Careful what you ask for

Wee Man didn't start talking until he was about three and a half years old. Does speech therapy twice a week to help his tongue learn how to move and make the correct sounds. They say he is doing wonderful and hope that soon he will be down to once a week. yeah!

I kept wishing he would start talking since he was passing milestones in other areas but he didn't. My mom and father-in-law told me that once he started talking I would be wishing for silence. BAH what do they know......

A LOT.....

Heavens... That boy will talk about anything and everything... Sometimes we understand and sometimes we don't.... There are times when I dream of silence for just a few minutes.... However, then I would miss moments like this one....

"MOM!!!.... My butt just wiggled... I think I need to go poop..." Wee Man states and heads for the bathroom.

Brings a smile to my face.... That's my boy.....

Cupcakes, Treats, and Birthdays oh my

With everything going on we decided to celebrate Wee Man's birthday tomorrow instead of on his actual birthday. What started off as just a few people at Chuck E Cheese has turned into a full on neighborhood party. I just finished with the grab bags and now have to decided what to tackle next...

The coolers and mini fridge are full of drinks for young to adult. Hotdogs are being cooked tomorrow at the party. That leaves me with two batches of rice krispies treats to make and about 4-5 dozen cupcakes to make and frost. Anyone want to help?

*sigh*

Guess I'm off to tackle the cupcakes. Oh and do not tell any of the party goers but I'm using boxed mixes! The horror I know..... but..... I just can not deal with making that many from scratch right now. Although there are a few young ones coming so I'm tempted to make applesauce cupcakes for them. (shrug) we shall see....

Now if it will just not rain tomorrow....

OH and I need tips for decorating the cupcakes... I just slap on the frosting and make them pretty but DH brought home some fancy application tipped bottle of frosting thingy...mmm yeah HELP ME!

I can see clearly now...

Turns out that little Kelso moment with my eye was kinda a big deal. No one is sure what I did (including the Dr) but I had a nasty deep laceration on my eye. Woo Hooo.... After taking my eye medicine 4x a day for seven days I can see clearly again.

Today we took Wee Man to the ENT (Ears Nose Throat) Specialist to see if we can figure out what is going on with him. Ever since we moved to this state three years ago, Wee Man has had reoccurring ear infections every two-three months... Almost all have been bilateral, always quick onset and very painful...

Diagnosis is...... No clue....

"Well, his nose is beautiful.... no really his nose looks great." Dr. E explained after looking up Wee Man's nose.

"Hmmm" *smile* "Thanks..?.." I reply

"Looks like his Eustachian Tubes have a tendency to pull in more than normal, or suck like a vacuum" *holding up chart*

To which I just nod and stare clueless at Dr. E. He then went on to explain that most likely it's not allergies but rather the common cold that is causing all of Wee Man's ear infections... Since we are PCSing to a new base in June we decided to just see if that helps. (ie.. hope a different climate helps)

SO.... His Eustachian Tubes are unable to effectively regulate air pressure thus causing ear infections when he comes in contact with sick kids at school the common cold virus. I guess Wee Man really can claim that going to school makes him sick.. hehee

Anyone else have a child with ear issues?

It's all a bit crazy

Due to all the missed days of school from snowmageddon the school was open on Wednesday and Thursday as make up days.... Sounds great until it's 0230 in the morning on Thursday and you hear your child whimpering and crying in pain...

Yes.... it was as feared.... Another Ear Infection!!!

Early morning call into the doctors and we had a 1030 appointment. Which is just early enough I can't send Wee Man to school and just late enough that if we don't get out on time he misses school. *sigh*

They were running late so we waited... and waited...

The diagnosis..... One and a half ears infected.... When Wee Man gets an ear infection he goes all out. Seeing as how he never had any until we moved here and now her gets them just about every two to three months it is now a problem...

Next week we are off to the ENT specialist to see if we can figure out what is the underlying problem or to talk about tubes...

Needless, to say I have been busy playing with the kids so I have not been on the computer much. I really need to fix my laptop or see about getting a new one; so that I can use it more.

Wordless Wednesday - The simple things

Gloomy days....

Sick moody toddler...

Rain...

Letting her play in the water puddles.... totally worth the extra laundry....

Always something

happening at the house of Shenanigans...

It started when Wee Man actually lost his first tooth at school somewhere... and now Lil Kiwi is the troublemaker...

