He even agreed to play baby.
I didn't put him in the stroller...he was already in it, playing with Dev.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Baxter's the Baby!
Baxter is the best kitty for Devin. He loves her and has shown great concern all week, while she's been sick. He sits by her side when she's upset and lays outside her door at night. (She hates having any cat in the room, after dark)
He even agreed to play baby.
I didn't put him in the stroller...he was already in it, playing with Dev.
He even agreed to play baby.
I didn't put him in the stroller...he was already in it, playing with Dev.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Kickin' it Old School
Since the AAP says you can't give much to under 6-year olds, we're going old school for poor Dev.
The steroids did their thing to open her airway and stop the croup (barking) cough. Also, the fever has subsided.
But, we're left with runny nose and regular/hacky cough. General misery & sleeplessness, too.
The steamy shower alternating with cold air works well. But, there's only so many times you can go through that 45 minute routine.
I looked on the internet for "home remedies" for cough and found lots about honey and lemon concoctions. I settled on some lemon water (1/2 a lemon's juice with a little water) & a 1/2 tsp of honey.
Dev's a champ at taking medicine and will pretty much down anything put in front of her. She didn't bat an eye at the gross lemon water....
Her cough was instantly better & she's resting. (but not sleeping)
The last few days are a reminder of those first weeks with newborn. I've had that fuzzy, less-than-6 hours-of-sleep feeling all week.
The steroids did their thing to open her airway and stop the croup (barking) cough. Also, the fever has subsided.
But, we're left with runny nose and regular/hacky cough. General misery & sleeplessness, too.
The steamy shower alternating with cold air works well. But, there's only so many times you can go through that 45 minute routine.
I looked on the internet for "home remedies" for cough and found lots about honey and lemon concoctions. I settled on some lemon water (1/2 a lemon's juice with a little water) & a 1/2 tsp of honey.
Dev's a champ at taking medicine and will pretty much down anything put in front of her. She didn't bat an eye at the gross lemon water....
Her cough was instantly better & she's resting. (but not sleeping)
The last few days are a reminder of those first weeks with newborn. I've had that fuzzy, less-than-6 hours-of-sleep feeling all week.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Yep...It's Croup
The peds office got us in right away...we were the first to be seen after lunch. Poor Dev was so out of it, she didn't seem to care we were going to the Dr.
Matt met us in the parking lot and carried her in. I'm thankful for the small things...an empty "sick" waiting room. I hate going to the sick side of the office. We don't touch anything and I take shallow breaths, so as not to inhale the germs. (Something I've done for over a decade as a professional waiting room person) I swear, it helps.
At check in, Dev was 32 lbs fully clothed, 102.4 degrees and 97% pulse ox.
Our luck ran out. Our treatment room was adjacent to a 2.5 year old getting stitches.
Twice. He pulled out the 1st set.
Matt and I talked about anything and everything to try and mask the screams of agony and "MAMA" with the frustrated Dr. and parents. (They were having to restrain the child) It took everything I had not to burst into tears, listening to a child plead for Mama. (I'm on 3 hours of sleep) We eavesdropped like mad, apparently Mama wasn't there.
We overheard the Dr. say it was the single worst stitch experience in her 30 year career. And we got to semi-witness it!! Why can't I win the lottery?
We had 45 minutes of quality family time waiting for the Dr. And, shocker...she's got croup.
She prescribed a common steroid (Prednisone) liquid, a 3-Day course. Just to stay consistent, it took 3 hours, 2 pharmacies and help from Mom to get the rx home.
It said take with food. Dev's running a 103 fever. She ate a cracker, took the medicine and promptly puked everything up 15 minutes later.
*sigh*
She's finally resting semi-comfortably and kept down another dose of the steroid. I'm really hoping it helps. It's the precise medicine our cat takes for all her breathing, itchy, autoimmune problems and it works like a miracle drug. Fingers crossed for the same result with Dev.
Matt met us in the parking lot and carried her in. I'm thankful for the small things...an empty "sick" waiting room. I hate going to the sick side of the office. We don't touch anything and I take shallow breaths, so as not to inhale the germs. (Something I've done for over a decade as a professional waiting room person) I swear, it helps.
At check in, Dev was 32 lbs fully clothed, 102.4 degrees and 97% pulse ox.
