The "plague" is still sticking around!

Kylie is the next, and hopefully final victim! She looks, acts, and sounds like she has pneumonia. Thankfully, her 2 year checkup is scheduled for tomorrow morning so I will be having the doctor check her lungs also.

Chelsea had been coping well with her Hand, Foot, Mouth, illness up until about an hour ago. The sores that were to appear in her mouth have appeared! They are not at all what I expected them to look like...they are itty bitty tiny red specks that are currently on the inside of her bottom lip. I have given her all the Tylenol/Motrin I can safely give her for another 2 hours. Currently, she is curled up in a ball in her bed trying to sleep off the pain until I can give her a dose of Motrin. This is, by far, the most agony I have ever seen her in.

Nolan is still sniffing non-stop like he did when he was sick. I'm actually thinking it is associated with allergies. If I remember correctly, he sniffs a lot every Spring and Fall. I'll hope that's what it is and not the pneumonia sticking around.

I am feeling much better as far as the pneumonia goes but I am sooooo tired. I haven't gotten a decent nights rest in a week or more. I am really hoping Chris will help me out in that department! Speaking of Chris he will be home around 9:30-10:00 tonight. I will be asleep when he gets here, I hope he recognizes how tired I am and saves his "trip talk" for tomorrow.

I need to end this..I promised the kids smoothies for dinner. It's about the only thing I can get Chelsea to eat/drink so I think that's what is for dinner tonight.

Are You Kidding Me?

*UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE*
So, today I am finally starting to feel half-way human, thank Goodness. I decided to make it a productive day and get TONS of stuff done. I stayed in my "jammies" until 1:00 (because I was doing housework) and was getting ready to put on my "yard-work" clothes and lay Kylie down for a nap. What happens next you ask? My phone rings and its Chelsea's school informing me that Chelsea has a temperature of 102 and I need to get there to pick her up A.S.A.P. How do you explain to a school nurse that it is 1:00 in the afternoon and you aren't dressed or bathed yet and you have a blueberry cobbler in the oven for another 20 minutes? I managed to grab a shower and brush my teeth, get shoes on the younger kiddos and still had 6 minutes left for my cobbler to cook! Long story short...I got Chelsea...she looked terrible. I called the doctor from my cell phone and explained that Chris, Nolan and I all had pneumonia over the past 2 weeks and he managed to squeeze me an appointment in at 2:15....so we went straight there from Chelsea's school. The next hour or so was a blur...Chelsea was hysterical, her head was throbbing and her throat was hurting, Kylie was "being a 2-year old"(who missed her nap) and Nolan was complaining of hunger. It was not a pretty sight in that exam room! Somehow we managed to get home....with a diagnosis of Hand, Foot, Mouth disease. The doc basically said...."Good luck, she will be miserable for the next 3 or so days, treat her symptoms with Tylenol and Motrin, and she will be getting very painful ulcers all through her mouth in the next 48 hours. They will be extremely painful and she probably won't want to eat or drink....Oh, and keep her well hydrated...have a nice day." Does anyone want to donate a vacation to me because I could use it now more than ever!

Cough...Cough...Cough...

Well, the countdown has begun...2 1/2 days until Chris gets home and I think I have managed to make it these 12 days without blogging about him! In all honesty, his absence hasn't been as hard for me as I thought it may have been. Don't get me wrong, I miss him terribly but I have been so consumed with everyday responsibilities and keeping the house standing, that I guess I just haven't had time to really think about him being gone.

During Chris' first week away I was consumed with Nolan and his needs. Poor guy was sooooo sick. After repeated trips to the doctor we finally got a diagnosis of pneumonia. One day he would be fine and the next he would cough and gag and choke until his stomach hurt. One day he would love going to hockey and the next he would be slow and lethargic on the ice, he slept...A LOT...and ate very little. He was on medication for a week and only improved about 75%. So I took him back to the doc AGAIN (3rd time) yesterday. Doc said his pneumonis was almost cleared up so he gave him a breathing treatment in the office and sent us home with an inhaler to use until his coughing is completely done.

