Hey Life! Wait Up!

I woke up Monday morning after being sick over the weekend and felt two days behind from the moment I got up.  Still feeling that way!

So much I want to blog but really don't have the time right now.  Surprisingly a little energy, but we're closing in on midnight and the past few mornings I've been exhausted.  (Mostly because at least one little sweet somebody isn't sleeping through the night.  Last night I spent the hour from 3-4am tossing and turning, trying to get Timmy to just fall asleep snuggling and then finally spent 4am-5am bouncing and pacing so I could get him to sleep.  Finally got him to zonk out just in time to see James get up to work out, give half a thought to joining him and completely surrender to the larger part of me that was chanting, "Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep..."

I think we're all pretty tired around here - long days, fun days, but tiring.  I started blogging about it the other night and didn't get a chance to finish.  It's pretty wordy.  No pictures yet but if you're bored, enjoy!  Plenty more where this came from!  =)

SICK LEAVE (written Monday 10/3)


Last Friday was superbly busy.  I stayed up late cleaning the kitchen from having the elders over for dinner and picked up a little from having kids playing all day.  For some reason, I wasn't utterly exhausted so I decided to post the last and ended up going to bed at 3am.  I know, I don't know why I do that to myself either.  Anyhow, Friday got started earlier than I wish it had, though I don't quite recall now exactly when that was.

I took Timmy in for an appointment with the pulmonologist from whom he received his Synagis shots last year.  It was a quick visit.  The staff there are amazingly efficient and they're all so nice!  They weighed Timmy and told me he is 17 pounds 11 ounces.  Not so sure about that.  I truly think he has got to be over 18 by now.  However, since we're back in RSV season now (or will be within the month) and decannulation is no longer an option at this point, I'm really not going to get worked up over weight at this point.  (Timmy goes in to see both Dr. Brown - the other pulmonologist - and Dr. Peterson, our pediatrician, before the end of the month so we'll let them do the worrying if there needs to be.)

In any case, she just took a brief history of Timmy's last year - growth, health status as far as colds and illnesses.  Honestly nothing.  He has done really well.  He was on oxygen for about three weeks last year (they caught us mid-cold the last time I took him in for the Synagis evaluation and he came home with a nebulizer and a tank) and that's it!  One minor cold in the spring that kept me suctioning like a fanatic around the clock for a couple of days but nothing major.  So the nurse told me she's pretty sure that Timmy will be denied the Synagis by the insurance.  They'll try to work the trach angle, but she doesn't think he'll get it, just because he's been so healthy.  Part of me is a little relieved.  I think he has done so well partly because he has siblings and has had to be exposed to a little more, fortunately nothing severe.  (Not that I'm encouraging parents of preemies to just go against medical advice and run around every mall and playground out there.)  He has had so many pokes, prods and surgeries in his short little life that I am happy to spare him any he doesn't really need and I truly feel this could be one of them. We will just heed medical advice and keep him away from unnecessary exposure.  (Yes, this is my way of asking that if you even think you or your kids might be sick that you let me know so we can reschedule getting together.)

Back to sick leave: we had the Christensens over for dinner Friday night.  They made the best fruit salad ever!  Strawberries, watermelon and red grapes.  You just can't top that for kid friendly and, if it's kid friendly, it's usually adult friendly too!  Definitely the case.  The kids had a blast!  We even left the door open so they could play outside and even Timmy could go in and out.  Thus, we also allowed the flies to come in and out (sooooo ready for the end of fly season!) and got to play our own game of Brave Little Tailor.  I'm telling you, I am seriously an expert!  If they had Wii Fit Fly Swatter, I would hold the record!  I can swat the out of the air like nobody's business.  (Okay, so I have my off days too, but on the whole...)

The kids got pretty loopy but the girls had a great time with dress up.  We definitely need a playdate!

