Five

Is the number of hours that we stayed at the fair riding rides Sunday. My parents were in town, so we decided to go to the real safe (notice the laughing) fair in the parking lot of the mall. The bracelets were $25 to ride all you wanted. We didn't think we would get our money's worth (well my parent's money's worth), but after five hours, I think we definitely did! Sullivan went on one of the climbing "rides" 14 times in a row! He took the motorcycles VERY seriously. As a matter of fact, he kept pretending the one behind him was crashing him, then he would stick his tongue out and pretend to die. Yes, as a matter of fact, he is ALL boy! He loved the "spooky" ride- the haunted house that was nothing more than a loud dark room. I was scared to take him on it, but after time 17 ,I wasn't worried about him being afraid! The day was GORGEOUS! We could not have asked for better weather, and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the break from the reality of nursing all of the sickos for so long! Thanks mom and dad, we will never forget the memories of Sunday!

In Awe

Sometimes, I forget what an amazing miracle it is to have baby Sophie in my life. I mean, to think that a year ago, I didn't know her, is insane. She has changed us in so many ways, but mainly she brightens each of our days with her contagious joy. She is such a happy baby and really easy. She went with the flow this weekend, just following along, not complaining at all. (If only she would sleep at night, we would have NO complaints). I thought I would share some pictures of her over the last month or so. Its crazy to me that she wore this sleeveless outfit in the middle of November to an outdoor fair!

This is her with my PawPaw. He is such a wonderful man, and I am so glad that we got such a great visit with him. It was a joy to see him delight in her. He just lit up as we surprised him with a visit. He said he now believes in real love that I would travel all that way with my kids. It was so worth every minute. I realize that he is getting old, and is not in the best of health, that's why I appreciated every minute. He still has such a big sense of humor that it cracks me up. And, its hard for me to remember sometimes that he is 87, until he reminds me with his lack of understanding of technology. He still believes that you can not stand in front of a remote control, or its rays will fry your brain. You can NOT go anywhere near a microwave when it is on for fear of the "waves" frying your brain. He does not believe that faxes are real, because seriously, can that stuff just fly around in the air? And, when we went to Disney World and were on the alien attack ride, he honestly believed that they had come to get us. He said "I just knew this would happen before I died."

On a side note, Aaron still has an ear infection. He will be going to an ENT this week. They just won't heal, and he can't hear. Since he works in broadcast, hearing is an integral part of his job. So, please pray that the antibiotics would kill all of the fluid in there and heal him quickly! Thanks!

Conversations

(If you notice the time of my post, you will realize I am up ridiculously late. Sophie and her daddy have decided to snore in harmony tonight making it hard for me to sleep).

Tonight at Dinner:

Sullivan: "Mom, did God build this house we live in?"
Me: "Well, not really, Ed Froehling built the house and he used lots of workers to help."
S: "No mom, you are wrong."
Me: "Oh really, sorry about that, who built it then Sullivan?"
S: " Well, my teacher said that God made everything, so He had to make this house."
Me "Well, God did make everything. But, He made the men who built the house, He made their minds smart so they could know how and their arms strong so they could build it. He made the trees to be used for wood, so in a way He kind of made it, but the men built it."
S : "No you are definitely wrong mom, my teacher is always right."
Me " Ok, sorry about that Sullivan."

Conversation on the phone with Nanny:

Nanny: "Sullivan, I get to come see you tomorrow, and we can go to the Rennaissance Festival and ride a real Elephant."
Sullivan: "Wait a minute Nanny, I don't ride real elephants. You could fall off and bonk your head and IMMEDIATELY get hurt."
Nanny: "Well I think it will be really fun, and its safe. I will ride it with you."
Sullivan: "I will have to check and see if I have time to do that."

Afterwards:

Sullivan: "Mom, can elephants have seatbelts?"
Me: "I don't know what does your teacher say since she is right about everything?"
Sullivan: "Uh hello mom, she didn't say about this, so I need to know."
Me: "I am sure the elephants at the festival will be safe to ride, they probably have a metal chair or something on them to keep you from falling."
Sullivan: "Yeah like a chair would be safer, everyone knows you can fall off a chair."
Me: "Well, we will just check it out when we get there and see what we think."
Sullivan: "Ok I guess."

For the love of......