Our luck ran out. Our treatment room was adjacent to a 2.5 year old getting stitches.
Twice. He pulled out the 1st set.
Matt and I talked about anything and everything to try and mask the screams of agony and "MAMA" with the frustrated Dr. and parents. (They were having to restrain the child) It took everything I had not to burst into tears, listening to a child plead for Mama. (I'm on 3 hours of sleep) We eavesdropped like mad, apparently Mama wasn't there.
We overheard the Dr. say it was the single worst stitch experience in her 30 year career. And we got to semi-witness it!! Why can't I win the lottery?
We had 45 minutes of quality family time waiting for the Dr. And, shocker...she's got croup.
She prescribed a common steroid (Prednisone) liquid, a 3-Day course. Just to stay consistent, it took 3 hours, 2 pharmacies and help from Mom to get the rx home.
It said take with food. Dev's running a 103 fever. She ate a cracker, took the medicine and promptly puked everything up 15 minutes later.
*sigh*
She's finally resting semi-comfortably and kept down another dose of the steroid. I'm really hoping it helps. It's the precise medicine our cat takes for all her breathing, itchy, autoimmune problems and it works like a miracle drug. Fingers crossed for the same result with Dev.
Off to the Doctor
She's completely unable to sleep & struggling to catch her breath during a coughing fit.
Too scary for me...we're off to her Dr.
The Croup
I'm surprised we made it to mid-November...but Dev's got the flu and croup.
Saturday we noticed a slight runny nose and general crabbiness. Sunday morning brought a low grade fever, more runny nose & general blahs for Dev. We kept her inside the entire day, as the weather is cold and crappy.
She seemed fine at bed, but was still running a low fever if the Tylenol/Motrin wore off.
She woke up around 11:30 last night with an awful sounding cough and high fever. (104.6 at the highest) She was shaking with the chills to the point of not being able to walk. The cough was almost a choking sound, so it was a bit scary.
I talked with our Dr's on-call nurse and she said it sounded like classic croup. The upstairs bathroom is perfect for the old-fashioned steam treatment & it worked like magic. Motrin and popsicles brought the temp down to 102-103, which was a relief. Devin's prone to high temperatures, so we're learning when to really worry.
I think the cough scared her and she would start to cry. Which makes the cough worse and her breathing gets wheezy and ragged.
Repeat the shower thing 3-4X and around 2:30am, she finally fell asleep until around 7:00am. High fever again this morning, but Motrin and steam made her comfortable enough to want to paint and watch some TV.
Grandma came over to make chicken soup. (patent protected)
She ate a nice bowl of soup, some ice-cream and some yogurt.
We both need naps at the moment & she's trying to fall asleep.
This would be the day they're re-paving our street. As in, digging up the first layer and completely paving the entire street.
Saturday we noticed a slight runny nose and general crabbiness. Sunday morning brought a low grade fever, more runny nose & general blahs for Dev. We kept her inside the entire day, as the weather is cold and crappy.
She seemed fine at bed, but was still running a low fever if the Tylenol/Motrin wore off.
She woke up around 11:30 last night with an awful sounding cough and high fever. (104.6 at the highest) She was shaking with the chills to the point of not being able to walk. The cough was almost a choking sound, so it was a bit scary.
I talked with our Dr's on-call nurse and she said it sounded like classic croup. The upstairs bathroom is perfect for the old-fashioned steam treatment & it worked like magic. Motrin and popsicles brought the temp down to 102-103, which was a relief. Devin's prone to high temperatures, so we're learning when to really worry.
I think the cough scared her and she would start to cry. Which makes the cough worse and her breathing gets wheezy and ragged.
Repeat the shower thing 3-4X and around 2:30am, she finally fell asleep until around 7:00am. High fever again this morning, but Motrin and steam made her comfortable enough to want to paint and watch some TV.
Grandma came over to make chicken soup. (patent protected)
She ate a nice bowl of soup, some ice-cream and some yogurt.
We both need naps at the moment & she's trying to fall asleep.
This would be the day they're re-paving our street. As in, digging up the first layer and completely paving the entire street.
Monday, November 10, 2008
USTA 7.5 Combo Districts 2008
I played my first doubles at the State level this weekend.
