Confessions of a Sickie Mommy....

Happy 2014,

Of course, every year I think - this is the year I will blog regularly, at least once a week, perhaps more, but alas, it just never happens.

Unfortunately, 2014 has not started out with many positives.  We did have a lovely Christmas Holiday, hard to believe it is here and gone.  It took days to get all the Christmas items away and boxed up for another year.  I find it is always such a let down after the holidays, the house looks bare, just no life to the walls or rooms. Of course, each time I pack away my holiday items, I wonder if that will be the last time I decorate the house, I wonder if Darren and Greta will decorate as much as I do, or just put one lonely little tree up.  Will they take the time to decorate each room, to change the pictures to the holiday ones...it stresses me out.  So, this year, I wrote notes that will be there in the Xmas Boxes if for some reason my liver disease decides that 2014 is the last year I will have.  Of course, I cried when writing them, but if I am not here next Christmas, hopefully it will be the extra motivation Darren and Greta need to decorate my house the way I always enjoyed!  If they don't, I think I will have to come back and haunt the house, until all the decorations are up!  I dare say I would make a good ghost, believe me, there are a few I would love to haunt forever!!!

The big update thus far in 2014 is that Greta started pre-school - well, pre-pre school.  We were fortunate to get a spot for pre-school in the Fall and they had an opening for her to start in January with the three year old group, so after much agonizing, we took the plunge.  I was quite concerned, after hearing so many with stories that it was a tough transition for other little ones - weeks and months of tears, I was terrified.  I knew deep down Greta was ready for the activities "school" would bring, but her "dislike" of children, loud noises and busy atmosphere's had me quite frightened.  Thankfully, her first day she woke up, was excited to go, picked out her own outfit and while a tad hesitant when Darren dropped her off and a few little tears, she went with her new teacher and had a great day.  There were a few tears the first week, but minimal compared to what I had prepared myself for.  Now, 3 weeks in, I am happy to say the transition was a success.  As she stated today, her favorite part of school is, "painting, coloring, the Music Man, and coming home!".  This is a great improvement, as Day three her reply when I asked what was her favorite part of the day was, she stated "coming home".  Unfortunately, as I suspected, on Day 4, she caught a flu bug.  It was quite the illness, high temperatures that made me feel absolutely inadequate as a parent as I truly had no idea what to do, 5 days of feeling quite sick and as a bonus - she shared it with me!  I should have moved out when her fever first struck, as it was just a day after my Remicade Treatment, and with no immunity, 17 days later I am still struggling to get better.  Learned my lesson - next time, I'm booking myself a hotel and will chat via Skype with Greta!  I won't get in to all the nasty side effects I have had, but can sum things up by saying, it was a few weeks of hell (or what I imagine hell to be like), great diet plan if someone wants to lose weight, but that is about the only benefit.  I started to feel as if I was stalking the Specialist, I even suggested he consider adopting me.

So, that is the sickie update.  But I thought it was time for a public service announcement.  I read a few parent forums, personally I am not sure why, as my goodness, these Mama's are very opinionated and can get vicious.  Topics such as food, sugar, vaccinations, discipline...can start mini riots, and of course, with the internet, people seem to be even more cruel, as I have a hard time believing most would dare say some of the things they write to someone face to face.  So, if this helps, here is my list of thoughts / opinions - I am not saying I am right (well, perhaps I am), but I am saying that they worked for us, while it may not have been in a baby book, or the popular choice, Greta is a pretty healthy little girl and we are not completely disfunctional.

- I used bumper pads - she survived!
- I heated her formula in the microwave - we shook it - it was fine!
- She ate foods before "6" months - she survived!
- She drinks juice - probably too much - but she is fine, teeth are fine
- She refuses to drink "white milk", she will only drink Chocolate Milk - she is fine - same nutritional value, just with a little color
- She has all her vaccinations - and I am happy she does!
- She doesn't eat much meat - other than chicken.  We have tried, and we no longer force it - I grew up eating only french fries (cooked in a deep fryer)- she will be fine!
- Her favorite sandwich is Cheese Whiz Sandwiches - yup, fake cheese - at least she eats something!
- She is spoiled by many people - I don't mind, unless she becomes ungrateful - that will be the day everything is packed up and sent to kids who need / want things.  For now, I feel she knows she is very lucky.
- She is a pretty good little girl, so we really haven't had to deal with the "discipline issue" but she has been tapped on the hands - and I don't feel bad - at all.  Because of the little taps on the hand, or the forceful "no, don't touch", we never had to baby proof our home, we didn't have to clear off coffee or end tables of houses we visited because she grabbed items, and I have never had one thing break in 3 years 7 months!  She was told no, and listened. 

So, not a hefty list, but a few topics that seem to be topics on the forums lately that make my blood boil.  While I certainly understand the need to eat healthy, and the rights of parents to vaccinate or not - I guess I also know that I am sick, with a chronic and potentially terminal illness and there was no diet in the world that could have stopped my illness, I would love to have a salad, but now I can't...so at the end of the day, when I'm in a hospital bed hooked to IV, believe me - I am some happy I enjoyed my french fries, chicken fingers and pop...and had my daughter vaccinated so she can still be around me when I am at my lowest.