Hand, foot and zees

Playing with their Spiderman toys this morning, Dean tells me, "Spiderman is sick. That's why the other Spiderman has to take care of him."

"Oh no!" I say. "What's wrong with Spiderman?"

Dean: "He has hand, foot and zees."

Ha! That cracked me up.


P.S. Did I ever post this photo of Clair holding her nebulizer, like a pro?

Isn't that the cutest and saddest little thing ever? I'm so glad that icky cold is over and we have packed the nebulizer up -- for a little while, at least.

Bye-bye, cold! Bye-bye hand, foot and zees! Good riddance.

Waiting on those shamrocks

So Dean is getting better from his case of HFM, just as Cary is whining and writhing about his.

Yes, Cary has hand, foot and mouth disease now, and this is far worse for us than it is for him because unlike Dean, Cary does NOT handle pain or discomfort well at all. (He's like his mother in this way.)

He was so miserable on Sunday -- curled up into a little ball on the couch, pleading for me to lie next to him on my bed, moaning and complaining all day long -- that I stayed home from work yesterday to make sure I could be there for him while Michelle dealt with the other two.

But in the middle of my day off to care for Cary, I decided to use the time to take Clair in to the doctor to see about her incessantly dripping nose.

Sure enough, Clair's got a sinus infection, an ear infection and the doctor threw in a second steroid to help with her wicked wheezing.

If you're having trouble keeping track, Dean's antibiotic for his ear infection ends today; Clair's antibiotic started yesterday. Dean's nebulizing treatments have done the trick; Clair's have been doubled down. Dean's HFM is on its way out; Cary's is just beginning.
And me and children's Motrin are best friends.

And did I mention it is (literally) 3 degrees here today and with the wind chill it feels like negative 500 or something? We're in the middle of something called a "polar vortex," which totally sounds like it is straight out of Game of Thrones. ("Winter is coming...")

Where is my good luck? These darn four-leaf clovers need to hurry up and grow!

They're getting there! Good luck is ON THE WAY. :-)

Actually, I am counting my blessings that I haven't gotten sick yet this winter, even in the midst of all this sickness. I think all that Vitamin D is helping. So that is definitely lucky for me! It's amazing how much easier it is to cope with three sick children when you are not also sick yourself. Let's pray it stays this way.

Grow, shamrocks! Grow!

So far, 2014 has see-sawed in, with some ups and some downs. Already.

The ups:

Staying true to our goal of raising children who understand that they are contributors to this family, not celebrities in it, we gave the boys a new daily responsibility: making their beds.

Yesterday, we walked through the easy steps of straightening their blanket as best they can, placing their pillow on top of the blanket, and arranging their stuffed animals on the pillow however they want. (I'm going for a very non-Type-A, loose interpretation of bed-making here. We'll work on technique [many] years from now.)

Both boys did really good jobs!

Dean:

Cary:

Not surprisingly, Dean has embraced this chore with exuberance, and Cary has complained, three times in the span of 24 hours, that "I don't want to make my bed nice and neat, no thank you." Once, he even said to me, in the middle of doing something else altogether, "Mommy, I have an idea. You can make my bed nice and neat, OK? I don't want to. You can do it."

See how he thought he could convince me that I was getting the better end of that deal? Hahaha. Umm, nice try kid. But no dice.

I'm determined to make this a daily task, until it becomes a habit. Lester is understandably worried about the added time this will take in the mornings when we're usually rushing like crazy people to make it out the door. So our compromise is that they don't have to make their beds until after nap, putting the onus on Michelle to see to it that it gets done during the week. If this doesn't work, I'll have to insist that they do it in the morning. Pray for us.

We also started off 2014 by "doing a science," as the kids call it -- planting shamrock seeds in little eggs. This was one of their Christmas gifts from Santa.

About every hour, the boys ask if their plants have grown yet. Sometime next week, I should be able to tell them "yes!"

I'll be glad to have some 4-leaf-clovers growing in our house. We could use the good luck. Which brings me to the "downs" of 2014.

Poor Dean complained that his ear hurt on Monday. I took him to the doctor and sure enough, he had an ear infection. He's on Augmentin now (can we ever be rid of that damn drug??!) and copious amounts of Motrin, because Dr. Bodnar said he had a lot of pressure built up in his ear. He also is on the nebulizer three times a day because, unbeknownst to us, he had a little wheeze going on. (Clair's been wheezing too, so she's also on the nebulizer, although she doesn't make it easy on us like Dean does. Holy refusal-to-sit-still, Batman! That girl is such a warrior.)