Honestly, I was having flashbacks from the new year visit to the ER... Lil Kiwi had some type of rash across her back and chest but it was not the same so I did not freak out....much...

Since Thursday she has had a temperature of at least 99.0 but no more than 99.8...

Her mood has been less than stellar with mood swings left and right...

Asking for food/drink and then refusing to eat (unless it is fruit or a fruit strip)...

No real naps for two days now... Add that on top of the fact that she does not sleep much at night either (which means neither do I).

She has also been grabbing her diaper a lot. Since she is at risk for UTI (due to medical issues) I have to be careful and try to prevent them. Thus far we have been lucky and she has not had one but I still worry.

The problem is that I know she is cutting two teeth right now and that could explain most of the things going on; however, that does not explain the diaper grabbing... We are also potty training or I guess it's more like the potty is there and IF she wants to get on we let her. She has used it a few times and I'm sooo proud of her but these times she doesn't want or ask to use the potty. Which has me wondering if she is grabbing because it's uncomfortable from a UTI or if it's nothing..

UGH... To call my good for nothing doctors or to wait and see if it's just teething..

The good news is she was so worn out from two days without naps that last night she actually slept most of the night without fussing. Which means I got some of the best sleep I have had in months.. *happy camper grin*

In fact as of 0822 she is still sleeping but was whimpering earlier... Yes, I am probably over analyzing it and it's just her teeth coming in; yet with all the little things that are different with her it's hard not to over analyze.

Bah I spoke too soon... She is awake.... Let the day officially start... NOW

What if there is no tooth for the tooth fairy

Does the Tooth Fairy visit if there is no tooth to collect?

That was the question Wee Man asked and I honestly didn't have an answer for him.

On Sunday morning Wee Man informed us that his tooth was loose. Upon inspection it was found to be a little loose but nothing major. I figured this weekend we would get some supplies and make a tooth chest for Wee Man to put his tooth in while it waited for the Tooth Fairy to take it.

Sunday Evening... All he talked about was putting his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy.

Monday morning it was still a little loose but I warned Wee Man about being careful at school... Packed a safe lunch and warned him about eating with a loose tooth. He returned from school with tooth intact.

We caught him playing with his tooth once or twice that evening and explained why he should not be touching his tooth. I know he wasn't listening to anything we said but we are parents and that's what we do. Of course, I should clarify that his playing was more like pulling on it and we didn't want his tooth to come out before it needed to.

Tuesday morning first thing I hear from Wee Man is.... "My tooth is really loose."  Sure enough it was really loose, seeing as how it had only been two days, but it was still in there pretty good.

Halfway though breakfast he comes into the kitchen tissue in his mouth and grinning to tell me his tooth was bleeding. We had the warning talk (again) and I told him to be extra careful today. I didn't think it would be coming out but you never know.

As he come running off the School bus the first words out of his mouth were... "I lost my tooth"

"Did you tell your teacher and where did you put it" I asked excitedly

"I lost my tooth before specials.... I lost it" Wee Man explained

Then the dreaded question....

"Mom.... will the Tooth Fairy still visit if I lost my tooth?" said with a bit of concern.

"I don't know Wee Man... I guess we will have to see..." 

A call to Nonnie (my mom) for some advice and some brainstorming came up with this solution...

A nice note to the Tooth Fairy explaining what happened and hoping she would still pay for the tooth that was missing at school...

*insert a truly funny evening of DH and Me here..... can't write details because someone in the family can READ and well that pretty much explains it*

Wednesday morning I was in the kitchen when I hear Wee Man running down the hall and into the kitchen.

"MOM.. MOM.... Look Looook..." holds up the tooth chest "She came and left a note and money!" Wee Man squealed

Now... I don't know about you but that Tooth Fairy is one sweet fairy.... Not only did she write a note to him but she also left him 2 dollars for his missing tooth. Apparently, the going rate for a child's 1st lost tooth is high..

As far as I can guess the missing tooth is/was in Wee Man's tummy... Specials is a few classes after lunch so I think Wee Man swallowed it with out realizing it.. He thinks it's at school... Only the Tooth Fairy really knows....

I only hope that the next loose tooth doesn't go missing....

So.... Do you think the Tooth Fairy was right?  What is the going rate for teeth anyways?

Monster Jam Vs. Wee Man

Two weeks ago I posted Wee Man's photo with a friends Mini Monster Truck for Wordless Wednesday. I love how he still wants to be a driver even though he is scared of heights. That's my Wee Man...

