OMG! Eight days since I last blogged?

Wow. I can’t believe it’s been over a week already. You’d expect that I’ve been super busy, doing soooo much fun stuff that I haven’t had time to blog, but no. Just hanging out with the kiddos. Kayley’s off at camp, doing her thing. I miss her so much, but I know she’s having a good time. The kids are out of school until the end of July, so we’ve spent lots of time at the pool. In fact, we’ve spent SO much time in the water, I think we’re almost over it. Or at least, I am! We’ve been swimming in our own neighborhood pool, visiting a friend and swimming in their pool, and we’ve been to play in the fountains at Southland, too. And today, I’ve promised those monkeys that we’ll go check out a new park with a “spray ground.” Oooooh, sounds fun, doesn’t it? Maybe I’m not over the water yet!

I’ve actually done a few fun things since I last posted. On Friday, my sister came over and we took all the kids to the pool. After we splashed around for an hour or so, the clouds rolled in and the thunder and lightning chased us home. After the rain passed, Kim and I sat in the driveway drinking beer and watching the kids ride their bikes and scooters. And my sister had just enough beer that she thought it would be a great idea to ride Mallory’s bike. I know it’s unfair of me to mention all of this without including a picture, but I haven’t retrieved the picture from my phone yet. It’s coming, don’t you worry. And later that night, one of my dearest friends, John, stopped by for a few hours and we bullshitted with him. He’s known Kim and me forever, although he hadn’t seen Kim in probably fifteen years, so that was lots of fun, catching up.

On Saturday, Paul decided we needed a Family Fun Day, so we headed down to Larkspur for the Colorado Renaissance Festival. That was pretty fun. I have to say, though – it’s set up lame. Especially if you have kids. The bathrooms are few and far between, and they’re RUSTIC to say the least. The food vendors are set up in such a way that you need to plan to stand in half a dozen different lines – Paul stood in line once to buy us all sodas, then stood in another line to get fries, and then in a third line to get us some bratwursts. And the picnic tables are just thrown around, willy nilly, all over the hillside – so you can expect to be sitting at a table that’s literally on a slope, so much that you can’t even set down your (non-lidded, of course) cup of Pepsi. I was annoyed by all of it. I think the kids are a bit young, yet, to appreciate it – although they did enjoy riding an elephant! I know they want to keep it “authentic” and rustic, but for those admission prices, I would appreciate at least a few modern day conveniences. Would it kill them to level ONE area, put some rustic-looking shade canopies over it, and throw some picnic tables under it? Seriously? I’ll be sitting over there with my kids, while everyone else trips on tree roots and gets tangled up in their long skirts and cups of mead. Also? Hundreds and hundreds of cars parked in rows in a field. No waymarkers whatsoever. Wouldst though kindly directeth me to thy Chevy Tahoe? Huzzah!

So, here were are. Tuesday. The kids are doing a fine job of picking up the study so we can head over to the park. And they’re starting to complain about wanting food, so I guess I should go make lunch. Off we go!

Introspection on this rainy day!

 

I’m feeling splendid, even though the rain is BEATING DOWN on my house right now, preventing me from venturing out to Costco. (Maybe I should be thanking the rain! Costco is not that much fun. But neither is being out of lunchbox snacks and salad greens.) I’m feeling pretty marvelous because it seems like a lot of things in my little world are coming together. I think this calls for a bulleted list!

