Why I Love My Pediatrician

BACK STORY: 

We lived in City A while hubby went to the university.  When hubby graduated and started his job in City C, we moved out of City A and to City B, which is not technically City C, but closer than City A.  Confused yet?  We had children while we lived in City A, and therefore had a pediatrician there.  I really liked him while I was there, but didn't realize at the time just what kind of pediatrician gold I had found.  When we moved to City B, I tried 3 different pediatricians, much closer than the one in City A.  I was not pleased with any of them.  One always made me feel rushed, like he was just trying to get home.  One made me feel stupid when I didn't know if my child was where they were "supposed to be."  And one didn't even TOUCH my child!!!!  During a well child visit, she read the "survey" I had filled out, looked at me, asked me if I had any questions and said "Well, things look good.  I'll see you next time." and walked out!!!She didn't even touch my child.   So, I gave up and went back to my fabulous, albeit a bit far away, pediatrician in City A.

REAL STORY:  

I kept Kaitlyn home from school because she had mommy diagnosed pink eye. I just needed to go to the doc to get the meds.  Dang if a M(om).D. doesn't allow you to prescribe stuff!  She said her stomach hurt that morning, but she has been having stomach issues for months now, and we are already working with the pediatrician on those.  The earliest appointment my pediatrician had was at 3 in the afternoon.  This posed a small issue because all the children would be home from school (I usually try to schedule appointments during the day so I have less hangers on), but we take what we can get.  

As the day progressed, it became more clear that the stomach issue Kaitlyn was dealing with was not her "normal" pain.  By the time I picked up the kids at school to go to the appointment, she was dry heaving, but not actually throwing up.  So, here we are, on a 40+ minute car ride with a nauseated child in the back seat.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  She had a bowl, but I have had a child throw up in the car before, and while Kari hit the bowl that time, the smell was almost overwhelming.  So, when Kaitlyn got to the point that she thought she was going to throw up again, we pulled over on the side of the road.  Still just dry heaving at this point.

MORE BACK STORY:

To throw in another twist, I live right on the time zone border.  Technically, I live over the border, buuuuuut, City B is just a suburb of the much larger City C right next to it (even though City C is in a different state).  So the mayor has declared that our City B would go by the Eastern Time Zone, even though our state and border line puts us in the Central Time Zone.  Whew!  Didja catch all that?  The journey to our pediatrician lasts anywhere between 35-45 minutes (depending on traffic).  When I make an appointment in the Central time zone, I usually plan on leaving at the appointment time in the Eastern time zone, because that gives me time to drive plus a few minutes to be early to the appointment (or lateish leaving if needs be).

MORE REAL STORY:

On this particular day, we actually arrived about 20 minutes early. And they got us back to the exam room pretty soon after that.  By this point, Kaitlyn was pretty miserable.  After the nurse got her vitals and everything, the nurse came back with a cup of water and a wet paper towel.  Point 1 for the pediatricians office.  The nurse then gave Kaitlyn the trash can instead of the bowl we brought.  Point 2 for the pediatricians office.  Kaitlyn sipped the water, and was pretty much just laying on the floor.  She didn't even want to get up on the table.  

About 5 seconds before the doc came in, Kaitlyn finally, actually threw up.  Probably "all" the water she was drinking.  I have Kelsey on my lap and Dylan and Kari on either side (who are covering their ears).  The pediatrician, bless him, hears the tail end of what is happening as he is coming in, sees me, and immediately goes over to Kaitlyn, puts his hand on her shoulder, and pats her until she is done retching.  I'm pretty sure that is a 3 pointer in pediatrician point land over here.  He asks why we are there, and I told him it was mostly for the pink eye. Normally we would sweat out the stomach stuff at home for a day or two.  

He asks Kaitlyn (who is still mostly laying on the floor), if she can stand up or if he needs to come down to her.  She says she'll stand, and she does, but she is a bit wobbly.  He looks in her eye and says "Yup!  Pink eye."  Then he turns to get his stethoscope to give Kaitlyn a once over.  Kaitlyn was still a little shaky from throwing up, and she hadn't eaten all day, so when he turned around, she sat back on the floor.  After grabbing said stethoscope, Doc turns towards Kaitlyn, sees her back on the floor and says "You know what?  I'll just come down to you."  And he proceeded to do the rest of the exam while sitting on the floor by Kaitlyn. There it is folks.  The golden snitch of pediatrician land points!!! 

