Goodbye Winter

I'm not sure if I'm to blame for exposing my kids to an unusual number of germs or if this year's viruses were stronger than we're used to, but we definitely seemed to have a sicker-than-normal winter around here.

From stomach viruses to the common cold to unknown fever and general malaise, Ryan, Abbey, Dylan, and I were all hit hard this year. 

Until this year, Abbey's managed to stay fairly healthy, and it was difficult to see her sick.  It was even more difficult to get her to take any sort of medicine, and I had my first foray into Mommy bribing, letting her have ice cream in exchange for simply swallowing some baby Motrin.

Dylan, thankfully, is better with taking medicine, but it may have been even sadder to see such a little guy getting sick over and over.  Sleepy and cuddly when he doesn't feel well, it broke my heart a little that he was sicker in one year than Abbey has been in three!

Needless to say, despite many fun moments, we are all ready to finally say "see ya!" to the Winter of 2010!

feeling sick and snuggling with teddy 

a little Cookie Monster helps a little, too

Quick Dylan Update

Dylan was an absolute champ yesterday!  I thought not eating or drinking in the morning would set a negative tone for the whole experience, but he was absolutely chipper and charming until they sedated him, when he became loopy and charming.  He was on the move until the sedative kicked in, playing with his little cars, the garbage can, his favorite Clifford book, and one of those handle push-cars (already at the hospital; I don't have a Mary Poppins bag to fit that!)

The waiting wasn't the greatest part, and he was pretty upset when we got back to the recovery area.  He slept on and off for most of the morning and early afternoon, still groggy and medicated.  Around 3:30, either the anesthesia completely wore off or the main medication completely kicked in, because a switch flicked.  He was back to his mischevious, speed-racer self - playing my mom's piano, crawling around, giggling, and trying to climb up the stairs.

Keeping him in "taking-it-easy" mode for 3-4 weeks might prove to be more stressful than the surgery!

I am beyond thankful that everything went so smoothly.

Mommy Tears

From the time Dylan's pediatrician recommended we take him to a urologist for a consultation, I had a hunch that we weren't going to get good news.  (That sounds fairly dramatic, so keep in mind we were only dealing with the concern of an undescended testicle.)  Ryan kept reminding me that a consultation didn't necessarily mean that surgery was inevitable.  Still, my "mom instinct" had me convinced that we were looking at a surgical procedure.

Keeping Dylan out of trouble in the doctor's office kept me from thinking too much about why we were actually in the office.  On a side note, I don't understand why pediatric doctor's offices have a billion toys in their waiting rooms and none in the offices, where you actually do most of the waiting.

Even after crossing the hall to the ultrasound room, I played pat-a-cake with Dylan to keep him still, instead of worrying about the diagnosis. 

Even after the doctor came in and started talking about "the procedure", I concentrated on details and dates and schedules (the best day for Ryan? the best day for my mom to watch Abbey?)

Even after the nurse came in to discuss details of prep and recovery, I listened and packed up our diaper bag, tucking the sippy cup in on top, in case he wanted it when we got to the car.

Only when he was safely in his carseat, babbling away, oblivious to the ramifications of our thirty-minute appointment, did the tears come.  Silently and without warning, they fell from my eyes, hot in the cold air of the car.

Because there is no "only" when you're talking about sending your baby down a hospital corridor to receive general anesthesia.  There is no "only" when you try to push away the thought of the moment he'll wake up and see only strangers' eyes.

February 10th can't come soon enough.

When Kids Get Sick

She asked to snuggle on the couch at eleven am and was asleep moments later, so I wasn't too surprised when the thermometer showed a temperature that made me reach for the medicine cup.  Never one to let an opportunity pass her by, Abbey bargained her way into some chocolate ice cream by taking her medicine without (much) fuss.  Unfortunately, the rest of the week wasn't quite as sweet.

Abbey's fever was up and down over a few days, accompanied by the usual runny nose, slight cough, and all of the general symptoms of a cold in the dead of winter. 

Ryan was the next victim, trying to deal with the cold on top of seventy-hour work weeks.

Even Dylan joined in on the fun with a little fever.