Anyway, we figured a little wheeze and some antibiotics weren't too bad to start off the year. After all, last year we were all sick as dogs from late fall 'til Spring broke.

But last night, just after Lester and I got settled in to watch season 1 of "Game of Thrones" -- a Christmas gift from my Dad -- Dean came into our room complaining that he couldn't sleep anymore because his feet hurt. Huh? His feet?

Sure enough -- the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands are covered in red splotches, and he's rashy on the backs of his hands, his lower arms, and his feet and legs. He stayed in our bed, because he was convinced that this made him feel better, and this little boy tossed, turned, kicked and swatted at us LITERALLY every 10 seconds until about 3:30 a.m., when Lester finally saved us all and carried him back to his own bed. It took some convincing, and a lot of crying, to get him to stay there, but finally he fell asleep. Of course, by then, I was wide awake and couldn't drift off until sometime after 4.

And yes, today is my first day back to work. Zzzzzzzzzz.

We called the doctor (again) and he suspects hand, foot and mouth disease (which Lester had surmised) so poor Deanie has to go back to the doctor (again) this morning. Poor baby boy.

So that's one ear infection, two kids on nebulizers, one case of (possible) hand, foot and mouth disease, one sleepless night and two visits to the pediatrician.

Yay, 2014!

But actually I'm not all that bummed. Such is life with kids. Such is life, period. And in fairness, the high of possibly having two kids (somewhat) making their own beds this year is enough to carry me through the lows of stupid illnesses and interrupted sleep.

And when those shamrocks sprout - watch out! I'm predicting nothing but rainbows in our house after that!

Yay, 2014!

UPDATE: Diagnosis is back - It is definitely hand, foot and mouth and Dr. Bodnar says it will likely make its way through all the children. What did I say earlier about rainbows and all that crap? Ugh. Those shamrocks need to GROW, dammit.

40 means better health

Since I last posted about what things I want for myself as I approach turning 40, I have been felled by a barrage of sicknesses.

First, I caught the upper respiratory thing that Cary, Dean and Clair had. And then, I got the stomach bug that Cary and Dean had over the weekend. Oh, didn't I tell you that C & D had a stomach bug? And that they both threw up multiple times Friday evening into Saturday? And that we had to change sheets and pajamas a total of 4 times? No? I must've blocked that out.

But it is much harder to block out when the bug comes for you. So I have been suffering with sickness for days and days. Sunday was the worst, and to add insult to injury, Lester came down with a sudden, bizarre, achiness-chills-fatigue thing that kept him in bed for hours.  I was wiped out and weak from not eating, plus my throat hurt, so I took to our bed too.

This meant a record low point in the Davis family parenting. When the kids woke up from their naps, neither Lester nor I had the energy to do anything - nothing - not one thing. So we tossed the kids in the bed with us, piled a breakfast tray with grapes, goldfish, chicken nuggets and water, and laid, catatonic, for 4 and a half hours, while the kids watched episode after episode of Sesame Street, Yo Gabba Gabba and Curious George. Four and a half hours of TV in one day. No engagement. No nothing. Occasional grunts of affirmation or opposition. That's it. Like I said, a record low.

Lester and I both stayed home from work yesterday, that's how bad it was. Today, he's much better; I'm marginally so. Clair's still hacking away; Cary's got a nose like a dripping faucet. My stomach is still gurgling and my throat still hurts.

All this is a long lead-up to the very first thing I know I want for myself and my family as I approach 40.

I want GOOD HEALTH.

I am so sick of being sick (seriously, no one warned me how sick we'd be once the kids went to school. I hold all of you accountable). I am so sick of saying "I'm sick." I am so sick of worrying if I'm going to get sick when one of the kids get sick. I'm sick of the kids getting sick.

I want good health in our house and I'm willing to consider all suggestions as to how to go about getting there.

A mom in C & D's class once told me all about all the vitamins and supplements and castor oil-type yuckiness she serves her kids every morning before school. "My kids hardly ever get sick," she bragged. This was the beginning of the school year, before the boys were attacked at every possible juncture by germs, so I thought to myself, "Neither do mine, sweetie."

