Sunday fun with healthy kids...

We had a fun day filled with playing.  The boys, all three of them, are healthy again and we got to enjoy a great family day...

Play-doh mustaches:

Building a fort out of the sofa cushions:

Charlie playing with his toys:

First ride in a sled

It was quite mild out last night so we bundled up the three boys and took them outside.  Steve pulled the big boys in the sled and I pulled Charlie in a small sled.  All three of them had a blast.  It was a little windy and so Charlie didn't last all that long.  But he was so cute all bundled up!

After Charlie and I came in from the cold, Steve stayed out and dragged the boys around the block a few times.  They were going up and down snow banks which was the big excitement.  Zachary actually fell out and landed face first in a huge pile of snow...but he came out laughing and wanting more.  Nicolas almost took a few nose dives but managed to stay in the sled.  They are so looking forward to the next time they can go out and do it again.

Take-out Friday

Just about every Friday we have take-out with Mom-I and Pop-I.  We call it take-out Friday and usually we take-out pizza.  This week Charlie decided to partake for the first time.  He greatly enjoyed chewing on some of the pizza crust.  Here's a picture of Charlie joining the rest of us for take-out Friday.  Looking forward to many, many more...

Finally some good news...

Well, I finally have some good news to report.  Nicolas seems to be back to himself...almost.  Another day or so with a full stomach and we will be back on track.  He is just needing to make up for the days of not eating.

Charlie has had a longer journey but I think that has more to do with the fact that he got hit much harder.  He was very close to needing a trip to the hospital for re-hydration.  Thankfully the pedialyte did the trick and we were able to avoid it.  He starting eating a lot more solids (well purees) yesterday but was still unable to stomach his formula.  I contacted Info Sante (a hotline that puts you in touch with a nurse that can help to evaluate your medical situation) and they reminded me that nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are all side effects of  the antibiotic.  It was more than likely the current culprit.  So, she suggested that I see a pharmacist to find out if they have probiotics that can be given to children.  The pharmacist recommended it before I even had a chance to ask.  So, I started Charlie on it yesterday in his food and his stomach seems much better.  He has not vomited since yesterday morning and his diarrhea is under control.  He still has some but it's much less frequent and probably has more to do with the vast amount of liquids and purees he's been eating.

Charlie ate some grilled cheese at lunch with his big brothers and even drank some water from his sippy cup with out assistance.  He has been playing, talking and interacting with us.  It is a drastic improvement on his state at the beginning of the week.  He woke up early from his nap this afternoon and I decided to try giving him some half strength formula (and only half a bottle).  He took it and here we are 30 minutes later and it has yet to come back up.  I plan on giving him a few more bottles today at half strength and half quantities.  Hopefully by tomorrow we can make our way to full strength formula even if it's in reduced quantity.

This has been the longest month of February ever!  I cannot wait for it to finally be over.  Hopefully the munchins can stay healthy for the rest of the winter.  I cannot imagine how parents who have kids that are constantly sick cope with it all.  I have been so worried and I knew that this was only temporary.  My hat goes off to all those parents that basically live in the hospital or a doctor's office.  I truly don't know how you all do it and I hope i never have to find out!

Yet another update...

Steve and I finally took Nicolas and Charlie to the clinic yesterday.  The boys were really not doing well and we figured it was best to have them seen sooner rather than later.  After a long wait, we finally got to see the doctor.  She said that there was nothing she could see.  However, she agreed that they did not look well and that they seemed very out of sorts.  After discussing what happened with Zachary, she prescribed the same antibiotic and wished us luck.  She told us to make sure to keep them hydrated since they were both starting to show signs of dehydration.

So, we started the antibiotics yesterday afternoon.  Nicolas ate a little dinner and managed to keep it down all night.  He slept through the night except for a minimal waking.  I am sure that had more to do with Charlie's crying than anything else.  He's had a little bit to eat and some liquids today.  He's thrown up twice this afternoon but quite a while after having put something in his system.  Hopefully that means he's getting some nutrition from the food/drink.  He's napped off and on all day so I take it that his body is trying desperately to fight whatever this is off...  Only time will tell.

