Back with a Bang (aka Hebs' Adventure)

We had just finished FHE and family prayers Monday night when it happened.  I was in the laundry room when I heard a scream of pain and Zee calling "9-1-1!  Emergency, Momma!"  (He wasn't telling me to call 911, that's just his way of telling me something is wrong.  Charming, yes?  Heh heh heh.)  I turned around to see Hebs (4 years old) on the floor next to the smaller leather couch, clearly having fallen off the arm of it, with his left arm fully extended to catch himself.

As soon as I saw him, I thought to myself, "Here's our second broken bone!"  I'm not sure why I thought that -- heaven knows he falls and tumbles and twists and turns enough in one day to make this little tumble no big deal -- but whether it was mother's intuition, inspiration, or the Spirit, in that instant I knew he'd broken his arm.

I scooped him up and loved and hushed him, and he eventually calmed down.  Now, Keryn, I thought, don't overreact. He's just fine, and he'll fall asleep and be just fine in the morning.  I helped him get ready for bed, and he wasn't freaking out when I gently touched his arm.  I made him bend his wrist one way and the other, and it clearly hurt, but it also wasn't causing him to break out into fresh tears.  I put him into bed next to Gee, and he fell asleep in minutes.

I decided that I had been wrong about a possible fracture, and knew that, if it was still hurting in the morning, I would take him down to our doctor in Spanish Fork.  Just in case.

Of course, we didn't get to wait that long.  Hebs woke up just an hour later, at nine-thirty, crying in pain.  We made a little bed for him in our room, on the floor so his arm wouldn't get bumped, and I went to get him some ibuprofen for the pain.  But by the time I got back downstairs, he was asleep again.  I left the medicine nearby, and tried to go to sleep myself.

About an hour after that, my poor boy woke up crying and just could not stop.  Even after we gave him some medicine, he was inconsolable.  Daddy helped him get his pants and shoes on while I got dressed.  By now, of course, at almost eleven, it was too late to go to any InstaCares, so it was to the American Fork Hospital ER we went.  (I've been to the ER five times in my whole life, I think.  Once with Mandy after her grand mal seizure, once with Kristy when she had a bad reaction or bronchitis, once for myself with mono, and twice with my Hebs.  Golly, I love that kiddo.)

The medicine started to finally kick in as we drove, which was a relief for both of us.  The ER had been very busy before we arrived, and became quite busy after we were triaged, but when we walked in, there was no waiting.  Whew!  We did have to wait for a bed to be cleaned up, and they were (politely) eager for us to be seen and fixed and OUT so they could put someone else in our space.  That was just fine for us!

When we got to our bed, my Hebs was shaking and shivering, probably as a reaction to the pain.  He said he was so cold, though it was warm in the ER.  The nurse brought him a warmed blanket, and that perked him right up.  He was funny, tired and a little punch drunk, but so sweet and talkative.  He charmed everyone in that place!  After about ten minutes, it was time for three X-rays (he was so brave!  Standing there, all by himself, almost not tall enough to put his arm in the right place, while the tech and I stood behind the (presumably lead) partition), and then back to the bed (and blanket) to wait for the doctor.

By now I was feeling a little foolish.  I wasn't sure if I had been overreacting, and I was just waiting for the doctor to come in and tell me that everything looked just fine.  It's a lovely feeling, you know, to wish your kid actually DID break a bone, just so you don't look like an idiot.  But, no, that was not the case.  The doctor informed us that Hebs had indeed fractured his radius bone, right next to the wrist, in what is known as a buckle fracture.  It is a pretty common fracture, in kids especially, when they throw out their arm to break a fall.  (As he did.)  Fortunately, it is well-placed to heal quickly, and didn't need any complicated casting or (horrors) surgery.

We had another wait, which wasn't long but seemed that way, seeing as it was now 12:15 and I was exhausted.  A poor gentleman was placed in the room next to us in so much pain that I practically cried, and desperately hoped that Hebs would stay oblivious to it.  (He did.)  This gentleman was born in 1921 (you can't help but overhear through the curtain), and had just been released from the hospital that morning following gallbladder and appendix removals.  He didn't seem to have anyone with him, and it made me feel so sad that he was all alone and in so much pain.  I hope that his family was driving as fast as was safe, and got there to be by Grandpa's side right after we left.

