The Fun Just Keeps Coming

A glimpse into the last 48 hours of my life:

Jackson's tantrums are going to be the death of me. Seriously, he just blatantly does not listen. The worst part is that my reaction feeds his behavior. I try so hard not to let things escalate, but sometimes I am just at a loss.

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This handy dandy picture might not seem like much, but it equates to $800 worth of parts and service we paid to repair our air conditioner. After an entire day of nearly unbearable heat, Jesse came home early and called a repairman. I'm so thankful we didn't buy a new dishwasher.

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This sweet girl has kept Jesse and I up for hours this week. After two consecutive nights of trying to soothe her screams (not cries or fussing, I mean screaming bloody murder), I took her to the pediatrician this morning. I thought it would be a quick, easy visit since Jesse was home with the kids and I had a 10:30 appointment. At 11:45, I had nearly lost my mind trying to entertain Amelia while we continued to wait. That is not a typo; we waited over an hour. When the doctor finally came in, she casually apologized for the wait and explained that the office was on lockdown due to a police chase. Final verdict: sweet baby girl has another ear infection. I was not the most polite or patient person and I believe the doctor took pity on us. She prescribed numbing drops for the ears to use on Amelia until the antibiotics kick in.

Hot, Sick, and Bored

This is the second day in a row with scorching temperatures. Heat and I do not get along. 90° isn't exactly ideal for babies, either. The only good thing about hot weather is it takes very little time to dry clothes on the line. I managed to do four loads of laundry yesterday.

Jackson's last day of preschool was on Tuesday. (Technically, it was today but I wasn't going to sit with three babies and a toddler just so we could watch the four-year-olds graduate.) They had a water day. Jack was very serious about wearing his bathing suit and bringing a towel.

The babies have been a mess this week. Amelia randomly projectile vomited (A LOT) on Sunday. It took her three days to recover her energy. Maddie was up screaming every hour for two consecutive nights. I took her to the pediatrician to check for an ear infection. There was nothing visibly wrong. Still, physical therapy was a waste this week.

The next day, James had a 101.4 temp (with Tylenol) and cried unless he was being held. It's been quite a juggling act with the trio this week.

The only outing we've been on all week (besides the doctor) was to the library and to take Jackson for a haircut. The hairdresser was clearly not a fan of cutting children's hair. Jack did pretty well, but he always jerks and laughs when they get the clippers out to trim around his neck and ears. The hairdresser knelt down in his face and said, "You see this? It can hurt you. If you keep moving I'm going to cut you and make you bleed."  Eeek!

Our spirits lifted when we walked out and saw a firetruck parked in the parking lot. (Sidenote: Why are Great Clips always beside grocery stores?) Jackson confidently gave me a tour around the firetruck. I was amused that Jackson was the same size as the wheel.

I've made everyone go outside from 8-10 for some fresh air before morning naps. (Elizabeth, who do I sound like?) I was rocking Amelia on the deck and glanced up to see Jackson sweetly sitting like this:

Clifford, Toddler's Best Friend

The babies are challenging outdoors. James inevitably tries to eat grass or go down the stairs. When Maddie gets upset she'll bang her head down. Amelia is too curious for her own good. I love and hate this stage at the same time.

Thankfully, Jackson has been pretty easy to entertain. He spent an hour cleaning and vacuuming out the van for me.

He's also been really into play-doh this week. I only let him play while the babies are napping because it makes such a mess and Amelia and James put everything in their mouth. I'm still working on getting over my OCD tendencies about mixing colors.

In case you're wondering, Jack and I both broke out into "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"

I read The Violets of March over the past two days. I've never considered myself a reader, but now that I'm a stay at home mom I love getting lost in books. Reading and NPR are the only things keeping my brain from rotting.

I know this isn't an especially interesting update, but that's what our life has been like the past few days. 

Double Ear Infection

After spending Wednesday and Thursday like this, I took James (+Jackson, Amelia, and Maddie, of course) to the pediatrician.

Jackson and Maddie endured the stomach virus on Monday and Tuesday, so when James awoke irritable, feverish, and with runny stools on Wednesday, I assumed he was the next victim. He never threw up, but continued to show the same symptoms on Thursday. Thursday evening, both he and Amelia were up hourly screaming and sweating, despite receiving Tylenol. Out of desperation, I called to request the first available appointment and took all four kids in on Friday morning.

The visit was especially stressful due to crying babies and one very smart mouthed Jackson. Every time I redirected Jackson he repeated me in such an ugly way. I said, "Jackson, you need to get off of Amelia." He replied, "NO! YOU need to get off of Amelia." He rudely repeated every. single. thing.

We had to go to the sick side instead of the usual "well side", which meant there were no toys to play with.  This caused a major Jack meltdown.  When the nurse called us back, she assumed Jackson was the sick one because he was crying and laying in the middle of the floor.  She asked Jack to get on the scale and I had to clarify that the appointment was for James. (FYI, James weighed a whopping 18 lbs!)

The pediatrician quickly diagnosed an ear infection in both ears for James and prescribed antibiotics. I confessed that I had let his pain go longer than I should have and explained that I attributed it to a stomach bug or teething. I asked what symptoms I should look for and what causes ear infections.  She informed me that runny noses and colds usually precede ear infections. Since the girls are the ones who have had runny noses, I asked her to check them as well. She said that it would need to be separate appointments but I think she took pity on me.