Winter doldrums are nothing to shrug at in any condition, and facing them with a household of sick people carries its own particular challenge.  One moment I think the kids are fine, and the next finds one of them collapsing into tears for no real reason.  Cabin fever hit late in the week, but their little bodies hadn't quite caught up with their minds, and getting anything at all done was an exercise in extreme flexibility (on which I pride myself) and patience (on which I don't).

Spring can't come to this house soon enough, but there are long winter weeks looming ahead before I can even consider packing up hats and gloves and thermometers and cold medicine.

Cross your fingers for a healthier week!

even during dreary moments, she's always good for at least a little sunshine

Are We There Yet?

And by "there", I mean on the other side of this nasty little town called Norovirus.  (Well, we weren't officially diagnosed, but since it's my blog, and I'm not claiming MD status, I think I can safely call it that without being sued by the Norovirus for defamation of character.)

It all started with an e-mail from a friend on Tuesday, stating that her boys had thrown up.  Our monthly MOMS Club meeting was Monday, so we had been in the same place as the poor little guys.  Around dinnertime, Abbey started talking about her stomach hurting.  Soon, she and Dylan were having their first experience with vomiting.  I followed shortly thereafter (well, obviously not my first experience, but you get the picture.)

It was awful.  Ryan stepped up in the best possible way, while I continued to make the trek back and forth to the bathroom.  We changed Abbey's sheets (and blankets) several times, and Dylan got to sleep with Daddy in our bed.

Things were a little better Wednesday, when both of my parents came over at different times to help me with the kids while I napped.  Honestly, it's those little things that make all the difference; I don't know how I would have made it through the day without any help!

Today we were all on the mend, except for a slight setback from Abbey, first thing in the morning.  We even made a quick trip to Target (using our stroller so the kids didn't contaminate anything!) to get a few things, like a new toothbrush and some fresh air.

Then Ryan texted.  And came home early.  And is curled up in bed right now while I'm on the couch recuperating with some Mrs. Grass's soup.  Now that we've all had it, I'm hoping we can say goodbye to this virus, at least for this year!

Here are some pictures of the kids from a couple of weeks ago, when they were being cute and silly and not pukey, my sweet babies.

Sick

Just a little update...

We have been sick here (well, Abbey, Dylan, and I), and are just now getting back to regularly scheduled programming.  Actually, not quite back to normal, but I think we'll risk a Target run sometime today.  For fresh air and a new shower curtain liner - you know, the important things.

A special thanks to Ryan, my mom, and my dad for stepping up and helping a ton; it's no good when mommy gets sick, too.

Sick House

We are sick.  Well, Dylan and I have Hand, Foot,and Mouth Disease.  For those of you unfamiliar with strange, childhood maladies, it's basically a rash and a fever, although it sounds like something livestock might get.  The worst part is probably that the rash can go in your mouth.  Dylan has escaped the mouth sores so far, and neither of us have a fever.  I've felt worse, but I feel so sorry for my little guy.  He doesn't seem to be in too much pain, but he's too little to really let us know.

Now that he is on the mend, I am looking for the humor in this, since I am not quite on the mend and still in a little bit of pain.  I considered waving around some of the worst sores at the Secretary of State office today, in hopes that some of the fifty-something people ahead of me would run for cover.  (Note to people at SOS, don't call the Department of Health, it's passed through saliva and other bodily fluids, and I kept those to myself, thankyouverymuch.) 

One of the other down sides to this is that Abbey is wondering "where we are going today?" pretty much constantly.  She's used to being out and about, which is my fault, since I like to go-go-go most days.  We'll be back to our usual schedule soon, I'm sure.  For now, I am trying to get things unpacked and put away from our weekend in Kalamazoo.  Monday was a mess, as is evidenced below.

Update Continued

Thankfully, Abbey's arm is absolutely fine. 

Our summer will meander on, unfettered by fiberglass.

And tonight I will say a prayer for all of those families whose hearts are still hurting.

