When Do Kids Remember the Doctor’s Office?

05/16/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Getting older isn’t always all fun and games. At least, not when you have a visit to the doctor’s office on the agenda, no thanks to Mom and Dad. Our unsuspecting Avery found this out firsthand when we met Going Mom at the doctor’s for her 18 month checkup.

As I was driving, I wondered if Avery would remember the place where shots are given and have a change in her mood. I think I got my answer soon after walking in with my wife…

Yeah, she wasn’t getting the “good vibes” and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she flashed back to previous visits.

That was her 5 month vaccination trip. As you can tell, we had a grand ol’ time! She definitely remembers that platform. Before there were even shots in sight, Avery freaked as we set her down just to get measurements. 21.6 pounds and 32 inches of pure ~~terror~~ love.

What looks like a needle is just the nurse’s pen, if you were wondering. She seemed to calm down after realizing it was just a routine head circumference and length measurement that the nurse wanted and no shots…..yet. We let her roam around the room to explore as we both pulled out our phones to take pictures.

Pictures in the doctor’s office are always a must. So many emotions to capture! We even took turns holding our sweet girl having the other take pictures.

I had to tickle her for that priceless smile. Then it was time for the shot. Only one, but it may as well of been fifty; she was irate. With the pitch of an opera singer, Avery let out screams of disapproval as she was held down on the ~~soft and foamy platform~~ torture bed.

It really must feel like torture when you’re being held down against your will, huh? What kind of people are we?! Oh yeah, just the typical parents. Actually, there would be more shots if we followed the typical vaccination schedule, but since we’re not bombarding her all at once with shots, she should thank us. Maybe right after this stick….

If you can’t tell, this is the exact moment the needle entered her upper quad region. Poor thing, that opera singer would be envious if she heard the screams emanating from the tiny room in the doctor’s office. There’s nothing like the comfort of Mom to make things better though.

18 Month Check Up Crying with Mommy — At least pull my pants back up!!

Well, that and a Cookie Monster sticker from the receptionist.

Just to make sure all is well in the world again, Kelley came back to the car to nurse Avery before she had to go back to work. Nursing right after getting shots is something she has done each time, and it is the perfect way to comfort your upset child.

I love how adamant Going Mom is about making sure Avery is calm and happy; such a wonderful Mommy! And wife! Today we are off to celebrate a neighbor’s 1 year old birthday party and then a belated Mother’s Day with our families. Looking forward to a good day and hopefully more ass healing!

At what age did your kids start to recognize the doctor’s office?

Any big plans for the weekend or just keeping it low key?

Life, Monthly List, Parenting, Photo Journal

18 Memories From My 18th Month Since ‘Going Dad’

05/15/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

The months and memories have been flying by, and now we’re a year and half into this parenting gig. From what I hear, it only gets better with time, and so far, I would have to agree.

What’s better at this point; saying “18 months” or saying “a year and a half”? I’ve heard people refer to their kids’ age up to 24 months and that’s the max for me.

At 2 years, I’d say we can get rid of the months reference. Or maybe it would be cool to go retro and use weeks. Maybe even put 104 candles in a cake for their 2nd birthday. Actually, it would be 104.355 candles.

Anyway, I’m still not feeling well from my butt issue the other day, so lets get on to these memories.

1. Avery, Mommy and I have known you were crazy for a long time, but now even the way you fall asleep has reached a new level of crazy.

2. Your crazy sleep position was the same day you had a mystery rash that didn’t seem to bother you but looked horrible. Luckily, it came and went away within a couple days.

3. That rash appeared the same time you became really ill with the highest fever to date. We missed seeing our crazy little girl run circles around the house, but it was kind of sweet to have in such a cuddly mood.

4. You figured out your diaper a few months ago, but never repeatedly pulled it off until recently. When it’s just you and me, your diaper stays put, but when Mommy comes you, you go right for those snaps. No matter how many times we put it back on, you just undo it right away. So we’ve taken to duct tape diapering which proves quite effective despite the trashy look.

