Tate and I are in Ottawa visiting one of my best friends and her family. Susan and I have been friends since my junior year in college!!! We've been through college, sorority drama, graduations (law school-her, dental school and residency-me), boyfriends, break-ups, engagements (both of ours), broken engagements (mine), weddings (hers), child birth (I was in the room for the birth of her first; she was with me for the birth of Tate) and everything in between. She and her husband have lived all over this fabulous world of ours...Kosovo, Berlin, Miami, Washington D.C., Houston and now Ottawa (and I'm pretty sure I missed a place before or after Kosovo). I've visited them in each of the places they've lived save Kosovo (I would have gone, but civilians were not allowed due to safety concerns). I actually made it to Berlin 3 times and Miami twice as well as D.C. two times. My first visit to visit them in D.C. was actually only 3 weeks after the tragedy of September 11th which decimated the Pentagon. I was on the first flight out of Houston to land at Reagan National Airport which was newly re-opened that early October. I still remember the quiet and stillness of that flight...it was eerie..
Anyway, I've flown all over this world to spend time with Susan and her family and gladly have done so. I've seen more of this planet than I probably would have had I not had such a good friend to hang out with while doing it.
So, we're here in Ottawa, Canada. We left Houston yesterday morning, albeit 40 minutes later than we should have as our plane was missing a part! (Seriously, how is this possible when you've loaded every single person on a fully booked flight at 9 o'clock in the morning). Tate did really well on this leg of our trip; yes we had two legs as there are no direct flights from IAH to Ottawa sadly...this was to be our first time navigating connecting flights. I even got about a 45 minute nap out of him towards the end of the flight. But as we started our descent into Newark he lost it. He cried and moaned and whined and screamed for 10 straight minutes...all because when I offered him his one M&M he was not allowed to put it on the tray table because it had to be kept in place as we were descending...you know "Please return your tray tables and seats to their upright positions in preparation for landing". He was furious, and then refused the M&M. Nothing worked...not 3 M&Ms, not the promise of anything he wanted, not me getting angry, not me hissing in his ear to stop it, nothing...he insisted on having a major meltdown (And yes I bribe my kid to take a nap with ONE M&M, and it works when I have the proper vehicle to administer said bribe). Anyway, he did finally calm down and we landed without incident, but it was the longest ten minutes ever. We were then at Newark and ready to wait 2 hours for our next flight.
Thank goodness for his Leappad. It kept him completely occupied :) No tears, no fussing, no complaints...nada.
We made it to Ottawa both in one piece. He did great on that flight as well; he actually colored for about 45 minutes straight allowing me the opportunity to get a short nap, albeit one interrupted every 5-7 minutes when he needed a new page to color, but hey I got some rest! I had been up until midnight the night before in preparation for our journey! And we were up at 5 thanks to Tate who had gone to bed late (around 845pm on Thursday night). He still wakes early if he goes to bed too late, but we needed to be up by 530am anyway to leave at 7! (My fantastic parents drove us to the airport!)
Susan and the kids picked us up and Tate was in heaven. The kids played and played all evening...outside in the snow which thrilled Tate and downstairs in the huge playroom.
Thus my little guy was exhausted as was his mama. And we both bore that exhaustion badly. He fought going to sleep like crazy and I fought the urge to completely lose my patience with him just barely. There were alot of hurt feelings and anger as I worked to get him down. This was far from my proudest parenting evening. And Tate was so upset, exhausted, frustrated and certainly hurt from my upset that he could barely speak before finally going to sleep around 8:45pm.
But this morning he slept until 7am!!! I haven gone to bed at 930 last night was in heaven even though I woke up 3 times fully overnight!!!
Today we had a really great day. We lounged around the house til about 1030, while the kids played outside in the snow, played in the basement and watched some Tate-friendly tv.
By the way Tate loves, loves, loves the snow. He is constantly asking to go play in it and when he does he does so with absolute gusto. He runs around, falls down, makes snow angels and just enjoys it greatly. He cannot get enough of it.
We then got everyone dressed in the snow needed clothing...good grief that takes absolutely forever! We headed out to go sledding!! It was awesome! And Tate loved walking to the hill we sledded on; as he walked he talked to himself happily, walking in the new snow while the rest of us walked in the previously walked path (which makes it much easier). He chattered away to himself with joy! He was hesitant to sled first, but after his first foray with Katherine he was hooked. He didn't even seem to mind having to walk back up the hill too terribly much, though he had some difficulty when he would end up on icier patches. I was really proud of him. After a few runs down the hill, he decided to go it alone. What a big boy he is!! I joined him at the base of the hill and the two of us walked over to some 'new' snow and made snow angels and played in the new snow for a bit. We then headed back up for another run for him. This one he did on his own, but on a sled with 'steering' capabilities...the first run he did well. The second one, well...
He had a spectacular face plant when he was about 3/4 of the way down the hill. He let go of the steerer and only slightly flew off the sled and landed on his way. It sounds way worse here, as he didn't really 'fly' that far, but he landed on his little face which was covered in snow when he looked up as was his hat and gator around his neck.
Needless to say he was done.
I made my way down to him and we made it back up the hill. The tears stopped and I got him as dry as I could. Alex and Katherine were finishing up their sledding and we headed back to the car. And again my sweet boy started humming and talking to himself as we walked, lagging behind Susan and her two older kiddos. On the way out of the sledding area we came upon 3 huge ice drifts that we let the kids climb for about 15 minutes. Tate was in there climbing away with no fear!!
Once home we got some lunch and let the kids play. Susan and I headed out to the store while Dan stayed home with the kids; I got Tate situated with his Curious George video downstairs while the older kids watched some non-Tate-friendly shows.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and hanging out. It is so nice to be on the kind of vacation where I can just sit and do nothing. It's too cold to really do any sort of sightseeing, and personally I don't really want to. I'm sure there are tons of places to see and museums to visit here in lovely Ottawa, but I cannot be bothered to care. I just need a few days when I can just hang out. And go to bed early which is where I'm headed now!
