Sick

We kicked off Spring Break with a visit to the pediatrician's office.  Ridley had croup and a double ear infection.  Fingers are crossed that she will be feeling better soon.

Stomach Bug

We have had a rough few days of stomach bug.  Everyone, but myself, have been sick.  Every 24 hours it has spread to someone else. We had to make a tough decision about Ridley's birthday party.  We postponed her party a week, so we don't spread the germs.  

Resting Fort Building

So what do you do when you have your tonsils removed and you are still feeling no pain after a rough night?  If you guessed build a fort.  You are right!

I woke up with tonsillitis, so I am trying to keep everyone happy while feeling like death.  Ryland wanted to rest in the living room and watch cartoons while I rested.  When I woke up, I found Ryland playing in his "resting fort".  I swear this kid is all over the place.  One minute he is in pain and the next minute he is feeling like a million bucks.

Pediatrician visit

Knowing that the boys were sure to really come down with whatever they are fighting as soon as we leave town, we headed to the doctor.  We had a yucky morning, and the doctor confirmed that we needed some medication.  Neither one of the boys had been to the pediatrician since March, so we had a great streak of wellness. Hoping we can shake this off, and they are back to normal soon. 

 

Lovey

A sure sign that my sweet lovey is getting sick.  Reed wanted to watch a show in my bed and rest.  I came in to check on him, and he was almost asleep.  He had some M&Ms in a little pile on my comforter.  (???)  He is so sweet and such a cuddle bug. 

 

Stomach yuck

Reed has been fighting a stomach bug today, and my little man just isn't himself.  We cuddled all day, and now that Dad is home, they can have some cuddle time.  Hopefully, this will run its course quickly, and he will be back to his normal self.

Chuck E Cheese - Take 1

We tried taking the boys to Chuck E Cheese tonight for some family fun. About the time we got there, Ryland had an accident. We ran to the bathroom, but it was too late. Change 1. We ordered pizza and got our tokens. Ooops! Change 2. We started playing a few games, and we ran to the bathroom again. Too late. Change 3. Ryland and I returned to the table as the pizza was being delivered. Unfortunately, we had to leave immediately. It was hard to explain to Ryland, but we promised to come back when he felt better.

Mom down

I give in! I have been fighting a terrible sinus infection, ear ache, and sore throat for days, and it has finally got the best of me. It is beautiful outside, and I want nothing more than to play with the boys. Instead, I find myself cuddled in the bed with tons tissues and meds on the night stand. I hate that I feel like this on the weekend, but I am happy that John Chris is home to take care of the boys.

Reed's turn at the doctor

I have been keeping a close eye on the boys over the past few days. I can tell Ryland is improving, but Reed has started coming down with something. I guess this is one of the joys of having two little ones. The spread of germs from one to the other is impossible to stop.
Reed woke up with a barking cough, so I was concerned. I was able to get an appointment at the pediatrician's office even though they close at noon today. I am thankful that my dad was in town visiting, so I would have a little assistance with Ryland.
Reed was diagnosed with a right ear infection, pink eye in both eyes, and croup secondary to bronchitis. Yikes! We will be giving him breathing treatments, eye drops, and an antibiotic. Poor little guy is still smiling and laughing.

Trip to urgent care

Ryland has gotten worse, so we headed to Premier Urgent Care. It always seems like we are dealing with illness on a weekend or Wednesdays when the pediatrician closes early. Ryland is usually not very happy about going to the doctor, but he completely gave in today.

He is still running a fever and is extremely irritable. It seems like tonsillitis again, but he also has a little runny nose and a pink yucky eye. The doctor did a strep test, and it came back negative. He went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic while we wait on a throat culture to come back later this week. Until then we will also continue with motrin, eye drops, and lots of holding and hugs.

Sick in the summer

Ryland has caught something nasty. He is running a fever, coughing, and has lots of thick snot. I immediately thought it was tonsilitis again when I noticed the fever. The snot tells me it is something different. We spent a lot of time relaxing, watching tv, and cuddling.

Today isn't exactly what we had planned. We were supposed to be running around on the field at Cowboys Stadium. Yes, on the field. What two little boys wouldn't love to play on an awesome football field? I had envisioned this adorable picture of them sitting on the star in their matching navy Polos. Instead, I have this picture. They do look adorable!

Poor Ryland

My sweet Ryland woke up feeling worse today. I finally got his temp under 100 after motrin and tylenol, but it peaked at 103.5. He can't tell me where he is hurting. He just says "RyRy hurt". I have checked him over and can't find a thing wrong. I noticed that he keeps rubbing the lower right back side of his head. I gently rubbed, and I can feel a small bump, but it could just be a lymph node. Since we are supposed to leave town tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and take him to the doctor.

The doctor checked him out and did a strep test. The test came back negative, and she could see any area of concern either. She diagnosed him with a viral infection and told me to continue the pain relievers. She went ahead and gave him an antibiotic just in case. Again I was told to keep the boys apart and wash everything.

