Sickies.

We've all been fighting random sicknesses over the few months.  Hope you and yours are staying healthier than us.

Waiting for the doc to check out Lai right before we headed to my doc appt..

Tea time.

I have some sickies.  We've had a chill few days filled with massive amounts of cuddling, eating healthy, & kleenex boxes.

Today they tried some Throat Coat tea with honey.  Can't say that they loved it but, they drank it & off to bed they skipped.

Gram.

Just 2 weeks after back surgery & mom is still in a neck brace but, doing great!  We paid a visit to Fran's with Grandma Fran for some treats.

Our son.

Our car has been on auto-pilot to Seattle Children's Hospital.  What started out as a slight barky cough, quickly turned into severe croup, (striders with him barely able to breath), & me frantically calling family & 911 at 11:30pm (as I was home alone with the kids...) Unfortunately, this reaction to croup has become all too common for our little guy.

When I hear other friends tell me that their child has/had croup I assume they had to call 911 too.  "Oh did the medics get there quickly?"  I never realized that most croup isn't serious and is treatable from home.  Sounds blissful.  Axel has now been at Children's (in & out) 4 out of the last 4 days.  He knows to stick out his finger on his own when he sees the O2 Sat machine pulled into the room & he knows to freak when the nebulizer mask is brought in... This little guy has been through a lot & we are happy to report he's on the road to recovery.

Trying to get some rest...

He's been such a trooper from the ride in the Aid Car the first night, to going through all the treatments.  As usual, he's melted the hearts of every nurse & doctor, & waves at other cutie-pie patients as he passes them in the hall.

We were bummed to miss out on Easter service & celebrations & are now praying he's well for his 2nd birthday.  So many of you have been covering us in prayers.  That has truly been the only thing holding me together the last few days.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love & prayers.

Our most recent trip to the hospital revealed that he's now recovered from croup, but has bronchiolitis & a small area of his lung is collapsed.  We are completely believing in Jesus for speedy healing in his body.

Where's Waldo?  What a blessing to have such a great view of the construction site for this typical boy!  (Every day the construction workers move around a Waldo mannequin for the kids to find. ) 

Thanks again for your love, prayers & support.

Things I'm loving...

 Look at his cute tooth!  I love his new smile & the fact that he is eating more & more by himself.  

 These chocolatey mints from TJ's will change your life.  

 Why haven't I bought one of these in years past!?  This year we bought two & L-O-V-E it!  Great coupons supporting local businesses!

 This is totally random but, months ago my sister told me that she's started using dish soap for both dishes AND her hands at the kitchen sink.  Brilliant!  Why do we feel we must have seperate soaps?  We use this soap - it's not too slimy, it's clear & we've noticed no difference in how our hands feel.  I love not having a separate soap container by the kitchen sink.  We have it in our handy built-in pump & refill as necessary. 

 The triplets.  Laila loves all her cousins but, has bonded so much with these boys.  They play so well together...

 Where they go, she goes (whether they like it or not...)

 Are you a nursing mama?  Coconuts have amazing nutrients for you in their water & flesh.  I have loved these ever since I learned (the hard way) that the white part you see here is NOT edible.  You must dig a little to enjoy these "young coconuts" but, it's worth it...

Last but not least, my hubs... The kids & I have been sick this week, I've been severely sleep deprived for 7 nights (but who's counting) so, this man surprised me & is taking a sick day tomorrow to help out on the home-front.  THANKS so much babe!!!   

So very thankful for prayer warriors!

A few nights ago our son come down with a serious & sudden case of croup.  It was nothing less than terrifying.  It still feels like such a blur because it all happened so fast.  We went from "maybe we should call the on-call pediatrician to ask what we should do about his funny sounding breathing?" to "CALL 911!!!" within 5 minutes.  We've never experienced croup or stridors before & we aren't experts but, please read this link so that you are more informed than we were.  If I knew then what I know now, we would have called 911 sooner.

