Election Overload

I cannot wait for this election cycle to come to a close. I used to love politics. In fact, in college I was known as "Political Peggy" because of my love of debating the issues and candidates. With time my passion has mellowed. A combination of maturity and frustration has led me to avoid political discussions. Too often, what used to be understood to be friendly banter now quickly escalates to vicious personal attacks. There is so much negativity in the world, I don't feel the need to invite more into my life with political discussions.

I still feel passionately about the issues, but I no longer feel the need to explain or debate my stances with anybody. I have learned that, just as I am set in my beliefs, others are as confident in their viewpoints. Arguing statistics, nuances and platforms becomes an exercise in frustration for everybody involved. Instead of changing political views, these discussions are now more likely to result in hurt feelings and fractured relationships.

This election cycle has been repugnant. The nonstop coverage has been flooding everybody with a level of negativity that I am sure is unhealthy. It feels like everybody is on edge and in a bad mood. I have yet to meet anybody who is enjoying this election.

As a Mom, I resent the fact that I have been forced to explain crass terminology to my ten year old boy. Not only did we have to sit him down and explain why he shouldn't use the term he was mimicking from television, but we were forced to explain why somebody in a prominent position of respect would choose to utilize such language. Thankfully Scott took the lead and succinctly told Robby that he shouldn't disrespect anybody, regardless of the situation or location. Scott calmly explained to our son that demeaning an individual, or a group of people, only makes the speaker look uneducated. He continued by explaining that we send him to a good school so that he can learn a variety of ways to communicate and to express himself. Reverting to crude descriptors does a disservice not only to himself but to his teachers and family.

I suppose the only upside of this exposure has been the opportunity to enlighten Robby about the longevity of his words and his communication choices. Without the constant bombardment on our television, we probably would not have had the discussion about crude and demeaning language. Hopefully we will be able to skate through the next few weeks without anymore conversation prompts from current events.

Learn from My (Stubborn) Mistake

Looking for a silver lining has been difficult, but I think I finally managed to locate one. Between the bed bug feasting on my extremities and Timmy being ill, the past three weeks have been considerably different than our norm. I have been forced to slow down and take it easy. Instead of running around and shuffling between activities and play areas, we have been playing quietly at home. While I certainly miss interacting with the world and I'm feeling stir crazy tethered at home, my limb has been able to finally heal from the sores that developed from both the bites and an ill fitting socket. 

I have been dealing with limb sores for almost a year. The sores have fluctuated from being open and oozing blisters to merely raised reminders of an abrasion that has finally closed. Over the past year, the pain has also varied between nagging discomfort to excruciating agony as my leg rubbed with each step. Despite my trying just about every topical remedy recommended (and a few that I invented on my own), the sores never completely healed.

With our schedule drastically impacted over the past three weeks, my leg has finally healed. The skin over the sore has completely healed and the area is no longer tender. I don't have to stop to adjust my socket when I'm walking, and my skin is intact when I remove my liner at the end of the day. Finally, after a year I feel like my leg is healthy and back to normal!

I knew that complete healing would require my slowing down and minimizing my prosthetic use. Of course that is easier said than done, especially when I am chasing around a toddler all day.  Admittedly, my refusing to let my leg issues dictate my activities was a detrimental choice. If I could turn back the clock and take better care of my leg when the sores first presented, I would make different decisions. Please learn from my stubborn mistake: slow down and allow yourself to completely heal before continuing with heavy prosthetic use. I know that it is both inconvenient and frustrating, but having a healthy limb is worth the sacrifice.

Countdown

I shudder to admit that yesterday was not my best day. My morning began battling with my snarky little tween. He felt that he could continue to play a video game in his underwear while I had the audacity to insist that he put on pants and get ready for school.  After the epic pant battle, my day continued to spiral downward. 

Timmy, while feeling much better, is not nearly as healthy as he would like to think. He continues to cough when he runs, and fatigues easily. At one point in the afternoon I was convinced that it would be easier to teach our three-legged cat how to tap dance than it was to convince Timmy to take it easy. The task is itself is ridiculously impossible.  Much of my day was spent running after Timmy, catching him only when he coughed or fatigued, and holding him until he was rested enough to resume the chaos.  His refusal to take a nap only served to exacerbate his fatigue and to further sour his disposition.

I found myself looking at the clock and mentally counting down until his bedtime. That in and of itself isn't unusual. The fact that I started my countdown at 10 AM is was probably not the best sign.

Hopefully today will be better.

Sick Ward

As predicted, this weekend was spent with me playing nurse Momom. I had to take Timmy to the doctor on Friday when his fever rose to 105 degrees. He was quickly diagnosed with both strep and double ear infections, and prescribed a new antibiotic. I brought my sick little Hamlet home and tucked him into the blow up mattress in the living room. It is hard seeing him so sick!

