To Stitch or not to stitch, that is the question.

Perspective.  It is all about perspective.  A mother of one or two kids, runs to the doctor to sew up every little cut.  Now that I am a mother of five, I have seen my fair share of stitches and know when they are necessary and how many they will need.  But here's the thing the older and/or country doctors will tell you that the city/younger ones will not.  Most cuts don't need stitches.  You just need the wound cleaned and kept free from dirt and bacteria (that means $2 in bacitracin and bandaids).  Your body is made to heal itself.  So this is the decision I had to face today.  Should I take Keener to the ER?  Honey is gone, which means all of us would have to go.  It is not a decision to be made lightly.  A trip to the ER  for stitches will cost you 4 hours of frustration, $700, 5 whiney kids, AND whatever disease you happen to catch!!
Keener's forehead got sliced when she fell off of brother Christopher's shoulders onto a gravel driveway. This is 4th time I have seen this head injury in my kids.  This was a"borderline" case.  A country doctor would not sew it up, but a city doctor would.  I decided to save myself the trip, the money, the sanity and the health.  I got Keener all cleaned up, gave her some arnica, and some hugs.  Truly this is all she needed.  The bleeding stopped eventually and she is healing fine.

---and in case you are wondering.  Her hair is that short and crazy.   She keeps cutting her hair.  It is impossible to keep scissors away from her.  So for now, she looks like a boy.  and that's okay with me, I love her to pieces even if she has crazy hair

It's a Girl!

We are very happy to announce that at 8:22 am we now have another beautiful little daughter.
7 lbs 10 oz and 20.5 inches of sweetness!

Since she is our tiebreaker we have been jokingly calling her Tybee.  Now the girls outnumber the boys!
I have been very blessed with easy  & fast labors and this was no exception, I only had 3 hours of labor!  I am very grateful to  my sweet Honey and my good friend Mary for being my birth coaches.  They make all the difference in the world.  And it was Mary's anniversary too!  I hope she liked her present!

The funniest moment occured when we arrived at the hospital.  We happened to arrive when all the scheduled inductions and C-sections were checking in.  When Honey announced (via intercom to the L & D desk) that we needed to check in, they assumed that we were part of the scheduled group and told Honey to have me take a seat in the waiting room.  Honey replied, "YOU WANT my wife to DELIVER in the waiting room?!?!?!?"  The very flustered staff quickly let me through the doors and into a delivery room!  It still makes me laugh because Honey is NOT one to say something rash or raise his voice at people.  He must have been really anxious.

How's this for fate? I got the same labor and delivery room that I was placed in two months ago when I had early contractions! Previous Post

Honey and I with our new little princess.

Big Sister is happy with her new little sister.

Christopher loves his little sister.

Keener is so happy to have someone to boss around!!

My three littlest ones.  So sweet!

Nana and her newest little grandbaby.

Keener's Godmother Mary meets Tybee.

  Our new little princess is healthy and is growing big despite a little jaundice (I think all babies must have jaundice).  Now to just enjoy her and let the other kids love on their new sister.

One last picture from the hospital.

Uh, What day is it?  Shouldn't the birthing center at the hospital at least get this right????

Made me laugh.  Hope it brings you a smile too!

So it goes.

For several days, I have been feeling contractions, some  bigger than others.  So I decided to go get it checked out.  I had early contractions with Elizabeth for 12 weeks before she was born, yet she was born on her due date.  So on one hand I was not worried, but on the other hand, I think it is better to be a little cautious.  So joy of joys, I now am on "limited activity" or "modified bed-rest".   It is hard to get me to slow down, but this little one is doing a good job of making me.  I am not "progressing" according to the doctor, so the contractions are not doing any harm.  Thank the good Lord!  My biggest worry is that I tolerate the pain of labor quite well and have quick labors, so I am concerned that I will go into labor and have little time (if any) to stop it or get the baby some steroids for his or her little immature lungs.

  I believe very strongly in the power of prayer and the power of mind over body.  So as I will my body to get this baby to a safe age to be born, please say a few prayers for the little one who still needs to grow.  I figure that 5 weeks is a minimum for any viability, 8 weeks is much better (I'd be about 28 weeks).  The chance of survival goes from 25% to 75% in the matter of 3 weeks.  I always find that so amazing.  Of course better still would be me getting all the way to 40 weeks, but I take it one day at a time.  What else can you do?

