Last update before the trip! Not sure if I'll bring the laptop along or be able to update from Maryland, but Megan is already down there. Her event is listed to go off at 8:46 so I am going to have some kind of time getting there in time for that one! I don't know, maybe if I feel like I hit the alarm one too many times I'll just bag the day and get down in time for Wednesday. (:-X) I'll probably have to leave at 4:45 to get there in time for that, and even then, might miss it! In a few minutes I'll pack and load up the car.
In medical news, Brian's swallowing issue has either improved or he's gotten used to it, because he has a healthy appetite and he isn't putting his face into his shirt all the time anymore. Today he was in the house all day, reading, milling about, and "cleaning" his room (read: ripping everything out and leaving it all over the floor) so maybe that kind of quiet was helpful. He'll be more or less on his own this week, so I bought him things like corn muffins, soup, and yogurt. I don't like them eating when nobody is home anyway, but especially under these circumstances.
I took Wilbur to the vet the other day, as I think I posted, and he is now over 8 pounds. And, as I learned today, harboring coccidia this time. So, more medicine for our furry friend. He's been doing well with the housebreaking, I started leaving him off the leash and he has had only a few accidents, mostly out of excitement, and just one random puddle, which he was kind enough to leave on the tile this time, rather than the pile carpet in the family room!
Anyway, in other news, I have a quandary. I decided to bring some locally brewed beer to my Maryland hostess, and I went in and found that they have to put it into a giant bottle-thing ("growler") that can be refilled for half the price of the original filling. I probably won't get my growler back, but it's the thought that counts. The problem? It's cold! And I am leaving at 4:45 and heading to Maryland, not expecting to join up with the host family until after 3pm! What will become of the growler during that time? I guess I will pack it in a cooler with ice? I think I was possibly better off just sticking with my other gift, cocktail napkins with the skinny, frizzy-haired cocktail napkin girl, saying, "just call me Rita, Marga-Rita."
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
this n that
So dawns the new day of the family of four again. Kevin has invited a friend from work to come down and spend the day with us, we'll take her to the beach and then she can stay over if she likes. She's from Denmark, and is moving back, and her husband and son have already left ahead of her, so she is all alone. I don't know if she'll end up staying but I guess I should prepare the bed just in case. We're supposed to pick her up at the train at around 11, which is soon.
Megan had her party last night, and I didn't think about food until the last minute, so I ended up heating up a couple of Costco dinners, and making a big pot of sauce and some pasta. There is plenty left over, so that will be good. They didn't end up leaving until around 11:30 and I had let Wilbur be loose for most of the day, so we were all wiped out. He didn't have any accidents in the house, except for when he peed on the girls who were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over him and he got all excited.
This morning I have already had Wilbur to the vet and dropped off my money-sucking Explorer for an oil change, because I realized that it's been 5,000 miles since its last one, and I want to drive it to Maryland on Tuesday, and to Cape May the week after that. After that it will get a nice long rest and the Honda will step up again. I also have to remember to check when the Honda needs one, and I have to call and schedule Megan's six hours of driving lessons, because when we get back from London, she will be old enough to pick up her permit! She already passed the test in drivers ed, so she doesn't have to worry about that. She has to do three two-hour sessions with the school, and then she can start driving with one of us in the car. I can't believe it! But now I will have a designated driver when I want to have that second glass of wine if we're out for dinner :-)
As for Brian, I am still trying not to dwell on the swallowing thing, but I do ask him a few times a day and get a cryptic response each time. "Just a tiny bit," or, "my throat was burning," or "I killed my throat in the pool." So he now is saying that it bothers him when he's swimming, which is what he was doing when it first started; and then he was doing some weird cough last night, like a hack, and Megan was in her room coughing, just in time for Nationals next week. Wonderful.
Anyway, in other news, Kevin and Brian are out doing their Saturday morning grass cutting, and I should go get Kevin to take me up to get my car - then he can get his friend on the way back and I can bring the Explorer home. It seems like it's going to be quite a nice day out today. Tomorrow is Megan's last day before she has to leave for Maryland at 7:30 Monday morning, and I have to get some of the clothes washed for her to take down. They have practice tomorrow night and will get their t-shirts and "uniform" that they all have to wear on the bus down (just a shirt). She's also swimming on a relay team in the pool club championship meet, against my better judgement, tomorrow at 10. I don't think it's wise, but she didn't have the nerve to get herself out of it, I guess.