Tate's been asleep since 730! No nap for him and some sort of allergic reaction necessitating some Benadryl around 5pm, and he was exhausted, though he handled it very well tonight. (He was breaking out on his face and scratching the back of his head and ears alot...we think it's from the dog; they have a yellow lab who is so sweet, but Tate was letting her kiss/lick him for the first time this afternoon).
So in anticipation of our excursion to ski tomorrow I'm going to head off to bed. Oh, I have taken pictures, but I don't want to download them onto my friends' computer which I'm using, so I will post them when we return home!!
Happy Saturday Night!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
A Long Friday
Well today simply sucked.
I woke up around 340am and tossed and turned for at least 30 minutes. I've been waking up like this in the middle of the night for as long as I can remember. I don't think I have slept through the night since Tate has been born. Sigh.
Around 515 or so, Tate started coughing. He would cough, turn over and try to get comfortable. A minute or two would go by and he would do it again. I kept thinking he would stop, but he continued to toss and turn and cough. (We were in my bed together...I've been bringing him into my bed when I go to sleep.) The coughing got worse and worse and he sat up and was obviously having difficulty with the coughing stopping. I grudgingly sat up and decided to go get him a cup of water. He refused to drink it as I cradled him in my arms.
The coughing started to sound like stridor, then it started to sound like croup. Horrible stridor. Horrific croup.
Then he started retracting, and I knew we were in trouble. He was very red, almost purple and his lips were turning blue. I realized my baby was having difficulty breathing and we needed help fast. I raced around putting on my contacts, a bra and some clothes and scooped him up along with some socks/shoes for him. Grabbed my purse on the way out the door, wanting to cry, but realizing I didn't have time to do so.
This is when I HATE being a single parent. I wanted someone with me. Someone to tell me everything was going to be ok. I considered calling my next door neighbor to go with me or my sister, but opted not to bother them. I got Tate in the car and we headed down to the ER right down the street from me which we've visited twice.
It was about 45 degrees outside this morning, thankfully, and once we were outside his breathing became much less labored, but the barking sound continued especially as he cried and whimpered from the back seat.
We were there within 5 minutes. Of course it took longer to check in than it did to get there because as usual the computer system had been changed since we were there a year ago, and they had no record of him. Ugh.
Once back in our little room, the drama continued or shall I say nightmare. I gave them his most recent medical history...the diagnosis of walking pneumonia or bronchitis last Tuesday the 5th. Told them he was put on a Zpac for 5 days which finished this past Sunday. That we saw the pediatrician on Monday, and the bilateral rales and rhonchi she had heard the week before were gone, and she was very happy about that because she had never heard him sound so congested in his lungs. The wet cough that had sent us to see her on the 5th was definitely better, so I thought we were on the mend. As did she; but she reminded me that if his cough wasn't gone by next week that we should consider getting an inhaler just in case this was actually a first asthma attack as it can sound very similar apparently.
So armed with the information, the examination began.
Tate was most uncooperative which is definitely not like him (don't all parents say that about their kids?). He refused to open his mouth for his temperature, but seriously what 3 1/2 year old is going to do that? They insisted they needed it, so since apparently they are not prepared for children with a temporal or ear thermometer we had to do a rectal temp.
O.M.G. That was awful...took two of us to hold him down while he cried and wailed "No No No". This absolutely broke my heart, as I know it hurt and I know it was really scary; he hadn't even wanted to take his pants off. It was just awful.
Oh and his temp was 98.4. This I could have told you by kissing his forehead. This child rarely runs a fever.
This set the tone for the entire visit. They ordered a chest x-ray which went a bit better, but the nurse didn't seem to have the touch for pediatric patients especially a 3 year old, but Tate cooperated and stayed still for the AP and lateral views.
Back in our room I let him have a couple of the M&Ms I had from his Valentine from me from yesterday that I hadn't given him and let him watch his precious trains on my phone. This seemed to help lessen his upset.
Then the doctor came in and he wanted to see Tate's chest (I'm sure to see if retractions were still present). Good grief...the tears over that and the squiggling around. Then the hysteria over having his lungs listened to...the doctor got firm on this and raised his voice saying "Are you 1 or are you 3???" Well that shut Tate right up who then became still, but had a hard time breathing in as requested...yeah deep breaths mean nothing to a tired, scared 3 year old. Then the obligatory ear check...no issue whatsoever!!!! He was perfectly still, though I suppose he's used to having his ears checked all the time. Looking in his mouth was another story...clamped shut. I put my fingers in there and pried him open. Both the nurse and the doctor were shocked I would do that and asked how did I get him to open. I explained what I did for a living and how I got him to open :) Duly impressed they were.
So after all this business the chest film report came back with a differential diagnosis of viral bronchiolitis or reactive airway disease. Some tiny right pleural effusion.
Based on the exam, radiographic findings, Tate's history we decided that he had probably has an upper respiratory issue going on as his lower respiratory area was relatively clear. The virus was settling in his trachea causing the constriction hence the stridor and difficulty breathing. He didn't sound particularly asthmatic as he just wasn't having difficulty on expiration and no wheezing sounds were heard. But it's hard to be sure. He was still having stridor while we were there, but only when he was upset and crying. In any event, the physician and I were both comfortable with giving him a breathing treatment with Xoponex to relieve some of the inflammation immediately and getting a dose of Decadron on board for a bit of longer term help.
Who knew a breathing treatment was like having an appendectomy with no general anesthesia? And my kid who LOVES to take medicine refused to open his mouth (The doc had asked how he was taking oral meds, and I said he loves to take medicine. As such he opted to give him the meds PO instead of IM. Ugh. I had to force the Decadron down him, but no matter, I just held his little nose and he got it all. Mommy does not play with not taking medicine.)
But the breathing treatment? What a nightmare. He was furious. Squirming, kicking...it was horrible. AND they left me alone after showing me how to do it. I suppose it was better than them helping me hold him down. Thankfully, he did get alot of it in while running amok and he was breathing a bit easier within 10-15 minutes.
We left about 30 minutes after the breathing treatment with instructions to follow up with our pediatrician.
