Last night, my two and a half year old woke up in the middle of the night crying. This is unusual for him because he usually sleeps from 7p to 7a. Going in there, he tearfully cries, "mommy, I'm sick". Poor kid felt hot. Moms just know when their child has a fever... no need for thermometer.. you are in skin contact with these kids almost all the time so when their skin feels hot, you know. I tried to measure it to be scientific and to prove to daddy that this warrants tylenol but E would not let me. But daddy trusted my judgement, so we just gave him tylenol. In fact, I had to get up four hours later because he was crying and was all hot again. Then this morning, he woke up before his usual wake time crying and hard to console. He was so loud I was worried he would wake up the other three kids. I had just finished nursing little L and had just put him down again for another short nap hoping to sleep a little more till it was time to get up. Nope.. not this morning. So what actually worked was laying next to my little buddy and just soothing him with "shhhhhhh". He eventually stopped sobbing... stuck his thumb in his mouth... and layed back down again. I actually love moments like these... just laying there soothing my baby and knowing that just my presence was all that he needs. After a while, I told him I was going to go back to my big bed. "Ok, mommy... I love you, mommy." Melts my heart... now to keep the others from getting sick!
So few things on fever...
- not a fever unless over 100.4 degrees
- fevers are actually a sign that the immune system is working
- lower fevers with tylenol or motrin mainly for comfort
- need to find source of fever if persistent... can be viral, strep, ear infection, etc.
- rule of thumb is if fever persists despite tylenol, motrin call your doctor for further evaluation
Yay! We have just passed the cradle cap stage... but thought I'd throw in a few things about it since two of my kids had it pretty severely and I don't think I've blogged about it yet...
What is it?
Scaly flakes that covers the scalp that can thicken into yellow crusty patches. It can also be around the ears, eyelids, or around the nose. Sometimes it can itch.
Who gets it?
Babies. It usually starts by 3 months and resolves on its own by 6 months or so
Why does it happen?
No clear cause is known. Some believe it is due to hormones that cross the placenta from mom to baby before birth. It is not due to poor hygiene.
How do you treat it?
It will resolve on its own. However, washing with mild shampoo can loosen the scales. There are some oily cradle cap shampoos out there that some have found useful. Combing the flakes with a baby comb after shampooing helps to remove the scales.
As always, when in doubt or if severe and persistent, see your physician!
Hope all had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Wow... everyday I feel like I'm playing catchup... who has time to blog?
My oldest is in the swing of elementary school. Conversations about friends and school and life has gotten so much more in depth lately. What a tremendous privilege and responsibility to guide her during this precious stage of growth and maturity.
My second is largely over her terribly independent and defiant stage and is back to being sweet and huggable. When the two of girls are together, they are non-stop chattering away. Every now and then we have to step in and sort out hurt feelings.
Big brother E is pretty hilarious with the things he says these days. He totally likes to copy his sisters. He seems to admire and follow along with the oldest but battles fiercely with the second. He is always banging on something with this toy or that... and fighting imaginary bad guys. Of all my kids, this kid is accident prone! Scraped knee here... banged up head there... cut lip... oh I'm just waiting for the stitches and broken bones!
Little L is my cute cuddly little man who has developed quite the chuckle. Poop has gotten more smelly as we've introduced real foods into his diet. Only issue is sleep, little buddy... mommy needs sleep!
Juggling when this one eats and that one needs to sit on the potty... this one has a sore thumb... that one needs homework help... I'm blogging here but I still need to make the lunches for tomorrow... print out pictures for another's homework project... piles and piles of laundry... figure out when my helpers need to come help... Ack! My plate is just full right now... but it's a good full.
