Admittedly it is getting harder to remember what # day it is! I keep having to look back at the prior day’s post.
1- Call has been busy but okay. Unfortunately (and understandably), it does seem like there are conditions getting diagnosed later than they might otherwise have been picked up, on average. For diabetes, a few days’ difference can make a difference between a PICU admit and a much calmer floor admit.
But, so far everyone has recovered. I am so thankful for our PICU with their excellent team of 24/7 coverage! (We consult on diabetes patients who come in sick, but honestly they really run the show until they are ready for less acute care).
(While the above makes my profession sound somewhat useless, we really do all of the long-term chronic management of things. Which is important too.)
2- I was feeling sorry for myself (the usual; mostly about interrupted call sleep, feeling overwhelmed with competing work obligations, etc) and then I clicked on this. WELL that was some serious perspective.
We (myself, my family, many who read this blog) are so lucky. I feel motivated to boost (and automate) our family’s giving. (I want to put $$$ into ummm . . . supporting efforts towards a new president in 2020. But disaster relief and world health is important too.)
3- I finished The Cortlandt Boys last night and really enjoyed it!! NOTE: it’s really funny to read a book by someone you know well; I couldn’t help but sort of see into Laura’s head as I read it. Sometimes I even laughed at her twists, because this book has some quirky aspects to it! That added to my fun, but I think I would have enjoyed it even without that bonus. I found it wonderfully escapist — she does the setting so well. I’ve never been to Cortlandt (and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t actually exist) but I absolutely would love to. Especially right now.
4- I am having trouble figuring out what to do about several appointments coming up (though really, my default instinct is to postpone). Surpisingly, I received a “confirm” text from my dermatologist’s office, but that just doesn’t feel essential enough right now (obviously, it would be different if I had a serious skin condition or lesion that needed urgent checking).
I also received notification from my dentist (closed right now) and from our pediatrician (open). Annabel has a well visit scheduled. It is tempting to get it out of the way for convenience sake, and to support the practice (it’s a small private group and I am sure they are struggling).
At the same time, it seems kind of wrong to be going anywhere that is not truly essential right now. And I have no health concerns about Annabel currently. She is not even due for any vaccines. So I think I will move the appointment to early summer. Hopefully they will understand. And I don’t think her school will be particularly concerned if her medical forms are overdue for a bit right now . . .
5- Josh cut Cameron’s sideburns! He gave the big kids a bath last night and surprised me afterwards! I think he used his clippers and it looks much better. I think we need to trim the back a little too, but yay.
Honestly of the two of us . . . he is clearly the most appropriate candidate to cut hair. (Better artist, better visuospatial skills, better dexterity with sharp objects). I asked him if he would give me a mani/pedi next and he didn’t say no . . .
(BONUS: the kids have actually been playing really well together lately. Probably because they have no other choice. They were engaged in some kind of pretend game involving a fort and a pretend car (“a Maclaren” Cameron informed me) for at least an hour last night. It warmed my heart.
Why yes, we do have brown carpet. Brown carpet that we don’t own and therefore have zero feelings about. #rentallife
9 Comments
I love the organic pretend play. I guess it’s true that there’s something to being really, truly, totally bored and without other options. My kids have started this game where they crawl in a line covered up by a brown sheet and I yell, “Ahhhhhh! It’s a giant slug!” When one of the big ones pops out, I yell, “Ahhhh! I can see its terrible insides!” and if the little one pops out, I yell, “Ahhhh! It had a baby!”. It’s actually really quite cute and we all find it hilarious.
I think C looks like a little Beatle! Very cute.
I just want to reinforce that you have a HUGE role in people’s health over the long-term, both in Diabetes management and the gender work you do. Don’t short change yourself!
I wholeheartedly second this statement!! I work in public health and think that management of chronic conditions (to help keep people OUT of the hospital) is so valuable and under-recognized.
The pediatrician is doing in person well visits (ours are only doing for 18 months or younger, to keep on schedule with vaccines, which is very important!) I would definitely postpone. I am missing my annual Gyn and dentist this month that I scheduled FAR in advance, and its going to be really tough to reschedule, but you definitely cannot do those via telehealth haha. Both kids had their well checks this winter and we literally went to the kids’ dentist the day before they closed (March 12th, I remember that Friday the 13th vividly as the day the world was announcing the shut down while I obliviously made my way through a FULL zero no-show clinic day).
LOVE the kids playing! Its one of the highlights of this situation, seeing the creative way siblings are occupying themselves together.
And my husband cut one kids’ sideburns and is doing the other one today. We have the same situation—he has much better coordination, spacial awareness, and artistic ability so he automatically takes on things like this.
This post made me laugh several times (brown carpet and mani/pedi…!) just wanted to chime in and agree with the other reader that you SHOULD do the planning podcast similar to before breakfast!! I would love love love to have a breakdown of your planning process, lust management, quintiles, in easy to digest episodes. Might as well, even if it’s only a few episodes I’d love it! (Are there any out there? I mean, there are focus on this and gtd, but I would envision yours being shorter more actionable episodes….)
My gyn cancelled my appt, which honestly annoyed me because I’m not due for a pap and pelvic exams are not indicated for routine care. Oh well. She sucks anyway. Hopefully my next provider won’t be as terrible.
Cortlandt is a real town outside of NYC. My in-laws from Cortland (Central NY) once had someone show up to their house who meant to be in Cortlandt. It was an unfortunately long detour.
Oh wow!!!!!!!