sicky no more

the kiddos had their vaccinations & physicals last week. gracie wanted hers too, saying it would only tickle she thought.  that was, until she saw the needles.  screaming & crying & crying some more!  man, oh man.  benj was a brave one & didn't even shed a tear.  it was a pretty funny doctor visit though... the nurse gave them both cups to urinate in & told them to see who could fill it up more.  not a good idea - i was cleaning up pee from the floor & was very thankful i had a spare pair of clothes for gracie.  but, ben was the winner & he was very proud of that fact. 

a few hours later, the sickness started.  & it was no fun.  a week of yuck for sure.  we even went to the er one night.

he wasn't too sick to play his ds though.

actually, he didn't look sick at all.

unless it was "that time" again. (photo taken by beano himself)  4 containers full.yuck.

lots of sanitizer was used for sure.  he loved that stuff.

& he loved taking shots of random things in the room.  made the 4 hours just fly by!

we really did have fun in the er room, having some good talks about life & love.  he's pretty deep for a 5 year old sometimes.  we talked about how he will likely have more than one "love" in his life (not just miss b from his first year of preschool) & someday he will find that special one.  he asked if i or justin ever had other gurlfriends or boyfriends & i said yes.  he was so interested in what they looked like, so i told him i'd show him the next day.  well, i did & he goes on to tell me that daddy's old girlfriend was a lot prettier. thanks, buddy, love you too.  i think ben's a sucker for brunettes, that little stinker. 

anyways, the tests came back that he just had a virus, so that was good news & we are now able to be around friends.  hallelujah! 

strep, kidney stones, bronchitis - oh my!

well, we have been sick around here & it seems like it won't go away.   benj has had flu, pnumonia, strep a couple of times & cough galore.  gracie has had flu, strep & bronchitis.  momma has had kidney stones like no other.  so, that right there along with some other commitments explains the lack of posts the past month.  ugh.  

for my kidney stones, i tried an at home cure from the internet.  6 cokes in 2 hours & then a pureed can of asparagus (i don't normally like asparagus).   

doesn't it look yummy?  um, no. i was gagging my way through it all, only to still have the pain.  the urologist i see just wants to have surgery to remove them, but i don't want to go through that pain. so, i'm waiting for a referral to another doc.  pray that does the trick. 

the kiddos are getting better.  we have ben on a much stonger antibiotic to kick that strep's butt.  the doc says he needs those softballs we call his tonsils out.  the poor guy is so worried about spreading his germs or having to sit out during gym, no matter how much i try & assure him it's ok - everyone gets sick.  he's a worrywart like his momma (sorry, buddy.  we will get that free-spirit attitude back soon ok?)  miss gracie just now has a cough, so she's fine & starting to be her sweet self again.  my, oh my, what a trip she was when she was sick.  that's all i'm gonna say about that!!

even despite sickness, there's been lots of good times.  cuddling, cuddling, cuddling.

one morning, ben woke up to this to make him feel better. 

you yucky bugs, here's what my kiddos think of you!

we've had fun playing board games & wii, reading books, making meals together, dancing, playing freeze tag & hide & seek, hiding toys for others to find & painting & drawing pictures for friends. 

but, i must say, i am very much ready for healthy kiddos ready to play!!

chunky cheese's

we went for the first time ever with the kiddos to chunky cheese's (as benj calls it).  they sponser a lot of kids' pbs programming & other shows we seem to watch, so the kiddos have been asking for quite a while to go.  "someday," has always been my reply.
well, daddio suggested we go saturday for some special fun before he headed out of town.  many others had that same idea.  there was a line at some points to the door to get in to the stinkin place.  while i was waiting in line to order, the lady behind me who was apparently a "regular" said she had never seen it so crazy. 

& crazy it was!  i'm not a perfect person by any means, but i really couldn't believe some people.  a lady screaming that someone stole her kid's $80 shoes (yes, $80).  & that's why he shouldn't of taken them off in the play area (yes, he should).  parents yelling at kids, kids pushing in front of others (& my kids) to play games.  i got in a stare down with a probably 8 year old over butting in front of miss grace.   i don't know how we survived. 

the kiddos did have a good time. 

gracie got to ride a horsey.  loved it.

ben found some racing game with spongebob.  loved it.  he plays everything with such intensity.

& the play area.  he really loved that. 

miss grace couldn't quite make it up to the next platform in the play area, so i asked ben to help her. 

he just lifted her up like nothing.  taking care of her. 

by the time we left, we were all ready to go home.  they were both out shortly.


saturday night was not so fun.  mr. ben got sick. 
all.
night.
long. 

