I have now been shown how to "reduce" a dislocated baby elbow. This is information I never wanted to know.
On Saturday my mom, Ada and I were hanging out at Westward Look resort in Tucson. We were heading up to the gift shop to get some batteries and we were doing that thing you aren't supposed to do: happily swinging the kid by the arms.
Damn. They weren't kidding. You really shouldn't swing your kid gently by the arms.
Ada's elbow dislocated. This is an ailment so common it has a condescending term: nursemaid's elbow (in fact, every time I tell someone what happened they tell me, "Oh that happened to XYZ!") We ended up in an urgent care for three hours. The pediatrician there couldn't seem to pop the arm back into place. Then they did x-rays. Finally, another doctor came in and manipulated her arm back into place. (The Prescott pediatrician that was available on Monday said, "yeah, sometimes it's hard to feel in the chubby ones." !!!!)
Finally with the arm in place and kitty stickers at the ready, we were ready to go when THE ELBOW POPPED OUT OF JOINT AGAIN!!!!
They just couldn't keep it in place so they ended up putting a splint on it and sending us home.
It was terrible.
Once the splint was on, Ada was fine. We covered her arms with socks that I'd removed the foot part from to make arm warmers/bandage distractors.
We were cleared to remove the splint yesterday and so far the elbow has remained intact. I'm being very careful with it. Obviously no swinging ... but also even putting her clothes on I am gingerly addressing The Arm because now I'm afraid of it.
So far, she is still intact ...
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday in Phoenix
My mom flew in Saturday morning, so rather than having her shuttle up we three headed down for a little Phoenix trip.
First we made Jeffrey and Ada drag around Ikea. Then when they couldn't take it anymore, we went to the Phoenix Children's Museum. Ada seemed exhausted. She was whiny, eye rubbing, and seemed about to fall apart. However, the second we got to the counter of the museum, we could barely contain her. She was ready to GO!
This was her second time there and she found even more new wonderful things to do.
The first stop was the giant climbing structure room. The structure is three-stories high of fencing, rebar, viewing outcroppings -- including flying bathtubs, and interesting footholds inside. Before she went up, she spent about 10 minutes absorbed in watching a giant air tube assembly on the wall. Kids would shove scarves into the tube openings and the air would suction them away through the tube maze and POOF! they'd be shot out a hole in the top and then gently flutter to the ground where Ada would gather them up and give them to the kids that were strong enough to put them in the holes.
We moved on to next floor and hit the painting room. The center of the room has a giant rocket ship that the children can paint. Each day, the color changes and the rocket gets a new coat. Today's color was yellow.
We were there for about two hours and once we got back in the car, she was out in about three minutes.
First we made Jeffrey and Ada drag around Ikea. Then when they couldn't take it anymore, we went to the Phoenix Children's Museum. Ada seemed exhausted. She was whiny, eye rubbing, and seemed about to fall apart. However, the second we got to the counter of the museum, we could barely contain her. She was ready to GO!
This was her second time there and she found even more new wonderful things to do.
The first stop was the giant climbing structure room. The structure is three-stories high of fencing, rebar, viewing outcroppings -- including flying bathtubs, and interesting footholds inside. Before she went up, she spent about 10 minutes absorbed in watching a giant air tube assembly on the wall. Kids would shove scarves into the tube openings and the air would suction them away through the tube maze and POOF! they'd be shot out a hole in the top and then gently flutter to the ground where Ada would gather them up and give them to the kids that were strong enough to put them in the holes.
 |
| Shoving silks into the hole. It wasn't easy. |
 |
| Gathering the silks. |
 |
| Climbing higher. |
 |
| Happy higher! |
 |
| EVEN HIGHER! |
We moved on to next floor and hit the painting room. The center of the room has a giant rocket ship that the children can paint. Each day, the color changes and the rocket gets a new coat. Today's color was yellow.
 |
| Crayon coloring only lasted a few moments before she was back at the rocket ship (sans apron). |
 |
| Ada doesn't quiet comprehend ball runs. |
 |
| Tricycles don't come with pedals close enough for Ada. She gets the idea, but can't reach. |
 |
| Noodle forest. We lost Ada at one point. |
We were there for about two hours and once we got back in the car, she was out in about three minutes.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Ada at 18 Months (we're a little late...)