I'm so glad she checked because Amelia also had infections in both ears.  (Maddie was all clear.) It was my turn to have a meltdown. How did two of my kids have double ear infections without me even knowing?  Am I that oblivious?  Breastfeeding/pumping has been such a labor or love and I still feel worthless that I haven't been able to keep my kids healthy.

I drove straight to the pharmacy after leaving the children's clinic. I thought the pediatrician's office was stressful, but we entered an entirely new level of hell at WalMart waiting for the prescriptions to be filled. Jackson was increasingly more irritable.  The babies were getting hungry. The pharmacists had the wrong insurance information and I had to pay then get refunded. The whole ordeal took an hour.

Thankfully, it has been three days and we've returned to our usual sleeping and eating patterns. James and Amelia are full of smiles once again. Praise God!

Exhausted

Jesse and I have been up nearly every hour (literally) the entire week.  It is emotionally and physically draining caring for sick children.  In addition to the stomach virus, we are now battling ear infections. I am well beyond the point of tired. 

Apparently, so are my kids.

No more blogging 'til we all get some decent sleep!

Mini-Golf: Take One

Over the weekend I learned about a park 15 minutes away that offers mini-golf for $2.  I love finding free/cheap finds and new things to do with Jackson. I was eager to go on Monday morning, but decided to wait 'til the afternoon so the babies would be well rested, the ground could dry, and it would be a bit warmer. 

Jackson was strangely quiet all morning and watched TV on the couch for hours.  I rarely allow that, but I honestly didn't notice because I was busy preparing dinner and breakfast for the homeless ministry. The only time he talked to me was when he wanted yet another snack. Once I turned the TV off and got everyone ready, we were all in good spirits.

Jackson looked like he was going to fall asleep in the van so I tried to keep him talking the whole ride. When we got there, I unbuckled Jackson first like always, then opened the hatchback to put James and Amelia in the double stroller.  Jackson was starting to get really whiny and was still in the middle of the van between his and Maddie's carseat. I put Maddie in the Ergo and told him more firmly, "Come on! It's time to go.  We get to have fun at the park."

I closed the hatchback and put the diaper bag in the stroller, all while yelling at Jackson to get out of the van.  Next thing I knew, I heard "Oh, no! I throw up! I throw up! It yucky!" Sure enough, Jackson was sitting in the middle of the van covered in his own vomit.  Mind you, I can't open his side of the van door anymore, so I literally had to climb between the seats, still wearing Maddie, and retrieve my vomit covered child. If you know me, you're aware that it's a miracle I didn't pass out right then and there.

Thankfully, I had an emergency change of clothes in the van so I stripped Jackson down in the parking lot and put his dirty clothes in a plastic bag.  All of the babies were still in the stroller and Jackson demanded to sit in the stroller. I had the single umbrella stroller as well so I let him sit in it.  Obviously, I no longer had any intentions of golfing.  I did, however, want the van to air out and get some fresh air.  Jackson cried, "I want to go for a walk."

He was as white as a ghost and could not have been more pitiful.  He was singing to himself "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" so I knew he would fall asleep quickly.  I cannot tell you how difficult it was to push a double and single stroller by myself on a trail covered with tiny pebbles.

While Jackson was passed out in the stroller,

I let the babies play in the shade.  (Truly, I really just didn't want to return to the van). James kept putting grass and dirt in his mouth. Amelia laughed until she fell over. Maddie just growled.

When we were heading back to the van, I gave up on simultaneously pushing/pulling both strollers.  I pushed Jackson several yards, then the babies, and so on.  This was the first time I have ever been out in public with all four kids when not one person stopped me.  There were plenty of people but not one person offered to help or even make any comments.

I took my time loading the trio in their carseats, hoping Jackson would wake up on his own.  I had no such luck. I had to pick a sick, sleeping, 30 pound child up and over Maddie's rear facing carseat, then buckle him in.  Unfortunately, the vomiting continued once we were home and spread to poor Madeline.  Maddie had a much harder time recovering.

Needless to say, our first attempt at mini golf was a complete F-A-I-L.

Grottiness All Around

I'm not sure how much more I can take!

Over Thanksgiving I developed mastitis.  I literally stayed in bed for 18 hours.  I woke up on the floor drenched in sweat with no recollection of how I got there.  It was equivalent to the flu.

I now have what a lactation consultant believes to be thrush.  I'll spare too many details, but it involves fiery, itchy, bleeding nipples that cause cursing and screaming every time I pump. 

Jesse woke up yesterday with a stomach virus, but still went to school.  Fever, vomiting, and diarrhea must wear a man out because he was passed out before 8 p.m.

Jackson's most recent discovery is that he can use nail clippers to punch prescription pills out of those aluminum packets.  Jesse accidentally ended up gagging Jack to get the Lipitor out of his mouth.  Nothing like cleaning up vomit as part of our bedtime routine.

We are back to frequent wardrobe changes for myself and Maddie thanks to the pediatrician refusing to refill the Prevacid.  Our poor girl has returned to a never ending fountain of projectile vomit. While she appears to visibly be in pain after she eats, she is at least able to smile and still be her sweet self throughout the day.

Amelia alternates between blistering diaper rashes and clear skin.  Her nose has been chronically stopped up but she cries hysterically anytime you try to clean it.

And then there is James.  With the exception of some minor congestion, he's in perfect shape.

Prayers that the kids can stay healthy and germ free!