Dehydration and Gatorade

Friday afternoon Chloe started complaining of a bad headache, so Matt gave her some Motrin to help. She picked at dinner and at seven decided she was tired and got herself ready for bed (which is a definate sign that something is wrong). I checked her temp than and it was 101. Over the next hour it steadily rose until it reached 104.9 by eight in the evening. I loaded her up in the car (she was shaking so bad she couldn't walk) and rushed to the ER.

God's hand was on us Friday night at the hospital. Usually it is a horrible experience dealing with incompatant doctors and impatient nurses. But God saw too it that we had an incredible doctor who was nice, sweet to Chloe and right on top of things. The nurses went out of their way to make Chloe comfortable and to make the whole experience less traumatic. Right away they wanted a urine sample and blood drawn. Chloe did amazing! She held still (while screaming like a banshee) when they drew blood and kept her arm still when they put in an IV line. I was so proud of my little girl.

Chloe had two bags of fluids pumped into her body through an IV. Her bloodwork and urine were clean except that her potassium levels were low (a sign of dehydration). Once the first bag got into her body she was feeling much better and talking up a storm. The doctor wasn't sure exactly what was wrong, maybe she had a virus that caused the dehydration or she was just dehydrated. Once the bags were empty they released us and sent us home with a fever of 102. We had to keep her cool and keep the meds in her all night to keep her fever down.

This morning she was doing all right and seemed to be in a good mood. This afternoon her fever spiked again and it took a dose of Motrin and Tylenol at the same time to get it back down. Getting her to drink more has been a battle as well so we went to Wal-Mart and I let her pick out some sports drinks to get some electolytes back into her system. She seems to be doing good this evening and her fever is down to 98-99.

After thinking about it, I think she is just dehydrated (which can cause high fevers). She has been very active this week, playing hard and joining me on a walk every day. I don't think she got enough fluids to keep up with all her exercise. So I am going to keep forcing the liquids and keep up the meds to keep her fever down. So please keep her in your prayers as we work hard trying to get her body back to normal.

Wearing out Shoes!

I had to buy a new pair of walking shoes the other day. I started a new walking program on Monday at the base. It is a "Walk it off" program. Where the goal is to walk about 10,000 steps per day. My old (very cheap) shoes were just not working. So I actually went out and bought an expensive pair of running shoes (I know I should of found walking shoes but they weren't as comfortable). I have been doing much better ever since. You are suppose to use a pedometer to count out your steps. Unfortunately they ran out of pedometers on the first day because the program was so popular. So I will pick one up today and start counting. It is a lot of fun especially since Lisa, Jenny and Becca are joining me every day at noon for a 1 hour walk. I didn't think I would feel it, but let me tell you, it is a workout. My legs hurt, today my behind started to hurt and my stomach muscles are sore. Oh well, no pain, no gain--well in this case, no pain, no weight loss.

Yummy Pancakes!!

We went to Aunt Lisa's house for a pancake feast. It was in memory of a little boy, adopted from China, who passed away. So we had pancakes to show his family our support during this difficult time. Aidan loves pancakes, he loves eating period. He can sure pack it away. Chloe has always loved pancakes and always complains that she doesn't get them enough at home.

Not Much Going On

Not much going on this week. We've been busy taking care of little things around the house. Chloe got busy and her room is now clean (with the exception of vacuuming and a few other things) and I was busy cleaning Aidan's room this week. We bought Chloe a new dresser, it is a sleigh style (exactly like Aidan's except that hers is white not a cherry finish) so we were finally able to get rid of the cheap dressers I bought her years ago. Her room looks so grown up now with it in place. Her huge picket fence bed (that Matt and I made her) doesn't look so monsterous anymore now that the dresser is the same height. I picked up a vanity table for $5.00 at a garage sale a few months back. So this week, if the weather can get over its mood swings, I plan on sanding it down so I can paint it white, to match the dresser. Than she will have a room fit for a princess.

The picture is just to appease the masses who get upset if I post something without a picture. I hope you are satisfied.

A LONG Day at Children's Hospital

Today was Chloe's appointment at Children's Hospital. It was a neurological screening to see if there was a medical reason behind her speech delay. Her old doctor (we have since changed to a new one) thought Chloe could be autistic (after meeting Chloe for less than five minutes she came to this conclusion), so we were also proving that wrong. It was a very long day. We had to leave home at 6:00am and drive through morning rush hour. Once we got there it was a flurry of appointments.

Her first appointments were to test her gross and fine motor skills. She was average or above average in both of those. Which we all figured. She is a very active little girl and is fairly coordinated (well most of the time). She has been working hard on her coordination and balance in dance class. Chloe than went to the audiology department to have her hearing tested. Hearing problems can also cause speech delays. But her hearing is perfect. Her ears are healthy and look great.

