Death Virus Report

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks for me. I have been sick for basically the last two weeks. It started with allergies - itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, etc. But by Thursday (after a few nights of little sleep) I developed a fever and body ache. Then, while putting Connor to bed Thursday (1/20) I noticed he was running a fever and had been extra needy that evening. We both we feverish and puny over the weekend but Matt was home and his mom was visiting so we got to rest and were well taken care of. Saturday night as we were going to bed Matt said, "My throat has a tickle. I hope I'm not getting sick." He woke up in the night with a high fever and very sore throat. He missed church for an illness for the first time in 5+ years. Connor was still puny and feverish and by this time Cameron had also developed a fever and congestion. His congestion was actually so bad that he was throwing up after eating because he would choke on his phlegm. I seemed to be improving but because the boys were all so sick I wasn't sleeping. (Down for an hour, up for two, etc.) My mom came to help Sunday and Monday. We took Cameron to the doctor Monday morning and were told that he just had a nasty virus and that there wasn't much that we could do about it. We didn't get to see our pedi so when the doctor said that we should have a pretty low threshold for a second visit, I made a mental note not to endure for more than a couple of days before returning. I finally convinced Matt to go to the doctor Tuesday after he'd had fever for 3 days straight. They told him it was the flu. Again, not much we can do about it but his doctor also said to return if he didn't improve by the weekend.
Cam's fever broke Tuesday and was gone all day Wednesday until early evening. Connor was fever free all day Wednesday and seemed to be mending better than anyone else. I was up and down. One day feeling like I was on the mend and the next feeling like I'd been run over by a Mack truck. Thursday morning I left Connor with Matt and took Cameron back to see our doctor. She confirmed my suspicion; he had a double ear infection (our first) and a sinus infection. She said that when the fever breaks and then returns you generally have a secondary infection. He was on antibiotics by noon and slept most of the following 24 hours. Matt was doing much better Thursday but just needed a lot of rest. He also had such a swollen throat that he has had trouble eating or even drinking anything. Friday was a better day for me, so I took Connor to the grocery store. We needed some food and a lot more tissues.
By Friday evening Matt's fever had returned and he was going downhill so he agreed to go back to see the doctor at the clinic on Saturday. Saturday morning when we called (around 8:30) there were no available appointments. Devastated and angry we did more google searching and found as many at-home remedies as we could.
After missing church the week prior and an entire week of work, Matt was determined to go to church yesterday. He didn't run fever at all on Saturday and both boys were nearly 100% recovered so I agreed that it might be great to get us all out of the house and back to normal life. Boy was I wrong. It seems to have wiped me out completely. I have had so much congestion and coughing that I haven't been able to sleep. I am walking around nauseous and lightheaded. I tried calling several times this morning to get an appointment for myself but once I finally got through, they were completely booked. Matt called the nurse's desk for his doctor and had antibiotics called in for himself. His symptoms all seem to fit a sinus infection, like Cameron. I now have an appointment for first thing tomorrow morning. Matt is back at work today, just forging through and determined not to get any more behind. I am torn about MOPS tomorrow. The boys are healthy & in need of socializing. It's my turn for breakfast and I usually give a friend a ride. But on the other hand, I am miserable. I just want to sleep - BUT I CAN'T!
I am sorry for such a negative blogpost but I am so depressed and angry at whatever this virus is that keeps attacking us that I just needed to get it all out. Please pray for my little family. Pray for rest and healing. I am beyond my wit's end.

So wiped out they can't even hold their heads up.

Look at those rosy cheeks and glassy eyes.

Temperature check - it was pretty routine for a while.

This was last weekend when he was at his worst. My poor babies!

Connor-ism of the day

In the car this afternoon:

Connor: Song?

Me: You want to listen to a song?

Connor: Yesss

(long pause as I fumble through the iPod)

Connor: Jeh-cohhh

Me: Jericho?

Connor: YES!!!

(Joshua fought the Battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling dooooooowwwwwwnnnnnn!)

The Waiting Game

Patiently watching for Daddy to come home...

Go Spurs Go!

We had to snap a few pictures of our littlest one all geared up for the Spurs vs Mavs game tonight!

Handy Manny

More than a year ago I remember a friend saying something on Facebook about Handy Manny and having never heard of him, I made a false assumption. Since her husband was deployed at the time I thought Handy Manny must be a local handy guy you could hire to come do small fix-it jobs around your house. WRONG! We have since been introduced to Handy Manny and are now well acquainted. (In case you're wondering Handy Manny is a Disney cartoon about a fix-it man.) Connor loves the show. A few weeks ago while we were out shopping we found after-Christmas clearance toys and picked up this do-it-yourself repair shop. Connor loves it. You can assemble it using the little hammer, "Pat" and screwdriver, "Turner." It has little planks that come out of the floor that you can hammer into place and the window is broken on one side but if you turn it around it is fixed. I am really amazed at how long he will play with it by himself too. He is getting to be such a big boy!

Feeling Cheesy

I've been skeptical for a while that pre-shredded cheese had something added to it. It doesn't stick together and it doesn't have as much flavor. I just read tonight what it is...
Potato Starch
Natamycin
Corn Starch
Calcium Sulfate

It requires 4 extra ingredients that I don't really want in my cheese. I had actually just been trying to believe that the cheese must just be dried out after being shredded. Wrong! I have been buying less and less pre-shredded cheese for a while now, and reluctantly buying what I did. I just had a hunch something wasn't right. Calcium Sulfate is used to make plaster, quick setting cements, molds, and casts among other not-so-appetizing things. Plus! Who needs more starch in their diet? Not me. No thank you. I get plenty of starches and would prefer to keep them out of my cheese.

It seems like the more research you do the more you find chemicals in our everyday foods. I am by no means a health food junkie or granola mom (although I really wish I was!) but I want to be an informed mom. I want to do my part to stay healthy and to raise healthy children.

A while back my mother in law introduced me to Tillamook cheese and it is just about all I buy now. It costs a little more but the taste is totally worth it. And now that I know about the additives in pre-shredded cheese, I will be buying the bigger blocks rather than the smaller.

By the way, I have not taken a job with Tillamook - I just really do like their cheese!

When Daddy Comes Home...

You just never know what's going to happen! Matt came home for lunch today and the boys got to experience their first fort! Couch cushions & blankets created the perfect crawl-through fort that both, scratch that, all THREE of my boys loved! It is such a joy to watch my husband enjoy his children. Cameron was actually in his highchair and while watching his Daddy & brother playing began to bang his fists, kick his legs and squawk until he was participating in the fun. He knew he was missing out on something good!