Alex is still sleeping since there's no reason to wake him up. He still had a fever late yesterday afternoon and his appetite isn't back, so he's home for another day. Miranda bounded out of bed right before 7, per her usual habit. and has tried several times already to wake Alex up to play with her. She just doesn't understand why he should be home and not be up for chasing her around the house.
Anyway, in the end, all Alex had was the stomach flu, but it was the presentation that scared me so badly. Every other time he's had this kind of virus, we find out he's sick when he starts throwing up. This time, it was more than 3 hours of whimpering and looking pale and falling asleep at the drop of a hat before the vomiting started, which is what freaked me out. He has never been able to tell us when he's sick or where it hurts, so describing nausea was obviously beyond him.
And now he's up because Miranda's screaming just woke him. There are mornings when I am not happy with her, like today. She's been in trouble since she got up. When she's unhappy with us these days she just swings her arm back and smacks us as hard as she can. The best thing to do is catch her arm before she can hit. I understand why she's unhappy: on Tuesday, she was dragged all over creation when all she wanted to do was play at home, and now, yesterday and today, we're stuck at home because Alex is sick, but he won't play with her. It's just not her week.
If we make it to Saturday without the rest of us throwing up, we'll probably be in the clear. Here's hoping.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
We're all a little bleary today...
...well, except for Miranda; she's as bouncy as ever. But Alex is definitely feeling better today. He slept from 10:30 - 3 am and then was up with me from 3-4. Then he slept until 5:30 when Marshall took a turn with him. But his fever is lower and he's eaten a few Cheerios and crackers this morning, his first food since lunchtime yesterday. So we're hopeful.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Tuesday that started well
and ended up in the toilet. Or, at least, it would be the toilet if we could convince Alex to throw up in the toilet instead of on towels. Still, towels are better than floors. Or us.
So I got home after a busy morning (and a great meeting with Alex's teacher and therapists--things are much better at school) with a tired Miranda refusing to nap and after we'd been home almost an hour, the nurse calls from school to say at about 2 pm Alex turned pale and climbed into an aide's lap, whimpering. So I put Miranda back in the car and raced back to school to pick up a whimpering boy.
We came home and he went to bed and was asleep almost instantly, which immediately caused me to freak out. The last time Alex did that he was like 6 months old. I had left a message at the Pediatrician's office on my way to school (I did way too much driving while phoning today) and waited impatiently for him to call back at 4. (I couldn't reach either of my parents by phone at that moment which made me even more upset. I don't care how old I am; talking to them helps to calm me down.) Wonderful Dr. Monaco said to bring him in, so I called Mimi the Great to ask her to meet us there so she could deal with Miranda while I was with Alex.
It was an unpleasant trip there (30 minutes), an unpleasant exam (Alex had developed a fever on the way to the office) and when we walked back out to the car (Miranda had fallen asleep in the car right before we arrived at the office so Mimi stayed outside with her) Alex promptly threw up in the street. We had another unpleasant ride home of both children crying but Daddy was home soon after us, which made everything better.
The long and short of it is Alex has flu-like symptoms and I defy anyone who's been watching the news lately not to jump to conclusions and say swine flu. Ugh.
So, he's dry-heaving now between playing rounds of golf on the Wii (while sitting down). He is the most pathetic thing in the world when he's sick. And he threw up on Beloved Brown Blanket, which is now in the dryer. It'll be dry in an hour, when, hopefully, he'll be empty enough to go to bed. Then we can go to bed. Hopefully.
Pray for us.
So I got home after a busy morning (and a great meeting with Alex's teacher and therapists--things are much better at school) with a tired Miranda refusing to nap and after we'd been home almost an hour, the nurse calls from school to say at about 2 pm Alex turned pale and climbed into an aide's lap, whimpering. So I put Miranda back in the car and raced back to school to pick up a whimpering boy.
We came home and he went to bed and was asleep almost instantly, which immediately caused me to freak out. The last time Alex did that he was like 6 months old. I had left a message at the Pediatrician's office on my way to school (I did way too much driving while phoning today) and waited impatiently for him to call back at 4. (I couldn't reach either of my parents by phone at that moment which made me even more upset. I don't care how old I am; talking to them helps to calm me down.) Wonderful Dr. Monaco said to bring him in, so I called Mimi the Great to ask her to meet us there so she could deal with Miranda while I was with Alex.