After a busy morning we decided to leave the hospital for lunch. It was a nice break, an okay lunch, but pickings are slim around the hospital. We got back a half an hour early for her last appointment so we hung out in the waiting room and relaxed.

We met with the neurological nurse practitioner. We went over Chloe's development history since her birth and talked about her school and speech. The nurse said without a doubt that Chloe was not autistic and had no symptoms to even suggest such a diagnosis. We of course knew that all along. She also agreed with Matt and my decision to not place Chloe in the developmental kindergarten class in the fall. She was worried (as we are) that the focus would not be on her academics but the behaviorial and social problems of children in the class. She agreed that Homeschooling seems to be the best option for Chloe. (Not that we are going to change our mind about her school but it was nice to have a professional say that it was the right choice).

All in all, today confirmed what a special, beautiful little girl that God has blessed us with.

Crazy Hair Day!

I couldn't resist taking this picture on Sunday. Aidan had just woken up from our morning nap (Mommy was still recovering from the flu and taking any and all chances to sleep). It is kind of hard to see in the picture but he had a perfect mohawk. He was sweating so bad in his sleep that he created a new hair style. His hair is growing so long! He will be needing his first haircut before long.

Stomach Flu!

We have all finally recovered (for the most part) from a bad case of the stomach flu. Yuck! Aidan got sick Tuesday night and Chloe caught it Wednesday afternoon. Both kids were fine within 24 hours. Daddy and Mommy were not as lucky. We came down with the flu Thursday night and Friday afternoon and it took all weekend to get over the bug. But we are all doing better, just being careful of what we eat since we all still have sensitive stomachs.

Teethy Grins!

What an adorable family! Wouldn't you agree? Anyway. Just thought I would add that Aidan got his top, front right tooth in on Monday. He was a whiny, cranky pill all day before it finally broke through. Two days later the left front tooth popped through too. Finally, those two teeth have been trying to break through for over a month. Hopefully by the time he is one they wll be out enough to show up in his pictures when he smiles.

Dance Recitals!

Chloe got to perform in two dance recitals this year. One through her dance school and our church had one. She was very excited over all of her pretty costumes.

Her first one was last Sunday and she did a fabulous job! She was in five dances, if you can believe it. A ballet, a jazz, a tumbling routine, a tap and the finale which was another ballet dance. She remembered all of the dances very well. Last night was the recital at church. She even did a solo! She did her tap dance that she learned at the dance school. She did so well, despite being a little timid. She barely needed any help. She also did another tap dance, a ballet dance and some more tumbling.

This has been a great year for Chloe in dance. She is finally remembering the names of the steps and the dances without a lot of help. She even helps the other girls in class remember the steps. We are going to sign her up for summer dance lessons so she won't forget all of the stuff she's learned during the school year.

Preschool Graduation!

Chloe finished up a great year at school and loved every minute of it. May 31st was her last day of school, but Chloe was not ready for it to be over. She got to ride the bus like a big girl almost every day. She went go swimming with all of her friends and teachers. She learned to write her name by herself without any help. Her art has grown in leaps and bounds (drawing different kinds of monsters is still her favorite though). She made so many new friends and has even learned some Spanish from one of them. Chloe's speech has improved quite a bit this year. We still have a long way to go but that's okay. We are getting there. She is finding communitation much easier. Although she does still resort to screaming and crying at times. Each day is a work in progress.

For her graduation party, she got to play the bells in a song in front of all the parents. She got a memory book full of pictures and her schoolwork from the year. She also got a book about a local farm that was signed by the author. She is very excited about kindergarten in the fall. Even though she doesn't quite understand what it is all about.

Our Big Buckaroo

At eleven months old, Aidan is no light weight. At his last weigh in, on May 29th, he weighed 20lbs and 7oz. I am sure by now he has surpassed that. He is still a mean crawler. He is our little monkey and can climb over just about anything. He is starting to take his first tentative steps on his own and is cruising furniture like a pro. He is still lacking the balance to be able to stand up on his own for long amounts of time but he is working on it.

The Play is OVER!!!

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers! I have appreciated them more than you can imagine. The play was this past Saturday and was a huge success. There were a few roadblocks along the way but that is part of the fun of live theatre. The students did a fantastic job and wowed their audience. I was so proud! The costumes, makeup, set, props--all came together and looked wonderful. This weekend once again reminded me of why I love theatre and drama. It also reminded me, that no matter how stressful and frustrating putting on a production is, it is so rewarding in the end. I am so grateful to God for his amazing blessings, gifts and talents and giving me the opprotunities to use them.

As great as this past weekend was . . . I am SO grateful that is over. Now I just have to tackle the organization of all the costumes, makeup, set pieces, props, etc. for next year. Oh Boy!