do not agree that these tests need to be done. If Annabelle was suffering from recurring bladder infections, then yes, she may need the tests done, but this is her first bladder infection, and she's almost 2 years old! Do I really need to put her through all of that pain again? Not to mention, what problems could the die in her system later cause?

So, there is my eventful day in a nutshell. Ha, ha! Well, it is only part of the eventful day from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. There is always a story, and my day most definitely did not end at 11:30 a.m.


Dear Annabelle,

As I write this blog entry this evening, you are feeling much, much better, or so it appears. I hope you really are feeling better and it isn't just the Motrin dropping your temperature for the time being.

I love you so much, and I really hated to put you through all of that pain today! It broke my heart, and I really hope you know that I only allowed what I thought was best. I wonder though why they couldn't just give you the antibiotics without the urine specimen. Was it really worth the pain they caused my baby girl? I know some mothers get antibiotics for their babies for everything (or so it seems), so why couldn't they give you antibiotics this one time without putting you through all that?

It was so nice to see you playing and laughing with your Daddy this evening. He never saw how truly bad you felt, but it still broke his heart this evening when he got home and you immediately started crying because you apparently were still uncomfortable for some reason. Again, you said, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" Maybe your earlier in the day experiences had revisited in your little mind.

If it makes you feel better to tell me, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" then you keep on saying it. I just want you to feel like yourself again because this little girl I have seen over the past few days is not the same little girl I have grown to love.

Of course, I still love the sick little girl too, but I'd much rather see the happy little girl.

However, it did remind me that you still need me to hold and comfort you. On Wednesday night when I laid you down for the evening, you immediately laid your head down and fell asleep in my arms. That is so unusual for you as you normally lay your head down and then you'll sit right back up and say, "Hi there Mama!" Mommy just doesn't get much snuggle time any more. I actually really enjoyed snuggling with you that evening, but I just wish it had been under better circumstances.

And, then, on Thursday, I laid you down for a nap and bedtime, but you wouldn't fall asleep until you knew that my eyes were closing too. I think you wanted to make sure I was still there with you.

And this afternoon and evening, you slept on Mommy and Daddy's bed at home for a good two and a half hours (almost) from 4:30 p.m. until 6:45 p.m. But once again, you wanted to make sure that I was there with you. After you fell asleep, I grabbed the computer and started this blog entry as you laid next to me. I felt you every so often to check your temperature. You were so hot! You had a temperature of 104 degrees F when I gave you Motrin at 4:00 p.m., and that did worry me, but I knew the Motrin and antibiotic would start to break the fever. When you woke up at 6:45 p.m., your fever had broken.

Thank you for loving me, forgiving me and still needing me!

I love you with all of my heart!

Love always and forever,

Mommy

There's a first for everything

Annabelle threw up for the first time last night. When I came to bed around 1:30 a.m., she stirred and then sat up in bed as I was putting on my pajamas. She didn’t complain or cry, but then suddenly, she threw up all over her night shirt and sheets (in the big bed). She actually vomited three times in a row, and I know it must have scared her because it was something new and unusual to her. She mostly threw up clear liquid and chunks of watermelon. I know now that she doesn’t chew her food up very well as the chunks were still pretty big chunks. Sorry! That is probably more information than you needed, but I found it really odd.

Once she finished vomiting, she started crying, but she scared me because she sounded like she was choking. I think she was just having a hard time catching her breath again because it had shocked her.

I picked her up, and I took her into the bathroom, and I stood her in front of the toilet. I told her that if she needed to throw up some more that she could do so in the toilet. She just stood there and cried. Poor child probably didn’t have a clue what I was telling her.

I then woke up Grandmama because I needed some clean sheets for the bed. I hated to disturb Grandmama, but I knew that Annabelle would be more comfortable sleeping in the bed with me, so we needed some clean sheets. Grandmama helped me clean everything up. I could tell that Annabelle felt much better after vomiting too.

