Baby Toes

I know I have talked and talked about how much we have going on right now and I know that some of you out there must be sick of reading it by now. Just understand that when I complain via my blog, I am allowing myself some "venting" privileges that I don't get too much around my house these days! Unless it is my poor husband or a 16 month old, no one else is really willing to listen. So, indulge me, my blog friends!

This home is in chaos right now. There are suitcases strewn about that will not be unpacked from our Maui trip because we intend on adding to those suitcases already semi-packed since we will be "living" out of them these next several months. The dog is constantly following me around and just asking for me to put her back on Prozac for dogs; she's sensing some major changes in the air and rightly so since she's boarding a plane on Sunday for Annie and Todd's home in Pennsylvania where she will live for the next month and a half. The cat will leave Monday for Alabama for a few months with my parents in Alabama. Dan's finishing up his last work week at the Joint Intelligence Operations Center. The first set of movers come Monday to take our unaccompanied baggage and then the primary movers come Tuesday - Thursday to pack up our entire home. We ship our Camry a week from now, sign over our Pathfinder's title to our friends who bought it this weekend, and get ready to live out of those previously mentioned suitcases indefinitely!

To add anything extra to do to the mix is just out of the question.... unless it involves our Noah. This past weekend in Maui, Noah was constantly trying to rid himself of his clothes, diaper and shoes so he could enjoy the Maui sun and sand in the way God intended for him to enjoy paradise! At some point, he must of tripped and snagged his 4th toenail on his little right foot because the poor thing was ripped down to the cuticle. I mean, that nail peeled all the way back, leaving a pulpy mess of skin underneath it exposed. But it didn't come all the way off so sweet Noah kept catching that nail on everything, including his shoes. He never even whined when it happened so we aren't sure when the accident occurred (boys never cry over anything that girls would expect them to cry over!)

By last night, the toe was starting to turn really red and starting to ooze just a bit. And throughout the night last night, our boy was waking up every half hour or so in tears; it was obvious something was causing him a great deal of pain. When he woke up this morning after a fitful night of sleep, his toe was purple, oozing and twice its normal size. The baby was limping around the house - it was heartbreaking. So our pediatrician squeezed him in and got him started on some serious antibiotics: his FIRST EVER antibiotics! I was so sad to have to give him such nasty meds - he's never had more than Motrin in his baby system so this was a hard thing for me to deal with. I hate having to medicate him - that is for certain. Even our doctor couldn't stop commenting how he was one of her only patients to never have had an ear infection or something requiring antibiotics. I was thrilled to hear that!

Our doctor also discovered that what we thought was just a tiny rash was actually a fungal infection so she started him on an anti-fungal cream on his tummy and leg. She suspects that that occurred because of how much time he's been spending in his swimsuit on the beaches here in Hawaii.

I tell you all of this not to garner sympathy because it is just one more thing added to our overflowing plates but to tell you that no matter HOW busy a mom becomes, she will stop everything in its tracks to make sure her baby is 100% healthy. It is so amazing to me how I hurt when Noah hurts. I felt my toe throbbing today as he limped around the house and I couldn't help but pray that his pain could become mine. He wanted his Mama today and there was no one else that could take my place. He wrapped his arms so hard around my neck over and over and showered me with kisses. And when nap #2 time came around, he wouldn't let me go; he just wanted to be held and rocked as he fell asleep on my chest. I just allowed him to be close to me and although he couldn't say it, I know that it made him think he was feeling better.

There will be a day one day soon that I will ache to hold Noah and rock him like I did today yet he will be "too big" or it will be "gross" to him to be with his mama. I try to remind myself of that during moments like those that I had today with my baby. Never a greater feeling exists in this world than when your child wants ONLY YOU! Noah makes me feel so loved and appreciated and I would give my right arm any day, all day if it meant that he didn't have to suffer in even the slightest way.

It is amazing what an antibiotic will do when it is treating an infection. After his first dose, his toe was returning to a normal, healthy shade of pink and the oozing had slowed. I am very grateful for that. With all we have coming up, we need our boy to be as healthy and happy as possible.