Cream of Potato Soup

It's no secret that we've all been sick in some form since Thanksgiving. Post-Christmas, we had all been better, except poor Grady, who couldn't seem to shake whatever he had. He wasn't sleeping or eating, and starting to wheeze and hack. We thought it was just a cold, but it was bad enough for me to suggest to Jennifer last night that she either call the pediatrician on call or take Grady to the ER.

So off to the ER they went, and I'm glad they did as they've diagnosed Grady with RSV. They gave him some Motrin and a couple of breathing treatments and when they finally returned home he was looking and sounding a little better, but still not great.

Part of our follow up today was to take Grady back to the pediatrician to see how he was doing, and he was doing worse so they've admitted him to the hospital. There he'll be able to get more treatment and hopefully some rest (some rest for Jennifer would be very welcome as well.) I don't know how long they'll be in - I just hope he's able to get better.

We were surprised by the RSV diagnosis, though not shocked. They have an RSV vaccine, but tend to only give it to preemies (like Evan) who may not have the lung support or development to be able to combat the virus. Evan received the vaccine a couple of times his first winter (glad I wasn't paying, it's $1,000 a shot).

So, we're calling in the reinforcements to watch Evan so I can head up to the hospital. It kills me not being able to be there - even though watching Evan is easy (see: play Wii sports).

I'll keep you posted as I know more.

Posted by Mike at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

When we were younger, my dad was famous for using a scare tactic around Christmastime. Instead of the usual "better be good, Santa's watching" thing, he used to say "one less present". Every time one of us would act up, Dad would yell, "One less present!" This was clever because it worked long after we stopped doing the Santa thing. A few years ago, my brothers and I were talking, and we began to wonder where all the presents went that we didn't get because we were bad. Were they never purchased, or were they still in the dark recesses of my dad's closet, all wrapped up with no place to go? Maybe that's where my rock tumbler is.

For several years in a row, I asked for one of those rock tumblers. I know you remember them too. I was convinced I was going to make these gorgeous gems and have my own jewelry business. Years later I found out they were noisy, and took like a week to tumble a rock, and were generally unexciting. So I'm kind of glad I never got one. I also wanted a Barbie convertible, but luckily all my friends had those so I could satisfy my lust when I went to play at their houses. What did you want that you never got?

Everyone keeps asking Evan what Santa's going to bring him, or what he wants for Christmas. He always replies, "presents". I guess he doesn't care what he gets, as long as it's wrapped nicely. I hope he won't be disappointed this year. He's so into the holiday for the first time, and I want to make sure he really enjoys himself. I'm sure in the future, there will be years when he doesn't get what he asks for, and I'll find myself saying "one less present", but this year it's all about the magic. I'm excited to be part of this with him. It's going to be a special Christmas for all of us.

Posted by jenny at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Evan's doing better, I guess. He begged to go to school yesterday, and he seemed fine so I let him go. But the bus driver reported that Ev had asked to come home a few times during the day (which never happens) and he was looking a little pale when he got off the bus. So I let him sleep in this morning, and he's spending another day at home with mom.

Now Grady's my latest problem. He was a super crank last night, and this morning his right eye is starting to crust over. The crud has spread, even with my best germ-killing efforts. So far, he has none of the congestion and stuff that Ev's been dealing with, so that's good, but I'll see what develops. I'm sure another storm is brewing, and I don't like it one bit.

This is going to end someday, right?

Posted by jenny at 11:21 AM | Permalink

Yesterday at the doctor, Evan was given some eye drops to treat his infection, as well as a prescription for an oral antibiotic to treat both ears and eyes. As of this writing, he has ingested none of his 10 day antibiotic, and one dose of the eye drops. We've tried everything, from hiding the medicine in food to holding him down to taking privileges away, and nothing has worked. (We even tried an "antibiotic pancake" this morning--not our finest moment, and the whole house smelled awful.) The only thing happening is that Mike and I are getting steadily more frustrated while Evan gets so upset he cries until he vomits.

I was fully ready to blame Evan for all this. I mean, he can be difficult, he's overly sensitive, he certainly isn't your textbook four year old. But then I started to think about it, and I don't know any four year olds who would willingly take this crap (it's the consistency of milk of magnesia, and far less appetizing). And Ev was actually very cooperative for the first dose of eye drops--he laid on the couch, and let me prop his eye open, and it wasn't until the first drop went in and burned like hell that he said no more, thanks.

I certainly shouldn't be so hard on him. I'm a grown person, and I couldn't swallow a pill until I was in high school (snicker if you must). I think I took children's chewables well into my teen years. And to this day I can't take any of those awful liquid medicines, be they NyQuil or Pepto or anything else--just the thought makes me gag. And yet here I was last night, torturing poor Evan to the point of total misery.

All I can hope is that Ev will get better on his own. This is a virus after all, and as far as I know the antibiotic is not absolutely necessary. I'll keep encouraging fluids, and rest, and I will make a good effort to get those eye drops in. But am I a bad parent if I just throw in the towel on the other stuff? I can't bear to keep forcing it, especially when I know the effort is a futile one.

Posted by jenny at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I guess this particular crud is a more serious one. I called our pediatrician last night because Ev seemed to be getting worse, and we were able to get an appointment for this morning (Saturday office hours--another plus!). Turns out that on top of his cough and congestion, Ev has a double eye infection and a double ear infection. The eye thing was obvious, but the ear thing was a surprise as he hadn't complained at all about his ears. So an oral antibiotic and some eye drops later, we're hopefully on the road to recovery.

I'm keeping Lysol, Clorox and Dial in business with my constant wiping down of surfaces and washing of hands. I just want to keep this from contaminating the rest of us (namely small G). Not to mention we have Mike's whole family coming for Christmas on Thursday, so I need to have a germ free home. Wish me luck.

