Alaska, Emergency Room, and other fun

Shawn went to Alaska for an impromptu work trip last week from Sunday to Wednesday.  I am proud of my big girl self for only spending one night at my sister's and trying to 'tough it out' here at home at nights.

jealous?  I was. 

 

Wednesday night, we went swimming at a pool at Nana's neighbor's house.  It was too cold for me to get in, but some little ones had a great time.

Beautiful pool!

Dominic, before the impending doom soon to befall him

After our swim, Dom convinced Nana that he needed to spend the night there.  I proceeded to undress him and help him into PJs when Nana noticed a bug bite on his upper thigh.  It was red in the middle, swollen, and red around it for a good 3 inches.  Dominic said a spider bit him, but we got in the phone to page the doctor.  I've done that a thousand times for all sorts of stuff, but this return time was the fastest I've ever had.  After further examination and describing it to him, the Dr. said, "I'm worried it's mrsa, take him in now, you don't want to wait."

Shawn and I packed up the kids.  Dom was devastated that his newly negotiated sleepover was to be replaced with the ER and possible shots.  Nana was able to offer the consolation of a new toy she had bought for him - a plane from the movie Planes that is coming out.  (Get excited mothers of boys everywhere.)

Shawn took the baby, Sol, and I home.  I proceeded to google 'mrsa' for the next long 2 hours while a curious 6 year old kept asking, "What's mrsa?" to which I replied, "Go to bed."

Shawn called and it was mrsa.  He itched a mosquito bite and it got infected.  They sedated him to drain it.  Even sedated with localized pain meds, Dom apparently teared up and whimpered as they dug out the wound.  They also packed it, which is filling the hole with something gauzy.

He came slowly out of sedation singing, and thought his ER bed was a boat.  The doctors were cracking up at him, and said that Shawn should be recording.  If Shawn was the owner of a smart phone, you can bet he'd have been a great "David after Dentist" type video.

They sent him home with pain meds, antibiotics, and the aftermath of the sedation.  The poor kid was just a mess when he got home.  I asked if he sang at the doctor's, and he said, "Only when I was on the boat."  Then he got up to potty and toppled over.  He looked down at his legs and cried, "Why are there 2 band aids?"  (One they gave him while he was sedated.)

He woke up crying in the night, we gave him some pain meds, and he fell back asleep.  He woke up limping in the morning but otherwise normal.  Our follow-up appointment today was okay, but we aren't done with it yet, we go in again Monday.


I made some sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies to take to my Aunt Anne's party for the 4th.

Solly and Dad at the party.  Poor infected Dom went to Nana's instead.

Linking up with Clan Donaldson:

Freedom:  having children-as many as we like-and bringing them up in the faith

After Anne's, we went to Nana's for a fireworks show.

at Nana's - Sol's new t-shirts fit me too, so I'm sporting his more Americana print

When Sol saw the cookies I made for the 4th he read them and said, "America!  I love America!"  

So do I.  

Back to Business - which is in no way business

Vacation wrap up:
It was pretty exciting, but I made the mistake of writing about the magic of Disney theme parks BEFORE our second day at a Disney theme park, which happened to also be grad day.  That means that high school graduates fill the park making hiccups throughout to ruin the 'magic'.  So, I say now:  Do not go to a Disney Park until you have called to find out if there are any sponsored days at the same time.  If so, I would strongly recommend NOT going on grad day.  Unless you're a grad, or you love lines and crowds packed tight.
Still, it was a great vacation, highlights below.

Conveyor belt sushi in Little Tokyo.

Pool time

Star Wars Ride

Right before Space Mountain.

The REALS and IDEALS 

Goal #2 was an epic failure.  I give myself an F.  I was late a lot last week and only sort of had a handle on the clutter.  

Last night, I came back to a surprise.  My brother-in-law Austin took this old desk that was worn and old and unfinished and re-did the wood on it with new varnish.  For no reason because he is awesome. So I was pleased and so were the boys.  They took about ten seconds to make it look like this:

Why would anyone post that chaos?   

Because, my friends, that is Goal #3.  My REAL for this week, is that the desk looks like this ALL THE TIME!  I pick it up, I make the kids pick it up, I weed out the clutter, and this ends up looking like that mess.  SO, I want a better, more Montessori-like kid-friendly set up.  So, my goal is to make this an easier place to keep organized for my little artists.

IDEAL

(found here:  http://pinterest.com/pin/157203843213065528/ not sure of the original source.)

Feel free to post any great ideas for this, or make and share your own goal, - or don't.

Happy Father's Day to my husband and the 0 other dads reading my blog.  Shawn's a good guy, so I'm gonna keep him.

Shawn smoked us a Father's Day Dinner of pulled pork, we ate this squash dish with garden squash, and salad with greens from the garden.  I love summer.  

