Showing posts with label medical adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical adventures. Show all posts

Friday, September 21

Too Pretty To Stay Inside!

This is it. This is the good stuff. This is windows-wide-open, feet-up-on-the-porch-rail, run-until-you-drop-just-because-you-can weather. This is the weather where you can drink coffee and not feel the need to justify it, or face the wiggly eyebrows of others as they glance between your steaming mug and the thermometer outside. This is the weather that makes me want to read interesting books, write thoughtful letters, and spend idle days in the woods with good company.  This. is. good.


The boys went hiking last weekend with their Troop. Awesome boys. Awesome Scout leaders. Everything you could want in Scouting. They had a great time. We saw some of the most beautiful flora, and... interesting fauna.

Could have done with a little less of the latter, to be honest. But you take Nature as she is, and, well, sometimes she's a little creepy. We've all been there. I don't judge.


I won't regale you with the tick story. Just trust me when I say I was thisclose to agreeing to up and move in the middle of the night. I hear the Arctic is nice this time of year... Also, two thousand mg of garlic daily is *not* enough to keep seed ticks off of you. Nor is DEET. Nor is any possible combination of the two. And those bastards can *bite*. Wow. (I'm sorry. That sounded judgey. OK, maybe I will judge. You bite my kids, you get no love. That's just how it goes.)


We haven't ridden or hiked much this week, what with the open wounds on our feet and ankles. (The toes! Every toe is covered! Ew!) Mostly we've just hobbled about in flip-flops with our pants rolled up, a cotton ball in one hand and a bottle of Calahist in the other. Got a lot of reading done, though, which was great. Again with the balcony love. (Seriously, if you have the opportunity to have a balcony, grab it, folks. If I'd known how much we would use ours, we might have put it in before we did the kitchen cabinets. Love!)

But today, the call of "highs in the 70's" lured us back out onto the trail...
It really is just too pretty to stay inside.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, May 11

Oh, wow.

There were farmers at the market! We scored collards and onions, berries and jam. The kids were oh, so happy. One of the farmers asked John if he's still cooking, and John told him he's planning on making a French Onion Soup with these onions. The farmer threw in extras. *love* He made it last night - we made ten cups of French Onion Soup, and there wasn't anything left! Em ate three servings. It was so good.

Jacob's new hair is much easier to pick through. He likes it, and said his head feels pounds lighter. He's been very good about remembering his probiotics, which is nice. Unfortunately, he's also having weird reactions to other things. He had a rash the size of a silver dollar pop up on his neck Wednesday, at the site of a sting or bite or something he'd gotten Sunday. I freaked out a little, but a friend reminded me that strong or unusual reactions to things are typical, and to mark the boundaries and watch it. It's shrinking. Just a rash. Kids get rashes. They're fine. Mommies get Irish cream in their coffee at the end of the day. They're fine. It's all good.

The Pack had its planning meeting Tuesday night, and it looks like we'll have a great year ahead. The Troop needs to have a planning meeting sometime soon. The boys went over to help their SPL clean out and organize the trailer yesterday. All the boys worked hard and brought some great ideas to the table. It was an encouraging day.

Today, however, we're being kicked outside to work. It's a day without rain in the forecast, and that means we have to beat back the foliage while we can.

So, to work!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Monday, May 7

T is for TICK!

This is when I really, really want to move.

We all take garlic every day. We do regular tick checks in the evening, and impromptu checks throughout the day. We use diatomaceous earth in the immediate vicinity of the house (but not all over the property, so it's probably moot, but even the psychological barrier helps). We Frontline the dog more religiously than we make it to communion. And still, we find ticks. It's just part of living in the South if you ever leave your home. Ever. Especially if your home is in the country.

And this week has been a bugger of a week for ticks. *shudder*

Yesterday, Jacob found one embedded on him. Deer tick. Engorged. His thick, curly, dark gorgeous hair is just the perfect hiding spot, and somehow I'd missed it during Saturday's checks. There's no way that thing hadn't been in there for a while. Gah!

I ran through the factors (length of time, engorgement, that he'd manhandled it out instead of waiting for one of us to use the tweezers, plus his fever, aches, stomach pain, swelling at the site, and a redness forming on his scalp), talked to friends who have experience with Lyme, girded myself with the information we needed (just in case) and called the doc.

I love our physician. I love his staff. I love them all. We are making them cookies. They didn't poo-poo us with the "We don't have Lyme here" routine (We do. It's not epidemic, but we do have confirmed cases in Northern Alabama. But there are still people who will swear we don't have it "here".) They didn't roll their eyes at the crazy lady with the theories. They got him in, checked him out, ran the factors, did the math, and then talked with us. I. Love. Them.

So now Jacob has a 21 day program of antibiotics, and a program of probiotics. And I have a physical weight released from my gut. Not to mention a bazillion dozen cookies to bake for the doctor and his staff. It means the world that they are thoughtful and proactive, that they have taken the time to stay on top of the latest protocols for diseases, that they are so thorough and focused, that get to know us and to listen to us. There's just so much I appreciate about them, from top to bottom.

