M+B=E2O2

Does the fun ever end?

So we had a regular ol Dr. visit today- one that was scheduled several weeks ago you know.  And, well, I'm sure Dr.Ben loves my crew to visit anyway.  He practices out of 2 offices.  One near the hospital and one near our home.  I usually call the nearby one for appointments and if the best available day is at the other office I note that so I know where to go.  Usually. 

Our appointments today went from 9:15am until about 10.  3 out of 4 were being discussed.  At 8:45 am Evan and Olivia were still sleeping!!!  I just hated to wake them up. Olivia happened to wake on her own as I was getting the car open for the big kids to climb in.  I had to pull Evan out of bed,  crying, stick him on the potty and toss him in the car. Crying.  We get to the office in the knick of time.  Except that I was supposed to be in the Other office.  20 minutes away at least.  *sigh*

They talk to Dr. B and are able to get me in over there at 11:15, minus one appointment.  We reschedule Emma for another day and focus on Olivia and Evan for todays fun. 

We went home for a quick snack of gogurts and cereal then head out the door.  Again.  Evan wanted to remain in jammies and I let him.  We did put a button up flannel pj shirt on over the short sleeve jammy shirt, for warmth you know. since Evan hates jackets- A LOT.   On the way, Evan is complaining.  About Everything.  He didn't leave one thing out.  We get, oh, less that 3 -4 minutes from the office and ... he throws up.  All over his shirt.  All over his pants.  Not much on the car- at least there's that right? 

Usually there is an array of items on the floor of my car suitable for such an emergency.  Not today.  Ben cleared out a bunch of stuff Sunday.  Really it was helpful- except when a kid pukes. 

I get him mopped up with wipes- at least there was a package of those in the back.  I strip off his pants and shirts (to his mortification) and put the thankfully puke free button up back on him, steal the jacket off Olivia and stick him in the back seat of the stroller with the jacket on his lap.  Crying. 

Once inside he settles down a bit and we pay up and get called back quickly.  The nice nurse wants to weigh Evan- but he is crying again- refusing to get out of the stroller.  Olivia is just as thrilled to be stripped down and plopped on the scale.  While we work on her, Evan decides he need the bathroom, so we send him off with Owen.  On the way back we mistakingly think he'll be down for stepping on the scale.  Another dad is standing by watching with his 2ish boy.  I look at the dad as my boy is screaming for his dear life and recognize the face.  Fellow swimmer from high school.  He claims understanding and points at his perfectly calm child.  Would have loved to chat more, but, well, screaming sick kid, three others left alone in the exam room- no time for chatting! 

We got a weight (really was this torture necessary? He was weighed a few days ago for goodness sakes!)

That about covers the comedic portion of the visit-  the rest ended up being your standard, poke, prod, look into most orafaces kind of visit.  Everyone is good- aside from croup, puking in cars and crying.  Evan is in the 90th percentile for his height- where that comes from we all wonder.  Olivia is in the less than 5th percentile for weight and less than 25 percentile for height- still a peanut.

Dr. B gets to see us all again in a week and a half.  Lucky Guy.

ok ok here it is!

Well, Evan slept in his own bed last night- YAY! But it took him until after 11pm to settle in, I used some stuffed animal chairs in his bed to prop him up- since he couldn't lay flat with out fits of coughing.  This morning he was in my room around 8am fussing and crying because he wanted spiderman vitamins Right Now.  Olivia was still sleeping so I was eying death rays at him.  He succeeded in waking her up though so we went down and got spiderman vitamins.  He had some yogurt for breakfast and fussed around the house complaining about everything he could think of.  At 10am he asked me to fix his bed as it was "all messed up" and I told him he could go lay in my bed if he wanted to.  I was drinking my coffee and coloring with Emma and really didn't  want to go upstairs.  After not hearing from him in the next 30 minutes I went up to check on him and he was sound asleep.  He then slept for over 4 hours.  I came up here around 1:45 and checked blogs and such, because I wanted to make sure he was ok.  My keyboard is not the least bit quiet though and woke him after about 20 minutes.   He seems to be fine now- acting like a crazy little boy running and jumping with the occasional cough.  I hope he's still tired enough to go to bed by 9 tonight.  We didn't get to watch the season finale of Heros last night and plan on watching it tonight

Emma slept very well last night- not a peep out of her.  Her voice is a bit croaky this afternoon, but mostly she's been just great.  Both of them got a steroid shot yesterday- and it obviously worked great for her.    Dr. Ben (our ped is a Ben too) said to expect the cough to linger a few weeks. 

