Sickness

The ER called last week to notify us that Lincoln’s final blood-test results came back and wouldn’t you know he has some sort of bacterial infection. He also had bronchitis we learned. All this on top of the ear infection. Poor kid. Thankfully, his doctor was 1-step ahead of the game and already had him on an antibiotic. He’s doing better.

Daycare called yesterday afternoon and said that Ava threw up after her nap. By the time Chris got there to pick her up, she’d thrown up 2 more times. Then she threw up in the car on the way home. When she got home she was just as happy as ever and hungry if you can’t believe that. No fever. I got her cleaned up and she ate some crackers. An hour later the crackers came back up. She said, “Mama, it not tasty.” I got her tucked into bed and she asked me to re-fill her water that we keep by the bed. On my way back upstairs I heard her desperately call, “Mama!” Sure enough, by the time I made it into her room she was throwing up in her bed. Apparently she didn’t have time to grab the bowl I’d given her. We cleaned the mess up and the poor child was so anxious to get back in her bed. We read a book and she quickly fell asleep. I kept her home today to be safe and she appears to be doing much better. We’ve been Cloroxing and Lysoling everything in site. Hopefully this is the end of sickness for us for a while...

Onto the pictures!

Ava wanted to watch Aladdin this afternoon and sure enough she fell asleep. Lincoln also fell into a slumber.

What's better than a pedicure when you're sick?!

The Unthinkable

We did the unthinkable on Friday. We gave Aspen to another family. It was devastating and relieving at the same time. We aren’t able to give her the life she deserves…and we won’t be able to for a long time. Two kids, full-time jobs and Chris in school is enough on our plates right now. We gave her to a family that has been dog sitting her for the past 2 years. They have 2 young boys who adore Aspen. They were thrilled to take her. She was so happy when we dropped her off. They have a fenced in yard for her to run in. I like to think that she’s much happier there. We really miss her…a lot. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I miss having her underfoot. I expect her to bark every time there is a noise outside. It’s hard. Her new family lives 5 miles away so it’s not like we can’t visit her from time to time. We get Aspen updates also – that helps a ton! So far she’s doing very well.

Silver Lining

Today was our much-needed silver lining! We’re so excited about President Obama and the change that he is going to implement. Cheers!

In other news, I ended up going back to Urgent Care today. I woke up in pain! My face hurt and I felt like I had a terrible toothache. As the day progressed, my jaw become so sore that it hurt to talk, much less eat. Thankfully, the nice Urgent Care had their “building emergency” under control (it was a broken water line) so they were open for business. It was great! What a beautiful facility and pleasant people. I think they were all in a good mood because of Obama. Anyhow, I have a sinus infection, duh! I was hesitant to go to the doctor because I knew they would prescribe antibiotics which would mean that I would have to pump and dump (breast feeding). Technology is grand though and she was able to prescribe something that is safe while breast-feeding. That was such a relief it brought tears to my eyes. I took my first dose and I’m anxiously awaiting relief…

Linc had a descent day today. He slept almost all day – just woke to eat really. He did dish out a couple cute smiles for the short time he was awake. That was a treat.

I filed for unemployment. I still can’t believe how unbelievable this situation is…

We were supposed to get snow today but we didn’t. The sun shone and the skies were blue. It sure is cold though.

A video of Lincoln is below. He was smiling and talking up a storm before I thought to grab the camera. He was winding down at this point but I still caught his sweet and soft voice at the end. You can also hear Ava’s make-believe language…

And a picture of the sick baby – he fell asleep playing.

When it rains, it pours...