Finally, the nurses had a chance to come in and splint Hebs' arm with an Ace bandage and some cool material that hardens, when they add water and air, into the correct shape.  I was given the normal instructions (don't unwrap it unless his arm swells, check for circulation, ice it through the bandage, keep it dry, and see your doctor on Thursday or Friday for a cast), and we were released!  Hooray!

We got home at about 12:45ish, I think, and settled Hebs on the little bed on our floor.  He slept really well, considering.  It probably felt so good to have the arm all cosy-wrapped and braced.  The pain was really manageable, too; better than when he broke his leg.  He only needed children's motrin a couple of times a day for the first two days, and then just once on the third day.

We saw our doctor on Friday, and Hebs picked out a stylish green cast for himself.  It's a short cast--just below the elbow--and he'll have it for four weeks.  We've already decorated it with glitter glue and jewel stickers (which promptly fell off), and so it is quite the sight.  Fortunately for all concerned (especially me!), it does not hinder him from playing his favorite addiction, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.  Oh, and he is my only leftie, so of course he broke his left arm.  Heh heh.  At least he's not in school yet.

While I was sleeping

I've been battling this virus for a couple of days now, and yesterday I was actually feeling worse than I had the previous day.  I was miserably counting the minutes until my big kids came home from school.  

Zee, almost nine, is big enough to keep tabs on the younger kids while I nap.  I don't expect too much from them--just keep everyone alive, no juggling knives or lit matches--and we don't do it too often.  (The state my house is left in after such a nap is scary to behold.  It really better be worth it.)

I love that my kids are big enough for this!  My Zee is so responsible and gentle with his younger siblings.  Em is growing so compassionate as well.  I put Yummy down for a nap at the same time I went downstairs to sleep, but she wasn't really impressed with that idea.  Em begged me for the chance to stay with Yum-Yum and rub her back until she fell asleep.  I agreed, and went to my bed.  Not ten minutes later, Yummy was sound asleep and Em was tip-toeing back upstairs.  Stuff like this makes my heart just sing.

I slept for four solid hours--it was 7:15pm and Bradley had been home for an hour before I woke up.  Zee kept the kids happy and not bothering me (and not technically destroying the house; after all, it's still standing!) for three hours.  And what a difference it made for me--I feel nearly normal today.  Still tired, still a little shaky, but the horrible headache and sore throat are gone.

Zee even answered texts from my mother!  I found these on my phone this morning:

Mema:  Can I come do laundry tomorrow?
Me, except really Zee:  It is [Zee]
Zee:  yes mom is a sleep
Mema:  Hi how are you?
Zee:  Good
Mema:  Good maybe she will feel better when she wakes up
Zee:  Bi
Mema:  I love you.  Bye.

I don't know why I find that incredibly adorable, but I really do.  He's such a good kid, and a keeper.

Brought to you by the letters F, L, and U

(Or maybe C, O, L, and D.  It's hard to know.)

I have lots to say, maybe, or maybe not.  Right now, my head feels like it is full of cotton.  And yet, unaccountably, I can still smell the fire to the west of Utah Lake.  That doesn't make sense to me.

I'll leave you with this.  It's almost the official start of autumn, and I, for one, can't wait.

So it turns out they need me...

Last night at about nine, I realized that the slightly-runny nose and barely-there tightness in my throat -- that I had been ignoring for the last several hours -- were not, in fact, going to go away.  Instead, they were getting worse and my head was starting to ache.  So I did what all reasonable people do:  I drank two large glasses of raspberry lemonade and went to bed.

Of course, I woke up feeling pretty miserable.  My family went off to church and a family event without me, and even while they were home, they were under strict orders to let me sleep.  This has been agonizingly hard for them.

So now it is 6:35 in the evening on Sunday, and Bradley up at the stake center helping take down chairs.

And four of my five children are currently laying in my bed, each trying to have my attention and/or touch me in some way.

Awwww.  I think they missed me.