Well, we just happen to notice (after searching the Internet) that Monster Jam was going to be having an event within driving distance. Since we never know where we will be stationed next we couldn't pass up the chance to let Wee Man see the trucks/drivers up close and personal. So, we looked into getting tickets however there was a problem.

The meet and greet in the pit with the drivers was only on ONE day.... well... guess what... DH was told the day he was buying the tickets that (ahem) he was going to be working the last weekend of February. DH's job in the military is of course 24/7 however his work days are M-F so this weekend clinic came as a surprise. It also meant that Wee Man wasn't going to get to meet the drivers or see how BIG the Monster Trucks are. The tickets were purchased and kept a secret from Wee Man and everyone else that talks to him.. ie the grandparents....

Do you know how hard it is to keep this kind of a secret from your child is... for a month! oooo it was horrid...

The night before the big day we showed him the printed out tickets. He slowly read them and then looked at us and asked when. It was all he would talk about the next morning and was counting down the minutes. No, seriously he was.

"It's now 11:30..... 11:31....11:32...."

Ear protection, coats, hats, money, more money and a camera. I gave DH the old camera (that I hate) but didn't have a spare SD card so they were going to stop and get one. This is an important thing to remember for the rest of this story....

A few hours later they call to tell me they are sitting in the parking lot and how much fun it was. In the background I can hear Wee Man rambling 100 miles per hour about all that happened. Was so great to hear him so happy and excited since he has been kinda down lately.

DH starts to relay what happened.... During the event there were four trophies being awarded to the driver/trucks and Grave Digger took three of them. If you have ever watched you know that sometimes they give stuff to the people in the audience. Gary Porter walked right in Wee Man's direction AND then gave the trophy to the three boys sitting next to him. OOOO my heart broke.. I just know how that would have made Wee Man's week.... month.. possibly his whole year.... Not sure what we would have done with it because it was taller than him.

Then DH tells me that the father of the boys offered to take a photo of DH and Wee Man with the trophy.... Sadly, the POS camera wouldn't take the SD card DH got because it's one of the new HD/SD thingys and some older cameras (that companies send out when they refused to send back your nicer one) don't take the new cards... sooooo

Talk about having your heart sink down to your knees.... Not getting the trophy and then not getting a photo with it... ugh....

Of course, Wee Man didn't think twice about it and thought it was sooo cool that Grave Digger gave away his trophies. I love my Wee Man... We already told him that if we are close enough the next time they are doing an event he can go again.

He is already planning for that day.....

Lil Kiwi test results and a family in need of prayers

Update time.....

I always get nervous when I post updates... You know that every time I post them we always get some bad news after; however, it has been long enough that I am hoping there is no new news.... So here it goes...

Lil Kiwi had her scans done back in January but had to wait until her appointment with Dr. V in February to find out the results. There was a problem with the insurance company (again) so we were fighting with them, the base doctor and Dr. V's office up until one hour before her appointment. I called to make sure everything was okay literally on the drive to the appointment. Seriously, I wish there was a point A to point B with insurance because dealing with them would make any sane person crazy.

Anyway....

Dr. V told us he is very happy with what he saw and was impressed with how well she is doing. Her kidney is getting a tad smaller than it was; which is good and bad. Dr. V said it's possible that it's not getting smaller just that she is growing and it is not. So something else to keep an eye on. He also said that this new scan showed some new issues. *sigh* The new scans are showing that Lil Kiwi appears to have several wee spleen nodules. So, no left kidney but extra bits of spleen. Dr. V assured us that while this isn't anything to be worried about that it is something that we are going to need to watch. Currently they are fine but depending on what we find in the future and all that fun stuff they could pose a problem down the road. Just like her mystery bone. (click here for a photo of it ) Adding one more thing to the ever growing medical conditions list we have for Lil Kiwi.

