Thursday, August 04, 2005

Disappearing Act

TaDa! here I am! Did you miss me? All...one of you? haha.

Not sure where I've been, guess life has just been a blank page for me lately. But is life really ever blank? Just like, is life really ever THAT good or even THAT bad? Due to what I call my "previous life" (aka. first marriage), I've learned to look at each day as separate and its own mini-adventure.

You'd like an example?

Today is a good one. Isabella slept fitfully all night because she ran a fever. At 2am , her fever was 102.3. Being a new mom, I panicked. Being a new mom with a mother-in-law who's a nurse, I was able to overcome the panic and remember that babies get high fevers and there are simple ways to aid them in bringing it down to normal.

She woke up her usual self, poking my eye and talking up a storm. Then it dawned on her that she still felt like crap, so she began to cling to me and whine. Any other day, the whining would just about make me scratch out my own eyeballs, but keeping it in check that she felt like warmed over doo-doo, I just held her close and called the nurse.

*Note to all new moms. CALL THE NURSE. They are there to help, no matter how stupid you may feel asking the question!*

She hated the nurse, as expected....screaming, writhing and clinging. But then I learned valuable information. If you have a fever, don't take a cool bath, take a warm one. It will help draw out the fever. HELLO. Hasn't everyone's mother always made you take a cool bath?? See? Things DO change over 30(something) years!

Anywho...long story short, what could have been wrapped up as just being a Drama Day (D-Day) with many tears and worries turned out to be a day of lessons.

Don't cool a fever. Do take the "core" temp when baby is on tummy and not on her back (less ability to push or fart out the thermometer). Do be happy your baby turns to you when she hurts and know that you can comfort her. Don't give a 13-month old medicine with a measuring spoon unless you don't want her to actually get any. Do give her lots of kisses and let her know you will always try to help her feel better. And finally, don't forget that every moment of every day is a journey. Sometimes a reminder. Sometimes a new lesson. Always valuable. Always worthy of living.

7 comments:

Michelle said...

I DID notice that you were gone, but I forgot to ask you about it at the shower... I guess I just new that you would fix it! :)

Great advice, too. I hope that you caught up on your sleep, too, because I know that you didn't sleep well, either that whole day, just for fear of what could happen to her while she slept.

Crying, whining, clinging sick-feeling babies make me feel so helpless sometimes, but at least I know that the hugs and kisses and closeness I give him during that time is more of what he needs than anything else.

And, no, I didn't know about the warm bath, either! :)

Michelle said...

I wish we could edit comments.

"...I just KNEW that you..."

Amanda said...

hooray! there is my sister! i was going to have to edit the description of your blog on my blog:

"used to be my favorite blog, but now it is a big blank white page."

is bella feeling better? mom said she had an ear infection. poor sweet thing.

Jennboree said...

NO she doesn't have an ear infection! I swear, there are major communication canyons in our family!

She has a viral infection, very common in the summer. Benadryl and Tylenol along with lots of lovin will get her better in no time.

Amanda said...

oh. well, either way, i hope she is feeling better, and i am glad it is not e.coli...

lol...

Melinda said...

YEAH!!! You're back...I missed your talk of life that I don't know about! :) Hope that Bella is feeling better!! Talk to you soon! Bye

chirky said...

um, can you write up a little manual, complete with an index, and then pass it out to all new moms?

that will include me, in two-ish years.

thank you. :)