Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The lighter side of x-mas
D: Since it is important we document and share the Deuce's 2nd Christmas in it's entirety (the bad AND the good) I thought I'd post a few pics my mom took while the boys were having fun at their place on Christmas day. And while I'm on the subject of my mom, I've just got to acknowledge how blessed we are to have her and my step dad living out here. Not only did they share in some wonderful Christmas memories with the boys, but they quickly jumped right into our crisis when Ollie was sick and helped out where they were needed.
Mom, if there were ever a doubt about your move, please know that what you and Al did for us makes it all worth while. It is a true testament to what family is all about. We love you.
Happy New Years everyone!!
We call this set "Here no evil, see no evil, speak no evil"
Monday, December 29, 2008
Don't panic ~ yeah right.
D: This past Christmas began perfectly, with presents under the tree at home, a lovely breakfast at my mom's, and then Walker and I went snowboarding all afternoon while the twins played at their grandparents. That evening we picked them up around 6:30pm and although Ollie seemed overtired and cranky there was nothing out of the ordinary about either one of them.
However, only minutes after driving away, I heard a strange sound coming from Ollie. The minute I turned around and saw him I screamed, "Oliver is having a seizure, he's not breathing!" and I jumped in the back to take him out of his car seat. I was terrified that he was choking or had been accidentally poisoned and had no way of knowing what do to next. His little lips and face had turned blue and he was not breathing. Walker imediately pulled the car over and called 911, while I started performing CPR on him, first in the car and then out of the car in the snow. It was probably at least 2 minutes before his seizure was over and he started lightly breathing again, but his body was still listless and his only sounds were a slight whimper.
I have never been more terrified in all my life. I thought we were losing our little boy and I didn't know why.
Thankfully, the EMT responded seconds later and they quickly lifted him into the ambulance. Once they took his temperature (102) they immediately diagnosed him as having a febrile seizure. She told me that this is very common in young children, and that Ollie will be just fine. I wanted to believe her, but given what we had just been through it was hard to believe that Ollie was going to be 'just fine' any time soon.
While I was in the ambulance with Oliver, Walker had to stay in the car with Finlay. Luckily, the responding Police officer was very helpful, retrieving my shoe that had fallen in the snow, telling Walker what was going on with Ollie in the ambulance and helping to transfer Finlay into my mother’s car (once she got there) so that Walker could follow the ambulance to the hospital.
While enroute to the hospital Ollie was starting to 'come to', but he was still extremely unresponsive. The paramedic told me that having a seizure is like running a marathon, especially for such a little guy, and that it would just take time to recover. Sure enough, by the time we got to Children's Hospital he started crying (I never thought I'd be so happy to hear him cry!) and then he started reaching for me saying 'mama, mama'.
Walker quickly joined us and although Ollie seemed exhausted, he was eating, talking, walking and even laughing a little and it was clear that he was definitely going to be 'just fine'. After ruling out everything else, the doctors at Children’s also diagnosed Ollie as having experienced a febrile seizure and gave us the run down on just what occurred and what this means for our little guy.
I wanted to share this information in as much detail as possible because of how common this is for children and I know there are a lot of parents that read this blog. What happened on Christmas night was terrifying, but if I had known what was happening and how to handle the situation, it would've made it much easier on us.
So here's the low down: (from what the doc told me and from the Mayo Clinic Website)
A febrile seizure is a convulsion in young children caused by a sudden spike in body temperature. Fortunately, febrile seizures aren't as dangerous as they may look. A seizure triggered by a sudden fever is usually harmless and doesn't indicate a long-term or ongoing problem. Having one doesn't mean that a child will have epilepsy or brain damage. Even repeated febrile seizures do not indicate that a child has epilepsy.
Often, a febrile seizure occurs before parents even realize that their child is ill. Most febrile seizures occur during the first day of a fever but a may also develop as the fever is declining.
Young age is the strongest risk factor. About one in 25 children will experience a febrile seizure. Most febrile seizures occur in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years and are particularly common in toddlers. Boys are affected slightly more often. Children rarely develop their first febrile seizure before the age of 6 months or have them after 3 years of age. Some children inherit a family's tendency to have seizures with a fever. Some children will never have a febrile seizure again (most children only have one or two febrile seizures in their childhood).
