Hand, Foot & Mouth

As I mentioned in a previous post, I drove down to Hot Springs on Thursday, 5/26 for an interview.  It was a quick overnight trip and I drove back home on Friday.  We were planning a trip to Tulsa to see Jan & Bill for Memorial Day weekend.  I was on the phone talking to my mom – almost to Fayetteville – when I got an incoming call from a number I didn’t recognize.  I let it go to voicemail.  When I got off the phone with Mom, I checked the message.  It was the kids’ daycare.  Nola was running a fever of 101.9 and they needed someone to come get her.  Ugh…

By this time I was in Fayetteville, so I called Rudy and told him that I would pick the kids up up & meet him at home.  My plan was to bring Caleb home and then take Nola to convenient care.  The boys packed and left for Tulsa while I took Nola to Wellquest.  There was a 2 1/2 hour wait, so I decided to try out the new walk-in clinic in town.  Lo and behold – we were the only people there.  (Seriously, the doctor was playing solitaire when we walked past him on our way to the exam room.)  I figured that was either because they were brand new and people didn’t know about them yet or they were awful.  Either way, I needed someone to take a look at Nola and find out why she had spiked a fever.  I suspected hand, foot & mouth virus because we had some friends over for dinner the week before and their daughter started showing symptoms 2 days later.  I mentioned it to the doctor, but he didn’t see anything to base the diagnosis on.  He looked in her mouth and her throat was a mess.  Strep swab was negative, but there was no way her throat felt good.  He called it a bacterial infection, prescribed good ol’ amoxicillin and sent us on our way. 

I started her on the amoxicillin that night.  She obviously didn’t feel well.  The fever hung on through the night, but was much lower the next morning.  We spent Saturday snuggled up in the big chair in the living room.  She napped on my chest while I watched more TV than I’ve watched in months.
She still felt pretty miserable, but the fever gradually went away.  By mid-afternoon, red spots were starting to show up on her body.  By 5:30, they were turning into blisters.  Yep, she definitely had it.  Full-blown hand, foot & mouth. 

The worst blisters were on her left thumb – the one that she sucks.  Our pediatrician had told me previously that our best bet for her to stop thumb-sucking was to contract HFM.  Secretly, I was kind of giddy about the idea of that working.   Not that I wanted her to have to suffer the awfulness of HFM, but I was really hoping there would be a good payoff in the end.

By bedtime, she was miserable.   By 12:30, I gave up and put her in bed with me.  Neither of us got much sleep.  The worst part of HFM is that there is absolutely no medicine for it.  It’s viral & just has to run its course.  I gave her tylenol for the pain, but it didn’t seem to help. 

On Sunday, we went back to convenient care.  This time, I went to Mercy.  We waited and waited and waited to see a doctor.  Nola wore her sunglasses in the waiting room so she could be incognito.  She would’ve been mortified if any of the kids from her class had seen her with those blisters on her hands and face! 

 

Once we finally got back to the room, we waited a while longer for the doctor.  Nola was tired.  It was naptime.  She really didn’t want anything to do with that room or me for that matter.  She screamed and screamed and threw a tantrum like I haven’t ever seen her throw.  I’m pretty sure it all started because I told her she couldn’t put her diaper bag in the medical waste trash can.  Eventually, the doctor came in.  She took a look at Nola’s blisters, listened to the information that I shared and said, “Yeah, she has a really bad case of HFM. Really bad.”  She took her off the amoxicillin & said to just ride it out.  I asked about returning to daycare and she wrote a note saying she could go back when she was 24 hours fever-free and eating/drinking normally.  Well, we were already at both of those milestones, so technically she was in the clear. 

We went home & both of us took a much-needed nap.  After nap, we played and watched some more TV.  She was obviously feeling better as long as the tylenol was controlling her pain.  She even discovered her bellybutton.  (She’s now obsessed with bellybuttons.  If you’re around her, I highly recommend tucking in your shirt.)

This is what Nola’s thumb looked like by Sunday night.  Heartbreaking.  It was about 50% larger than the other one and the blisters were so large that you couldn’t really tell where one stopped and the next one started.  They were beginning to break and become open sores.  It was not fun.

The boys came home on Monday and we made the decision that Nola could not go back to daycare on Tuesday after the Memorial Day break.  My mom offered to come up and keep her.  We were concerned about sending her out with open sores that couldn’t be bandaged.  She could get any kind of infection in those sores and we couldn’t stomach the thought.  So, Mom kept her home Tuesday and Wednesday. 

