Nov/Dec happenings

We have had a lot going on lately!



My mom came to visit for 2 weeks in November during which time I had hernia repair surgery. The surgery itself was pretty quick and easy but I had a few minor complications and ended up in the ER, twice, in the 2-3 days after surgery and then needed to see an urologist the next week. Besides those hiccups surgery and recovery went, and is continuing to go, very well! My mom was a HUGE help while she was here and flew home, after 2 weeks, on November 29th.



I honestly don't remember a lot of early December. December had been a whirlwind of Christmas planning and holiday shopping! And we did have a few fun days of snow! It started snowing on Friday, Dec 8th before the kids got out of school. I braved the snow and potential ice (the roads never got very bad) and ran a few errands after school Friday afternoon and evening. On Saturday the kids played out in the snow for a while. Lily loved sitting in the snow and building a "ho-man". I ended up having to take her inside before she was ready because she wasn't wearing snow pants or waterproof gloves. I knew she was getting too cold. That afternoon (the 9th) Jasmine had a fever and felt pretty bad but by Sunday afternoon she was feeling fine. Sunday evening it seemed Cruz and Sophie were coming down with it and I could tell Lily wasn't feeling very well either. Monday morning we kept Cruz home from school. I could tell Lily was feeling worse as the morning went out. She went down for a nap after lunch and I rested next to her for most of her nap. I kept thinking she was feeling pretty warm and made a mental note to check her temp and give her meds as soon as she woke up. After a long nap she started waking up and even asked for a drink. She seemed like her normal little self until I carried her out my bedroom door. I was literally heading towards the stairs to get the thermometer when she leaned way over in my arms and starting having a seizure. I have never been so terrified in my life. My first though was... oh, it's a febrile seizure.. Arawyn (my cousin's child) had these when she was little. I expected it to be over very quickly. Then the panic set in as I carried her downstairs and she kept seizing! I started to call Javier at work, then decided to drive her to an Urgent Care. As she kept seizing I was thinking I couldn't buckle her in the carseat in her condition and realized I couldn't hold her while driving either. I quickly called 911 instead. They dispatched an ambulance right away and the 911 operator talked to me for over 6 mins. Lily was still having seizures for at least half the phone call. At this point I was sitting on the front porch step with her in my arms. She had foam coming out of her mouth. I've always heard of foam coming out of one's mouth during a seizure but never could imagine. This was saliva and spit just foaming up into bubbles and drooling out of her mouth. During the phone call I started to panic. I was thinking what if it wasn't just a simple febrile seizure? What if she was really dying? I had a vivid picture of my dad and other ones gone on before gathering around Heaven's gates ready to welcome her Home. It seemed so real and so possible in that moment. I really did think I was losing her for several moments. During this time Cruz and Sophie were hanging around looking scared. I had told them to run get their shoes when I was thinking of driving to Urgent Care. Sophie had her shoes on and was next to me asking me to tie her shoes while I was talking to the 911 operator ha! After I called 911 I told Cruz to run next door and ask the lady next door if he and Sophie could stay with her. She doesn't hear well and couldn't hear the doorbell. As soon as Lily's seizure stopped I carried her over and knocked and quickly told the lady what was going on. She was very sweet and had Cruz and Sophie come in right away. All this while I was still waiting for the ambulance. It seemed to take them forever. I finally saw them driving up the street and ran to the curb with Lily in my arms. After her seizure she went into a deep sleep with heavy breathing followed by.. what seemed like.. shallow breathing. I was still terrified but hopeful because the seizure was over and she was breathing. I handed her over to the EMTs and ran inside to go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, throw on some boots, grab my purse and lock the door. I felt super guilty leaving her but knew I needed shoes and my purse and needed to lock the door. I also figured they didn't need me in the way and they told me I could run inside for a moment. Once I got in the back of the ambulance I figured we would take off but no. The driver had apparently come around to the back and was working on Lily so they were left without a driver. It seemed like one girl in the back was newish. She stood off to the side and kind of watched everything while I helped the other two EMTs who were working on Lily. Thankfully I'm not too squimish and I've been around Lily in hospital situations (although not emergency situations) before. They cut off cut pajamas, put an oxygen mask over her face and