Monday, February 5, 2018

The first visit

Today was our first visit to the newly opened Children's Hospital.  I was not impressed.  Yesterday we were at our Peds again.  Sara was on day 6 of a fever and her tonsils are super swollen, red and have white spots again.  The Peds tested her for strep again.  This time I had a fantastic Dr. and she listened to all of the symptoms without discounting anything.  She suggested we see an ENT.  She promised to try and get us in Monday.  Around 8pm our home phone rang and it was her checking on Sara.  She called again this AM at 8.  Unfortunately they called 6 ENT's and could not get me in.  So we headed to the ER at children's.  The plan was to see an ENT there.

Well the plan didn't work out.  We arrived at 10am and didn't leave until 3:45.  It was run so poorly and of course I had a resident that barely listened.  Once she heard Mono she ignored everything else.  First they did a flu swab and when that was negative they did a urine analysis.  After that was negative they did a strep test.  These were not all done at the same time.  So they would do a test, we would wait for the results and then they would do the next.  It was so inefficient!  Finally I expressed my disgust at 1:45 and said I had expected bloodwork and to see and ENT.  She then returned and ordered blood and an x-ray.  The x-ray tech asked me what they were looking for!!

After all that time I asked for some ice water at 2pm.. never received it.  It was horrid we spent the entire day there and didn't find out anything new.  I can't wait for my Pediatrician to call.  I would have been better off waiting for the next ENT appointment.  We left with a hungry, tired child.  The only good part of the day was that her fever stayed below 99.2.  Of course Murphys Law we go for a fever and it disappears.  

At this point the plan is to keep her out of school for tomorrow and then reevaluate.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Weekly visits to the Pediatiricians

Since Mid -December I have taken Sara to the Pediatricians 6 times and we are scheduled to go again on Friday.  This is crazy.  Now she has a virus and is running a fever between 100 -103.  Poor Sara is so wiped out.  For the second year in a row she has missed Catholic Schools Week.  She insisted on dressing up this am and wanted me to send her picture to her teacher.  I tried to console her that each year we have made something really fantastic for school spirit day and once she gets to wear them she will have the best costume ever!

She does have a book report due on the 15th and she gets to dress like the character.  Sara chose Laura Ingalls Wilder since we had purchased a flannel nightgown and a bonnet last year.

I would have loved to have taken a sick day this week to be with Sara.  It was the start of the new semester and my Department had a curriculum day planned for today.  So my Mom has had Sara the past few days.  Thank goodness for her.  She is a lifesaver over and over again.

Evan has been a trooper this month.  I feel bad that I make him head to bed early when Marc isn't home and Sara is crying that she needs to sleep with me or fall asleep with me.  Part of the Mono has made her very clingy.  I have missed looking over his homework a few times this month.  He has a very intense teacher this year.  Her grading is not very forgiving.  For example if they are late (4th graders forget their homework) or if they don't put their name on it, or do anything except math in pencil she takes off 5 points.  She is teaching them responsibility but is very strict for a bunch of 9 year olds.  I am the opposite as a teacher and am very flexible.  But... I do teach electives.

This afternoon I called Sara and asked if anything sounded good.  She said Chipotle might.  So I picked it up on my lunch and she ate 2/3 of a very small taco.  Tonight she ate 1 3/4 more tacos.  That is the most she has eaten in days.  I am desperate to get anything into her.  Our freezer is filled with her favorite ice cream treats, frozen yogurt, and popsicles.  She has been living on Chicken noodle soup and bread this past month.  Its not because I don't make my own soup, I do.  She has been extremely hard to feed and only a few things appeal to her.  Luckily one of them has been apples.  I'm crossing my fingers that she is back to school next week.  I did make sub plans for Monday just in case.

She hasn't been to dance or gymnastics in a month and I originally planned on having her return to dance this week but unless there is a huge improvement in the next two days we will be waiting even longer.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Recovery

Sara is slowly recovering.  She is still pretty emotional and wants Mom, claims she will miss me when its time to go to school and has cried many mornings.  She missed 3 days the first week.  The second week was a four day week and she made it for 2 whole days, went in late once, and came home early another day.  This week so far she has survived 3 full days, and came home early yesterday.  I ended up taking her back to the Pediatricians yesterday.  The good news is her lymph nodes are not as enlarged, her spleen seems okay, her tonsils no longer are swollen with white spots.  The bad news she has a  new virus or cold.  She is very congested and her throat hurts.  Normally this wouldn't be so bad but her immune system is so weak after Mono.

