A Case of Neglect

When I was in my 20s and 30s I baby-sat professionally through agencies. It was fun work and I met a lot of good families. I also met a number of eccentric families. I’m sure that’s to be expected. One family in particular has always stood out in my memory. It was the only time I sat for this family with three boys. After the dad opened the door to me and I introduced myself he insisted that the boys hug me. We had just met and I hadn’t even walked inside. The dad proceeded to tell me that if … Continue reading →

Blanket & Tiger

When Jessie came to us I had a Lavender Lab in her crib for the soothing scents. The lab cuddled a blue satin blanket. Jessie started snuggling up to the dog because of the blanket. Eventually the blanket came completely off the dog and turned into Blanket that went everywhere with Jessie. The first time Jessie lost Blanket, I think she cleverly put it in the trash without understanding the repercussions of doing that. We wouldn’t have noticed as more trash got piled on it and then got taken out. Thankfully I had another Lavender Lab because I had needed … Continue reading →

More Bathtime Fun

Bath time has been an issue for us since Jessie joined our family. When Jessie was a baby she seemed to be absolutely terrified of everything having to do with the bath. My husband and I did all we could think of to lessen the trauma of bathing. Baths were traumatic not only for Jessie, but for us as well. We tried showers and many different kinds of tubby toys, but nothing was working. It was kind of funny because Jessie was thrilled about swimming in the pool and didn’t mind getting her hair wet then. You’d think that the … Continue reading →

Surgery Recovery

Last week my toddler had her tonsils and adenoids removed. When I was 11 I had my tonsils out. A four-year-old boy had this surgery about the same time as I and he came back from recovery sitting up happy and asking to eat. I was so sick that the hospital considered keeping me another night. My husband and I decided that since Jessie needed these organs taken out, sooner was better than later. I anticipated my two-year-old recovering as quickly as that little boy. The day of the surgery she drank more than we expected and had a wet … Continue reading →

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

In August 2009 my toddler and I flew from DFW to the Ontario Airport in Southern California. We were going to spend time with my family. Not long after arriving, Jessie started acting not like herself. We didn’t know what the problem was, so we decided to take her to the doctor. I found an urgent care with a pediatrician. My mom, sister, and I took Jessie. The facility was fine, but the pediatrician was not. She didn’t interact well with Jessie at all and told me that she had herpes in her throat. This was not a diagnosis I … Continue reading →

Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy

Yesterday my toddler had her tonsils and adenoids removed. The organs were swollen and interfering with her ability to hear fine sounds and speech. She had Strep throat in March too. I wanted to do the surgery sooner rather than later so that Jessie would have no memory of it and would have an easier time healing. I had my tonsils removed when I was 11 and the experience was awful. I had months of infections, secondary infections, and fevers prior to the surgery. The hospital was considering keeping me another night because I was so ill post. My recovery … Continue reading →