Kind of an update and kind of disgusting

So, I went to the doctor on Monday.  She checked me out and stated that I was probably dehydrated, throwing my whole system out of whack.  She prescribed a medication to help with the nausea, and informed me that I needed to drink a lot of liquids that day--2 liters worth!!!!!!!  It was already almost 2 pm, so I couldn't imagine doing it.  Especially since I could only drink your standard liquids for a stomach bug--7-up, chicken broth, gatorade, jello.  All of which I hate.  :( 

Then she sent me over to the lab for bloodwork and then sent me home to collect, ahem, other samples.  That was disgusting.  I am still waiting for results--she said the bloodwork should be back in a day and the other samples would take a while, depending on what specific test.  I finally called on Friday afternoon, but the receptionist said the bloodwork results were in but she didn't know why the doctor hadn't done something, it wasn't clear to me, but obviously they weren't ready for me know.  Sorry for the massive run-on sentence.  Anyway, I hope to hear something Monday.

However, even just drinking liquids, my stomach was SOOOO upset.  And my head was killing me.  By Monday night, I was incredibly hungry and my stomach was not rumbly, it was making scary noises!  I called Tuesday morning and she said to stay on the liquids for another day.  Once again, I was ravenous, but oddly enough, my stomach wasn't making noises by that point.  By Tuesday night though, I wasn't really wanting to eat anymore.  I did think that I was going to pass out--I was so weak and out of it, that I literally stumbled to bed wondering if I was going to die!  Wednesday, I got to start the lovely BRAT diet--again,  I truly dislilke two of those things.  I ate 6 pieces of toast that day and actually choked down half a banana.  I hate bananas so much, my mom couldn't believe me when I told her I ate part of one! 

So, I am slowly trying to eat again and see what settles okay.  Things still aren't right, but they seem a little better.  I am still having my headaches, but she has me on two new meds for that--gabapentin and riboflavin of all things.  I am also trying to stay hydrated, so hopefully I never have to drink 2 liters of liquid in half of a day!  Blech!  We will see what happens next week!

Scared

So, it's been a long time, as usual.  I wish I had a good excuse, but I don't.  Just life--being busy with the girls and trying to keep them from driving me crazy this summer.

However, something is going on with me and I need to put it down on paper...err, just get it out of my head.  I have felt like crap for the last 8-9 days--horrible headaches and stomach pain/diarrhea.  Now, I am a sickly girl--always have been.  I have migraines, so the headaches didn't seem that unusual.  I also have irritable bowel (sorry if that's TMI), so the stomach thing wasn't surprising either.  But the length and severity of both, combined right now, are scaring me.  I've taken my meds for both and neither are working well. 

Needless to say, being this sick has made me a little depressed.  It's difficult to function--I was sick to my stomach while taking Kelly to school, and I can't be far away from a bathroom, so I can't run my errands.  Not to mention, my headache makes me dizzy and I don't trust myself to drive. 

But Friday morning, I started to wonder if there is some underlying problem--brain tumor?  Stomach cancer?  Are they both symptoms of something horrible?  As much as I didn't want to, I called and made an appointment for the doctor on Monday.  I'm hoping she will send me for an MRI or CAT scan so I can either know or rule out this scary possibility.

And going down this road, at least mentally, has me thinking about what I would miss with my girls and that, in turn, is making me emotional.  I have felt stuck in a rut the last few years, but still don't know what I want to be "when I grow up".  The idea that this is it, and I may not get a chance to see my kids grow up or ultimately make a difference in the world, is terrifying. 

We had a magical time!

So, summer has been busy around here.  About a week after Ally's school ended, we took the girls on their first trip to Disney World!  It had been a secret up until two weeks before, when I screwed up and said the word "Disney".  Mike and I had both said it before, but the girls never noticed.  Until that night when Ally figured out what we were talking about!  Mike and I had been to Epcot years before, but this was our first real trip.  It was also the girls' first flight and I was incredibly worried about how they would behave.  Not that they misbehave often, but when you take into account how early you have to get to the airport, and then add in the actual 2 hr flight, it is a long time to stay still.  We flew into Tampa, since it was cheaper (and we were planning to visit my family out there while we were down), but then we still had a 90 minute drive to Orlando. 

