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April 19, 2003
Season’s Change
Just when Jaida seemed to be getting better, Jarod started the cycle of what looked like an asthma attack. Last Saturday morning, Steve and I awoke at 3:45 to the sound of the seal cough. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and realized Jarod was crying. When I got to his room, he was sitting straight up in bed struggling to breathe and cough. The first thought I had was I ran the stupid humidifier too many nights. But Jarod’s sinus infection had left behind a lot of stuff that was hard to get out and his nose had been slightly bloody a few mornings. The nurse at the doctor’s office suggested I try the humidifier to loosen things up and get his nasal passages back to normal.
The weather also did a flip-flop last week. Monday through Thursday a cold front came in that took us back to winter for a few days. We actually needed coats; it was that cold. By Friday, we were back to a balmy 75 degrees. Anyway, Steve reminded me of this while Jarod was getting his breathing treatment. By the time it was finished, Jarod’s chest was rising and falling normally and he was going back to sleep. He seemed to be okay when he woke up at 7:00 so we went about our day and I kept a close eye on him. I made sure he got his regular meds and another treatment before bed.
It was my MIL’s weekend to take the kids. Sunday morning, Jarod woke up coughing but not too badly. I gave him an albuterol treatment and it stopped. My MIL called to say that he had woken up from his nap coughing so Steve and I went to get him and Jaida. He coughed all the way home and we gave him a treatment as soon as we got in the door. I will be so glad when he is old enough to use an inhaler. It is now 9:45 and he is still coughing. I’ve given him two breathing treatments, Delsym 12-hour cough syrup, a dose of Tanafed and his Singulair. Needless to say, I will be calling the doctor as soon as they open tomorrow. The cough has subsided and he is sleeping through it, but maybe something else needs to be done.
My MIL Gets a Taste of Jaida’s Mood Swings
Also on Sunday, Jaida had one of her famous fits. My MIL had never witnessed one of those before. When we got into her house, I heard crying. From the garage/mud room I couldn’t tell who it was. I rounded the corner into the family room to see Jaida in a heap on the floor with fluid coming from all her facial orifices. I asked Jaida what was wrong. My MIL said, “She won’t tell me. She won’t let me pick her up or do anything.” Oh Lord, a crying jag. Steve went over to try and calm her down. He cradled her in a bear hug and talked softly in her ear. Jaida moaned and tried to wriggle free from his grasp so he let her go.
I explained to my MIL that it was best not to ask Jaida any questions because she wouldn’t answer even if she could. Stubborn as usual, she kept trying to talk to Jaida and give her a hug. The crying resumed, only a few decibels louder. My MIL looked confused, “She’s never been like that before.” I reassured her, “She has one of these at least once a week. Sometimes we know what sets her off and other times we have no idea.” Steve echoed what I said, “The more you try to talk to her, the longer it will go on. You just have to leave her alone. Kim’s mom would try to talk to her and act like we were being cruel because we didn’t rush to console her. You just can’t sometimes when she’s like this.”
My FIL came stumbling into the room from a nap and he tried to get Jaida to give him a hug. The crying started up again when my MIL tried to take her hand. Jaida let out a shriek and jerked away. Can’t these people see she is not in the mood? I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. When we got in the van, Jaida was disturbed because Steve was driving. “Why isn’t Mommy driving?” Steve said, “Mommy is tired, so I drove.” At least the crying had stopped and she wasn’t moaning or twisting in her booster seat. However, the questions continued all the way home and at times our answers were less than satisfactory. How many hours is it until bedtime again?
Unrealistic Expectations
I’ve finally figured out what bugs my mom the most. She doesn’t like to see the kids experience anything unpleasant. Neither do I for that matter, but she takes it too far. We live in a world that is coming close to constant instant gratification. I’m trying to teach Jaida and Jarod that sometimes in life you do have to wait for things. Furthermore, waiting will not kill you. If I’m busy in the kitchen and Jaida starts clamoring for more this or more that I tell her ‘just a minute’ so I can wrap up what I’m doing. Mom will drop everything and rush to get whatever Jaida requests while she sighs at me in disgust.
Hey, I am not a waitress and there is a proper way to ask for things. What is so wrong with teaching a child to say, “May I have some more juice, please?” That sounds so much better than, “I MEED SOME MORE JUICE!” Before I can say, “Is that how you ask for more juice?” Mom is running to fill Jaida’s cup. I’m attempting to teach Jaida to think about these things because she needs constant reminding and she knows the proper way to ask. She will repeat what she wants a dozen times after she knows I’ve acknowledged that I heard her. I’m also trying to teach Jaida that she only needs to ask once and I will get whatever she needs as soon as I get the chance. Mom just doesn’t get that. She’s always saying, “But we have to remember that she has a problem.” Yes, that is true. However, do you think anybody in the real world outside these four walls will know that just by looking at her? I will never be able to accompany Jaida everywhere or explain for her no matter how much I want to. I understand Mom’s need to protect and shield her grandchildren from the world but I can’t condone it. In the end, it won’t help any of us.
Tonight I discovered she's started a diary about how we "are always making Jaida cry or beating her". Puh-lease. One night Jaida was crying inconsolably because Steve put lotion on her legs. Mom seemed to think I made that up when she asked what was wrong with Jaida. She should know better than anybody that Jaida's behavior is not always predictable. Both preschool's were closed on Friday so I was forced to leave them with Mom. She got a full day's dose of Jaida and her erractic moods.
