Jen's Space

Wonderful

Emily had a great time with her school mate.  They had all sorts of fun outside.  I think that Emily maybe have had more fun with her friend's brother.  He had a lot of the same toys that Emily has and also a pet tortoise.  We were going to get a guinea pig for Em's birthday but I think she wants a tortoise now.  I'm happy with that.  I always wanted one when I was a kid.

This playdate was such a huge milestone for Emily.  When she was younger I worried about her so much.  Specialists thought that Emily might be autistic or have other social problems.  She was very much afraid of kids her age and would scream if any approached her.  Last year we dealt with extreme separation anxiety.  It was becoming crippling to her social development.  If you had told me then that Emily would willingly go to a classmates house and have a good time I would never have believed it.

When Emily started Kindergarten I had told myself that I would be happy if she could leave my side and go to school without tears.  When that happened I worried whether or not her classmates would accept her.  I didn't want her to be the outcast.  Her medicine has caused her to gain excessive weight.  She is on an extremely strict diet but will be pudgy until she is off of her medicine.  Jeremy and I have weighed our decision about this and have decided that it's better for her to be overweight and functioning than skinny and in a prison of fear.  I wasn't sure how she would be received by her peers.  Turns out that Emily is one of the more popular kids in Kinder and has branched out to make friends with kids that are in the other K classes also.

When this playdate was brought up I was excited that Emily would have a new playmate but worried as to whether or not she could handle it.  Jeremy is the one who takes Emily to school and picks her up.  Yesterday he went to say goodbye to Emily and help her get into her friends car to go to their home.  When he came back home I was half hoping that he'd have Emily by his side, telling me that she wanted to come home instead.  He walked in the door alone and with tears in his eyes.  We both cried together.

We cried, not just because our little girl was growing up, but because our little girl is just another kid doing what other little kids do.  No more therapy, no more delays, no more quirks that keep her from doing things that are fun, no more fears, no more tears.  Just normal.  I'll take normal any day of the week.

Come and Play With Me...

Emily has her first playdate without me afterschool today.  Her classmate's mother will be picking the both of them up after school and taking the girls home to play until dinner.  Emily is very excited I'm a nervous wreck.  I'll have much more to say about this later...

Happy Valentine's Day

The little girl I watch arrived with these bagels this morning.  She's my new valentine, hahaha.  I love bagels.  My heart did a pitter pat at the sight of heart shaped bagels.

Audrey approved of the contribution to our breakfast table...

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day.

All Stubbed Ub

Molly is the sickie now.  She's dealing with a congested cough and a stuffy/runny nose.  I still can't figure out how you can be both stuffy and runny.  I'm frustrated that all the cough and cold meds for infants are no longer available.  I was able to find a stash that I had purchased before they were recalled.  I know that the experts say that the meds aren't affective with younger children but I'd like to at least try.  Mollyboo is too little to have such grumbly cough.

Emily has yet to come down with any of these illnesses.  She was rarely sick as a baby/toddler.  I think her first cold happened when she was 2.  She must take after me as I have thankfully not caught any of these germs.  I'll probably regret saying that sometime tonight.

Completely different topic.  Have you ever had your dreams analyzed?  I've been having some really odd dreams lately and would love to know what the heck they mean. 

To explain my presence here.  I decided to take suggestions given to heart and post when I can.  I findh comfort in having a place to write down my thoughts.

Getting Better

Audrey is doing better today.  This morning from 3 a.m. till 7 a.m. we were at the ER.  Audrey woke around 2:30 with a temp of 104 and rising.  When we first got to the ER we were greeted by a woman who was wearing a sweat outfit, socks and an adult disposable diaper OUTSIDE of her pants.  I knew at that moment that we were in for a rough ride.  She was so hopped up on drugs that she paced the waiting room of the ER like a tiger in a cage.  I am so thankful for the security guard who was on duty.  He pretty much stayed next to Audrey and me the entire time we were there and kept that woman away from us.  I could barely understand what she was saying because her speech was so slurred she kept shouting that she was very thirsty and had really bad diarrhea in her pants.  *crossing eyes*  Later, when we were admitted to the ER I heard her shouting from another room.  "I'm in SO MUCH PAIN.  I need DRUGS.  I have SORES ON MY VAGINA and MY BUTT HURTS."  Truth definitely can be stranger than fiction.

Audrey had such an ordeal at the ER.  She went from having a urine bag taped to her, to having to receive a catheter, to having her temperature taken from her bottom.  Turns out that she had tonsillitis and the beginning of an ear infection.  She was administered antibiotics and tylenol.  By 7 a.m. her fever had dropped considerably and she was ready to go home.  She's still had a low grade fever but nothing like yesterday.  I think she must have picked up something from the doctor's office when we went in for her well check on Monday. 

I'm hoping tomorrow is a much healthier day. 

Sweet Audrey

I have decided to drop in for selfish reasons.  I need prayers and good thoughts.  Audrey had her hepatitis A shot on Monday.  She began a fever and vomiting yesterday afternoon.  This morning she woke up vomiting and had a fever of 103.  I was able to keep her fever around 102 all morning.  I called the doctor's office and was told that a fever and vomiting for up to a week is a normal reaction.  I put Audrey down for her nap.  I checked on her frequently.  Three hours later she woke up crying and telling me "I sick".  She felt so hot to the touch.  I took her temperature and she was at 105.  I was in such disbelief that I took my temp, Jeremy's temp, Emily's temp and Molly's temp.  All of our temps read around 98 degrees.  I took Audrey's temp again and it was 104.5.  I put her in a tepid bath and was able to get her down to 103 again.  By 6 p.m. I was able to get her down between 101 to 102.  I'm praying that the 105 temp was the pinnacle of this illness and that she is better by tomorrow.

I was so hopeful about Audrey's progress with weight gain.  When she was ill the last time she dropped to 22 lbs but ate like such a little piggy when she got better that she was 26 lbs at her well check on Monday.  I'm so mad at myself because I had told myself that I wouldn't allow her to get any vaccines this checkup because she had been so ill only a month ago.  When I found out that she had such a good gain I was confident that she could withstand the vaccine.  When will I learn to trust my mommy instinct? 

Done, Diddee, Done, Done

I think is going to be my last post.  I've been so busy with so many things going on that I feel like I'm neglecting my space here.  It just makes me feel guilty.  Heaven knows I don't need any more of that feeling.  I wish I could find more time in the day.  Seeing as I can't, and knowing that I need more sleep than I've been letting myself get, I find myself here doing what I'm doing.  What a bummer.