Quick Update

I need to hop into the shower, but I wanted to update quickly about Abbey's little arm.  It is NOT fractured, according to the pediatric/sports orthopaedist we saw yesterday.  He explained the ER doctors will err on the side of caution and overdiagnose these sorts of injuries, especially in children.  My mom explained that a radiologist should have been the one reading the x-ray anyway.  Either way, she doesn't need a cast.  We're thrilled about that, even more so since the doctor told me she would have had to be casted up to the elbow to prevent her from sliding out of a half-arm cast.  I understand, since she removed the splint cast several times in the three days she had it, but I can't imagine trying to deal with a sunscreened, sweaty, dirty toddler that I can't just drop in the bathtub!

So, phew!

In an Instant

A day that has a nice, long nap like this:

Shouldn't end with an arm like this:

Today started off so well.  We made bread.  We went to the library, where we checked out some Angelina Ballerina books and ran into some new friends from our MOMS Club.  The kids took long, lazy afternoon naps.  Dylan ate bananas (an early favorite), and Abbey ate mac & cheese (a steady favorite).  Grandma Sharon came over early; I had dinner plans with Colleen and Kathie for Kathie's birthday.  Today had the makings of a great fresh start to a rough weekend.

Yet, in an instant things changed.  Practically flanked by Mommy and Grandma, Abbey tripped off the brick border around our porch (maybe six? inches off the ground) and started crying.  Normally, she only cries like that when exhausted, and the tears can be easily evaporated with a snuggle and a kiss. 

But today the tears kept coming, and she kept saying, "it hurts," which are words that don't cross her lips very often.  Honestly, she is one tough girl. 

But today she was gingerly holding her hand in an awkward position, and even a cup of water with ice cubes didn't stop the tears. 

So, with Grandma's agreement that something was wrong, we trekked to the ER.  Grandma has an eye for these things; she x-rays hurts for a living.  Thankfully, there is a little ER a few miles from our house, so we were the only people in the waiting room, and we were quickly ushered into a room covered with Nemo stickers.

In 32 years, I have never broken a bone, and now my two-year old can't say the same thing, and my heart is heavy tonight.  It's a buckle fracture, which looks like a bent bone, like it's made of something flexible.  But bone isn't flexible, and now Abbey is in a little cast, with instructions to follow up with a specialist.

Big picture? She was playing in her kitchen, wearing her apron and hat, when we got home.  Motrin went down a little sweeter when followed by a teeny bowl of frozen yogurt.  The doctor said it should heal within a couple of weeks.  But my baby girl is broken, and I can't fix it with all of the smooches and snuggles in all of the world. 

My heart is heavy, and some of that heaviness isn't for us.  Tonight, acutely, I feel for all of the families who deal with much worse than this every day.  Whose bad news won't heal within a couple of weeks.  In an instant, a door was flung open to expose the fragility of life, of health, of safety, and my heart hurts a little tonight.

Seriously?

Let me start by saying that we've been extremely lucky in terms of illness with Abbey. Besides the milk/soy allergy (resolved), the peanut allergy (still there), and some minor colds, she's been healthy. However, we took her to a doctor after a few days of a nagging fever. After an unpleasant nose swab, we discovered she currently has a sinus infection. If you have any tips for getting antibiotics into a whirling dervish, please leave them in the comments section...

Anyway, besides refusing her medicine with a savviness beyond her years ("This is MEDICINE!" when I mixed it with her yogurt drink,) Abbey has handled her sinus infection like a champ. She’s been a little quiet and a little whiney (hey, I write when she’s sweet, so I have to write when she’s sour, too), and has actually been taking NAPS. Since she isn’t used to napping, she’s doing most of it on the couch or with someone holding her (thanks GMa Sharon!) I say most of it, because on Monday she found a new nap spot. She spent about a half hour, maybe forty-five minutes, on the couch before waking up a little and wanting some water. Then she fell asleep again…

I asked her if she wanted to move back to the couch as soon as she settled in on her little chair.  She emphatically said no.  Like a caring and concerned mother, I grabbed the camera and snapped a few pictures.  I thought she'd move quickly, but she slept like that for fifteen minutes.

I moved her onto the chair...

...and she immediately woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep.