Just a reminder that ModMa is hosting a free party at The Little Gym today.  Bring your little ones for some fun and play. Don’t forget, Dads are welcome too!

When: Today, Saturday, July 31

Time: 3:30- 5:00

Where: The Little Gym- Fairfield

Hayden Gets Sick.
So- I skipped a week of writing. Sorry about that. I wasn’t ready to write yet- It’s been really hard lately and life is finally getting back to normal. I want to give you the “abbreviated” version of a novel of things that have happened over the last three weeks.
Hayden’s not usually sick. I’ve been pretty lucky in the fact that she wasn’t the kid with the runny nose, she never had a hacking cough, and she’s never puked or had a really high fever. Three weeks ago she came down with Coxsackie. I believe I wrote about my horrible experience with my Pediatric group a couple weeks ago. When Hayden broke out in blisters, I was relieved that the worst was behind us. (for those of you not educated in annoying toddler viruses… and for the record, I had never heard of these viruses… Coxsackie is a common toddler virus that causes high fevers and then the kid breaks out in blisters all over their hands, feet, mouth… it’s not pretty)- She seemed better, but she couldn’t kick her fever. I quickly learned that the minute I skipped a dose of Motrin, she would become incredibly lethargic and spike a 104 fever. She would wake up with this fever too. It didn’t seem to bother her so much after the blisters, but it just wouldn’t break on its own. I gave it some time and didn’t miss a dose of Motrin.
I woke up on day seven of her 104 fever and called our pediatric group looking for guidance. I did not get a call back. This time, I hung up and called the administrative area of the practice and promptly fired them and requested all of Hayden’s records. I was told it would take up to two weeks. No exceptions. I filled out all the paperwork and began to call another pediatric group that had come highly recommended to me. They told me that they would not see a sick child without reviewing their entire medical records and they would need three days to do that once they received the paperwork. I hung up frustrated but not too concerned because Hayden looked okay, just couldn’t shake the fever.
That night I went to pick her up from my Mom’s house (she watches Hayden full time while I work)- and my Mom looked concerned. She hadn’t eaten and was acting very lethargic. We were out of Motrin. I quickly left to run and get some (well, the generic kind… you guys know what I mean). When I came home she has half passed out on my Mom’s lap. I took her temp. 104.8. She had a glazed expression and I was scared. So were my Mom and Dad. Great, I thought. I fired my pediatrician today. I called my cousin and asked her about this place called Firefly in Stamford. It’s a pediatric after hours emergency center. It was my only choice and I was happy to have a place to take her. After two hours waiting, we saw the doctor. I explained to him that we were currently in between pediatricians… At this point she was on day eight of over 104 fever- She had Coxsackie and all the blisters were healing and I didn’t know what to do anymore. She had gone through one and a half bottles of Motrin and one bottle of Tylenol in the last eight days. He examined her, tested her for strep (negative) and finally said that he needed to order blood work. We were sent on our way with a laundry list of things the blood work would test for.
The next morning was the worst morning of my life. She woke up screaming. Soaking wet in sweat. I couldn’t calm her down. She wouldn’t let me hold her. She kept throwing herself on the ground, banging her head, screaming. Her fever was sky high and I didn’t know what to do. I tried to console her- nothing work. After an hour of this, she finally passed out. I grabbed the phone, called my Mom and told her I needed her right away (Thank God for my Mom. Really.) Next call, the new pediatrician again. This time I begged the lady on the phone for someone to see my baby. Finally, she said to me, that it was not office policy, they would not see her and that the worst thing I could have done for my child was to leave a practice during a serious illness. That’s all I needed to hear. I burst into tears… on the phone with this stranger. She changed her tone to a nicer one but stood her ground. I just hung up. I knew I would never bring Hayden there. I sat on the floor and cried. I think it was