Long overdue--Kellan's hospital visit

I have been remiss in posting yet again because life has continued to run full speed ahead for the past 3 weeks, but I really want to try and get caught up from a journaling standpoint so I have memories of everything that has happened since I last wrote. I will probably post in a few different posts, otherwise this could turn into the world's longest post!

Let's see...first off, Kellan got to enjoy a 3 night hospital stay shortly after I last posted, although most of you already are aware of that! He went into the hospital on Tuesday, the 12th, after I took him to Urgent Care that evening because he really seemed to be wheezing and having difficulty breathing. It scared me a bit and of course Marlon was out of town (on a plane to be specific), so I had to make the judgment call on my own, and I am ever so glad I did! Marlon's boss came and kindly took Alex home to her house (she has 2 young girls) so I didn't have to worry about her, and I was able to focus on taking care of my little boy! They did a chest x-ray (his 2nd one in 3 weeks) and was still running a fever, and they recommended admitting him to the hospital. I took him directly there and got us all checked in--my little guy didn't feel well and he was exhausted. He got hooked up to an IV for fluids and they got him started on 2 antibiotics that evening--they were pretty sure he had bacterial pneumonia...a pretty mild case but enough that he had been fighting it for weeks and the first round of antibiotics he'd been on hadn't fixed it, so whatever it was, it was stubborn! Marlon got back into town that night around 10:30pm, got Alex, went home and picked up some overnight items for me, came back to the hospital around 11:45 (with Alex in tow), then headed back home a little after midnight. Thankfully the hospital didn't have any restrictions on visitors in the wing we were in, so Alex was able to come in and visit with Kellan too. She was such a trooper and didn't complain at all about missing her dance class that evening, going to the house of someone she didn't know very well, or being out REALLY late.

Over the course of Wednesday and Thursday, Kellan still had a fever off and on, but he did end up testing positive for strep pneumonia (bacterial), so the antibiotics he was on were the best option for him. The doctors also think at some point over the 3+ weeks that he was sick he also caught a good old cold virus that just made him feel extra yucky and sick, and since the virus just had to run its course we just had to wait and make sure the antibiotics would eventually help him turn the corner. They didn't want to release him until he was fever free for 24 hours (and I definitely did NOT want to take him home and risk having to bring him back there again!), so by the time Friday rolled around, he was fever free and seemed to have turned the corner, so I was ready to get him out of there! He was getting pretty antsy by that point, too. I had brought his little plush soccer ball there for him to play with, and he just wanted to wander up and down the hallways kicking his little ball--the nurses were all very impressed with his soccer skills!! He was a very good patient--despite the fact that his arm was completely wrapped and splinted to protect his IV--fortunately after the first night we agreed that he did not need to be on the IV fluids anymore since he was still eating and drinking normally, so he was not connected to anything during the day but just got hooked up to the meds every night for about an hour and a half while they were administered. He didn't enjoy sitting still for that long, but by that time of night he was pretty tired so he would eventually sit still and let me hold him (which I needed to do to keep his arm held straight because he kept bending it and kinking up the IV line). He definitely did not enjoy being awakened every 4 hours to have his vitals checked (he particularly was not a fan of having his rectal temperature taken, but somehow by the last day he managed to sleep through the overnight ones!). He was also getting nebulizer breathing treatments every 4-6 hours around the clock to break up the "junk" in his lungs. It took the entire time we were there for the resp. therapists to finally start saying he was beginning to sound better, but they finally felt he was beginning to loosen up (although they said it could still take weeks for it to clear out completely).

I unfortunately did not take my camera there to capture some photos of my cute little guy in his hospital gown, hanging out in his crib "jail" that he was stuck in. I took one on my cell phone but have no idea how to get it over onto the computer. He enjoyed taking wagon rides around the halls, drinking more juice than he'd ever had in his life (keeping him hydrated was important and they didn't want him to have milk, so he got all the juice he wanted!), and snuggling with me and his little lovey. Marlon came to visit each day to give me a break to go home and shower, or nap, or pick up Alex from school, which was a huge blessing! He seems to be doing much better now. On our follow up visit to the dr. the week after he was discharged, she recommended he be seen by and ENT and an allergist to determine if there is anything else that caused him to sound so congested. He has always been a loud, snorty breather and she is just wondering if something relating to his sinuses or allergies may have made him sound or feel worse than just having pneumonia. We haven't had those appts. yet so we will see what they reveal, if anything.

