Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Hoo, it’s been a week!  I thought Elias was going to escape the sickness but, alas, no.  Mark this as his first illness (unless I’m forgetting something).  And the poor guy is miserable!  He’s congested and feverish and coughing and not sleeping much at all.  Of course it was Rob’s Reserves weekend so I’m not sleeping much at all either.  No one to split late night duty with.  Today was a bit better all the way around for all the kids.  There was even a time today when they weren’t all lying around in their jammies.  Of course they were playing in nothing but their undies (or in Gideon’s case, a diaper) but hey, at least they got out of their jammies for this first time in five days.   Except for Gideon who has become obsessed with playing at the kitchen sink and therefore at least got new jammies about once or twice a day.

I did get some time behind the camera today.  This morning Zion pointed out that Eva was lounging on the back of the couch and she looked “so cute”.  So I grabbed my camera and came over.  She did look so cute:

Awww.  Isn’t she purty?

And later Elias was hanging out in his favorite spot, his jumper.  He wasn’t quite as snotty today and seemed a little less feverish but still kind of a mellow guy.  He gave me this look:

Hoh, Lord, there goes my heart.  Melted.

I still had a heck of a time deciding which would be my picture of the day for My 365 though.  I don’t often get such good pictures of the animals.  But still.  Melted.  That one won out.

The kids even gave me a time when they all napped today (except Gabe who was permitted to play a zoo game on my laptop) so I got to knit a little.  I had one of those hankerings to knit something up real quick that I might actually have a chance to finish today so I knit this:

A cup cozy in about half the time it took me to watch a movie (Twister in fact.  Sometimes you just need a good natural disaster movie).  I’ll keep it in the van for those special occasions in which I treat myself to a coffee.  Now I don’t have to use on of those cup sleeves.  Just looking out for the environment and stuff, ya know?  It will look so much better on an actual coffee cup too, not that obnoxious orange thing that I’m pretty sure is left over from a pumpkin carving party we had about 5 years ago and has been hanging out in the pantry ever since.  But I needed a model and couldn’t run out to get an actual coffee so leftover orange thing it was.

Rob came home from his Reserves weekend and cooked dinner and made me brownies.  That can go a long ways in making up for what turned out to be a really hard weekend for my stamina (and sanity).

I also made some progress in the hat I’m knitting for Gabe’s birthday gift.  The last two weeks have not been spent planning a birthday party so it’ll be a big cram session on that this week.  Something to look forward to next weekend celebrating a wonderful boy turning 7.

Still Here

We’re over the stomach bug that we all passed around (except Elias, thank God). We had a lovely Christmas which I will blog about soon. Found out yesterday that Gideon has Chicken Pox.

Yes, really.

So I’ve been busy with extra cuddling and hand washing and medicine giving and more cuddling and avoiding Elias. Rob took today off because we were all going to go see a movie among other things but instead I stayed home with the older three and Rob ran out with Elias to take care of things that need to happen for his ailing great uncle.

So basically I came on to say I’m exhausted (Elias is NOT sleeping well lately, waking frequently and being fussy when he wakes) and very busy and I hope to be back very soon with some lovely posts about Christmas.

This Week

Has been not what we expected or planned. There are no pictures. You can thank me later.

What shall we call it?

Pukefest 2010?

Merry Pukemas and a Hurly New Year?

FIVE buckets of PUKE! Sing it with me.

You get the idea. Saturday night I wrote my post about my fantastic day with Harry Potter. In the wee hours of the morning on Sunday Rob wakes me to tell me he’s been bowing down to the ivory throne – and also been on the throne (but let’s not get too graphic). I gently suggest he go back to bed in the guest room and after he does I get to work with the Lysol wipes (‘cause, Good Lord, I can feel his breath on the back of my neck while he’s telling me. Gee thanks, Hon). Yep. In my nightgown still while everyone sleeps Lysoling everything I can think of. Once morning hits I also rewash all of the handwashing he’d done the night before and reload the dishwasher with any dish I think he took out of the washer and every piece of silverware from the drawer (most of the time I love that my hubby helps in the kitchen. This was not one of those times).

Oh yeah, and our septic decided to go on the fritz so actually MOST of that work happened after the plumber came and went because I couldn’t use the clothes washer, dish washer or toilets before then. Yeah. The puke laundry and contaminated dishes were piling up and let’s not even talk about the toilet issue.

Gideon started puking right before the plumber showed up. Poor guy. He puked again while the plumber was here. I have a new appreciation for my leather loveseat. SO much easier to clean than cloth.

On Monday Rob and Gideon were on the mend. No one else was puking. I was very nearly allowing myself to relax and think that all my cleaning, washing and sanitizing had worked! Yeah right.

Tuesday about 3AM I realized that my tummy was feeling a bit rumbly. By 5AM I’d spent a great deal of time on the potty with a bucket at my feet. I actually had Rob bring me a bowl of mints and a book. I wasn’t about to leave my little camp too soon and I hate being bored.

I get to spend Tuesday in bed. Rob gets to spend it with the kids. What a great guy to stay home “sick” for me. And he took them to Costco. Anyway, I digress. I cannot recall the last time I actually got to be in bed sick when I was sick. If I hadn’t been so sick it would have been a nice break. As it was I kept my bucket close and my mints closer. I wonder if it was my constant sucking of mints that actually kept me from needing my bucket the whole time. As it was, everything that left my body exited the usual way (though definitely NOT the usual consistency – OK that’s as graphic as I’m getting).

