Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Happy Birthday Zander!
This boy is so full of life, love, and mischief. He is always wanting to move, and play, and spend time with his family. He is curious about everything and has just started into the "why" phase. He loves his brother and is always willing to share with him. He wants to grow big and tall and get BIG muscles just like his dad. Zander is always asking when daddy is coming home so he can play with him. Currently he is into Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and calling people "nugget". He is strong willed, but logical and is starting to think things through a little bit before he goes into action. He is asking more questions about things, which I love, and he still likes to be my little helper in the kitchen. Happy third Birthday Zander; we sure love you!!!
Zander was too busy playing with his new toys to eat his cake, so Lucas ate two pieces to even things out. Mmmmmm!!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Craft Day in Utah
Have I mentioned how much I love my family? We had craft day at Aunt Nancy's this last weekend. We worked on our craft, ate, talked, and ate some more. The best part? A whole day of shopping! Not only that, but Christmas came early for me this year (at least that's how it felt). Stephen stayed home from work on Friday to watch the boys so I could shop all day kid-free, AND stay the night at Nancy's. I was kid free for 24 hours for the first time in almost three years!!!! Stephen even cleaned the kitchen and the living room before they came to pick me up so they could see the new kitchen remodel. What a guy! I can't even tell you how much I adored and loved my husband at that moment. That meant everything to me for him to take work off so I could have a day of fun with my family, and boy did we have fun!
Lucas was just loving on Kelsey, Hailee's new baby. He kept giving her kisses, and stroking her soft cheeks.
One Sick Little Boy
For the past several months Lucas has developed a really bad cough. It started out as a dry cough and only at night. He would lay in his crib and cough anywhere from a half hour to an hour at a time throughout the night. I looked up his symptoms online and thought maybe he had asthma. It didn't seem to affect him that much--he was super active and happy so I thought I'd wait to ask about it at his 15 month check-up the next month. His went from bad to worse within a few weeks and his cough became wet and lasted into the day time as well. His check-up was the next week so I waited.
We saw his pediatrician and asked about asthma. She really didn't even seem to think it was a big deal and said it was likely that he did, so she had me put him on albuterol. I don't like using that stuff and was wary about putting Lucas back on it. We vacationed in Washington for a week right after that check-up, and Lucas just got worse and worse, and even more so after we got back home. I wrestled with myself whether or not to take him in because I hadn't put him on the albuterol yet, and knew the pediatrician would tell me to start him on it. Another week went by and he started to plateau, but would cough every night. I finally gave in and tried to get him to use the nebulizer, but he wasn't having it. There was no way I was going to wrestle with him or pin him down for 10 minutes to give him medicine I didn't even think was going to help anyway.
I made another appointment for the following week even though he looked and seemed fine, as per Stephen's request. He said it was really starting to cause him anxiety hearing him cough, choke, and gag all night long, and quite frankly, I was really worried too. I would lay in bed every night listening to him wondering if he was still alive because that's how bad the coughing and choking was, not to mention all the gunk that he would cough up on his mattress.
We got in the see the pediatrician again and I suggested maybe it could be reflux. She just seemed to agree with whatever I said and put him on zantac. So we went home to see if it would work, and of course it didn't. After just five days on the medication Lucas just took a nosedive.
I put him down for a nap one afternoon and he woke up coughing and choking, and just screaming. I ran in his room to find that he vomited all over the bed and floor. Poor boy! Ever since he's been whiny and always wanting me to hold him. He was sluggish, and tired, and, and wheezy, and would struggle to breathe. He wouldn't hardly eat or drink anything for days. After consulting with mom and Becky, I called the pulmonologist to make an appointment. I couldn't get in to see her for two more months! So Becky stepped in and called them several times until they set up an appointment for him the next week. Whew! What a relief. And a HUGE thank you to Becky for stepping up and helping me get that much needed appointment.
Upon meeting the pulmonlogist, she told me right away that she could tell something wasn't right with Lucas. She listened to his lungs and mentioned aspiration, pneumonia, and a bronchial infection. She asked me about his eating habits and if he choked or coughed when he ate and drank. She said she was certain he had pneumonia on his right side, and told me he needed to get a chest x-ray. She was shocked that he hadn't had one yet or even put on antibiotics. She sent us to the hospital for the x-ray then right back to her office. It was confirmed that he had pneumonia really bad on the right side and sporadically throughout the rest of his lungs. She put him on antibiotics and a steroid, and told me to take him back in for another x-ray in 10 days to see if his lungs had cleared up.
Lucas is looking and sounding SO much better since that appointment. I'm so glad I was able to get him in so quickly and that she believed me that it wasn't just an ordinary cough and that something was wrong. It has been a huge relief to say the least. We go back in this weekend for his x-ray and another appointment to see if he's cleared around Thanksgiving time.
I can't believe Lucas has been battling pneumonia for who knows how long. I feel so bad that I didn't or couldn't do something about it sooner, but at least we caught it and he's recovering. I am so grateful for modern medicine and good doctors who listen.