We asked him about the Wilms Tumors ,even though it was the Geneticist that requested that test, and Dr. V said that there were no finding of any in this scan. *happy dance* Several questions later and we were talking about Lil Kiwi's spine again. He is still very concerned and wants another scan done but this time he said he is going to make sure to write a very detailed script so that the correct test is done. See why I LOVE Dr. V.... He is also going to write a letter to Lil Kiwi's PCM (primary care manager... ie her main peds doctor) and tell her what he wants to see done because she needs to be doing more for Lil Kiwi. At this I must laugh because she doesn't care one way or the other since she is a civilian doctor that works at a military base. No I am not guessing here we actually have this talk every time I need her to do something or order a test. She flat out tells me all she will do is check ups and shots (which she doesn't even give) because she has too many other patients to deal with. Makes me wonder how doctors that have their own practice(s) with more clients find time to "deal with" them. Rambling again sorry.... Just errrrrr she gets my blood boiling...

So, in August Lil Kiwi will now be having three tests done. The good news is I have the script in my pretty little hands.. okay it's actually locked up in her medical file in the sealed bag I keep them in but I digress.... The bad news is............

We finally found out that we will be moving in July to a new base. You might remember me mentioning it back in December. Well, we were suppose to be moving next month but we got approved for a delay until July. Which means Wee Man gets to finish out the school year here. DH is still trying to figure out a way to stay here (since all her specialists are here) or to be stationed somewhere that has a closer hospital. The children's hospital that we would have to go to is over 90 miles away. So, almost as soon as we get there we will be relaying Lil Kiwi's medical history to all new doctors. The good news is that Dr. V said the children's hospital is a very good one.

Which brings me to another Shenanigans member that has updates. Last month CutiePie went in for the first of several surgeries and I asked for positive thoughts.  Then a few days later I updated you about her surgery and said there were a few complications but didn't give any more information. I can now tell you that CutiePie is good and is back home with her family. She doesn't have to have any more tests done right now and her next surgery is in six err five months now; actually I think it is also in August but not sure. Thank you to everyone that sent out prayers and positive thoughts for CutiePie.

Which also brings me to this last favor. If you do not already know about wee Layla Grace you should visit her site and see what a beautiful child she is. However, before you do that say a prayer... send out the positive thoughts that helped us each time we needed them because Layla Grace and her family need them. Pray for her to be comfortable and pain free....

Wordless Wednesday - Monster Trucks R Us

Wee Man loves Monster Trucks... He begged to have his picture taken with this Mini Monster Truck...

In fact, he tells us he wants to be a driver of a Monster Truck for Monster Jam. Which I have no problem with... However, Wee Man will need to get over his fear of heights...

Yes that is Wee Man only a few feet off the ground with his eyes shut tight. I'm not so sure I see driving a Monster Truck in his future currently.

Still time to give me your ideas for my blogoversary giveaway just click the link and leave a comment on THAT post to get bonus entries.

*shameless plug* If you have a dog or cat you really need to enter the Teddy's Pride Giveaway. It works and is so simple to use...

What's up with CutiePie

First things first...

CutiePie.... You all know how I dislike posting any good medical news because there is normally bad after; however, I could not leave all of you wondering what happened over the weekend. She had her surgery on Tuesday and ,besides a little more bruising than they want, overall she is doing good. There were a few complications they found after they started which means CutiePie and her family are having to stay at the hospital for an undetermined amount of time. I will have to see if I can get a photo of CutiePie to share with all of you but I cannot promise anything because it's up to her parents. All my thoughts and prayers go out to them... Thank you to everyone that kept CutiePie and her family in their thoughts and prayers.

Speaking of thoughts... Giveaway ideas!  My blogoversary is next month and I need ideas. Do I do a gift card, another Burt's Bees Bag, car (okay not a car), or what?  Start brainstorming and leave me a few ideas, in fact, those that leave an idea will get two bonus entries into the giveaway. How sweet is that people.

For those that were asking how Lil Kiwi's tests went; it will be mid February before I know and can share with you.

Okay, time to get back to the never ending pile of laundry. I swear there is always something in the dryer that needs to be folded.

Wordless Wednesday - Awww Fresh Air

The weather has been horrible here which means no going outside to play. Lil Kiwi was couped up during the whole allergic reaction thingy and now demands fresh air no matter how cold or windy. I think it was about 23 degrees outside when I took these...

at first she hid in the blanket...

but soon decided she was happy

Please say a prayer or send some warm thoughts out to CutiePie this week.

BTW my blogoversary is in like two weeks need ideas for a giveaway...

Need positive thoughts and why is the roof flying off

So much to post about and so little time. Honestly this past week flew by in the blink of an eye or at least part of it did. The first few days seemed to take forever because Wee Man got out early Friday and then had Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday OFF!!! It was another important the teachers have something they have to do so give all the kids the week off..... Yeah they have a lot of them here. In fact, they have holidays off and three day weekends that I have never heard of before. Of course, that also means that summer time is only one month long before school starts again but I digress....

