Snow, Sickness, Stories, and Scenes

We had a mild weekend last week. This was especially nice because the temps turned FRIGID around Tuesday. The weekend was around -5, but by Thursday, it was -38 in the morning! Evelyn's playschool was cancelled as the teacher could not start her car (it was plugged in too!)

Anyway, these are from the mild weekend. I took the kids to play at the park before I went to work. The next day, our friend Melissa took the kids to the park and I had the house to myself - alone - for about an hour. Wow. I think the last time I was alone at home for that long was when we bought the house and I was painting.

Evelyn wanted to try pulling Ethan in the sled. She did pretty well too!

I was supposed to work on Monday evening too, but around 11 am, Ethan started to spike a temp and was holding his head/ears saying "It hurts". He was totally clingy and crying a lot. He just got over an ear infection a couple weeks ago, and the eardrum has just sealed. I was not happy that we were headed down the same road again. I called and asked them to cover my shift so I could take him in to the Doctor. They were wonderful, and the day and night nurses each did a 12 hr shift so I could stay with Ethan.

I will pause here to tell the rest of his last ear infection story. I treated it very conservatively for many days. If you remember, it ruptured and was oozing clear yellow fluid with a bit of blood. He continued to have moderate fevers (around 38.0 - 38.5) and was miserable with the fevers. On day 3 after the rupture, the fluid turned milky green and his temps got higher. Now he was sitting in the 38.7 - 39.2 range. I took him in to the outpatient dept and he was started on Ancef, every 8 hrs for 10 days. There is a risk of developing meningitis once that fluid turned purulent (pussy) so I felt good about doing the antibiotics.

Within a day, his fevers stopped, and the oozing also stopped. At the one week check up, the hole was still there, but healing and his ear was still pink. At 2 weeks (after all 10 days of Abx were done) the drum was intact with scar tissue and was not pink. Yah! I thought. We are over this!

Nine days after completing the Abx, (on Monday) the fevers came back and he said his ear hurt. with the first ear infection, about 20 min after he got some Advil, he was back to normal and the fever was gone. This time, the Advil seemed uneffective and Tylenol worked better. I was concerned that the Advil was not bringing his temp down. So, I took him in to the Doctor office to get him looked at. He said Ethan's ears looked fine, but gave me some eardrops with Cipro (an antibiotic) and a steroid to put in every 6 hrs. Ethan hated those drops! (here's a tip: whenever giving ear drops, warm the bottle in a cup of warm water before instilling. This makes the drops more comfortable for the unlucky recipient) We continued with them and Ethan continued to spike occasional fevers around 38.5 for the next few days.

On Thursday, I took him to the chiropractor. This is a pic of him from Thurs morning. He was up every 2-3 hrs the night before, and had a fever around 38.8. In this pic, Ethan is telling me "I'm cold Mommy".
The Chiro showed me how to massage his eustacian tubes and made a small adjustment to his neck. Ethan tolerated the massage well. He even giggled and said it tickled. The Chiro mentioned that when the ears are acting up, the massage is usually painful. He looked in Ethans ears and said the Left one (the one that ruptured) looked a bit pink, but not angry red. I was relieved and happy that I learned a new technique that I could use to keep him comfortable on our flight next week (in 2 more sleeps now!). We went home, Ethan had a nap, and about an hour after the nap, he came up to me and said "Look at my ear Mommy". The too familiar drainiage was coming out of his newly healed left ear. I called the doctor office and left a message with the secretary asking if I should continue with the drops, or if we needed to change treatment. She called back saying the doctor wanted to see Ethan the next morning. So, in we went. His eardrum is indeed ruptured - again - and he is now on another antibiotic (Zithromax). I am happy that this one is only once a day! (No more waiting up until 11 pm so I can give him his night time dose!) His ear contines to drain clear yellow fluid, but he has not had another fever. When we get home from Armstrong, I will have his ear checked again. We may need to see a specialist about getting ear tubes - or grommets inserted. On the positive side, he will probably be more comfortable on the plane now that his ear can drain freely. What a week!