I secretly scoffed at her, but now I'm planning to ask her about her regimen.

I know I need to quit playing around and just EXERCISE, fercryingoutloud, but other than that, there has to be something else I can do to fight these germs. Vitamin C pills? Should we stop eating all processed foods? Become vegetarian? Eat Paleo? Someone suggested a shaman -- I'm this close to Googling one.

I don't know what I have to do, but I'm going to find out. It's time for better health in my house.

(First up: Get thee to a lab to get sugars tested, Tanika!! And take this pre-diabetes seriously!)

My first photo retraction

I caught a lot of flack about posting the photo yesterday of the boys on their potties. Lester was good-natured about it, but let me know that he wasn't thrilled. Angel made me worried about weirdos lurking around every mouse-click. And sooo many people on Facebook said my kids would hate me for that picture later, I actually started to get sad thinking about it.

So I took it down.

I want this blog to be honest -- our family, warts and all. But I don't want to embarrass my children unnecessarily. And I certainly don't want to compromise their safety. So I'll admit that I made a mistake (even though I thought the photo was cute!) and move on.

And just to even the score, here's a picture of me this morning, no make-up, sick as a dog (AGAIN!), in my bathrobe, in bed:

Lovely, no? I especially love my double chins and Kimora Lee Simmons neck rolls on full display. And what you can't see are the balled-up tissues strewn all about, or the half-eaten oatmeal on my nightstand, or the laundry that needs folding all over everywhere.

Seriously. Can it just be spring already? I have never been sick so much in my life. Excuse me while I go blow my nose -- again.

The word of the day: Perspective

Yesterday, Lester took Dean to the doctor to see about the complaint he was having about his ear. We were especially vigilant because Michelle told us that Dean had a little waxy substance coming out of his ear when he woke up from his nap the day before.

This happened with Cary over the holiday break, if you recall, and it turned out -- after a few days of us thinking it was only ear wax -- he had a burst eardrum! So we weren't taking any chances with Dean.

Guess what? Dean has an ear infection. And of course he would! This is the Davis House of the Infirm is it not?

That makes us 3 for 3 for kids with ear infections this winter. And it also brings the total number of people on antibiotics in our house to 3 (Dean, Clair, me). If you count Michelle, who has also been taking antibiotics to help with her month-long sickness, that's 4 people!

And we're now on week 4 of me being sick -- although I have to say, I am feeling better finally, thank the good Lord in heaven (and also thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. And time, too, I suppose.)

Anyway, I got a good dose of perspective this week from Laura C. so I have resolved not to complain about the relatively minor things that are affecting our family's health.

Instead, I will take time to reflect on how amazingly amazing my children are. Because they are here for such a very short time, in the scheme of things, and tomorrow is never promised.

Even though I felt like shiznit, I took the boys to the playground on Sunday, because it was such a nice day. We ate snacks and played for close to two hours. They loved it!

 

Here they are playing "train." Dean is the "tunductor." At one point, Cary looked at the letters on the side of this toy and said, "B. Eight. O. Spells 'train.'" I told him he was absolutely correct.

At some point on Sunday night, while I was fixing dinner and Lester was "watching" the kids in the basement, and also the football game, Dean brought me my cell phone, which had been disabled. Why was it disabled? Because Dean had been playing with it -- a No-No! -- and iPhone shut him down!

Later on, I looked through my photos and found that my Dean is an incredible artist. Check out these two selfies he took -- somehow using my Hipstamatic program.

The perspective on those selfies just grabs me. Who is that little boy? What is he thinking? What does he want out of life? Where will he end up in the future?

Anyway, he also somehow got into a drawing app I have on my phone for kids, created an abstract - and then took a screen shot of it.

What does it mean, Dean? What does it MEAN?!

I honestly have no idea how he was able to do all this. But one day, when my child's artwork and photography is hanging up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, don't say I didn't tell you.

And, just for good measure, here's a picture of  my darling Clair -- without her hair standing up all over her head.  For a kid with an ear infection and RSV, she is really super pleasant. And cute, too.

Hello lovely!

