We have been sooo lucky for the past few years in the realm of acquiring coughs. When Elijah was a baby, actually until he was 4 or so, he pretty much had a terrible cough through every winter. Tons of sleep was lost due to those darn coughs and they never seemed to want to go away. I remember considering The Cough to be an honorary member of our family, as it had a life of its own and never wanted to leave. There were stretches of time when I would sleep in our closet because that was the only place in our house where coughing couldn't be heard. Since Christmas break began, TC is back in our house in a way that he hasn't been in years. Since Elijah's croup episodes last week, he's been coughing like crazy. It has gradually become looser and it has disturbed his sleep less with each passing night. Sammy's cough started two days ago and has been getting worse. We brought him to the doctor today and the poor boy has bronchitis. He sounds awful!
In one sense it's been frustrating because I really wanted Elijah to get caught up over this two-week break. But on the other hand, THANK GOODNESS he hasn't been in school while this sickness ran through him. He'd be a double mess! At one point today Elijah was red-eyed and stumbling around and Dan said, "He is running on fumes....no, not even fumes. I don't know WHAT he's running on." He is so depleted still, but we have cleared our schedules for the next five days. We have nothing planned but rest and early bedtimes!
That's all we've got for now. Aside from the coughs and sickness, we have been enjoying spending tons of time together and napping and eating and playing games and reading books. I love my boys! Please pray for our sweet Sammy to HEAL!
Showing posts with label cough. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cough. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Croup: Season 6, Episode 3 (Elijah)
We're starting off with a bang sans Dan. Juuuust as my sleepy body was crawling into bed last night, I heard stridor over the monitor and for some reason was not at all surprised. I carried Elijah for the second time in two days, this time to a steamy bathroom. The stridor wasn't super-scary, thankfully, so an epi neb wasn't necessary. We snuggled while sitting on the edge of the tub for 20 minutes and then I gave him a dose of oral steroids and put him in bed with me. From that moment until 2:00am, I went from placing my hand on his chest to putting my ear to his chest to asking him if he was ok...repeat 100 times. 2:00 (the witching hour) has always been Elijah's hour when croup is the most awful, if it's going to be awful. I realized I was not getting ANY sleep, so I put him back into his own bed at 2:00 on the dot. He had mild stridor the rest of the night and at 6:00 (the magic hour) all was well and he was ready to start the day!
Not surprisingly, I suppose, he had a "bad" note from his teacher today. It was his first in a long time, but with the steroids in his body (this med has always done a number on his mind/body) and lack of sleep I could have a little understanding. My attempt at putting both boys to bed early tonight was a complete failure. We are an overly tired bunch right now. I'm praying for a healing, restful weekend for all of us! And for a great DC trip for Dan! We miss him!
I'm believing for a turn-around day tomorrow. I'll be starting the day off with funfetti-strawberry pancakes! Come join us! :)
Not surprisingly, I suppose, he had a "bad" note from his teacher today. It was his first in a long time, but with the steroids in his body (this med has always done a number on his mind/body) and lack of sleep I could have a little understanding. My attempt at putting both boys to bed early tonight was a complete failure. We are an overly tired bunch right now. I'm praying for a healing, restful weekend for all of us! And for a great DC trip for Dan! We miss him!
I'm believing for a turn-around day tomorrow. I'll be starting the day off with funfetti-strawberry pancakes! Come join us! :)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Slackin' mommy
I apologize for slacking on kid photos lately (particularly Elijah!). It has been a whirlwind of a month so far, and guess what? I still haven't started my Christmas shopping! I wonder what would happen if I just didn't do it. Would the world crumble to pieces?
These photos are a few weeks old, but ones I haven't posted yet. Elijah is being his silly self, making faces and dancing around the living room.
I love my silly boy!
And those beautiful eyes.
I think Hand is talking to the legos here.
A few Elijah funnies:
At the grocery store the other morning, Elijah said to the gal working the register, "HI WADY! My name E-ijah! Have you seen my daddy?"
I always have him kiss Sammy and tell him goodnight before Sam goes to bed. He kisses his head and says, "Good night, Sammy. Get some sweep!" Sooo cute.
Every morning when I get him out of bed and every night before I tuck him in, I ask him for a giant hug. He wraps his arms around me tightly and then he puckers up and says, "Wittle smooch!" So, we do a giant hug and a wittle smooch twice a day. :)
The other day I quizzed him on some basic info. What's your mom's name, etc. When I said, "What is your brother's name?" he said in all seriousness, "Sammy Jammy." This is something I call Sam a lot, enough that Elijah thinks it is his proper name.
Sometimes when we are around friends or family, Elijah will tell people excitedly, "That's mine mommy!" Awwww, I love you, sweet boy.
On the sickness front, we just cannot get our boys healthy! As soon as they seem to be healing, another round comes along. Sam has had a bad cough for well over a week. Elijah didn't sleep the best last night due to another round of let's-cough-through-the-night. Dan even started coughing yesterday. UGH!
A week from TODAY (oh goodness, I have so much to do in a week!) we leave for North Carolina to visit family for 8 days. Can't wait!
These photos are a few weeks old, but ones I haven't posted yet. Elijah is being his silly self, making faces and dancing around the living room.
I love my silly boy!
And those beautiful eyes.
I think Hand is talking to the legos here.
A few Elijah funnies:
At the grocery store the other morning, Elijah said to the gal working the register, "HI WADY! My name E-ijah! Have you seen my daddy?"
I always have him kiss Sammy and tell him goodnight before Sam goes to bed. He kisses his head and says, "Good night, Sammy. Get some sweep!" Sooo cute.
