East or West…
…home is best! Especially when it means Bip can join us during school.
Don’t you love their uniforms matching outfits?
Hmmm
Apparently, I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. Either that or I have a toddler who is obsessed with Mama’s shoes.
Overheard…
Pumpkin Girl: Don’t shoot the baby!
(Mama’s eyebrow shoots up)
Boo: Well, it’s going to be a hard shot to make.
<insert Boy-Made Gun Noise here>
Boo: I missed the baby but got the snake!
You’ll be glad to know that Pumpkin put a cap over her baby’s head to protect her and Boo was able to shoot the head off the snake without hurting the baby. And seeing as how they were all 2 feet away from me, I have also lived to blog another day.
First Communion
Boo made his First Holy Communion yesterday. I could try to say something insightful and poignant, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. I do want to say that we were very blessed to have my parents and my cousin here with us. And of our little Catholic homeschooling group, 3 of the families had First Communicants and the other families came to the same Mass in support. It was so special to be surrounded by the important people in Boo’s life.
I hung up our Easter garden flag for the day. Boo had a new suit, complete with a cross tie-tack from my grandma. Pumpkin Girl looks more and more like me every day. Bip is looking like a proud member of the toddler maffia. He refused to wear any other shoes but his red Mickey Mouse crocs.
Boo was delightfully surprised to find that his banner was actually hanging right up front. You can see part of it on the left.
Amen!
A Tough Day
We started off Thursday sort of early and with much dread and anticipation. It was the day scheduled for Bip’s renal ultrasound and voiding cystogram (VCUG). We were making the trek to Bethesda Naval Medical Center instead of Walter Reed because Walter Reed no longer has a pediatric radiologist.
The day started going badly when we left late, then our GPS routed us through DC before we realized what was happening. Our first appointment was later than we thought it was and so managed to arrive on time anyway. We were then kept waiting for an hour. Let me remind you that Bip is only 21 months old.
Finally we are called back for the ultrasound. Bip doesn’t want his shirt removed, doesn’t want to lie down, doesn’t like the gel. He’s screaming and kicking and writhing and saying, "Mama! Ow!" The tech finishes up and leaves to consult the doctor. We clean up and comfort Bip. The tech returns and tells us he needs more pictures. Here we go again…This little scene is played out 3 more times, screaming toddler, tech leaves, we calm down Bip, tech returns for more pictures. Forty-five minutes later and Bip is fervently pointing to the door and signing "all done." The tech tells us that the "super doppler" he is using picks up every motion and he needs the baby to be still. Philip and I both said, "That’s not going to happen. We’re done."
Nobody seems to be able to tell us where to go for our next appointment. It’s usually done in radiology, so that’s where we go. We check in, an hour late of course, and sit down to wait. We give Bip some juice and a snack and he settles down. We’re there about 15 minutes when they decide we actually need to be at nuclear medicine, which is right around the corner from ultrasound.
Sigh.
At nuclear medicine we are informed that we need to go to pediatrics where they will insert a catheter into Bip, then return with him to nuclear medicine for the rest of the test.
I can only imagine the looks on our faces.
Philip was so stunned that he said to the guy, "Let me get this straight. You want us to go to peds, get the catheter put in, which is going to cause him to scream and kick, then walk back down the hall, take the elevator back up to this floor and come back here?"
Oh yes, we were informed, that’s how they always do it. And we were assured that they would tape it to Bip’s leg.
Now, this will be the 5th VCUG done on one of our children, and I even had them done as a child and NOT ONCE have they ever inserted the catheter in a different room than where the test is done.
Would it be acceptable to have an adult have a catheter inserted, then wander around the hospital to a different location for the test? I don’t think so. It shouldn’t be acceptable for a child, either.
But we bravely went to pediatrics. It was now noon. We were informed by the receptionist that the nurse was at lunch and to return in an hour. Then the nurse walks by, and the receptionist called to her to confirm that she was at lunch. The nurse said, "Yep, I’m at lunch, they’ll have to come back." It wasn’t what she said, but how she said it. She was so rude and disdainful that I actually said to the receptionist, "Wow, that was really rude."