On Wednesday night, I did something I never thought I’d do.  I gave Nola a pacifier.  She was having such a hard time sleeping because she wanted to suck her thumb, but it hurt.  I remembered that I happened to have 2 pacifiers in the cabinet, so I gave her one.  After a few seconds, she calmed herself right down and went to sleep.  A lightbulb went off in my mind!  Maybe…just maybe, she would take to the pacifier and stop sucking her thumb after all.  Then, once I knew she didn’t miss that thumb anymore, I could instate paci rehab and we’d be done with it all!  My evil plan was foiled.  The paci served its purpose for one night.  As I type this, Nola is in her bed, sound asleep, thumb firmly planted in her mouth.    Can’t say I didn’t try!

She still had her boo-boo on Thursday (and was quite happy to show it to everyone who would look at it).  She really liked for people to blow on it and then she would try to do the same, but usually ended up blowing a raspberry at it.  Mom offered to take her home with her for the weekend.  As much as I hated to be away from her for that long, I decided it was for the best.  So, they packed up and headed for Hot Springs on Thursday morning.  Mom reported frequently on her improvement and Nola had a blast being the center of attention at LaLa’s house. 

We met Mom and Mr L in Ft. Smith on Sunday for lunch and brought Nola home with us.  We were so glad to have her home, but most of all we were glad to see HFM go away!

Stuff We Did in April

April 1 ~ Nola suddenly started walking!  Of course, that deserves its own post.  More on that later.

April 4 ~ The daycare called me because Caleb had a suspicious rash that they thought was chicken pox.  I picked him up, took him straight to the doctor, got a diagnosis of post-viral rash and took him straight back to daycare.  While I was there, they told me that Nola had been having diarrhea.  I chalked it up to the antibiotic that she was on for her ears.  Later that night, I booked a trip for just Rudy and I in Florida this summer!  Yeah!!!

April 5 ~ Nola got sent home from daycare with fever and more diarrhea.  Turns out she had rotavirus.  Yuck.  My mom came to the rescue and drove up to stay with us since Nola couldn’t go to daycare.

That night was also Caleb’s first t-ball practice.  That also deserves its own post.  Again…more on that later.

April 7 ~ Mom left after packing and taking 365 pieces of Nola’s outgrown clothes to consignment. 

April 8 ~ My friend Sheila and I took our preschoolers (Caleb and Ansley) to see Seussical the Musical at Bentonville High School.  It was so cute and the kids loved it – even though they were totally exhausted by the time it was over.

April 9 ~ Caleb’s 1st t-ball game.  Awesome.

April 11th ~ Ugh.  Benchmark testing week.  Ugh.

April 12th ~ Crazy Hair Day for Caleb at daycare.

April 15th ~ Stacy and I drove to Frisco, TX after school for our girls’ weekend.

April 16th ~ We started our day with a trip to Sam Moon and Cheesecake Factory and ended it with a 7 hour concert at Cowboys Stadium.  We saw Uncle Kracker, Billy Currington, Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney.

April 19th ~ Caleb’s kindergarten screening at Reagan.

April 22nd ~ Tornado sirens sent us to the laundry room wearing bike helmets.  The tornado passed just a few miles from our house.  While we were in there (trying to keep the mood light to keep the kids from being scared), Caleb asked if we could pray about it…so we did.

That was the beginning of a very long week of nothing but rain, rain, rain. 

April 23rd ~ We went to the church Easter egg hunt.  Caleb and I dyed eggs and made our Easter cake.  It wasn’t pretty, but it tasted pretty good.

April 24th ~ Easter Sunday – a rainy day, but we celebrated anyway!  A separate Easter post to come…
April 25th ~ Nola ran a fever at school, so Rudy left to take her home.  The rain caused lots of roads in Northwest Arkansas to flood.  It was a difficult drive home from school for Caleb and me.  By the time we went to bed, Caleb was running a fever too. 

April 26th ~ Rudy stayed home with both kids.  We watched the TV closely again for tornado warnings.  It was a horrible week with lots of severe weather.

April 27th ~ Mom came up to take care of the kids again so that Rudy could go back to work.  Caleb had been on the couch with fever for a day and a half.  When she got here, he perked up like magic.  He told me that night that LaLa made him feel better.  I agree.

April 28th ~ Mom and I took the kids to Gravette for a photo session with Kim Durham of KD Photography.  I’m still waiting for the final result, but the sneak preview that I got looks wonderful!

Stuff We Did in March

Holy Moly – It’s worse than I thought.  I haven’t updated what we’ve been doing since the first of March.  Here goes nothing (thanks to backtracking through my Facebook posts)…

March 13th ~ Caleb went to LaLa & Pops’ house for the week because we had so much on our evening calendars that it seemed like a good time for him to go for a visit. 

March 15th ~ Nola started running a fever at daycare and I had to go get her.  She ended up having a respiratory infection and an ear infection.  I took her to the ENT to get her ears suctioned…again.