Tender Mercies

On Friday, my friend Lindsay texted an invitation to our family to have dinner at their house that night.  Her husband is Bradley's scout co-leader, and so we were both husband-less that night, our kids are around the same ages, and it would have been totally fun to hang out and eat pizza together.

The only trouble was I got her text while we were at the dentist, and Em was having two tooth extractions, and I knew it just wouldn't work with a woozy Em, especially one unable to eat pizza.  So I sadly declined.

It was a VERY GOOD thing I did, too.

As referenced in my previous post, we were up all night Friday night/Saturday with explosive sickness (you're welcome for the mental image).  I was extra grateful we hadn't spread the germs around to Lindsay's family, until I read on Lindsay's facebook that she was very sick on Saturday as well.  Food poisoning, she believes.  She's the only one in her family who was sick, and so she blames the spinach salad she had on Friday night.

I love spinach salad.  If I had gone over, I would have eaten some.  Then I would have had the stomach bug AND food poisoning.  And my kids would have passed the stomach flu to them.  How fun for everyone!

So it is a tender mercy that Em has such horrible teeth.  Heh.

Randomness Abounds

Well, it turned out that we did need to replace the water heater, but the good luck continues--a friend got us a sweet deal on a replacement, and our fabulous plumber (Allen Bohne at Great Basin Services, Inc for the win!) was available to take out both old ones (yes, two--one which was older than the hills that we did not use, and the one that just broke) and install the new.  We had hot water by 4:30 pm!

What wasn't as good luck was the fact that my new crown was too high, and I woke up at 3am this morning with a horrible tooth/headache.  A heavy dose of ibuprofen helped me to sleep, eventually, but I ended up back at the dentist this afternoon for a fix.  Hopefully it will work!  (My jaw is still numb, though.  Ugh.)

Something they don't tell you in parent school is how cute it is when your child first realizes that your names aren't just Mommy and Daddy, but Keryn and Bradley, too.  Gee figured it out today, and listening to his little voice saying "Kewyn" was adorable beyond belief.

I just saw a Facebook status update that said "I can't decide", and the only comment was "Choose the road less traveled."  I wanted very badly to write "Choose the RIGHT", but given the particular situation, didn't. So I'll just write about it here.  :)

Okay, it's getting a little silly in here right now.  I better take some more ibuprofen and go to sleep.  Good night!

Illness Interlude

Sorry for the break--Yum Yum has been sick for several days (and thus cranky and cuddly and crabby and cute), and now I've got it, whatever it is:  headache, body ache, exhaustion, and congestion.

Hopefully we'll all feel better tomorrow!  (And that nobody else will get it!)

Brotherly Love Forgives Even Vomit

So last night was interesting, in an amusing train wreck sort of way.

We did not get to go Christmas caroling again last night. Zee called from school, twice, while I was walking up to get his little sister from kindergarten. He had a stomach ache. By the time I got back home, saw the messages, and called the school, however, he was back in his classroom, acting just fine. So I left him there, wondering idly if he was bored.

After school he was fine, as well. (Especially after I reminded him that he was going over to a friend's house, so I could finish the last bit of Christmas shopping.) At dinner, though, he started to droop, and complain of being cold. He seemed a little warm to me, so instead of going out into the chilly wind and cold night, we stayed in. All the kids got cozy in bed, and Daddy read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" aloud for an hour, until true bedtime.

At about four in the morning, I awoke to the unmistakable sounds of sickness. Hurrying into the boys' room, I found that Zee had vomited all over Gee, who had been sleeping next to him. Lovely. Although, remarkably, both boys were dealing quite well with the situation. Nobody was screaming, crying, or even whining (too much). Luckily, Gee only got tagged on his sweatpants, and a quick change and wipedown had him happy again. Zee was feeling better, as often happens after emptying your stomach, and submitted cheerfully to the wiping and changing. Within ten minutes, we had them back off to dreamland.

All the hullabaloo woke the baby up, and she needed some grub to help her get back to sleep. But she rewarded me with the sweetest baby smile you ever saw, as I laid her back down in her crib.

And then, of course, I laid in my bed for 30 minutes, wide awake. Oh, well.

