Oh boy, what a chaotic last 2 days I've had!! So, yesterday Jeff actually got to fly to Oklahoma. He was supposed to fly out on Wednesday, but there was an issue with paperwork, so he had to wait until Thursday. Well, yesterday was supposed to be my "do nothing day." I planned on laying around and doing nothing! I haven't felt well and I've been so tired, so I just wanted to rest. That was the PLAN. Well, when you have 4 kids, plans change at the drop of a hat. So, Cleo told me her ear was hurting. Normally she doesn't talk about that. The only other time she said something like that was when she actually had an ear infection. And, Mr. Baby Guy has been sick for the past week with a nasty cold. I also saw him digging in his ears. So, I think, let's go to the Minute Clinic at The Marketplace right up the road. We'll do it quick and come right home. Better to find out right away. So, we go, and they are on break. So we patiently wait for 15 minutes. Then I get in and start signing the kids in at the kiosk. When I type in Westin's birthday, it says "We do not see patients under the age of 18 months." I was like, "Really?!?" Ugh! So, I talked to the doctor and she said sorry, but they can't treat babies. I figured since we were already there I might as well get Cleo's ears looked at. Turns out she's fine! No ear infection! Great news......but annoying. The doctor WAS nice enough to peek at Westin's ears just to tell me if it would be worth it to take him in. She said I should go.
So, we all get back in the van and I think.....what to do?? It's almost 4:00 pm at this point. There's an Allina Clinic like 2 blocks away from my house. But you need to have an appointment to go. I call and they say they can squeeze him in at 4:45pm.....Perfect, but my kids eat dinner between 4 and 4:30.........and we have 45 minutes. We rush home and eat a bunch of snacks. We get back in the van, drive two blocks, and wait in the waiting room for about 35 minutes! Ugh! So, we get in the room and we are in there for another 15 minutes......The doctor says it's a double ear infection (again). This is his 3rd one since October 2009. Perhaps tubes will be in his very near future......but that's another chapter in itself........
He is prescribed Amoxicillin again, but it takes the damn pharmacy almost an hour to fill a flippin prescription and I don't want to wait anymore or go out anymore! (Terrible mom that I am, I had some Amoxicillin saved from the last time Julian had an ear infection. It was only a couple days past the expiration date. So, I gave him a dose of that and planned on picking up his prescription the next day.) So, we get home and I'm totally on edge and I end up yelling at the kids a lot. We sit down in the hallway and have a talk about being a team and helping out mommy. I told them how I am one mommy and they are 4 kids and I don't have daddy here to help me, so they need to be nice and help me so we can have fun and mommy won't yell so much. They agreed (which isn't worth much in this case). They went to bed. I watched a little tv and went to bed.
I wake up at 4:00 am today with a THROBBING tooth. It is my fault. I haven't been to my dentist in years and I know I have a cavity in this tooth. It's a back top molar and the pain is literally shooting into my gums, jaw, and head. I realize that when I close my mouth, just the slight pressure of one of my bottom teeth touching THAT tooth makes me want to scream! I can't even push up on that tooth with my tongue without it killing!! So, I go take some Excedrin.....also dumb, because it has caffeine, but it usually does the trick with pain. I go lay in bed and my nose stuffs up so bad I can't breathe. But, amazingly, I can smell that the 27 pound cat has pooped the smelliest poop I think I've ever smelled!! I am surprised it didn't wake my kids up! It was really bad! So, I couldn't even lay in my bed.....I couldn't breathe, the smell was terrible, my mouth was throbbing and I just felt like crap. I decided to go dink around on the internet. Actually, I went to my facebook page and looked at all of my status updates for the past few months. I have been sick since February 3rd! Ick! That's straight.....without getting better........But I've been on-and-off sick since last October! Eeeew! Why have I been so damn sick?? And my Mr. Baby Guy, too! He's been sick on and off for the past few months. So I google "how not to get sick." I found some websites talking about Echinacea and Zinc and Vitamin C to help with the immune system. I decided I would go buy some of that later!! (I will try anything at this point!)