We made our way home, and I was just exhausted. I had to work today, so I was obviously already late. My parents were already going to be at my place to take Tate to swim lessons, and they as always went beyond the call of duty and kept him all day for me. They drove my grumpy son back to their house which is 30 miles away. Any plans they had for the day were now up in smoke. I was beyond grumpy and exhausted, and they took it in stride. Thank goodness. I finally got to work around 945 and was just exhausted all day long.
Then my parents brought Tate BACK to me at my office, so I wouldn't have to go get him in the evening, as Houston traffic is horrendous on a Friday, so I wouldn't get to their house much before 6 and then have to drive back in traffic with my sick, overtired child. Aren't they just fabulous?
Tate spent the day watching as many trains as he could, not napping and not really eating. He had a cup of hot cocoa in his beloved Polar Express cup tonight and some mini Oreos for dinner. His teeth will be ok :) I anticipated some sort of meltdown at some point because I know he was just exhausted, and that came about around 630...just constant crying and whimpering. I got him bathed (standing up), dressed in Valentine pjs and into bed asleep at 7:14 after loading him up with his Singulair, Benadryl and probiotics. The humidifier is going and he is snug as a bug in a rug.
We shall see how the weekend goes. Thankfully my pediatrician's office has sick kid hours Saturday and Sunday mornings. My girlfriend who is a Family Medicine physician in Dallas called in a script for a Xoponex inhaler with a spacer for me for just in case.
So tonight I'm going to crawl into bed with my sweet son and cuddle him close. And pray for a better morning tomorrow!
I woke up around 340am and tossed and turned for at least 30 minutes. I've been waking up like this in the middle of the night for as long as I can remember. I don't think I have slept through the night since Tate has been born. Sigh.
Around 515 or so, Tate started coughing. He would cough, turn over and try to get comfortable. A minute or two would go by and he would do it again. I kept thinking he would stop, but he continued to toss and turn and cough. (We were in my bed together...I've been bringing him into my bed when I go to sleep.) The coughing got worse and worse and he sat up and was obviously having difficulty with the coughing stopping. I grudgingly sat up and decided to go get him a cup of water. He refused to drink it as I cradled him in my arms.
The coughing started to sound like stridor, then it started to sound like croup. Horrible stridor. Horrific croup.
Then he started retracting, and I knew we were in trouble. He was very red, almost purple and his lips were turning blue. I realized my baby was having difficulty breathing and we needed help fast. I raced around putting on my contacts, a bra and some clothes and scooped him up along with some socks/shoes for him. Grabbed my purse on the way out the door, wanting to cry, but realizing I didn't have time to do so.
This is when I HATE being a single parent. I wanted someone with me. Someone to tell me everything was going to be ok. I considered calling my next door neighbor to go with me or my sister, but opted not to bother them. I got Tate in the car and we headed down to the ER right down the street from me which we've visited twice.
It was about 45 degrees outside this morning, thankfully, and once we were outside his breathing became much less labored, but the barking sound continued especially as he cried and whimpered from the back seat.
We were there within 5 minutes. Of course it took longer to check in than it did to get there because as usual the computer system had been changed since we were there a year ago, and they had no record of him. Ugh.
Once back in our little room, the drama continued or shall I say nightmare. I gave them his most recent medical history...the diagnosis of walking pneumonia or bronchitis last Tuesday the 5th. Told them he was put on a Zpac for 5 days which finished this past Sunday. That we saw the pediatrician on Monday, and the bilateral rales and rhonchi she had heard the week before were gone, and she was very happy about that because she had never heard him sound so congested in his lungs. The wet cough that had sent us to see her on the 5th was definitely better, so I thought we were on the mend. As did she; but she reminded me that if his cough wasn't gone by next week that we should consider getting an inhaler just in case this was actually a first asthma attack as it can sound very similar apparently.
So armed with the information, the examination began.
Tate was most uncooperative which is definitely not like him (don't all parents say that about their kids?). He refused to open his mouth for his temperature, but seriously what 3 1/2 year old is going to do that? They insisted they needed it, so since apparently they are not prepared for children with a temporal or ear thermometer we had to do a rectal temp.
O.M.G. That was awful...took two of us to hold him down while he cried and wailed "No No No". This absolutely broke my heart, as I know it hurt and I know it was really scary; he hadn't even wanted to take his pants off. It was just awful.
Oh and his temp was 98.4. This I could have told you by kissing his forehead. This child rarely runs a fever.
This set the tone for the entire visit. They ordered a chest x-ray which went a bit better, but the nurse didn't seem to have the touch for pediatric patients especially a 3 year old, but Tate cooperated and stayed still for the AP and lateral views.
Back in our room I let him have a couple of the M&Ms I had from his Valentine from me from yesterday that I hadn't given him and let him watch his precious trains on my phone. This seemed to help lessen his upset.
Then the doctor came in and he wanted to see Tate's chest (I'm sure to see if retractions were still present). Good grief...the tears over that and the squiggling around. Then the hysteria over having his lungs listened to...the doctor got firm on this and raised his voice saying "Are you 1 or are you 3???" Well that shut Tate right up who then became still, but had a hard time breathing in as requested...yeah deep breaths mean nothing to a tired, scared 3 year old. Then the obligatory ear check...no issue whatsoever!!!! He was perfectly still, though I suppose he's used to having his ears checked all the time. Looking in his mouth was another story...clamped shut. I put my fingers in there and pried him open. Both the nurse and the doctor were shocked I would do that and asked how did I get him to open. I explained what I did for a living and how I got him to open :) Duly impressed they were.
So after all this business the chest film report came back with a differential diagnosis of viral bronchiolitis or reactive airway disease. Some tiny right pleural effusion.
Based on the exam, radiographic findings, Tate's history we decided that he had probably has an upper respiratory issue going on as his lower respiratory area was relatively clear. The virus was settling in his trachea causing the constriction hence the stridor and difficulty breathing. He didn't sound particularly asthmatic as he just wasn't having difficulty on expiration and no wheezing sounds were heard. But it's hard to be sure. He was still having stridor while we were there, but only when he was upset and crying. In any event, the physician and I were both comfortable with giving him a breathing treatment with Xoponex to relieve some of the inflammation immediately and getting a dose of Decadron on board for a bit of longer term help.
