ppp 07-28-08

Quote of the day: Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves,

and it is tiresome for children to be always

and forever explaining things to them.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944),

"The Little Prince", 1943

Last Friday I had the expressed privilege of being the sole care giver for my 11 week old grandson. We started with a cooing session (just to lull me into a false sense of security). After a bottle, he fell asleep on my shoulder. He woke 2 hours later (my shoulder is feeling better already, thanks.) After another feeding and burping session (some his great grandfather would have appreciated) we had music appreciation and a dance lesson (never too soon to start the fancy footwork). A diaper of two and he was ready for another nap (the swing this time… I’m no big dummy).

This nap was shorter (about 45 minutes to prepare the next meal and glance at the newspaper). More food, more diapers (including a new outfit due to one mishap or another), more babbling and cooing. I find that it is more difficult to move from a kneeling position to a standing one with a baby in my arms than I would have expected. (Note to self: work on the abs and quads in my copious spare time.) A little “tummy time” to build a different set of muscles for the young man. Now that babies are supposed to sleep on their backs, for safety reasons, they crawl later unless given some time on their stomachs. (…all of the things that I’m Learning…)

More simethicone and more food, burps and bubbles, More babbling (mine this time). I looked at my watch: 2:30, only 4 more hours but Joseph still seems happy and is still breathing. About this time my wife came home from her errand (probably to check on me), We had a brief adult conversation and she left for another errand. I have resisted the temptation to turn on the TV to catch up on the news. (Fully grow man wanders Arden Hills in incoherent stupor…. Film at 11). There is only so much I can do to amuse the baby… he doesn’t fully understand satire, puns, or even onomatopoeia. I shake a rattle and make funny sounds (he is not amused but tolerant of my silliness).

More food and diapers, burping and chirping (singing), and rolling around on the floor. At 11 weeks, the lad has already developed a cute little personality. We “talk” some more and then I spontaneously break into the sound of a hound baying at the moon… and he joins in. I can’t wait for him to pull THAT ONE on his parents. When his folks (finally) appear I can hand him back; happy and healthy. While childcare is the toughest job I know, it is also the most rewarding. One final smile made it all worthwhile.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "I'm not bored" DeeDee the night charge nurse

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

New drug, abiraterone, shrinks or arrests prostate cancer for mean of 400 days. Now in phase III studies, it could be ready by 2011.

Health advocate is easier though it is the name of one of many companies getting into the paid advocate business. Many problems are billing problems and employers find it less expensive to add a health advocate service to their benefit package than fielding all of the calls themselves. It should be noted that PBM call centers already provide drug-related services for patients under their drug benefit plans.

Drug approval based upon faulty data and FDA’s failure to warn after this came to light. I’m sure that all of the details will be aired on CNN now that Roger Clemens is not testifying about something vitally important.

Congress is pushing for the FDA to take control of tobacco. We already have ATF (Alcohol, tobacco and Firearms) in place. The FDA seems to have its hands full with food (salmonella) and drugs (many current issues to numerous to mention).

NYT Economic View just published a piece that describes the lack of Federal money for Medicare in the near future and suggests that there be a means test for enrollment/payment.

The manufacturer abandoned Viagra for women after initial studies showed no benefits. Recent study of 98 women taking antidepressant showed some benefit over placebo but side effects were real and bothersome. No effects on libido were noted. About half of the women taking the Viagra experienced a headache… which seems funny to me.

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