Ryan came home from Phoenix on Thursday night. He took some neat pics of the Grand Canyon. He went to a literacy convention there and met several authors and came home with several books. The kids enjoyed this one called 'Bigger'. It's all about growing up.

Evelyn created this scene this morning. She tells us "It's Victoria. Like where Casey lives" I think she did a great job! When Ryan took pictures, she brought out her watering can and said she wanted to make it rain! (How fitting is THAT for Victoria!?!)
I like that she had all the letter blocks lined up with the same colours facing out. I think it is the legislature with some trees in the background.

Dance Song Medley as Promised

This video os about 5 min long. I cut out over half of it. I hope you enjoy!

A few more pics

Monkey Boy and Strawberry Girl to the rescue!

They were SO hyper last night. Evelyn performed about 6 origional song and dance routines for me. I did video them, I will post shortly. They just would not settle! It was fun to watch them, but bedtime was about an hour later than usual.





Proof that they can play nicely together from time to time!

Evelyn was very tender with Ethan and he reciprocated 110%. After, Evelyn told me "Ethan is my best friend too" I replyed, "Ethan will always be your best and most loyal friend - if you treat him kindly. He loves you very much." Her reply "I really love Ethan too"

Melt my heart! I hope they grow as friends and not enemies.

This retro pic of for K-A. I was sure I had a pic of Ethan giving me a 'first' smile in that PJ! I think he's about 6 weeks old here.

Last week, my laptop crashed. The tech was able to retreive my files (thankfully) but it has made me want to post every somewhat decent pic to the web - just incase it happens again and I can't retreive my files. I last backed up my pics and videos in the summer, so the loss would not have been total. When was the last time YOU backed up your photo files?

He managed to get all the files off the laptop, reload windows and some programs, and transfer the files back. I have lost some programs, and have new ones I didn't have before. All my bookmarks were lost. But overall, it was not too painful an experience.

In answer to a past question Brandee, Ryan has discovered a way to 'screen capture' web pages and save them as an image file. This would work to archive blogs as a hard copy. Alternately, I am considering printing my posts. This would be the simplest option, though paper doesn't last forever.

Ryan is leaving for Phoenix in half an hour. He is gone until Thursday evening. He is going to a literacy convention and will be visiting the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. I work the next 3 evenings, so our friend Melissa is going to live with us for the weekend and watch the kids while I work.

Evelyn has a 'Walk-A-Thon" on Tuesday for her playschool. The goal is for the kids to raise $100 per kid. We are still a bit short of Evelyn's goal, so if anyone wants to pledge, let me know. I can cover your pledge and you can mail a cheque to me. The money is going to offset the costs associated with Playschool such as rental of the space, insurance, teacher wage, and supplies.

Pictures

I had forgotten I had taken most of these pics! I was lamenting how little I have taken pics this month, then I uploaded my memory stick and found these!

Then and now. Evelyn watching deer out our kitchen window a year ago, and now.











Evelyn at 14 months and Ethan now. There is something about huge earphones that draws kids...










Ethan telling me about the deer outside, and Ethan taking his new plush soccer ball to bed with him. He loves soccer right now.









Evelyn poses in a dress she got for her birthday. One of the few dresses she is willing to wear!

Happy Birthday February 'Babies'!

Happy Birthday to all the February 'babies'. Some have already celebrated their day, others will celebrate soon, but here's a little song for all of you.

Mary Ann, Lauren, Kyle, Scott, Great Grandpa Cracknell, and Daniel.

Doughnut Negotiations

Ethan tries to convince me to let him have a danish before he has eaten his supper. He shows a surprising versatility of emotion. I love seeing his facial expressions change so quickly.

Wall - E review

Evelyn and Ethan share their favorite parts of the movie Wall-E.

