Apr. 26, 2006 - Lots of updates
It's been SO long! I don't know if anyone even reads this blog, outside of a few family members and friends, but sorry to those of you who do. There's been so much going on, namely in the sickness department. It's honestly been one illness after another for the past two months, including two trips to the emergency room. First the kids were sick with an awful virus - fever, cough, cold, etc. Elijah got it the worst, poor thing. For two weeks he was coughing so hard he would vomit constantly. It did get so bad that one day I brought him to the ER, only to be given a medication that I later learned was totally the wrong thing for him. I had no choice but to bring him to the hospital because it was a Saturday. My pediatrician's office was closed and he no longer has an on-call doctor to answer questions (too many frivilous law-suits). First I tried two different walk-in clinics. The first one was closed. The second one wouldn't accept kids and according to them, most clinics don't, which seems really screwed up to me, but whatever. So anyway, the ER doctor gave Elijah tylenol with codeine, which I later found out (from his ped) was a dangerous thing to give him. Because it's a sedative, it supresses breathing, so why would you give that to a baby who's already having trouble breathing???!!! Not that it helped much anyway. He would fall asleep and wake up 20 minutes later having a coughing/vomitting fit. This went on for 3 nights before it got any better. He barely got any sleep at all. Elijah ended up losing almost 2 pounds in 2 weeks. I'm so thankful he was a healthy, chubby baby to begin with.
The second trip to the ER was for Savannah, who woke up from a nap screaming that her ear and head hurt. So I immediately thought, ear infection. It ended up just being pressure from mucus build-up (GROSS!) and she never got any worse.
About a week after this the stomach virus hit. Elijah started with diarrhea first, then the other two started with the pukies.
Then Elijah got the throw-up part and the other two got the diarrhea. So that was fun. There's nothing like staying up for 2 or 3 nights in a row with puking kids, a baby with explosive diarrhea, and non-stop laundry. And of course you know it's gonna hit you next...which it did...two days before Easter.
I will be having surgery on May 23...I have a mass on my thyroid gland. I had the mass removed last year, but it has grown back. Fortunately, my doctor does not suspect cancer. Everything was benign last time, so hopefully I'll be lucky again. This time I will be having half my thyroid gland removed along with the mass. This is to prevent anything from growing back again. I'm nervous about the surgery and recovery. When I had the needle biopsy done last year, I bled a lot inside and was in a lot of pain for about a week, unable to turn my neck or swallow properly.
Now for some updates on the kids...
Noah ~ has a loose tooth! I can't believe how fast he is growing up, too fast for my liking :) Lately he's into Legos and Battleship. He continues to impress me with his understanding of math concepts. A few days ago he told me that 8 plus 8 equals 16. So I told him, "Yes, and another way to say that is 8 times 2 equals 16, meaning the number 8 two times." He very confidently said, oh I get it, and took out our multiplication toy - a times table with buttons you push down to get the answers. Now this is not something I bought in order to teach him his times tables; it's just something that was given to me that I put in their math drawer for future use. He played with this for about 5 minutes, then announced that 9 x 9 is 81. Then he did something that blew me away. He took a marker and started writing on our dry-erase board. He made nine rows of dots with nine dots in each row...adding up to 81! Now I understand why he goes through the lessons in Saxon K in about 2 minutes.
Savannah ~ Continues to show a great love for and interest in animals. I would like to get her involved in some kind of 4H type thing as soon as she's old enough. All she talks about these days are puppies, kittens, goats, and sheep! The other day she sat in the yard looking for bugs. When she found a centipede, she made me catch it for her and put it in their bug jar. Now it's a testament to my love for her that I actually let this thing in my house. Most insects don't bother me too much (i used to catch them and keep them as pets when i was a kid), but something about centipedes really grosses me out 
Anyway, Savannah spent the rest of the day watching the centipede make circles around her bug jar. And for all her efforts searching in the brush, she ended up with poison ivy. Well, one thing's for sure, life is always an adventure with my little ones.
Elijah ~ signed for the first time today! I haven't spent as much time as I'd like working on signs with him, but I do try to incorporate a few into everyday life. So today at lunch I was letting him take sips from my water bottle. Everytime I would put it down, he would look at it and protest loudly, wanting it back. So a couple of times I asked, "Do you want more, Elijah? Would you like more water? Say MORE with your hands, Elijah." And I did the sign for MORE a couple of times. Then something seemed to click in his mind, and he brought his hands together, not perfectly, but a very good imitation of the sign. He did this a couple of times. It was so great, especially since he doesn't have any verbal words yet. So I hope to keep up with the signs now that I have a little more motivation.
Okay, that's about all I have time for tonight. Oh, the other reason I haven't been on as much is because I started another page on Myspace. It's so addictive! So go check that out if you want. The link is on the sidebar. G'night :)
Comments
Apr. 27, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
I read your blog. I like reading about you and the kids. It makes me feel like I know what is going on. I'm sorry everyone has been so sick. I was kind of hoping things were okay because you hadn't written in so long. I can't believe Noah is doing multiplication already and you and I barely squeaked through Algebra 2! And when you wrote about Savannah I was afraid it was going to be a burst eardrum, so I'm glad it was only mucus. It's really awesome that Elijah signed back to you! I want to become fluent in ASL. I hope your operation goes well. Those things are scary, but usually aren't too bad. I've started a blog on blogspot. I haven't been great at updating it, but I'll leave you the link next time I sign in. - Goldie
Apr. 27, 2006 - Goldie's blog
Posted by Anonymous
http://butterflydreamergirl.blogspot.com/
Jul. 1, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by OurHomeSweetHomeschool
Just random blogging tonight and wanted to with you and yours a safe and fun filled 4th of July.
Blessings,
Theresa
Aug. 13, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Kelly (from HS)
YUCK!!!!! I can't believe you touched a centipede, those things scare me to death. You must be one rockin' mom!
Hey, are you gonna be OK with your thyroid stuff? Let me know when you find out. :(