March 16th ~ Caleb’s fish, Ronnie died.  We went through the classic 80’s sitcom dilemma of whether or not to replace him with a look-alike and decided against it.  When I told him, he was fine.  After a day or two, though, it because a major issue.  He wouldn’t sleep in his bed because he missed Ronnie.  He sobbed one night because he didn’t get to say goodbye to Ronnie.  He told me that he had prayed that Ronnie would come back to life and he didn’t understand why it didn’t happen.  Ronnie was soon replaced with a goldfish named Swimmy.  All is well in the tank again.

March 17th ~ Caleb and my parents went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Hot Springs.  These showed up on my phone via text: 

 

March 19th ~ I met my parents to bring Caleb home.  We sang Justin Bieber’s song “Baby” about 25 times between Waldron and Rogers. 

March 19th ~ Rudy and I cringed when we found out that Caleb was playing on the Cubs t-ball team.  I nearly killed our Cardinals fan hearts.

March 20-27 ~ SPRING BREAK!!!

March 20 ~ I spent hours sorting through the kids’ outgrown stuff to sell/consign/give away.  We have a lot of outgrown stuff!  We spent some time in the afternoon walking the trail at Compton Gardens.

March 21 ~ I spent the day in Branson with my friend Stacy.  We shopped ‘til we dropped and then some. 

March 22 ~ One of Caleb’s friends came over for the day.  I decided for absolutely sure that 2 kids is plenty for me.

March 23 ~ We all packed up and went to Hot Springs for the rest of the week.  Yay!!!

March 24 ~ Rudy and I had a date day while the kids stayed with my mom.  We went to Oaklawn & out for a fabulous dinner.

March 25 ~ Rudy went to deer camp to help out with some work & stayed for the rest of the weekend.

March 26 ~ Aunt Harolyn had us all over for a family dinner.  It was fun to see the Caleb and Maddox playing together & we enjoyed catching up with our whole family!

March 27 ~ Came home to get ready to go back to school.  The end of spring break is always sad. 

March 29 ~ Caleb:  “Thunder is good.  It scares away the lightning.”  I love the logic of a 4 year old.

March 31 ~ Caleb at bedtime:  “My heart beats happy.”  I admit that I got a little choked up at that one.

Case In Point

Seconds after I posted about it being 56 days since I last blogged, the phone rang.  Rudy was calling to tell me that Nola’s diagnosis from the walk-in clinic is pink eye and a yeast infection.  I put aside the idea of blogging and started trying to figure out what in the world we’re going to do tomorrow since I have 2 conferences and Rudy has a concert this week to prepare for.  It’s always something.

The Week from…

The 2 weeks (give or take a few days) in February of being snowed in and not being able to be in the germ pool of school were glorious for us.  Everyone got well – even Nola.  We were all healthy and doing great until the night of the 16th.  The only way I know to even explain this is on a day-by-day basis.  It’s unbelievable even to me – and I lived it.

Wednesday, 2/16 – Rudy went to class and came home around 9:00 as usual.  He usually sleeps on the couch when he gets home late because he likes to relax and watch TV before he can go to sleep.  He woke up during the night with chills and fever.  He finally got back to sleep and felt a little better when he woke up, so he went to work. 

Thursday, 2/17 – Rudy still wasn’t feeling great, so he went to the walk-in clinic.  The doctor there diagnosed him with a sinus infection, wrote him a prescription for an antibiotic and sent him on his way.  He came home feeling awful, but knew it was a sinus infection, so he stayed in the mix with the family that night.

Friday, 2/18 – I woke up around 4 AM because my throat hurt so bad I couldn’t breathe well.  I took my temperature, but didn’t have a fever.  I looked in my throat and didn’t see white pockets, so I ate a cough drop and went back to bed.  I woke up still feeling the sore throat, but went to work because I didn’t have fever.  (I have NO sick days left this year.)  I pushed through my day at work and felt a little worse as the day went on.  By 2:00, I was miserable.  That’s when the chills set in.  I went to the school nurse and didn’t have a fever, but I knew something was wrong, so I left work about 20 minutes early and went to the walk-in clinic.  After I told the nurse all of my symptoms, the doctor came in and asked me, “Do you have strep or the flu?”  I told him I hoped I didn’t have either one and I really didn’t want to be tested for either one because those swabs freak me out.  He looked in my throat and told me that he didn’t even need to swab me.  I had strep throat.  He wrote my prescriptions and sent me on my way.  I picked up my meds and came home to crawl under the covers.  I hurt from head to toe and back again and thought I was going to freeze to death.  I texted Rudy to tell him what was going on and he said he would take the kids to the boat show so that the house would be quiet.  I fell asleep and barely remember anything until Saturday.  I remember them coming in and I remember hearing Rudy and Nola coughing, but I was too sick to do anything about it.  Plus – I sure didn’t want to give anyone else strep.  So, I stayed in bed.

