I emptied my memory card today and found these pictures I had completely forgotten about. They were actually taken before Thanksgiving even. Boo and this Santa are hilarious. On this particular morning they were "dancing." When she's about to do something she knows she shouldn't she actually turns him around so he can't see. It's hilarious!
I am such a baby. I'll admit. Last week was fantastic. The King even had a 4 day weekend. Sweet bliss it was, it's now over. Now I have to do things like clean, cook real meals, and help with homework and stuff. Boo. The good news is we have a lot of fun stuff going on next month. The parade is this weekend. There's lots of cool stuff going on at Chiggie's school. Plus we'll do a lot of baking and eating always makes me feel better.
Today started at a little after 4 am. Fortunately I got to stay under the covers while the King headed out to face off with the crowds a W-Mart. He was back by 6 am with the goods, but a little rattled by the crowds. We were just excited and happy to have a few things crossed off of our list. Every little bit helps.
The girls slept in so we were able to go back to sleep. Once up we started lugging all of the Christmas decorations out of storage. The girls watched our collection of holiday movies while we busily arranged and rearranged until I was satisfied. This afternoon I headed back to a much less crowded W-Mart to do the grocery shopping. After dinner we decorated the tree, which turned out fabulous by the way.
All I really have left to do is clean up the mess now. Obviously not my favorite part, but it has to be done. I'm very pleased with the way things turned out. I will for sure post some pictures tomorrow when I have a little more energy. For now I just want to relax and enjoy!
Last night we took the girls to see the movie A Christmas Carol. They've been watching previews and snippets since this summer and they were all very excited. The theatre wasn't crowded at all. It was the last night the show was on and I think most everybody who wanted to see it already had. We got great seats near the front and the girls loved picking out their snacks. Boo sat on my lap and the King sat by Midge to help her if she needed anything.
Right when the movie began I got worried. It was extremely intense and graphic. The animation was amazing, just a little much for small kids. Luckily the little girls were tired, it was after 7, and they fell asleep before the majority of the scary parts even happened. The older girls were freaked out though. We made it through the whole thing, but they said it was too scary when it was over. I guess A Muppet Christmas Carol it was not.
I think I already mentioned this, but Chiggie is out of school on holiday this whole week. So when my Mom, in casual conversation mentioned she had a dentist appointment in a neighboring bigger town, I suggested we tag along and make a day of it. We got up early and headed out. Her appointment was at 11:30 so the girls and I, all 6 of them, just chilled in the car. The kids were great. They listened to music, looked at books, and played games together with no problems. At one point we unloaded and went in for a quick bathroom break, but other than that we just stayed in the car.
A little over an hour later I saw my Mom walking out. The girls cheered. We had bribed the good behaviour out of them with the promise of a buffet lunch and a trip to the mall. My Mom got in the car, her face swollen and numb from the appointment, but excited to move on with the rest of the day. The girls got back settled into their seats and I put the keys into the ignition. I turned the key and click, click, click. Click, click, click. The all to familiar sound of another dead battery. Crap. I checked the back of the car for my cables and they weren't there. It seems they were on the porch. Not much use to me there.
I went in to the dental office to plead for help and they were actually rude. The receptionist said she didn't have any cables either and maybe I should just call AAA. I asked everyone in the lobby and no one could help. So here we were a good hour from home, not personally knowing anyone in this town, just needed a battery charge. We sat there for a good 10 minutes just trying to think of what to do. I called the King, but he can't have his cell phone on at work and of course I didn't have any other contact numbers on so I just left a message. I think it said something like "the battery is dead, just need a jump, maybe I'll use my cables, oh yeah they're on the porch," click.
Finally my Mom, determined to continue on about our day, set off on foot for help. She walked until we couldn't see her anymore. We waited what seemed like forever, but was more like 20 minutes, and I could see her in the distance walking towards us. She was smiling and carrying jumper cables. Someone at a nearby medical facility had taken pity on us and let her borrow them. One more piece of the puzzle. Now we just had to find someone willing to give us the jump and we could be on our way.
I went back into the office to again plead for help. The receptionist, who had now heard my pleas on 3 separate occasions welcomed me and asked how I could be helped like she'd never seen me before. I again explained our situation and she said if anyone could help she would send them out. A few minutes later the Dentist came out himself and hooked up the cables. Not just any dentist either. He reminded me of Robin Williams' character in Nine Months if that helps. He was different we'll just leave it at that.
Long story, brought to a close, the jump worked. We let the car run a few minutes, drove to the medical center and returned the cables, and took the kids to the buffet. We didn't have any more problems the rest of the day. We even kept to our plan and hit the mall. The girls go Christmas earrings and we bought a few more outfits for the baby. It was fun seeing the mall all festively decorated and the girls saw Santa from a distance. We'll save the actual visit until after Thanksgiving when the King can be there.
