Sick little puppy

I noticed that Cam seemed to be coming down with a bit of a cold last week, but I kept my fingers crossed that it wouldn't turn into anything big.  Saturday morning, the cold won & Cam's immune system lost when he woke up with a nearly 103 degree fever.

 The poor bugger had a fever from Saturday through yesterday.  That means we had to flip coins & figure out who was staying home with the sickie Monday & Tuesday.  Working full-time & having a sick kid just straight up sucks.  I'm worried about my child, but unfortunately, also the extra work I'm socking my now short-handed co-workers with.  But, my kids come first, so I was happy to nurse my little boy back to help Monday while Mike nursed him yesterday.

After his three night hospitalization in August & his lip debacle in March, my poor boy just can't catch a break.  So, he's been missing a lot of school & we've been missing a lot of work.

While Cam's been home trying to get better, Reese has been home from daycare sleeping in...

Running around the yard naked, enjoying the gardenia blooms...



Running around in her pajamas, enjoying the gardenia blooms... 

And wishing she had a pool, just like Mommy, while sitting naked in her water table (unlike Mommy!) as a substitute!  I'm praying she dodges the sickness bullet!!

We usually try to ride out sicknesses, assuming they're a virus since I hate unnecessary antibiotics.  But, after the fourth morning with a fever, it was time to head to the doctor!  He was diagnosed with bronchitis, given & antibiotic & a nebulizer for breathing treatments.

Cam is home with me today since I'm off work Wednesdays anyway & it was the first day he's woken up without a fever, horray!  He's currently up in the loft with Reese & since they're fighting like cats & dogs as usual, I'd say that's a good sign.  My buggy will be going back to school tomorrow & I'm hoping we're done with sickness for a long time!

Sick in an instant

My poor little gal pal has been suffering from a cough since Thanksgiving & it seriously won't go away!  Despite that, she's been feeling well, energetic & her appetite is just fine, so we haven't taken her to the doctor. 

A couple of Wednesdays ago, on my day off, we had taken Cam to the bus stop & headed to the park where we happily played & ran around.  As I was pushing Reese on the swing, her squeals of laughter stopped & she turned back & said, "I want to go home."  With the tone of her voice, I knew something was up.  From the moment I got her into the car, it all went quickly downhill.  

This happy face went from smiling to hysterically crying, agitated & restless.  At first I tried to tell myself that she was just tired.  That lasted about two seconds until my instincts told me to call the doctor & get her in ASAP.

We had to wait two hours until she could be seen so I gave her Motrin since I suspected it was her ears.  We laid on the couch watching Sophia the First & she thrashed all around my lap, intermittently crying hysterically.  It was awful.  After about twenty minutes, the Motrin finally kicked in & she felt so much better.  We played until it was time to head to the doctor where we left with the diagnosis of a double ear infection.  Poor kid.  It was not the day off I had hoped to spend with my buddy, but I was so thankful it happened on a day I could take care of her & get her the care she needed.  The doctor isn't concerned about the cough since her lungs sound clear, so it's just a virus that's sticking around.  I love that our doctor doesn't over-prescribe antibiotics since I'm all about riding things out whenever possible.  A raging ear infection?  That warrants some antibiotics!

So happy to see this smiling face!  Speaking of this smiling face, I commented on Facebook that Reese tends to look homeless by the time I pick her up from daycare.  She's taken her hair out & resembles a disheveled sheep dog.  But, she's still cute! Reese is seriously something else though.  Lately she demands that I play with her & her princess castles, even when I have a million things to do after working all day.  When we do play, I notice just how bossy & aggressive she can be while playing dolls; she often puts them in timeouts, yells at them & even puts them in "locker doors" which means they're locked into timeout.  Um, should I be concerned?!?!  Not sure where she gets this from or why she's aggressive with them, but she does have quite the imagination & she is incredibly dramatic.  If she's not on Broadway I will seriously be shocked.  Always something going on over here!