25 things

For those of you who don't Facebook, here is a note that I've written. Please feel free to e-mail and respond (If you can find the time). If not, please feel free to get to know me a little better!

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I crave peace and tranquillity. Conflict makes me feel physically ill. Many days, when my kids are at each others throats, I will yell "I want PEACE in this house! Please, just get along!" (yes, I see the irony of that)

2. When I think of my 'Happy Place' I am sitting on a coastal beach in BC,( any beach will do as long as its rocky), and I am watching the waves break on the shore and listening to the continuous crash, smelling the salt and rotting seaweed and wet wood, the wind pulling at my hair.

3. I can handle having some clutter in my home - but not too much. Sometimes I find it hard to breathe (seriously) when there is too much clutter. I think this could be called a mild anxiety attack. I am thankful that it is over something that I can change and control. I struggle with finding a balance between appreciating the stuff I have and hating it because it feels like an overwhelming burden.

4. When I received the first of these notes from another FB Friend, I thought "Oh, another chain letter type message". One of the lines in the 'rules' stuck with me though. It said " If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you." FB is great for maintaining acquaintances, and those relationships are important to have. But, I think we all crave more. There is a comfort in intimacy. In knowing someone well and having others know you. I know I have noticed my lack of intimate friends in the past few years. So, I decided to put an effort into completing this 'chain letter' in the hopes of ... well, growing friendships.

5. Like most women, I have many roles in life. Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend... these roles form the platform from which I view and interact with the world around me. They are not me. They are labels for how I interact with others and they define my relationship to those around me.

6. I went to a silence retreat last year. I was apprehensive about going, but I am glad I did. At one point, we sang a very simple song. It comprised the name of each person present, then the phrase 'Remember, who you you are'. So for me they sang "Beverly (x3) Remember (x3) Who you are". I believe God placed these words in my heart in the silence that followed that song, they have become very special to me. "You are a child of God, loved by Him, and precious in His sight" Later, a new truth was added to that "God is especially fond of you". I sing that song to my kids now and pray that those same truths will take root in their hearts.

7. I really hate phoning people. For some reason, I avoid calling people whenever possible. When I do actually pick up the phone and dial, it is only after coaching myself to do it. I think I am afraid of calling at a bad time, or being a nuisance. I much prefer e-mail. They can check when it's convenient, and I can make sure I have expressed myself the way I wanted to. I never call someone without a purpose. You will never get a call from me to 'just chat'. That said, I like having face to face conversations 'just to chat'. So, call me and invite yourself over for tea and then we can chat ;-)

8. I love historical romance novels and their movies. Jane Austin, Elizabeth Gaskell - bring it on! That said, I also enjoy a good war movie. Platoon, Band of Brothers... if there is a point to the violence, and explores some of the issues of war, I will enjoy it. That said, I tend to dislike movies where the characters get away with things I think are bad life choices or are ethically wrong.

9. I wish I was a more sanguine, fun loving person. Every personality type has it's positive and negative qualities. For me, I think I am too serious sometimes. I have to make a conscious effort to 'have fun' and let go a bit. I usually am happy that I forced myself to have fun ;-)

10. I once had a high school teacher make a comment on my report card that he 'enjoyed my dry sense of humour in class'. What an odd thing to put on my report card! I actually had to go and ask him what he meant! I had never heard the phrase 'dry humour' before and had never thought of myself as having it. I bet he had a good laugh about that conversation later on!

11. When I was in nursing school, we talked about the concept of 'unknowing'. I thought it was airy fairy BS at the time and paid little attention to it. One of the older students really got excited about the concept and I remember thinking 'is he seriously into this?!' I think in that instance, age and life experience were necessary to understand that concept. Now that I work in a small hospital, and encounter people I 'know' from daily life, I have to practise that concept continuously. I need to meet each patient in a fresh place. I can not make assumptions about them based on the gossip I've heard or impressions I have had in other encounters, or prejudices I may have without realizing they are there. I now understand why we had to spend a whole (painfully long) class on that subject.

