The last 10 days

We have been sick on & off now for 10 days.  And I have a stiff neck from sleeping on the couch!  It has more or less just been one kid at a time, that's why its dragging out so long.  Last weekend was Logan's GI flu & 36 hours post-flu of a fever.  Then Wednesday night Hayden's apparently never ending croup/rash/respiratory virus started.  One trip to the pediatrician to check out this rash & 2 days of steroids for his stridor.  This past weekend was Olivia's turn for the GI flu, followed by a 24 hour fever.  We all slept in our beds for the first time Sunday night & the kids went to school Monday... and made it through until close to 5 when they called us to come pick them up because Olivia had a fever.  Good thing Jeff was already on the way to get them.  She coughed through the night last night, but seems fine this morning.  I'm not sure if we are passing around 2 different bugs or what?  But I am tired! 

In between puke, snot & coughs, we tried to get out for some fresh air, since we actually had spring like weather around here the last several days.  Try to get some sunshine to blast these sick germs away. 

Sick Hayden :(

 Rash, head to toe!

 Playing on their LeapPads.  Olivia can spell her entire name!!  First, Middle & Last!!  (She can spell both of the boys' names too!)

 Park

 Hats. 

 "Shake milks" from the Burger King Drive through.

 A trip to Walgreens to re-stock on supplies.

Grandma & Grandpa Siebert came Saturday to bring us some good farm dirt for our garden.  Grandpa & Grandma Maas came to visit too.  Logan was healthy & Hayden worked through his cough. Poor Livi snuggled with the girls inside with a cold wash cloth on her head to keep her fever out of the sun. She was pretty toasty that day.

Hayden is such a hard worker. 

 Logan helped with the dirt too.

  But he took some breaks to play some T-ball too.

 Hayden just kept digging.  (And coughing)

 Such a fun afternoon with their grandpas!

We didn't want to take our germs & share them with all the other post-preemies at the March of Dimes walk.  So we just represented from home this year.  I'm bummed we didn't make it. 

Monday's papers from school.  I know this is Logan's!  Look at his perfection!  He has amazing fine motor coordination. 

 This is Hayden's.

 I know it's his because of all the 'H's on the back.  That's a LOT of 'H's!!

 And this is Olivia's. 

 I know this is hers because of what is on the back.  Do you see what I see??!!

 

 Here, let me help you.....

They aren't all 100% in the right order.  And the line down on her 'a' is on the wrong side.  But I'm pretty darn proud!!

   Love my post 30 weeker preemies, both healthy & sick.  And I love all the snuggle time I have been able to get out of my big kids this past week, but I'm ready for healthy!

More spring sick

After you give your sick little boy a bath & snuggle up with him still naked in his towel & he falls asleep for the first time in 18 hours (dang cough!), is not the time to stop & think about when was the last time he peed, or if he had enough to drink today. Its asking for trouble.... or at least a lap full of pee. Accidents happen. 

Hayden caught some respiratory bug.  And he is so stinking prone to this upper airway swelling, croup, crap that it drives me bonkers.  Snuggling with him for 24 hours while he barks & coughs has given me a pounding headache.  I can't imagine how he feels.

He was awake from about 2am this morning, until 7pm tonight.  His cough kept him awake.  Luckily the croup business didn't set in until about 2am, so we avoided the ER, but I got pretty concerned around 5am & wasn't sure we'd make it to sun up.  I really think had it started at 11pm, like it usually does, we'd of been in the ER at 3.  What is it about sun up that makes croup "magically go away"??  Or get better at least.  Why is it such a nighttime disease process?  He gets that inspiratory stridor so badly, which is what makes me worry.  Its not his croup cough that makes me worry about him, its the stridor.  A few trips outside, a hot steamy shower & more or less an hourly normal saline nebulizer treatment & we made it through the night. 

Morning came.  Still the barky cough & an occasional stridor with activity, but not at rest like overnight.  I called the pediatrician in the morning, I love that I can call my pediatrician & they just trust me & trust my judgement on lots of things.  They called us in a 2 day course of steroids for him.  So we got those started this afternoon & if he's not better by Saturday, we'll go see them. 