I did get to read a few more pages of my book while in bed, watch disc 1 of The Fellowship of the Ring (I was really bummed I didn’t get to watch more) and play a game on my laptop (which Rob brought to bed for me) in between passing out and taking long naps throughout the day. Sometimes with extra blankets and sometimes with less.

Wednesday I continued to recover and Rob worked from home to help me with the kids. Thursday morning in the wee hours, yep THIS morning, you guessed it, Gabe. Hurling. Pooing. Rob got the first round. I got the second a couple of hours later.

After Rob headed to work I got up to check on Gabe and found Zion on the potty. Let me tell you what a trooper my girl is! I found her striped neked, sitting as far back as possible on the potty so she could throw up between her legs while she was still going #2. I was filled with pride and empathy all at once. I said “Good girl, Zion!” and she looked up and cheerfully said “I’m throwing up in the toilet like you said!” (I had the foresight to keep reminding the kids over the past few days of what to do if they felt like they were going to barf.)

She was so pale and drawn and yet she never gave up her chipper attitude. Gabe on the other hand was a regular ol’ Eeyore. Nearly always on the verge of tears and pathetically uttering statements like “I’m dying of starvation up here!” Sorry but I’m not giving you an all you can eat buffet. As it was I ended up cleaning up more of his vomit after he went to bed. Change of sheets, blanket, pillow, pajamas… *sigh* I knew he was trying to much too soon.

I AM going to have to get them to eat more once they are able though. Both Gabe and Zion looked like victims of starvation the minute they got sick. Skin and bones, people! Skin. And. Bones. It was instantaneous. I know those two have precious little to spare but this really brought it home. Must fatten those two up a little!

So now, here we are at the end of day FIVE of being stuck at home with the pukes. This is so not how I wanted Christmas break to go. I was so excited, SO excited, for our families first “real” Christmas break ever. Now that Gabe is in full-time school it really was going to be our first real Christmas break. When he got off the school bus on Friday he was bawling, broken-hearted that he didn’t get to go to school for two whole weeks! I got down at his level and put my hands on his shoulders and told him how much FUN we were going to have! So many things to go do and so many friends to have over to play. He was going to have a blast! We all were!

So things haven’t worked out like I dreamed. The awesomeness may have fizzled but we’re still going to do our best to eke out some real Christmas fun. We have tomorrow. Tomorrow to read all our favorites stories, watch all our favorite movies, eat all our favorite foods.

Wait. Maybe not that.

Nibble on our favorite crackers to be safe.

Tomorrow! And then on Christmas we get to go to my sister’s for Christmas.

That is, if Elias doesn’t come down with it next. Praying that he doesn’t.

Praying.

So hard.

Elias Update

Elias got a lot worse from Monday night to Tuesday morning. When I got him up the rash had moved over nearly his entire body. However, the areas that were the worst Monday were practically clear Tuesday which hinted that the rash was on its way out. And despite his slightly grumpy expression in the photo he didn't seem to be bothered too much by it, maybe a little when he was trying to sleep but otherwise not so much.

And I'm happy to report that the rash miraculously disappeared as fast as it came. With the exception of a few baby pimples on his head his skin is clear. Wow! Thanks so much for your prayers!

On a not so good note, the doctors called to let us know that the blood panel revealed a dairy allergy. Dang it! Part of me if relieved that it wasn't worse but part of me is uber frustrated. At the very least, because of Gideon's allergy, we are familiar with this. Only now it effects MY diet. As long as I breastfeed I can't have dairy either. At least that is what we know right now. We are receiving a referral to the same pediatric allergist that treats Gideon and then we'll know more.

And I thought the roller coaster ride was over. Silly me.

Not The Same

When I'd hoped to take pictures today to celebrate Elias turning one-month old (which actually happened yesterday but we all agreed to forget about that, remember?) this isn't what I'd intended.

Elias woke up looking like this:

Keeping it g-rated here.

This one was taken with my cell phone at the doctor's office so the quality is poor but it shows a close up of the white circles within the red areas.

Poor baby. :(

It's all over his neck and cheeks too as well as his arms, legs, bum and around his belly button. Oddly there isn't any rash on his chest or back. See how worried he looks (I think he's actually worried that he'll never eat again, he was waiting for his milk at the moment).

The doctor we saw today is concerned to see a rash like this in so young a baby. She sent us straight to the lab to have a CBC and allergy panel done (please pray it's not a cat allergy. I know that sounds odd but Zion will be heartbroken if we have to get rid of Eva and she won't understand at all). In case it's an allergy I'm to stay away from seafood and peanuts. Darn it. But we should get the blood work back in a few days. Until then we have to keep an eye out for blisters or difficulty breathing, both of which would require an ER visit.

I have to say I was a bit nervous having to go to the lab with him. It was so reminiscent of heading there with Gideon when he was so sick a little over a year ago and them not being able to hit a vein. Then having to take him to the ER and having them stick him over and over trying to place the IV and draw blood, then being in the hospital for a week. Ugh. I was ever so grateful when the tech hit a vein on the first try and I told her so. God bless the nurses!

When Clean Underwear Isn't Enough

Mamas often tell their kids to make sure to wear clean undies just in case they get in an accident. What mamas need to be teaching their kids is that, no matter how strongly you believe you can laze around in PJs all day because you don't need to go out of the house and no one will see you, people will come to you - so dress up and look decent already!

