Fever

All was well . . . we enjoyed watching the annual Saddle Horse Parade with friends. Then in the middle of the night we woke to Alyssa screaming for Mommy. She was sick and after a few hours of cleaning sheets and loveys we noticed that she was on fire. She finally fell asleep and when she woke up we were able to take her temp--over 102. So she ate (keeping it down) and then I gave her some ibuprofen. But the fever didn't go down at all. It started to climb ever closer to 103.

I was a nervous wreck all day. After 4 hours of sleep Samantha and I made it to her allergy appointment in San Jose. We spent two hours talking about her immune problems and then she had a scratch test. Just like when she was two, she tested negative for everything--so back to the pedi. endocronologist.

When Samantha and I got home I took her out of the car and scooped up Alyssa to take her to the doctor. I was on the verge of tears. In five years neither of my kids has had a major fever and never one that was unresponsive to medication. So we sat in the office and they gave her a Feverall suppository (Tylenol). Soon after her temp climbed. She stopped talking and twice her eyes sort of rolled back in her head. It was so scary. But thank goodness I was right where I was supposed to be.

I expressed my fear of the out of control fever. It brought back memories of my worst fever--scarlet fever. Then doctor decided to take a strep culture since the fever was not under control. It came back positive. I overheard the doctor saying that she was really surprised at that result. So we sat for 30 minutes to check Alyssa's temp and when it started to climb they gave her an additional dose of Motrin. After 30 more minutes it finally started to go down and Alyssa started talking.

The doctor thanked me more than once for being a vigilant mom (and dad) and bringing Alyssa in. I hate to think how this could have turned out if I had not been so concerned. I'll always trust my intuition. Only once has it been wrong in five years.

The fever isn't yet gone and it still worries me, but Alyssa is improving. I'm hoping the next few doses of antibiotics will help us feel better. I'd like my dancing, singing, beautiful two year old back.

Summertime

Summer is here so now it feels like spring! Confused? Me too. The weather is more like April weather, minus the rain.

Today Samantha started swim lessons. She cried 20 out of the 30 minutes. I try hard to be patient with her, but it's difficult. She took swim lessons last year and knows how to do all these things, but she's acting like she's never been in the water before. I think it might be best if I actually sit outside the swim area or at the other pool.

I was always the kid who listened but would flaunt the rules in swim lessons. I loved the water and by 8 I was in the deep pool with kids much older than I. Samantha has a lot of fear about everything from food to cars to swimming. We talked about her fears and tried to reassure her that the lifeguards/instructors were there to protect her. I think tomorrow will be better. Constant exposure seems to be the key for her. Fingers crossed--it will be a better day tomorrow.

Mom and I had a garage sale on Saturday. We didn't get as many people as we would normally because it was a community-wide event. We did make a decent amount, however. I sold almost all my baby stuff minus a crib, car seat, and half my baby clothes. Yes, I said most. I had so many other "baby-related" things: car seats, strollers, swing, high chair, and other associated stuff. I'll hold on to them and in a few weeks I'll try again.

The Lawn King

After nearly 8 years in our house, Al has finally taken charge of the lawn. Last year we found out that I was allergic to grass and the doctor asked that I not mow the lawn anymore. I was truly sad because I found it very zen. So I gave the task to Al and he took it, begrudgingly. Then we bought him a manual lawn edger--the kind on a stick with a rotating blade. Suddenly he was a changed man.

The fist time he used the edger he spent about 4 hours cleaning things up. (The first time is always the hardest.) And now if the grass grows an eighth of an inch, he wants to mow it. Today he spent two hours going over the grass to pluck every single dandelion and every magnolia leaf off the lawn. I even caught him trimming the fern.

Now if he could only apply that same enthusiasm to mopping, dusting, and vacuuming!