What a day. The best part is my Mom and I spent most of it laughing. I didn't get nearly as stressed out as I would have in the past. I'm finally seeing that it is just not worth it. We made the best of a bad situation and persistance paid off.
It looks like yesterdays positive outlook really did help. Today was a GOOD day. An all around good day. No one ran a fever or puked or anything like that. Sure we still had to dole out meds and neb treatments, but that I can live with. With everyone feeling better I actually cleaned the house. It feels so good to have everything back in order. I also did a whole bunch of laundry and put it away. I know, it's unbelievable. The King had to work so it didn't feel like a wasted Saturday at all. When he got home he went to the store and picked up some groceries so it really does feel like we're at square 1. Ahhhhh, I think we might be through this.
Midge and Boo are still sick, but I'm feeling better about everything today. I took Midge in and she doesn't have any secondary infections causing her high fevers, so really there is not much else we can do but let this nasty virus run its course. Boo is doing great with her treatments. Sadly she's getting used to them, but it does make it easier. She'll now sit there while the machine is running and quietly look at a book. 
It also helped that I got out of the house for a while last night. I went and watched my little sisters adorable choir concert at her school. I was impressed with how nicely all of the kids were dressed. The girls in dresses and the little boys in ties. Too cute!
It's so easy in today's world to succumb to negative thoughts. Especially when things aren't going nearly how you planned. I'm definitely struggling to stay positive. Just when I thought the girls were getting better they got sick again last night. Both Boo and Midge were running high fevers and irritable. Nobody is sleeping very well and we're all tired. Tea's leg is hurting bad from her shots yesterday and she's already back asleep on the couch. Since she did sleep all night it makes me wonder if she's not maybe getting sick too. She was cranky this morning and that never happens. As I type all three little girls are back asleep. It's 9:30 in the morning. They don't even usually nap.
I know that this too shall pass the question is when? Most of the time I consider myself to be an upbeat person. I don't like to complain and I hate any form of attention that comes from negativity. People have been so kind to us through this ordeal. My Mom has baked and sent over cookies, we've had meals brought to us, positive messages on FB and here on the blog. I'm feeling very loved and supported, just bummed out.
Ironically Boo and Tea had their well child checks scheduled for today. I made these appointments this summer so there was no way I was cancelling. I did let them know before hand that Boo wasn't feeling well. I'm glad I got her in. They added an inhaled steroid to her neb treatments and she's going to start taking daily Zyrtec. Poor girl has been miserable for a month. I'm really hoping it clears her up so she can move on to bigger things.
Tea is still feeling great and had a good appointment. She ended up getting her Kindergarten shots out of the way which is a huge relief. She got four shots and didn't cry at all. They gave her a stick horse as a prize and she was thrilled. I'm glad to have these appointments out of the way before the holidays.
After the girls got all jammied up for bed, I took some pictures to prove they're coming around. Both Midge and Boo were running fevers when these were taken. Gotta love the resiliency of babes!
Last night turned out to be one of the roughest ones since we started this flu journey nearly two weeks ago. Poor Boo was running a fever of 104.5 and vomiting. It wasn't fun for either of us. I was able to get her fever down alternating Tylenol and Motrin and once she felt a little better she was content to just watch cartoons. Midge wasn't feeling much better herself and while she fell asleep early, around 8, she was up by 11 fussing and miserable. So we watched cartoons. Hours worth of preschool cartoons. This whole experience has made it very clear to me that we need new couches too. Ours are probably the most uncomfortable I have ever had the pain of sleeping on. They were'nt very expensive to begin with and we've now had them around 7-8 years. The problem is who wants to buy new furniture when they know all the horrible things its destined for with toddlers.
Today has gone better for everyone except Boo. The King is back at work. Midge is no longer running a fever and Tea remains the last one standing. Boo has been vomiting today though and still running a fever. Tomorrow she really should be better if she follows the same course as the rest of us. This too shall pass. Preferably soon.
I'm really hoping we can wrap this whole flu thing up this week. Chiggie only has 5 more days of school left until she is out on Thanksgiving break for a week. We have some fun activities and I hope everyone is feeling well enough. The only one who hasn't gotten it yet is Tea and she seemed a little off tonight. I don't want her to be sick but I know it's inevitable. Boo is taking it better than I thought she would. She is even more clingy than usual, but we're making it.
I'm so excited about all of the snow we've been getting. It would be awesome if this weather continued through the holidays. I love snow at Christmas time. I am getting really excited about decorating too. Stuff like that is so fun with kids!