It probably helped that we had spent the night with Grandmama and Granddaddy. Since hubby was out of town this week, he’s missed out on all of the fun! And, ironically enough, I just thought about this earlier in the week before Annabelle got sick. I thought, “What if Annabelle gets sick with a nasty virus and spends many nights puking on me and her while hubby is gone? I’ll have to clean everything up by myself while trying to comfort a sick child.”

Is that not that strangest thing that the thought actually crossed my mind? Of course, I was worrying about it happening during flu season more than anything. I didn’t expect it to happen the first week that he was gone on his long shift to Minneapolis!

I never knew how I would respond to Annabelle throwing up the first time. I hate vomiting myself, but if I feel bad enough, I will sometimes make myself throw up, so I obviously don’t hate it that much that I’ll do anything to prevent it. The first thing that crossed my mind was that I felt so horrible for Annabelle. Since this was her first time to vomit, it broke my heart to watch her as I knew she could not possibly understand what was going on.

Sick Baby Girl

My little girl is very sick today. And, this time, she must really feel awful because she has not wanted to play much at all today.

It all started yesterday while I was away from her at work. Grandmama called around 2:30 p.m., and I immediately heard Annabelle screaming in the background. I immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is she okay?" Grandmama told me that she didn't eat very much for lunch, and she was ready for a nap at 1:00 p.m. (after waking up around 8:30 a.m.). Apparently, she had woken up from her nap in a good mood because Grandmama had heard her in there talking between 2:00 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. So, they got her up, and then they decided to see if she wanted some fruit because she had not eaten very much for lunch or breakfast. She was fine until Granddaddy sat her down in her high chair and then apparently the world was just not right with her. She wanted to climb into the chair herself (which is actually very normal). She did not want any plate. "No, no, no," she said. Then, she didn't want any fruit either. So, Granddaddy decided it was in her best interest to have a rice crispy treat because according to Grandmama, Granddaddy said, "She needs something to eat." So, she got her rice crispy treat, I headed home after hearing that my baby girl needed her Mommy and Grandmama and Annabelle headed onto the screened-in porch to play. By the time I arrived home, she seemed happy, so I assumed that Annabelle was just showing her grumpy independent side for Grandmama and Granddaddy. The side of Annabelle where she wants to do everything herself, and if she doesn't get her way, she isn't happy.

Of course, Grandmama did say she felt hot like she was running a temperature, and when I got home, sure enough, she did feel a little warm. But, she was her happy little self again, so I didn't feel the need to inject the drugs into her tiny little system.

Well, we started the bedtime process last night around 7:45 p.m., and I think she was finally asleep around 9:00 or 9:30 p.m. She woke up this morning at 7:45 a.m., but she still looked exhausted after I nursed her, so I laid her back down, and we both slept until 9:30 a.m.! I wasn't planning to sleep that long, but we did!

So, this morning, we all sat down for breakfast, and once again, Annabelle did not eat like she normally eats. She did eat a quarter of a Belgian waffle, maybe a little bit more, but that was about it. Normally, she could probably eat close to three quarters or at least a half of a Belgian waffle.

Well, 11:30 p.m. rolls around, and Annabelle was burning up! I had just told her that we could go play outside, and she seemed excited. She even allowed me to dress her and put her socks and shoes on, but shortly thereafter, all she wanted was for me to hold her. I took her temperature orally, and it ran 103.3 degrees F! Poor baby girl!

Of course, as usual, Grandmama was urging me to take her to the doctor, but I just didn't feel that she was ready to go to the doctor. Instead, I gave her a dose of Tylenol to break the fever, and I laid down with her in the big bed. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly even though I had already tried to rock her to sleep. She just couldn't get comfortable when I rocked her. She slept until 1:30 p.m., and then she was ready to get up and play.

She sat down for lunch without any complaints. She actually climbed into the high chair herself, and she had a Capri Sun and waited patiently until lunch was served. She ate very little for lunch even though Grandmama fixed one of her favorites, spaghetti. After lunch, she was exhausted once again, so I laid her back down in her pack-n-play around 3:45 p.m., and she slept until closer to 4:45 p.m.