Sara has only left the house for school, Drs visits, dinner out last Saturday and 2 trips to Target.  I feel like we are all hibernating!

Poor Evan is getting the short end of the stick.  We rush through his homework because Sara wants me to lie down with her as she falls asleep.. that's another story.  She has been falling asleep with me and then either Marc or I carry her to bed.  This weekend I need to end this!  The other night I climbed in Evans bed to say goodnight and he said "Mom do you realize I'm Evan and you only do this with Sara"  Poor kids has been abandoned!

Marc is out of town tonight.. Selfishly its so much easier to feed just the kids.  I put a roast in the crock pot and I can make Sara acorn squash in the Instant Pot and Evan mashed potatoes and corn or peas and call it done.  Marc usually comes home much later so I feel like the kitchen never gets cleaned up.

Next week I start with new students.  I can't believe half of the year is over.  Hopefully the second half goes by just as quickly.  If only the summer would go slower!  So far no plans yet.

Marcs sister is getting married and has asked Sara to be the flower girl.   She still hasn't set a date but possibly next Easter or next summer.  Hopefully we can turn it into a vacation at Myrtle Beach or one of the beaches surrounding Charleston.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

New year... not starting out so well

As 2018 rolls in we are starting out on a rough path.  Sara has been diagnosed with Mono.  She went to the doctors twice the week before Christmas with a cough, and sore throat.  I assumed she had strep throat since she is extremely prone to is.  She complained on and off during Christmas and also complained on and off that her stomach hurt.  She went to Gymnastics a few days before Christmas and when I picked her up she was crying.  She told me she cried the entire class and didn't know why she was crying.  The crying and emotions increased during break.   She became very clingy and wanted dozens of hugs and kisses before bed.  She then became very anxious when it was time to return to school last Wednesday.  She told me she didn't feel herself and was an emotional wreck.  I chalked it up to the change in routine.  Well it only became worse.  So bad that I had read about PANDAS online and was convinced she had it.

I finally called a friend that is a child psychologist and she suggested the possibility of Mono.  Well I took her in Monday afternoon and she tested positive.  Since she didn't feel that bad I sent her to school Tuesday and I guess that was a mistake.  She was exhausted.  She hasn't napped at all but has laid around all week and doesn't have much of an appetite.  Her tonsils are huge and very red and now are starting to become covered in white spots.  Today is the first day that I thought she perked up.  When I ask her she says she doesn't feel any better.

She has managed to keep up with her homework.  Her teacher sent all her work for the rest of the week.  Thank goodness that Monday is a holiday so that will extend the rest period.

Last Friday we had a day off for the cold temperatures and today I was running around in a sweatshirt.  This weather is crazy.  I did manage to take down and store all the outside lights at 8am this morning!  Last week I made the kids clean the basement and we have a giant box of toys to sell and donate.  I packed away all the Legos, dollhouse, and sorted through tons of books.  Surprisingly Sara let me get rid of all the play dough.  Now she has progressed to the slime obsession.  Our one tip on slime is to combine glue with sta-flo starch.  It is much easier than any other recipe.

Our exciting news of the day is Marc's sister is getting married.  She had told Sara a long time ago she could be a flower girl.  Sara is thrilled, although no wedding plans have been made yet.  We will have another trip to Charleston at some point for the wedding.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Great Wolf Lodge

We just returned from Great Wolf Lodge and had a very quick, fun trip.  Evan's friend Dominic joined us and their were 10 other families from school.  On Thursday night, Evan mentioned his friend Josh was going.  Josh has a little sister Alyssa that Sara adores.  We were both surprised to not have know the other was going.  I love Josh's parents and they were lots of fun to spend the evening with.

The kids had a great time in the water park for 5 hours straight.  Food was surprisingly reasonable.  Dinner was $20 Canadian for 8 chicken strips, 3 orders of fresh cut fries, and 2 sodas. So about $16 American.  We let the kids each spend $10 in the Arcade after the waterpark closed.  Sara accidently spend more than she thought on a game that wasn't working.  I had $5 Canadian in coin and when I went to cash it in, the attendant looked at her and said tell me when to stop.  She was puzzled and didn't understand what he was doing, well he kept sliding her game card over and over until she had about $60 worth of credits.  The kids had a blast with that and cashed in their "prize points".  Sara was thrilled to purchase a Kinder-egg.  Since these are illegal in the US they are always a favorite in Canada.  As long as we unpackaged it, its legal.  Such a silly law.  They are chocolate eggs with a plastic egg inside (Easter egg size) with a prize inside.

