Flu Shot, Pulmonologist, Orthopedic surgeon OH MY!

All I can say is that I'm SOOO glad to be done with this crazy day. We started out the day with an 11am appt at the pediatrician for Jack's flu shot then we had an 11:15am appt with the pulmonologist (he is at the pediatrician's office 2x/week). Jack got his flu shot then they moved us to a new room to see the pulmonologist. I had Jack down to his diaper for a weight check and I looked down and noticed he was having a reaction to the flu shot. As soon as I saw it I realized that since it was inactivated virus it likely had egg protein and he's allergic to eggs! I called the nurses in and they were quickly followed by the pulmonologist nurses, the pulmonologist and the pediatrician. They never asked me if he was allergic to eggs and obviously they didn't see it in his chart. Really, I should've known this but was so preoccupied with all we had to do today I totally spaced as well. Anyway, we tried giving Benedryl that I had with us and Jack threw up (all over himself, me and the floor!). We tried 2x more with the same result. The pulmonologist did his exam (everything looks good on that end) while keeping an eye on Jack and after a while the pediatrician said to sit in the waiting room for another 15 minutes to see how he does. That's when I noticed hives starting on his face and shoulders. Not a lot, but enough. I finally asked that they just hold him down and get the Benadryl in. We finally did and he fell asleep in my arms for 30 minutes. They called the allergist at Hopkins and he advised us to hang out for a while to make sure he was OK. I then asked them to call the orthopedic surgeon at Hopkins to tell him we'd be late for our 1:30 appt. Finally around 1pm Jack and I headed to Hopkins - tired and sadly, smelling like puke. At least I had a onesie to change Jack into but it was cool out and all I had to cover him with was the liner for the shopping cart. I'm sure we were a sad sight!

We wound up waiting 2 hrs to see the doc at Hopkins and they did an xray and exam. Finally we had some good news that there are no congenital defects of the spine and he thinks a lot of what we're seeing has more to do with his muscles. Jack was getting so tired and cranky and when the doc came in Jack threw his doggie pacifier at the doctor's face and nailed him. On the one hand I felt bad, but I have to admit that after waiting 2 hrs it was slightly satisfying.

So, in the end I suppose it turned out that we had good news where it counts but I am still a bit peeved that the nurse didn't ask about an egg allergy before giving Jack his flu shot. At the very least I'm sure they'll be asking everyone else from now on.

Other then today's craziness things have been going well. Jack can now stand up by himself in the middle of a room (see pics). He can balance for 15-20 seconds. The physical therapist said babies usually take their first steps when they can balance for 7-10 seconds. She thinks that once he realizes that he can step forward he'll be off and running. He also has a bit of an obsession with the phone. If he can't find the phone he 'plays phone' with whatever is around (including the remote!)

Finally, please start saying some prayers and sending positive thoughts for Brad and Kellie (and Lucy). Carter will be making his debut on Monday! If you haven't seen their blog check it out. They have the best belly shots I've ever seen!

Vic