Another "first" is achieved! Today, I treated Hip Chick to a mommy-daughter lunch out. While I have successfully carried her to daycare or drive-thru type errands on my own, I had not yet braved a restaurant by myself. But I decided that, if she can drag herself across a playground to reach a play house on her own (as in my last post), Mommy can certainly conquer a restaurant experience on her own.
I selected a local Mooyah and timed our arrival for around 11:15am, to ensure we beat the lunch rush. As hoped, the restaurant was nearly empty and we snagged the table nearest to their chalkboard. I needed to quickly drop off her portable booster due to my limited arm capacity. She cannot be left alone in a restaurant chair, as she can easily tumble over and harm herself, so I needed to carry her anywhere I walked.
I balanced her on their counter's edge, leaning against me, to place and pay for our order. (Slightly off topic- I have a huge weakness for their veggie burgers and sweet potato fries.) Pouring drinks was an interesting task, but it helped that she could hold her own drink during our walk to the table. While we waited for our food, we happily scribbled and drew with chalk, as pictured above. When our order was ready, the staff kindly delivered our order instead of making me pick it up at their counter.
A silly girl is a happy girl and we shared lots of giggles during our restaurant experience. My prior wariness was less reflective of my independence and more a skepticism of my physical limitations. With her weight, size, and awkward positioning, it is uneasy to carry her for lengthy periods of time and difficult to carry much more than her and my purse. I expect that it could be easier with a younger or smaller child, but our hippie tops the growth charts for her age. I envision that a restaurant with wait service could be easier, provided the food is cooked quickly enough to satisfy an impatient toddler.
In other news...
We were called to pick our hippie up from daycare around mid-day yesterday because she had populated a 101 degree fever. Her classmates had fallen ill over the prior three days and so we were suspecting she would follow suit. As it turns out, her airways were clear, but an ear infection was the culptrit. I had great concern when antibiotics were prescribed, as she has an OR date on May 6th- barely more than two weeks from now. For her closed reduction, we were advised that she could not take antibiotics for four weeks prior to her surgery. What to do?
I called Scottish Rite for advice. Would we need to ride this out? Add three weeks to her casting timeline? A very helpful member of our surgeon's team provided reassuring advice.
For purposes of the recasting appointment, Scottish Rite would be concerned if the antibiotics were prescribed to treat an infection affecting her airways. Hip Chick's anesthesiology team does not want her to take anything to mask a concern which affects her ability to breathe, as that could cause problems once the anesthesia is dosed. Provided that Hip Chick does not worsen and provided that her ear infection is the only health issue we are treating, we were cleared to administer the antibiotic and retain her May 6th appt. We need to follow up after the weekend to confirm the status of her health.
Hip Chick had not been ill for the past two months and this has been our first potential snag since the onset of traction, so we cannot complain. We knew that she could catch something from her classmates eventually- one has to be reasonable about such things. Frankly, even if we must extend her casting timeline, we will not feel too rattled. As mentioned in my three week spica cast recap, I had received upsetting news from other "hip" mothers in a support group I recently joined. The girls whose hips redislocated had casting assignments ranging from six to 12 weeks, whereas our daughter will be casted for 18. If extended casting helps Hip Chick's hip to take, we will be perfectly happy to keep her in one a little longer.
Such a sweet face. Keep up the good work.
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