But, she was not feeling well at all when she woke up. Her temperature was running high, so I took it again, but this time I took it rectally. It was 101.3 degrees F. I changed her diaper, and she rolled over onto her tummy and just cried. She felt so bad that she didn't even want to stand up, bless her heart! So, I held her and rocked her a little while longer until she just sat up in my arms closer to 5:30 p.m. When I asked her to lay her head down, she would say, "No." I asked her to tell me what was hurting her. "Does your head hurt baby girl?" I said. "No," she said. "Does your ear hurt baby girl?" "No," she said. "Does your tummy hurt baby girl?" "No," she said. I just wish she were old enough to tell me what is hurting! It breaks my heart that I cannot do anything to make her more comfortable.

So, once again, we laid back down in the big bed around 5:30 p.m. I surrounded her with pillows since she isn't used to the big bed, and she wanted nothing to do with the pack-in-play, and I left the room to let her sleep. She woke up once since then around 6:30 p.m., but she went back to sleep as soon as she knew I was still around. It is 7:45 p.m., and she is still asleep.

Poor baby girl! Please keep her in your prayers. She has never felt this miserable before in her entire life. Well, she probably felt this miserable in the hospital after she was born, but not since then. She's been sick before, but she's always kept going. Nothing has ever slowed her down where she needed to sleep this much. This is the first time that I've actually ever thought, "What if something really bad is wrong with her?" Not that I'm that concerned yet, but it does make you think about it. It probably doesn't help that I listened to children's cancer stories on WSB Radio last week while they were trying to raise money for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's AFLAC Cancer Center. I was in tears last week after listening to only a few children's cancer stories. And, I think I'll always worry that all of those x-rays Annabelle had in the hospital after birth will cause her problems, medically, one day. I pray they are only worries though and nothing more serious.


Dear Annabelle,

I hope you get to feeling better very soon. I miss my sweet, happy, playful and independent little girl! You've always been such a fighter and a trooper, so I really hate to see any illness bringing you down. I know you are going to get sick in your life, but I hope and pray that you'll live a long, healthy and happy life!

I love you bunches! Please get better soon! I need to hear a belly laugh again really soon!

Love always and forever,

Mommy

Eskimo Kisses and Butterfly Kisses

Annabelle has been keeping her Mommy's mind spinning again. Over the past few weeks, since we got back home from Jacksonville, Florida, she has decided that she doesn't want to nap until closer to 3:00 p.m., and THEN, she stays up until 10:00 p.m. even when I attempt to lay her down between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. She then sleeps until 8:30 a.m. or later, and as a result, we cannot start our days until 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. since she insists she must take forever to eat her breakfast! She even takes longer to eat than her Mommy, and her Mommy eats very, very slow.

So, I am afraid that her afternoon naps are slowing diminishing. I'm not sure yet if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Since I'm still quite selfish (she's making me work on this), it is a bad thing if we're at home because I don't get any down time to pay bills, wash dishes, prepare dinner and play on the internet (sad, but true). If we're out and about, it is a wonderful thing because I don't have to worry about naptime, and we can run around on my schedule. Again, this is all me being selfish.

I wonder if I am actually the one who has ruined her from her naps. While we were in Jacksonville, she rarely ever napped. It wasn't because I didn't want her to, but it was because we were out and about during the beginnings of naptime, so when I finally did lay her down, she was probably overly tired, and she could not fall asleep.

So, long story short (or actually long), my whole point of the story is to remind myself once again to enjoy every single moment I have with my sweet (well, most of the time), beautiful and precious daughter.

This evening, I heard her crying around 9:30 p.m. while I was trying to watch "John and Kate Plus Eight" on television. I ran in to check on her, and by the time I opened the door, she had stopped crying, but it was too late. She had spotted me, and she wanted me to "wok" her. "Wok me Mommy, wok me."

