Thursday, December 18, 2008

Letters To Santa

This morning the girls composed their letters to Santa. I'm not quite sure they get the concept of writing a letter, so I tried to prompt them, but wanted to keep it as pure to their thoughts as possible. Most of what came out of their mouths was about things they saw around the room, or things have been talking about in the past few days. At any rate, it brought me to tears as I read the letters to Mom over the phone, and I thought you might get a good laugh out of them as well....



Abby's Letter

Dear Santa Claus,

I have been a blue girl this year. I want two girls. I want to wear my stripe pants. I have been a good girl this year. Yes!

I like to do toys. I have a booster seat. Tiny doesn't have a booster seat?

I wanna go to Minnesota for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Abigail



Lauren's Letter

Dear Santa,

I wanna wear a swimming suit with my hearts. I like Chicken Run, Potty Video, and this, this, this; okay Mommy? I wanna wear flowers.

I wanna get Rock, I wanna get him, okay. No more, no more, no more. No more cookies, no more privilege.

I gave up Bubba in my mouth this year. Yes I did.

Merry Christmas, I need a fresh diaper.

Love,
Lauren

Friday, December 12, 2008

Good Nite


Last nite was pleasurably uneventful. Lauren had about a three hour nap in the afternoon, so she was happy and enjoyable to be around--my Lauren was back! I fell victim to exhaustion and passed out on the family room floor while the girls hopped from room to room playing with their toys and reading their books. And I'm delighted to report that we all slept well; it was truly a good nite.


This morning started early as we had to get everyone up, fed and dressed to head into Dayton for our appointment with the GI. For the first time in weeks Geoff and I watched our girls run, play and giggle the way little girls should. And for the first time in weeks, a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. The medical staff was very helpful. Their belief is that it is a virus, but that the girls are having continued problems because of the damage that may have been done to their stomachs by the bacteria. It is nothing that will cause serious or long-term damage, it will just take time, maybe months to fully recover from. After listening to both of their stomachs, they were convinced Lauren is closer to recovery than Abby, whose belly is distended. Abby still has a lot of gas in her belly, which my nose could have told anyone if it could talk. They recommended we give them Lactate, which is easier to digest than regular milk, since the sugars have already been broken down. But ultimately the best thing for their stomachs is to make sure they are eating, because an empty stomach can cause that bacteria to act up more.


So with that news and with happy babies, it was time to celebrate and we were off to the Olive Garden! The girls shared a child's pasta, ate salad, breadsticks, and then shared a bowl of soup. No joke, if we would have stayed there, Lauren would have kept eating! They were both so hungry, and what better place to go than somewhere with food they can actually eat. Geoff and I were both happy as well, and I made off with a tiramisu to go!


We need to check in with a phone call to the doctor next week to let them know how the girls are progressing, then have a follow-up appointment after the new year. Until then we're back to collecting stool samples and feeding them the right diet to get them back to the normal Abby & Lauren we miss so much. For now I'm hanging out with the girls, and my tiramisu is hanging out in the fridge with Lauren's stool. It's a great day!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Losing It


We made it through another night without puking, but Abby did suffer an afternoon setback as she lost her snack and part of her lunch. Geoff walked right into the smell of fresh vomit (it sat around a little longer than usual, as it happened while I was in the midst of changing a rather loose diaper on the other child) when he arrived home early from work so that I could go to the local bookstore to meet Rachael Ray.


Describing Rachael's book signing as chaotic would be an understatement. There were a limited number of tickets given to the signing, and if you didn't get one you were out of luck. As you may have guessed with my luck, I did not get a ticket. But I did get out of the house and to the signing, and I did purchase two of her new books, so I was determined to wait it out in the slight chance that I may get my books signed. I perched myself on the perimeter of the crowd and found myself drawn to a small gathering of women. They were chatting and laughing, and thoroughly enjoying their time together. I couldn't help but smile as their joy radiated through the entire sitting area. That smile that give me the slightest moment's pleasure quickly faded and was replaced by jealousy, then outright anger that followed me through the rest of the night. I was swimming in a pool of self pity: why can't I have a girls night out with friends? Do I not deserve any pleasures beyond a container of Key Lime yogurt? It went on and on, all of the things I sit by and watch others do that I can only dream of.... a honeymoon, a vacation--a real vacation--and trips to Minnesota don't count, I'm sorry! No need to feel sorry for me, I've been doing enough of that for myself. The truth is I am at the bottom of a W curve, and it can only go up from here. It has to. I do not know how much more of this I can humanly take!


Thus far this morning Abby has done well. Lauren is another situation entirely; there is a reason we've nicknamed her 'Stevie'. She has a terrible temper these days, she whines and whines, she bites, pinches, hits, kicks, and she is excessively clingy to me; getting anything done (even having a meal) is nearly impossible at times. Frankly, I'm tired of being tired of it all.


So to answer your question, I did not get Rachael's signature, just a few pictures. The girls have their GI appointment at the hospital tomorrow. Here's to wishful thinking that we will finally have some answers and a solution, and that my luck will start to change.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Sick in the Head




Its worse than I thought.

Now the girls' babies are sick too.... and my girls are sick in the head.

Silent Night

Silent Night. Not so silent morning. Bet you thought I was going to ruin another Christmas song!

Yesterday went well. Both girls were chipper, perky, eating nearly an entire box of cereal, and fighting like mad. They scarfed down two plates of spaghetti for supper.... in short, it seemed like normalcy had made a comeback. I laundered all of our towels and blankets in hot water and Lysoled this house from top to bottom. Both girls fell asleep in the family room last night, and Geoff and I could not wait to put the babies to bed and have the rest of the evening to ourselves. It was short-lived. Abby came downstairs to go potty and was hesitant to return to her bed. Red Flag! So Abby & I camped out on the floor. Again. I would have danced the victory dance when we woke up at six this morning, but lack of energy kept me from doing anything else but heading upstairs to take my shower. Abby made the decision to snuggle into bed with her daddy. That's when it happened: I stepped out of the shower at the exact moment Geoff successfully made the catch--Abby threw up. Again! It wasn't much considering she ate quite a bit yesterday. But none-the-less, this is not over yet.