It’s been a busier than usual few days, unfortunately. Ava’s little pneumonia bug has infected Lincoln and me. Bad. I think 6 weeks of sleep deprivation and the stress of being laid off finally weakened my immune system. It’s bad though, we’re really sick. I can’t seem to recover because I’m trying to take care of 2 sick kids and deal with the stress of being unemployed. Poor Lincoln has been poked and prodded and sent to the ER. Here’s how it all went down…

We started feeling sick Thursday night. Friday was rough – it came on fast. Lincoln’s cough started to sound nasty and he was extremely congested. He didn’t have a fever though… I called the on-call nurse for his doctor’s office on Saturday and she gave me the list of symptoms to watch for (fever, blue around lips, etc. etc.) and said to keep doing what we’re doing (humidifier, saline, etc. etc.). It was a restless night. He spit up the little that he did eat with a lot of mucous (on my bathrobe). The next morning he was even worse. He wouldn’t eat and he cried like he was in pain for 3 hours straight. That worried us. Though, he still didn’t have a fever. Since we were both feeling ill I tossed him in the car and we headed for Urgent Care. It was cold and rainy.

When we pulled into the parking lot I was relieved because there were only a handful of cars. I hurriedly made my way inside with poor Linc on my arm. There was a sign on the door, “Closed for the remainder of the day due to a building emergency.” Building emergency? It’s a brand new building. Looked fine to me. Whatever. We ran back out to the car and made our way to the less desirable Urgent Care in town, with everyone else apparently.

There was a line out the door. I had a moment of contemplation before ultimately deciding to just get it over with. The waiting room was full of sick coughing people and I wondered if I made the right decision bringing him in there. After a lengthy wait we got called back. Thankfully, Lincoln slept through everything – even his physical exam. He wore himself out crying all morning. The nurse practitioner said one of his ears was slightly red. She prescribed him amoxicillin pediatric drops. She checked me out and decided that I just have a cold and need sleep. That’s almost always my diagnosis.  She gave me a handful of sample prescription pills that were supposed to dry up my sinuses.  They did absolutely nothing for me.  

On our way home I stopped by the pharmacy to drop off Linc’s prescription. The pharmacist, an older gentleman, explained that they don’t have this drug and it’ll have to be ordered. He said, “Quite frankly, I’ve only filled this once in my career.” Red flag! I decided to get a second opinion on the antibiotic given the pharmacist’s comment. Chris called the on-call nurse when we got home to ask. She wasn’t sure so she wanted to check with the on-call doctor. Finally, the doctor called us back in a tizzy and had no interest in discussing the prescription. She was more concerned about Lincoln’s symptoms. She advised us to head to the ER immediately to have a RSV test done.

I put my tennis shoes back on and we headed to the ER. What a wonderful experience – truly! They took us back without delay. We had a couple nurses waiting on Linc and the doctor didn’t waste anytime checking him out. Low and behold he had a 100.3 temperature! The doctor said they treat little babies aggressively because they don’t like to take chances. So, Linc got a urine bag, blood drawn, an IV, a chest x-ray, an oxygen reading and 2 nose swabs. Phew! The insurance company is going to love that! He was a super champ – mostly because he was exhausted. Everything came back looking dandy. Just a viral infection (aka a cold). The ER doctor and Linc's doctor conversed and mutually decided to pump him full of some antibiotics, just in case, because after all they don’t take chances with the little babies. They also wanted a 2nd RSV test done the next day because sometimes the first test comes back negative when it's actually positive. After four hours in the ER we were sent home with instructions to keep a close eye on him that night. Chris slept on the floor in Linc’s room and I curled up in our bed. Hey! Doctor’s orders for me! We were up and at ‘em early this morning to get Linc to the doctor for another RSV test. We got the call this afternoon that his test was negative, again. Three doctors and numerous tests later to find out he just has a nasty cold. Better safe than sorry!

So yeah, we haven’t stopped going. So much for Chris’ 3-day weekend. Lincoln is in bad shape and it breaks my heart to see him so sick. Ava’s first cold at 6 weeks of age was nothing like this. Speaking of Ava, she is doing better. She’s not out of the woods yet, but she’s doing better. Maybe tomorrow I’ll finally get to work on my resume and focus on the job hunt. Chris still isn’t sick (knock on wood). I don’t know how he always manages to avoid the household illness… I’m starting to think he really is Superman… Hey! You have your fantasies and I have mine! Don’t judge.

