Emotional Few Weeks, Part 1

Our family has had an emotional, & jam-packed, fast-paced last few weeks.

First of all, my computer has been acting up--I have had to run our virus scan a couple (or more) times a day.

And today it froze up, & lost 1 1/2 hours (according to the computer clock--no wonder dinner was so late **ha, ha**)

But that is just mild, compared to what has happened the rest of the time.


Callum, our 4th child with special needs, has had extreme eczema for most of his life (I always thought this wasn't "fair" since he has so many other challenges to deal with). But he has been a trooper, tried his hardest not to itch his itchy skin, & has lived with the fact that his skin was always full of scabs & dryness.

We had tried all the prescriptions, OTC medicines, & even home remedies. So many people have offered advice & suggestions on what worked for them. We saw a dermatologist, & finally in June, our family doctor said we needed to do the dreaded skin allergy test.

So we set an appointment for when we got back from our vacation in Wyoming.

Callum went to the allergist (the #1 in our area) the Monday after we got our puppy.

I didn't tell him what was going to happen until we were already in the office (I didn't need to have him freaked out sooner than necessary). His first test was an asthma blow test, where he blows into a machine & tries to blow out 10 birthday light candles.

He was able to blow out 2 or 3 of them.

Then the dreaded skin test. They tested him for 84 things, & the technician told him that it would be itchy, but not too bad. So the poor kid laid on his tummy while she poked his back (& he is skin & bones).

Then she told him he had to lay very still for 12 minutes to let the serum do it's job (irritate his skin), & left. The poor kid started to have reactions immediately. He said he felt like he was getting stung by a bee, over, & over, & over, & over. Callum was screaming so loud, that I thought everyone would be coming in to see if he was dying. He had a juice to drink while we waited, & he chewed that straw to pieces because of the intense pain he was in.

This in not a picture of his back, (because I forgot mine), but the biggest welt you see on the left side was the smallest welts that formed on his back. When the technician came in 1/2 way through, she told Callum she was so sorry that she had told him that this testing wasn't that bad. She had never seen such a powerful, fast, & severe reaction in a child. His whole back was covered in the welts.

I have a hard time writing about this because it was something that I was putting him through. It was one of the longest 12 minutes I have ever had to endure (& I can't imagine how painful it was for Callum!!!!).

When they came in to wipe off the test site, Callum thought he was out of the woods, but then they needed to map his back with the reactions, & that took about 10-15 minutes.

We used almost 1 tube of the cream to help alleviate the itchiness & swelling. He was given a high-dosage shot immediately, & some Benadryl also. I was just thankful that his reaction was hives & not closure of the throat.

Callum had allergic reactions to 65 of the 84 items tested. Thankfully (I think), he isn't allergic to a lot of food--his top 3 that we need to eliminate from his diet are green beans (Yay, he shouts, because he hates them); cantaloupe (but not watermelon)--a bit sad on this one because he likes cantaloupe, but he can cope/live without that; & the last 1 & hardest one: EGGS--all kinds & whites & yolks both. He loves his daddy's omelette's, scrambled eggs & German pancakes.

The doctor wants to treat this aggressively, so he is currently have allergy shots 2 times a week (1 time a week when school starts), has 2 asthma inhalers, & 3 different syrup prescriptions he takes. Plus he has an ointment for eczema outbreaks.

So that has meant 2 trips to town a week, along with the other scheduled appointments we have had. Unfortunately, the office is closed on Fridays, so we will have to come in on a school day. The office is opened until 5:45 on Thursdays, so we will probably try to go in on that day during the school year.

Callum is most allergic to weeds, ,most grasses, a lot of trees, & also molds, dusts, & environmentals (tobacco, pollens). So the shots help counter those reactions, along with his prescriptions.

His skin nearly cleared up after the first week of the shots/meds. And the first 2 weeks he really hasn't itched. Then Sunday we ate macaroni, & he emptied our dust-buster, & soon he was scratching. I forgot that a lot of noodles have eggs, & if he wanted to vacuum under the table, who was going to complain??? We are both still learning & will need to be more aware.

Alright--there is so much more with Callum, but I need to get to bed. And that is just with Callum--I have more to blog about our emotional last few weeks.

Curtains, 4-H, & Elmo????

Okay--I have other (more important) issues that I want to blog about, but right now it is late, & the other "items" are much, much more emotional, so I don't want to start when I am so tired.

But back to my title--this is just a little bit of what we have been doing the past few weeks.

First, Curtains.

Ethan's room has a huge bay window across one of the "walls", & he hasn't had curtains in there for about a year (I think). We had the blinds, but they broke with all the opening & shutting (plastic, boy-that-is-not-so-gentle=easily broke).

