Share my burden

This past year has been a sad one for my fellow staff where I work. The last month especially has been very tearful with the passing of sweet Noelle in September, and today, Mason. We have so many kids right now who are fighting for their lives and to be honest, it's getting to me. I have said before that parenthood makes you vulnerable: much like a sponge. It's difficult these days to remain emotionally distant, especially as I think about the precious moments I shared with both Noelle and Mason and their families. I can't describe the bonds formed with people that you hardly know, yet you become a part of the worst time in their lives. I myself have experienced the pain of miscarriage, but nothing compares to the death or even near-death of your child.

I share this with you, my friends and family, because I feel compelled. Hoping that somehow by sharing, I lessen the burden of sadness a little and spread in its place some gratefulness. Please be grateful for your health today and the health of the ones you love. Please pray for peace for Noelle and Mason's families and ALL the families at Duke. And if you have an extra minute, pray that somehow I can be an instrument of that peace and still be whole enough to continue, even when it's hard. Like today.

Below is my new favorite picture of something for which I am most grateful.

AAAHHHH-----CHOO!

Thought I would provide a public service of sorts and post some warnings that the FDA has just published regarding cough and cold medications for children under 2. They are specifically warning against over-the-counter medications UNLESS a doctor has prescribed them. As cough and cold season quickly approaches, us moms must remember that colds are caused primarily by viruses and must run their course...as miserable as that may be! With kids under 2, the best medicine is usually none at all, especially when it comes to this over-the-counter stuff. When in doubt, check with your kiddo's pediatrician! Click HERE for the complete WebMD article.

The FDA's public health advisory includes the following advice for parents about using cough and cold products in children:

• Do not use cough and cold products in children under 2 years of age UNLESS given specific directions to do so by a health care provider.
• Do not give children medicine that is packaged and made for adults. Use only products marked for use in babies, infants or children (sometimes called "pediatric" use).
• Cough and cold medicines come in many different strengths. If you are unsure about the right product for your child, ask a health care provider.
• If other medicines (over-the-counter or prescription) are being given to a child, the child’s health care provider should review and approve their combined use.
• Read all of the information in the "Drug Facts" box on the package label so that you know the active ingredients and the warnings.
• Follow the directions in the "Drug Facts" box. Do not give a child medicine more often or in greater amounts than is stated on the package.
• Too much medicine may lead to serious and life-threatening side effects, particularly in children aged 2 years and younger.
• For liquid products, parents should use the measuring device (dropper, dosing cup, or dosing spoon) that is packaged with each different medicine formulation and that is marked to deliver the recommended dose. A kitchen teaspoon or tablespoon is not an appropriate measuring device for giving medicines to children.
• If a measuring device is not included with the product, parents should purchase one at the pharmacy. Make sure that the dropper, dosing cup, or dosing spoon has markings on it that match the dosing that is in the directions in the "Drug Facts" box on the package label or is recommended by the child's health care provider.
• If you DO NOT UNDERSTAND the instructions on the product or how to use the dosing device (dropper, dosing cup, or dosing spoon), DO NOT USE the medicine. Consult your health care provider if you have questions or are confused.
• Cough and cold medicines only treat the symptoms of the common cold such as runny nose, congestion, fever, aches, and irritability. They do not cure the common cold. Children get better with time.
• If a child’s condition worsens or does not improve, stop using the product and immediately take the child to a health care provider for evaluation.
  

Long time, no blogging

As you might have inferred from my lack of posting since August 30, we have been quite busy this last month! Not sure where to start, but I will try and sum up all that has kept the Ammon family plate full.

1. SCHOOL: Grad school, to put it nicely, has been kicking my butt. I definitely underestimated the time it would take to read and comprehend texts on health policy and organizational behavior and overestimated my recall of how to research and write a well-thought-out paper. It has certainly been a TEAM effort, with Christopher taking on pretty much all of the domestic duties! He has been awesome with taking Elias out of the house when I needed to read quietly and letting me sleep in when I stayed up late finishing assignments. He may have to walk across the stage WITH me if I ever get this degree! Elias is doing his part by attending his parents morning out program two days/week and taking GOOD naps so that Mommy can have time to devote to schoolwork. The last few times we dropped him off were tear-free!
2. CRUISE!!!!! Christopher and I went on an 8 day western caribbean cruise from Sept 16-23. It was amazing and we had a blast celebrating my 27th birthday and our upcoming 5 year anniversary (Oct 26). We missed Elias terribly, but he was well cared for by Nana and Grandma, who split the week taking care of him at our house. I am posting a few of my favorite pictures but click HERE if you want to see the slideshow in its entirety on Kodak Gallery.

3. SPEECH: We haven't gone into detail with many people, simply because we are busy living it, but Elias started speech therapy this month for a mild speech delay. Basically, our little man understands everything we say (receptive communication) but for whatever reason does not try to imitate or say any words to respond (expressive communication). We sought out an evaluation for him in July through our county's Developmental Services Agency, and because he has enough of a speech delay at 20 months, he qualifies for FREE speech therapy services. Elias is very smart and has no problems socially. He uses sign language to communicate his needs and makes more verbal sounds every day. We look forward to hearing more of his little voice and in the meantime, make the most of the resources available to us. Right now, Stacey, the speech therapist, comes to play Mondays and Wednesday afternoons for 30 minutes.

Elias at the beginning of September (19 mos)

4. THIS WEEK: We have been particularly worn out this week as Elias came down with Coxsachie virus, also known as Hand-foot-mouth disease. Click HERE for more information, but basically Elias has had the most trouble at night with discomfort from the mouth sores and continued fever. One or both of us has had to sleep with him during the night, which was not exactly quality sleep for any party involved. He ate and drank well this week, so we avoided the very common problem of dehydration. Hooray for small blessings!

So that's our news! I hope to get the hang of grad school soon and would like to be able to balance my other activities...like blogging. Here's to a quieter month...