When your kid gets hurt (even a little)

Well, we can check another item off The Girl's bucket list: get stitches.

The Girl decided about three weeks ago that at the ripe old age of 2.75, she no longer needed the bed rail on the side of her bed. For some reason, mommy reason lost and toddler reason won... partly because I do want to encourage her independance whenever I can... And not be too paranoid or worried about them getting hurt. You know - more forward thinking and relaxed than I was with my firstborn?

In any event she's been sleeping with a spare mattress on the floor next to her bed and a pillow tucked between her bedside table and the bed. Can't be too safe! She's fallen out a few times, hit the mattress, we put her back in bed and that's that. No biggie. So when we heard that familiar *whomp* and ensuing crying, we didn't panic or sprint upstairs. In fact The Hubs went and I even said (when the monitor got quiet for a second), "Ahh maybe she's fine."

Then I hear from her room, "Uhhh... can you bring in a towel??" A... what? Towel? Thinking she'd leaked through her diaper or something I casually get an old towel and wander into her room.

The Hubs shows me his hand. Covered in blood.

It took me a second to register it. I thought he cut himself. The Girl wasn't crying at all, so I was confused. Then he showed me the side of her head - hair all matted down with blood, pillow case stained. Wha...? The Hubs sees my face and reminds me, "Heads bleed a lot, remember." Right. Heads bleed.

We had to get her cleaned up to see where it was coming from. Slight panic as I fear it's coming from her ear and as she's wanting to go back to sleep I think for half a second, she's seriously hurt (rational thought is not my strong suit late at night). Get her in the bath to rinse her hair and it's a small gash, about 1", but deep. Might need stitches. But wow... all that blood from this little gash. Heads DO bleed a lot.

This is one of those moments where you have the internal parental battle with yourself. Do we get her dressed and drive all the way downtown to children's emergency where there will be kids who are *actually* really hurt or sick, and possibly wait a few hours, if she might not even need to go? But what if she does need a stitch? What if it gets infected? But it's not bleeding anymore. But man, it is gaping. What to do? (Meanwhile I'm thinking... there needs to be an app for this. Go/No Go)

We decide we'd be total loser parents if we didn't take her in, so get her dressed and in the car and away they go, The Hubs and The Girl, who by now is cheery and asking "Are we going to the doctor? Are you coming to the doctor too?". Oh but have to find the health card first, and figure out where to take her because we're not really sure. These aren't the details you tend to read up on before you need them. (Note to parents... it's a good idea to at least know where your children's emergency room is, you know, before you NEED that information.) We're lucky that she was relatively okay, I can't imagine trying to figure out these details if a child was seriously hurt!

In the end the docs did say it was good we brought her in (score one point for parents) and were able to give her a glue stitch. Total bonus (it's quicker, doesn't require shaving, and a lot less traumatic for the kids!). And now we know where the ER is and how to get there. Just in case. And in case anyone's wondering, The Girl was totally fine... happy as a clam, giggled at the docs, and bouncing around the house (literally... bouncing) at 6:30 am the next morning, despite being up until 1 am. This girl...

Diary of a Real Pregnancy - Week 13: And Now the World Knows

Not only is this week the start of the SECOND TRIMESTER (whaaat!!), it's quite possibly the week that everyone and their dog finds out that you're expecting. I'm certainly glad we waited this long to tell The Boy and The Girl our big news... they were so excited that they've told, well, everyone. Saves us the trouble of making any kind of formal announcement! Plus it's fun to watch people ask you if the rumour is true, trying not to offend you but really, really wanting to know. And then you get to say YES! We are expecting! Yes, for real! I have proof!

And then you get the comments. Sure, everyone is well meaning... but I'm really surprised how many people act like three kids is either nuts, or had to have been unplanned. The number of times I've been asked "Were you planning this?" A) as if it's anyone's business if we were planning this and B) as if it's so crazy to have three kids. I mean... three kids! It's not like we're announcing we're expecting number 19! *ahem*

But yes, just to clear it up, this was very much planned :) We bought a house with 4 bedrooms upstairs, we've had a minivan for years... yes. Planned, welcomed, possibly still crazy but only because who wants to do the whole newborn thing? I mean... REALLY. Up 4-5 times a night with a screaming baby... liquid poo... total inability to do... anything but cry and poo. And sleep (but only a little).

Then they grow up a bit, and then you catch them, as I did our first two kids, playing together and making each other giggle and it all just fits. Hopefully #3 will fit right in with the other two and it won't be the straw that broke mommy's back and made her start drinking at breakfast time. I'm totally, partially, somewhat optimistic that that won't happen. Time will tell.

But... we have lots of time for that. Right now it's just the second trimester. Really I have a hard time believing that we're here already. It's not possible. We JUST got the positive test... right? Lately my symptoms have been still tired (does that ever go away??), nosebleeds, and oh the latest this week - really, really irritable. Like, I have no time for any of this crap so get the hell out of my way type irritable. Baby is only the size of a peach or something, and already running the show.