Unfortunately, if we moved, we'd lose them! Talk about a catch-22!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Monday, January 23

Lost the cord again!

I saw a camera the other day that has the USB bit attached to the camera. Santa needs to see about getting me one of those for Christmas. In the meantime, we've cleaned the house, and there's no sign of the camera cord.

The camera is full, though, as the kids have been making videos. Oh, I need to buy each of them a camera with a boatload of storage (and an integrated USB dongle). The videos are sweet and funny. Or, they are once I stop hyperventilating over the fact that children don't tend to pick up before they film. Heh.

School is going beautifully. The first two weeks have been great. The kids' new math books arrived last week, and they dove right in. James moved over to Wheelock's for Latin. I hate Wheelock's, but he's happy. He'll wrap that one up this term, and then... I dunno. Orberg? Wing it? No clue. But that's not now, so we'll enjoy the rest of this term. We're hoping to have a few good adventures along the way!

John's ankle is healing well. He's off the crutches, and winging about with the boot. I've put a total moratorium on Paper On The Floor. Normally, I try not to be too uptight about it. It's hard not to have paper on the floor when someone is always sketching or drawing or making diagrams - between the five kids, there's... there's a lot of paper. Aesthetically, meh. But if you step on it with a boot? You're goin' DOWN, folks. And I can't... we can't have two broken bones on one child all at once. *shudder* For the time being, paper is now a Controlled Substance.

Jacob brought me the first Daffodil of the year, yesterday! We don't normally get them until February, but here they are. It's been a wet and balmy winter. I hope we haven't missed our pruning window for the trees! We'll check this week and see what we can do. In the meantime, we have a beautiful bit of sunshine in the kitchen window. Hopefully, it's the first of many to parade through the house this year!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, January 6

A Different Plan

The bed risers came today. We got them installed. (Or, put in. "Installed" seems a bit heavy on the pretense, doesn't it? All we had to do was lift the bed and slide the feet under each corner.) It's pretty neat, except Jase seemed to think we did it just so he can't get in the bed. (He figured it out, and all is well in his world, once again.) However, we didn't do much with the room, because we ended up with a different plan:
Yay for picking the Sports Medicine doctor as our regular doc! 

John took a tumble playing (ironically) Wipeout at the skating rink today. I have NO CLUE how to tell if an ankle is broken. It seemed broken - my gut said it was broken - but everyone around us seemed to think it was just a nasty sprain. And honestly, I couldn't have given one good reason to think it was more. Barring actual bone protruding through the skin, I'm not sure I could spot a broken ankle vs. a sprain on any given case. So we called our doc, explained the situation and John's condition, and they got us in this afternoon to give it a look. Three cheers for in-house x-ray, and immediate diagnoses without having to go to the ER! (We are all about the bright side, here.) He did break his ankle, right by the growth plates. Doc has made it clear he will be very aggressive with keeping an eye on how things heal up, and we'll adjust The Plan as we need to. In the meantime, John's got a boot, and he's to live in the boot and love the boot and use the boot to garner sympathy and milkshakes. Well, I'm paraphrasing, really. But yes, the boot stays put. The boy stays still. We'll check in on Monday, then again in two weeks.

John's so good-natured about the whole thing. He'll be fine and right as rain in no time. I really wonder where these kids came from, but wherever it is, I'm keeping them. They're awesome.

And yes, we stopped for an ICEE on the way home. (I offered a milkshake, from Zaxby's, even - actually, I kind of begged, because that did sound really, really good - but he had his heart set on a squishee from the gas station, and who was the stop for, anyway?)

Bedskirts and sheets can wait for another day. I'm just very glad we could get him taken care of - and that we have such a fantastic doctor (and ALL his staff - really, the whole practice is superb) to help us put them back together when they start to fray at the seams a bit.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, September 14

Domestic Bliss? Sure, okay.

Today, I wished it was still Saturday. Saturday, we ate with friends, enjoyed the mother of all household bon fires, played with the kids, and wallowed in the gorgeous weather.



Today, we were at the dentist again, then to the post office, the museum, music lessons, gas, errands, groceries, Scout preparation, and... and that's when I fell asleep on the couch. The Novocaine had worn off, but the Ibuprofen hadn't kicked in, so sleep seemed best.

Naps were a lot more restful before I had small children. Namely, Jase. A prone adult figure just begs to be scaled, leapt from, leapt on, kneed, poked, and coated in whatever he's eating at the moment. I'm sure it's great fun when you're three, but it's not so much fun for the prone adult.