Baby of Mine

I went to my 17 week checkup yesterday.  Everything is going fine with our new baby.  My morning sickness is passing, but the extreme fatigue has not.  I need naps daily, but get them about twice a week.  I have again (third time's the charm!) gotten gestational diabetes.  I am hopeful that I  can manage it with diet and exercise. The baby seems to be doing well and as usual for OB check-ups I got to listen to the heartbeat.  I love listening to the heartbeat.  It is very comforting just to listen to that sweet little beat.
 I am very much looking forward to my next appointment. It will be for the ultrasound.  I just love seeing our new child and having a picture of him or her.  We still have not decided if we will find out the sex of the baby or "be surprised" when he or she is born.  Keener was the only child that we did not find out what her sex was ahead of time.  It was very exciting to wait and learn when she was born. So I am leaning towards a secret.  Secrets are such fun.
      

Swine Flu

We are finally over the Swine Flu. Lucky us!!! Everyone keeps asking me what it was like. Well...... (drumroll please) it is exactly like the regular flu (You feel like someone knocked you out and you wonder how you ever learned to crawl much less walk!) except with an REALLY annoying dry cough. The flu just seems to knock me out. I literally remember going to sleep on the couch after calling Honey to come home from work, then I woke up 2 days later in my bed. Weird. That loss of time and place.

Thankfully we are all better and had the chance to go get the vaccine for the regular flu, so hopefully (knock on wood) we will last through the winter without any trips to the doctor. ~~~Dream a little dream for me~~~

Doing things in reverse order

So apparently we needed the flu to run it's course through the house prior to us getting the flu shot this year.

"Oh, bother!" said Pooh. *

"Yes, Pooh I agree! What a bother".

I got zonked with it first and then one by one we were all tagged "it". So now I am wondering, should I bother to get the flu shot since we already had the flu? I am so tired of being in my house and being sick and tired. I am looking forward to having a nice healthy family again. (A woman can wish can't she!!!)

I even found the gumption to cook today! I cooked up some lamb chops. We bought a lamb last winter and still have a few cuts left in the deep freezer. There is nothing more tasty than fresh meat from the farm. I don't know what the grocery store does to remove all the flavor from meat, but there is such a big difference. I hope that I can buy another one this year. It was a wonderful treat. If I ever followed a recipe I might share it with you, but alas I am the type of gal to open up the fridge, pantry, and spice cabinet, throw in what I feel like tasting. Then I mix, cook, and serve. Take that Martha and Julia!!!!

* Can you tell I have a 2 year old who is obsessed by Pooh at the moment?

Out & In & out

Out went the old ear tube that was stuck in the canal.

In went the new tubes, so that hopefully Rolo will be able to hear clearly again.

Out went the adenoids which were apparently already sick and infected, so a good advance call by the doctor. Surgery went well, Rolo seemed better immediately. I guess the adenoids were bothering him, but we couldn't even tell. I am glad to have my baby healthy. He is such a good patient and just like his mama. As soon as he woke up from his anesthesia stupor, he was ready to leave. He hates those hospitals as much as I do!

Ear Saga continued

Oh if only the story with Rolo was over. The fun never ends here. I can only say that I am blessed that we have two insurance plans for the moment.

A week after the rupture, Rolo looks at his Daddy and says, "I can't hear out of my ear."

Oh great! So I am on the phone to the pediatrician and his ENT trying to see who can get him in first. The ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) wins. After a hearing test, I am told that he has fluid hanging out in his ear and that he needs tubes again. He also might need his adenoids removed because they might be causing the fluid backup or harboring infections. When the doctor put in the tubes she will scope him and see if it is necessary. Am I the only one who is like "Uhh, what and where are adenoids?" (click here for a link to a simple answer with diagram)

So I schedule him for surgery a week after we get back from my mother's big Birthday celebration. Is it really necessary for me to live at doctors offices?

Add another one to the list

Having Fun with Honey at the beach.

Too bad reality set in.

Rolo woke up at 4:00 am on the day we were supposed to be leaving and was screaming in pain. His ear hurt. Rolo has had multiple ear infections and tubes in his ears, so off to the ER we went, a Saturday sickness in another city leaves us with very little choice of where to go. Since he didn't have a fever and the ER docs didn't "see" that much (a slight irritation), they gave him a topical pain reliever for his ear. A few hours later he had a fever and was no longer in pain, but was certainly a sick little boy. Then a few more hours later and at our home, I see that his eardrum has obviously ruptured (no need for gory details here). Ughhh! A trip to our pediatrician confirms the rupture. Some meds for the ear and the infection and my little boy is feeling much better.

