More Questions

This time we had questions on the way to school to drop off Louie and Benny.

After we say our prayers at night we each take a turn saying what or whom we'd like to pray for. The kids like to pray for things like, "I pray for a sunny day tomorrow," "I pray for a good night's sleep," "I pray for all my friends to be healthy," "I pray for the Reds to win."

For a while now, one of my prayers has been for a friend to get better. She has been battling a rare form of lung disease and I haven't gone into details with the kids, just said that she's sick and I'm praying for her to get better.

Ali passed away last night and on the way to school this morning the boys were asking what cancer is. How do you explain that without freaking them out? I don't want them to be sheltered from death, because it is such an important part of life, but kids tend to be worriers and I don't want to add to that.

They asked if Grandpa M. (who passed away last December) died of cancer. No. They asked if Uncle Boog (who passed away five years ago) died of cancer. No, he didn't either, but these days it isn't all too rare to hear of someone's cancer story. And the people are getting younger.

Ali was only 31-years-old and her diagnosis came only this past March. She leaves behind an adorable daughter and loving husband. I mentioned that I participated in an event that for the three days the walk raised $6.5 million. There are events like that happening all over the world and you would think that one of these days a cure will be found for all cancers.

This is a blog post from Ali's sister's blog telling all about Ali's daughter, Olivia's first birthday party. You can see from the pictures how much she loved this little girl. I know that her family will tell her for years to come what a wonderful person she was and she will know that she is a lucky girl to have such a spirited and loving woman for a mother.

It's hard to comprehend why cancer is taking so many of those we love and care about. I know that there are answers out there for the questions we have. And if you don't know Ali, know that she has inspired so many to live life fully and keep a fighting spirit.

The House Where Illness Overstayed Its Welcome

Since the first week of December we have been dealing with all variations of illness. It has infected some of us more than others, but each and every one of us has had our battle with it. Today, it revisited Louie.

I was at the grocery, making the most of the two and a half hours Charlie is at preschool to stock up on the necessities. I got a couple of phone calls while I was shopping and I don't normally answer the phone while at the grocery because I'm terrible at doing those two things at once.

The first call was from a friend (I'd call her back later); the second was from an unfamiliar number (possibly wrong, not going to answer); and the third was from Kevin's work. Uh-oh. Apparently Louie's school was trying to get a hold of me because he threw up in his classroom. I had a cart full of items that needed to be refrigerated or frozen, and I had to go pick up Charlie and the little girl we drive, so Kevin graciously went to pick up Louie while I finished the errands.

I was hoping that the incident was set off by a coughing episode or something a little less serious, but he has thrown up twice since he's been home. Fortunately, none of it fell on carpet. Poor guy. I don't remember him looking so ill and uncomfortable. I know that this will pass, but I wish I had the power to draw all the sickness out of his body. I hate seeing him not feeling well.

As a side note, I plan on plugging that number into my phone so I'll be more aware of "emergencies" in the future!

Dominoes

On December 4th we had a holiday gathering with Kevin's dad's family. This year it was decided we would combine Thanksgiving and Christmas and meet on this date to celebrate. It was such a nice day. Kevin's aunt and uncle live in southern Indiana, so it wasn't too bad of a drive. They had a litter of Jack Russells, so you can imagine how excited the boys were! Meredith, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the puppies! I was so surprised. She loves animals and absolutely adores dogs. Apparently, she doesn't like baby dogs. The ones she likes are gigantic, like Zissou, Bullet, Bubba and Moses. If you don't know who they are take my word for it, they are LARGE.

Anyway, my point in telling you this is because as the day went on Benny crawled up into my lap (clue #1, as he likes to run and play, not cuddle), and he felt warmer and warmer as he sat on my lap (clue #2). He was running a fever and developed a terrible cough.

From then until today we have been going back and forth with illnesses: coughing, fever, vomiting. They haven't missed school all this time. Some days they were completely fine, but I guess the bug never fully left. It went through one and all, and although Kevin and I haven't felt 100 per cent, we haven't been as bad as the kids.

One highlight that I have to share with you was after my Grandpa's funeral. The kids seemed under the weather but not too bad. Lou definitely didn't give any signs that he was sick. We had so many nice desserts and other food items that people gave for the reception after the burial. Lou decided he'd like to have a slice of red velvet cake.

The next morning (early morning) I woke to him screaming. He had thrown up all over his room. Red. It looked like...well, I'll let you imagine. And this was after I had been telling people that I was lucky because Lou was at the point where he made it to the toilet. Ha! I jinxed myself.