Zorak made enchiladas (because he loves us), and then we enjoyed piling everybody on the couch to watch Shaun the Sheep. By the end of the day, I was glad it was today, because even the busiest of days end up with all of us, together. I can't beat that.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy



Friday, September 2

That's Done

I saw the doc today, to have him check out this cough that's not going completely away. He said it's normal to have a residual cough for up to six weeks after having pneumonia. I guess I looked a little queasy at that thought, because he was kind enough to assure me that's the outer edge of normal. (Then he not-so-encouragingly added that after about 12 weeks, it shifts from "acute" to "chronic" and then you have to start looking for other things.) I put in my vote for residual and acute, grabbed my prescription for more prednisone, thanked him profusely for his time, and got out of Dodge before he could think of anything else to share.

Then I came home and mopped the floors. Something had to give. If we ever win the lottery, I'm going to go hog wild and do crazy things, like hire contractors to finish the work I'm just too tired to spool up on, and pay someone Very, Very Well to come mop the floors once a week.

We missed the homeschool skate today - because I'm not the only person who holds off on seeing the doctor all week, then, when things don't clear up by Friday, decides it's better to go in *now* than risk an ER run at some point during the weekend. Bless the doctors who are open on Fridays, and deal with the backlog so gracefully. But the kids who lose out are also appreciated, and we'll try to catch the public skate tomorrow, after the Battle for Decatur. It's a Civil War display, and looks to be very interesting. I love historic re-enactments, regardless of the era. But I could never participate in them because of the attire. These things are always hosted in the dead-on heat of summer, and have you ever noticed the clothing for the dead-on heat of summer is *the exact same clothing* they'd wear - comfortably - in the stark, cold middle of winter. The kids love the presentations and lectures. I miss out on them, though, because of the monologue running through my head...

"You are so, incredibly, unbelievably tough... My word, but you've got to be dying in that thing... how many layers is that? Wow... I wonder if they've experienced spontaneous combustion at one of these things?"


And so on. Until I'm ready to go steal a Squishee machine and haul it to the field. FREE SQUISHEES FOR EVERYONE IN COSTUME!!!

The ice skating rink will be a lovely reprieve after that. The kids will love it! Maybe I'll try to steal a few of the participants, too, and buy them Squishees at the concession stand. They had Squishees in the 1800's, right? ;-)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, August 19

PSYCH!

I do love that show. But no, really, I thought we were well. We were well. Except, I had a cough that would not go away. At all. Finally, when sleeping upright in five minute spurts lost its novelty, I went in. Ha - pneumonia. Part of me was glad the doc didn't just tell me it's a virus and there's nothing he can do. (That's a typical Mom Fear, there. You hate to go in for a virus, knowing you could come home with Staph or Malaria or something and just have to go back later.) A (much larger) part of me was SO thankful it wasn't something Really Big And Scary (that would require biopsies and blood). And then a wee, small part of me had to roll its eyes and say, "Really, Dy? Way to go, there, dork." So, a short course of steroids and two weeks of antibiotics later, and we are back in business for real. And all the parts said, "WOOHOO!"

Fingers crossed, and all that.



We had Scouts today. The Bears made bird houses. BSA regulations limit Bears to using only hand tools, but they made the most of it and the houses turned out fantastically!

Our Webelos made the most amazing bat box. (He gets to use the power tools. He did a wonderful job.) He also did some research and taught the rest of us quite a bit about bats. Then Zorak filled us in on more neat things about bats and bat boxes. Now I want a bat box.

The siblings made pine cone bird feeders. The basement smells like the Chipmonk's cafeteria -- all cedar shavings and food.

We have a hike and a spelunking expedition planned for next month. I can hardly wait! There's been more, too, but the laundry calls and for some reason this dinner won't cook itself, so for now --

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Tuesday, August 2

Back to Business

Zorak fell to the crud this morning. The alarm went off, and I heard through the darkness, "My throat... oh god, I need sleep." Yep. That's pretty much it. Thankfully (sorry, Love), he didn't give in to it until this morning, which left him free last night to finish configuring the ventilation on the washer/dryer unit and put it back into place! If we were younger, or not sick, there would have been much fist bumping and booyah-ing. We settled for a test load of whites and satisfied nods. I'm still somewhat surprised that it doesn't feel as dull as it sounds.

Meanwhile, everyone else is healthy and mobile again. As much as I hate it when we catch a virus, I do so appreciate that they're short-lived and not life-threatening. SO thankful.

I had a follow-up with the periodontist today. Had all the body parts crossed, and set a few things on fire in the hope of getting good news. I told the hygienist I felt like a kid at exams, hoping to pass. Something worked -- I got the green light to see my regular, everyday dentist next week to get started on the very last leg of this whole process. (Then I squealed at the hygienist, "I passed!" She laughed. My very sweet, very proper perio only looked between us and muttered something along the lines of, "ok, then." I think he just knows intuitively it wouldn't be funny, even if we explained it.)

And really, I have no clue what else happened today. Been floating on the cloud of relief, hearing the sweet mantra of "almost done!" in my head. Good, good stuff. James gave me a mental high five for getting done just in time for him to start with the orthodontist. AAahhhhh!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Saturday, May 21

And then, out of nowhere.

Surgery! Again!