Weight: 26 lbs, 3 oz. (86%)
Height: 32.5 in (66%)
Hat size: 47 cm (68%)
Ada is a pretty cool kid. I love how she just walks by herself behind the nurse to the checkup room when they call her name. I can barely get my belongings together to follow before they are off. The staff was pretty interested in her sparkly shoes, too.
This is the first appointment where the checkup proceedings didn't make her cry. There was nary a whimper as they listened with their stethoscope, shined lights in her eyes, peered in her ears, and she didn't really like the mouth looking, but she didn't cry, just tried to get away.
Even when she got a shot in her thigh, she was calm until the needle went in. The sting made her cry, but as soon as the bugs bunny Band-Aid was applied, she was fine. She walked out happy, without crying blotches, and even visited with some tiny babies in the waiting room.
What a great kid!
She is quickly adding to her vocabulary and some of it we even understand. She continues to have a strong desire to do things herself. This morning she brought one of the stools into the kitchen and brought me the bread to share for breakfast. Thanks, Ada!
She's also pretty committed to her love of Sesame Street, coloring, Lily, her friend Sophie, and of course, us.
For comparison, here are her stats from her last checkups:
15-Months:
Weight: 24.3 pounds (87%)
Height: 31 inches (64%)
Head circumference: 46.5 cm (72%)
One Year:
Weight: 23 pounds (76%)
Height: 30 inches (80%)
Head: 45.25 cm (60%)
Nine-Months:
Weight is 21 pounds. (87%)
Height is 28 in. (67%).
Head circumference is 44.5 cm (68%).
Six-months
Weight: 18.4 pounds
Height: 25.75 in.
Head circumference: 43.2 cm
Four-Months
Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz
Height: 24.25 in.
Head circumference: 41.3 cm
Two-months
Weight: 9 lbs and 13 oz
Height: 22 in.
Height: 32.5 in (66%)
Hat size: 47 cm (68%)
Ada is a pretty cool kid. I love how she just walks by herself behind the nurse to the checkup room when they call her name. I can barely get my belongings together to follow before they are off. The staff was pretty interested in her sparkly shoes, too.
This is the first appointment where the checkup proceedings didn't make her cry. There was nary a whimper as they listened with their stethoscope, shined lights in her eyes, peered in her ears, and she didn't really like the mouth looking, but she didn't cry, just tried to get away.
Even when she got a shot in her thigh, she was calm until the needle went in. The sting made her cry, but as soon as the bugs bunny Band-Aid was applied, she was fine. She walked out happy, without crying blotches, and even visited with some tiny babies in the waiting room.
What a great kid!
She is quickly adding to her vocabulary and some of it we even understand. She continues to have a strong desire to do things herself. This morning she brought one of the stools into the kitchen and brought me the bread to share for breakfast. Thanks, Ada!
She's also pretty committed to her love of Sesame Street, coloring, Lily, her friend Sophie, and of course, us.
For comparison, here are her stats from her last checkups:
15-Months:
Weight: 24.3 pounds (87%)
Height: 31 inches (64%)
Head circumference: 46.5 cm (72%)
One Year:
Weight: 23 pounds (76%)
Height: 30 inches (80%)
Head: 45.25 cm (60%)
Nine-Months:
Weight is 21 pounds. (87%)
Height is 28 in. (67%).
Head circumference is 44.5 cm (68%).
Six-months
Weight: 18.4 pounds
Height: 25.75 in.
Head circumference: 43.2 cm
Four-Months
Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz
Height: 24.25 in.