Megan had her party last night, and I didn't think about food until the last minute, so I ended up heating up a couple of Costco dinners, and making a big pot of sauce and some pasta. There is plenty left over, so that will be good. They didn't end up leaving until around 11:30 and I had let Wilbur be loose for most of the day, so we were all wiped out. He didn't have any accidents in the house, except for when he peed on the girls who were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over him and he got all excited.
This morning I have already had Wilbur to the vet and dropped off my money-sucking Explorer for an oil change, because I realized that it's been 5,000 miles since its last one, and I want to drive it to Maryland on Tuesday, and to Cape May the week after that. After that it will get a nice long rest and the Honda will step up again. I also have to remember to check when the Honda needs one, and I have to call and schedule Megan's six hours of driving lessons, because when we get back from London, she will be old enough to pick up her permit! She already passed the test in drivers ed, so she doesn't have to worry about that. She has to do three two-hour sessions with the school, and then she can start driving with one of us in the car. I can't believe it! But now I will have a designated driver when I want to have that second glass of wine if we're out for dinner :-)
As for Brian, I am still trying not to dwell on the swallowing thing, but I do ask him a few times a day and get a cryptic response each time. "Just a tiny bit," or, "my throat was burning," or "I killed my throat in the pool." So he now is saying that it bothers him when he's swimming, which is what he was doing when it first started; and then he was doing some weird cough last night, like a hack, and Megan was in her room coughing, just in time for Nationals next week. Wonderful.
Anyway, in other news, Kevin and Brian are out doing their Saturday morning grass cutting, and I should go get Kevin to take me up to get my car - then he can get his friend on the way back and I can bring the Explorer home. It seems like it's going to be quite a nice day out today. Tomorrow is Megan's last day before she has to leave for Maryland at 7:30 Monday morning, and I have to get some of the clothes washed for her to take down. They have practice tomorrow night and will get their t-shirts and "uniform" that they all have to wear on the bus down (just a shirt). She's also swimming on a relay team in the pool club championship meet, against my better judgement, tomorrow at 10. I don't think it's wise, but she didn't have the nerve to get herself out of it, I guess.
Friday, July 24, 2009
and back to the city goes the mouse
That was a quick week, although at times it seemed like we might not make it, between R's allergies and Brian's swallowing attacks. R left with a cough, but the other symptoms were a lot better. I actually felt sad this morning that he was leaving, although I guess it does get tiring trying to keep someone entertained all the time, even though he was pretty good on occasion about just going into his room and watching tv. I think he was just happy to have his own room to go into, and he enjoyed the pool in the yard as well. I made him up a little photo book, and stuck it in his suitcase along with some glowsticks, glowing bracelets and glowing necklaces to take home. He loved them when we took him to the beach on his first night here. Kevin said he broke out the photo book on the train ride home. I'm sure he is tired and a little sad. Sounds like he doesn't do much other than play video games and watch tv at home.
As for Brian, the swallowing seemed better yesterday but I wasn't really able to keep asking him about it, because I'm trying to downplay it for a week or so. After claiming that his pasta and cheeseburger were getting stuck on Wednesday, he didn't have breakfast yesterday other than a little drinkable yogurt, but then he asked for money for a muffin, which I didn't give him because he wasted the whole muffin the time before (not because of swallowing). I took them all to Panera, where Brian likes the soup in the sourdough bread bowl, and he ate pretty much the whole thing, I guess his hunger had caught up with him by then. Then he had a little fruit. Kevin said his popcorn chicken and tater tots at night went down without incident, too.
