Thursday, March 28, 2013

Reflections...

I have finally gotten back into scrapbooking. I love documenting my kids lives.  To me, giving them the memories and timeline of their life is one of the greatest gifts I can give them so I work hard on staying up to date on it.  But it is hard.  I do one scrapbook a year for each child with one page for each month - sometimes two for special events.  I usually take a break in the fall / winter from scrapbooking because things get in the way but I am finally getting back to it.  I finished Calvin's "2" book and Laci's "5" book and started Calvin's "3" book.  This week I did the pages from August / September for Calvin's book. I keep a small journal with what we do each week.  It's not a lot of detail but it jogs my memories of what we did.  It makes the scrapbooks easier to do and I love documenting our lives.

August and September were hard for me to do for Calvin.  That is when we were in the midst of the seizures. His epilepsy is very under control now and we don't worry about it at all.  He has his medicine and we haven't had any problems since he started it.  Except for this month when I kept spilling it and we have to wait until insurance says we can refill it.  I can pick it up tonight and I had just enough for today!  But now that 6 months has gone by, I have had time to reflect on that time.  It was scary.  I think it is scarier now thinking back about it than it was going through it.  I was so scared for him.  I used to stand over his bed at night and just watch him sleep - praying that he wouldn't have another seizure and that he wouldn't be scared again.  I obviously didn't go into detail in his scrapbook but just wrote a quick note about it because it was something significant in his life.

I have had the same thoughts about his tubes and adenoid surgery.  They weren't major procedures and at the time you just go through it.  But now, thinking about it, I never want to have to give my baby to the nurse again and have him go under.  It's just too much.  The last set of tubes have worked so well that he hasn't any had ear infections or sinus infections since last spring!

I haven't been able to blog about my new mom superhero.  But I will later.  Now looking back at the small things we have gone through with Calvin makes me so in awe of a friend of mine.  She has gone through so much with her daughter and is now my mom superhero.  I know that she must have been on autopilot that first year of her daughter's life but she is amazing and their family is amazing for it. 

Friday, March 22, 2013

A "Cold" Week

Back in February, I was commenting and almost bragging about how our family avoided the colds and flus that went around this winter.  I spoke too soon.  A few weeks ago, we were hit!  It started small.  I picked Calvin up on a Friday and he was sniffy and clearly not feeling well.  Runny nose, low fever, mopey, clingy, tired.  Saturday, we all went to Charlie's parents and Laci, my MIL and I went to a nice lunch and Pinkalicious.  Then we all went out to dinner to celebrate my MIL's birthday.  Sunday he was still pretty mopey but not terrible. By Monday, he was feeling better.  Not 100% but he was done to just a runny nose.  

Sunday night, Laci woke up several times with a sore throat.  I hate sore throats and sympathized with her.  There just isn't much we can do to help her out.  I anticipated a call from the school with at least one of the kids sick.  I commented to someone at 2:30 that we might have made it through the day without "the call".  Then I sat at my desk and got the "call".  Laci had a fever of 102.  :(  So I finished things up at work and got to the school.  By the time I got there, the buses were there to pick up the kids and Laci was asleep on the nurses' table.  They had given her ibuprofen and it helped a lot. She was even feeling better enough to go to ballet that night. 

Tuesday she had to stay home.  Charlie stayed with her.  I knew she was sick because she took 3 naps that day.  It's been years since she has taken more than one nap in a day.  The Tylenol just wasn't keeping the fever away.  We debated about whether we should send her to school on Wednesday or not.  She woke up feeling good.  There was a two hour delay so Charlie took her to school and picked her up after school so she had a shortened day.  She felt and looked much better.  We thought she was getting better. 

Thursday it all came back.  She looked horrible when I picked her up from school.  She had fallen asleep during homework time at afterschool care and her eyes were so red and puffy.  I wasn't sure what to do.  She fell asleep at 6:00 that night with a fever.  She woke up at 8:30 and finally ate a little.  Charlie wasn't feeling well this week too and caught this bug.  Wednesday night he got Shamrock shakes for us to "help his sore throat".  Laci and I only ate half of ours and when she woke up hungry Thursday night, we had the rest of ours.  Right after she drank hers, she started coughing... until she started gagging... and then throwing up.  I rushed her into the bathroom to calm her down.  As I was putting a new pair of pajamas on her, she threw up on the clean ones again.  Since she just ate the green shamrock shake, it came out looking exactly like it did when it went down.  I had shamrock shake all over the bathroom mat!  As I was calming her down again, I heard a scream from the bedroom - Charlie had been sleeping in the bed Laci was laying when she starting throwing up.  He didn't realize she threw up on the bed and had rolled over on it!  Looking back the whole thing was pretty comical.  I felt like a nursemaid as I spent most of the night walking up and down the stairs getting them what they needed and cleaning up after everyone.  