On a different, yet slightly related note, I want to give a little shout out to the Neti Pot!
http://www.neilmed.com/usa/netipot_adword.php?gclid=CPrCsMjqmJgCFQO5GgodsHrFmA


If you’re suffering from sinus issues then you MUST try this. It alleviates so much pressure and really clears out the sinuses, temporarily. My brilliant brother recommended it to me. He saw it on Oprah, of course.

Time for bed. Here are a couple pics of Linc in the ER.

Be Careful...

Be careful what you wish for. I’ve been harping about how I wish I had more time with Linc before jumping back into reality after my Leave. I was due to go back to work on Monday. Today was supposed to be Lincoln’s first day of daycare. At 8:10 a.m. this morning I got a call from my boss. No need to show up to work on Monday because I got laid off. Apparently our division isn’t doing as well as they anticipated (surprise) so they’re doing another round of lay offs and this time it hit home for me. Thankfully Chris already planned on taking the day off work today to have work done on his car so he was here – not only did he provide support which helped alleviate the blow for me but an extra set of hands is always beneficial with two rug rats running around.

We’ve had quite a week… Here’s a recap to date:
• Ava’s “good old fashioned cold” is the onset of pneumonia. Just what you want to hear with a 6-week-old baby in the house. So, she’s staying home for the rest of the week and we’re pumping her full of antibiotics again.
• Chris woke up to a completely flat tire yesterday morning. He was so excited to be getting out the door early for the first time in who knows how long. So much for that.
• Today I get laid off from my job.
• Today was supposed to be my 6-week post partum doctor appointment and they called and cancelled on ME! I should have charged them $25. They rescheduled me for Monday and informed me that the doctor is “overbooked” that day so I’ll probably have a long wait. Lovely.
• I spent beaucoup bucks at Target last night getting supplies for Lincoln’s big first day at day care. I stayed up until midnight last night washing and labeling aforementioned supplies with his name. Needless to say, he won’t be attending daycare now.

So yeah, the economy is crummy and we just got dragged into the mess. It could be worse though. I’m so thankful to have 2 healthy (minus the pneumonia) children and an awesome husband. The dog is cool too, on a good day.

Onto the fun stuff now! Despite being ill, Ava has been acting rather normal up until today. We really noticed a difference in her overall being today. She was grumpy, refusing to eat and tired enough to pass out at the table while waiting for her chocolate pudding to settle. That was a first. She’s never fallen asleep in a random place (other than the car). Poor kid. Her fever is gone though and her nose was considerably better tonight. Check out the video of her dancing yesterday – proof that she was not acting like a sick child. Lincoln loves watching her!

Time to get to bed. Guess I’ll be dusting off the ol’ resume tomorrow. If anyone has any job leads, I’d love to hear about them!

Here are some pics (and a video) from the past few days - 

Linc hanging out while Ava gets ready for bed...

Me with the kiddos...

Passed out waiting for her pudding...

Chris is convinced this chair drugs him...

Look!  A dimple!

Sick Ava...

Do you believe she's sick?

6 Weeks

6 weeks flew by this time. With Ava (are you tired of hearing that yet?), 6 weeks felt like 6 weeks. This time, it flew. I go back to work on Monday. I’m actually looking forward to getting back to a schedule and a routine. I’m excited for Lincoln to get out into the world and meet some new people (daycare).

I’m wrapping up my maternity leave by trying to mentally and physically prepare myself for the coming months.
• I’m sure I’ll spend a day on the floor in my closet sulking because none of my clothes fit yet. I really don’t want to go back to work in my maternity clothes…I just want to pack them up for once and for all! Looks like it’ll be a few months before I see that day.
• I’m also preparing for pumping all day at work. My body is accustomed to nursing, not pumping. That’s proving to be a much more difficult transition than I remember from last time. I think it boils down to lack of time to make myself sit and pump.
• I’m organizing our life and creating a schedule that is going to work when Chris goes back to school next week. You know, finding quick and nutritious recipes, organizing the cabinets, re-stocking the pantry, etc.
• I look at Lincoln as often as possible and try to burn this time with him into my memory.

