Doctor Visit

Claire went to the pediatrician today for her checkup. Yep, Mother of the Year took her 2 1/2 year old in for her 2 year old checkup. I suck.

Anyhoo, she is a healthy gal! A long, lean healthy gal...28.8 pounds and 37.5 inches...the nurse told me her measurements then glanced at me..HAHAHAHA probably thinking, um, what genetic pool did this child come from??

I am very proud to say how great Claire did in the exam room. We'll just overlook the whole terrorizing the waiting room part of the visit, and the receptionist who asked her to please not slam the door...um, she's 2 1/2, and this is a pediatrician's office honey. I'm doing the best i can but she IS a little girl! Grrr.

I sat Claire down this morning and had her watch "Elmo Goes to the Doctor," one of her favorite DVDs we hadn't watched in a while. SMART move!!! I think it helped a lot. She was very cooperative with everything the doctor did.

We had Dr. Levy, head of the practice, for this visit. I love him, love him, love him. He sat down and talked to me for a good long while about everything you can think of. He specializes in behavioral development, and he said Claire was just your typical 2 year old pushing all of my buttons.

HUGE BRAG ALERT, GET OUT YOUR BARF BAG...Dr. Levy said Claire is highly intelligent and that sometimes in kids who are extremely intelligent, they're minds are beyond their development and they end up displaying behavior like Claire's...I was beaming with pride for about a minute, and then I had to put that on hold as I got Claire down from the window sill. Sigh.

After a LOT of struggling, I finally asked for allergy medication. Claire's allergies have gotten progressively worse since infancy, and now they're starting to affect her sleep and her general well being. I had held off on medicating her, because I don't like to, but I said I would if I could see it starting to bother her a lot, and it has been. She is constantly filled with mucous...she coughs from the mucous and her nose bothers her a lot. Her eyes are itchy, and she gets frequent bloody noses. So the doctor prescribed Zyrtec, which I can give her as needed. I was glad for that, because I can give it to her when she seems to be really miserable but I'm not forced to give it to her daily.

Next on the agenda...because of the prevalence of Lyme disease in the area, he wants me to spray Deep Woods Off on her clothes daily. Ugh. I just bought it but am going back and forth. Her dad takes her on weekly hikes through the woods, and she's outdoors frequently at school and after school. I like the natural stuff, but after reading extensively (and driving myself even more nuts), it doesn't work as well as DEET to prevent the ticks. Last year I compromised and used a product containing Picaridin, supposedly not as controversial as DEET. I trust Dr. Levy implicitly, so I'm torn. I'm going to think on that one a while.

Of course he recommended the sunscreen, but was also just as adamant about a hat and sunglasses. Um, Dr. Levy, don't know how well that will work out, especially the sunglasses. She wears her hat OK for a while but then tosses it off. I will just keep trying.

And he is an advocate about car seats rear-facing as long as humanly possible. Well, I kept her backwards until she was 2, but she's forward-facing now. Even he admitted he couldn't picture Claire being very cooperative rear-facing..lol.

He also told me to give her a multi-vitamin...says toddlers need it for the Vitamin D. I just bought some Disney Gummies...no artificial flavors or colors. Do I need organic vitamins? God, I exhaust myself.

It's crazy how I worry myself to death about each morsel of food that goes in her mouth, the soap I wash her with, the sheet I put on her bed...should I go dye free? should this be organic? does this have high fructose corn syrup? should I wash this in fragrance free detergent? By the time I go to bed, my mind is whirling. I just feel like she was a perfect little human when she was born, and anything that comes near her should be healthy, pure, not cause harm. That's a tough goal to fulfill, let me tell ya.

But all in all, Dr. Levy told me I was doing a great job...he told me she's a very happy, very trusting little girl, and I have to not be so hard on myself.

Aren't we all though? Which one of you isn't? We all try to do the best by our child(ren), and I don't see us taking a break any time soon!

Favorite New Toddler Food Finds

Nature's Promise Nitrate-Free All Natural Hotdogs (no antibiotics or growth hormone used)

This is an incredibly quick meal to make for Claire. I served this with another valuable convenience item...organic baby carrots and ranch dip all in one neat little pack..and some key lime applesauce.

I had a hot dog as well, and I must say, it was extremely tasty! I know Claire liked it, because she actually ate the whole thing. Because of my work schedule, I'm always striving for quick, easy, and as healthy as possible. I know hot dogs are never going to win the nutritious food award, but I try to serve at least one protein and vegetable with each meal. The vegetables are often overlooked (although last night she annihilated the broccoli...but left the salmon untouched..grrr).

Nature's Promise is my favorite line, because it's at Giant, which is super convenient, and they have a large selection. It's always good when I can find something that suits my needs and tastes good, too.