Who knew a breathing treatment was like having an appendectomy with no general anesthesia? And my kid who LOVES to take medicine refused to open his mouth (The doc had asked how he was taking oral meds, and I said he loves to take medicine. As such he opted to give him the meds PO instead of IM. Ugh. I had to force the Decadron down him, but no matter, I just held his little nose and he got it all. Mommy does not play with not taking medicine.)
But the breathing treatment? What a nightmare. He was furious. Squirming, kicking...it was horrible. AND they left me alone after showing me how to do it. I suppose it was better than them helping me hold him down. Thankfully, he did get alot of it in while running amok and he was breathing a bit easier within 10-15 minutes.
We left about 30 minutes after the breathing treatment with instructions to follow up with our pediatrician.
We made our way home, and I was just exhausted. I had to work today, so I was obviously already late. My parents were already going to be at my place to take Tate to swim lessons, and they as always went beyond the call of duty and kept him all day for me. They drove my grumpy son back to their house which is 30 miles away. Any plans they had for the day were now up in smoke. I was beyond grumpy and exhausted, and they took it in stride. Thank goodness. I finally got to work around 945 and was just exhausted all day long.
Then my parents brought Tate BACK to me at my office, so I wouldn't have to go get him in the evening, as Houston traffic is horrendous on a Friday, so I wouldn't get to their house much before 6 and then have to drive back in traffic with my sick, overtired child. Aren't they just fabulous?
Tate spent the day watching as many trains as he could, not napping and not really eating. He had a cup of hot cocoa in his beloved Polar Express cup tonight and some mini Oreos for dinner. His teeth will be ok :) I anticipated some sort of meltdown at some point because I know he was just exhausted, and that came about around 630...just constant crying and whimpering. I got him bathed (standing up), dressed in Valentine pjs and into bed asleep at 7:14 after loading him up with his Singulair, Benadryl and probiotics. The humidifier is going and he is snug as a bug in a rug.
We shall see how the weekend goes. Thankfully my pediatrician's office has sick kid hours Saturday and Sunday mornings. My girlfriend who is a Family Medicine physician in Dallas called in a script for a Xoponex inhaler with a spacer for me for just in case.
So tonight I'm going to crawl into bed with my sweet son and cuddle him close. And pray for a better morning tomorrow!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day 2013
My sweet Valentine had a very busy day at school!! Thank goodness because I ended up leaving work very late, and Aunt Lindsey was kind enough to pick him up (Early at that and took him to the park! It was a gorgeous day today, and she has a friend in town from Connecticut, so they took him to play!) By the time I got home he was eating dinner, and I was/am absolutely exhausted. As always I'm so very thankful we have Lindsey in our lives...without her, well I honestly don't know what I would do.
This morning I dropped Tate off at daycare with a rose for each of the 13 other teachers at the school along with a small bag of Hershey kisses for each of them. For his teacher, he had dozen roses and some candy. We put his Valentines...cute little bags of miniature playing cards, Mickey Mouse bubbles and a Thomas character stamp in each of his 4 little friends' boxes. I left the fruit I provided for their Valentine lunch...grapes, cantaloupe and apple slices, and a children's book called 'The Story of Valentine's Day' for his teacher to read if she wanted to. We brushed Tate's teeth in the school bathroom like we do every morning and then he scampered off to play with his friends! But not before demanding a BIG kiss on his cheek...this is new for him! And he always wants a big hug. I so love this boy. And this morning he insisted I give sweet Alie and BIG kiss on her cheek and a hug. Someone has a Valentine!! (Of course he has to share her with the BFF.)
Around 9am an organization called Tiny Texans came by with some ponies for the kiddos to ride!! They dress the kids up in western gear and take pictures and give rides! I had outfitted Tate in his 'western' shirt, and he was ready. As a background...Go Texan Day is in about a week and a half. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo starts in about a week and a half. On the Friday before the show starts the following week Go Texan Day is celebrated. Everyone, and I mean everyone from kids to adults to dogs and cats dresses up in their western gear. It's celebrated in most if not all schools. That Friday the trail riders from all over the state arrive at Memorial Park, their last stop before they arrive at Reliant for the rodeo. We saw the trail riders come in last year after his school's celebration for Go Texan Day. It's alot of fun. So the kiddos were all duded up today for their rides on the ponies. Here's Tate with his little classmates. It's very obvious these five children adore each other. They have been together for over 2 years. I love how much they love one another.
After their pony rides the kids returned to their classrooms. They have gymnastics on Thursday mornings, so the kids who are enrolled, which includes Tate, went off to gymnastics. Here's Tate waiting for gymnastics...
Tate's teacher changed him into his Valentine shirt before gymnastics...a Thomas shirt of course! They then had pizza, chips and fruit for lunch. Tate dragged his feet about going to sleep, not napping until an hour and 40 minutes had passed. His teacher let him sleep 20 minutes past the normal 'wake up' time :)
This morning I dropped Tate off at daycare with a rose for each of the 13 other teachers at the school along with a small bag of Hershey kisses for each of them. For his teacher, he had dozen roses and some candy. We put his Valentines...cute little bags of miniature playing cards, Mickey Mouse bubbles and a Thomas character stamp in each of his 4 little friends' boxes. I left the fruit I provided for their Valentine lunch...grapes, cantaloupe and apple slices, and a children's book called 'The Story of Valentine's Day' for his teacher to read if she wanted to. We brushed Tate's teeth in the school bathroom like we do every morning and then he scampered off to play with his friends! But not before demanding a BIG kiss on his cheek...this is new for him! And he always wants a big hug. I so love this boy. And this morning he insisted I give sweet Alie and BIG kiss on her cheek and a hug. Someone has a Valentine!! (Of course he has to share her with the BFF.)
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| Look at my sweet boy! |
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| I would love to know what he's thinking! |
Snack was cupcakes (and Tate had his little vegan cake that he loves), and then they played and played. Then Aunt Lindsey and Mr. Mike picked him up and off they went to the playground.