 & gracie was way wild up (as ben says) after her nice long  nap & the breathing treatment before bedtime which really got her wired.  she was bouncing down the hallway around 11:30 pretending to be a bunny.  i quit looking at the clock & turned off the alarm clock for church then.  ben was puking on 1 side & gracie was jumping in the bed on the other (daddio was asleep on the couch, trying to avoid the sickness before his trip).  she did hop into the kitchen to get a sick bowl for bubby.  i heard clanging around in the kitchen for what seemed like forever (ben was upchucking a lot).  she came back with the biggest bowl she could find.  she was such a helper taking care of her big brother.   the next morning when i went into the kitchen, all the bowls from the plastic cabinet were out & lined up just so. 

i had to recreate it, as i didn't take a picture at the time.  but this is what it looked like.  she took some time there. 

taking deep breaths.. & a prayer

well, the kiddos have rsv.  tuesday, at the doctor ben had double ear infections & a cough that would not quit.  thursday, i called them again since he was showing no signs of improvement with that darn cough.  they called in some cough meds that did zilcho.  so, we went back in friday & he tested positive for rsv.  poor fella.  miss gracie has been following him with his illnesses (pink eye & now rsv).  i am thankful that they are not infants dealing with this & their bodies are better able to fight this. 

now the breathing treatments...for ben, we put on some mario kart & he doesn't mind them one bit.  gracie on the other hand, takes some coaxing.  one time she will scream & cry to no end, the next she's high fiving about it all. 

last night, i couldn't sleep thanks to a steriod & the kiddos taking turns coughing & crying.  i was up till 5.   i spent that time googling natural remedies for rsv, infections & colds.  so much information out there!

i had a handful to try today...

daddio was impressed with the gse gargle, he said it took care of that sore throat.  here's a link that tells some of the wonders of this stuff! 

they all swallowed the homemade lemon & honey cough medicine.  both ingredients fight infection. honey also coats and hydrates your throat to sooth irritation. the lemon is a natural antihistamine and will reduce congestion.

now, for the bigg daddy of my natural remedies to try... goot!  daddio was not so thrilled about the goot i made.  it's a concoction of minced garlic, olive oil & coconut oil rubbed all over the chest & feet that you use similar to vicks vapor rub.  the kiddos were no problem.  but daddio was a no go.  that is until he was asleep & i rubbed it in! no vampires gettin us anytime soon!

in my little world, yesterday evening at the time was a bit stressful for me.  after ben's doctor visit, gracie was overtired, cranky & not feeling too well  so she screamed and cried the whole way home. ben was coughing so much he kept throwing up.  i called the afterhours service & the nurse said this was normal.  ok.

well, once we got home, i stuck them in the bathroom with a hot shower running for some steam to open up the lungs.  then, i added a few drops of olba's oil thinking that would help soothe my poor kiddos. oh, i felt the smell was just clearing up our congestion! i turned on the cold water, felt the water & let the kiddos get in the bathtub. at first all was well, but then gracie started screaming "my aum huts!" then ben joined in that his feet & elbow pit were burning.

oh crap. not good.

i was in panic mode. i swooped them out & ran to the small shower in our bedroom where we stayed till there was no hot water left. poor gracie was shaking, teeth chattering, crying & couldn't catch her breath through the whole ordeal. she was so freaked out & i was terrified. questions running through my head -was it in her eyes too, why won't she talk, what do i do?? ben was coughing full force but being brave for me.


thank goodness phineas & ferb was on tv to help distract them after the torture. i covered them up in our bed, dressed them in some extra warm pjs (& a hat for gracie that couldn't stop chattering), held them tight & kissed them bunches to help mellow everyone out.


after we were all better, i felt like an idiot.  i'm thankful they are ok & may just be a bit scared to take a bath for a while. i googled the stuff & it says clearly "not for children under 7", along with a few other cautions. i'm sorry my kiddos. i learned something for sure.

i also look at my post & back at our last 2 days of illness & am almost ashamed that is all we have had to deal with.  i feel so for the parents & children out there that have so much more to endure.  my "problems" are so minute.  right now, my heart is broken for a family friend and their loss of their precious baby zoe yesterday.  the little girl was loved so much in her momma's belly &  in her 25 hours here with her family.  i pray that god provides them comfort & peace & strength they need right now. 