So I promised Ethan I would get some curtains made. He didn't care what they looked like, as long as they weren't "girly", & that they were DARK. He has been suffering in the heat of the morning (the window faces east), & most mornings the room is roasting by 9 am. We put a thermometer in there & it usually read 105 degrees or hotter (in the sun).

So I decided to use the flannel I bought on clearance a few years ago ($1/yard). And then I thought I would quilt the 2 sides so it would be thick & keep the heat out/in (depending on season). That room gets so hot in the summer, but doesn't heat up very well in the winter.

Brienna was our babysitter, while we got the quilting stands out & the curtains on them.
Callum had to try his hand at quilting.

Ethan played the DS (hand-held game) while we were quilting (and helped with Benjamin & Emmalee).

Pamela tied, cut, trimmed, & played with Benjamin. We did this the week Rusty & Zane were at scout camp (so I didn't have to "cook" meals).

Everything takes so much longer to do than originally planned. I thought we could whip these up & be done in a day!

But finally 2 weeks later, the finished project--Ethan & I got the rod up today & the curtains up. I'll have to report on the temperature tomorrow morning!

Last week, Callum had 1st year cake decorating for 4-H. And he had sooo much fun. He is quite artistic, & this is what he got to bring home. His project for judging is a "foam" cake, that is white, with brown decorations (a puppy dog). I forgot my camera when I picked him up, so I'll have to take pictures at the county fair.

His puppy cake

Cupcakes using different candy--& one has a rose made out of starbursts!

He sure is proud of his final project!

We got this Elmo doll that plays the guitar from the DI (I love used bargains!)

Benjamin was fascinated with him (and still is). He thinks they are best buddies!

And here they are, deep in conversation!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to post a few more photos & up dates in the near future!!!

Our Puppy, Zeb is named after.......

The Waltons--we love watching the "old" family shows.

Grandpa Walton (actor Will Geer) is such a character!

And Grandpa's name is...............

Zebulon Walton--or Zeb.

So there you have it!

New Puppy

I'm Back!!!

Finally :)

I can't believe how busy I have been. I am "better" (neck/bronchitis/sick), but now I'm way too busy to be sick.

My wonderful husband, Rusty, decided that he "needed" a puppy. Our dog that we had for 11 years died a little over a year ago, & since then, my husband has been researching, & looking for a dog. He decided to go with a hunting dog, & decided on getting a pure-bred Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

So after much, much looking, he found some dogs in Montana--way north in Montana. And last Sunday he went to pick up our 7 week old puppy, along with our 2 boys, Zane & Callum.

This is Zeb, the newest addition to our family.

He is soooooo cute, & over all, a good puppy. The newness hasn't completely worn off yet, so the kids are really good at taking care of him.

Rusty is going to train him to be a bird dog.

He plays in a little pen outside most of the day, & we kennel him (in a kennel in the house) a couple of times during the day.

Emmalee is excited, but not too sure of being around Zeb, yet. This is the only picture we got of Ethan holding the dog (he actually stayed in the house because I was videoing the dog & he didn't want to be in the video).

Rusty & his "mid-life crisis" puppy.

Even Aunt Pamela held Zeb--& we had to document this, because she is just not an animal person. (But notice how the puppy just snuggled into her arms)

Brienna was excited to see the dog!!! He is doing good with the bathroom issues--Rusty takes him out once during the night, although last night he didn't wake up until 4:30, & by them Rusty is awake. Other than that, he usually goes outside when the kids/Rusty takes him. He had an accident on the kitchen floor, but as soon as he started, Zane picked him up & took him outside to finish. I'm glad it wasn't on the carpet!

Zane & Zeb (our 2 "Z" boys)

This is right when the boys got home from Montana.

Teaching Benjamin to be "nice to the dog" (instead of pulling his hair like he does to everyone else).

Callum holding the puppy.

Family picture with all of us (notice most eyes are on the pup).

And even I got a picture holding the dog. He is a cute little one, & everyone is happy to have a dog again.

PS--Do you know where we got the name "Zeb" from?

Tune in tomorrow for the answer!

Vacation

Vacation--gotta love it! I love coming home & enjoying lazy days. Mom & Dad don't have air conditioning, but so far, there has only been 1 really hot day. We did pull out the fans & have them on during most days. The nights do cool down, though so we are able to sleep. (Well, if Benjamin would stop being so restless at night I might be able to get some good sleep) :)

In fact--it rained a lot on one of the days here. We let the kids run in the gutter (we don't have gutters in our little town--except for Main St.).

Zane made the biggest splash of all--everyone got out of his way!