Head circumference: 41.3 cm
Two-months
Weight: 9 lbs and 13 oz
Height: 22 in.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Indoor Plumbing: Pros and Cons ... a story of triumph
Indoor plumbing is one of the greatest inventions of modern times. No indoor corner bucket! No trekking in the cold to sit in a wood cabinet with a hole in the ground! Huzzah!
Except indoor plumbing always seems to be in a state of breaking whereas the hole in the ground, well, when it's full, I guess you just dig a new one a few feet over.
At least my indoor plumbing is always breaking. Sometimes it is my fault. Usually it is not.
Mostly I have issues with our tub/shower unit.
The drain clogging with my excessive hair loss that always makes me think I should get my thyroid checked but then I'm all, "nah," feels like my fault, but really I blame the drain.
It is as if a drain engineer thought, "I know! I'll make it have catchy bits so that women will constantly be having to unscrew the drain assembly ... genius! with a screwdriver! and remove a hair clot the size of a rat!"
Said engineer is in cahoots with the conditioner chemists. "Even better! I'll make sure the conditioner they use doesn't ever totally dissolve and so said hair clot you've devised will be disgusting, slimy, and look not only like a deflated rat, but also sort of like an aborted one as well!"
I now envision them snapping on their eye protection goggles merrily while going to work on their devious projects, beakers and blow torches in hand.
At least, that's what I think went into our shower tub plumbing assembly.
Today I found out, we also have devious faucet gnomes. Little fuckers.
I was all set to jump in for a super quick shower while Ada napped tenuously. To note, I looked insane. My hair was pinned haphazardly, my contact lenses failed me this morning so I had my glasses on, and really, the outfit wasn't very smart, either. So the shower was supposed to help wash everything back into normalcy.
The water was reaching temperature, so I reached in and pulled up the pull-uppy-make-it-a-shower-assembly and it proceeded to disintegrate in my hands.
I never put much thought into that assembly until today. Obviously you pull it up and some type of thing causes the water to redirect. I never questioned it.
Turns out there are five different pieces. A stick bit, the knob bit, a plastic clicky onto the stick bit bit, a round rubber washer seeming bit that I know isn't called a washer but has a name I can't place, flange maybe, and the tiniest of tiny round rubber washers. Nearly microscopic.
Unfortunately, I had totally expected to be taking a shower and I had already disrobed. So, wrapping a towel around myself and pushing my glasses up one more time, I peered over the edge of the tub and up the faucet. That faucet bit is its own little labyrinth of molded metal. A couple of failures, flubbed fingers, glasses slipping off the face, and much (very quiet as the kid was napping) much cursing, I finally got it right. For now.
I cannot wait until it disintegrates in Jeffrey's hand and the microscopic washer goes down the drain (where my hair clot will potentially catch it, but knowing our luck, it won't) and we are stuck with a "bath only" option until someone can come and repair it for good as I'm certain Jeffrey won't be found doubled over and upside down trying to put it back together again.
Fortunately, we have two other bathrooms with showers. Indoor plumbing is great as long as you always have excessive amounts of bathrooms to shift to ... but then you have to clean them.
Maybe we aren't really ready for home ownership.
Except indoor plumbing always seems to be in a state of breaking whereas the hole in the ground, well, when it's full, I guess you just dig a new one a few feet over.
At least my indoor plumbing is always breaking. Sometimes it is my fault. Usually it is not.
Mostly I have issues with our tub/shower unit.
The drain clogging with my excessive hair loss that always makes me think I should get my thyroid checked but then I'm all, "nah," feels like my fault, but really I blame the drain.
It is as if a drain engineer thought, "I know! I'll make it have catchy bits so that women will constantly be having to unscrew the drain assembly ... genius! with a screwdriver! and remove a hair clot the size of a rat!"
Said engineer is in cahoots with the conditioner chemists. "Even better! I'll make sure the conditioner they use doesn't ever totally dissolve and so said hair clot you've devised will be disgusting, slimy, and look not only like a deflated rat, but also sort of like an aborted one as well!"
