AN EVENING AT THE ER

We had quite and adventure tonight. Little Butt kept complaining of a tummy ache and she had a fever that felt really hot (thermometer broken). She hadn't pottied in a couple of days and they say if constipation is mixed with fever they should be seen by a doctor so we headed off to the ER.  When we got there she started saying her pee pee hurt instead of her tummy. I know she is always stripping down to nothing - inside and out SMH so I mentioned that I thought she could have a urinary tract infection because she has been known to sit in the yard/dirt/grass/concrete/steps with nothing on her bum.  So they had to tackle the possibility that she had either a UTI or a blockage in her bowel system.

They were going to put a catheter in because she hadn't peed much all day, but just in time she asked to sit on the potty to go and we were able to get a sample. Phew...I know how much I hate catheters I can't imagine a baby liking it much either.

Next came the blood and they couldn't get a vein. They tried twice and gave up to call a phlebotomist to come do it.  Well, she couldn't get a vein either so they had to prick her finger and milk out three small vials of blood.  Believe it or not during all of this poking, she laid still on the bed. She cried and talked to me, but she laid still!!! I can't believe that (and her fever was temporarily down so she was feeling good, it wasn't like she was lethargic).

My poor sick baby! Laying on the bench at dinner 

Then she was taken to x ray to get a picture of her tummy where she cried, but laid calmly. I was holding her hands and daddy her legs. She is such a sweet big girl!!!

Then we waited and she started to play and have fun, only complaining of pain a couple of times and then she drank a full cup of water which made them very happy but it made her tummy hurt again.  Finally they came in and the results of all of the tests.....Bladder/kidney infection.  So, they gave her an initial dose of antibiotics and sent us on our
way.  She still won't eat much but is drinking a bit now and we have pain pills in her.  Hopefully in the morning (Monday - I am writing this Sunday night while it is still fresh) she will be on the mend.  We will take the hubs to work (Gwen is learning to drive so she does most of the driving these days) and then grab her prescription.

My hips are killing me from carrying, lifting and comforting my baby doll, but I could really care less. I would go through hell and back for that sweet little butt. :D

Until Next Time...If you feel, in your gut, that something is wrong, follow your instincts and take them in.  I'm glad I did because by morning she could have been really sick.  :(

SHE'S TURNING 7!!!

Well, tomorrow we celebrate birthday number seven for Miss Crazy. It should be an interesting day.  The Hubs starts a new position at work that we are all excited about and his hours become more regular which will be great. So at 4:30 tomorrow we can start our celebration.

Miss Crazy picked a beef and broccoli ramen meal that Gwen makes as her birthday dinner and then after dinner will be presents and cake.  We bought her a book on kindle(No, she doesn't have her own), a present yet to be determined because I just realized we haven't bought gift number 3 yet (can you say oops)  And the present she has been looking forward to all year....A rapunzel wig.  This girl is OBSESSED with rapunzel.  We used to have Tangled on DVR and she would watch it everyday if we let her.


She takes my old large fabric pieces and walks around with them on her head pretending that she is Rapunzel....and she knocks everything in the house over.  So we had to make a decision, continue to have the house torn apart or buy her a wig that she will probably wear day and night for weeks/months/years.  Well, since we someday want to sell this house we figured we better not mess it up anymore than it already is.  We are expecting the mailman to bring it any minute. It won't be a surprise, but it will be the most popular gift.  She will be ignoring everything else.

We got her a princess cake because they didn't have Rapunzel, not that she cares as long as it is chocolate with buttercream icing.  Done

Probably the highlight of her day will be playing with her little friend two doors down. At this point, little miss almost seven year old prefers to be away from her siblings and parents in favor of her friends. Now the question is, is she acting like a teen because of her sister's influence, or is this a new norm for seven year olds in this day and age.  On second thought, I don't want to think about that. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I'm just going to enjoy my baby girl's birthday celebration and give her an extra snuggle or two.

Tomorrow is also Little Butt's 2.5 year mark.

Until Next Time...Time flies when you're having fun.  So make sure that you truly do have fun or time will slip through your hands and you will feel unfulfilled.

THE CRUD - IT CAUGHT ME!

Ugh! We have had a creeping crud going on around her for over a month. We were told the cough could last for weeks but to watch out for signs of an infection.  Well The Hubs and Gwen got the
infection but I had only a mild cough for a few days and thought I'd gotten off lucky because after all, I am the mom and I am needed to take care of everyone else. And then all of a sudden the cough comes back.

Cough is not good when you have bad hips. (Unless by some miracle it were to pop them back into proper place). Right now my hips feel like they have been stabbed with a million knives, but luckily it doesn't hurt worse to walk so that's good.  Then there are my ribs.  I have to hold my body just so, as to not knock my hips out so my ribs take the brunt of the force for my coughs.  OMG I feel like I've been kicked in the ribs a hundred times.

