High Maintenance Mom

I am lucky enough to live near a city with some of the best medical facilities in the world so I have no problem trusting the medical advice they give me. So when Mr. H1N1 came to town and a vaccine become available I started researching and talking to everyone and anyone. I was open to theories, conversations and debates. I found a lot of information through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov. I also searched the New York Times web site at www.nytimes.com for articles from doctors and researchers. I called my pediatrician friends, ER doctor friend, my kids pediatrician and my fellow parents for their take on all of the H1N1 uproar. Some days I wanted to bag the whole idea of a vaccine and others thought it was a must. As it stands now, I have made an appointment for dose #1 of the H1N1 mist for my two children ages two and four. I will continue to watch for news about any reactions for those who have had the mist in the few weeks before my kids first dose and trust my decision for my family. My kids will also get the seasonal flu shot which they get each year. My husband and I will get both vaccines as well. Have I made the right decision? I may never know but what I do know is that I have researched the issue and have come up with a decision I live with.

My daughter had ear tubes placed in both ears yesterday and I am pleased to report everything went well. In a follow up to a recent post entitled "Myringotomy-those ear tubes everyone seems to have", I have a few tips and suggestions for those contemplating the surgery. In an effort to calm myself, as always, I did a ton of research via the internet, my daughter's pediatrician and other parents whose child had the surgery. Then I weighed the pros and cons and made the appointment....

When my daughter was born 3 years ago I was ready with the usual sensitive skin and laundry care. I took extra care in making sure her skin was hydrated and rash free. By the time she was 2 years old I realized that she had very normal skin not prone to dryness or rashes. However, it was about that time that my son was born and he was a different ball game all together.....

My daughter had 5 ear infections last year and has one now. After a few people commented (her teachers and grand father) that she is not pronouncing all her letters, I took her in for a hearing test. She was diagnosed with mild hearing loss because of the constant fluid that has been in her ears for what we can only imagine is months. Every time she sees her Pediatrician for a post ear infection check, the fluid is still in her ears albeit clear.

S took B and N to the dentist in July. B has one really deep cavity that will require a baby root canal and one cavity that needs to be filled. N has pre-cavities that require special toothpaste. We felt we had neglected our child even though I spend countless hours making sure they eat healthy whole grain food that is low in sugar. In addition to feeling like awful parents, we were also angry with our dentist. B was in for a checkup before starting kindergarten and again to try to remove his two front teeth (see Having baby teeth pulled by the dentist. Apparently the dentist didn't x-ray during the first appointment and only x-rayed the front teeth on the second...

Many of B's friends started to lose their baby teeth when they were five but because B's teeth came in late, I assumed he would also lose his late. When he turned six and still didn't have any loose teeth, I decided to push on a few of his teeth and I was surprised to see his bottom two permanent teeth growing in behind his baby teeth. We were very excited he was finally getting adult teeth but when we showed them off, we were told they might need to be pulled. The dentist told me not to worry. We'd make an appointment in five weeks and if the teeth weren't out, they would be pulled. After they were pulled, B's tongue would move the adult teeth into place. It sounded relatively simple and although I hoped they would come out naturally, his teeth didn't loosen before the appointment. When the dentist saw the shark teeth he immediately told us he needed an x-ray and we would most likely need to see an oral surgeon to have them removed...

If you or your children need surgery or you are going to be giving birth, it's helpful to think about and find the comfort items that will make you feel better. My list includes "chick-flick" movies/tv shows, comfy clothes, food, and ice packs. My favorite items that I brought to my recent gum surgery were bought for a long flight, the Bucky Fuzzy Wuzzy neck pillow and the Bucky Eye Shades with Earplugs. I was allowed to use the neck pillow, eye pillow, and ear plugs during my surgery. They really made me feel comfortable. I also had my iPod with music but due to the sedation, I really didn't care for it...

I had gum surgery 10 days ago and am still recovering. In my quest to find things I can eat (drink?), I've been revisiting many of the foods we gave to our kids when they were younger. My favorite appliances, not including the TV/TiVo which provided entertainment for three days of icing my face, have been our Waring Bar Blender and Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender. I use each of them at least once a day. I started with smoothies and from there have been looking for additional nutrients in a blended form - much like I did for my kids. One of the challenges I face is that I can't digest dairy foods or handle lots of sugar. Many smoothies, puddings, and soft comfort foods contain a lot of sugar so I've had to work hard to find things that won't make me miserable. Below are a few of the foods I've been eating. The next post will cover other comfort items...

My son is 11 weeks old and while we just celebrated a full nights sleep, we also morned the arrival of his first cold. I was extremely annal about my toddler going near him the first few weeks and have been a hand washing fanatic since my daughter was born two years ago. Sometimes bugs just get through the barrier of hand washing, cautious sneezing and coughing and good vitamins. My son is doing so well, all things considering.

I had been using my humidifier to soothe my baby when a friend showed me their white noise machine (Marpac White Noise Machine Sleep Mate Sound Screen 980 Dual Speed Sound Conditioner) which can be purchased via amazon.com.