Overall though this is the week that our news is "out there", which is fun but in a way feels like an invasion of my privacy, because people know something about me that I've been hiding for a while. It's strange, but nice too, because I have a reason for being so crazy and absent-minded lately. But my choices also seem like they're public domain, even if nobody has the balls to say anything - I see you watching me eat that chocolate bar. I see your judgey eyes thinking "You should be eating an apple, honey. Your poor suffering baby!" Don't judge me! Now I don't know if anyone does think badly, but as I'm already on the irritible train everyone looks like they're judging me, all the time. Screw you! I'm eating this chocolate bar! Antioxidants! Ha.


I also realized today (13.5 weeks) that I'm showing a bit, at least in the dress I'm wearing. There's no mistaking that little bump. My body shape is still somewhere between Pregnant and Not Pregnant, in that "Uhh, you've put on a few pounds" stage where it just looks like you've been eating too many Cheetos. Which I have, but that's not the point. Time to take some belly pictures!

Cheeeeeeese

Previous: Week 12: The Proof in the Ultrasound Pudding
Next: Week 14: Mush Brain and Baby Names

Diary of a Real Pregnancy - Week 12: The Proof in the Ultrasound Pudding

The following is a real-life account of what it's like to be pregnant, week-by-week. None of this "It's a miraculous time" / "You are glowing" crap. No -- this is the real deal. Come on the crazy ride with me...

Week 12: The Proof in the Ultrasound Pudding

It's here! It's here! The toy catalog is here!

I mean... the week of our ultrasound is here!

Finally... finally we will get a chance to SEE inside my belly and omg, fingers crossed they don't put that probe on there and see a big black hole. Or something really... wrong. The things they tell you can happen when you're over the hill like I am (ie, over 35), or just in general.You really just never know until you see what you're dealing with, well, what you're dealing with.

Nerves aside, this is really a very exciting event. Ignoring the fact that I am the only woman in the waiting room who looks, for all intents and purposes, normal and not pregnant... Knowing that we could be seeing OUR BABY soon has me jumpy (in a good way). It's really at this point to that you realize just how invested you are in this whole thing... because goodness knows if they turn to you with That Look on their face and say, "There's a problem", or "I've got to go get the doctor", your whole world may come crashing down.

In our case, after being walked to a big, dark room full of equipment and monitors, and getting The Rundown of what they'll be looking for, what our risks are, and going through our family history again... Finally it's time. Holding breath. Crossing fingers.

And then... there it is. Clear as day, bouncing around, seemingly in someone else's body on some other planet. A baby. A real, live, real baby. Real.

It's real.

Holy crap it's real.

And I don't care how stoic you are or how many times you've done this, when you see that little thing, that little bit of life and magic, appear on the screen, it's like the world stops. You can breathe again. But oh, look! S/he has a head! And little legs! And omgitmustbeaboy, ohwait... that's the umbilical cord, haha! And now it's giddy time, watching this baby bounce and roll and meanwhile you're oblivious to any of it because you still can't feel anything. So.Weird.

Then it's the nitty gritty of checking and measuring and making sure all the parts that should be there are there. And they are. And they're beautiful.

Babe at 12 weeks... so pretty!

Previous: Week 11: The Miracle of Maternity Pants
Next: Week 13: And Now the World Knows

Diary of a Real Pregnancy - Week 11: The Miracle of Maternity Pants

Cue the angel music from above. "Laaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

paaaaaaaaaaants!

This is the week that I finally broke down and dug out some maternity pants. Oh wonderous day!! No more pinching, squishing into ill-fitting pants meant for someone not bearing fruit. No! It is finally the time for stretchy pants. Dance with me!

It's seriously a great feeling to fit into pants once again. Thankfully in this day and age we're not limited to ugly pants with those huge stretchy panels on the front. Now you can get pretty stylish duds with adaptable waistbands that you can actually use in the first trimester and beyond. I was so happy to be 'unbound' in the waist department that I went around showing anyone who knows my news, "Check it OUT! Stretchy pants! Wa-laa!"... I'm certain they all appreciated this demonstration. I know I did.

Besides stretchy pants there's really not a whole lot going on this week. Personally I'm a bit more gassy (lovely) and still hungry all the time and tired. What else is new?

We still don't even know if any of this is real and that's enough to stress you the freak out. I mean... what if it's all some cruel joke? I'm really just getting fat (and haven't gotten my period in three months). That's totally possible. All kidding aside, it would definitely be nice to have some proof that all is well... I have been trying in vain to pick up the heartbeat on a home doppler which hasn't worked (um, baby is the size of a green bean or something, so tricky to track down!), and that's causing even more stress. Gaah. And don't tell me that stress isn't good for the baby because everyone knows that... it doesn't help!

For me, our first ultrasound is next week. Until then... I'll be poking the doppler into my belly, then getting frustrated and angry and throwing it across the room, then acting like I'm fine. Really. Totally. Fine. I'm sure everything's fine.

Previous: Week 10: Still Starving
Next: Week 12: The Proof in the Ultrasound Pudding

First harvest

Apparently ignoring the garden (for the most part) still results in veggies growing. All by themselves. Imagine!

Turns out I have one very productive bed, and one very sad one. Mostly due to poor planning on my part... And assuming the leeks would grow faster and bigger than they did.

In any event we were able to actually pick a few things today! So exciting! We got some green lettuce, mizuna and arugula (so glad I didn't give up on these guys... I nearly did), green onions, and one little carrot.

We're having salad tonight my friends!