Stealing a few more minutes

I didn't think I'd have any more time to write but after the previous blog, I rushed back to the kiddoes and found Ainslie asleep. Poor baby...

This is from yesterday. We were trying very hard to capitalize on sunshine and fresh air and Ainslie momentarily having enough energy to be up for a bit.

Fly-by update

We saw the doctor this morning for Ainslie to have her oxygen level evaluated. She was on the oxygen when it was checked and had just prior to that had a nebulizer treatment. Even with all of that, she's only sitting at 94 percent oxygen saturation. Not a bad number but not good enough to quit using the oxygen tank. :(

They're keeping her on that, and the every 3 hour nebulizer treatments, through Tuesday afternoon when we'll re-evaluate. AND, Grady is now needing regular neb treatments. His cough is sounding much worse, he's pretty listless and not eating. RSV sucks!

It's looking like RSV

We're sticking with the two viruses overlapping story, for now. Thus, the initial gastro-intestinal distress which has currently subsided, and now we're having breathing issues. Her oxygen saturation yesterday was in the low 80s, and she was continuing with the fever. Now, our doctor feels that her respiratory situation seems completely consistent with RSV. So, we're at home with oxygen, oral steroids, neb treatments every three hours...I think that's it. The oxygen has really helped her to rest more thoroughly and not look as completely sapped of strength.

We go back to the dr. to reevaluate things tomorrow. In the meantime, send me "keep the oxygen on" strength.

Lab results partially in

The first, basic blood work is back, and it looks like her body is fighting a virus. We won't get the rest of the results for a day or two. Grady is now sick, with fever, aches and cough. Not fun but it does help indicate that this isn't likely something specific to Ainslie. We head back to the doctor at 11 a.m.

Ainslie needs your thoughts!

I'm asking you to do what you do, when someone needs a positive outcome. Pray, send good thoughts, get your vibe on, do a spell, send energy, dance, meditate, write an affirmation, manifest it.

Ainslie has been sick, back to back to back, for like 6 weeks now. First a virus, then the stomach bug, now...I don't know what. She has vomiting, diarrhea, fever, congestion and most of all, just general malaise. She hasn't bothered herself to walk for a couple of days. She just nurses and sleeps (thank the heavens for breastmilk!!!).

We saw our family doctor today, and they ordered lab work. They're testing for roto virus, salmonella, bacterial infections, parasites, the flu. We've done the blood draw and flu test but haven't "captured" the stool sample yet. I'm trying not to feel freaked out but demeanor of the CNP we saw really shouted that she was worried. They want to see Ainslie back in the morning. Fortunately, the other two aren't very sick. They do have persistent night-time coughs but that's it for now. Thankfully because I'm "sicked" out.

It's valentine's day...

and no, I won't be capitalizing it. It's never been one of my good holidays (like Halloween ;) ). I had a crappy "formative" v-day when I was like 14, and it's set the tone for the "love" holiday ever since. I've traditionally worn black on this day for, well, a long time. However, the general angst and hostility that used to rage have subsided. Now, mostly, it's just a day. A day on which I bought gifts for the kiddies because they are my forever loves. Fionna got two soundtracks -- Alvin and the Chipmunks and High School Musical 2. Grady got a Pokemon game, and Ainslie received a tube of mini play-dohs. And yes, I felt justified in buying myself a mongo-big-choco-chip cookie and an Americano at Starbucks, but that's as far as I'll go in the self-pity.

Enough about that. So, our doings since the last blog... Well, we did ALL (except Lenny but all generally does mean just me and the kids) get the stomach flu. It hit us with varying degrees of strength but it wasn't fun, no matter how you look at it. We all seem well for the moment though, if you don't count Ainslie's persistent thrush. I got a new herbal tincture for that and am starting another round of Nystatin, so let's hope it finally does the trick. Fionna had Pistoleros practice yesterday and we learned that she has at least three more weeks of practice and then one (maybe more?) performance during the WAC basketball tourney. Exciting! I do have Pistoleros pictures to post but they were taken on a different camera that I don't have the cable for, so those may be awhile.

I probably have more to write, if I had a chance to think of it, but Grady says I've been in here "for hooooouuuuurs" so I must go hang with my boy. Ta!

First soccer game ever...and I missed it!

Fionna's first game was yesterday. Sadly, these pictures are all I saw of it as Ainslie began vomiting (and vomiting...and vomiting...) a few hours before the game. Lenny took Fionna and Grady (and buddy Shalom) and took these "action shots" (as Fionna calls them). She came home tired but thrilled, uncertain whether it was a win or a tie (but also unconcerned). By the time they got home, Grady was sick too. So, Lenny will be taking her to practice today which is a little funny considering that I hesitated to get Fionna into soccer as I was sure all the "work" would fall to me. He's had to handle it so far.

Ainslie is still "puny" as my family would put it but Grady seems better. He's been better at letting his tummy settle and fasting mostly whereas Ainslie just wants to nurse and nurse and nurse. At least I know she's not dehydrating.