In the middle of Nolan's health issues, I got sick. I RARELY ever get sick so when I do, it really brings me down. Well, there was no way I could let it bring me down because I am the only parent around right now! After 3 days of sporatic fevers, chills, body aches, rashes, coughing fits, and headaches, I finally got an appointment to see my doctor. Do you know how hard it is to see a doctor in Grove City when you are sick? I will spare you the details because it just ticks me off to even talk about it but my experience has been either stay sick for 3-5 days until they can "squeeze" you in, or go to the E.R. if you are so sick that you can't wait the 3-5 days. So, I managed to get the kids to ALL of their activities and for the most part we were ALL in bed at 7:30 every night for a week because I was so sick. Poor Chelsea hated going to bed so early but it had to be done if I was gonna even come close to feeling human in the morning. I did see my doctor yesterday...and yes, I do have pneumonia. Good news is Chris will be home in 2 1/2 days...just in time for Nolan to be back to 100% and me to be back at almost 100% He has missed out on all the fun. Wait...no he hasn't...I forgot...every night is a party for him when he travels for work. I'm thinking its my turn to party when he gets home! I should invite him to my "Pneumonia Party" since he's the one that gave it to Nolan and I and then left the COUNTRY!!!

Time to end this novel....Nolan actually made it to school today so its just Kylie and I and I'm feeling a bit tired...not to mention I think my antibiotic has kicked in and my tummy is complaining. So, I think I may curl up on the couch and relax for a bit. I think I have earned that....don't you?

7 Little Known Things....

So I read on another blog about this idea of telling the world (Via your blog) 7 things about yourself that you think nobody knows! What you do is jot down 7 facts about yourself that very few people, if any, know. You then "Tag" someone that you know reads your blog, and they also need to be a "blogger." They then report 7 things about themselves and "tag" someone else. I have only ever had 1 comment on my blog therefore I only know of 1 person that has at least checked in on my blog! TAG to the BERNARDI'S! You are IT!!

1. I have not scrapbooked since Kylie was born. (2 years 3 months ago.) The reason being that I haven't had the time, nor desire, to set up my special scrapbooking table, get all of the stuff out, actually do the page, and then clean it all up. My time has been consumed with so many other things I just can't get around to doing it anymore.

2. My desk is filled with brand new scrapbooking "things"...most of them being adorable new born baby girl embellishments and papers. I would estimate at least $100.00 worth of stuff is just sitting there waiting to be used!

3. I am ADDICTED to caffeine. I get a severe headache if I don't have 2-3 glasses of iced tea a day. Iced tea is my drink of choice, I rarely have anything else. This includes water. (For those of you concerned about my lack of H2O intake....I have started this past week forcing myself to drink 3 large glasses a day....morning, afternoon, and night.)

4. I purposely keep myself overly busy when Chris is away on business trips. If I am frazzled and running around like a chicken with my head cut off, then I don't have time to think about him and miss him. It also makes the time pass quickly.

5. I have NEVER been frugal in my life. As a matter of fact, I tend to be wasteful with a lot of things, whether it be food, clothes, money, you name it. BUT....I have tried to consolidate my traveling as much as I possibly can. If that means getting all 3 kids hair cut in the same hour instead of 3 different days, or rescheduling a docs appt. for a day I know that I will be in town anyways. The $100.00+ it takes to fill up our truck is killing us! I am starting with our gas consumption and am slowly adding more "frugalness" in other areas to my life.

6. I married my absolute opposite. Chris and I have very little in common. BUT...the things we do have in common are our religious beliefs, parental guidelines, and political issues. In my opinion these are 3 of the biggest "Relationship Busters" and as long as we are on the same page with those...i'm not worried!

7. I would be lost without the internet. On a daily basis I check the weather for that day and the upcoming week, check my email, read about the local and world news, look up a recipe, and email a friend or 2. I can get more useful information from the news on the web in 15 minutes than I can in an hour watching it on t.v.

And for a bonus #8 little known fact about me......

8. I used to watch a TON of television, and by a ton I mean like 3 soap operas and 10+ t.v. shows that I just could not miss. Right now I religiously watch 1 television show at 9:00 on Monday nights. Other than that show I only watch t.v. at night when the kids are in bed. And really....its not any particular show. Usually I flip between The Food Network and Discovery Channel.

That's it...a few little known facts about me...i'd love to hear yours!

Came across a funny!

So, we have been SUPER busy here, so busy that I have either been too tired to post a blog or I sincerely haven't had the extra time to post one! For those of you that are just starting to read my blog...my husband is in Sweden for work for 2 weeks! Now you know why I am sooooo stinkin' busy!! Anyways...I am running out to a hair appointment here in about 20 minutes so I don't have much time to blog right now, but I did come across a "funny" I found on another Mom's blog, so I thought i'd share!

