Bubdate: No Photo & No Limp

Bubdate #1: No Photo
Loyal readers are aware that my mom and I recently took the bub to an appointment with a professional photographer. When recounting the failure that was this photo shoot, I promised an update concerning his rescheduled appointment. This past Sunday morning was the occasion for take two of the photo shoot. As he did during the previous appointment, the bub showed far more interest in the lego table, drinking fountain, and toilet than he did in any of the props offered to him. My husband and I asked again if we might move the lego table into the studio for the session. Again, the photographer dismissed the suggestion (I think she thought we were joking). Instead, she had an epiphany. Why not place a black blanket over the lego table and tell the bub, "The lego table was tired. It had to take a nap." The other families in the studio, whose children had been happily playing with the lego table as their parents perused dozens of digital images of successful photo shoots, seemed delighted at the news that the one item in the studio that was occupying their children was now napping. Things only improved when the bub got territorial about the water fountain (to which he turned his full attention after the photographer put the lego table down for its nap) and took to screaming at another young girl who tried to get a drink and, I am ashamed to admit, even pushed her. The net result of the first visit was about 15 images to at least take a look at. The net result of this visit was zero. The photographer was unable to snap a single photo. Fortunately, my husband and I read the writing on the wall less than ten minutes into the session, made our apologies, and cleared out of there. Upon exiting the studio, we, along with the bub's visiting grandparents, were treated to a fit of colossal proportions. The bub was screaming, refusing to ride in the stroller, twisting out of our embraces, and generally making the kind of scene that causes passer-byers to think, "Wow, those parents must be horrible. What are they doing to that child?" I know this is what they were thinking because that is what I used to think. Now that I have a child, I know better. I know that most tantrums are fairly illogical (and luckily in the case of the bubs, infrequent). This knowledge does not make it any easier to deal with a tantrum as it is happening. The morning was salvaged thanks to an associate at a store called Hot Mama, who noted the trouble and came outside to give the bub a balloon. The juice box from my big mom purse helped as well. The new plan for professional photographs is to see if I can hire my cousin the photojournalist (an awesome photographer, NTB) to capture the bub in his natural environment. I hope she is willing to do so after reading this account.

Bubdate #2: No Limp
Yesterday morning, my husband and his mom noticed the bub limping a bit. I observed the bub walking, running, and climbing throughout the day and saw no such limp. Then, in the early evening, the limp returned. By bedtime, he was refusing to put weight on his left leg. This morning, he took to crawling instead of walking. After breakfast he started walking again with a slight limp. Obviously very concerned, I called the doctor's office as soon as it opened and we were there by 9:30 a.m. What happened at the doctor's office? The bub ran in circles around the office with nary a limp in sight. He climbed up and down on the chair in the examination room multiple times. He put all his weight on his left foot as he strained to reach the door knob and escape the room. The doctor found nothing to be concerned about. He has no fever and exhibits absolutely no signs of the infection I read about on the internet that I thought may be causing the limp. In other words, he is now fine. I am only out the $20 co-pay. I will keep watching to see if the limp returns, of course.