12. I am a life long learner. I love learning and thinking about new ideas. If it paid well, I would happily go to school for the rest of my life! I just came across a quote on one of those cheesy motivational office posters. It said "A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains it's original dimensions". Unfortunately, that snippet of truth did not have a cited author. What a great phrase though, eh?!

13. I love to dream. By that, I mean I love to say "What if".... and then actually plan how I could make it happen. I think through the obstacles, gather info on costs or availability, look at all the options etc. Then, I just let the idea sit and I wait until the time is right to act on it. My favourite 'dreams' right now are 1. renovating the basement, 2. moving away from Alberta, 3. going to Disneyland with my family.

14. I love that my Husband likes to dream with me and will listen to me plan through things.

15. I don't hate cooking, but I don't love it either. If I know what I'm going to make, and know I have the ingredients on hand, then I can tolerate making it. I like looking through cooking magazines and anticipating how yummy the meals will be. I find that motivates me to cook.

16. I'm not a baby person. I don't love cooing at them or holding them. I love my own kids, and thoroughly enjoyed them as infants, but I don't seek out other babies - and I can easily resist melting over the ones I do encounter.

17. I recently heard on CBC radio that the tailing ponds of Ft McMurray are leaking - on average - the equivalent of 8 Olympic sized pools worth of contaminated water into the underground water table DAILY! When I heard that, I felt like I was going to throw up. I seriously started to gag. I am so incredibly angry that this can happen - and continues to happen! What is wrong with Alberta!?!?! How can we let any industry corrupt and poison our resources and people!?! Since moving to Alberta, I have been called a tree-hugger (yes, I have proudly hugged a few trees in my life) and I have been called 'the environment lady' by the man who carries my groceries to the car. By westcoast standards, I am a very moderate environmentalist, out here, I'm radical! How funny and totally upsetting is that!

18. I love photography. I'm not an artist in the medium, but I sure enjoy it. I'm glad I have cute kids so I have an excuse to take lots of pictures!

19. I scrapbook, but I don't love doing it. I feel obligated to do it for my kids, and I understand that it is a wonderful gift for them and will mean a lot to them one day. I do it for that.

20. As I am an RN, it is probably not surprising that I like to help people. Growing up, I remember hearing about 'spiritual gifts' and I never really knew what mine were. I am thinking now, that helping and encouraging are the areas where I best feel that God is working through me. Those are things that show love to to others, and God IS love, so it makes sense that helping and encouraging others leave me feeling peace and joy.

21. I love learning new words. I may never use them in a conversation, but I love learning odd and obscure words. It's fun to try to break down a word I don't know into it's root and try to figure out what it means.

22. I like to fold clothes. How mundane it that! I find it relaxing, and seeing the neatly folded stacks of sorted clothes is oddly satisfying. I tend to procrastinate over putting the clothes away though. They often sit, neatly folded, in the laundry baskets for days and days before I finally put them away. I tell myself it is to force me to wear more of my wardrobe.

23. At work, I avoid dealing with families of patients whenever possible. I am not completely sure why. I think it is in part because families can be such messy things - like an unmarked mine field. I never know when I'm about to detonate something that it would be easier to leave buried underground. This is also true of how I relate to, and think of my own childhood family.

24. I'm running out of things! Hmm, on all of the chain letters I ever get, there is always the question 'chocolate or vanilla'. I am definitely a vanilla person. I love vanilla. I like chocolate, and I eat my fair share of it, but I rarely crave it. Vanilla, now that I crave. I love Tetley's Vanilla Earl Grey tea. That satisfies my craving most days.

25. I have a small collection of porcelain mugs. They are like fancy tea cups that hold a bit more and have a bigger handle. I love drinking out of them. I love the 'tink' they make as I stir in my cream, I love how delicate they feel against my lips, I love their beautiful patterns. I also love that something so minor and insignificant can make me smile every day.