So, I lifted her out of the crib, and I proceeded to rock her. But first, she had to make sure that Teddy laid his head down on my shoulder first because I tell her now (since we started this whole "wok" me business after she's gone down for the evening) to "lay her head down on my shoulder." She points to each shoulder separately, and then she props Teddy's head on my shoulder. She's such a good Mommy! It brings tears to my eyes!

So, tonight, while we rocked, I started asking her to kiss different parts of my face. I told her to kiss my cheek, and she'd lean in and kiss my cheek with the sweetest little kiss. Then, I'd tell her to kiss my forehead. She first pointed to my forehead, and then she would kiss my forehead. She thought it was so much fun!

Then, I showed her how to give Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses. Those were also very silly to her. She just giggled.

It brought tears to my eyes as I realized that one day I will no longer get these Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses from my little girl because one day she'll be all grown up and married with a family of her own. I realize how much both of my parents probably long for a longer hug instead of the usual "goodbye" hug, but after their daughter grew up and became more independent, those hugs became shorter and shorter, and the kisses became virtually non-existent.

Isn't it a shame that we don't hug our loved ones a little more? I guess the love is just known, but sometimes it really makes a difference to give someone a hug that lasts more than just a second.

Hugs and kisses from afar to my Mommy and Daddy! I love you both very much, and I appreciate all of the love you both have shown me through the years. Thank you for letting go of those Eskimo and butterfly kisses to let me grow into a very independent woman. But, please know that I love you more than I probably ever show!

And, to my sweet and beautiful daughter, I'll always love you, and I know that one day you'll no longer give me Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses, but I'll always cherish these memories forever and always! Hopefully one day though, your own daughter or son will give me Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses to refresh my memory of the love shown through a child.

"Beep Beep!" (Pause) "Done!"

Can anyone imagine where I am going with this one?

During lunch today, Annabelle decided to throw her entire plate full of almost everything I had given her onto the floor. I didn't actually see her do it, but I knew it was not an accident just based on the fact that the plate was halfway across the room.

I told her that she was going to get down from that chair right then and pick up every single piece of food and throw it away into the trash can.

So, I got her up right then. Being the defiant little booger that she is, she walked away from the plate and food on the floor and straight into the living room to play with her toys.

So, here we go again with time out. This particular session, Annabelle probably spent 6-8 times (minutes) in time out.

After the first time of sitting in time out and right after the timer starting beeping, Annabelle looked up at me with a grin on her face, and she said, "Beep Beep!" Then there was a short pause. And then she said, "Done!"

Neither hubby nor I could contain ourselves from laughing. We both turned away and burst into silent laughter (as best as we could). It was hilarious! She understood that as soon as that timer went off, she was "done" with time out!

Wow! I suspect that this child of mine is going to be very difficult to raise. Can anyone say only child?

But, Mommy won again! She finally picked up all of the food and plate off of the floor. I had to coax her a little bit though by showing her that she could use a plate to put all of the food on and throw it all away at one time instead of making trip after trip after trip to and from the trash can.

Time Out - The Beginnings

Time out isn't working so well for us, and we just started using it! Annabelle had dropped part of her banana on the floor while she was eating lunch. I told her before she got down that she needed to pick it up and throw it away into the trash can. Well, she ignored me, and she went about her merry way.

And, I know she understands exactly what I am asking her to do. So, I put her in time out, and I introduced the timer to her. (We use a dining room chair next to the buffet in our dining room for time out since our space is very limited). I told her that when the timer went off (after only one minute) that she could get up from the chair, but that she needed to pick the banana up off of the floor and throw it away OR she would go back into time out for another minute.

So, the timer went off and Annabelle went on her merry way to play. She grabbed her teddy bear and paci along the way. I told her that Mommy was going to count to three and that she needed to pick up the banana and throw it in the trash can before I got to three. Well, that worked wonderfully (as you can imagine). I got to three, and she just ignored me.

