Road rash from running shoes

These (Champion) shoes...

are made for walking... and climbing... and running...

in the life of a VERY ACTIVE 15-month old boy named Sydney.

Unfortunately, sometimes, when wearing these shoes, Sydney falls down.

This morning, we were outside and mommy pointed out that there was a basset hound/beagle standing at the corner near our house. Sydney took off running. Unfortunately, his feet got ahead of himself and he ended up tripping. As if in slow-motion, by ironically SUPER FAST, I watched his feet running through the air Charlie-Brown-style as he flipped over onto his face. I think I held my breath, hoping that his right arm would be OK since it is still "healing" from his Greenstick Fracture from last month, but his face seemed to be the only injury incurred.

Immediately, I picked him up. He was crying, which is not like him. (I think it scared him more than anything.) "You banged your head." I announced as he rubbed his forehead with his hand. He had some blood on his nose and I saw that his face was all scraped up. I took him inside so we could look at it in the mirror.

"Look, there is some blood on your nose." I pointed out.

Sydney took that as a cue to QUICK, wipe your face on mom's yellow shirt. I grabbed a Kleenex and we dabbed at the remaining blood. Then, he pointed at his eye. "Should we wipe there, too?" I asked. He nodded his head YES so that we dabbed gently there, too.

Sydney decided that some fresh blueberries would make him feel better. (Must be the healing power of those anti-oxidants that he was craving, right?) 

We took a self-portrait to document his fresh battle wounds before heading off to the dining room. (He just wanted to play with the camera.) 

As he sat in his highchair, I noticed that his face was starting to look tiger-striped and appeared to be looking worse than our self-portrait, just minutes earlier. His puffy lower eyelid/cheek was starting to ooze a little bit, too.

I called Aunt Sue for her medical advice on cleaning it: Warm, soapy water and some anti-biotic ointment, for sure, she suggested. Peroxide if he was cooperative. Needless to say, we skipped the peroxide because washing his face is more than enough battle. 

Uncle John called on the phone and we chatted for a few minutes while Sydney ran around the living room, smelling like poop. After I was off the phone, I diapered him and was then, able to put SOME ointment on him, but he wouldn't let me get much by his eye. (His forehead, nose and cheek were all OK to touch.) He, proudly, watched in the mirror as we smeared it on him. 

Shortly thereafter, we headed upstairs for a nap. I noticed that he had started rubbing his face and eyes, which is his tell-tale sign that he is tired. (Itchy nose, most of the time.) Then, he smeared his oily fingers on a page of his book. Hard to imagine how much ointment will be left after his nap, as he tends to flip his face from side-to-side when falling asleep.

Good thing that Daddy reminds Mommy often: BOYS GET BUMPS!

YAY! Smelly cast is off and now we can play/MS update

This afternoon, we took Sydney in to get his cast taken off. 

First, they took us to a room where they used some sort of saw, attached to a vacuum - which was VERY LOUD and reasonably scary for a 15-month old boy, despite Daddy trying to calm him with a series of reassuring "it's OK's". Daddy held Sydney on his lap and had to keep ahold of his "good arm". After sawing through it on both sides, the nurse had to use a funny medical scissors to cut through the inner layers of gauze. By the time she had gotten to the scissors, Sydney had enough and wanted no more.

We all clapped when it came off and Sydney sported a GREAT BIG SMILE!

After the cast was off, we washed his (rotten smelling) arm in the sink before heading to Xray.

After Xray, we went back to our room where Mike cut the gauze out of the inside of the cast so that it would smell better - should we decide to keep it for Sydney's memory box. 

The doctor came into the room, wearing clothes more suitable for a golf course - yet again, and asked us "So, tell me why you're here."

We looked at each other puzzled and said "We just got his cast taken off."

Arrogant doctor asks "So, how did he break it?"

Mike wanted to ask him if he shouldn't check his notes to recall that we HAD been there before and in the 12 seconds that we had previously met the man, he charged us $577. Instead, we repeated what had happened just 3 short weeks ago.

Arrogant doctor informed us that Sydney's xRay looked fine and his bone is healing well. He pressed on Sydney's arm in the spot that was sore last time. (Last time, the arrogant doctor pressed on it and Sydney SCREAMED in pain.) This time, no reaction from Sydney.

The doctor was attempting to watch Sydney eat Cheerios, hoping that he would use his right hand so that the doctor could make sure it was working OK, but Sydney was sitting so that it was more convenient to eat with his left hand. Mike started to reposition Sydney so that the right hand could be used, but the doctor had seen enough.

He handed Mike a sheet of paper that said to come back in a month for more xRays.

I questioned "Was it not healed yet on today's xRays?"

"It IS healing, but it isn't healed yet so, you can bring him back in a month and we'll check to make sure it is OK."

Then, I thought it was important to mention about Sydney's calcium intake as of late. "We recently stopped breastfeeding in a hurry and Sydney is not interested in drinking cow's....."

"You will have to speak with your pediatrician." the arrogant doctor stated, cutting me off mid-sentence.

Frustrated with the doctor's arrogance, Mike jumped in by saying "She's concerned about the healing of his arm, knowing that he isn't getting as much calcium in his diet as he was before - just to make sure that it doesn't hinder the healing of his arm."

