frazzled & frumpy

Noah has been sick for four days. Fever. Stomach stuff. Lethargic. Won't eat. Now, I'm not one of those paranoid moms who rush their kids to the ER for every cough and sniffle. I think I'm pretty level-headed. Until you add in the internet. This morning, Noah was on my bed watching Word World. I was being a really good mom and reading blogs. I looked over and he was sort of curled up. "My tummy hurts." I could see he meant it. Since I was on the internet anyway, I decided to get a little free medical advice. How could the internet be wrong?  I found my way to webmd and their symptom checker. After putting in his age and gender, I got down to business. Please check the following symptoms- Severe stomach pain -- check! Then a question- Is your child's abdomen swollen or hard (rigid) to the touch? Hmm. I got up, made Noah lay flat and pulled up his pj shirt. Oh, yeah. His stomach was rock hard, like he was trying to imitate Matthew McConaughey...

Today I did this- woke up at 4:30am. The Handy Man forgot to turn off his alarm and it woke me while he showered. I never got back to sleep. I exercised, though, so it was all good. went to the doctor (hypothyroidism causes a once/year visit).  Interesting tidbit- this doctor (this is the first time I've gone to him) lives in my neighborhood and goes to my church. He asked about a pap smear, and said he could refer me to someone else. Um, yeah. There is no way in hell I'm having that exam by someone I'll see every Sunday.  grocery shopping. I used to enjoy this. Not anymore.  laundry. Always laundry.  read Dean Koontz. Love his books and the way he weaves his insight about writing into his fiction. "Writing isn't a source of pain. It's psychic chemotherapy. It reduces your psychological tumors and relieves your pain." (Odd Thomas) Took a nap with Noah. Now, he's wide awake with no sign of going to bed. made spaghetti and garlic bread.  Now...

It's a lazy morning. Noah is in the tub. Jacob is downstairs asleep. He had a very traumatic experience yesterday called 'getting your ingrown toenails removed'. Of all my kids, he has the lowest pain tolerance. Seriously. He's a big baby. Really big. And, if you even mention the word 'shot' his face goes white and he almost passes out. So, we went to the doctor's office and he sat down on the table. The cute nurse pulls out a needle and begins to fill it. I thought he might puke. Once she got all the supplies ready, in walks Brother, I mean, Doctor S. (He lives in our ward.) Jake laid down and Dr. S started with the numbing. This was a very difficult thing for me. Jake was literally writhing on the table. I think I even saw a tear. Thing is, when your kid gets to be 16 and he's taller than you, there isn't much you can do for them when they're in pain. My little kids would welcome my comforting hand holding theirs or even if I hugged them during...

This morning, on the radio, I heard Amy Grant's song, "Baby, Baby". That song came out when I was pregnant with my first, Chip. I have a distinct memory of driving home from work one day and that song came on. Since I was finally still after a morning of interpreting, Chip was happily moving around in my extended tummy. I put my hand on my belly and sang at the top of my lungs. I was soooo happy to be having a baby. That was 18 years ago. My baby is taller than I'd ever imagined he'd be. He's an independent senior in high school. He has a date for homecoming tomorrow. He's not a baby anymore. But, when he's sick, I'm still his mommy. I can still take care of him, making breakfast, bringing him Gatorade and his medicine. I worry about him and still get those 'oh-my-gosh-I-hope-its-not-serious moments, especially when he gets ENORMOUS hives all over his body. Life goes on and many things change. The love of a mother never does. When I took thes...

Here are a few lessons learned this week- When you send your husband and three boys to scout camp, you should not save your worry for the ones under 18. Buying shoes for camp at DI is a very good idea. ($8 Nikes, not bad.) A freshly sharpened ax will cut straight through $8 Nikes, skin and the tendon to your toe. Taking your husband to the doctor is very different than taking your kids. (Did you realize your husband could answer for himself? Took me a while.) If you sever the tendon to your second toe, your surgeon will give you the option of not having surgery, thus leaving you with a floppy toe for the rest of your life. Men do not want to have any appendage on their body referred to as 'floppy'. Hose on men- not sexy. Putting TED hose on your man- a little bit sexy. A hospital can fancy-up their cafeteria with a cool name-Mountain View Cafe and Grill- but, it's still hospital food. Having your husband home for a week is fun, having him home for a week in bed on Lortab...