Every morning when I get him out of bed and every night before I tuck him in, I ask him for a giant hug. He wraps his arms around me tightly and then he puckers up and says, "Wittle smooch!" So, we do a giant hug and a wittle smooch twice a day. :)
The other day I quizzed him on some basic info. What's your mom's name, etc. When I said, "What is your brother's name?" he said in all seriousness, "Sammy Jammy." This is something I call Sam a lot, enough that Elijah thinks it is his proper name.
Sometimes when we are around friends or family, Elijah will tell people excitedly, "That's mine mommy!" Awwww, I love you, sweet boy.
On the sickness front, we just cannot get our boys healthy! As soon as they seem to be healing, another round comes along. Sam has had a bad cough for well over a week. Elijah didn't sleep the best last night due to another round of let's-cough-through-the-night. Dan even started coughing yesterday. UGH!
A week from TODAY (oh goodness, I have so much to do in a week!) we leave for North Carolina to visit family for 8 days. Can't wait!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sunday afternoon
Early Saturday morning I woke up feeling like someone was stabbing knives into the right side of my head. After writhing in bed for a bit, I decided to head to the ER to at least get some help with the pain. It was excruciating! The doctor said I had a "raging ear infection." Seriously? I don't think I have any memory of ever having an ear infection in my life. I started some antibiotics and took some Extra Strength Tylenol and 24+ hours later I'm feeling better. I still can't taste or smell anything, which is kind of strange.
Elijah and I are both still making non-stop coughing music around the house. Hopefully this week brings health for both of us. I can't decide if the sickness has made bed rest worse or better, but I'm ready for it to be done.
Dan has a menu planned for the Superbowl tonight and I'm wishing I was able to taste some of his yummy snacks.
An Elijah funny.. Yesterday I told him that Dan would have to fix one of his dvds (that he calls "D-D-Ds") before he would be able to watch it. By "fix" I meant that all of the gooey fingerprints would need to be cleaned off of it. Elijah said, "Fix? Ok!" and walked to the kitchen junk drawer. He opened it and grabbed some tape out and brought it to me. "Tape, Mommy. Fix!" :)
We have been watching WAY too much tv lately, way more than I like for Elijah to watch, but I really don't know of many other ways to pass the time in the situation we are in. We are trying to play a lot of trains and puzzles but we can only do so much of that. This morning Dan took Elijah to the play area in the mall to run around a bit. I hate that I couldn't go along, but I'm glad the two of them were able to get out of the house.
Elijah is napping so I think I will go try to nap for a bit, too.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Lungs
With all of the coughing that Elijah has been doing lately, his respiratory health has been something I have been thinking about a lot. (We did get his lungs listened to today and all is clear, phew!)
About a month ago, the three of us were driving home from somewhere in the city at night. As we cruised along the freeway, I spotted a huge tree in the distance that someone had intricately decorated with Christmas lights. It must have taken forever to get the lights on this tree because every single branch and every little twig attached to every branch had a string of lights wrapped around it. I am one to appreciate projects that take a good chunk of time to complete, so I thought it was really cool.
A few weeks before I saw this tree, during Elijah's most recent heart cath, Dr. G sat down with Dan and me and described to us in detail the way blood flows into and through the lungs. He drew two diagrams. One was of a healthy, normal set of lungs and the other was of Elijah's lungs. A diagram of the blood flow in healthy lungs has an uncanny resemblance to the super-lighted tree I saw from the freeway last month, so this is the first thing I thought of when I saw it. WOW, THAT TREE HAS HEALTHY BLOOD FLOW!
In healthy lungs, blood flows through many big branches, which lead to many smaller branches, which lead to many twig-sized branches, covering a majority of the area in each lung. In Elijah's lungs, blood flows into a couple main branches, which lead to a handful of smaller branches, which lead to very few twig-sized branches, covering maybe two-thirds of the area in each lung.
The limited number of blood pathways in his lungs is a result of the MAPCAs portion of his heart diagnosis, which is a result of the Pulmonary Atresia portion of his heart diagnosis. Because certain pathways in and around his heart were missing (Pulmonary Atresia), his body created these collaterals (MAPCAs) to try to compensate for the absence of proper blood flow. And because these pathways weren't in his body to begin with, they were not necessarily formed the correct size and with the correct quantity or quality than they would have been had he not had his heart defect.
It's actually pretty cool when you think about it. His body recognized a lack of blood flow in a very important area of his body, so it created its own pathways so his body would be able to function. And thank God the human body is amazing enough to do something like this because the alternative is, well, a body that cannot survive.
Those pathways, although life-sustaining and adequate, are limiting. They were his body's Plan B, so they do not provide his lungs with ideal blood flow. Elijah's lungs will never be normal, and this is something that will not change.
I guess we had always kind of known this, but when Dr. G described it so vividly it bummed me out. Not only will Elijah never have a normal heart, he will also never have normal lungs. This means he will tire easily and he will always be more susceptible to infection and illness and respiratory issues. This is a life-long thing for him.
While that is definitely a bummer, I do know that he is also very blessed. Dr. G also explained that Elijah's body did a way better job of implementing that Plan B than a lot of other little bodies do. Some babies with MAPCAs have one or two main tree branches, with one or two littler branches coming off of those, and that is it. Those babies don't live for very long. Considering the diagnosis Elijah has, he is a VERY blessed little boy. As a last resort, his body did an amazing job of creating sufficient pathways for blood to travel through. His blood flow will never resemble the tree I saw from the freeway, but we are very thankful for the branches that are there.