When we got home, he ate some gluten-free cookies I had bought, they're sort of cardboardy but they dissolve in your mouth so it would be impossible to choke on them, and also a chocolate bar that E left behind. I had told R he could have any of the stuff she left to eat, and he said that he had eaten a chocolate bar and it tasted like potatoes. So of course Brian had to try it, and it went down fine. I have noticed that throughout this swallowing issue, a few safe foods have emerged: ice cream, cookies, chocolate, as well as a cure: playing xbox. So we'll see today if the anxiety of having R around was a contributing factor. R was very loud at times and could get under your skin when he was riled up. And being the closest in age and gender, Brian was sort of his assigned caretaker most of the time, although he usually shirked that responsibility, especially after the swallowing issues began.
Anyway, a couple of other things could have contributed. It turns out that he had been drinking 2-4 iced teas a day in the basement, and he also had just been to the dentist where some inept hygienist had left him with his tongue feeling numb. I don't like to complain, but I think the next time I'm going to request that he not get her. I think Megan had her the time before, and she was the one who told Megan it was OK to swallow the fluoride treatment. I was horrified! They're never getting fluoride again anyway, I found out after that that our insurance won't pay for it once they turn 14 anyway. So I am trying to continue to remain calm, but Brian and his chiari will haunt me forever anyway.
In other news, the day is beginning to look like a good one outside, but I have laundry and cleaning to do, in preparation for the week away next week, as well as for the party Megan is planning with about 25 kids from the swim team tonight. And she won't be home all day, as she is at the school now and will be at the hospital later. She is really sad that the school job is ending, and she has to miss all of next week for swimming and one day the following week for Cape May. That's the last week of the program and she has really grown to enjoy the preschool. But now I must be going, because Wilbur is on the prowl, and I have to make sure he doesn't pee on the rug. I'm trying to get him used to having a little freedom. Most of the time he is either in a crate or tethered to something, and I'm afraid he'll never learn that way. Sigh.
As for Brian, the swallowing seemed better yesterday but I wasn't really able to keep asking him about it, because I'm trying to downplay it for a week or so. After claiming that his pasta and cheeseburger were getting stuck on Wednesday, he didn't have breakfast yesterday other than a little drinkable yogurt, but then he asked for money for a muffin, which I didn't give him because he wasted the whole muffin the time before (not because of swallowing). I took them all to Panera, where Brian likes the soup in the sourdough bread bowl, and he ate pretty much the whole thing, I guess his hunger had caught up with him by then. Then he had a little fruit. Kevin said his popcorn chicken and tater tots at night went down without incident, too.
When we got home, he ate some gluten-free cookies I had bought, they're sort of cardboardy but they dissolve in your mouth so it would be impossible to choke on them, and also a chocolate bar that E left behind. I had told R he could have any of the stuff she left to eat, and he said that he had eaten a chocolate bar and it tasted like potatoes. So of course Brian had to try it, and it went down fine. I have noticed that throughout this swallowing issue, a few safe foods have emerged: ice cream, cookies, chocolate, as well as a cure: playing xbox. So we'll see today if the anxiety of having R around was a contributing factor. R was very loud at times and could get under your skin when he was riled up. And being the closest in age and gender, Brian was sort of his assigned caretaker most of the time, although he usually shirked that responsibility, especially after the swallowing issues began.
Anyway, a couple of other things could have contributed. It turns out that he had been drinking 2-4 iced teas a day in the basement, and he also had just been to the dentist where some inept hygienist had left him with his tongue feeling numb. I don't like to complain, but I think the next time I'm going to request that he not get her. I think Megan had her the time before, and she was the one who told Megan it was OK to swallow the fluoride treatment. I was horrified! They're never getting fluoride again anyway, I found out after that that our insurance won't pay for it once they turn 14 anyway. So I am trying to continue to remain calm, but Brian and his chiari will haunt me forever anyway.