The girls actually did really well on the flight.  Mike sat into between them, and I was on the other side.  I hadn't flown in 9 years, and it bothered me much more than it had in the past.  I didn't even want to try to look out the window!  Neither of the girls were scared, thankfully they were more excited than anything.  When we landed, we drove out to Clearwater just to walk in the sand and play in the water a little.  Ally and Kelly had never been to the gulf coast area, or even to the Atlantic area. 

Playing in the water!

They preferred to play in the sand, burying my feet!

We stayed off-site, but it was maybe a 10-20 minute drive (at most) to the parks.
The first day we went to Magic Kingdom and told the girls there was a big surprise!

I had booked lunch for us at Cinderellla's Royal Table! We met Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle and Sleeping Beauty.  The girls were so excited!  We also bought special Rapunzel dresses for them to wear for the lunch. 

We wound up spending 3 days at Magic Kingdom, one day at Animal Kingdom and one day at Hollywood Studios.  I have to tell you, that the safari ride at AK was amazing!  One of the highlights of the entire trip, at least for me. 





It was imperative that we meet Rapunzel. 



This is at the Lego store in Downtown Disney.  They have all kinds of characters made out of legos--phenomenal. 

We had to meet the Mouse family, of course.

And, last but not least, we finally met Princess Tiana.  She was much more popular than I expected! 

However, it was 93-95 degrees almost every day and I sweated like I have never sweated in my life.  We usually only stayed for about 4-5 hours before we were all done for the day--hot, tired, hungry.  I don't think that I would take them again in the summer.  I would rather yank them out of school in March or November--and I don't normally advocate that.  But it was much too hot to truly be able to enjoy and appreciate the parks. 

And on our "off" day, we went to explore Downtown Disney.  Huge Disney store with all kinds of merchandise.  A huge Lego store (as referenced above) with Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs and other characters made out of legos.  Kelly was whining that her belly hurt, so we thought she was hungry.  We got in the car, she started to cough right after we pulled out of the parking spot.  I looked at Mike and yelled, "Is she going to puke??"  Mike stopped the car and yanked her out.  He barely set her down in the lot before she threw up.  Mortifying all around.  At least the kid learned somewhere how to avoid her clothes and most of her shoes.  I took her back in the bathroom to see if she was done and to try and clean her up.  By the end of the day, she was eating and playing and laughing.  I was hoping that it was a fluke thing, maybe because of the heat.  But unfortunately, the next two days we continued to hear about her belly.  To the point that she was hysterical and didn't want to meet any characters.  She just wanted to go home--less than 2 hours after we parked at Animal Kingdom.  The cast members were great, trying to cheer her up, but she was in pain  There isn't much you can do for a 3 year old with a tummy ache.  But both days she perked up and felt better and was able to enjoy herself.  Thankfully, she didn't get sick again and the flight home didn't bother her. 

Even with that, it was a great trip.  I have almost 400 pics--we had to stop and buy another Disney photo album before we left!   :)  Maybe I'll post some more later!

Update

Well, crap. I thought that I updated this regarding Kelly's surgery, but I must have been too exhausted/traumatized by the event. She is FINE, and had no complications from the tonsillectomy. However, the next week was so much worse than I anticipated, and I anticipated a really bad week.

She did great on the drive over to the hospital, talking and singing, even though we had to wake up her two hours early at 5:30. I think part of that was because her Daddy was there. :) We got called back quickly, and talked to all the nurses and doctors, who just loved her! Her surgery was supposed to start at 7:30, but it was closer to 8 by the time they actually took her back. The surgery only took 45 minutes or so, which is what the ENT originally quoted.

We went to the recovery room and she was quietly whining and moaning for mommy. It broke my heart, so I tried to comfort her and rub her head and back to let her know I was there. But she wasn't really awake yet, not for at least 10 more minutes. When she did wake up, she screamed and cried and screamed and cried some more. And she just wanted her Daddy to hold her. I joked with Mike that I should have just stayed home in bed. I think that was the last time we laughed for two days. She didn't want the popsicles, just a little bit of water. She was so out of it that she didn't even calm down to watch the Dora dvd they provided. We kept trying to settle her down, thinking that all that screaming must be excruciating. Didn't work. She finally threw up all over Mike and the floor, which was just lovely. But the nurse said she's had some kids throw up multiple times and we did avoid that.