About a month ago, the three of us were driving home from somewhere in the city at night. As we cruised along the freeway, I spotted a huge tree in the distance that someone had intricately decorated with Christmas lights. It must have taken forever to get the lights on this tree because every single branch and every little twig attached to every branch had a string of lights wrapped around it. I am one to appreciate projects that take a good chunk of time to complete, so I thought it was really cool.
A few weeks before I saw this tree, during Elijah's most recent heart cath, Dr. G sat down with Dan and me and described to us in detail the way blood flows into and through the lungs. He drew two diagrams. One was of a healthy, normal set of lungs and the other was of Elijah's lungs. A diagram of the blood flow in healthy lungs has an uncanny resemblance to the super-lighted tree I saw from the freeway last month, so this is the first thing I thought of when I saw it. WOW, THAT TREE HAS HEALTHY BLOOD FLOW!
In healthy lungs, blood flows through many big branches, which lead to many smaller branches, which lead to many twig-sized branches, covering a majority of the area in each lung. In Elijah's lungs, blood flows into a couple main branches, which lead to a handful of smaller branches, which lead to very few twig-sized branches, covering maybe two-thirds of the area in each lung.
The limited number of blood pathways in his lungs is a result of the MAPCAs portion of his heart diagnosis, which is a result of the Pulmonary Atresia portion of his heart diagnosis. Because certain pathways in and around his heart were missing (Pulmonary Atresia), his body created these collaterals (MAPCAs) to try to compensate for the absence of proper blood flow. And because these pathways weren't in his body to begin with, they were not necessarily formed the correct size and with the correct quantity or quality than they would have been had he not had his heart defect.
It's actually pretty cool when you think about it. His body recognized a lack of blood flow in a very important area of his body, so it created its own pathways so his body would be able to function. And thank God the human body is amazing enough to do something like this because the alternative is, well, a body that cannot survive.
Those pathways, although life-sustaining and adequate, are limiting. They were his body's Plan B, so they do not provide his lungs with ideal blood flow. Elijah's lungs will never be normal, and this is something that will not change.
I guess we had always kind of known this, but when Dr. G described it so vividly it bummed me out. Not only will Elijah never have a normal heart, he will also never have normal lungs. This means he will tire easily and he will always be more susceptible to infection and illness and respiratory issues. This is a life-long thing for him.
While that is definitely a bummer, I do know that he is also very blessed. Dr. G also explained that Elijah's body did a way better job of implementing that Plan B than a lot of other little bodies do. Some babies with MAPCAs have one or two main tree branches, with one or two littler branches coming off of those, and that is it. Those babies don't live for very long. Considering the diagnosis Elijah has, he is a VERY blessed little boy. As a last resort, his body did an amazing job of creating sufficient pathways for blood to travel through. His blood flow will never resemble the tree I saw from the freeway, but we are very thankful for the branches that are there.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Cough cough cough
We took a quick trip to the Mall of America today as a distraction from the coughing, lack of sleeping, tiredness and meltdowns. Elijah did not love the rides this time, but it was nice to get out of the house.
That is all for now! We are praying for a healthy week for the munchkin.
Oh, there is one thing worth mentioning. Elijah thinks we should name his little brother "Zooter" (the pig's name from Jungle Junction). :)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Early bird Elijah
Dan enjoyed a weekend with his friends in the northern woods, playing football in the snow, catching up and savoring the final hours of ALL OF THAT HAIR. Meanwhile, Elijah and I were in our warm, cozy house, listening to music, doing a lot of walking, being silly and having tons of play time.
Elijah decided that he wanted to try to make me as tired as he possibly could, waking up at unfathomably early times each morning (3:59 and 4:47) and only taking one-hour naps.
This week we are going to experiment with his bed time to see if we can get this early waking under control. I think he has the Early Bird gene (where he got this, I have no idea), but I also think we can move his wake-up times to a more tolerable hour. 6:00 would be great!
Have a great week, everyone!
My next post will be all about HAIR!
Monday, January 4, 2010
New walking legs
Are you getting tired of our videos yet? I can't help but post the new silly walking Elijah was doing tonight. And doesn't Dan look like a mountain man? He is shaving/cutting off the hair next Sunday! I CAN'T WAIT!!
This past weekend was so different from the previous weekend. Elijah was a very well-behaved little boy and the majority of our time together was pleasant and fun (although bitterly cold when forced to walk into the outdoors). Maybe all the walking distracted him?
The first two days of walking were exciting for him, but after a few falls on the tile he has become a little bit more hesitant to zoom around the house. As with everything, we are letting him do this at his own pace (with a little gentle coaxing) so he doesn't get overwhelmed and frustrated. He gets nervous about walking if we are anywhere but our home, which is just fine for now. His confidence will increase as his skills get better.
I have been an emotional pregnant wreck lately, so every little thing makes me cry and one of the things I cannot stop crying about is Elijah's new walking skills. Over the past almost-three years, I have wondered many times if we would ever see this day. OUR LITTLE BOY IS WALKING!!! AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! THANK YOU, GOD!
I will be out of town for work meetings for two days and one night this week, so I have been soaking up all the Elijah time that I possibly can. Not like I don't always do that anyway. Mommy-Elijah time is the best. (I am now officially "Mommy" and no longer "Mama.")
We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat again today. What a comforting sound. I just started feeling some punches and kicks coming from in there, too! Next Thursday I will get a Level 2 ultrasound and at the end of January I will go back for a fetal echocardiogram. We are excited to get a glimpse of Elijah's little sibling! I have had a very strong feeling we will be having another boy, but we will find out for sure next week.
