Stomach Bug Blues

This is by far a night for the books aka blog worthy!!

Dinner time 5pm Cam says my stomach hurts...
6:30pm Cameron gets his jammies on... Goes to put his dirty clothes in the bathroom closet and turns around to throw up in the toilet!!

Between 9:30 - midnight Cameron throws up every 20 min. Becoming mildly dehydrated, I kept using the capillary refill Test, (Check out this website I found it to be very helpful!!)
 (http://pediatrics.about.com/od/symptoms/a/05_symp_dehydtn.htm)
Eventually he started keeping fluids down and fell asleep!!!

10:30pm Sadie wakes up crying her stomach hurts

11:30pm Sadie is throwing up

1:00am Mike wakes up and starts throwing up... and a little later we all fall asleep for about an hour..

2:30am Noah wakes up crying I totally break the rules and start nursing him

2:45 Sadie threw up for the last time Crying for me But I was still feeding Noah... Cameron is already asleep and done throwing up...
3am fall asleep on the hard wood floor next to Sadie.

4:30 Noah wakes up for the day

Kids wake up at 5:30am

They've Managed to keep down drinks and Toast/Crackers.


I must say this morning I'm running on Adrenaline and of Course LOADS of Coffee!!


Counting my blessings
1. My children seem to be on the up swing of this nasty stomach bug

2. I'm getting tons of Laundry & Cleaning done
3. Motivation to clean to get these nasty germs out of my house!!
4. I've managed to Stay clear of this bug!! (Praying it stays that way!!! Throwing up and I don't mix!!!)

Mother Knows Best!

So when Cameron and Sadie were little the City of Quincy put in a beautiful little playground a block away from our house... It was right next to the Clam Box on the beach. The playground has the recycled tire on the ground and a small structure that little toddlers can easily learn to climb and mama can breath easily and let them be somewhat free.

Well when Cam and Sadie were little they were always getting sick and I was always trying to brainstorm patterns or connect the dots to find a common denominator so maybe I could prevent the germs. One of things I thought was that this playground seemed to something we did shortly before they got sick... Well I mentioned this to my mother and the thought stuck... She would often say "Don't take them there, they are gonna get sick". Well as they got older we stopped going there cause other playgrounds had larger structures more appropriate for my big kids.

That brings you up to speed...
Yesterday was beautiful day and the baseball team was practicing so we can't play in the yard cause I fear someone getting hit by a ball.. Every time I hear the crack of the bat my heart jumps. So the kids and I walked up to that park.. Perfect for Noah to run and climb and have a good time. I jokingly told the kids, "Don't tell Niney tonight at dinner we went here cause she's gonna worry that you guys will get sick". Despite what I said we talked about it at dinner and sure enough she said, "Why did you take them to that play ground... You know they always get sick, Just you wait within two weeks you guys are gonna be sick."

Well it didn't take two weeks more like 6hours... About an hour after Noah went to bed he started crying. (Strange) so we went up checked on him he fell back asleep. For the next 5 hours he would randomly start crying.. And then at 1am it all hit the fan I heard him cry, gurgle and cry some more.. I immediately jumped out of bed and said, "He's Throwing up!!" I ran into his room picked him up and found his head and crib covered... Into the tub and then for the next hour and half we tried to comfort a very confused baby boy, he would cough and throw up!! I'll spare you the gritty details but it was bad.

This morning he's sleeping and resting on the couch next to me and has managed to keep down some fluids (juice and mama milk) and a few cheerios. Let's hope it's just Noah and the big kids are OK!


The moral of this story is... Trust your "mama" instincts and when your own mother tells you not to do something... LISTEN!! After all....

Mother KNOWS BEST!!!!

 

 

Counting my blessings

 

1. A husband with a understanding employer so he can go in late and take the big kids to school

2. I'm a stay at home mom so I'm free to be home with my sick kiddo! 

3. My sleepy baby boys smile when he wakes up from a nap!!!

4. Cuddling my baby boy!! 

Double the Trouble

I swear sense the day Sadie was born Cameron and Sadie have been double trouble!!!

There have been several occasions where I got a glimpse into what the teenage years are going to be like when the two of them put their minds together!

So our church runs an Easter Egg Hunt where we stuff over 15000 Easter Eggs. Well one of the work nights the kids and I went over to help stuff eggs. Cam, Sadie and I stuffed eggs while Noah sat at the table played and ate Cheerios...

Fast Forward to after the Egg Hunt our children were sitting around talking about their eggs and what goodies they got when

Sadie: "I wonder who got the Cheerio Egg??"
Cam: hahaha Yea I wonder
Me: What do you mean the Cheerio Egg??
Sadie: We each filled an egg with Cheerios
Me: What... You mean that night when we were stuffing eggs you took Noah's Cheerios and Stuffed an Egg with them?? And then bagged it like the rest of the candy Eggs.
Cameron and Sadie: HAHAHAHA YEA!
Mike: HAHAHAHA, Ehem I mean That's not funny! (SMILING FROM EAR TO EAR!!!)

