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2.16.2014

The Week That Was

What a week!  It's Sunday afternoon and I'm tucked in my warm bed, relaxing and catching up on a few things.  We are due for some more snow tonight and even more tomorrow...definitely in the thick of winter now!  We had some incredible highs and lows this week, fitting for a post-retreat experience I think :)  I thought I would recap it with some pictures...

Monday- When I got home on Sunday night I could tell Carter was dragging a little bit, his cough had gotten stronger over the weekend and I thought a trip to the pediatrician might be in order on Monday morning after we took Ava to school.  Well, it was a good thing I took him in!  As it turned out he had strep and we left with a prescription for an antibiotic, a referral to an Ears, Nose and Throat Specialist to talk tonsil/adenoid removal, and the reminder that he was contagious for 24 hours.  I panicked remembering I had just taken Ava to school, so after we left the doctor, I drove back to the preschool to pick up Ava and bring her in for a strep test too, just in case.  I had her in the office the week before for croup but she had gotten significantly better and had been acting totally normal, with the exception of a cough that was still lingering but not worsening.  
 Her strep test was negative, which made me really grateful for the sake of her teachers and classmates, but before we left I just asked if someone could listen to her lungs and make sure nothing else was happening since she was still coughing.  Again, so glad I asked!!  They couldn't even evaluate her lungs because her breathing was so tight and squeaky, so she got hooked up to a nebulizer for a breathing treatment.  Good grief!!  While her lungs loosened up, they checked her ears and discovered she actually had an ear infection and then re-checked her lungs to diagnose bronchitis with possible pneumonia!!  HAPPY MONDAY TO US!!!!  
So after 2 trips to the pediatrician and 2 trips to the preschool, we left for the pharmacy with 4 prescriptions to pick up on a morning with dangerous wind chills and arctic temps.  Nothing like a restful Monday morning for an exhausted Mommy!  The pharmacy was another fun experience with almost an hour wait...by the time we came home and got some lunch, I went to find Carter so I could lay him down for a nap but quickly discovered he had beat me to the punch!  He was already asleep and curled up with his blankies and toys, a SURE sign that Carter Armstrong is NOT feeling well.  The boy who hates naps right now was sound asleep!  
Monday night was full of breathing treatments, antibiotic dosing, and the reality that no one was headed out for school or anything else the next day!  Not the quiet start to the week I was hoping for, but staying in and taking care of my poor kiddos was ok with me too.  I don't know what it is about me going on a retreat, but this is the second time I've come home to sick kids!  Two Februarys ago I came home to both of them sick with pneumonia!  It's a good thing Daddy isn't rattled easily :) 

 Tuesday- We kicked off Tuesday with more meds and some donuts. 
 I think I needed a treat just as much as they did!  We were all happy to consume some sugar at the start of a long day at home! 
Ava really wasn't feeling too badly but I didn't want to risk getting anyone sick at Preschool so we convinced her one day at home was a good idea.  She was not thrilled but I promised her she could go back on Wednesday, which was a special day because it was the day of her Valentine's Day party.  
 We worked on her valentines for her class while Carter took a nap.  She was SO thrilled and excited!!
 I had her sign all of her valentines, which was a big job to stick it out for 15 valentines, but she did a great job! 
And of course she chose Little Mermaid valentines!  The minute she laid her eyes on those she was sold!

Wednesday- The boy woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and I got my first clue that he was feeling much, much better when he came out of his room dressed in this...
Superhero cape meets pool noodle meets firefighter hat!  Gotta love it!
This little girl also woke up in a great mood, standing at my bedside to tell me, "Mom I am SO ESSCITED about my balentine party today!!  I can't wait!!' 
 She'd been waiting to wear her red and white all week and was dressed and ready to go in about 2 minutes!  Her hair looks so red in this pic, I love it! 
 When I picked her up from school she was oh so happy and talking a mile a minute!  She couldn't wait to get home and show us her surprise, this sweet card she made for us...
 We loved it!!
I got the low down from her all afternoon on every valentine she received from her classmates, it was a good day for Miss Ava! 

Thursday- On Thursday we had Trav home for a little bit in the afternoon and we decided to take the plunge and re-arrange the kids room.  I've been talking about it and planning it for awhile but I needed him to do the heavy lifting before he was out of town for the weekend, so Thursday afternoon it was! 
 For a variety of reasons we decided to move their bunks into the big room and make use of their closet as an actual closet/storage room and if we have, eventually a nursery again.  
They loved the change of scenery and we were very happy with how it all fit and all the floor space that was opened up to them again.  I worked all weekend on tweaking things and making sense of the closet again, but I was very happy to have the beds in place!  Trav and I managed to sneak a date night in that night too.  We knew Valentines day was not going to be possible for us to get any time together so we had a nice dinner out together and let the sitter put the kids to bed.  The best treat of all! 

Friday- Friday morning was of course our big ultrasound and the discovery of another little guy joining our family!  But soon after we got home from that, Travis had to prepare to leave for a winter retreat and I needed to get Ava's kindergarten registration papers turned in!  What a day!!  After all of our running around I settled in with the kids and we stayed home for the night to celebrate together :) 

Saturday- With Daddy gone yesterday and Ava at a birthday party, Carter and I made a trip to the mall for a MUCH needed haircut.  Finally I think we've turned the corner and we can survive these now without tears!  Yay for that!!  Carter got a cute new cut and we picked up Ava from a fun party, only to drive home in a virtual blizzard!  Another afternoon/evening in, but for this tired Mama, I was not complaining.  

Today we got Daddy back after a great retreat and now we have a quiet day tomorrow planned to rest and stay in for yet another big snowfall that is coming tonight and in the morning.  

It's been a week full of events but one that I'm glad is over!  I'm anxious to blog a little bit more about the baby and some other things too, but tonight I'm just happy to have Trav home and my kiddos feeling so much better.  I think we're all back to normal, with the exception of me.  
I just keep getting more pregnant every day :) 

I hope you had a great week and weekend!  Ready or not, Monday (and more snow for us) is on it's way!  

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