This got me thinking of how many ER's I've been to with my kids. Here's the list for the past 10 years.

1. Tripler Army Hospital Honolulu Hawaii
2. Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center Norfolk Virginia
3. Portsmouth Naval Hospital-Portsmouth Virginia
4. Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters-Norfolk Virginia
5. INOVA Fairfax Hospital-Fairfax Virginia
6. INOVA Emergency Healthplex Center-Alexandria Virginia
7. Howard County General Hospital- Columbia Maryland
8. Erlanger Hospital-Chattanooga Tennessee
9. Chatuge Regional Hospital-Hiawassee Georgia
10. Dewitt Army Hospital-Fort Belvior Virginia
11. Sentara Virginia Beach Hospital-Virginia Beach Virginia

Wow, that's a lot once I started to think about it. And that is just the ER's I've been to!

Thankfully we have been lucky that most trips have been for simple things and the two times I've had bad experiences, I've had the nerve to leave one ER and go to another. Word of advice... NEVER go to #2 DePaul Medical Center, unless you just want an autopsy. Horrible does not begin to describe their ER. I would always go to #5 INOVA Fairfax and #4 Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. CHKD saved Elizabeth from extreme dehydration when she was having a bad Reflux & stomach flu combo. The memories of my little girl being so sick still scare me. I wish I had some words of wisdom to gleam from all this time in the ER's, but my advice is the same as you read elsewhere.

1. Make sure the staff cleans their hands. There is nothing more disgusting than an ER.
2. Go with your gut. Remember the old joke "what do they call the person that graduates last in their class from medical school" Answer: Doctor. They are human after all.
3. If a doctor is acting all high and mighty, start calling him/her by his/her first name. Nothing brings them down to your level so fast as the familiarity of a first name.

On to a simpler life for a month (I can only hope!)

Why NOT to travel with us!

The Car Cleaning Story got me in the mood to tell my other ... "this happened right before our vacation" story.

Four years ago we decided to take the kids to Disney-world in January. Since we live 15 minutes from the Amtrak Autotrain (About.com), we decided to take that rather than deal with flying with 3 kids (Strollers, car seats, bags, & security... what a nightmare!) The biggest advantage of the autotrain to families is that you can leave the car seats, strollers and bags in the car. You only need an overnight bag for the train. My in-laws (aka Nana and Granfer) were going with us. In order to do this, we needed to add storage to our Volvo Wagon. We had a bench seat in the back, so seating was not a problem, but since that uses all the cargo area, we needed to have a place to put our bags. The plan was to put a trailer hitch on, then put a cargo rack on the back and put the suitcases there. So the week prior, I go to UHaul and get the hitch put on. Well now we run into problem #1.

Problem #1a The hitch is not in stock (even though I ordered it and was told it was in stock waiting for me!). I now have to come in the day before the trip in order to get the hitch put on. Okay, not that big of a deal. (Problem #1b)So I go back on the day before the trip and the 1 hour install turns into 4! The kids are going nuts because of the wait and Honey leaves work and comes to pick them up. (Problem #1c ) It is of course now starting to snow with bit of sleet! Oh Great! (Problem #1d) So what is the reason for the wait... they didn't know how to install the hitch on a Volvo wagon. The UHaul "technician" actually asked me where I thought the hitch was supposed to be placed on the car. "Hmm, On the back?" How should I know? If I knew that I would have done it already and I wouldn't be paying you! Finally after who knows how long, it is done.

Problem #2. So we do our nightly routines and then put together the cargo rack for the trailer hitch. We test fit it onto the car. Uh, Oh, the cargo rack is hitting the ground. That's okay, we are parked on a slope. We'll just move the car. The problem remains, .... so the slope isn't the problem. I guess those Uhaul it guys didn't get it right after all. Hmm, I guess we'll have to go with plan B. We have a car top carrier, but we didn't have roof rails. (The carrier was a "gift" from my father because he didn't want to store it anymore). Since it was so bulky, we didn't originally want to use it since we would have to move it into the car during the train ride and it would be much more difficult to deal with. Since we were left with no choice, we went to get temporary roof rails from the auto store.

