April, 2009 | The Angel Forever

Monthly Archives April 2009

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Helpless Mommy Syndrome

Posted on April 21, 2009 10:25 am by TheAngelForever

Just 24 hours ago I thought JSL was doing better. His fever broke Sunday night and his temperature was back down to 97 (he has low normal temperature). He floored me and asked to "walk and kick" with Leslie Sansone. By the time it was noon, it was up to 99-100. It never got above that during the day. I gave him small amounts of Motrin, per nurses orders, to help with his discomfort from the ear infection. Last night before bed he was playing, running and laughing with Nana and Papa. He settled into bed in my old room and wanted to sleep with a pillow over his head. Here is my silly little monkey.

Here are his sweet little feet at about 8:30 last night.

Soon after this he fell asleep and was very content sleeping comfortably.

While surfing online and sitting in a chair by the bed, I listened to JSL’s breathing. It was getting more labored. Then at about 10:00, in the faint light, I noted his cheeks were bright red. I stayed pretty calm at that point and grabbed the ear thermometer and checked things.

103!

Please start the panic mode. I ran to my mother and told her he was burning up. With Motrin in him just two hours earlier he was spiking a fever again. Flashbacks of the two febrile seizures just three weeks ago haunted me. This was the exact reason I stayed with the boys at my parent’s house. I did not want something like this to happen and be alone while JL went to Grandma’s funeral.

I quickly pulled his PJ’s off and he saw there shivering from the soaring temperature in his onesie. Papa tried to keep him focused and he would laugh at his silly antics from time to time. When I attempted to put a cloth on his forehead, thighs and arms he was beyond agitated. He cried in agony, similar to when I tried to go near his infected ear.

Red red fever face

Every two hours I set the alarm, woke JSL up for more fever reducers. He was Still feverish most of the night. This morning he woke up and was quite cranky, but the temperature is down again. Needless to say I called our doctor’s office and we are going in early this afternoon to get that ear and the rest of him checked again. After three days of antibiotic we should not be spiking a 103+ fever.

With any luck we will have answers and JL will be home later in the afternoon.

Categories:
bad news doctor jsl photos sick kid sleep

Change within hours

Posted on April 20, 2009 9:33 am by TheAngelForever

Last week Kindergarten Kid was on Spring Break. We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the nice weather. We even went to the park a few times

Who would have known that with these smiles on Saturday morning, so much would change in a small amount of time.

Not even two hours after these photos of the boys were taken so much happened. We had an uncontrolled fever with JSL and my FIL called with the horrible news about Grandma. Saturday night and all day yesterday we fought to keep JSL’s fever down. Thank goodness last night as I sat on a bed in my old room, JSL was covered in sweat. I am pretty sure we are now fever free. It looks like the 3 doses of the antibiotic may be kicking the nasty ear infection. Now we are just waiting to see when we need to go for a follow up check. Pretty important since the infection was so bad and our Disney World trip is just around the corner.

Now I am off to see if the little guy will eat something that is at Nana and Papa’s house. JL took the train yesterday and is with his family. Grandma’s funeral is this morning and he will be coming home tomorrow afternoon. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and condolences that you have left. Sorry I am way behind on replying to everyone. I think you all understand that a lot is going on right now.

Categories:
bad news family jl jsl nhl photos sick kid weekend

We love you Grandma

Posted on April 19, 2009 8:21 am by TheAngelForever

Yesterday afternoon just before 1:30 the phone was ringing. I was on my cell phone and told Aunt M that I had to get off because I thought it was the doctor calling back about JSL. Then my heart sank. I saw the phone number and it was my in-laws. My in-laws NEVER call during shabbos.

I answered the phone and my FIL asked me to guess why he was calling. I immediately asked what was wrong with Grandma since I knew she had been sick and to Urgent Care the othe day.

A little history: JL’s grandmother, my FIL’s mother, has been living with my in-laws for several months now. She had not been doing well at her new complex and went to stay with them temporarily. That changed when they realized she needed assisted living. Rather than put her into a nursing home she moved in permanently with them.

