A Rough Day for Miles

So who knew there were so many things I could do one-handed? Okay, so the blogging is taking me a lot longer than normal, but who knew I could sort laundry, load and unload the washer and dryer (couldn't quite figure out the folding though), sweep and mop the kitchen (it helps that I used a swiffer), load a dishwasher, and make dinner (okay so it was just a frozen pizza). Who knew?

And why might you ask would someone try to do all these things one-handed instead of just putting the baby down? And the simple answer is because I just couldn't, not today- and probably not even tomorrow.

Does that look like a face you could resist? Poor Miles. He had a rough day.

Both our other boys were born in DC and both were circumcised the day we left the hospital. For whatever reason, the pediatrician here decided Miles should be a little older before doing his so today we went in for his first checkup. He's gained almost a full pound and has grown a full inch and a half in just 2 1/2 weeks. With the other 2 boys, they wisked them away to some nursery operating area and did the snipping. It was easier to pretend nothing bad was happening to them until they were returned to us swaddled and crying. So I was surprised at the end of the checkup today when the doctor declared he'd be right back with all the equipment. "Equipment" being a scary plastic board looking thing with leg restraints and packets full of scissors and surgical looking things. A nurse came in to help hold down his arms and squirt sugar-water into his mouth to calm him down. Her other job was to stick his binky in his mouth every time he cried and spit it out. I was very grateful for her being there even if she was just squirting and re-sticking the binky because he spent the whole time looking at her and I'm not sure I could have taken it if he'd been looking at me.

Let's just say it's not something I ever want to see again. They stuck him with a needle 6 or 7 times to numb the area and then started attaching scissors to hold skin down in certain places and then there was lots of sticking scissors places and lots of cutting. I did get light-headed a few times but was able to distract myself with Isaac who was watching the IPOD half the time and trying to color on the exam room walls whenever I looked away (thank heavens for baby wipes). And even after the trauma of all that was over for Miles, he had to get his heal pricked for a bunch of genetic tests. I've never witnessed one of those before either and it really was horrifying. They pricked his little heal and then spent literally 3 minutes sticking it to different parts of a test paper and then re-squeezing his heal again and again to get more blood to stick on another part of their paper. Again I have to appreciate Isaac distracting me- he played with the arm on the chair where they draw blood for a while and then he decided to type on their computer. I'm sure they appreciated him as much as I did!

They didn't give me any medication for Miles except he can have a little Motrin if I could get him to actually drink it (fat chance). With the other 2 boys, they got at least a little of the meds I was taking after labor (remember those horse-pill Motrins). So once the local anesthetic wore off, there was lots of screaming and tragically, his naturally reaction to pain is to kick his legs and pull him feet into the fetal position which just causes more pain and more tears and more screaming. He finally exhausted himself after an hour of screaming and fell asleep with me. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch holding his legs down so he wouldn't kick himself and rocking him so he'd keep sleeping. He was a little better this evening when he woke up but only if I held him. I don't think the Bjorn would be a positive sitting position for him so I've just been learning to do things one-handed.

The interesting part of my day has been the insights I've gained. Laying on the couch and holding him all afternoon gave me lots of time to think. Do you think it breaks our Heavenly Father's heart to see us in pain and not be able to sit and hold us all afternoon? He knows its for our own good but I'm not sure that makes it any easier for him to see. It healed my heart a little this evening to see how comforted Miles was just to be held by me. I know he's still in pain but just being held was enough for him. I'm glad I could give him that.