You Know You're The Mother Of Multiple Small Children IF.....

If you've ever changed one of your baby's diapers on your kitchen counter.

If you bathe your kids in the evening and then dress them in their clothes for the next day and put them to bed--you know, so that getting out of the house in the morning goes more smoothly.

If people give you sympathy looks all the time whenever you go out, alone, with all your kids.

If people ask you if you run an in-home daycare.

If you hear, "Wow, you've really got your hands full, don't you?" at least 7 times a day.

If you can accurately refer to more than one of your children as "your baby."

If, when asked on a questionairre to list the number of children in your household, you consider rounding the number in order to simplify things.

If getting all of your kids out the door to church on time this morning took four adults. But there were only two adults home. So you were late. Again.

If your heart is as full of love as your hands are of dirty laundry.

CAN I HEAR AN AMEN????

Potty training, illnesses, hockey, and more...Oh My!!

I am so glad to be able to say that we finally got Chris feeling better again. After two trips to the Emergency Room, a chest X-ray, A Mono test, blood work, and more it was concluded that his finger was in infected with staphylococcus aureus...better known as a "Staph" infection and he also had a small bit of pneumonia in one of his lungs. No wonder the poor guy felt like crap!! After only ONE dose of a special antibiotic he was almost back to normal! I'm glad to have my hubby back...even if only for 3 more days! Yes....he will be leaving for Sweden in only 3 days. Don't remind me. I am SUPER busy with the kids, but having a blast at the same time. Chelsea went to gymnastics and Irish Step last week and found that she has the 2 best teachers in the world! Mr. Doug was her teacher when she was 3 years old and she has him now again at 7 1/2 years old! He is wonderful with the kids...keeps them moving, and doesn't let them goof off! He knows his stuff...he is a former gymnast himself. Nolan's hockey is getting exciting, this past weekend we had a get together at a restaurant in Cranberry for the "Hockey Families" on our team. Chris got to conduct his first meeting as the head coach and I finally got to put names to faces and meet the people I will be spending 75% of my time with for the next 6 months! Kylie is doing superb with her potty training. We have been training for exactly 1 week and she hasn't had an accident since day #3! We're at the point now that I am wondering when she will be able to "hold it in" for a longer period. Right now she is on the potty about once every half hour. It's driving me crazy...I feel like I am spending more time in the bathroom with her than anywhere else!! Really though...it's going great...she really is a smart kid...I shouldn't have doubted her abilities! I have a picture of her in her underwear...still on my digital camera. I'll get around to posting some more pictures soon...I promise!

Illness, school, and potty training.

Not too much to post about tonight. I'm just tired and not in the mood to spend much time on the 'net tonight. Chris is STILL sick, its actually turning into a medical mystery! One doctor says one thing another doctor says something entirely different. Hopefully, i'll be able to update on that situation another day...hopefully when he is feeling better. Kylie has been in big girl underwear for 2 days now with 3 total "accidents" waiting for me in her underwear. Not too bad for a 27 month old! Tomorrow is Chelsea's 1st day back to gymnastics and tap class. Both kids are doing great in school, Nolan is a bit hard to wake up and get out the door in the morning but he seems to do fine at school for the few hours he is there. Chelsea loves her teacher and so far, no complaints about school at all (except lunch time 1:00...2 hours later than she's used to). That reminds me, I need to get the kids backpacks ready for the morning before I head to bed. Maybe the next time I post I will include a picture of Kylie in her underwear! Good-night!

School is in!!!

I still can't get over the fact that 3 of my babies are big school kids now. While I try and digest that information you can enjoy the pictures below.





P.S. Nolan is home from school now and he had a wonderful day. He told me to quit asking him so many questions about school and when I asked him to tell me all about his 1st day of school his reply was simply...."I loved it, and don't ask me again". I can guarantee when Chelsea gets home she will tell me every little detail of her day...and I won't even have to ask. One of the many differences between boys and girls...mine at least!

Well, at least the weekend STARTED off good....