• I may have found a church home for us where they’ll welcome Pablo with open arms. We tried a place on Sunday and the kids loved it. Pablo had one tiny issue, but the teacher there seemed positive that he could succeed and really enjoy being there with some precautions put into place. I’m optimistic that things may actually work out where this is concerned. I always crave more order and structure for my children, particularly for Pablo, and I think Sunday school would benefit all of them tremendously. Also, I think the whole, “We are all God’s children, and everyone is special and wonderful” atmosphere of, y’know, CHURCH, will be a good thing. Pablo’s had to deal with so much unkindness from people due to his disability, which SUCKS ASS. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this might be a really good thing.
• I’ve gotten back in touch with a friend of mine on Facebook who was a huge, major part of my life for many years. We “survived” small town life together, moved up to Denver together, and leaned on each other for years before going off and living our lives. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him for TEN YEARS until last week, and now we’ve been spending lots of time catching up. It makes me sad that we were absent from each other’s lives for so long, but I’m thrilled to be catching up now, and each time we have a little chat on Facebook, it brightens my whole day. There’s absolutely nothing like old friends, who have seen you at your best and worst, and who  knew you when you were going through puberty! Love. It.
• My husband and I are moving forward with major improvements to our house! It’s gorgeous as it is, but we’re really trying to make it our own. On the horizon: building a custom bed for the kids, additional built-in storage in the basement for our plethora of toys and games, and…::drumroll:: extending our DECK and putting a roof on it so we can spend more time enjoying our amazing backyard! I’m so grateful to have married that crazy enginerd, who meticulously designs things, agonizing over every minute detail that no one else would even notice. It’s going to be cool.
• Pablo is doing fantastic! We started a fish oil regimen a few weeks ago, and I really think it’s benefiting him. He’s all but stopped hitting himself, and the vocal tics have dropped off completely. We’ve had a few minor issues, but we’re starting to realize (duh) that Pablo is growing and maturing, and wants more than anything to just be a regular kid. It seems like whenever we have a huge blowup or tantrum, it’s because the kids around him are doing something he wants to do. Like line up and walk into school without having his aide grab him by the hand. Little things. He’s really blossoming, and we’re really enjoying him. Those weeks of hell always seem to result in big breakthroughs for him!
• Although I haven’t addressed it here or anywhere online, Kayley has been dealing with a huge healthl issue which has really affected her. I’ve been worried to death about her. A few days ago, we finally figured out the problem, and we’re on our way to a solution. She is positive and happy and optimistic that it’s all going to work out fine. She has been such a big, brave girl and I am just SO proud of her right now. Things aren’t 100% rosy, but where this area is concerned, it’s all good. 

And, it’s JUNE! How can it be June? It’s 55 degrees outside. I packed up all the winter clothes last week! We’re ready for summer weather, pretty please. The kids are graduating from kindergarten on the 18th and we’d like to eventually visit the beautiful pool in our neighborhood. So, get your act together, Mother Nature!

Wednesday already?

We’ve been doing well, getting all our FUN STUFF in before school starts again and before the weather turns lousy again. The weather was gorgeous on Monday, and we took advantage by heading out to the zoo! The kids and I had a blast. This was our first zoo trip where we just walked around and checked things out, without having our huge quad stroller in tow. We didn’t even take the double stroller this time. I think we’ve officially graduated to the age of WALKING everywhere! (At four and five. ‘Bout time, huh?) I did rent a wagon, so I wouldn’t have to lug our cooler and four jackets through the zoo, but that was easy to manage. And I’m a mean mom and didn’t let ANYONE ride in it!

Have you been to the Denver Zoo lately? They have a brand new baby giraffe – major “Awwwww!” factor, there. He’s got long spindly legs and a short little neck and runs around the enclosure so clumsy, just like a little toddler. We could not stop watching him! I’m sure there are lots of other amazing new things to see there, but we focused on the big important things: the train, carousel, and the monkeys. I HATE the monkeys. I don’t know why. They’re my kids’ favorite part of the zoo, but I hate winding through the maze of Primate Panorama, and hardly seeing anything. It’s my least favorite part of the zoo. I’d much rather spend time in the old school section of the zoo and see the giraffes, zebras, camels, and kangaroos! We completely skipped over Tropical Discovery and the polar bears and seals. Next time.

Yesterday, I met Arin and her boys at the park, and we had a splendid time there for a few minutes. I love that I live close enough to her now that we can pop over to the park and hang out for half an hour and then we can both move on with our day! Just a quick hello, and it’s so easy to do now that we live in the same neighborhood, practically.

After the park, I took the kids for haircuts – all four of them! That cost me a small fortune. I need to learn how to cut hair, I guess. Or settle for crappier looking haircuts, maybe? I’ve taken them to Cost Cutters in the past, but I’ve found that unless I spend the $14.95 at a kids’ salon, their hair looks like shit. They always end up with a lousy haircut. What gives? Where do YOU get your kids’ hair cut?

I’m pleased with how their hair turned out, even if it is quite a bit shorter than I planned, for the little girls anyway. And as soon as I figure out how to fix Pablo’s Dumb and Dumber boy bangs, I’ll be even more pleased. Cute little stacked bobs. No more long, messy, tangles. And we’re growing out bangs, so it’s not perfect yet, but it looks so cute pulled back in front! Pictures on Flickr right here.

Now, it’s Wednesday, aka Library Day. We need to get out of here in just a little bit if we’re going to make story time. We missed it last week, for some reason, and I have a TON of stuff to return. (And probably a small fine or two to pay. Booooo!) And tonight, Mallory is having a special sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. She’s is so excited, she’s about to burst. I need to find something fun and special for the girls and Pablo and I to do tonight, so they don’t get their noses out of joint. I have one more FUN SPRING BREAK thing I wanted to try, and I’m not sure if we’re going to do it or not. I was thinking of taking the kids over to Color Me Mine to paint a piece of pottery. Thursday is Family Day at the store near us, and all the family can paint for one firing fee, which is a great deal. We may try that tomorrow. Or then again, we may not.