poked her about a thousand times in each arm trying to draw blood. At the time I knew that previously she had had IVs in her hands.. not in her inner arms/inner elbow area but for whatever reason I figured they knew what they were doing. They didn't. They never did get an IV into her inner arm/inner elbow area but I set an watched while they poked a long needle around under her skin and drew way too much blood that was going every where. Ugh! Meanwhile we were still waiting for a driver to show. I swear we live in a very small town. What the heck? I glanced out the window and noticed more emergency vehicles pull up and I think a fireman or someone finally jumped in the drivers seat and we took off. Of course I was closely watching Lily. She seemed very, very sleepy but her eyes were open. I tried to talk to her while I held her oxygen mask in place but she seemed so out of it. I really got scared when she started staring at me but obviously wasn't seeing me. Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused. Meanwhile her hands were clenched up in an abnormal looking fist which immediately made me think of a boy I used to know who had severe brain damage. I was terrified that Lily would never be normal again or was even dying! The EMT next to me said she's having another seizure and at that point the ambulance sped up and the lights and sirens came on. I was scared to death inside. I thought I was losing her. I didn't expect another seizure. I didn't expect that blank look in her eyes or the clenched fists. Looking at her I didn't see how she would ever be the same little girl again. During all this... from the time of her first seizure until we got to the ER... time stood still. I have no idea how long it took from the beginning of the first seizure until we entered the ER. It was an unreal feeling to see my little 2 year old wheeled out of an ambulance surrounded by EMTs. We went into a large ER room (much larger that the ER rooms I had just been to myself a couple weeks prior) and I swear there had to be 10 to 12 people standing there. I awkwardly stood off to the side very conscious of the fact that I hadn't brushed my hair or put on make-up that day. The EMTs from the ambulance asked me a few questions and had me sign a few papers. During this time Lily had been moved from the stretcher to a hospital bed. I could hardly see her. She was surrounded by so many hospital workers. I kept my distance because I didn't want to be in their way. Within a few minutes it became apparent that she was stabilizing. Her fever was up to 103.5 when we arrived and she was given meds to help it go down. They also took blood and urine samples. Several nurses moved out of the room while two or three stayed for a few more minutes. I was able to go to Lily and stand near her head. I ran my fingers through her hair and talked to her in a calm, quiet voice. Not long after she started fussying and crying. I was able to pick her up and hold her while I set in the bed in a reclined position. I stayed that way for a few hours at least. I was even holding her while they brought an x-ray machine in and took a chest x-ray. The x-ray of her lungs also came back clear. For a while we weren't sure if she would be transferred to a children's hospital for the night or if we could go back home. There were a couple phone calls between the ER doctor and her pediatrician and they agreed to go ahead and send her home. Around 6 or 7 that evening her fever had gone done and she had stabilized enough that we were released to go. By this time she had started waking up and even drank a little water. I told her her daddy was coming to take us home. When Javier and the older kids walked in she was so excited and hugged each one tightly. It was the sweetest thing. By the time we got home she was walking around and even had a few snacks that evening. We kept her on a strict schedule of Tylenol, then Motrin every 4 hours. Thankfully she never had another seizure or scary episode! We had a follow up with the pediatrician the next morning and she confirmed these things are terrifying but fairly common. Lily looked great except one of her ear tubes... that she just got in March... seems to be falling out and she had an ear infection. Lovely. She was on a prescription for that for several days and seemed to get over her illness pretty quickly. It is Christmas Day now and she almost seems to be getting sick again! I'm a little nervous but plan to give her Tylenol before bed tonight just in case. And she has another follow up with the pediatrician on Wednesday. I'm really concerned that she made need her ear tubes replaced and I just hate the idea! I don't want her under anesthesia again and we don't even have the money for another surgery right now! Hopefully she won't need them replaced.

Busy Fall Day

We have been busy, busy, busy around here! This morning I had a pre op appointment with my surgeon at 10 o'clock. Everything looks good and surgery is still scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17th. I will have a pre op with the hospital on Monday and my mom flies out next Wednesday to help during my recovery.