Elijah's cough/cold is finally nearly gone. We're hoping this is the new trend for the new year. I hope you all are having a great start to your new year! Thank you so much for checking in on us!
Monday, December 21, 2009
A weekend full of Kickus joy
I have been extremely organized, productive and timely this Christmas season (it's the pregnancy). It has felt wonderful to be finished with the stressful parts of the holidays so I can actually truly enjoy the fun and meaningful parts. And it's not even Christmas yet!
We spent a lot of time with family and friends this past weekend and it was wonderful! This photo of Auntie Lynn ("Auntie Inn") and Elijah is my favorite from the weekend. My 10-year-old niece, Emma, shot this! I could munch on that deliciously chubby Elijah neck like it was a cinnamon roll.
Do I have a beautiful family, or what? Here are Auntie Lissa ("Auntie Issa") and cousin Kaleigh, ("Kayyee") snuggling.
And cousin Emma, the budding photographer.
I only have a two-day work week this week, woohoooo! We plan to spend Christmas Eve with Dan's family and the rest of the weekend is set aside for some quality Mama-Daddy-Elijah time.
Elijah is still coughing occasionally. Overall he is sleeping well, so we haven't let it stress us out too much. He got his H1N1 booster last week, so it felt good to check that off the list.
Have a great Kickus week, everyone! Thanks for checking in! (I will probably never pronounce "Christmas" correctly again. "Kickus" is just too cute!)
We spent a lot of time with family and friends this past weekend and it was wonderful! This photo of Auntie Lynn ("Auntie Inn") and Elijah is my favorite from the weekend. My 10-year-old niece, Emma, shot this! I could munch on that deliciously chubby Elijah neck like it was a cinnamon roll.
Do I have a beautiful family, or what? Here are Auntie Lissa ("Auntie Issa") and cousin Kaleigh, ("Kayyee") snuggling.
And cousin Emma, the budding photographer.
I only have a two-day work week this week, woohoooo! We plan to spend Christmas Eve with Dan's family and the rest of the weekend is set aside for some quality Mama-Daddy-Elijah time.
Elijah is still coughing occasionally. Overall he is sleeping well, so we haven't let it stress us out too much. He got his H1N1 booster last week, so it felt good to check that off the list.
Have a great Kickus week, everyone! Thanks for checking in! (I will probably never pronounce "Christmas" correctly again. "Kickus" is just too cute!)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Junction on its way out? Could it be?
I'm recycling photos again.
Do you know how some weeks just stink? Last week was one of those weeks for me. Elijah was sick and coughing and none of us were sleeping. I was busy at work and trying to get Christmas gifts in order and dealing with very cold weather and snowy commutes. The whole week had an overall feel of gloom. Well, this week has been much better. Elijah slept through the entire night last night without coughing or making a single peep!! (I rarely use two exclamation points in a row!) And since we are all sleeping better, everything else seems to be going more smoothly.
We have even made progress with the Jungle Junction weaning! I've gotten Elijah to watch entire non-Junction shows within the past few days, which is a miracle. He seems to have a renewed passion for Veggie Tales, which is sweet music to our ears. There is a Silly Song on one of our Veggie Tales dvds that involves a giant squash sitting on Larry the Cucumber's hat and "squashing" it (ha!). Elijah has seen this Silly Song about a zillion times in his little life, but is suddenly unable to get Big Squash out of his mind. He had me draw about fifty pictures of "Big Gosh" last night and it was the first thing he asked for when I got him out of bed this morning ("Daw Big Gosh pease, Mama!" "You want me to draw Big Squash for you?" "Yes, Mom." I'm not kidding, these are the conversations we have these days! I love it!). And we love YOU, Big Squash, because you are not a character from Jungle Junction! Welcome to our home!
I really wish I could get some of Elijah's walking (he is doing soooo well with this lately!) and talking on video to share with everyone, but every time he sees the camera all he wants to do is watch himself on the display screen. We will have to try to get sneaky. But yes, he has the ability to take quite a few steps on his own now! He doesn't quite have the confidence yet, so Dan and I really have to encourage him before he will try it. And for security, he always needs to have an object or a person nearby before he will attempt it.
We have Elijah's ECSE assessment results meeting tomorrow! I can't wait! More then..
Do you know how some weeks just stink? Last week was one of those weeks for me. Elijah was sick and coughing and none of us were sleeping. I was busy at work and trying to get Christmas gifts in order and dealing with very cold weather and snowy commutes. The whole week had an overall feel of gloom. Well, this week has been much better. Elijah slept through the entire night last night without coughing or making a single peep!! (I rarely use two exclamation points in a row!) And since we are all sleeping better, everything else seems to be going more smoothly.
We have even made progress with the Jungle Junction weaning! I've gotten Elijah to watch entire non-Junction shows within the past few days, which is a miracle. He seems to have a renewed passion for Veggie Tales, which is sweet music to our ears. There is a Silly Song on one of our Veggie Tales dvds that involves a giant squash sitting on Larry the Cucumber's hat and "squashing" it (ha!). Elijah has seen this Silly Song about a zillion times in his little life, but is suddenly unable to get Big Squash out of his mind. He had me draw about fifty pictures of "Big Gosh" last night and it was the first thing he asked for when I got him out of bed this morning ("Daw Big Gosh pease, Mama!" "You want me to draw Big Squash for you?" "Yes, Mom." I'm not kidding, these are the conversations we have these days! I love it!). And we love YOU, Big Squash, because you are not a character from Jungle Junction! Welcome to our home!