And, since I am in supreme children-appreciation mode, and want to savor all my wonderful memories with them, here is a video of the boys when we were watching the Inaugural parade on Monday, and they got inspired by the marching bands to dance along. I hadn't intended to post this, because the playroom looks such a mess. (Isn't that silly?) I mean, who the hell cares? Having kids is messy sometimes, and in our house, more often than not. So here they are, the marching, dancing Barack Obama-loving Davis boys:

I was feeling like total crap by the end of the day Monday, and I was also feeling just a wee bit jealous of all the people who got to go to the Inauguration and feel -- in person -- the simultaneous solemnity and excitement of the day.

But in retrospect, I am so glad I got to spend a few minutes in the messy basement playroom, with my children, enjoying them as they jumped and danced and marched and laughed. These are the moments that give meaning to my life.

Perspective = Realizing I wouldn't trade this time with them for anything in the world.

RSV, ear infections and other loveliness

There is a pox on my house.

Saturday we discovered Clair has an ear infection and RSV. She's on antibiotics for the ear infection. She's sleeping poorly.

Yesterday, on one of the most exciting days in recent history, I spent the day at the doctor with Cary and at my own doctor. Cary, it turns out, also has RSV (but his ears are clear, thank God). And I have an upper respiratory/sinus infection. Cary got albuterol; I got antibiotics. Last night, I had drainage from hell -- I seriously could not breathe. Between that and Clair not sleeping well, I got very little sleep.

And then this morning, when Lester woke the boys up for school, Dean cried and told him his ear hurt. When I hugged him and asked him what was wrong, he said his neck hurts (that means his throat). Lester took his temperature and it was slightly elevated (100.2) but when I called his doctor, he said to just see how it goes today. When I dropped Dean off at school, his head felt really hot to me. And he was sullen and slightly whiny. So I guess we will just see how the day goes. If I end up having to take him to the doctor today, I guess I would not be the least bit surprised.

I am sick of sickness. Have I said that already? Ugh!

In other news, what little I did get to see of the inaugural festivities moved me to tears. And Cary and Dean thoroughly enjoyed watching the parade. They danced and jumped and banged on their drums, saying, "Look Mommy, I'm a marching band!" And whenever they caught a glimpse of Barack Obama, they whooped.

Also this weekend, Clair climbed up all the stairs while I was outside putting a carseat in the car and scared the living CRAP outta me. Once again, I was completely caught off guard by her reaching this milestone.

And also...this happened -- many, many times:

In sickness and in health, folks, time keeps moving on.

Sick of being sick and tired!

I am sick.

I got some mutant version of the flu (all-over achiness and exhaustion, but no fever) on Wednesday. I've been home, in bed, pretty much ever since. Today is the first day my fingers have felt normal enough to even type. Isn't that weird? Seriously, even my teeth were sore. Such a bizarre little bug.

Meanwhile, I've been able to rest, thank God, because 1) Michelle is here during the day with the kids and 2) Lester has arranged his schedule to be home when Michelle gets off. So I have been able to nap, and rest, in my darkened room. I am so grateful, and blessed. And boy did I need it.

But this does not mean all has been easy.

Except for Lester, the whole house is sick. Cary, Dean and Clair have a nasty cough. Cary's coupled his cough with an off-and-on fever. Clair's paired hers with a majorly stuffy/runny nose that keeps her up all night. The boys haven't been to school in two days. Everyone's been in their pajamas, skulking around, clingy and needy.

When I ask the boys in the morning how'd they sleep, Dean says, "I was keep coughing!" Poor thing.


The kids and I have been battling sickness of some kind since before the holidays. And I was pretty sure I was as sick as a person could possibly be when we were traipsing around New York City, in the freezing cold. But this last flu-like thing put me under.

Michelle has been sick, too -- with a horrible cough and congested lungs for over a month. And just today she said, "Oh no. My body is starting to feel achy. Even my fingers feel sore." I nodded, with sad understanding. I know where Michelle's gonna be this weekend.

I'm seriously tired of being sick -- and tired. Can it just be spring already?

Sheesh.

P.S. In other news, Dean jumped on a library book Cary was reading yesterday and ...tore it. Of course. Ugh!!
P.P.S. A lot of folks have suggested sleep sacks for Clair, to prevent her from suffocating herself at night. Question: Will she still be able to move around freely at night in them? She is a really active baby. I seem to remember sleep sacks being more for smaller babies. Did you guys use them for your nearing toddler-hood babies, too?