Author Archives: Greg Mercer

About Greg Mercer

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Overcompensating

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I’m sure the following scenario is something most of us have experienced at some point in our life. You twist your ankle, and while it doesn’t hurt bad enough for you to go to the doctor and get crutches, it does hurt when you walk. So, to avoid further injury, you try to keep weight off of the ankle, and, instead, you put more pressure on your healthy ankle. Over time, the injured ankle heals, but the other ankle, the one you didn’t twist, has also become sore due to all the extra strain you had been putting on it. … Continue reading →

Hypafix

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Even though my daughter Lily no longer has her feeding tube, I would be remiss if I did not tell you all about one of the greatest products ever. It’s called Hypafix, and it’s an adhesive tape used to hold dressings in place. However we used it to hold Lily’s tube in. When we first learned that Lily would need a feeding tube, adhesive tape was the least of our worries. However, once we got her home, it slowly crept to the top of our list, because that tape is pretty much the only thing keeping you from another trip … Continue reading →

TV: Worse Than We Thought

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Those darn scientists are at it again. It seems that ever since I was a kid, the scientific community has been on a crusade to do away with television. For the record, I definitely do not think a parent should use “Dora the Explorer” as a babysitter for their young ones. On the other hand, I also do not think your child will turn into a zombie if he happens to watch one cartoon. For what it’s worth, a recent study of 1,300 Canadian toddlers maintains that TV viewing is more harmful to a child’s developing brain than what was … Continue reading →

Should you buy your child’s therapist a gift?

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Every holiday season, there are countless newspaper articles enlightening the general public on which service sector employees should or should not receive a gift or be compensated with a generous holiday tip of some kind. In my opinion, it has gotten completely out of control, and I, for one, do not appreciate “society” pressuring me into doing something I would not normally do otherwise. It is the same reason I absolutely refuse to celebrate “Sweetest Day.” That said, my wife and I really like Lily’s speech therapist, and we did give her a $10 gift card to Starbucks this past … Continue reading →

Day Care Experiences–Baby Steps

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This past Sunday, Lily had her very first day care experience. The church my wife and I attend has a nursery for children ages three and under. Parents are welcome to leave their little ones there while they attend Mass. My wife and I thought this would be a good test for Lily before we tried dropping her off at a real day care for an entire day. It actually went better than we thought it would. Neither my wife nor I have family in Atlanta, so Lily has never been watched by anyone but the two of us. In … Continue reading →

The Great BPA Debate

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B… P… A… they are the three letters every mom knows and fears. Manufacturers of baby products were slow to catch on to the harmful effects of Bisphenol A, but there is now an entire industry devoted to BPA free bottles and pacifiers–anything a kid is likely to stick in his month. The “BPA free” moniker is so prevalent in the baby aisle these days, it’s a wonder any business is crazy enough to still be making products containing BPA. The new toxic buzzword du jour, though, is Phthalates. According to Wikipedia, it is a substance “added to plastics to … Continue reading →

Choosing a Day Care

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Most parents do not look forward to sending their child to day care. They do it out of necessity. However, for the parents of special needs children, the opportunity to send your child to day care should be viewed as a blessing. It means that your child is developmentally ready to take on new physical and social challenges. I highly recommend, though, that you resist sending your child to a traditional day care just to prove to the world and yourself how “normal” he or she is. If you live in a smaller city, you may not have a choice, … Continue reading →

Can’t wait until Monday!

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I can’t believe it. The day has finally come. Ever since Lily was three days old, she has had a feeding tube. During one doctor’s visit, we were told not to be surprised if she needed it until she was two or three. He added that some kids have feeding tubes until they are five or six. “But they all grow out of them eventually,” he reassured us after noticing what I’m sure were looks of dismay on our faces. Over time, my wife and I grew to accept Lily’s feeding tube as a part of who she was… kind … Continue reading →

Preview of the Terrible Twos?

Lily will be 17 months old on May 2. Our friends always comment on how sweet and quiet she is, and, truthfully, she is a very sweet little girl who rarely causes trouble. However, yesterday she really decided to flex her toddler muscles. The morning started out OK. She ate oatmeal with butter and some blueberries. We’ve found this is the best method of hiding her laxative. Simply cut the pill into tiny pieces and embed them in the berries. From that point forward, however, she was a little devil. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I take her to the library … Continue reading →

In Search of Protein

This past weekend, Lily decided to flex her toddler muscles. Normally, she is a very eager eater and doesn’t hesitate to try anything we place in front of her. Like most children, she definitely has her favorites. We go through so many blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon that my wife jokes that we are inadvertently raising a vegetarian. Remember when your mother used to say “You can’t have any ice cream until you finish your liver”. We’re almost to that point except that blueberries are the dessert. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with Lily desiring these delicious fruits, and one could … Continue reading →