Saturday, 2/19 – I only got out of bed to go to the bathroom.  Rudy was supposed to have gone to do a volunteer music program at the library in Fayetteville, but he called and cancelled because he didn’t feel well.  Kathy was going to come over and watch the kids, but he cancelled that too.  I listened to him coughing and noticed that it was getting worse, but there was nothing I could do to help him.

Sunday, 2/20 – I woke up feeling like a new person.  I was still tired and weak, but I was able to walk and talk, which was a huge improvement.  Rudy and Caleb went to church because Rudy was scheduled to play his trumpet.  When they got home from church, Rudy was feeling awful.  He mentioned going to the doctor on Monday, but I encouraged him to go ahead and go on Sunday.  He did and texted me from the clinic to tell me that he had the flu.  I got the bed ready for him and as soon as he walked in the door, he was quarantined to the bedroom.

This is what our kitchen counter looked like on Sunday afternoon…

Monday, 2/21 – I went to work and took the kids to daycare.  They called me around noon to tell me that Nola had a fever.  It was less than 100*, so I didn’t go get her.  I left school as soon as I could and picked them up.  I took both of them to the pediatric clinic.  We saw Dr. Schaefer and he wrote prescriptions for both kids to prevent them from getting the flu.  When we left there, we went to eat and then to WalMart to get the medicines and some groceries.  By the time we got home, it was bedtime for the kids.  Rudy was still in the bed with the flu.

Tuesday, 2/22 – The kids and I went to school as usual.  Nola was still coughing her head off, but didn’t have fever over 100*, so I took her.  We made it through the day and I picked the kids up as soon as possible.  Caleb was a real trooper and entertained himself very well while I tended to Nola, made sure Rudy had what he needed and did the usual household things that need to be done.  I called my mom to tell her that we were going to need some help because Nola was getting worse and Rudy wasn’t getting any better.  She offered to come on Wednesday.  I called Jan to see if she could come to watch Nola until my mom got here and she agreed to, but couldn’t come until Wednesday morning.  Shortly after that, my mom called back and said that she was already an hour outside of Hot Springs and headed our way.  I called Jan back to tell her that she didn’t need to come.  Mom got to our house at 11:15 Tuesday night.  I swear she was wearing invisible angel wings.

Wednesday, 2/23 – Mom stayed home with Nola.  Rudy stayed quarantined in the bedroom.  Caleb and I went to school.  I came home to a hot meal, a clean house and the peace of mind that Nola had been taken care of all day without worry.  It was glorious.

Thursday, 2/24 – Rudy tried to go to work, but only made it 1/2 the day before he couldn’t go any further.  Mom kept Nola.  Caleb and I did our usual thing.  Again, I came home to a hot meal, a clean house and peace of mind.  Still glorious.

Friday, 2/25 was a repeat of Thursday, except I had told Mom that I would pick up dinner.  It ended up that I picked her and Nola up and they rode with me to Sam’s.  After that, we went in a consignment shop and then to get Caleb from school.  We stopped at PF Chang’s to get some take-out and Steak & Shake to get food for the kids.  We came home and ate, then spent the rest of the night visiting and catching up.

Saturday, 2/26 – I stayed up into the early hours of the morning planning Caleb’s birthday party and decompressing my mind from the week.  Mom had told me that I could sleep in on Saturday, so I was planning to do that.  She woke me up at 4 AM to tell me that she had gotten sick during the night and had to go home.  We scrambled to get her things in the car and I prayed that she would make it safely before going back to sleep.  She called when she got home to tell me that she was okay.  We spent the rest of the day being lazy and trying to recuperate from our manic week.

Sunday, 2/27 – Rudy was feeling a little better, but still not great, so we stayed home from church.  Nola was still coughing and I was just exhausted.  Caleb was still being a trooper.  I took him with me to WalMart to get some groceries.  We came home and I made dinner before getting ready for the week.

Monday, 2/28 – Amazingly, everybody went where they were supposed to go and stayed there all day.  I had a meeting until 4:00 and then went to Weight Watchers, where I found out that I’ve lost 12 lbs since January 10th!!  Rudy picked up the kids and I met them at home, then we all went out to dinner. 

Tuesday, 3/1 – I picked the kids up from daycare and took them to the park.  Rudy went back to the walk-in clinic to get some cough medicine so he can sleep.  He found out that he has an irregular heartbeat and has to see a doctor about it.  The doctor at the clinic told him it’s nothing to worry about, but that he should have it checked out sometime.  We’re taking both parts of that advice.