Ava stayed home with Linc and I yesterday and she’s staying home with us again today. She seems to have a good old-fashioned cold! She’s stuffy, runny, cough, fever, etc. Despite all this, she actually has an appetite and quite a bit of energy. I had all I could do to keep up with her yesterday and Linc’s demanding hungry tummy (not to mention my own demanding hungry tummy). She’s still in bed so I don’t know how she’s feeling today yet. I made the crazy decision to stay awake after Lincoln’s last feeding to shower, eat, do laundry and prepare for today. I like to be ready for her…

Lincoln’s sleeping habits are still sporadic. I’m beginning to see some sort of pattern, I think. Some nights are do-able while others are not. Thank goodness he’s so stinkin’ precious because he’s totally worth it. So far we’ve managed to see the humor in all this. Hopefully we can continue on that path once I go back to work because I can get awfully grumpy when I’m tired.

Ava is still the best big sister! She takes it upon herself to comfort the little guy when he gets upset. It’s so sweet to listen to her talk to him as she gently rubs his head, “Linc, shhh, it’s OK. I’m here. It’s Ava, your sister. Shhh. You OK? Linc? I’ll be right back, OK? OK. I’ll be right back.” That’s when she usually runs to me to tell me exactly what’s wrong with him. Apparently they can communicate because she’s pretty sure of herself when she says, “Mama! Linc is hungry!” She also communicates with the dog because she knows when Aspen is “hungry for a treat.” Mmhmm… Yesterday was my birthday. Ava has been celebrating my birthday since sometime last week when a little birdie must have informed her that it was coming up soon. She doesn’t seem to understand that birthdays are 1 day. I’ve been enjoying her random outbursts of the “Happy Birthday” song to me for the past week. She and Chris made me the most delicious Funfetti cupcakes! My parents stopped by with a chocolate cake last night as well. None of this has helped me get out of my maternity clothes but it sure is tasty! We watched “Lady and The Tramp” two times in a row yesterday per Ava’s request! You can do that when you’re sick. I figure, she’s too young for Lifetime so we’re sticking with Disney for now. I wonder what we’ll watch today?

Lincoln is changing so much so quickly. For starters, he’s huge! I hardly recognize the baby in the pictures from his first 2 weeks. He’s much more alert these days too. He spends a good majority of the day awake and interacting. The first 3 hours after he wakes up are by far the best! That’s when he’s uber happy and laughing and smiling…at everything! He has the best smile. He’s starting to talk too. He tries so hard to get a few small sounds out and it’s lovely. He adores Ava. He smiles if she walks past him and he catches a glimpse of her. He also calms down when he hears her voice, which is why we usually request her presence near his side to keep him occupied until one of us can run to his rescue.

The challenges we’re experiencing right now are minor. There’s the whole sleep issue but that’s to be expected and it’s temporary. All the challenges are temporary for that matter. I’m a bit stressed about the pumping thing too. I don’t think I’m keeping up with his demand very well. My body is doing great, I’m just not sitting down often enough to pump. It’s tough. Supplementing 1 feeding a day with formula is in the back of my mind though I really don’t want to do that. And of course the more I stress about it the less milk I’ll produce. Finally, I’m just trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends before going back to work. Not that I want to wish this time away, but I’m so looking forward to looking back at this time and laughing about it over a cocktail and an intimate dinner with Chris (sans children). I chuckle to myself when I try to remember what I did with my time 3 years ago and how I wouldn’t trade this exact moment in time for anything…although 30 minutes of uninterrupted sleep is tempting…or perhaps a long shower…or maybe 2 completely worry-free minutes! Oh the things I used to take for granted!

The cake - I took a pic because Ava put the candles in, if you couldn't tell :-)

The kids...

Comparison

Just for fun...

Ava - 1 month old

Lincoln - 1 month old