Now, it may just be that it is close to my time of the month (as my pimply face can attest).  Or it may be that I haven't been sleeping great, so I was a little tired.  Or it may be a billion other reasons.  But golly it made me want to cry! This is why I drive 40+ minutes to see him.  He has never made me feel rushed or like he is just trying to get through the list so he can be done for the day.  He has never made me feel stupid, or like a hypochondriac who brings in her children for every tiny thing.  He has asked for help from a partner when he wasn't 100% sure.  And, even though I don't think he remembers our names, I am fairly certain he recognizes us, and can put our family together.  I mean, we have 4 kids.  We end up there decently often :)

I literally trust him with my children's life.  I love him.  And this just illustrates all the reasons why I will keep driving those 40 minutes, keep adjusting the time zone, and keep making those appointments. :)

PS- Happy Leap Day! :)

Pa's House: Hunting

The other main reason for heading down to the woods is for the deer hunting.  Our freezer was just about empty of venison, and I think the menfolk enjoy sitting in the deer houses for some odd reason.  We arrived late Friday night, so no hunting went on then.  But both hubby and Josephine went hunting Saturday morning and both said they were afraid they were going to loose their toes to frost bite!  Babies ;)  

Strangely (to me), Saturday afternoon, several of the children wanted to go with them.  So we did the best we could with what we had, and suited them up ready to go.

I'm pretty sure that if Kelsey wasn't wearing the hat, she would still be pretty visible with that scarf and that brilliant smile!

Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning, they didn't see hardly anything.  And that wasn't always because of the children either....  They just weren't moving a lot.  Sunday night, however, hubby had a nice doe wander into his field, and he took the shot.  I know the buck have nice antlers, but I think the doe taste better.

They cleaned her up, and stuck her in the cooler so I could take her to the processor the next day.

Even Mollie got in on the proper attire.  BTW, this old lady had a birthday last week.  When we were forced to clean out the basement, I found old papers that had her birthday on it.  She turned 12!!!  

While they were cleaning the deer and getting the meat ready, they found the mushroom (spent bullet).  Hubby gave it to Kari, who thinks it is really cool :)

Usually we leave on Sunday afternoon so we can be home in time to put the kids to bed.  This time, for assorted reasons, we decided to spend the night on Sunday as well.  As long as I got the kids to school by noon, it isn't considered an absence.  So....  they checked in at 11:45 :)  Nothing like cutting it close.

Pa's House: Driving?!?!

Have I mentioned that my children are growing up?  Like, my oldest is 11 and my "baby" is now 4.  Crazy!!!  Well, hubby has decided to impart some of his knowledge and growing up experiences to our kids.  While I hadn't touched a steering wheel until I got my permit, hubby grew up driving down at Pa's house.  Again, low traffic.  Slightly more rugged vehicles.  Open fields and lots of work to accomplish made it almost a necessity.  While we aren't growing anything on the fields down here, or pulling fence and missing tools, we still have the rugged vehicles and low traffic in our favor.  So, hubby loaded Kari up in "New Old Blue" (who is only about 35 years old as opposed to "Old Blue" who is...  oh....  60 years old) to give her her first driving experience.

And, because, why not....  He loaded the other two girls in the car too.

From this view, can you see all 4 heads better?

In a funny twist of events, the gate at the top of the property was somehow locked.  So hubby had to do an 8,000 point turn (no, he didn't let Kari try that yet) and come back to get the key.  

Kelsey didn't seem bothered by the driver's lack of experience at all.

And they all enjoyed themselves.

And drove happily ever after :)

Pa's House: Just Hanging Around

Its been a minute since we've been down to Pa's house.  What with hubby's back surgery, and then our trip to VA, and then our basement debacle, it has taken a while.  Oh!  And I now have a new calling (job) at church!  I go into the nursery and help take care of the babies (18 months-3 years).  I have some special friends in there :)  But I try really hard to be there on Sunday's now so the kids have consistency, and so I don't have to find a sub.  Well, sometime in February, it was Stake Conference, so I didn't have to be there on Sunday.  The basement was at a waiting point.  And it was still hunting season!  So we headed down to Pa's for the first time in probably 4-5 months!

We brought our friends Mandypants and Josephine (who moved back into the area!  Yay!) with us.  The menfolk spent a decent amount of time on Saturday afternoon sighting in their toys.

Much to the chagrin of my most sound sensitive child.

And Mandypants and I spent quite a bit of time playing Spot It.  Seriously.  I know it is a kids game, but, it can get pretty intense!

We try to bring the kids bikes with us whenever we can.  Pa's "driveway" isn't paved, but it is flat enough that the kids can ride their bikes on it.  It has low traffic and is quite long.  

Kaitlyn's bike had an issue or two.  And this picture makes think of a joke.  "How many men does it take to fix a bicycle?"  I don't have a punchline.  :)

All the shooting noise didn't seem to bother Kelsey at all.  In fact, she found her own "gun" and "shot" it frequently.  Pew pew!!!

Its funny that we like to hang out with our friends so much.  When we went camping forever ago, the people at the site next to us told us they couldn't decide who was related: Me and Mandypants or Hubby and Josephine.  

But I am glad we have friends to hang out with :)

Things I'll Miss

My baby girl turned 4 a week ago.  And because she is my baby, and home with me all the time, it makes me sad sometimes when I watch her grow up before my eyes.  I will miss things like this:

When she was a baby, Kelsey had her very own set of "church parents" (friends of ours who took her during church.  So much so, that people who moved into the ward were often confused as to who her parents actually were).

Well, our friend would tickle her ear when she would hold her, and, to this day, she still tickles her own ear whenever she gets tired.  I am sure she will grow out of it one day, and I will miss it so.

The other day she wrote her name for the first time.  I only had to help her with the first "e".  

And naps.  I, personally, miss naps.  But I'll miss my children taking naps too.  Not to say that I think she has 100% grown out of them yet.

Because she does occasionally need one so badly there is just no helping it.

But, most of the time, she goes without.  Honestly, she probably feels more like an only child than Kari ever did.  Kari was only by herself when she was too young to probably remember it.  And every other child has always had a child (or two) home with them.  Its been fun while it lasted I suppose...  Its so amazing and sad to watch them grow up.

Outside with Kelsey

A few months ago, somewhere between the sticky heat of summer and the rainy chill of "winter" we had a few nice fall days.  Kelsey and I would often go outside and wait for the big kids to get off the bus.

Sometimes, the lighting was just perfect to take a few shots.  Chalk not required.

This one is one of my favorites.  The focus.  The lighting.  The smile.  I just might have to get this one printed sometime :)

Also a fun one.  Typical of Kelsey to smile like that.  And I even got a smile out of Mollie!

During those days we frequently rode bikes.  While we bought Kelsey her very own balance bike, she rarely rides it.  Its "bwoken".  But she likes to ride the tricycle, so....  I guess that is something.

I mean, look at that face!  She certainly looks happy to me!

But there is that concentration too.  It's hard work to ride a tricycle sometimes.

Cheesy beaver face :)

See ya later mom!

Now that she is 4, she doesn't need me anymore.  :)

Birthday pictures and stats to come soon.

Just Another Average Sunday!

Sundays around our house are usually pretty predicable.  Church in the morning.  Playing or quiet time in the afternoon.  Dinner and bedtime in the evening.  One Sunday afternoon, I had my camera out to take a few pictures of the basement.  And as I looked around, a few other things caught my eye.  Like my handsome dude playing with some colorful building/magnetic toys.

And my "special" little baby wearing a dress that I made.  I love that it looks slightly old fashioned :) 

There we go!  Much better :)  And suuuuuper cute!

This is Kari wearing the same dress, probably the first time it was ever worn :)

On this Sunday, Kari also asked to wear her hair down.  So, I went and got some of my fabulous curl cream stuff that aunt Pickle introduced me to, and this is what we ended up with.

I think it is beautiful!

The only thing that is concerning for me is:  This is what I remember my hair being like.  Almost exactly.  And then, well....  the change happened.  And hormones and pimples and boys made my hair frizzy and crazy and I am still learning how to love it.  Best of luck to you daughter!  May the hair gods look down on you and smile, may the humidity gods prefer another place, and may the odds be ever in your favor :)

Sick Day

Over the course of the first week or two of being home, we were thrown right back into real life.  We had basement fans to move (to make sure everything was dry), homework to do (the kids went back to school the day after we got home), dentist appointments, pediatricians appointments, and we threw in another fundraiser for Kari's field trip.  Not to mention hubby was still working from home at that time.  It was busy and constant.  And I didn't like it.  

As a matter of clarity, I don't love to wear pants.  I prefer to wear comfy pajama bottoms because wearing real pants requires me to hold in my gut and put effort into my appearance.  I usually try to have one non-pants day during the week (usually laundry day). I am still productive at home.  I just don't leave my house.  And for those 3 weeks, every day was a pants day.  It was awful :)

Now, throw in the fact that 2 days after we got home (thankfully enough time to do the heavy lifting and moving of all the basement things) I got a cold.  It wasn't horrible.  I was still able to function.  I just was constantly coughing and feeling tired.  I would have loved to stay in my pajamas all day and rest on the couch.  I just didn't have the time.  By 2-3 weeks in, it was not the worst that I had felt.  But I still wasn't at 100%.  Towards the end of January, we had stake conference, so I didn't HAVE to be at church.  And when my alarm went off that morning, I decided I didn't want to get out of bed.  I didn't want to wear pants (or in that case a skirt).  I didn't want to have to do anything!!!  I took my first, real life, genuine sick day.  Lets get real here for a minute.  I have obviously been sick since I have had children.  I have obviously had colds and tummy bugs and I even got strep once.  But, as a stay at home mom, even on those sick days, you still have to function.  Generally speaking, I put movies on for the kids, and try to rest on the couch.  We often have cereal for dinner, and everyone survives.  But, since I have been married, and certainly since I have had kids, I haven't had the opportunity or luxury of taking a no pants wearing, nap taking, no responsibilities sick day that I can recall.   

  And it was glorious.

The kids all came in to check on me while I was still deciding whether or not to get up.  Hubby eventually came up to check on us and to see why no one was getting dressed or in the shower.  I told him I was "sick", and that we weren't going to go anywhere.  Kari helped everyone have cereal for breakfast, and I stayed in bed.  About 30 minutes in, I got tired.  So, I said "I'm taking a nap!" and shut the door.  It was glorious ya'll. 

When I woke up from the nap I went downstairs and made everyone lunch.  Then I decided to go back upstairs to bed and read a book.  It felt deliciously wrong, and oh so relaxing.  For dinner, I warmed up some leftovers, and after the kids went to bed, I finally joined hubby on the couch for an episode of TV or so before I went back to bed.

Now, I am not saying that every time I get sick now, I deserve a day like that.  Hubby was nice enough to make sure the kids survived (though, miraculously, they spent the majority of the day playing nicely and quietly in their bedrooms).  Taking a "nap" at 10 o'clock in the morning was almost more wonderful than I could imagine.

I think I could get used to days like that :)

Kari's Birthday, Parts 3 & 4

After coming home to our disaster, poor Kari's remaining presents kinda got pushed to the wayside.  Nana, Pop and Aunt K bought Kari a bike for her birthday!  We bought it online and had it shipped to our house.  One less thing to carry.  It looks every so slightly big, but I think this could very well be the last bike we buy for her, and I am pretty sure she will grow into it.

Daddy had to take it for a spin to see how the speeds work so he could give Kari a proper tutorial.

It's safe to say that she really likes it :)

Another thing that was nearly forgotten was the present that Mommy and Daddy had for Kari.  Actually I bought it back in March or April.  I was just hanging onto it.  I hadn't gotten around to even wrapping it.  It was still in its shipping box.  But Kari said A) she didn't care and B) she didn't want to wait.  When she opened it, she wasn't exactly sure what it was.  Once she opened the black carrying case, she got a little happier.

In addition to the tablets Nana got everyone for Christmas, Mom and Dad got Kari her very own Nintendo DS!!!  For those of you not familiar with it, it is like the old school, hand held GameBoy (remember when those came out?!?) but upgraded with lots of cool things!

And because I bought it used from a friend, it came with a whole bunch of stuff we could never have afforded otherwise.  A case, extra chargers, extra styluses, and 9 games!!!

So far it has come in very handy on long(er) car rides and/or on weekends.  I know that screens are a part of the world in which our children are growing up, so I am trying not to fight against it too hard.  So far, the rules are no tablet/DS/screen time Monday-Friday morning.  There is always homework and other activities going on, and I don't want to open myself up to the battle that it could begin.  Friday after they get home from school and do their chores, it is pretty much an all you can eat buffet of screen time.  My children just zone out!  But, starting on Saturday morning, the kids have to earn their screen time: every minute/hour they read, they can play.  So, 1 hour reading = 1 hour screen time.  And Sunday, we try to not play on them either, though it isn't as hard and fast a rule as the week days.  So far it is working for us.  We'll have to see how things go and whether or not the rules need to be updated :)

Travelogue: Coming Home

We spent the night on New Years Eve, and loaded up and left on New Years Day.  Again we planned to take two days to make the drive home, so we weren't in too big of a rush.  We may, or may not, have stopped in a Cabella's on the way home.

Which may or may not have contained one "real, live elfant horn."

And we may or may not have stopped by and visited a model home for those "stick built in a factory" type homes.  The kids thought it was super fun that they could all fit in this teeny tiny closet.

But, it was nearing the end of our vacation, and I think some of them may have been a bit tired.  She looks like a rag doll just tossed over in the corner :)

Thankfully, the drive home was pretty uneventful.  Those are the kids of drives I like.  We got home, and while hubby went inside, I stayed out for a second to document just how many miles we accumulated on this trip.

Again, literal seconds after this picture was taken, Dylan was at the driver's side door saying they couldn't put anything away inside the house and that Daddy wanted to see me.  I'm sure you'll recall the incident we came home to.  Honestly, after walking in the house at 6:30 at night, and being confronted with a totally unexpected disaster, I was fried.  We spent an hour on the phone talking to insurance people, but being left with the feeling that insurance wouldn't be covering it.  So....  we packed our bags (technically we didn't have to pack anything...  we just didn't unpack) and headed to a hotel for the night.  We weren't sure the house was safe to be in, and the kids already had colds.  It was a better safe than sorry kinda thing.  The following morning (Sunday morning) we skipped church and headed to the De-Pot for supplies.  During our night in the hotel, we'd decided to do as much of the clean up work ourselves as we could.  If insurance didn't end up pitching in, we didn't want to be responsible for the $8,000 bill that a home cleaner would charge us.  Thankfully, we had some good friends and helpers from our church come over and in less than 3 hours, all of our belongings had been relocated, the carpet and padding had been removed, and the rented fans had been set in place.  We bought a mold killer at the De-Pot as well, and sprayed that on things we didn't/couldn't remove.  

Aaaaaaaand, that is basically where we are now.  After we moved a few essentials upstairs, and moved everyone/thing around a bit to make ourselves more comfortable, we really haven't hardly touched the basement.  It IS dry.  Thankfully, because of how we constructed the basement (for just such an occasion) there isn't a terrible amount of damage.  MOST of the drywall was exterior rated drywall from a previous jobsite of hubby's.  Which means it is mold resistant.  We will have to replace some of the baseboards, but we were able to get the subfloor dried out and a majority of the drywall is not damaged.  Now that hubby is back at work (after 3 months of being at home/working from home) it may be a while both before his back feels up to construction and before he has time to dedicate to it.  But, we are surviving.  In a smaller space, but we are are least surviving.  While we aren't 100% sure insurance isn't going to cover it, after talking to the adjuster's boss's boss's boss I am not particularly hopeful.  Its a good thing we have the gumption then I guess.  Isn't it?