Charlie, on the other hand, is making us worried.  He is so lethargic and almost shows no sign of recognition when looking at us.  He has kept little down today.  Rice cereal mixed with apple sauce seems to be staying in his system but he desperately wants to drink.  Whenever he has formula, regardless of the amount, it comes back up.  I went out at lunch time to buy some Pedialyte.  We've been giving it to him from his sippy cup and that seems to be working better.  He had about 150mls (about 4.5 oz) before his nap this afternoon and it stayed down.  He woke up with some urine in his diaper which has not happened since Saturday morning.  So, I think it's a good sign.  He had another 250mls (about 7 oz) after his nap and kept that down as well...at least so far.  That was an hour or so ago.  He drank a little more (about 1 oz) after that but it came right back up.  He then took his antibiotics, walked around with Daddy and is now down for another nap.  Hopefully there are signs of improvement when he wakes up.  If things don't get much better soon, we'll have to consider taking him to the Children's Hospital.  I just don't want to wait too long before taking him in.  If he can keep the Pedialyte down, we should be ok.

Steve and I are doing ok.  We are just both completely exhausted both physically and emotionally.  Thankfully Steve is taking another nap with Nicolas on the couch right now.  Maybe when he wakes up, he'll be feeling quite a bit better.  Wish us luck and no visit to the Children's!

Nicolas and Charlie...

Things are not necessarily better today for either of them.  They've both been able to keep down some food and liquids but not much. 

Nicolas goes in waves of feeling ok but he crashes really quickly.  All he seems to want is diary products and they don't seem to agree with his system.  But, the kiddo needs something to eat and drink so we're letting him have some in small doses.  I am now certain that he has the exact same strawberry tongue that Zachary was diagnosed with last week.  Take a look at his tongue...

I am going to wait and see if things get better on its own, like Dr Katz said it should.  If he's not any better by Monday or Tuesday, I will be heading back in to see him.  That is unless I am in there with Charlie before then...

Charlie is still projectile vomiting if he has more than an ounce or so at a time.  It seems that if I only give him an ounce of milk at a time, he manages to keep it down.  The problem is that he's starving and cries when I take the bottle away.  So, I give him about an ounce or so every 15-20 minutes and it seems to be working.  I also managed to get a little rice cereal in his system this afternoon.  Hopefully it will help solidify things since he's got diarrhea as well.  I just hope that I can keep him hydrated enough until this vomiting stops...

That will teach me...

That will teach me for speaking too soon!  Nicolas just had a bout of vomiting so it looks like we are not out of the woods yet... I almost forgot to mention that Charlie also decided to join the club and projectile vomit across the room.  Thankfully he is too young to know what's going on so he's all smiles afterwards.

All I can hope is that whatever kept Steve home from work yesterday is the same thing the kiddos have and that he won't be getting sick too.  Is there even the slightest chance I can avoid getting this gastro for a third time?  Maybe I'll be lucky and only get it once everyone else is better...  I honestly don't know whether to laugh hysterically or to bawl my eyes out!

I just want everyone in this house to feel better (at the same time) for longer than 5 minutes!  The spring can't come soon enough!

Looking up...

Well, things with Zachary are finally looking up.  He did not nap at all yesterday and actually ate a fair amount.  His appetite seems to be back.  I weighed him yesterday and he lost 3 pounds during this whole thing.  He looks so skinny... hopefully he can put back on some of the weight now that he's eating again.  He's taking his meds like a champ even though it's obvious that he does not like them.

The only down side is that now Steve seems to be coming down with something.  He spent the day at home, asleep and in bed yesterday.  Maybe it's just being over tired from all of the stress surrounding the sickness in this house.  Maybe it's something else and if it is... hopefully he keeps it to himself!