Fluids and Magic

Yesterday, I woke up at 5 to make the rigid 7:15 departure for Disneyland's California Adventure. 

   After I got myself and baby ready, I walked into the hall to the unmistakable smell of vomit.  I thought: My sister's morning sickness?  No, she makes it to the bathroom and I never smell it.  Beer pong aftermath?  No, the players seemed sober as we went to bed last night.  Vague memories of hearing my husband gag in the night came to mind, but he didn't drink, so I'm sure if he had gotten sick, he would have made it to the bathroom.  A quick glance in the bedroom confirmed it.  And then I smelled it again, and I knew.  A glance into the boys room and there it was, my 6 year old sleeping in it - it was everywhere on and around his side of the guest bed...ugh, fluids.  Shawn, while campaigning for husband of the year, did the intensive clean up while I marched my children to the shower determined to make our 7:15 departure time - 14 people with 2 cars, so we just keep chugging along despite the many who have fallen to this little virus that is going around. Anyways, I think we were out by 7:20 and off to Disney!

First timer.

Disney norms allow girls to wear dress ups all day.

Danielle is also a fist timer.

 For those of you who haven't experienced a Disney theme park, Shawn was one of those until yesterday, they are indeed MAGIC.  I am a Disney girl myself, but I think that my bias only slightly tints this.  Let me break it down for you:

1.  They let you bring in food/drinks.  Blessing when you're not in the market to buy the fantastic turkey legs and other delights every time you get hungry.

2.  Fast Pass.  They don't make you wait in a line for 2 hours unless you choose to.  You can get a Fast Pass and come back after a few smaller rides and it moves you to the front at your arrival time.  There are, of course, limits, but we easily used 4 passes per person yesterday and it maximizes your experience.

3.  Disney is all about customer service.  And from what I understand from those that have done the internship there, they treat the employees well also.  So kindness and courtesy are just leaking from their "have a magical day."

4.  They don't cut corners or miss a moment to make you smile.  Shawn, in particular, was wowed.  When you enter the town replicated like Radiator Springs from the Cars movie, you will feel like you are there in every way.  And, for those of you who have seen the movie, as a tribute to attention to detail, the little yellow blinking traffic light is slower on every third blink.  Shawn noticed this and was a bit impressed.  When you wait in lines like Monster's Inc, you watch funny commercials for stinky deodorant and when you wait in line for Toy Story Mania, you watch life size Mr. Potato head sing and dance.  

Dom loved the parade

5.  Their parades, spontaneous street dance parties, shows, restaurant meals, and character meet and greets are just oozing with humor, creativity, and show true intuition into what people and kids enjoy.  Shawn said to me, after the mid-day parade, "Wow, they really want you to have a great day here."  And they do.  I cannot recommend Disney parks enough, if you can find a way to afford them.  

Okay, so I sat out the first ride with Wilson while the others went on a Mater ride.  I took advantage of the lull to nurse.  Wilson took advantage of the lull to poop out his first outfit.  Fluids.  I changed him on the pad right there on the ground.  In the bathroom?  No.

I just wanted to wear my Monster's Inc onesie.

meeting Lightning

After some rides, we ended up on Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  I love these little hokey kid rides.  For reasons unknown to me, I teared up here and again during the Disney Junior show which my boys loved.  I cannot tell you why.  Hormones, tired, overwhelmed with gratitude - all of the above - fluids.

The rest of the day was a whirl of rides and tagging in and out of sitting with baby and sleepers and too shorties.  Highlights include riding the roller coaster with a short wait with Shawn and only Shawn.  And it was a smooth, fun ride.  Magic.  A girl's lunch at the princess restaurant to celebrate Coletti's 3rd birthday - magic.  

Happy Birthday to a lucky and sweet Coletti.

The Cars ride was the BEST.  You hop in the car and go through Radiator Springs, meeting characters, tractor tipping and then racing away from Frank, and then the quaint little music from Lightnings cruise with Sally plays as you glide out into the mountain.  Then you go under a pass and the majestic music plays as you see the waterfall and bridge.  I was taken.  Magic.  And fluids.  (Blame the hormones.)  The ride ends with a fast race through the canyon.  So much fun.  

Now it wasn't a perfect day.  There was some over-tired Dominic drama and typical Dominic naughtiness which meant I had to pull him out of a few lines to miss the ride for a time-out, and another clothes change after Wilson spit up fluids.  Dominic was 1/4 inch too short to ride the amazing Cars ride - I was devastated, he was fine.

Most of the party decided to ride this seemingly benign looking Ferris Wheel which was for about 8 of the 10 riders a 15 minute fear inducing dangler.

Dominic laughed wildly because he loved every minute of it, while I begged to switch sides securely between my mom and dad and my nervous brother, Fred, would not allow it. 

We ended the day after a show with 5 sleeping kids as we left the park, smiling.  MAGIC.

We are blessed.  Or spoiled.