Good heck, but we've been put under too often as of late. (Although in reading up on this procedure, I see that it's sometimes done under local anesthesia, and I've got to say, WOW. Um, I... don't want to be awake for that. No complaints, here.) I had a sore spot over the weekend that wasn't responding to salt water rinses or tea tree oil, so I called my dentist on Tuesday. He suspected it was related to the implants and suggested I go through the periodontist, just in case.

Come to find out, it was an old problem resurfacing - a narrow, twisty root that had been a problem when I'd had a root canal done a few years back. The endodontist had cautioned at the time that it might need an apioectomy at some point. So this was not unexpected, precisely, but since we hadn't had problems with it in the previous two years, we'd all sort of figured it was put to bed. Turns out, not so much.

Yesterday morning I took the Cub Scouts to the Cultural Event at the Oakdale Indian Mounds (it was a fantastic outing!), and that afternoon I went in for surgery. The periodontist took care of the problem, bolstered the area up with yet more bone (I'm starting to feel like Wolverine), as it was adjacent to one of the implants, and sent me home with all the things a girl might need to get some rest. Well, almost all. Zorak did stop somewhere along the way and get me a milkshake. (Two, it turned out - I drank his, also. I was HUNGRY.)

Zorak took the kids to a friend's house that evening and they played and had supper together while I slept. Today, Zorak took the kids back to the Mounds to enjoy a few of the displays and activities we hadn't had time to get to Friday, and then to a birthday party at the ice rink. I slept some more. Now he's exhausted from cat herding all day, and I'm thankful beyond belief. But wow, where'd the week go?

On the up side, the Most Amazing Dr. said that the work he did February had healed up well enough that he was able to uncover the implants and install the abutments! So as soon as this latest development is healed up, I can go in for the crowns. Two months ahead of schedule, even! This endeavor has been long, expensive, and not a little scary, but we're nearing the payoff, and I am so glad for that.

And my sweet, sweet children brought me a little bag of candies specially selected from their stash, for me to enjoy as soon as I'm well again. With that kind of care and thoughtfulness, I feel like I could conquer Mt. Everest!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Thursday, February 24

Doctors and Scoutnig and Rain, Oh My!


Zorak had his surgery Friday. It went well. The man has the constitution of a Southwestern Homesteader, that's for sure. The broken bone needed no work, as it was already mending quite nicely. Doc dealt with the torn bits and sent him on his way. I am so glad (and *thankful*) that he's not been a pain in the butt kind of recoverer. This is one of those injuries that requires cooperation and focus, or it could be ugly. Zorak's been fantastic. If he keeps this up, he'll be back out there in just a few months, working in the garden and helping the boys with projects as if nothing ever happened.

The Blue & Gold was nice. Really nice. The boys said they had a blast. Parents have said they enjoyed it. We were in and out in an hour and fifteen minutes. There was time for skits and fun stuff, awards, announcements, special recognitions. The Friends of Scouting rep gave an awesome talk, and I hope we gave well. The best part, for me, was when the people who helped me wade through the waters to make the event happen laughed and said, "We should do this again, next year." Truly. I've worked in volunteer organizations before and I've never heard someone say they *wanted* to take on a job or position again. That made my heart smile, on many levels.

We're now facing all of the projects we had lined up for March. Most of them, we'll need to modify and/or push back. Some, we simply can't. They're springtime projects - pruning the big old fruit trees, putting in the garden (I might sell the stove so I can buy a tiller, because I don't have it in me to turn that thing over by hand again!) I told the boys Zorak's been promoted to Supervisor for the Springtime, so he'll be lining us up and we'll need to do the work. I'm not sure they believed me. (He's never been not-doing-work on projects.) But we'll get it done, and it will be good. Anybody have a cherry picker we could rent for the pruning?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, February 16

Quickie!

Yes, I'm posting between breaths, lately. Right now I have a freshly cleaned and turned mattress with clean sheets awaiting me (compliments of the one who fell asleep and peed on the other sheets... *aherm*) and I can barely keep my eyes open.

First thing: Our Pastor's wife is a saint. I know, that sounds cliche, doesn't it? But no, she really truly is amazing. Any woman who doesn't even *blink* before offering to triple the number of children in her home all day long when you need emergency child care? Made of some fantastic combination of angel dust and titanium.

Second thing: *argh* Zorak's final, official, really-real diagnosis is a torn ligament in the rotator cuff *and* a broken bone. He's more than a little freaked out by the sheer math involved in the odds. (I'm still weirded out that he was wielding a chain saw just this past weekend...) End result? Surgery, and a minimum 3 months of physical therapy. End goal? 100% recovery. Could be worse. Could be much worse. We'll have our minds wrapped around it shortly. I hope.

Third... oh, lunch at Logan's Roadhouse. I cannot believe we've lived here nearly six years and hadn't eaten there, yet. Oh, but we will go back. Yes, we will. We might even take the children. AND they have a gluten-free menu, too, which I thought was pretty awesome business sense.

