Dreux! Put Those Germs Down!

A few months ago I created a post about hand foot and mouth disease. It's a viral infection that primarily affects children in day cares under the age of 10. It is contagious, but like any other virus you pretty much have to let it run it's course. I had recently heard about it but had never known of anyone personally to have it. We'll that all came to an end a couple weeks ago.

A note was sent home from Dreux's daycare that there was an "outbreak" and parents were encouraged to monitor their children for the virus. Dreux appeared to be fine until she woke up one Sunday morning with greenish discharge coming from her eyes! "Oh great she has pink eye again", I'm thinking. We took her to the emergency room and found out she had a double ear infection which somehow affected her eyes. Antibiotics and eye drops were prescribed and she was cleared to return to school. As we were leaving the hospital I noticed a slight rash on her elbow. We ruled it dry and/or irritated skin and were instructed to switch soaps. That night the rash grew. Now covering her knee caps, it appeared this rash wasn't due to dry skin. I checked her hands and feet and inside her mouth looking for clues that the rash was related to hand foot and mouth...nothing! We were told that Dreux had a 10% chance of developing an allergy to the meds due to her allergy to penicillin. Boom! This is an allergic reaction. Back to the doctor we go to get yet another prescription. By this time the "rash" had begun to appear on her hands and her ears. "If she isn't running a fever and is acting her normal self, chances are she's fine". I've heard this phrase for the last 2 years by practically every doctor we have seen. But that's not true. When we first arrived at the ER Sunday morning, Dreux had a "raging" ear infection (as the doctor so eloquently put it). However she had only experienced a very low grade fever the night before. She never tugged on her ear and didn't appear sick or anything. 

With the new meds in her system we figured things were on the up-and-up. That was until Thursdsy when I went to work. I felt horrible! Sore throat, fatigue, nausea, chills! I'm catching the flu! When I got off I drove myself to urgent care. (If you know me, I had to have been feeling terrible to make myself go.) I was diagnosed with an ear infection. I sat in the office as she wrote my prescription for antibiotics and continued to scratch my wrist! Geez this watch is really irritating me today I kept thinking. I had noticed a small red mark earlier and was surprised that the same mark was still there.

That night my fever spiked and my head was pounding! I've never felt worse. I stood up off the couch and as the rug brushed against my foot, I had this incredible itching sensation right in the middle of the bottom of my foot. To my surprise another bright red spot very similar to the one on my wrist, was on my foot. It was then I realized Dreux really did have hand foot and mouth disease and now Mommie had it too! Dreux had developed a few red spots on the tips of her fingers and toes but nothing compared to what was to come with me! For the next couple of days I was bound to the couch as the blisters had completely taken over my hands and feet- which by the way made it very difficult to walk. My hands were inflamed as I practically scratched my fingers off from the itch! It was like mosquito bite meets chickenpox gone terribly bad! This virus clearly affects adults differently from children. Dreux showed little to no signs and here I am looking like a beautiful red leopard by the hands and feet. 

I'm feeling 100% better but was a little embarrassed at first. How childish of me to get a virus that appears in children under 10! LOL Stress from work compromised my immune system and made be more susceptible to the virus. I seriously need to take some vitamins to boost this immune system of mine and stop stressing! She's two now but I'm sure there is ALOT more to come. Mommie would prefer is Dreux left those germs at school! 

Mommie's Big Girl!

Its comes a point when your baby doesn't need you for everything anymore. We are getting to that point and though I am so proud, I get a little sad. Dreux is becoming more and more independent and I encourage it wholeheartedly. This morning she went to school with mix-matched socks on, only because she insisted on putting them on her self. I'm not the type of mom who gets hung up on stuff like that. Now that I think about it I really think she only has on one sock over her tights....😳When she goes potty, she WANTS to pull down "her panties" her self. Before heading out in the morning, she WANTS to zip up her coat her self. Her favorite phrase these days is "Mommie, I want to do it". So Mommie let's her do it. Granted it slows us down in the morning and Mommie misses her train more often than not- but I never want to deter her from doing things on her own. It's a feeling of accomplishment! 

