Adventures in Parenting - Part II

The boys both had the flu.. then DH got it.. lastly, and most definitely, Mom gets it.. and like most of you who know the Wild Mohawk, I can't do anything in a small way.. not even get the flu..

I got it big time.. and pneumonia, a chest infection and bronchitis. Sounded like a baby with croup I did.. .. went to the doctor on Sunday no less! cuz I couldn't sleep or breath well.. thought I'd die and was afraid I wouldn't.

Now first of all.. no doctor should look like he's fifteen years old and too young to shave.. but this one does.. he tested all kinds of things.. told me I didn't have a strep infection in my throat, just congestion, inflammation and irritation.. I thought, I'll give him irritation.. but I held my tongue....and then this little whipper snapper told me I had pneumonia, and I had two choices I could take steroids or go directly to the hospital..   no options.. no other choices.. Gee I wish I'd brought my scalping knife..

So steroids it is.. I look up the side effects sleeplessness/sleep disorders, racing thoughts, paranoia, difficulty concentrating.. did I mention paranoia? I'm paranoid already.. my ex husband who has borderline personality disorder took steroids for five days and had a full blown paranoid ideation that frightened half of our street almost to death..

Gee do these things work fast.. one dose and my throat had stopped swelling up.. I could cough without feeling half my lungs were being ripped out.. was able to sleep lying down rather than propped up on pillows.. and the elephant who'd spent several days on my chest took up residence elsewhere.. can we say three cheers for steroids? and not a single side effect thus far.. I slept six hours last night.. which for me is a record..

This young fella even gave me some stuff to loosen up the goop in my lungs so I could get rid of it and even tho the pills were big enough to choke a horse they worked really fast.. had to crush the first one and put it in jam to swallow it..

So, today I feel almost human again.. just got night sweats and fever to deal with..

15 years in Manitoba and I only once got the flu.. been here a year and had it twice this winter.. Doctor says "them Utah germs are just bigger than those in Canada.. and next year get the flu shot." I had the flu the day they were doing flu shots and they wouldn't let me have it!

So I hope life in our house is getting back to normal..

Have I mentioned my ten month old son, who's been walking since nine months and one week is adding problem solving to his list of talents.. his other two being a two legged imitation of Tigger, bouncing all over, and making endless experiments with gravity.. he learned to walk at first by bouncing on his feet, until he looked like a funny rabbit hopping across the floor.. not bad for a baby who couldn't roll over or sit up at nine months.

Next, he put all the blankets at the end of the crib and did his best to crawl out.. almost succeeded he did! Time for one of them netty things to keep him in I think...

He pushes chairs over to things he's not allowed to get up on and climbs away.. he puts his bottle in the V shape of the wooden baby gate, props it there, drops his hands and drinks his bottle.. looking at me with this twinkle in his eye as if to show me how smart he is..

And knows that if he pulls the table cloth off the table that anything he wants will fall where he can get it.. but never until he's warned you that he's going to do and gives you a chance to race over and stop him.. if you can't move fast enough off it comes.. while he grins...

Oh yes.. and that way too young doctor? Told me I'm in great shape for a grandmother who's doing the 'mom thing' with two babies under one. Asked me what I was putting in my oatmeal to give me so much energy and maybe I should share with him so he could let his mom know about it!

Deedee