My first match was awful...haven't played that bad in awhile. Oh well. Lost to 2 ladies from Louisville, I knew well.
Redeemed myself in the second match, with an "easy" win.
It was in the low 40's and very windy, so easy is a relative term.
My first match was awful...haven't played that bad in awhile. Oh well. Lost to 2 ladies from Louisville, I knew well.
Redeemed myself in the second match, with an "easy" win.
It was in the low 40's and very windy, so easy is a relative term.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Teacher Conference
We had our first Teacher's Conference today.
It's kind of surreal having someone else tell me about my child. Not that she told us anything we didn't already know, but it's cool nonetheless.
In fact, it still feels so strange when I return home after drop-off. The house is still and quiet, which generally means trouble is brewing. I get the where is Devin feeling several times an hour. Which makes it so hard to understand how people leave their kids in cars for 8 hours.
Anyhoo...it was nice to sit down with Miss Noelle. Matt & I agree, she reminds us of Meghan. Having her (and Miss Irene) for Dev's 1st teacher has been a blessing. Also, her class is 11 2-year olds who have similar personalities. As a whole, they're gentle if not a bit sensitive.
Transitions-It doesn't take an expert to know that transitions are a challenge for all 2-year olds. Even more so with Devin. The improvement since August is amazing, but we still get bumps in the road. The biggest struggle is the drop-off to 10:30 range. They say 10:30-11:45 is a great time for her. Our goal is, "coming to school with no tears."
Preferred Activities-"Loves music with Miss Cindy" and "art." If Dev could sing and paint all day long, she would be 100% content. So, this is not a surprise.
Self-Help Skills-"Very independent." "Helps with clean up." "Washes own hands."
Communication-"Verbal! Very talkative." "Good communication with everyone."
They've also noted Dev's love of helping/assisting others. Which also can mean that she gets upset when another child cries.
We're all in agreement that 3 days a week would help tremendously with routine and structure. Devin has shown a strong need for a schedule, predictability and order. When she has those things, her confidence grows and she learns more. Plus, if she went to the 3-Day 3-year old class next year, Miss Noelle would be her teacher.
It's kind of surreal having someone else tell me about my child. Not that she told us anything we didn't already know, but it's cool nonetheless.
In fact, it still feels so strange when I return home after drop-off. The house is still and quiet, which generally means trouble is brewing. I get the where is Devin feeling several times an hour. Which makes it so hard to understand how people leave their kids in cars for 8 hours.
Anyhoo...it was nice to sit down with Miss Noelle. Matt & I agree, she reminds us of Meghan. Having her (and Miss Irene) for Dev's 1st teacher has been a blessing. Also, her class is 11 2-year olds who have similar personalities. As a whole, they're gentle if not a bit sensitive.
Transitions-It doesn't take an expert to know that transitions are a challenge for all 2-year olds. Even more so with Devin. The improvement since August is amazing, but we still get bumps in the road. The biggest struggle is the drop-off to 10:30 range. They say 10:30-11:45 is a great time for her. Our goal is, "coming to school with no tears."
Preferred Activities-"Loves music with Miss Cindy" and "art." If Dev could sing and paint all day long, she would be 100% content. So, this is not a surprise.
Self-Help Skills-"Very independent." "Helps with clean up." "Washes own hands."
Communication-"Verbal! Very talkative." "Good communication with everyone."
They've also noted Dev's love of helping/assisting others. Which also can mean that she gets upset when another child cries.
We're all in agreement that 3 days a week would help tremendously with routine and structure. Devin has shown a strong need for a schedule, predictability and order. When she has those things, her confidence grows and she learns more. Plus, if she went to the 3-Day 3-year old class next year, Miss Noelle would be her teacher.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Fall Beauty
This amazing new trail is about a mile from our house.
The money in this part of town (Anchorage) allows things like this to get done in one summer. The first part of the path is all brick.
This week brings my absolute favorite weather of the year. It's Fall, but 70+ degrees.
Dev and I chose the "non" fitness trail.
The money in this part of town (Anchorage) allows things like this to get done in one summer. The first part of the path is all brick.
This week brings my absolute favorite weather of the year. It's Fall, but 70+ degrees.
Dev and I chose the "non" fitness trail.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)