Wednesday, March 18, 2009

From 4-wheelers to Croup

The week started out really well. On Sunday I got a call from my Dad inviting us out. He had something he wanted to show the kids that he thought they'd really like. So, after a bath for them, shower for me, and some clean-up time, we headed over. Turns out my Dad decided to buy a small 4-wheeler! I told him that it was his birthday and we were supposed to get gifts for him, not the other way around. (His birthday was on Monday.)

I took some pictures of the kiddos to make a card for my dad, but then my printer wouldn't cooperate to print the card. Here is the awesome photo I got of Blake and Julia. Chase wanted no part of being photographed ... little stinker! I have one with Blake holding him while he was screaming in protest, but won't post it here, lol.




Credits: Leaves of Green Paper Pack and Leaves of Green Element Pack by Sarah Meyer at www.gottapixel.net

All 3 of the kids were super excited about the 4-wheeler. Blake got to drive it around the driveway and in the yard a bit. That is all it will be used for until Blake is old enough to drive it on trails, really. Unfortunately, my Dad says by the time they are old enough to drive them on the trails, they end up being too big for the 4-wheeler! How weird to bother making a 4-wheeler that can't even be used properly.




DOT reg helmets! Thanks, Papa!


Just sitting ... Julia can't ride it yet.


Poor Chase was so jealous.


Papa wore the safety strap so that if Blake got to going too fast it would kill the engine. He walked/jogged along side the whole time. He is such an awesome Papa!

It was a beautiful day -- the weather is getting close to 60 degrees and the snow is almost all melted except in shady spots. The kids rode around on bicycles and played on the swing set. We drew a few hopscotch boards on the driveway too. I, of course, took lots of pictures. Then we had our first cook-out of the new year. Brats and hamburgers ... yum!!





Sunday night everything went perfectly normally except that Chase coughed rather harshly when I put him to bed. Tyler said, "Since when has he been coughing?" I said, "Since now!" The cough didn't sound good at all, and when I was up again with him at 3:00 in the morning I pretty much had it figured out ... croup. A short spell on the steps outside at 3 am helped him for just a little bit. So, I picked up the phone with a very warm and clingy 2 year old in my lap and called in to work. I knew I wasn't going to get much sleep, and I was right. Monday afternoon, after Chase's nap, we went to the new Urgent Care center nearby. It was nearly empty but definitely beautiful. I wished they had something for the kids to do, but at the same time was grateful that there was nothing for them to collect or deposit more germs on. Chase was NOT impressed about this trip at all. He even freaked about getting his O2 sats checked with the pulse oximeter (man, do I wish I had one of these for when I am worried about Chase's heart rate), which is just a little bandaid like sticker stuck around his toe with a wire to a box that reads his pulse and oxygen levels somehow. (It was 95% and his heart rate was 160 ... he was screaming and very mad so I wasn't surprised about the rate.) After talking with the doctor I learned Chase's tonsils were huge in addition to his expected croup. So, he needed a strep test and an X-ray to rule out where the infection was. Everything pointed to croup, and because Chase was having trouble swallowing and was so miserable (100.7 temp), he got the steroid shot. I asked about whether Blake or Julia could get this, and she said they could but it wouldn't be as bad as his because their airways are bigger. And she said adults can get it too, but we usually get a cough and lose our voices and that's the extent of it.

Well, she was right ... except I haven't lost my voice yet, and the kids have been rather miserable -- ok, me too. Blake decided at the last minute to stay home from school on Tuesday, and Julia has been quite a bit off today though it wasn't a school day for her anyway. I got ready for work this morning and took Blake to school. After I dropped him off I coughed hard enough to almost get sick, and just in general felt awful (I ache all over) so I picked up my cell phone and called my supervisor and told her that I'd changed my mind and just couldn't come to work. Stinks because I already missed Monday! Here it is almost 10 pm and I'm not thinking I will be well enough to go to work tomorrow either. :( Tyler's response, "Cool, no daycare at all this week, then!" I bet we will be charged anyway ... didn't have the heart to tell him.

I'm supposed to take pictures at a baby shower this weekend. Unless we all start feeling better very soon I won't be able to do it. I feel awful because they asked me especially to do it. I was just thinking this past weekend how we all needed to stay healthy. And I've been trying to learn more about my camera since I found out about the photo-taking opportunity too. I will be sad if I can't be there. :(

So, anyway, thanks for reading my babbling ... especially if you've made it all this way. I hope the pictures made up for my boring narrative. :) I'm off to bed. Hopefully I will feel much better, and Julia too ... I have a feeling we'll both be home tomorrow, though. :( Please send us GO AWAY GERMIES vibes!!! :)