I know we've been absent from our blog, and very remiss in posting new photos, but let me tell you. We've had some good excuses. I'll start at the beginning (feel free to sit back for a bit, this is a long one).
In late August, probably just a few days after I last posted on the blog, Carolyn came down with her first-ever case of croup. Other than knowing that I had it when I was a baby, I knew nothing about croup. Turns out, it's a viral infection of the voice box, vocal chords and trachea (or something like that in that general area). Yes, it's pretty common in kids, but it's also pretty scary. Because the vocal chords swell, they can block the airway, and you have to be vigilant to listen for when your child is laboring to breathe. In which case, they need to go into a hot, steamy bathroom so that the steam can relax the swelling and open up the airway. We had to do this only once, thankfully. C stayed home from school for a few days until the barking cough stopped (which means I stayed home with her). She got all better and went back to school.
Then, about a week or so later on Sept. 8, I unexpectedly pulled her from the school she had been attending since June 1. It was one of the most stressful, emotional days of my life. I pulled her for several reasons, the biggest one being an incredibly harsh response that I witnessed one of the teachers in the room give Carolyn when she was crying and looking for comfort. I had walked from my office to the school (never intending to leave the school with my 23+ pound child in tow). After gathering her hat and her cup of water, I walked with her across campus back to my office. I turned off my computer and left, taking her home for a nap and to try and figure out what the hell I was going to do next for daycare. I had divine help on my side that day, and we ended up getting her into a new school, the very next day, that turned out to be a blessing. She has thrived there for the past two and a half months, and we are so grateful they were able to take her when we really needed it. I later wrote a letter to the parent company that runs the old school, and received a very genuine response from the COO. She reimbursed us for overlapping expenses, and also informed me that they were taking corrective measures at the school. (I have since learned that Carolyn's teacher, the one who was so awful to her, has been fired.)
So, that brings us into September. The second week of which, Carolyn broke out in a mysterious rash. I took her to the doctor, who assured me that it was a sign that her body was fighting a virus but that there was nothing to worry about. I kept her home for one day because she was pretty tired and uncomfortable. But then she was better and we were back to school and back to work.
The month of September was extremely busy and stressful, with Brian and I both carrying big loads at work. Brian especially, who is under a massive deadline at work that has kept him in the office until 7 or 8 at night most nights for the past month. It's been very hard and draining for him, and I have to say, it's been the same for me. Because it means I've been doing the afternoon, dinner, bedtime routine by myself. And with C, who wants to be held the entire time I cook dinner, that's a tricky task.
The end of September brought double ear infections for C (who had never had an ear infection in her life up to that point). They were pretty bad ear infections on the spectrum, and they really threw us for a loop the night before because she was inconsolable all night and then threw up (this was the very night that I returned home from a bachelorette party in San Francisco that had tuckered me out). I spent that whole night doing the only thing I could do: hold her and pace up and down the hallway because she wouldn't lay down and sleep. I was thinking she had a stomach bug, so the double ear infections were a big surprise for both Brian and I. C stayed home from school a few days so that she could rest and get her strength back.
So we headed into October with both mommy and daddy feeling pretty exhausted. Thankfully, we had a vacation to San Francisco in the second week of October for Laine and Nick's wedding (C stayed home with the G's). We had such a great time in San Fran (pictures are to the right in the September/October category). We relaxed, enjoyed each other's company, and had a great time at the wedding. On the day we were to fly home, a huge storm rolled into San Francisco, complete with fog, rain and driving winds. That morning, as we tried to get a cab to the BART station, we really weren't sure we were going to be leaving the city that day. When we got to the airport, I got a call on my cell phone. From Carolyn's school. She had a fever of 101.6 and they needed someone to go pick her up. Worry immediately set in (and it turns out it didn't let up for a good week and a half). I called my mom to go pick up C, and we arranged for Brian's parents to meet mom and C at our house to watch Carolyn and take her to the doctor that afternoon.
Brian and I made it out of San Francisco, and when we landed in Phoenix I had a message from Candy on my phone. Carolyn had Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. (????) Again, this was something I had never heard of. It involves blisters in the throat, on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. Although Carolyn only had blisters in her mouth, the doctor said the blisters would probably show up on her hands and feet the next day. Because HFM is highly, highly contagious, C could not go to school for the next few days. So, Candy was kind enough to stay home with C the next day. When I got home from work that day, Carolyn was pretty warm with fever and had a very raspy, barky cough. It was right around 101/102. Back to the doc we went that evening. And she had croup.
I filled her prescription -- steroids -- that night and put a very exhausted, warm little girl to bed. But she didn't sleep long. About three hours later she was up, and she remained up for the rest of the night. We went into the bathroom twice so that she could sit with the hot steam and breathe easier. It was scary.
I was home with her the next two days, which were filled with fever, croupy cough, sleepless nights. Then, on Thursday night, I couldn't get her to sleep, again. She was inconsolable and I just had a feeling that something wasn't right. Back to the doctor we went the next day, and home we came with another ear infection. More misery, more medication. She was sick that whole weekend, with her fever peaking at 103 on Saturday night. On Sunday, she started to feel a bit better, but she became extremely congested and had a wet cough. So, Monday comes (I don't go to work, again) and we go back to the doctor. Our wonderful pediatrician listened to me recount the whole story, and assured me that he thought all of this was related to the same tenacious virus (not flu) and that it was running its course. The ear infection was a bummer of a secondary bacterial infection. He said the only thing she hadn't manifested that she might was a rash. And that the rash would actually be a good sign, because it means the virus is almost done. He gave us a prescription for a decongestant, which helped her immensely and finally helped her get some good sleep.
The next day, she got the rash. On that day, when we knew she was finally getting better, I got sick. It was good timing that Brian could stay home from work the next day with her, because it allowed me to stay home and attempt to get some sleep (which I had gotten none of the past seven days). That night, a week after we came home from San Francisco to a sick little girl, she slept through the night at last. And went to school the next day. And I still didn't go back to work, because my throat had swelled up to five times its normal size and I could barely talk.
I spent the entire week at home sick with fever, sore throat, congestion. I went back to work the following Monday. So, in total, I was gone from work (including vacation and sick time), for about two weeks. I am now on the mend and have been back to work for over a week. Carolyn is back to her usual, happy self.
Which brings us to today. When Brian is sick and at home. He has been battling allergies, serious congestion in his head and chest, and general feelings of crappiness. None of it is helped by how exhausted he has been with his crazy work schedule. The good news is, he's feeling much better after staying home yesterday, as well. If we can just get him healthy, and keep me and C healthy, I think we will make it!
Anyway, that's been our crazy life. On to happier, healthier things.
Carolyn is a talking machine. She puts together as many as six words and speaks so clearly. Not to mention she says the most hilarious things. Like "Move this, Mommy" (when anything is in her way), "Bless you, Daddy" (on one of the many occasions that Brian sneezes), and, my personal favorite yet, "Brian, bring me a bag!" (this was an exact parrot of me when I was asking Brian to bring a trash bag so I could empty the shredder). Life with her is so much fun, and you just never know what's going to come out of her mouth!
As I mentioned briefly above, there are new pictures to the right that Brian posted. Be sure to check them out. And join us in our amazement of how big Carolyn is getting.
We love you all, and we will try to get back on some sort of "regular" schedule with the blogging and picture posting.
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