Problem #3 We have just enough time to go to the store and get the rails before the store closes. Then our problem will be solved... If only!!!! We got the rails, put them together and realized that one of the rail's rubber feet was missing from the box, so we needed to go back to the store in the morning to exchange the rails/ get the replacement, otherwise it would scratch up the car. That's okay. Everything else is packed.

Problem #4 Honey is getting ready for a half day of work (we have to be at the train station at 2:00 to load the car onto the train). I am in charge of getting the replacement foot and getting other last minute things for the trip. Not a big deal plenty of time... WRONG! I am groggy but waking and I look at Honey's pillow. Christopher is sleeping beside me, but there is something all over the pillow, it looks like chocolate. What has our little almost 3 year old Christopher been into in the middle of the night?!. I take another look and it's blood! I quickly jump out of bed and check out Christopher. Sure enough, he has a gash in his head. He needs stitches! I yell to Honey that he needs to call work and take the whole day off. One of us needs to go to the ER and one needs to get the rest of the last minute stuff done, feed the kids breakfast and lunch and clean up. We decide that he will take Christopher and I will do the last minute stuff.

Problem #5 I take Christopher into the kitchen to feed him breakfast before we leave. I put him onto the stool at the kitchen counter and make breakfast. Honey arrives as I finish putting the food in front of Christopher. As I turn to go get dressed for the day, Christopher falls off the stool and hits his chin on the floor. He now needs stitches in his chin!!!

Here is an Ikea Stool like ours. This is the second time that this stool has caused Christopher to fall and require stitches. Needless to say, we no longer have the stool!

This is from http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YQjq5-PO-Wx9-2F-mNVjwQ

We have temporary furniture out because our flooring is not yet installed. It is the last thing left to do for our house remodel. (Problem #6-House is under construction and thus the reason we NEED a vacation! Problem #7, we were having bank trouble all week, trying to get the bank to pay the contractor the proper amount of $ he was owed.)

So now Honey has to have two sets of stitches for Christopher and meanwhile I am praying that he doesn't have to deal with CPS (Child Protective Services). As I run around getting the other kids fed and dressed and the last minute stuff done. I do finally get to the store, get the cargo carrier onto the car, get the luggage into the car and effectively deal with Nana who has arrived and is warding off a panic attack over the stress of the situation (Problem #8)

Now all we need is Honey. It is 1:00 and I am starting to panic. He's still at the ER! Christopher is all stitched up, but they are waiting for some paperwork. Ugh! Gotta love bureaucracy in a time like this. (Problem #9) I am able to convince Honey that we have to leave for this trip and that if they don't come within 10 minute, he is to leave. We've dealt with stitches before so we know about the aftercare and they have our insurance info so they can bill us. I mean really, why was he waiting anyway?

Thankfully they come within the next 10 minutes and Honey is out the door and we get to leave on our trip.

Sometimes it's hard to believe my run of bad luck.

Moral of the story: Don't travel with us! We have horrible travel karma!


P.S.  This is not the end of the story, we had to go to the ER in Disneyworld to remove the stitches.  While there we all contracted the stomach flu from the family that was letting their kids play in the play area while they were sick (Some people have so little sense or kindness!).  It was NOT a fun trip home!

Dropping things

It's the worst feeling to drop a child. In all fairness, I was tired because Keener was up until 4 am Friday morning, but I am grateful that only minor scrapes occurred when I dropped her later that same day in the pool's shower. Her wet little body just slipped right out my arms and onto the floor. Minor cuts, but boy did I feel like the bad mother.

Then today (Saturday), The bike tipped over with her in the baby seat. Ahhh!!! No scrapes or broken bones, Thank God!

I think I won't be getting that "Mother of the Year" award. Oh well, who likes clutter anyhow!

Secret Desire

What is it about boys and stitches? Do they think I have a secret desire to live in the ER? Do they think that I might miss the ER if I don't get my annual visit? I honestly don't know how many times I've been to the ER for the boys for stitches.

So what happened this time? Well, Rolo was walking on the couch taking off the cushions to make his fort, when he slipped and hit his chin against the coffee table. I took one look, saw fatty tissue (my sign to go in for stitches) and sent the rest of the kids to my neighbors while I went to the ER. I am actually so used to this, that I stop to think about what I might need for the ER (Books, Ipod, blankie).