In other news, the day is beginning to look like a good one outside, but I have laundry and cleaning to do, in preparation for the week away next week, as well as for the party Megan is planning with about 25 kids from the swim team tonight. And she won't be home all day, as she is at the school now and will be at the hospital later. She is really sad that the school job is ending, and she has to miss all of next week for swimming and one day the following week for Cape May. That's the last week of the program and she has really grown to enjoy the preschool. But now I must be going, because Wilbur is on the prowl, and I have to make sure he doesn't pee on the rug. I'm trying to get him used to having a little freedom. Most of the time he is either in a crate or tethered to something, and I'm afraid he'll never learn that way. Sigh.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
keeping the faith
Well, the last couple of days were a bit better. On Monday, I called and spoke with R's pediatrician, who said that it would be OK to give him a Claritin each day along with his singulair. I did this, and although he sneezed a lot that day, his eyes did look better. Yesterday his runny nose and eyes were almost all better, but he had developed a dry hack. I added his inhaler in the morning as well as at night, but today his cough sounds a lot looser and more junky. He only has to get through today and tomorrow, though, so hopefully we can do that. He's been sleeping in pretty late, and he just got up but I forgot to do his eyedrops and give him his Claritin. I'll have to recall him for that.
So the next two days just involve a bit of hanging around. Brian is using his xbox a lot again, alas, and we discovered that R loves to build things with Legos, so he has been doing a bit of that. He really is pretty easygoing and entertains himself when we need him to, unlike C last year. He is also helpful (almost to the point of being annoying when one is used to kids who are spoiled and don't help out unless threatened) and does whatever he is asked to do. He's very self-sufficient. The Fresh Air Fund called this morning to confirm his return trip on Friday. Aside from this allergy issue, he has been no problem at all; although Brian has created his own problem with his latest swallowing issue, sending ice coursing through my veins.
On Sunday at the beach, not only did R wipe out but Brian did as well. He has a big bruise on his back and is complaining of rib pain, also stomach pain. He says it is like gas. I feel like he is swirling with an myriad of symptoms that may or may not be connected to the fall, to chiari, to anxiety, or to nothing. Such is the nature of the beast that is chiari and, ::knock wood:: it's been pretty tame for Brian these past few years. I hope that it remains so, but when we have episodes like this with "weird" symptoms, self-reported, that are chiari red flags, I always get very worried. We see the neurologist anyway in three weeks, and I did consult with him on this, and his advice was to wait, since there is no interference with eating or drinking, just some discomfort and a feeling in the throat and chest. The infamous waiting game of chiari. Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, Megan is preparing for the swim meet in Maryland, practicing every day and then going back to her volunteering. She does have interest in being at the hospital, she brought up continuing one weekend a day for the year, but I just don't know if she can spare four hours on a weekend, with swimming and school taking up so much time. I told her to ask if she can do just one day a month, or even biweekly, because even a four hour shift takes a minimum of five hours, as the hospital is half an hour away. The only thing is that she does get down time and she can sit down and read. But she'll have a lot of AP classes next year, and what happens if the acitivty level picks up on the job and she actually IS busy then?
In other news, we have followed progress on E's Facebook and it seems she is set to have her surgery tomorrow to remove the plate she had put in. Then she will plan her return trip to the US immediately after, although she has not contacted us directly. She isn't staying with us, she hasn't asked, although we told her she could crash for a night if she needed to. However, I will not be responsible for her while she is here. The other night Megan found out that the night she went to the teen night at the club, the same night Brian went, E and her friends were kicked out for being drunk!
So the next two days just involve a bit of hanging around. Brian is using his xbox a lot again, alas, and we discovered that R loves to build things with Legos, so he has been doing a bit of that. He really is pretty easygoing and entertains himself when we need him to, unlike C last year. He is also helpful (almost to the point of being annoying when one is used to kids who are spoiled and don't help out unless threatened) and does whatever he is asked to do. He's very self-sufficient. The Fresh Air Fund called this morning to confirm his return trip on Friday. Aside from this allergy issue, he has been no problem at all; although Brian has created his own problem with his latest swallowing issue, sending ice coursing through my veins.