the pent up anxiety I had been dealing with all week. I had a very sick little girl, had fired my incompetent, non-caring pediatric group and had no one to turn to except a doctor at an ER center who kept talking about his love of hockey. Screw it, I thought. He’s all I have. My Mom showed up during my break down and ordered me to go wash my face, put on some make up and get ready. We had to go get blood work for the baby. And I listened. That’s all I needed to get myself back on track. We loaded her up in the car and headed to the Tully Center in Stamford for her blood work. While we were waiting, Realtor Anna came alive. (Realtor Anna is my no-nonsense business persona who doesn’t take no for an answer and gets the job done quickly and correctly). This time, I called my old pediatric office and asked to speak to the office manager. She again told me that paperwork would not be ready for 8-14 days. This time I told her that she would have them ready, my daughter was sick and I was going to show up and get them. I could either a. make copies of the file myself or b. show up at the office with my attorney. Their choice. This time she told me she would release the vaccinations and most recent well check up. Deal I said. Then I promptly sent my husband to go pick them up. I wasn’t going to show my face there after that!
Finally, it was Hayden’s turn at the Tully Center- She was too dehydrated and they couldn’t get any blood. She was screaming bloody murder. They sent us to Stamford Hospital so they could try there to get the blood. On the drive over I took a call from my Aunt. She told me that I should go where I went growing up. Stamford Pediatric. She named her favorite doctor and out of sheer desperation, I called. Miraculously, they would happily take her first thing the next day. The doctor I requested wasn’t available but a female doctor was. I took it. Stamford Hospital was able to draw the blood- Thank God.
Paul and I took her in and immediately liked how warm the staff was. The nurse was sweet and the doctor was great. She spent the time to listen to our story. She asked a lot of questions about Hayden and her background. Even Hayden liked her- and Hayden is known not to like doctors (Remember? She was called a “wild child” at her old practice)- She immediately said we needed to insert a catheter to get a clean urine reading. It was horrible and Hayden wasn’t happy, but we were able to rule out a UTI on the spot. She sent us to Advanced Radiation Center and performed chest x-rays. Within two hours, we knew her chest was clear. She ordered more blood work and luckily they could do the tests with the blood they had already drawn. She called me later that night to check on Hayden (and me, I think). She told me that the blood work looked okay so far. She would call me in a day or two when the rest of results were in. The next morning, Hayden was in a much better mood but her whole body was covered in a funky rash. Roseola. The kid had back to back viruses. I took pictures to show the doctor and when she called, I enthusiastically told her that her fever had finally broken and that she had gotten the rash. She confirmed Roseola. Then she paused. One more thing- some bad news… Hayden had Lyme disease. What?! I was upset but relieved that there was a reason to all of this sickness and madness. We started her right away on antibiotics, twice a day. She hated it. We kept forcing it into her and she was doing much better. On Monday, the phone rang again. It was our new doctor. Oops. It was a false positive, Hayden did not have Lyme disease and we needed to immediately discontinue her antibiotics. Double WHAT?! The last two days have been back to normal. She’s eating like a champ. No fevers. And no real explanation of what happened to our kid. I’m just relieved to have my normally cranky diva back. I guess this wasn’t so abbreviated, was it?
Oh, and now her toes and fingers are peeling. Doctor says not related, but you can bet a million bucks I have Googled and WebMD’ed everything I could. Sigh. Blah.
Anna Sforza-Zapotosky is a first time Mommy to a beautiful little one-year-old diva named Hayden. She resides in Norwalk with her husband and daughter. Anna is a full time Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate serving all of Fairfield County. Before she became a Mommy, she performed stand up comedy all over NYC, Fairfield County and Westchester County. She can be reached online at annazapo@yahoo.com