I got home and opted to give him a special treat...TV on a weekday!! I let him watch a few episodes of 'Curious George'; Tate was in heaven.
I took a few pictures of my Valentine reading his 'Polar Express' book to his Mickey Mouse Valentine and his beloved hippo right before bathtime.
He reads that book every single out loud to his hippo, and I must say he does a great job.
After our baths I got him dressed in his Valentine pjs (no commentary Pi Pal of mine!!!!) and decided we needed a picture together this Valentine's Day no matter how tired I look.
And then there's a couple of my lovable little guy...
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| HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! |
Monday, February 11, 2013
A Party Weekend!
It's been quite the festive weekend in our household! Per our usual Friday was spent lounging about in the morning, well if being awakened at 5:23 can be considered lounging. I told Tate it was still nighttime and he needed to have more night nights. That got me about 20 minutes of tossing and turning in bed with me, but I suppose it's progress? I then rolled over and gave him my phone to watch his precious trains on YouTube. I finally got out of bed a little after 7, got breakfast going and got us ready for the day. Swim lessons first; he did great! He can swim about 4-6 feet on his own. So very proud of him! I then dropped him at daycare, and I headed over to get my hair colored!
Drop off was a bit interesting though. Tate's hair was damp of course from swim lessons, and it was about 63 degrees out, so not cold, but definitely not hot. The kids were all playing outside which is shaded, and there is a breeze. On top of this, Tate was wearing a short sleeved shirt. Thus I wanted him to put on his lightweight jacket. About 80% of the kids were wearing jackets mind you. Well the tears and sadness and meltdown that ensued would have brought tears to a statue. He was just adamant about not putting on a jacket and becoming more and more upset the more I said he would have to go inside alone if he didn't put on his jacket. I said "Look around...everyone is wearing a jacket."
Of course, right at that moment his BFF flew by on a bike. Not wearing a jacket.
Tate gave me a look of disdain and said "L's not wearing a jacket!!!"
I gave in. Took the jacket that he practically threw at me as he ran off after L.
Seconds later, he ran back over to me and threw his arms around my legs and demanded a kiss and a hug.
That made my day.
That evening we met Lindsey for dinner at one of our favorite places. We opted to eat outside. (What was I thinking??!) The weather was absolutely gorgeous. But Tate pitched a fit wanting to eat inside; this boy does not do change well...normally we eat inside. I convinced him by saying lying that he might see a train if he ate outside.
Of course he ran to the table! Once we sat down I realized that though it was only 5pm the sun would soon be setting and it was already becoming cool. I offered Tate his jacket to no avail. He insisted on getting goose bumps. He did take the blanket from the car I offered him, and then Lindsey and I asked the waiter to bring us one of those heaters. That did the trick and a fantastic time was had by all!
Saturday morning we blew off our Music Together class. I think this is going to be our last session. He just isn't into anymore; he's ready to leave about halfway through. He's one of the oldest in the class, and his friend whom he adored from the last 3 sessions is no longer coming; she was about 4 1/2 and getting too old as well. So though I've paid a good deal of money, we didn't go. We'll go a few more times and then just be done.
By 6pm I was ready for my 10th Annual Slumber Party! I can't believe I've done this for 10 years!! It is so very much fun. I invite all my girlfriends, we drink cosmos and wine, order the yummiest pizza ever, eat every carb we can get our hands on, watch chick flicks and make Valentines. I have a massage therapist come in and anyone who wants to pay for a massage can get one for as long as they want. It's just a great time of girlfriends. And these fabulous girls come from all walks of my life, so many of them only know me or just 1 or 2 other people. But it doesn't matter; the joy and laughter of quality time together resonates throughout the house. There were about 20 of us this weekend! Funnily enough, I feel like I don't get to talk to anyone more than a second; I rarely sit down to make a Valentine; I get a short massage as to not miss anyone, yet I always feel like the party goes by in 20 minutes and I haven't really seen anyone. I need to make an effort next year to just put the food out and go sit down, but I did have a great time.
I fell into bed around midnight. At some point I woke up, but just turned over for a change and went right back to sleep. I didn't wake again until 7:25!!! Wow that felt great!! I laid in bed for about another 30 minutes, though about 15 minutes later I heard my sweet Mommy bustling about downstairs. This woman is the energizer bunny, and she's just so very awesome. I came downstairs and she had pretty much cleaned everything up. She's just amazing. We had some breakfast, did some grocery shopping and checked in on the boys. As I expected Tate did great. He slept from about 815 to 615 for his Papa. They even shared the little double bed in the guest bedroom as Tate refused to sleep in his little toddler Thomas bed. My mom and I arrived there around 11 and per their usual, they were watching trains.
Drop off was a bit interesting though. Tate's hair was damp of course from swim lessons, and it was about 63 degrees out, so not cold, but definitely not hot. The kids were all playing outside which is shaded, and there is a breeze. On top of this, Tate was wearing a short sleeved shirt. Thus I wanted him to put on his lightweight jacket. About 80% of the kids were wearing jackets mind you. Well the tears and sadness and meltdown that ensued would have brought tears to a statue. He was just adamant about not putting on a jacket and becoming more and more upset the more I said he would have to go inside alone if he didn't put on his jacket. I said "Look around...everyone is wearing a jacket."
Of course, right at that moment his BFF flew by on a bike. Not wearing a jacket.
Tate gave me a look of disdain and said "L's not wearing a jacket!!!"
I gave in. Took the jacket that he practically threw at me as he ran off after L.
Seconds later, he ran back over to me and threw his arms around my legs and demanded a kiss and a hug.
That made my day.
That evening we met Lindsey for dinner at one of our favorite places. We opted to eat outside. (What was I thinking??!) The weather was absolutely gorgeous. But Tate pitched a fit wanting to eat inside; this boy does not do change well...normally we eat inside. I convinced him by
Of course he ran to the table! Once we sat down I realized that though it was only 5pm the sun would soon be setting and it was already becoming cool. I offered Tate his jacket to no avail. He insisted on getting goose bumps. He did take the blanket from the car I offered him, and then Lindsey and I asked the waiter to bring us one of those heaters. That did the trick and a fantastic time was had by all!