Thank God he is now almost back to normal.

I am so thankful for:

#1 praying g-parents - God is our Healer & I know that he recovered so quickly because of all the prayers for our son.
#2 g-parents that live close & are willing to help at a moments notice (even in the middle of the night!).  It was such a blessing that we didn't have to wake Laila & take her to the hospital with us.
#3 speedy medic units
#4 Children's Hospital
#5 that a few months ago we happened to change the dates we would be in Canada (so thankfully, we were at home for this scary event.)
#6 that Jason was home - (it was his normal shift to work but, he decided to keep it off even though we didn't end up going to Canada...)  It would have been close to impossible to give Axel the care that he needed let alone do that while calling docs, g-parents, 911 etc...
#7 & finally that our son is alive & well!

By the time the medics arrived he was getting more air & looking better.  Daddy rode with him in the medic unit,  g-pa drove me & we followed.   Here are pics that I took once we knew for certain that my Axey was okay.

 His sweet little noggin in the bottom R corner of the window on the L.  

As usual - all smiles...

Life lately.

It's been awhile since I've blogged.  Here's what we've been up to:

 This was my life for a few days last week: puke.  My kids have never thrown-up before.  After this, I hope they never will again.  

L calls band-aid's "rubber bands".  I don't usually give her one unless there's blood but, I couldn't resist when she bonked her head the other day & asked for a "rubba-ban for ma head".  It miraculously felt better instantly.  How cute is she!? 

Lots of parents hate the popper toy.  L has loved it & I don't mind the loud noise at all.  Lately she's been using it as a vacuum & vacuums right beside me (I mean RIGHT beside me...).  This is the scene I often find when I come back into the room.  It brings a smile to my face every time.  

 Before

After - (do you notice a difference?)  

 My dear friend Laurel drove all the way from Missoula, MT to meet my son!  She even stopped to run (& rock!) a 32 mile race on the way!  We were so thankful to have her here for a few days! 

 Thank you for coming Lo Lo!  We loved having you (& voted that you should move back to Seattle soon!)  The kids of course adored her...

 This just arrived & I was able to start devouring it yesterday while taking a rest in bed.  This is my favorite issue of the year!  

Meg is now teaching right around the corner from us!  We are so happy she'll be close by & will hopefully pop-in often. 

 Laila LOVES this book & reads it everywhere & anywhere...!  "The MONSTER at the end of this Book" staring lovable, furry old Grover.  

 As you can see it was given to her daddy almost 30 years ago!  So special!  

 Quick family trip to the zoo today...

 Then a quick stop at g-ma & g-pa Birt's tonight....

Flying solo.

After 10 days off, Jason went back to work today.  It's always an adjustment when he returns to work.  L's getting over a cold so, I spent the day holding her & trying to remind her to only kiss Axey's feet & knees.  We did manage to get to the park this afternoon.  It was great for all of us to get some fresh air.  (Yes, Axel is still in jams - it was just one of those days.)

 Enjoying the view...

Couldn't be happier swinging with her best bud...

Upon returning home I threw Axel in his crib with some toys while I prepared dinner.  Popping-in to check on him, I found my little snuggle-bug fast asleep.  Again, it was just one of those lazy days...

Fever broke!

L woke up this morning for the 4th morning in a row with a temp around 104!  I promptly gave her meds & called her doctor.  We decided to take it easy but, I was itching to get outside before it got too hot.  So, I took the kids down to our new favorite park to swing, eat wild blue & blackberries, & watch the ferry boats & trains go by.  Ax did great in the swing too!

A's first time in this kind of swing, L's 10,000 time...

After her afternoon nap L woke up feeling good!!! Her fever broke!!! So, we packed up everyone again & headed to grams to run through the sprinkler, pick green beans for dinner & EAT!  Praise the Lord, our little girl is healed!  

Gram finding beans for her to pick...

Her appetite is back & she ate more food than gram & I combined!
Happy girl, happy mama.