So, we started the process all over again. I took away her teddy bear and paci, and she cried about it in her drama queen way, but it wasn't a very serious, "I'm heartbroken," sort of cry. So, the timer went off, and again, she grabbed her teddy bear and paci and went on her merry way.

I asked her, "Annabelle, do you want to sit in time out again or are you going to pick the banana up off the floor and throw it away?" Guess what the little stinker did?!?! She walked straight over to the time out chair and climbed into it. She was determined that she was NOT going to pick up that banana.

Another time during this same discipline session, she ran over to the dining room table and grabbed the timer to start it herself. Again, she was more anxious to sit in time out than to pick that banana up off the floor.

Finally, after the 4th or 5th time, she got down from the time out chair, picked up the banana, and she threw it away into the trash can.

I was beginning to worry that my 21 month old daughter was going to win this battle after all. It all came down to who was more stubborn, and this time, Mommy won!

Mycoplasma Allergic Reaction to Cold and Erythema Multiforme

What? What does that mean? I don't really know, and I am almost positive that I probably misunderstood something that the pediatrician said, but it turns out that Annabelle's "allergic reaction" was more than likely an allergic reaction to a cold she had developed.

I just googled "mycoplasma rash," and it appears that "mycoplasma infection" is actually a respiratory illness or a cold. So, my blog title should probably actually read "Allergic Reaction to Mycoplasma." However, I am leaving the title as is because it just shows how thoroughly confused I was after leaving the pediatrician's office.

Well, I got the gist of what he told me, but he always likes to use big words that I really do not understand. He tries to explain it to me, and you can really tell that he loves his job, and I really want to understand what he is telling me, but sometimes I just don't understand him! At least he sounds smart though, so hopefully that means he actually listened and learned during med school.

So, we arrived at the pediatrician at 3:59 p.m. (all 53 pictures in tote). We were admitted to the waiting room around 4:15 p.m., and we finally saw Dr. Calk around 5:00 p.m. (for a 4:00 p.m. appointment).

Waiting an hour to see the pediatrician is one thing when you have a newborn who nurses every 2.5 - 3 hours, but it is another thing when you have a 21 month old toddler who wants to get into EVERYTHING! I don't know which situation is worst!

WHY does a 21 month old find it necessary to touch every chair, handle, window and drawer in the doctor's office where other sick and germy children have left their spit, slobber and germs? And, why, oh why, does she have to put her mouth and tongue on the doctor's stool as she climbs on top of it to sit down? Why does she INSIST that she must eat Cheerios while waiting on the doctor after she has touched everything grimy in the entire office? Why must she crawl on the floor and poke her head through the stairs to the examination table? Does she know that her Mommy cannot stand germs in the slightest? This is one reason I really hate going to the doctor! I am afraid that I am going to catch something else that I didn't already have just because I'm there.

So, after trying to keep a toddler entertained at the doctor's office for an hour, Dr. Calk enters the room, and he almost knocked my rashy daughter to the floor when he opened the door. I told her not to stand by the door, but she wanted a book from the bin attached to the door. Why would they attach books to the door for children to want to grab? Normally Dr. Calk knocks before he enters (probably for this very reason), but he didn't this time. Fortunately, I had my hand on the door to try and keep anyone from entering, so I assume he felt the pressure when he pushed to open the door.

The first thing he inquires about is Annabelle's cold.

"So, she's had a cold?" asks Dr. Calk.
"Yes, but it wasn't much of a cold at all. Just a little bit of coughing and a slight runny nose" I replied.
"Did the cough sound barky or dry?" asks Dr. Calk.

So, I am thinking, "Yes, she had a cold. But, I am not bringing her in for the cold. I brought her in because she's allergic to something she ate. Let's talk about that instead of her cold."

Then, he took a look at her rash on her torso, and I also showed him the pictures of her this morning. Before I could even explain to him that she had an allergic reaction back in June to something she ate, he was explaining to me something about "mycoplasma" and "erythema multiforme" and a bunch of other words that I never wrote down because I couldn't remember them one second after he said them.

