19 weeks and a banana catastrophe.

Let me preface this post by saying that there are moments in life where I royally fail as a mom.  Granted, I’m not giving my child steak knives or matches to play with, but sometimes there are mini-moments where I wish life was a DVR that I could pause, re-wind and erase.

An erasable moment came this past Tuesday in the wee morning hours – 5 a.m., to be exact.  I’m not sure if Anna is going through some toddler growth spurt, but my ridiculously picky child has turned into the human garbage disposal.  Now instead of forcing her on the ground and putting food in her mouth (not that I’ve done this…or have I), she’s always asking for something to eat.  I like this.  Except when it’s 5 a.m.

So, when she came into my bedroom at that time and asked for something to eat, I gladly pointed in the direction of the kitchen and told my little independent gal to get a banana and a Nutrigrain bar.  She fetched the bar with no problems.  The banana, however, came at a price.

A significant price.

The banana bunch was sitting atop a metal cooling rack on my counter.  When Anna grabbed the bananas, the cooling rack (and bananas) came tumbling down.  The problem with this is that they tumbled down in a very bad spot.  Her big toe.

I cringed.

She cried.

For an hour. 

And one surgery later, I now know why. 

Yes, I said surgery.  When it first happened, I had no idea where the rack fell.  She was in such a state of hysteria that I couldn’t get a word out of her.  So, I just assumed it was one of those crappy funny bone/hurts for a few minutes/you move on with life type of deals.  However, as the morning went on and my child’s poor toe turned bright red and the toenail bright purple, I knew this was going to be a significant deal.  Even still, I didn’t think it would be that significant. 

I kept her out of school that day since she couldn’t even put pressure on it.  When her pediatrician’s office called me back and recommended bringing her to a podiatrist, I was kind of floored.  I mean, certainly it will just fall off and she’ll be fine, right? 

Wrong.  Very wrong.

When the podiatrist came into the room, he immediately said, “Ouch, yeah, that toenail has to come off.”  I’m thinking, OK, can we do it now?  Obviously I wasn’t thinking clearly. Not many toddlers would sit quietly and sing kumbaya throughout this process.  Hell, not many adults would either.  OK, no one would.  Toe nails are disgusting enough.  The removal of them leaves me speechless.

Then he recommended the surgery first thing this morning, Wednesday morning.  We could chance it, let it fall off on its own and go on about our business, but he was concerned that if she had any lesions beneath the nail, they could eventually become infected and turn into something much worse than an ugly toenail.  I just want to do what’s best for Anna, what will leave her the least psychologically scarred in life. 

So, going under general anesthesia to have the toe nail removed was the best option.  We showed up at the surgery center at 6 a.m., and they took her back within 20 minutes.  Everyone on the staff was so wonderful.  They played with her and really calmed her down (and me, too). 

Once she was gowned up, she was given some happy juice (Versed).  The effects of it were quite hilarious.  She was acting like a drunk college kid, slurring her words, bobbing to and fro, laughing out of context.  Joe got some video of it, but I don’t want it to viral and then have CPS bang on my door for making fun of a drugged up kid. 

Since I like pictures, I’ll show you the Versed progression right here:
She’s starting to feel just fine.

Bwahahaha, mommy, I’m so happy and funny.

Hurt toe?  Pshaw – I could eat off my toe and still be happy!


Who am I?  Who are you?

Just call me little Cheech.  Or Chong. 



*R(*Q&*JCKA*(@&( drool *(@*(*$*( drool

After the Versed kicked in, Anna was really on board with going with whomever wanted to take her back, so I was glad. I was honestly thinking I’d have to lie under her the entire surgery because she would be freaked out.  She’s always such a trooper, though.  I have no idea why I doubted her for a second.

The surgery itself only lasted about 10 minutes.  We’d just sat down in the waiting area and were ushered back in seconds it seemed.  I’m glad of that because the longer I wait, the more nervous I get.  I didn’t even have time to be nervous.

The coming out of anesthesia part was the worst part of the whole experience.  Anna was inconsolable for about an hour.  She screamed, kicked, cried, pulled at her IV and bandages – it was a mess.  I’m so glad the nurses warned me about this because her behavior was certainly uncharacteristic and a bit frightening.  And Exorcist-like.

This is what mom laziness will do for ya:



I’m trying to keep the mom-guilt at bay and just understand that things like this will happen.  This is just the start of many more freak accidents that I’ll have to worry about for the rest of my life.  It’s the price we pay as parents!

I had a few doubts about the surgery, but I’m glad we did go through with hit.  The Dr. said that there was a significant lesion beneath the nail, and if we’d let it go, it probably would’ve become infected at some point.  From what I understand, foot infections are really horrible to get rid of, so for the few hours of craziness we faced today, we’ll save Anna lots of grief later.  I’m glad we went this route even if it means my child will be without a big toe nail for a while.  Thankfully, it’s winter, so no one will ever know!

And for those of you who are brave souls, here’s what the toe looked like the day it happened (it was actually worse the second day – 100% of her toe nail was black at that point).




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19 weeks and counting…

Here’s where we are this week:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.


Image and verbiage from babycenter.com

How far along: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: +12.5 total.  This is +2.5 from last week.  If I don’t slow my roll, I will only be able to roll.  A 3+ lb./week weight gain is a bit startling.  If I keep this up, I’ll be twice the weight I was with Anna.  I do vaguely remember gaining rapidly during the second trimester and then evening out in the end.  I hope this is the case this go ‘round ‘cause mama’s joints are shouting at me right now!

Sleep habits: The constant peeing in the middle of the night is getting old.  I didn’t have this issue with Anna.  I think the baby is Occupy Wallstreeting my bladder and staging a sit-in there.  So, in light of the fact that I pee every 30 minutes/night, my sleep has not been peaceful.  I’m still having crazy dreams, too.  The other night I dreamt (or is it dreamed?) about the baby.  The love I felt in my dream was so incredible.  Oh, and the baby was a boy in my dream.  :) 

Maternity clothes: I’ve yet to buy any new maternity jeans or shirts (I still only have one pair of mat jeans).  I’m still wearing my regular shirts (the long ones) and one pair of non-maternity jeans and one pair of non-maternity pants.  The zippers are fully down by the end of the day, so I need to go shopping STAT! 

Best moment of the week:  Nothing really stands out.  I have to say that the whole banana-toe incident overshadows any good moments this past week.

Food cravings: It would probably just be easier to list the foods I don’t crave. 

Foods I don’t crave:
None

Symptoms: Super sharp lower back pain on my right side.  If I lie in a bad position or get up too quickly, the pain is so intense that it nearly brings me to the floor.  It almost seems like the baby is pressing against a nerve or some kind.

Movement:  Lots of movement throughout the day and night.  It’s still pretty low.  The baby also responds with a kick when I talk.  I’m sure lots of people want to kick me when I talk.  This baby gets a ring side seat!

What I’m looking forward to:  5 days until my big ultra-sound on November 21st.  It can’t come soon enough!  I’m so glad I have an appointment first thing!

What I miss: There’s nothing I miss at the moment. 

Next appointment: November 21st for my big ultra-sound and then November 28th for my regular monthly appointment.