Monday Series: Looking Past Murphy

I don't know about you but, Murphy works overtime around here on Mondays! Today was a good one.  I had my appointment with the pediatric neurologist for the frog princess.  Fair enough.  Not too bad.  Appointment was at 10:15 so that gave me time to get her bathed, hair combed and belly full without needing to do too much running around, right?  If that were the case, this blog would be done right here.

Here's how the schedule went: 4:00 a.m. Frog princess wakes up screaming 4:30 a.m. Frog princess is happy and wants to play 5:00 a.m. The Man takes her off my hands and stays up with her for the next few hours 7:00 a.m. Frog princess get her milk 8:00 a.m. We start to eat our oatmeal 9:00 a.m. I realize that somehow we entered the time space continuum again and I have to rush! 9:45 a.m. We are dressed, showered and hair is combed (well, her hair looks nice, mine? Don't ask!) 10:05 a.m. I arrive at the wrong entrance (though it clearly says Neurologist over the door) 10:08 a.m. I walk into the right place but the lady is on the phone and tells me to have a seat 10:15 a.m. Someone else "checks me in" 11:15 a.m. I'm still waiting in the front AND the frog princess is CRANKY (could it be because it's nap time and we were up at 4 a.m.?)

I finally saw the doctor at "insert time here because I sure as hell don't remember".  By the time I go back there, we are in a full on tantrum.  Yes, my quiet and loving little girl is showing OUT! I can't blame her. If I could, I'd be doing the same.  The doctor gives her a lollypop (her first EVER) and this calms her down a bit.  The doctor asks me a ton of questions, I try to distract the frog princess in the meantime.  I am told my baby's head is big (99%). I explain that unfortunately, both her dad and I have big heads.  The doctor does not laugh at my funny joke.  I consider going to a different person.  And I'm told that, oh by the way, she's kinda big for her age too (first time I've heard this. At 20 months, she weighs in at 27.5 lbs and last I heard was in the 50%).  I'm asked about how many words she knows.  I am a HORRIBLE mami because I've never bothered to count.  I throw the number 20 out.  I am told that it should be around 50.  I am now a horrible mami because my child is behind.  I then get the idea to let her know that my child is learning 2 languages.  This settles the doctor down a bit as she says that there's usually a language delay when this is the case (DUH!).  I go on to explain that while she might not know 50 words, she understands instructions in 2 languages.  The doctor keeps on typing.

As I walk around trying to entertain the frog princess, I show her the keyboard.  The frog princess points to the O and says it and then points to the M and says it. The doctor looks up and asks me if she knows her letters.  I tell her not all.  Just about 6 or 8.  She seems impressed and says she is advanced because normally kids don't identify letters until later on.  I decide to show off and set the baby down and show her to where the words "Mr. Potato Head" are written on the exam table.  My bright, big-headed child looks at it and points out the O and the M and the A and the E.  I sit down satisfied.  My child climbs on my lap and continues to whine.

When she's about to get examined we go into a scream fest once again.  I am then informed that since she is "agitated" we might not be able to do the EEG that she was scheduled for. I think, perhaps if I was advised of my actual appointment time, this wouldn't have happened.

We do a half-ass attempt to run the test but the minute I start sliding her off of me, she starts to cry.  We set up another appointment and leave.  When we get in the car, I take the lollypop away.  And this leads to a full on screamfest.  I also start to cry a little because it's just a bit much for a Monday.  She finally falls asleep right as we get to #1 caregiver's place.

I pick my baby girl up and give her kisses on her sweaty forehead.  I hug her while she sleeps in my arms.  I tell her I'm sorry about the way the morning has gone and tell her I love her very much.  Want to know why?

While we were in the waiting room, there were 2 parents sitting out there.  A mom with a mentally and physically disabled pre-teen girl and a dad and son waiting for the daughter and mom that were inside getting an EEG done.  I suspect they were the reason we didn't get seen on time.  The little girl, just slightly older than my own, has had seizures.  The latest early this morning.  Unlike my frog princess, though, her seizures came on without warning and not because of a fever.  Turns out there's a family history of epilepsy that they didn't know about.

My day did not go anywhere near plans.  I ended up rushing home to work because by the time it was all said and done it was almost 1 p.m.  But, thinking about those parents, I know that their day, week, month, year isn't going as planned.  I pray that their kids get better from whatever ails them.

After my tantrum I was reminded once again of how blessed I am.  How blessed to have this smart little girl.  Blessed that though she has seizures, they appear to be fever related and that nothing else is wrong (I'm claiming this one although we are still running tests).  I am blessed to have had a car to get into, a job to rush back to, a caregiver that loves my little girl and has made her one of her own and family who wanted to desperately know how the appointment went.

From here on out, Mondays will be Mami Mondays and will be dedicated to thinking about how blessed/lucky we are.  It's usually the hardest day of the week and the one that can bring all sorts of mayhem with it.  What do you say we inject a little bit of maminess into it and take a moment in our day to think about all of the good that's going on in our lives even in the midst of whatever storm we are caught up in at the moment?

PS: Upon further thought (and thanks to The Man) it appears that my child's word count should be at least 75 words. I blame the distress from the temper tantrum in my thinking. I think I'll email over a pivot table of words and usage to the doctor!