I adore Katie. She is the light of our lives. Every little smile, every sound, every new thing she does fills us with happiness. But there's more to Katie than meets the eye.
She's a puker. I don't mean she has a weak stomach; she's eaten some very questionable things off the floor and never had a problem. I don't mean she has motion sickness. Quite the opposite: she loves doing somersaults and being held upside down. I don't mean she's prone to stomach flu - she's only had colds so far.
I mean she's an angry puker. If screaming loudly enough to make Mommy's ears ring isn't enough to get her point across, throwing up is her ace in the hole. Our first encounter with this phenomenon really caught us off guard. We'd finally given up on the "no-cry" method (after 14 months) and started sleep training*. Katie, of course, wanted no part of this, and screaming quickly escalated to barfing.
The second encounter was during Katie's first haircut. We knew she would be wiggly and unlikely to sit still, but we were really surprised at how vehemently she hated it. Tears turned to screams, and when that didn't stop the nice lady from coming at her with scissors, she decided to try barfing. Luckily, the stylist took that in stride and managed to get a few more snips in before we threw in the towel.
The third encounter with the puke-monster was during what was supposed to be a routine blood draw, for Katie's vaccine study. It took nearly an hour, four techs, and a WHOLE LOT of barf before we got the two tiny vials they needed. The charge nurse asked what Katie had had for breakfast, and when I told her "yogurt," she said "Oh great. That's what I brought for lunch. I'm going to go throw it away." They are never gonna let us come back to that lab!
Last night was our fourth encounter. Katie had a fever of 102 (see previous post) and Kaiser instructed us to give her those children's Tylenol drops. Well, to say that Katie didn't like them would be a real understatement. I totally expected squirming, screaming, and spitting, which is why we chose to administer the medicine in the bathroom, the only room with an easy-to-clean floor. I did not anticipate the puking. I certainly wasn't prepared for how much there would be. Or how many times. All over mommy. Very little got on the floor, actually. At one point, Anthony and I looked at each other and started to laugh. What else can you do? (Besides cry?)
Anyway, I'm considering keeping Katie quarantined until she outgrows the angry puking. No fun!
UPDATE: For those with an iron stomach, here is a picture of Katie and Mommy in all our puke-covered glory. Seriously, click at your own risk - it is really really gross. And Katie is naked, so I'm definitely gonna get some flak for this in about 12 years. Take me to the horribleness!
*A story for another post. Someday soon, I promise!
Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Viruses: A Rant
Last Thursday we had a play date with a new friend we met at the supermarket. They live just a few blocks away. She's just a few weeks older than Katie, and they played really well together. I mean, as well as can be expected at a year and a half. They shared toys nicely and didn't hit each other over the head (much), so that's a win in my book.
BUT - when the little girl showed up, she had a runny nose. Her mother said, "Oh, she's had that for a while now, probably allergies." OK, I took that at face value, and the play date commenced.
A while later, the little girl tried to drink from Katie's sippy cup of water. The other mom took it away and explained that her daughter had recently had Hand, Foot and Mouth disease (HMFD) and that the virus can still be shed weeks after symptoms disappear. W.T.F!!!! Why did you bring your kid over to my house?????? I appreciate the gesture of not letting the kids share sippies, but hello? Her kid's saliva is all over my den, kitchen and dining room, all of Katie's toys, and Katie herself!
Anyway, how do you kick someone out of your house during a one-hour play date? I guess I'm too much of a people-pleaser, so I let it continue. After they left, I went into a germophobic frenzy. I immediately washed Katie's hands. I grabbed my bottle of Method Antibac and sprayed every object and every surface I could think of that had been touched. (omg, I just remembered! Doorknobs! AAAAAAAH!)
Long story short, guess whose toddler has a runny nose today, three days later? I am fuming. And praying we all don't get HMFD.
Seriously, people? Keep your kids home when they're sick. End of rant.
BUT - when the little girl showed up, she had a runny nose. Her mother said, "Oh, she's had that for a while now, probably allergies." OK, I took that at face value, and the play date commenced.