My father-in-law floored me. He quickly told me that Grandma had passed away. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I put JL onto the phone to talk to his father briefly. The details were sketchy. Apparently my father-in-law had gotten home from shul and had my mother-in-law make sure Grandma was up for lunch. She went to the table to eat some lunch. Suddenly she told them she didn’t feel good. Those were the last words from her mouth as she passed away at the table with them holding my mother-in-law’s hand.

Grandma was 94 years old in October, the last time the boys and I saw her. We went to celebrate her birthday with the entire extended family. JL saw Grandma when he made a trip alone to see her at the start of February. He wrote about seeing her on his blog.

Grandma’s funeral will be tomorrow early afternoon. We are still trying to figure out the details of JL getting there. Right now we are battling a very high fever with JSL. We went to Urgent Care yesterday afternoon and he has a raging ear infection. With Motrin and Tylenol in him last night we were struggling to keep his temperature below 102. Scarry range since it was exactly three weeks ago that he had two febrile seizures in a 30 hour span of time.

JL will be at his Grandma’s funeral one way or another. I also know that NHL and JSL will have all of our beautiful photos to remind them of the times that they saw and spent time with their very special Great-Grandma M.

Hamming it up with Great Grandma

Grandma . . . we love you.

Categories:
bad news decisions family jl looking back photos sick kid

Grilling Goodness – Take 13

Posted on April 18, 2009 8:37 am by TheAngelForever

1. Do you prefer reality tv or dramas or comedies? – Used to really love comedies, but there have not been many good ones in recent years. Like to watch Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser, and a few other reality shows. Still, my favorites are dramas like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives.

2. If you could have free cosmetic surgery, what would you have done? – Probably breast reduction surgery. Of course since I saw the surgery on television once I now am sure I will be a chicken and never consider it.

3. What are you itching to get but you have not ‘bitten the bullet’? – My little digital camera died not even a year after I bought it and I still have not replaced it. There are just other things that we need. For now I will share hubby’s camera.

4. Do you have a bad habit that you hope your children don’t pick up? – I hope my kids are not as wishy-washy as me. When pressed hard I can easily make a decisions, but on the little things I have a hard time.

5. What was your favorite meal growing up? – Loved my mothers chicken soup with matzah balls. She put dill in it and it made it extra yummy.

6. What meal did you have as a youngster that you don’t have as an adult? – I remember going to have steamed clams with my mother and friends after swim lessons. Not something I do now.

7. What is your earliest memory of a "vacation"? Where’d you go? – I still remember going to Disney World with my family when I was really little. The first trip I have major memories of was when I was in kindergarten or so and we went with family friends.

8. What was the "Best Thing" you ever got for Christmas, before age 12? – Most years my birthday came at about the same time as Chanukah, so a lot of the gifts blended together. My cabbage patch kids or Barbie Town House would probably rank way up there.

Head over to Golden Goodness to play along!

Categories:
Grilling Goodness me moments web fun

Lots of lists

Posted on April 17, 2009 12:03 am by TheAngelForever

I admit it, I am a list person. For some reason I do better when I have lists of items that need to get accomplished and can manually cross them off as they are finished. In the past, I have made the following lists:

Things to do during a given day
Groceries needed
Questions to ask the doctor
Coupons needed for a store run
Presents that we need for upcoming birthdays/holidays
Meals for the upcoming week
Items to do at home (when I was teaching)
Phone calls that need to be made

As you can imagine we had a lot of lists for Passover. Now that Pesach is officially over, I can concentrate on the lists that need to be made for our upcoming trip to Disney World. Off the top of my head I need to do the following:

Documents that need to be taken with us
Clothing that needs to be bought before trip (shorts for everyone)
Questions for TSA about bringing medication on the airplane
Items we need to pack (clothing, diapering needs, food, medicine, toiletries and the like)
Things to bring on the airplane to keep the kids entertained (this will be their first flight)
Rides/shows we hope to see at each of the parks

Call it the teacher in me, but lists work well for me. It helps me to organize my thoughts and work toward the goals needed. So my question for you this week:

Are you a list person? Why or why not?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.