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| I asked for a 'small' plate of french fries!! That is huge! When he wasn't looking I took a couple of huge handfuls and put them on a plate on the ground!! |
It was really nice to just hang out and not have to really be anywhere, and it gave me the opportunity to get ready for the party that evening. Tate probably watched one too many 'Curious George' episodes, but when he was tired of watching he played with his trains for 2 hours straight. I love that boy!
After lunch I loaded him up into the car just in time for a nap, and we headed off to my parents. I was dropping him off to spend the afternoon and evening with his beloved Papa. In addition, I picked up my mommy for the festivities. After getting situated and Papa well instructed we were off. The boys were ensconced in the viewing of 'The Polar Express!'
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| Look at that love! |
AND our first chick flick of the evening was 'MAGIC MIKE!' Ok, so we had Lindsey cut to just the best dancing, er strip scenes and that started our night off just right!!!
I love my girlfriends...
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| Old friends are the best friends...sorority sisters!! |
I gave Tate some lunch, then re-loaded up the car, and we headed out to the Great Train Expo. He napped as instructed on the car ride, and actually I had to sit in the parking lot while he finished his more than an hour long nap. Once he was up we were ready to see some trains. He had an absolute blast.
(Now his behavior was not fantastic the first 20 minutes or so. We had a couple of meltdowns where he wouldn't follow instructions (by the people running some of the exhibits) and I had to drag him off to have a conversation or two. After threatening to leave and marching him to the front door, he got hold of himself, and the last 2 hours were great.)
Yes, the last 2 hours. We were there 2 1/2 hours. We closed the show down. He was in heaven.
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| This is a model of the train we nicknamed 'Javier' and rode in Germany with Christian. |
What a festive weekend! Mommy time! Tate and Papa time! Mommy and Grandmommy time! Mommy and Tate time!!
So blessed.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Is it Walking Pneumonia? Bronchitis? Or Asthma?
Sweet Baby Tate has had a cough for weeks now, at least 4. It was a dry cough at first, and I was doing much the same thing. It always felt like I had a frog in my throat that needed clearing. I just thought we were both suffering from allergies. The weather here unpredictable at best, with rain and wind blowing all the pollen and mold etc about all the time, 30 degrees one day and seriously 83 degrees the next. As last year it never froze or truly got cold none of the spores died. So now double the crap is flying about in the air. People are miserable.
In any event, I just thought we were suffering from allergies. While we were in Dallas in early January I was on a Z-pac that I requested from my friend as I felt like I had a sinus infection (Note to self who is a pediatric dentist, don't ask S for a specific antibiotic for something of which you know nothing about; let her choose as apparently a Z-pac is not the drug of choice for a sinus infection. But I digress. Are you reading this S?). I just felt a little gunky and had that strange yucky taste in my throat and was congested. I suppose it helped as I never got a fever and I felt better a couple of days after we returned. I mostly didn't want to get my girl J sick who was possibly going to need to start chemo soon after the weekend (Sadly she got bad news and has finished one round. I'm so sad for her, but I'm positive she's going to be cured!)
Then Tate started coughing; the dry cough. It was sort of constant, but never seemed to bother him and it would be one hack and then 10 or 15 minutes later another hack. Nothing concerning though. He just seemed to always need to clear his throat. H also had one fantastic screaming fit and became hoarse about 3 1/2 weeks ago. But the hoarseness has never gone away. Again I just thought well maybe it was coincidental to the screaming fit, and his little voice was going to be changing. Now of course when I hear him I can barely remember what he used to sound like, so I'm wondering if there has actually been a change.
However, for about a week and a half now I've been given him an anti-histamine at night, usually Benadryl, approved by our allergist, for the cough. It alleviated the cough and his sniffling while Zyrtec does not. I've been keeping him on his Singulair now almost constantly since September where as last year he got a break November - March. (I hate him constantly being on medications). But when he goes off he tends to get a bit of a dry cough (ahhhh...asthma warnings right?. Sigh)
But then this past Monday his teacher texted me twice saying he had been coughing all day long, so much so that he wasn't able to nap. He was doing fine, but poor baby had red eyes and looked so tired. She asked if she could put a small piece of peppermint in some cold water to have him sip to help soothe his throat. I gave my blessing of course. He finally fell asleep after everyone else woke up, and she let him sleep an hour while keeping the other 4 kids sort of quiet, so he could rest (I love her!). That night Tate told me "Ms. JoAnnie gave me some peppermint water, and it made my throat feel 'bedder'. I'm going to give her a little hug tomorrow." Not a big hug mind you, a little hug :)
Monday when I picked him up his cough was very wet and productive sounding and he coughed constantly. I loaded him up with Benadryl and Singulair and he happily played as usual and went to bed just fine. Yesterday, Tuesday, I called and made an appointment with his pediatrician for today.
My parents, who are AWESOME!, picked him up from school this morning and took him to his appointment. I wrote the following note for them to give to his pediatrician...
Dr. R....
In any event, I just thought we were suffering from allergies. While we were in Dallas in early January I was on a Z-pac that I requested from my friend as I felt like I had a sinus infection (Note to self who is a pediatric dentist, don't ask S for a specific antibiotic for something of which you know nothing about; let her choose as apparently a Z-pac is not the drug of choice for a sinus infection. But I digress. Are you reading this S?). I just felt a little gunky and had that strange yucky taste in my throat and was congested. I suppose it helped as I never got a fever and I felt better a couple of days after we returned. I mostly didn't want to get my girl J sick who was possibly going to need to start chemo soon after the weekend (Sadly she got bad news and has finished one round. I'm so sad for her, but I'm positive she's going to be cured!)
Then Tate started coughing; the dry cough. It was sort of constant, but never seemed to bother him and it would be one hack and then 10 or 15 minutes later another hack. Nothing concerning though. He just seemed to always need to clear his throat. H also had one fantastic screaming fit and became hoarse about 3 1/2 weeks ago. But the hoarseness has never gone away. Again I just thought well maybe it was coincidental to the screaming fit, and his little voice was going to be changing. Now of course when I hear him I can barely remember what he used to sound like, so I'm wondering if there has actually been a change.