This morning as I dropped her off she saw her favorite teacher and ran to her, arms wide open! She pooched those cute little lips up at me, gave me a kiss and said "I love you Mommie". Before I knew it she was in the class room. Guess my baby doesn't need Mommie to walk her in anymore. I felt a slight tear coming but it was followed with a smile.

It's a great sign! One, I know her teachers are taking great care of her and two, my baby is growing up. My baby will be 2 in exactly two weeks! Where has the time gone? 

Well time for the second.........SIKE! lol 

Happy New Year!

This year has been an exciting one to say the least! We moved back to Chicago, Dreux had her first birthday, Derek and I tied the knot, Dreux is progressing with potty training and Mommie is launching her newest venture: Event Planning! This year has been great but next year will be even better! I'm excited to see what is in store as a Mommie to a 2year old! The party planning has already begun. :)

YoungWorkinMommies will be very visible next year and has ALOT in store! I can't thank you all enough for your love, support, feedback, and comments throughout the year! Thanks for taking moments out of your life for reading! It's means a ton to this hardworking mom! :)

Happy New Year Mommies, kiddies, Daddies and care givers! Be safe and have an amazing new year!

From Mommie, Daddie, Dreux-and the newest addition, Elmo! 

The Golden Rule!

Picture this, you pick your child up from school/daycare and the teacher informs you that your little bundle of joy has a minor “boo boo” and that an “ouch report” has been written up describing said “boo boo”. What are your immediate thoughts? Did they fall? Did they scream? Was it bleeding? Will they need stitches? Right? Well at least for me, those are the first thoughts that would cross my mind. Maybe she was running and tripped. Maybe she was pushed off the slide. Maybe she fell out of her chair at lunch. All pretty standard incidents I would expect. But no! That’s not what happened to my child. Her ouch report read: 

Dreux was BIT by another student on her right arm”. 

I’m sorry! Did I read that correctly? You mean to tell me, a human child decided to sink his teeth into my baby’s flesh! (Yes that’s a little exaggerated but so what). What is a mother to say to that and how do I teach my child to protect herself from being bit again? What on earth is going on with that child that (s)he found it ok to bite another child? Perhaps (s)he was hungry and mistakenly thought Dreux’s arm was a delectable treat! Or maybe, (S)HE slipped and Dreux’s arm broke their fall whole their mouth was open. Or MAYBEE it’s a common thing in their house. Maybe they all go around biting each other, along with the family pets. Whatever the case is, I know my child better not come home with bite marks again, or Mommie will be sinking her teeth into a lot more! (And yes it left a noticeable mark). 

On a serious note, I did act very calm when speaking to the teacher to ensure the other parents were notified. At this age (young than 2) a lot of behavior is “learned”. Meaning they have seen it done before or there may be some underlying behavioral issues. They ensured me that the parents were notified and if it becomes a consistent problem, they will take the proper steps to ensuring (s)he gets the proper attention (s)he needs. I know children will be children and Dreux is probably going to get pushed and shoved and hit. But it’s up to us, her parents, to teach her how to defend herself. What did your parents teach you? If someone hits you, hit them back. Its the "Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Does that even apply here? So do I say “when someone bites you, bite them back”? I’m a little confused with this one. And since Dreux is practically two, I'm sure she will not fully understand the Golden Rule LOL. And while I don’t condone violence in any matter, I don’t want my child getting picked on either. Geez, I’ve got my work cut out for me. 

Any advice? Any other parents experienced a child getting bit? Is this normal behavior? Or maybe your child is the biter? 😳Feel free to comment.

1 Mommie x 1 Child = 0 Vacation Days

12:20pm- I'm just returning to my desk, after grabbing lunch from the office's cafeteria, to see that my husband is calling me on my work phone. He proceeds to tell me that Dreux's school had been calling and that she has a fever and must be picked up. 