Philip said, "That’s it, we’re done. We’re leaving."
Bethesda is supposed to be the military’s premier hospital. They may be in some areas, but not for this. Oh, and we were told that they don’t even have a pediatric radiologist.
Thursday was a tough day for all of us, but today will be better.
Preparing for the Feast
Boo is finishing his final preparations before receiving his First Holy Communion. We worked together in making his banner. That was a bit tough for me – finding a balance between letting him do it himself and making sure it was going to look “good.” Part of me kept thinking, “This is his banner, his day, let him do it.” On the other hand, this banner will be displayed at church and I don’t want him looking at it and thinking it doesn’t look as good as the others.
What’s a mother to do? In the end, I asked him what he wanted the banner to look like. I sketched while he talked. I picked out the felt colors, which he approved. I drew and cut out the paper patterns, which he also approved. I asked him if he wanted to cut out the felt, he said no. He just wanted to glue the peices on, which is what he did.
His big request was a pair of praying hands holding a real rosary. I didn’t want to put a family rosary on the banner that would have to be removed later, so I said we could make a mini one. I offered to let him string the beads, but he wanted me to do it. I did trace his own hands for the pattern, though. I think the effect turned out cool.
I had to assert parental authority over his name. The guidance issued from the Religious Ed director was that the banners need to include the child’s name. Philip and I thought it best to use his real name, a nice solid, very long, Christian name. Boo wanted his banner to say “Boo.” We carefully explained that for this important event, we should use his real name. He said that if it didn’t say “Boo”, no one would know it was his. We compromised by using his real name, with “Boo” underneath.
It turned out exactly the way he wanted it.
Tonight was rehearsal for the big day. The First Communicants will dress the altar as part of the Mass. Our RE director, in all her wisdom, chose Boo to carry one of the lit hurricane lamp candles. It’ll be ok, right? Actually, this is a very touching part of the Mass. I took pictures during rehearsal, since they have requested no pictures during Mass.
(That’s Boo on the left.)
How can he be so little and so big all at the same time?
And why does the song “Sunrise, Sunset” keep playing in my head?
Scenes From A Saturday
I present to you my Saturday:
Did a little gardening and a lot of chatting with friends. Our house is one of the last ones next to the baseball field and several of my friends walked by on their way to the games. I only got about a third of the front flower beds planted and nothing in the backyard. I was glad to stop and chat, though.
Took Pumpkin Girl to hula lessons. She was asked to dance in the Asian-Pacific Islander festival on base. I got the rehearsal time wrong, but she was able to get a private lesson anyway. She picked it up very quickly and will have more rehearsals before the performance.
Kids had a snack.
Watched the sky for signs of rain.
Admired Boo’s bean plant (another Cub Scout project). He’s hoping to actually harvest and eat the beans. It’s already got some pods!
Three packages arrived in the mail!
Yoikes, when did this happen?
Took the young ‘uns to church. We all sat in the crying room because Philip was at all-day Cub Scout training and didn’t get back in time. He ended up meeting us at the chapel right as Mass was getting started.
Boo had his last dose of penicillin! Yippee! Out of 40 doses, he only barfed once! Even Bip is happy for him.
For Love of Antibiotics
We appear to be on the mend from the Strep Throat Affair of 2007. Pumpkin Girl is back to normal and Bip has been fever free since last night. Not that he’s sleeping better or anything. He’s mad because now that he’s feeling better, Mama’s no longer susceptible to his requests for num-nums in the middle of the night. Of course, nobody feels sorry for poor Mama who is tired out from keeping everybody’s medicine straight, dealing with a tired and crabby baby and who is, don’t forget, also sick. My throat hurt so bad in the middle of night that I was willing to risk Philip’s life and limbs to have him go buy me a cool, comforting milkshake.