Later I was telling a friend about this and was reminded of the year we visited our friends the Yeh's I believe Sadie was almost 3 and Cam had just turned 4. My children are Early Birds and their beloved friends are night owls... So Cameron and Sadie Came barreling down the stairs one morning during our visit Laughing hysterically with the camera in hand... Come to find out Cameron had snuck the camera and took pictures of Sadie Making Faces at the sleeping Yeh Children!! OMGoodness.

And let's not forget the Lotion Fun while I was preparing for our trip to Florida. (Age 3 & 4)

 

I'm glad my kids can enjoy having some harmless fun together!!!

But Boy it can drive this mother Bonkers Sometimes!!

 

Oh and My apologies to the kid who got the Cheerio Egg!!!

 

 

Counting My Blessings

1. BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY!

2. The ability to take 2 one year olds outside for an hour
3. Walk to the playground
4. Chili's Dinner on Mom's Treat

5. Rocking Noah before Bed 

Dairy Free Soy Free days are Technically Over

So the official word from the doc... Noah has grown out of his intolerance to Milk and Soy. She recommended that I keep nursing while he is still interested. I'm thinking now that he can have food with Flavor the interest will die down significantly. Really I don't want to be the Time Magazine cover. No offense to anyone who nurses until their children are 4, but it's just not for me one year is enough for this mama. My guess is that his 4am 45min feeding will be the last to go!

Ok So on to more exciting things... I CAN EAT MILK AND SOY!!!

First thing I ate was a Reeses Egg... MMM It tasted so good but made me feel nauseous.

On the other hand I felt Fantastic after my 1/2 of Grumpy Whites Buffalo Chicken Sandwich w/Blue Cheese and a side of Mac and Cheese. MMMM It was so good and yet soooo BAD for a woman with a goal to lose 15lbs before May 1st. (To make up for it I ran on the treadmill like my life depended on it).

So if we recall I have a list of top five food choices
http://csjohnstonmommy.blogspot.com/2012/08/catching-up-change-new-life-style.html

So #1 is Complete.. Let's be real these food experiences are not going to help my weight loss goals. SO I have a plan! I will only eat this if they are for social reasons. (IE girls night out, special Family outing, Or Date night). The reality is between now and May 1st those experiences will only happen once. I think that should allow me to lose the last of the baby weight.

While my days of ingredient reading are technically over, and I'm glad to not feel as though I'm imposing on people when we eat at friends or at a restaurant, I'm really not totally ready to kick some of the life style changes to the curb. Actually I think some things could be permanent things at my house.

Here's what I'm keeping...

1. Cooking Fresh/from Scratch... I'm not going back to the days of Lipton Onion Soup or
MaCormack Taco/Chili Seasoning. Fresh flavors work for us and Less Sodium, Less Chemicals

2. Almond Milk/Coconut Creamer... I've always Hated Cows Milk, My cereal will still have Almond Milk and I just might stick to using it in my coffee at home. Of course when a Dunkins, Coffee Break, Or Mary Lou's Run are in order I'll have skim milk, but at Home Almond Milk or Coconut Creamer will work best!! (Not to mention Coffee Runs wont be happening very often cause EVERY PENNY is IMPORTANT IN this house. Home Coffee is the way we roll)

3. My Dairy Free Soy Free Recipes... Those meals were yummy so they will certainly be staying in my Recipe Box/Menu Plan. I probably will continue to Pin those kinds of things on Pinterest...

4. Ingredient Reading... If I can I will probably still choose products that are made with Canola or Olive Oil... I'm not gonna go nuts, but I'm still going to opt for those products I know are soy free... For example the Classico's Tomato Basil Sauce is what I will use from now on  (Sorry Ragu and that was just one thing I couldn't make from scratch!!! I was terrible at it!)... another product is All Natural Creamy Skippy Peanut butter.


There you have it while I'm free!!! I'm still changed by the total experience!



Counting My Blessings:
1. Decluttered areas of my house that had me totally overwhelmed
2. Cam getting to go to his first Celtics Game
3. The weekend
4. My New Flat Iron... No more Friz
5. Noah on a schedule it seems to be working!!

Adventures in CIO #4

So We've come a long way in a week I believe... We've added music to the mix... We put it on and YES it plays all night!! (Just like Cameron)

So getting Noah to Go to sleep on his own has become such a success that now when we are rocking him he will squirm and fuss until we put into the crib then he lays there we give a few pats to the back and out the door we go. (Again much like Cameron!!).. He is napping great 2 naps a day for about 2hrs... and goes to bed at night GREAT!

Biggest Struggle he will wake up at 3:30 or 4 and he can't get back to sleep until about 45 min before the kids have to go to school so then he has to wait for that morning nap thus he just walks around the house fussing while I get the big kids ready for school!!! I will say this these early wake ups do seem to be associated with an  AM BM. UGH!! We see the GI on Thursday Praying for some information to help us move foreward and hopefully get a little more sleep.

We are getting there!! I feel encouraged!


