A Little Under the Weather -- Originally Published January 26, 2008

Well, I promised an update, so here it is. We were re-certified for 8 hours of nursing care for the next month. Between that and the nanny ... I think we're going to be okay. It is a credit to Michael that the doctor thinks he is well enough to get along without a licensed nursing caregiver during the days.

In the meantime, Michael is not feeling well today. He's running a fever and has an upset stomach. This makes a 100% record -- if Adam goes out of town for a weekend, Michael gets sick. Actually, I don't think he is sick, per se. I think he is reacting to yesterday's flu vaccine (which was the worst thing in the world ever, according to Mr. Drama). I actually saw signs of "remembered pain" in Michael yesterday, which was fun to see, even though the overall experience was not fun. The shot was long over, and Michael kept touching his leg, turning to me, and THEN turning on the waterworks. A plea for attention? Possibly. Remembering the owie? I think so. (It doesn't help that Michael figured out what was coming before they even gave him the shot, and he was trying to squirm off the table and kick the nurse away when the needle went into his leg.)

Last Thursday, Michael went to the "follow along clinic" at the hospital so they could "evaluate" him. I've canceled this appointment before, and I had grave doubts as to whether it was worth anyone's time. We already know where Michael is developmentally because of Early Intervention and the pediatrician. He's basically fine -- a little ahead in some areas, and slightly behind in his muscle tone. We've been told on several fronts that there is nothing of concern. So, Adam and Nanny take Michael .... the hospital folks throw some toys on the table, set him in Nanny's lap, and have him facing at least three people he doesn't know, and expect him to play. He basically refused and clung to Nanny. He is, after all, 7 months old and is developing stranger-anxiety. They then put him on the floor and told him to roll over. He said "No thanks, I'm fine where I am." They were pleased by the way he can prop himself up on his arms, but in general they were "very concerned" about his developmental delay. He doesn't, they say, grab toys or play with his feet, and he is quite behind. Hah! Adam and Nanny said -- you should see him at the house!

I don't mean to disparage the nice folks at the hospital, but where is the accomodation for stranger-anxiety -- a normal stage of development? If they can't find a way to control for that, how will any child test "normal"? Needless to say, we don't believe a word of it. I was thinking, this morning when Micahel was shoving his foot near his mouth in the high chair, that it sure was a shame he didn't know where his foot was ... and when he grabbed Tigger and bit his nose, I was thinking it was a shame that Michael never grabbed toys. Oh well, c'est la vie, y'all.

Anyway, we're sitting around watching a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this morning, and we don't have energy for much more. Even playing with the super-cool singing stage is half hearted. I'm sure we'll get some more playing time in, but it will probably be a low-key day. His secretions are up today, too, so it is hard to get anything else done with all the suctioning. Heck of a way to celebrate our first official day when no day nurses are required, eh? (Did I mention that Michael always picks the weekends where there are no nurses to get sick? He'd better stop that now!)

Well, that's about it. Gotta go suction out Mr. Gurgles.