However, for about a week and a half now I've been given him an anti-histamine at night, usually Benadryl, approved by our allergist, for the cough. It alleviated the cough and his sniffling while Zyrtec does not. I've been keeping him on his Singulair now almost constantly since September where as last year he got a break November - March. (I hate him constantly being on medications). But when he goes off he tends to get a bit of a dry cough (ahhhh...asthma warnings right?. Sigh)
But then this past Monday his teacher texted me twice saying he had been coughing all day long, so much so that he wasn't able to nap. He was doing fine, but poor baby had red eyes and looked so tired. She asked if she could put a small piece of peppermint in some cold water to have him sip to help soothe his throat. I gave my blessing of course. He finally fell asleep after everyone else woke up, and she let him sleep an hour while keeping the other 4 kids sort of quiet, so he could rest (I love her!). That night Tate told me "Ms. JoAnnie gave me some peppermint water, and it made my throat feel 'bedder'. I'm going to give her a little hug tomorrow." Not a big hug mind you, a little hug :)
Monday when I picked him up his cough was very wet and productive sounding and he coughed constantly. I loaded him up with Benadryl and Singulair and he happily played as usual and went to bed just fine. Yesterday, Tuesday, I called and made an appointment with his pediatrician for today.
My parents, who are AWESOME!, picked him up from school this morning and took him to his appointment. I wrote the following note for them to give to his pediatrician...
Dr. R....
Tate's tantrum behavior stopped about 2 days before his half year birthday on January 23. It was as if a switch had gone off. I've chalked it up to the half year disturbances. His sleep went back to normal...which is minimal sleeping and fighting naps and he's reasonable again. Thank you so much for calling me and talking me off the roof.
This cough of his doesn't have me terribly concerned as I'm thinking it's just a cold. But it's been present in one manner or another for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It was a constant (all day long) dry cough (and his teacher called me twice concerned) until yesterday evening when it became productive and wet sounding. He's been afebrile and no change in behavior.
He takes 4mg Singulair in the evenings, though I ran out and he didn't have it Friday-Sunday and that is when his cough worsened. I've given him Benadryl (12.5mg) the past 3 evenings to help alleviate it otherwise he coughs all night. He's very congested and sniffing right now as he's trying to go to sleep. Dr. A said I could give him the Benadryl as it works on his cough better than Zyrtec or Allegra.
He had another skin test about 3 weeks ago and is still allergic to eggs and oranges.
Thanks so much!
(Dr. A is the allergist Dr. R referred us to).
She examined my Tate this morning and diagnosed him with having either walking pneumonia or bronchitis!!! He had rales in his chest. She also mentioned that sometimes the first episode of asthma can sound like this. (This was my biggest fear! Though I wrote in that note I thought he had a cold, I knew it could be asthma simply from the way he was sounding) She knows I'm desperately praying he doesn't develop asthma as those medications to treat asthma have so many horrific side effects, but I will do what I need to do.
She called in a prescription for a Z-pac and if he isn't better by Monday or Tuesday I need to take him back in.
I so pray he gets better with the antibiotics which would mean he has pneumonia or bronchitis. He has more of the symptoms of bronchitis (to me) than walking pneumonia as he has no fever and he has the hoarseness commonly associated with bronchitis. But who knows? I just want him to stop coughing and I want him to be fine. Absolutely fine.
So, if you pray, please pray for my sweet boy. Pray that he is healed and that he isn't developing a possible life long condition (asthma). I'm also praying he continues to be his happy go-lucky train loving self and that he's completely well soon.
I do know that if he's not better by Sunday, I'll be taking him in to see his pediatrician on Monday myself. While I'm so very glad my parents are so willing to take him to any and all appointments, I know that if he's not better, it's something serious and I need to be there to get all my questions answered. I'm his mother after all.
He'll need his mother. He deserves his mommy.
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| When you're 'sick' (his ped said he could return to daycare!) Mommy lets you have a hot dog AND hot cocoa in your Polar Express cup for dinner! |
Monday, February 4, 2013
What Would You Do?
The other night, I climbed up the stairs to crawl into bed. Tate was snoozing away in his crib, and I had decided to sleep in our shared room that evening. I shut the bedroom door, locked it as I always do when we sleep in the same room and turned on my burglar alarm (there's a panel in my bedroom as well as on the first floor in the entryway). When we go to sleep I set the alarm to instant, so any breach of the doors or windows causes the alarm to sound immediately instead of waiting the 45 seconds it has when simply set to 'alarm.'
I climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. I had gone to bed much later than I had intended, and I was exhausted. My head hit that cool pillow and I exhaled happily.
No more than one minute later, my alarm sounded. Screeching and wailing throughout the house.
I sat straight up in bed absolutely terrified, while Tate simply slept away.
I was shaking with fear.
In those seconds I didn't know what to do.
Should I leave the room and go see if it was simply a door left ajar? A window loosened by the cat? Wind that shook the house? Should I simply wait for the alarm people to call and cower in my bedroom while the police came?
For reasons I can't begin to explain, even now, I quietly opened the bedroom door, walked out, shut it behind me and looked over the railing to the second floor with my heart pounding in my chest.
I didn't see anything or anyone with the exception of Vincent who was as frightened as I was. I ventured to the second floor, unarmed and looked around. Nothing.
The first floor lay beneath me awash in darkness. I looked down the stairs to the first floor wiping my hands on my pajama bottoms as they were clammy. I made my way down to the first floor. Nothing out of the ordinary except the door to the garage was slightly ajar.
Had I left it that way? Had someone opened my garage door and tried to come in? It was locked, so certainly they couldn't have gotten in, right? I looked through my glass front door (note to self get a solid door, though there is a gate barring entry to my door) and the garage door was closed.
I picked up the 12 pound exercise weight I leave by the garage door and made my way into the garage wielding the weight, intent on pounding someone on the head if need be.
All was clear.
I came back in and turned off the alarm, canceling it so the company would not send the police.
Trembling I locked the doors and reset the alarms. I checked every single closet and all was clear.