The policy is that any child with a fever over 101° must be picked up from school and can not return until they have been fever free for 24hrs. "Great"! I'm thinking. She must have another ear infection- which would make this ear infection number 4 within the last 3 months. If you are good with math, that means that within the last 3 months Daddie and I have had to alternate taking off work a total of 6 times for an ear infection alone! That doesn't include the week we took off when she had an upper respitory infection or the 3 days she was out with pink eye. So roughly, that comes to a grand total of about 15 days of vacation neither one of us had. So what do you do? Tell the daycare "I'm sorry, I'm all out of sick time. See ya when I get off."? I think not! You march into your bosses office, put on that Mommie hat, tell them you have an emergency (yet again) and pray you have a job to come back to in the morning. 

Finding that work life balance is difficult with a young child. They are so unpredictable. Talk to your supervisor or manager and be honest. Granted they may sympathize at first, but that doesn't negate the fact that we were hired to be the best (insert job title here) not to be a mom. Job responsibilities are priority, hell, that's what they are paying us of for. They may "goo and ga" at how precious and how big they have gotten. But let's be honest, we all know personal problems and family issues are left outside the door when you clock in in the morning. 

So what do I do? I make them aware of any issues that may disturb my daily routine or interfere with my job duties as soon as I'm aware. If that means sending the team an email at 3am from the ER, so be it. That way not only is my email time stamped, but I'm demonstrating my commitment and dedication to the team and my job. Build relationships so they trust you will always make the best decisions in trying situations. 

So what was wrong with Dreux this time you ask? Oh nothing! Long story short, I left work 5 hours early, only to take her to the doctor to find out she doesn't even have a fever and her ears look great! Well that's great, for Dreux. But what about Mommie? I just left work 5 hours early to get to a "sick child" that wasn't really sick at all. Can I curse the daycare out and tell them next time can they take her temperate and do the best out of three before they call us? Or perhaps the average? Ugh! But the fact of the matter is, I have 5hrs to make up for. And no amount arguing is going to fix they. Needless to say for the duration of the week, Mommie was at her desk by 7:30am and left between 5:30-6pm to make up those hours. I must say being a stay at home more is looking more appealing. Kids! Gotta love em!

You better watch yo mouth!

Why watching what you say around kids is important....

As I dropped Dreux of at school not too long ago, her teacher pulled me to the side and asked if the afternoon teacher had told me what Dreux said in class the day before. 

"Um no" I responded, afraid of what Dreux may have heard and repeated. We don't curse or swear so what on earth could she have said that has prompted this teacher to pull me aside? 

"Well yesterday during story time -all the kids were sitting on the rug- Dreux stood up, interrupted, and said....'I farted'. So I asked (for reassurance). You farted Dreux?"

She responded: 

"Yes! I farted...LIKE DADDY" 

I could do nothing but laugh! Her teacher went on to tell me that she asked if Dreux needed to use the potty. When she took her, she just continued to fart on the toilet. I guess she is still figuring out the differences between the two. I mean that could be kind of confusing for a 19month old. Hell maybe for a few adults. LOL 

But my problem is not with Dreux and her flatulence, but with her Daddie for teaching her the dang word. I told him time and time 'stop saying fart...it's not ladylike'. Besides, ladies poot, they don't fart! But that day Dreux farted, just like her Daddie! And was so very proud to share it with the world. I'm so glad the kids in her class don't really know what that is yet, because my baby could have easily become the "fart girl"! How traumatizing! But rest assured all the teachers know Dreux's Daddie is the "Fart-y Father"! LOL 

I can't wait to tell Dreux this story when she gets older! 

An Ode to Mothers: The Power of a Mommie

I wanted to take the time to send a special note to my fellow working Mommies! I don't want to "toot" our horns, but we're pretty freaking awesome. It's 8:15am and before our counterparts have had their first cup of coffee we've already been nurses, beauticians, stylists, maids, chefs and taxi drivers; yet and still found a way to make the 7:58am train to work ("toot" for me lol). So shout out to all the mommies who do it without thinking; who do it without complaining; who do it out of the love they have for their children. Don't ever underestimate the power of a Mommie! 

And to all single parents, both Mommies and Daddies, my hat definitely goes off to you. To all the family and friends who are understanding and willing to go the extra mile right along with us, thank you! You make our lives just a little bit easier. :)

And to my amazing daughter, thanks for keeping Mommie on her toes! You push and challenge me to be great! Love u princess!