Riding the Roller Coaster Barefoot

I'm not complaining. Seriously. This is just something I was thinking about.

Doesn't it seem like it never ends? I'm talking about our kids and our lives.

It is seriously one thing after another.

It's not always bad. It's not always good. Sometimes it really is indifferent.

My mom? She found a lump. The doctor doesn't seem concerned. She seems confident it's nothing. But I know. I've been there. (So has she.) It's always something, even when it's nothing. For those days until you know it's nothing, it's something. And that's scary.

Yesterday, I took the girl to the pediatrician to have a few things checked out. Nothing major but enough that it was bothering her and I.

We are now dairy free. For a week.

I know that there are children that live their entire lives like that. Dairy Free. Wheat free. Gluten free. Peanut free. Right now, we only have to do it for a week. I cannot imagine having to do it for a lifetime.

But, yes we are dairy free to try and figure out what is wrong with our peanut. Could be lactose. Could be acid. Who knows?

While there we also had her vaccinated for the chicken pox. We vaccinate. We do not do more than two shots at a time. And I refuse to do the MMR shot with any other shot. I do not believe that vaccines cause autism but I could be wrong and I want to make sure I do what I can to protect my kids in the ways I see fit. My pediatrician respects that.

So, she got her pox shot. She can go to school now. Legally.

Tonight, after dinner, we took her out of the high chair and we were getting her changed when the husband noticed something on her back.

A rash. A bright red, splotchy, bumpy rash. DAMNIT!

I quickly applied hydrocortisone and then called the pediatrician. And then went online to look up side effects of the pox vaccine.

Rash is one of the side effects. Rash that turns into the pox. COME ON!

The doctor, actually one of the nurses, called me back and we chatted. The rash could be from ANYTHING. (thanks). The rash could be from the heat. (What heat? It was gorgeous today and we weren't outside all that much.) The rash could be from a new detergent. (Uh, no, sorry). The rash could be from her clothes. (The ones she's worn 20 times before?) Well, the rash could be from the vaccine but if it is it's not a big deal. (Uh, ok). It won't develop into full blow pox. That's only 1% of the cases.

FYI- My son? The one who spent part of the winter in the hospital. Was in the hospital because he was the 1% that had ultra serious complications from "minor/MAJOR" surgery.

Lucky for me she can go to school now that she's had her pox vaccine. Except if she has the pox she can't go to school.

My son? He's still not potty trained. Nope. And I hate it. He'll pee until his heart is content- on the potty. But poop? Nope. Sorry. NOT.A.CHANCE. He did it once on vacation but it wasn't intentional. We happened to put him on the toilet because he was tooting and we figured it was getting close to brown time. We were right. He peed and inadvertently pooped. He had such a look of, well, fear on his face when it happened. I felt terrible for him.

I don't know what to do. I admit I'm a little embarrassed. I don't want to push him and scar him for life but I also didn't really want to send him back to school not potty trained. It sucks and smells and I hate it.

Ahhh, it never ends.

Did you ever see the movie "Parenthood"? The one with Steve Martin. It's one of my favorites. It's funny. It's touching. It's endearing. It teaches a lesson and shows family at it's best and worst. Well, there's a scene near the end where Steve Martin's family is getting ready to go out and his grandmother is talking about going on a roller coaster with her now deceased husband. The roller...you know what? Just watch the clip....I'll wait...



It's about life. Martin's wife goes on to yell at him about that in the next scene.

I love that story. I love roller coasters. I love riding Batman at Great Adventure with no shoes on. It's one of those coasters where your feet dangle. It's an exhilarating feeling to have that freedom to swing your bare feet and feel the wind as you get tossed and pulled and pushed.

Life, regardless of whether or not you have kids, really is like the roller coaster. Could you imagine if it were like the Merry Go Round? Don't get me wrong, I love a good carousel ride but God it just makes me dizzy and want to puke if I stay on it too long. The roller coaster excites me. I am disappointed when the ride ends too soon. I am willing to stand in line for an hour and a half just to go on it again. And I never, ever, have to puke when I get off!

My point? It never ends. There is always something waiting around the bend. There is always something that is going to happen. If the past few years and even days haven't taught me that, nothing will. But it's ok that it never ends. The fact that it just keeps going and we get the good and the bad makes it exciting. Makes it worth doing it with no shoes on. (FYI-Great Adventure only lets you ride Batman with no shoes on if you're wearing sandals or flip flops. I always wear flip flops.) Makes it worth waiting in line for.

My kid may have the pox. We may have to go dairy free permanently. There may be other things looming on the not so distant horizon but that's ok. I'll take them because it's just about the best ride I've ever been on and I'm riding it barefoot!

And, plus, we all know how much I hate to puke.