Wow...I am finally catching my breath and taking some time to update on here. Our weekend started early with Chris cutting out of work a couple hours early last Friday. We headed to the Stoneboro Fair..for you non-locals this is about the most "hickish" fair you may ever find! At any rate...its perfect for us, it's cheap and the cost of the rides is included in the general admission so there are no "surprise" fees. The rides aren't spectacular, for adults anyways, but they are perfect for all 3 of our kids ranging in age from 2 to 7. We had a wonderful and late night...couldn't get the kids to leave. The highlight of the evening was Nolan stepping in cow manure in his flip-flops. No more detail is needed there...just be assured that Chris was beyond grossed out. We had a nice farmer-type lady spray his feet down along with the other horses she had tied outside the barn! That was Friday night, now fast forward to Saturday. Chris says his finger (recently operated on) is feeling a little bit sore and he's confused as to why. It has been feeling great the past week and he almost forgot it even had been operated on, that is how wel it had been healing. Chris went about his day, actually spent most of the day with his Dad in the garage getting oil changed in all the vehicles. That evening we headed over to his parents for a cookout, that was actually a cook-in, but a Labor Day get together anyways. We enjoyed dinner and home-made apple pie, and games with the kiddos. Again, Chris finger was aching and now warm to the touch. So, we get home Saturday night and he calls the attending doc on call at Mercy hospital hospital in Pittsburgh. The doc says...it shouldn't be infected...infection takes ABOUT 7-10 days to set in and you are on day 11, but if you feel something is wrong well then make the 1 hour drive and come see me in the Emergency Room. Well, we thought this was a bit ridiculous, and Chris had an appointment made for today (Tuesday) afternoon anyways. We didn't think that waiting 3 days would hurt. So, Sunday rolls around, we actually all 5 made it to Sunday School and church...a first for us since the month of May! As church progresses Chris is feeling sicker and sicker, and his finger is getting redder and redder. Is redder a word??? Anyways....as crappy as he is feeling we head out of church and to Canonsburg to our favorite hockey store...KoSports...and pick up a few hockey items to replace a few pieces of equipment Nolan has grown out of. We also stopped at Sarris chocolate factory...a local favorite for quality chocolate. I knew Chris wasn't feeling well when he ordered 5 small pieces of chocolate to bring home and passed on the gourmet peanut butter cups. We got home at dinner time on Sunday evening and he crashed on the couch. He slept all evening, and barely ate a thing. By late evning I told him he should consider going to our local Emergency Room...a 10 minute drive...and get his finger looked at...and possibly get some antibiotics. He said he'd feel stupid for going to the E.R. for a sore finger and he'd just sleep it off. Well, by 9-10:00 p.m. he was in tears. You know its bad when a grown man is crying. This is the same man that chopped off the tip of that finger 1 year ago and never shed a tear over it! Looooooong story short...or at least shortened...yes it is badly infected, and the E.R. doc gave him a prescription for 2 powerful antibiotics, taken 6 times daily! The bad news...its been over 24 hours since that visit and he's still miserable. The pain is lessened but now he has a fever, chills, no appetite, headache, can't sleep, you name it...he's got it. He is at his doctor appointment right now in Pittsburgh...pray that relief is on its way! Monday (Labor Day) Chris slept the entire day, the kids took turns staying at Chris' parents house while I did last minute school shoe shopping for Chelsea. Poor girl took a growth spurt over the last 2 weeks and all of a sudden none of her shoes fit! Thanks to Stride-Rite she now has 3 pairs that fit! Today was the kids' first day back to school...man did I shock myself! I have no idea why, but as both kiddos got onto the bus I burst out into tears! I felt like such a fool...hoping that nobody on the bus saw me! Not that I should care what a bunch of kids think anyways...but I felt foolish. Can't figure out if it was because it was 2 of my kids and not just one, was I thinking I would be lonely for the day, was I just feeling old? When I walked back into the house I was fine, I immediately started thinking about what Kylie and I were gonna do and plan our day. Well, needless to say 11:00 rolled around pretty darn quickly (that's when Nolan gets home from 1/2 day kindergarden). Today also marked day 1 of potty training Kylie. She is doing wonderfully, hasn't peed in her underwear yet, but did "poopy" in them. At least she came and told me she dirtied them...she could have just sat in it and smooshed it everywhere! This is going to be a week of big changes for her, no siblings around, for at least half the day, no more Binky (we threw it away a week ago), and no more diapers (unless she's sleeping). It's been a crazy few days...and i'm sure the next few aren't gonna want to be any less, so we'll see what the week brings! Wish me luck...potty training, sick husband, kids back to school, Chelsea starts dance lessons this week, hockey practice on school nights...I just need these next 2 weeks to get back into the swing of things and i'll be good after that...just in time for Chris to go on his 2 week trip for work! I wouldn't trade my life..hectic as it may be..for a thing in this world!