I was hopeful that this time they might use the glue rather than the actual stitches. The glue is 10 times easier to deal with as a parent. There is no need to go back to the doctor and have it removed, no need to numb the injured area, no need to strap the kid in a body board (All I can say is that those boards DO NOT work on my kids! Junior Houdini's....). The glue just peels away like a layer of skin after a week or so. I have never had an injury that qualified just for glue, but I am always hopeful. This time Rolo's injury was glue eligible. Yeah!!!!! I was so happy. Rolo was very calm while they fixed his chin up. Here's the photo with the glue. Doesn't look that bad............ now.

One of the books that I took with me was this one. The Human Body.

I brought it because Rolo loves puzzles and since you never know how long the ER visits will be, you need to be prepared. The doctors and nurses loved it. They thought it was so great. They kept asking Rolo if he thought he'd be a doctor. It was funny because he kept giving them a very decisive "No." I said I think he'll probably be an engineer like Daddy and Granfer. But of course he can be whatever he wants to be. Isn't that the fun of watching your kids grow up? Seeing who they become.

Family Oldie

This is an oldie but goodie about our family (August 2007). It should be noted that you always risk a trip to the ER if you plan on going on vacation with us. Just ask me about leaving for Disneyworld! Maybe I'll post that on another day.

This happened two days before we were going to leave for the beach.

Story of our week:

The disposal broke.
We bought a new one.
Honey started to replace.
Christopher & Rolo were helping Honey by holding the flashlight and handing him tools.
The new disposal fell out of the box.
Hit Rolo's Toe.
The toe is broken, 3 stitches, 4.25 hours @ ER.
Disposal's Fine

Moral of the story... it would have been cheaper to hire a plumber...

Good News Bad News

No pranks for April Fools Day, although I do think I'll do it next year when I have Honey to help.  Unfortunately today I had a repeat of Monday with one less  doctor appointment.  We only had 4 doctor appointments today.    To think, today was all for well visits!  The good news is that Keener has finally stopped slipping in her weight %.  She has leveled off at 2%.  When your child goes off the growth charts in the negative direction and is still declining, it is not fun.  Most other people would not be thrilled to hear that their child is in the 2% growth range.  I am thrilled.  It is much better than -10%.  The phrase "failure to thrive" just kills a mother's heart.  I am so tired of the phrase.   It appears that her allergies were the cause of her inability to gain much  weight.  Thank you to my dentist Dr Alejandro for telling me about his daughter's allergies.  Otherwise I would not have pushed to get Keener allergy tested.  

   The bad news is that Christopher is almost ready to have his braces on (there's another $2000 I won't see) The Orthodontist said possibly as soon as 6 months away.  He was the one child I was hoping to avoid braces with, oh well!

A New Record =5

Today I had 5 doctor appointments, a new record for me.  The most I had previously had was three.  Yippee for me!  I sometimes wish I had gone to medical school, so I would at least be paid for all the time I spend in the doctor's offices!!! The forms are what really kill me.  While the government was annoying us with another piece of paper to sign-HIPAA- a totally useless piece of junk that only lawyers care about--Yes that's right, you heard me! the rest of us DO NOT CARE!    Anyway, the government should have invested the time to create a standard intake form, with name address, next of kin and insurance information.  A short family history form and a long family history form, and a "Yes I read HIPAA" form. If I could bring those papers with me to any doctor appointment then it would save me 30 minutes a doctor filling out this junk.  It literally took me longer at the GI doctor's office to fill out the forms than time I spent with the doctor and Dr. Lee is one of those doctors that spends a lot of time with you.   Come on AMA help a patient out already!!!

My Turn

So last night it became my turn to get the stomach bug.  Oh joy!  The headache that accompanied it, kept me on the couch all day.  Thank goodness for Elizabeth and Christopher.  Without them helping with Keener, I don't know what I would do.  I could barely make it to the phone to cancel a play date for Elizabeth.  This is definitely one of those times that I miss Honey the most.  September will not come soon enough!  In the meantime I just keep reading Job and thanking God that my trials are not as hard as Job's, even if it feels like it somedays!

And the Winner is........

The results are in.  The baby is Allergic to EVERYTHING!  Don't know how severe (yet), but the list includes:

peanuts

green beans

tomatoes

apples

peaches

pears

oranges

trace banana 

trace oats

possible sweet potato.

Uhh, I guess it would be easier for them to tell me what she can eat!

Of course this is all on top of the milk intolerance that brought me to the allergist in the first place.  I thought I had finally found my way out of biweekly doctor appointments.  I guess not.