And now, good night!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Tuesday, February 15

I have ten minutes

I've got ten minutes while the Creamy Citrus Ginger dressing mellows, then I'll have to go round up the children and turn a hose on 'em so they can eat. Ah, it's gorgeous out. AND, I have a child who asks to mix up something called Creamy Citrus Ginger Dressing. Seriously? When I was 12, I failed a Home Ec assignment because my lab partner and I were convinced that if we doubled the brown sugar and the chocolate chips, we'd create the BEST COOKIE BARS EVAH. For obvious reasons, Mrs. Baker (kid you not, real name) disagreed. We could not choke down the cookie bars to save our grades. But here, I have been blessed with a child who makes this, and not even for a grade! Ah. Sometimes, when life is not fair, it's totally not fair in-a-good-way. Mrs. Baker would be proud. Or shocked. But I'm going with proud.

Zorak, turns out, broke. his. arm. on our ski trip. Yeah, I know. I have no clue what can be done a month later, but he goes in tomorrow to see a specialist about how to deal with it. He asked me last night to go with, so I've spent the morning leaving messages with everyone I know who either lives between us and the doctor, or isn't afraid to watch five kids at a Chick-Fil-A playground for an hour. On a day's notice. Wee! (You can imagine how terrifyingly short that list is. *sigh*) I very briefly considered giving Jase a heavy dose of Nyquil and just taking them all with us, but that was only for fun. Nobody really does that. Anymore. Ah, yes. So, I'm hoping somebody will call me back and say, "Sure! I love those fries!"

We spent the weekend thinking about getting some work done on the land. Got the driveway graded, so that was huge. Plus, we got to visit with friends when that was done, so that was cool. You can't hear the Volvo cry out in pain when Zorak leaves each morning, now. It's very comforting. Now, to get gravel on it before it rains. That will be the challenge.

And, I do believe that was ten minutes! Time for lunch! Yum!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy


Sunday, February 6

On Resting

I'm resting well. Healing well. Feeling very close to 100%-ish. The kids and Zorak are picking up ALL the slack, and honestly, they're rocking it, big time. I just slipped out to see what smelled so good, and Zorak said, "We've actually kept this general area fairly clean the last couple days. Honest." (Truth be told, it looks fine - better than I thought it would. AND, they have soup simmering. Scotch Broth recipe from an old cookbook, made with venison in lieu of beef. Soaked barley and lentils. Smells heavenly! They better save me some. Total win category, on all fronts.)

Meanwhile, aside from enjoying the "special rocks" the little ones bring me throughout the day (yesterday, they came bearing large chunks of concrete - friends joked that the house may be missing foundation pieces - until I can verify, though, I'm just going to say they're washed out bits of the driveway. Please be the driveway...), and soaking up the ongoing bomber snuggles Jase provides (he knows he's going to get caught by *someone*, so he goes very very quickly) -- well, I've been reading. And watching.

Reading:
Lawrence of Arabia (Alistair MacLean)
Sisters Grimm, Book 1 (Michael Buckley)
The Imaginary Invalid (Moliere - a quarter of the way through, and I can't remember how to do accents properly in this editor, sorry)
The Crimes of England (GK Chesterton)
The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

(Yep, somebody downloaded the Kindle for PC app onto the netbook. I'll probably run out of memory if I'm not careful, but that's a quick and pleasant way to blow an afternoon! It is also amazing how much reading you can get done when you're not doing anything else. AND, I'm officially putting the kids on alert that Mommy Wants a Kindle for Her Birthday.)

Watching:
Psych (Season 4 - Netflix)
Eureka (Season 1 - Hulu)
The Bounty (with a very-young-if-you-count-on-a-curve Anthony Hopkins)
Jodhaa Akbar (Netflix)

But I miss the kids and our regular routines. They've been getting ready for bed early enough that I can slip out and read to them. I appreciate that - that time is as much for myself as it is for them. (We're reading 100 Cupboards right now. That's been a fun ride, so far.)

Today was the first nice day we've had in a week, and after they finished their chores and had breakfast, they were out all day - running, climbing, splashing, playing, chasing, swinging. Zorak said at one point he thought about putting them to work picking up the recycling area, but he looked out at them all, running through the meadows together, taking turns on the swing, laughing, playing, and he just turned around and went back to his own projects. Just one of the many reasons I love that man - he gets it. They're learning how to work hard and play hard. That's an awesome combination.

And now, I'm going to go see if that soup is ready!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Saturday, February 5

Winter wonderland!

We keep getting snow! And rain! It's beautiful and wonderful. We need another few loads of gravel and some concrete, though. The driveway looks as though the house has been abandoned longer than we've actually lived here. The Volvo lodges pretty legitimate complaints every time Zorak tries to leave. Hopefully, we'll be able to get the drive graded and lay down some rock in the next week or so, seeing as Zorak kind of has to go to work on a regular basis. I'm sure the UPS guy would appreciate it, as well.