On Sunday at the beach, not only did R wipe out but Brian did as well. He has a big bruise on his back and is complaining of rib pain, also stomach pain. He says it is like gas. I feel like he is swirling with an myriad of symptoms that may or may not be connected to the fall, to chiari, to anxiety, or to nothing. Such is the nature of the beast that is chiari and, ::knock wood:: it's been pretty tame for Brian these past few years. I hope that it remains so, but when we have episodes like this with "weird" symptoms, self-reported, that are chiari red flags, I always get very worried. We see the neurologist anyway in three weeks, and I did consult with him on this, and his advice was to wait, since there is no interference with eating or drinking, just some discomfort and a feeling in the throat and chest. The infamous waiting game of chiari. Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, Megan is preparing for the swim meet in Maryland, practicing every day and then going back to her volunteering. She does have interest in being at the hospital, she brought up continuing one weekend a day for the year, but I just don't know if she can spare four hours on a weekend, with swimming and school taking up so much time. I told her to ask if she can do just one day a month, or even biweekly, because even a four hour shift takes a minimum of five hours, as the hospital is half an hour away. The only thing is that she does get down time and she can sit down and read. But she'll have a lot of AP classes next year, and what happens if the acitivty level picks up on the job and she actually IS busy then?
In other news, we have followed progress on E's Facebook and it seems she is set to have her surgery tomorrow to remove the plate she had put in. Then she will plan her return trip to the US immediately after, although she has not contacted us directly. She isn't staying with us, she hasn't asked, although we told her she could crash for a night if she needed to. However, I will not be responsible for her while she is here. The other night Megan found out that the night she went to the teen night at the club, the same night Brian went, E and her friends were kicked out for being drunk!
Monday, July 20, 2009
every silver lining has a cloud...
I'm afraid that now that I finally found a good Fresh Air child, there will be problems, but I hope I am wrong! I will know within a few hours, or at least I will have a better idea. Yesterday at the beach, R was wiped out by a wave, and off to the briny deep went his brother's $10 swim mask. He handled this well, and proceeded to enjoy himself for another several hours in the pool and ocean.
We took him to dinner at Bahr's (my favorite) but the service was less than the standard, as I tend to forget it will be in the summer. But they had a lobster special on the kids' menu and he ate it, and enjoyed it, and entertained the Doll with his comments and his quirky humor.
We got home and Brian and R chose a movie, The Money Pit. Suddenly we noticed something was wrong with R. He kept getting up to go to the bathroom, and his eyes were running full of tears, which was setting off his nose to pretty much do the same. He said that when he rinsed out his itchy eyes in the shower, they got worse, and now would not stop running, and he couldn't see, and everything looked "brighter."
In the end, I had to send him to bed (it was close to 11 anyway) with wet compresses to keep on his eyes. I had already given him his singulair, and his eyedrops (also for allergies) are only once a day for mornings. So when he gets up this morning, I'll have to see how he is, and I can give him the drops and check on any additional allergy meds he might be able to take. I am really hoping it's just a severe reaction to chlorine, sun, and sea; but he had a big play session with Wilbur and then sat around the House of Cats when the runniness really kicked in. I cannot believe that they placed a kid with such allergies in a house with so many pets! But we'll see today if that is it. R keeps insisting it is not, that he is fine with animals. But perhaps he has never been immersed for so long with so many.
Other than that, he had a wonderful time at the beach yesterday, and I'll have to go out and try to find a new swim mask for him to return to his brother. We have plans to go to the waterpark today, which I worry a little about, but as long as he keeps his eyes shut while underwater, he should be OK. Yesterday morning, he gave us a great scare, because he wouldn't answer loud knocks (bangs) at his door, or hollerings of his names, both R and F.
We tried the door and he had locked it! With all my drug paranoias (he came with these medications and I worried he reacted to one, or to the allergies he is taking them for) I was sure he had perished and - what would we do?!?! The horror of it! And we couldn't figure out how to get in, if the doorknob was unscrewed, it remained firmly secured shut; and the hinges were on the inside so the only option was to break down the door which, of course, if he were not unwell, would seem kind of silly. Then, all of a sudden, as Kevin was fiddling with a hanger in the doorknob hole, the door just opened, and a very sleepy R was dismayed to find the four of us trying to break into his room!
But in other news, Megan went to her two parties Saturday and one last night. She has a dinner tonight for another's birthday, a make-up for a rainout a few weeks ago. Then she has to go to practice after that, and tomorrow and Friday are her long working days. This is going to be a busy week, and she leaves Monday morning at 7:30 for the big meet in Maryland. The meet starts Tuesday, so I'll follow along. I'll stay with a cousin, from Tuesday through Friday.