I really wish I could get some of Elijah's walking (he is doing soooo well with this lately!) and talking on video to share with everyone, but every time he sees the camera all he wants to do is watch himself on the display screen. We will have to try to get sneaky. But yes, he has the ability to take quite a few steps on his own now! He doesn't quite have the confidence yet, so Dan and I really have to encourage him before he will try it. And for security, he always needs to have an object or a person nearby before he will attempt it.
We have Elijah's ECSE assessment results meeting tomorrow! I can't wait! More then..
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Pee-pop!
I have had a "pee-pop" (Elijah's word for "lollipop") sitting on the bathroom counter for a week now. He adores pee-pops, so I figured I could use them as a tool in my game of potty bribery. (Ha! That makes "pee-pop" a very appropriate "word!") Elijah will sit down on the potty chair and say, "Pee-pop? PEE-POP? PEE-EE-eeee-PO-oPpppppp!" which is followed by very sad tears rolling down his cheeks after I tell him, "You can have a lollipop after you go potty." Well, today he finally got his beloved pee-pop because he went poopy on the potty! Yay Elijah! Maybe we should start calling it "poo-pop?"
We will be meeting with Elijah's birth-to-three program teachers and therapists on Thursday to go over the results of his recent assessments and testing. I'm really excited to be able to explain what we find out in more detail. One thing I DO know is that Elijah has been approved for ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) preschool! This is very exciting news! I think he will go to school for a few hours, two mornings per week starting in February. My baby will be going to preschool?! It makes me want to freak out just thinking about that, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. I'll be able to explain more after Thursday's meeting why he is eligible and what will be going on in his classroom.
The poor little cough monster is still coughing quite a bit, although I think it is starting to improve. His sleep is still getting disturbed, but less and less as each night goes by.
Elijah and I are hanging out at home tonight since it is FREEZING outside. This type of cold weather makes driving and running from building to car and car to building pretty miserable. Yuck! Oh well, we can handle it. At least we have a cozy warm house to come home to.
Have a safe, fun, WARM week, everyone!
We will be meeting with Elijah's birth-to-three program teachers and therapists on Thursday to go over the results of his recent assessments and testing. I'm really excited to be able to explain what we find out in more detail. One thing I DO know is that Elijah has been approved for ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) preschool! This is very exciting news! I think he will go to school for a few hours, two mornings per week starting in February. My baby will be going to preschool?! It makes me want to freak out just thinking about that, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. I'll be able to explain more after Thursday's meeting why he is eligible and what will be going on in his classroom.
The poor little cough monster is still coughing quite a bit, although I think it is starting to improve. His sleep is still getting disturbed, but less and less as each night goes by.
Elijah and I are hanging out at home tonight since it is FREEZING outside. This type of cold weather makes driving and running from building to car and car to building pretty miserable. Yuck! Oh well, we can handle it. At least we have a cozy warm house to come home to.
Have a safe, fun, WARM week, everyone!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Kickus is near!
I have some pics of Elijah baring his cute little bottom (why do I just want to pinch that cute bum every time I see it?), but I don't have the energy to get them off my camera right now. Plus, someday Elijah may not appreciate his bum being on the internet.
The holiday party on Friday night was nice. Dan and I treated that night as a special date night since we didn't have Elijah with us and since we got to sleep in ("sleep in" is relative) in a comfy hotel bed on Saturday morning. Elijah had a blast at Grandma's house. He was so excited to play the piano and sing for us again when we got there to pick him up. And again he did the sad "Bye, Gabba" when we left. :(
He had a cough (and snotty nose) all weekend that was bad enough to make Dan and me wince every time we heard it. I'm hoping it will run its course on its own, in standard Elijah Cough fashion. We got to know this "friend" very well, TOO well, last winter, so we are pretty familiar with him and his eccentricities, and his tendency to stay much past his welcome.
Well, Christmas shopping is done (yay!), Christmas gifts are wrapped, Christmas cookies are being baked this week (here and there, when I'm feeling up to it), Christmas cards are not being sent this year (sorry!) and Christmas cleaning will happen on an as-needed basis (yuck). We have some things on our Christmas Giving list to cross off, so we will focus on those things this week and next week. I love leaving the fun stuff for last!
The holiday party on Friday night was nice. Dan and I treated that night as a special date night since we didn't have Elijah with us and since we got to sleep in ("sleep in" is relative) in a comfy hotel bed on Saturday morning. Elijah had a blast at Grandma's house. He was so excited to play the piano and sing for us again when we got there to pick him up. And again he did the sad "Bye, Gabba" when we left. :(
He had a cough (and snotty nose) all weekend that was bad enough to make Dan and me wince every time we heard it. I'm hoping it will run its course on its own, in standard Elijah Cough fashion. We got to know this "friend" very well, TOO well, last winter, so we are pretty familiar with him and his eccentricities, and his tendency to stay much past his welcome.
Well, Christmas shopping is done (yay!), Christmas gifts are wrapped, Christmas cookies are being baked this week (here and there, when I'm feeling up to it), Christmas cards are not being sent this year (sorry!) and Christmas cleaning will happen on an as-needed basis (yuck). We have some things on our Christmas Giving list to cross off, so we will focus on those things this week and next week. I love leaving the fun stuff for last!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Pregnancy so far
Minus the pregnancy fog I am in this week, everything has been going really well. We had a tiny scare early on, but it was short-lived and we didn't find ourselves worrying too much. I think we used up our worry reserves during my pregnancy with Elijah because we have been pretty relaxed about everything this time around.