I now envision them snapping on their eye protection goggles merrily while going to work on their devious projects, beakers and blow torches in hand.
At least, that's what I think went into our shower tub plumbing assembly.
Today I found out, we also have devious faucet gnomes. Little fuckers.
I was all set to jump in for a super quick shower while Ada napped tenuously. To note, I looked insane. My hair was pinned haphazardly, my contact lenses failed me this morning so I had my glasses on, and really, the outfit wasn't very smart, either. So the shower was supposed to help wash everything back into normalcy.
The water was reaching temperature, so I reached in and pulled up the pull-uppy-make-it-a-shower-assembly and it proceeded to disintegrate in my hands.
I never put much thought into that assembly until today. Obviously you pull it up and some type of thing causes the water to redirect. I never questioned it.
Turns out there are five different pieces. A stick bit, the knob bit, a plastic clicky onto the stick bit bit, a round rubber washer seeming bit that I know isn't called a washer but has a name I can't place, flange maybe, and the tiniest of tiny round rubber washers. Nearly microscopic.
Unfortunately, I had totally expected to be taking a shower and I had already disrobed. So, wrapping a towel around myself and pushing my glasses up one more time, I peered over the edge of the tub and up the faucet. That faucet bit is its own little labyrinth of molded metal. A couple of failures, flubbed fingers, glasses slipping off the face, and much (very quiet as the kid was napping) much cursing, I finally got it right. For now.
I cannot wait until it disintegrates in Jeffrey's hand and the microscopic washer goes down the drain (where my hair clot will potentially catch it, but knowing our luck, it won't) and we are stuck with a "bath only" option until someone can come and repair it for good as I'm certain Jeffrey won't be found doubled over and upside down trying to put it back together again.
Fortunately, we have two other bathrooms with showers. Indoor plumbing is great as long as you always have excessive amounts of bathrooms to shift to ... but then you have to clean them.
Maybe we aren't really ready for home ownership.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Language Arts
Ada has been picking up a lot of words and hand movements lately. Today at the library she pulled out all of the moves to "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" include a finger waggle. I'd never seen her do it before. It was like magic.
And yet she doesn't say things like "please" or "thank you" and we can barely get her to say "yes" even though we repeat these words tens of times a day to her every day.
That being said, tonight it only took seconds for us to get her to mimic the JE Skeets "ca-caw!" that he often says during The Basketball Jones show that Jeffrey listens to. We even recorded it. It's the first video of Ada that has hit over 50 views that weren't caused by my dad.
She picks up the strangest things. For the last two days, when she said good night to us, she has been saying, albeit in a vaguely slurred toddler voice, "Night night sweet butterflies." I think I've read that book to her, what, three times total? And those words are only in the title! So why this phrase? Must have caught her fancy.
Sure, she has read "I Want My Hat Back" a hundred times and she "reads" the book to herself now, but still, "sweet butterflies?" I mean, that's insane. She can barely say "mommy."
We're in trouble with this one...
And yet she doesn't say things like "please" or "thank you" and we can barely get her to say "yes" even though we repeat these words tens of times a day to her every day.
That being said, tonight it only took seconds for us to get her to mimic the JE Skeets "ca-caw!" that he often says during The Basketball Jones show that Jeffrey listens to. We even recorded it. It's the first video of Ada that has hit over 50 views that weren't caused by my dad.
She picks up the strangest things. For the last two days, when she said good night to us, she has been saying, albeit in a vaguely slurred toddler voice, "Night night sweet butterflies." I think I've read that book to her, what, three times total? And those words are only in the title! So why this phrase? Must have caught her fancy.
Sure, she has read "I Want My Hat Back" a hundred times and she "reads" the book to herself now, but still, "sweet butterflies?" I mean, that's insane. She can barely say "mommy."
We're in trouble with this one...
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