Another First

Today Hebs proved his momma a prophetess.

It's an honor I could have done without.

Hebs is my rambunctious kid. He rockets around the house, careening into walls and bumping his head at least daily. He almost always has at least one lump on his forehead, unsurprising given his propensity to trip over his own feet, fold in half at his waist, and hit the ground headfirst. (I am going to enroll him in karate when he is five, just so he can learn to fall.) (I'm not kidding.)

So I have always said that Hebs is going to be my first visit to the emergency room.

And I was right.

This afternoon, Hebs and Em were running around the house, playing some sort of game. I was downstairs, napping. (I'll have to tell you about my Friday later, but believe me, I deserved this Saturday afternoon nap.) As far as we know, he tripped and fell in the entryway. I vaguely heard the crying, but didn't think much of it. Crying is a pretty normal sound in our house, and it didn't last very long.

About an hour later, I am upstairs to find a pretty quiet Hebs, with pillows and blankets, lying on the floor in the family room. Bradley mentioned that he had hurt his leg when he fell. When I picked Hebs up, he cried with pain, and wouldn't put any weight on his right leg. There was no swelling or bruising, but he was so sad. Concerned, Bradley and I decided to call a friend who has a bit more experience with broken bones then we do. She recommended we take Hebs to the urgent care, just to be on the safe side.

I hurriedly nursed Mimi and then took Hebs to the ExpressMED Urgent Care Center on Main Street. Bradley stayed home with the other kids. I have to tell you, I am traditionally a little leery of urgent care centers, but this one was wonderful! They were very helpful and quick, and (aside from one instance) very competent.

Every time I had to pick Hebs up, he moaned and cried. It was heartbreaking. It got to the point when he would just wave good-bye to me when I told him it was time to move to another room. Poor baby, he preferred to let me leave him then to have to move again. Usually, when one of my kids isn't feeling well, I will cuddle them on my lap, but that was not a good idea in this case. As soon as we got anywhere--waiting rooms, exam rooms, etc--I put him down on a chair or bed. He was much happier that way.

At the care center, they gave Hebs some Motrin, and tried to examine his leg. He wasn't very pleased with that. It was really hard to tell where the problem was, because every time you touched his leg or hip, he'd cry. So the nurse practitioner ordered a full leg x-ray. (Which was about as fun as you might expect. Poor, poor baby!) (And poor Momma, having to hold him down.)

Here was the only part the center didn't do as well on. The x-ray didn't come out very well, and they couldn't see anything. This was partially because Hebs wouldn't hold his foot still, and partially because they did something wrong. The nurse practitioner was concerned that he was still in so much pain, and that maybe the (possible) break was in the thigh, where the growth plates are. So instead of trying for another x-ray, she sent us to the ER in Payson, because there they could give him something stronger for the pain, and if it was the thigh, we'd have to go there anyway.

They refunded our $35 co-pay, and called ahead to the ER to let them know we were coming.

Mountain View Hospital in Payson is about 20 minutes away, and Hebs was calm and even cheerful on the way, albeit very subdued. He was that way all the time, in fact, unless someone was carrying him or touching his legs. The ER was pretty quiet, and as soon as we were finished with co-pays and paperwork (about five minutes), they took us back to a bed and gave Hebs some Lortab.

We waited awhile for the medicine to start working, and Hebs held his special blanket up to his face and sucked his thumb, while watching "Backyardigans" on my iPod. When the doctor came to examine his leg, the medicine wasn't enough to block the pain, and he was really sad. Again, they couldn't tell where the problem was, so it was back to a full leg x-ray.

Hebs was unimpressed with this experience. He howled the entire time, and took breaks only to refill his lungs and implore to "go home now". But they were able to get a good picture this time, and to see that, sure enough, there was a break on the tibia. Which is in the shin, thankfully, not the thigh.

It's a pretty good break, not just a hairline or greenstick. You couldn't quite see if it was all the way through, but it was near enough. Fortunately, it is also an "inline fracture", which means it will heal well and pretty easily without surgeries. Whew.