5. I had a NuttZo tasting party for our neighbors to try all of the delicious varieties, and you took advantage of all the samples with gusto! I’m surprised there was any left for our guests!

6. Rain has taken over pretty much the entire month, but we didn’t let it stop us from our daily walks. I even wore you in the Onya NexStep baby carrier which had been a while since the last time we walked with you on my back.

7. On our rainy walks, we found and rescued several turtles, big and small, by returning them to one of the lakes in our neighborhood. You’re still not sure what to make of them, but we have plenty of time for you to get the turtle experience. Except for the last one we saved, he almost bit off my fingers!

8. You’ve exclusively had Mommy’s milk and water for drinks until this past month when I introduced you to Zevia. I explained how it’s a great treat to enjoy after playing under the hot Texas sun or anytime really, and how it’s worlds better than other sugary or artificially sweetened alternatives. Obviously, you like it and will be enjoying Zevia with Mommy and me for a long time to come.

9. One day, during lunch, I picked your nose. Then I posted it for the world to see. You can hit me for this later.

10. Turtles aren’t the only wildlife in our neighborhood. We have been watching these 8 goslings grow into the full-grown geese that they are as we pass them on our daily walks. The Mommy and Daddy aren’t too friendly as seen when they stick their tongue out at us. but you can’t blame them for being protective. Just so you know, I’d stick my tongue out at people to protect you too!

11. I found my old boots I had as a kid and, like any parent would do, we put them on you to take pictures. The results were pure cuteness as always. You also seemed to enjoy the clunking noise you made when walking.

12. One of the days that gave us sun instead of rain happened to be on the weekend, and Mommy had the awesome idea to bring you to a splash pad. It was your first time and although you weren’t too interested in the actual water part, we had fun slinging you around in the water.

13. During dinnertime, where we usually take turns feeding you with our utensil or putting food for you to grab, we gave you a try at using the spoon yourself. After a few fumbles, you successfully brought food to your mouth several times! Yay, trial and error!

14. A current favorite of yours for breakfast is sliced banana with NuttZo. You are practically crying with impatience the moment I show you the banana, but once you get that first bite, it’s bliss!

15. Keeping still is not your forte, but running around and playing with several toys at once is. I’ll go about my business cooking our next meal or washing dishes as you go crazy all around me. Of course I’ll stop to read a book or three and throw the ball too!

16. Right after writing a post about your bottom lip, you went and busted the thing while playing with Mommy’s sweater. That was your first of many more to come, I’m sure.

17. Mommy had a blast with you bouncing on our bed and trying to take pictures of when you were 6 months old. Turns out, you’re a little more mobile than you were back then. But still freakin’ cute as ever!

18. You have a growing collection of balls that I’ve been finding on our walks and they provide plenty of entertainment for you at home. You’re even learning how to put them all in your basket when done. They usually come right back out, but it’s a start!

The fun times just keep getting more and more interactive as she grows. I remember when Avery was just 6 months old, someone told me how it starts getting really good at 18 months. Now that we’re here, I’m excited to see this for myself since she’s already fun as it is.

Maybe actually talking or at least being more clear about her wants/needs? Yeah, I know, doubtful. Guess we’ll find out now!!

When did you start using years instead of months to give your child’s age?

What’s something noteworthy about your kid from this past month?

Life

Guess What Ass Won’t Let Me Run A Half-Marathon

05/14/2015 R.C. Liley 8 Comments

I’ve been talking about running the Mother’s Day half-marathon that was delayed to the weekend after Mother’s Day for a while now. You know, the one that got rained/lightninged (word?) out so I indoor rowed the 13.1 miles in our garage before kicking off the Mother’s Day celebration.

Although the forecast is calling for more crappy rain through next Sunday, when the race was rescheduled, I doubt it will be anything severe enough to be cancelled again. But I already know my running in the race is cancelled because of some ass. Can you guess who or what I’m talking about?

