Still Sick...

Just when I thought G was starting to get better, he went and spiked another fever. He went all day yesterday without a fever, and was pretty happy. Tired very easily, but generally happy. Today he was a happy guy, walked to the park, had a picnic in the yard, and then he took a nice nap. Woke up from his nap nice and hot...with a fever. Since then, he has been SUPER sensitive, irritable, and wanting to be in my arms. He finally let Daddy carry him in the carrier while he cut the grass:)

He is still coughing quite a bit, and makes a very sour face when he coughs...like it hurts. Its pretty sad. The cough has not let up any, so I think it must be the pneumonia working its way out.

I will be calling the doctor tomorrow morning, because I am concerned about the continued fevers...he has been on antibiotics for 3 days now...Poor little thing is really confusing me!

I hope I have the strength to not loose my cool with the doctor when I talk with her...she did not even call today to check up on Gavin, and to apologize for FORGETTING to tell me he has pneumonia! ( I may be holding a grudge here...but rightfully so)

G's first real illness:(

Oh poor G! We are back from Ohio, have been back since Wednesday night....we cam home early and are very thankful we did, bc G is not well!

After being in Ohio for only 3 days, G (and his cousins and aunt/uncle) came down with a nasty stomach virus...it was no fun! Everyone was miserable...Poor G was miserable, and trying so hard to feel better. It went away within a few days, and then he woke up with a horse voice...one right after another. This continued into a croup-like cough, and then a full blown upper respiratory virus...fevers and all.

I just felt so bad for him, as he was not feeling well, but wanting to, and I know everyone around him wanted him better too...so much fun stuff to do and see...but Gav was just not into a lot of it...wanted to be held, carried, and near me always. I just knew that something was not right...not at all. He still managed to have some fun with everyone, and of course he still smiles when he is feeling so sick:)

After being in Ohio for 7 days, Derek and I made the decision to have G and I come home after 9 days. Our original trip was almost 2 weeks, but G was so sick, and I was not feeling well too. The specialist from Kaiser ended up wanting to see me to discuss and assess what we would do for the pregnancy, so we thought there is too much we need to get done at home, so we got the PM flight out on Wednesday. I was so sad to be leaving a little early, but looking back we are so glad we did....as G got even more sick, and needed his medical care here (Since we have Kaiser, they do not cover any medical care outside the network...it would have been all out of pocket in Ohio:(

Once we got back, G seemed like he might be getting better, and then BAM. Fevers returned (He had them all week with the 2 viruses) and they were even higher. Its always hard to assess temp on G, as taking his axillary temperature is like absolute torture...but giving him ANY sort of medicine by mouth? He opens right up and will swallow ANYthing down! Go figure.

We took him to the pediatrician right away the morning we were home...and just figured it was a virus...but I knew that something was wrong...more than just a virus. I called the advice nurse 3 times that day and night and decided to take him back in the morning for a chest X-ray, as again, I just knew something was not right. Dr. Yen came in and told us that the x-ray was normal, but she would have to the radiologist read it to be sure...this is Friday afternoon. Never heard back from Dr. Yen or the radiologist.

Friday night all through the night G continues to have high fevers, and he is miserable. Again, we call Kaiser, and get a phone appt first thing int he AM. When I speak with this new MD he just restates that its probably just a virus, and to continue comfort care and meds...but again, I told him I think its more than that, and that I think something secondary is going on...he reassured me that these viruses take a "long time" to go away. I hung up upset yet again. Not 2 minutes passes, and he calls back. Hmm, What was going on. He told me that HE reviewed the chest x-ray, and it was in fact ABNORMAL. I guess since Dr. Yen is out for the weekend, she does not continue her medical care until Monday? Did she not look at the final results from the radiologist? Was she seriously going to make my baby wait all weekend with pneumonia??? I was extremely thankful that Dr. Yi (Dr. names so similar) caught this error, and then took care of it. He said that this would explain the continued fevers, especially for SO LONG. DUH PEOPLE I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR 3 DAYS! Of course, I just explained how thankful I was that he listened to me, and he told me that the only reason he went back through to review everything was because I kept telling him "something is just not right, and I am not comfortable" He agreed that this many days of fevers was not a typical finding of any respiratory viruses. So he called him Amoxicillin, and Derek went to get it right away.

