A Lack of Posting Because I’m a Mean Momma and Other Happenings Around Here…

Silly Boy

All I can do is say sorry. Sorry for not posting all the crazy, wonderful, hilarious recent happenings that have been occuring in the past two weeks. Oh, wait. That’s because it really hasn’t been all that fun or hilarious lately. Oh, THAT’S why. I suppose I should clue you in…

*DISCLAIMER – You are about to be submerged in another wickedly long blog entry. Blame it on the lack of blogging lately, but I just gotta get this all out. Oh, you think I’m kidding? I promise I’m not lyin’. Check it out. Really. Scroll down for a sec. SEE! That a lot of wordage, right? When I say wicked long, I mean wicked long, yo! END OF DISCLAIMER*

So I’m a mean Momma. It’s ok. I’ll admit it. I’m not afraid. I knew I was a mean Momma before, but after chatting with Esther about the little things we do for our kids, I realized that I’m a super-mean Momma.  Because I’m one of those Mommas who mean business, if you know what I mean. Like when I ask my son to clear his place or pick up the toys in his room or go get ready for bed, we all know that I expect our 4-year-old to do as he is asked or he will lose a privledge. And once that priveledge is lost, there is NO getting it back, no sir. Oh, I heard that…don’t try to hide it…some of you gasped in horror. Yep, I’m THAT mom. Like back on the night of the 5th when Mr. B wandered into our room around 3:3o am and wanted to sleep with us, I told him that he sleeps in his bed and we sleep in ours that it was time for him to march his little booty back to bed. Then he used the most heart wrenching and tear-jerking expressions that he has come up with in his 4 young years of life. He said, in his smallest, sweetest, child-like voice, “But Momma, I just want to lay with you and be a happy family together.”

Yes, that line worked the first time, which is why he brought it out again tonight. And I told him that we are still a happy family when we are in our own beds, we just aren’t right next to each other fighting off feet in the ribs. I heard him walk away. I started to fall asleep again…I was just drifting off to a dream of eating whatever I wanted and NOT having to worry about heartburn when I felt Gila Man roll over. I felt him pick up our son and place him in between us. And I got mad. This has been one of those “things” that bug me – one of those thorns in my side, the toothpaste cap in our marriage. I say no (and even give a good reason for it), and Gila Man gives in. It probably wouldn’t bug me so much if it didn’t happen very often, but the man is a SUCKER! There is nothing more to say.

So I roll over to the farthest part of my bed to avoid the foot in the ribs action (because HEY! I’ve already got a kid working on that angle, thankyouverymuch) and attempt to fall asleep again, but of course, it’s impossible. Then Gila Man says that Mr. B has a fever. I tell him to go put the kid back in bed, because kids get fevers all the time – it’s part of being a kid, or a human for that matter. Gila Man says he’s tired because he got home from work at 2 and wants to go back to sleep. I tell him that I can’t carry Mr. B and that he shouldn’t have let the kid get in our bed in the first place (did I mention I was a mean wife, too? Oh, well I am). Gila Man picked Mr. B up and said again that he seemed hot. Then he said that he was REALLY hot, and asked where the thermometer was. Knowing that my husband has no more knowledge of how to work the ear thermometer than he would a flat iron, I resolve to drag my tired booty outa bed and get the freakin’ thing outa the cabinet to take our son’s temp. When I touch Mr. B’s forhead to turn his ear towards me, I concede that he truly IS hot…really hot. But after taking his temp and turning it towards the light to read the little screen, I realize that even I can make mistakes at nearly 4 in the morning, because how on earth can the thermometer read 106 degrees? It’ just not possible. I do it again. Same reading. I try the other ear. 105.8 My heart starts to pound. Then I remember my friend went to the ER when her son had a high temp and that I needed to alternate Motrin and Tylenol. I also told Gila Man to get a cold wash cloth.

Motrin first (it always seems to work better AND faster than Tylenol) and cold washclothes got it down to 103, then the Tylenol, more cold washclothes to the face, back of the neck and armpits got it down to 101, where it stayed for the next day (Friday). I felt like such a BAD Momma!! My poor little boy was burning up and just wanted a little cuddle time and all I could say was “Get your booty back in bed”? Wow, I guess I needed a little lesson in being selfless and kind….