The kids played basketball, did the obstacle courses, wave pool, and hot tub.  Sara did a few waterslides but the boys were more timid.  She played with Alyssa and then transitioned to a boy from her class Carson.  I think Carson has a crush on Sara but they had a great time together.  Floating in the lazy river in the double tube, riding waterslides, and doing the obstacle.  Its so nice to know all the families.  The kids were on their own for a good amount of time at the park.  They would check in periodically and I would check on them.  We had a rule to stay with a buddy and not to use the bathrooms without an adult, and not to leave the park.  My kids are super easy with things like this and haven't pushed the limits yet.

We had breakfast there since the kids didn't have much for dinner and were very overtired.  The Buffet was not cheap but I figured if we had a big breakfast we could have a light lunch.  Sara tried pea meal bacon and loved it.  Evan had 6 small waffles and some fruit.  I just wanted coffee and the waitress forgot me and so brought me a tog o cup that was very welcomed!  The kids decided not to return to the park and wanted to play put-put golf.  Well, after searching the resort for it, we found it was outside.  Today was 21 degrees, so that idea went out the window.  We decided to check out and head to 7-11 for slurpies and a few more Kinder Eggs before crossing the border.  The Whirlpool bridge was backed up a bit but since Dominics mom gave me his original birth certificate and a note we didn't have any issues.

When we came home I ran to JCP to use some coupons I had 3 spend $10 save $10 coupons, and 1 $15 reward.  I picked up some sneakers for Marc, he doesn't like them, I will be heading back.  Two outfits for Christmas gifts, and some slippers for my mom.  It was so busy there today.  I also went to TJ Max to return something but the line was crazy.


Saturday, November 4, 2017

We can breathe again...

We have officially survived September and October.  I started using the calendar app on my iPhone last year and it puts a dot on each day you have an event scheduled.  Well, there was one day without a dot in September and October.  The schedule hasn't lessened up that much but enough that we can breathe, catch up and relax a little bit.

Sara is doing dance 2 nights a week, and gymnastics one night a week.  Evan is only doing Basketball on Saturday afternoon.  Previously we had 2 dance nights, 2 soccer practices, 1 gymnastic, 1 flag foot ball practice, and 3 games on Saturday.  Evan had a football game in the AM and a soccer in the PM.  Sara had a game every Saturday AM.  Unfortunately Marc works many Saturday mornings so it was a circus getting everyone prepared.  I also had Sophomore class advisor duties of concession stands for Football games on Thursday nights, homecoming weekend game and dance, and our church does an Octoberfest.  For Octoberfest I was selling tickets after mass each week, either on Saturday or Sunday and finally I spent a Sunday working the event. The bonus was after purchasing a ticket for the past 6 years we finally won $100.   In between all of this are the playdates, shopping, cleaning, birthday parties, and attempting to take care of our cottage and home.

Phew... I thought today would be our first Saturday off.  Instead we had a fundraiser at school that I had to attend from 11-2 and then return to school for basketball from 3-4:30.  My only saving grace is I can drop the kids off and run an errand or run home.  2 weeks ago we started car pooling to dance with a girl that Sara has danced with for 2 years.  This makes my life so much easier and we found out she lives close so hopefully we will have a new friend for playdates.

School has been going well for the kids.  They both have at least 30 minutes of homework per night.  Some nights its a challenge.  Evan is my more academic child and Sara is more of a social butterfly.  She can make friends with anyone while Evan prefers a few close friends.

Last weekend our fridge started freezing.  Of course we discovered it on Friday night.  Marc called Saturday and they couldn't make it out until Monday.  Well after some research Marc decided he would try to fix it (its 5 years old).  He had me order 2 parts from Amazon for $80 and they finally arrived on Thursday.  In the meantime we were turning the breaker on and off - enough to keep the fridge cold but turning it off to keep it from freezing.  Thankfully he chose the correct parts and its working.  That saved us from the $150 service call, plus parts and labor.

I think we are slowly getting ready for colder weather.  I still need to get Sara a coat to play outside in and Evan some new boots.  I have ordered some from LL Bean and Lands End and can't seem to get the correct fit.  We still have a few pieces of furniture to store for the winter and one more trip to our cottage to quickly clean up and we should be ready.

I am proud to say I ordered our Christmas cards.  I usually take a picture in November or have a picture taken and this year I cheated and used a beach picture from our trip to Florida.

This week we are heading to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls.  We are off from school on Friday so Marc can't go, so crazy me is allowing Evan to take a friend.  There are 10 families from the kids school going so I know Sara will have plenty of friends.  I was nervous to ask our friends if there son wanted to go.  I know we will need his birth certificate and a note to cross the border.  He is such a great kid and so easy going that I know he will be fine.  We have never been there and we have a great group rate so hopefully it will be a success.