We really hope that this is the answer. Poor G has spent the entire day with 103 fever, laying on my chest, and sleeping on and off. He has had a few spurts of energy in which he went outside and watered the garden, and blew bubbles. He tires so easily, and has slept about 6 hours today. He is breathing really fast, and his coughs seem painful. We REALLY hope that this antibiotic rids his poor lungs of this nasty virus!

Yet again, I will restate how thankful I will be to be RID OF KAISER in a month. I know that HMO's work for some people, but not me. Not when they miss a pneumonia...not in my child. Everyone always says that at Kaiser you have to "know how to work the system" and that is one thing I learned how to do, but I do not wish to do anymore...

Grandma and her guns;)

Gavin and Grandma always have so much fun together. Grandma loves to play with all the toys with him, and he thinks this is the coolest thing in the world. One toy Grandma loves is the nerf gun! I know, kinda funny, but Gavin LOVES to put the bullets in and help shoot…and today he got his very own nerf gun (Its for the pool, that’s what I tell myself) to use! He can do it all by himself…you just squeeze it and it shoots…very harmless. Right? Haha. After grandma taught him how to do it, he was pretty good! We would tell him what to hit, and he would get it on target! Grandma said it was pretty good aim for a 2 year old! Thanks Grandma!

First real potty (without help of warm water:)

This afternoon Gavin went pee-pee on the potty for the very first time! (Without needing to have his feet in warm water;) Every time Grandma would ask him if he needed to go potty, he would say “yea” (his response for pretty much anything) and then he would sit there with no results. Well, today was different! Grandma promised him a treat if he went potty, and sure enough, he looked down, and concentrated so hard…and at last there was PEE! He was extremely proud, and so were we. He got his big old sucker as his treat, and he ran back to the potty to “do more” because I think he thought he would keep getting more suckersJ 

St. Mary's Festival

Tonight we headed to the St. Mary’s Festival, a tradition that we do every year. I have not been able to go in many years since I moved, so I was excited to see everyone. We go in the afternoon and play games and rides, and then go to the spaghetti dinner with my Dad’s side of the family.

Again, G was not 100% so he was a little out of it, but he still managed to have fun. Grandma bought the kids a ton of game and ride tickets, and G learned how to play festival games. He would pretty much walk right up, pass everyone in line, and grab a prize from the prize bin before he even played. It was so sweet, all the games were run by kids, so they did not careJ

Griff and Gav got to ride the cars around, and Gavin would have done it 100 times…

The boys got to eat quite a few suckers, and win a lot of prizes…Gavin loved playing the Plinko game with Grandpa, and then having Grandpa throw up his parachute he won…

We ended the night with the spaghetti dinner, and then went home. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the fun night!

Park with cousins

Today we met up with cousins Jack, Cal, and Daniel at a park in Pleasant Ridge. The boys did not start school yet, and so we wanted to hang out with them one last time before we left. We love getting to see them when we are in town...they play with the boys, and are so good with them. They help them do whatever it is that they are doing, and they teach them new things. These boys really are so sweet. I swear, if we lived in Cincy, they would be our babysitters! (Gavin remembers them, and when we look at their pictures, he says "Ack, Cal, Danul":) 

Mt. Lookout Swim Club

Today we headed to the swim club with grandma for a nice little swim. G was feeling better, and glad to be in the water with his Grandma. She brought a bunch of pool toys (G’s favorite kind…kitchen utensils!) and Gav had a blast. I had a great time too…got to eat snack bar cheese sticksJ (A childhood favorite)

The Land

Today after naps, we headed to “the land” to play with all the cool stuff that Grandma and Grandpa have. A cool new camper, a big pond, and a huge garden…

Since G has been sick, he is not wanting to do much at the land…did not even want to ride the mower with Grandma…that’s when you KNOW G is sick, because mowing is his FAVorite thing to do! He did enjoy watching “Ma” mow the grass…from very far away.

