"IDIOT" Stamped On My Forehead

Well, I am sure when all was said and done on Friday, I must have had "idiot" stamped on my forehead.

It all started Thursday evening. We went to Joel's sister's house for dinner with her family.  We were missing them desperately.  Last year we saw them almost every day. This year those days are few and far between.  Sarah and her kids spent the last week in Disney World.  So when she got back, I demanded that we have dinner together.  (It had been almost 2 weeks since we had seen them!)  Gus didn't really seem like himself over there.  Very clingy.  He is NOT a cuddler so I knew that he wasn't quite himself.  He felt a little warm but nothing to be too concerned about.  He wouldn't eat his food, but he would eat only applesauce.  He is still getting teeth in so I assumed that was the problem.  He didn't want to chew, he was a little warm and he was clingy.  Didn't think too much more about it, brought him home, gave him some baby medicine and sent him to bed.

Friday morning, around 9 AM, I got a call from Gus' sitter.  (Keep in mind I am a class advisor and it is Spirit Week so school is super crazy and as an advisor I am crazy busy during this week.)  Well, I was already frazzled before I got the call.  Stephanie was concerned because Gus' body seemed to be on fire and he seemed really lethargic.  Well, we all know that I am a hypochondriac...so I left immediately, barely grabbed my purse...no jacket.  Luckily, I was working in the counseling office at the time because I left so quickly.  I didn't even tell my boss until I was in the car driving over there.  I told him I may or may not be back so he may need to find a sub for the two classes that I teach.  I stopped at the drugstore on the way to buy a thermometer for Gus.  I wanted to know what I was dealing with.  Once I got to him, I noticed that his body was also really hot and he didn't want to move.  I took his temp...97??  That can't be right....stupid digital thermometers!!  I called the doctor anyway and they said to bring him in right away.  Well, of course this hypochondriac momma freaked out with the "right away". That must mean something serious.  So off we rushed to the doctor.

Turns out they said "right away" because they had an opening...not because of the severity of the symptoms.  Don't they know who they are talking to?!?  Really Gus' name should have flashing lights next to it.  "Warning....crazy momma!"

Gus clung to me like a koala bear (again, very unlike him).  I had to unpeel him when they tried to get his weight and temp.  I did feel a little better when his temp was still 97...but more concerned because his body was still hot.  The nurse left the room and the little koala and I hung out in the room and waited for the doctor.  I tried to grab some books from their shelf to entertain him.  He wanted nothing to do with them.  Then the door opened. ("Whew...so happy that she is finally here to figure out what is wrong with him.)

Dr: Hi Gus!  Are we not feeling well today?
Gus: HI! blah, blah, blah, blah.  (I'm sure it is very important, but we have no idea what this kid is trying to tell us.)

The doctor checks him out.  Only finds that he appears to have a sore throat.  She talks to me about how this could be the beginning of a number of things.  Talk about what to watch for, etc.  During this time, Gus has slid off my lap.  He is now pulling every book off their shelf and onto the floor.  With each one we hear, "Oh Oh" (Translation: "Uh oh")  Eventually these turn in to "hiya!" and he has begun hopping around the exam room.  He is full out jumping up and down and yelling with delight by the time we talk about what to watch for.  Lethargic?  I think not!!  So here I am turning bright red, embarrassed that my 1 1/2 year old has made a fool out of me.  It is at that moment that the doctor notices Gus' pajamas laying on the table.

Dr: Is this what he was wearing? Did he wear them all night?
Me: Yes.  We always take him to the sitter in his jammies and then she dresses him later.
Dr: Did you ever think that perhaps that is why his body was so warm and doesn't have a temperature?  Perhaps he is too hot.  And when we are too hot, we don't like to move.
Me: You have got to be kidding....Is this our official medical diagnosis?
Dr: Well, he is coming down with a cold or something, but I think that he probably was overheated this morning.
Me: Crap....

Back to the sitter Gus went and back to work I went.  Unbelievable!!

Saturday, however, I came home from my cheerleading meet to discover that Gus did in fact have a fever of 102.9.  Well, at least I know that I am not crazy....my kid is sick.  But now I have a sick kid.  :(  I left him home with his daddy while I went to chaperone the school dance. I was telling this story to a coworker who was also working the dance.  After laughing at me, she started talking about a student who had scarlet fever.....blah, blah, blah....

Crap...I hope that Gus doesn't have scarlet fever!  What are the symptoms for that?  I will have to check WebMD now and I may be calling the doctor in the morning....

Plethora of Paranoia

Sometimes I even amaze myself.  I really think that I should have a blog about my many paranoid parental moments...I have many.  The first would have been 5 minutes after Gus was born.  I watched as the doctor handed this goopey mess over to the nurse who brought him out to me and put him in the warmer.  I watched cautiously.  Gus' birthmom could still change her mind.  What if she saw him un-goopey and decided that he was too beautiful to live with us and that she wanted to keep him.  I watched through tears as the nurse lovingly cleaned Gus up and took his stats.  She turned to ask me if we had a name picked out and she stopped mid-sentence to ask if I was okay.  I guess the look of sheer confusion was written across my forehead.  (It is pretty obvious to others when my wheels are turning...I show it all over my face.)  "I'm fine...but is he supposed to be that color??"  "Yup, don't worry, he is just getting his blood flowing.  He is fine."  And then I could answer the question, that I had been waiting to answer..."Augustus".

Two weeks later we were at the pediatricians office for Gus' check up.  The doctor asked if I had any questions.  She had no clue what was coming her way.

"Should I buy him a horse?  It looks like he is bow-legged.  I'm okay with that.  He would be a good cowboy.  But do his legs look funny to you?"

After she stopped laughing at me she responded, "umm...you try being curled up in a uterus for 9 months and then see how your legs look....he is fine."

At our last appointment, I had more silly questions for the doctor and she chuckled at me.  And she explained to me that as a parent, she is very similiar to me.  And then has to switch to doctor mode.  So she understands my kind of crazy.  I then asked if I could take her home with me.  She politely declined but said that she was only going to work parttime this fall, so maybe she could babysit Gus for us.  What?!?  How cool would that be?  But I know that she wasn't serious.  But seriously, could you get a better babysitter than a pediatrician?  I bet she charges a lot.  (Sorry...rambled there for a moment.)

Well, I would say that today takes the cake.  I called this morning to try to get an appointment for Gus today for...bug bites.  I know!  Crazy!  Really....bug bites?  The bug bites were extremely large.  One behind his ear looked about the size of a half dollar when I looked at it this morning.  We were lucky enough to get an appointment.  And my paranoia paid off...left with instructions for 3 medications for Gus.  Apparently he is really sensitive to bug bites. 

I told the doctor that I felt like a nerd coming if for bug bites.  She joked with me and told me that if I wasn't careful, I was going to be added to the "crazy parent" list.  I told her it would be appropriate! She said that I was a normal crazy parent who was crazy about her kid and I am doing exactly what I should be doing...and I am quite entertaining.  I told her that she could write a book based on myself and my friend, Amy.  (Her kids go to the same office and Amy ALWAYS has good questions.)

So I decided that I don't care if I am a crazy, paranoid parent.  I am CRAZY about this silly little "bug bite" of mine!  Bring on the crazy!!!