By this point, it's 6:00 am and I am antsy and in pain. I decided I'm so mad about being sick that I dug out a bunch of Clorox wipes and started wiping EVERYTHING! Everything the baby touches, everything I touch, everything the kids touch (door knobs, light switches, toys, books, cupboards, the vacuum, the kennel, everything!) I also decided I would open windows once the kids woke up. Of course, to add to my lovely moment, Julian comes downstairs crying, "Mom, I peed the bed...." (And when he pees.....ugh......he PEES!) So, then I go strip his bed and make him strip......so now I'm doing laundry.....then I opened all the windows upstairs. (I only kept them open for about 15 minutes.....I just needed to let some fresh air in....)
I wish the story could end here and I could say that I spent the day in my jammies......alas......I did not. I had to bring Owen to his Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. The doctor told me that Owen's voice should return to normal right after the surgery......well, he still sounds terrible. (I don't know if I posted this before, but Owen had some Papillomas removed from his vocal cords. It literally blocked about 75% of the tube.....that's why he has been so raspy when he talks.) Unfortunately, this kind of thing is very rare and usually comes back over and over again. The doctor said he's seen patients with the same thing that have to come back every 4-6 weeks to have them removed!! Well, we went in for his appointment today and the doctor listened to him count to ten. I asked if it was normal for his voice to still be raspy. He said it was unusual and most kids recover their voices shortly after the surgery. He recommended speech therapy. I asked if it would help. He said it might or he might never get his voice back.........That....breaks my heart. So, now I need to contact a speech therapist and see if it's even possible to "fix" his voice. The doctor said he wants to see Owen in 2 to 3 months to check his throat and see if anything's come back. I hope this isn't something we need to do over and over again. I don't know that I can take watching my child go in for multiple surgeries on something there is no cure for. There's nothing I can do, either.........I feel so helpless........
We had a decent night and then Jeff called! Yay, right?! Well, his voice was so depressed......I was like, "What's wrong? What happened??" He said he only got about 30 minutes of sleep last night and then he got some bad news. They changed some dates on him, which means he will be gone longer than we thought. Really? He's supposed to do a week of "in processing" and then start "training" on March 5th. From March 5th, it was supposed to be 4 weeks in Oklahoma......then on to Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Well, they changed his start date of training to March 18th. Yeah, 2 weeks....not a big deal......but he's supposed to start "training" at Ft. Knox on a specific day. That will push THAT start date back.......so who knows how long he will be gone? Kentucky could tell him because he came in after his start date that he might have to wait a few more weeks to start his training. So, now we are for sure looking at 16 weeks of him being gone......probablly even longer. I know there's nothing either of us can do. We have to just deal with it and keep truckin' along. I have to try to stay positive or I will go insane!! So, now I am typing this and thinking and knowing I need to go to bed in a few minutes. I have a wonderful day of scrapbooking planned with my mom and sister and I can't wait! I haven't scrapped in so long that it's going to be so fun!!
Everyone has been so wondeful, too! Everyone is asking if I need help or if there's anything they can do?? Well, we are okay right now......perhaps in a few weeks I might need an hour or two out of the house without the kids!! We'll see. For now, we will just keep going day to day and making the most of what we have. The only thing that really keeps me going is the thought that life COULD be worse. I could be in a much worse situation. So, I shall keep going......stay positive.......be excited......and try to stay sane! I love you all and I appreciate all of your support! I know my blogs might be overly detailed and kinda pointless, but I enjoy getting my feelings out. I do it so people can see what's going on, but I also do it as a form of self therapy. It makes me feel better to get it out! So, I don't blame you if you find my posts to be absolutely ridiculous!! And, I know sometimes they are really positive posts and sometimes I'm a 'Debbie Downer'.......I don't wish to bring anyone down. So, if I'm doing that, I'm sorry.
