Suddenly I feel very very OLD

I usually go visit my dad on Thursdays. (He's a house husband now. We hang out and he tells me about all the things he cleaned that week and then he makes dinner for when my mom and Phillip get home from work. It's very nice.) Sometime on Thursday my back started to hurt. Just a little.

Friday I told some people: Yeah, my back hurt yesterday, but I'm feeling a lot better today.

Saturday Phillip had to go to work on servers or whatever. I had a babysitter coming because I was going to go to a party. A party with bloggers and wine. But then the snow came. Now, I know there are some people who see a dusting of snow and think, "Feh!" I see snow and think, "Well, I hope we have enough food in the house because I'm not driving anywhere." Snow brings out the terrified flunked-parallel-parking-on-her-driver's-test girl in me. And I was going to have to drive FAR AWAY. (Note: anywhere requiring me to drive across one of the hateful bridges is FAR AWAY.)

So yeah. I stayed home. Phillip left to go to work. (Note: I hate being an IT widow. HATE.) The boy and I played on the floor. And my back got worse.

SO MUCH WORSE.

People, I am 28 years old. I am the farthest thing from a gym rat, but I feel reasonably healthy. I haven't had back problems before. I hadn't done anything strenuous, like lift up my car, or carry my groceries home on my head, or perform acrobatics with my small child. As far as I knew the only thing I'd done was bend down to pick him up.

But within an hour I couldn't move. I am not even kidding. I couldn't tip my chin forward. I couldn't sit down. I couldn't lie down. I finally dropped Jackson into the exersaucer so I could try and find a way to sit comfortably on the couch. THAT was impossible and Jackson was getting bored. So I tried to pick him up AND I COULDN'T. I might have started crying.

My sister called in the middle of this as she has taken it upon herself to find me a pair of suitable black dress shoes to wear to my husband's Christmas party. (This is another story entirely.) And while she was describing a pair of peep toe pumps, I said, "Can you come over? To carry the baby upstairs?"

Oh man, it was so bad you guys. I think it was, quite possibly, the hardest thing I have done since I had this kid. Because you can't just leave him on the floor. Or not feed him. Or not put him to bed. You have to do these things, even though you start wishing you had a bottle of Vicodin in your pocket like.Dr. House. (Speaking of, that reminds me of my extra bottle of Percocet hanging out upstairs. I KNEW it'd come in handy!)

Of course Jack wouldn't go to sleep either. Between seven and midnight I was rushing upstairs every half hour to pop a pacifier back in and shush him back to sleep. And I couldn't sleep, although when your husband is updating servers until 3 in the morning, you're not going to sleep much anyway. (HATE.)

But Sunday, thanks to Phillip all the work and a half bottle of Advil, I was much better. So much better. Things were definitely looking up. I'd have no problem taking care of Jack by myself on Monday.

Until the IT people called at six in the morning, which meant Phillip had to Take Care Of Something downstairs which meant he wasn't around when the alarm went off. I hate the alarm clock almost as much as I hate IT emergencies, so I rolled over and smacked it.

And now? I am counting down the hours until my mother-in-law gets here and can pick up the baby for me. This is miserable. He's playing on the floor and every couple of minutes I stand up and kick the toys back within his reach. Pretty soon he'll need a nap and I have no idea how I'm going to pick him up, let alone put him in the crib.

WHAT DO I DO?

***Because a thrown out back does not prevent me from online shopping, I may or may not buy a Maclaren Quest stroller today at a very lovely discount. With free shipping! Thoughts? One very helpful trendy children's store employee told me that the Maclaren was 100x better than all the other strollers I was considering. (Although I've heard the Triumph is also good- and cheaper!) What sayeth the Internet? P.S. I want small, compact, easy to steer, for city strolling and lake walking and mall driving. Anything that tells me the temperature outside or could fit a grown adult or fly me to the moon is not an option.***

Comments

[Jen]

Oh, that sucks! Can you hire yourself a teenager to do the baby lifting until you feel better?

[Kate]

We had the Quest and really liked it. The only reason we don't have it anymore is that we made the move to the even lighter Volo. The Volo doesn't recline, though, so it isn't the best choice if Jackson is prone to falling asleep while out and about.