I had such a day last Wednesday. Our morning playgroup was canceled. Aside from dropping Gabe at the bus stop after lunch I didn't have to leave the house. I.e. I wasn't going to be seen by anyone.

Right?

Wrong!

I let Gideon and Zion stay in their jammies. I, at least, put on a pair of jeans. Accompanied by my most comfy sweatshirt (read, my favorite 15 year old, ratty, threadbare, holey sweatshirt). I put on no make up and put my hair up in a pony tail. I looked, well, I don't even know if there are adequate words for how dumpy I looked that day. Remember, when you picture this in your mind, that I'm also massively pregnant. he he

That morning a dear friend from my Bible study called and asked if she could come help with a big chore around the house suggesting scrubbing toilets or my stove. Well, as luck would have it, I had already had the wishful thought that someone would come and clean my stove top so I said yes.

So, I get Gabe to the bus and Gideon and Zion down for nap and Friend comes over and goes to work. A little while into it she starts feeling overheated so I open a window and ask her if I can feed her or if she needs to take a break. At first she says no but then after a bit confesses that she doesn't think she is going to be able to finish so I have her sit down and get her some water. By the time I get back with it though she is flat out on my couch and having massive muscle contractions that are contorting her arms and hands and she is in a great deal of pain.

I call 911 and explain that my friend is having an episode of some sort and needs to be seen. I didn't think about what I expected to happen until after my house was full of people but I really thought they'd send an EMT unit with two people. I did not expect the EMT unit with two people and their five friends. I ended up with three emergency vehicles in front of my house and more people in my living room then it's seen in a while. Stove Cleaning Friend, me, my other friend who was visiting, and seven firefighters and EMTs.

Wow.

While they were checking out Friend the kids started to fuss so pregnant ol' me waddles up the stairs and comes down with Gideon on my hip and Zion in tow. It was only then that I realized what I must have looked like. Threadbare Mama looking worse than a celebrity caught with no make-up on for the cover of a tabloid with a three-year old, two-year old and one due practically any day.

I don't feel bad for having kids or having them close together. But I do wish we'd looked perhaps a little more like ourselves that day and a little less like a family out of Grapes of Wrath.

Let that be a lesson to ya! Even if you think you won't be seen, you never know. At least put on a little mascara and shirt without holes for cryin' out loud!
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And don't worry about my friend. They took her to the hospital and ran a battery of tests and suspect that she had a potassium crash which effected, not only her muscles, but her blood pressure (they EMTs couldn't get a bottom number at all when she was here) but they sent her home later the same day and I've seen her a number of times since then and she feels fine. Next time she comes I told her I'm making her eat a banana!

Kudos to all the folks who showed up to help my friend. They were really awesome, especially the gal who said my house smelled fantastic (I was baking bread at the time) and the guy who I nearly gave a heart attack to because he showed up a little later and when I answered the door I think he thought the call was for me and well, he was expecting a "woman having an episode" not a "lady about to pop". The look of relief on his face when I pointed to the back of the house and said "she's back there" was priceless.
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On another note, I have an ultrasound tomorrow. I really, really hope this will be my last one. They will once again check the position of the placenta and the cord and check baby's size and position. Baby has been head down the last two visits to my midwife so - woohoo! I'm praying that everything will look perfect and I'll get the green light for the birth center birth I have been hoping for. Feel free to pray with me!

Also, I've had some signs that this baby won't be satisfied coming late like the others. A couple of times I've wondered if I would be calling my midwife by the end of the night. While that sounds well and good it's just too early. If baby wants to come before 37 my midwife will have to transfer my care to an OB for a hospital delivery. So. I also need this baby to wait just a little longer. June 7 or 8th to be 37 weeks. Stick around just a wee bit more Little One. :)

The Fair, The Great and the Terrible

The Fair - Gideon woke me up at 4:30 this morning having such a hard time breathing I was mentally preparing to take him to the ER. He was staying pink and seemed in good spirits otherwise so I waited the few hours to take him to our pediatricians urgent care clinic instead. They confirmed my suspicion that he has croup and sent us home with a prescription of prednisone to take down the inflammation. So we spent half our Christmas decorating day in the doctor's office but it could have been worse. Gideon should be right as rain in a few days and in true Gideon style he hasn't let him bring him down at all - and, we still got our tree today (the house smells fantastic!) and got a start on decorating.

The Great - Rob and I got to get away tonight to our church's Christmas dinner which included a performance of It's A Wonderful Improvised Life by the Taproot Theater Touring Company.

It.

Was.

AWESOME!

I've always wanted to be on Who's Line Is It Anyway? and this was my chance! The players were just great and I really did shout suggestions to their requests and they acted them out and it was hilarious. The real It's A Wonderful Life will never be the same again. I will never forget that in our version George saved Harry from dying by tap dancing on a light bulb, that Mr. Potter wanted to turn the Savings & Loan into a skinny jean factory and that every time a doorbell rings an angel gets it's wings.

The Terrible - The only thing that brought our special night down was that my thoughts kept turning to a friend of my sister's who I have also gotten to know. She is the gal who generously offers her property to host Jameson's birthday party every year. Sadly, tonight when she and two of her daughters returned home they discovered their house was on fire and their dogs perished within. I am waiting to hear from my sister the extent of the damage, how long they will be out of their house and what their needs are. Please pray for Carol and her family and the heartbreaking loss of their home and pets.