This is significant, because you see, my Number One Rule for Personal Safety is this: Never go out "just to get some ice cream." In movies, on TV and in books, nothing good ever happens to the guy who was "just going out for ice cream." Think about it. The family is hanging out, enjoying the late summer evening and dad says, "Hey, how about some ice cream." The children cheer, the wife looks over at him lovingly, he grabs his keys and off he goes, about to become Father of the Year. And BAM! some crazy driver runs a red light, mowing poor dad down. Then everyone stands around at the funeral lamenting how he had been "just going out for ice cream." So that’s my rule – no going out just for ice cream. Pick up batteries or toilet paper, too while you’re out. But for goodness sakes, don’t go out just for ice cream. Milkshakes, being mostly ice cream, fall under this rule.
So that’s how badly my throat hurt. I was ready to send my beloved out for a single milkshake. However, he was spared by being downstairs with Angry Baby, hoping to get him to sleep.
I asked him what they did last night while they were downstairs.
Phil: "Well, I turned on the TV for him."
Me: "Hmm. He’s been watching a lot of TV ever since we all got sick. We really should cut back."
Phil: "Yeah, but at 3 in the morning, TV is very soothing. Scientific research says…"
Me:"Scientific research? You mean our kids. Four out of four K— kids are soothed by watching TV?"
Phil:"Exactly. Four out of four K— kids are soothed by the flickering lights."
Hmm. Just like their dad.
Meanwhile, as I mentioned, I am diligently trying to keep track of everybody’s antibiotics. To complicate matters, Boo and I have to take ours on an empty stomach. Even worse is that Boo has to take 4 doses a day. I feel like Patton, barking out orders like clockwork:
11:00 am -"Everybody line up, it’s time for our meds! Get your water! Bip! Get back here! Boo, go get your brother. Pumpkin Girl -ready? Open up! OPEN! Drink it. Good girl. Next. Bip, come on, just open. Drink it! Good boy! Boo, Boo? Stop complaining…"
12 noon: "Boo, sit down and eat. No, eat RIGHT NOW. You must eat now or you’ll miss your next antibiotics."
And around the clock we go.
My throat still requires tylenol to keep it soothed as well as 2 or 3 cups of Sleepy Time tea laced generously with honey. I’m hoping today is the last day of that.
Success with the Doctor
So we wrapped up Philip’s week of leave with one last trip to the doctor. In the middle of getting Pumpkin Girl’s statistics taken, the fire alarm sounded. So we all filed neatly and quietly out of the building and stood around in the shade waiting for the all clear. The fresh air perked Pumpkin Girl up quite a bit and she was behaving much like her normal, sweet self, in spite of having a temperature of 102.7!
Earlier she had fallen asleep on the couch, then didn’t want anything but yogurt for lunch. She was tired and achy, not at all like the bright eyed girl talking to the doctor! Bip was doing better, too, hiding behind the curtain in the exam room and running around as best he could in the small room. His fever had returned in the morning and even our little non-sleeping wonder had a morning nap.
The doctor we saw was the same one I saw yesterday for my pink eye. We filled her in on the rest of the story, including the timeline of Boo’s illnesses. She looked at all our throats and ears and agreed that we should be on antibiotics. Definitely Pumpkin, with her fever, headache and sore throat. She hesitated about Bip, who’s fever was lower and is also on daily antibiotics anyway. She also hesitated over me, since I don’t have a fever at all, but she thought my throat looked awful. In the end, I think the fact that it is Friday pushed her over. With the symptoms and positive exposure to strep, she thought it was best to be safe. We’re taking Bip off his daily Septra during his course of amoxicillin, since will cover the same bacteria and to help prevent diarrhea.
So now we’re all (except Philip who remains symptomless) on antibiotics. All different kinds, doses and schedules. I’m keeping track of them on our white board, along with all our doses of Tylenol or motrin. Poor Pumpkin had such a terrible fever nightmare this afternoon! With trying to get everyone squared away when we got home, I forgot to give her more Tylenol! Hopefully I can keep everyone straight now.