Well, time for bed.......I will post more later
~Rachelle........Crazy mom......Crazy life.......Crazy kids........Crazy cool!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The time has come....
Well, it's finally here. We brought Jeff to the hotel today and he will wake up bright and early tomorrow morning and fly to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He will be doing a shortened version of "boot camp" for 5 weeks. (He doesn't have to do the 'full' deal, because he's been in the Army before.) Then, after 5 weeks is up, he will fly to Ft. Knox, Kentucky. He will be there for approximately 9 weeks. We are hoping that we will find out where he/we will be stationed shortly after he arrives at Ft. Knox. Because he's 'doing tanks,' there's only so many places we could possibly end up. I know these for sure: Ft. Hood Texas, Ft. Bliss Texas, Ft. Carson Colorado, Ft. Stewart Georgia, Ft. Knox Kentucky, Ft. Riley Kansas, Ft. Irwin California and I believe there are some in Germany, as well. After lots of talking, Jeff and I are in agreement that we would love to end up at Ft. Carson Colorado. I, personally, think that the "worst case scenario" would be Jeff getting stationed in South Korea. If he goes there, he CAN'T bring us. So, we would stay here. Now, that wouldn't be terrible, because most of our family is here, but he would be under a year long contract. I don't know that I can be separated from him for that long right off the bat!! But, it's not in our hands. So, we will have to wait and see.......
It's weird, because I know I am going to be a "single mom" for the next few months. Since Jeff and I have been together, the longest we've ever been apart is 1 week. How the heck am I going to last for 14 weeks?! I'm not worried about whether or not I can do it. I KNOW I can.......I just am going to really miss him. For those of you who don't know, Jeff is an EXTREMELY involved and helpful father and husband. (I'm not just saying this because he's my hubby.....it's the truth.) He brings Owen to the bus stop most mornings, he brings Julian to preschool a lot, he takes them to doctor appointments, he does dishes and laundry and cleans all the time, he scoops the dog poop, he shovels, he fixes the van when it needs it, he buys me treats that he knows I like and so many other things..........Especially since he's been unemployed.......he's always home. So, I am going from one extreme to the other. It's going to be a little bizarre.
I know there are some moments that I will enjoy........I will enjoy the alone time I'll get at night. Granted, now I won't have anyone to talk to and laugh with when I watch The Bachelor, Desperate Housewives, The Office, Cougar Town, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and American Idol. But, I never really get alone time, so I think it will be good for me. We'll see what I type a few weeks from now!!!
Anyway, tonight is the first night I'm going to bed without my hubby next to me. I'm sure I will wake up with the 27 lb. cat looking at me or the dog crying because he doesn't know where his dad is. It will be weird, but I will do it. We made this decision together and we made it to better our lives. If it means being apart for a little while, then so be it. Hopefully, it will only make us stronger.......
More later.......
~Rachelle
It's weird, because I know I am going to be a "single mom" for the next few months. Since Jeff and I have been together, the longest we've ever been apart is 1 week. How the heck am I going to last for 14 weeks?! I'm not worried about whether or not I can do it. I KNOW I can.......I just am going to really miss him. For those of you who don't know, Jeff is an EXTREMELY involved and helpful father and husband. (I'm not just saying this because he's my hubby.....it's the truth.) He brings Owen to the bus stop most mornings, he brings Julian to preschool a lot, he takes them to doctor appointments, he does dishes and laundry and cleans all the time, he scoops the dog poop, he shovels, he fixes the van when it needs it, he buys me treats that he knows I like and so many other things..........Especially since he's been unemployed.......he's always home. So, I am going from one extreme to the other. It's going to be a little bizarre.
I know there are some moments that I will enjoy........I will enjoy the alone time I'll get at night. Granted, now I won't have anyone to talk to and laugh with when I watch The Bachelor, Desperate Housewives, The Office, Cougar Town, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and American Idol. But, I never really get alone time, so I think it will be good for me. We'll see what I type a few weeks from now!!!
