Silent Sunday: Cousins

OK, so the tall one is an Uncle.... but I almost got them all in 1 picture.

Thankful

It's been a rough few weeks here in our house; Husband appears to be falling apart.  Last week he pulled a muscle out in his back.  Just as he seemed to be starting to make a rebound from that he developed a problem tooth.  The tooth was sore, and then his face started to swell, and then his tongue swelled, and he was getting strange pockets of puss in his mouth.  He made an appointment with his dentist.

Thursday evening I dropped him off at the dentist and took the boys to the library.  We had been at the library for about 10 minutes when Husband called.  First he was being told he had to go see an oral surgeon right away; but then when no oral surgeon was found to still be on-call he was told he had to go to the ER.  The dentist told him if I wasn't going to drive him; Husband being the dad he is was worried about keeping the boys out too late, especially on a school night, then he was going in an ambulance.  Apparently this was more serious than we thought it was.  I drove him to the ER and we agreed I would take the boys to dinner (since it was now going on 5) and then for a walk and we'd decide from there what to do next with them.

Dinner was oh so good, and the boys really showed down; but I was too worried about Husband to eat.  The walk was good, the sky was a bright hopeful blue and the air was just a little crisp; and again the boys were both being angles.

After the walk I decided to let the boys watch some cartoons in the car before heading into the hospital; as it was just going on 7pm now, and for some reason I felt like it was too soon to see how things where.

Around 7:30 we went in and I asked for Husband at the front desk.  The receptionist was very serious and somber and I suddenly feared the worst.  She told me he was out getting a CAT scan and told me where his bed was located and that we could wait for him there.  I think we only waited about 5 or 10 minutes for him to get back from his scan, but the time really seemed to drag on.  When he came back he was in good spirits; which made me smile, and he was hooked up to an IV with fluids, antibiotics and morphine (which I suppose made him smile - no really it was seeing his boys that made him smile).  We were told there was a chance he was going to be admitted to the hospital.  Apparently the infection in his face was just that bad - and too think I thought the dentist was over exaggerating when he said he had never seem something like this before.  We visited with Husband some more, but once TT wanted to start running wild in the ER I knew it was time to go outside.  I opted not to bring the boys home since he hospital seemed to be close to making a decision about Husband staying or not.  We kissed him and went outside to watch more videos in the car; it was now getting very dark out.

As time went on, TT grew tired of being in a non-moving car; as one would expect from a 2 year old; a little after after 8:30 we went to go see what was going on.  Just as we got to the front of the ER out came Husband.  He certainly received a hero's welcome, especially from RR.

On the way home we got his prescriptions filled and treated everyone to a milkshake.  So thankful to have him home with us; and on the mend.

Since then his dentist and primary care doctors have both called several times to follow up with him.  They both tell him what a lucky man he is to be alive.  Apparently the infection and swelling was so bad he was at risk of it closing off his airways.  We are also lucky it didn't develop to strong of a foothold in his blood stream or worse.  So for now he is fighting the infection on a very strong dose of antibiotics and painkillers, and then once the 10 days is up  it's back to the dentist to see where we go from here.

I am thankful he is home with me, on the mend; even if that means snoring in my ear.

Pinwheel

Friday evening the boys and I were out doing errands.  The later it got, the colder it got and a strong cold wind was blowing as well.  Our last stop of the evening was the grocery store.  At the checkout there were pinwheels for sale ($1 each, can beat that) so I got both of the boys ones.

As we walked to the car in the street-lamp lite parking lot with the wind howling and the flag flying horizontal in the wind the boys held their pinwheels; and around and around they went.  They went so fast; especially when large gusts burst through.  Both boys squealed in delight. I wished I had parked further away, I could have walked a mile watching them in their pure happiness.

When we got home they ran around the now very dark backyard with their pinwheels, until it got too cold.

Sometimes, life is all about the little things.  Friday night was one of those nights.  

Silent Saturday (Boots)

Vermont (or part of it)

Husband and I have not gone away overnight since our honeymoon.  We haven't taken RR on any sort of vacation in a few years.  And before you feel bad for him he goes away to camp and goes on vacation with my mom and his cousins; he is certainly not vacation deprived.  That being said Husband and I were itching to get a way for a little while so we planned a mini-vacation in Stowe, VT.

We headed up on a Friday.  A very wet and rainy Friday, which turned into a snowy and freezing rain Friday.  The drive was terrible.  What should have taken a little over 3 hours took more than 5.