Mike sat in the back seat with her for the drive home, and she dozed off. She spent most of the day sleeping on one of us and, when not asleep, screaming. Kelly didn't want ice cream, didn't want popsicles, slushies, ice, anything. We forced a few bites of melted popsicle down her in order to give her the drugs (tylenol with codeine and antibiotic).   She actually ate a decent dinner--tiny pasta--and wanted seconds.  I thought somehow 3 year olds really did bounce back quickly. Eh.  She wound up in our bed (which is not unusual), but the screaming was horrible.  None of us could sleep and nothing would pacify or soothe her.  Exhausting.  Again, we tried to convince her that crying and screaming would only make it worse, but have you ever tried to use logic with a 3 year old?  Especially a 3 year old in serious pain?? 

After that first night, we couldn't get her to eat.  We had to force her off of our laps and say that she could come back if she ate a few bites.  We had to give her the medicine and I didn't want to do that on an empty stomach.  She wouldn't eat slushies/popsicles/ice cream until 3 or 4 days later.  She was actually eating meat before she wanted anything like the ice cream.  Finally, Mike took her to the dr for the 1 week checkup and she was 80% healed, which was great.  I fully expected the dr to say there were complications, but he wasn't worried.  Meanwhile, I was ready to take her to the ER since she wouldn't eat.  Kelly is tiny (30-31 lbs at the age of 3 1/2) and a week of hardly eating was scaring me. 

But it took that full week and then she started to be my Kelly again.  Back to picky eating and being silly. 

Got tonsils?

I am in a state of anxiety here. My baby, Kelly, is headed for surgery tomorrow. She has had tubes inserted in her ears twice before they actually did anything, and only then with the addition of zyrtec. A few months ago, my husband was brushing her teeeth and noticed how big her tonsils were. We thought that maybe she was getting sick, but they never got any smaller. We took her to the ENT, and he sent her for x-rays.

The results came back that her tonsils and adenoids were "significantly large" and some other insane terms. The dr said that it could impact her breathing (that freaked me out), probably is why she breathes/snores so loud, and could also be a factor with her speech development issues.

But he gave us the choice as to whether or not we should take her tonsils/adenoids out, saying that half of drs would operate now, and the other half would wait and see. We waited one or two months and decided just to do it now, and scheduled it about six weeks ago.

Well, tomorrow is the day. This momma is really worried. I trust the doctor--he did Ally's tubes, both of Kelly's tubes and in fact, even did my tubes as a kid. But this surgery is longer and inherently more complicated than tubes, and she is my baby. I hate watching your child being wheeled away into the operating room. Not to mention, she doesn't really understand what is happening tomorrow and I don't want to scare her. I've tried to explain, but she just says, "No. I don't want to go to the doctor."

I know that, obviously, there are much worse reasons she could be having surgery. I will be glad when this is over. Of course, then I will have to pull out all the stops trying to comfort her and make sure she drinks or eats something. I just hope it works!

LOL!

Kelly is 3 1/2 right now, so she alternates between being adorable and absolutely infuriating. She is definitely my wild child, and much more challenging than Ally ever was at this age. (I've been saying that for years now!)

Anyway, today she was looking at an old album of pictures and kept asking if the little girl was her. I explained to her in each and every picture, that no, that is Allison. Which she knows, because we have looked at these before. I finally told her there was only one picture that she was in, and I showed it to her.

By the way, Allison is eating a ring pop, so that's why she looks so odd. I think if you click on the pic, it will get larger.

I asked Kelly if she knew where she was in the picture (after she said that Allison was her), and she yelled, "In your tummy!" I laughed and said yes. Then she asked, "What was I wearing? Was I wearing this?" and pointed to her shirt and pants! I laughed for quite a while at that one! Not a question of how did I get there or get out, but the important question of fashion! LOL! I had to call Mike with that one! She was certainly stinkin' cute then!