This morning Abby is busy loving up her Lizzie elephant, and Tiny has been running around the house crying for her Wenatchee shirt.... a shirt she insists on wearing all day and all night.

So there you have it. Same story, different day.

But I can hope for a silent day & a silent night. And I will.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

'Twas the Night After Puking

'Twas the night after puking
And all through the house,
Not a child was barfing
Not even my spouse.

The pjs were laundered
In the washer with care,
In hopes that they'd have them
If they needed a spare.

The children were scattered
On the family room floor,
In case they need Mama
If they threw up some more.

With Daddy in his bed
And me between them,
We slept pretty well
Though not quite like a gem.

When out in the kitchen
I heard a bit of a clatter,
It was time to get up
And take care of my matter.

Away to the shower
To get myself clean,
Daddy's out on the couch
If you know what I mean.

It wasn't too long
Before the children awoke,
Breakfast now in their bellies
They are playin' like healthy folk.

It's been thirty hours
Since our last puking spell,
I'd like it soon to be over--
Feels like I'm living in hell.

So to all of you
Who are far out of sight,
We wish you healthy days
And to us another puke-free night!

Friday, December 5, 2008

I Couldn't Sleep At All Last Night

A gal can hope. Yesterday afternoon the girls settled in to watch Finding Nemo and passed out on the floor. They slept there for hours, about five to be exact. I was able to get in a shower while Geoff supervised, and I really hoped that this was it.... they were sleeping off the virus. Geoff and I had dinner, watched a little Bill O'Reilly and then they awoke. At first they were just content reading, but by the time I had no energy left to give they were ready for supper. So Daddy whipped up some chicken noodle soup and they filled their bellies. That is when it began. They wanted nothing to do with going back to bed (and by bed you know I mean couch or floor), it was time to have a dance party. A major dance party! They sang just about every track on ABBA Gold; you can just hear little Tiny Tot belting out, "Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight!" I found it ironic that it actually was after midnight. The all-nighter they were determined to pull pulled out a duet, one I'd yet to hear; as Abby paced the floor singing the female vocals to Take a Chance, her little sister chimed in with the male vocals, "Take a chance, take a chance, take a-take a chance, chance..." But enough was enough and eventually I coaxed them into watching Chicken Run. When that was over they were still awake if you can believe it, but did follow my lead by falling asleep. The three of us had ourselves a slumber party on the floor.

A good night's sleep was not to be as Abby woke up twice to vomit. And followed up with a third this morning. Her solid stools are back to liquid, and thus the cycle begins again. Amazingly, this has become my normal. I can't imagine a world where I can wake up, take a shower, take the dog for a walk, and get our house going for the day. To leave the home to go shopping or visit the library or another play adventure seems like privileges left for another class of citizens.

The girls are currently enjoying their sugar water and Rice Krispi Bars for breakfast--believe it or not we were told by medical professionals this is the best remedy for their stomachs--Abby is perky now that she is empty, and Lauren must just be between eruptions. No word about a GI consult yet; we are still waiting.

And the drama continues.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The "I'm Not Sick" Babies

The illness continues. They babies are so busy claiming they are not sick because they want their treats and good food back that I think for a moment they actually believe they are not sick. And for 12, maybe 24 hours they might not seem sick. But then it rears it's ugly head, and last night we found ourselves (okay, I found myself) catching the girls' vomit, again.

Here's what I know. I took Abby to Urgent Care last Friday and was told its a stomach virus. Got a prescription, it finally gave her diarrhea and we thought the end was in sight. Tuesday we took them to our doctor and she ordered blood tests (that was a real scream) and stool samples to be collected. At first Abby wasn't thrilled about me holding a basin under her bottom to catch her droppings, but by the second and third time she was yelling for me to come in and "catch her poop". Lauren's was an easier grab, though not at first because I had to make a run for a plastic spoon. But I was able to fill all three viles with the liquid from one diaper, so it was off to the lab to turn in the samples. I really hope you already ate your breakfast; if not, this e-mail could easily serve as a diet plan! It has come and gone for both Geoff and I, but is just hanging on and on in the girls.

Now I'm just waiting on the doctor to call me back and we're discussing a GI consult. The girls are eating dry Rice Krispis, as I was told Rice Krispi Bars are great to get the stomach back in balance. As you can imagine, they want to eat the RKs and they get them all over and complain about it. It doesn't help that the baby daddy left this morning without allowing time to monitor the girls so I could take a shower, so here I sit feeling all nasty--and you know I slept on the floor last night; same story, as every night.

I curse each and every person who has ever had someone around to swoop in and help. I'm tired, annoyed, gross, and trying desperately to hold it together, but what I really, truly want is for these little darlings to be rushed away to a hospital where someone can put a healthy end to all of this. It's one thing that our Thanksgiving was a bust; at this point it will be amazing if we make it home for Christmas.

Nurses, feel free to fill me with any suggestions you may have. Believe it or not, I'm sure I have not learned all there is to know about tending to the ill.

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Fairborn, Ohio, United States
I'm a teacher by trade, writer at heart & mom in every sense of my being. I never considered writing as a profession, but after I got married and began moving around the country, I began sharing my adventures, misadventures & updates through a sort of e-mail newsletter. I found a true passion in unconventional story-telling that has followed me into motherhood.