"That shouldn't be a problem." the arrogant doctor replied.

When we left the room, we marched right past the reception desk. We did NOT set up another appointment for a repeat xRay in a month. Mike's thinking is that: If Sydney's arm is healed enough to not need a cast on it, there doesn't seem to be a reason for us to repeat an Xray so that the arrogant doctor can charge us EVEN MORE money. (We figured that if he tends to favor the arm or acts as if it is bothering him, we may consider bringing him back, but it looks like it's working JUST FINE!) Mike thinks that because it was a small crack in his radius bone, nowhere near a growth plate - that it is less critical than if it had been two bones snapping apart and needing major repair.

Perhaps, we should have asked to SEE the new xRay - since we had seen the initial Greenstick fracture xRay, but it was not offered to us for viewing by the arrogant doctor. 

After-the-fact, as we walked to the car, I questioned Mike "Do you think he was playing dumb with us to see if we told the same story as last time... you know, to make sure that we're not abusing him?" (We agreed that it was a logical explanation, but still feel that the doctor didn't give us the time of day on our last visit, being that his staff did all of the work. His staff, by the way, was very nice.)

• • • • •

This afternoon, Sydney was SUPER EXCITED to play with his friend Lucy. Kate and Lucy came down to our house to play. (Lucy had been sequestered due to a MRSA infection that has now been healed and given a green light to play with kids again.) The two very active toddlers ran ALL OVER our living room and dining rooms and both resulted in hot, sweaty messes. Lucy's hair, when wet, becomes naturally curly. Sydney's wet head just stuck up all over. (Part of that may have been from one of Lucy's many hugs.) Now that Sydney is such a good kisser, he even gave his friend Lucy a kiss. It was SO CUTE!

The hot, sweaty kids enjoyed some lemonade out of sippy cups, but found it difficult not to share cups with each other.

It was a sad time for everyone when Kate and Lucy had to go home for dinner, but Kate assured us that they'll come back to play again. Sydney, Mike and I followed them out to their car and Sydney waved BYE-BYE to his friends.

• • • • • • 

Sydney took a shower tonight with Daddy. Thankfully, with that smelly cast off, we could forego the bagging of the arm and were able to let Sydney freely play in the water. We hope for a good day tomorrow... it seems like FOREVER since we've played in the kiddy pool or the sandbox. (And maybe, we'll have to take Daddy to the park so that there are 2 adults to help Sydney play on the slide again!)

• • • • • •

We've been playing phone tag with the nurses at UW-Madison all week. One called back late-afternoon/early evening to say "Doctor Fleming wanted me to get ahold of you because he wants you to go back on Copaxone." 

Gulp. I guess that sums it up... no more arguing or putting it off; The good doctor has spoken.

The nurse is calling in my prescription for the auto-injector from the drug company and the shots from my mail-order specialty pharmacy first thing in the morning. Lucky me. I'd GUESS that they MAY even be here by the end of the week.

Looks like we should stop to buy alcohol wipes, dot band-aids and a new Sharps container when Mike takes me to my eye doctor appointment on Thursday afternoon.

• • • • • • 

Was VERY UNCOMFORTABLE today. Nursed last on Friday morning. Pumped briefly on Saturday morning. Sprayed some out by simply applying a light touch of my hand on Sunday. Monday, felt as if I was going to burst and kept getting wet spots on my shirt from the pressure of (painfully) picking Sydney up. Yesterday, I stood, leaning over the bathtub for a few minutes, and the extremely sore left breast kept drip, drip, dripping into the tub, without me touching ANYTHING; just gravity and pressure was enough to make it drip. This morning, talked to a mom from the breastfeeding support group who had already weaned because she found out she is pregnant again... she suggested that I pump (at least) once a day for a few minutes to relieve the pressure. That way, I am giving my body more of a natural drop-off, rather than rapidly (within just 10 days) going from 10+ feedings, to 6, to 4, to 3, to 2, to 1, to nothing. (Fastest recommended weaning by lactation consultants is to drop JUST ONE feeding per day-and-a-half. If not in a hurry, recommended is to drop one feeding every 3-7 days.) Jeez, no wonder I am SO SORE! 

Felt A LOT BETTER after pumping! Hope to even get some sleep tonight without the over-full, throbbing breasts keeping me awake.

Boys play rough

Thanks to Sydney and his cast, I have a scratched sclera (white part of my eye) and a fat lip. The cast was accidently used as a club, smacking my mouth in the process. As for my eye, Sydney clawed his hand through the air, aimed directly at my eye. I'm not sure what brought that new action on, but I hope that move is done for now.

I had a bright red dot within my sclera immediately after it was introduced to Sydney's finger. Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, the dot has faded away, but that corner of my eye is pink and VERY sensitive. Hopefully, some rest will make it look better for the morning.

Mommy prefers when Sydney gives lots of hugs and kisses or when he climbs onto my back. (Then, I announce that "I have a monkey on my back!" and Sydney giggles.)

Daddy and Grandpa Lowell have been rough-housing with him more and more often so, I think that the TRUE BOY genes are shining brightly.

Man 'o man, boys play rough.