Callum thought it was a blast to wade in the gutters.
Emmalee rolled up her pant legs and played for about 1/2 hour in the water with the boys. About 1/2 hour after they were done, she went outside, looked in the gutter, and told me, "Mom--the water melted!!!"
Grandma even got Benjamin into the water. He really liked that & wanted to sit down in it :)
I haven't been on the computer a lot since being in Wyoming, so I haven't been able to check up on all the other blogs. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

The good news is my neck is feeling much better & only aches when I carry too much, or nurse w/o pillows. My bronchitis on the other hand is hanging on for a while. I haven't been able to shake that yet, and so I tire quite easily & quickly.

Stiff-necked & Sick!!!

Wow--Have I ever been out of commission!!

I have had problems with a stiff neck for over 2 weeks.  But have been to the chiropractor 3 times, "repenting" of my stiff-neckedness, and have seen a great improvement. 

But then on top of my stiff neck, I got quite sick--enough to put me down in bed (which is a rarity for me), and cause me to seek out a doctor's help (medicine).  Ended up I have a bad case of bronchitis and I am still trying to recover from that.  All the coughing, hurt neck, and fevers have really zapped  my energy level to bare-minimum.  I have been drained and not much got done at my house in (by me at least) for 2 weeks.  

I was able to "recover" and feel well enough to get ready to go "home" to  Wyoming for 2 1/2 weeks.  That is where I am now.  I hope to be able to post some pictures in the next couple of days (I am using my sister's computer, so I need to see if I can get my pictures on her computer).

Sorry I haven't been following every one's blog, but I am afraid that I "play" too much when I go home and barely spend any time on the computer :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  I will continue to work on my stiff-necked behavior & try to get over this darn bronchitis!   

Strawberry Jam

I am finally posting the pictures of the family making Strawberry Jam last week. With my neck bothering me, I think it would have taken me from sun-up to sun-down to finish if everyone wouldn't have pitched in!!

Emmalee really wanted to mash every strawberry, so she helped with almost every cup full :)


Callum loves to pitch in with most anything (thanks Columbo!!)
Surprisingly, no one argued about "having" to help with the jam.


Zane thought it was fun to pound the strawberries--therefore I had to treat his strawberry-splattered white shirt (thankfully it isn't that nice of a shirt).

Brienna decided to put one of my aprons on to smash/pound the strawberries.

Ethan doesn't like his picture taken--so this is probably the only one that he is facing the camera. Most of the other ones are of the back of his head. (I don't know which one is better--the hand, or the back of the head??)

After I got the first batch going, Rusty took over with chopping the strawberries up, so I could focus on cooking the jam & processing the jars.

Brienna took a lot of these pictures--I didn't even know that she took them!

Benjamin even had to pitch in--or attempt to help.

He's trying to get the container of sugar. (I actually use turbinado sugar--a raw crystallized sugar).

My husband is the best!!! I think the jam tastes so YUMMY because it was a family effort!

I didn't have a lot of small jam jars, plus with 7 or us eating the jam, a small jam jar doesn't go far. So I decided to use my pint jars for most of the batches.

Rusty said it was the best batch of jam we had ever made. I have switched to the no/low sugar pectin & I didn't use white sugar. It was sooo delicious. Now I have to make some bread to go with it (SOMEDAY).

It's Official........

.................my kids are MY pain in the neck!!!


I went to the chiropractor on Tuesday afternoon. He said that I have a stiff neck probably caused from:

• STRESS
• Nursing
• Lack of Sleep
• STRESS

He was surprised that I had the symptoms for 9 days and hadn't come in yet. He said by the time the stiff neck is so pronounced, that I have had the problem for months.


I had my back adjusted and my neck was massaged, given electric shocks, and then cracked 5 times. He said that I must have a high tolerance for pain, because he usually can't do that many adjustments with as stiff of a muscle & pinched nerve as I have.

He warned me that I wouldn't feel great right away like a back adjustment. But it will take time, and a few more adjustments. In the meantime, I am supposed to keep using the hot pack on my neck, and.....

• TAKE IT EASY
• eliminate my stress
• USE MORE PILLOWS WHEN NURSING
• get more sleep

I reminded him that I have 6 children, and most of them would much rather sit through a 3 hour lecture, 5 hours of time out, and go to the dentist than help out around the house.

So here's to taking it easy! (I did soak in a nice, hot bubble bath Tuesday night.)

Kinks, Jam & Emmalee's Talk

I have had a stiff neck for over a week.

Last Sunday at the end of singing time, my neck had a little kink in it (felt like I needed to pop my neck). It got worse as I went home, but it wasn't extremely hurtful.

Then Monday it hurt enough that I iced/heated my neck and didn't do much. Tuesday it hurt enough that I was fully aware that my neck was kinked. I couldn't turn my head w/0 turning my body. Thankfully I had the kids home & they were all helpful (enough to get a few loads of laundry done & the dishes done).

