The Chronic Runny Nose

I learned something new on Friday. Want to hear all about it? Well first you have to sit through the quick synopsis of my day. Woke up feeling crummy, congested chest etc. Well it was field trip day for Tyler so there literally was NO time to be sick. So, I medicate up and off we go to the pumpkin patch with 35 preschoolers (both classes together) in the pouring down rain. It was fun...sort of. The afternoon included me working at the school in Adam's classroom and on the immunization stuff. You get the picture here I haven't been home except to eat. So I get home at 3:30 and I am snuggling on my Grace and I smell her and she stinks. She has had a runny nose for over a week and has a horrible rash under her one nostril, she has not let me near her nose to wipe it. I start brainstorming WHY she would stink so bad and decide the stench is for sure coming from her nose. I get a flashlight, look inside and I see something black. I make a quick nurse friend phone call for advice and quickly take her to the walk in clinic because it is 4:30 on a Friday. LUCKILY we got right in and the doctor and nurse were fabulous. The doc for sure saw something in there, went in with his big long tweezers and thankfully got it on the first try. It was a black and the size of about a kidney bean. We still don't know what it was. We all looked at it trying to figure it out and then I finally told them I honestly didn't care what it was, just that I was glad it was out. He put her on antibiotics because obviously her nose was now infected, hence the smell and black object removed. eww, I am still trying to get the picture out of my mind of what that thing looked like...EWWW, EWWW, EWWW. So, immediately the runny nose stopped and the rash disappeared. amazing huh. :) Now about 40 mins after I get home from the walk in clinic, my friend calls me (she is overdue by the way) her water broke and her hubby is out of town. I immediately leave to take her to the hospital and stayed with her for 2 hours until her hubby got there. Few, what a day!

On the Mend...FINALLY!

We are finally on the very downhill stretch of this awful illness that went through my family. It all started last Friday and here we are over a week later on a Sunday and I can finally say we are better. I took the boys in to the doc on Thursday and he decided that they both started out with what was likely H1N1 virus and then got hit with bacterial infections on top of that. Tyler had a ear infection and Adam a upper respiratory infection. I am going to agree with him because for one thing Adam had 6 days of a fever and then they both responded SO well to the antibiotics that I just think he was right on the money. (Apparently the H1N1 fever is only lasting 4-5 days.)Grace so far has only really had a runny nose and a fever a few days last week. Let's all cross our fingers that's all she'll get. I think I had the touch of some kind of flu last week as well. I had more of the sore throat and headache than a cough but I felt like crud for a couple days. Justin has been our rock and stayed healthy thus far. Stay healthy everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sick AGAIN!

Two weeks ago I had a house full of sick kids and even got it myself. It was mild, a fever and sore throat that lasted 24 hours. No big deal. But they are all sick again! Tyler started it this time with a gross hoarse hacky cough on Friday(is hacky a word?). He then woke up with a fever on Saturday and the cough is now much much worse of course. (It's like he knew we had 4 FREE cougar tickets in our hot little hands that we couldn't wait to use, so yes we missed the game!) He very politely shared this with his older brother who STILL has a fever this evening and did I mention they both have disgusting coughs! More school will be missed this week and I am just waiting for Grace, Justin and I to get this one. YUK! Is it seriously only October, wow. Needless to say we had a very low key weekend and I am quite sure I can't watch one more minute of TV without my eyes popping out.
I KNOW MY KIDS ARE SICK WHEN:
1. After laying on the couch all morning Tyler puts himself down for a nap because he is tired
2. Adam refuses a piece of cake
3. Tyler sleeps in past 7am
4. I hear barking and I don't have a dog
5. no thermometers needed just a slight hand touch to know they are burning up!!!
6. I hear kids saying "mom" to me and I don't recognize their little hoarse voices
7. and last but not least....when Adam falls asleep sitting up on the couch!

Please send prayers that our house is well again soon! :)

Photo Shoot

I faithfully read my friend Erin's blog and drool over every adorable picture she takes of her baby boy. So I ask her to take Tyler's 4 year pictures and LOOK at what I got!!! LUCKY LUCKY me! I put my family in white in "hopes of getting a few family shots" and I got the best pictures of my family I have EVER EVER seen! Yippe, it's a miracle:)And don't even get me started on the shots she got of the kids! Erin, THANK YOU!!!!!!! You are awesome and my hero! :)

Here are just a few to wet your appetite a slideshow is coming soon! :)

Fun Run!

We had our school's Fun Run yesterday. It was a blast. They do it at a highschool track and grade pre-2nd run on the inside grass part and the rest of the school runs on the actual track. Well, Adam ran 31 laps! They have a MC and all sorts of incentives throughout, it is a fun time.




Adam and his running buddy Christopher. They were a hoot. They would sprint, walk, get water, sprint, walk, get water. Their system worked because I am pretty sure they got the most laps in their class:) Their incentive from their teacher was if the class averaged 15 laps they got to roll down a big hill and eat popcicles! sounds good to me:)

Tyler was less enthused with the whole thing. He ran about 5 laps on his own and I pushed him in the stroller for the remaining 20...yes they count the laps he was in the stroller...hey I didn't make the rules:)

Brothers!

Miss Grace was such a trooper through the whole thing! here she is enjoying her cake at the picnic afterwards.

Just had to share this picture from saturday. this is what happens when a little girl only takes a 20 min nap at 11 am...here she is at 4 pm on justin's lap...out for the count...not an ideal nap time but their was NO way we could have kept her awake. precious pose though eh?

Tyler's 4 year Stats

Tyler had his 4 year well child check up today. He did SO wonderfully! They even tested his hearing and vision and said they rarely can do that on a four year old but because he was so smart and well behaved they were able. (I was wondering if they had the right kid, just kidding) Unfortunately I was not there to witness this, I was home sick with Grace. Her and I both had fevers the day before and so we stayed home so as not to spread germs. Justin got the pleasure of playing parking lot mom today! He had to take Adam to school and head straight to Tyler's appt. So, the report I got is that Tyler was an angel. It makes me SO happy to hear because he has been our well spirited and challenging child. So the fact that he has grown into a "well behaved" "smart" boy makes me just plain proud! :) He weighs 40 lbs (75%) and he is 41 inches tall (75%). He got three shots and didn't even flinch for any of them. What a stud.

So we have pretty much all been under the weather, well all but Justin and Tyler. Adam started it with a fever on Tuesday, he missed two days of school. He nicely passed it on to both Grace and I. Tyler and Justin have escaped it thus far. That was basically our only symptoms although I was achy so I am assuming the kids were too but didn't know how to tell me that. The bummer was that we missed taking Tyler to Chuck E. Cheeses on Tuesday because we were all sick. We promise to make that up to him! I guess that's why it's good to have 4 celebrations, if you miss one its not the end of the world:)

I fully intended on posting a few cute pictures but the computer/blogger (not sure whom to blame) was not cooperating so that will just have to wait.