Even though he was a little under the weather, we all still had fun. The kids got to play with all the toys Grandma keeps in the camper, swing, pick tomatoes in the garden, and then have a yummy picnic dinner outside. After dinner everyone (not the pregnant sisters) went for a swim in the pond. Gav would NOT put on a life jacket, so he sat inside a raft on Grandma’s raftJ

Thanks for the fun day “at the land” Grandma and Grandpa!

Sick kids

Today everyone is feeling a little under the weather. A stomach bug has moved in, but that's not stopping everyone! We are having a little celebration tonight for Gavin and Pat's birthdays...and Grandma cooked a nice big dinner! (for those of us who can eat!) Very yummy steak, chicken, and potato salad...it was all delicious, thanks Mom:) I did not get many pics, just a few of the kiddos all of the bed watching "Toons" on TV. G sure loves his cousins:)

Cincy Trip

Today was our first full day in Cincy, and we have been having tons of fun:) We had Skyline for lunch and then a picnic of Mio's pizza for dinner at Alms Park. Perfect day! G and I are both so excited to be here with everyone:)

Gavin's Second Birthday Party

What a fun party we had tonight! The guests started arriving at 4pm, and you had just gotten up from your nap. We put on your new bulldozer birthday shirt, and you were set!

Right away, Jason and Angie were here and they brought a bounce house for you to use for the party!!! You LOVE the smaller bounce houses, as the larger ones seem to scare you…you got in right away and bounced around.

After everyone was here, all the kids were running around playing outside in the sand, bounce house, and all the other toys…your friends Kekoa and Nicholas have train obsessions, so they were thrilled to find the train table;) KK was a wild woman in the bounce house, her first time and she was a pro…and cousin Nathan showed all of you how to bounce like a big boy! Everyone had a lot of fun, and you were in your glory. We soon ate dinner, and then of course it was cake time!

We had you blow out your candles (I was not sure if you could!) and you did!!! You kept at it until you got them out, and then you were SOOO happy to eat the cake! You and KK licked the icing off the bulldozers, and then you dug in.

After messy cake, it was play time some more, and this time you were wired! You were going up and down the slide…face first and backwards too!

We ended the night opening a few gifts before you got too tired and wanted to head to bed…

We are so thankful for all of our wonderful family and friends…both near and far…You had such a special second birthday, and we are so blessedJ

{Gavin 24 Months}

Dear Gavie,

Today you turn two. Even though it is still hard to believe that my baby is two, I am so excited for you. You love life so much, and there is never a dull moment around our family. You make your Dad and I so proud, and we love you to pieces.

Today we will celebrate your day with all our family and friends. We will have a nice little BBQ in the yard, and all the ones you love around...of course we will have lots of things to play with and a bulldozer cake...exactly what you picked out!

Gavin, our life with you is what I always dreamed it would be. You make us smile all day long, and you are so sweet to everyone. You already love your baby brother or sister...you lift up my shirt, pat my belly, kiss it, and say "baby." It is so sweet, and my heart melts every time you are so gentle with baby.

You are a wild, sweet, crazy, affectionate, demanding, stubborn, and loving guy...We are so blessed to have you in our life!

Momma & Daddy

Big 2 Year old breakfast!

Happy 2nd Birthday Gavin!!!

Gavin woke up like any other day, and made waffles with Daddy. This time, he got to put chocolate chips inside them! He was thrilled and so excited to have "Chocate Bip Waffles" with us, and so was I:) 

After breakfast G got to open a few gifts from us and his gifts from Griffin and Annabel. They gave him a really cool bulldozer that he then pushed around the house for 2 hours...He sure loves his bulldozer, thanks guys!

We plan to hang out this morning, visit the park, maybe go visit some real bulldozers at a construction site, have a picnic lunch in the yard, and take a nice nap before the big party tonight:)

First Pee-Pee!!!

