One Wish Granted

The last day of school, Brenden wasn't feeling so great. By dinner time he was lying on the floor, lethargic, and burning up. I packed him into the car, which he was extremely upset about, and headed over to the after hours clinic.

Thankfully it had just opened and was completely empty. We only waited a few minutes before we were walked back into an exam room. I was not at all surprised that his temperature was 103.3 and they immediately gave him some ibuprofen. However, I was definitely surprised they sent in a nurse that had obviously not had much experience in swabbing children's throats for strep. Not 5 seconds after he finished, and conveniently right after he left, Brenden started throwing up all over the room. The poor guy couldn't stop. I felt so bad for him!

It wasn't long before the results were back...positive for strep. Poor guy! Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for me) his doctor recommended a S-H-O-T (yep...she's smart and spelled it out) and I completely agreed. Ten days of oral medication to stop him from throwing up and then for the strep or one shot? He was not at all happy with my decision.

And now you're wondering why I titled this post "One Wish Granted". Don't worry...I'm getting there. :)

We decided a long time ago to never lie to Brenden when it came to what was going on at the doctor's office. I want him to trust me, even if it means he's going to be upset with me. And believe me, he was very upset with me. I decided that this rough day deserved a big reward so I pulled out the big guns. "Brenden if you can be brave and get this shot, not only will you feel better but I will order you a Hydro Bow."

The change in his attitude was immediate. "Really, mommy??? My very own? Um...okay."

He was still upset about getting the shot, but not quite as much as he had been. I think I was more upset that the not-so-experienced nurse was the one they sent in holding the syringe. (With someone to explain how to administer the shot...seriously?!)

I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you just how awful that shot was...for everyone involved.

Five minutes later he was a different kid. He wasn't quite as feverish, he was smiling, and high-fived the nurses when they came back into the room. Somehow I even got him to agree that the shot was a good idea! He also wanted me to show them the Hydro Bow on my phone and made sure they knew he was getting it because he was "so brave!"

This weekend, he got his reward. :)

Worth it...

 

Lauren's Knot - x's 2

This was Lauren's knot before:

It was roughly quarter sized.

This is Lauren's knot now:

The arrow is actually pointing to a second knot that now sticks out farther than the first knot, which is above it. 

Terrifying. :(

Testing...Again

It's been quite an eventful few weeks for us. Brenden went from having one ear infected to two, I've been sick off and on, Tim's had doctor's appointments for his knee, and Lauren was acting sick so I took her in, too.

It turns out all of her issues are allergy related (Thanks ragweed!) but that nasty knot on her neck has almost doubled in size. Her doctor agreed that we needed more testing so she told me we would schedule an MRI and then meet with Dr. Guy, the ENT. On our way home they called me and asked if we could come back for another x-ray. We live really close so it was no big deal to turn around and I'm glad we were able to do it that day.

At first we were told we could head home when we were done and then changed their mind. We were put into an exam room and told to wait for Dr. Koul, her pediatrician, which really calms the nerves. *sarcasm* It's hard to be told that your child is fine and then a month later have everyone scrambling to get her into specialists because they aren't sure what is really going on.

I was assured that the knot was not impeding on her airway and that at the moment it seemed to be a cyst. Dr. Guy, who she had talked to on the phone, explained that a midline swelling like this is usually a  Thyroglossal Duct Cyst, which isn't uncommon and is very treatable. Instead of an MRI they are going to do a cat scan, which she will have to be sedated for, and if they confirm that it is that type of cyst she will have to have it removed.

The thought of surgery doesn't scare me, I just want that thing out of my daughter. I know the doctor said it isn't hurting her but I can't imagine that it feels good. Plus, I think if we have it done now while she is small then the scar is more likely to fade quickly and she won't remember it.

The cat scan is October 19th and the ENT appointment is October 24th. Hopefully the tests will show, clearly, what is going on. If I'm a bit testy for the next few weeks, please forgive me. It's just hard to look at my sweet, happy daughter and think that anything could be wrong with her.

Happiness Personified

Goodbye, Roadrunner.

Jim was Tim's grandma's boyfriend. He was a part of Tim mom's side of the family long before I was. He loved the kids and was one of the first to give them nicknames right after they were born. I'm not sure how Brenden became "Coyote" and Lauren became "Pistol", but I loved it. Brenden started calling him  "Roadrunner" this past summer and they both thought it was hilarious.

Jim has been battling with several different kinds of cancer for awhile now. He did really well at first but eventually his body just couldn't handle it. His family moved him back to Colorado a few months ago so they could spend as much time as possible with him and today he passed away. My heart hurts for his family and Tim's grandma, Grace. We were so close to getting to see him this weekend and I know that Brenden was excited. (Jim always made sure he was stocked up on candy before we showed up.)

Goodbye, Roadrunner. We love and miss you.

