July 25, 2010

July 25th, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

We started off the week very strangely here. Monday morning B-man woke up very early. He had been ill the night before and had fallen asleep without dinner. He was asking for water so I ran downstairs and got a roll and a glass of water for him. J had also woken up so I took him out of the room. When I went back to check on B-man he was back asleep. He pretty much slept the rest of the day. He had a high fever and would only wake up long enough to go to the bathroom. At one point I got him to eat half a popsicle. It was such a strange day for him. I would have been more panicked, but my brother happened to be home (he's a doctor) and he was able to check him out a little. We mostly just let him sleep. He woke up eventually around 3:00 p.m. after nearly twenty hours of sleeping! I made a bed for him to watch movies on and try and keep him away from all the other people. He ate some dinner that night and seemed much improved.

Tuesday morning he slept in a little, and when I checked his fever it was only slightly elevated. I tried to keep him quiet for most of the morning, which worked until that afternoon when he started running around. By four o'clock he was complaining of a very stiff neck. I could tell his neck was hurting because he was walking around like a robot. I started to get really panicked, and after consulting with my brother we decided that it was better to be safe than sorry and he should be checked out to make sure it wasn't meningitis. I did some research and took him to the Urgent Care. I was so happy to be able to leave J with my mom while we went. We had to wait for a very long time, and while we were there poor B-man started feeling worse and worse. It was obvious that he was a sick sick boy. By the time we were checked he had a high fever again, although not as high as Monday's. After a thorough examination the doctor found that he did have some things going on that could be the culprit of the stiff neck. He gave us a prescription and instructions that if we didn't see him feeling much better by the next day that we should take him to Primary Children's to have a spinal tap done. But he was pretty sure that it wasn't meningitis. B-man was pretty tired at this point, but we still had to fill his prescription. I did get him some food so that he would at least not be cranky from hunger. We then drove home, after many hours, and put him to bed. He was so tired and wanted to be in bed so much. He was actually mad at me for keeping him up later than usual! (It was only like 8:30 p.m.)

The next morning when I took his temperature it was normal! Such a relief. I tried to keep him doing quiet things for most of the day, but it didn't always work so well. It was obvious by the afternoon that he didn't have meningitis. I was so relieved, although he did still have some residual symptoms.

Thursday was a fairly normal day. B-man took a huge nap spontaneously in the morning which had me worried, but once again he woke up without a fever and seeming fine. Although he was sad that he had missed a trip to the park with his Grandma and cousins. That night after the kids were in bed I learned how to play a new card game. It is the card game version of "Monopoly." It is a much faster way to play the game. My sister T is in town and taught us how to play.

Friday morning we had a big pancake breakfast with some guests that were leaving my parents house after a short stay. We then decided to drive up to San Clemente and spend the afternoon with Julie and her kids. We drove up and got the boys and then went over to a park near their house. The boys had a great time playing and the weather was beautiful. We then went back to Julie's house for lunch and got the kids ready for a trip to the pool. We all went to the pool and had a great time. I think my mom enjoyed not being responsible for anyone and being able to relax in the pool chairs. J loved the stairs, and B-man had a great time swimming. He was still recovering though and ran out of steam so we had to leave a little earlier than the rest of the crowd. We drove home and started working on dinner. We had pizza which was a big hit with the kids. That night we played a little more card "Monopoly." I have yet to win, but it is still fun.

Saturday morning I went with my mom, sister Jennifer, and one of her children for a very quick garage sale run. We didn't stay out very long but we found some fun things. I found a Lego mini-figure that is Obi Wan Kenobi. He was a big hit. When we got home we packed up and got on the road to Tucson, AZ for the blessing of my new nephew. The drive went pretty well. Sadly J's sleeping kept getting interrupted by gas stops, or other such things. But the boys did pretty well. The quote of the night came when my dad asked B-man what he wanted for dinner. After a nudge from me reminding about manners this is what he came up with "I'll eat anything... especially a hamburger from McDonald's." We drove straight to my brother's house to see their new little guy. While I was there I dropped the lightsaber that went with the Lego guy. I searched on hands and knees in their front yard rocks for a long time, and decided that I would just need to check again the next day when the light was better. I went in and shared the tragic news, and T and L's father-in-law went out with a flashlight and found it in less than five minutes. I was so happy! Prayers were answered. Eventually we had to get back to the hotel so that the boys could sleep. We had counted on the fact that the hotel would have a pack-n-play but they didn't. So instead I laid down a blanket in the closet and put J in there and closed the door hoping that he would sleep. It worked pretty well until four in the morning when he woke up ticked off. It was a pretty small closet, and I think he just wanted to be on his stomach. So he came into bed with B-man and me. I tried to move B-man but he was so asleep, and J had fallen asleep so quickly that I couldn't get up and move him. I we all snuggled together. Somehow I ended up without a pillow. I felt like that song, "There were 3 in the bed, and the little one said..."

Eventually that morning we got a great breakfast at the hotel. I ate in shifts so that it wouldn't be so crazy. First with J, then B-man, and then again with J. J eats a lot in the mornings... J took a random nap in the morning. T has some special powers with him. He looked so cute in the middle of a big queen bed all snuggled up. Eventually we packed up and headed back to L's house for brunch and more of a chance to visit before their late church. Then we were off to church for the baby blessing. It was a sweet meeting, and my brother and his wife are such a cute little family. After church we went back to their house to change and eat before heading off on the road again. J loved their little baby and would always try to get close to their little boy. It will be so fun that our boys will only be a few months apart and can be friends. The drive home went pretty well. We started off late, and so J slept a lot. The times he was awake he wasn't super thrilled, but we made it work. B-man drove with his cousins for half of the trip and then came into our car for the last bit. He slept great in the car. He would just cover his ears with his blanket when J started to lose it. We made it home safe and sound and quickly unloaded and put the boys in bed. It felt great to be able to stretch out. It was a very quick trip, but also fun.

(M had a mostly-uneventful week back home. A storm blew in Sunday afternoon that broke open one of our upstairs windows. M came home from church to find the window broken (no glass, just the casing), everything blown around the room, and water on the floor. Apparently there were 70mph gusts with the storm, and per the insurance agent there were a lot of calls that day.)

We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J