Friday evening Robby logged off his computer, looked at me and said that he didn't feel well. He had a fever and complained of a sore throat. I wasn't terribly surprised that he finally caught his brother's bug, but I certainly wish that he had been able to dodge the infection. He spent the majority of the weekend either watching TV or YouTube videos, taking Tylenol for his fever and napping. (Definitely not like my little Koopa!)

Scott and I divided our efforts between caring for the boys who were holed up in separate rooms of the house. While Timmy had a confirmed diagnosis of strep, we were still hopeful that it hadn't progressed as far with Robby.  Scott was the only one to venture outside, running numerous trips both to the pharmacy and the grocery store for sick kid supplies. (As a side observation, a bottle of Children's Tylenol does not last long when a 10 year old is taking the recommended dose.)

By Sunday afternoon both boys were feeling better. Timmy's fever had broken, and he was demonstrating short bouts of energy. Robby continued to run a low grade fever through the day but complained less about pain in his throat. We are going to decide today if a trip to the pediatrician is in order. Hopefully both boys will continue to improve and I can retire from nurse duties.  I miss my happy and healthy kids!

Sick Again

Sigh.  I'm afraid that we have a sick little Timmy. Just when I thought we had kicked pneumonia to the curb, last night he started coughing and developed a fever. I hate that he isn't feeling well again, but I am definitely going to be proactive this round. 

Timmy finished his antibiotics last Friday. He was doing well and had returned to his lively, mischievous self. After he had been so sick, hearing him giggle and watching him explore and play was especially heartwarming this week. We had a great week playing outside, and I was confident that the pneumonia was a thing of the past.

I guess the antibiotics didn't fully kill the pneumonia invaders. While I thought he was fully recovered, it turns out that the enemy infection was lying in wait and regrouping their battle plan. My little Hamlet melted before my eyes, morphing from a happy little toddler into a sick and sweaty mess.

Today we're going to the doctor, where I expect he will be prescribed a different antibiotic. With all of the concerns about antibiotic overuse, I hate having him relying upon them. However, his exposure to antibiotics has been limited to a small handful of occasions and this is infection definitely warrants the prescription. Hopefully he will rebound quickly, and that he will be feeling better by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, I guess I'll be on the couch watching a lot of Zack and Quack and Paw Patrol during the next few days.

Jeans

I absolutely love this weather. There is something rejuvenating about spending the day outside under sunny skies with brisk temperatures. Cool enough to require long pants and a sweatshirt but not cold enough to be uncomfortable, I think that the past few days have been perfect.  After months of stagnant hot temperatures, it is nice to pull out the jeans and sweaters again.

It always takes me a few days to adjust to wearing long pants again. Dressing in shorts is easier than jeans.  Even after a decade of experience, in autumn I always forget to remove my prosthesis and thread the cuff over the socket when getting dressed. Instead I find myself struggling to push and guide a rigid foot through a narrow jean opening. Maybe one of these years I will remember my jean trick the first time.

My dressing method isn't the only thing that changes when I am wearing jeans. After having my leg fully exposed throughout the spring and summer, my "disability" is again disguised. It is odd . blending in with everybody else. In a strange way I feel like I am somehow being dishonest by keeping my prosthesis concealed.  Of course I realize that is nonsensical, but it doesn't negate the feeling that I am somehow sneaking around with a secret. 

In a few days I'll be able to get dressed without thinking about it and I won't feel incognito when venturing in public. Blending in will become my new normal, at least until the seasons change again.

Tae Kwnon Do

In an effort to get Robby away from computer games and YouTube, last month I signed him up for six weeks of Tae Kwon Do lessons. Scott and I were not sure if he would love or hate the activity, but we were agreed that he needed to try. We worried that, since his friend moved away, he was becoming too much of a homebody and we knew that he needed a gentle nudge to expand his extracurricular horizons.

It turns out that he absolutely adores taking Tae Kwon Do lessons. While I would love to assume the credit, I know it is really just by luck; we could not have chosen a better Dojo. The instructors are kind, funny, caring while still managing to instill gentle discipline and demanding respect. As teachers, Scott and I both realize the difficulty in striking that balance, and we have the utmost respect for their abilities.  Robby smiles from ear-to-ear from the moment class starts until he comes off the mat as a sweaty mess. Even when he is performing is corrective push-ups he is smiling.

In addition to learning a new skill and honing his physical fitness, we have noticed a marked improvement in our tween's behavior. He has been able to check his snarky attitude (most of the time) and has been more helpful around the house. As added incentive to continue his admirable behavior, I discovered that I only need to mention speaking with "Grand Master" when he acts up. Just the threat of my revealing his ill behavior to his instructor is enough to force him to immediately toe the line.  I have to admit that I was hesitant about the success of Robby's foray into Tae Kwon Do, but it ended up being one of the best Decisions we have ever purchased.