The cult craze born in New York City and made famous by Sex in the City, Tasti D Lite is coming to Fairfield! You can be sure that modern mamas all over town will be headed there for a healthy and delicious breakfast, smoothie, frozen coffee drink…and did we mention the Tasti D Lite! For all of you that haven’t tried it, it’s not ice cream because it doesn’t have the fat of cream and its not yogurt because it doesn’t have the sugar and carbs of yogurt–just all the taste and all natural ingredients. Tasti is also opening in SoNo in the early spring of next year and is already open in Darien. Watch out for progress on the store and get ready for Tasti for Labor Day!!tasti.truths.8.5×11

Vent
Kids get sick. I get that. Actually, I’m pretty open to the idea that kids need germs to build immune systems. I’m not crazy with the Purell (especially since Hayden ate it and I had to call Poison Control) and I have no problem having my little girl run free and touch whatever she wants… within reason. I’ve been pretty lucky that she hasn’t gotten that many colds or any flu’s- ear infections… etc. This week all of that changed.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever vented before about our pediatricians office. I mean, it’s an awesome place. It’s big, has an emergency center, and tons of state of the art equipment. What it doesn’t seem to have is a lot of bedside manner. Something this first time Mommy really needed to help get through Hayden’s colic spell as a baby. I’ve had problems with the practice from the start. It felt a bit cold, kind of like an institution focused on getting the most clients and collecting the most money more than a place to help keep your baby healthy. I had been pondering leaving since Hayden was a month old. I liked my doctor though. And she knew Hayden from the day she was born. That meant a lot to me. So, I stuck it out. One time, Hayden had an allergic reaction to her vaccine and I called the afterhour’s line to see what I should do. As I sat in worry for an hour waiting for a call back, I kicked myself for not noticing the large blisters on her legs sooner. Finally the phone rang and I jumped to get it. The advice? Take her in to the office tomorrow to see a doctor or if I’m really worried take her to the Emergency Room at our local hospital. She didn’t ask how old my daughter was, no question about what vaccine it was, nothing. Imagine my surprise when I received a bill for $22 for that advice. Oh, and after the call I did the research. It’s a reaction some children have when two of the vaccines are combined. It’s common and I had no reason to worry. I was told to go to the ER.
Anyway, last week we received a letter from the practice stating that my doctor was leaving. I was initially upset that my dream of Hayden’s doctor knowing her from the day of her birth was about to disappear, but realized that this was my chance to finally go elsewhere and pick a place that was a little warmer. I sent an e-mail to friends asking for suggestions and had a few lined up to call.
Then, Hayden got sick. I mean, really sick. She passed out and her face was so hot I thought she would burn my hand. I figured maybe it was more molars but had a feeling this was different. She wouldn’t eat, couldn’t drink and was incredibly lethargic. I tried to give her some Motrin (my secret stash that I was keeping for this kind of emergency- no way I was going generic, recall or no-recall) and she started vomiting. Lots of vomit. More than I vomit when I’m sick. I freaked. I haven’t seen her throw up like this, well, ever. My sister and I jumped in my car and I rushed to the pediatrician office. I didn’t know where to go so of course, I went where I knew. I was told that walk-ins were running about an hour. We took our seat in the corner while Hayden bawled her eyes out. In their defense, they did give me a bucket for her to puke in. I guess the screaming and wailing was too much for them because they called our name within 30 minutes. Hayden continued to scream while they weighed her and I clutched her while they took her temperature. 103.3- Imagine what it was before I gave her the Motrin. Doctor came in and examined her for what seemed like forever. She didn’t have strep throat, but had while ulcers all over the inside of her mouth. Finally, Hayden passed out in sheer exhaustion. I was getting nervous because she never falls asleep in my arms. Never. I was told to bring her back tomorrow. We left, two hours later. No answers.
As told, I returned the next morning with a little girl who was still miserable and still had a high fever. We saw a second doctor who simply said it was just a virus. Had to keep her hydrated, it had to run its course. We left and I had a feeling that there was more to this. Could it be possible that my little diva just had a little virus? For the love of God, she had a fever over 103 for almost 72 hours at that point. So, I turned to the only person I really trust when I need information quickly and accurately. Google. Sometimes I think I should send my co-pays to WebMd and Google instead of the pediatricians. After an hour of reading, I knew that Hayden had hand, foot and mouth disease, aka Coxsackie. I prepared myself and of course, yesterday blisters started showing up all over her body, around her mouth, on her tush, on her hands and of course, on the soles of her feet.
All I want to know is how do you see two different doctors who thoroughly examine your child and both claim it’s a simple virus and both are wrong? I mean, yes, coxsackie is virus but can you imagine the scare I would have had if I didn’t research and I went to pick her up out of her crib covered in blisters and I didn’t know why?!
So, that’s my vent. Here’s the problem- If I leave the practice, I leave all the amazing technology they have available, the convenience of location and the comfort of knowing what I’m involved in… even if not always good. I’m afraid that if I go to a smaller practice it may be the same thing… without the technology. Oh, and since I’m crazy, I only want a female pediatrician for my daughter because I want her to grow up knowing she can be anything she wants to be- even a doctor. (and I had a male pediatrician growing up and I always hated when he examined me. Not that he was creepy or anything, just felt weird as a little girl)-
It’s really always something, isn’t it?