Owen is still coughing a bit, but claims to feel great.  Olivia woke once in the night and got mad at me.  I was too tired to really care much (sadly for her!) and she gave up quickly on me and went back to sleep.

So that is our Health Update- thanks so much for the well wishes everyone- it somehow helps so much to know that others care about our misery. 

I'm hoping to grab a shower right now then drag the kids off to the grocery store so we can eat tonight. I am soooooo behind in my shopping. 

weird

My friend Kris had this on her blog and like her I tried it thinking that the answer would have to be Dr.P (even better diet Dr.p or root beer- the only soda that I occasionally drink. )

You Are Dr. Pepper

You're very unique and funky, yet you still have a bit of traditionalism to you. People who like you think they have great taste... and they usually do. Your best soda match: Root Beer Stay away from: 7 Up

What Kind of Soda Are You?

kinda weird huh?

Another One Bites the Dust, and Another One

Saturday brought down Evan. Bad.  At 1:15am the battery on the upstairs fire alarm decided it was a Great Time to let me know that it was running low.  I begrudgingly got up to change the battery.  No sooner did I snuggle back into my bed and begin to drift off, did Evan begin to bark/cough.  Bad.  So I brought him into our small bathroom and turned on the hot shower.  after a bit he was peacefully, but noisily sleeping in my arms.  I put him back in his bed, opened up his window and hoped for a really damp and foggy night.  I was woken again at 3:30 am by his Really Bad coughing/barking.  This time the water ran cold in the shower and he was still struggling.  I took him downstairs, opened the window next to the couch and wrapped us both up in a blanket.  In that upright position he seemed to do much better.  He finally fell asleep. So did I, sort of I think. 

Ben  called in an oral steroid for Evan because even during the day when croup normally subsides, Evan voice was strained and his breathing very loud.  Within an hour of downing the stuff he sounded  So Much Better.  As night approached however, Emma began to sound sort of barkish. 

Just as Ben & I decide to go to bed, early, Evan starts up again. Bad.  The shower didn't work.  Being upright on the couch seemed to help again.  Sort of.  Took a while, but we both finally fell asleep.  Thankfully because I really didn't want to go to the ER.

At  4:30 am  I awoke to the unmistakable sound of Emma struggling to breathe.  Both Ben ad I went to her, Evan was thankfully sleeping well at this point.  Into the bathroom she went- but it helped very little.  We brought her downstairs to try couch sleeping with Evan.  She struggled.  She threw up - just water and some mucus but still.  Just as  we make the decision that Ben will take her to the ER and I will get there with the rest of us by 7 (he had a procedure scheduled at 7:30) Emma falls into a peaceful but noisy sleep.  We decide to try and wait it out so we can go see Dr. B at his office.  Our appointment is in a couple hours.  Emma won't eat and feels like throwing up.  She sounds awful.  Evan is still coughing and croaky sounding. 

I'm drinking Lots of coffee.

Music

Yesterday I decided to keep the appointment I had made Monday with a piano teacher.  I almost canceled but, well I've just been soooooo anxious to get the 2 big kids started in music that I just couldn't wait.  AN this was an interview type appointment so I figured what the heck. 

When Emma was an infant I spent a week at a conference in Philadelphia at the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential called "What to do With Your Brain Injured Child".  It was an amazing week, and while I believe Emma would still be doing well had I not taken the course,  I think she benefited from it tremendously and is likely farther that she would have been otherwise- and honestly I'm glad not to know anyway.  It may have made no difference, but  what if it did?  One of the many things I learned there was Suzuki method of teaching music.  We saw several examples of children learning under the method during the conference- all by children who carry such labels as : developmentally delayed, autistic, asperger's, down syndrome, etc.  I was in awe to say the least.

In the early years we just couldn't afford to have lessons, as we added more children to the family that became even more of a problem. We  have now reached a point where we can do lessons.  So last week I set out to find a Suzuki instructor for either violin or piano that lives nearby.  After many phone calls, several no's and passing on of names, we found a teacher.  Her home has a studio built in and she teaches piano.  It will be a drive of about 35 minutes to get there, but after the interview yesterday, I think it will be well worth it.  She has summer sessions coming up, but because I have some logistics to work out, so we will likely start in the fall.  She tends to follow the local school district for holidays, makes it easier for most of her families, but she was just thrilled to learn we were home schooling. 

I left with the papers to be fill out and a CD to play as much as possible for the kids.  I've already loaded it to my ipod so that we can listen in the car and in the house.  Now we need to find a used piano and a place to put it! LOL! 