Anyway, tonight is the first night I'm going to bed without my hubby next to me. I'm sure I will wake up with the 27 lb. cat looking at me or the dog crying because he doesn't know where his dad is. It will be weird, but I will do it. We made this decision together and we made it to better our lives. If it means being apart for a little while, then so be it. Hopefully, it will only make us stronger.......
More later.......
~Rachelle
Monday, February 8, 2010
Our busy little week.....
Okay, so we've had an exciting little week! My Mr. Baby Guy just decided to start crawling on Saturday!! Finally! He's almost 13 months old and he just learned to crawl! He has one itty bitty speck of a tooth and he crawls! Yeah, he should be doing more.....but he's a laid back little thing! He will do new things when he's ready.....I hope!
Owen had an allergy doctor appointment last Wednesday. For those of you who don't know, Owen is allergic to apples. Weird, I know! Well, he's always been bummed about this allergy. He LOVES apples and, surprisingly, apples are in a lot of foods!! We're talking fruit snacks, poptarts, nutrigrain bars, and most juices! These are things he hasn't been able to eat for a year now. So, we brought him back in to find out if we need to STILL stay away from apples. AND........he is STILL allergic to apples. So, we got a prescription for a new Epi-pen (in case he goes into anaphylactic shock) and we have to have lots of Benadryl nearby (in case he gets hives). I also had to bring his medications to his new school and talk to the nurse and fill out paperwork. So, he's set on that, but he's still really bummed about not being able to eat apples. Did you know, though, that he can eat fruit roll-ups but not fruit snacks?? Fruit roll ups are made with pears and fruit snacks are made with apples! Good to know! Also, we had to ask the doctor about Owen's extremely hoarse voice. His voice has just been going downhill for the past few months and I just thought it was because of allergies or something. Well, the doctor said probably not, so he referred us to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. So, we will go in to see that doctor on Wednesday this week.
Owen also had an eye doctor appointment last Thursday. It's been a year since he got his glasses, so we wanted to make sure his eyes are doing okay. His appointment went just fine and his eyes are the same AND we even got to order him another pair of glasses (turns out his insurance will cover one pair of glasses a year! Yay!) So, that was fun and he's excited to get a new pair of glasses! It was funny, because when Owen was in the exam room with the doctor and Jeff, I was in the waiting area with Julian, Cleo, and Westin. Cleo and Julian were sitting next to each other and Julian leaned over and started singing to Cleo....."Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!" I said, "Julian, how do you know that song??" He said, "Mom, it was on Ellen today!" I busted out laughing! It was so funny, because he knew the tune and everything! You see, Julian and Cleo go to bed before Owen, so Julian never watches nighttime tv with us. Owen does, though, so he watches American Idol with us all the time.......but Julian never watches American Idol, so I was shocked that Julian knew that song! It was pretty cute!
So, as of today, it's 16 days away and then Jeff will be gone. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this right now. It's kind of surreal to me. A month ago, it seemed like it was so far away.......but now it's right around the corner! It's coming up fast and I don't know what to think and feel about all of it. I'm sure I will have hideous mood swings when he leaves. I'm sure I will yell and cry a lot. I'm sure I will be taking a lot of Excedrin, too! (That's my pill that makes me feel a sort of high that I just love.......terrible, I know, but I take it for the caffeine along with my strong cup of coffee and along with my wellbutrin). I don't know if they have a Pill Addicts Anonymous group, but if they do, I should join it!
