"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....

SASSY Babies and Blogging Mommas

I was extended a great opportunity to attend the 2010 Blogger Bash sponsored by Sassy, Inc last Friday.  And the best part...Gus got to go with me!  I got to spend the whole day with my little man and with being back to work, days like this are pretty special.  We joined a bunch of SASSY babies and their mommas who are bloggers for a couple hours of fun.  And speaking of fun!  One of the bloggers is a friend from college and it was super fun to see her there! 

I learned so much about this company and about their products and I have some new favorite items.  (I have found my new "staple" for baby gift giving....some of these items are AWESOME!)  Gus had a great time playing with all of the toys, running around like a crazy man and playing with the wonderful staff at the Bash.  It is obvious that the employees of this company truly do love kids and want to create great products for them.  Just watching them interact with Gus it was obvious that kids come first!  (Special thanks to those staff members who entertained Gus so that I could actually focus on the products being shown!)  I intended to show you just a few items...but you know me.  I tend to get a little carried away.


Water Filled Teethers

It is so silly why I love these.  Not only do I just love teethers in general because Gus loves them, but FINALLY a football one!!  Many of the Sassy products incorporate both a black/white pattern and a bright color which makes it easy for them to use a soccer ball with one of their rattles.  Gus was given one of those rattles when he was born...but if you have learned anything about our family, we are a football family through and through so the soccer ball did not go over well.  I was THRILLED to let Gus get his hands on this football teether simply because it is a football.

Vibrating Textures Teether

Okay.  This teether is just down right cool.  It vibrates when Gus puts his little mouth on it.  I have seen other teethers that vibrate but it is tricky to get them to work.  With this one all he has to do is bite on the water filled parts and it starts to work.  Gus tested it out in church on Sunday.  It kept him entertained for a good 10 minutes.  For anyone who has met Gus, you know that this little boy does not sit still for anything.  He is teething right now, so I am sure that it felt good, but I didn't expect it to entertain him for so long!

Look Book

My mom bought this little book for Gus when he was very little.  Unfortunately, we do not live near family and we really want to make sure that Gus knows who his family is.  Each page has a slot where you can slide a picture in.  Gus' book is filled with pictures of his grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins.  I think that this is a great way for a little one to be able to start recognizing faces.  And if you don't want to put pictures in it, each page has a fun pattern for little ones to look at as well.

Fill and Spill Barrel

I'm not really sure what it was about this collection, but Gus LOVED it.  He carried those bananas around for quite a while and he loved to share them with the Sassy staff members.  He passed them around from person to person.  Who knew that my kid would like bananas so much?

Bumpy Ball

This was the very first toy that Gus got his pudgy little hands on at the Bash.  I liked it because he could easily hold onto the bumps and throw it around.  I also liked how when he threw it, it didn't roll away...it bounced around a little bit, but it didn't go too far which meant he wasn't off and running.  He was able to play in a smaller area.  This would be perfect for him to play with when he goes to cheerleading practice with me.  It wouldn't cause him to run off to chase it down.

Less Mess Training Spoons

These little spoons are GENIUS!!  I know that there is a lot of thought that went into them.  The holes in the spoon, there are little spots for little fingers but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the guards that they put on there so that Gus cannot jam the spoon down his throat.  Just recently we have started letting Gus use his own utensils.  I can't stand it when he gags himself.  1) Who really wants their kid to jam a spoon down his throat? 2) I hear him gag, and I gag...and I hate gagging!  I just love that someone thought to stop our little monkey from jamming a spoon down his throat.  (Thank you spoon creator genius!)

Crumb Catcher Feeding Bib

Okay.  I will admit.  I HATE plastic bibs.  I just think that they are yucky and tend to feel slimy or crunchy.  And I hate bibs with pockets.  They never seem to catch the food that Gus drops and they never seem clean enough.  I may just actually LOVE this one.  This bib has a soft back so it isn't as "crunchy" as others we have tried and it is machine washable.  The little tray actually comes off and can go in the dishwasher.  It actually makes sense and is Momma Stape friendly.

Modern Soft Sided Organizer

I HAD to add this.  It wasn't even one of their products that they were showcasing to us but I am so smitten with it.  They simply brought it full of toys for the kids to play with.  The cool thing is that it is soft.  No sharp corners for an eager little boy to bump his head on as he collides with it to get his toys out.  And it doesn't have any heavy lid or hinges where pudgy little fingers could get pinched.It also has handles so it is easy to move.  Shh...don't tell Stape, but this is something that WILL be finding a home in our humble abode.  It will be perfect!

Need a great baby gift? Be inspired. Visit www.sassybaby.com.  There are so many great products that new moms and dads would love to have for their new bambino.  Even if it isn't their first baby, they will still LOVE to have these items.  I know I would.  (hint...hint, Mom.  When your next grandbaby joins us, keep these items in mind.)

Sassy has some other PHENOMENAL products coming our way at the end of the year.  Stay tuned to my blog for more details or follow @SassyBabyToys on Twitter for all of their latest news.  You are NOT going to want to miss the new things that they are coming out with.  I am so geeked about these new items!

Do you love this brand as much as I do already?  Become a fan of Sassy on Facebook.  I have loved this brand for quite a while and consider myself quite a fan.  If you aren't a fan already, check out some of these products first hand and I know that you will be a fan.

I would love your feedback on these products, this brand or things that you wish they had.  Send me your thoughts!!



SASSY Gus

It is clear from some of these pictures that Gus and I had a good time and learned a lot.

Gus was smitten.  He chased this SASSY little girl around the whole time.  Trying to steal her toys, her bottle, her food, her shoe....poor little girl.  She was just trying to get away from this crazy little boy!

Gus hasn't quite mastered the idea of "SHARE".  How long until he understands that word?

They had a tub of water and some bath toys.  Anyone want to guess what happened to this pretty little girl when Gus came to play?  Let's just say that she didn't go home with dry clothes.  :(

I had many questions....Gus didn't care as long as he could play with whatever was in front of him.

We had a great time!!!

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!!!