My doctor suggested I do a nuchal translucency screen, so I did. I truly didn't care about the outcome, but we got great results back. I thought I would feel so much differently than I do. I thought I would be sick with worry about having another baby with medical issues, but I'm not. Dan and I want whatever baby God decides to give to us, healthy or unhealthy. I feel really peaceful about the whole experience this time around. I have complete faith that we will be getting the baby that is meant for us, no matter who he or she is.
I have only had a few undesirable pregnancy symptoms. I had some pretty yucky nausea early on, but it didn't last long. I've been tired and have recently started experiencing insomnia, which happened when I was pregnant with Elijah, too. I just don't sleep when I'm pregnant. And when I don't sleep, I do not feel like a good wife, a good mom, a good employee, a good anything. I need my sleep. So, everything has seemed a little bit more challenging this week.
Even taking Elijah to PT/speech therapy last night was beyond overwhelming for me. It was a really challenging session, but I'd like to think that I wouldn't have gotten as upset as I did had I been somewhat rested. It is difficult to know how to discipline your child at home when no one is looking. It is even more difficult to know how to discipline your child in public, when two other people are trying to assist with the discipline, and when you can hardly keep your eyelids open.
We really have not had to deal with a whole lot of "naughtiness" from Elijah, so when he does display naughty behavior it always throws us for a loop. Last night's session was awful. It made me confused and angry and I wanted to crawl into my bed and cry after we got home. I pray that I handled it even semi-appropriately and I pray that Elijah understood that his behavior was NOT OK and I pray that I can get some sleep soon so I can have a clear head and feel good about my parenting decisions.
Elijah's cough is getting much better and only ended up disturbing a few hours of his sleep one night last weekend. So far, his sicknesses this winter have been a Godsend! I don't even know if I would call them "sicknesses." Thank you, GOD, for this reprieve. Thank you thank you thank you!
We have some great news about some evaluations that were done on Elijah recently, but I'll save that for another time. It's time to go to bed!
My doctor suggested I do a nuchal translucency screen, so I did. I truly didn't care about the outcome, but we got great results back. I thought I would feel so much differently than I do. I thought I would be sick with worry about having another baby with medical issues, but I'm not. Dan and I want whatever baby God decides to give to us, healthy or unhealthy. I feel really peaceful about the whole experience this time around. I have complete faith that we will be getting the baby that is meant for us, no matter who he or she is.
I have only had a few undesirable pregnancy symptoms. I had some pretty yucky nausea early on, but it didn't last long. I've been tired and have recently started experiencing insomnia, which happened when I was pregnant with Elijah, too. I just don't sleep when I'm pregnant. And when I don't sleep, I do not feel like a good wife, a good mom, a good employee, a good anything. I need my sleep. So, everything has seemed a little bit more challenging this week.
Even taking Elijah to PT/speech therapy last night was beyond overwhelming for me. It was a really challenging session, but I'd like to think that I wouldn't have gotten as upset as I did had I been somewhat rested. It is difficult to know how to discipline your child at home when no one is looking. It is even more difficult to know how to discipline your child in public, when two other people are trying to assist with the discipline, and when you can hardly keep your eyelids open.
We really have not had to deal with a whole lot of "naughtiness" from Elijah, so when he does display naughty behavior it always throws us for a loop. Last night's session was awful. It made me confused and angry and I wanted to crawl into my bed and cry after we got home. I pray that I handled it even semi-appropriately and I pray that Elijah understood that his behavior was NOT OK and I pray that I can get some sleep soon so I can have a clear head and feel good about my parenting decisions.
Elijah's cough is getting much better and only ended up disturbing a few hours of his sleep one night last weekend. So far, his sicknesses this winter have been a Godsend! I don't even know if I would call them "sicknesses." Thank you, GOD, for this reprieve. Thank you thank you thank you!
We have some great news about some evaluations that were done on Elijah recently, but I'll save that for another time. It's time to go to bed!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Speech woes and a new scare in the June Saga (this sure is our month, huh?)
Our life lately has been one big speech therapy session. We are constantly trying to get Elijah to blow air through his mouth. He has a whistle that he likes, but once he realizes we are tricking him into doing "work," he usually stops cooperating (of course). We have a few other tricks that we use to get the air flowing through his mouth, but it hasn't changed the way he says his words. I'm pretty (ok, a lot) worried about this. He has already formed some very poor speech habits that we can't seem to correct. After surgery next week we will hopefully have more energy to devote to this issue. Right now I am in weary, surgery-anticipating, sickness-worrying, hospital-dreading mode, so every little thing feels overwhelming. I'm hoping that after this surgery and recovery the speech stuff won't seem quite as daunting.
Thanks to a great suggestion from a heart mama/friend (thanks, Jane!), I am going to try to cross a few things off our list while we are twiddling our thumbs in the hospital next week. I am hoping we can get Elijah a hearing test, and also maybe a consult with an ENT about his possible palette issues. It would be great to get those things out of the way.
That is, IF we are in the hospital next week. The surgery would not take place if Elijah has, say, whooping cough, which is unfortunately a possibility. A slim possibility, but still a possibility. Today I received an email saying that a teenager helping out in the church nursery on May 24th was tested positive for pertussis (whooping cough). Dan and I were on vacation that day, and guess where Elijah was? At church with Grandma, and in the church nursery. I haven't been shy about telling you all how horrible Elijah's cough has been for the past few weeks, so that combined with the fact that the pertussis vaccination is only 70-80% effective in protecting against the disease (because it is not a live vaccine) is a little scary.
