Triticum Turgidum

Lying Dormant and Waiting to Bloom Since 2005

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Location: The Prairie, Illinois, United States

I am a beauty-loving ambidextrous higher-order primate who learned transcendental meditation at 7, statistical analysis at 23, tap dancing at 30, and piano at 35. I tolerate gluten, lactose, and differences of opinion, but not abuse. Or beets.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Li'l Goth Chick

About a month ago I went on a round of antibiotics to treat a rotten case of mastitis. Did you know you can get mastitis just by sleeping too long on one side? It compresses the breast and the ducts get clogged. That's what happened to me, dammit. The antibiotics passed through the breast milk right into my kid's mouth, where they promptly killed off all the good bacteria that were keeping her digestive system in check. Result: she developed thrush. Two bottles of Nystatin did nothing, so I finally caved and picked up a bottle of an old-fashioned antifungal, gentian violet. Apparently people have been using this stuff for generations to cure oral thrush, although the fact that it's an "old fashioned" remedy doesn't reassure me; people used to take baths in mercury to cure syphilis. Gah.

Anyway, gentian violet is essentially violet dye, the color of mimeograph ink. It stains everything it touches. Everything. So I picked up some cheap black towels at WalMart and wore black today. Fi is wearing black too. The typical course of application is once daily for three days. Here's the clincher: mom has to apply it to herself too. You guess where.

I look like I'm wearing purple pasties.

Fi has been on a "nursing strike" since she developed a post-vaccine fever a little over a week ago -- she arches her back and cries whenever I bring her anywhere near my chest, which makes me feel a little like a leper, minus the illness and total social seclusion -- so I have to give her all my breast milk by pumping. Result: lavender milk.

This had better work, that's all I can say. In the meantime, I'm trying to find the humor in the situation by taking photos of my little goth. I need to approach the situation like my friend Hilary, whose son has to wear a helmet to keep his skull from flattening. Instead of downplaying the whole thing out of embarrassment, Hilary sent around pics of Nicholas wearing his helmet, which is decorated with kicky graphics. The pics are hilarious and boost Nicholas' lovability by a factor of 10.

So, now that I've posted a pic of Fi in her silky finery (below), I'm following it up with a pic of her stained with gentian violet. If she ever needs headgear, though, I think I'll have to ask her permission before posting photos.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is my favorite baby picture in the history of baby pictures.

Hot Hot Hot! Pictures of You! Friday I'm in Love!

With Fi.

9:55 PM, May 17, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want you to know that I love this story and this picture enough that I TOLD SEVERAL PEOPLE ABOUT IT TODAY. Except, I just said, "My friend K, and her daughter Fi," because, well, we are friends and who needs to go into the Internet?

Because this whole thing, for some reason, mastitis and thrush pain aside (which I am in no way minimizing), is quite possibly the most darling story ever. THE PICTURE. I CANNOT STOP LOOKING AT IT.

11:23 PM, May 18, 2006  
Blogger Parisjasmal said...

2 eyed 2 eared cryin' purple boobie eater....

Just kidding.

Sorry about the thrush and all the violet madness.

Hope you are both feeling better soon.

Fi is so very cute.

9:50 AM, May 20, 2006  
Blogger BarbaraFromCalifornia said...

I agree with Jonna: this is a wonderful picture of Fi.

Keep posting them!!!

9:22 AM, May 22, 2006  

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