The next night was more of the same; high fever that only came down with the power of Motrin and Tylenol. The next day (Saturday) was our yard sale and we combined mine, Holly’s and Callie’s stuff to make it look bigger. They brought their kids and all seemed ok, until about 10 minutes after they left. Mr. B, who didn’t eat but two bites for breakfast and had a few chomps on a hot dog for lunch told me he was tired and wanted to take a nap. What the heck? No eating AND he wanted to take a nap on his own? Weird. Almost as weird as the FOUR HOUR nap he took.  Almost as weird as him waking up from said nap and slouching to the sofa to lay lethargically and ask for water. Another thermometer reading in his ear left me with a temp of 104.8. After a round of the Motrin/Tylenol, the fever still hadn’t gone down past 103 and I made up my mind that even if kids DO get fevers, this was too much, so I headed to the ER.

Ahem, I would just like to point out that along with being a Mean Momma, I am, at the same time, NOT a Worry-Wort Momma. I don’t take my kid to the doctor at the first sign of a runny nose. I let most fevers play out without the aid of medication. I understand the kid will get bumps, bruises, scrapes and cuts. I’m ok with the sight of blood. I can hug and cuddle and help cure most problems with a gentle kiss and a “what have we learned from this” attitude. So, that being said, taking my kid to ER was a pretty serious thing. The only other time I’ve done that was when there was actually blood coming OUT of MR. B’s ear (a ruptured eardrum) and the time he slammed a HUGE window on his little hand.

So away we went with one Transformer and a Superman blanket in tow. Seeing as how I have already written a freakin’ long novel, I will hasten this account.

We got to the ER, signed in, waited 35 minutes in the miniscule waiting room, got our name called, got weighed (48 pounds), waited 15 minutes, nurse came in, took blood pressure and put little glowing clamp on Mr. B’s finger, nurse had to find a working thermometer, waited 10 more minutes, nurse took temp (only 101 by this time), asked about history, nurse left, we waited 20 more minutes, saw doctor, he looked in ears, saw ear infection, diagnosed and prescribed anti-biotic, doctor wished us luck and left, waited 30 MORE minutes, got discharged. No blood was drawn, no more questions asked. The hospital billed our insurance $450. It was nice to go home.

Sunday, Mr. B seemed better, but still not feeling well. Monday he wouldn’t eat. Monday night he was up with a fever again for half the night so he missed school on Tuesday. He wouldn’t eat Tuesday morning and started throwing up liquids, even water. Gila Man had gone to work and I couldn’t call him, but Mr. B was VERY lethargic, had a high fever and wouldn’t hold down his fluids, so I called the only clinic that was taking patients. They said I should bring him in, but they probably wouldn’t get to him until 6 pm or later (it was 4 when I called). So back to the ER we went (this time with the DVD player). ANOTHER wait. We got our name called but had to wait in triage because there were no rooms available. We were finally seen by a student Pediatrician and Mr. B was given an anti-nausea pill and a Tylenol sopository that brought down his fever in about 4 minutes. When he was able to hold down 8 ounces of water, the decided NOT to put him on an IV.  Then the doctors came in and said that he never should have been put on antibiotics because he had a VIRAL ear infection, which don’t respond to antibiotics. Still no blood drawn, so samples taken. WHAT IN THE FREAKIN HECK? How can I go the exact same hospital, to the freakin’ EMERGENCY ROOM no less, and get two completely different diagnoses for the same child with the same symptoms in 3 days??!??? But what do I do? What do I say? THEY are the doctors, right? They know what they are doing, right? I mean, I had to pay two $100 co-pays for a reason, correct? (Plus the $395 they billed our insurance) Then why do I feel like I’m in this dark swirling mass of doubt when it comes to the health of my child?

Needless to say,we threw away the antibiotics and kept Mr. B ears dry and clean.  Yesterday, yes, YESTERDAY, he ate for the first time. All we could get him to do was munch on a couple of crackers and drink his water.  He has lost 4 pounds. He has been hyper, yet listless, feverish, though pale and whiney for the last week and a half.

Today we had our ER follow-up appointment. Guess what she found.

An ear infection. A bacterial one at that. With puss and redness and everything. She prescribed antibiotics. It’g going to be another LONG week…..