This was not at all how we had planned our week. At first we were going to Philadelphia to see the King Tut exhibit, but we waited too long to try to get tickets. But since Philip took leave, we decided to do a little bit of school, then have some local adventures. We wanted to return to Mount Vernon and find another museum to visit. Those plans kept getting put off as we got sicker and sicker. Philip celebrated a major milestone birthday on Wednesday, which went largely ignored. We were going to go out to dinner to celebrate, but again, we were just too sick. So here we are at the end of the week and we didn’t get to do anything fun. Unless you count the fire alarm evacuation of the clinic.
The Other Shoe
Did I happen to mention who gave me the cold that stole my voice? It was my wonderful first born, my oldest, the one who started it all, our Boo. He started off with this coughing, sort of congested, hoarse throat thing. He kept insisting on touching things, snuggling close to me, or coughing on me. Try as I might, I couldn’t keep avoiding him and I got sick. But before I did, he got pink eye. Like every good parent, we sent him into further exile, made him wash his hands every 2 minutes and bundled him off to the doctor. He came home in unusually high spirits.
"So Boo, do you really have pink eye?" I asked.
"Oh yeah," he said. "They gave me an oy-ee-intment."
"An ‘oy-ee-intment’?" I said, stifling my laughter.
"Yeah! I’ve got to put it in my eye with a q-tip!," Boo exclaims, pretending to stab himself in the eye.
"Eew. Sounds gross," I said.
"Yeah!"
Boys!
Turns out, he also had the beginnings of an ear infection, but the doc said just wait and see how Boo’s own immune system handles it. We were to call back if he developed a fever or sore throat and the doc would call in some Auntie Biotics. By Thursday, Boo is complaining his throat hurts in the evening. Friday, we try to get the meds prescribed. Of course, the doc he saw isn’t working that day, nor are any of the pediatricians. Side note- what in the world?!? What kind of clinic doesn’t have peds working on Friday? Wouldn’t that be a high volume day, as parents are worried about heading into the weekend? The answer…a military clinic!!!! Anyway…they insist on us bringing Boo in where they swab his throat and send him home.
So we all survived the weekend, then I lost my voice and assigned Boo 2 extra math sheets for penance. Boo wraped up his dose of eye oy-ee-intment and all is well. My voice returned slowly, even though on Wednesday, my mother called and didn’t even recognize me. Thursday I woke to find my left eye glued shut. Great, now I’ve got the pink eye. I assigned Boo 4 extra math sheets and went off to the doctor. My doctor prescribes me – not a darn thing. She informs me that most "pink eye" is viral, it’s probably going to get worse in a day or two and try not to rub it. Great.
I returned home and before I even get my coat off, the other shoe dropped. Phil told me that Boo’s culture came back positive for strep and that he needs Auntie Biotics. Ok, so is your first question "Where have the lab results been for the last week"? It was mine. My second question was "What about the rest of us?" Because of course, I’ve got what Boo had and now Pumpkin Girl is complaining of a sore throat, too. A quick call to the clinic and we’re off for throat cultures for the lot of us. Even Phil.
Sigh.
I told the nurse twice that Pumpkin had a sore throat and a headache. She told me twice that they don’t treat for strep in the throat, but against the possibility of rheumatic fever. So even though Boo has strep, and she’s clearly sick, too, we went home without meds for Pumpkin Girl. Of course, she was miserable last night. Even Bip woke up with a fever last night and slept fitfully until it broke. I’m worried that the culture results will be slow in coming back and that they both will suffer needlessly over the weekend. I miss the days when they’d give you Auntie Biotics for suspected cases of strep and if the results were negative, you would just stop. We’d all be well on our way to recovery.
So Bip and Pumpkin have appointments this afternoon, where we will press the issue. Sigh.
I think I need to go give Boo 6 more math sheets today for passing strep on to us.
note: I didn’t really assign Boo extra math. Even if he did deserve it with his contagious self!