Seriously, it just keeps getting more interesting. We definitely need to change our last name so that we can better fit the persona of those in Spanish novellas. Apparently, our lives have to be REALLY full and interesting to keep the folks in heaven laughing. Our channel must be comedy central on their "direct earth" boxes. It makes me feel a bit better to know that someone can get pleasure out of all of this! So, yesterday, Sophie's cough was really junky. She was wheezing, and working pretty hard to breathe, her eyes were running snot faster than any nose you have ever seen. I swear that I stay home with my children, I give them lots of vitamins and immune boosting stuff. I guess going to the doctor's office every other day isn't working for us, because they are picking up the worst of everything there. Anyway, her ear looked like it was about to bust (those were the words of the doctor, not me), and she has a very strong immunity to antibiotics now. All of the ones they normally would try (remember she is still on them from Sunday's urgent care visit), won't work. So, we had to go with the potent shot. The problem is taht last time we just needed on, this time we need one a day for 3 days. Its a very painful shot, she screamed for about an hour, and then last night, every time she would stand, she would scream and sit down. It awful to watch. The doctor said that they gave her an insane amount of steroids while in the hospital (all of which were needed to help her live), and she basically has NO immune system at this point. What's scary about that is that she is not reacting to antibiotics well. So, no immune system plus no antibiotics to kill what you pick up equals not a good thing. Anyway, to add to the drama (since we all know you come to this blog for extra spice when your lives are boring, ps, I should be getting paid for those of you using these stories of my kids as your birth control, ask me where to send the check please), Aaron and I wake up with nasty pink eye this morning! Hoorah!!! He has an ear infection so bad that he can't hear. He has been mentioning that it hurt, I finally looked in it last night, and its bad. So, he will be at his own doctor this afternoon. AHHHHHHHH Take a deep breath.

So, with all of this going on, Sullivan has, let's just say, not been on the best behavior. He is being a great brother, and an excellent four year old. The problem is, we need him to be more of an 11 year old so that we can focus on Sophie. So, we are at our end discipline wise. Yesterday, I told him that every time he does not listen to me, I was gonna put an "x" on the chalkboard in the playroom. I told him that if he got 3 "x"s in one day I would not let his nanny and paw paw come visit. The wheels started turning in his head. He asks "What happens if I just get one "x"?" I said," nothing". "And if I just get two?" "Nothing, Sullivan, its when you get three that is the problem." He keeps thinking, thinking, thinking, "Mom, do you think you could put a circle on the board if I am good?" "Sure!" I am not sure what he will be when he grows up, but all I can say is "Lookout world, this kid is gonna be something big!"

It was so real

So, Sophie got really sick Saturday night. She went to bed with us figuring she had an ear infection. She was super snotty- eyes, nose, nasty. Then, Sunday morning she woke up pretty hot- 102. She acted ok, but in pain. We decided to go get donuts, and as we were there, she coughed and choked herself a few times. Then, she started acting very listless. She looked sick. On everything I have read about kids, it says to gauge how sick they are by how they act. A child with 105 fever but running around playing is probably fine, however, a child with 100.4 fever but acting listless needs to be seen. Anyway, she then had 103.5, with tylenol in her. She didn't move a whole lot, and looked pretty rough. So, we called our pediatrician, who told us to take her to urgent care and have her seen immediately. She said not to take any chances, seeing how sick she got and how fast last time. So, off to Urgent Care we went. I have to say that at this point, I honestly felt like I was gonna have a panic attack. I was sweaty, felt like throwing up, and could have passed out if I had laid down long enough. I don't think the reality of what happened to her in September had ever really sunk in. Well, the thought of having to go through all of that again hit me like a train running into the side of a mountain. I prayed like I have never prayed before. And, as I was praying, with Sophie laying on my shoulder listless, I felt God touch me. Don't laugh, it wasn't as if I felt a literal hand, but I knew what He was telling me. He calmed me down enough to take care of her, and as I waited for the doctor to come into the room, He let me in on His secret. I had held Sophie as she was dying. She literally was gasping for her last breaths on the helicopter ride on the way to the PICU in September. She was in her final moments of life, and I was holding her. I was comforting her, but had no idea just how serious it all was. And, God changed His mind. He decided she should be around longer, and changed his mind. So, as I held her in the room on Sunday morning, I realized that God gave me a second chance with this small miracle of life in September. He changed His mind about wanting her then and allowed Aaron and I to have her back. I know what it feels like to watch your child fighting for every breath they take, and am blessed to know that God felt He could trust me with her. As he revealed this secret to me in the office, I realized that I am to care for this baby no matter how many ear infections she gets, no matter how many bouts with pneumonia she fights, no matter how many sleepless nights it takes with gratitude. Gratitude that I am able to stay up all night and comfort her. Because it could have gone the other way very easily in September. (If you had seen the looks on all of the doctor's and nurses' faces, you would know just how close it was to going the other way). God could not have changed His mind. He could have taken her. There are many moms out there right now who would give anything to sit in a doctor's office with their sick baby if only it meant they could have that baby in their arms once again. So, Sophie is on her 6th round of antibiotics since September 3rd. So, she hasn't slept more than an hour at a time in three months. So, she has no intention on ever stopping nursing. She is here. And I am thankful. I am thankful that I have seen her smile today. I am thankful that I have heard her laugh. I am thankful for her slobbery, nasty, wet, french kisses all over my face today. I am thankful for getting to watch her dance her whole body every time the Aggie band played music at the game today. I am thankful for getting to watch her face light up when she saw the baby in the mirror waving back to her this morning. Thank you God for the honor of trusting us with her. I promise to not take my job lightly as her mother. I promise to love her EVERY time she wakes up in the night. I do not know why she is staying so sick, but I promise to love her, hold her, and comfort her through it all. Thank you for sharing her with me, and for giving her back when you so easily could have taken her. I have taken my job too lightly as a mother, and I apologize. This IS the greatest calling anyone could ever have, and you have trusted me with it twice. For that, I am forever grateful.

