Archive for August, 2008
August 29, 2008
floop!*
We took Charlie to the emergency room last night, because he was having trouble breathing. I wish there were a way to make that funny, but hoo boy it was NOT. Wade had gone up to the playroom, where our desk computer lives, to check his email and he heard Charlie gasping for breath; when we turned on his light, his lips were purple and he was wild eyed and terrified. This morning I was thinking about what might have happened if Wade hadn’t gone to check his email, if he had stayed downstairs with me, where all we could hear was the television.
Not funny.
Charlie has croup; he’s still sounding kind of froggy today. He’s also tired because we spent three hours in the ER waiting room, you know, waiting. And also watching Hannah Montana because apparently there’s some rule against watching good TV in the ER waiting room. There also appears to be some rule about not turning the volume down to a reasonable level because holy hell it was loud. No one needs to hear Billy Ray Cyrus that loud.
I’d never seen Hannah Montana before and perhaps a visit to the ER wasn’t really the right situation in which to experience the phenomena of Miley Cyrus for the first time, but honestly I hated it. Then again, I was a little stressed and pretty cranky, so who knows. I probably shouldn’t blame poor Miley.
(You know Miley wasn’t her real name — it was Ruby or something like that — it was a nickname because she was such a smiley baby, and then she had it legally changed. Insert eye roll here.)
The triage nurse told us that Charlie likely had croup and not pneumonia, and she gave him Tylenol for the raging fever and then we sat and sat and sat in the waiting room where of course he had no trouble at all breathing properly. The other patients were nearly all people who were treating the ER like a primary care physician’s office and were in need of throat cultures or follow ups for ear infections, and at some point we realized both that it might be 3:00 am before Charlie saw a doctor AND that croup was something our primary care physician could treat for us, so we went home, without seeing a doctor. Charlie slept in the bed with me, and aside from coughing a little was fine.
I, of course, was awake for most of the night waiting to see if mah baybee was going to stop breathing and dieeeee. Which he did not.
Today we saw the pediatrician; she confirmed that indeed he DOES have croup; she gave him an oral steroid to prevent any more scary not-breathing episodes and also to help him bulk up for soccer (kidding! ha ha so funny). So all’s well that ends well! I guess.
*Last spring my next door neighbor took her son to the ER for — guess! — croup, which he still refers to as “floop.” I love that. Also, when we realized that Charlie needed to see a doctor pronto last night, we called the same neighbor, who came over in her pajamas and slippers to stay with Henry. I just love her, I truly do. We are NEVER MOVING.
August 28, 2008
I have real pants on now
This morning I realized that I had spent over 36 straight hours in yoga pants. Not the SAME yoga pants, mind you, but still. YOGA PANTS. For THIRTY SIX HOURS.
Holy hell.
Tonight I made corn on the cob for dinner; Wade and I each ate one whole cob (is that the proper term?) and then split the remaining one because it truly was the Best Corn Ever. And Charlie asked, “Mama, why do you always take the pointy end and give Daddy the stubby end?”
Wade thought that was hysterical because in sixteen years we’ve been together, this is the FIRST TIME I’ve ever made corn on the cob. Seriously.
I have a new post up at Gather, in the Egg Council’s Incredible group, about eating breakfast for dinner. And last week’s post (in case you missed it YOU DIDN’T MISS IT DID YOU?!?) was about a great site called Mommy, What’s For Dinner? I love that name so much.
Finally, if you do nothing else today, go over to Design Mom and check out the auctions for Nie Nie Day. Nie Nie Day is a fundraiser for Stephanie Nielson, of the NieNie Dialogues; Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were in a plane crash last weekend and are still in the hospital. Their recovery will be long and hard.
Stephanie’s sister, C Jane, has been writing about what they have been through this week. “I am starting to believe that there is no such thing as tragedy. There is only opportunity for growth, and should you accept it, the reward overcomes the sailing of the hardship.”
I don’t know Stephanie, but I know Gabrielle, and her heart is huge. She has over 275 auctions raising funds for Nie Nie. Go, bid, help. It’s such an easy thing to do, and it will make such a huge difference to the Nielson family.
Thank you.
August 27, 2008
send help (or vodka)
After spending most of yesterday fever-free and bored, Charlie woke up at 5:15 am crying because his nose was stuffy. I hadn’t had enough coffee yet so for a moment I thought maybe he had strep throat because we ALWAYS have strep throat, just not usually this early. But then he rallied and got dressed and went happily off to school, where he lasted until 1:00. By then, he was running a 102 degree fever again, and his teacher called me to come get him.
Awesome.
We went out to the pediatrician (after I had to wait twenty minutes on hold to even talk to a nurse and THEN had to valet park because the construction at the heart hospital has eaten up all the parking spaces). The nice nurse swabbed his throat and reported that no, he does not have strep, which is really kind of a bummer because now we’re left just riding out the virus. Motrin and ice water! And a martini for Mommy!
Oh except we’re all out of booze. Damn.
That would all be fine, of course, except for this: Henry got up at 5:00 am with a bout of diarrhea that has lasted ALL DAY LONG and has been punctuated by long spells of hysterical crying and assertions that he is going to THROW UP RIGHT NOW (he has not yet thrown up, nor do I think he’s going to, although we had a very bad moment on the way home from school when I seriously though I might have to pull over and let him hurl in the neighbor’s yard because NOT IN MY CAR SON FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY). In between the crying and pooping he has been sleeping, which was nice since he was home from school all day.
Let me say it again: HOME ALL DAY.
Tomorrow, they will both be home, because no one will be 24 hours away from the last incident of fever or poop. But by the time we’re 24 hours out and no longer contagious, I may very well be dead.
I am in my workout clothes, which I put on at 5:00 am this morning when I got up to make coffee and lunches because OF COURSE everyone was going to go to school today and I would have time to exercise and shower after I dropped them off. Also go to the grocery because we are out of EVERYTHING. I ate salt and vinegar potato chips for dinner. Does that count as a vegetable?
Yeah, I didn’t think so. Damn.
