Zoe

Well, on Thursday, Zoe had a cough. It was a dry, choking cough. It made me nervous. She went to school for the day, I picked her up at 2:30 and took her to the Dr to recheck her ears (she's had an ear infection for over 3 weeks) at 4:20. We didn't see our regular Dr and we didn't see him right away, but when we did we were there until nearly 6. While we were waiting for the Dr to come in I noticed that Zoe was breathing strangely and I could hear her wheezing. I laid her back on the table and watched her chest retract while she was trying to breathe, and I was flashed back to when she was born and had all that trouble breathing. The Dr came in, looked in her ears (they were clear), and promptly asked me "when did she start wheezing?" I told him "about ten minutes ago." He asked us about family history of asthma (I didn't think there was any, but found out later my mother-in-law has asthma), and gave her an Albuterol nebulizer treatment in the office. He sent us home with a nebulizer, prescription for Albuterol, and Astelin nasal spray. I kept her home yesterday, we did breathing treatments every 4 hours, and she seemed OK Not a hundred percent, but getting better. She was running a low-grade temp all day Friday, but nothing over 99.8. Yesterday about 4 she was really hot (we're talking over 102) and I gave her some Tylenol. 2 hours later we did her last breathing treatment before bed after her bath, and I checked her temp : 101.7. I gave her Motrin, and put her to bed. I noticed that she was breathing very rapidly, and I checked her oxygen saturation levels and they were only 94% (normal is really over 97%). I called the Dr office, and told them my findings. Of course, we ended up at Cook's ER and spent 5 hours there.

After chest x-rays, breathing treatments, and lots of waiting......we talked to the Dr and she feels fairly certain that Zoe is suffering from "walking pneumonia" caused by a Mycoplasma bacterium. She started her on an oral steroid, a different antibiotic, and continuing the breathing treatments every 4 hours.

She's a different girl this morning. A mere 12 hours after her 1st steroid dose, and her 1st dose of the new antibiotic, she apparently feels so much better. She's not supposed to be running around, but she is right now chasing our dog. Her breathing is still rapid, more so than normal, but she looks like she feels better.

She was quite the little charmer last night at the ER. She had the respiratory therapist in stiches watching her hold her own mask while she did her breathing treatments!

Zoe, you are such a little jewel. You're beautiful, mischievous, and loving. You're the sweetest gift, and even though you can sometimes try our patience we wouldn't trade you for anything! We love you, and we are continuing to pray that this will be the end of your breathing problems!

Daniel's First Day Of School

since our computer has pretty much given up the ghost, it's memory is too full to be useful, I took a picture with my camera phone....isn't he cute?! And his little sister.....all grown up and going to school too!! Don't you just love the uniform????

I Covet Your Prayers

Found out this afternoon that Memaw's Lymphoma is back. She starts chemotherapy immediately. Please say prayers for complete healing, please.

I Can't Sleep....

My baby starts school tomorrow......REAL SCHOOL and I'm a freaking nut case.


Maybe I just need to go relax in a bubble bath or something......

Oh sure, I'm excited as heck for my kids! They're going to be with kids their age, playing, having a grand old time, and learning valuable things all at the same time! It doesn't get any better than that!

I don't know why the kids starting school affects me so much, other than the fact that we are now no longer the ones who see them the most during the day. We're "reinquishing control" of our children to virtual strangers, and that is scary. I am handing someone the single most valuable thing in the world to me and saying, "I trust you not to harm this most perfect and precious gift." So, when people look at me funny because we CHOOSE to send our children to a school we can't really afford.....just think about the world around us, imagine if we were to put them in the hands of God only knows who......at least at the schools they'll be in I know that they will be educated by loving people, by people who have the same values and ideals as we do, and that they will hear the same lessons reiterated at school AND at home.

Still, it doesn't alleviate the nerves at ALL......or the nausea........

So, if you are reading this, pray for me please. Pray for this first time mommy who must now see both her little chickies leave the nest and go to school within two days of each other. Because that's the only way I'm getting through this......prayer. And lots of it!

Life Changes.....

So, I haven't said so much yet, but Zoe starts school on Monday....I haven't said so much because we literally JUST enrolled her. It's a Montessori school, and she'll be in a class with kids up to age 6. She's advanced, and she's brilliant, and she's excited about her "Princess School." She got her backpack today, and her Dora lunch box. She's super excited!

Daniel starts school on Wednesday. He's going five days a week. And I'm truly excited....truly. Though it is a horribly emotional time for me right now! He gets to wear uniforms! We bought him uniform shorts and pants today, and he's got the shirts pressed and ready to go....I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm scared.

I need a vacation....I need some time at the beach....I want to spend some time with my family at the beach, relaxing, and just enjoying each other. I think we'll be heading to the coast in a month or so......just to get away.

Picture This.....

.....it's after 9:30 at night, your neighbor (who is slightly crazy, frazzled looking, and barefoot) is racing down the street obviously after her escape artist jack russell terrier......and you're standing in your front yard smoking. The dog runs right up to you....do you a) grab the dog so you can save your poor obviously stressed out neighbor some barefoot running, or b) continue to stand there smoking your cigarette while your poor neighbor tries to corner her dog and then you laugh because the dog you could have caught very easily is now running down the middle of a busy street?

You'd think the obvious choice is A right? NOT SO MUCH APPARENTLY.....my neighbors are the picture of apathy.

ugh

Thinks I'm Thinking....

* Sometimes God's timing is so hard to understand and accept.....
* Those people on the Valtrex commercials look so HAPPY to have genital herpes....odd, I don't think I'd be all that excited about it....
* Serial killers always look so creepy......how do people not realize they're serial killers?
* I wish my children weren't sick
* I don't understand people who don't call people back
* I'm not the most patient person in the world....
* I wish my children would stay young
* I'm proud of my husband
* I miss my extended family
* I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family
* I can't believe Daniel is going to start SCS in about 2 weeks....
* There but for the Grace of God go I....
* There is a lot of sadness in this world, a lot of despair, but underneath it all is a suspension bridge of Hope.

What Are My Kids Doing?

*Zoe went to bed last night at 5 pm with Tylenol, and Mucinex Cold on board......running a 101.5 temp. She is still asleep as I'm typing this at almost 11:30 am....poor baby

*Daniel is watching "Robin Hood," you know.....the animated one! Love this movie.

*I'm about to scramble some eggs.

*Michael is working....

*This morning after I got out of my shower Daniel was laying on the floor beside my bed and when questioned about what he hwas doing he said very simply, "oh I'm just resting here until my blood pressure comes up." WHAT?!?!?!?! Ahhhhh the joys of having someone who listens to EVERY conversation, even the ones his Mommy has with patients!! :)

*Daniel enjoys showers....he said "they're just like baths but you get to stand up and the water does all the work!"

*My children are infatuated with the movie "Jurassic Park." Seriously. Even though Zoe proclaims she is afraid of "E.T." she LOVES Jurassic Park....especially the part with the "T-Rex!" They love those "bossaraptors" as Daniel calls the velociraptors. And the weirdest part of all, there are no "scary" parts for me to fast-forward through. Daniel in fact gets upset if we skip ANY of the parts, except "when the great big fat man stealed the dinosaurs and then falled down and wasn't very happy." Ahhh....childhood.

I LOVE my family!!