Now it’s Friday night.  The rest of the week has been pretty normal.  Nola is still coughing.  Rudy is still coughing, but has good cough medicine so he can sleep.  I’m doing fine and staying very busy at work.  I have an intern this semester, so I’m not having to bring home as much paperwork, which is nice.  Rudy took Caleb to meet Jan last night and he is spending the weekend in Tulsa with her and Bill.  Nola and I are hanging out tomorrow at home while Rudy has to work.  Fayetteville is having a make up snow day tomorrow.  School on a Saturday!  I’m looking forward to getting Caleb home, then we’ll turn around and it’ll be spring break.  I can’t wait…

Nola’s First Birthday

I can’t believe Baby Girl is one.  This year has absolutely flown by in a blur of milestones and co-pays.  Yet, here we are in 2011 and she’s one year old.  Ridiculous, I tell you.

Since Nola’s birthday fell on a weekday this year, we had her party on the 29th.  That doesn’t mean that we let the actual day go by unnoticed, though.  The days building up to the 27th were another string of sick days for Nola.  She had fever and congestion and general sickness on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of that week.  Just when we would think she was getting better, we’d find out that she had fever again.  After a couple of days of Rudy staying home with her, we decided to call for back up.  My mom and Mr. L. came up on Wednesday and spent the night with us.  They were here to watch Nola on Thursday and Friday so that she didn’t have to go to daycare.  They got to spend the whole day with her on her birthday. 

When Rudy and I got home from work on Thursday, we got cleaned up and ready to go out to dinner.  We all went to Carrabba’s, which is where we had dinner the night before Nola was born.  When we got home, we let Nola have her very own birthday cake.  I put a plastic tablecloth on the floor and put the cake in front of her.  She wasn’t so sure what to think at first, but once she got a taste of the icing, she was a little more convinced that it was okay.  She actually didn’t end up eating much of it at all, but made a royal mess anyway.

Here’s the basic sequence of events:

And a couple of other shots that I just think are too funny not to post:

Finally, Lala put her in the tub and tried to get all of that frosting out of her hair since Pops thought it would be funny to try to get her to play peek-a-boo while she was covered in frosting.  And, of course – she doesn’t cover her eyes when she plays peek-a-boo…she puts her hands on the sides of her head.

This Can't Be Happening...

After a wonderful weekend of Halloween fun and family time, I woke up this morning at 4:15 with that horrible nauseated feeling that says that it's not going to be a good day. I made it to the bathroom in time to throw up and have spent the rest of the day either in the bed or in the bathroom. I've even had fever and the oh-so-fun achiness that comes along with it.

If anyone knows of a way to keep from getting every bug that comes through town, please tell me. I'm really tired of this.

Infirmary Update

Not much time to write, just wanted to let everyone know that we are ALL going to work/school tomorrow. Caleb has bounced back beautifully and I'm getting a little better every day. Rudy is ready to get out of the house!

We carved pumpkins tonight and they turned out great! It was the first time Rudy and I have ever carved pumpkins in the 12 years that we've known each other. Caleb was appropriately grossed out by the "pumpkin guts" and like helping us pick up all of the seeds that fell on the ground. He was upset that he couldn't do any of the cutting, but he liked the idea of the activity. He even blew out the candles when we came in the house.

Mom and Mr. L. will be here tomorrow evening to share the fun of trick-or-treating and to take care of Caleb while Rudy and I go to homecoming. It should be a fun weekend...as long as we stay healthy.

Oh...and Rudy and I voted today! Yeah!!!!

"Daddy's a Superman"

WARNING: THIS POST IS ABOUT THE STOMACH BUG AND IS WRITTEN FROM A MOM'S PERSPECTIVE. IT MAY NOT BE FOR THE SQUEAMISH...

We went to bed last night at a decent hour. I took some awesome cough medicine and my antibiotic and hit the pillow. Rudy was snoring before I fell asleep and the baby monitor was whispering the sound of the wave machine in Caleb's room. Somewhere in the 1:00 hour, that all changed. I heard Caleb start to call for me. In my narcotic-induced fog, I checked the clock, but can't remember the exact time. I told myself to stick to my guns and make him cry it out. After all, he slept through the night Sunday and Monday. Fifteen minutes later, he was still crying, " Mama, Mama, Mamamamamama..." I tapped Rudy on the shoulder and told him that I needed for him to go check on Caleb to see why he was crying. I honestly would've done it, but waking up from a hydrocodone sleep is tough! He got up and I quickly heard him come back to the bedroom. I asked what was up and he told me that Caleb had gotten sick. He threw up in his bed. Immediately, my maternal guilt set in. I let him lay in his throw up for 15 minutes, calling for me and I didn't go get him. How was I supposed to know? Rudy told me to stay in bed since I'm already sick and he would take care of the situation. I grudgingly agreed and just as I started to doze off again, I heard that sound. I jumped out of bed, threw on a pair of PJ pants and headed (still foggy) into the living room. Rudy, still waking up, was determining the best way to help a vomiting 2-year-old at 2:00 in the morning. Unfortunately, Caleb had thrown up on the floor in the living room. When he stopped long enough, I helped him to the bathroom and held onto him while he finished throwing up. It was one of the saddest things I've had to do as a mom. It was the first time he's been old enough to understand that he needs to throw up in the potty. I kept telling him to "spit in the potty" and he would do just as I said. When he was finished, I took him in the living room and held him while Rudy spot-cleaned the carpet and stripped Caleb's bed. Caleb asked me what Daddy was doing and I told him that he was cleaning up. Caleb's response was priceless, "Daddy's a Superman." I agreed with him 1000 percent! After that, he told me one other time that he needed to "spit in the potty" and sure enough, he did.