Back in our bedroom I tried to calm myself and laid back down, sweaty and teary after locking our door again. I lay there for several minutes breathing heavily staring at the door. Scared someone was still going to try to come harm me and my baby. I dragged my incredibly heavy rocking chair over in front of the bedroom door and only then was I able to fall into a fitful sleep.
As I did so I wished I had a gun.
Yes, a gun.
In the midst of all that is going on about gun control in this country today, I wished I had had a gun.
And I would have used it to protect my son. Without a second thought.
This incident occurred about 2 weeks ago.
I feel the exact same way tonight.
I live in a state with extremely liberal gun laws. Half of my female friends know how to shoot a gun. A quarter of them have their concealed hand gun license. The majority of my male friends hunt. One of my dearest friends went to the shooting range just this past Thursday to learn to shoot for the first time after one of her employees was robbed in her office, in the presence of everyone.
Now I'm not going to run out to the shooting range, and I truly have no desire to carry a concealed handgun. That just seems ridiculous to me, carrying a gun in my purse with my hand sanitizer; I'm likely to confuse the two.
But that night, in my own home, what would I have done to protect us? I do know that I am very upset with my alarm company for not calling me within 30 seconds of the alarms going off. I had Brinks for years and they've been sold to ADT and service is NOT what it once was. But hell...service? We're talking about my safety here. I should have waited for them to call and kept them on the phone with me while I 'investigated' or better yet I should have just let the police come. I considered calling my awesome male neighbor, but it was 11:15 and I didn't want to risk HIS life too. I also realize that the alarm going off as loud as it was would have scared off most intruders. But in those 5-8 minutes it would have taken the police to arrive someone could have done real harm to Tate or me if that was their intention.
How does a single woman in a huge city protect herself in her home? I've got all the safeguards in place I can think of....the alarm system, a metal gate around the front of my home, a padlocked gate in the back and glass break alarms on the first floor windows. When Tate and I are in the room together on the third floor I lock us in the room. I have my cell phone with me in the room (though I usually set it to airplane mode...I should stop that), and I have a landline in that room.
I also know I should turn the alarm on when we are simply in the house going about our evenings and days on the weekends (obviously not on instant for when I forget and open the door to let the cat out or open a window). However, it should be on.
But if someone came in what would I do?
What would you do?
I climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. I had gone to bed much later than I had intended, and I was exhausted. My head hit that cool pillow and I exhaled happily.
No more than one minute later, my alarm sounded. Screeching and wailing throughout the house.
I sat straight up in bed absolutely terrified, while Tate simply slept away.
I was shaking with fear.
In those seconds I didn't know what to do.
Should I leave the room and go see if it was simply a door left ajar? A window loosened by the cat? Wind that shook the house? Should I simply wait for the alarm people to call and cower in my bedroom while the police came?
For reasons I can't begin to explain, even now, I quietly opened the bedroom door, walked out, shut it behind me and looked over the railing to the second floor with my heart pounding in my chest.
I didn't see anything or anyone with the exception of Vincent who was as frightened as I was. I ventured to the second floor, unarmed and looked around. Nothing.
The first floor lay beneath me awash in darkness. I looked down the stairs to the first floor wiping my hands on my pajama bottoms as they were clammy. I made my way down to the first floor. Nothing out of the ordinary except the door to the garage was slightly ajar.
Had I left it that way? Had someone opened my garage door and tried to come in? It was locked, so certainly they couldn't have gotten in, right? I looked through my glass front door (note to self get a solid door, though there is a gate barring entry to my door) and the garage door was closed.
I picked up the 12 pound exercise weight I leave by the garage door and made my way into the garage wielding the weight, intent on pounding someone on the head if need be.
All was clear.
I came back in and turned off the alarm, canceling it so the company would not send the police.
Trembling I locked the doors and reset the alarms. I checked every single closet and all was clear.
Back in our bedroom I tried to calm myself and laid back down, sweaty and teary after locking our door again. I lay there for several minutes breathing heavily staring at the door. Scared someone was still going to try to come harm me and my baby. I dragged my incredibly heavy rocking chair over in front of the bedroom door and only then was I able to fall into a fitful sleep.
As I did so I wished I had a gun.
Yes, a gun.
In the midst of all that is going on about gun control in this country today, I wished I had had a gun.
And I would have used it to protect my son. Without a second thought.
This incident occurred about 2 weeks ago.
I feel the exact same way tonight.
I live in a state with extremely liberal gun laws. Half of my female friends know how to shoot a gun. A quarter of them have their concealed hand gun license. The majority of my male friends hunt. One of my dearest friends went to the shooting range just this past Thursday to learn to shoot for the first time after one of her employees was robbed in her office, in the presence of everyone.
Now I'm not going to run out to the shooting range, and I truly have no desire to carry a concealed handgun. That just seems ridiculous to me, carrying a gun in my purse with my hand sanitizer; I'm likely to confuse the two.
But that night, in my own home, what would I have done to protect us? I do know that I am very upset with my alarm company for not calling me within 30 seconds of the alarms going off. I had Brinks for years and they've been sold to ADT and service is NOT what it once was. But hell...service? We're talking about my safety here. I should have waited for them to call and kept them on the phone with me while I 'investigated' or better yet I should have just let the police come. I considered calling my awesome male neighbor, but it was 11:15 and I didn't want to risk HIS life too. I also realize that the alarm going off as loud as it was would have scared off most intruders. But in those 5-8 minutes it would have taken the police to arrive someone could have done real harm to Tate or me if that was their intention.
How does a single woman in a huge city protect herself in her home? I've got all the safeguards in place I can think of....the alarm system, a metal gate around the front of my home, a padlocked gate in the back and glass break alarms on the first floor windows. When Tate and I are in the room together on the third floor I lock us in the room. I have my cell phone with me in the room (though I usually set it to airplane mode...I should stop that), and I have a landline in that room.
I also know I should turn the alarm on when we are simply in the house going about our evenings and days on the weekends (obviously not on instant for when I forget and open the door to let the cat out or open a window). However, it should be on.
But if someone came in what would I do?
What would you do?
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