The nurses in the ER splinted his leg right up, and he howled though the first part of it. But once the bone was immobilized, he perked right up. I suspect that the Lortab was kicking in in a serious way, because he began blowing kisses to everyone in the ER, and telling them "I wuv you!" I sort of love them all, too, because they were great.

We have to keep him off his leg at least until the full cast, sometime next week. The cast is going to have to be over the knee, which is not fun, but we've experienced that with Gee before, two years ago. So we'll deal with it. I am so incredibly grateful it isn't worse.

He's peacefully sleeping now, leg propped up on a pillow. Zee, Em, and Gee have been very curious and very sweet to him, giving him kisses and loves and anything he wants. And we have more Lortab for later if he needs it.

The best part? Hebs had his Saturday bath this morning, before the fall. So, at least he got that in. Sponge baths for the next four weeks now.

Clobbered

Went to bed last night feeling fine. Woke up at 4am to feed the baby, feeling fine. Woke up at 7am feeling stiff and uncomfortable, and a little achy in the torso.

Now it is 3pm, and I'm fully sick. I'm thinking a flu bug, because of how fast it hit.

Lovely. Let's just hope none of the kids get it.

Missing: Patience (or, A Fine Whine)

(The title to this post was originally "Lost:  Patience", but then I decided that looked too much like I was discussing the latest Lost episode, and I'm two weeks behind on Lost.  So no spoilers!)

I'm on day 22 of being sick (in addition to being pregnant-sick), and my patience is completely, utterly, 100% gone.  This particular brand of sickness has been a bad upper-respiratory infection, complete with cough, sore throat, aches, headache, drainage--you know, the normal late winter cold.  The cold turned into a sinus infection, and I hate taking antibiotics, so I was just hoping it would take care of itself.  But a two-week headache just can't be borne much longer.   

All in the family got the cold, and most managed to get over it in a week (a miserable week, but a week all the same).  Em got an ear infection, so she was on antibiotics for 10 days.  She loves the bright pink amoxicillin, and was very very sad when the last dose was taken on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday morning, as I was preparing to get to the doctor (yes, I'm finally on antibiotics), Em complained that her ear hurt.  I chalked it up to wanting more medicine, and told her she was fine.  But she kept at it all day long.  At one point, I walked into the play room, and she was lying lethargically on the floor, cradling her ear and looking very sad indeed.  So I called the doctor and we went in.

Apparently her ear infection is cleared up, but there is a bruise on the ear drum.  The doctor thinks she put something in her ear and hurt it.  She says she didn't, and I didn't see her do anything, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.  It's not permanent damage, and it should heal in the next two days.  I'm supposed to give her
ibuprofen for the pain.

I have no idea how much she hurts, but she be-bops around, playing and laughing and being a four-year-old, and then suddenly she's whining and crying (loudly) about how bad her ears hurts.  I'm trying to have patience, but I'm thinking that I may or may not go crazy before two days are over.

Warning: Stomach Flu Discussion Ahead

Ugh. Today was just an ugh day. Sorry if you called--I spent as much of the day in bed as possible and only answered the phone once. (It was Gee's orthopedist, so I had to take that call. His new DAFO braces are in, and Gee needs to be fitted for them on Monday.)

On the flip side, the sun was shining today and Em is finally feeling better. When this girlie gets the stomach flu, she gets the stomach flu. Nothing halfway about her. If it is a 24-hour-bug for everyone else, it lasts 72 hours for Em. For example, we had a little stomach virus right after Thanksgiving, remember? Hebs vomited once, Gee twice, Zee once, Momma a couple of times. Daddy was sick for about 36 hours, so he got it pretty bad. Em was sick for almost three days that time.

This time, with this "24-hour" bug she picked up at a good friends New Year's Party (it's all your fault, Lisa!! Just kidding!), Em has been sick since Saturday evening. Didn't eat or drink for nearly four days. (I was a heartbeat away from taking her to the doctor for an IV, honestly.) I've never been so worried about dehydration before. She wasn't completely lethargic, and she kept going to the bathroom, so we waited. Finally, on Wednesday morning, she started keeping water down, and then graduated to a bite of food here, a bite there. Some of it came back up, but yesterday she managed to keep some cereal down, and today she's been rocketing around the house, eating and playing just like normal. Whew.