Yesterday we hit our breaking point. Or, I should say, it started the night before. Meredith was cranky all evening and we couldn't figure out why. I was sitting with Louie at the kitchen table, working on his homework, when she clued us in. Puke. Everywhere. On her, on me, on the rug, on the floor. It smelled like Kings Island, when you walk by the LaRosa's shop (I need to let it be known that I really like LaRosa's pizza, but for some reason at Kings Island it smells awful). The next morning (I guess this was Wednesday), Benny woke up not feeling well and eventually threw up. Charlie wasn't going to be left out of the mix.

Fortunately, we have been granted a snow day today. It is allowing us all to take it easy and get well before going to back tomorrow (hopefully!) to have our Christmas parties at school. I guess I should be thankful that this is happening this week rather than next!

Maybe I should have highlighted this post at the beginning as not being for weak stomachs--sorry about that!

An Update

Charlie has been "sick" less since I last posted about it, but this mysterious illness is not all gone. While I was out of town he was completely fine--no hives or anything--and I am thankful for that. Yesterday after a nap he woke up covered in hives, head to toe. The Benadryl and cream worked and he was fine after he settled down.

After talking to his doctor today it sounds like they're running more tests on the blood they took and we should know in the next couple of days if there's anything going on other than a viral infection that just needs to run its course.

Charlie's lymph nodes are still swollen, that seems to be cause of concern in the doctor's eyes. Benny was complaining of a sore throat last night and his glands seemed to be swollen, too. Here's to hoping that it's just a little illness that is going to run through the family and leave us healthy for the rest of the winter!

The Unknown

Sigh.

It's so hard to be a parent and want to take care of your kids, make them feel better, but it's almost impossible when you don't know what's wrong.

Charlie has been complaining this week that his "neck" hurt and with all the colds going around I assumed he had a sore throat. When he opened his mouth there was nothing odd, not even redness. I gave him lots to drink and lollipops to suck on when it got really bad, but didn't think much of it.

Then yesterday he broke out into hives all over his body and was really complaining about his neck. In the middle of a fit he was throwing he threw his head back and the side of his neck was bulging. Uh-oh.

I called his doctor and she was able to get me in that afternoon. She agreed that there wasn't nothing to see in his throat, but that the glands were swollen in his neck. She ran a strep test that came back negative and then gave me a form to take to Children's lab if it got worse.

Worse it got, that night. His hives got worse and he was writhing in pain last evening and nothing would soothe him, not even ice cream. Now, for this sweet-tooth kid that's a sure sign that something's wrong! I called the doctor on call and she said that I did everything I could (give him Benadryl and Tylenol), and by the time she called he was asleep on my lap so she had me set up a humidifier in the room and let him sleep.

This morning we went to Children's to get blood work done to see if he has mono. And we're waiting and waiting and waiting for results. Ugh. At least he's taking a nap. He did have ice cream today, a "reward" for having to go through the trauma of getting blood drawn. He seems to be ok, but I don't want him to have another night like last night!

Oh my

I have been sick.

It started last Monday night and today is probably the first day that I felt somewhat normal. The only thing I can take from it is, when your mom says that rest is the best medicine, it's the best advice you'll receive. Unfortunately for a mom of four little ones, rest was not to be had. Especially in the middle of the week!

Kevin was great about taking over when he got home from work at night, and I did get the opportunity to go to bed early. I think the main problem was that I had it in my mind that it was only a 24-hour thing. Then 48-hour, and so on, so I never took the time to get better. Then Charlie got sick. Then Benny. And finally, Lou. And by sick I mean large chunks all over the floor in the middle of the night. (Sorry about the details!)

I don't remember the last time I was that sick, and I'm not sure if I ever want to feel that way again! My friend Amanda suggested that there be a "sub line" for sick mothers, which I think is a fantastic idea! Who can deal with the constant demands of little ones when you don't have the energy to get out of bed? Hopefully the coming of spring brings an end to the illness that has plagued our house this winter!

No School

Louie missed the first day back after the weekend due to a pretty bad cold. His fever never reached 100 degrees, but I thought it was best to keep him home so build up his immune system. When we were at Grandpa's on Monday he was very clingy and whiny, which isn't like him so I knew he wasn't feeling well.

The trip home from the family picnic was pretty bad for him. He fell asleep for part of it, which almost never happens (not even when he was a baby!) and when he woke up he was crying for me to come sit next to him so we pulled over and I got in the back seat.

Of course, me being the worrywart that I am, I looked up the symptoms for h1n1 virus on the internet when we got home. I usually just let the boys' illnesses take its course, thinking that some pain reliever and rest will do them good, but it seems like all I'm hearing about is the numbers of confirmed cases at the neighboring colleges are skyrocketing and...I need to relax. He probably just has a cold!

Lou returned to school today armed with cough drops and strict orders to cough into his elbow.

(Almost) Back to Normal

As much as it is nice to think of a place where little boys are quiet and not beating the snot out of each other, when it happens I realize that it's just not right.