Today Gavin had his first pee-pee on the potty! Funny how he had to do it too! 

Gavin ALWAYS tells us when he needs to go potty...he is usually naked (around the house) and he will come RUNNING to you and say "PEE! PEE! NOW!" At that point we try to go on the potty, but he says "No, Biaper Davin" (No, Diaper on Gavin) so on goes the diaper and he will go potty. Hmmm...But every night as SOON as he steps in the bath, he stands there, and tells us he needs to pee-pee and immediately he pees in the tub! He totally knows he is going, and watches it. Little stinker!

So this morning, Daddy was soaking his foot in warm water (Poor daddy has had cellulitis in his foot for over a week!) to make it better. He usually soaks it at night, as we know G would want in the water. So we took off his pants and let him soak his feet too...not even 5 seconds, and Gavin screamed "PEEPEE" so I grabbed the potty, and he sat on it while his feet were in the warm water...and BOOM, the kid peed in the potty! Hahaha it was so funny, Derek and I were laughing and cheering for Gav...Although this needing to have his feet in warm water in order to pee may be a problem;)

G and "Tetoa" on the train

Today we headed to Oak Meadow Park to meet "Tetoa" (Kekoa) and his momma for a train playdate. Kekoa has an obsession with trains, and of course G was thrilled to go for a ride with him. Gav talked about "Tetoa" and his park all afternoon long...thanks for the fun day guys!

Dinner date with friends

Last night we had Danny & Angie and Lisa & Jim over for dinner (KK and Kaleb too of course:) We had a nice little back yard BBQ, and they kids all ate and played together...sort of! We thought they might sit for a few minutes at the little table to eat...they lasted 10 seconds and then they were off playing! Haha oh well. After dinner they ran all around the yard...and got a little crazy! Gavin preferred the game of "tag" but poor KK does not understand that game yet...it resulted in Gavin "tagging" her and then not knowing why she was not getting him! The energy from the three of them was wild...:) At the end of the night, they all gave each other hugs and kisses...:)

Santa Clara County Fair!

Today we headed down to the Santa Clara State Fair with Lisa and Kaleb! They picked us up around 9am, and we stopped for treats (coffee for moms, organic vanilla milk for boys) at Starbucks first...then we were off. We had Kaleb's wagon, and the boys were set! 

We stopped at the animal exhibit first. There were a million sheep, goats, lambs, and cow's. They all looked so nice and groomed (because they were in show) and they were generally really friendly! There was one big sheep who was very loud...and when we first heard her "Baaaa" Gavin JUMPED up in my arms, and screamed! Haha it was pretty funny that he was so scared of her loud noise! Once he chilled out, he was able to pet some of them, and even see some babies:) Kaleb loved all of them, and could have stayed in there forever! 

Next we headed to the next building where there were supposedly a lot of plants to see...we did not see them...we only made it to the corn feed play table:) They had a huge table set up with feed corn for the kids to play with...G and K were in absolute heaven...a new texture, and a ton of cups and bowls to scoops with...who would have thought that a huge table of corn could be so fun! (The concentration on their faces was priceless...so serious! Gavin had his entire upper body laying in the corn...he even tried to get up on the table and LAY in it!!

Next it was the ride on tractors. The boys could not reach the petals yet, but they still had fun:) Kaleb even pulled Gavin on the back of his:) After the tractors, we stopped at the music section...and that was probably the most fun! Gavin seems to know how to work each and every instrument, by just looking at it first...He had a blast with all the instruments, especially the drums:)

We ended the day with a picnic under the shade of a big tree...watching all the people at the fair...and a HUGE monster truck drive around. The boys were actually more interested in the Chevy SUV's that they had on display...we let them climb around on the inside and pretend to be driving:)

It was a big challenge to keep G awake on the ride home...his eyes were heavy after 2 minutes driving...whats new? We sure had a fun day at the fair with Lisa and Kaleb:)