It was an unpleasant trip there (30 minutes), an unpleasant exam (Alex had developed a fever on the way to the office) and when we walked back out to the car (Miranda had fallen asleep in the car right before we arrived at the office so Mimi stayed outside with her) Alex promptly threw up in the street. We had another unpleasant ride home of both children crying but Daddy was home soon after us, which made everything better.
The long and short of it is Alex has flu-like symptoms and I defy anyone who's been watching the news lately not to jump to conclusions and say swine flu. Ugh.
So, he's dry-heaving now between playing rounds of golf on the Wii (while sitting down). He is the most pathetic thing in the world when he's sick. And he threw up on Beloved Brown Blanket, which is now in the dryer. It'll be dry in an hour, when, hopefully, he'll be empty enough to go to bed. Then we can go to bed. Hopefully.
Pray for us.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Better Monday
(I am having difficulty inserting the picture I want, so here's the link to our web photo site: Old Couch.) Marshall was out yard saling Saturday as we dropped off some of our junk to a friend's sale and made some cash (Thank you, Tammy!) and promptly spent it on a new sectional with a hide-a-bed. It was a great price, looks brand new and seems to have been transported straight out of 1985, style-wise, but since our children are still in the destroy the furniture phase of life, we aren't really buying furniture for the main living areas that we care deeply about. Anyway, the photo is from Saturday afternoon, after we'd lugged the old couches out to the street where the trash men will pick them up Thursday if no one else gets them before that (and I don't really expect they will as they are in poor condition). Alex saw the couches outside and wanted to go sit out with Daddy. I wanted to do a new couch-old couch comparison, but I haven't managed to get that picture yet.
But back to Monday--today. Somehow, I slept well for the first night in a while and life seems possible again. At least, our To Do List while massive doesn't seem completely impossible. I spent the morning doing laundry and planning my day tomorrow. I have a 10:15 am meeting with Alex's teacher (regular monthly conference) so Miranda's already going to the drop in day-care (brilliant idea--I don't know why there isn't more than one!) so I'm planning 6 other stops along the way:
Thankfully, it's supposed to start cooling off Wednesday. It was starting to feel like Fresno, where spring lasts about two weeks before it gets hot and stays hot until Fall.
But back to Monday--today. Somehow, I slept well for the first night in a while and life seems possible again. At least, our To Do List while massive doesn't seem completely impossible. I spent the morning doing laundry and planning my day tomorrow. I have a 10:15 am meeting with Alex's teacher (regular monthly conference) so Miranda's already going to the drop in day-care (brilliant idea--I don't know why there isn't more than one!) so I'm planning 6 other stops along the way:
- Put Alex on the bus per usual at 8:15, pack up Miranda with a large lunch bag in case she's having a hungry day, and drop her off at 9 am at Basically Babysitting.
- Head to Vicky Olson's house to drop off a bin full of hostas. Mine tried to take over the yard last summer so I'm hacking them back considerably and giving her the pieces. Hostas are pretty hardy and mine seem to do amazingly well, when I water them. I consulted with my neighbor last night about my out of control flower bed in the front yard (she is an amazing gardener) about what to do about reordering my plants and she gave me some great ideas and the confidence to do it. I'm going to dig up some of my cannas for her as a thank you, since they are creeping again. Anyway, I've got a couple of weeks work ahead of me, but I'm breaking it up into pieces that I might actually be able to accomplish, then Marshall will run the hoses to set it up to be watered automatically, which would keep the hostas from getting sunburnt and my hydrangea might actually bloom. And then we order a ton of mulch and spend 2 weeks spreading it. But I am a happier person when my flower bed is in order. I take after my father that way.
- Take the back way from Vicky's to Springville Elem for my meeting with Alex's teacher and therapist. I expect a happier meeting this time since he's been on his anti-anxiety meds for 2.5 weeks. And, hopefully, Jessica's computer will be be fixed soon. You don't realize how much you rely on email for teacher-parent communication until it's gone.
- Dry cleaners to drop off my winter coat.
- Bed, Bath & Beyond for a new mattress pad (I have a stack of coupons already stashed in my purse in case they finally have the kids' favorite Gazillion bubbles again).
