It's That Time of Year

Since Rock was a baby, he has had trouble with allergies beginning in the Fall and running through the Spring. It's a rough time of year for him. It begins with a runny nose and sneezing. And, very quickly, it gets into his chest and here comes that awful cough....the dry, seal bark cough...croup. It's a terrible sound. And this is where we begin giving him breathing treatments. He normally responds to them quite well and he's over the rough stuff within a couple of days. Monday, though, was a little different. His nebulizer and albuterol didn't come to his rescue quite like they normally do. His breathing was more labored than normal and I could swear he was wheezing. I'm a mom, and a worrisome one, so I decided to take him to Legacy ER in Frisco. Bo, being the calmer of us 2, didn't really want to take him, but knew I needed to hear from a doctor that everything was okay. I couldn't bear the thought of Rock going through an entire night like that.

I explained to Landon that we were taking Rock to the doctor and would be home later. His Nana and Papa took care of him and tucked him into bed for us. I'll never forget that concerned look on Landon's face. He was so worried about his baby brother. They're tight, those two.

Once we got there, they put a pulse-ox on him and began a breathing treatment. His heart rate was between 195-202. When we wasn't on a breathing treatment, his oxygen saturation was between 90-93. According to the doctor, that is low. She told us several times that if it drops below 90, he needs to go to the hospital.

Poor Little Buddy on Treatment #1

They gave Rock a steroid shot, at which he laughed....literally. He's such a tough little guy. They asked Bo to block his line of sight by leaning over him and holding down his arms. The nurse administered the shot while another man held down his legs. And he just laughed! We all got such a kick out of that. They did a second breathing treatment. His numbers stayed the same. They took him back for chest x-rays. No pneumonia. I was thankful for that. Pneumonia was my concern. They did a 3rd breathing treatment, which he snoozed through.

They did an EKG, which showed no issues with his heart. He slept through that as well.

With continued low oxygen saturation, high heart rate and wheezing, the doctor said they needed to admit him to ICU at Children's Hospital at Legacy. Bo and I looked at each other and thought, "Are you kidding me?" I mean, we're concerned about our son, but we go through various levels of this junk for 6 months out of the year. ICU? Children's Hospital transport team? Ambulance ride? After much debate, and the doctor saying "I'll step out and let you 2 discuss" twice, we came to a decision. My eyes were filled with tears and I honestly felt sick to my stomach. I kept thinking, "what kind of parents walk out against doctor's recommendations? This is bad. And we're bad parents." I signed the paperwork that said we were going against medical advice and taking our son home. I know it's protocol, but it's sickening to see brain damage and death listed as the possible side effects when you sign that document. Quite frankly, I put my trust in my husband. He kept "questioning" the doctor and just didn't see the need for a hospital stay. Like I said, I'm a worrisome mom. Bo is a seasoned paramedic who sees this stuff all the time. I kept telling myself this. He promised that he could monitor Rock through the remainder of the night (morning rather) and would administer breathing treatments as needed. We left and I held Rock in my arms during our ride home. Admittedly, he was not having so much difficulty breathing and his spirits were better. He was a little more like our normal Rock. His face had some color again. We got "home" and Rock ran into the house saying "I'm all better!" Sure 'nough, Bo put his pulse-ox on him and his readings were much better! It was like 1:30 in the morning and he wanted to watch cartoons and play. That was all the steroids talking. Bo slept by Rock's side that night and periodically checked his oxygen saturation. I slipped in several times just to listen to his breathing. He slept wonderfully.

Thank you, Lord. I need my children to be okay. My biggest fear in life is something awful happening to my kids. I need my kids. My kids need each other. Landon and Rock are brothers and buddies to the bone. We made it over that hump. There are sure to be more and we'll jump those hurdles as they come. One day at a time, right?

So, Bo, thank you for accompanying me and letting me do my worrisome mom thing. I can now say that you were right. You were right, sugar! And Happy Birthday to you!

Halloween 2013

Several months ago, Bo suggested to Landon that he should watch the movie "Thor." He thought Landon would enjoy it, and boy did he ever! Rock really liked it too. Then they watched "Avengers" and liked that one even more. Thus began their love of superheros. Thor was Landon's favorite until he realized that Ironman was much cooler and could blow up stuff. Rock really likes Ironman too, but chose to represent Captain America for Halloween.

We trick-or-treated around the square. We trick-or-treated through a neighborhood with friends. We trick-or-treated at another friend's house who promised us a good scare at his haunted house. Then we trick-or-treated on the street of our new home. We trick-or-treated for 5 hours people! My feet hurt, Rock said his bucket was too heavy and both children were walking zombies by the end of the night. Those kids had a blast though and they have tons of candy to show for it. My friend Misty and I even got some "adult candy" at one of the stops on our street. I got small bottles of tequilla and vodka. I told the man that I don't drink; he told me to take it anyway. I'm sure my brother will find a good use for the liquor.

Anyway, here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

Plano Balloon Festival 2013

We faced a 5:00 AM wake-up on Sunday morning to attend the Plano Balloon Festival, as we have for the last 6 years. It was the first day of fall and Mother Nature was good to us. The morning was cool and crisp, temps in the upper 50s. Plenty of sunshine and dew on the ground. You really couldn't ask for a more perfect morning and day.

First Day of First

Landon is a first grader and he thinks that's pretty neat. He's no longer the "baby" of the school and walked in with a little more "cool" this year. He was ready; he's been ready. He helped me choose school supplies. He didn't want new clothes. He understood that he needed a new pair of sneakers. He didn't want a new lunchbox. He didn't want a new backback. Although, I know he secretly had his eye on an Ironman backpack. I bought him a new lunchbox since the other one he'd had since he was 2 showed its age. I bought him 2 pairs of sneakers, which weren't cheap. And, although I swore I wouldn't buy jeans in August, I did so because they were on sale and I had a spectacular coupon. Just one pair.
Landon likes his teacher and likes his classroom. She has a bunk bed with a beach chair and tent on the lower level. Pretty cool little reading nooks. He says 1st grade is different from Kindergarten. No more "centers", which gave them ample play time. No more afternoon snack. More work. I told him to get used to that.
On a related note, Rock was not so happy to send Landon back to school. He asked Daddy several times where bubba was on Monday. Bo and Rock went to the gym Monday morning and Rock cried and cried for Landon....so much so that they had to call Bo back down there to pick him up. We joined this new gym in June and this was Rock's 1st time there without his older sidekick. It was a sad day for our little Rock. I'd say he's getting better each day, but he's still not quite himself.

Hero Rush 2013

Bo competed participated in the Hero Rush this past weekend. And so did several other Frisco Firefighters. Bo does not run. This was a 5K obstacle course. Did I mention Bo does not run? Fortunately, he's in good shape and plays tons of racquetball, so he finished in a respectful time. They had a blast and want to make this a regular event.

Landon's friend, Ellis, was there and they had a great time watching their dads. Landon REALLY likes Ellis. We gave him the option of going to his baseball game or his dad's race. Once he learned that Ellis would be there, the baseball game wasn't even an option. There will be plenty of baseball games!



Landon and Ellis ran the Mini Hero Rush!


The kids had a great time eating snacks, running around, and throwing sticks in the water while we waited on the guys. It was a task to keep all of them out of the water and mud!



The kids got to spray their dads as they finished, which was super fun! They were so proud of those medals.