So tomorrow is Christmas Eve and here I sit - dark hospital room, sleeping kid, monitors, tubes, iv's, cords, alarms. And deja vu kicks me right square in the face and suddenly I'm right back in Minneapolis 10 months ago. I was really hoping our hospital stay with Ever was going to be our "ok Mom, you've been through enough for a few years" pass but apparently the universe had other things in store for us.
Last night Mr. Easton had an asthma attack. Let me tell you - I've witnessed some scary shit in my life but your child being unable to breathe definitely ranks close to the top of that list. We have been doctoring for what they thought was exercise induced asthma. He was given a puffer and it is used to prevent/treat exercise related breathing attacks. Yesterday he woke up with a runny nose and by last night he was sitting on the couch sucking air so hard we could see his ribs every time he gasped for breath.
When we got to the ER his oxygen level was at 70. It should be at 98 and definitely no lower than 90. It was decided almost immediately that he would need to be admitted - they hooked him up to some oxygen and started 3 hard rounds of treatment back to back to open up his airways. After the 3 rounds and 2 1/2 hours of oxygen - he was still only at 85 WHILE hooked up to oxygen. They called his pediatrician right over (at about 1:30 am) and did a chest xray to confirm that he has a small touch of pneumonia in his left lung as a result of his breathing troubles. Luckily we caught it when we did - it was in the very early stages.
Last night I went home with Ever while Lee stayed with Easton. Ever is still nursing so we thought it would be best. Today was tough. Easton is 3 years old and one of the busiest boys I know. Sitting in a hospital bed hooked up to a bunch of shit that sets off crazy alarms every time he moves wrong is definitely trying for all of us, namely him. Not to mention trying to keep little miss Princess Pickle occupied in this small space as well.
Easton is now receiving steroid treatments every 2 hours and is currently still on oxygen. We will not be discharged until he is completely off oxygen and down to only needing treatments every 4 hours, which he will now need even at home as a form of prevention. According to our doctor we won't be going home for at least another 3 or 4 days.
HOWEVER - I'm not buying that shit. My kids are pretty damn awesome and I've already seen one defy all odds - so I have high hopes for this one as well. These kids have natural born fight in their veins and I fully believe we can be out of here in a day or two. You know me - I always choose to fight for that silver lining. And if we are still in here for Christmas - well, we've already been informed that Easton will get the royal treatment, what with being one of the only kids here and all. I guess Christmas is a pretty big deal around here - all the firemen and policemen come to visit the kids and bring presents and all that good stuff. That warms my heart and makes me feel better. And it also reminds me of yet one more thing I can do next year to make somebody else's holidays a little brighter - stop by and visit a hospital.
So for those of you wondering - Bismarck, St. A's, 4th floor, room 4340 is where we will supposedly be for Christmas. And if that's how it will be - I'll roll with it. I used to ask why me but now instead I ask why not. In light of some of the things that recently happened in this world - I'm choosing to count my blessings rather than my troubles. Sure, I'd rather be spending Christmas with our family and it crushes my heart knowing what Easton is being "cheated" of his Christmas . But hey - he will still get the pleasure of experiencing one regardless of where its at and whether or not the circumstances are ideal, right? If I have to march my ass to Target and buy some lights and tinsel tomorrow to to make this room feel like Christmas - I'm all over it.
Until next time..
Mama A
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
We'll Call Her The Overachiever
It's funny how people are brought in to our lives to teach us things - to open our eyes, hearts, and minds to new things. Our children are no exception. In fact - I think they are the ultimate learning experience and the very best life lessons. And while I say they are the best life lessons, that doesn't mean they are easy ones.
9 months ago at this very moment I was being wheeled in to the OR, scared shitless and ready to learn if I was getting a son or a daughter. And a daughter it was. And while her brother likes to call her Princess Pickle - we'll just call her "The Overachiever"....
Today at 9 months she weighs a "whopping" 13 pounds (as of her last check up, though we have another next week), just double what she weighed at birth. We mainly cloth diaper but she does wear a size 1 in disposables. She started solids very slowly around 6 months and has had nothing but rapid progress since. She has 1 tooth but thinks she is a big girl now and wants very little to do with baby food. I've gotten to the point of steaming veggies until they are soft or cutting up the cubes of frozen fruit I make for her to pick up with her fingers because she is so insistent on doing it all by herself. She is also crawling like a mad woman, constantly all up in our Christmas tree.
Yes, we'll definitely call her The Overachiever. Never in a million years would I have guessed this would be how our story would go. She is rarely making it on the charts at the 5th percentile or below - but for her condition she is so far beyond what was and is expected. And yes - she is tiny, but she is healthy as can be. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy having a baby that actually stayed a baby for awhile. It seems our children are babies for 5 minutes and then you blink and suddenly they're 3 and crawling up on your dryer and dumping Tide all over your damn floor.
This little fighter has been through so much in her short little 9 months - and something tells me she'd just rather run than walk. That seems to be her only speed - kick all odds in the face and shoot for the moon. I can't possibly imagine where she might have picked up that characteristic.. I'm still undecided as to whether I should be proud that she has the heart of a fighter and a stubborn as they come attitude - or terrified. I guess I should probably be both.
Parenthood. The craziest roller coaster you could ever possibly ride. But definitely the sweetest and most rewarding thing life has ever handed me. And please - don't hesitate to remind me of this when I catch Easton shaving the dog, flushing wash cloths down the toilet, or trying to feed his sister legos.
Until next time..
Mama A
"Though she be but little, she is fierce!" - William Shakespeare
9 months ago at this very moment I was being wheeled in to the OR, scared shitless and ready to learn if I was getting a son or a daughter. And a daughter it was. And while her brother likes to call her Princess Pickle - we'll just call her "The Overachiever"....
Today at 9 months she weighs a "whopping" 13 pounds (as of her last check up, though we have another next week), just double what she weighed at birth. We mainly cloth diaper but she does wear a size 1 in disposables. She started solids very slowly around 6 months and has had nothing but rapid progress since. She has 1 tooth but thinks she is a big girl now and wants very little to do with baby food. I've gotten to the point of steaming veggies until they are soft or cutting up the cubes of frozen fruit I make for her to pick up with her fingers because she is so insistent on doing it all by herself. She is also crawling like a mad woman, constantly all up in our Christmas tree.
Yes, we'll definitely call her The Overachiever. Never in a million years would I have guessed this would be how our story would go. She is rarely making it on the charts at the 5th percentile or below - but for her condition she is so far beyond what was and is expected. And yes - she is tiny, but she is healthy as can be. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy having a baby that actually stayed a baby for awhile. It seems our children are babies for 5 minutes and then you blink and suddenly they're 3 and crawling up on your dryer and dumping Tide all over your damn floor.
This little fighter has been through so much in her short little 9 months - and something tells me she'd just rather run than walk. That seems to be her only speed - kick all odds in the face and shoot for the moon. I can't possibly imagine where she might have picked up that characteristic.. I'm still undecided as to whether I should be proud that she has the heart of a fighter and a stubborn as they come attitude - or terrified. I guess I should probably be both.
Parenthood. The craziest roller coaster you could ever possibly ride. But definitely the sweetest and most rewarding thing life has ever handed me. And please - don't hesitate to remind me of this when I catch Easton shaving the dog, flushing wash cloths down the toilet, or trying to feed his sister legos.
Until next time..
Mama A
"Though she be but little, she is fierce!" - William Shakespeare
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