Okay, more to follow on this blog entry tomorrow. I am tired, so I'm going to bed. But, I thought that some of you may be interested on what the doctor had to say. Oh, and just in case any of you know anything about "erythema multiforme," apparently, I should not be worried because her condition is "erythema multiforme MINOR" instead of "erythema multiforme MAJOR." Not that any of those big words mean anything to me.

Allergic Reaction Again!

On Saturday, I called my parents around 4:50 p.m. to see if they could babysit Annabelle for the evening so that hubby and I could have a date night out without the little one. I honestly just wanted to enjoy a good meal with hubby without a fussy and squirmy toddler.

So, my parents were up for another challenge. They arrived around 6:15 p.m. Annabelle was "reddy go" as she told Grandmama with her hand on the doorknob. Grandmama then reminded her that she had forgotten to tell Mommy and Daddy bye-bye. She ran over to us each separately and gave each of us the sweetest hug and kiss goodbye, and then she was ready to go!

Before hubby arrived home, I had told Annabelle that Grandmama and Granddaddy would be here shortly to take her to dinner. She immediately said, "Ont shuuzz on!" Translation: Want shoes on! And, then she ran to the dining room window to look for them. They hadn't arrived yet, and that upset her, but she calmed down, and she was definitely ready to go when they got here.

For dinner, they took her to Piccadilly. Grandmama said that she didn't eat very much for dinner, but she had bites of the following:

Carrot Souffle
Macaroni & Cheese (Per Grandmama, something in it tasted a lot like nutmeg)
Boiled Okra (one pod) (not fried...yuck!)
Black Eyed Peas
Cornbread
Banana (1/2)
Dried Peas
Water

Per Grandmama, Annabelle did not show any allergic reaction when they put her down for bed that evening.

But, when Annabelle got up on Sunday morning around 9:00 a.m., hubby spotted a small rash (just a few light red spots) under her left arm. Then, I spotted a few more light red spots on the back of her neck. I didn't think anything of it though because Annabelle has always had very sensitive skin, and it didn't look too much like an allergic reaction to me.

So, for breakfast, I made homemade Oatmeal Pancakes with Blackberries on top. Annabelle has had these pancakes several times in the past, and she did not react adversely to them at all. But, this time, I noticed that she had developed a small red rash between her lower lip and chin. I didn't freak out though because this was actually a very common occurrence for her after she started eating solids.

I finally learned (or thought I had learned) that egg was the culprit. However, typically, as long as I didn't give her the egg straight (such as scrambled eggs or boiled eggs), she would not have an allergic reaction to the food itself. It seemed as if it were cooked, that the egg did not bother her.

The ingredients in the oatmeal pancakes are as follows:

Oatmeal
Whole wheat flour
Milk
Sugar
Vegetable oil
Baking powder
Salt
Egg!!!

Well, since she was a complete mess from the blackberry juice, I picked her up and took her straight to the bathtub for a bath. While I was bathing her, the rash under her arms started to get darker and darker. Then, it started spreading to her stomach, chest and back.

Also, I forgot to mention that Annabelle woke up during the night at 5:00 a.m. because she wanted her "passy." Translation: Paci. Her diaper was soaked when I went in the bedroom to give her the paci, so I changed her diaper as well. While I was changing her diaper, I did notice red marks along her diaper area, but I didn't think anything of it. Grandmama had mentioned that she wasn't sure if she had put Annabelle's diaper on very well, so I thought maybe she had gotten the diaper a little tight. And, it was dark in the room, so I didn't pay very much attention to the rash. Annabelle was not complaining about the diaper at all. And, when I laid her back down with her paci, she went straight to sleep.

So, hubby and I discussed giving Annabelle some Benadryl, but we decided against it because the rash was not causing Annabelle any discomfort at all, and she was not having any breathing problems or anything that made me feel like we needed to rush her to the emergency room (again). One $150 copay for the year is enough (hopefully)!