Zee has the over-developed gag reflex (every time Em vomited, Zee fled the area), but Em's got the sad stomach. Poor thing. Glad that's over.

A completely unrelated P.S. My sister's seventh grader is reading The Great Gatsby in school. Huh? I don't think I really understood that book when I read it in tenth grade. Thirteen seems a little young to be dealing with what Jen says "All that they do in the whole book is drink, party and sleep around." I'm pretty sure any deeper meaning was completely lost on my class of 15-16-year-olds. I can't imagine trying to teach it to 12-13-year-olds.

Allergic

So, Hebs is not allergic to pecans. Or peanuts. Or wheat. (Whew) Or almonds. Or...citrus, I think that was one of them.

He is, however, allergic to cow's milk. And eggs.

The milk left me unsurprised. I'd like to say it was mother's intuition, but really it was just simple observation. Twice I gave him cow's milk, twice he broke out in hives. I didn't give him milk, he didn't break out in hives. Voila! I'm a genius.

I didn't suspect an egg allergy, although we ate German pancakes (mostly egg, with a little flour and milk and butter) for dinner last night, and he has been sporting a lovely rash all over his torso today. Not hives, but still.

Having a 14-month-old allergy tested is interesting. You have to lay on your stomach, and they draw on your back with a marker and then poke you with little plastic darts that have been sitting in the allergens. (The nurses only tested for food allergies, which was fine with me given we don't have a pet and I've been told that environmental allergies are uncommon in babies.) Hebs didn't like having to lay on his stomach, but the poking didn't phase him at all. He honestly didn't care, being far more concerned with trying to scratch his shoulders and chest (dang rash).

The next step, waiting 20 minutes without touching or rubbing the tested area, was the hard part. Hebs loves to roll around, but obviously was forbidden. He loves to sit on Momma's lap and read books, but that puts his back in contact with Momma's (unfortunately ample) belly, so nope. He had to sit (or stand, something he's getting quite good at) for the whole 20 minutes. By minute 15, I wasn't sure we were going to make it the whole time. I peeked at his back several times, amazed at the three little bumps that were growing larger and redder by the minute. (The third bump was the control allergen--supposedly it makes everyone react and thus proves the test is correct. What do you suppose is in there--Human Allergen X (secret recipe)? Just wondering.)

We made it through and home and I gave Hebs a 1/2 tsp of Benedryl (to control the reactions). We'll have a doctor's appointment early next week so we can discuss what to do next, and I have to admit I'm curious. What do I give my Hebs instead of milk, so that he can get strong bones and muscles (not to mention the fat that is so important to brain development!)? (Not that my children ever drink milk, having inherited a violent dislike of the taste from their mother. Em is my exception--she loves a glass of milk. Yuck!) Why doesn't he seem to react to yogurt? Are eggs in a cookie mix okay? Do I need an epi-pen? (Doubt it.) And what can I do when he has a rash like he does today?

It's good to know, though, that I wasn't crazy and that he is allergic to milk. Answers are always so nice.

Advent

(Sorry about yesterday. At about 9pm, after a full day of child-wrangling, house-cleaning, and dinner-cooking fun, I was hit with the bug. I'm just now--at noon today--starting to feel a bit more human.)

Yesterday was December 1--day one of counting up to Christmas! We've had an advent "calendar" since Zee was a baby--it is a painted wooden Christmas tree with an arch of 23 bright red beads across the top. Each day a bead gets moved, and the final night has a star. The kids take turns at moving the daily bead. (And then I count the beads every morning, because it is just too tempting to move them back and forth.)

This year my kids (at least Em and Zee) are old enough to appreciate a little more out of Advent season. Traditionally (I think), Advent is celebrated on the four Sundays before Christmas, with scriptural readings and songs and candles and stuff. I wanted to do something (very little) every day, to remind my kids that Christmas isn't just Santa and toys and yummy things to eat.

I made up a little Advent schedule of my own. I decided to base it on the Plan of Salvation, simplified to a four-year-old and six-year-old mindset. Basically, I wanted to emphasize the need for a Redeemer and then the events leading up to His birth.

