Friday, May 30, 2014

When to call the doctor?

When your child can not communicate in a way other than saying mama, dada, hiya and crying, it's really hard to know what's actually going on with him. Is he in pain? Is he tired? Does he just feel like making Mommy go nuts - most likely, but you never know!

Recently, Matt's been teething hard core. His top two teeth just popped through last weekend and he's working on a fifth tooth on the bottom, so needless-to-say the nights have been pretty rough in our household. Last Saturday, he started tugging at his left ear and he has a little bit of the sniffles, but it's been nothing like the typical colds we have seen, so I attributed it to teething. Monday he slept pretty well, Tuesday was awful, Wednesday was pretty good and then last night he woke up screaming. He was pretty inconsolable for about an hour, and because of it, I am pretty sure that my recently colored hair is now peppered with grays again.

Although I was pretty confident his odd behavior had to do with his teeth coming in, I decided to call the doctor hotline this morning to see if I should be worried. To my amazement, the doctor on the other end made me feel horrible that I hadn't come in sooner. He claimed that the runny nose and the tugging at the ear are not in conjunction with the soon-to-be toothy grin my son will be donning.

I admit, I've been a little gun shy when it comes to calling the doctor since the first pediatrician made me feel like the boy who cried wolf, and I did not want to make the same mistakes twice. So it got me thinking... What's a first time mom to do? Err on the side of caution or wait another week to see if it goes away? This morning I decided that it's better to be safe than sorry since I am my child's advocate, but you have to maintain credibility at the same time. It's really a fine line that makes parenting an infant pretty tough some days.

I am happy to report that Matt's actual pediatrician made me feel much better and his ear pulling and runny nose really do have to do with his teeth coming in. Score 1 point for mommy being right. In the meantime, a little Motrin at night will help with the pain, and I'll continue to let my mommy instincts dictate when it's right to call the doctor with concern and when it is nothing.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Matthew's first haircut

Everyone tells you how quickly time goes when you have a baby, but you don't appreciate it until you are living it. In the beginning, I couldn't wait until Matthew started cooing and laughing, and it wasn't too long before he started to smile at me and get a little personality. Then, time went on and I couldn't wait for him to roll over, again, it wasn't too long before he started rolling all over the place and then army crawling to his destinations. Now, I want to go back to a time when he would lay contently in my arms for hours on end.

On Saturday, Matthew woke up with his unruly long hair in his eyes, and I knew it was time to bite the bullet and get him a haircut. So on a whim, Eric and I got dressed and ready to go and off we went to Great Clips right around the corner from our house. Not sure how Matthew would react, I sat him in my lap, and much to my surprise, he was perfect. He smiled and flirted with the stylist and he even closed his eyes in contentment while she combed and clipped his hair. He seemed to really enjoy being pampered. She then saved a few clippings, put them in an envelope and sent us on our way.

Another first has come and gone, and in many ways it makes me nostalgic for his newborn days when I was nursing round the clock and completing my daily chores in a zombiesque manner. I can't believe how quickly time has passed. Time felt as if it stood still while we were trying to get pregnant and even during my pregnancy, but now it's as if I blink and another day has come and gone. On Saturday, Matthew will turn 8 months old! It doesn't seem possible.

He still has just two teeth, but it looks as though four more are trying to make their way to the surface. He's army crawling all over the place. He adores Marley, and most of the time, Marley adores Matthew. He is saying Mama - his first word, and Dada, which he said minutes after his first hair cut. He loves to play in his walker and chase Marley around. They play the cutest game, too. Matt will go one way and Marley will go the other and then meet in the kitchen. They play this game over and over, and it is music to my ears to hear that little guy laugh and giggle. Also, he is so proud of himself when he walks around the room holding just your fingers for support. He is growing bigger and stronger every day, and it just melts my heart to see him play with his doggie, and on Thursdays with his cousins. It's amazing that these budding friendships are already beginning to form.