Anyway, things are going to be crazy busy up until the day Jeff leaves. Jeff is getting a massage tomorrow, Owen goes to his throat doctor on Wednesday, we have a WIC appt on Thursday, and I work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (then I'm done with work). Plus, we get up at the buttcrack of dawn to get Owen off to school!! He has to wake up at 6:15am! That's so early for a little guy like him!! (Heck, it's early for a big girl like me!) And, Julian goes to preschool every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, too! I just want to sleep for 3 days straight. Perhaps I could get a catheter and sleep for a few days and not have to worry about money, or the kids, or Jeff leaving, or school, or anything........just sleep. That would be a dream come true!
Speaking of dreams.......I had a dream last night that Jeff got stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas. Honestly, I've never thought of myself as a Texan before, but I have looked at some houses for rent near there and they aren't too bad! I've just never pictured myself living in the South, but I better get used to it, huh?? Oh well......only time will tell!
Well, I best find something to eat for lunch and get going for the day. I will post more later!
~Rachelle
Owen had an allergy doctor appointment last Wednesday. For those of you who don't know, Owen is allergic to apples. Weird, I know! Well, he's always been bummed about this allergy. He LOVES apples and, surprisingly, apples are in a lot of foods!! We're talking fruit snacks, poptarts, nutrigrain bars, and most juices! These are things he hasn't been able to eat for a year now. So, we brought him back in to find out if we need to STILL stay away from apples. AND........he is STILL allergic to apples. So, we got a prescription for a new Epi-pen (in case he goes into anaphylactic shock) and we have to have lots of Benadryl nearby (in case he gets hives). I also had to bring his medications to his new school and talk to the nurse and fill out paperwork. So, he's set on that, but he's still really bummed about not being able to eat apples. Did you know, though, that he can eat fruit roll-ups but not fruit snacks?? Fruit roll ups are made with pears and fruit snacks are made with apples! Good to know! Also, we had to ask the doctor about Owen's extremely hoarse voice. His voice has just been going downhill for the past few months and I just thought it was because of allergies or something. Well, the doctor said probably not, so he referred us to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. So, we will go in to see that doctor on Wednesday this week.
Owen also had an eye doctor appointment last Thursday. It's been a year since he got his glasses, so we wanted to make sure his eyes are doing okay. His appointment went just fine and his eyes are the same AND we even got to order him another pair of glasses (turns out his insurance will cover one pair of glasses a year! Yay!) So, that was fun and he's excited to get a new pair of glasses! It was funny, because when Owen was in the exam room with the doctor and Jeff, I was in the waiting area with Julian, Cleo, and Westin. Cleo and Julian were sitting next to each other and Julian leaned over and started singing to Cleo....."Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!" I said, "Julian, how do you know that song??" He said, "Mom, it was on Ellen today!" I busted out laughing! It was so funny, because he knew the tune and everything! You see, Julian and Cleo go to bed before Owen, so Julian never watches nighttime tv with us. Owen does, though, so he watches American Idol with us all the time.......but Julian never watches American Idol, so I was shocked that Julian knew that song! It was pretty cute!
So, as of today, it's 16 days away and then Jeff will be gone. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this right now. It's kind of surreal to me. A month ago, it seemed like it was so far away.......but now it's right around the corner! It's coming up fast and I don't know what to think and feel about all of it. I'm sure I will have hideous mood swings when he leaves. I'm sure I will yell and cry a lot. I'm sure I will be taking a lot of Excedrin, too! (That's my pill that makes me feel a sort of high that I just love.......terrible, I know, but I take it for the caffeine along with my strong cup of coffee and along with my wellbutrin). I don't know if they have a Pill Addicts Anonymous group, but if they do, I should join it!
Anyway, things are going to be crazy busy up until the day Jeff leaves. Jeff is getting a massage tomorrow, Owen goes to his throat doctor on Wednesday, we have a WIC appt on Thursday, and I work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (then I'm done with work). Plus, we get up at the buttcrack of dawn to get Owen off to school!! He has to wake up at 6:15am! That's so early for a little guy like him!! (Heck, it's early for a big girl like me!) And, Julian goes to preschool every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, too! I just want to sleep for 3 days straight. Perhaps I could get a catheter and sleep for a few days and not have to worry about money, or the kids, or Jeff leaving, or school, or anything........just sleep. That would be a dream come true!