OK, the weather sucked for the whole trip.  Let's just put that out there now.  I don't think we saw more than 5 seconds of sun the whole weekend.

RR is getting "too cool" for pictures.

These are the boys hanging out in our first hotel room.  It was wicked small, after the first night; which was borderline hellish; we stopped being so cheap and sprang for the much larger room for $10  a night.  (Seriously if I knew it was only $10 more we would have moved sooner.)

Now the whole trip was centered around taking RR to Ben and Jerry's (and being able to take the boys swimming).  RR loves those TV shows that feature food eating contests; and consequently loves being in food eating contests himself, even if they are made up and in our kitchen (like the time he changed his 17 year old aunt and 19 year old babysitter to a pancake eat-off).  In on the shows he watches he saw someone trying to eat the Ben and Jerry's Vermonster; and wanted to try it himself.

Now if you have never heard of the Vermonster it has 20 scoop of ice cream, cookies, brownies, bananas, caramel and hot fudge sauces, plus many more options.... but NO cherry.  (What is up with that?)  It also has upwards of 10,000 calories (and costs around $50). This is a serious sundae people, and my family are serious ice cream lovers.... me, I could eat it everyday (and so could my boys), but this sundae was just out of our league.  So after the factory tour I convinced RR to go with the mini-Vermonster sundae.  There is nothing mini about this people.

We tried.  We almost made it.

Yes, that is snow on the ground in mid April, and no we are not in the Dakotas.  

Any ice cream product that is served in it's own bucket is serious business.  RR started out strong, but had a weak finish and was the first to call it quits (so not like him).  TT hung in by himself for a while (man, can that kid eat) and even Husband got in on the action (after he swore he wasn't going to, but I made sure I got his Chunky Monkey ice cream in it... so he was putty in my hands).  But despite our best efforts we just could not finish it, we came close though.  Sadly, because of the weather

Now before you start thinking we drove 5 hours to eat ice cream, I will have you know there was more to this trip.  There was an trip to the cider mill, and Cabot cheese and yummy chocolates.  (Can you say, total food fest.)

Aside from all the food we spent time hanging out at the pool and hanging out with each other in the hotel room and just plain relaxing.

It was good to get away and the trip home was much less adventurous than the trip up there... and we even left early... because we woke up and it was snowing, again.  We stopped at the Vermont Country store and looked at silly hats, old fashioned toys and left with giant pickles, penny candy and a bar of Fels-Naptha soap (to get out all of the ice cream stains.)  But it was good to be home again as well.

   In case you are wondering, this is how much milk and sugar Husband needs for his coffee.  Two small silos are cream, 2 are milk and the big one is sugar.  

The Shirt

The shirt says it all - "MAJOR HUNK".

Her Way

This morning I dropped Husband off at the doctors in the city and went over to Nana's house with the baby to wait for him.  When I got there we decided to have some tea and a little snack.  I offered to run to the corner store and get us some (no so fresh, but insanely good) donuts.  Nana suggested breakfast from McDee's.  She had also offered to watch TT while I ran to the store.  I am OK letting her stay with the kids for a few minutes while I go outside.  I am not OK with her watching the kids while I drive all around the city looking for a chain restaurant which I only sort of know how to get to.  No, I insisted.... let's just get the donuts.  She concedes.

As I make my way back to the house from the store, Husband calls and his appointment is already over and he needs to be picked up.  I gather TT and Nana from her house and we head out.  Now when she agreed to come for a ride this time; I think she was already plotting against me.

As we head back to Nana's house I tell Husband how I was making coffee over there and we had some donuts.  Nana brings up how good the coffee at McDee's is.  How she loves it when the girls bring her some.  And then she goes on about their breakfast sandwiches.

So I ask her, "Nana do you want to go pick up McDee's?"
Her, "Sigh, only if you kids want it. I will pay for whatever you kids want."  (She was upset I didn't let her pay for the donuts.)

Ok, ok, ok.... she wins.  Off to McDee's we go.  She even tells me how to get there.

I must say, she certainly has her means of getting what she wants.

Savior

"Ay-Ay!!!"

"Ay-Aaaaayyyyyy"

That would be TT screaming for his brother, his savior.

Whenever Husband or I has TT do something he would rather not do:
brush his shirt
take off his shirt
change his diaper
go upstairs for a nap
stop throwing toys around
... you get the idea.