Knoted

There's really not a better word to describe how I feel right now. I'm all tied up in knots, from my head, to my back. Even my legs are aching. I'm so on edge about everything and I'm sure it's driving Tim crazy. I had to hide out in our room last night just to cry it out and get over it. I felt so bad dropping everything in Tim's lap (dinner, playing with the kids, bedtimes) but I think I would have made things even harder. It seems like they all just wanted to make me feel better. Brenden added me to his prayers without being asked. ("And help my mommy feel better. Amen.") Lauren came in right before bed, helped me fold clothes, sang to me, and then grabbed my neck and wouldn't let go when she knew it was bedtime. Thank goodness for all of them.

My stress list (because getting it out always makes me feel better):

1. Lauren. Her blood work came back perfectly normal, which is good and bad. Good, because that means that she doesn't have some crazy infection. Bad, because that means it's probably something worse that will require a more invasive treatment. Like a cyst that will need draining, or worse. I don't even want to think about what may be coming. The waiting is eating me alive. My fears are too much to put into words, so all I can do is push them down, hold her close, and pray that the doctor will figure it out soon.

2. Our car. It is just one big mess. The front left wheel bearing is loose. Both the front and rear differential are leaking or making horrendous noises. The transfer case is borked. Total estimate? $4,400. I'm...still in shock. I seriously thought I might get sick. It has been to 3 different places so far and now we have to get it looked at a 4th time to see if it could be related to the wheel falling off way back in 2008. Best case scenario: Insurance decides it will be covered, it gets fixed and then we sell it. Worst case scenario: It's not covered and we sell it and get Tim a much cheaper car to drive back and forth to work. Either way, that car is gone.

3. Rick. I haven't mentioned much about Rick, which I feel awful about, because I've been so wrapped up in my head worrying about everything. He ended up back at the emergency room on Saturday because he started running a fever. He's been doing chemo and taking it rather well, but this round just really knocked him for a loop. He's been in ICU since that day and they are now moving him to the Oncology floor. He ended up testing positive for strep, which is not surprising with his immune system being so compromised, but it still sucks. Hopefully he'll be home before we make it out there on Saturday, but either way we'll be taking it easy on him. Any good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to say they are thinking of us. Thank you to Tim and the kids for helping me smile.

It's hard to stay sad looking at this face! :)

Rick Update 6-25-11

From Karen, via Facebook:

I can’t believe it’s been over three weeks since Rick was admitted to the hospital. In some respects it seems like we have been living here for months. In others, it’s like just yesterday we were unpacking from our trip to Tennessee.

The past 7-10 days have really been rough on Rick. They had to start giving him pain meds to make him somewhat comfortable. His throat hurts so much it’s hard to eat and the fever just won’t go away. His white count just isn’t there to help fight everything, so they put him on every known antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral they could to knock the bad guys out. His platelets dropped last Sunday, and his red blood count went right behind them. They had to give him transfusions every day of one of them. These were all expected things, and they warned us he would have to have them at some point. But in the back of your mind, you held out hope he wouldn’t. Friday was the first day he didn’t have to get one. In the middle of it all, he had a terrible reaction to one of the meds which caused an itchy rash all over his body. On a good note, he actually started to have a white count which is a sign that things are going to turn around. We are all just trying to make him comfortable to get through the rough patch and get him home. It’s probably going to be at least another week or so before we can start planning for that.

We continue to be amazed at the nurses and staff here. They all are so concerned and check in on Rick even when they aren’t on this floor. Even Abraham the “flooring engineer” stops by every day. I drop a package of goodies at the desk each day to thank them. They think it is a bribe, but I don’t think you have to bribe them for anything here. It make such a difference when you know it’s not just a job…they truly care.

His room is turning into a photo album of grandkids, cards and Packer gear. Kay and Jeff sent him a Packer care package which perked him up! Every card, letter and phone call is greatly appreciated. I think I’ve told more than one person that we will need a small U-Haul just to move out of this place.

Look for something wonderful and positive on my next update!!! I know it is coming.

Rick Update

From Karen, via Facebook:

Today Rick's white count completely bottomed out. He is now at zero. This is expected and means the treatment is right on track. He really felt the effects yesterday and today. He doesn’t have the pep in his step he has had since he has been here. He is fighting it, but knows his limits. We got some good news today. The genetic coding came back that the leukemia is “typical”. This means that the treatment he is receiving is exactly the correct one. There was a possibility that if it was a different mutation, that he would have to start on again on a different chemo. The doctors are still very impressed with his progress and tolerance. Now we just have to wait for the counts to start bouncing back. Then we can start talking about a release date.

Mentally, I think he is doing very well. We continue to laugh, and just take each day as it comes. He amazes me each and every day with his positive attitude. We had to “re-learn” how to play rummy, and I got a Monopoly program for the computer that we started playing last night. We’ve got Xfinity and Netflix on the computer for “movie nights” and the couch is great for a little movie cuddling. I don’t know WHAT Rick would do without his new Kindle. That has been a great source of relaxation and distraction. THANK YOU AGAIN KIMBERLY and MARC!!!

