A new camera & a new doctor

The boys playing, as captured by our new camera

I came home from work yesterday and saw a manual for a Canon Rebel on the couch next to Eric... whose Canon Rebel would that be?  That would be OURS!  I am really excited to have a good camera, and my friend Cass is going to give me a tutorial about how to use it best, since right now I only take pictures on "auto."  Anyway, even on auto our pictures are better than with our previous camera.  I am only sad that we waited until our guys are 10.5 months old to get a really nice camera.

A very serious Benjamin

I also made the decision to take the boys to a new pediatrician.  I had thought about it before, first when the boys were 3 months old and their suggestion for dealing with Benjamin's car seat hatred was to "pick a closer destination."  But there have been other issues, like it is always a mob scene in the waiting area, and they seem to take some patients before others who have been waiting longer, and even when you are waiting for a long time, the doctors come out and chit-chat with their favorite patients.

The straw that broke the camel's back was dealing with Asher's diarrhea.  I took him in Wednesday a week ago, the doctor listened to his heart and said he was fine, and then they told me to bring in a stool sample.  Eric dropped the stool sample off on Thursday, the 3rd.  On Monday I called to see if they had gotten any results, and they said someone would call me back.  No one did.  Tuesday afternoon I called again, and the woman who answered said, "Honestly? Someone would call you if they were in."  And pretty much hung up on me-- didn't ask my name or my number or even imply that she would check if the results were in or call me back.

It is now Thursday, and I have not heard anything.  You can't tell me it takes over a week to get these results.  In the meantime, Benjamin's pooping has also increased, and they both have sore little tushies from all the pooping and wiping.

In thinking about finding a new doctor, I asked around, and Asher's occupational therapist suggested her pediatrician, which is a little farther away, but is a much smaller practice.  I called on Tuesday afternoon after being spoken to so rudely by our (now former) pediatrician's office, and the new pediatrician's place was able to make an appointment for us right away.

We went in this morning and were seen promptly, the waiting area had no other patients in it.  We saw a nurse practitioner, who spent over an hour with us.  She looked closely at both of our boys, and said they seem perfectly healthy.  I had brought in their diapers from that morning, and she checked for blood (there wasn't any), and sent them off for further testing.  She said we would hear by Monday at the latest.  It really was much better, and the place seemed far more calm and organized than our previous pediatrician.

Now I have to call so they will pull the boys' charts so I can bring them to the new pediatrician's.  I would like to let someone there know that I was unhappy with how things were handled, but I'm not sure that they care.  In any case, I think we will be happy at this new practice, and that my boys will be in good hands.

My snaggle-toothed Asher Bear

Tonight I am alone-- Eric had to fly to South Carolina for a meeting.  My parents came over to keep me company, and I put the boys to bed early because they were extremely tired and extremely crabby.  Poor Asher couldn't stop crying, and my heart was breaking for him.  I couldn't wait to get him in bed so that he could relax and sleep, which he seems to be doing.  And I won't be far behind!  I am looking forward to a quiet night without Eric's snoring, although of course I will miss having him by my side.