Good LORD, I Hope This is Almost Over With

Katie has a new nickname for her baby sister. Normally it’s cutie patatootie or sweetie. The last couple of days she has started calling her ‘my little barf-head.’ It’s not exactly the cutest term of endearment that she has come up with but accurate none-the-less. The baby started off her day by throwing up on the kitchen floor.

I started feeling sick last night. Claire is now somewhat of an expert on the stomach flu and immediately offered some advice.

Claire- “Don’t look at anything what looks like fudge, because it looks like throw up.”

I avoided looking at fudge but rapidly progressed to full-blown stomach flu anyway. DH (which I must say yet again, does NOT stand for darling husband) and William became ill as well. I had to fight William for the upstairs bathroom using the rationale that I couldn’t deal with the smaller downstairs one with a messed up knee. I won and William relocated to the couch.

I was forced to run (or some semblance of running) to the bathroom. I was violently ill and decided to just stay in the bathroom for a while. I grabbed a towel off the floor to make myself a little bed in front of the toilet. It’s amazing just how quickly my inner-homeless person comes out during an acute illness.

Claire was very helpful and continued offering to help. She was back and forth between William and me getting us drinks and giving more advice.

“You can only take little drinks or you’ll get sick again. That’s what happened to me.”
Then I would drink half a glass of water while whining, “But I’m thirsty.” Claire would just roll her eyes as I hobbled back to my hobo camp in the bathroom.

Sick Baby

Poor baby Marin has the stomach flu for the first time. She’s not a big fan. Yesterday she was throwing up and I was attempting to catch it in a towel when she started yelling, “All done! All Done!”

It's Really Not THAT Noticeable

I have been suffering with a cold for the last week. I don’t get sick frequently so I really must complain and I feel justified since I haven’t whined (on the internet anyway) lately. Not since this time. Oh, and there was this time too.

Compared to the other illnesses, this isn’t that bad. Except for the constant coughing, nose blowing, and a cold sore the size of a damn Volkswagen. The last thing is undoubtedly the worst part. It is so horrifying that I try to limit contact with other people. Katie stares at it any time she is within a five-foot radius. She asked questions at first and clearly finds it repulsive. She gets a disgusted look on her face like she is being forced to watch surgery on The Discovery Channel. I keep telling her to come over and give me a big kiss but she just shrieks and runs. *Sigh*… I’m a monster.

Babies Scare Me (sometimes)

Last night I noticed that the baby started to have some cold symptoms. Not surprising since her big sisters have colds and cannot stop kissing the baby. Katie has said in the past, "She is just so cute I can't stop kissing her."
I usually say something to the effect of, "For God's Sake, get off that baby!"

I knew it was just a matter of time until the baby was coughing and sneezing too.

Despite knowing that it was inevitable, I still felt a horrible dread when the baby started sneezing. She is just so little and it doesn’t matter how many times that you have been through it with other kids, you still worry even more when they are little babies. At least I do.

I have trouble sleeping because of worrying about the baby at night. She sleeps in a bassinet right next to me and I wake frequently to check her. She has the kind of bassinet that has the light, music and vibration controls on the end of the bed. So when I awaken in the night I push the light button so I can see her. Sometimes I accidentally hit the wrong buttons, so she might be disturbed by light, music, vibration or sometimes all three as I wildly push buttons in the middle of the night to make sure the baby is pink. This is a normal night, in the absence of any signs of illness. Obviously I use the word “normal” rather loosely.

Now imagine me when the baby has a cold. I put off going to sleep by reading or watching TV because I have to keep checking the baby. I finally give up and go to sleep because I can no longer stay awake. I sleep for about an hour and then I wake up in a panic and start the frantic button pushing. After I manage to get the light on, I usually decide that is not enough confirmation that the baby is all right. Then I have to put my hand on her chest to feel her breathing. If her breathing is shallow, we move on to jiggling the baby. As soon as her little arms fly up in the air I know she is all right and go back to sleep. Wake up in an hour and repeat the entire procedure.

Man, motherhood can be so exhausting.

Sick Kids

I was talking to my four year-old daughter a little earlier today and I remembered to ask her about her antibiotic.

Me- “So did Daddy give you your medicine this morning?”

Katie- “Let’s not talk about that right now.”

Claire and Katie have both been suffering with repeated episodes of Strep throat since the end of May. They both have had numerous rounds of antibiotics and it still keeps coming back. They recently finished 30 day of Amoxicillin and within a few days of that, Katie had it again. She is now on Augmentin (again) and she absolutely hates it. It must taste horrible because she frequently gags after taking it. She also hides when she knows it is time for her medicine.

Katie started running a fever a couple of days ago and also complained of her tummy hurting. She was also napping quite a bit and just not feeling well in general. I checked her throat and her tonsils were bright red with the characteristic white patches of Strep. So the Augmentin is not doing the trick and we have to do the Rocephin injection on Monday. She is not going to be happy with us. I really feel sorry for the poor kid.

They both are scheduled to see the ENT at the end of the month. That really means that the ENT will just look at their awful enlarged and infected tonsils and say that they need surgery. I have mixed feelings on that issue. I understand that tonsillectomies are becoming more common after a period of time when they were considered unnecessary. When I was a kid, it was unusual to escape childhood with all your parts.

Now there are new studies on children and obstructive sleep apnea that demonstrate the dangers to children that do not get enough sleep. It is not surprising that kids that become sleep deprived due to enlarged tonsils do not function as well as their peers in school. Their behavior can be problematic, frequently resulting in an inaccurate diagnosis of ADHD. Then you have a kid that is on Ritalin that really just needs some good sleep.

