Medicine Wars: "Mission Accomplished"

The breathing treatments, thanks be to God, are fun. Mostly. He puffs the smoke out, like Thomas the Train. He sits and breathes while watching "George" or "Einstein". He ASKS for "medicine" by pointing to the nebulizer. We have to tell him no.

And then there's our secret weapon: we give him some treatments when he's asleep!

Medicine Wars

Battle of the Dropper

Mama: MMMmmm, it's the GOOD STUFF.

Kaden: Yea!

Mama (faking a taste): oooh, yum yum yum!

Kaden: YUM YUM YUM

Mama: are you ready for your medicine?

Kaden: Medicine! Medicine! Medicine!

Mama tries to put the dropper in his mouth.

Kaden: No! My, my, my! reaches for dropper.

Mama, sighing: Ok, here you go.

Kaden grabs it, licks the top. MMM, meeeedicinnnnne.
Continues licking.

Mama: Very good, Kaden. Now let's turn that upside down so you can get some of the medicine out.

Kaden: NO! NO! NO! NO!

Mama: Yes, you can have it, but you have to hold it THIS way...

Kaden: no! No! NO!

Twenty minutes later...

Mama: You finished! Good job! Now, let's have the choo-choo (breathing treatment)

~ to be continued ~

Breathing Easier

Well, mostly anyways.


After multiple visits to various medical establishments... to deal with the resulting fallout from his initial breathing illness... we had a "well baby" check up yesterday. The boy is now down to the THIRD percentile for his weight... but our doc wasn't too concerned as "he's had a rough month." This visit was improvement from earlier- but he's still not well." Which my mind knew- and felt a little assured at my intuition- but my heart still sank a little. I was so hoping to be overreacting and have this be a quick recovery.

So now we're in the odd stage of trying to figure out how much to baby him and how much to let him run or take him out into the cold. And what the heck is this deal with the weather, anyway? It gets warm enough to remind us what it should feel like, then back into the 40s or 50s. Between that and the sickness, it feels like a real winter!

Another First - Haircut time!

I know it was necessary, but golly gee he looks older! Like all his boy cousins...

A First of the Worst Kind

So, this afternoon, we finally walk into our cozy condo after a long two days away... and little man walks through the entry way, looks around, and throws both his hands into the air, yelling: HOOOOMMMMEEEE!

It was especially heartwarming since we've been in the hospital these past 40 hours or so (is that all? It seemed much longer).

We went to the ER because Kaden was having some trouble breathing. They got us into triage and then an ER room *right away* (more anxiety)... two breathing treatments, some tylenol, a few chest xrays, and a short nap later... he gets admitted.

an exhausted sickie catching some zzz.

the thing on his arm is a "no-no" brace, to cover and keep safe the IV.

the wires on the bottom are the oxygen sensor on his big toe (!)

We all got a total of about 4-5 hours sleep (intermittently) between all the tests / meds / breathing treatments.... but the end result is that he had "restrictive airway disorder" which is a one time asthma incident. Apparently it has to be chronic to be asthma.

After a full day of monitoring, treatments, meds, and more sleep... He was well enough to earn him (and us) a well deserved trip home this afternoon.

A good use of time coming home...

Many, many thanks to all of you we texted and were praying for him... and especially to Kim, Elizabeth & Frank, and Nana... for suggesting we drive the extra 20 minutes for the peds hospital, as well as general support and visits.

happy to be home

Happy February!!

You can tell by my whopping TWO posts this whole year that something is up.
Am I renouncing blogging in 2010?
Did life explode into more busy-ness?
or was it just two non-networked computers each catching a virus and rendering me without internet for a few weeks?

I think it was the last one, but no guaruntees. In any case, I'm fresh out of blog thoughts right now, so I'll conveniently borrow the following format from a friend:

SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK
(or, abbreviated nightbook)

Outside my window: It's dark. and cold. (in the fifties for you non-florida folk).

I am thinking: That I ought to be looking up cruise info, or ordering photos, or sleeping. I think the last one will win out next.

I am thankful for: my family, especially the ones who put up with me on a regular basis.

I am wearing: long sleeve PJ shirt, and flannel pants. the pants will be switched out before I go to bed, though, as I've just realized they were peed on during the midnight-dipe-change.

I am going: to bed, to work, and home again. If I'm lucky, we'll visit some friends. That's about all life is lately, folks.

I am currently reading: an interesting, if heavily footnoted, book called NUDGE, about how and why we make (dumb) decisions, and how to improve them. Also, about three different magazines: Catechist, Pastoral Ministry Today, and Women's Day. I get another two on parenting, but am waiting for the newer editions. Oh, and last week I finished a fairly neat novel by Ad Hudler- check him out for light and fun reads about living in the South or in Florida.

I am hoping: that people will gather for mom's bday this summer.

I am hearing: loud snoring by the big man and quiet snore-breathing by the little one through the monitor.

From the kitchen: the breakfast cookies were decent, but I'm hoping to get to the apple muffin mix (from NC!) this week. mom's meatloaf is on tap for tomorrow- yum.

Around the house: well, the Christmas wreath is on the front door. but the carpet on the porch is down (tiles made from recycled bottles!). so now we just have to figure out the rest of it - shelving, definitely. But we might be changing our minds about the gate down the middle- there's so much space out there!!

and that's all for now, folks. If you have anything you're really interested in knowing, drop me a line!