And The Award Goes To...

Cylynn for "Mother of the Year!"

I just assume that I win this award because of everything that has been going on in the past week. So let me explain and then you can vote to determine if I really deserve the award.

Kekoa has had a persistent cough for a couple of months. I have taken him to the doctor multiple times and each time I have been told that it is probably a cold or something to do with his lungs due to premature birth. However, the cough continued and even worsened so I took him to the doctor last week, we were on breathing treatments every four hours, steroids for lungs and scheduled for a return appointment on Monday.

We returned on Monday only to have a chest x-ray to rule our pneumonia and a nose swab to confirm pertussis. He doesn't have pneumonia but we can't rule out pertussis. We are on more steroids this week to help with his lungs and antibiotics to treat the pertussis.

Oh and just because it wouldn't have been as entertaining if something else didn't go wrong; the doctor found a tick behind Kekoa's ear and had to remove it. I thought he was going to completely remove the skin from behind Kekoa's ear but he assured me that "Those ticks can really get in there." He also had to warn me to watch for a high fever and a rash on Kekoa's hands and feet which would mean that he caught Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from the tick which can be fatal. Awesome!

When we got home from the doctor's office I noticed that Makaio was pretty warm. I kept an eye on him just in case it his warmth was a result of not enough air circulation on the ride home and unfortunately that was not the case. Within a couple of hours of returning home from the doctor's office Makaio had a temperature of 103 degrees. I was getting nervous at this point because his last febrile seizure was at 104 degrees. At this point I was diligent about alternating Motrin and Tylenol with high hopes of getting his fever to break. No luck. I bathed him multiple times during the day with the same goal in mind and still I couldn't accomplish what I had set out to do. So I had to call and set up an appointment for him the next day.

When we got to the clinic the next day everyone was confused because they thought we were back for Kekoa. Nope, we were there for my other child. Makaio had to get immediate "magic" Motrin (the kind that the hospital uses that can break a fever in minutes) because his fever was 105 degrees. I am sure that I looked like an amazing mother when they asked if he had a fever and I said, "Yes but it is much better than it was yesterday." It turns out that statement was false. The fever was actually worse than the day before. Oops.

Makaio went also had a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia but instead of ruling it out, it confirmed it. He also had an urinary tract infection which I had suspected when I changed his diaper that morning...STINKY!

So my two days spent at the doctor's office were miserable but at least my children now have the antibiotics to help them heal. We have had a lot of fighting over who gets to sit on mom's lap but I am okay with that. We are finally on the mend. Kekoa acts as though he is feeling 100% but Makaio still gets worn out. I hope that they both get to feeling better soon so that I can take the time to take care of myself. I guess that is one of the sacrifices you make as a mother and I am happy to do it. Luckily Sterling hasn't had anything besides a little sore throat. If we can keep one of the parents feeling well then we WILL be the victors.

The Darndest Things

• The boys are learning to say and sign please appropriately. If I am giving the boys something to eat and I ask them to say please then the expectation is that they both say or sign it before they get the food. Sometimes Makaio gets so frustrated with Kekoa that he will reach over and sign please on Kekoa's chest just so they can get the food.
• Kekoa has started dancing and I don't know where he learned it. I love to dance but I never dance around the house. This weekend while watching General Conference, Kekoa started dancing to The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Not quite dance music but he's not picky.
• Both of the boys love to eat. Sometimes I don't have dinner prepared when they are ready to eat so they have to wait a couple of minutes. If Kekoa is really hungry he will start saying "Amen" in the middle of the prayer and repeat it louder and louder until the end of the prayer. He isn't very subtle.
• I think that because Kekoa has always developed skills before Makaio that Makaio looks to Kekoa as his example. Sometimes he mimics good habits and other times I wish he wouldn't watch the things that Kekoa does. I love that Makaio loves Kekoa so much that he wants to do everything he does, right down to every single cough. 

This age is proving to be such a fun age, except for when they are throwing fits. It has been so much fun to watch them grow and develop separately and together. They really are best friends and I just hope that the bond continues to grow as they do.

You Be the Judge

We don't usually go to the park here because all of them use wood chips/mulch as fall protection for the kids. This past week while we were in AZ we found a park that used that squishy rubber stuff and so I let the boys loose. You be the judge of whether or not we need to spend more time at the park because it is the equivalent of pure joy!

That stuff on Kekoa's face is not jelly from his lunch but multiple scratches from a run-in with a stool and tile earlier in the week.

Tornado Shelter = Fun

The good thing about not allowing the boys to play in our room is that when we have to take cover because there is a tornado in our vicinity (a.k.a. the storm is right above our house) the shelter becomes a playground and not a prison.

It doesn't look like it in this picture, and I should have taken more, but they had a great time playing in our bathroom and in our closet. I should have taken a picture of the bathroom sink where I had to stack everything that they considered to be great toys but that I considered to be a bigger mess to clean up when the meteorologists finally said we could leave our safe spot.

We had a variety of snacks that they ate in no time which made me realize that I was ill prepared. Next time I need to remember that I have two babies that can eat massive amounts of food when given the opportunity. I think I'll start storing our 72 hour kits in our closet.  

Yesterday Makaio kept pounding his fist on his hand, fist and other things and kept grunting as if I was supposed to understand this gesture. After getting completely frustrated by him insisting that I do whatever went with the fist pound I tried to think about what it was that he was wanting me to do. After a little while I realized that he wanted me to sing a song with that action in it. 

This morning I made a video of him pounding his fist like a rock as I sang/botched one of his favorite primary songs (evidently). Enjoy his cuteness and try to make it through my singing!