Double Duty

Sloane, like most 3+year olds, has her moments that make you cringe and bring out the not so great parenting approaches! There are 2 of those moments that you can count on to be ugly....the first one is when Sloane is overtired and the second one is when Sloane has to take medication.

This past week we have battled with getting the Amoxicillin into Sloane twice a day. It is a battle of wits, compromise, bribery, negotiations, threats and at times physical. Sloane can be and usually is violent when she has to take medication. To say it is exhausting is an under statement. A power struggle at its best!

It is no secret that when Sloane is sick, I am not myself. I am on edge and distracted by the illness at hand. The "its time to take your meds" event make it even worse. We have been given advice by other parents, professional doctors and researched the cyber world....but the no matter what approach we take, it doesn't matter med time in our home is a Jerry Springer moment.

This week, I am stuck between the med episodes, the prep for The March for Babies walk on Saturday and Sloane's surgery. I am not myself at all. I am trying hard to balance it all in my head but all 3 are emotional experiences that take me off my game and make me anxious.

I can't say I hate the Amoxicillin as much as I have in the past. I notice that Sloane is coughing more this week and her cough is MUCH looser, MUCH juicier, MUCH noisier. I think the Amoxicillin may be working double duty. Clearing up the ear infection and breaking up some secretions from her aspirations that have been hanging out in Sloane's lungs.

I am sure that Sloane's inhaler has kept the secretions quiet all winter, but we all know that they are there! This little 7 day round of Amoxicillin may have just given them a little wake-up call....up and at 'em.....out you go....don't let the door hit you on the way out....HA!

We are looking forward to the March For Babies on Saturday! A very special day for us. In years past, we have seen some familiar faces for our NICU stay which is very nice! To think that almost 4 years has gone by since we started this journey is remarkable! I was just telling a friend yesterday that 4 years is a long time! I am thankful for how far we have come....I used to worry that Sloane would be in preschool with a feeding tube! But I am also in reflection that we are still on our journey 4 years later. Some days, I cant believe it.

This week, a few people have said to me.....will this be Sloane's last surgery??? And the answer is: We hope so!