Yesterday part of the roof flew off. We had some horrid wind for the better part of the day. So, yesterday morning it was rainy, windy and all around yucky... Things were flying around the porch from the wind and then the wind-chime fell down and shattered. When it eased up I looked at the front lawn and there were a few of the shingles from the roof. I'm hoping there are not going to be leaks before we fix it because the forecast for the week is rain and snow.. Yippee...

Moving along...

I have a ton to write about but right now I wanted to ask for some positive thoughts from everyone. A few months ago I posted about how DH's cousin had a baby girl that also has some medical issues and was going to need a few surgeries. We knew the time for her surgeries were coming up but didn't realize that the first was taking place this week. I'm not sure which day since I got the information via DH who got it from FIL (and you know how third hand information is) however, I know it is sometime this week.

CutiePie is just shy of seven months old and going in for her first surgery of several. It's serious stuff.... If I remember correctly (and FIL if I am wrong please let me know) CutiePie has Craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis is a congenital (present at birth) defect that causes one or more sutures on a baby's head to close earlier than normal.

To have this surgery CutiePie and her family are having to drive from one major city to the next one which is about four hours away. This means that they will be away from the comforts of home (having to staying in hotels) and away from the rest of the family. Something like this is always difficult but I can not imagine how hard it must be for all of them right now.

It is not my place to go into details about CutiePie's surgery (not that I have them anyway) but I wanted to ask if everyone could send some positive thoughts or prayers her way. Such a sweet thing should not have to endure what she is going to be.

To the rest of the Shenanigans family and CutiePie,

You will be in our thoughts and hearts this week. Be strong and know that you are loved.

May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

The Shenanigans....

Those Lil Kiwi updates (finally)

With all that has been going on the past few months I haven't been posting about how Lil Kiwi is doing medically. I would make comments that I would update and then mention updating again but not post. Part of that is because it seemed that every time I posted (or told someone in person) how good she was doing I would get a phone call from a doctors office telling me they found something else. So, I figured if I did not mention it then it can not get worst. Sounds good in theory.

It's been seven months since Lil Kiwi's surgery and yet there are still tests to make sure everything is still working good. She was suppose to get the test done late December (hmm not going to ruin her Christmas) or early January but after ER visits I figured waiting until now was fine. The appointment is for Monday and hopefully it will show nothing new..... although I would love it if it showed her kidney was better but that's like asking for a miracle.

Now..... My mom and maybe only one other blogger even know about this next bit of information and I told then not to mention anything. Not even sure if my FIL and rest of my family know about it. A few months ago I posted about how I was going to post an update about Lil Kiwi but never did. What happened was I had good news and I opened my mouth and told my FIL that she was doing great; then we got the phone call. The Geneticist can not figure out what is wrong with Lil Kiwi but they do have one theory that they want to rule out. We already had her blood and chromosomes tested and they showed nothing. Now we will be doing an ultrasound of her abdomen to see if she has any tumors that can be related to the syndrome.

So, on Monday she will also be getting this ultrasound done before the other test. Two test one day. I'm hoping this will get them out of the way and only cause one day of Lil Kiwi being mad at the world. The hard part of the ultrasound is that it has to be done on an empty stomach so she can't have anything to eat four hours before the appointment. The appointment is first thing in the morning at 7:20 am so unless we get her up in the wee morning hours she will be going hours without eating. After this test she can eat before the next one but I still do not look forward to sitting and wait with a hungry baby.

What is the name of the syndrome we are ruling out? Beckwith-Wiedemann.

They say that she might be an atypical case of it; basically she is the opposite of what they would normally see. However, they are worried that since she does have the one kidney that already has some issues that IF she does have Beckwith-Wiedemann that she might get Wilms tumors.

WILMS TUMOURS



Tumours of the kidney. Around 7.5% of BWS children will develop Wilms Tumour. Because of the aggressiveness of these tumours, abdominal ultrasound scans should take place every three months up to the age of 7 or 8 years. A baseline MRI scan may also be performed. The susceptibility to these tumours diminishes and is not usually a problem after the age of 8. Children with one side of the body bigger than the other or enlarged kidneys appear to be more susceptible to Wilms tumour than other BWS children.