From bad to much, much worse

Last week at this time, I had anxiety over Cameron starting kindergarten; would he find his way on the bus, feel scared?  Typical worries of any parent sending a five year old off into the deep blue sea of life.

Monday morning, right before Cam said his face felt weird.

I mentioned in my last post that we ended up in the doctor's office Monday evening with the diagnosis of a blocked salivary gland after we noticed Cam's cheek was slightly swollen.  We headed home, got the kids to bed & I woke up bright & early for work Tuesday morning, leaving before anyone was awake.

Tuesday morning

Mike called me a few hours later saying that Cam's face was even more swollen & he was crying in pain when trying to eat breakfast.  So Mike took the day off & headed back to the doctor to get an antibiotic prescription.

Tuesday evening

When I came home from work Tuesday evening, I was absolutely appalled with what I saw; Cameron didn't even look like my boy.  When it was time to eat dinner & Cam was acting even more sickly, I looked at Mike & we both said it was likely we'd be in the ER that evening.  After seeing he had a 102 temp, I called the after hours doctor's line & he confirmed that the ER was the way to go.



Luckily we were seen quickly & the second the ER doctor looked at Cam, he told me we would be admitted for IV antibiotics which is exactly what I anticipated.  On the drive to the hospital, I explained the IV to Cameron to try & mentally prepare him.



I could not believe just how well he did with the IV placement.  He told the nurse, "That's it??!  That didn't even hurt!"  When we finally got up to his actual room, he asked the night nurse if he could have another IV.  Her response?  "I've never had a patient ask me that before!"  I was so grateful that our friend Kelly offered to spend the night with Reese so Mike could be with us in the hospital since he was a nervous wreck, sitting at home.



The first night was horrible, I probably slept three broken hours between all the vital checks & IV changes.  Cam & Mike, on the other hand, slept like logs.  When we met the doctor in the morning he was very concerned that Cam was developing an abscess.  If he didn't respond to the antibiotics, they would need to consult a plastic surgeon to drain it.  Yikes, we were worried to say the least & would need to stay at least one more night.

Wednesday morning

 

Through it all, Cam was completely himself with endless energy.  We were just there to be hooked to the antibiotics for thirty minutes every six hours.  There was a lot of downtime spent playing many, many board games, watching many, many shows & movies.

I was much better prepared for sleep the second night since Mike ran out & picked up some ear plugs for me & Advil p.m.  I sleep with earplugs every single night at home since I'm an incredibly light sleeper.  I basically just drugged myself to sleep with a couple of the Advil p.m. & thankfully slept most of the night.  Cameron was completely oblivious to the vital checks & IV hookups during the night which I was very thankful for.

Since we were at the children's hospital they had a lot for the kids to do & even let Cam borrow an iPad loaded with games.

When we woke up Thursday morning, the swelling was still there but much improved & no longer red & hot to the touch.  I hoped & prayed the doctor would think he'd be okay for discharge on oral antibiotics, but no dice.  He wanted him to stay another night just to be safe.  On to night three in the hospital!  Mike ran out for some Indian food for us & we hunkered down to watch some movies with Cam.  There was a lot of quality time & cuddling going on which was an awesome bonus.

Wednesday night

Friday morning Mike went to work & we waited & waited & waited for the doctor to come around & hopefully discharge us.  This was the first morning he looked completely himself so I was confident they would send us on our way.  We killed time playing Sorry, LIFE & Old Maid.

Friday afternoon

Around noon the doctor rounded & I literally started clapping as she came into the room.  She said we could go & he'd be on a potent oral antibiotic that taste like hell for the next eight days.  I was so incredibly thankful!  I hadn't seen Reese in three days and I was in desperate need for a hot shower!  Mike had ran out to Walmart to get me another outfit for our stay, so lets just say I looked a little interesting walking around the hospital.  But hey, he tried!  So sadly, Cameron only made it to one day of his first week of kindergarten but he's back to it tomorrow.  I am so happy that he responded to the medication & didn't need more aggressive intervention.  I kept it together in the hospital, but have crashed since leaving.  I've been exhausted all weekend & feel like I want to sleep all day long which is so not like me.  I'm looking forward to getting back into the land of the living tomorrow!