I brought him into the clinic immediately and the doctor said that he could have possibly had whooping cough, but whether he did or not, he probably doesn't have it now since he just finished taking the very antibiotic that is used to treat it (thank you, ear infections!). The chances aren't likely that he actually had it, and they are even less likely that he currently has it. This is good news. Still a little freaky, though. They took cultures in the office today and the results should be in next week sometime.
At any rate, Elijah and I have some fun things planned for our weekend together, while Dan grunts in the woods with his friends. I love weekends with my little sidekick (and Dan enjoys being manly in the woods)!
Thanks to a great suggestion from a heart mama/friend (thanks, Jane!), I am going to try to cross a few things off our list while we are twiddling our thumbs in the hospital next week. I am hoping we can get Elijah a hearing test, and also maybe a consult with an ENT about his possible palette issues. It would be great to get those things out of the way.
That is, IF we are in the hospital next week. The surgery would not take place if Elijah has, say, whooping cough, which is unfortunately a possibility. A slim possibility, but still a possibility. Today I received an email saying that a teenager helping out in the church nursery on May 24th was tested positive for pertussis (whooping cough). Dan and I were on vacation that day, and guess where Elijah was? At church with Grandma, and in the church nursery. I haven't been shy about telling you all how horrible Elijah's cough has been for the past few weeks, so that combined with the fact that the pertussis vaccination is only 70-80% effective in protecting against the disease (because it is not a live vaccine) is a little scary.
I brought him into the clinic immediately and the doctor said that he could have possibly had whooping cough, but whether he did or not, he probably doesn't have it now since he just finished taking the very antibiotic that is used to treat it (thank you, ear infections!). The chances aren't likely that he actually had it, and they are even less likely that he currently has it. This is good news. Still a little freaky, though. They took cultures in the office today and the results should be in next week sometime.
At any rate, Elijah and I have some fun things planned for our weekend together, while Dan grunts in the woods with his friends. I love weekends with my little sidekick (and Dan enjoys being manly in the woods)!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The cute boy
Is this not the greatest face you have ever seen?
Looking at the kids playing in the park and loving it.
Elijah is ever so slightly better today. His cough is still hanging around, but it seems to be better. Dan and I have decided to sacrifice money and keep Elijah out of daycare until his surgery in order to keep him healthy, so Dan will be at home with him on weekdays until next Thursday. Dan has a Man Weekend this weekend, so Elijah and I have a full weekend together, yay! I honestly cannot wait.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Preview of the teen years
On Monday of this week I took a few hours off work so Dan and I could have an afternoon date. While Elijah was soundly asleep at daycare, we went to a local amusement park to get some quick thrills. Dan and I share the love of The Adrenaline Rush, so we had a fun time falling and zooming through the air. We knew our time was short, so we literally ran from ride to ride to fit everything in (and I have shin splints to prove it!). It was a perfect day for doing this because it was cloudy and a tiny bit chilly, so the only people there were teenagers on school outings. The lines were super short, so we were able to make the most of those couple of hours.
I think there were maybe only ten other people in the park over the age of 17. It was a little bit alarming for me to be in the midst of so many hormones and so much drama. I don't know how Dan (or any teacher, for that matter) stays sane! We had a great afternoon and then we grabbed our monkey and headed home to enjoy a yummy grilled meal and an evening together as a family.
Elijah is still coughing pretty badly. In fact, this morning it sounded even worse than it has been. Aside from the cough he is doing fine, so we are holding onto hope that he will be well enough for surgery next week.
I think there were maybe only ten other people in the park over the age of 17. It was a little bit alarming for me to be in the midst of so many hormones and so much drama. I don't know how Dan (or any teacher, for that matter) stays sane! We had a great afternoon and then we grabbed our monkey and headed home to enjoy a yummy grilled meal and an evening together as a family.
Elijah is still coughing pretty badly. In fact, this morning it sounded even worse than it has been. Aside from the cough he is doing fine, so we are holding onto hope that he will be well enough for surgery next week.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Elijah v. Croup, Round 6 (Elijah v. Viral Infection, Round 13)
If any sort of illness is floating around our house, it is sure to manifest itself in Elijah in the form of croup. That is exactly what happened again last night (thanks to my illness). Well, very early this morning. At 4:30 we did our usual go outside, do a neb, give oral steroids routine. How sad that it's becoming routine for us.
The good thing is that it was pretty mild in comparison to his previous croup episodes. Hopefully that means only a short visit with The Cough.
What a week!
The good thing is that it was pretty mild in comparison to his previous croup episodes. Hopefully that means only a short visit with The Cough.
What a week!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Perspective, wow.
I just got done deleting the post I was going to publish that ranted about how yucky of a week I have been having, blah blah, poor me.
Before I was able to publish it, I found this. This little boy is in the hospital with serious head trauma after falling from three stories, head first onto concrete. His future is uncertain, his parents are devastated. A single moment has changed their lives forever. My chest literally aches over this. I had to step into the other room and let out a good cry to relieve some of the aching. It's almost like I can feel a millionth of a tiny sliver of what they must be feeling.
All of the screaming that we have heard this week (from Elijah, not us...although it's been tempting) and the tiredness we have felt are suddenly ERASED. None of it matters. Tonight, I'm not going to lose my patience, I'm not going to let myself get overwhelmed by the little things. Maybe I will even embrace those crazy screams (and The Cough?) because who knows when they could be gone.
Pray for this family. Go to their blog and show them support. Hug your families extra tight tonight. Tell everyone just how much you love them. Appreciate what you have.