The King was home sick again today. In order to give him a little uninterrupted rest I went grocery shopping with the 3 little girls this morning instead of waiting until this evening. I was nervous because it has actually been a little while since I have gone with all the little girls. To my surprise and delight they did wonderfully. It may have helped that they all got to pick out a new pair of tennis shoes, but still. I loved how excited they got over the shoes. They took forever to pick out the pair they wanted but I didn't mind. I wanted to make sure they got the right pair. Then they carried their box through the store while we shopped. They were very proud. We walked to school to pick Chiggie up so they could start breaking them in.
This illness is nasty and highly contagious. Now the King has it. He felt crummy most of yesterday, had a horrible night, and it was confirmed today with a high fever. This evening the cough set in and his ribs are killing him. I feel so bad because I was already there and know how it feels. Chiggie feels awful too and keeps trying to do things for him. She is so sweet. It's also hard knowing that it lasts soooo long. He should be feeling better by Sunday the way I figure it. Just in time to go back to work. Ahh such is life I suppose.
In better news Chiggie got a speaking part in her school's Christmas musical and she is super excited. She has been practicing like crazy and all of the girls know the songs. It's really cute. I can't wait to see the production live.
Tea did receive a visit from the tooth fairy and she got a whole dollar. She has been bugging me ever since to go to the dollar store. She has another loose tooth right now and I'm trying to get her to save up her money. It's up to her though, if she wants to spend it right away than she can.
Boo is doing much better after her meds. She didn't take a neb treatment at all today and she seems to be fine. I sure hope so. I do not like the way the steroids and albuterol effect her personality. She is highly agitated and hyper on them. Today she seemed much more like her normal self. She hasn't napped in days which is weird too. I'm hoping that returns very soon. She is way too grouchy in the evenings without a nap.
Midge is doing just great too. She hasn't been sick at all and is such a great helper for those who have. She loves to bring me the medicine and put the spoons in the sink. I have a feeling she is going to be a big help when the baby comes. I also have feeling I'm going to need all the help that I can get!
I can honestly say, today, I am feeling much better. I'm so thankful to be able to say that. In even better news Chiggie had a great day today. Her spirits were high, she never ran a fever, she was eating again, and she didn't take 1 nap. She'll go back to school tomorrow and I am so happy for her. This hit her pretty hard and I'm glad to see it end. Today we worked on all of her homework the King picked up on Friday. I am amazed at her drive. She never complained and seemed excited at the mass quantities.
Unfortunately Boo had to see the on call Doc today. She doesn't have the flu, we didn't think she did, but she has been coughing for 2+ weeks and even with nebulizer treatments we couldn't seem to get her breathing up to par. She was given oral steroids to take for the next 5 days and we'll continue with the treatments. I'm hoping to have this under control soon, just in case she were to get the flu. I'm also hoping we'll sleep better tonight. Last night she coughed ALL night long, no exaggeration.
Well thanks to the stinkin' flu I missed blogging about my 3 year blogaversary. Anyhow, I am so glad that I started this blog 3 years ago. It's amazing to go back and read older posts. There are things I never thought I would forget that sure enough I have. I like seeing how much the girls have changed and how much has stayed the same too.
We're still struggling with the flu around here. I got sick on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. My doctor was out of the office so I had no choice but to brave the ER and get the Tami flu that I knew I would need. Thankfully I got it with no problem. I really think it helped dramatically. I started taking right away and although I didn't feel better, I didn't get rapidly worse either. My biggest complaint is a really bad cough that could likely turn in to bronchitis. We'll see. I'm taking plain Robitussin.
Chiggie is better but very worn out. You should see her stack of homework from school. It is ridiculous. She's in 2nd grade for goodness sakes. They actually sent home color sheets. Like one missed color page is gonna set her back or something. At least we have the weekend to work on it.
Everyone else has managed to avoid it. The King has sprayed more Lysol than one could imagine throughout the entire house. Boo has a horrible cough but has for a while. I started giving her Albuterol treatments today. I don't want her to get the flu on top of something else. Tea and Midge are both completely healthy. I am praying it stays that way!
Yesterday morning everything was normal and fine. Just after lunch I got a call from the health tech at Chiggie's school. She was in the nurse's office with a fever. Uh oh. I of course went right up to get her. She seemed okay. She said she had a headache and just felt tired. I got her home, into some comfy clothes, and in her bed. She fell asleep watching a movie. A couple of hours later she woke up coughing, crying, and with a fever of 103.5. It's stayed fairly steady ever since. She slept most of the night, only waking to get more medicine and take sips of water. She's really too sick to care about much more. Both of my little sisters are experiencing the same symptoms. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before we all are :(
Hello November. I am so glad to say that. October was even busier for us than normal and I am looking very forward to the slower pace that November is promising. I love Thanksgiving and I'm really excited for the holidays. The girls are just getting more fun as the years go by. It's so fun to watch their excitement. I hope we get lots of snow and we can take them sledding soon!
