12-Month Checkup Adventure

Yesterday was one of those days where you collapse into bed at night and think 'Thank God that's over!' and then He turns right around and says, "But wait!  There's more!  Tell them what they've won!"

Let me tell you about it...

So you may remember that we were unable to make it to her regularly scheduled 12 month checkup because of the whole locking-the-baby-in-the-car incident.  I called the office the very next day and the very next appointment that was available was a month later.  We love our doctor, but apparently everyone else does too, because she's gotten quite busy!  So yesterday, a day after turning 13 months old, we were finally supposed to go in for the 12 month checkup.

And Andy took the carseat to work with him.  An hour away.

The good news is that our doctor's office is only 3 blocks away from our house.  The bad news is that it was below freezing and there was ice everywhere.

And some people hadn't ever shoveled their sidewalks from the last time it snowed several inches.

And I have a cold.

So I left work super early to go home and start our trek to the office and got home to a sweetly sleeping baby.  Had to wake her up to get her all bundled up to go out in the stroller.  She wasn't happy with me.  I wouldn't have been either.  Got everything loaded up and got her in her coat/hat/mittens/2 blankets and we were off.  The first 100 feet of the journey was fine.  But then we got to the sidewalk.  Who would have thought that it would be HARDER to walk on the sidewalk than anywhere else??  When it wasn't the ice or the snow I was having to push through, it was the handicapped dips to cross the side-streets that were PLOWED SHUT and completely impassable.  So we had to go out and around and then back up the sidewalk on the other side.

Ok, when I type it out, it really doesn't sound all that bad.  But think about taking a stroller up a rocky path.  And then cover it with snow and ice.  And then make yourself weak with sickness.  That's pretty much what it was like.

Finally, we got to the office and took off several layers of clothing and all was well.  The appointment was actually not too bad.  Found out that she weighs 19 lbs. 3 oz. and is 29.5 inches tall.  That's in the 34th and 45th percentiles, respectively.  You've come a long way, little peanut!  Doctor also said that she seems to be hitting all of her milestones perfectly and that she's doing an awesome job of walking.  Duh.  I could have told you that!  But it's always nice to hear from someone official.  And after observing her throw papers on the floor and tear them up, run away from me, squirm out of my lap 17 times, pull the wipes out of the diaper bag and start pulling them out of the container, try to eat said wipes, scream bloody murder when I took the wipes out of her mouth, and finally be content when I let her hold that one special wipe she said a few very important words right before leaving.

"Seems like you've really got your hands full with that one!"

Yes.  Yes I do.  She is a wild child.  She has a mind of her own and an attitude to match.  She insists on doing everything how she wants and on her own.  She is a handfull, to say the least.  I've been saying it for months.  But the beautiful thing is, now the doctor said it too.  It's not just in my imagination!  I'm not just a wuss!  She really is an independent, strong-willed, dramatic, hand-full of a toddler!  I was right!  The doctor said so!

So anyway, she got two shots, which she was pretty good about.  But then it was time to go home.  We took a different route, which eliminated the sidewalks and it was smooth sailing.  Er, strollering.  Anyway... I thought she'd nap once there, but she decided that she didn't want to sleep, but she didn't want to play, but she didn't want to eat, but she didn't want to be held, but she didn't want to be put down.  She was just basically miserable all afternoon.  This continued on into the evening until it was finally bedtime and she just gave up.  Then we gave up too.  Andy has off today (he has off every other Friday, so that's when I do my grocery shopping after work while I'm already in town) so I didn't feel guilty asking him to help out if she woke up during the night.  So I popped some night-time cold medicine and drifted off into a lovely drug-induced sleep.  Until around 2 am.

That's when the crying started.  So, as previously agreed, I sent him over to check on her and about 30 seconds later heard, "Honey, I need help."  *sigh*  Her diaper had leaked, so she needed a wardrobe change.  I checked the bed and it wasn't wet, so I basically just stood around while he changed her.  Yeah, definitely needed help.  He asked me to hold her while he went to the bathroom and that's when I noticed that she was burning up.  This child has never had a fever higher than 99.5 and this felt way higher than that.  Turns out it was 100.8.  Not terribly high, but poor kid was so miserable.  We got medicine in her and it took a full hour to kick in and drop her temp back to normal.  Once it started to drop, she regained enough energy to scream at us non-stop until it was normal and she fell asleep.  So, around 3:30, we were all back in bed.  It's  bad enough having to be awake with a sick kiddo for an hour and a half in the middle of the night, but when you have to fight night-time cold medicine in order to stay awake it seems to take a lot more out of you.  The alarm went off way too early and I had to peel myself out of bed to shower and get ready for work.  

Her temp was back up this morning after the medicine had worn off, but not quite as high as last night.  So we gave her another dose and Andy called me at work to assure me that it did go back down to normal.  I'm thinking it's a result of one of the shots that she got, even though they were all repeat doses and she's never had a fever from shots before.  But I'm also 99% sure that she's coming down with the same cold that I have, so that can't be helping either.  Poor kid.  We'll see if we can kick the fever or if we'll be calling the doctor tomorrow.  Andy is not going anywhere that day, so I will have the car seat to take her in.

Or maybe I'll leave and make him walk there. 

Yes, yes.  I hear you.  I know it was an accident and I'm not actually mad at him.  I'm just amazed at how ridiculous the whole thing turned out to be.  And I'm allowed to be a little cranky because I'm sick.  And a little sore from our off-roading yesterday.  And my toddler is a hand-full.  

No really, it's true.  The doctor said so.

Brief trek outside on our first of two snow days this week.  Back when we could still smile at the snow.