I am so thankful that I had success ordering from Ikea this week.  I have been procrastinating ordering a sideboard for our cottage since last winter.  I was hoping we could at some point find time for an overnight in Pittsburgh so I could pick it up or we could purchase it in Canada for a bit more.  Well last week I received a free shipping email that would save me $49.  I tried to order it and it could only be picked up in the store.  I tried the next day and the price dropped $120!  It dropped in price to $239.  Now we need to purchase an inexpensive TV and our cottage will be a bit more livable.  Marc spent many hours this summer replacing and building a tile corner shower.  Hopefully next summer we can spend some more time there and spend the night.  The shower has leaked the past few years so we always drive the 40 minutes home.

Funny Sara story - last week I told Evan that my belly used to be as firm and hard as his.  Sara lifts up her shirt and says in disgust "I have Dads belly!"  Sara has always been softer than Evan he is so thin.  I laughed so hard.  I still love when they say something out of the blue that is pure honesty!

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Flying by..... again

Wow its Mid- May already.  This year has been such a great year at school.  I have such great students.  I have nicknamed my one class the angel class.  They are juniors and  are in my accounting class.  Its May and I have never been annoyed or upset with anyone in the class!  They are fantastic and so respectful.  I hope my kids turn out this way.

Evan and Sara have had great years at school.  They both did soccer in the fall, Evan is participating in track now.  Evan has taken piano lessons since Christmas with his music teacher.  They both have participated in multiple STREAM academies.  Sara is currently in a Arcade academy that they engineer and build their own games.

Sara is still busy with Gymnastics (her favorite) and Ballet.  We are gearing up for the dance recital and the gymnastics show in June.

Evan started orthodontics in November and it was a rough start.  He had an expander put in on a Monday and had it removed by Friday.  Between being sick, his aversions, and stubbornness, we were on the verge of dehydration.  By Friday he was to weak to walk down the stairs, it was awful.  Well after giving it a rest for a few weeks our orthodontist made a special retainer expander for Evan.  Evan has been amazing with it.  I was convinced he wouldn't keep it in his mouth or he would loose it.  Well he has proven me wrong.  He is so dedicated to keeping it in.  He was even told a few weeks ago he doesn't have to wear it to school anymore.  Well, we still wear it except for when he is eating.
Sara starts her process in June and will have to get head gear.  At this point she is excited about it but when she has to wear it 12 hours a day it may not be as excited. A friend was in NYC this week and I had her pick up the American Girl braces set.  So hopefully that will make it a little more bearable.  She is still a huge American Girl fan.

We survived driving to Charleston (14 hours) over Easter and the kids loved seeing their Grandma and Aunt.  We enjoyed a bit of beach time and some sunshine.  Sara's car sickness wasn't to bad.  She did get sick twice on the way home during the twists and turns of  West Virginia.

Evan made his First Communion last weekend.  He was super cute.  I am not crazy about the way our church does the Communion but it was special regardless.  He whispered to me before Communion that he was going to try the wine.  Evan is so finicky I wasn't sure this was a good idea.  I warned him I didn't have a bottle of water and he couldn't spit it out.  He was determined to do it and I went up after him.  The woman who gave it to him whispered " you should have seen his face!", I can imagine.

Sara is still my good eater and easier child.  Evan is very detailed and the better student.  That may be a result of him being the older student in his grade and Sara being the youngest.  Although she is the youngest she is still one of the top students in her class.  Evan will seldom ask to try anything new.
His meals include, roast beef, steak, grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, chicken wings & fingers, pork chops, hot dogs, pizza, chicken soup, a grill cheese  and turkey.  He will eat only cooked corn, peas, and broccoli.  Fruits are much easier.  He prefers pretzels as a snack.  He usually chooses a snack and sticks with it for months and then gets tired of it, it will eventually return.  He also eats mashed potatoes, rice, and french fries.  Breakfast he will eat toast, dry cereal, a milkshake (he is still in the 17% ), scrambled eggs and bacon.  Lunch at school is embarrassing he eats a pretzel roll (from Wegmans only), fruit, chips, and a few cookies.

Sara will eat or try any fruit or vegetable.  She prefers most vegetables raw.  She isn't a huge meat eater except for tacos, hamburgers, steak, turkey, ham and hot dogs.  She does not like rice or mashed potatoes.  She likes crackers and cheese, will bring and make her own ham sub for lunch.  She eats yogurt, cereal with milk, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, hash browns.