pink is not ben's color

poor mr. ben has pink eye. 

the past 2 days, he kept asking for the lights off in the house because it was hurting his eyes.    this morning, his left eye was pink & watery.  so, a call to the doctor.

this evening, his cheeks & under his nose & eyes are all splotchy too (i don't know if that has anything to do with pink eye or not??). tonight, they are both gooey.

the eye drops.  3 times a day for 10 days.  it's gonna be a loong 10 days.  his first excuse for not wanting eye drops was that he was afraid his friends would laugh at him & call him a papaw (we've been putting eye drops in my papaw's eyes for 2 months now after his cataract surgery.).  oh the things he worries about!   i assured him they would not & that people of all ages use eye drops. 

getting those drops in is such a pain.  i looked up some tips on the internet, but they didn't help us much.  the first time it took daddio to hold his hands & me opening his eye & placing a drop in.   before bed, justin tried to reason with him about the drops.  did not work.    we had to hold him down again.  i wish there was a better way!

pocket full of sunshine

miss gracie has had a rough morning. momma woke her up early to take papaw to the eye doctor & she wasn't happy. i thought just because i woke her up. oh no- almost to pap's (about an hour away), she started getting sick. it was a loong drive back to our home. we had to stop several times for the poor gal to dump out the puke bucket & clean her up. she is a trooper though & didn't fuss much.


when we got home, big brother helped her recover by bringing her a wet rag. such a sweetie. we've had a cartoon filled day this afternoon & she is feeling much better. & her lunch has stayed down. i'm so glad!


on the way to recovery!

today, she's sporting one of her "pocket shirts" i made for her to carry around her little treasures. she loves itty bitty stuffed animals & having a place to put 1 or 2 now. her "pocket shirts" are her clothing of choice anymore.



big brother & sister smiling for the camera

under the weather

poor gracie has a bug. of course our fancy forehead thermometer would not give an accurate reading, but a momma knows. we spent all day at the mec center today getting her checked out (it's a bacterial infection they said) & had to miss ben's first preschool program. he was an indian named soaring eagle today. oh, the guilt i have over that. & he was the last one left in his class when we arrived today. i felt like such a bad mommy.

she doesn't look sick now (thanks to her motrin), but she still has a fever. hopefully this will pass quickly. & hopefully no body else gets sick & we can carry on with some of our thanksgiving fun. but, if not, that's ok. we'll still be together & have lots & lots to be thankful for.
happy thanksgiving everyone!!

bleh!

poor miss gracie has been sick. yucky sick & in the night time mainly. i've been awakened for 3 nights to the lovely feeling of puke on me. yuck. poor thing would cry a bit & then say "dorry momma." when i'd get us & the bed all cleaned up, she'd say "dank you momma." such a sweetie. even remembering her manners in a time like this.

we went to the doctor yesterday & of course she acted just fine in there, smiling & saying hi to everyone. but, the doc gave her something for vomiting & an antibiotic. i'm hoping for a better night tonight & crossing my fingers no one else is infected in the household.

a belated birthday wish to my lovely aunt

happy belated birthday, aunt peggy. great big hugs to you from all of us.

we hope you get over that nasty flu & feel better real soon too. we love you bunches & bunches. when you are up for it, party at papaw's!

still sick.

we had a rough one last night. both of my kids have puked on me in the past week. yuck, yuck, yuck. i wasn't doing well either. i don't know how single moms do it.

this morning, i did have to smile though. when beano woke up, the first thing he said was "are you feeling better momma?" he is so caring and such a sweetie.

lots 'o fun on saturday, not so much today...

oh my kiddos have caught a bug. i was awakened last night at dee's to cecee throwing up all over me. so much for our sunday plans. beano made it almost the hour ride home before getting sick.
the good news is i think it's a short living bug. cecee's already acting better (after a handful of clothes changes for her & me). here's what she's been doing with the sick bowl (it's clean).

poor beano is still feeling rough. he is having a baad time.

we did have fun on saturday. we went to art & met our cousins there. beano made a water bowl for zaky
& some lovely pieces of art. it is so cool what happens when you use markers & a wet paintbrush.

looks like a watercolor!

we stayed all night at my great aunt & uncle's home. the playing continued there. by the end of the night, grandma deedee's lap was the place to be.
last night, as i was trying to get cecee to sleep, poor darbs ran into to tell me beano tooted in her face. he was running behind, laughing saying "i said sorry!" i'm sorry darbs!

hope everyone else is doing ok!