Back to the doctor

Reed still sounds terrible. I decided that I would take him back to the doctor to have him checked out again before the weekend. I don't hear any fluid in his chest when he breathes, so I hate to continue giving him the steroid breathing treatments. All the noise is in his nose and throat, and he sounds like a congested pig.

The doctor thoroughly looked him over and listened to his chest. He agreed that the congestion is in his head and told me to stop the breathing treatments. He informed me that infants can't take decongestants, so I would have to wait it out. It kills me to see him uncomfortable, but he doesn't let it bother him. He is as usual a very happy baby.

Illness

Our attempt to keep Reed well has failed. I heard him start coughing during the night, so I took him to the pediatrician this morning. Unfortunately, he has a little fluid in his lungs. He is now taking an oral steroid and 3 breathing treatments a day. It breaks my heart to see him sick, but he is a trooper. He remains calm during the breathing treatments, and I think he likes the taste of the medicine. He is extremely congested, and I am shocked at the amount of snot that comes out of his nose.
Ryland is feeling much better and back to his happy self.

Cooper is very aware that things are not normal. He has been right at my side while I take care of the boys. He runs to Reed when he cries and naps with Ryland.

Trip to the ER

I received a call from Ryland's school this afternoon telling me that he had a 103.5 fever. I immediately rushed to his school to pick him up and see what is going on. He looked terrible when I arrived, and I could tell he had been crying. We went straight home, and I gave him some Motrin to reduce his fever. Within an hour his fever had disappeared, and he was running around playing like a crazy man.

About 9 the fever started creeping back again, so I gave him a little more medicine. Unfortunately, we did not have the same results this time around. By 10:30 we had put Ryland in a cool bath to attempt to break the fever without success. We decided to head to the ER when his fever spiked again.

When I arrived at the hospital with Ryland, the ER was packed. I was pretty concerned, and he was getting emotional. After the triage nurse checked us in and took his temperature, we were immediately put in a room. The doctor checked Ryland for all the common problems like ear infections, etc. Everything looked normal, so he wanted a chest x-ray. He saw some fluid in Ryland's lungs on the x-ray, and diagnosed him with bronchiolitis (RSV).

After another round of Motrin, Tylenol, and a lime popsicle, Ryland's fever started coming down. The doctor prescribed a steroid and an antibiotic for 7 days. I asked the doctor about having an infant at home and what precautions we needed to take. He said to keep them apart and wash our hands often to help stop the spread of germs. We headed home about 1:00 completely worn out.

Sick day

What a day! As you can tell by the photo, today was rough. I woke up this morning with a raging pulse and a fever. After a visit to the doctor, we were cleared of the flu, but we were diagnosed with a sinus infection. The doctor put both Ryland and myself on an antibiotic just in case and due to the baby coming soon. She thought it would be better to be on the safe side than waiting it out.

Christmas party

The moms' group had their annual Christmas party today, and we had been looking forward to joining the fun. I felt like complete death and wanted to just stay at home, but Ryland was in a great mood. I decided to medicate and tough it out for an hour or so for him. As soon as we arrived, we jumped in the Santa photo line. I wanted to go ahead and get this out of the way and see how Ryland would behave. It was all fine and fun until we stepped close enough to see Santa. Ryland completely lost it. The crying fit and drooling started, and the fun was over.

The photo pretty much sums up the photo with Santa opportunity. Ryland's frown and tears and it is pretty obvious I feel and look terrible. The things you do for a memory and a picture.
Part of the party was a small program of dancing and singing by a local dance studio. The small kids liked the entertainment, and Ryland took some notes from the breakdancers.

Ice Cream

We had a wonderful visitor this week, and we can't even begin to thank her for all the hard work and help. Lizzie, John Chris's mom, spent a few days playing with Ryland and helping us with house projects. After a long, hard day we had a pizza dinner with ice cream for dessert. Ryland and Lizzie shared a cold treat after a fun filled day.

I am completely wiped out at this point, because I have been fighting a nasty stomach bug that Ryland catches and then Lizzie catches. Yuck!

Two down and sick

Well, what do you know? Ryland and I have some sort of little sickness. We are both running a mild fever, coughing, and have sinus congestion. This is one of the worst times we could be sick, because I have a huge bridal show this weekend. I decided that we would go ahead and go to the doctor to try to nip this crap in the bud and get better. It has been a long day of whining and coughing. I hope tomorrow is better.

Rough recovery

Ryland's recovery has hit a hard spot tonight. He has been acting like he feels great, but he just crashed. He now is running a fever and very clingy. I am concerned but remaining calm because the doctor did tell us to expect these symptoms. It breaks my heart to see him in pain. I just want to hold him and make him all better.

On another note... I have such a wonderful friend. Chanda has been here with us all evening. She has been so helpful, and I am so lucky to know her. She has helped calm Ryland with hugs and love, and she has helped me not pull my hair out! I am blessed beyond words. Thank you!