Hurdle 1: Cleared
Bobbin exploded tonight as we were getting ready for bedtime. She has really bad eczema covering her entire lower body from her waist down to her ankles. I think it's a combination of the summer heat and the dirt that she gets caked in at school (bark dust and grime has a real affinity for sun screen). So we've been treating it with Aveeno 1% hydrocortisone, followed by a layer of Eucerin cream. This is what we've done since she was a baby, and it's always worked wonders. It still works. Only difference is that when she was a baby she'd fall asleep while I put cream on her. Now she hates it. What she hates is putting her clothes on while the cream isn't fully absorbed, so we give her some "drying" time, but that is not enough to convince her that this is a good thing that we're doing. Some nights are better than others and she'll allow me to put it on without much of a fuss, even exclaiming as I do it that "See mommy? It doesn't hurt! I'm a big girl!" Tonight was not one of those nights.
Tonight she went ballistic, screaming and running away. I know it is fear of pain that is driving her so Tim and I patiently waited it out and finally managed to convince her to come to me and let me put the cream on. She stopped crying and calmed down, I got the cream on, she agreed it didn't hurt and then when I was done and ready to give her a hug she promptly turned around, faced me, and smacked me hard on the head angrily.
After more screaming protests as I put her in a time out, we reconciled and she apologized, we cuddled in the big chair, and I tucked her in to bed.
By this time, however, it was 8:30pm. 30 minutes past the time when I usually go downstairs to exercise. Up until this week, that would have been my excuse to skip the elliptical. The time had past, it was too late, no work out for me. Tonight I forced myself to go down to the basement and work out for 30 full minutes, followed by my usual stretches with the exercise ball. It was mental agony. Because it had been such a difficult evening all I wanted to do was just go back upstairs and cuddle with her. I knew that she'd be calling out to go potty about 10 minutes after I tucked her in; and that 10 minutes after that she'd be asking to be covered up; and about 10 minutes after that she'd be calling out that Ginger was making noise and it was scaring her, followed by a call that she was thirsty. This is what she does. Normally I'm drained by the 3rd call and Tim and I end up tag-teaming to give each other a break. But tonight, all I wanted was to be upstairs so I could go in and take care of whatever it was she was calling for. I guess because I wanted to make up for her being so upset before bed, or because I wanted to feel better about it myself, or something. All I know is I worked out for 30 minutes and my heart ached the entire time.
BUT I did it. There will be a LOT of evenings in the future that don't start "on time" at 8pm for a variety of reasons. I need to be ok with that. I need to find a way to exercise anyway, and not let the lack of schedule adherence be my excuse for not working out. I cleared the hurdle tonight. Maybe that means I can clear the next one too.
AND... I ate no cookies today.
Comments
As you know, I've long suffered with "hay fever", but more recently have started developing eczema on high pollen count days. It was brutal in Virginia, and is starting to rear its ugly head here, too.
Bobbin's eczema might be a manifestation of seasonal allergies. You could ask her doctor if it's worth combining the topical treatments you're already using with an antihistamine like Benadryl. I believe they have a kiddie version of it...and it has the added benefit of causing drowsiness. ;-)
Posted by Aunt Sarah on July 22, 2008 5:57 AM.