Wednesday, August 27, 2008

NOT Wordless

Well for once, we have some good news.

As you recall, AJ had an orthodontic "spacer" device installed by the dentist a couple of weeks ago to correct his crossbite. We were told that he would need to wear it for about 3 months. Well after only a few days, I was able to tell a difference. My baby's smile was looking more like Bucky Beaver...

His appointment to get it adjusted was on Monday. The dentist looked in his mouth, looked at the chart, looked in his mouth, started doing some measuring...Then he said to his assistant, "We have some over-correction." Well, DUH! His two front teeth are all you see when he's talking!

Anyway, Dr. H decided to remove the device and see if AJ's teeth fall back into place. So instead of being a "metal mouth" for 3 months, he only had to wear his "de-tainer" for two weeks! (Downside, he has to be on soft food for about a week. Small price to pay...)

Monday, August 25, 2008

Fun Monday

This is my first official foray into the mania that is called "Fun Monday". Today's assignment is as follows:



What funny trivial fact do you remember that you probably should have forgotten a long time ago?



Anyone who knows me also knows that my head is chock full of useless information. I can't get anyone to play Trivial Pursuit with me....I just can't get enough of this kind of stuff. So here goes...



1. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.



2. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'



3. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil.



4. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.



5. Coca-Cola was originally green.



6. In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'.



7. In the 1500's, most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.


7b. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the bath water..



8. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.



I'm off to enjoy all of the other Fun Monday entries....to fill my head with more useless information.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Chores

AJ will be 4 at the end of September, and he just started in his new class at daycare. I know there will be new rules and new expectations, so Hubby and I want to set up some more responsibilities at home, too. We bought a little "chore chart" to put stickers on. He gets a sticker for each day that he does that assigned task. He will earn rewards like a trip to Baskin & Robbins for ice cream, going to the park, and taking a trip to the zoo.

Now we just have to come up with some chores for him to do. I just don't know how much to expect out of him without setting him up for failure or frustration. What should a 4 year old be expected to do on a regular basis?

I'm open to suggestions...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Thunthine

AJ went to the dentist yesterday morning to have a spacer apparatus put in his mouth to correct his crossbite. He was very brave, sat completely still, and only whimpered a couple of times. However, now his poor little mouth is sore. He doesn't want to bite or chew anything; and he didn't talk for several hours after it was put in. He now talks with a slight lisp...

This morning on the way to school he asked:
"Mommy, why the thun have more thleep time? Why the thun not have to get up and go to thunshine thool?"


That's a very good question, my sweet little boy...

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

AAARRRGGGHHH

Well crap on a cracker -- now he has an EAR INFECTION!

(And on a side note - there are now purpura spots showing up on his arms and elbows...)

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Tired of being sick

Conversations with AJ yesterday:

(Wiping at the purpura spots on his leg) "Mommy, I all done with these. You get some water and wipe them off."

(Last night at bedtime)
"AJ, are you ready to pray?"
"No. I do it myself."
(AJ puts his hand on top of his head) "Thank you Jesus for loving me in my heart. Thank you God for make me not sick anymore. Amen."

At the point that my three-year-old starts laying hands on himself, I have to leave the room. I can't deal with this much longer...he's breaking my heart.

Friday, August 01, 2008

New answers

An update on our progress:

Thursday, AJ woke up and was able to walk normally and wasn't complaining of any pain. We took him to school as normal. When we went back to pick him up, his teacher informed us that after naptime, he started hurting and couldn't sit normally in his chair. She propped him up and got him as comfortable as possible. By the time we got there to pick him up, he couldn't walk and his knee was swelling again. The red spots have spread over more of his legs and elbows.

Only problem? It was the other knee. The swelling and excrutiating pain has now traveled to the other leg.

We took him home and gave him a dose of Tylenol with codeine to try to help ease the pain. By 6:30pm, we decided that we needed some answers. At the very least some strong IV antibiotics. So we loaded everyone in the car and headed to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in the Medical Center. By the time we got to the Emergency Room, AJ could not be moved without much screaming and his left hand was also starting to swell.

At about 10:00pm, a resident came into the exam room to look at AJ. He decided pretty quickly that it is not an infection. He said he needed to check a theory and would come back after discussing with the attending physician.

They returned around half an hour later with a diagnosis. AJ apparently has Henoch-Schoenlein Purpura (HSP for short). HSP is an inflammation of the small blood vessels. The vessel begin to leak, thus forming the pitichiae and red spots. It also causes fluid to build up painfully in the joints and causes swelling. They don't know what causes it, but they know that there is no cure for it. The only thing to do is to manage the pain and try to make him as comfortable as possible. It will eventually work itself out and will go away in anywhere from a few days to as long as 8 weeks.

So here we sit, giving him Motrin to try to reduce the inflammation and pain. And we wait...

We got home from the hospital at 12:30am. AJ woke up an hour later screaming in agony. Codeine does nothing to help him. He can't stand for anyone to touch him, so all we can do is watch and listen to him cry.

I haven't felt this helpless since we finally got to bring him home from the NICU...