One Day At A Time

Thank God we only have to get through one day at a time.

This morning I went to the walk-in clinic while a friend watched the kids. The doctor thinks I do have some sort of infection not just bronchitis and a lot of inflammation. So I've got two inhalers and some antibiotics to help get rid of this cough and wheeze and maybe my voice will even come back. Wouldn't that be nice? (Don't answer that unless you are agreeing!)

I came home to get the kids lunch before taking Gideon to his one-year check and follow-up visit. Wowza! My baby boy gained a little more than a pound since his last visit and tipped the scales at 19lb 6oz. Yippee! So he is doing great off of dairy. Except he started having eczema and diarrhea which is kind of ironic considering that at the hospital the doctors were reluctant to test him for dairy allergies because he did NOT have these symptoms. Now he's off dairy and he GOT these symptoms. Now his regular pediatrician thinks that it's the soy. So now he's off soy AND dairy and I have to go find some rice, almond or goat milk all while keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn't develop issues with these things too.

Fast forward to after nap and after fixing my gas fireplace thanks to a friend who walks me through the steps over the phone and after forgetting to put the fireplace screen back and after putting Gideon on the floor to play and after me sitting down with Zion and then just to the point where I hear Gideon squeal in pain. Yeah, go to that point in time. That split second where I know exactly how I failed to keep my baby safe and a few minutes before I pile us all in the car to go to urgent care bawling almost the entire way there. Not just because Gideon won't stop crying or because I'm sick or tired or frustrated or mourning or because I feel incapable of taking care of my home and children or even that prayer maybe, just maybe, doesn't work after all because all I pray for anymore is our health and safety and yet we spend almost all of our time sick or injured but I guess because of all of those things at once.

Or maybe it's just because Gideon's doctor told me that I should cut out dairy too and I really love milk and since I don't have any cookie dough in the house I was really craving some ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate syrup. Yep. It's probably that. See - my sense of humor is returning all ready. Now off for one last - hurrah. I can drop ice cream starting tomorrow!

Cutest Things Ever

Since certain someones were so sick this week we delayed going to Jamie's house for Easter. We were supposed to leave Friday and spend the weekend. But since we didn't that meant we were home for the annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt. I packed all the kids in the wagon for the short jaunt to the park. When Zion saw the colorful eggs littering the ground she exclaimed "Who made this mess?!" She patiently waited until the appointed time to help "clean up". Gabe had a different area of the park since he was in a different age bracket. I left him to his own but when Zion was done I checked on his progress. His basket was full of red eggs almost exclusively. In the area around him still lay pink, blue, yellow... all untouched. That's my boy!

Still some not-so-cuteness around. Zion has stopped puking - yeah! Gideon has stopped puking - yeah! Gabe started puking - darn it! In the car on the way to my sister's house for Easter no less. She was gracious enough to accept my two no-longer-puking children so Puking Child and I could drive all the way back home. That's a long hour. Me exhausted from cleaning up puke nearly every day for two weeks straight and him because I made him ride the whole way with a plastic bag poised under his chin. I will never pass by that certain exit on the highway without remembering my dash across four lanes (sorry folks, puking kid ya know) and bolt to the nearest gas station parking lot where I stripped Gabe of his now soaked clothes and redressed him (thank God I brought pjs for everyone to change into at Jamie's - 'cause we were staying late, ha!) all without moving him from his carseat (though I did take his straps off - now THAT would have been a neat trick). Gabe sits in the middle which otherwise would have meant I would have had to drag him over a non-puked on child in order to get him out. No way, Jose! And I was always think fondly of the gas station attendant who gave me plastic bags even though I didn't buy anything. I guess the whole "my child just puked all over my car" ruse really worked. Wait. I guess only WISH it had been a ruse. *sigh* Honestly folks, at this point I'm speechless. I don't think all four of us have been healthy for more than a few days out of the last few MONTHS. I .... I .... Nope. Pretty much speechless.

When It Rains...

You know how the saying ends - it pours! Last night Gideon woke up at 2AM to eat. That is when I discovered that I was freezing. And yet sweating. And aching all over. Arg! I knew what it was right away - mastitis (and it was confirmed by a doc at the walk in clinich in the morning). So I have bronchitis and mastitis wonderful. While I was at the walk in clinic Zion threw up all over back at home. Bless my sis who had abandoned her life to take over mine for the last week was the unlucky one to clean it up. I wasn't sure if it was stomach flu or just the high fever since she's had a fever for the third day now and I feel nauseous when I have a fever. Now I know it's the flu as she blew up all over herself and the couch and the floor again about two hours ago. Poor thing, it was everywhere and despite her objections I made her lay in the tub so I could wash it out of her hair and give her a quick washing. So here I am, fever, coughing, achy and scrubbing the carpet and couch with foamy cleaner and then going around the house with a bucket of Pine Sol and a rag. Where could she have touched? Where has there layed puked on clothes? Luckily she wasn't feeling well enough to play today mostly just layed on the floor and the couch but scrubbing was not on my agenda for today at all. Let's hope she's done with it and that no one else gets it. Please, Lord, can we be done with all the sickness and injuries (mostly my body is just a mess for having slept in a recliner for a week, does horrible things to your hips and neck)? I would very much like to have a healthy family for Easter. As it is my weekend plans have been altered. I was going to take us all up to Jamie's for the weekend starting tomorrow but with two of us having fevers that's out. I just hope and pray that we're OK for Sunday.

