Well Visits: Cold & Flu Season

Dr. Anderson is an awesome doctor

Yes, it's that time of year again. Two years ago a flu shot was not on my radar. It was for parents and my great-grandma and I was neither. Now, I am all for the flu shot - up to a certain age. 

Have you had your flu shot yet? 

I had mine and Yus had his yesterday along with his other 15 month-old shots. I had to work so, James took Yus to the doctors. Of course pictures were taken to document the moment and Yus was a trooper!

I still believe in the thought that too much medicine will not allow your body not to fight back as hard as it should. So, we try not to give Yus medicine every time his nose runs. Our immune systems are set up to fight and repair. I like to think I'm the female version of Wolverine, the self healing body, a little shake of the head, exercise, orange juice and vitamins does a body good. 

Hope your home is prepared for cold and flu season. Here are some things we added to our grocery list: 

• disinfecting wipes 
• honey liquid cold medicine (I still can't swallow pills to well)
• throat lozenges and spray 
• tissues w/ aloe and Vic's (AMAZING!)
• orange & cranberry juice 
• peppermint tea 
• honey 
• apple cider vinegar (mixed w/ warm water and a bit of salt - shake or stir and gargle - on hand in case you run out of throat spray)

What's on your list this cold and flu season?

nkoyo

Headbanger - Hold the Heavy Metal

Dr. Mom appeared again last night. This is time I diagnosed Yus with a concussion. It's amazing how Sunday night J and I were just talking about how we have to be really careful where we place Yus now that his *'spaz-out'* moments are starting to happening.

I sat Yus on the kitchen floor, so I could get him some milk (big mistake) and he decided that's not where he wanted to be. It happened in an instant but here's the slow-mo version.

I sat Yus on the kitchen floor, reached for the sippy cup on the counter, turned to the fridge for the milk and then I noticed 'Super Dad' jump from the couch and I heard this bang. I turned and Yus was SCREAMING and J was picking him up.

It happened so fast. I finished getting his milk and went over to check on him and his eyes were droopy (in my opinion). I told J he had a concussion and that we should head over to Elmhurst Immediate Care. I'm telling all this to a man who has had 5 count them 5 concusions in his HS football career. He politly said, "I think he's fine. In an hour if he hasn't perked up we can call the nurse and head over."

In short, we didn't have to go to Immediate Care and J's judgement was spot on. An hour later he had finished dinner and was playing around like nothing happened. I did do the follow the finger and eye test just to make sure before he went to sleep 5 hours later. :)



*'spaz-out' moment - noun. akward movement, tantrum; verb. to lower one's self to the ground in order to get their way*

nkoyo

Diaper Rash - Really?

Oh Lawd! How could this happen. Yes, my boy has his first diaper rash EVER. It snuck up on me, like a cat in the night. I can't believe I let this happen. Clearly, the diaper was on to long - and my sense of smell was taken from me the other night due to a stuffy nose. But that is NO EXCUSE, a mommy should know :-/.

After I beat myself up about it. Instead of using wipes I used a luke warm wash cloth to clean the area, and proceeded to start our night time ritual. Bath time was the worst, since I had to use soap and the rash was fresh. I carefully dried him off and used so much Vaseline it was insane. I must of gave Yus a million kisses and hugs and told him, "I was so sorry". I even woke up in the middle of the night to change his diaper and re-apply Vaseline. The next morning - the diaper rash was almost defeated, the area was size-ably smaller. Thank you Mr. Vaseline and all your healing properties.

How we prevented the rash for so long:

- frequent changes

- always using vaseline as a barrier

- once in daycare - we instructed his teacher to use vaseline as well and kept a jar at school

- for more info click here

Oh, this is the worst feeling for me and I'm pretty sure for Yus too. Ah! I can't believe this.

nkoyo

Night Time Update:

So, I had brief success with Yus sleeping straight through the night. Until, the tooth-fairy gods decided it was time for his two top side teeth to come in. Really?! Come on, I mean things were going great! Two weeks straight of him sleeping through the night with minimal fuss. And now this! The 1:30am wake-up is back in affect with the new addition of the "Oh! No, I'm not getting back in MY crib to suffer alone with this teething" cry.

So, now I'm on a bi-nightly co-sleep with a fish out water, named Yus, and a hibernating summer bear, called a husband. Ahhhhh! thank goodness for the commute to and from work on the train, otherwise the word sleep would not be in my vocabulary. Really!?! Tooth fairy gods. I have a serious bone to pick with you. 

Any suggestions other than tooth numbing gel (currently using) and taking the "edge off" are welcome. :) PLEASE HELP ME!

nkoyo

Ma'ma, M.D.

What a rough weekend. My baby came home from daycare on Friday with 'the crusty eye'. Our first thought was that he just had some left over eye boogies from his car ride nap. But as the evening wore on and his eyes got puffy, our second thought was that he had an allergic reaction to the oranges he had for snack at lunch. We did our usual bedtime routine and when Yus woke up at quarter six Saturday morning we realized it was not 'the crusty eye' and definitely NOT an allergic reaction. My baby had pink eye, OMG my life is over! Of course my drama ensued and we took him to Immediate Care and were first in line. Yes, I raced a woman in to the hospital to make sure my lil' man was first. She was just there to get blood work so, my race to the finish was null-en-void. But anyway, the nice doctor confirmed, Yus had conjunctivitis, (redness and swelling of the mucous membrane that lines the eyelid) and prescribed anti-biotic eye drops. 

Now, that he's doing much better. I have to wonder how I can keep him from the inevitable. I know it's nearly impossible to keep him from the common cold, a soar throat, tummy ache, and all the other ailments. But a mother has to wonder, if I keep him in a bubble would he really be safer? I know the answer is no, but I can't help but think the bubble is a good idea. 

Here are some common symptoms courtesy of WebMD: 

• eye redness
• swollen, red eyelids
• tearing
• itching or burning feeling
• sensitivity to light 
• eye drainage

swollen eyes

nkoyo