1/8/08 The un-sick day

Melissa called me at work today to tell me Katrina was acting very strange, and not good. Lots of clinging, crying, screaming even...and cuddling. Cuddling?! She must not be feeling well! Katrina even fell asleep in Melissa's arms, after refusing to take a nap, then woke up about 15 minutes later screaming. After last week's fleeting fevers, and Saturday's inexplicable screaming fit, it was time to be seen.

One thing I love abour our pediatrician's office is how reliably we can get last-minute appointments.

One thing I really don't like about our pediatrician's office is how we have to wait so, so, so long in the examining room.

I called at 10:30am, got an appointment for 11:30am, arrived at 11:25am. We were checked in immediately by the nurse, weighed and partially undressed Katrina. Doctor will be right with you. Uh-huh. So we wait in the examining room. The small examining room. Baby playing on the narrow examining table, Mom standing vigilantly in front to keep her from diving off. No toys. Cold floor with paper clips and who knows what else on it. Low drawers, garbage cans, rolling footstools -- all sorts of stuff crawling babies can get into trouble with.

A tormentuous and aggravating and exhausting 40 minutes later, the doctor shows up, and spends five minutes with us. No ear infection, lungs clear, all looks OK. Indeed, Katrina had mercifully been in a great mood, and amused herself pulling on my work badge and playing with a zipper on my vest. We're not supposed to feed them in the rooms, but we'd been there a long time, and Cheerios that Melissa had thoughtfully sent along with us bought me another 5 minutes.

Note to self: from now on, ask the nurse if we can wait in the waiting room, which is spacious, has toys, windows, a fish tank, carpet, comfortable chairs and magazines for bored moms. Why do we have to spend all that time entertaining half-dressed toddlers in the cold examining room? It's torture!

With a onesie and diaper, Katrina weighed 20 lbs 5 oz. It's carseat turnaround time!

I actually didn't mind too much having to take a day off work, though I wish I could have worked a little more. Katrina was in fabulous shape all afternoon, being silly and playing very happily and generally exhibiting the good side of her joie de vivre and energy.

She ate a ton of dinner and then spent the balance of the evening pushing around this little wagon and screeching at her brothers when they dared stand in her way. The boys engaged in the new order around here: Gabriel and the Snap Circuits, Julian and the little (now horribly out-of-tune) piano.

The catch-all for mysterious baby ailments is "teething." I guess that's all we have to go on.

1/8/08