Oh What A Day!

Wishing I could come on and write that I won the lottery or something but not so. Well, I guess I did if it's the vomit lottery or something. THAT I won! Got vomited on three times before lunch and once after. Poor Gideon, he just can't keep anything down. And because he seems dehydrated and we keep having these strange bouts of vomiting, off to the doctor we went. The doc is concerned because Gideon has not only NOT gained weight since his nine month check (more than two months ago) but he has lost weight (ounces, not pounds but still) and because he's not crawling or cruising (which I think is just his personality) and because of these strange puking episodes. He sent us next door to the lab for blood draws but Gideon wasn't hydrated enough so we have to go back tomorrow after hopefully letting his stomach settle and getting some more fluids in him. Then we have to go back two more times spread a week apart each because he is too little to take all the blood they need for the tests at once. He'll have food allergy tests, a CBC and liver enzymes checked. I don't remember what else. The doc also referred us to a GI specialist, a Nutritionist and a Physical Therapist for evaluations and advice. My hope is that the tests just comes back as a sensitivity to dairy and that it's something he'll outgrow.

Weirdness And All That

My oh my has there been some weirdness going on. I've been sick all week. Really sick. Like "you kids just play the Wii and I'll be crashed here on the couch" kind of sick for days and days. Stuffy nose, coughing, hacking, phlegm Mmmmmmm, yummy. Canceled pretty much all my and the kids' activities all week. Someone also replaced my beautiful chubby cheeked smiley baby with a baby that throws fits. About everything! He has perfected the I-don't-want-to-get-in-my-carseat back arch and does it even when he's happy to get in his carseat. He does it while laughing. And he has massive mommy separation anxiety which means that he screams now whenever he's left with someone else. Grrr!

Thought we'd be doing good by getting to church today. That went OK it was afterwards that things got a little weird.

First off the kids were massively hyper. What happened? Did the teachers in Sunday School give them injections of sugar while they were supposed to be learning about Jesus? I had to pick some stuff up at Walmart and only Gideon fits in the cart so the others were loose. Usually not a problem but it is when they've had secret injections of ADHD causing something-or-other. I suddenly found myself being one of those moms whose barking "stop", "get back here", "don't touch that" and that is very, very rare. Shopping was going painfully slow and frustrating already when all of the sudden there was a humongous noise from above. Hail on the roof. Tons of it - boy was it loud! The kids and I said a quick prayer that it would be over by the time we had to leave since I had to park so far away, then -blink- lights out. That's right. The entire Walmart lost electricity. All of us shoppers got herded out like cattle. Luckily they allowed us to make what purchases we had in our carts. Sadly for me I hadn't yet gotten to the grocery section.

Once at home grumpy kids got a snack before nap and I got to discover that the power flicker had dumped our Internet. What a process it is to get it back. Luckily I knew what to do (mostly - one quick call to a friend to remind me how to get into the right window to fix what I needed to fix). I had just time to get my own snack when Gideon was already awake and crying. A quick exploratory of his mouth revealed swollen gums. Darn teeth! That must be why he didn't sleep well last night either. *sigh* Still, the night flitted away faster than I expected and before I knew it it was time for the kids to go to bed and here I am with my own plate of food waiting and many chores ahead. Hopefully some fun too though. I have some knitted gifts I'm working on. I can't wait to post pictures but I'll just have to until the gifts are given. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise should the recipient happen to pop on here.

Tomorrow holds the hope for a better day. Not less busy. But I hope just a little happier.

Catching Up

Once again I am terribly behind on pretty much everything. Laundry, cleaning, Christmas stuff, blogging. Well, I've got a load in the washer, a load in the dryer, everything else is sorted and ready. The dishwasher is just finishing a load and, thanks to a kind volunteer babysitter from my church, I got some Christmas shopping done today (now comes the wrapping). So I'm going to try to catch you all up on the latest goings on.

Last week I was getting mentally prepared to head up to my sister's for the weekend. A midweek weather report for freezing weather and possible snow put the halt on that since I knew I couldn't leave the dog in the yard all weekend. Too cold for poor Towz. Any other weekend I would have been content to just hang out at home but last weekend was my birthday weekend and sitting at home alone (yeah. "alone". just me and three kids under 4) just didn't feel right so I called my neighbor who agreed to let the dog in and out for me. Woohoo! Thanks Jennifer and Keith! So Friday after the kids' swim classes and my water aerobics class we headed up to my sister's.
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Saturday the 13th AKA my birthday

My wonderful nieces and their friend Paisley give me their gift which was to watch the kids so my sister and I can go out. Yeehaw! I felt like a new colt fresh out of the barn on a sunny day. Or whatever visual helps you understand that it felt really great to get to go shopping and out to lunch and I didn't have to buckle anyone else's seatbelt, change a diaper, dry a tear, feed someone else or hear three demanding but loving voices crying "mama" every few minutes. Jamie and I went to a craft store and the mall and a little restaurant that I'd never been to called PF Chang's. Talk about yummy! Really, really yummy! I think we were out for about 5 hours. That is the longest that I've been away from Gideon since he was still in my belly. He is doing much better now that he'll eat some solids. The little stinker still won't take a bottle and he eats frequently so up until recently even two hours apart took some planning.

Bob makes an amazing dinner we've fondly come to call That Sausage Thing. I know. Makes you want to beg the recipe doesn't it? Well if you tasted it you would. It's SO good!