For now we just want the kid to stay healthy for a while!! Unfortunately today he woke up with a yucky, goop filled eye that is a little swollen and red, so it's looking like he now has pink eye! Poor kid can't catch a break. It got worse throughout the day and is just oozing greenish yellow stuff....fortunately we had filled a prescription a few months ago for antibiotic eye drops for Alex when we thought she had pink eye (but she didn't) so they had never been opened and were still good, so we started him on those right away today. Hopefully that will help clear his eye up--I just can't bare the thought of taking him back to the doctor yet again--he's been probably somewhere close to 10+ times in the past month...not sure how much more my insurance will allow :)

I think that's Kellan's hospital stay in a nutshell. Next up, details on Alex's birthday and a surprise trip to Vegas with my thoughtful husband!

Recital, Mothers Day and Sickness Round 2!

Alex's first dance recital was a success! Her brief 3-4 minute piece went off without much of a hitch (all 5 girls actively participated and no one cried!). They were the first performance and then we got to hang around for a bit watching the older girls perform (we also got to watch their rehearsals and Alex really enjoyed watching the real ballet dancers!). Since they were the first performance, the red curtain opened up to them standing on the stage (see below), then all the lights came on. (Alex thought that was cool). She looked all around then leaned over to get her friend Layla's attention to point out the blue lights behind her. They got to dance with their babies, which was cute. Like I said, it was short but sweet!! Marlon and Kellan even arrived just in time for her performance, then left right when it ended. Marlon may not admit it but I think he enjoyed watching her up there on stage! I took video of the dance but don't know how to upload--maybe I'll try to figure it out later....but for now pictures will have to do!

Mia (new friend from class), Alex, and Layla (good school friend who is also in dance class)

Alex and Layla getting ready to put their babies down to sleep

Happy girl (pre-recital)--a little out of order

I had a nice relaxing mother's day complete with flowers from the kids and Marlon, a good afternoon nap, and a dinner hosted by the neighbors for some of the neighborhood moms (and families)--great food and fun! Unfortunately Kellan woke up yesterday with yet another fever and a yucky cough. He was pretty out of it most of the day (he took over a 4 hour nap), but did enjoy himself at our neighbors' house for the evening. His fever continued this morning so back to the doctor we went this afternoon! We're back on another round of medicine--an antibiotic, a steroid, and the breathing treatments again. Still no official diagnosis (although his ear infection still has not cleared up), but this time the doctor said it could be the beginning of croupe. At this point, I don't really care what it is--just give me some medicine that will help make my boy healthy for good!! After getting a strong dose of ibuprofin at the doctor's office a few hours ago he is feeling much better (for the moment at least!). We go back again in 2 days to see how he's doing. Hopefully we can clear this all up before we head to Philly next week!!

i've got nothing (by that I mean NO Title).

Our little guy (seen here with his oh-so-cute breathing treatment mask)...
is finally healthy again! After almost 2 weeks of antibiotics and breathing treatments I think he's finally kicked this thing. We still have to go back to the dr. yet again next week for a final follow-up but I'm hoping this time we're good to go! He's full of energy, running around like crazy, and learning so many new things! He is quite good at dribbling a soccer ball (much better than his sister is even now!). He loves balls and cars--he is a typical boy!
My (not so) little girl, on the other hand, is gearing up for her end of the season dance recital tomorrow (they technically call it an open house but I'm not quite sure what the difference is!). She has LOVED her dance class and it has been so cute to watch her with the other girls. I'm not sure where we go from here as she only has one more class (although if it were up to her daddy, it would be her last! but hey, she didn't meet the cut-off for spring soccer so she'll have to wait until the fall--she can't wait for that either!). Below is a photo from this week's class with her teacher, Miss Liz, and her fellow classmates (her good friend Layla is 2nd from the left). I'll be sure to post some photos from her show tomorrow!

Last night was family night at Alex's school--the theme was "Celebrating America" (thus the red, white and blue in the photos!). Here is Alex and her BFF/closest thing to a boyfriend she should have at this age--Jarrett. Aren't they just too cute??

Kellan also enjoyed family night (when he wasn't screaming)--the big kids kept him entertained (some of the time!).

Alex "fishing" at one of the stations they had set up for the kids

Alex in her Uncle Sam hat

Eating her pretzel rod coated with icing and red/white/blue sprinkles (yum!)

We're gearing up for Alex's 4th birthday in a few weeks, combined with a nice long trip to visit family! We can't wait to see cousins Nolan and Mia who are getting ready to move back to PA from CA! Then a family vacation follows a few weeks later to Ocean City, MD--should be fun!

Changing subjects now, I'm seeking some advice for healthy meals for the kids, particularly Kellan, who is my very good eater. I'm trying to solidify his great eating habits early on (so he doesn't end up like his sister!), and I feel like I'm at a loss for good lunch and dinner meals to serve him. At this age, Alex had already become extremely picky so I didn't have a ton of flexibility. Since Kellan is so different, I'm looking for some ideas...what do you feed your kids for lunch and dinner?