Stormy pt 2

Kelsey's most recent post reminded me that I had not updated about the storms. Thankfully, my family is safe. However, that cannot be said for many in the tri-state area.

We spent a couple of hours in the basement, just in case. I picked Ally up, and then we headed downstairs. I had lots of supplies with us--snacks, water, flashlights, cell phone, camera to documents any damage--again, just in case. I even had the girls keep on their sneakers, in case we had to leave or any kind of damage, like walking over broken glass. Right after we got home, I turned on the news and heard that a tornado had possibly touched down, and was 10 minutes away from the city where my brother works. I called my mom and she was panicked, as was I. He wasn't picking up his cell phone! Once I finally talked to him, he was more than halfway home and out of the worst (or so we thought) part. Annoyingly, he was rather flippant and nonchalant about the bad weather. Adding to my panic on Friday afternoon was the fact that the National Weather Service had designated it as a "PDS"--particular dangerous situation--and that it is rare for that designation in this area. Apparently, it is normally used in Tornado Alley.

So, I huddled downstairs in front of the tv while the girls played games. My husband was on the road, and all I kept hearing about was possible funnel clouds and severe damage. Some places saw hail the size of softballs! The only thing that was remotely reassuring was that the most severe storms seemed to be south of us, and my husband was able to get home safely.

Sadly, several small towns in Indiana and Ohio were devastated--some were practically wiped off the map. And the fatality list continues to grow...so tragic. So scary. Please keep these families in your hearts and prayers.

That night, as I watched the news, I looked at Mike and said, "This is why I panic. Because you never know when it will hit YOU."

Stormy

Today they are calling for SEVERE weather. The weather stations have just reported that our chance for severe weather is now in the high category, which of course, includes tornadoes. I am all for notification, but all of this attention is starting to make me panic. Especially since they are stating the severe stuff will start between 3 and 4pm. Do you know when I pick up Ally? Yep, 3:30 pm. So, we will just be hanging out there waiting in line to grab her and fly home. Thankfully, we only live 5 minutes away, but I DO. NOT. LIKE. IT.

It reminds me of the day, almost exactly a year ago, that they were calling for tornadoes and severe weather in the afternoon again. The forecasters sounded dire, and calling for it to hit right about pickup time. Obviously, it's a control thing but I worry about my babies being someplace else during a dangerous time. I freaked out and, after conferring with Mike, ran out to pick her up early so that we would miss the bad storms.

Well, that plan didn't quite work out. I threw Kelly in the car and we drove to the school. By the time we got there, it was raining hard and I just ran in while holding Kelly, trying to shelter her face. But then Ally took forever to get to the office, and when we left, it was a deluge. I debated staying at the school, but was fearful that it would get even worse. We sped home while I attempted to see through the rain--the wipers on full-blast really weren't cutting it--and then it began to hail!!!!!!!!! The whole time on the road, I was alternating between cursing and praying. We ran downstairs when we got home, but it was pretty much over. The forecasters were so wrong on their timing and I was so pissed! I'm thankful that we were okay, but we wound up in the worst of it.

I took the following pics just in case we had roof damage, but you can see we had some decent hail. Oh, and just an FYI, I hate to drive in the rain, any rain.

Grief

Grief is an odd thing. I have been thinking about this for the last month or so, ever since my Grandpa passed away. He was 91 years old and the proud father of 7 (!) children. It wasn't a surprise when he died. He had gotten pneumonia the week before, so we knew that the call was coming.

The real surprise was how long he did live after the love of his life was gone. My sweet Grandma passed away 10 years ago this week, and at that time, they had been married for 59 years. He adored her--it was something that we talked about at his funeral. My aunt commented that he was certainly a "one-woman man". I think they met in school and that was that. :) Knowing that, I thought for certain that Grandpa would be gone within a year of a broken heart. And I think he wanted to be gone--he wanted to be with his Bette.