Brian will stay home with Kevin, and the Doll will look in on him during the day quite a bit more than I think he will like. I'm going to need him to be responsible for Wilbur, though, so that will be asking a lot of him that week! And he needs to get moving on his summer reading book, the one about Michelangelo. That's a tough read. He also got a letter from the principal, thanking him for his essay. He had to write a three paragraph essay about his past, present, and future. So check back for news on the runny eyes. And join me in hoping for the best, or at least, not the worst (severe cat allergy: R will be devastated, because he keeps talking about how he is going to come back next year and how he is having such a great time; he is very appreciative and shows what the program is all about).
We took him to dinner at Bahr's (my favorite) but the service was less than the standard, as I tend to forget it will be in the summer. But they had a lobster special on the kids' menu and he ate it, and enjoyed it, and entertained the Doll with his comments and his quirky humor.
We got home and Brian and R chose a movie, The Money Pit. Suddenly we noticed something was wrong with R. He kept getting up to go to the bathroom, and his eyes were running full of tears, which was setting off his nose to pretty much do the same. He said that when he rinsed out his itchy eyes in the shower, they got worse, and now would not stop running, and he couldn't see, and everything looked "brighter."
In the end, I had to send him to bed (it was close to 11 anyway) with wet compresses to keep on his eyes. I had already given him his singulair, and his eyedrops (also for allergies) are only once a day for mornings. So when he gets up this morning, I'll have to see how he is, and I can give him the drops and check on any additional allergy meds he might be able to take. I am really hoping it's just a severe reaction to chlorine, sun, and sea; but he had a big play session with Wilbur and then sat around the House of Cats when the runniness really kicked in. I cannot believe that they placed a kid with such allergies in a house with so many pets! But we'll see today if that is it. R keeps insisting it is not, that he is fine with animals. But perhaps he has never been immersed for so long with so many.
Other than that, he had a wonderful time at the beach yesterday, and I'll have to go out and try to find a new swim mask for him to return to his brother. We have plans to go to the waterpark today, which I worry a little about, but as long as he keeps his eyes shut while underwater, he should be OK. Yesterday morning, he gave us a great scare, because he wouldn't answer loud knocks (bangs) at his door, or hollerings of his names, both R and F.
We tried the door and he had locked it! With all my drug paranoias (he came with these medications and I worried he reacted to one, or to the allergies he is taking them for) I was sure he had perished and - what would we do?!?! The horror of it! And we couldn't figure out how to get in, if the doorknob was unscrewed, it remained firmly secured shut; and the hinges were on the inside so the only option was to break down the door which, of course, if he were not unwell, would seem kind of silly. Then, all of a sudden, as Kevin was fiddling with a hanger in the doorknob hole, the door just opened, and a very sleepy R was dismayed to find the four of us trying to break into his room!
But in other news, Megan went to her two parties Saturday and one last night. She has a dinner tonight for another's birthday, a make-up for a rainout a few weeks ago. Then she has to go to practice after that, and tomorrow and Friday are her long working days. This is going to be a busy week, and she leaves Monday morning at 7:30 for the big meet in Maryland. The meet starts Tuesday, so I'll follow along. I'll stay with a cousin, from Tuesday through Friday.
Brian will stay home with Kevin, and the Doll will look in on him during the day quite a bit more than I think he will like. I'm going to need him to be responsible for Wilbur, though, so that will be asking a lot of him that week! And he needs to get moving on his summer reading book, the one about Michelangelo. That's a tough read. He also got a letter from the principal, thanking him for his essay. He had to write a three paragraph essay about his past, present, and future. So check back for news on the runny eyes. And join me in hoping for the best, or at least, not the worst (severe cat allergy: R will be devastated, because he keeps talking about how he is going to come back next year and how he is having such a great time; he is very appreciative and shows what the program is all about).
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Beach Day
Day One at the beach and R had a great time! We'll be back today, but Megan has to babysit in the nursery at church this morning - her one day all summer, and it comes the day after the two-in-one-night parties. She was home by 11:30 and went straight to bed, then slept till 9.
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