In the meantime, I've had the next round of surgeries on my jaw this week. Today was a recovery day. I am thankful to have an astoundingly talented periodontist who I trust with my life. I am also thankful, 24 hours later, for the technology that is modern pharmaceuticals. Truly. Beyond words. God bless the inventors of Percocet and Zofran, and those who make the generics available now. *\o/*

It's funny, though how often I wish for some quiet time, yet by about ten this morning, I found myself just listening to the kids down the hall, and it was impossible not to scoop Jase up in a big old snuggle every time he made a break for it and came rambling down the hall to me (which was about every 30 minutes or so). It made my jaw ache a bit, but I couldn't resist reading with the boys at bedtime. That really was the highlight of the day.

They're enjoying the long weekend, and getting ready for the Pinewood Derby. I think today they set up the track in the basement and rigged the lever so Jase can operate it. He had a blast, but from what the boys said, he forgets to clear the track. I think they're being gracious. I doubt he's forgetting anything - he's more likely aiming more for a Pinewood Demolition Derby. Regardless, he's stoked and the basement is Speed Shop Ready! Let 'em roll!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, October 27

Quarantined Wednesday

We are home and quiet. Kids are napping and quiet. I am 2/3 of the way through spritzing ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING down with Tea Tree Oil. No, it's not exactly the scent I'd like wafting through the house, but you know, it beats the smell of vomit. Or fear.

James came out to the living room last night, around eleven, to tell us Jake Rabbit was sick. Actually, what he said was, "I think Jacob is sick. I heard him cough, fall off the bed, throw up, and run out of the room."

So, uh, yeah. We ran the numbers in our heads really quickly and figured he's probably not field testing impact gear, or trying old MREs. Poor kid was not only sick, but utterly disoriented. Not a clue what happened, or why he was out of bed. What a lousy way to wake up, huh?

Zorak did the dirty work of cleaning up the room and setting up the cot for him. I got to draw a bath with lavender and eucalyptus, run a washcloth gently across his forehead and mutter "poor dear". Really, I felt bad. I got the sleepy smile and the whispered "thanks, Mom", but Zorak's the one who did all the hard work. (It's okay, I thanked him later. That's how teamwork goes, right?)

This morning? John's green around the gills, and James slept until well past ten. (We are, actually, slow morning starters around here, but that was late-late, even for him.) Jacob's still a little wobbly. If I thought they'd let me, I'd wrap Jase and Em in saran wrap and air filters for the next 48 hours. That being somewhat out of the question, however, we're settling for the usual routine:

Wipe everything down.
Don't touch anything.
Drink your emergen-C.
Stop touching things.

If I have to, I'll strap a tissue box and a trash bag to every person, give them each their own Camelbak, and feed them all in separate rooms. A general cold, I can handle. Even the stuff that leaves everybody feeling wrung out and sluggish? Well, those have their up sides, really. But things that make them puke? And they're still mobile? Seriously? No. Cross contamination is not an option. Quarantine! Isolate! Nobody else must get sick!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday, May 21

Getting Stuff Done

This year, we've all got allergies. Not quite what I was shooting for, as a family gift, but it has brought us all closer together. We congregate near the antihistamines and tissues. We take advantage of that quality time by coordinating appointments and practice/game schedules. As a result, we're getting caught up on a number of overlooked topics.

James and John saw an optometrist today. Or an ophthalmologist. Or, something. He had a lot of equipment. He spoke very slowly and clearly. He seemed to shoot me straight. It's all good.

John got a prescription for reading glasses. He said it's mild enough that he wouldn't normally even recommend glasses, but based on John's migraine problems, and our description of how we've tracked that down, he said he's confident this will eliminate them. Wee! John will be excited when he sees it play out. I am excited right the heck now! Also, the doc said he has no scarring visible, which was one of those *exhale your relief inappropriately loudly in the office* moments.

James' vision is fine, and we ascertained that he's certainly not shy. But the Doc was concerned about the beating James' eyes are taking from the allergies. We left with some otc suggestions for eye drops, and an open invite to call in for more options if that doesn't do the trick. James was hesitant (the last time we tried eye drops, they burned horribly), but he said this stuff (Alaway. Catchy, huh? That link has a $4 off coupon, too, I just noticed. Huh. Should've looked earlier.) doesn't burn. And the difference was 100% worth it. Again with the excitement, but this time, it's both of us.

Now to finagle a physical for Scout camp, and an office visit for what's beginning to sound like a lower respiratory infection... and I wonder if someone would come to our home to potty train Jason? (No, really. I am so tired. And not really looking forward to carrying three spare sets of clothes at all times, or to strategically purchasing my groceries based on distance from the bathroom. We just got EmBaby out of the habit of having to use every toilet in every location. Market Day just recently became quick and efficient!)

But, other than that, and general follow-ups for the rest of us, it's looking like things are about to slow down, a bit. Oh yeah, that'll be nice.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Wednesday, April 14

On Changes, Food

Ok, so Emily and Mere wanted to know more about the nutritional changes we're making. (But y'all need to share yours, too! Learning is more fun, together!)