He got more mail today, which really picks him up. I have an agreement with the volunteers at the front desk, and Rick has been successfully getting his mail. Again, everyone thanks so much your thoughts and prayers.

I’ve been making it home every other day or so, and spent about 5 hours in a store doing work yesterday. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I couldn’t stay here with him. Hopefully, he thinks the same thing. I’ve told him if he ever needs his space, just let me know. Marc and Kimberly took me to this awesome sushi restaurant. We took a drive around the neighborhood and checked out the amazing houses. Everything from Victorians to Craftsmans. Oh to have the buckaroos to buy one of those gorgeous houses. But at $1.4M, I think it is a little out of reach…at least for this year ;)

Thanks again for all your support, calls and messages. They are all greatly appreciated and welcomed at any time.

Rick 2 Mutants 0

Absolutely fantastic news so far! We love you guys!

Rick and the Hospital

From Karen, via Facebook:

As most of you know, Rick was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia called APL on Friday after routine blood work. We were extremely lucky to have the doctors and lab personnel that reacted so quickly. He was admitted Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning he had his tests completed, and his first round of chemo started. Today will be day 3 of his chemo therapy, and he could not be more pleased with how he feels. His spirits are high and he can’t thank all the family and friends that have been so supportive. You could not ask for a more wonderful staff than those they have here at Porter Hospital! It has made a world of difference.

Thanks for all your messages and phone calls. He has is phone and computer with him, and found out today that he can continue to work “from home”. He was extremely happy to hear that.

Today is a good day with Rick already doing 3 laps around the floor before I even woke up. He is eating well, and continues to tell everyone…”We are going to kick this thing in the butt and get on with it.”