This post will be updated as soon as we return from the doctor for a checkup on this rash! I was just trying to get something documented so that I could discuss these things with the doctor.

Okay, so I am back to update this blog entry a day late.

So, around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, the rash comes on with full force! Annabelle is covered, mainly on her torso, but also on her arms, neck (back of the neck) and feet (where her sandals fasten). We finally decided it was time to give her some Benadryl.

We gave her a teaspoon of Benadryl at 7:15 p.m. after we finally determined the correct dosage to give her. Per my written (typed) instructions from the hospital, it read: Benadryl mg x 12.5 Mg, Oral, 4 times a day. Per the drug facts on the carton, it reads, "Active Ingredient (in each 5 ml teaspoonful) Diphenhydramine HCI 12.5 mg........Antihistamine." Well, that makes perfect sense, right? That is until you look at the little measuring cup they give you with the carton which shows 12.5 ml (ml not mg) marked at a line at the middle of the measuring cup. Well, hubby said, "That's it. 12.5 mg, right? And he pointed to the line that said 12.5 ml." I thought, "Yes, it does say 12.5 mg" (because I didn't really notice the "in each 5 mL teaspoonful"). But, I just didn't think that was the right amount because I thought I had remembered them giving Annabelle 1 teaspoonful in the hospital. So, I looked more closely at the ingredients, and I finally caught the "in each 5 mL teaspoonful."

Is that not scary? We could have totally overdosed our child on Benadryl! That is serious stuff too! They really should make the directions a lot more clearer, and they really should get rid of the 12.5 ml on the measuring cup. There is absolutely no place on the directions that uses ml. I guess they are required to include it due to the fact that other countries use different measurements than the United States?

So, we gave her one teaspoonful of Benadryl. Her reaction once again: Hyperactive!

I checked on her several times during the night to make sure she was alright and was not having any respiratory problems due to the allergic reaction. She was fine and breathing, and she still was not itching, so I honestly was not worried about her.

Well, when she woke up on Monday morning, she was still covered in the rash, and it didn't look any better. Of course, per the hospital instructions, I was supposed to be giving her Benadryl every 4 hours, so she had not had another dose since her last dose at 7:15 p.m. I was not about to wake a sleeping toddler to give her yet another dose of hyperactive medication.

I did not panic, but I did decide to call my pediatrician to request to speak with a nurse. I called at 9:49 p.m., and the nurse called me back at 11:04 a.m. I spoke with Pat who I have spoken with before, and she normally encourages me to make an appointment. Do they pay these nurses more money if they can convince the mom to schedule an appointment? Keep in mind that this is yet another $40 copay! And, please, don't get me wrong. I love my child dearly, but I normally follow my instinct on when to actually schedule an appointment with the doctor. I should know the routine by now.

So, Pat told me that it was probably best if I could see the doctor while Annabelle still had the rash, but they didn't have any appointments available with Dr. Calk until 4:00 p.m. They could, however, schedule an appointment with a Physician's Assistant (P.A.) at 1:50 p.m. I told her that I would opt for the 4:00 appointment since 1:50 p.m. was right at naptime and if the rash was going to go away any time soon, it would probably have already done so by 1:50 p.m.

Pat told me that it was probably best that I bring her in because they should rule out any reaction caused by a viral infection. What? I had never even thought that a viral infection could cause such a rash. And, also, because Annabelle has had recurring problems with allergic reactions, they could run simple blood tests at their office to determine if she was allergic to some of the more common suspect foods such as eggs and nuts. She mentioned this because the whole reason I told her I was calling was to determine if I should take her to an allergist or not.

Keep in mind...I am trying to avoid a silly $40 copay to only have the doctor tell me that he would recommend she see an allergist. Why not go straight to the allergist?

So, I schedule the 4:00 p.m. appointment with Dr. Calk, and then the rat race begins. It is 11:09 when I got off the phone with Pat. I mentioned to Pat that I had pictures of the first ER visit rash as well as pictures of this rash last night and then again this morning. She said, "That is great. Bring them with you if you can." The only problem is that they were not printed.