Should I even mention that I am the mother of five and my bladder is weak?  No, I won't go into detail, but I'm pretty sure  you get the idea. I am so ready for this cough to be done and I thought I was getting better, but nope, I was up most of the night last night coughing.  You know, just doze off and hack hack hack. Then calm down and just doze off and hack hack hack and repeat. It has been years since I've had a cough this bad. The last time I remember was shortly after we moved here to this town almost five years ago.  Back then I still had the chronic pain, but not the constant feeling of being out of whack and stiffness so it wasn't so bad.

I think I just have to not ever get sick again. After all the stiffness in my hips started after a bout of the stomach flu caused me to wretch almost continuously for two days.  That's it, that is my plan, do not ever get sick again....and then I remember that I will have 4 kids in 4 different schools bringing home many different viruses...Sigh. I think I will be sick for the rest of my damn life. But at least I have my blog and my novels to keep me busy in times of sickness (Unless I'm coughing too much to keep my pen straight on the paper or the laptop on my lap!)

Until Next Time...Beware of the crud! I hear it is going around everywhere. If you do get it, I recommend heating pads, pain pills and a good sturdy back.  Take care and stay healthy this summer! <3

GERMS AND BUGS - AND WE THOUGHT OUR KIDS DIDN'T SHARE

Well we have reached that point again.  What point you may ask?  The point where Miss Crazy is at the age when life is all about lending, borrowing and sharing stuff with friends at school.  Now, I know we all tell our kids not to share drinks, brushes and other 'personal' things because of the possibilities of bugs and germs, but there are also the harmless things like Miss Crazy letting a friend wear her precious Hello Kitty ring until the last bell, or her friend lending her a bracelet until that same last bell - harmless stuff.

Now if you have a child that is perfect and does everything mom or dad says, I commend you for being a super parent.  But in my experience, THEY DO NOT LISTEN, especially about the 'personal' stuff. The senior came home with strep in third grade.  I asked her if she shared food or drink with anyone and she said no. I asked her again and she said no. Come to find out she and her best friend had swapped gum because they each didn't like the taste of the gum they had. SMDH.

I can't remember which kid it was, but one of them came home with lice. I asked them if they had shared a brush or hat with someone and they said no.  I asked again and they said no. Turns out they had swapped jackets with a friend and wore the hood.  (Although I am pretty sure this case of the nasty bug started elsewhere - here in Wyoming in the younger grades Jackets, hats and scarves are an absolute necessity and they are all kept in close proximity so those little suckers just jump on over to everyone) My point is, the little devils don't listen (kids and lice), they are sneaky little buggers that know every which way to get around the rules. ;)

Here are some of the excuses I've heard for blatantly not following the rules. But mom my hair was a mess and tangled.  I didn't want to look like a dork so I used  'so and so's' brush.  Or how about But mom, my head was cold and she had an extra hat in her locker. And then there is But mom I was so thirsty and my drink was gone so she shared hers. And of course being the smart ass I am my responses are - haven't you ever heard of using your fingers as a brush, well maybe next time you shouldn't lose your hat and haven't you ever heard of a water fountain.

But in the end, I have just kind of learned to go with the flow.  If something serious comes out, disease or bug wise, I will strictly enforce and punish for breaking the 'rules' but until then we just have to go with the flow. I can't be with my child 24/7 and I will never know everything they do when I'm not there.  But I now expect the occasional strep throat or lice outbreak or cold or stomach bug because it really is a part of life (x7 for our family :/) Remember, severe sore throat, a sore throat that doesn't go away quickly, or sore throat with a fever should always be looked at by a doctor!

Eventually the kids will develop their own sense of what is okay to share/borrow and that will be brought on by my constant nagging when they were younger. Although I know for girls, that special group of best friends doesn't seem to apply to the no share personal stuff rule because you know, they are immune. It doesn't matter if they are hacking up a lung, they are a best friend so it doesn't count. And the same applies to boyfriends (And if you are lucky you end up with a kid who thinks everything is gross and you don't have to go through any of this. Right?) Perhaps we should rejoice in the fact that our kids are actually sharing??? Or not. ;)

Until Next Time...As long as kids are allowed to roam free in public, whether at school, the mall, sports practices, dance lessons etc. they are going to come across some unsavory things and we as parents just kind of have to deal with it as it comes and keep reinforcing what is safe/safer/safest.  Most of them will get it eventually. Aside from reinforcing, just keep a box of lice treatment in the cabinet and the doctor's phone number in your phone and you are doing what needs to be done.