Rick 1 – Mutants 0

~~~~~

Yes, he has been inhabited by mutant blood cells and after those are kicked out they are going to repopulate his body with normal ones. He's also calling his i.v. cart "Walli" and the glass atrium where he sets up his computer to do work his "corner office." I think this type of upbeat attitude will help to ease the discomfort of the medications and the normal wear and tear of an extended stay in the hospital.

We love you Rick! Keep up the good work!

Rick

This wonderful guy is Karen's husband, the kids' grandpa Rick.

He adores the kids and they adore him right back. We are so blessed to have him in our lives.

On Friday, Rick was diagnosed with Leukemia.

Last week he went in for some routine blood work and they found that his white blood cell count was not what it was supposed to be. They thought it was due to some medication he was taking so they discontinued that and retested his blood at the beginning of this week. It was still off so they did a bone marrow biopsy. On Friday they went in to get the results and he was admitted to the hospital that night and started chemotherapy yesterday. He will be in the hospital for about a month and after that he will have to be careful where he goes because he'll be very susceptible to disease.

There are a few good things. First, they caught it early and he doesn't have any other symptoms. Second, out of all of the types he could have, this is the best kind. It has a 90% CURE rate, which is much better than a survival rate. I talked to him on Friday and he seems to be in good spirits so far. It probably feels strange to just be sitting in the hospital, not feeling like anything is wrong, but not being able to leave.

We are all in a state of shock, especially, and understandably, Karen. One day life was normal and the next...BAM. I wish we lived closer so that we could be there to at least distract her from everything that is going on for a little bit. There are very few instances where a grandkid hug doesn't make you feel a little better.

So please, lots of prayers and good thoughts for this very special guy. We love you, Rick and I can't wait until I can tell everyone that you're doing great and completely cured.

Lauren's Ears

A few months ago, I had a mini rant about a doctor that had only seen Lauren once telling me that she needed a tube in her ear. It wasn't just that he was saying my daughter needed surgery (yes, I know it's a small one, but it's still surgery.) but the attitude with which he told me. I don't do well with being told something in a condescending manner. However, since then, Lauren has had infection after infection, all sorts of antibiotics, and is still suffering.

We were referred to an ENT by her pediatrician and I was very happy to see him. He has a very gentle way with kids and explained exactly what was going on and what would be the best way to remedy it. Lauren has fluid behind both of her eardrums which isn't currently causing her pain, but most likely will soon. Considering she just finished a third round of antibiotics to clear this up, it's pretty obvious that what we've been doing isn't working.

So, on the 22nd, we will be taking her in for tubes. She won't be completely sedated, won't even have an iv, and it should be very quick. He said it takes about 6 minutes per ear and he'll suction out all of the fluid at that time. I have a feeling that this will help her balance tremendously. Not long ago I had fluid in my ears and it was excruciating. I cannot imagine teething pain on top of that. Knowing that she is in so much pain is really what made up my mind. If something so simple can help her, why wouldn't we do it?

Hopefully soon this will all be a distant memory and her ears will stay clear. I need to get Brenden in to see him as well. I'm pretty sure he'll end up having to get tubes, too, and I think it will be a bit more traumatic for him. But again, if it helps clear up the ear infections that we've been battling for months, it will be worth it. Plus, he hates the medicine. He keeps telling me it's yucky and makes his stomach hurt.

Someday we will all be whole and well and I will be so SO happy!

The Curse of Preschool

I've heard several people bemoaning the curse of preschool or daycare...how it always leads to insane amounts of sickness, on top of sickness, and on and on. Brenden started school in January and it wasn't a month before we were all sick. We enjoyed some downtime, but the sickness has crept up on us again.

Brenden was the first to show signs of not doing so well. It was the Wednesday of his spring break and I was positive he was running a fever. It was low grade, but he was also laying around, not wanting to play with his friends. This is not the child I know. We headed to the doctor the next day and found out he had a double ear infection and a spot on his chest that didn't sound great. (He actually pointed to the spot before the doctor got to it and told her to listen there. We were shocked that he was right.) She prescribed amoxicillin and he seems to be doing better. Hopefully he'll bounce completely back after just one round. (Totally unrealated...he weighs 39 lbs 6 oz and is 39 inches tall. Sheesh!)

We have an ENT appointment for Lauren soon and we're going to take Brenden with us. Maybe he'll take a peek in his ears just to see what's going on.

And then, Lauren started acting a little off. Not enough to really worry me, just enough to make me think that her teeth were really bothering her. She was pulling on her ears and crying more than usual, which could be just about anything. She started running a low fever but that happens when she's teething, too. Then today, after her nap, she was on fire. I took her temperature and it was over 102 degrees. Not good! Brenden had his first t-ball practice today so Tim had to rush home to take him while I took her to get checked out.

It was late so I had to take her to an after hours clinic. I thought I could take her to one down the street, but it ended up just being an extended hours clinic and they didn't have any appointments available. I called Tim to whine and then headed to the pediatric urgent care that's associated with our regular clinic. After several wrong turns, hitting major construction and a few 4 way flashing red lights, we made it. I almost had a heart attack when the door wouldn't open, but I was a few minutes early. Whew. Tim would have heard more than whining.

They weighed her (21 lbs 8 oz) and confirmed that her fever was definitely over 102. They swabbed her nose to check for the flu, which came back negative. The doctor was surprised to see her up and moving around. She really expected to see a very sick kid, not a happy, active baby. "She really doesn't seem sick." Thank goodness she actually checked her out! Both of our kids don't act sick until they are really sick. Her left ear is definitely infected and bulging and her right ear is on it's way. No drainage, no runny nose, no cough...just her ear.