[lauren]

Here in England, where people walk everywhere (even when its really really cold), the Maclaren is really popular - they are everywhere. So if you're looking for something for city-stuff or mall stuff, I'd say its a winner - does it come with one of those footmuff thingies? Now for lake-walking, I know people who walk for exercise with their Maclarens, but I think jogging would be close to impossible with it.
I'm sorry about your back - I'd gather up the troops for help and lay up in the bed with the percocet - can't you take that while nursing? Hope you feel better soon.

[AbsolutelyBananas]

First of all I was totally bummed to miss the party too (I'm also a driving-in-snow WIMP). Secondly, what a NIGHTMARE having your back in such bad shape! That is AWFUL!

[Emily]

We have the Quest - it's my car stroller. I use it everywhere we go, except when walking for exercise which is when I use the BOB. It has a pretty crappy basket on the bottom, but if you can handle that, you'll love it. It folds up small and is lightweight and easy to fold up and that is critical when Jackson gets to the age where he starts throwing tantrums. TRUST ME.

When it's cold we throw a BundleMe on it (toddler size) and the kid stays toasty. When he'll stay in the stroller, that is. WHICH HE USUALLY DOES NOT.

[Elizabeth]

We have the Triumph and I love love love it. It's maybe not as fancy as the Quest. but it's a bit lighter. When you're hauling it on your shoulder through the airport as much as we do, every ounce counts. And I've never wished we had the Quest, if that helps. I have no idea what I would even need added to the Triumph, I love it so. (Although we do use the BOB for running and the park and such).
And I second the BundleMe recommendation, love that thing as well.

[Angela]

Hm, well, I know nothing about the stroller, but I sure do hope your back gets to feeling better. So, tell us more about the shoes!

[Arwen]

I love our Maclaren. We have the Triumph - the Volo came highly recommended but I wanted the reclining factor, which the Triumph has and the Volo doesn't. From what I've seen of the Quest, I don't think it has much more functionality than the Triumph, and it's bulkier. But really I think you can't go wrong with any Maclaren - they're lightweight and very sturdy, plus exceptionally maneuverable and just all-around well-made.

I hope your back feels better soon!

[Christina]

Husband totally threw his back out when our daughter was about 8 months old, because we were living in a hotel and the crib was floor height. And the whole time I had a hip-aged baby my back felt twisted out of shape. No fun. I say use this as an excuse to get a really good massage. (I dream of getting a real massage but am actually afraid to go do it... so you do it and tell me how it is, K?)

[Laura]

girl...I am almost 42 and OLD so I feel you baby...I wish I lived closer and I would come grab him up for you : ) I do hope you feel better soon.

[Redbecca]

Ooh, I feel your pain! The only reason I was able to get through pregnancy was because I went to the chiropractor every 2 weeks. I highly recommend it! I was a skeptic until one got part of my back unfrozen in one session - regular doctors just kept shoving meds at me with no success. I now go almost every week. Insurance doesn't cover it all, but I figure my health is worth it. Baby may not get as many cute things because $$ goes to my back, but I can still pick him up, and I think he appreciates that more.
I would also mention that if your back got this bad this quickly, it means it was a long time coming. Take some warm baths and muscle relaxers and try to feel better! Oh yeah, and if you can swing it, get thee to a chiropractor!

Also, MacLaren, love. You can open and close that stroller one-handed, which when you've got baby in the other is a wonderful thing. One complaint, the hood doesn't go out far enough IMO and baby ends up with sun in his eyes a lot. Make sure you put the hood back into closed position before closing the stroller or it might bend. Otherwise it is great and lightweight. Oh, and let me mention that if you have psycho cats like ours, they will try to chew the wheels and handle bars so keep the stroller away from fangs.

[Christiana]

Delurking to advise you on the back thing - my chiro says that he treats more back "injuries" that occur during normal activities (such as walking, sitting, driving) than in accidents - an odd twist - especially one that has been done numerous times before such as picking up the baby from the floor - can be enough to set it off. Ice your back - use frozen veggetables if you don't have an ice pack handy - it will help with the swelling.

[Lukey]

I have the solution...Teach him to walk [the baby, that is, not Phillip.].

[Tara]

Sorry about your back... that sucks. Hope you are feeling better soon!

I really wanted a Maclaren but didn't have the patience to save up for one.

[Mrs. Flinger]

We surely missed you, hon. I was sad to hear you were in pain and not JUST a wuss in the snow. And for the record? I'm a TOTAL WUSS. I'd never have made it if I didn't get to Bellevue WAY before it got bad here. Also, I drove the other girls. White knuckled. The. Entire. Time.

We'll play again. I hope your back feels ok now!