Before I was able to publish it, I found this. This little boy is in the hospital with serious head trauma after falling from three stories, head first onto concrete. His future is uncertain, his parents are devastated. A single moment has changed their lives forever. My chest literally aches over this. I had to step into the other room and let out a good cry to relieve some of the aching. It's almost like I can feel a millionth of a tiny sliver of what they must be feeling.
All of the screaming that we have heard this week (from Elijah, not us...although it's been tempting) and the tiredness we have felt are suddenly ERASED. None of it matters. Tonight, I'm not going to lose my patience, I'm not going to let myself get overwhelmed by the little things. Maybe I will even embrace those crazy screams (and The Cough?) because who knows when they could be gone.
Pray for this family. Go to their blog and show them support. Hug your families extra tight tonight. Tell everyone just how much you love them. Appreciate what you have.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Genetics
I wanted to share the good news quick! The microarray that was sent off to the lab to check Elijah's genes came back COMPLETELY NORMAL! Of course we would love him to pieces no matter what, but this news makes me very happy.
His geneticist has just one more thing she wants to do. She had taken a few photos of the sweet Elijah face when we were in her office in March. She wants to show those pictures to her colleagues to see if they are able to notice anything recognizable in his features that could tie him to a syndrome. If not, then there is really nothing more we will need from her.
She does want to see us back in July, after Elijah's MRI results are in (MRI a week from yesterday...pray!) so we can discuss the chances of birth defects happening with other pregnancies, if other pregnancies were to happen.
Another thing behind us, phew! I'm feeling super anxious about his MRI next week. I just hate having him sedated and upset and poked and in the hospital, but it will be another good thing to put in our past.
If you're wondering, The Cough is still an unwanted guest in our home. We generally only hear him during the day, which is nice, but it would be nice to have him out for good. We're really just through with this punk.
Little update: After writing this post, we noticed that Elijah's wheeziness and cough are worse today. :( Un. Freaking. Believable.
His geneticist has just one more thing she wants to do. She had taken a few photos of the sweet Elijah face when we were in her office in March. She wants to show those pictures to her colleagues to see if they are able to notice anything recognizable in his features that could tie him to a syndrome. If not, then there is really nothing more we will need from her.
She does want to see us back in July, after Elijah's MRI results are in (MRI a week from yesterday...pray!) so we can discuss the chances of birth defects happening with other pregnancies, if other pregnancies were to happen.
Another thing behind us, phew! I'm feeling super anxious about his MRI next week. I just hate having him sedated and upset and poked and in the hospital, but it will be another good thing to put in our past.
If you're wondering, The Cough is still an unwanted guest in our home. We generally only hear him during the day, which is nice, but it would be nice to have him out for good. We're really just through with this punk.
Little update: After writing this post, we noticed that Elijah's wheeziness and cough are worse today. :( Un. Freaking. Believable.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday yay
Wow, what happened to the week? No complaints here. I welcome the weekend with very open arms! Some fun things happened this week. First of all, look at the cute monkeys my sister sent to Elijah. I love them!
A monkey man bag.
Jasper, Pogo and Gabby.
The nice weather coupled with the realization that Elijah is completely and utterly IN LOVE with the outdoors AND with speed (the act of moving quickly, not the drug) compelled us to buy a jogger/bike trailer this week. We found a good deal at a garage sale, so we jumped on it. Elijah loved being pushed in it last night, and he appeared to love the quick bike ride tonight.
This is what Elijah does when we open the front door. He sits at the edge, gazing longingly out into the wide open outdoors.
Elijah got his AFOs this week! They are much much smaller than I imagined them to be. You can just barely see them sticking up out of his shoes. So far he is tolerating them well. I'm so happy that his little ankles have a little more support now.
We decided at the very last minute to participate in this year's Heart Walk, which is tomorrow morning. Last year we got snowed out (yes, at the end of April), and this year isn't looking much better. I guess if it is raining too hard we may not be able to make it, so we're praying for the rain to hold off. I really want to walk in honor of our little boy!
The Cough denied our letter, that jerk. We still have him as a house guest. At least I wasn't forced to sleep in the closet this morning. Progress!
Dan is out celebrating a friend's birthday with a lot of the people he went to college with. Elijah is asleep and I am headed into the living room to read Harry Potter Book 5 and then watch a girly movie. :) Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for checking in.
A monkey man bag.
Jasper, Pogo and Gabby.
The nice weather coupled with the realization that Elijah is completely and utterly IN LOVE with the outdoors AND with speed (the act of moving quickly, not the drug) compelled us to buy a jogger/bike trailer this week. We found a good deal at a garage sale, so we jumped on it. Elijah loved being pushed in it last night, and he appeared to love the quick bike ride tonight.
This is what Elijah does when we open the front door. He sits at the edge, gazing longingly out into the wide open outdoors.
Elijah got his AFOs this week! They are much much smaller than I imagined them to be. You can just barely see them sticking up out of his shoes. So far he is tolerating them well. I'm so happy that his little ankles have a little more support now.
We decided at the very last minute to participate in this year's Heart Walk, which is tomorrow morning. Last year we got snowed out (yes, at the end of April), and this year isn't looking much better. I guess if it is raining too hard we may not be able to make it, so we're praying for the rain to hold off. I really want to walk in honor of our little boy!
The Cough denied our letter, that jerk. We still have him as a house guest. At least I wasn't forced to sleep in the closet this morning. Progress!
Dan is out celebrating a friend's birthday with a lot of the people he went to college with. Elijah is asleep and I am headed into the living room to read Harry Potter Book 5 and then watch a girly movie. :) Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for checking in.
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