Why?

Ok, so I'm sitting here wondering why? Why are things progressively getting worse around here? First it was Alex with a horrible cough that resulted in strep, then Ian that same evening with a high fever also resulting in strep, followed the next day by a nasty stomach virus that induces vomitting, with no warning, all over me 3 times (just on me 3 times, but I think the grand total was 7)!!! Then, Sunday, it was Morgann's turn with the nasty cough. Monday, I took her to the doctor and guess what? Strep and upper respiratory issues (meaning breathing treatments for the next 4 or 5 days!). Just for kicks, I decided to give them all a breathing treatment tonight - no need for 2 of them to feel left out, right?!? And, amazingly, they all stopped coughing...

But anway, apparently it is now my turn...no, not strep, thank God! I've never had strep - a doctor once told me when I was young that he thought that I might have a built-in immunity to it because my entire family had a bad case of it, but I walked around with nothing wrong :) Anyway, no, I don't have strep, but I did get a bad sore throat 2 days ago, and now have a nose that won't work when it's supposed to, and won't stop working when I need it to (i.e. stuffy when I'm trying to breath, and running when it's not convenient)!

And, it was only a matter of time...Michael is now feeling as though he's been run over by a truck.

Can't tell you how much fun we're having around here :)

Hope you all stay healthy and avoid all of the nasty bugs that attack from every direction at this particular time of year. I'll be back when the cold medicine wear's off!

An Update

Well, Little W finally went home to be with daddy yesterday, but not for the happy reasons we were all hoping for. And, before you immediately think the worst, mommy has been released from the hospital and was doing well as of yesterday!

Anyway, Little W had to go to the doctor yesterday because he had an awful cough! He spent Wednesday with my neighbor, but by Thursday, his cough was getting bad. So, she called his daddy and told him that he needed to take him to get checked for croup! Thankfully, no croup, but he does have a virus! Lovely!!! He's been sleeping face to face with my oldest for 9 days!

So, guess what happened next? Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call from the nurse's office at Alex's school telling me that he had a low-grade fever, which meant that I had to go pick him up! Nice!!! Yesterday we spent the day just running errands, him coughing every now & then, but seeming to feel fine. Then this morning, he was coughing up a lung, so I took him to the doctor only to leave with a diagnosis of strep! Great!!

And, now as I sit & type, I hold my youngest in my lap, curled into a little ball, running a 103.5 fever! Couldn't this have happened 6 hours ago when we were sitting in the doctor's office?!? And, to top it off, my pediatrician isn't on-call this weekend, which would mean that either we go see her associate, that I don't like at all, or wait until Monday. So, I had no other choice but to call my sister who works at a stand-alone ER and ask if I could bring him in for a quick strep test tonight. Thankfully, the doctor there said that he would be happy to check him for me for FREE!

It's nice to have friends & family in 'high places' :)

But, alas, this means that we will not be going to our church's fall festival tonight! I was getting really excited about it too - my daughter wanted to be a ballerina, so my sisters and I went through all of our old costumes until we found one that fit her. This afternoon, I went and bought her some 'fake' ballet shoes, tights, and a tiara to top off the look. She was going to look so cute! Oh well!! Guess she'll have to wait until Tuesday now :(

Silence is Golden!

Ok, so I've been away for a while. But, there is a good explanation for it, I promise!!! You see, we're child sitting, for what appears to be an indefinite amount of time. What started out to be a 3 or 4 day sleepover, has turned into 8 days and still counting. It's no one's fault, and I'm not upset by it, but having 1 more child day in & day out has thrown my 'norm' off a little bit.

A very good friend of mine from MOPS went in for surgery on Wednesday morning (last week). She is the mother of 4 kiddos, so several of us took them so that her hubby would be free to visit her, be with her, or head back out to work after the surgery. On Thursday, something happened, and she was immediately rushed into the ICU. And, there she still is - 6 days later! It's been very hard on her & her husband, but harder still on the kids.

The little guy we're keeping is only 3, so his understanding of what's going on is almost nothing. He just knows that mommy is at the doctor's office. He's not asking about her, not crying for her, not really saying anything about her or daddy - which has been a blessing. That's not to say I'm glad he's not missing his mommy, but I AM! That means he's not homesick yet, which means that his new daily ritual at my house isn't causing him too much heartache. He's been wonderfully easy, and has adapted well to the structure of our household - eating & snack times, waking up early, going to bed early, etc. He even clears his 'spot' at the table after eating, just like my 3 kiddos know they must do after each meal.