But that was not the plan. He was here to meet 9 of his great-grandchildren, which I like to believe gave him joy. (I know that my Grandma would have spoiled them rotten.) In the past few years, his mind deteriorated. He moved out of the home he had lived in for years, and into senior housing. Then, he needed more help and moved into assisted living. At that point, he claimed that he found Bette again and was going to marry her! It was cute, yet sad at the same time.

We saw him at the end of Halloween, when we all got together, and he was incredibly lucid. He watched the kids run around and we had a nice conversation. He left the room and then I found out he went back to his bedroom to take a nap. I regret that I never got the chance to give him a final hug or say that I love you. I like to think that he knew that.

So, ever since he passed, I haven't really cried. I feel a few tears, but nothing really happens. I know from past experiences that something odd will trigger it, and then I will finally be able to cry.

The actual day of the funeral was strange. Obviously, the basic needs of children always trump everything, even grief. What I mean by this is that I couldn't even think of where we were going that morning, because I still had to treat it like a normal day: get the kids changed, fed, bathed and dressed and then still prep the diaper bag to ensure that they needed for the day. Afterward, we all went out to eat and spend time together as a family. And then that night, Mike and I watched a movie at home, but it just felt odd to do "normal" things at a time like that. I know that is what you should do. Life goes on, and enjoying life doesn't diminish the person who is gone. It just feels weird.

7

Dear Allison, my little Ally beary,

Today, you turn 7 years old. My heart is full of all the things that I want to say to you. You are my sweet girl, who has always been my child who wants to cuddle and asks for more hugs and kisses. You are growing up so quickly--I remember when we brought you home from the hospital and took you on a "tour" of the house. Then we didn't know what to do with you! :)

Today, you are eagerly anticipating your birthday party tomorrow and your presents from Mommy and Daddy tonight. You jumped out of bed last night and said "Goodbye 6! Tomorrow I am 7!" I hope that as a 7 year old, you keep the same great attitude and joy for life that you have right now. You are a spelling ace, and an amazing big sister. You read everything in sight--even the cereal boxes--and can't wait until "Wild Kratts" comes on tv. I am starting to wonder if a career as a zoologist is in your future!

Our "Mommy & Ally" days are full of special time when we can just snuggle and laugh. I look forward to more of those days, as well as "girly" days when we play with Kelly.

You are my sunshine, baby. Happy birthday!

Mommy

Birthday BS

Allison's 7th birthday is quickly approaching. I cannot believe how fast time flies by. It truly seems like just yesterday she was Kelly's age, running around like crazy and barely speaking in sentences.

We, well I, have had a huge issue with the birthday planning. When I was little, my mom made me invite all the girls in my class to my party--even the brats who teased me and made me cry. My birthday is in April, so we were usually able to have it outside. Obviously, with Ally's birthday in January, that's isn't happening. Nor can I afford it, or even imagine having 13 little girls running around. Oy!

So every year I have guilt over how to handle this. I don't want to hurt first-graders' feelings. Last year, we invited 5 or so kids and the teacher put the invites in the folder that went home every day. No problem and it was a small but fun party.

This year, I have the same guilt especially since she decided to wanted to invite a BOY! What? Here I am trying to figure out some way to invite all the girls and now you want to invite a boy? What does this mean?????

So, Mike slammed the brakes on inviting more than 6 kids and we were fine with the whole inviting the boy thing (though I still have questions...).

Her teacher this year does the same folder procedure--send the folder every day, and it gets sent home every night with notes, homework, fliers, etc. I sent the invites in Ally's folder with a note for Mrs. D to put the invites in the other kids' folders. I have explained to Ally that the kids who aren't invited might feel hurt that they aren't included--we are talking about 6 year olds here.

So that afternoon, I asked what happened. She said that Mrs. D CALLED EACH CHILD INTO THE HALLWAY TO GIVE THEM THE INVITE! Yes, I am screaming because I am livid! Apparently, she did it while they were cleaning up from breakfast. I asked if the other kids noticed and she said yes, they all wanted to know what was going on. One of the little boys said he was jealous. I am so ticked. Allison said that the kids could have noticed it in the folders as well, but I feel like Mrs. D made a HUGE production out of it, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid. Allison could have done it much more nonchalantly than that. Livid. Livid. Livid.

Am I wrong?