Counting my Blessings
1. I serve a Risen Savior!!!! He has overcome the Grave!!
2. Easter Egg Hunt was a success!!
3. Warm Weather
4. Window's Open
5. Kids are sooo dirty from playing outside
6. Yummy Dinners
7. Unexpectadly being able to afford our trip to FL
8. The knowledge to know how to lose weight!!! (Dr. Phil Weight loss challenge works for me!!)
9. Running
10. SUNSHINE POURING THROUGH MY WINDOWS!!!

Adventures in CIO #3... Caved!!!

I found this blog with a mother who had pictures of her clothes covered dresser and messy office and I thought Ok so I need to blog the real stuff too and not be like those other picture perfect blogs that totally discourage me on Pinterest.

That leads me to say....
I'm a little discouraged with CIO, in part it's cause I'm exhausted.
Monday I was feeling GREAT about the road ahead, I introduced 1oz of milk in a bottle to 2 1/2oz of Mama Milk and Noah downed the entire thing. WOW!! What an exciting start down the Road to Dairy & Soy FILLED life. Late afternoon Mike Came home from work not feeling so great... Sadie and I ran to the store to get a few things for dinner. We ate dinner & enjoyed the normal bed time routine. I watched a little TV, Mike was already in bed.

~11pm the Fun begins. Noah wakes up and as I Patted Noah's back, I listened to Mike getting sick in the bathroom. OH NO!!! I cancelled my babysitting duty for Tuesday and thought OK Tuesday would be alright cause the kids had a full day of school (OR SO I THOUGHT). When I finally crawled into the playroom bed, it took me a little bit to fall asleep (when someone gets sick in my house I often stress about disinfecting my home). Well sleep found me until Noah woke at 2:30... I tried to pat his back standing over the crib, but then picked him up just so I could sit, rocked him for a bit. I WAS JUST TO TIRED and I knew what the day ahead could potentially look like so I COMPLETELY GAVE IN... I laid down in the twin bed and fed Noah Back to sleep!!! BOOOO I CAVED!!! Well Noah and I slept til about 5am when Cameron came in woke me up to say... "Mommy we don't have school today it's a snow day... I just heard the message from our Principal!!"

Joy!!!

Kids and I had a productive snowy Tuesday however Noah was a fussy mess... and REFUSED the Milk!!! So I just let it go and by evening, I totally messed with Noah's schedule and didn't put him to bed until 8pm. Again he woke up at 11pm I patted his back, he fell right back to sleep and then woke up again at 2am... YEA you know what I did????? Fed him!!

Today he had shots for his 1 year vaccines so I'm not even attempting Milk... And tonight when he cries I'll be sure to run cause I'll need to make sure he doesn't have a fever.. And we come full circle... When I started this blog there was reason for the title...

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING!!!

Counting my blessings...
1. Kids who are old enough to put there laundry away
2. A clean kitchen
3. Kids at school all day
4. Kids at home all day helping with the house hold chores
5. Sunshine after a snow storm... Everything just looks BRIGHTER.. Literally and figuratively

Johnston Adventures in CIO #2: Discoveries & Baby Steps

~ So the routine continues… Read books or should I say read the same book… Time for Bed (I Highly Reccomend it!!), it’s crazy but I do have it memorized and I can read it in the dark (& yes I’ve read it to Noah in the dark after having to change his diaper) lay Noah down pat his back, & leave the room. We have discovered that despite all this time some things haven’t changed  sense before Christmas, if he cries longer than 15 minutes it means he has pooped!! It almost seems like he cries so hard it causes the poop. Once he’s changed he falls asleep.

~ The other day I let Noah Cry and Cry and Cry for his nap, it was exhaustingly painful so I went in laid him down, patted his back and within 3 minutes he was asleep. After this I felt extremely discouraged, kept thinking ugh he just got his way, he won this battle. Then I got to thinking when I was a teacher I would spend the good portion of rest time patting little kids backs to help them fall asleep and for much longer than 3 min. So why can’t I pat Noah’s back?? (It may not be the "right" way to think but I felt better so I'm going with it!!!)

~ Night time progress is that Noah is weaned from ALL night time feedings, but he still wakes up 1-2 times a night and thus the back patting happens only if he wakes up so much that he is standing in his crib.   

We are progressing with baby steps… Process vs. Product is the catch phrase in Early Childhood Education, but sometimes, while the process is "More important" then the product, the products can sure be sweet!! I would like to think that in this "process" my child is learning, independece, parents are in charge, parents will provide comfort. But let's be serious it's just sleep!!! 

I look forward to the product of these baby steps we are taking; just ONE FULL NIGHTS sleep! Maybe tonight will be the night!

 

Counting my Blessings...
1. A weekend catching up with old friends!

2. Game night with the kids... Playing Candy Land with Sadie is quite the experience... The little figures not only move along the game board path, but they talk, dance, and cry!!!
3. Sunny days... and daylight savings!!
4. Duck Dynasty it makes me laugh!

5. The amount of work I can get done in the time Noah Naps...