Speaking of dreams.......I had a dream last night that Jeff got stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas. Honestly, I've never thought of myself as a Texan before, but I have looked at some houses for rent near there and they aren't too bad! I've just never pictured myself living in the South, but I better get used to it, huh?? Oh well......only time will tell!
Well, I best find something to eat for lunch and get going for the day. I will post more later!
~Rachelle
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Getting closer....
Wow, we've been so busy these past few weeks that I can barely keep up with my thoughts!! Owen started his new school yesterday and he did fine. I think he had an overwhelming day, because he didn't divulge a ton of information. I think he was tired from all the 'newness.' He will be coming home soon, so I'll have to see if I can get anymore info out of him!!
We are slowly, but surely, settling into our new house. We still have a ton of boxes in the garage, but I'm hoping to keep a lot of them in there. I don't want to pack up all that crap again in a few months!! I will just keep our 'neccessities' in the house! I must say, this house is soooo static-y (is that a word??) that we have 4 humidifiers going all the time!! And I still get shocked everytime I get off the couch! Oh, well. It's part of Minnesota winters, right?
I also just got done buying a bunch of new scrapbooking stuff!! When Jeff is gone, I plan on trying to catch up on my scrapbooks. We will see if I actually get anything accomplished!! I also just ordered myself some new (used) books that I've always wanted to read. You know, like the classics?! So..........having 4 kids, scrapbooking, new books, all my tv shows, 2 online college classes, and no working.......perhaps I will be able to keep myself occupied while Jeff is gone?!
He leaves in 22 days........WOW! That's only 3 weeks away. Sometimes it feels real and sometimes it doesn't. I have so much I want to do before he leaves, but I'm sure I won't get it all accomplished. This is going to be hard going from working part-time to being home all the time. I will need to find things to do to keep me from losing my mind!! I was actually just looking at some Community Ed. classes that I could sign the kids up in. It would be good for them to have something fun to do while daddy is away. I hope they adjust okay. I have no idea how often we will be able to talk to Jeff, so I don't know how the kids will take it.
Well, I should probably go get ready for one of my last shifts at work. I think I will only work 6 more shifts and then I'll be done. That's crazy! So much change in such a short time!
~Rachelle
We are slowly, but surely, settling into our new house. We still have a ton of boxes in the garage, but I'm hoping to keep a lot of them in there. I don't want to pack up all that crap again in a few months!! I will just keep our 'neccessities' in the house! I must say, this house is soooo static-y (is that a word??) that we have 4 humidifiers going all the time!! And I still get shocked everytime I get off the couch! Oh, well. It's part of Minnesota winters, right?
I also just got done buying a bunch of new scrapbooking stuff!! When Jeff is gone, I plan on trying to catch up on my scrapbooks. We will see if I actually get anything accomplished!! I also just ordered myself some new (used) books that I've always wanted to read. You know, like the classics?! So..........having 4 kids, scrapbooking, new books, all my tv shows, 2 online college classes, and no working.......perhaps I will be able to keep myself occupied while Jeff is gone?!
He leaves in 22 days........WOW! That's only 3 weeks away. Sometimes it feels real and sometimes it doesn't. I have so much I want to do before he leaves, but I'm sure I won't get it all accomplished. This is going to be hard going from working part-time to being home all the time. I will need to find things to do to keep me from losing my mind!! I was actually just looking at some Community Ed. classes that I could sign the kids up in. It would be good for them to have something fun to do while daddy is away. I hope they adjust okay. I have no idea how often we will be able to talk to Jeff, so I don't know how the kids will take it.
Well, I should probably go get ready for one of my last shifts at work. I think I will only work 6 more shifts and then I'll be done. That's crazy! So much change in such a short time!
~Rachelle
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