Later that night it snows. While I was in her family room Jamie took Zion out in the yard and showed her how to throw a snowball. When they came in Zion was in rare form talking madly and gesticulating wildly and telling such a story eyes like saucers and with a huge smile. I had to ask my sister what she was talking about, Zion was so excited that I couldn't understand what she was saying. I followed them back outside to see a demonstration of Zion throwing a snowball armed with Jamie's camera. I got some good shots of the kids playing in the snow but I'll have to wait to post them until I get them from my sis.
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Sunday the 14th AKA my mom's birthday

Today I'm supposed to drive home. I spend most of the morning hemming and hawing over whether or not this will actually occur. Ultimately I decide that it's safest to wait a day to give the roads more time to dry out. The hills by both my sister's house and my house are notoriously bad when it's icy and it's just not worth the risk. On the flip side it gives us a chance to walk down to say "happy birthday!" and bring birthday cake to my mom.

Later I am reminded via e-mail that I've signed up to make a loaf of bread for the nursery workers at my MOPS group. I'm also reminded that it's my table's turn to bring food for the brunch which also reminds me that I was going to make a special treat for the ladies at my table which reminds me that Monday night is my Bible study's potluck and I'm supposed to bring a dish. After a few moments of mental panic because I know there's no way I can get all that done on time I call the Bible study leader to let her know that since I won't be getting back until Monday I'm going to skip our potluck. I then make plans to use my trusty breadmachine to make the bread instead of from scratch, will pick up something store bought for the brunch and will make Turtle candies instead of truffles for my ladies (less time consuming). With that I'm able to enjoy been "snowed in" at Jamie's for another day.

Jamie and the family had a commitment they must fulfill so they head out for a couple of hours. During that time I develop a "lovely" sore throat and by the time they come back feel pretty crappy. Great.
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Monday the 15th and nobody's birthday that I know

I wake and my throat is so puffy and sore that I can barely swallow or talk, my sinuses are gooky and I feel generally yucky. *sigh* Still, by the time we leave at lunch time it feels like the worst is over and I feel good enough to hit Walmart on the way home. Ah, home. I can't wait to get back and crank out the goodies I need to make and relax a bit. As soon as I walked in the door I knew it was not going to be so. Without going into too many details I'll just tell you that I spent half the night cleaning up after what I'll call The Infamous Litterbox Incident of 2008 (which comes in a close second to The Infamous Litterbox Incident of 2007, story for another time). Apparently my wonderful neighbors thought to check the box on Sunday but were unaware that if you put too much litter in my cats' self-cleaning litterbox the rake won't dock and it will just keep running back and forth, back and forth through the litter.

Cats can't use a litterbox where the rake won't stop moving.


That was Sunday afternoon.


I got home Monday afternoon.


The cats have no access to the out of doors.


You get the picture.


Well, it wasn't the evening that I'd hoped for with a lot more cleaning then I had planned and I was up past midnight but at least everything got made that needed to get made and I even got a shower and a load of laundry done.
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Tuesday the 16th - today (for another 18 minutes)

My alarm goes off at 7:30 so I can get us all up and out the door for MOPS. I don't know why I bother setting an alarm since Gideon is always awake by then but anyway. I succeed in getting us all dressed and in the car by 8:35. I'm backing the car out of the garage and as I'm slowly and carefully making my way past the Mustang and then Rob's truck I see that overnight some wonderful person egged the truck. What the heck?! In July some wonderful (probably the same) person paintballed the truck and it splattered the Mustang. It cost a shameful amount of money to have the Mustang detailed and the truck was only partially done (mostly because it hit the window and getting paint of glass is easier than getting paint off paint) and now there's frozen egg all over the darn thing (but not the Mustang that I can tell). Arg! I've already been feeling completely overwhelmed lately with my to-do list and I really didn't need to add to it. I would love to find the person who did it so I can make THEM wash the egg off!

So I do what I do when faced with disappointment. I call my sis. So, I'm on the way to MOPS still (and yes, I'm driving and talking on my cell legally using my Bluetooth) and I unload my frustration and hurt at being targeted by vandals for the second time and when I'm done she lets me know that our mom is in the hospital. Apparently a fall she had a week or so ago that broke her shoulder caused some internal bleeding at the break so she needed some blood and fluids for dehydration but she should be released in a day or so. Good news.

My MOPS meeting goes well. Turns out I hadn't forgotten anything at home. Cause for celebration! On the way home I pick up the girl from my church who has volunteered to babysit so that I can go Christmas shopping. After settling her and the kids in I head out for a little retail therapy and to cross a couple of things off my evergrowing to-do list. After a bit I'm actually feeling better. A little (a lot) cat pee, frozen egg and bad mom news can't get me down after all. I got a lot done in a few hours and headed for home. The moment I open my car door back in my garage and I know something is wrong. There's an odd sound coming from the corner. I turn. I look. I find a waterfall in my garage. That's funny. I don't remember our house having that particular water feature when I left. Have I mentioned recently that we're having temperatures in the teens around here? If you haven't yet figured it out I'll just come right now and tell you that we had a pipe freeze and burst and now water is spraying everywhere both inside and out of our garage. Yes. I did cry. But thanks to the babysitter's dad who showed up to pick her up and a kind neighbor we got the water shut off, found the break, shut off a different valve, got the water to the house turned back on, swept the water out of the garage, moved the soaked boxes to a dry spot (will have to go through those later) and wrapped as much of the pipe as possible in an old blanket so more won't freeze and break.

