RSV

Cameron went in for his 2-month check up on January 16th and according to Dr. Zollo, he is doing well. He is in the 75th percentile for his height at 23.7 inch and in the 50th percentile for both weight at 11.5 lbs and head size, 40 cm. He is meeting all the typical milestones and appears to be very happy.
One week later we were back in Dr. Zollo’s office because Kinderland Daycare called me and said that he was throwing up, now honestly, this kid can spit up non-stop and he is still gaining weight and is very happy… how can you tell the difference between his spitting up and throwing up I am not sure... it all looks the same to me. They also told me that they had a child in the nursery with RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and because Cameron had been coughing, they had to call and let me know. So I packed up at work and took him to the Dr.
Sure enough, he was showing signs of RSV also. Evidentially RSV is a very contagious airborne virus and can be very harmful to children under the age of two. It can last up to 3 weeks and there are currently 3-4 different strains out there, so just because you get it once you still have a few more chances to get it again. Cameron was starting to wheeze and sounds like a little purring kitten when he breathes, two indicators that he has a respiratory illness. It’s not good that he has RSV, but luckily, we caught it early. I have taken him to the American Fork Hospital Respiratory Center to be suctioned out (they get all of the extra built up mucus); Lamar got some evil looks from Cameron when he was done with this fun little procedure. Cameron sounds a lot better, he still has a little wheezing and coughing but overall he seems better. The bad thing is he can’t return to daycare until he is tested again and gets a negative test result. We will find out more on that tomorrow.

You decide, spit up or throw up?

Consequences of Contention

Several weeks ago after listening to a screaming match between two of my three beautiful girls I started to worry. What if these two grew up and never resolved their issues between each other, some of the things they were saying were down right mean…. “Kyle is not even your brother!” or “I hate you, why don’t you go live with your Dad…” were just a few of the things getting thrown around. So I started to think about ways to solve the problem. Several options came to mind, including sending them both off to military school or buying boxing gloves, but I wasn’t sure that would do the trick, how would that bring them closer.
I was worried that the youngest who had her own room felt left out and was showing aggression because she needed the extra attention. The older two were starting to bond more and I think it made her feel left out. The amount of contention between the oldest and the youngest was upsetting.
That was when I decided they needed to spend more quality time together… in the same room.
So I packed up all of the belongings of the one daughter who had her own room and moved her into the basement with the other two.
Now all three girls are together.
When the older two talk about boys the youngest is not left out. When they talk about young women’s activities, even though they youngest can’t go yet, she can look forward to attending those activities because of the example of her sisters’, and when they fight they can’t go far to get away from each other.
So far I have not seen any negative results from this little experiment. I actually have several added perks such as I don’t have to see the messy rooms anymore (and to be honest they are staying cleaner now) and we now have what I have designated the “Quiet Room.” The room I move the youngest out of is now a place to do homework, read a book, or play with Taylor (the pet rat.)
So far I am happy with this little move. I hope they are happy with it too, and I hope they are able to learn to work with each other to resolve issues and disagreements instead of against each other, I hope they start to appreciate one another like I appreciate my sister.

I want them to know that I have learned that my sister will always be my best friend; I will always love her, and always be there for her, no matter how different we are from each other. I would never do or say anything to hurt her and I am glad she is my sissy.

My Character Strengths

Interesting… I read Jennifer’s Blog about this little survey and I had a bit of time on my hands so I thought I would try it. Let me know if you think it is accurate.
You can try it too at www.viasurvey.org. (By the way Jennifer we have #1 and #5 in common)

Your Top Character Strength
Integrity, authenticity, honesty
You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person.

Your Second Character Strength
Love, Capacity to love and be loved
You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

Your Third Character Strength
Kindness, generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, "niceness"
You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds FOR others, even if you do not know them well.

Your Fourth Character Strength
Citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty, teamworkYou excel as a member of a group.
You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.

Your Fifth Character Strength
Leadership
You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

Last Night

Last night I climbed into the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, oh ya, it even toped the Ritz Carlton. With my sweet new sheets that are silky smooth and the insane down comforter that my sissy got me for Christmas I was in heaven! I was fast asleep in a matter of minutes!
Only one thing could have ripped me from that blissful slumber at 2 am, and that was Kyle sitting up and hearing the sound every mom hates, “mom…” (Followed by a low gurgling noise), “I, sick..” I am not sure the whole word sick came out before the vomit did. But my quick thinking mind had only one thing run through it SAVE THE COMFORTER! So I quickly flipped the down comforter out of the spew zone and then put my attention on Kyle.
At 4 am, after giving Kyle a bath, stripping the bed completely and replacing it with random blankets, putting my sheets and all of our clothes in the wash machine, feeding Cameron, who slept through the excitement, I finally went back to bed.
Not the sweet, luxurious bed I started out with but one that was uncomfortable and had a lingering stench of vomit. (**gag**).

Two hours later, we repeated the 2 am experience, yea me.

I was going to put on my sheets again tonight because I sure could use the sleep, but the girls said that I should wait a few days. They don’t think my excitement is over.

I am not that deep!

Have you ever read something and it is way too deep to even understand? Maybe it is just me, I am just not philosophical. Today on the back of my Starbucks cup (hey, give me a break! it is my first day back in the office, I left Cameron with a complete stranger at daycare, and I have yet to get more than 4 hours of sleep in a row!) I read the following:

The Way I See It #76
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as a rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. –Anne Morriss

Ummm, ok. I took a sip of my Chi Tea and though about that for a moment. Took another sip… nope, don’t get it! Anyone else want to crack this code? Am I the only person who is clueless as to what she is trying to say?