I got Caleb a plastic bowl to hold in case he needed to throw up again, but he didn't want it. He kept giving it back to me. Knowing that he needed something "just in case," I decided to make it more appealing. I took the cup in the bathroom where we still have some potty training stickers left over. I put truck stickers all over the cup and took it back to Caleb. I told him it was his "truck chuck cup" and if he needed to throw up and couldn't get to the potty, that was the place to do it. He grinned and took the cup like it was the greatest thing in the world. Score one for Mama!

Rudy insisted that I go back to bed in order to go to work today and that he would stay home. I did and he stayed up with Caleb the rest of the night, holding him and helping him when he got sick a couple more times. When I got ready to leave for work, they were still in the recliner, exhausted from a long, hard night. It broke my heart to leave them like that.

Rudy tells me that Caleb only got sick once more during the night and at some point, it switched to diarrhea. That has been the case all day long. When I called home mid-morning, Caleb was soaking in an oatmeal bath and Rudy was going to put some cream on his bottom. The poor kid was miserable. He has felt better off and on today and tonight. He enjoyed playing cars tonight and understood when I told him that he couldn't have any milk until his tummy was better. He napped from 1:30 until almost 6:00 and asked to go back to bed at 8:15.

Rudy is staying home with him again tomorrow because of my work obligations. If we need another day on Friday, it'll be my turn. We're just crossing our fingers that we don't get it next. Mom and Mr. L. are supposed to come up on Friday for Halloween and to watch Caleb while Rudy and I go to the last football game of the year. We have really been looking forward to their visit and hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Monica and I were laughing via e-mail today about Caleb's tummy troubles on his first Halloween. I don't know what's up with that, but it needs to stop! This is not a tradition we need to carry on!

As for me, I'm still coughing. I feel a little better, but not back to normal yet. It's hard to tell what's pneumonia, what's lack of sleep and what's stress. The combination isn't healthy, that's for sure!

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the little man, a miracle that Rudy and I don't get it, my recovery from pneumonia and a Bootiful Halloween. I'll keep you updated...

Cough...Hack...Cough

You know how I've been saying that I have this nagging cough that just won't go away. I've been calling it bronchitis. I was wrong. According to my 3 hour visit to convenient care tonight, my bronchitis has turned into walking pneumonia. I had to get a Rocephin shot in my hip (OUCH!) and I'll be picking up a variety of prescriptions at WalMart tomorrow. I was just too tired to go get them tonight! Seriously - walking pneumonia. This was supposed to be a healthier year for us.

The Bad and the Good of Late October

There is nothing on this planet that makes me cringe as much as a whiny child. Guess what...I now have one. Since Caleb's surgery on the 10th, he has whined like there is no tomorrow. It makes me crazy!!! Let me back up a little and please excuse me if I whine.

The last time I posted, we had had "A Strange Day." That was the start of what turned out to be a nasty bout with bronchitis for me. It's now 11 days later and I'm still coughing. We were supposed to go to the Pumpkin Patch with friends on Sunday (10/12), but I spent the day in bed with fever. I spent the nights of the 13th and 14th laying awake and coughing. I actually went to the guest room so that Rudy could sleep. On Wednesday, the 15th, I went to the doctor and ended up with a ZPac, which helped but didn't knock it out totally. I also got some fabulous nighttime cough medicine. If hydrocodone had a fan club, I'd be a member. It turned out to be the only way I could stop coughing long enough to sleep. Caleb has also had a cough for quite a while. We thought the antibiotics after his surgery would solve the problem, but he's still coughing and now his nose is running too. Aaaggh! Silver lining: he doesn't have a ear infection! Rudy was a super-dad during all of this. He took full responsibility for Caleb while I had fever and continued to take care of him most of the week since I was feeling so crummy.