Wednesday I could start to turn my neck, so I was glad I was on the mend. I did a couple loads of laundry & cleaned a bit. Thursday I felt better, so I did more cleaning & went visiting teaching all afternoon.

Friday was a good day (thankfully) because Keith (Grandpa) bought a whole bunch of strawberries--very cheap--because they were starting to spoil. So we did 5 batches of jam on Friday. After 1 1/2 batches, everyone pitched in and helped, so it wasn't as bad. My neck had started to hurt and I wasn't sure I would have been able to finish the jam.

Too bad I was too exhausted to make bread to go with the fresh jam!!!

My neck felt okay when I wasn't doing anything, except using ice/heat & either laying down or reclining. But movement made it hurt again.

Saturday was a cleaning day--I thought I had beat the kink out of my neck. I really cleaned the kitchen, finished laundry, and scrubbed the microwave & table. I also went to the church for a few hours to clean out the music closet. Every week I say that I know I have ________, but I'm not sure where it is!! So I de-junked & organized some of it. (I still have a couple of hours left, but needed page protectors for the rest).

I rode my bike to & from the church. When I was almost home, the down pour started again. We have had rain on & off for almost 2 weeks.

I baked pizza for dinner, and got the kids in & out of their baths. I had made blue rice crispy treats for singing time. A couple of weeks ago, Sr. Primary had a rebellious streak & didn't want to sing. And I know they can, so I told them I would have a treat for them if they would sing for the next 2 weeks. All the kids were in bed except for Ben (& Ethan) when----BAM!!! The kink was back in my neck & it hurt 20 times worse than before. I was almost in tears.

I wasn't doing anything, just sitting. And then I had a long, long, sleepless night. I couldn't find a comfortable position--laying or sitting. And Benjamin decided that he didn't want to sleep. So I think I got about 2 hours of sleep.

And Sunday morning was just as painful. I was in tears a few times, but had 2 new father's day songs to teach, and no idea who I could call last minute to sub. for singing time. Plus--my little Emmalee had her 1st Primary talk. So I toughed it out, and found 1 position that I didn't hurt as much in--I looked silly because I have to have my hand on the temple of my head.

I hate taking medicine when I am nursing, but hurt enough that I took 2 Tylenol right after I nursed him.

Everyone could tell something was wrong, because of how I was holding myself. I stayed in the mothers lounge/foyer during sacrament meeting. And during singing time, I told the children they needed to sing my "blues" away--and if they sang them away, then they could eat the "blues" away at the end of church. I also had a singing chart where the bees fly to the top of the flowers if they are singing extremely well.

They did sing really well, so they ate the blue rice crispy treats. And Emmalee was soooooo cute with her talk. I had told her that she needed to talk in her normal voice when I whispered to her, and she did. She had no problem at all telling everyone how she can help make her family happy.

By the time we got home, I was exhausted from holding myself in a "not-so-painful-pose" and I think when you are fighting pain, you get exhausted. So I jut went bed with my heating pad. I couldn't find a comfortable position for a while, but finally fell asleep for about 2 1/2 hours.

Rusty came in and rubbed my neck, and told me that he needed me to get better quickly, because "the house if falling apart". I felt good for about 1 hour after my nap, but then since I was up and moving, I started to really hurt again. So I went back to bed from 5:30 to almost 8:30. That was the best sleep I got!

My pain last week was about a 2 or 3, and Sunday it was definitely 8 to 9.5. I did get a little bit of sleep last night from about 2 until 4, and 5 to 6. Then I got up, gathered the papers for Cub Scout Day Camp (I am Cub master). Callum got dressed & ate a quick breakfast & then I drove him to the church. Thankfully my Wolf leader had planned on being the main leader & another parent was also driving. I had planned on driving there & staying just for 1 hour or so since I have Benjamin & I knew he wouldn't be cooperative for the whole day. So I just made sure that all the Cubs were there, had their paperwork & handed off all the leader paperwork to my Wolf leader.

I called for a chiropractor appointment when I got home at 8. But just got the answering machine. I have been taking the Tylenol around the clock now for the pain, and it helps for about 2 1/2 hours. I can't function with this kink in my neck & nothing seems to make it go away.

I just got a call back from the chiropractor & have an appointment later this afternoon. I also have an appointment with the special ed. teacher about Callum's evaluations from all his therapists today at 1. I needed to see her anyways because I need to update his medical information & need copies of all those evaluations & such.

So I hope by tomorrow I am on the mend--my house really needs me!!! And it might be nice to not have frozen food or grilled cheese sandwiches again.