- Target for new flip flips for me (mine are 2 years old now and after a day of wearing them, are falling apart) and for Miranda so she'll stop stealing mine.
- Costco for milk, eggs, bread, fruit and cheese.
- Panera's for lunch (my treat for clinic days).
- And back to BB to get Miranda, who should have played like crazy and be tired enough to take a nap. Her napping is irregular at best but there's a good chance she'll sleep tomorrow.
Thankfully, it's supposed to start cooling off Wednesday. It was starting to feel like Fresno, where spring lasts about two weeks before it gets hot and stays hot until Fall.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
We've had a perfectly awful day
as the Celica didn't sell and Alex managed to make Miranda bleed all the way home from church (I still haven't figured out how he cut her finger open) and we got to try out our new carpet steamer because we didn't change Miranda's dirty diaper fast enough so she tried to do it herself. Ewwww. More laundry. Sigh.
So, I thought I'd share the pictures our friend Vicky Olson took of us on Easter morning after the church service. This first one is Miranda with cookie all over her face (she managed to swipe two of them which in effect, became her lunch) clutching the new toy Daddy bought her for Easter, Purple Rubber Elephant (named for Max's Red Rubber Elephant from Max & Ruby). She cannot leave the house without it and we've almost left it twice and did leave it yesterday. It was rescued safely this morning, however.
Now we have Emily Olson with Miranda-cookie-face.
This is Alex admiring the red tulips we bought for the church and then got to bring home. He insisted on carrying them himself, all the way home on his lap. And then when he broke one, he was very distressed and asked Daddy for tape to fix it.
We always get flowers for Easter in memory of my cousin Matthew Wilson, who died suddenly almost six years ago.
Here's the four of us, although getting both children to hold still while smiling is . . . difficult.
They are really cute kids, though. It helps.
One more of Miranda with her friends, Emily and Charlotte Olson. And Purple Rubber Elephant.
So, I thought I'd share the pictures our friend Vicky Olson took of us on Easter morning after the church service. This first one is Miranda with cookie all over her face (she managed to swipe two of them which in effect, became her lunch) clutching the new toy Daddy bought her for Easter, Purple Rubber Elephant (named for Max's Red Rubber Elephant from Max & Ruby). She cannot leave the house without it and we've almost left it twice and did leave it yesterday. It was rescued safely this morning, however.
Now we have Emily Olson with Miranda-cookie-face.
This is Alex admiring the red tulips we bought for the church and then got to bring home. He insisted on carrying them himself, all the way home on his lap. And then when he broke one, he was very distressed and asked Daddy for tape to fix it.
We always get flowers for Easter in memory of my cousin Matthew Wilson, who died suddenly almost six years ago.
Here's the four of us, although getting both children to hold still while smiling is . . . difficult.
They are really cute kids, though. It helps.
One more of Miranda with her friends, Emily and Charlotte Olson. And Purple Rubber Elephant.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Today
at Longwood Gardens a good time was had by myself and MaryLee. It was hot and we took the convertible for its swan song (it will be sold by the end of tomorrow). Of course, too much time in the sun means I have a mild case of sun poisoning. Bummer.
Anyway, enjoy the photos.
It was Kite Day for families at Longwood. Alex is totally kite mad right now. Maybe we can take him in a year or two. It was strange to see so many families with young children at Longwood, more than I've ever seen there before.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Spring Vacation
Alex is on Day 7 of his Spring Break and should be ready to go back to school on Monday. We have had a pretty low-key vacation for him, especially as he is adjusting to new anti-anxiety medication. In discussion with his school team, we decided to discuss our options with our doctor, which I did last Thursday. So this is also Day 7 of the new medication and we seem to be adjusting okay. It is causing some insomnia, which is normal, and hopefully, will wear off in a couple of days.
I haven't posted for more than 2 weeks because we've been registering new levels of stress here at Chez Webber what with the purchase of the new car, which got into an accident the day after we bought it (we were hit while stopped at an intersection in Philadelphia having just left our appt. with Miranda and the pediatric neurologist) so it then spent all of last week at the shop. So I've been spending the evenings doing not much. Last night I went out to see Fast & Furious by myself and enjoyed it; I have this strange weakness for Vin Diesel, but I couldn't watch him in The Pacifier; I turned it off after half an hour. Anyway, Roger Ebert's review of the new film is spot on.