I'll be upfront: I hate change. Really, I do. Sometimes, it's necessary, and good. Then, I can handle, at times, even embrace it. Most of the time, people want change for the sake of change, with no regard to whether it's a change for the better. When that gets foisted upon me, I loathe it even more. That's what re-arranging the furniture, or coloring your hair, is for. Not for major life changes.

So, when we do decide to change things up around here, it's usually done with a fair amount of thought, research and planning before hand. That's not to say we have all the answers. We're pretty sure we don't even have most of the questions yet. It just means we've taken stock and decided that, for this house, and this family, at this point, this is what we're going to do. And sometimes, in case those aren't enough qualifiers, we don't end up able or willing to pull it off at all. Yep, just drop your pocket change in the therapy jar as you enter the foyer.

One last caveat, so that nobody confuses me with a "professional" in any sense of the word, I'm a gleaner. Gleaning has saved people from dying off, and from making poor choices whole hog, for centuries. Any process that provides that much consistent return is worth looking into. So, when I say I get a lot of insight from Nourishing Traditions, (and I do!) that doesn't mean you'll be able to pry the pressure cooker from my cold, dead (and potentially malnourished, since I keep using the danged thing) hands. I still believe the pressure cooker is the procrastinator's crock pot, a little technological gift from God so that we don't have to choose between eating our food raw and not eating at all. (Yeah, I know, Jess, but I will probably always cook at least some of my food. Love me where I'm at, right? *grin*) Gleaning means that I get why that's not the best way to go about getting food on the table, and I'm willing to work toward an ideal. Or to incorporate those bits that seem to mesh with the above mentioned legwork, meow meow, study, meow family. Meow. (tried to find a link to Daniel Striped Tiger's talking, inserting "meows" in, here and there, but, um... wow. the word "meow" has been taken to an HNL in the past few years. no video for you!)

So, the nutritional changes, we've actually been making slowly over the last year or so. It began with raw milk, spread to soaked grains, moved on to my quirky affair with kefir, and so on. Then, due to logistics, we let the raw milk slide. Life has a way of not letting things slide, however, even when you think it'd be easier to do so. And this was no exception.

John's had a bit of health trouble the last six months or so. We got most of it ironed out, except one: stomach pain. We checked the wheat, we tracked his diet, we flipped his mattress, upped his water, tested eighty gallons of blood, blah-blah-blah. The kid's been a tough little lab rat the past six months, lemme tell ya. Then, one day, while a friend lovingly let me freak out to her about scheduling a visit with a neurologist, it hit me: in John's nine years on earth, the ONLY time he's been free of stomach pain has been when he was on raw milk. That includes the wheat-free years. He's never been free of stomach pain. He had a lovely reprieve last spring, and then, *bam* it was back. Right when we went back to store-bought milk. Hmmm.

So, we found a closer source. We got him spooled back up last week, and within 72 hours, the stomach pains diminished significantly. Within another 24 after that, gone. From 3-4 episodes a day, to nothing, in a week. Guess what's going on our regular grocery list, now? We've made some other changes, too - not all at once, but bit-by-bit.

~ We're pretty much a juice-free home, now. Zorak occasionally buys orange juice. But I don't schedule it into our regular diet. The kids eat fresh fruit several times a day, and they drink water both at meals and throughout the day. They have access to the milk whenever they want, as well.

~ I've cut my coffee consumption exponentially (not exaggerating), replacing that with water, as well.

~ We've moved our Big Meal of the day to an earlier spot in the day, and added in a few smaller, but more intentional meals.

~ We eat breakfast and lunch outside, whenever possible. The atmosphere can't be beat!

~ Oat groats, instead of rolled oats, go farther, are more filling, and have more nutrition. Larger upfront investment, if you buy through a co-op, but an enormous savings, overall - not just financially, but in health benefits, too.

The savings from eliminating juice (and other peripheral beverages), and reducing the coffee consumption, alone, freed up money to spend on local, free-range chicken eggs and fresh, thick, clean milk.

And some changes aren't changes. They're things we've always done, and still feel are the best choice for our home. We still use lard. We still eat meat - red meat, white meat, wild game, you name it. We still have pintos (or some kind of bean) available every day. I've got the boys convinced lentils are cool, but they're relegated to lunchtime only because Zorak thinks they're puny and lacking in body, much preferring the noble pinto. We skimp on junk food and keep a good supply of veggies in the fridge.

The boys are cooking with us more, too. Now that Jase can get up onto the counter and back down, he's pretty, erm, "involved". Em dons her fairy wings and mixes or pours. James made a fantastic guacamole to go with lunch, today. They made a dutch baby (new recipe) and a recipe for German pancakes the other day for breakfast (they did a comparison - and the verdict is, it's the same thing. We ate it all.) Jacob's venturing into the kitchen for a little one-on-one, and learning the ropes as he goes. These are always excellent kitchen happenings!