The bad news, I had yet another frustrating and disappointing evening, we have a broken pipe, about half a dozen boxes and their contents got soaked or at least partially wet, and my to-do list is growing faster than bunnies can multiply.

The good news, there just happened to be a babysitter at the house to handle the kids while I dealt with the indoor rain, the Christmas gifts and recent Costco purchases that I had stashed in the garage just barely missed being soaked, the break was in a place that we could shut off so the house still has water, a guy in my Bible study is a plumber and he has already promised to come out on Saturday to fix the break, and God is still good. That last one is a big one.
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Drowning, floundering, overwhelmed, alone. All words that have described me lately. Oh yeah, and exhausted. I frequently don't talk about this sort of thing because I can't stand the thought that someone might pity me. So I may share these things in a lighthearted way but not in a true honest fashion that really lets people see the kind of place where I'm at. So I share with you that I'm not really in a good place right now. Not so you can pity me or feel bad for me because Rob's gone and I'm "doing this" alone but so you can pray for me. For us. And if you have promised to watch my kids or offered to help clean my house or whatever and maybe your life got busy too and you forgot, maybe to take a look at your calendar to see if there might be time for that in the next few weeks. Doesn't have to be before Christmas, I know we're all busy. But it is a relief for me mentally to know that I have a break coming or help and it is always good to know that we are being covered in prayer.

That said, you can specifically pray for Gideon and me in the next few days and nights. I've signed Gideon up for "Sleep Boot Camp" and it starts tonight. I've tried everything I can think of to get that kid to sleep more than 2-3 hours in a row at night and nothing has worked. He wakes. He wants to nurse. He will NOT accept anything but without a screaming fight that can last an hour or two or until I give in and nurse him. I am too bone tired to accept that challenge many nights so I often just nurse him and put him back down and repeat in a couple/few hours. When I have felt up to it, I've tried to soothe him through feedings in every way I can think and have every heard of anyone else trying. I've also tried to let him "cry it out". I've even left him in my room where his bed is and sleep in the guest room to try to get some sleep and none of it has worked to actually get him to sleep better.

Most if not all of you have probably already jumped to a conclusion as to why he's not sleeping and what I should do about it and you can stop that right now. This isn't my first rodeo people. Third child here. Been there and done that twice already and have really tried and tried and tried with this kid. So, tonight begins the Boot Camp. I've moved Gabe to the guest room for sleeping purposes and moved Gideon's crib to Gabe's room where he will be staying until he starts sleeping. After that I'm not sure what the arrangement will be but at least for now he's gonna have his own room. I'm not even sure what I hope to accomplish with this move except that, at the very least, I hope that his screaming tirades will be easier to sleep through. Wish me luck!

On that note, it's no longer Tuesday and I really need to get to bed. I feel better having caught you all up. Sorry that I had no pics to post. Soon. I promise.

Update Dos

I thought it was really weird yesterday when I felt so good in the morning and started feeling sick again at dinner time. All the same symptoms, fever, chills, aches, nausea only this time I had a clogged duct (that's a breastfeeding thing if you're scratching your head right now) and the pain that went with that. Well it turns out that I have mastitis and all these symptoms are related to that infection. I have picked up a prescription for some whopper antibiotics which I really hope will work quickly. So, if you would, pray for a quick recovery. As is stands, it is very painful to hold or carry things and to raise my left arm. So not conducive to taking care of three young ones. Thanks!

Update

Gabe stopped puking, Zion stopped puking, I was on the verge of puking all day yesterday and was otherwise sick as a dog with body aches and total weakness and Gideon puked once Friday night. God bless my sister for coming despite the puking and staying to help! I felt better this morning and the kids have not puked all day. Zion is back to her zippy self, Gabe is getting hydrated and regaining energy and Gideon acts like nothing happened but as of dinner time I'm sick all over again. Weird. I don't feel like throwing up but I wish I could order an epidural right now - or even a general anesthesia. That would be sweet! Just thought I'd feel better if I complained you'd like to know. Pray for us that we're all healthy for Thanksgiving -especially my sister and her family!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe

If your child had the flu but hadn't vomited in almost 48 hours and you only had a few diapers left would you think it was safe to go to the store to get more? Yeah. I thought so too. Walmart won't soon forget that big mistake on my part as Zion threw up in the middle of the baby section as I was looking for Pedialyte. Completely covered her coat, shirt, pants, socks, shoes, Gabe's pants, my coat, the cart and the floor. There are no cleaning stations in the baby section. I did find one poor staff member though and he was kind enough to bring me garbage bags, gloves, paper towels and a new cart. He didn't bat an eye when I striped my kids down and grabbed new clothes off the rack and he was totally willing to clean up the rest of the mess so I could get out of there. What a guy!

...sorry, I got interrupted, not that you noticed, by a puking boy. Ahhhhh! Gabe just left massive quantities of puke all over himself, his sheets, his comforter, his lovey, his pillows and his bed. Oh Lord, please spare me and Gideon. At least Gideon. Stomach flu in babies just flat out scares me. *sigh* Well, I'd better go. I've got a week's worth of vomit laundry to do.

Miscellany

Yesterday dawned with such promise. My water aerobics class at the Y, Nora bringing Isaac over for the boys' preschool lesson, I had lined up a babysitter so that a friend and I could go take a knitting and crocheting class. Yep, it was going to be great! Going to be until Zion threw up all over my love seat while I was making lunch. SCREEECCCHHH! That's the sound of the brakes being put on my great day. Nora was great and finished making the lunch while I striped Z naked, wrapped her in a towel and scrubbed the couch with a towel and hot water. Wow! How did so much come out of someone so small. I mean, that was ridiculous! I made all the calls to cancel with the babysitter and my friend. Such a bummer! The angel of the day turned out to be my friend Deon who braved the Amazing Puke-Master (or would that be Mistress?) and chose to babysit anyway. What a gal! My class turned out to be loads of fun. Maybe knitting will stick this time, I've tried to learn twice before. Sad, huh? I got home and my kiddos were in bed - sweet! And she said they all went down without a peep and that Zion hadn't been sick again. Whew!

OK, that last part only lasted until I got up this morning and found Zion practically wading in a pool of mostly dried vomit complete with undigested pasta and meatballs. It covered her sheets, bed skirt, P.J.s, and some of the rails and even part of the floor. Too much information? Sorry. I've been stuck at home all day with little interaction with the outside world. I did order pizza though and boy do I hope I don't catch her bug because I ate half a taco pizza (a small one, but still).

So that's what we've been up to and I haven't felt much like posting the last couple of days. I do want to update you on Laura and Joe. To make a long story short he is home, she is taking care of him and his surgery is scheduled for the first week in December. They have a need for seasoned firewood as it is their main source of heat right now. If you live close and know where they can get some let me know.

Bringing You Up To Date

I'm really behind in posting. I'm sorry. We had such a great time while Rob was here on leave. He is back in NC currently waiting on the transportation details to work out for heading over there. Since he left we've been busy again. Gabe and Zion started new classes at the Y. Gabe is doing a sports class that introduces a new game each class and Zion is back in swimming. She loves the water so much.

We spent the weekend at my sister's. I had a friend's wedding on Saturday (it was so beautiful and so much fun to see old friends) and Jamie watched the kids for me. Sunday we went to a local nursery where Jamie and family had their pictures done my Kerri. They are GORGEOUS! Of course they are - check them out here. My kids were less than cooperative when I tried to get some shots while we waited. Zion was afraid of the water wheel for some reason and wouldn't let me put her down and Gideon decided it was scream time in the stroller. Stinkers. But it was such a beautiful day and the Fall colors were breathtaking.

Later that day was Jamie's annual Pumpkin Carving Party. Sadly, we "got" to revisit what seems to be Zion's two favorite letters - "E" and "R". Yep, that's right. We ended up back in the Emergency Room. *sigh* Jamie has a window seat in her family room and on the seat is a big black trunk full of toys. Gabe and Zion were sitting on the trunk and Zion scooted forward to get off but ended up falling off instead and landing flat on her face. At first I thought she'd just had a fright but even after she stopped crying she wouldn't go play, wouldn't use her right hand and didn't acknowledge when their best pal Abby showed up. So off we went to rule out a break. She started using her hand in the waiting room so they let us go without x-rays with a warning that if she still guards it after a day or two to take her in again. She is seeing her regular doctor for her two-year check on Thursday so he can make sure it's OK then. She seems to be mostly fine except one or two times that she says "ouchie".

Bob and the girls were nice enough to carve a pumpkin for us and even take pictures with my camera. I guess they even got Gabe to help clean out the pumpkin. If they hadn't taken a picture I may not have believed he actually stuck his hand in there.

The whole weekend was such a blur that I didn't even get to participate in Straight Out Of the Camera Saturday. I even know what I was going to post. So it's too late to jump in officially but here's the picture I chose had I found the time.

It's Jessa playing the drums for Rock Band. Yes, that's a spatula in her right hand. Apparently Zion someone lost one of the drum sticks. Oops. It seems that spatulas work just as well though so keep this in mind if you ever lose one of your own drumsticks.

Here would have been another SOOC option.

This is the nursery where Jamie and gang had their pictures done. Pretty isn't it. There were other areas of the nursery that had gorgeous trees with every perfect Fall color imaginable and a little creek with a working water wheel.

Just Thought You Outta Know

The capacity of Zion's right nostril is four kernels of corn.

Well What D'Ya Know!

I'm not taking care of a sick baby today. Nope. I'm taking care of TWO sick babies. Yep. Sometime after putting Gideon to bed last night it became apparent that he had picked up Zion's cold. He was miserable all last night. Not really sleeping, having a hard time breathing through his nose, wanting to nurse but panicking the second he tries because he couldn't breath while eating.

What were you doing at 3AM? I was sitting in my living room with Gideon in my lap hand pumping breast milk and then feeding it to him via syringe. Poor little guy. I'm sure he had a fever but I don't have good luck with thermometers. Mine says his temp is 96.something. Yeah right.

This morning when I got out of bed my appearance rivaled Gary Busey's mug shot. Rest assured, I'm at least slightly better looking now having wiped the sleep out of my eyes, getting my contacts in and putting on some non-breast milk soaked clothes.

Zion slept from 5PM yesterday to 7-ish AM this morning. I looked at her and thought "wow, her nose cleared up - great!" Then she coughed. Nope. All that congestion just moved to her chest. Poor kid.

So say a prayer for their quick recovery and that Gabe and I don't get it also. That would really be not good.