We saw his pediatrician and asked about asthma. She really didn't even seem to think it was a big deal and said it was likely that he did, so she had me put him on albuterol. I don't like using that stuff and was wary about putting Lucas back on it. We vacationed in Washington for a week right after that check-up, and Lucas just got worse and worse, and even more so after we got back home. I wrestled with myself whether or not to take him in because I hadn't put him on the albuterol yet, and knew the pediatrician would tell me to start him on it. Another week went by and he started to plateau, but would cough every night. I finally gave in and tried to get him to use the nebulizer, but he wasn't having it. There was no way I was going to wrestle with him or pin him down for 10 minutes to give him medicine I didn't even think was going to help anyway.
I made another appointment for the following week even though he looked and seemed fine, as per Stephen's request. He said it was really starting to cause him anxiety hearing him cough, choke, and gag all night long, and quite frankly, I was really worried too. I would lay in bed every night listening to him wondering if he was still alive because that's how bad the coughing and choking was, not to mention all the gunk that he would cough up on his mattress.
We got in the see the pediatrician again and I suggested maybe it could be reflux. She just seemed to agree with whatever I said and put him on zantac. So we went home to see if it would work, and of course it didn't. After just five days on the medication Lucas just took a nosedive.
I put him down for a nap one afternoon and he woke up coughing and choking, and just screaming. I ran in his room to find that he vomited all over the bed and floor. Poor boy! Ever since he's been whiny and always wanting me to hold him. He was sluggish, and tired, and, and wheezy, and would struggle to breathe. He wouldn't hardly eat or drink anything for days. After consulting with mom and Becky, I called the pulmonologist to make an appointment. I couldn't get in to see her for two more months! So Becky stepped in and called them several times until they set up an appointment for him the next week. Whew! What a relief. And a HUGE thank you to Becky for stepping up and helping me get that much needed appointment.
Upon meeting the pulmonlogist, she told me right away that she could tell something wasn't right with Lucas. She listened to his lungs and mentioned aspiration, pneumonia, and a bronchial infection. She asked me about his eating habits and if he choked or coughed when he ate and drank. She said she was certain he had pneumonia on his right side, and told me he needed to get a chest x-ray. She was shocked that he hadn't had one yet or even put on antibiotics. She sent us to the hospital for the x-ray then right back to her office. It was confirmed that he had pneumonia really bad on the right side and sporadically throughout the rest of his lungs. She put him on antibiotics and a steroid, and told me to take him back in for another x-ray in 10 days to see if his lungs had cleared up.
Lucas is looking and sounding SO much better since that appointment. I'm so glad I was able to get him in so quickly and that she believed me that it wasn't just an ordinary cough and that something was wrong. It has been a huge relief to say the least. We go back in this weekend for his x-ray and another appointment to see if he's cleared around Thanksgiving time.
I can't believe Lucas has been battling pneumonia for who knows how long. I feel so bad that I didn't or couldn't do something about it sooner, but at least we caught it and he's recovering. I am so grateful for modern medicine and good doctors who listen.
Halloween 2016
This was the first year we had the boys carve pumpkins. They loved it; more so than I thought they would.
Stephen and I worked really hard on our Ninja Turtle costumes this year. Zander loves the turtles just like is dad. We both grew up watching the 80's cartoon and have now gotten into the new Nickelodeon version. Zander had been waiting allllll month to open up his sais I found at the dollar store for him to use with his costume, haha, he was so excited for Halloween to finally come.
We had our ward Halloween party and got all dressed up, but poor Lucas was just feeling awful. He was so sick he didn't want to dress up, and only wanted me to hold him all day. I was going to stay home with him, but decided last minute to take him to the church to see if it would lift his spirits. Getting out of the car to get our costumes on perked him up a little bit being out the cool air. He jumped in the puddles from the rain fall earlier that day, and allowed me to put part of his costume on for about 10 seconds--long enough for me to snap a photo.
Daddy took the boys trick or treating around the neighborhood the following Monday. Lucas still wouldn't wear his turtle costume, but I got him to wear a spiderman one from the neighbors. They were out for at least and hour, and Stephen said Lucas had so much fun despite being sick. I stayed home to pass out candy. I could not believe that I only got three groups of trick or treaters! Three! There were kids all over the neighborhood; I could see and hear them, but I guess they didn't come because my surrounding neighbors didn't leave their lights on. I was really disappointed. I guess next year I'll go trick or treating with the boys too.
Stephen and I worked really hard on our Ninja Turtle costumes this year. Zander loves the turtles just like is dad. We both grew up watching the 80's cartoon and have now gotten into the new Nickelodeon version. Zander had been waiting allllll month to open up his sais I found at the dollar store for him to use with his costume, haha, he was so excited for Halloween to finally come.
We had our ward Halloween party and got all dressed up, but poor Lucas was just feeling awful. He was so sick he didn't want to dress up, and only wanted me to hold him all day. I was going to stay home with him, but decided last minute to take him to the church to see if it would lift his spirits. Getting out of the car to get our costumes on perked him up a little bit being out the cool air. He jumped in the puddles from the rain fall earlier that day, and allowed me to put part of his costume on for about 10 seconds--long enough for me to snap a photo.
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