Only Tuesday?

How can it only be Tuesday? This week has already been sooooo long. The power going out in the neighborhood last night really didn't help things ...

We took Caitlin back to the doctor today, and lucky for us, Dr. Elser was on call. He is the doctor that we had when Conall's malrotation of the small intestine was diagnosed and he's been through a lot with us. He also specializes in headaches in children. It turns out that he thinks Caitlin's vomiting is from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome and not acid reflux. The vomiting is related to the gene that causes migraines and is believed to be hereditary, more common in girls whose mother's family have a history of migraines (which fits me and my family).

Apparently Caitlin's symptoms fit many of the symptoms of the syndrome. We should know within a few days if her new medicine is working or not. They treat the cycles of vomiting as they come and as the child matures, usually the child is more able to tell you whether or not they have a headache. If Caitlin hasn't improved significantly within a week, then we'll need to take her back to the doctor.

I've been reading a lot tonight about the syndrome and there is some pretty scary information out there. It is believed that in many patients, that as they mature, the vomiting is replaced by migraines and the vomiting episodes may go away completely.

Luckily it sounds like Caitlin doesn't have as severe a case as many people. If you are interested you can read more on these Web sites National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association . Until then, please pray for all of us -- mainly for Caitlin. I don't want her to have anything wrong with her, but knowing what is and having it treated and under control is better than not.

Another Holiday Weekend Sick

Just a quick update ... not been a great weekend here. Conall has spent the weekend with cold/allergy symptoms, a mild fever, and of course, puking. Of course, puke! Our lives wouldn't be complete without it.
Caitlin has had a milder case of whatever it is, but of course, complete with puke. I now have similar symptoms, including a fever (hopefully, I won't have the puking -- but I doubt it -- it is just their reactions to drainage).
And, the neighbors are having a party on the deck which is keeping the kids awake ... Needless to say, I'm not in a good mood. Oh well, tomorrow is another day! I hope a better one.

My Sweet Boy

Conall is such a sweet, sensitive little boy. After he woke up puking, I cleaned him and his bed up. He kept crying and screaming every time I touched him while I was helping him change his clothes. At first I thought he was upset at puking or that my hands were too cold (he also has a fever). He was crying and told me "don't touch me!" and kept moving away from me.

I made him tell me why he didn't want me to touch him, in case something else was wrong. He burst into tears and said "I don't want you to get my virus -- you'll get it if you touch me!" I gave him a huge hug and explained as best I could that touching him wouldn't make me get sick.

How sweet that, as sick as he is, he was worried about his mommy getting sick! My eyes tear up just thinking about it. He is such a sweet, kind-hearted little boy.

I hate that my babies have been/are this sick!

Round 2

Well, I guess it was inevitable. Conall now has this horrible virus. I wonder who is next?

Boo Boo Buddies

Caitlin has been better today, but is still dealing with cramping and tummy pain. When her stomach cramps (right before a bout of it hits) she asks me for her boo boo bunny, kitty, or puppy.

I've tried rubbing her tummy or giving her a baby hot water bottle, but she is convinced the boo boo buddies will fix anything. They don't help the cramps, but she still keeps asking for them.

Here are a couple of pitiful photos of her putting her boo boo buddies on her tummy. I hope she feels a lot better tomorrow -- other than all of the obvious reasons -- it has been so difficult watching her be so sick.

Better ... I Hope

Yesterday and last night were really rough around here. Caitlin's vomiting seemed to be back full force and the diarrhea had not improved at all.

However, she slept most of the night last night, kept her breakfast down, and although the diarrhea isn't gone, it is improved today. She also napped about 2 1/2 hours this morning.

Although she is really weak and has lost a lot of weight (well, for her), she is smiling and laughing again today. I'm really hoping this is it and everything will be better from here out. Please keep her in your prayers -- she has been one sick little girl.

The Cat in the Hat

Conall's class is celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday today. They sent a note home Friday that they'd like the kids to dress up as their favorite Dr. Seuss character today.

The class is also making Green Eggs and Ham (I had to miss helping with this because Caitlin is sick -- Conall is really mad at me about it) in the classroom this morning and will be reading Dr. Seuss books all week and learning sight words from it. Because Caitlin was so sick, we didn't have a lot of time to put together a costume, but we did manage to get Conall dressed up as The Cat in the Hat.

Still Sick Part 2

Not much new to say. Caitlin is still sick, mainly with diarrhea, but still some vomitting. She's sleeping and then waking up about every 2 hours during the day and night.

My washer and dryer are running non-stop. I'm to the point where the puked and pooped on stuff may have to wait so I can wash basics like socks.

The fever is down, but not gone. Caitlin is very frustrated that she can't have milk yet and is currently screaming, and has been for about 15 minutes, about wanting chocolate or plain milk. I will be glad when she's well -- seeing her this sick is killing me.

Please Pray for Us and our Stupid Dog, Too

This is turning out to be one long, challenging, exhausting weekend. Caitlin woke up at 4 a.m. with her fever. Because it is so cold outside, the dogs were in last night. Molly kept pacing and wanting out, so I let her out to potty.

I refilled her water bowl and then went to get Molly, thinking she'd be right there wanting back in, since it is so cold. No Molly. You all know the escape artist that Molly is. I kept calling her name and looking into the dark back yard for her. I didn't see or hear anything, so I figured she'd taken off already. Caitlin is sick and has a fever and I had her to take care of.