Most febrile seizures stop on their own within a couple of minutes. If your child has a febrile seizure that lasts more than five minutes or your child turns blue, call 911 right away.
In rare cases, the seizure may continue until your child arrives at the emergency room. If this happens, a doctor may order medication that's administered either through your child's rectum or intravenously to stop the seizure.
If your child has a febrile seizure, stay calm and follow these steps to help your child during the seizure:
* Place your child on his or her side, somewhere where he or she won't fall.
* Stay close to watch and comfort your child.
* Loosen any tight or restrictive clothing.
* Don't restrain your child or interfere with your child's movements.
* Don't attempt to put anything in your child's mouth.
Not long after having a febrile seizure, many children are back on their feet, running around the doctor's office or playing safely at home. By staying calm, observing your child and knowing when to call the doctor, you're doing everything that's needed to take care of your child.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Let it snow!
I'm sitting in my Seattle living room watching the snow fall outside my window, after a wonderful day of playing in the snow with my family and neighbors. The snow is beautiful and brings back so many memories of growing up in Minnesota. The problem is, that it's been coming down like this for almost a week and Seattle is a town that is simply not prepared for this kind of weather. Because of the steep hills and the lack of snow removal Seattle closes off streets, public transportation is paralyzed and the entire town shuts down and hibernates until the rain comes and melts the snow away. In the 9 years I've lived here, I've never encountered a 'snow day' lasting more than 1-2 fun-filled days of sledding in the streets. But this year, the weather men cannot predict when the snow will stop coming down, let alone when it will melt away. I will admit I’m getting a little bit of cabin fever.
We are making the best of it by helping the boys learn how to enjoy the snow as much as their little anxious toddler personalities will allow. ("COLD" is another word the Deuce learned quickly and is now heard often.)
Below are a few of pictures from the past few days (Ok, a lot… like I said, we are going a little stir crazy!)
Monday, December 15, 2008
Phone Pictures
Before the holiday cuteness overwhelmes us all with a new set of photos I thought I'd upload some of my recent favorites from my phone. Below you will see a story unfold of F being silly with mama's glasses, a fun trip to the dog park, a lost picture of O on holloween morning, F climbing the bars at the park, and W and O sharing a coffee at the market this past Sunday (not really... O's was milk!). Oh, and the last one is O "walking" my friend Jessa's 120lb. mastiff. Priceless! 
Friday, December 12, 2008
D.I.Y. Rules of Toddler List
D: Several people have commented on my ever so poignant and strikingly realistic essay about the alternate reality that our toddlers live in. I did not write this myself... at least not completely.
About a month ago my preschool Parent Educator handed me a piece of paper with 3-4 "rules" on it, as a light bit of humor and also a bit of foreboding warning. Since then I've been adding to this list of rules in my head, every time I am reminded of the insanity that I'm forced to reconcile with when raising toddlers.
A week or so ago someone emailed me a much longer list and I decided to pick it apart, add to it and viola: The Rules of Toddlers, as told by the Deuce.
I suggest you too write your own 'Rules'. You will find it incredibly therapeutic and may prevent a head injury or two. (To stop you from banging your head into the wall with frustration!)
Monday, December 08, 2008
The rules of a toddler
If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is a liquid, it must be spilled.
If it is a solid, it must be thrown.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be removed.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
And finally the defining trifecta:
If it is yours it must be mine.
If it ever was mine, it must still be mine.
If it looks like something that was once mine, it must be mine.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Good friends
D: Today, while W was at the Seahawks game, the Deuce and I opened our home to host a brunch for 17 close friends. Since it was something that only came together within the past week I was a bit nervous about hosting such a big group. Last night I was lying in bed counting the number of friends and their various aged small children and wondering: Did I have enough plates and glasses? Is the house baby proofed enough for the crawlers? Is the house clean enough for the infants? Are the twins going to be OK with all the chaos?
Thankfully the morning went incredibly well thanks to everyone pitching in and rolling with the punches (and the tantrums, the tears, the bottles and the toys covering every inch of my floor). We had an amazing time together. The boys were great hosts and had a fun time playing with the other kids. However, its pretty apparent in the last picture when they hit their limit! :)
Great friends, great food, adorable children and some great pictures to commemorate!
