Happy Halloweenie!!!

 (Don't worry, I'll post some costume pictures soon!)

What're You Eating?

An Instructional Video by Katie

Leaves

Katie was looking out the sliding glass door onto the deck the other day.  She was just standing there lost in thought.

All of a sudden, we heard a sob followed by, "LEEEAAAVVVEEESSS!!!!!" Then, she began to cry.

We figured out that she wanted to go outside and get some leaves. Since it was dark, rainy and cold, Huzbend went outside and picked one up for her.  I patted it dry and gave it to her.  She carried it around with her for about ten minutes (a long time for a toddler to carry a leaf) before dropping it on the living room floor.  Our guess is that she wanted to save it.

She's noticed the leaves falling out of the trees.  I've explained to her a few times that the leaves change color and fall out of the trees when it gets colder.  They go Bye-Bye for the winter and then grow back in the Spring.  She'll see that when it gets warmer they'll start out as Baby Leaves (buds) and then grow and grow and grow until they are great big green leaves again.

I think that she is sad that the leaves are falling off the trees.  Maybe she thinks it hurts them somehow.  Her little heart is breaking for the leaves.

Yesterday, before a car trip she had to pick up two leaves to take on the trip with us.

Now, how am I going to explain when we pack all the leaves up into the yard waste bin to be taken away by the garbage truck?  Sigh.

I guess we'll know we're really in trouble when she starts naming them.

The Pumpkin Patch

Today we visited a pumpkin patch

with our preschool class.

 

Katie was not impressed with the

displays of pumpkin-headed people.

"No.  No like dat......"

She did, however, like the orange pumpkin 

cookie she got during storytime.

Yummy.

"Dis one!  You take it home and make

it jack-o-lantern!"

Hmmmmmmm?  Whaaaaat'ssssss thissssss?

A lonely ole' mud puddle?

Here, Mr. Mud Puddle, let me give you a nice, big....

......SPLASH!!

A preschool buddy also took pity on Mr. Mud Puddle.

At the end of 15 minutes of muck-splashing mayhem, he was a well

loved Mr. Mud Puddle indeed.

Here's the final product.

Nowadays, the only way I can get Katie to look at the camera and smile is to

call her one of the characters from the movie "Cars".  

The other parents milling about must have thought I was absolutely nuts.

(The preschool parents already know me.  I think.)  

Not only was Katie covered in smelly farm mud, but here I was yelling out

like some sort of freakish paparazzi......   

HEY!  LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!  LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!

LOOK!  LOOK HERE!

LOOK AT MOMMY!  TOW MATER!

Man.  Two year olds are awesome.

You busy girl.

Katie has a allergy.  Mommy Daddy eat something.  There's no soy in that, noooooooo.  Squirl eat nuts.  Katie eat nuts, no.

What's Joooey doing?

Katie went to the ospital!  Doctor gave you medicine.  You get ice fream too.  And Nemo too. All Katie's pals get medicine at Katie's house.  Thomas.  Rosie. Percy.  Billy.  All sick.  Sometimes everybody get ice fream too.  But, no Nemo.

Mr. Pettibone a kitten.  Mr. Pettibone is walking with us.  He likes to eat big red gooey fish.  Mr. Pettibone came in the car to preschool.  It smells like big red gooey fish in here.

Katie get up on chair in kitchen.  You do work on the pewter, like Daddy.  You typed on it.

Katie Mommy go to beach in kitchen.  Sit on blankit and cook marshmello.  It's dark in here. No ghosts come in to house to say hi, noooooooo.  Mommy say no ghosts.

Katie like punkins.  Punkins orange.  Punkins make jack-o-lantern.  Smiley face punkin. Punkins at Halloween!

Lightnin McQueen is chasing us.  Watch out!

Naked Baby go on slide with Katie.  One.....two.....free.....RACE!  Fall down into the seal poopies. Naked Baby slip on the seal poopie.  I got a Baby Whale.  Baby Whale is hungry.  He wants something to eat.

You want a cheese stick....one more time. 

You a Dancin Queen!  You a Dancin Tow Mater!  Put music on to dance in living room!  Look at Katie gooooooooo!  Get down, Katie! 