So as we are trying to range TT he is fighting back and screaming.  Screaming for his brother.  He wants, excepts, his brother to come and save him.

Not that RR has ever come to save him from his parents at this point... not that he has ever needed to really be saved from his parents; because lets face it - we're not terrible people, we're just making him do something he would rather not do, like brush his teeth instead of playing.

I often tell him his "brother will not save him now"... but I am sure a time will come when TT needs some help from his brother and he will be there for him.

ER

TT has been sick.  This is nothing new for him, it was a holiday weekend, and he is sick for every holiday.  Ever since he had pneumonia on his first Halloween during that terrible snow storm.

And because he's been sick he's been waking up between three and four in the morning to nurse.  Yawn.  Last night was no exception, but instead of waking and hemming and hawing in his crib until I went in he was wailing.  Goodness can that child cry.  To top if off he's had a coup-sounding cough when crying the last few days; so there he is laying in his crib coughing / barking and banging at his head.  We nurse some, but he is still holding the side of his neck and will not let go... even when we switch breasts and it's not as easy to hold that spot on his neck.  I am tired.  Drop down I need a nap tired, oh wait... it's the middle of the night I should be sleeping.  And TT is crying.  He nurses some, then pops off only to cry and cry and cry.  I bring him to the bedroom, hoping maybe we can lay down and nurse, but in my gut I know something is wrong.

Husband wakes and we decide to call the on-call doctor at the pediatrician's office.  I talk to them, Husband tries to calm the boy, but this only works for a few moments.  We review symptoms: Fever: slight for the last few days, I haven't checked it yet this morning, no he doesn't feel hot; Rashes: No I haven't looked yet this morning, should I?  No; Can he move his head, touch his chest: Yes; Can he stand his neck being touched: Negative.  OK she tells me you should bring him in.  I think, OK so I call back and make an appointment then?  Until she asks me which ER we plan on going to.  G'ah.  The last words any parent wants to hear.  We get the baby dressed; it must be going on 5 am now.  Husband holds TT in the living room and puts on his Mickey Mouse.  TT is obsessed with the Mickey and Friends cartoons from the 1940s.  I get my shoes on and send my boss a text.  TT calms down and goes limp in Husband's arm.  We ponder briefly about not taking TT to the ER.  Then the crying starts again.

TT cried all the way to the hospital.  Not even his Ghostbuster's music made him happy.  My only solace at this point is at least I am not bringing a non-symptomatic baby to the ER.  Sometimes I swear just calling the doctor's office cures kids.  A short 15 minutes later we are there.  Why couldn't we have delivered him at this hospital, it's so much closer.  Oh that's right it's a little country hospital with no maternity ward.

We get inside and the crying stops.  I give him the evil eye.  Really?  Now you are going to be fine.  He's acting fairly normal as I give the desk all of his info, until I have to put him down to get out his insurance card.  Then the wailing starts again.

Moments later the backdoor opens and a nurse steps out; and says in a deep voice with a thick eastern European accent "I am here for the little one."  Creepy factor is a 10 on that one.  Thankfully she turned out to be very nice.

We spend some time trying to get his vitals, clearly this place isn't used to such little patients.  Speaking of which, why does everyone need to comment on how big he is once they know his age?  Really, this gets old fast.  Anyhow....

The doctor comes in right away and checks all the right places and concludes it's a double inner ear infection.  Thank goodness.... that was  all that was wrong.

A male nurse comes back with "magic drops".  This guy, if I hasn't read his name badge I would have thought he was a grounds worker the way he was dressed.  He tells me how the drops are going to numb his ears and how his own sons swear by them.  Then a high dose of Motrin and we rest for a bit.  The doctor comes back and offers him a Popsicle, which is gladly eats and starting acting more normal with.  The male nurse comes back with antibiotics.  European nurse comes back and tells us we just need to stay for observation for a bit and we'll be all set.  She also tells me how her boys love the "magic ear drops".  I just want to know how I have been a mom for nearly 10 years and this is the first I am hearing of this.  The doctor comes back and wants to see TT walk around.  She lures him out to the nurse station with promises of chocolate.  I see a pattern here doctor.  He walks with a stagger and the doctor says it from the ear infection but otherwise looks  good.

Within 2 hours we are on our way home.  Within 3 hours I was crawling back into bed after getting RR off to school and TT down for a much needed rest.

What a way to start April.