I decided that all three boys could take a bath together last night.  They all had a blast!  It was so cute to see them lined up.  Here's a picture of adventurous bath...

So discouraged...

We woke up this morning and thought that things were looking up.  Zachary ate a full breakfast all on his own.  I never once needed to coax him into eating or drinking.  Then, he started arguing with Nicolas so I knew he was feeling better.  Lunch was less successful but he still ate a little.  He took a nap during quiet time and didn't play much in the afternoon.  But, he is still fighting this infection and I know sleep is good for him.

He deteriorated from there.  Dinner did not go very well but at least he drank his chocolate milk...or so I thought.  He spent most of the evening whining and complaining.  I thought it was just a cry for attention since it had been working all week.  But before bed tonight he had a bout of diarrhea (on the potty, thankfully) and he threw up all over his bed.  I have no idea what is going on with him but this is just not normal!

So, I have made an executive decision (with Steve) that we are going to give him the antibiotics that his pediatrician prescribed.  He told me to fill it if a fever came along and it hasn't.  But this new bout of vomiting has me feeling like he just can't seem to kick this infection on his own.  So, I don't think it will hurt him to have a little extra help.  Who knows?  Maybe it will get rid of this once and for all and I can have my wonderful, big boy back!

Thankfully the weather is supposed to be above freezing tomorrow.  So, the plan is to open every window in our house to air it out.  I also hope to take them out for a walk to get a change of scene and some fresh air.  here's to hoping it all helps to make Zachary feel better...

On the up side, Nicolas and Charlie have been such troopers through all this.  They have been amazing and hopefully I can thank them for being so wonderful in the upcoming days...

Finally some answers....

I got Zachary in to see his pediatrician this morning.  I felt so much better seeing him rather than another pediatrician at the clinic.  He know us and I just feel like I am taken more seriously when talking to him.  He did not seem to concerned, which immediately made me feel better.

He is, thankfully not showing signs of dehydration.  His ears are clear but his throat was red.  He also has a condition known as strawberry tongue.  It is all part of a form of strep throat (which I am pretty sure I had).   Apparently it is a mild bacteria that usually goes away on its own in 4 days.  It is the cause of his lack of appetite and the fact that he's barely drinking.  His appetite should return to normal all on its own.  I was given a prescription for it and told to fill it if his fever comes back.  If there is no major improvement by tomorrow, I plan on filling it.  This has gone on long enough and I am ready to have my little boy back.

I was so happy to hear that there was something wrong and that it was nothing too serious.  I knew when I left the clinic last week that there was more to the story and I was right.  I am happy to know that I can still trust my Mommy gut.  I was almost in tears leaving the office just from being so relieved that there's nothing too serious.  Here's to hoping there's a drastic improvement over the course of the day today.  He's had an argument with Nicolas over a toy since we've been home so I'm guessing things are slowly coming back to normal.

Thank you everyone for your concern.  We are very lucky to have all of you...

An Update on Zachary...

Well, I wish I had a far more positive update to give.  He still is barely eating... 2 yogurts, a bit of ice cream and a few bites of other things all day.  He is drinking enough to keep himself hydrated but only peed three times today.  I am not really sure where to go from here.  I have an appointment to see his pediatrician on Tuesday morning.  I think I will give him a call tomorrow to talk to him.  I want to know if I should be seeing someone before that.  I am just not sure how long to let this go before I get REALLY worried.

For anyone that knows Zachary, they would know that this is not at all normal for him.  He spent more time asleep than awake today and was refusing to eat cookies!  I knew after I saw the pediatrician on Tuesday for the fever that her diagnosis just didn't sit right with me.  My Mommy intuition was telling me that there was more to it.  I should have followed my gut and went to see Zachary's pediatrician.  At least he knows me and Zachary enough to listen and know that I was worried.  I guess I'll have to settle for that on Tuesday.

I also wanted to take a second to thank Mrs.Smith for her concern.  You are so sweet and we appreciated the call.  Hopefully we will see you soon...

Zachary is sick again...

