Confessions of a Toddler Mom
I think I must've missed the email. Because I have no clue as to what the hell is going on! Last week, I go through my junk mail to see my weekly baby update from BabyCenter.com. Why was it in junk mail, you ask? Because even Google is confused as to the subject line. I have a baby. Google and I both know that. This email says something about your "toddler", week 1. Huh? Come again?! When did I get a toddler and more importantly, when was someone going to tell me? Is this cold email that I found in my junk mail supposed to serve as a notice? I am not ready for this madness. I think someone should have some sort of prep class for this change. I mean, hospitals offer classes for new parents but where are the classes for milestones?
Speaking of hospitals, last week was a definite experience! The frog princess was admitted to the hospital on her birthday. We'd had a week of fever. Four of those days we had high temps and though we ran to the ER with her on Thanksgiving morning (is 3am considered morning?), they found no infection. After her fabulous birthday party at Amaya Papaya's I noticed a rash developing. I've seen measles and that's exactly what it looked like. In the morning, when we woke and she was covered in this rash we called the insurance nurse and her pediatrician. Her pediatrician said no worries its roseola. So, I had to go research. Viral infection. Okay. High fevers before the rash. Check. Rash all over the body. Check. She didn't itch and she happily opened her presents. On Monday she was irritable and when I called the doctor's office and spoke to the nurse to advise that she still had a fever, she said no worries that it was still the roseola. On her birthday we decided to skip Disney and instead I made an appointment to see her doctor. As I'm dressing her and putting on her sandals I notice swollen feet and hands. We get to the doctor's office who takes one look at her and says, I'm sending you to the ER. Really? Why? Oh, this looks like something called Kawasaki's. Great! My child has a motorcycle disease! Then we start to get concerned.
Fast forward to the children's ER at the Florida Hospital (which by the way I HIGHLY recommend! Who wouldn't like the mood lighting, the big screen LCD TV and the Disney movies on demand?). After many tests, visits from all sorts of doctors and a couple of nights on the pediatric care unit, there's no Kawasaki's and the original roseola diagnosis stands.
So I go from all of that to an email from someone who apparently thinks they know better calling my child a toddler. I don't think so. This little baby? The one clinging to me? The one that I had to nurse to calm down every time someone came to examine her? She's not a toddler! She's my frog princess and my frog princess is a baby thankyouverymuch!
It's been a long two weeks and my child is back to normal though a little off on her nap times. On a side note, I believe the boobs deserve capes. They definitely saved the day (and nights) last week. My child didn't want solid foods so she nursed A LOT in the last 2 weeks. So much so that I'm back to fullness and leakage (ladies, I know some of you know what I'm talking about). But I couldn't be happier. It feels good to be able to feed and comfort my child like this. The Man and I still argue about how long I'll be nursing. He wanted until 12 months and I say at least 15. To be honest, with her early bedtime and me working full time, I can't imagine not having our special time together. Have any of you nursed past a year and if so 1. How long and 2. How did you wean?
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go email BabyCenter.com so that they can correct this obvious error and say that word out loud in front of the mirror several times before getting used to it. But let the record show, I'm doing this under duress.