This week was one doctor's appointment after another. I'm really for my kids to feel better. I'm really to get over whatever crud that started in my head yesterday. I'm ready to quit complaining!

The Month of Kleenex

A month ago, I wrote this post. Today, I finally feel confident enough to say that we're on the mend. Yes, I realize even thinking that will surely strike us down with another round of the sickness, but I'm going to enjoy the less snotty, much less feverish, happier times while I can.

This was our life for a month!

A full month of ups and downs and medicine and a boot on my ankle...could it be any more fun? A week after Lauren started on her antibiotics to get rid of her ear infection, she threw up for the first time. When Brenden was a baby, he never threw up. Spit up? Yes...but it takes awhile to realize that there really is a difference between spit up and vomiting. Over the next 5 days, the only thing she kept down was Pedialyte. In a week she went from almost 20 lbs to 18 1/2 lbs. She has a check up tomorrow so I'm hoping to see her weight headed in the positive direction again. To make everything worse, the cold that we thought she kicked came right back, along with teething, so she pretty much didn't sleep for 2 weeks. Which means Tim and I didn't sleep for 2 weeks. We were not happy campers.

Brenden developed an ear infection a week after Lauren started throwing up, and then, at Panera Bread, he got sick all over our table. Thank goodness we had already taken Lauren in and had medicine that we could give him. The doctor even made sure to tell me that it was okay since it was pretty likely at least one of us would catch it. Zofran is a life saver. He's still got a cough, which we're all sharing, but he seems to be much better now.

After being stuck inside with all the sickies, Tim caught the gunk. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to have hit him too terribly. Or, he's just better at dealing with it. (But shhh...don't tell him I said that.) He didn't need a doctor's visit and he never had antibiotics, so I'd say he's doing well.

After my ear/sinus infection cleared, I caught the nasty cold that lead to a pretty bad cough. It was a chorus of sickness! Let me tell you...I love my kids' kisses and hugs, but their germs they can keep all to themselves. And now, on top of the lasting congestion and pressure in my ears, I'm in a lovely boot. Why? Remember the toe that was giving me so much trouble? It's still a pain, a constant pain, and in a last ditch effort to keep me from having to have surgery, I'm in a boot to stabilize it. My doctor only wanted me to try it for a week, so hopefully on Thursday he'll decide it worked and I can resume the ability to chase after my kids. I really don't want to even think about how surgery would effect my day. Too scary.

At least someone can enjoy it!

On a much happier note, the weather has been beautiful and the snow is melting! I am so ready for our backyard to be less of a mud pit. Our white dogs are not so white anymore!

Three Out Of Four

Three out of four of us are sick. I hope that changes a bit next week.

Last weekend Lauren and Brenden headed off to grandma Ginger's and grandpa Jim's house to spend the night so I could focus on cleaning. We were so busy during the holidays that a deep clean was definitely needed. I noticed that Lauren seemed a little stuffy but I wasn't too concerned. I thought it was just from being cold. By Sunday night I knew I was wrong.

She woke up on Monday morning with her hair stuck to the goop that had dried around her nose. It was terrible! (No, I didn't take a picture. I have more than enough blackmail/unflattering pictures and I don't need to remember that.) She had a low grade fever and was just cranky. This did not bode well for the rest of us.

By Tuesday night my throat felt like I had swallowed glass, which is the first sign of sickness for me. I woke up on Wednesday feeling absolutely awful. Tim had a ton of work to do so there was no way he could stay home to take care of us. I thought for sure Brenden would wear me out that morning but he lounged on the couch with me when Lauren was napping, which is his first (outward) sign that he isn't feeling well. That night the 3 of us went to bed, snotty, tired, sore and feverish.

Thursday was more of the same. Since Brenden wasn't feeling well he missed out on his first party at school, which makes me really sad. We went through an entire box of tissues and I finally figured out that swaddling Lauren was the best way to clean her nose. She's figured out how to flail really well, pull on my hands and yell "nah nah nah nah!!!" (Which is either "no no no no!" or she's yelling for a grandma to help her. Either one makes sense.)

Today Connie came and saved us all! Tim is out with the guys so I was going to be alone all day. I woke up at 5:30 am (Why, brain, WHY?!?) and couldn't get back to sleep. I took a shower, started laundry, cleaned the kitchen, started coffee and made everyone pancakes. I was exhausted by the time Connie made it to our house with some wonderful Chick-Fil-A. I very happily watched the kids climb all over her while I zoned out. When naptime rolled around I laid down, too, although Lauren was not in the mood. Poor thing was so congested she kept waking up. Plus, her two top teeth are really bugging her. Sick and teething does not mix well. Thank you, Connie, for taking care of us all!

Hopefully next week will be full of a lot less snot, although Tim's chances are not looking good.

Flaws

When you first see your baby you see perfection, and my babies were no exception. Little baby fingers and toes, tiny eyelashes, and hair softer than you could ever imagine. Eventually you realize that they have their flaws, and my kids definitely have them, but those flaws never matter.

Brenden had eczema and it was awful. At first we we were told it was just regular cradle cap and we scrubbed it like they told us to. Have you ever dealt with eczema? Scratching and rubbing are the worst things you could ever do. The poor boy couldn't grow hair and had to sleep with socks on his hands to keep him from making new scratches at night. One trip to the allergist at 7 months, some Allegra and some Protopic, and he was so much better.

Oh! I scratched my head!

I love Lauren's beautiful blue eyes, but her right eye has always been a problem. From the first day it was runny and eventually it got to the point where it would seal shut overnight from the gunkiness. Then it became red, itchy, and we had to constantly clean the green goop off of it. This was not an ideal situation. Her pediatrician diagnosed her with a tear duct that was too small at her 2 week appointment. She said that it would eventually open up and all of her symptoms would go away. She also explained that we needed to massage from the corner of her eye and down the side of her nose several times a day.