Zachary ended up falling asleep during quiet time yesterday.  When he woke up, he threw up and continued to do so until he emptied out his entire system.  He couldn't keep anything down.  We finally got a little fluid in him at the end of the day.

Today has not been much better.  He has been sleeping off and on all day.  We can't seem to get him to eat or drink much of anything.  He is, thankfully, still peeing a decent amount.  He got a little food in him but we are starting to get a little worried.  He had a little watermelon and some Gatorade before bed.  I plan on waking him during the night to try and get him to drink some more.  If things are not better by tomorrow, we will need to decide whether or not we are taking him in to the clinic...again...


I hate seeing him like this.  He is so lethargic and I just want my happy, active boy back!

Just some pictures

Here are a few pictures I snapped this afternoon...

A good shot of Charlie's teeth:

The three Musketeers:

My biggest boys being silly:

Best buddies!

Update on Zachary...

Zachary is, thankfully, better.  After a few visits to the clinic we found out that there is some weird virus going around.  It is an extremely high fever for 4-5 days (with a slight cough and runny nose) and then it disappears.  Well, this morning it finally left.  I am relieved and happy that he is better since there is nothing worse than a 4 year with a minimum fever of 103 F.  He was so lethargic and without the light in his eyes.

Nicolas missed his buddy terribly and was so happy to have him back today.  They played with each other all day and I don't think they ever left each other's sight.

Hopefully this is the end of the sickness in our house for a while.  I am ready to have a healthy home again and not see the inside of a clinic for a long while!

A sick household....

I have been missing in action mostly due to all of the sickness that has gone through our household lately.  Just after we got back from our trip to the Great Escape Lodge, Charlie got the flu.  He was such a trooper for such a little guy.  Thankfully it went away fairly quickly.

Last Sunday I started with pink eye.  I had no other symptoms and since I know that 90% of pink eye is viral I decided to wait it out.  Well on Wednesday I started with a horrible fever and headache.  And I couldn't seem to shake it.  I went to my optometrist on Wednesday night and he gave me a prescription for some antibiotic drops for my eye.  He said that it should be getting much better in 2 days.  Well, Friday afternoon came around and nothing was better... my pink eye was still there, the fever wasn't leaving and now my ears and throat were starting to hurt.  So, I called Mom-I and Pop-I and they came over to watch the boys for me.  I headed over to the walk-in clinic...

The doctor said the pink eye was in fact viral and there was nothing to do but wait.  He told me to stop the drops.  He checked my ears, throat and lungs.  He said that all seemed normal but that the fever was concerning him.  He thought that something was hiding in the wings and figured it was best to treat it and not wait.  He didn't want to give antibiotics without a good reason but he believed that they were probably necessary for something....he just didn't know what.  He thought I may have been starting pneumonia.  After two days of the antibiotics and a full day's rest on Saturday, my fever finally went away!  So, obviously the antibiotics were fighting something.

I was lucky enough to have Steve, Mom-I and Pop-I take the kids basically all day on Saturday so that I could get some rest.  It was so weird having the house all to myself and not feel guilty about not using the time to clean it.  I got lots of rest but missed my family terribly.  I was so happy to have them home at dinner time.  And so lucky to have such an amazing support system.

Well, on Saturday afternoon Zachary started with the fever.  It has been raging at 103 F since.  I took him to the clinic yesterday figuring they would find something but they didn't.  They told me to wait a few more days.  So, I take him to see a doctor at his pediatrician's office tomorrow.  Sadly, his pediatrician was completely booked and does not work on Wednesdays.  I am not willing to wait until Thursday, so I am seeing someone else.  Let's just hope that Steve, Nicolas and Charlie manage to stay healthy

Charlie's getting faster....

Here's a good video showing off Charlie's much faster crawling skills.  He is definitely on the move now and there's no stopping him.  Zachary and Nicolas now have to be very careful with what they leave laying around...

Don't Steve talking the in background.  He was on the phone...