Bye-bye.

Fun With A Tape Measure

A Sickness Update

The doc gave us a thumbs up.  

We can now rejoin civilization.

Her lungs are clear, but she still needs to kick the cough and runny nose.  

Also, as a precaution we are going to continue the nebulizer treatments for another week.

Thomas will be happy.

We had uncharacteristically beautiful fall weather this weekend.  It was bright and sunny and the temps hovered at around 75 degrees (at least 10 degrees above normal). Not a rain cloud in sight.

Did we go hiking, camping, walking, swimming, or do ANYTHING outside?  No.  We spent the weekend in the hospital.  I'm pretty sure we missed what will be the last sunshine that we will see for the next 8 or 9 months.

Oh yeah.  I did say 'hospital', didn't I?

Katie came down with another cold on Wednesday.  Seemed like any other cold until she woke up early Saturday morning (4am early) wheezing with a rapid heartbeat.  She couldn't talk because she couldn't stop coughing.  This was NOT some plain old cold and I called for an appt. with her doctor.

We went in at 10:30.  They listened to her lungs and heard something rattling around in there, so they decided to do a chest x-ray.  It came out negative for fluid in her lungs.  No pneumonia. But, the oxygen level in her blood was down to 91.  Normal level is about 99.  It was decided that we should go to the emergency room at the local hospital.  Before we left, they gave her a nebulizer treatment - which consists of shooting a mist of albuterol (used to open her airways) into her face.  

The treatment helped to ease Katie's breathing and so after a quick stop home for supplies and lunch ('cause we all know how long you could be sitting in the ER) we headed off.

The wait at the ER wasn't to long and we were soon in a room.  The ER doc came in and told us he suspected something called, 'restrictive airway disease' and that this might or might not be a precursor to asthma.  I guess if she was to experience this shortness of breath a few more times down the line she would be diagnosed with asthma.  Such wonderful news.

We had to give her a huge dosage of prednisone (a steroid) to help relax the inflammation in her lungs and then an hour long nebulizer treatment.  After about 4 hours in the ER, her blood oxygen levels didn't recover as hoped.  We were admitted.

Up to the pediatric care ward we went.  Because they suspected that Katie's lung infection was viral, everyone that came into the room had to wear a surgical robe, mask and gloves.  If either Huzbend or I left the room, we had to wear masks.

The incremental nebulizer treatments began as well as a steroid treatment once a day. Katie was not impressed with all the poking and prodding.  Although she held it together more that I thought she would, she did throw a few big tantrums; screaming, crying, kicking, flinging arm type tantrums.    

Katie began to recover early Saturday night.  Her blood oxygen level while awake was slowly climbing and her breathing became less labored.  The problem was that after she fell asleep, her level would drop down to below 88 and set off an alarm.  When that happened I had to put an oxygen mask to her face.  The nurse tried to get Katie to let us put that oxygen tube thing up her nose, but Katie would not allow it.  She threw the biggest meanest tantrum that I have yet to see from her.  She soon fell asleep and I cried.  I was so tired of having to listen to her cry.

Sunday she was even better with her waking levels at 96.  But, when she took a nap her levels dropped back down to 88 and lower.  With those stats and a listen to her lungs (still not 100% clear) the doctor didn't feel comfortable sending her home.  So, it was one more night in the hospital.

Finally, on Monday her waking level got to 97.  Her napping level wasn't great, but the doctor said that her lungs sounded good and she didn't seem to be in any respiratory distress.  We were allowed to go home.

So, we've been doing the nebulizer at home every 4 hours.  Katie actually likes it now.  She'll sit on the floor and share her albuterol mist with Thomas or whoever else she has deemed 'sick'. Here is video of one of the first treatments we did at home.  She didn't like the medicine in her eyes. 

Katie is still coughing but her breathing is pretty normal, as far as I can tell.  It's hard to gauge when she won't stop running in circles.  The ER doctor told me to keep her home for a few days so that she could relax and not cough on other kids.

We go back for a follow-up with her primary doctor tomorrow.  I'm hoping that we get the green light to get back out into the world.

Wouldn't you know it, the forecast for tomorrow is rain.  Sigh.