I had the day off on Friday, the 17th and it was a busy day! I took Caleb to school and came home to do laundry and pack for our trip to Hot Springs. We also had the carpets and living room furniture cleaned to rid ourselves of the remants of having an indoor dog and potty-training a toddler. Yeah!!!! After the Sears guy left, I called Stacy and met her for a quick trip to the Hammonds center craft fair and lunch. We went to get Caleb at school and came home to meet Rudy. Not long after he got home, we hit the road for Hot Springs. We made it there without any trouble. It was one of Caleb's easiest trips in a while! Hallelujah!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Hot Springs. Mr. L was at deer camp, but came home on Sunday morning before we left. Rudy played golf at Hot Springs Village with Chad on Saturday morning and Mom played with Caleb while I slept in. Unfortunately, Caleb hasn't taken too well to sleeping in the "big bed" with siderails at Lala's and one of us ends up having to sleep with him. Again...thank goodness for hydrocodone. :) Shortly after I got up, Aunt Harolyn came by to see us and then Pepapa and Anna Joyce came over. Caleb and Mom spent some time outside collecting acorns for Pops to feed the deer. I went shopping while Caleb napped and got an outfit to wear Saturday night. When I got home, Rudy was there and got ready to go over to Little Rock. We went to dinner and then to UALR for the Air Force Band Concert. Our friend, Chris was playing a trumpet solo, and it was our first time to see him play professionally. I think the last time I saw Chris play was at our wedding 10 years ago! After the concert, we all went over to Chad & Ronni's house for a little bit and then Rudy and I drove back to Hot Springs. When we got home, Caleb was sound asleep in Lala's bed. I'm not sure which one of them enjoyed that snuggle more.

On Sunday, Mom treated me to a special birthday lunch! She made my favorites: crawfish ettoufee and chocolate pie! Yum! After our early lunch, we hit the road for home. We made a short stop in Ft. Smith to see Jan and her friend Sue, then came home.

Of course, in our family, it seems that someone always has to be sick. Rudy woke up during the night Sunday with a stomach bug. He went to work on Monday, but came home early after a trip to the doctor. He was officially quarantined to the bedroom until this morning.

Sunday night, I went to bed at 9:30, thinking I would get a good night's sleep to prepare for a busy week. No such luck. Caleb woke up at 12:00, crying. I put him in the guest bed with me and we both went back to sleep. He woke up at 2:00 and whined/cried until I had to get up at 5:45 to get ready for work. I put him back in his bed at some point during all of that and he cried so hard, I thought he was going to be sick. So, I started the week on minimal sleep. This week is parent-teacher conference week for me, so I knew it would be busy. I left school at 4:30 on Monday and picked up Caleb. We went to the grocery store and then came home for dinner, bath, play and bedtime. I admit...I bought him a new movie at the store so we could have a low-key night. It worked. I put him to bed at his regular time and then had some work to do. It was midnight before I could get to bed. Of course, Caleb woke up at 12:30 screaming. I thought I was going to cry, but my Mom abilities kicked in and I sucked it up. He kept saying that his ears hurt. I gave him some pain medicine from his surgery and he went right back to sleep. Again...I love hydrocodone. We both slept most of the night and made it to school on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday was a LONG day for me. After school, I had parent-teacher conferences until 6:45. On Monday night, I had called our fabulous superhero babysitter, Kelly and worked out a way for her to take care of Caleb for me on Tuesday night. She came by my school and got my carseat, then went to Caleb's school to get him. They went to an early dinner at McDonald's and then came home to play. Rudy was still quarantined. When I got home, Caleb and Kelly were playing happily. Caleb told me he had to go potty, so I took him. My heart sank when I realized that he had diarrhea. I just knew that he had gotten Rudy's virus and we were in for another few days of misery. After a few more trips to the bathroom, I finally got him to bed. I called my principal and told her I wouldn't be at work on Wednesday and settled in for another long night. I got to bed at about 10:15 and, as expected, Caleb woke up at 2:00. Again, he told me his ears hurt. I gave him more pain medicine, took him to the bathroom (no diarrhea!) and we climbed in the bed. The pain medicine wasn't as effective this time. He fussed and cried and whined for over an hour while laying in the bed with me. He finally fell asleep around 4:00. We got up at 8:00 this morning and he played and watched TV while I dozed on the couch and counted down the time until his nap. After lunch, I finally got him in HIS bed for a nap and started some laundry. Then I hit the bed and slept like a rock until Rudy got home. Rudy woke up Caleb and took him to his follow-up appointment at the ENT. I went to school to get some work to bring home. I'm not sure why - it's not like I've even looked at it tonight! I guess I just needed to get out of the house and that made me feel productive. When I got home, Caleb was playing and Rudy had dinner almost ready. It has been a pretty good night. Rudy has felt so much better and enjoyed playing with Caleb tonight. He put him to bed not long ago and we've agreed to let him cry a little longer tonight before going to rescue him.

Everyone is going to school tomorrow. Rudy and I both have parent-teacher conferences and I have someone coming to my school to watch Caleb and another teacher's child. Good heavens, I hope it's a better day.