About 10 minutes later I kept hearing a weird noise and the dogs in the neighborhood were barking. Our neighborhood is completely surrounded by woods, so at first, I thought maybe it was a wild animal. I kept hearing it. I looked outside and could see Molly trying to get back over the fence. She was stuck.

I put Caitlin down and woke Stu up, which also woke Caitlin back up. Stu went out with flashlights and came back in looking for wire cutters and asking me to call the emergency vet clinic. Molly had slipped in the snow and somehow got her leg stuck in the fence.

Stu and Molly are on their way to the 24 hour vet clinic. Molly's leg is rapidly swelling and she won't put weight on it. We think it is broken.

This really hasn't been a good weekend.

Still Sick

Caitlin is still pretty sick. The vomiting seems better, but the diarrhea is pretty bad. She's also running 102-104 degree fever and threw up her last dose of Tylenol.
So far, the rest of us seem ok.

Better

The kids are both better today. Conall went to school this morning. Caitlin's fever has remained low grade today, which is so much better than yesterday. She has told me once that her ear "hurts" and actually laid still and let me put drops and a cotton ball in it.

Conall slept all night for the first time since he got sick. Caitlin slept for a 4-hour stretch last night in Conall's old car seat. Once we figured out that part of the problem with her waking up was the pain in her ears and not just the fever, we stuck her in there. It worked until her fever went up in the middle of the night. So, I got some uninterrupted sleep, too! I'm still far from being back up to speed, but at least I can complete a thought today.

Sleepless (and feverish) in Little Rock

Well, once again we're all sick here. Conall ran a fever of 103.8 yesterday before we got it down. Stu took him to the after-hours clinic (which Conall is still making me pay for in guilt) and he has a bad inner ear infection. The doctor said that if we had an infection that bad we'd be howling about it and that Conall was handling it really well. Once again, the malrotation has given him one heck of a pain tolerance!

Conall and Caitlin took turns getting up all night last night. At least they took turns! Then, about 5:30 a.m. Conall was up and ready to go. The wonderful result of Tylenol with codeine -- it makes him climb the walls. He's still running a fever around 101-102 depending on how active he gets. And, he is complaining of the other ear hurting today. About 5 a.m. he told me that he "had a fairy in my ear." Don't know where he got that one.

Caitlin has a snotty nose and a low grade fever. So far, hers only got up over 100 once. I'm sneezing and coughing and probably running a fever, but haven't had a chance to check it. Stu and I got very little sleep last night -- I'm not sure I even got 2 solid hours.

Ok, I guess I'm done complaining now. Just wanted to give everyone an update.

Update: 3;15 p.m. Caitlin is now running 102.6. Conall took a long nap this afternoon, but woke up with his fever back up to 102.

Home Now

We are home now and glad that we will all be sleeping in our own beds tonight. We all have fevers, sniffly/stuffy noses, and Caitlin has diarrhea again. Conall informed me tonight that he doesn't want to "go anywhere to visit anyone tomorrow." I think all of us are worn out!
When we got home, Aunt Susan had left a gift (thank you!) for the kids to unwrap. They were excited about more "presents" until they saw Inkspot come around the corner. They both dropped their packages to run up to him and love on him. I think he secretly LOVED it! It is a pretty big deal for an almost 2 and almost 5 year old to drop an unwrapped gift to see someone!
We took some pictures over the holiday, but between getting so many visits in and being sick, there aren't a lot of photos to post.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you all have had/continue to have a great one.
Please keep poor Caitlin in your prayers -- she got sick last night with bad diarrhea and is now running a fever, on top of the congestion/cough she already had. I'm afraid she hasn't enjoyed this Christmas too much.

Just In Time For Christmas ...

We're sick. Fun!
I just got over a stomach virus that had me down all day/night Saturday. Now, Caitlin has a fever. I wonder who is next and what it will be! I'm feeling very Scrooge-like -- I'm ready for Christmas to get here and be over.

Illness Gone?

I think everyone (crossing my fingers here) is over the fever and the current illness. Conall went to school yesterday and other than a stuffy nose and waking up over and over again last night, he appears to be well. I think he is still getting tired more easily, which equates to bad behavior, but otherwise seems to be ok.
Luckily, everyone here is iced in, so he's been able to play with the boy next door this morning. Thank goodness! Conall cooped up is never a good thing for the rest of us.

Fever

Conall, Caitlin, and I now have a fever. Luckily, it isn't over 100 for any of us. I'm not sure what we have this time ...

Better

Conall's fever, not his attitude about it, is much better today. Despite a sleepless night, he hasn't had a fever since I gave him fever reducer around 3 a.m. Looks like he will be going to school and on his field trip tomorrow (me too). Wish me luck -- I'm scheduled to ride the bus with all the pre-K kids!
However, Caitlin woke up and puked. I'm hoping this is just her reflux/drainage stuff. She hasn't had much appetite since she got sick Friday and today was no better. Maybe her tummy just needs some extra healing time.

Punch the Fever Out

When Conall got home from school today he had 102 degree fever. He keeps saying things like "I want to punch the fever out," "I want to break the fever down," "I want to give it back to her (Caitlin) so I don't have it anymore," and "I want to give my fever way."
Boy, I wish it were that simple. I guess we're in for a couple of days of grouchiness (ahem, he**). He is such a bear.

Fever Is Gone!

Conall's fever is finally gone! It has stayed down since late Friday afternoon. He's still not quite up to speed from having been sick, and he's really grouchy about it, but he is feeling much better.