Another Ear Infection

Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful words of comfort yesterday. My Mommy guilt decided to listen to your wisdom and chill out.

So. You know how you take your car to the mechanic and it stops making “that noise”? Yeah. Kids do that, too.

At the doctor yesterday, Zac had a beautifully clear sounding chest. Clear as a bell!

Occasionally throughout the day, he’s had some congestion. But not at the doctors office, nosiree!

Sigh.

However, despite his clear chest, she did discover something we need to be concerned about: another really nasty ear infection.

Apparently there are a ton of kids running around right now, exhibiting no signs of an ear infection, but presenting with a cough, runny nose, and chest wheeze. When the doctor examines them, she finds nothing really wrong with their lungs…but they almost all have an ear infection!

So whatever nasty buggy is causing this in all these other kids decided to set up camp in Zac.

So we started him on the Rocephin shots again, and now Darrel and I are debating what to do next and when to do it.

We pretty much agree to re-trial the formula; I know, I know, you’re thinking “didn’t they JUST re-trial the formula and prove it to be unsafe?”

Yeah, we did.

However, he had only had one non-bloody diaper before we restarted the Alimentum, and it was certainly NOT baseline poo.

His diaper was also full of junk he’d scavenged from who-knows-where: bits of plastic and styrofoam, and some random things we didn’t recognize.

Further, that was the same day he came down with his cold, and maybe the same day he came down with his ear infection.

Put it together, and it just seems like there are an awful lot of things that could have contributed to our “bad” diaper after the Ali. Since we are SO desperate to have a formula for Zac, we decided to go ahead with another  re-trial.

Maybe we’re stupid. Or maybe we’re so desperate we’re grasping at straws. Either way, Alimentum RTF gets one more shot.

Now the question is when to do it.

Do we give him some gut rest? Wait until the antibiotics are done and go for it immediately? How long do we wait?

We don’t know yet. We’re thinking it over.

In the meantime, there’s some sorta good news from the doctor. Zac is not only NOT failure to thrive…he’s risen to the 9th percentile according to the charts!!

Confusing , right? Especially since I’ve said he’s not gained any weight since March.

Yeah, I’m taking it with a grain of salt, too.

Today they weighed him on the “big boy” scale while fully dressed; in June it was on the baby scale while butt naked.

While I know he hasn’t gained any weight since March, he only tipped the scales at the doctors office at 19.6 pounds in June. So today’s weight of 20 pounds even was a gain, according to their scales.

For his age, that puts him at the 9th percentile.

Taking all the other things into account, I’m not convinced he’s actually a 9th percenter.

But I’m happy to believe he’s certainly somewhere between the 5th and 9th percentile, and that means he’s NOT failure to thrive no matter how the data is factored!

That makes Mama VERY happy, y’all!!

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I mentioned last week that Darrel and I are going to have a booth at a big craft show this weekend. I’m making all sorts of really cool things to sell…and I’m running out of time! Between getting things made for the show, cooking our normal meals, pre-cooking the food I’ll need all weekend, and other normal parts of life, I’m running on the ragged edge.

With the addition of having to drop everything for the next two days and spend two and a half hours driving Zac to the doctors for his antibiotic shot, well, I cry “uncle”!

If I can, I will keep writing this week, but in case you don’t see a post for the rest of the week I wanted to let you know that we are okay (or as okay as can be), I’m just desperately trying to get my ducks in order to be able to make some money for my family this weekend!

On that note, tell me some craft show stories! I’m having a hard time deciding my pricing on some things, so how do YOU decide if something is priced too high, too low, or just right when you’re shopping? What sorts of things do you like to buy at craft shows?

Everything I’m making for the show will eventually wind up on my Etsy shop, so I hope I picked wisely!

In case I’m not back before next Monday, have a great week and an excellent weekend!