I have been far more conscientious about bread these days, too. That is something where you really need to read the ingredients. I used to rely on the "100% whole wheat" description, but I saw a really good piece on a local Baltimore Sunday news program where a nutritionist came on and discussed how that can be deceiving. So I settled on Nature's Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread...7 grams of fiber per piece and no high fructose corn syrup. Claire is a HUGE fan of toast, so I wanted to feel good about the bread I was giving her.

I hope to keep finding new healthy things to add to our menu...and that pass the Claire test!

Another snippet

Please don't get me started on the fact that I STILL have no internet at my new place. Long story, and I don't feel like getting into it.

BUT the good news...I just was offered a nice big proofreading project (of the most boring kind, but they lead to $$, which is what I need to focus on). Sooooooo, in addition to saving some, this bounty will also result in my purchase of the flat screen for the living room! Still no sofa, and probably none until next year, but there are chairs in the living room and there will be a TV, so I think that's reason enough for a housewarming party! By housewarming, I don't mean the kind where people bring me gifts. I mean the kind where I get food and wine and people come over and we sit and watch the Golden Girls or some Lifetime movie in our sweats and chill-ax!

K, must get back to work, but a party is on the horizon!!

Just a Snippet

So we're moved in! Yay!! I don't have internet access until Wednesday. Boo!! Last night was Claire's first night sleeping in her new place. She had a little trouble, but she ended up finally going down at 10 and sleeping the rest of the night. I'm sure soon enough she will be right at home.

Gotta get back to work...more later!

My Phrase

I don't adapt well to change. I am a creature of habit. Behaviors have been built into me over 36.5 years, and I often think I don't have the mental, emotional, and/or physical wherewithal to undo the less savory ones.

Think positive. Nope, that one never sticks. Nor does believe in yourself or any of that other stuff. It's just easier for me to kind of prod along as is because changing that mindset requires so much deliberate modification. Think "swimming against the current."

But today I did something that just may have made a difference. I don't know why. Maybe I've just decided to let it help. I'm not going to spend time questioning the whys.

I'm impatient with myself. Very, very impatient. It's all or nothing. I need to do it perfectly and I need to do it perfectly right bloody now. If not, I feel like a failure and my frustration goes through the roof. Tiring.

So today, you know what I did? I found an ordinary yellow post-it note and I wrote on it:

Rome wasn't built in a day.

I posted it to the bottom of my monitor. Every time I can't get a sentence right, I read it. Every time I get overwhelmed with what there is to do, I read it. And I've been reading it all day, and it has calmed me each time. All I know is that I believe every word of that, and I am trusting in the power of that little note.

I hope you find your phrase today and let it bring you to somewhere good.

Three "Bests" Ain't Bad!

I was just reading one of the working mom blogs I follow, and they had a cool map detailing the best cities for working mothers for various attributes (employment rates, cost of housing, etc.). Some pertain to all mothers in general, not just working moms. I'm proud to say Baltimore made three lists:


1. Baltimore ranks number 8 in the top 10 highest incomes for working moms.

2. Baltimore ranks number 5 in best pediatricians (I love you, Dr. Caterina!!)

3. Baltimore ranks number 8 in best childcare (I love you KinderCare!!)


I was pretty impressed!

It's a Love/Hate Thing

I currently hate...

Sinus infections and related antibiotics and steroid regimens, being tailgated every single night driving home from work/daycare, special trips made to the Red Canoe for chai latte and they are out of chia latte...twice, missing the morning train by one minute and having to wait around for the next one (thus being late for work), when Au Bon Pain is out of Nantucket Nectars Orange Mango, having to physically drag my screaming child out of daycare and then listening to her scream her head off for "Daddy! Daddy!" the whole way home (while being tailgated; see above), waking up every night at 3 am and not being able to get back to sleep.

My current loves...

Onion dill bagels from Au Bon Pain, the fabulous female side of my office, the hilarious male end of the office, the latest ruffles trend in clothing, watching Claire crack an egg into a bowl better than anyone I've ever seen, my new Watson Twins CD, the entirety of the Crewcuts catalog, this week's weather, winning a fantastic perfect mint condition denim jacket for Claire on ebay last week, Claire's purple graffiti Sketchers, thinking about how peaceful my new pale blue bedroom will look, thinking about what a great Saturday I'm going to have with two super cool chicks, and the best of all...

listening to my beautiful angel sing "Are You SLeeping Brother John" as I turned out the light tonight at bedtime...never sang that to her, but have it on a CD in the car and I imagine she sings it at daycare. It was the most precious thing, and I've been smiling ever since :-)

The loves so greatly outweigh the hates. And that makes me so happy that all the hates start dropping from my mind...goodnight and hope your list of loves is neverending.