After I got back from my doctor's appointment, Mom called to tell me that Jaida had taken a stick she found outside and used it to punch a hole in the screen door to the patio. Lovely. When she asked Jaida why she did it, her answer was, "I want to go through it." If we didn't spank her for that, what would make her think we would do it for something trivial like not wanting to cooperate for lotion after a bath? Whatever. She can journal to her heart's content, just don't call me when you can't control Jaida.
Mom has also begun to psychoanalyze Jaida all the time. One morning when Jarod kept throwing his fork and finally his breaskfast on the floor, I went towards him to take it away. Jaida immediately began saying she was going to hurt me and to get away from her. She even called me a few names. Mom kept trying to shush her but she went on for at least five minutes. Mom's explanation was, "When she feels threatened, she says those things." Bull. She wasn't being compliant about getting her hair combed either. What caused that, Sigmund? Jaida was being Jaida and trying to freakin' control everybody. I never said she was dumb did I? I could go on naming the things Jaida does that would get a normal child into trouble but I can only expect you to read so much at once.
20 Weeks and My Ever-Impatient Nesting Instinct
My, how impatient I am. I will give you the short list of the things I’ve bought. A universal car seat stroller, a messenger-style diaper bag in sleek black nylon/micro-fiber, three mega packs of Huggies Supreme size one diapers and some baskets to use for storage under the changing table. I alo bought some things in pink that will now have to be exchanged, ahem. I have never had a small baby during winter so I’m going to wait to buy heavier clothes. It may not get really cold here until late November anyway. I also got bored one night and created a Babies ‘R Us registry online. I do not expect to have a shower so I don’t know why I bothered to register for anything, silly me. It was fun though!
Some other writers on PT have talked about cankles and the dreaded swelling they are caused by. Not only do I have cankles, my feet are starting to resemble those pastries called bear claws. The width of my feet and the swelling do not make for a very attractive picture. The doors on our master bedroom closets are mirrored. One night as I sat at the computer, I glanced over and caught a glimpse of my poor feet. Steve is always calling me his little panda bear and all I could think of when I saw the sideview of my foot was bear claws. I laugh at myself sometimes. On a happier note, I found a pair of Minnetonka slide-style sandals for my chubby little feet and they are wonderful. The top is adjustable Velcro so with any luck, I may be able to wear them next summer when my feet are back to normal.
If you’ve been to my TTM board then you know Lambchop is a boy. I have to be honest and tell you that I’ve felt that for a few weeks now. The girl vibe just wasn’t as strong as before. Please don’t think I’m disappointed because I’m very happy. I got to see a healthy baby and that is all that really matters. He was boogie-ing away in there and looking quite comfortable. Except when he was stretching his legs, which the tech said were very long. I have one picture of him resting his elbow on his knee, just chillin’. If you’ve ever seen the Kings of Comedy, it looked like what D. L. Hughley calls the ‘jail pose’. I thought it was hilarious. I have five pictures and I will try to scan the best ones and add them to our babies’ online page. The tech even printed me one with an arrow pointing to his little “turtle” as they call it.
Mostly, I was happy to see that all of his organs were properly formed and there were no obvious abnormalities. I can hardly believe I’m blessed enough to witness this miracle for the third time. I mean, his spine, heart and limbs are all there and functioning normally. It is just amazing to me that a whole other person can be perfectly formed in such a short amount of time and is growing inside my body. Although she said his legs were really long, his estimated weight was 12 ounces which is average for this stage. I had only gained two more pounds so I guess that was some kind of growth spurt last time. I hope not to have another one of those. ;)
Unfortunately, the tailbone pain that plagued me for almost 18 months after Jarod was born has returned. Jarod descended so quickly during his birth, I think his head damaged a nerve. Dr. D confirmed that my tailbone was bruised during my six-week exam but I think that was only part of it. By then I could barely sit square on my butt without excruciating pain. When it was still bothering me a year later my doctor sent me for a lumbar x-ray. Nothing was broken but there was no obvious answer for the pain either. Now I guess my ligaments and joints are softening again so the pain must be from that. Sigh…only 20 more weeks to go.
Jarod’s Into Streaking
Jarod’s latest hobby is trying to dress and undress himself. He emerged from his room after his nap today wearing both pieces of his pajamas around his waist. It’s quite entertaining to watch. We discovered he had both legs through the neck of the pajama top and one leg of the shorts. I should have taken a picture. But Jaida cut the USB cable for my digital camera and I have yet to get another one. Anyway, that's another story.
Since Jarod has become slightly potty trained we normally let him wear Pull-Ups. These days, it’s not uncommon to look up and see him proudly strutting by with his butt peeking out from under his shirt. Most of his pants and shorts are pull-on style so he has no trouble removing them. After he has soiled a Pull-Up he will remove it no matter where he is. That has made for some interesting scenarios around here lately. One of us is always chasing him to keep him from spreading the contents of a dirty diaper all over the place. Yuck!
Is It Going to Rain Tonight?
Jaida has become terrified of rain. Actually, she’s more afraid of the thunder and lightning that accompanies the rain. When a storm comes in the middle of the night, we will often be awakened by Jaida creeping into our room. Sometimes she screams from her room, “Daddy, I’m scared!” If the storm is short she will go back to her bed without much protest. But if it goes on for more than a half hour, she’ll be joining us for the rest of the night. We’ve tried to assure her that the rain can’t hurt her but she can not be convinced. Every night before bed we have to answer the same question, “Is it going to rain tonight?”
Well, this is long enough for one entry!
Happy Easter from Kim, Jaida, Jarod & Lambchop
PS~ Updated pics are on both websites!
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/n/nowucme
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/t/threescompany
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