Haute Mom Dilemma #58 - It's Flu Season

I know that with the holiday season comes flu season. I also know that having your little one in day care brings lots of icky germs around. I am not fond of either concept.

Yesterday Stella had her third high fever within a month or two. When I say "high fever", I'm talking about over 104. The nurses that answer the after-hours call-in line at my pediatrician's office know my whole family. Especially the nurse that is on duty between midnight and 3 a.m. Even though I have learned that 104 is apparently "nothing to worry about," I still worry. A lot.

There is something so heartbreaking about a sick, helpless baby who only wants to be held by mommy. Heartbreaking and difficult. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only mom that feels twinges of frustration when I need to pee and have to hold my child or go without her and hear scream at the top of her lungs.

Things like this force my normal multi-tasking brain to stop and focus on what is most important, my sick daughter. I have to push my natural urge to grocery shop, clean the house, do the dishes, and even shower, out of my head and just give my day up to comforting and caring for my precious little patient. It's probably as good for me as it is for her but that sure doesn't make it any easier.

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Haute Mom Dilemma #56 - Treating the Patient

'Tis the season, Stella is sick. I have to say that (knock on wood) she doesn't get sick too often but since she has been in day care, the illness rates have definitely increased. Everyone warned me so I can't say that I am surprised, not that it makes it any easier. Our warning that croup was going around was received on Halloween and by Wednesday, Stella was sent home mid-morning with a fever. She has been sick going on four days now with a high fever (over 104) for at least two of those days.

The little patient while on a walk today
 to get some fresh air. 

The nights have been long lately because all the sick patient wants is "mama". My hubby thinks it's sweet that she want to cling to me when she doesn't feel well but I haven't felt this suffocated since one of my high school boyfriends turned into a "stage 5 clinger" as they put it. I feel bad admitting this but it is so tough for me to be loving and nurturing and put that frustration of not being able to even use the restroom without your little one screaming bloody murder aside. With hubby sleeping on the couch and Stella and I in bed, little sleep has been achieved and so my already thin patience is in the danger zone.

I just have to remember that Stella isn't feeling well, in fact, I have made that my mantra in attempts to not be grumpy with her during her cling-on moments. We have all gone through having sick little ones and if parenting wasn't hard enough, a croup-coughing 18 month old always shakes things up a bit. Fortunately for me, she's in her crib napping and I am going to take advantage by napping (well, when I am done blogging.)

The hubby is taking me out for dinner tonight because he sees the boiling point coming close to steaming out of my ears while grandma comes over to hang with Stella. When I warned her that she might need to be held a lot all she said was, "Like that is a bad thing?" Ha. Tap, tap, it's her turn.

Insipration to Us All

A few days ago I wrote a post about the importance of taking time doing things that you love to do. I recently decide to sign up for the Inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland in January to motivate getting back into one of my greatest loves, running (no, I am not crazy.) The post was prompted by a number of different things that have come to the surface in my life, including this quote that I read from Steve Jobs:
“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

The quote inspired me to do just that, to be sure that everyday, I make the most out of what I have and with the chance of being cliché, to stop and smell the roses. There have been three separate events in the last 24 hours that have reminded me just how important this is. Two of these events are hitting very close to home as a mother, a sister, and a friend. One of my closest friends has just learned that her younger brother has cancer at the age of 29. Knowing her and the special relationship she has with her brother, I can only imagine the grief that they are feeling at this time. I have gone through the last few days heavy hearted, with her family in mind, as I waited the news. Shortly after hearing the diagnosis, I saw a story on MSNBC that caught my attention, again provoking tears, about a mother who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after she found out that she was pregnant with her first child. Given the choice to save herself with chemotherapy or ensure the health of her unborn baby, she chose to risk her own life. The mother was able to hold her newborn daughter shortly after giving birth, but died three days later.