You'll poke your eye out, kid!

I don't know why, but every time I think about Cameron's recent eye debacle, I think of the line from A Christmas Story when Ralphie wants the Red Ryder bb gun, "you'll shoot your eye, kid!"

Although, A Christmas Story is a lot funnier than this whole scenario.  For the past three days, we've paid a visit to the eye doctor to assess the healing in Cam's right eye.  On Monday the doctor told Mike it was 75% healed though the contact lens that protects his eye & reduces pain needed to be put back on.  I took Cameron to the doctor's other location yesterday & thought I'd stepped into a day spa when I walked through the front doors.  It was so beautiful inside!  Shout out to Visionary Eye Care because they have been amazing & I'm so grateful they've helped Cameron.  Anyway, moving on.. Cam was super blinky after the lens was removed yesterday & unfortunately it's still only 80% healed so the darn lens had to be put back on.  The doctor explained that the tear/abrasion had been so bad that there was literally a flap of tissue hanging over the abrasion which slowed healing.  Well, the flap is officially gone so I'm really, really hoping that we're done with all of this as of his next visit Friday.  What a mess this has been!  Not to mention Cam's been fighting me every time he needs his eye drops.  But again, the most important thing is that his vision is perfectly fine & he suffered no permanent eye damage!!

In other news, hallelujah, today is my day off!  Thank goodness because for some reason I've been up since 2:45 this morning.  I finally got out of bed at 3:30, so while sitting here at 6:30, I feel like I've already had a big piece of day.. aren't I lucky?! I'll be making a chicken recipe I found on Pintrest called Man Pleasing Chicken which is supposedly to-die for & easy to make.. we shall see!  Anyway, happy Wednesday all!

A really great Easter

We had a really great Easter this year! We headed down to Sarasota early Saturday morning & enjoyed a relaxing day with my family. The weather couldn't have been better & it was so great to just sit by the pool, have a few cocktails & enjoy each other. My sister mixed up some pretty tasty mojitos on Saturday evening!



Sunday the kids woke up around 7:30 & excitedly ran to the kitchen to find their Easter baskets. Cameron was gaga over his "red bird" from Angry Birds since he plays on Mike's phone a lot.



Reesey slept in so she didn't get her Easter basket until a little later. She actually slept in my parent's huge walk-in closet & was the perfect roommate for them since she never made a peep all night. What an awesome girl!









Last time we visited my parents we lugged Cam's tricycle down which was no easy feat since we have so much to lug with us with two kids & two dogs. This time, there was just no room because of the Easter baskets. As we pulled in Cam asked about his bike so we decided to surprise him & pick up a reasonably priced bike at Walmart while my mom watched the kids. He was so thrilled & rode around like an absolute champ. He put Elmo & his cars in the dinosaur head in front.



After breakfast as the kids rode their bikes, the Easter bunny laid out some eggs in the backyard for them to hunt.





They had such a great time looking for the eggs & Cam was the big winner & won the prize golden egg!



Reese just hung out & took it all in! She loved the heck out of her very first Easter!



She's a lucky girl to have such loving cousins!



Cam, Mikayla, Mike & my dad braved the cold water of the pool after the egg hunt. There was no chance of me setting foot in there! Actually, I take that back.. after I stupidly stepped into an ant hill & got bitten, I did soak my feet in the pool. And Mike knelt in that same ant hill & his legs are now destroyed with angry looking welts. Damn ants.









We ended the evening by singing happy birthday to Mike who will turn 33 this Friday the 13th. It was an awesome weekend that I was sorry ended so quickly!

Hop over to Cam & Reese's blog to see pictures of them coloring eggs & for Reese's 4 month growth stats!