A while later, the little girl tried to drink from Katie's sippy cup of water. The other mom took it away and explained that her daughter had recently had Hand, Foot and Mouth disease (HMFD) and that the virus can still be shed weeks after symptoms disappear. W.T.F!!!! Why did you bring your kid over to my house?????? I appreciate the gesture of not letting the kids share sippies, but hello? Her kid's saliva is all over my den, kitchen and dining room, all of Katie's toys, and Katie herself!
Anyway, how do you kick someone out of your house during a one-hour play date? I guess I'm too much of a people-pleaser, so I let it continue. After they left, I went into a germophobic frenzy. I immediately washed Katie's hands. I grabbed my bottle of Method Antibac and sprayed every object and every surface I could think of that had been touched. (omg, I just remembered! Doorknobs! AAAAAAAH!)
Long story short, guess whose toddler has a runny nose today, three days later? I am fuming. And praying we all don't get HMFD.
Seriously, people? Keep your kids home when they're sick. End of rant.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Diapering is SO overrated!
My husband and I gave a lot of thought to cloth vs. disposable diapering before our daughter was born. I convinced him to give cloth a try, with the stipulation that after she started eating solids, we could switch to a diaper service if things got too icky. Or just give up cloth entirely! We remembered Bill Cosby's standup routine about baby poo - how it's just sooo cute in the beginning and then BAM!! Not so cute anymore! Lol.
Lucky for us, I came across an article about the top 10 things you don't need to buy for a baby. On the list were things like a baby bathtub, baby lotions/shampoos, a stroller, baby food, and a couple other items I can't remember...and diapers. I did a double-take. I was expecting them to say disposable diapers, but no! The list item was "Diapers." Period. The article went on to explain that in many parts of the world, especially poorer countries where access to laundry services is limited, parents don't put their babies in diapers. This blew my mind! What do they do about the near-constant pee and poo, I wondered? They potty train their babies from birth, that's what! At first glance, I thought this was absolutely insane. But I kept reading. The more I read, the more sense it made.
Elimination Communication, or Infant Potty Training, is actually a gentle, no-pressure way to communicate with your baby about his/her potty needs. In other words, you can teach your baby to let you know when it's time to potty. It's not even difficult! The theory is that babies naturally prefer NOT to sit in their own waste (um, who would?) and have a great deal of awareness of their potty needs, even at birth. The trick is to figure out a way for baby and parent to communicate, so they can work together to get pottying done on the potty instead of in a diaper!
Anyway, I can't do this premise justice the way this book can: The Diaper-Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh. Suffice it to say that I tried it with Katie and it WORKED!!! We do what's called "part-time" EC, and we use cloth diapers as a backup. So for us, Katie wears diapers all the time, but whenever it's time to change her, I offer her a "potty-tunity." I sit her on the potty and make a "cue" sound that she recognizes. If she pees, great! If not, no problem. Then we change her diaper and that's it. Often her diaper is dry when I put her on the potty, so we just put it back on. Couldn't be easier! Oh, and now that she knows some sign language and words, she tells me "Poo!" and makes the "poo" sign, and I whisk her off to the potty and she poops! NO MORE CHANGING POOPY DIAPERS!
I wish I could tell every person in the world about this. It's the greatest thing ever!!!! And, if all goes according to plan, it should make potty training (REAL potty training, I mean) much easier. She already knows that pee and poo are supposed to go in the potty. She's not afraid of the potty. She doesn't even mind me flushing it. If she had the dexterity to take her pants off and climb onto the toilet, she could do it herself! Woohoo!
Lucky for us, I came across an article about the top 10 things you don't need to buy for a baby. On the list were things like a baby bathtub, baby lotions/shampoos, a stroller, baby food, and a couple other items I can't remember...and diapers. I did a double-take. I was expecting them to say disposable diapers, but no! The list item was "Diapers." Period. The article went on to explain that in many parts of the world, especially poorer countries where access to laundry services is limited, parents don't put their babies in diapers. This blew my mind! What do they do about the near-constant pee and poo, I wondered? They potty train their babies from birth, that's what! At first glance, I thought this was absolutely insane. But I kept reading. The more I read, the more sense it made.