Her poor eye!

For months we waited to see some improvement. Antibiotics always helped, the eye drops the doctor gave us helped, but it never lasted. We were always back to cleaning it, always back to worrying about the redness. Then, I took her to see the mean doctor who told me she needed a tube. He handed me the prescription for antibiotics and told me to use a warm compress on her eye. Two days later...it was completely better. What's more, she hasn't had any redness, it hasn't been runny, and she has stopped scratching at it.

SO much better!

I took her back to her regular pediatrician this past Monday and she proclaimed her ears to be "perfect." Then I asked about her eye. She's not sure if it was ready to open, the antibiotics took care of it, the warm compress helped, or a combination, but she said that her eye looks wonderful. We could not be happier!

Now, if we could just get Brenden to go to the bathroom by himself without a huge showdown and teach Lauren to crawl on her knees and not her belly so she'll stop spitting up, we'd be good to go!

Opinions

Lauren has another ear infection. I am not at all surprised by this, especially since I think it's an extension of the ear infection that she had right before Thanksgiving. I held back from taking her to the doctor because I thought it might just be her teeth, but she had no problems with her first two teeth that came in. (Oh, I didn't mention she has two teeth?? She does! And they are the cutest baby teeth I've ever seen!)

At about 4:45 pm yesterday she woke up screaming from a nap. She had a few restless nights before that, but they were nothing compared to this. I didn't want to wait until the next day so I took to her Med Now, which we've never had a problem with. Everyone was super nice until the doctor came in. I could tell immediately that I wasn't going to be happy with him. "She looks like she feels just fine," was the first thing he said to me. I wanted to say, "Well then YOU come hang out with her at 3 am when she's screaming and can't sleep."

The exam was no better. Instead of having her lay down he made me hold her. She was not happy about that at all and was more upset than I have ever seen her at the doctor's office, except for shots of course. He didn't say a word to me the entire time and I finally had to ask if there was anything wrong. Eventually he said that her right ear was infected. "So, antibiotics?" His response was practically "Well DUH."

I was already frustrated at that point when he told me that she would probably need a tube in that ear. He's only seen her once, how could he possibly know that? Yes, she's had three ear infections, but she also had a tear duct that is too small that will probably need to be dilated after she is a year old. Her right ear is the one that gets infected the most and I feel like her eye is a contributing factor. Also, Brenden had a ton of ear infections until he was 18 months old. Since then he's only had one and that was when he had pink eye so badly. He outgrew them and I want to give Lauren a chance to outgrow them as well.

I think the worst part was when he told me that without a tube she would definitely be developmentally delayed. Tim had to have tubes when he was smaller because he wasn't talking and he had no problems after that. Lauren is talking and babbling and not showing any signs of delay at all. When I mentioned that to this doctor he completely disregarded what I was saying and told me that he was sure that Tim had to go to special classes to catch up. I finally realized that he was the type of person that believes he is always right and nothing I could say would make a difference.

We will definitely be going to her regular pediatrician to follow up. When Lauren had her first ear infection the doctor really didn't want to give her any antibiotics until it was absolutely necessary, so I think she's less likely to jump to the tube conclusion.

Obviously my opinion could change if this ear infection just never seems to go away or another symptom shows up. I'm not so set in my belief that she doesn't need a tube that I can't change my mind. No matter what, we're going to make the best choice for her that we can, which I think is what all parents try to do for their children.

_________________________________________________

I'd also like to thank everyone that gave me their opinion on facebook. It's always great to hear different ideas. Facebook might be a giant time drain, but it's also an awesome way to get advice. Thank you all!

3 Year Well Check - Brenden

Today I took Brenden to the doctor Lauren has seen since she was born, Dr. Koul. It was his 3 year well check and it went better than I had hoped.

He is now 39 inches tall (80%) and 37 lbs (90%). She asked me how tall Tim is, which is a common question, and told me she thinks Brenden will be taller. We'll see! She was happy with his growth and development but not so happy with his ears. Double ear infection! We had no idea. He's been swimming, jumped around on his trampoline all day Saturday, and had never once complained. He must have never gotten over it from his last one which was about a month ago. She called him a "tough cookie".

Other than some antibiotics he's doing great. She did ask if he goes in time out, which of course I said he did. She seems to think he doesn't mind well, even asked me if I babied him. I laughed! I told her I think I'm pretty evil, sometimes. She said that was good! HA! I think the problem today was that he was excited to be at the doctor's office (crazy kid!) and also, he has a double ear infection! He may not be able to hear me.

We're very proud of our big boy and I hope we can get his ears cleared up soon. Maybe then he'll listen better. Or maybe he's just three!

We don't need April Fool's...life is crazy enough.

Tuesday was a crazy day. It was the type of day where I just didn't want to answer the phone because really...who else could end up in the hospital? (I shouldn't say that. There are SEVERAL people who could have been there that weren't.) Today is giving Tuesday a run for it's money.

I'm not a fan of April Fool's Day. I don't like being pranked and I'm not creative enough to come up with anything all that funny to pull on people. When I woke up and saw that Tim was still at home I made to sure take the time to explain to him that if I called him and said I was in labor that it would NOT be a joke and that he shouldn't laugh and hang up on me. Just what a 9 month pregnant lady would need, right?