Last night we lit a candle and (while I was making grilled cheese sandwiches) talked about father and mothers, Heavenly Father, and the fact that we are children of God. Then I sent Zee and Em on a "treasure" hunt to find the "Proclamation to the World on the Family", which hangs on our wall in the front room. ("Go find a picture with writing on it, hanging on the wall!") Once they found it, we read the part about being spirit sons and daughters of God. Then we went back into the dining room and Zee got to blow out the candle. (Em's turn will be tonight, Gee's tomorrow, etc.)

All told, it took maybe five minutes. It was fun, and hopefully we can keep it up all month.

And I'd love to share.

At the end of every post this month, I'll put the scripture and topic we're doing for the next day. That way, if anyone wants to play along, you can! Today, I'll give you yesterday, today, and tomorrow, to get all caught.

----------------
Advent Day 1: We are children of God. Proclamation on the Family, "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny."

Advent Day 2: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created the world. 3 Nephi 9:15: Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name." Moses 2:1: And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak. I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things; yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest."

Advent Day 3: Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, and they lived in the Garden of Eden. Moses 1:34 "And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many." Moses 4:26 "And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living; for thus have I, the Lord God, called the first of all women, which are many."

Bad Virus!

• So far we know of two Ross cousins (in two different families) who are sick. Lovely. I am SO sorry, guys! (Not to mention that Jen's husband got it, and Telima's oldest two got it, too...what a sneaky little virus.)

• Bradley and Em are feeling better today. Whew!

• I'm not sick yet. In fact, I'm totally craving Taco Bell. Mostly because, hello, didn't eat more than a bowl of cereal and a small bowl of macaroni and cheese today. And about fifty Red Vine licorices. Bad Keryn, very bad.

• Today was Gee's hearing and vision screening. (Mandated by the state before admission into a special needs preschool.) (Ugh. Does anyone hate the sound of "special needs" as much as I do?) His hearing--100% great. His vision--totally unknown still. He got bored and stopped paying attention. That'll happen to an almost three year old. I'm not too worried.

• And, just because I saw it on my friend's Facebook page:

That was a great game, wasn't it?

Dang life, interfering again

Today wasn't quite the day I had planned for it to be: The last day of Thanksgiving break, no traveling, just church and choir practice, a few visits--mostly just a day to gently rev back up to normal life, which starts again tomorrow with a vengeance.

I wasn't counting on bringing the violent stomach flu home with us from Vegas. (It's all your fault, Jen!) (To be fair, we all thought it was food poisoning that made her younger boy so sick the day they drove into Las Vegas.) But then, Thanksgiving night, both our youngest children were sick. And on the drive back on Friday, Gee was sick.

But we thought we were done, that the older two kids weren't going to get it. Ha! After spending ALL DAY LONG with the Ross side of cousins, Zee spent the first half of the night sick, and Em covered the second half. (Sorry, Kim, Michelle, Nicole, and Laurene! We really thought we were over it.) Although Zee woke up perfectly happy and healthy, Em has been continually sick over all day today, and is only now (at almost 9pm) able to keep saltines and water down.

And Bradley is really sick, with the same thing.

So! It's been a fun day! Except not at all.

I have three hopes:

• None of the cousins get this.
• Everyone in my family gets better by tomorrow morning. (It does seem to be a less-than-24-hour-flu.)
• And I don't get it.

Cross your fingers and your toes.

-LY

(We are coming up on day 12 of having at least one, but usually more, seriously sick person in our house. The end must be in sight, if only I knew where to look. So, I leave you with something to cheer us all up.)

Ready, set...

Today as I was putting Hebs down for a nap, I said "Ready, set..." Usually I wait a moment and then say "Go!" as I swing him into the crib.

I didn't get a chance to finish the phrase today, because Hebs did it for me. "Goh!" he said, looking at me with that adorable glint in his eyes. See how big I am, Momma?

Surprised and excited, I said again, "Ready, set..."

"Goh!"

We played the game several times before he tired of it, and indicated his readiness for a nap by sucking his thumb.

