M+B=E2O2

Great Pacific Morning

Great Pacific Morning, originally uploaded by ourlibertybeach.

How lucky am I to live next door to this?  I love the smell of the air, the sound of the waves, the colors of the morning sun on the clouds.  Daisy and I have gone on our morning walk here the last two Saturdays.  Makes for a great workout- even a casual stroll is tough in the semi soft sand and I fall in love with the ocean again each time I get so close to it.

As it turns out

It's not a cold.  Ben believes I have walking pneumonia.  Yikes.  That's why I've been coughing up a lung it seems.  Seriously this last week especially at night but increasingly during the day I have been coughing like mad.  I've been drinking vats of honey and lemon tea before bed in hopes that I would be able to lay down with out hacking.  To no avail.  (my honey bear is almost gone!) The only way I've been able to get to sleep (once asleep I don't cough at all thankfully) is to take sudefed -since I have sinus headaches going on at the same time- and then benadryl to knock me out.  seriously.  This morning at 5am my dog wanted out so I got up.  I could feel the tickle in my throat.  I tried so hard to ignore it,knowing that if I started coughing it would be over.  I got back in bed and it was over.  Ben had gotten up and was downstairs getting ready to spin when he heard a particularly bad sounding coughing spell- it got me up and in the bathroom.  He came up and had me take some of Emma's albuterol.  It seemed to help a little. I was able to doze until I heard the microwave beeping and knew it had to be a kid. My chest hurts, I'm taking azithromycin and if I say more that 3 words I go into a fit  of coughing.  If I have to holler at the kids it's a word or two.  I feel sort of weak and shaky on top of all that.  This all makes me think of how much Uncle Jacque must have suffered.  his cancer was a cancer of the lungs.  He had deep pneumonia and major major infections going on in his last days.  I imagine what I'm feeling is a mere single digit percentage of what he had to deal with.  No one should have to die that way.  It just doesn't seem fair that if you have to die so young that it is slow and painful too. 

My Uncles funeral is happening as I type this.  I wish I could have gone. 

Alive and Well Thanks!

Yikes.  I have been going full steam ahead for the last week.  I am definitely feeling better, Thank you for asking :-)  That cold sure did kick my butt.  It also threw a bit of a wrench in my holiday preparing.  I am getting back on track though.  My to do list is about 25 long.  Not all of it has to be done by Christmas, about 75% of it.  *sigh* 

Here's one of  our activities today:

I made the houses a couple of days ago,  they pretty much did all the decorating on their own.  I helped Olivia glop on the frosting, and Emma asked me to help decorate some of hers, Evan too, but I pretty much tried to just glop on the frosting for all of them and have them do the placement of candy.  Olivia ate as much stuff as she put on, Evan too.  They were too cute!

We  made Russian teacakes today too.  It rained all day- great for the county, bad for the windows that have not been completely repaired.  They finished putting up the dry wall and texture over the weekend, and they put a bead of some sort of sealant around the outside since we knew the rain was coming. Todays rain ended up leaking through anyway. Today they were supposed to take out the windows and re set them properly, now it is looking like it may not happen until after the new year.  I just don't want any sort of construction stuff going on while my parents are here. *bigger sigh*

Yay!

We found out today that our homeowners insurance will cover the damage done in our downstairs bedroom.  Yippeeeee! The deductible is far less than the worst case scenario given by the contractor.  Feels as though a huge weight has been lifted.

Now if the fog would clear out of my brain life would be peachy. 

Dear TheraFlu

I hope you work well.  I don't enjoy being sick and feeling foggy.  Especially during any holiday festivities.  Please do your best to clear the fog and make my head stop hurting.  I will be your BFF I promise. 

Very sincerely yours,
Meesh

Eye See You

I had my vision checked today for the first time ever.  Well, I did have it checked as a kid at school once I think, but that's it.  I haven't been having any problems or anything, but thought it might be good to have a sort of baseline for the future.  My dad has recently had some vision issues, and given that my eye genetics seem to come from him, I wanted to see if there was anything I should be aware of- though currently the issue he has has no correction or cure. 

Over all my eye health is fantastic.  I see 20/15 in both eyes.  It was interesting to me to learn that I see better with my left eye.  It is only ever so slight, but definitely there.  I also had the pleasure of having my eyes dilated.  Blech!  Poor Emma having to have that done nearly every year! 

I am taking Evan and Olivia tomorrow to have their eyes checked.  I don't anticipate anything, but since my moms side all wear glasses, and needed them from very early on- there's always a chance that someone other than Emma will be part of that team. 

Cast off

Well, Olivia is a cast free little girl again.  She got her cast off on Tuesday-  they even gave it to us to take home.  It went in to the trash by nightfall.  She is doing great, he said that she'd still walk funny for a while and would be a little stiff.  The only trouble she has is with the stairs, she can go up with out a problem but can only manage to come down about half way. 

Yesterday we went to Park day for the first time in WEEKS.  We couldn't go while Livi had her cast on- sand and wood chips and all- so it was great to add that back into our week.  Our group moves it's park day from one park (at the beach) to another (in the foothills)  we do the beach one in summer and the foothills the rest of the year.  We are now in the foothills.  As soon as we get there the kids disappear into the trees, climbing the hills in search of rattlesnakes.  Yes there are really rattlesnakes in the area, however The trails are used often and well- 10 screaming kids should keep them in hiding right?  At one point we heard every kid screaming, then looked up to see all of them materialize from the trees, running, screaming down the hill.  They were just certain that they had heard a rattle.  On of the moms who was up on the trail with them said that what they were really hearing was the grasshoppers jumping and the trees and twigs rustling in the wind.  Anyhow, they spent a good hour climbing up and down the hills, then came and played on the playground for and hour then back to the hills for the last bit.  It was a good return to park day I'd say.  Our group is slowing growing-  it was a really nice group of moms there-  several new faces (for me) and everyone was  very friendly.  This should be a great year. 