So...the craziness. My brother called me around 9 am to let me know my mom was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance. She had been getting progressively worse since Tuesday and spiked a fever of 102 degrees last night. When I talked to her she sounded awful and I knew she was in pain. She had oral surgery done after Christmas and has been having trouble with that ever since, which is part of her problem today, too. It's not just her face, though. Her entire body hurts so badly that she wants to be admitted to the hospital. If you know my mom at all you know that she is not a fan of sitting still. She's feeling BAD. My dad just called and said she may have pneumonia. I'm sure, since she has moderate asthma, that this is not going to be an easy recovery. Hopefully she gets some kind of relief soon.

(ETA: Mom does not have pneumonia, although it took forever for anyone to tell me anything. My dad gets a bit scatter brained. From what I can tell everything looks normal but she feels like crap. They gave her some medication for pain and are sending her home. They did say her EKG came back slightly off but they didn't seem concerned, which is weird to me. What do I know, right? A family friend, Norma, was headed to the hospital to pick her up so she'll have someone at the house to help her. My dad just had foot surgery and of course his back has been a mess for years so if she needs someone to actually help her move he wouldn't be any help. Hopefully she feels better soon.)

The second surprise of the day was learning that my grandma Warehime will not be going back to live alone after she is released from the hospital. I still haven't heard what is going on with her stomach but I now know she'll be going to a nursing home. She has always been afraid of nursing homes and I don't think she'll last very long there. It's really sad but unfortunately she can't take care of herself and my mom and dad aren't able to give her the 24 hour care she needs, either.

(ETA: In the course of talking to my dad about my mom he randomly let it slip that my grandma has a bowel obstruction. Of course, he doesn't know anything more, like how they plan to help her. He really can't be trusted for details.)

I knew April would be busy but I had no idea it would be like this.

National Doctor's Day

My family is known for needing to go to the ER on holidays. It could be Christmas or Memorial Day, you name the holiday and someone is at the hospital. I looked up what holiday yesterday could have been and was not at all surprised to find that it was National Doctor's Day. How did our family celebrate? By making sure at least 4 of us were at the hospital throughout the day.

Karen had a scheduled surgery yesterday, but she still counts. She's doing fabulous and everything went even better than we could have hoped. I talked to her last night and her pain was minimal, she was able to eat, and she should be going home today.

Around 2 pm my mom called to tell me that my grandma Warehime had been admitted for severe stomach pain. She's been fighting off a bladder infection and it looks like she needs another round of antibiotics and some medicine to help get her sodium levels up. I haven't heard much on her but I know she's where she should be and hopefully in a lot less pain.

I've been having minor contractions on and off for awhile now, nothing worth tracking, they just end up annoying me. What started bothering me was the fact that every time I had one my chest felt tight and I had trouble breathing. I finally called my OBGYN and the nurse said, "That is not something I've heard before, go to Labor and Delivery to get checked." I asked if she thought it was something I needed to do immediately or if I could wait for just a bit for my husband to get home to watch my 2 year old. She didn't seem happy that I wanted to wait but she thought I'd be okay. Not only had Brenden just laid down for a nap but I'm pretty sure trying to explain to him that he needed to sit down and be quiet while we were at the hospital would have been like talking to a wall.

The first thing they always do is strap on the monitors to check the baby's heartbeat and contractions. Lauren was doing just fine, kicking and wiggling and driving me crazy because OH MY GOODNESS my belly is sore. I was having random contractions, which I knew, but that wasn't what caught the nurse's attention. My pulse, which started at about 80 bpm, which is normal, kept jumping up to 125-130 bpm. Every time that would happen I would get dizzy, my arms would tingle, and I'd start breathing hard.

The main concern was if Lauren and I were getting enough oxygen and they ran all the tests to check for that. I had an Arterial Blood Gas, which checked the oxygen in my blood. They stick a needle deep in your wrist to get blood from an artery and when she first did it I thought she was telling me it should hurt pretty bad just so I would be happily surprised when it wasn't that bad at all. For about 15 seconds I was fine...then out of nowhere my entire arm started throbbing. Seriously, that hurt.

The other 2 tests didn't hurt at all, thank goodness. They did an ultrasound of the veins in my legs to make sure I didn't have a blood clot and an EKG to make sure my heart was fine. Everything came back totally normal so they sent me home. It looks like my body is just stressed. The nurse thinks I'll be in labor sooner rather than later, but we'll see if she's right. I've heard that before.

My brother called us about 9 pm to let us know that he was taking my mom to the ER. She was having chest pains and trouble breathing, which is never good. I know it had to be pretty bad because my mom is not a fan of going to the hospital for herself at all. Thankfully she wasn't there for very long and it turns out that she has an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis, which is what my brother had last week. It's not a fun diagnosis but it's better than what it could have been.

All in all, a long day. Someday we'll all be healthy again, and then it will be time for the next holiday.

Christmas Eve Eve (Yes...Eve Eve)

Anytime you have the labels "Christmas" and "sickness" on a post you know it's been one heck of a holiday. And there is no way I could condense this down to one short, simple post so I broke it up into a few. Enjoy with some hot cocoa!

Our first Christmas was scheduled to happen on Christmas Eve Eve (aka: December 23rd) with Tim's parents. About 2 pm that day Brenden was snuggled up under his covers, enjoying a later nap and I had just stepped out of the shower when I was overcome with a not-so-pleasant wave of nausea. I thought I had overheated so I laid down on the couch to see if it would pass. Then I thought I must need food and water, so I grabbed an apple. By 2:30 pm I was violently ill, but I thought it would pass. Wow...I was wrong.