I resign

This is my official resignation letter from being a stay at home mom. I have spent the day taking care of ANOTHER sick child. I feel like I need to run away- far away. Oh wait, where would I go. No replacement willing to take over you say? No one willing to take NO pay for a job involving getting pooped on, thrown up on, and snotted on all in one day? No one willing to be bitten over and over and over, take six warm showers with a baby, fix meals, be a living bottle and pacifier, AND ignore the fact that their head, neck, lymph glands, throat and whole body feel like they are going to explode? Alright, I guess I will stick it out! You guessed it another sick one. Sophie, in the picture above, finally collapsed after her stupid mom finally remembered that I have numbing drops for her ears. Apparently we will be at the pediatrician again tomorrow (WHAT sick on a Sunday you say, you must not remember my children's track record of ONLY getting sick on holidays and weekends). If I sound bitter, its because I am! Sorry, dealing with sick children, husbands, and myself for two and a half months now apparently has worn me thin. I need something in the form of a very stiff drink.
We decided to wean Sophie because I just can't go on anymore, but she got sick today, so weaning had to take a break. I am now wondering if there is any way that a manipulative ten month old can cause herself to get sick so that her mother will stop the weaning process. Hmmm... maybe its a secret coded hidden in the Baby Einstein videos. I always wondered why they were so amusing to kids and so boring to adults. Perhaps I am on to something- secret, hidden codes. Well, normally I would go investigate this claim. But, I am dealing with less sleep than a mother of newborn quadruplets right now (Please read this God: I am NOT asking to be a mother of newborn quadruplets so that you can prove me wrong), and do not have the energy to check out my claim.
My children went to visit Santa Claus today. Boy am I glad they did, the Christmas list I had for Sullivan was all wrong! I am glad I got to listen to him tell Santa about Hungry Hungry Hippo and some racing car set that crashes cars (go figure- both full contact, LOUD, toys that require batteries). He also informed Santa that he has been a very good boy, and he should find his name on the good list. I wonder if lying about being good to Santa counts as a lie- pushing your name down to the bad list? Or, is it such a good con that Santa actually forgets that you have not listened, had many many meltdowns, thrown things at your mother, and screamed quite a bit and actually puts your name on the good list. He told Santa that Sophie wants a Learning Vacuum cleaner so she can learn to clean the house. Yes, you are free to say it, I am in for trouble as he gets older! Well, he is now asking me to look at his hiney to check what a great wiping job he did, so I must go. Enjoy this little clip of Sophie being a rock star! Perhaps she has a career in the dancing profession?

Dragons, and Ladybugs, and Mono OH MY!

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Sooooo...................... Yesterday was Halloween, and we got one more trick from God. Apparently He really thinks Aaron and I are strong, because He sure seems to be throwing alot our way. Sullivan has been saying his throat hurt since last Wednesday. I took him to the doctor then, because he is prone to strep throat, had him tested, and it was negative. So, she said its a virus, let it run its course. He seemed to get worse on Sunday, saying it hurt really bad, and then throwing up. But, his temperature was around 95.3 the whole time. Monday, he kept saying he was tired, but we all are (night weaning isn't going as planned with Sophie so we aren't getting much sleep in the house). At dinner, he literally could not sit up, he kept saying he had to go to bed. He looked like he was about to pass out. Aaron kept asking if he had taken a nap (yes three hours as usual). Tuesday, he was just as tired all day, but he was crying his throat hurt so bad, I looked, and it had puss pockets all over it. So, I took him in yesterday morning, and he has mono. His spleen is rather large, so we have to protect it. She said he was free to do whatever he felt comfortable doing- that he is only contagious if he kisses someone or lets them drink after him. She also said he could feel sick like this for another week to two weeks and would probably be tired for a few months! This is getting insane! I don't know how much longer I can deal with sick people, at this rate, I should definitely be getting paid from the state a nurse's salary.
In other news, Sophie has started to wave!!! Its the cutest thing ever. She waves backwards (like at herself). She is also doing her first sign- the sign for "gentle"- a rub on the top of her arm. She does it anytime she approaches our dogs. She is giving unsolicited kisses as well. Like, when you pick her up, she opens her mouth wide and starts "making out" with your mouth. Its really sweet. If you are already holding her, she makes smacking noises, like "give me my kiss now." The thing is, she totally denies Aaron everytime he asks for one! Its really funny. She will be kissing all over me, and he will say "Sophie, daddy really wants some of those kisses," and she turns her head away. She should be an intersting teenager!

I will have to upload our halloween pictures later, I keep getting an error every time I try now. Hint hint- Sullivan was a dragon and Sophie was a ladybug.