Fionna (and hopefully Grady, if he continues to feel well) are bowling-birthday-party bound later. Ainslie and I will be sticking close to home...

Ainslie's newest digs...

This would be Ainslie inside Lily's overly large crate. We had to take the crate apart to get her out. She was quite proud of herself. :)

The handsomest man in my life...

...my son!

I coerced him to go for a real haircut (as versus the kind his dad gives him). He cooperated beautifully even though I know he wasn't too happy about it. Quite the contrary, he acted like a freshly groomed (and unhappy) dog and didn't speak for the next half hour. When he did, it was a surly "Will my hair grow back?"

On the topic of Grady, he's been his usual funny self lately. The other night in the van driving home from Fionna's basketball performance, he say "Daaad, you got "dammit" in my head. Dammit, dammit, dammit." After a stunned silence from Lenny and I, I said, "You do know that's a 'bad' word, right?" Grady answers with "I know, but Dad got it in my head. I had to get it out."

Again, on the topic of language (clean this time though), he stumped me the other day when he started talking about damage to his "horse field." He was playing a computer game on a kids' gaming website called funbrain.com. I asked what had happened to his horse, and he got really frustrated and went off on a verbal tangent about planets and aliens and his damaged "horse field." I had to sit down at the computer myself and play the game and finally realized that "horse field" in Grady-speak is a "FORCE field."

I love my boy. :)

Keeping busy...

It's been a full week, says I, halfway through. Over the weekend, Fionna got hooked up with a soccer team, last minute. So, I've been scrambling to get her registered, track down a uniform and all the other accoutrements. Then, last night, she had a Pistoleros performance. I don't know that I've blogged about this before. It's a basketball "ball handling" group that teaches kids some really great dribbling and general ball handling skills. They practice once a week and also have performances at local sporting events (halftimes, etc.). We've played at the park twice this week, once in bitter cold and then today in lovely golden 'shine. I voted in yesterday's Democratic caucus. It was a hoot, surrounded by fellow liberal human beings. I had a 40 minute wait in line but didn't even mind much. Grady and Ainslie behaved quite examplarily, so that was a nice plus. I also had a parent/teacher conference yesterday with Fionna's teacher. Today, Fionna participated in "Walk and Roll" to school, so we had to get her and her bike to a predesignated meeting place by 7:30 a.m. so she could bike to school with teachers and peers. She was very excited but coming off a week of illness plus the late night basketball performance, she's really tired.

For the rest of the week, we have on our agenda: a plan to play at open gym tomorrow, a visit to a friend's soccer practice in the afternoon (to prep Fionna who came to soccer late), a La Leche League meeting at my house tomorrow night, and Lily (the itty bitty puppy) has shots scheduled Friday.

The weekend holds plans for the Farmer's Market, our first Earth Scouts get-together (at our house to talk "chickens"), Fionna's first soccer game, church, soccer practice and then a bowling birthday party.

I don't know really why I felt the need to share this "laundry list" of my week's tasks but I guess it goes along with what a lot of my mental power is tied up in doing -- keeping track of what I'm supposed to do next. People often make small, "jokey" comments about the life of a stay-at-home-mom. Granted, they all differ but I would categorize mine as busy, sometimes even hectic.

Speaking of keeping busy, I'm plugging away with my herbal course. I've managed about 30 pages of human anatomy text and 12 pages of coloring in my anatomical coloring book. It amazes me that I actually retained some of this information from high school. Who knew?

http://www.gcnm.com/master-herbalist-program.html

(here's a link to the Master Herbalist program I'm studying, again, thanks to my mom.)

BTW, I include my own picture because dh has been teasing me that now I'm a "soccer mom." There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with soccer moms but he's getting at a certain image that definitely isn't me. So, I'm responding with my best non-conformist, non-traditional self. Plus, I'm determined to document that those wrinkles aren't always there. ;)

Peace!

Golden, beautiful sunshine!

I'm home from a really nice crisp-air, golden-sunshine morning at the Market. It was made even nicer when you factor in the fact that I hadn't left the house since last Sunday, due to one or more of us being ill. So, to be in the brisk air with the bright sun warming me nicely AND to be there with only Ainslie, leaving me a little more relaxed and free to socialize with MY friends -- well, it was pretty darned nice.

I came home to a house that I was able to see with fresher eyes, a house laid low by the fact that we've all been sick with some sort of flu. House cleaning is clearly in my very near future (*grumble*). But first, I wanted to take this brief second to write about my new re-dedication to studying my Master Herbalism course. My mom super-generously paid for me to study online to become a Master Herbalist. It's a 500 hundred study-hour course, and I've been a bit daunted and perplexed as to where to fit it into my life. But, being sick and seeing how I healed myself with 100% herbs and homeopathics (I'm the only one in my life willing to let me experiment on them), well, it reinvigorated my desire to study this.

So, Ainslie's napping and I'm off to study human anatomy. The housekeeping shall simply have to to wait...