Tim came home early to help me finish packing to leave and the first words out of my mouth were "I'm not going anywhere." Unfortunately, the Oklahoma Blizzard of 2009 was upon us and if we didn't leave that night then there was a very good chance we'd be snowed in by the next day. So I sucked it up, grabbed a bucket, and got in the car. We eventually made it to his parents' house and the entire time poor Brenden was so worried about me. I couldn't even turn around to reassure him.

By the time I crawled to their bathroom I knew it was food poisoning or a bug, which we had a few years ago, and I thought sleeping next to the toilet, swaddled in 3 comforters, dressed in a hat and my thick coat would keep the chills away and make me feel a little better. Not so much. After an hour of being sick every 5 minutes Tim decided this was NOT ok and took me to the emergency room at Bailey Medical Center, which is where we went for his wonky eye problem back in March. In 20 minutes they had me through triage, an IV in my arm, and lovely, wonderful Zofran (an anti-nausea medicine) in my system. Seriously, I love those people.

Within 5 minutes I felt 1,000 times better. I could hold my head up, my stomach wasn't cramping anymore, and I was coherent. All I wanted was a glass of water but I had to settle for 2 bags of fluid through my IV. When they finally decided that I was going to be fine they sent me up to labor and delivery to check on Lauren. The little stinker was all over the place and they had a really difficult time getting her heartbeat for longer than a few seconds. They eventually brought in a doppler, which they can use with babies when they are smaller, and her heartbeat was perfect. She also kicked the heck out of the monitor so we all knew that she was fine.

They finally gave me some Sierra Mist and crackers, which I shared with Tim. He thought he was getting really hungry but it became obvious that what I was suffering from was definitely a virus. I hit the call button so the nurses could help him since I was still attached to 3 different machines. They were so very nice and so were the nurses and doctors back in the ER. They asked if he wanted to be admitted but promised that the medicine they were sending me home with would help him as well. For some reason a nurse handed him an alcohol swab and told him to sniff it. Apparently it's supposed to help when you feel sick to your stomach, but Tim assured me that it never made a difference.

Eventually I was discharged, but not before the patient across the hall introduced himself. He was an old man that hadn't slept in months and was having breathing problems. His family members were some of the meanest people I have ever heard speak through a curtain. They informed the doctor that he had just been released from a nursing home that day and that they wanted the hospital to take responsibility for him and have him transferred to another home. The doctor was just as shocked as I was to hear this. He tried to explain that the hospital wasn't where you dropped off your parents when they get old and you don't care to help them. We left before we found out what they did with him, but I hope he's ok.

The final diagnosis: stomach virus which led to some pretty bad dehydration. Dehydration is awful for anyone. Add in being pregnant and it gets really scary.

After a lovely stop at Walgreen's at 1 a.m. where Tim became acquainted with the location of the bathroom, we headed home. Even though I know the medicine helped it sure tasted awful. The "slight mint taste" that it was supposed to have wasn't entirely accurate. When we finally got home poor Tim had to be sick a few more times before it really kicked in. Thankfully we both felt almost normal later that morning, although we were exhausted.

It was definitely NOT how we planned on spending part of our holiday but we feel lucky that it didn't start when we were trying to drive out to Colorado, or during that lovely blizzard we had. Next up...Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which was filled with much more family and a lot less being sick.

Morning sickness...yeah right.

Try ALL DAY SICKNESS. Most days I'm doing well if I can just make sure Brenden is fed, changed when he's dirty, and doesn't throw anything at the TV. Getting on the computer? HA! That would require sitting up straight and actually moving muscles. I do get to read my emails and other things on my cell phone but that's about as much as I can do with the energy I have.

I've also been dealing with a corpus luteum cyst, which was VERY painful. I actually ended up going to the ER on Labor Day, which was not fun. I was there for 7 hours, from 10:30 pm to 5:30 am, and was surrounded by people who thought they had the swine flu. The doctor that released me had no clue what was going on but the ultrasound technician was AWESOME. She showed me the baby, the heartbeat (166 bpm...fabulous!), and even printed out pictures for me. It was just a fuzzy little peanut but it was there! She also showed me the cyst, which was about the size of a marble (bigger than the baby!) and she said it looked like it had ruptured. It's felt better since then, but I'm still sore. Not sure if it's still from the cyst or if it's from lifting my 34 lb toddler and pulling muscles.

So much else has gone on! I still need to blog about our fabulous time in Chicago. We'll be moving soon...to a cul de sac!!!! :) Brenden has been changing like crazy. He's grown. He's learned new things. His personality changes daily.

Just a quick bragging session. Tim posted a video (that I took with my phone, while driving...shhh don't tell!) of Brenden counting. He will randomly start counting throughout the day, sometimes even counting backwards. We love it! He also recognizes the numbers when he sees them on TV or in a book, which I think is super cool. We're working on his alphabet, both being able to recognize letters and saying them. We've tried using flashcards, which is how we taught him his numbers, but for some reason it wasn't working with letters. I found a mat that I had bought a few months back with the entire alphabet on it that is supposed to be for coloring. Somehow that was the trick. In 2 days he went from looking at us like we were crazy when we asked what "A" was to knowing more than half of the letters. His favorites being "F," "L," "M," and "W."

Like most kids his age, he is picking up new words every day. Some are extremely clear, like "apple" and "juice." Others sound so similar that we have to ask him to point to what he wants, like "poptart" and "football," which somehow sound exactly alike. :)

My most favorite thing that he can do is point to where the baby is and say "Hi baby!" I'm really looking forward to when the baby starts kicking really well to see if he'll feel it. I bet he freaks out just like my friends Anne-Marie and Andi did when Brenden kicked them! :)

Hopefully I'll be feeling a little more like myself in the next few weeks. We have a lot going on...like Brenden turning 2!!! Where did the last 2 years go?!?