The only BIG change (for me much more than him!) has been the fact that I haven't been forcing him to go down for a nap every day. My 3 (almost 4) year old quit taking naps about a year ago. I only force her to bed during the day if her bahavior indicates that she needs some extra rest. But, having Little W around has meant more play time, less rest time! She's loved it! And, really, so have I. But today, I decided to try something. Little W is currently upstairs, where he should be taking a nap. I'm not convinced he's actually doing that since I keep hearing the pitter-patter of little feet up there - I will have to go check on that momentarily. Morgann was off to school today, leaving only Ian & Little W here with me. We had a few friends over for a play date, had lunch, and they left, leaving just Little W up and on his own. And, since I decided that Mr. TV needed to take a break, there really wasn't any reason that he shouldn't go upstairs to, at the very least, rest, and hopefully sleep :)

So, here I sit, in a very quiet house, for the first time in what seems ages! And, as I sit here, I'm thinking about how ready I am to be back to 'normal'. I love having Little W here with us, especially since he's been so easy, but I'm sort of ready for a break! When I offered to help out with Little W, I never imagined that he'd be with us a week later, and maybe even longer! It's hard not to be frustrated with the situation, but I'm trusting that God will continue to give me the Grace to be the extra-mommy that Little W needs right now, that He will continue to bless Little W with Peace, that that same Peace will rest on my kiddos as their lives have be interrupted by a stranger, and that God will be merciful to my hubby, as having another child around is really throwing off our family time! But, I guess most of all, I'm praying that Little W's mommy will experience healing in her body, and that things will balance and regulate so that she can get home to her 4 kiddos that she's missing so terribly!

Wahoo!

Finally!!!! It's 67^ outside and there is no chance that the high will reach anywhere close to the 90's! I love autumn :)

Out of control

You know how it gets when Life starts getting the better of you? That's what has been happening to me lately. I haven't posted in a while, not because it's boring and there isn't anything to post about, but because I just can't seem to sit still long enough to put my thoughts down on paper...err, I mean screen. Thoughts...well, maybe not thoughts because I haven't had many of those lately. It's more like fleeting sparks that simply appear, then disappear. I've been down in the dumps allot (ok, we'll blame it on hormones because I don't want to think about what else might be causing it) and very, very tired! If I have time to sit & think, I don't. I sit, then fall asleep.

Take yesterday for example, I felt so bad (and I mean flu-type symptoms) and was so passed the point of exhaustion, that while sitting in the chair talking to my sister, I fell asleep! Then, continued to sleep after saying a quick goodbye to her, for 3 more hours! Then, after completing my nightly cycle of mommy tasks, went to bed early (@ 10:30PM) and slept for another 9 hours!

I feel much better today, but my list of things that HAVE to get done before Friday morning (when I have family arriving in town to stay with us for 3 days while my cousin gets married on Saturday) is sort of overwhelming, making me want to crawl back into bed while my little one sleeps. I know that I cannot do that today, because procrastination will only put more pressure on me tomorrow & Thursday, so I'm off to go clean something. And, really, any room I pick will be a huge task! So, I'd better get going!!!!

But, before I say goodbye, I just wanted to post something so that those that read my ramblings will know that I'm OK :) Two weekends ago, I attended the MOPS Convention in Nashville - can anyone say AWESOME? It's amazing what happens when you get more than 5,000 moms in one room, singing their hearts out to the Lord, being refreshed and rejuvenated!!! The speakers were amazing, the smaller group events were outstanding, and the fellowship I had with the 10 other ladies from my MOPS steering team was worth more than anything I could ever ask for. The help I received from my wonderful MIL, sister, and yes, hubby, was a precious gift! I was encouraged and uplifted, and after 4 days away, was ready to get home to my husband & kiddos. I was ready to face all of the challenges that being a mommy can present, and feel like I am equiped enough to handle Life, and all that goes with it :)

This passed weekend was Alex's first Cub Scout camp out. Can you say HOT? It was in the 90's with like 200% humidity, and no breeze! A typical Texas-style October :) I only stayed for part of the day on Saturday, then took the 2 little ones home for baths & bed. Hubby stayed at the camp with Alex and had allot of daddy/son bonding time. They fished, sat by the campfire roasting smores, tying knots, and talking. I know that the 2 of them made some wonderful memories together. I, on the other hand, slept comfortably in my bed, with the A/C on full blast, and the ceiling fan blowing on high :) My kind of camp-out!!!

So, that's all for now, I guess. I really need to sign-off now. If I don't get my butt upstairs to start picking up, I'm going to regret it!! Say a prayer for me, then have a wonderful Tuesday afternoon :)