Then... this evening, we discovered he was covered head to toe in a rash.  More or less looked like a heat rash, mostly pink, but some clusters that looked hive-allergy-ish.  And once his clothes were off, he was itching it.  So at the suggestion of the 24 hour pediatrician hotline, he had a cool bath with baking soda in it.  And a dose of Benadryl, which we will give ever 6 hours for a while.  Maybe that's why he finally fell asleep this evening?  Steroids, Motrin, Benadryl, Claritin & a bath would put me to sleep!  So who knows.  Is the rash from the respiratory virus?  Or from the low grade fever he has?  Or is this not a virus & its an allergic reaction?  The rash cleared up pretty well after the bath & Benadryl.  I know he has had some horrible itchy, watery eyes from allergies this spring.  But he's had a 100.8 ish fever today, so its got to be more than allergies.  We tried to think of anything new he has eaten or drank & the only thing we could think of was a vanilla milk shake from Burger King.  Given that he has eaten ice cream before & soft serve & blizzards I can't imagine a shake would be an issue.  But I think I'll keep Benadryl in hand next time he has one, just incase. 

Whatever it is, I know he doesn't feel super.  He's not one to need to be held all the time & we've passed him around all evening.  He is drinking & peeing, but not eating today.  Says his ears don't hurt.  His throat doesn't hurt (because I know strep has gone around & it can cause a rash in kids).

I'll be staying home sick with them tomorrow.  My turn.  Jeff stayed home Monday at the lingering fever end of Logan's flu. 

Hopefully tomorrow, no body pees on me.

At least it was warm outside today. 

Time for a "check up" & a check-in

The kids like to watch the cartoon Doc McStuffins.  She is a kid, who plays doctor & fixes all the broken or sick toys.  She gives them "check ups."  So we played "check up."  And according to my $5 bathroom scale & a piece of paper on the wall, this is their current stats. 

Hayden:  41 lbs {95%}, 40 in {80%}
Olivia:  35 lbs {75%}, 38 3/4 in {60%}
Logan:  32 lbs {40%}, 37 3/4 in {30%}

This is what I measured them at in January.
Hayden:  39lbs!!!  39in tall.  95% for weight!!, 75% for height.
Olivia:  31lbs, 38.5in tall.  50% for weight, 75% for height.
Logan:  30lbs, 37in tall.  25% for both weight & height.

I was surprised that Liv weighed that much.  Good thing I got 3 new carseats, at this rate she'll hit 40lbs before we know it too.  Logan seems so skinny & scrawny, but its funny that really he is more normal, Hayden is just a brute.  BIG KIDS!

And a "check-in."  This is what we have been up to.

Logan got the flu.  Last flu, he & Jeff avoided it.  Somehow this flu (so far) just Logan got it.  I'm shocked!!  Just twice did he miss his bowl, which is just such an amazing thing.

 Jeff had a bowling fund raiser thing with a co-worker he wanted to go to Saturday.  So he took Hayden & Olivia, so me & Logan could stay home in peace.

 Logan was sad he didn't get to go.  But he rested well while they were away & they had fun!

 They brought Logan home a toy combine.

 Sunday, though the wind was killer, the sun was at least shining.  So we got out for some fresh air.  Poor Logan still looks rough :(

 We did some yardwork.  Like hauled away 13 lawn bags full, yardwork.  Hayden worked HARD.  He honestly was a lot of help shoveling piles of stuff into bags.  He worked for hours on end. 

 We also planted some seeds to try to get them started growing indoors, so if it ever warms up once, we can get them into a garden this summer.

 

 I did one more wipes box upgrade. 

 Cut off the flaps.

 And covered it in fun duck tape!

 Sewed another liner.  Just like I did here.  This time out of a Walmart pillow case, to match the boys Walmart bedsheet curtains. 

 Ta-da!!

 And since Logan missed bowling, Jeff, Hayden & Liv also brought home a bowling game.  We finally got a chance to play tonight.

 They prefer to bowl sitting down.

 Logan finally got the hang of it.

 Hayden, oh Hayden.  He got pretty upset if he didn't get all his pins knocked down.

 He had to bowl from pretty close up so he knocked a lot down.

 Clearly, he's feeling better!!

 Then there is Liv.  Notice the ball?  I think we have dents in our walls!

 We laughed at her ball flying through the air.  She tantrumed.

 She missed.  She tantrumed.

And besides the fact that I need to organize & buy a few more storage bins, the office is almost done.  Ok, a few projects to finish.  Some bins to buy.  And some chairs to find.  But its getting there.  Did you catch the sneak peek of it in the 1st Livi tantrum picture? 

 

I think thats all for us this week.