Posted by jenny at 10:58 AM | Permalink

I feel like I've been starting every post with, "So the boys are sick again...". I won't say it today, but I will say that Evan stayed home from school and therapy and the nights have been long and sleepless all week and you can draw your own conclusion. I'm wondering if we keep picking up new illnesses, or if this is just one long, lingering crud that is going to stay with us until Easter. I can't remember another year when we were this sick. I remember getting sicker, but the sicknesses generally had a beginning and an end. It just seems like no one has been fully well in this house since September. Maybe that's the price we pay for a mild (so far) winter.

Grady has spent the last half hour in his booster seat--like a high chair in that it has a tray, but it straps on to a regular chair. I never saw the point of high chairs, by the way. They seem to be so one use, and so cumbersome. This is all plastic so I can hose it down, I can use it on the floor, and I can fold it up to take to Grandma's. Genius. Today was G's first time in his, and he just loves it. He's been happily banging his fists on the tray while drooling, and throwing toys on the floor for me to retrieve. Hey, whatever makes the kid happy.

Other than that, things are pretty quiet around here. I'm trying to get the last of the Christmas shopping done, and get the house ready for the company that starts a week from today. I feel like I'm running out of time to get things done, but with no sleep and the boys needing Mommy all the time there's not much I can do about that. We'll just keep moving along, and hope for a snot-free holiday.

Posted by jenny at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's December 12th, and the boys and I spent half of the afternoon at the park. It was awesome. I know it won't last for long, but I just love this weather. It feels almost naughty to be at the playground less than two weeks before Christmas.

Grady's six month check-up was yesterday, and everything went well. He weighs 18 pounds, 8 ounces now (less than I thought) and is 26.5 inches long. He's growing fine, and is healthy, and he got three shots this time around (including the flu shot). He was a super good boy at the doctor, and he only cried for a few seconds when the shots went in. It was a pleasant visit, and we don't have to go back until March.

I love our pediatrician's office--the nurses are great, it's no problem getting in for a sick visit, and aside from the crud eye fiasco of last spring, they are very good about getting the boys what they need when they need it. The only problem I have is that there are four doctors--great when you want to be seen quickly, but not so great when a different guy sees you every time.

When G was in for his four month check, we were told not to start solids until after our six month visit. Fine by me, but when we saw a different doctor yesterday he acted like I was crazy because G wasn't on solids. He was telling me to "zip through" all the cereals and Stage 1 foods because he should be on Stage 2's by now. The doctor pointed out that G was "beyond ready" and that it would be fine to have him eating fried chicken and sirloin tips by the end of the month. Okay, that last part is a lie, but you get the idea. I'm not going to rush G--we're going to try all the foods in a timely manner and I'll follow his lead--but it just annoyed me that I'm being told something different every time we see someone new.

So Grady had his first taste of rice cereal last night, mixed with breast milk, and he loved it. He loved it so much that within moments he was grabbing the spoon himself and trying to mash it into his hole because I wasn't going fast enough. So I guess he was ready. We'll try oatmeal in a few days, and then move on to the colorful world of veggie and fruit purees. Should be an exciting trip.

Posted by jenny at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Grady is six months old today! I couldn't let the day go by without making note. I don't have any updated stats to share, as G's check-up isn't until Monday. But he is sitting up quite nicely on his own now, and can usually make it a while before he topples over. He's also much more mobile, and can scoot or roll himself where he'd like to go. His sleeping patterns still suck, but other than that he's a pretty nice baby.

This first half year with G has flown. And I know the next few months are going to be full of changes and excitement with him. Soon enough he'll be crawling, and drinking from a cup, and babbling "dada". It's going to be great.

Posted by jenny at 9:11 PM | Permalink

I forgot my MovableType password sometime last week, and I whined in frustration about it to Mike last night. I was annoyed at not being able to post--not that I have much to say anyway, but I figured my tens of readers were probably dying to know what I was up to. And as always, Mike fixed it, by telling me my password was the same one I've been using for just about everything for years. I begin to wonder where my brain went, and how I can take care of two kids when I'm so limited.

We're all sick now, yet again. Just runny noses this time--maybe it's the cold and snow, or our interpretation of a bug we picked up along the way. Either way, Grady can't sleep laying down, and Evan has become very demanding and won't eat. These are the special times that I will always remember, when G had to sleep in his car seat for a week and when I had to bribe Ev to eat a bowl of Froot Loops. There are about ten empty juice boxes lined up on the table like little toy soldiers. I could incorporate them into my Christmas decor, using crumpled up snotty Kleenex in place of snow. Sprinkle a little glitter on it, and it's festive!

I remember a few years ago (and we're talking probably ten or so years ago even though it doesn't seem that long), my mother-in-law decorated for Christmas and in doing so she purposely sprinkled glitter on the carpets in the downstairs. At least I think it was done on purpose, but my memory is fuzzy on that point (in fact, it's so fuzzy that maybe I'm making this up, not that Mike would be able to verify it). Anyway, within days glitter was everywhere. It was tracked through the house, it was all over everyone, and I always found some on me after I left their house. But it was so much fun, and I remember thinking how I'd love to do that someday. When else but Christmas can you get away with being covered in glitter? Of course, this year probably isn't the year to try it out, as we'd be finding it in Grady's diaper before too long. But it's a fun idea, isn't it?

I want to make this year really fun. I have a feeling it's going to be, what with it being Grady's first Christmas and the first year Evan really gets it. But I'd like to do that little something extra to make it memorable. I'm not sure what that is yet, but I'll think of something. Perhaps I'll start with gluing little hats on the empty juice boxes.

Posted by jenny at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)