Elimination Communication, or Infant Potty Training, is actually a gentle, no-pressure way to communicate with your baby about his/her potty needs. In other words, you can teach your baby to let you know when it's time to potty. It's not even difficult! The theory is that babies naturally prefer NOT to sit in their own waste (um, who would?) and have a great deal of awareness of their potty needs, even at birth. The trick is to figure out a way for baby and parent to communicate, so they can work together to get pottying done on the potty instead of in a diaper!
Anyway, I can't do this premise justice the way this book can: The Diaper-Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh. Suffice it to say that I tried it with Katie and it WORKED!!! We do what's called "part-time" EC, and we use cloth diapers as a backup. So for us, Katie wears diapers all the time, but whenever it's time to change her, I offer her a "potty-tunity." I sit her on the potty and make a "cue" sound that she recognizes. If she pees, great! If not, no problem. Then we change her diaper and that's it. Often her diaper is dry when I put her on the potty, so we just put it back on. Couldn't be easier! Oh, and now that she knows some sign language and words, she tells me "Poo!" and makes the "poo" sign, and I whisk her off to the potty and she poops! NO MORE CHANGING POOPY DIAPERS!
I wish I could tell every person in the world about this. It's the greatest thing ever!!!! And, if all goes according to plan, it should make potty training (REAL potty training, I mean) much easier. She already knows that pee and poo are supposed to go in the potty. She's not afraid of the potty. She doesn't even mind me flushing it. If she had the dexterity to take her pants off and climb onto the toilet, she could do it herself! Woohoo!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Parenting books
Before Katie was born, I read lots of parenting books. Some were useful, some were not. But for the most part, I was able to take one or two good things away from each book.
Since Katie's birth, it has become apparent that some of those "good" ideas were actually crap! Or at least, didn't work out at all for our family. One amusing good-idea-gone-bad was Baby-Led Weaning. The premise is to wait until your child demonstrates an interest in food (after 6 months of course), and then let her just feed herself. No baby purees, just let her eat soft pieces of real food. Well, the book said not to be intimidated by her gagging on things, but HELLO? She gagged on everything. And although I believed them when they said that gagging isn't the same as choking, and that it's perfectly normal and expected, I couldn't handle watching. It looked so unpleasant for her! Anthony and I are real softies when it comes to Katie's comfort. So we gave up Baby-Led Weaning and just spoon-fed her. What makes me kind of annoyed is that the book made it sound like spoon-feeding your baby is tantamount to stuffing food in her face against her will. Well, Katie actually likes eating from a spoon, and will open her mouth and lean forward if we aren't fast enough reloading it!
Now that she's older, of course, we let her experiment with lots of finger food. And of course, adorably, she's most interested in whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating. So I share my food with her whenever it seems reasonable (not too spicy, or salty). Go Katie go!
Since Katie's birth, it has become apparent that some of those "good" ideas were actually crap! Or at least, didn't work out at all for our family. One amusing good-idea-gone-bad was Baby-Led Weaning. The premise is to wait until your child demonstrates an interest in food (after 6 months of course), and then let her just feed herself. No baby purees, just let her eat soft pieces of real food. Well, the book said not to be intimidated by her gagging on things, but HELLO? She gagged on everything. And although I believed them when they said that gagging isn't the same as choking, and that it's perfectly normal and expected, I couldn't handle watching. It looked so unpleasant for her! Anthony and I are real softies when it comes to Katie's comfort. So we gave up Baby-Led Weaning and just spoon-fed her. What makes me kind of annoyed is that the book made it sound like spoon-feeding your baby is tantamount to stuffing food in her face against her will. Well, Katie actually likes eating from a spoon, and will open her mouth and lean forward if we aren't fast enough reloading it!
Now that she's older, of course, we let her experiment with lots of finger food. And of course, adorably, she's most interested in whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating. So I share my food with her whenever it seems reasonable (not too spicy, or salty). Go Katie go!
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