Tonight I told Em to go say "Ready, set" to her baby brother. Obligingly, she trotted to the other room and did so. When Hebs said "Goh!", Em turned to me with the biggest smile.

"Mommy! He said a word!"

He really is growing up. He'll be one in just a few short weeks, which is mind-boggling. Today, Gee and Hebs were upstairs playing. And by playing, I don't mean sitting in the same room doing their own things. No, they were actually playing together, peek-a-boo and tickling and who knows what else. When I peeked in on them, Gee said, "Momma! I playing Hebs!" And Hebs had the most thrilled, enchanted expression on his face. You could almost read his mind: Look at my amazing big brother! He is playing with me!

********
Flu update: Zee went back to school (he missed it so much!). Em, Gee, and Hebs are all still running moderate fevers and have hacking coughs. Bradley is all better, but took the afternoon off because...

...I have fever and chills, cough, headache, and body ache. It's super lovely.

Coming up for air

Soooooooo...

Today was the first day that Bradley was able to make it back to work. It's been a full week since he came home from work with fever, chills, sore throat, and a cough. Despite my near-obsessive sanitizing, all four children have gotten sick as well.

We took the kids to the doctor yesterday, and he confirmed that Bradley had almost certainly gotten the H1N1 virus, and it was more than likely that Em and Gee had it as well. Hebs, of course, was just starting to get sick with fever and congestion, so the doctor guessed he was probably coming down with the flu as well. The doctor was less certain about Zee, because Zee's illness was so different (what with the vomiting and all). (Sorry about the details, but this is a mommy blog. What did you expect?)

You'll notice I said "almost" "more than likely" and "probably". This is because many doctors' offices, ours included, are not testing for the H1N1. If you have all the flu-like symptoms, then you probably have H1N1. Dr. P said that, while they have an in-office test for the flu, it isn't as accurate, and the big full-on test (only administered at the hospital) costs $200 for each person.

"But most insurances will pay for it" he said. To which Bradley and I looked at each other and said, "But do we need it?". The answer, of course, is no.) The upshot is: who cares if it is the seasonal influenza (which apparently isn't active in Utah County right now), the swine flu, or some exotic disease like Hong Kong Flu? As long as we don't end up in the hospital, who cares?

(Okay, so I care at least a little bit, because it sounds so much cooler to say you have swine flu than to say you have the regular old flu. Plus, does this mean we don't have to get H1N1 shots when they finally arrive?)

All that aside, the last seven days have been a bear. Bradley was really sick for almost four days, and at least two of those days overlapped with the children starting to get sick. My husband rarely gets sick, so it's been hard for both him (doesn't like not being able to help) and me (not used to him not being able to help). Even while sick, though, he was trying to help in anyway he could--moving the wash around, putting on movies for the kids, letting me nap while the youngest two were also napping.

We've had long nights, cranky days (hyper days, because I won't let the kids play outside with their friends), and lots and lots of runs to the store. (For saltine crackers. For children's motrin. For tissue. For milk. For prescriptions. So much for our carefully lean budget this month.)

But there is hope. The doctor wasn't worried about the kids, he thinks we might all be better (except Hebs, who is still in the beginning stages) by the weekend, Zee might get to go back to school tomorrow, and I seem (knock wood, cross-your-fingers, spit into the wind) to have caught a mild cold instead of H1N1. It appears, then, that we will survive.

Illness update II

Sunday morning:

Zee--bad stomach ache, little cough, vomiting, clingy and grumpy and sleepy
Em--fever, little cough, grumpy, sad
Gee--fever, little cough, slightly clingy and grumpy
Hebs--just plugging along
Bradley--headachey, coughs, sore throat, vastly improved though
Keryn--a little headache, slight slight sore throat, lots of energy


Sunday night:

Everyone the same except
Hebs--slight fever


No churching happened today. I've done a lot of laundry today, despite it being Sunday. I've picked up toys, drinks, kleenex, and goldfish crackers. I've run from child to child to the tones of "MOMMA!" I did get a nap, today, though! Yay for lovely Sunday afternoon naps, and husbands who are feeling a bit better and take care sick kids for a couple of hours.