I'm sure there's more we can do. Probably more we will do. But right now, for this home, and this family, at this point, this is a good place to be.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Tuesday, March 16

Well, Hello!

The weekend flew by with an unbelievably busy schedule, but it was so thoroughly enjoyable. We had company, company, and more company. Ate a lot of food, shot a lot of rounds, and shared a lot of laughs. Can't ask for much more than that.

Thanks to the rain, baseball was canceled both Friday and Saturday, which gave me not only a bit of a reprieve, but a false sense of security, as well. Then it didn't rain yesterday, and we paid for it, today, with three different doctor's appointments, two baseball practices, and Cub Scouts. (Really must remember to take the pocket calendar with me into town, and never do that, again.)

On the upside, I did manage to get the crockpot cranking before we left. Yes, I'm now 2-for-70 on that, and Rockin' the Domesticity. (It wouldn't be nearly as exciting if I pulled it off all the time, now, would it?)

We're getting settled in with the new doctor for the kids. I really like him. The kids seem to like him. And, joy of joys, he hasn't pulled the Voice of God act on us, when it comes to some of our less-than-mainstream lifestyle choices. If I had any ability, at all, I'd sing, or burst into dance. But, like I said, I really like him, so I'll refrain and just smile and nod a lot.

Me-Wa found a chiropractor he trusts, and recommended him to us. I went first, to check him out. (Nothing says "Mommy loves you" quite like taking point, right?) I like his method and philosophy quite a bit. Now, after going for almost three weeks, I also like being able to hold my children without my legs going dead numb on me. Haven't been able to do that for the last three babies. This is the first time in over six years, too, that I haven't had constant lower back pain. Wow. John's been seeing him for a week, now, for a few issues. Mainly, he's been having headaches, which the adjustments have nearly eradicated. This is *huge*, and makes a big difference in John's overall outlook on things. It'll also, hopefully, make it easier to pin down the other concerns. Good stuff.

And really, although that doesn't sound like much, it's all I've got, for now. I promised myself I would make a few changes this month: drink more water (still trying to figure out how to do that without giving up the coffee -- I've been tempted to take up drinking soda so I could have something to switch out for the water and still feel like I'm making progress, but that plan, appealing as it is, didn't pass scrutiny); get more rest (this is more an ongoing pursuit than a tangible goal, I get that); live more intentionally (this has been a habit for a while, but sometimes it's good to get back to the basics); and... I've forgotten the rest. Oh! Yes. Be on time more often (yeah). So, with that in mind, I'm going to turn in before it is midnight. It's still close enough to the time change, that my body thinks it's eleven, and I'm hoping to kind of feint a punt and knock it out of the ball park, then come in under par.

Perhaps in April, I'll spend a little time working on my sports metaphors. Until then, Kiss Those Babies!
~Dy

Sunday, November 8

And then, all at once...

Wednesday was my surgery. This was the dental surgery that we've been putting off, saving for, then putting off some more, for a year and a half. Yeah, nothing like letting your dual natures duke it out while you stand back to see what happens, right?

For me, it was less harrowing than I'd feared. Significantly so. Kudos to general anesthesia and Percocet! For Zorak, it was... probably about as bad as he feared. I'm not sure. I still catch him looking at me occasionally like I'm a half-starved, Parvo-stricken puppy he found in a back alley (which, to be completely honest, freaks me out, because I *feel* fine... until I see him looking at me like that).

I stayed contentedly drugged up for the first two days, then eased up so I could function and remember when to take what. (MUCH easier to do if you're not leaning too heavily on the pain killers, and I have enough respect for chemical reactions not to taunt the Clotting Gods by drinking alcohol.) Even so, the rest of that week is a bit of a blur.

The doctors were wonderful about filling me in on what to expect, from the swelling, to the fact that the surgery was extensive enough to alter the shape of my face. The swelling was quite impressive, and somewhere around day five, I began to worry that perhaps the Manimal snout was the new shape of my face. (Thankful for health, and bone grafting and technology, but there were a few Panicky Vanity moments. I'm not going to lie!) The doctor was able to do all that he'd hoped to do, so that was good, and the follow-up visits I've had indicate things are healing well. I am also happy to say that I'm free of cheezy, early-80's special effects.

In the meantime, Halloween and all its attendant activities were in full swing. The boys got to give their outfits another round at the Reformation Party at church. This was the first year for it, and it was, from all accounts and pictures, a fantastic success. Pastor's wife put it together as a spur of the moment thing, and she did an amazing job. I'd give body parts to have her organizational skills and talent for party hosting! Next year, we'll plan ahead more and she'll have more help.

Then, Halloween. Good stuff. Busy stuff. I slept. Also good stuff.

The kids shared all their softer candies with me - peanut butter cups, mostly. So sweet, and so thoughtful. (Also, so tasty!)

And, that pretty much brings us up to the present! I'll post pictures separately, because they don't want to be in with the surgery re-cap.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy