DAY TWO...

I said goodbye to Kaleb around 7am and hadn't seen him again until 9pm tonight.  It was a LONG day for him.  A lot going on.  I worried about him and checked in on him through out the day.  He reassured me that he was okay and his arm wasn't bothering him too much.  The first thing I did when he walked in the door was check his arm.  I wasn't happy with the way it looked.  Yesterday you'll remember me tracing his red area with a pen.  The red area has grown significantly as you'll notice in the pictures below.  He still is fever free which is a good sign, but it looks like we'll be heading back to the doctor if it isn't improving by morning.

CELLULITIS

I KNOW you were all eagerly awaiting the next hospital visit in this family.  I feel like a weekly drama on television.  This (early) morning didn't disappoint.  Steve came in to my bedroom at 5:30am to have family prayer before heading off to seminary with Kayla.  All the children gathered on my bed and due to a poor nights rest, I painfully climbed out of the covers to kneel with my family.  After we say our goodbyes each morning, Kaleb always climbs back in bed with me.  (my bed is 'way more comfortable' he tells me)  This particular morning he gets all comfy and then reaches his arm out and tells me to feel his elbow.  He tells me that it's been bothering him all night, especially if he rubs it against anything.  I give it a good feel, didn't think much of it and turned over to get about 30 more minutes of rest before getting the second crew out the door.  When I finally did wake him for the day I told him to let me get a good look at it...because he was still complaining.  That's when I noticed the size and redness of the area.  I sent him to school knowing it was cellulitis, but wanted to see what the nurse thought.  Thirty minutes into school she calls me and agrees he needs to be seen, so off we go to the ER.  

(normal elbow on the left...infected elbow on the right)

Two hours and one impatient 'patient' later we walk out of there with two antibiotics and the orders to rest his arm.  (that means no sports)  We'll see how long THAT lasts.  

Stay tuned for the next edition of (as my sister-n-law so lovingly refers to us) "House of Pain".

Over and out.

IT'S BACK

I just might have jinxed my daughter's JRA remission by posting about it yesterday.  Last night during her AAU basketball practice she told me that her left knee is stiff and swollen, a sure sign that she's having a flare up.  So much for remission...back to her doctor we go.  I love her attitude though...she just rolls with it.

Homework time is my favorite time of night with Kayla.  She's always in such a good mood and likes to talk, so much so that I have to continually focus her back on task.  FOCUS KAYLA!

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 As you can see...she is very focused!

CARDIOLOGY/RHEUMATOLOGY

Tuesday was one of those days that I am happy to put behind me.  When you start the day with a BAD night of sleep, it makes anything seem LOOOONG.  The girls and I were up at 5am and on the road by 5:45am for my doctor appointment 70 miles south.  As the nurses were hooking me up to the EKG, they asked me if the two girls that I had with me were my little sisters. (grin)  "Yes...yes they are."  I got the confirmation from this heart specialist that all is well.  His only concern is that he worries about me passing out while driving if I happen to have an episode.  I'm not overly concerned with that only because my episodes seem to happen at night when I'm completely relaxed.  (I had another 'episode' last night which leaves me feeling funny inside...and not the 'ha ha' kind of feeling)  I grabbed my sister's (grin) from the waiting room and drove 90 miles north to DHMC for their physicals and Kayla's appointment with the rheumatologist.  Lucky them.  Seven shots later (between the two) and a diagnosis of Kayla's JRA being in remission (YAY!) we got back in the car and drove 70 miles homes where  I fixed dinner, got the kids off to their church activities, ate a whole sleeve of thin mint girl scout cookies (they seem a whole lot smaller than I remember!) and put myself to bed. 

IT TAKES TWO...

...to start my van.

When I drove down to visit my sister last weekend my van died.  We tried and tried to start it but wouldn't. I left in her (not really) spare car and headed back to New Hampshire.  Steve rented a car dolly and drove his big 'ole truck down to Massachusetts to bring back Ruby.  (that's her name)  When he got down there Ruby started for him.  (so glad we rented a dolly and drove the beastly gas hog down to retrieve her.)  My sister graciously followed Steve back to New Hampshire in Ruby and then turned around in her (not really) spare car and drove home.  That afternoon I drove Stevie to her piano lesson and when we got back in the car it was dead. (sigh)  I called Steve to come rescue us.  In the meantime I tried and tried to start it but she just wouldn't.  He arrives, sticks his hand through my door and turns the ignition and it starts.  I'm thinking Ruby is playing favorites.  Annoyed I drive home.  Today I take my girls to the library and again she plays dead.  I call Steve to come rescue us.    He shows up and Ruby won't start.  He lifts the hood and discovers a wire that has been spliced.  He connects the two and instructs me to turn the ignition and it starts.  So THAT'S the problem.  The cop shows me what to do.  "Just take the screwdriver and hold it against these wires so that they connect.  WHAT?!?  Metal against metal?  I give him a nod and I am off to run errands...by myself.  I finish them in record time and wouldn't you know?  My car is dead.  (don't even get me started on what I have to do to even OPEN the hood...the latch is broken)  I finally get the hood open and now have to figure out how to connect the wires AND turn the ignition.  Go, go gadget arms?  I tried wedging something to hold the wires in place while I ran around to the driver's seat to turn the key.  Nothing.  I try again and again without success.  Darn you Ruby.  I have to call Steve and play the 'damsel in distress' for the 86th time in less than 3 days.  

(I think he's tired of rescuing me)

AND JILL CAME TUMBLING AFTER...

My life is ONE.BIG.HOSPITAL.VISIT!!!

This week was school vacation for my kids.  That means lots of skiing.  This morning I sent the kids up to the mountain for a couple of hours.  Kayla called about 90 minutes into it and told me she was ready to come home.  I told her dad was out running errands and he'd be up in about 20 minutes.  In the meantime she decided to make a couple more runs while waiting.  She followed her snowboarding brother down the terrain park and hit one of the jumps that made her go higher than anticipated.  She landed on her back/tailbone and heard a crack.  The rest is history.  

 After a long visit to the ER with pain medicine on board we found out that nothing is broken...(thank goodness)...and that she'll be sleeping belly down for a few weeks.  OUCH!

EEG/ENT

Yesterday we had a full day of appointments for Kaleb.  I had to sleep deprive him for his EEG which meant that I was sleep deprived too.  He did well for his test and then we went to Audiology and ENT.  His left ear isn't hearing well again.  (no surprise there) And the surgeon that we met with told us that he wants to go back in and fix his titanium piece so that his hearing will be stable.  His surgery is scheduled for March 24th and the good news is that the recovery won't be as long...just a week instead of a month.
Here Here to good Hearing!

PHOTO BOOTH FUN

School breaks are always sad because we never end up having the same weeks as my kid's cousins.  We do the best we can and usually spend the weekend in between vacations together.  My girls had a blast hanging with cousins all weekend which included a trip to the mall...something that is unfamiliar to them up here in the north pole.  A trip to the mall always warrants fun 'photo booth' pictures.  The ones they brought home were interesting to say the least.  The youngest male cousin was having 'photo booth picture' envy (because he wasn't old enough to wander the mall unsupervised) and so I promised him the next best thing.  Before we left, we stuck all remaining cousins in the nearest closet for a quick photo shoot.  

Maybe it's not as authentic as a photo booth, but it's just as squishy. :)

I thought it came out pretty darn cute and little Mr. Dub seemed quite pleased.

BIRTHDAY DINNER

Our adopted family that we LOVE came up to visit us for Stevie's birthday and surprised her by treating her (and us) to dinner at Friendly's!

THANK YOU BACH'S!

(it was YUM!)

BIRTHDAY FUN!

Birthday's with cousins are FUN!

 Her favorite gift?  A sock monkey from Abbey!

(can you tell?)

The traditional "Hutchins' Bite" turned into a shove from her brother...

look at the love emanating from her face. :)  

Stevie's birthday was filled with lots of 'firsts' and special moments.

We are grateful and feel so lucky to have her as a part of our family.

xoxo