Anna Sforza-Zapotosky is a first time Mommy to a beautiful little one-year-old diva named Hayden. She resides in Norwalk with her husband and daughter. Anna is a full time Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate serving all of Fairfield County. Before she became a Mommy, she performed stand up comedy all over NYC, Fairfield County and Westchester County. She can be reached online at annazapo@yahoo.com

Language and Hair
Hayden’s hair is totally out of control. She looks like a Jonas brother. Possibly Justin Bieber on a really bad day. She was born with a full head of black hair. I mean, she had A LOT of hair. Finally it started to thin out a bit, but then it quickly grew back with a vengeance. I have a small problem with cutting her hair. It stems from my own childhood. When my Mom would work, my Italian grandparents would watch me. My Mom had great pride is my blonde wavy locks. One day, she went to pick me up after work and my grandfather had literally given me a bowl cut. At the ripe old age of 1. She must have told me the story of how hard she cried a million times. It was incredibly traumatic for her. She thought everyone would think I was a boy. (Keep in mind, I had my ears pierced at 3 weeks old- but apparently I still resembled a little boy)
So, every morning when I go over to grab Hayden out of her crib and I see her trying to remove the hair from her face, I wonder if this will be the day that I give in and get her a haircut. I consulted with my hairdresser who has been cutting my hair since I was 8 and she was just a teenager- her advice, trim, don’t cut. And most importantly, don’t do it myself, bring Hayden to her. I’m figuring she has two young girls (2 and 3 years old) so she probably knows what to do. Yet, at 16 months old, I still haven’t done it. I’m just so afraid she’s going to have think ugly bangs. I constantly have to tie her hair back with clips and elastics. Augh. I just don’t know what to do.
On another note, Hayden’s language skills are progressing which is cool. I’m starting to wonder though, am I the only one who understands her? I remember when I was babyless (ah, those were the days) and I would have a child come up to me and mumble something totally foreign. I would look puzzled and the mother would like at me like I was some sort of idiot and say “She said that she likes your shoes”. I figured that most mothers were so delusional at that point that they disillusioned themselves to believe that they could understand their kids strange ramblings. I would smile and say “Of course she did”- But I think I actually do understand her. I mean, she call’s blueberries “B’s” and call’s most animals “fishee’s” and everyone smaller than her is a “beebee” but I get it. And I’m totally not delusional. Well, I don’t think I am…
Anna Sforza-Zapotosky is a first time Mommy to a beautiful little one-year-old diva named Hayden. She resides in Norwalk with her husband and daughter. Anna is a full time Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate serving all of Fairfield County. Before she became a Mommy, she performed stand up comedy all over NYC, Fairfield County and Westchester County. She can be reached online at annazapo@yahoo.com