Now...for the update from the ENT. Nothing. He told Rudy absolutely nothing. He said that Caleb's ears looked fine. He wasn't worried about anything. He suggested a steroid for the inflammation that may be causing the ear pain, but Rudy turned it down. Caleb doesn't handle steroids well. We'll just keep giving him Tylenol and Motrin. Rudy said that Dr. Lee considered another round of antibiotics, but decided against it. I guess we're just going to have to ride this storm out with a test of patience.

Caleb's whining is ridiculous, but I don't know how much of it is because he doesn't feel good and how much is him being a pain. He will throw a holy fit and whine and cry, then look at me and say, "Mama, I not crying anymore." Usually, when he whines, I ignore him or tell him that I can't hear his words when he's whining. When it's the middle of the night, I tend to cave a little quicker. I'm just too tired to deal with it at 2:00 in the morning. I know I shouldn't get him out of his bed and sleep with him in the guest bed. I know that goes against every logical parenting rule. But...usually that cycles through about 2 or 3 nights every month or so. Not a big deal. Now, this has been going on for almost 2 weeks. It's not just getting old - it's old already.

I know I've written a lot of negativity in this post, so let me finish with some positives.

• Caleb has learned some pretty amazing things the past few weeks at school. He's starting to pretend a lot and his language has exploded once again.
• There is a child in his class that likes to try to scare the other kids by talking about ghosts and monsters. With Halloween coming soon, we've been tying to tell him that ghosts and monsters are pretend. When he starts talking about them at night when he goes to bed, I spray some air freshener that we call "monster spray" and he seems okay.
• As usual, he sings a lot. The new favorites are "Where is Thumbkin" and "Old MacDonald."
• Yesterday, Caleb walked into the living room with his blanket wrapped around his shoulders and told me that he was a princess. I thought that was pretty funny.
• Last Monday, he told me that it wasn't raining, it was just sprinkling.
• With all of the fall decorations out right now, he likes to point out all of the "squarecrows."
• When he is in the car with Rudy, Caleb likes to "help Daddy drive" by pretending that he is holding a steering wheel. He actually turns it the right way most of the time.
• He also likes to tell everything "Happy Birthday" - especially Taco Bell and the cows that we pass on the way home. That's a game that he and his Daddy made up one day and he's holding on to it.
• Caleb has started playing with his toys by "making them talk." He'll hold an Elmo figurine and say, "Hi, Elmo" then, "Hi, Caleb."
• Caleb's sense of direction seems pretty impressive to Rudy and me. He knows which way we turn to get places and if we don't go that way, he gets upset. He can also guess where we're going based on which way we're going.
• And, to make things truly positive...I would venture to say that Caleb is now fully potty-trained. He goes days between accidents. When we were in Hot Springs, I asked him if he needed to go potty and he said no. He then went into the bedroom, closed the door and wet his pants. I asked him why he did that. He said he "want to play, not sit on the potty." That's a pretty good sign to me that he can control his bladder. He's just being two.

Caleb's ENT Visit

Last Tuesday night, Caleb went to bed with a cough. I gave him some cough medicine with codeine. He woke up at 3:00 AM and was ready to play. Apparently, the codeine had worn off. I put him in bed with me and we both dozed off and on - more off than on - until the alarm went off at 5:45. (Rudy always sleeps on the couch on Tuesday nights. Don't ask. It's a long story.)

Last Wednesday, Rudy showed up to get Caleb from school and he was getting in trouble. Ms. Natalie was in the middle of telling Caleb that he needed to go sit on the carpet, because he wasn't being a good listener. Uh-oh. We had a long talk about listening to teachers and Caleb said he would be a big boy on Thursday. We chalked it up to being tired since he had pretty much been up since 3 AM. Wednesday night, we gave him Benadryl to help his cough and help him sleep. He woke up at 4:30. Rudy put him in bed with us and none of us got any sleep worth a flip until the alarm went off.

Thursday, I picked Caleb up from school and his teacher said that he just hadn't been himself. He was still coughing. Ms. Natalie said that she almost called me to come get him, but decided to see if he could make it until I got there. We came home and met Rudy to eat dinner. After dinner, I took Caleb to convenient care. I've said it before, but there is nothing convenient about convenient care! We were there for 2 hours. I learned from my previous experiences and took a movie to entertain Caleb while we waited. We finally got in to see the doctor and found out that he was wheezing, had an ear infection on the left and had fluid in the right ear. We got prescriptions for an inhaler and an antibiotic.

On Friday, I called the ENT's office and made the first appointment I could get. I took Caleb to the ENT this morning at 9:30. Dr. Lee listened to my plea for replacement of Caleb's tubes and agreed that it was the right thing to do. He also suggested removal of his adenoids. I'm all for whatever is going to keep us from being as sick as we (I do mean "we") were all last year.

Caleb's surgery is scheduled for next Friday - October 10th. We're hoping and praying that it will help like it did last time!