You can see why this could be a problem for Lil Kiwi since she only has one kidney. I'm posting about this only because it's a way to get it off my chest. We still do not know if/when we are moving but we did find out that the nearest doctors that can treat Lil Kiwi are 90 plus miles away. Needless to say I'm getting more and more stressed each day. I know there are people that may drive that distance and do not understand why it bother me but this isn't my choice. This means that when we have appointments it's going to be an all day event. I might have to pull Wee Man out of school if I don't have anyone to watch him on those days. ARGG

Okay.... remembering to breath...

Back on track. What I do not know yet is if we will need to keep doing the ultrasounds every three months just to be on the safe side or if this one will rule it out. I figure this is one of the things I will be talking with the Geneticist about. For now I'm going to try not to worry or stress too much but I know I will. HA me not stress now that's a laugh...

Wordless Wednesday - Walking to the Mailbox

These are from a few months ago but I just found them and wanted to share. Nothing special but ohhh she loves getting the mail. If only I still got that excited about getting all dressed to get the mail....

By the way, Lil Kiwi looks much better now than she did last week and I will post a recent photo soon. Once again thank you to those that sent their prayers and warm thoughts to us.

Second trip to ER within 24 hours of the first trip

Okay, if you haven't read about the first trip to the ER you really need to. So go read it and then come back to read the rest of the story and the second trip to the ER in the same day.

I left off on the last post stating that after changing Lil Kiwi I noticed the rash had spread to other parts of her body. We put her to bed at 5:30 in the afternoon and there was no rash on her belly but by 9:30 it was covering half of it.

Panic? No.... At first I figured it was normal.... maybe... Then I started to go over all the events of the past few hours... Thought about what the Doctors had said... What I had read on the internet about allergic reactions... and it started to seem not so normal....

So,  I called the ER to ask if it was normal or if I needed to be worried.... The nurse that answered the phone remembered us from that morning even though she never talked to us... She informed us that everyone she asked told her to have us come in ASAP...

We bundled up and headed back to the ER.

Since I was able to sneak in the back/side door last time I still had no clue where the ER really was. Thus, we had to walk through a parking lot and then up and around a building to get to it. We signed in and by the time I turned around to go to the waiting room one of the nurses from the morning told us to come with her.

This time we went to the Pediatric Triage instead of the general ER... Never even knew they had different ERs so I learned something new....

I had to answer all the same questions and got Lil Kiwi ready for another stay at the ER... Little did I know it wasn't going to be as long as last time. We were in and out in two hours...

The doctor walked in and was looking at Lil Kiwi sitting there... I gave the whole yada yada story and blah blah facts... He told me that he knew what was wrong and that she was misdiagnosed the first time.

He had an answer within the first few seconds he saw her!!  Erythema multiforme

The reason they didn't catch it sooner was because the first doctor wasn't a pediatric doctor otherwise he would have known. It is almost always misdiagnosed in children because it looks like an allergic reaction at first because in a way it is one. Since the treatment is the same it either gets better OR like with Lil Kiwi it gets worst.

Now the problem is that it will continue to get worst before it gets better... Plus, it moves! Yes you read that correctly... It moves across the body at will... Which is why it was suddenly on her belly a few hours after it wasn't... In the picture below you can see that it moved and is no longer on her belly but now on her chest.

The game plan is to treat it with steroids and try to keep her as comfort as possible... We also have to be watchful because if it gets worst it will turn into Stevens-Johnson syndrome and that will be very very bad.. Most likely it won't but since it is possible it was the medicine she was on they want us to keep a close eye on her.. So, for the next 2-3 weeks poor Lil Kiwi will have a moving rash. It's kind of eerie because you can almost see it move before your eyes.

In fact, I don't have the heart to take any more pictures of her right now because it's so hard to look at her and not feel bad... When I gave her a quick shower/rise off earlier she looked like a child that had been abused... It broke my heart.. The photos I posted are the good ones because the others are just too much to post.

They don't know what caused it since it could have been a number of things. So, now I'm a nervous wreck because I know I will be wondering what really happened; since so little is actually known about Erythema Multiforme and how/what causes it.

Here is an example of how it moves... These two pictures are from the same day just a few hours difference.. You can see what use to be red isn't anymore... It's the opposite...

A few quick facts about Erythema multiforme.