I, on the other hand, very much needed to go to bed.  My 3am bedtime from the night before had more than caught up with me.  I had a pretty good sleep-deprivation headache coming on so I took the night off from doing any cleanup and just went to bed with Timmy around 9.  (Thank you James for getting everyone else to bed!)  We each took turns getting up with the kids that night.  Around 1am, I was still feeling quite the headache and my stomach was starting to feel a bit unsettled.  When Trevy woke me up again at 4am, I started feeling nauseated.  It was weird - getting up made me sick to my stomach but made my head feel better, laying down made my stomach feel better but made my head pound.  At least I was tired enough to go back to sleep.  But I was the only one, I guess.

I got up with Timmy and Callie at 7:30, still feeling pretty crummy.  James walked through the door with grocery bags and the biggest smile on his face.  I could tell that he had already worked out and was obviously in a much better state than I was.  He was so excited.  He had gone in search of a project to work on during the Saturday sessions of Conference and had discovered a sale on steak at Fry's!  He set to work marinating and told me that we were going to have a fabulous dinner after the sessions.  I love how much he loves to grill and, normally, love when he grills but I had to tell him that he shouldn't be offended if I didn't eat anything.  I lounged all Saturday, completely lacking appetite or energy.  Everything I tried to eat (which wasn't much) tasted like someone had dumped a couple heaping tablespoons of dirt on it.  So nasty!  Movie night with the kids - Incredibles - during the priesthood session and then we all went back to bed.

Yesterday night I only had one visitor.  Landon came in at 2am and just flipped on the light.  He had had a little accident.  He had already dug out his dinosaur jammies and dry underwear, just needed help getting them back on.  So sweet.  I actually don't mind those wakings.  Just help the little sweetheart and tuck him back in.  Though I would prefer a wake-up method a little easier on the retinas!

I woke up with a sore throat and the same nasty taste in the back of my throat.  Here's the kicker - even ice cream tasted bad!!!  I know, broke my heart.  James took the kids to his parents' house for his mom's birthday party (Happy birthday, Mom!) and I stayed home with Timmy so I wouldn't get anyone else sick.  (Except Timmy, who should probably be the last person I'm trying to infect.  What can I say?)  We had a good day.  We both got a good nap and I was actually able to listen to most of Conference.  Timmy, in his button pushing exuberance with the television, turned it on and showed me that we actually can watch Conference without cable!  So that was a nice perk, not dealing with the computer going into sleep mode.

He took a 2-hour nap yesterday and I got a shower and a whole speaker in by myself before he woke up.  He then fell asleep around 7 and I should have put him in bed but wanted to hold him instead.  Consequently, he was aroused by his siblings return at 7:40 and had a hard time going back to sleep.  I really think he catnaps especially well.  Give him any more than 20 minutes and he won't go back to sleep.

Landon fell asleep in the car and I was so sure the girls would fall right to sleep once they were tucked in.  Trevy did.  They all still want to sleep with Mommy or Daddy.  Callie would not stay in bed so I gave her the option of sleeping in their bed or on the floor in Timmy's room.  She chose the chair.  Whatever.  There just isn't enough room in a twin bed for two kids and Mom and Daddy's bed is off limits when he has to get up for work.

We had all just gotten settled when Landon came in.  He didn't want to sleep in his bed either.  And specifically told me so!  It was actually really cute.  In his sleepy little voice he said, "I don't want to sleep in my bed.  No, no, no."  He even shook his head with each no.  Callie started laughing and kept repeating him.  "No, no, no."  Silly kiddos!  So then I repeated the options - I'll tuck you in your bed or you go get your own pillow and blankets and you can sleep on the floor.  They chose the floor.  Crazies.

I had tried to go to bed at 9 for the third night in a row but it was well after 10 before everyone was settled down, suctioned, diapers changed (Timmy) and asleep.  Not sure if it was the catnap or what, but Timmy had a very restless night last night.  And so did I.  Hoping tonight's a different story!

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One random happy note: Melissa and I found a new series!  Wish we could remember when we started Monk but neither of us can specifically recall.  However, it was so good we've had a hard time finding its successor.  After a few trials that just didn't quite fill the void, we searched through the library database of TV series and found Criminal Minds.  Ahhhh....just started Monday night (10/3) and we're already finished with the first disc!