What is just as exciting for me is that I will get to learn along side them.  I have always wanted to learn to play the piano.  I took lessons for a bit when I was a kid, but not long enough to get past one handed playing.  I have very specific memories of me frustrating my piano teacher because I would frequently just "play by ear" instead of trying to read the music.  If only my parents had heard of Suzuki and found the nearby Piano School (she's been teaching in this area since the early 80's so I could have had lessons from her if they had known!)

The new semester will start in September, so that is how long I have to figure out what to do with Olivia and maybe Evan for 3 hours while we go to piano.  Plus we have to find a piano.   

Some pictures

And so it goes

Owen is now coughing The Cough.  Emma has minor congestion.  *sigh*  Last night Olivia screamed like I've never seen.  She eventually feel asleep, but nothing would comfort her.  She wanted to be held, she wanted down, she wanted a drink, she wanted mama's milk, she wanted her pacifier, she wanted nothing.  She was miserable.  So was I.

I have a head ache. 

PS Happy Birthday Maria!!

Poor Kid

Poor Olivia is sick.  I noticed that she might be getting sick on Sunday at my MIL's house.  We had a yummy BBQ over there with lots of family for Mother's Day.  Monday morning her eyes were glassy and a little poofy, but otherwise she was ok.  Not even very cranky.  I gave her tylonol just in case- she seemed a little warm.  In the wee hours of Tuesday morning however, things changed.  She developed that lovely barking seal cough the means one thing- croup.  Tuesday she was much the same as Monday. Maybe just a bit cranky though.  She seemed  for the most part, ok.  She hasn't been eating much though which makes me think that her throat is sore.  Last night she woke up often, barking and crying.  Poor little thing.  I just got back from the doctor (I LOVE our ped!!!).  He recommended a steroid shot- which we did.  It should bring her some breathing relief.  We go back to see him next week for  Evan's well kid, Olivia's well baby, and Emma's mid year blood work. 

Ben got me a couple of  amazing gifts for Mother's Day.  One I asked for the other I would have never dreamed of asking for.  Both should help me lose weight.  I got part one on Saturday at Costco.  I have myself my very own ipod now! Yay!  I've already put a few books on it (Freakonomics is what I am currently listening to- fascinating book!!) I now need to get music on it that makes me want to move, because gift #2 is a Spin Cycle- It arrives by Fed Ex any time between now and 5pm.  I have totally given up going to the gym, it is too difficult with the kids- plus they got sick every time we went.   The Gym membership will get canceled  and class will be held in my garage from now on.  I am really, really excited about it.   I also recently got a used Phil & Ted's e3 stroller on eBay- in orange, so I can  start walking again with the kids.  It was just too hard with Evan before, he would just start lagging after 1/2 a mile or so.  Now he can ride or walk, Olivia loves it and Emma, Owen and I get a good workout.  We walked about a mile yesterday, then went to a new park across the street from our housing tract.  There I was able to sit and watch the kids, look at the harbor, drink a Caramel light coffee from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and listen to my ipod.  Does it get any better?  hmm well a non light coffee would have been tastier but it is probably more calories than the 1 mile walk. 

On the walk home Owen and I had on interesting discussion.  Ironically it was about Hitler and the holocaust.  Guess I should have kept Paper Clips a bit longer.    It started because the 3 big kids all did a Hitler-like salute on the corner while we waited for the light to change.  I asked them what they were doing  and they said they were being the Statue of Liberty.  I told them they needed to make it look like they were holding a torch.  I briefly debated telling them about Hitler and his salute, then decided to go with the teachable moment and see where it lead.  Emma and Evan were not interested.  Owen, however, was very much so.  I have a feeling I'm going to have to study up on my history, particularly the history of war.  He loves hearing about battles.  So for the next 15 minutes or so I told him about Hitler and WWII.  I kept it as simple as I could, but honest.  He asked many questions.  "Is Hitler in Hell?" being one. I'll have to tell my dad about Owen's interest in war and history, my dad is very knowledgeable in that department.  I enjoy history, but I can't remember details too well. I think I'll be listening to some history and recording the History channel so I can keep up with my O.

The bike just arrived-  Olivia is napping, I have blogged.  Guess I need to go for a spin!

A Moment for Gabe

Credits

Just wanted to give credit for the fab background on my blog.....

The swirly paper comes from the Shabby Princess- from her Sweet Serenity kit.  The caution quote was found on this bumper sticker. The font is 2pea's Jone's neighborhood. It was all put together by yours truly when I really had more important things to do- like laundry.