Hindsight really is 20/20

It's so true. Looking back at my recent posts (sometimes they are the best way to jog my memory of exactly what's been going on in my life), I can see the Ryan wasn't as symptom free as I first claimed. He probably wasn't hearing very well, but not because he couldn't hear but because he had an ear infection.

It's so easy to look back and see what I missed the first time around. I just wish I could have seen it then, rather than realizing what I missed. After I saw his rash, I did take his temperature, he never had a fever. He never lost his appetite, well, he did get a little fussy at meals, but he still ate. Maybe it's inexperience that creates these situations, I don't know. Having two babies right in a row, you'd think I would be a baby expert. But no, apparently I am still only human.

And then I think I did take him to the doctor. This always keeps popping up. Why did I do it? Was it intuition? Maybe. Even as I was calling the pediatrician to make the appointment, I wasn't convinced he was sick at all, but something made me call. Something made me watch the clock, waiting for the magic time of 8 a.m. when the doctor's office opens for business so I could bring my baby in and be reassured by a professional that Ryan was, indeed, completely healthy.
I know, I know, it's only an ear infection and hand, foot and mouth disease is extremely common in children, especially for this time of year, but what happens when it's more than a simple childhood illness? I hope I never have to find out.

***

Now for something completely different (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), Sometimes I don't get everything done I need to have done by the time daycare closes, so I have to bring the kids back to work with me so I can finish. The kids are usually good and my coworkers seem to enjoy the distraction. Since this was probably Sophia's 100th visit to work, she was greeted warmly and broke out of her little shell after about two minutes of bashfulness, at which point she climbed into a chair and got to work …

I'd like some symptoms, please

My kids are pretty happy all the time, even when they're sick, and it's been a problem.

I know I'm going to regret saying this, but I'd really love it if they acted sick when they were sick. Let's use our latest sickness as an example. Today I took Ryan to the pediatrician because he had a rash. A rash, mind you, that really didn't concern me because I was pretty sure it was a heat rash. I only called because Ryan's only 8 months old and, as a general rule for my babies under 1, I always call the doctor if I notice anything unusual because of previously stated problem with mood not really reflecting illness.

After waiting in the office for an hour and 15 minutes, the doctor came in and in less than 5 minutes I learned Ryan has coxsackievirus, also known as hand- foot-mouth disease, and an ear infection in both ears. Apparently, he has a blister on the roof of his mouth, on his tongue and in his throat, too.

Unbelievable.

Before the rash appeared, he didn't exhibit a single symptom of any illness. He has no fever and his mood and eating were normal. How on earth am I supposed to know when my kids are sick if they don't act sick?

Hand-foot-mouth disease is really contagious. I'm sure it's more a matter of when Sophia gets it rather than if she gets it. My stepson was over all weekend and yesterday we went to his mom's boyfriend's grandmother's house for a barbecue where Ryan and Sophia played with even more kids. If he had been acting even a little sick we would have stayed home, I don't want to get other kids sick.

Positive attitude

I'm pretty sure my kids are too young to fake being sick to get out of going to school, but some days I'm not so sure about that.

On Friday I took Ryan for his 6 month check up and, as expected, he got a bunch of vaccines. Well, Friday night and Saturday, he had a fever, diarrhea and vomiting. On Sunday he had one more bout of diarrhea and this morning he seemed just fine. When I dropped him off at daycare, I told them about our big weekend and they told me they have a virus going around with the same symptoms. Oh, boy.

As soon as I walked in to work and put my pocketbook on my desk my cell phone rang. It was daycare, Ryan was projectile vomiting. One of his teachers said he should work in special effects because the puke just kept spewing. So I turned right around and walked out. My boss hadn't even seen me come in, so I didn't bother announcing my arrival. I was gone in a flash.

When I picked him up, I was handed his puke-covered clothes and when I went over to Ryan's crib to pick him up, there he was, smiling away like he was going to the fair. His eyes looked bright and his smile was huge. What a big faker!

I'd like to count my blessings that both my kids are generally happy all the time. Even when Ryan was in the hospital with RSV he was laughing and smiling at the nurses. The nurses at the pediatrician also comment, "oh, I remember this little guy. He was the one who was so sick but still so happy."

I don't want to jinks myself, but sometimes it's not such a good thing that they are so happy because it's hard to tell when they're really, really sick. The doctors always say that you can tell how sick your baby is by the way he or she is acting. This is not so for my kids.

When Sophia even gets the slightest cold, she gets a fever that spikes to 103 or 104. Always, without fail. She will be laughing and playing and it's not until I pick her up that I can feel how warm she really is. It's frustrating because I end up always dropping my kids off at daycare and then they're always being sent home sick. I think Ryan's going for a record number of sent homes. We must be well past six for this year alone.

I guess I should just stop complaining and be thankful I have happy kids. I just wish they were always healthy, too. Oh, the picture of Ryan in this post is of him sitting next to me as I type this. He looks way sick, doesn't he?

Terrible mommy moment

Sometimes I feel like the worst mom on the planet. Most of the time, it's because I did something, or didn't do something, that most moms wouldn't blink an eye at doing. Today, it's the flu shot.

I've never gotten a flu shot. Most people I know who've gotten the shot get the flu anyway. Plus, I'm relatively healthy, so what's the big deal, right?

Sophia gets a flu shot every year. I was told that Ryan couldn't get one until he was at least 6 months old, which meant he wasn't getting one this flu season and my husband and I had to get one to help protect our little guy.

Well, we never got one, so of course, I got the flu.

It started last week with some aches and pains, chills and a fever. I ignored it. On Wednesday, Ryan was sent home from daycare with a fever. By Thursday, he and I were both so sick that I made doctor's appointments for both of us.

If you've ever gotten a flu test, you know that it's reason enough to get a flu shot. If you haven't, I'll tell you that the doctor sticks this tube up your nose and rubs your sinuses to collect mucus and then tests it for influenza.

It hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. It's a sharp pain that makes your eyes water and your nose run and bleed.

My test came back positive, which, according to Ryan's pediatrician, likely means my little guy has the flu too.

Ryan has done pretty much nothing but sleep, cry and sometimes eat for the last three days. I feel terrible about it. I'm taking Tamiflu, which helps me get over the flu faster, but there isn't anything we can give him. Only time and Tylenol to help with the fever.

I am sick. Really sick, like I haven't been for a very long time. And I feel terribly guilty knowing that all this suffering could have been prevented with one simple trip to the doctor for a flu shot that I didn't have time for.