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The Attack
So, I’ve spoken at length about Hayden’s fear of all farm yard animals. We’ve gotten to the point where she doesn’t even let me read her “Farm” book… (She freaks out at the point where I have to say “Cockadoodledoo”)- I blame her fears solely on Stew Leonard’s plastic cow in the milk section of the store that has forever scarred her beyond belief. The cow makes a loud “Moo” sound when anyone pushes the button. She screams when we approach it and the poor child literally shakes in fear.
I’m the kind of Mom that won’t just let my kid have unfounded fears and decided that because my husband was off from work today and it was a beautiful, sunny 79 degree’s, that I should pack up the family and go to the Stamford Museum. For those of you who haven’t visited Stamford Museum, it has a great farm with so many animals, a very “nature” centered playground and a museum/planetarium. I went with the intention to have my little diva confront her fears head on. Big mistake. Let me rephrase, huge mistake.
It started on innocently enough. It was feeding time for the Otters. Hayden enjoyed pointing out the Otters and repeated “Otters” a few times. She seemed happy to observe the animals from a distance. Cool, I thought. Then we entered the farm area where there were several farm animals and many loose birds. There were ducks, turkeys, roosters all running around free. Game on, I thought.
Hayden began nervous but was calm as my husband held her and brought her up to the animals. My phone rang and it was a work call. I took the call and stepped away while they watched the giant turkeys nearby. Hayden clutched Paul’s neck with one arm and in her little hand clutched her “snack trap” full of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. (We don’t leave the house without them)-
It never crossed my mind that these innocent looking turkeys were actually Goldfish hungry maniacs. As I wandered off to discuss closing dates and mortgage contingencies (I’m a Realtor… fyi) I heard a yelp from my poor husband. I spun around to witness a full grown turkey attack my husband’s leg. The turkey was pecking at him while my husband made every effort to kick the bird off of him and protect my little girl. He clutched her, she clutched her Goldfish. It was, by far, the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I couldn’t hold back. Watching that grown turkey attack my husband while he admirably protected his daughter was the most humorous scene… ever. I lost it. I laughed so hard that I had to cut my work conversation short to compose myself.
Paul suffered a bitten leg and a bruised ego, Hayden, unfortunately, deepened her fear of all farm animals. We could not put her down to run around once the entire day. She didn’t even want to play at the playground with the other children. She was terrified. I guess that teaches me to make my kid confront her fears.
So, my advice this week, avoid killer turkeys and let your kids face their own fears. I guess there is a time to just sit back and let nature run its course.
Anna Sforza-Zapotosky is a first time Mommy to a beautiful little one-year-old diva named Hayden. She resides in Norwalk with her husband and daughter. Anna is a full time Realtor with William Raveis Real Estate serving all of Fairfield County. Before she became a Mommy, she performed stand up comedy all over NYC, Fairfield County and Westchester County. She can be reached online at annazapo@yahoo.com

ModMa is hosting a party for all modern mamas and their little guys and gals! Join us for fun and frolicking at The Little Gym with food, drinks and a great hour for us to meet the families while the kids go nuts! All mamas and kids are invited to join us for the event and please be sure to RSVP at www.modma.com or at our meetup.com website to ensure that we save your space!

Have you dreamt of of a spa get away? A place to be pampered? Well that was my dream for awhile but with a business of my own and family obligations it just wasn’t happening. But I knew I was reaching exhaustion when I lost my motivation to create new things. New as in a great recipe. New as  in an arts and crafts project with my daughter. Or a great business idea. I was just at a loll. So one day, without much thought I did it. I packed a suitcase, I called my parents and made plans to drive my daughter to PA. My husband was left home with the dogs and a few days of dinner I cooked for him. After my daughter was safely with her grandparents I drove to a great lodge near the Pocono’s. For two days I was in “Alone Heaven”! I took a cooking class, an art class, hiked and got a massage. This short two day trip re-inspired me. On my hike I sniffed the best aromas nature offered, some sassafras and spearmint. I learned that dinner can start with Amuse-Bouche-do you love this phrase? Entertainment for the mouth! I can’t wait for my next dinner party. So sometimes it is just a change of scenery that is needed to revive the senses. Now I am back to cooking and will have lots of recipes to share. Tonight is my Mexican fajitas and for the Canopí (Spanish for the small tasting) it will be homemade gazpacho served in an expresso cup.

Marlene Katz is the owner of Intelligent Skin Sense, a green spa and boutique located in Fairfield CT. When she is not concocting a new skin care product or spa service, Marlene is preparing gourmet meals for her family (and dogs). Her latest project is writing a lifestyle book called Age Rebel. For more information visit www.intelligentskinsense.com or call Marlene at 203-557-0868.