Friday, Charlie sent her back to school.  We're terrible parents.  But she felt better and wanted to go to school.  We were called again at 12:30 with another fever.  Now I am thinking she probably has an infection.  So he took her to med check and got an antibiotic for bronchitis.  I hate doing that and immediately heading towards antibiotics but the fever just wasn't going away.  Friday night I went out with my book club and she was half asleep on the couch when I left.  When I got back at 9, she was feeling better and getting ready for bed.  She had barely eaten all day and was hungry so I brought her dinner up to her - it was on the table where it was when I left!  And she fell asleep eating Taco Bell cheese roll ups.  

Saturday was the turn around day.  By Sunday night she was back to herself.  It did take her a few days to get used to a full day of school again and she fell asleep at 7:00 three nights in a row.  But everyone is feeling much better now.  

Calvie Updates

I love the little chats I have with Calvin while picked Laci up from school.  Yesterday we passed the party store so I asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted.  He said he wanted presents.  So I asked him what decorations he wanted for his birthday.  He said Christmas.  So apparently he wants a present theme party with Christmas decorations. :)  

On the talking to two year olds topic, all two year olds crack me up.  When I picked Calvin up yesterday, I talked to a little friend of his that I know has a cat named Calvin too.  I asked her "Do you ever get your friend Calvin confused with your cat Calvin?"  I love her response - "I like to blow bubbles!"  So random.  So 2.  

This week Calvin has had the worst diaper rash.  He poops more than any child I know - true, I am not taking any official surveys and I am sharing too much information.  There is a reason we call one child "Pooper" and the other one "Tooter" which is short for "Tootie McTooter".  If Calvin didn't poop so much, he wouldn't have these diaper rash issue.  His rash this week was so bad, he refused baths.  It was really sad.  Laci is very empathic when she knows he is hurting.  It is really sweet.   I let him skip a bath for awhile but by Tuesday, he needed at least his hair washed.  I ended up holding him over the bathtub while Charlie dumped water on his head and washed his hair.  Last night was a milestone because he was "healed" enough to at least get in the tub!  He didn't sit in the water and just stood there and played.  But really, neither of my kids never sit in the tub and always just stand there.  But his hair is washed and he is clean!  I hope his bottom stays healed enough for awhile.  

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Helpful Calvin

Laci can sometimes be very demanding.  Lately, it's becoming a little rude and inappropriate.  Something for us all to work on.  The other day, she was yelling for someone to come help her. I don't even know what she was doing - reading, a puzzle.  The next thing I hear is Calvin running down the hall to help her.  "I'm coming Waci.  I'm coming Waci.  What's de matter?"  I'm not sure he was very helpful to her right then but it was pretty cute!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

A Perfectionist in the Making...

One of the traits of first born is being a perfectionist.  Laci is definitely a first born with that trait.  Charlie follows this too.  I am a third born and not even close to a perfectionist.  Because of her perfectionist tendencies and my lack of, we clash a lot, especially with homework and writing.  If she goofs on something she is writing, she needs to start over with a new piece of paper.  Fortunately, we discovered white out!  She loves white out now and even has her own.  

From everything I have read and observed, perfectionism is not the way to be.  i need to figure out how to curb these perfectionist tendencies quickly before we both go crazy and / or run out of white out!

Some amusing Laci sayings: Fairies and Egypt

Last night I was putting Calvin to bed.  Charlie wasn't home yet so I asked Laci if she wanted to say his prayer.  She was happy to step in and help out.  I asked her to say the Lord's Prayer too.  She has been able to say the Lord's Prayer since she was about 2 years old but it is just now that she is learning what she is saying.  It was pretty funny when she said "and deliver us from Egypt."  I guess she was saying Moses' version.  

A little while later, we were watching a Disney Fairy movie.  I asked how Tinkerbell went from Pixie Hollow, where she lives in the Disney Fairy series to Neverland with Peter Pan.  She explained that it is not really Tinker Bell and went on to use the example of Debby Ryan and Jessie.  She's Debby Ryan in real life but Jessie on the show.  So apparently Tinker Bell is just acting on Peter Pan.  She is just a character.  Who knew?  :)

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Still my baby...

I blogged a couple of years ago about how when I visit a friend with a new baby - particulary their first, all the memories of my first baby (and second) come flooding back.  Recently a friend of mine had her first baby and I am going through all those memories again.  Every picture she posts I can remember my baby doing those same adorable things.  But now my kids are growing up, as the cliche goes... too quickly.

Calvin has a terrible cold right now.  His nose is running constantly.  He has a low fever and he is so mopey.  The worst is his cough.  It's so hard to hear him cough especially through the night.  I  know there is nothing I can really do to help him feel better.  He has to wait this out.  Saturday night he started coughing at about 10.  I tried to calm him down and get him back to sleep but the cough wouldn't stop. I finally just held him in my bed while I watched TV.  The memories of those beginning few weeks where I spent so much time just holding my babies.  Just holding them.  He fell right asleep and finally stopped coughing for awhile.  I help him for about half an hour. Just holding him.  I stared at him and saw his beautiful baby face.  He is right at the in-between phase of toddler to big boy.  But he will always be my baby.