I quickly loaded all of the pictures onto a Secure Digital memory card, and I dress Annabelle and myself, and we're off to Sam's Club at 12:00 p.m. The pictures are uploaded to Sam's Club by 12:15 p.m., and we have an hour to wait and feed Annabelle. She needs a nap before her 4:00 appointment, and I know that I need to wake her no later than 3:30 p.m. to get her diaper changed and simply get ourselves out the door by 3:45 p.m. to make it to the doctor by 4:00 p.m. So, that means she needs to go down for a nap as close to 1:15 p.m. as possible.

We ate lunch at Chick-fil-A. Bad idea! I ordered a 12 piece nugget, but they only gave me 12 pieces. So, I had to take Annabelle out of the high chair and lug her back to the counter to get my extra two pieces of nuggets. I have two hungry girls to feed, and 10 nuggets were not going to cut it! They gave me a 6 piece nugget to replace the 2 missing nuggets.

During lunch, Annabelle took her sweet time eating. And, this was not as usual because this time, she ate even slower! She had to watch the three children that stood by our table talking to another Mommy and child. Timing people, timing!

We finally leave Chick-fil-A around 1:05 p.m. We ran in to Sam's Club to pick up the pictures, and then we were off to go back home. I think I finally got Annabelle down for her nap around 1:45 p.m. after arriving back home around 1:30 p.m. And, fortunately, she fell asleep right away.

Thank goodness! I figured she would really be a pill if I had to wake her at 3:30 p.m. And, best of all, she actually woke up right at 3:30 p.m. on her own, and she wasn't crying! Excellent!

We were off to see the "doc tur" at 3:45 p.m. And, yes, she used yet another new word. Translation: Doctor. I am so excited that my little girl is finally starting to really talk. She is repeating just about everything we say!

Guh Job Da Bebe!

Translation: Good Job Baby!

Annabelle was playing with one of her wooden puzzles this evening. She has several wooden puzzles, but this particular wooden puzzle has pieces shaped as animals, and the slots on the puzzle board itself does not have a duplicate image of the puzzle piece as some of the puzzles do to make putting the puzzle together easier.

She wanted to play with that animal wooden puzzle right away, but I opted for a different one with bigger pieces. Her Daddy came in the room shortly thereafter and told me that she had gotten frustrated when she played with the puzzle we were playing with last night. He mentioned that she was good at the animal wooden puzzle which I thought would be harder for her.

So, I pulled it down off of the changing table (where I had placed it), and we dumped the pieces out onto the glider stool. She figured it out right away! The puzzle probably has 12-15 pieces, and she knew where every single piece went even starting with the first puzzle piece to go in.

She struggled to get some pieces turned exactly right in their slot to snap into place. So, when she did, she decided that she would be the Mommy. She ran over to her babies who were sleeping in their bassinet, and she grabbed her Cabbage Patch Newborn doll named Carly. She brought Carly over to the puzzle, and she held Carly's hand and "helped" Carly push the puzzle piece into the slot. Carly got it in too! Carly's a smart baby doll!

We clapped for Carly and said, "Good job Carly!" As Annabelle walked back to the bassinet to lay Carly back down, she said, "Guh Job Da Bebe." She repeated this process of running over to grab Carly to "help" several times, and by the last time, Annabelle finally learned to say "Guh Job Bebe" instead of "Guh Job Da Bebe."

One time, Carly didn't do such a good job, so Annabelle walked towards the bassinet to lay Carly down. Unfortunately, Carly didn't make it in the bassinet, and instead, she fell and hit her head on the floor. Annabelle still needs to work on her mothering skills as she left Carly there to cry as she brought her babies' stuffed puppy dog to help instead.

Per hubby, Carly "helped" put the puzzle together last night too, and he did not encourage her at all. He didn't even mention getting the babies to help. That was all Annabelle's idea!

Maybe I can grab the camera tomorrow night to snap a picture of Carly helping with the puzzle.