Yeah, it’s MY ass!

Disclosure: Some details (words, not pictures) may be too graphic for those faint of heart. Consider this your warning before you continue reading.

Starting around last weekend, I noticed a little lump on the inner part of my butt (hey, it happens), and waived it off as a result of the sweaty workout I did the other day where I was completely drenched in sweat. I figured it was just little painless infection that I will just keep clean and dry and it will go away, no biggie.

WRONG!

It only got worse and eventually became so painful every step I took made me squint and sitting down just wasn’t happening. Even after Going Mom made a calming epsom salt bath for me the day before, it was no match for the infection that was already at DEFCON 1 status.

By Tuesday night, after tossing and turning with no sleep, I finally caved at 3 am and had to find an urgent care or ER facility immediately. ~~Luckily~~ Sadly, there’s plenty of those all over (just like fast food chains….correlation?) and I only had to drive 5 miles. That, by the way, was the most awkward drive ever since I had my butt lifted off the seat the entire time.

From what I read on Dr. Google, I expected to go in, have a doctor make an incision to drain the pus/fluid, and I’d get back in time for my wife to go to work. Once again, I was wrong. I knew it right after having two people look at my ass and gasp as they said “Oh, that’s bad”. Thanks for the comfort, doctor and nurse. Bam, I was tagged.

One thing was for sure, they had to get the infection drained and under control quickly since staph (especially MRSA which is what we think it is) is a force to be reckoned with. After the nurse stuck me 5 times (not kidding) on my right arm to start an IV, she had to have someone else come and use my left arm instead. He got it after the second time.

Then I was told to sit and wait a few hours as the surgeon who was on call made it over to operate on my butt. That will never sound right………ever.

They gave me morphine which helped negate the pain a little, but I still couldn’t lay on my back without looking like a deformed squirrel trying to crack open an acorn. I passed time between watching the time and a WPT tournament in Montreal.

I tried sleeping, “butt” that wasn’t happening. Note the time was almost 6:30 am then. It wasn’t until 7:40 until the surgeon finally made it in. I know the world doesn’t revolve around my ass, but I have a right to complain anyway, right?

The guy who showed up had long gray hair in a ponytail and was wearing a Harley-Davidson shirt. That made me grateful I didn’t have a motorcycle to ride home on; OUCH! He was actually very nice and upfront with me, which I appreciated.

All he did was numb the area and worked to drain the infection. Holy hell that was the worst pain ever, and that’s with another dose of morphine! There I was, flat on my stomach and gripping the bed rails as two guys worked on getting crap out of my ass. A new life low had just hit.

Ten painful minutes later I was putting my shorts on over my gauze-stuffed butt and waited for a friend to come pick me up. He drove me home and took Kelley back to my car and she picked up my prescriptions. 2 antibiotics and Tylenol with codeine. I hate pain killers, but after suffering through the day, I did take one last night. I’m not officially a hypocrite. Damn you, ass!

Kelley ended up staying home all day and her work was completely understanding, so that was nice. She helped and tried to get me to stay still, but it was bad enough that the doctor told me to back off of exercise for a few days and definitely NO running.

“So I can’t run 13.1 miles on Sunday, huh?” I asked.

“No.” was the only reply.

And there you have it, I’m typing this with gauze still in my crack (no, not the same from the hospital) and pain radiating there as well. Hopefully the swelling will be down soon and the culture they are running on the drained fluid shows that they gave me the right antibiotics to knock this crap out of my system.

Back in 2011, I had a bad case of MRSA while on vacation in Colorado, so I guess this is the bacteria flaring up in my body again. I’ll keep you updated on my road to a hopeful recovery. I know everyone’s concerned. 🙂

Just be glad I didn’t share any pictures of the thing! I told Kelley I’m still going to run 13.1 miles around our home once I’m better, so we’ll see how that pans out.

Have you ever dealt with staph and/or MRSA?

Did I gross you out at all or as a parent, are you used to gross things? Throwing poop, maybe?