Well, the kids all just woke up and I am on their computer.... guess I'll cut this short and hope to add a little more of what I wanted to say later. 

another Cootsie pic and other news

I just wanted to say thanks y'all for all the well wishes.  Here is a better picture of our Cootsie Pie.  She is doing great and has not slowed down a bit with that thing.  She looks so gosh darned cute limping around too.  Poor thing. 

Sadly our house has fallen upon the first ills of the new (school) year.  Or would it be the last of summer?  Hmmm well either way, Evan sounds like he has croup, Owen had a low grade fever for 2 days and now says he feels better but looks worn out.  Olivia is coughing a bit and Emma is starting to get glassy eyed and took herself to bed early. 

My first godchild is on the brink of being born,  Mama was having contractions at the baby shower today-  it is her 3rd and she was soooo looking like she was in the begining stages of labor!  I hope my kids are well enough that when my little God daughter comes into this world I get to go hold her!!  Keep your fingers crossed and send good labor vibes out V's way. 

I do have another request, I've been putting off writing about it.  Actually I still don't feel as though I can.  So please instead can you all just say big prayers for my uncle?  I'll post more later, I just don't want to get upset right now.  just good health vibes and prayers please. 

Little Pink Cast

I know the picture quality sucks- sorry bout that!  I can't find the charger for my camera and though we have a package of brand new AA's they seem to all be dead-  guess it is a dud package.  So I had to use my phone for this picture. 

After 2 hours we left the orthopod with this lovely addition.  He opted to cast her, since the x-ray did show a slight irregularity , though it is possible that there is no fracture there.  Oddly enough We've been through this near identical situation before and even more oddly it was mid August, but the year was 2002. 

Emma was jumping on a crib mattress that was on the floor and she jumped off it- maybe 2 inches off the ground, and hurt her foot.  There was no swelling, no point tenderness, but a definite limp.  It took two weeks to get the final DX but sure enough she fractured some weird bone in her foot that the doc had only seen fractured one other time in 20 years.  It took a bone scan to see it actually.  My Emma walked on a broken foot for 2 weeks!  Then she ran (and I mean that most literally) around in a hot pink cast for 3 or 4 weeks I think it was. 

The same doc saw Olivia and he laughed when I reminded him of Emma's situation-  He said that he guessed we are just not a black and white kind of family! 

So there will be no  trip to the beach tomorrow, no more park days at the beach park for the summer season.  No swimming in our friends pool for Not Back to School day.  Fortunately she gets it off before we head to Las Vegas to visit my folks.   I imagine it will still be baking hot there and the pool will be welcome. 

Thanks for the well wishes guys! 

Kris-  you forget we live in a beachy 'hood where the averages temp is in the low 70's.  As long as we don't get some random heat wave, Olivia will not have to deal with sticky hot yucks.  ;-)

Off to the Dr

On Sunday we were having a lovely afternoon.  It was a beautiful day,  warm with clear blue skies.  We were at the yacht club we recently joined,  having munchies and the free food they put out every Sunday.  We brought my IL's  and were sitting on the downstairs patio, Ben and his step dad having drinks, me and MIL watching them.  The kids were running and playing in the grass area- having a great time.

Owen stomped off and was sitting in a huff so I went to talk to him.  He was sad that no one wanted to play with him.  Of course the only other kids there were playing on the embankment which my kids are not allowed on (nor are the others but their mom was on her way over to deal with that bit).  Olivia fell and was on all fours in the grass so after pointing out  to Owen that he couldn't play with them anyway as long as they were down on the rocks I asked him to go check on Livi.  Evan and Emma had tumbled on the ground next to her, but it didn't look as though they hit or pushed her.  Well, when she wouldn't stop crying for her favorite Owee, I went over and picked her up.  She was standing amongst the little white weedy flowers that bees love so I thought maybe she stepped on a bee. (she was barefoot).   We looked all over both feet and I did find a stinger- but it was not in her foot- it was all intact too.  We couldn't find an injection site anywhere, but I went and got the bennedryl and left it at that.  She wouldn't walk at all,  her eyes would tear up if we tried to put her on the ground.  I gave here tylonol when we got home and we put her to bed.  Still assuming that it was a bee sting issue, despite the lack of site or swelling. 

Yesterday morning she woke up happily saying ** "Peek- a - choo Mommy, it's Peek-a- choo!"  then she rolled over to stand up and cried out "OWWW".    So I called Ben and then the ped and got her an appointment for the late afternoon. 

By the time we were heading out she would walk on it for a few steps, but mostly she was crawling around the house or just sitting.  Dr. B looked at her and couldn't pin point anything so he offered up x-rays or waiting a few more days to see how it played out.  We opted for the x-rays. Luckily so.  It appears she has a fracture on her fibula near where the bone meets the ankle.  We are going to see the orthopedic doc in a couple hours. 

Of course as soon as we found out there was a fracture  and were told to try and keep her off it, she  decided that walking was cool, that the limp gave her character.  * sigh* I've got her in front of the TV for now,  I think the car will be next, at least then I can strap her down.

Wish us luck.  If she gets a lovely pink cast I'll post pics. 

***note**
the kids play a Peek-a Choo game of their own invention- she could hear her brothers and sister down the hall playing and assumed that was what they were playing.