• Erythema multiforme is a skin disorder due to an allergic reaction or infection
• The exact cause is unknown
• The disorder is believed to involve damage to the blood vessels of the skin, followed by damage to skin tissues
• Occurs primarily in children and young adults
• One third of EM sufferers will have a recurrence of the disease

What is so scary for me is that this is something that might happen to her at anytime. Plus, it states that normally it takes days for it to spread that bad the first time and yet it was hours for Lil Kiwi. There really is not a treatment for it other than just being careful and catching it before it gets bad. It's rare for children under the age of 3 years to get this so, of course, Lil Kiwi just had to add it to her list of medical mystery issues. I swear when she starts school the nurses are going to hate dealing with me.  Speaking of which, I wonder if I need to get her a medical alert bracelet.

Why do I have this feeling that I am going to be that mom, like in the commercial for the baby wipes, that has her baby in a bubble... or be hauling around my own EMT bag which I might actually do since we have one for the dogs... Don't judge me..LOL...

So.... if you are at the play ground and you see an auburn headed mom with an EMT bag chasing down a bubble baby....... It's ME..... Come on over and say HI and join in the shenanigans....

How the Shenanigans bring in the new yEaR

*Since writing this we ended up back at the ER with Lil Kiwi... I will update as soon as possible...*

What do you do when it is 10:30 at night and your youngest wakes up screaming?

Well, if you live in the Shenanigans household it really is not out of the ordinary since Lil Kiwi usually wakes up at least twice a night in screaming fits. However, this time it was a tad different.

DH uses the night light to change or check up on Lil Kiwi while I sometimes pull the Mean Ol' Mommy and turn the room light on... Sorry but sometimes I like to see what I am doing...

So, I turned the light on and got ready to change Lil Kiwi when I noticed something was wrong. Wrong as in I had one of those moments when time stops and you can feel the energy racing through your body. I called to DH to get in the room I needed to ask him something. His jaw also hit the floor when I pulled her pants completely off.

Little welts all over her legs... Off with the socks... Little hives all over her feet.... Hands... Face!!!!

You can just barely see the small red spots...

With in seconds we had her crib stripped and in the wash. Bugs? Spiders? Hives? What in the world....

Lil Kiwi was screaming as we rushed her into the bathroom for a powder pat down and boo-boo cream. DH and I were running all possible reasons for what could have caused this. The medicine for her double ear infection (oooo yes I haven't posted about this yet... After three days with a 100 temperature we find out Monday that she has a double ear infection... It has been a long week thus the lack of posts and comments), new foods, bites, mites, etc..

Every thirty minutes I was snapping photos so I had something to show doctors if she didn't get better. By this time she had a dose of Tylenol and some Benadryl....

We put in Tinkerbell and sat down on the couch to watch a movie so we could monitor the swelling.

 DH finally took a small nap while I stayed up and kept watch. At about 2:30 in the morning we all headed to the bedroom to see about sleep. With the alarm set to go off every hour for Lil Kiwi checks.

By 3:30 we were up and calling to see how bad the ER was. We decided since I have always been the one at her appointments and such that I should take her. We also checked in to make sure Wee Man wasn't having an allergic reaction also; which thankfully he was not.

This is where the morning events got worst. I get in the minivan and nothing... I try again and nothing.... Remember that ooo something is wrong moment from before... Well, it was ten fold now....

Rushing back to the house I had the keys over to DH to try... Nothing... So, he gets his truck ready for us... Well, the only problem is that I have been telling him over and over that we need a second carseat for the truck.. AHEM... So, he had to get the carseat out of the minivan which was refusing to open the side doors... Over the front seats and to the truck...

Did I mention that it was about 10 degrees outside not including the windchill...

Finally an hour later Lil Kiwi and I were on the way to the ER... I would love to say I RUSHED to the ER but it's not true... I followed the speed limits... I called my mother even though for her it was like 3 or 4 in the morning and told her how nothing was going right and please pray and send warm thoughts... I caught every red light as soon as I was near the ER...

I followed the signs and parked at the parking garage. Then it got worst....

I couldn't find the ER.... It was cold... Lil Kiwi was screaming as the wind blew... I finally called the hospital to ask for directions to the ER... My cell phone beeping at me that the battery was about to die... The operator was confused and had me walking everywhere be where I needed to be...

"Get to the front of the building and then take the stairs down" (after I just was told to walk up them) etc...