Today seems to be naked day for Miranda. I've found her without any clothing or diaper 3 times already. Maybe potty training time has come! She did go on the potty for the first time on Monday after a bath (she drinks so much bath water that she had started peeing on the floor after every bath so I've been putting her on the potty after I dry her off) but today is different. We'll see.
At the end of today we will own 5 cars. I know, I know, there are only 2 drivers here. Marshall is buying a commuting vehicle from a friend at work today, a Toyota Corolla, and will sell the Cellica on Sunday. We may keep the Previa around for another month or so; we haven't decided exactly what to do with it yet since it's barely worth more than scrap metal. But the new xB is very nice and I am enjoying the process of learning to drive it. I took it out for an extended drive last night after the movie (duh!) and realized how easy it would be to get a speeding ticket. So I will just have to be more careful. I'm sure there will be times I will miss my super-charged minivan, but since we said good-bye to the big dog last September and don't plan to have a new one until the kids are much older and more self-sufficient, the xB has just the right amount of space and efficiency.
I think that's all I have time to post about right now. We had a lovely Easter at Marshall's sister's house, except for the tamtrum Miranda threw just as we were sitting down for dinner so she spent 20 minutes screaming upstairs in a pack-n-play before she fell asleep. Everytime I think I've figured out when she needs a nap and when she doesn't (it's now less than 50% of the week now), she fools me. We took the kids to the Discovery Museum to play yesterday (Marshall graciously took yesterday off of work to give me a break and since all of our other plans for the day fell through--dentist, family pictures, feeding therapy session for Alex--we decided to spend the afternoon playing) and Miranda fell asleep in the car on the way there. So Marshall sat in the car with her for 20 minutes while she had a pick-me-up-nap while Alex and I played.
Whew!
I haven't posted for more than 2 weeks because we've been registering new levels of stress here at Chez Webber what with the purchase of the new car, which got into an accident the day after we bought it (we were hit while stopped at an intersection in Philadelphia having just left our appt. with Miranda and the pediatric neurologist) so it then spent all of last week at the shop. So I've been spending the evenings doing not much. Last night I went out to see Fast & Furious by myself and enjoyed it; I have this strange weakness for Vin Diesel, but I couldn't watch him in The Pacifier; I turned it off after half an hour. Anyway, Roger Ebert's review of the new film is spot on.
Today seems to be naked day for Miranda. I've found her without any clothing or diaper 3 times already. Maybe potty training time has come! She did go on the potty for the first time on Monday after a bath (she drinks so much bath water that she had started peeing on the floor after every bath so I've been putting her on the potty after I dry her off) but today is different. We'll see.
At the end of today we will own 5 cars. I know, I know, there are only 2 drivers here. Marshall is buying a commuting vehicle from a friend at work today, a Toyota Corolla, and will sell the Cellica on Sunday. We may keep the Previa around for another month or so; we haven't decided exactly what to do with it yet since it's barely worth more than scrap metal. But the new xB is very nice and I am enjoying the process of learning to drive it. I took it out for an extended drive last night after the movie (duh!) and realized how easy it would be to get a speeding ticket. So I will just have to be more careful. I'm sure there will be times I will miss my super-charged minivan, but since we said good-bye to the big dog last September and don't plan to have a new one until the kids are much older and more self-sufficient, the xB has just the right amount of space and efficiency.
I think that's all I have time to post about right now. We had a lovely Easter at Marshall's sister's house, except for the tamtrum Miranda threw just as we were sitting down for dinner so she spent 20 minutes screaming upstairs in a pack-n-play before she fell asleep. Everytime I think I've figured out when she needs a nap and when she doesn't (it's now less than 50% of the week now), she fools me. We took the kids to the Discovery Museum to play yesterday (Marshall graciously took yesterday off of work to give me a break and since all of our other plans for the day fell through--dentist, family pictures, feeding therapy session for Alex--we decided to spend the afternoon playing) and Miranda fell asleep in the car on the way there. So Marshall sat in the car with her for 20 minutes while she had a pick-me-up-nap while Alex and I played.
Whew!
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