Antibiotics

Exactly two weeks after he had his last breast milk, Isaac had his first antibiotics. Coincidence?

Well, probably. He had been tapering off for months before that, and for two weeks before he stopped completely he was only nursing for one or two minutes a day. That's probably not enough to have any protective effect. I still wonder, though! But I'm also just plain grateful that he almost made it to three years of age before getting sick enough to need antibiotics.

The poor kid developed some kind of infection on his (as my father described it to my grandmother) private parts. It was very painful, although apparently not unusual or a big deal. Through the magic of antibiotics, which he has been taking for less than 48 hours, he says he feels nearly normal now.

It started on Sunday morning when we were out of town visiting my parents -- because no kid ever gets sick during regular office hours, right? Based on the phone advice of the on-call pediatrician at our usual office, we took Isaac to a local urgent care facility.

It went pretty smoothly, although Isaac cried hysterically during the actual examination. The doctor barely touched him during the exam, since it was so clear that it was painful, but I guess the anticipation of being hurt was pretty frightening.

As soon as I got Isaac's pants pulled back up, he turned to the doctor. "You can leave now," Isaac said firmly.

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Isaac loves the antibiotic, which is strawberry flavored. I think it smells revolting, but I'm glad there's no problem getting him to take it. Since this is his first time taking prescription medication, this was also my first time using the Trixie Tracker feature that lets you schedule doses of medicine in advance. (We have often used the feature for tracking stand-alone doses of over-the-counter medicine, like Tylenol for teething pain or fever.)

It's pretty cool, like all of Trixie Tracker. I can see at a glance when the prescription started, when it will end, how long ago Isaac got his last dose, and in how many hours his next dose is due.

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One benefit of the infection is that it has given us plenty of chances to discuss good hygiene. Germs are still pretty abstract, like anything you can't actually see, but at least Isaac now knows they can have a real (and painful) effect.

"Bacteria," Isaac said reflectively as he lay in bed on Sunday night. "Bacteria. What is front-teria?"

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Last night my parents and I were discussing dessert. My mother asked, "Is it time for p-i-e yet?"

"What does that spell?" Isaac asked, apparently not having learned it last time.

I gestured toward the kitchen counter where the apple pie sat, and asked him, "What starts with the letter P?"

"Penis!" Isaac shouted.

Well, it has been on his mind a lot lately.