I stopped two nurses that were leaving a building and asked where to go. As they started to tell me up and around the corner, one of them saw Lil Kiwi and then buzzed us in a side door. I walked in and asked where the ER was. Only to be greeted by nurses that looked up and asked how in the world I got in that door and then followed by OMG come with me.

She actually looks GOOD in this picture..

Lil Kiwi was a trooper like always. The nurses handed the job of temperature taking and medicine dispensing to me since Lil Kiwi refused to let any of them near her. They think it might be the medication she was given for her ear infections but they are not sure..

Everyone that walked by looked and commented on how horrid Lil Kiwi looked. *pout* It was so hard sitting there listening to nurses and EMT people say how bad she looked... Don't they see worst things everyday?

Being told your daughter that already has a list of medical issues is possibly allergic to a medicine that has penicillin in it is tough... One more thing to add to the list of thing I have to tell doctors... I can not begin to imagine how difficult it must be for those parents with child that have more serious issues...

We left the ER the same way we sneaked in thanks to the nurses.. All I wanted was to get home and let both of us get some sleep and food. It was still dark out when we got to the ER and it was now as bright as it could be.

Just miles from home we got stuck at a railroad crossing as the longest train in history went on its merry way.

No sleep all night/morning takes a toll on Lil Kiwi. At least someone got to nap on the drive home.

Finally home we spent the rest of the day napping and I got to eat around 5 in the afternoon.... Lil Kiwi is off the other medicine and is now taking steroids. While she is not as swollen as she was the redness is spreading. They said that she will have a rash for 3-4 days and if it isn't better to bring her in.

Well, I just changed her and now she is covered in red rash where she wasn't before.

My plans for this week are being cancelled; minus Thursday when I have to go fight the school to make sure Wee Man gets more speech therapy and the correct classes he needs.. Hmmm I think we all need a nice long vacation... Even though Wee Man was just out of school her a week and a half... *sigh*

We still have a rough week ahead of us since they are not sure what the reaction was too so we have to be watchful....

Mom thank you for being there for me at all the crazy hours...

I'm sure I have forgotten parts and I'm sure my sentences/grammer are atrocious but it's been a long week and I am running on a few hours of sleep (if that)....

*will update about our second trip to the ER that same day as soon as I am able... Currently, we are trying to make sure Lil Kiwi is as comfortable as possible.... Thank you to those that sent us prayers and warm thoughts...*

Back to the ER

I was in the middle of writing about the recent trip to the ER when I find myself headed back right now....

To my family... We will update you as we can...  Keep up the prayers and the warm thoughts...

Love you all...

Santa is that you?

Every year, on Christmas Eve, Santa visits little boys and girls around the world. When he does this he always takes his sled and reindeer; however, it's a little known fact that Santa always wanted to be a firefighter.

So, every year before he takes his sled and reindeer out for Christmas Eve he stops by and hangs out with his favorite military firefighters. Santa gets to ride around in the fire trucks and they get to help spread Christmas joy to all the families on base....

What? You don't believe me!? Just take a look at what Wee Man and Lil Kiwi got to see Tuesday night.

Santa living his dream and some lucky military members riding along...

That's Wee Man telling Santa how good (cough cough) he was this year and what he wants for Christmas...

Lil Kiwi waved and gave Santa a kiss when he was still on the fire truck but as soon as Santa asked if she wanted to sit on his lap it was a whole different story.... Lil Kiwi went into Danger Stranger mode. Which she goes into a lot after her surgery and who can blame her. She is getting much better though and is really making progress.

Tomorrow we are baking cookies for Santa because he reminded them to make sure to leave him cookies and milk... OH and the carrots for Rudolph and the other reindeer too... Thanks for the reminders Santa.

On a side note when Santa did this last year it was in the low teens and windy... Santa and the military members with him that night went above and beyond.. brrrrrr

Wordless Wednesday - S-N-O-W what is this stuff

While this is not Lil Kiwi's first time in snow; it is the first experience with snow now that she is walking and old enough to realize something is cold. She loved tubing and sliding on the slide... It was just the being IN the snow she didn't care for...

Wee Man was in heaven... He loved it... That is until he got cold then he informed us that maybe he didn't want to play in snow E-V-E-R again... (hehee)

OH and yesterday Santa made a surprise visit and the kids got to tell him what they wanted. (will post pics later on)