And last night was my twin club meeting with my new club. I’m meeting some fantastic ladies there, have been mostly talked into doing their website next year, and am missing my old life less and less (although I still miss my old friends VERY much.) Life just keeps going on and on, doesn’t it? Outtie. Have to dress four kids for the library! Ack!

Shouldn’t I be losing my mind right about now?

Well. Here we are. Friday! A week ago at this time, Mallory was being diagnosed with pneumonia, Pablo was in the middle of a bad spell with his reactive airway disease, and the little girls were coughing like a pair of barking seals. And little did we know that day, that in just another twelve hours, we’d be rushing Pablo to the ER because of major abdominal distress. Our house was like a sick ward, with the smell of Vicks Vaporub hanging thickly in the air, the constant hum of the humidifier, and that loud ass nebulizer buzzing away every four hours, right on schedule.

Contrast that with today! The kids are using the toybox lid as a sled, and sliding down the entire flight of stairs to the basement. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and my little barrel of monkeys finally seems to feel better. It’s about fucking time, that’s all I have to say about that. I’m not certain we’re completely in the clear, as Pablo was just running a fever yesterday – but we’re 180 degrees from where we were a week ago.

We’re midway through the big kids’ track off from school. They got out on March 26th, and they don’t go back until April 20th. That’s three long weeks to spend at home with mom, and the last time they tracked off from school, I damned near lost my MIND! Of course, they were off for FIVE weeks that time, and it was right as we were moving into our new house. This time seems to be going a little better, in spite of the fact that we’re living in the quarantine house.

I fully expected to be clawing at the walls by now, after the seemingly endless snow and cold wind we had that first week, and the whiny sicko children this whole second week. But here we are. Just one week to go, and I’m already feeling sad about them going BACK to school! What? What’s going on here? Shouldn’t I be doing pirouettes around the living room at the very idea of restoring a small amount of order to my house? I’m not at all! I’m really ENJOYING having my kids all home, watching them make up little games and stories, doing art projects, destroying my house.

I’ve only got one week left with them! We need to really make next week COUNT! We’ve got to make our museum trip! We need to plant flowers! We need to ride our bikes to the park! We need to go get haircuts and eat sushi and buy new shoes! And we need to do it SOON, before we start wearing on each other’s nerves!

We’ll see what tune I’m singing NEXT Friday, when they’re heading back to school after the weekend!

Reactive Airway Disease SUCKS!

Have you ever heard of Reactive Airway Disease? I hadn’t either, until a year or so ago when our son got this horrific cough that wouldn’t go away. It’s basically just like asthma, except instead of being ongoing, the symptoms come and go and it’s usually triggered by a cold virus. The kids have been passing a cold bug back and forth, and it finally made its way to the boy. So, for days now, we’ve been doing round-the-clock nebulizer treatments and having him sleep in a humid room. Old hat. Easy cheesy. We’ve been doing this for a couple of years now, every time he gets sick, and it usually passes in a day or two.

Not this time! The other night, Pablo coughed literally all night long. Paul and I were up with him, worried, and I started counting the seconds between his coughs, like I was trying to find out how far away the lightning strike was from me. He was coughing on average, every twenty seconds. Poor kid! And NOTHING helped. We did the nebulizer, I buttered him up with Vicks Vaporub, we had the humidfier going on high, I even gave him the strong cough meds I usually save for emergency situations: Prescription Cheratussin with Codeine! It didn’t do a thing for my poor child.

I rattled off an email to Kaiser at about 4 in the morning, right before Pablo FINALLY stopped coughing and fell asleep. They asked us to come in promptly at nine. Paul pointed out to me that middle-of-the-night emails work WAY better than calling in and sitting on hold for half an hour!

Pablo’s oxygen level was at 90. I thought that sounded pretty good! That’s an A, right? I guess not. Even at our elevation, they wanted him to be above 96. They gave him a nebulizer treatment at the office and then informed us of the new plan: Prednisone!

We tried Prednisone a few years ago when Pablo was too frightened of the nebulizer, and it sucked ASS. It turned him into this psychotic, paranoid, hyped up little toddler. I was NOT looking forward to trying it out again, but…it seems to be doing the trick. Pablo’s still coughing here and there, but no more of that all-night-long business. And he is a bit agitated, but honestly – we’re on spring break, it’s cold as hell outside, and everyone’s sick. I’M a bit agitated!

Fingers crossed that the sun’ll come out tomoooorroooooow, the kids will get better, we can stop the steroids, and manage a trip to the museum before school starts again!

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