So when it happened yesterday, when Louie and Benny barely got off of the couch I realized how sad it is. They are meant to be rambunctious, wrestling around the house. That's what boys do. Or, at least, my boys.

That's when I knew that even though Ben had a bit of a fever this morning he was going to be just fine. Just fine, indeed.

The fighting began bright and early and things are pretty much back to normal in our house.

Being sick in the summer

Catching a cold or running a fever is never a good time, but especially so when that illness falls during the summer months. Who wants to be stuck inside when it's nice outside?

Ben woke up with a terrible fever--the 102.5 kind. Lou's temperature has steadily risen as the day has went on, but fortunately Charlie has only had to deal with a never-ending runny nose. That, and poison ivy-covered feet!

Needless to say, we're taking it easy today and the sole bright spot in the day is that Meredith is continuing to be the angel we know her as. She has just hung out all day, sleeping through most of it. So it will probably we a crazy night of her being awake through most of it, but it sure is helpful for her to let me give most of my attention to her brothers today.

The little one don't feel good

Yesterday afternoon, after Charlie woke up from his nap he started with the signs of not feeling well. I am attributing it to the fact that he is teething. Classic signs: never-ending running nose and diaper rash. Then he woke up with a slight fever. We went to my brother's birthday party anyway and that's when he wouldn't let me or Kevin put him down.

It's so hard to see him like this because usually he's such a happy kid, being so goofy, that this was completely out of character for him. He hasn't let go of his blankie since this began. He's also very peculiar about this blanket. One side has stripes and the other is all blue. The blue side is kind of a puckered fleece, so maybe that's why he prefers the stripes. Anyway, he very meticulously lays the blanket on my shoulder--stripe side up--and then lies his head on top. Whatever brings the little guy comfort!

And today, still not feeling well, when Louie woke up from a nap he ran over and gave his big brother a big hug. Not sure if he's getting better or not, but that boy is one sweet kid.

The Bug is Back

Poor guy. Louie woke up around 12:30am and was not as fortunate as last time. He puked all over his bed. I should have known something was wrong because before I went to bed I heard him calling out in a dream and when I went to check on him he was rolling around and had a strained look on his face.

I got him cleaned up and rinsed out his mouth and settled in on the couch in the living room. He then proceeded to vomit every half hour from then until 4:30am. If you want specifics, only the first time had any substance. Today his tummy is a bit sore. There's not much we can do other than wait it out and see if it stops.

Looking back, I really lucked out last time. He only made it to the toilet once this time around. I thought the bad stuff was through, but he just emptied himself again not long ago (of what, I'm not sure). Goodness. I wish there was something I could do to make him comfortable, but not much is helping. I guess that means that we still have some ways to go.

The Next Day

It must have been a 24-hour thing because Louie woke up this morning feeling pretty good, although he only had a few sips of orange gatorade and a few animal crackers.

As the day went on, the frequency of the vomiting slowed down, with his last time being around 3pm yesterday afternoon. He barely slept the night before, or at all during the day, so from then on into the evening he was wiped out on the couch, with no stirring even though Ben and Char running and yelling around him.

I was about at my wit's end. I had plans to see a premiere of a movie that night before this all came up, and Kevin said I should still go. This was fortunate for me because I came back somewhat rejuvenated, prepared to take on Louie's sickness or all three, if need be. Charlie was already sleeping in bed. Lou was a rock on the couch, and Ben and Kev were watching Bugs Bunny. Things seemed to be under control. Thanks, Kev!

Both Benny and Charlie seem to be feeling fine. Is it possible for an illness to pass quickly through our house, affecting only one kid? (My fingers are crossed and I'm knocking on wood.)

A good reason to have hardwood floors

I woke up around 1am to the sound of very loud crying coming from Lou. It isn't uncommon for the boys to wake up crying, especially Lou, and usually it's because of a bad dream. When I opened the bedroom door I realized this was different. In front of the hysterically crying little boy was a pile of red chunks. Appetizing, I'm sure.

The treat after German dance last night coated each bit that was in his tummy, but how fortunate that it wasn't going to stain carpet! It all landed on the hardwood floor in his room. The last time Louie threw up was almost two years ago, so he really has no recollection of getting sick in this manner and was rightfully freaked out by it.

Each hour after this he woke me up with his sounds of getting sick. He wouldn't go back to sleep, so I had him on the couch watching a movie. The frequency of his getting sick was getting to be too much and I couldn't stay awake. Luckily this was just a couple of hours before Kevin had to go to work and he went out on the couch with Louie to rub his belly, which settled him down.

No school for anyone today. The last thing I wanted was to either (a) have Louie or one of the others vomit in the van or (b) have Ben get sick at school. I have very vivid memories of kids who couldn't make it to the toilet puking when I was little. Ugh. We all stayed home and wore our pjs and hoped that this was a short illness, only affecting one of the boys.

Let's hope this is true!