A Brief Hiatus

Well, I'm back again.  This time it's been about 2 weeks since my last post, I think that's a record.  One I wish I didn't have, but one nonetheless.  Let's see, 2 weeks.  What's been going on.  In short - lots.  Life, once again, and school have kept my away from the blog dear readers.  But it's a new month and with that I'm back, for good this time.

So, on with the catching up.  Obviously a lot has happened since we last hung out.  However, the biggest thing centers around Little Miss Stella.  Both boys have had their own minor little medical drama in life.  A couple of years ago Braeden fell out of the car and hit his head on another car.  A bloody trip to the urgent care center resulted in a large wad of glue on the back of his head.  A small bald spot remains.  Our first adventure with trauma.  Shortly thereafter Jack, ever the daredevil, took a face-plant into the wall and broke his nose.  Yes, that's right, broke his nose.  He couldn't have been much more than 18 months old.  Scary as it was, there was far less blood than the head injury so we were considering ourselves pros by now.

Stella, however, has decided that she will stand out.  Not only beating the boys by having a major event at only 3 months, but also by throwing in not 1, but 2, ambulance rides, a first here in Drosche Land.  "What?!" you say?  Well, just sit back and read on.

Flashback to the last post on August 19.  The kids and I were 3 days into the school year and Amy was just getting ready to begin (another event from the hiatus that I'll have to touch on later).  The week began normally enough.  Monday and Tuesday were fine.  Then came Wednesday.  Wow.  Late in the afternoon Stella's teacher came to my classroom with "the look".  If you're a teacher where your own child attends school you know "the look".  If you're not, rest assured, you're getting "the look" when you get "the call".  You know the one.  Where your child has a fever and is being sent home sick from school.  Well, there's a look, trust me.  A "Sorry!" look.  So I knew right away.  Crap!  It was literally Amy's first day of school so she couldn't take off.  I'd only been in a week, but it was my turn.  So I made plans to be out the next day.  Well, I'd make the most of the day at home with a sick kid.  Grading, organizing, revamping my Sub Folder, etc.  I brought a variety of things home with me to pass the time, in addition to blogging and Netflix.  But I was never going to get the chance to enjoy them.  Cue dramatic music - Bum bum buuuuummmmm!

Stella did alright that night, fevered and not eating well.  We were sure it was just a cold.  The next morning I drove the boys to school with the intention of taking her straight to the doctor.  But at school I realized that her breathing wasn't so great.  Yikes.  I hurried to the doctor where they confirmed my fears.  The nurse took one look at her, didn't even weigh her, and brought in a doctor who immediately ordered a breathing treatment.  A few minutes later I was informed that we were being taken to the hospital, via ambulance, because she was in respiratory distress.  Yikes.  So I e-mailed Amy and told her.  But she needn't worry, I had it all handled and there was no reason to leave work.  A short ambulance ride later and we were at the hospital and Stella was receiving another, more intense, breathing treatment.  Throw in some steroids, suctions, x-rays, and an episode of CSI: Miami and we were just sitting in an ER room.  All seemed well.  Until.  Bum bum buuuuummmmm!

Then I got the news that we would be transported to another hospital, one with a transitional unit.  It seems that she wasn't bad off enough to go into the ICU, but she wasn't in good enough shape to be admitted into a regular room.  So, off we went.  And this wasn't just any ambulance mind you, this was a mobile ICU!  By now Amy had left work and ended up meeting us at the hospital.  By now the 5 breathing treatments and 4 doses of steroids had done their job and she was on the mend, totally different than she was just a few hours prior.  But we still needed to stay overnight for observation.  So we did.  On the upside we found out that Jimmy John's makes a wicked BLT and Beach Club, trust me, try them!

The official diagnosis was croup.  A day later Amy went to the doctor and found out she had an ear infection, strep throat, and bronchitis.  She'd been feeling poorly for a while so she went in.  My girls were not doing so well but I'm happy to say that here we are, a week later, and they are both on the mend and doing well.  Hopefully illnesses are far behind us now and we will have a smooth cold and flu season.  Hopefully.

So now each of the kids has a fun story to share about medical adventures, although Stella may have the uphand for now.  An interesting side note: Stella and I somehow bonded over the adventures that day.  She used to only smile at Amy and stare at me.  But now every time she sees me she grins, coos, and bats her eyes.  We're tight now and Amy jokes that I  finally have my little Princess.  Weird, but I guess we bonded in some sense.

Well, there you have it.  The most eventful happening of the past 2-week hiatus.  Luckily for us things are settling into our usual "boring" lives, and I use "boring" as a positive term considering the events of this story.  We could use a little "boring" right about now, and hopefully for the unforeseeable future!

All is well, somewhat caught up, in Drosche Land.