I have mentioned Katie’s wild behavior on here before and I can’t help but wonder if the days that she is out of control if it is really the result of not getting enough sleep. They both have regular bedtimes (7:30-8) but they both snore. Katie has noticeable apnea at times and Claire wakes in the night frequently.

The thought of my little girls having surgery worries me but the thought of letting the enlarged tonsils go worries me as well. At this point it seems that the tonsillectomy is going to be necessary. I’m sure that I will be freaking out when that gets close.

Summer Break

It is that time of year for parents to prepare for the kids going back to school. I am looking forward to it because it means one less screaming child that I have to deal with. The biggest problem with summer break is the fighting. Since Claire and Katie are a little less than 18 months apart they are either having a great time playing together or beating the hell out of each other. There is nothing in between. I swear that girls fight way more than boys.

Claire missed the last day of school last May due to strep throat. A few days later her sister had it as well. They both finished a course of antibiotics but both had strep again a few days later. More antibiotics and then, again, they came down with strep. And again. You get the idea. We have the strep that just won’t go away. This began May 25th and they are still taking antibiotics. They are now doing a 30 day course and I am very hopeful that this will do the trick.

I have noticed that the last few weeks that Katie has become much more difficult to manage. She talks really loud, gets in all kinds of trouble and then refuses to go to time out. She screams all the time. She acts as if she is hyperactive and literally reminds of Gilda Radner when she was playing the hyper kid jumping on the bed on Saturday Night Live. Yeah. Try living with that.

I was telling a friend about the change in Katie’s behavior and she suggested that it could be a result of the antibiotics causing a Candida overgrowth. I did some research and was surprised to find that Katie’s symptoms were classic for that. She has now started on a probiotic that should help replace the normal flora. I noticed an improvement in her behavior after the first 24 hours. I am really hoping that she continues to improve and her sweet funny pre-antibiotic personality returns soon.

I was tucking her in a couple of nights ago and I said, “You’re a good girl, Katie."
She hugged me and replied, “You are too, Mommy.”

Reverse Peristalsis

Yesterday I had the misfortune to come down with the stomach flu. It was really bad. It did not really help matters that the other people living in this house were not terribly concerned. I had requested that someone bring me a phone book so I could call the doctor's office and thirty minutes later was still waiting. I finally had to will myself to move in order to make the trip downstairs to get it myself. No one was worried that I was pregnant and really, really sick. I have to admit that it pissed me off that I didn't have anyone helping me.

After completing my journey, I made the call and then had to wait for a call back. The husband eventually came upstairs and I informed him that he would have to go to the drug store for me as soon as I got a call back. He seemed to comprehend but the next sound I heard was the riding lawn mower being started. He decided that I could wait, but the grass, well no, the grass could not wait.

After the call back with instructions on the medication I was allowed to take, I was desperate to get someone to come within screaming distance to go to the drug store and get the medicine. All I heard was the sound of the God-damn lawnmower. After waiting patiently for another thirty minutes, I heard the sound of my teenage son opening his bedroom door. The same kid that would not answer his cell phone the whole time that I needed help. I shrieked loud enough that he really couldn't pretend not to hear me and came to see what I wanted. I yelled, "I need some medicine! Go tell that stupid son-of-a-bitch out on the lawnmower to come in here!"

As soon as he turned to leave I had a horrible realization. The lawnmower that I was hearing at that moment must have been the neighbor's. Standing right behind my son was the stupid son-of-a-bitch himself. That was a bit awkward.

He pretended like he didn't hear the SOB comment and I pretended like I didn't say it. Then I promptly flipped him off when he turned to leave. I can be petty that way.

The medicine did not work and I continued to vomit non-stop. I started to suspect that I had a real problem when my back would not stop aching. I felt like I needed an epidural.

Once again, I was stuck upstairs in the bathroom and no one would come to check on me. I tried calling the husband and my son but they wouldn't answer their phones either. My son William finally came upstairs and got the husband for me. I told him that I had to go to the hospital and get an IV for the dehydration. He was not pleased but took me anyway.

I noticed in the car that I was having a lot of contractions that were way too frequent. By the time I was hooked up to a monitor I was having them every two minutes. They started the fluids right away and gave me an injection to stop the vomiting. My back still ached BAD and I was still vomiting. Another shot took care of the nausea and I was finally able to drink.

I was really lucky to not go in to labor over that considering that I have a history of preterm labor and birth. My oldest son was born at 28 weeks and I have been getting weekly progesterone injections to try to prevent a preterm birth with this baby. All I can say is that I was too sick to think clearly. Also, the nurse practitioner on call for my OB should have questioned me about my history. Then she would have known that I should have been in the hospital way before it got that bad.

Flu, Too

The last couple of days the girls have been sick with the stomach flu. Katie, 4, found Claire’s throwing up amusing. So amusing in fact, that she would run at the sound of Claire's vomiting. Run to watch.

Then she started throwing up herself and it wasn’t quite so funny. Katie, throwing up in a trash can while howling, “IT DOESN’T TASTE GOOD!!!"

Their big brother has it today. I was questioning Claire about whether he had left for school and she said that he hadn’t. I asked her why he was still in his room and she replied matter-of-factly, “He has diarrhea.”

Hmmm. I am now suspicious. Why would a teenage boy discuss a bowel dysfunction with his five year-old sister? I decided to continue my interrogation.

"How do you know he has diarrhea?"
Claire says, "He told me."
"What did you say?'
Claire responds in a bored tone, "I said, 'Whatever. That's disgusting.' "

Yep, all set for her teen years.