I want to share this story from MSNBC because, as a parent, the choice this woman made is very relatable. We would give anything, including our lives for our children, our family. Keep in mind the quote from Steve Jobs, another person who died before his time and be inspired to live everyday to its fullest. Don’t focus on the negative or the little things that could be better but instead go out and spend the time doing what you once wished you could do, doing what you were thinking about doing “when you retire”, and doing things you enjoy with the ones that you love.

Cancer-stricken mom chooses baby’s life over hers

Haute Mom Dilemma #30 ~ Sick Mommy Sick Baby

When I started writing this blog and talking about dilemmas, my good mommy friend Alyssa suggested I write about being sick and having to take care of a baby.  I knew it would be quite the thing to write about but haven't written about it because I haven't experienced it...until now. I started feeling sick on Friday but thought I could tough it out and then Stella had a fever by Saturday.  Fastforward to today and we are both home sick, with a sick nanny home too.  Nothing like sharing germs.  I hope hubby doesn't get sick on top of it.  I don't have enough time or space to list all the reasons why that would be a bad thing. 

So getting the rest and relaxation you need when you are down for the count is almost impossible when you are taking care of your children at the same time.  Add sick to that part of the list and you now have a fussy baby who isn't sleeping well either.  I am sure when Stella gets older, staying in bed and watching movies will be a great remedy but for now, I just have a needy, cranky baby on my hands.  But, how sweet are they even when they aren't feeling well?  Bless her heart, and cough, and runny nose.

She's still smiling even with a 101 degree fever.

Haute Mom Dilemma #21 ~ Sick Party of One

I've gone 6 months with a happy, fun, HEALTHY baby so to my surprise, Stella had a 102 degree fever early Wednesday morning. I knew one day Stella would fall ill but hoped I wouldn't be having to put the nurse outfit on anytime soon. You can't prepare yourself for that tug in your heart when the little one isn't feeling well, can you?

Stella had her 6 month well visit appointment on Tuesday and received her last set of vaccines for the next three months. She is never a happy camper after these visits (why should she be) but this one seemed a little worse. I knew it was going to be a doozy the moment I saw our nurse. Bless her heart for trying, she didn't seem to have graduated on the top of her nursing program if you know what I mean. She also moved about as quickly as a sloth. Then I found out she would be returning to give Stella her shots...great. After a PAINFUL (physically and mentally) round of shots, that seemed like it took longer than my visit to the DMV the other day, Stella was hysterical. Not the usual crying of dislike but hysterical like she maybe will have night terrors about this with the nurse as the dark shadow. I knew it would be time to batten down the hatches.

Stella seemed to be content the rest of the afternoon, and I left for work that evening feeling confident that maybe the doctor's visit had been the worst of it. I later put her to bed in a mood slightly more sour than usual but figured maybe the night with dad babysitting had been a little irritating for her. About an hour later Stella woke up and could not be consoled. She didn't want to be held, she didn't want to nurse, she just wanted to cry. I finally got her back to sleep to only be faced with the same thing about two hours later. It was then when I realized she had a fever. My friend told me that when Stella had her first true fever I would know and this couldn't have been more true. I pressed her hot little body against mine while my husband took her temperature. It was 102. I made my first middle of the night call to our pediatrician only to be told to give her some Tylenol and blame the shots, or her teething. We decided to put Stella in bed with us and with fear that my hubby was going to smother her in the middle of the night, I made him go sleep in her room. At least he got some sleep that night while Stella and I had our first mommy-baby up all night slumber party. Can we just talk about the things that are on in the wee hours of TV land...

Having made it through the night, I was relieved to see that the fever had gone down by morning. I felt like I had gotten my first initiation of the many nights in the future where I will stay awake to care for my baby girl. I do wonder if I did what I should have done by giving her Tylenol. I am not a medicine taker myself but don't know if my own philosophy should be applied to my 6 month old. I also now wonder if I should have followed an alternate schedule for her vaccines or if a fever would have happened either way. Any thoughts haute moms?