After my appointment this morning I came home picked up S and L and headed over to a playdate with my Christian moms group at Little Flippers. We haven't been in quite a while and the girls loved it! I looked at my TimeHop this morning... a year ago today L was in the OR, in Dallas, having her first cast change. Today she was jumping on a trampoline, running, tumbling around and trying to swing from a bar. She has come a long way in the last year!



After Little Flippers the girls and I ran to Wal-Mart for a few things before coming home for lunch and naps. It's perfect napping weather today! Cool, overcast and drizzly. I just turned on the heater for about the second time this season. I'm loving North Carolina in the fall!



This afternoon J has Girls On The Run after school. Once I pick her up the kids will be home for a 3 day weekend. I'm super excited to get started on Christmas shopping tomorrow! And the kids will fill up shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child and buy can goods for the food drive Girls On The Run is heading up at the kids' elementary school.



We are definitely heading into a busy holiday season!

Busy week!

We've already had a super busy week!



Sunday night we started getting a lot of rain and wind from Hurricane Irma. It rained all day Monday too. A tree fell on a home not far from us but thankfully there wasn't too much damage around here.



Monday morning I got up to the gym for the first time since July! I was proud of myself for walking on the treadmill for over an hour with a bit of running in between.



After school J had her first run club meeting. She loved it and is looking forward to meeting again Thursday! After we picked J up from run club C had his first karate class. He had so much fun! I think this will be great for him! We were a little late so he didn't get to pick up his uniform until after class.

Tuesday morning J had an orthodontist appointment to have spacers put in. I think it was a little more painful than she expected but she did great! Afterwards I stopped by the chiro for a quick adjustment, swung by the house to give J some Tylenol, then dropped her off at school. The little girls and I ran to Wal-Mart for a few things before coming home for lunch and a nap/quiet time.

L enjoyed reading books on the little chairs in the toddler area at the orthodontist and I was excited to bring out fall clothes for the first time this season!

Poor C was riding his scooter down the hill yesterday and crashed. When I looked up and saw him his face was on the road and his legs were in the air! :( He scraped his right elbow really bad and doesn't even want to move his arm very much right now so he skipped karate this afternoon. His elbow is scraped up in the exact spot he broke his arm last year. A few weeks ago he fell down the stairs and hurt the same arm/elbow. It was all swollen and I was worried he had broken it again. It finally started feeling a lot better but now he had to go and fall on that arm again and get it all scraped up. Poor guy! I don't think it's broken or anything.. just a terrible scrape but we're keeping an eye on it.

Yesterday evening I was really looking forward to my first yoga class. S wanted to go with me to play in the daycare. She packed an apple up in a baggy for her snack and ran out the door with me ha! About 10 minutes into yoga class the instructor's son got sick so she had to leave. I was disappointed but just walked on the treadmill for about half an hour instead before coming home. I'm looking forward to trying yoga again next week!

This morning I planned to stay home and work on the overflowing pile of laundry but needed to run a couple errands. Being in a new school, in a new state, the big kids need medical check-ups with paperwork returned to school before the end of the month. I've been putting it off for weeks but finally got up to the pediatrician's office this morning to turn in piles of medical release forms and new patient forms and make appointments for all the kids.

S fell asleep in the car this morning and as soon as we pulled in the driveway and I unbuckled L she ran to the back and whispered for S to wake up! They are so cute together and usually really sweet to each other. :) 

I tried this powdered coffee drink from Wal-Mart this afternoon! It was amazing!

After school today J and S had their first dance class at a local church. They had a lot of fun and are looking forward to going every week! It's a Christian based, free program run by volunteers and sponsored through donations and fundraisers. They have devotions during each class as well as dance lessons. C, L and I hung out in the parents meeting to hear all about the program and activities planned for the coming year. The kids are excited about skate night fundraiser coming up in October!



I'm looking forward to MOPS tomorrow morning and I know the little girls will enjoy playing with other kids for a couple hours too!