Blessings

Four in Five.  Four trips to the hospital during Christmas in the last five years.

Incredible.

Pretty sure she's not asking Santa for a helicopter sleigh ride

Charlotte started fighting a cough about two weeks ago.  It had her up and down....we were watching it...listening...medicating.

The day before Christmas Eve she woke up with a terrible cough - a constant, hacky, non-productive cough.  I let the doc know we were coming in and opted not to give her a breathing treatment.  Worried the whole way to the office because she couldn't stop coughing and she looked miserable.

Pediatrician examined her.  Double ear infection, decreased breath sounds in right lung and she was wheezing.  Gave her an in-office breathing treatment.  Prescribed antibiotic (for ears/chest), steroid (to open up airways), albuterol (inhalant to open airways/decrease wheeze) via nebulizer (vs chamber for the "soothing" saline) every 3 hours and a strong cough suppressant with codeine to try and give her some relief and some rest.

Let me just interject here that albuterol? Allbuterol around the clock? Turns a normal child into a child with ADHD on speed...

Around dinner time we started to worry.  The albuterol wasn't working, she couldn't sit still, cough medicine wasn't working.  She couldn't stop coughing....I mean COULD NOT STOP COUGHING.  Called after-hours.  The doctor that was on-call was the pediatrician that treated her earlier int he day (blessings).  She tells me to pack her a bag.

(I will insert here - the only "good" thing about an asthma diagnosis: when you go to an after-hours clinic if your kid has an asthma diagnosis they have to take you straight back (blessings).  Which was really great that night because the clinic was so full they had to close the doors an hour early.)

Doc listens.  Decides to admit her.  Just then a friend of mine texts me.  Oh, it's Stephanie!  Thank GOD because I've been wracking my brain trying to think of who I have nerve enough to call the night before Christmas Eve at 9:00pm to come over to the house and sit with Ruby so I can go with Charlotte & Adam to get her set up in the hospital.  And of course I don't even think I have to ask her (blessings) - she just volunteers.

The next 8 hours are pretty rough.  A trip to the hospital is a big deal and Charlotte wanted nothing to do with it.  The IV took 1:15.  She was so good and so ready and if the nurses had been competent it would have been fine.  She walked willingly into the exam room, looked at all of the terrifying medical things, climbed up onto the table, saw the needles, and let them wrap her up in a sheet like a burrito.  Fine.  It was when they blew her vein and blood went everywhere that things got a little ugly.  It was a ridiculous.  The nurses did not handle it well.  I did not handle it well.  Especially after 20 minutes and still no IV; they let her up because (1) they'd blown the vein; (2) she had to potty; (3) they have to re-wrap her to switch arms anyway.  I let the nurses have it.  What the hell is this? Get somebody in here that's competent! This is insane! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  And Charlotte immediately starts calling them stupid...

...but hey, it made me feel better to attack them so maybe she's feeling a bit more empowered too...

But you know, over Christmas my Brother-In-Law said something that got me thinking.  He said to remember that your children look to you, their parents, to learn how to respond, how to react in emotionally charged situations.  Like a trip to the hospital. Do you stay calm? Do you freak out? Do you break down?  Remember Ang.  They're looking to you & Adam (blessings).  And then he commented on Ruby's classic beauty, her timeless "Mona Lisa" eyes...(blessings)  


He's right of course.

As he's telling me this the first thing that comes to my mind is the aforementioned episode...but then I thought...I want a kid that stands up for herself, I don't want to raise a meek kid...then again, I don't want her verbally abusing nurses...dilemma.

Adam went back in with her. I sat outside of the room (rule is only 1 parent in despite the fact I pointed out to them that they obviously need all the help they can get).  Blew another vein.  But finally got her IV started.  I made it home about 1:00am to my friend and my sleeping baby.  Then I cleaned the house, top to bottom, like a mad woman.  It was hard for me to not be there, with Charlotte, I needed to do something...

Meanwhile Adam & Charlotte had the night from hell.  Charlotte's coughing got worse and worse.  Albuterol treatments every 2 hours which didn't seem to help the coughing.  She was shaky and scared and coughing coughing coughing.  Adam insisted the nurses step up and pay attention.  There were no peds doctors at the hospital, he forced the nurses to call her at home.  It would end up waiting until morning.

The doctor talked to me the next morning to ask about the coughing.  I could hear her in the background.  She sounded scary-awful.  Charlotte had the doctor baffled.  Doctor was afraid something was blocking her upper airway, that something was lodged in there...

Ruby & I made it to the hospital about an hour later.  Charlotte was bouncing around on her IV tether and coughing constantly. Santa Claus came and delivered a bag full of toys, including high heels (brilliant) which she hobbled around on while...you guessed it! Tethered.

I was shocked at her condition.  SHOCKED.  The coughing never stopped, and it shook her whole body and she looked terrible.  So then Adam & I start bickering, he's exhausted and worried but has been dealing with it all night and all morning and I'm worried and frantic.  I want to see a doctor immediately.  So, then it starts.  Again, there are no doctors on the floor.  PICU is closed.  And then the nurse has the audacity to say to me, 'we hear this with respiratory cases all the time', but then she can't tell me Charlotte's treatment plan because she has 4 other kids in the wing all with respiratory issues.

We insist on seeing the doctor but I don't think they take us seriously until afternoon respiratory (therapist) shows up.  Charlotte hacks all through the breathing treatment and it doesn't help.  The therapist is afraid to leave the room.  Thirty minutes later, Charlotte's pediatrician shows up.  She listens to her.  She listens to me describe the morning & afternoon. She wants to airlift her to Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta where they have an ENT Pediatric Specialist, she's concerned that (1) there is a good likelihood by the sound of her cough something is lodged in her upper airway; (2) if the coughing continues she will puncture a lung; (3) Columbus Regional is not equipped to handle a true respiratory emergency and Charlotte cannot have another night like the one she suffered through the night prior.

Then she removes all food and water from the room and tells me to prepare myself for exploratory surgery when we arrive.

This just got real, real fast.

Make the necessary phone calls (because at this point Adam is at home with Ruby).

I think within 30 minutes we had about 100 people praying for us (blessings).  I was pulling Charlotte and her IV around the peds corridor in the wagon and I felt it, I did.

We waited for Adam and the chopper.

Find out no choppers are running on Christmas Eve.  Bummer.  Would have been some kind of sleigh ride...but the coughing has subsided so I'm not quite as worried...not quite as emergent a situation as it seemed like it could have been...

Adam rides with her in the ambulance

She coughs 5 times in the ambulance.  When they arrive at Egleston she's doing much better.  The "coughing episodes" are gone (blessings).

Christmas miracle?  Maybe...
Egleston Children's Hospital?  Blessing.

Charlotte is tired and hungry.  When I arrive with my dad she starts begging us for food and asking us to take her home.  She really wants a cheese pizza.  Doctors examine her, listen to us describe the cough, she sees respiratory and they arrange for an x-ray.  We have to have an INHALE - EXHALE x-ray...some kind of tricky but Egleston make it happen.  Charlotte's blood sugar is low, she's exhausted and she's scared but we get the x-rays.

They're starting to think it was an asthma flare-up...possible she caught the croup virus and that's what started this.


X-ray is clean.  No lodge.  No pneumonia.  No puncture.  She can have some cheese pizza.  Charlotte has breathing treatments throughout the evening and night, and has a good night.  Devours the pizza (yes, Adam found her cheese pizza on Christmas Eve) (blessings). She has her own, highly skilled/qualified nurse and doctors specializing in respiratory there all night (blessings).

The next morning Santa Claus (in a germ mask) wakes her up with a big red bag full of toys.  Some friends of ours come to visit.  I arrive, anxious to talk to the doctor because I'm completely confused by this sudden croup diagnosis.  As common as croup is, surely our doctor could have diagnosed it...instead of sending us to Egleston.  When I arrive I tell the nurse I want to see a doctor.  Five minutes later three specialists walk in the room and have me go through the culmination of Charlotte's past week.  I'm not one to leave out details.  I include the bag of whoppers she munched at Fantasy in Lights. It takes a while...

Asthma.  It's asthma.  They listen to me talk (by this point I'm sick and my voice is hoarse) and call it the croup cold virus (which is laringitis in adults).  I'm still not convinced, mainly because it was as bad at night as it was during the day and Charlotte didn't "lose" her voice, which is common.  She couldn't talk because of the coughing fits but not she was hoarse. (Croup is a cold virus that attacks the upper airways.)

Whatever it was, it culminated in an asthmatic flare-up.

We were able to go home on Christmas day (blessing) with a full-scale "Asthma Attack Plan".

And through it all, we had our friends and our family (BLESSINGS), it felt like we had your support every step of the way.

So, to Noni & Popi's house we went.  Charlotte was high on albuterol, which made for some entertaining present-unwrapping.  The cough that had disappeared while at Egleston was back but not near as bad as it had been (blessings).

Then we looked outside and, low and behold, we had a white Christmas on our hands.  We bundled up in mother's winter clothes and headed outside...in the front yard.  (The trampoline Noni & Popi got for the girls was in the backyard but we were still keeping it secret due to the no-cold-weather-no-exercising asthma rule

Charlotte & Popi in the snow

Noni, Charlotte, Ang (Adam, Roo, Keeper in the background)

Ang, Ruby, Adam (Keeper in the background)

Ruby's asthma started flaring up that night.  We headed to the doctor on Tuesday for a follow-up and she listened to Ruby, congested cough, wheezy lungs - both girls sounded exactly the same.  Ruby has been having some rough nights, so Charlotte's treatments have backed off but Ruby's have picked up. But we'll get through this.  With our friends and family and faith and courage we can get through anything.

Happy New Year.

From Us to You

Where We've Been

It's a crazy, wonderful time of the year.

It starts at Thanksgiving.  Because no matter what, if you are a Wilson, you're traveling for Thanksgiving.  Mom & Dad were headed to Tennessee to be with my grandparents, so we did an early dinner with them.

I thought Charlotte had a little cold but for the most part was alright.  So, we spent the night in Hampton.  The next morning I headed out to get my hair cut.  When I got back Charlotte was throwing up.  Had to let my sister know because she was planning on bringing her baby and joining us.  It's starting to feel like a family tradition for my sister and I to not spend any part of holidays together.  Katy still made it though.  She said something really clever when I told her Charlotte was sick.


"A stomach virus would be a great way to avoid gaining a few pounds this Thanksgiving."  Ha!

And that's what I kept telling myself in Rome that Thursday night when I was barfing in the bathroom.

This year we headed to PJ & Kiki's for a big family get-together.  It was fun, good food and horse rides all the way around.  Ruby loves to ride.  Ruby LOVES to ride.  Ruby loves to ride so much, in fact, that Kathy had to saddle up Stella, a real horse, for Charlotte to ride because Ruby refused to give up her turn.  She clamped down on that saddle horn and wouldn't budge.  Kathy is pretty precautious.  I think that's exactly what it would have taken to get Charlotte on a big horse at 3.  Now Ruby rides everything from Moses to wrapping paper tubes and hurries them along with a "giddyup".

Ruby started throwing up right before bed.  She recovered much quicker than I did, I suffered through the ride all the way back home.  I kept telling Adam I needed ginger ale and, amazingly, when we stopped at the gas station 7 miles from home because Charlotte needed to tee-tee he got me some and then I felt better. But we made it home before Adam got sick so I guess I should look on the bright side.  And Ruby had a virus that didn't warrant a trip to the emergency room. (Remember: Charlotte's been admitted to the hospital twice because of a stomach bug.)

Because of our sickly Thanksgiving weekend we watched a lot of movies in bed as a family and did not get the Christmas decorations down and up.

We tackled that the following weekend.  Usually I get stressed out about it...pulling down boxes, finding a tree, the mess, moving the furniture, setting up the decor, removing the "regular" decor to make room for the Christmas decor, the mess, hanging the ornaments, hanging the garland and bows and window wreaths outside, the mess.  The disorganization...but I think because we waited a week longer than usual, I was more in the Christmas spirit!  And it was fun.  Charlotte & Ruby had already seen Noni & Popi's Christmas tree so knew what those ornaments were all about...but N & P have sentimental, fun ornaments and I have ornaments that "match" aka "boring".  But they were excited about putting them on the tree.  Ruby would carry an ornament over, shove it onto the tree and then drop it.  Charlotte would get frustrated.  Then, she did the same thing to us that she did to her grandparents...insisted that the tree not have an angel on the top, it needed a star.  Except, Popi ran out and found a sparkly star and we took the angel off because, well, it wasn't working...and I just put a giant bow up there because it was the only other available option.

Then starts the shopping.  I decided last year we were too indulgent and ended up with an insane amount of toys for the girls.  And then I was hustling around trying to organize and find a place for them the day after Christmas, when I should have been snacking on yummies and relaxing  So, this year, the plan was, three toys each, in honor of the three gifts from the Wise Men.

(Can I just mention right here that Charlotte gets very excited whenever she sees a baby Jesus.  Goes bananas over nativity scenes...)

But then on a road trip to Birmingham we stopped at Target and let Charlotte browse.  Well, she saw some things she really loved.  Not things I'd already purchased...so, yeah, once again I've blown that number to bits.  I'm ashamed of myself...but looking forward to all that wrapping paper scattering the floor and her contentedly playing with all of her new toys on Christmas morning...and you know, the whole commercialism of it...(insert sarcasm)

There's been some performing happening.  Charlotte has performed twice with her dance class and she had her annual St. Luke Christmas Musical.

Charlotte is not bashful.  She loves to perform I think.  Once her class was finished with their four songs, we couldn't get her to stop putting on a show...out in the audience.  We're in the second row, and she's standing in her daddy's lap, turned around facing everyone...singing...still.

While she was on stage, her buddy Jasper says, in between songs,

'Are we just gonna stand here all day?'

And Charlotte says, 'start the music!'

I'm still impressed that neither of them fell off the top of the bleacher they were standing on.  Oh no wait.  I think Jasper did.  But he got right back up.

At the nursing home, for her dance performance, she's waving & winking to the old folks watching her.



Charlotte was suppose to wear her "Christmas Best" to the school musical.  So I took her shopping at the mall and she found a dress she liked.  I got her dressed the morning of and she had a  meltdown because it was too "tight".  And it was tight, it was a slim-fitting sweater dress.  You could tell she was skinny in it (she wears a lot of elastic waistband, cotton pants).  And I just started laughing because we hadn't even put on the "tights" yet.  Then Ruby wanted to wear her red dress and tights and black, shiny shoes.

I am really enjoying the holidays.  Normally...I'm run ragged and stressed out because let's face it: a Christmas birthday is tough.  But we wrapping presents is fun, the twinkling lights throughout the house is fun, the girls excitement over the whole thing...fun.  Holiday parties and my Christmas cards were cute and not too late.  Next week, no school, so we get to stay in our jammies and make peanut-pretzel bark, and fudge and Christmas cookies!  And all of the shopping is DONE.  We have a week to sit back, relax and enjoy it.

Because, goodness knows, once we open up those presents on Christmas morning, I'm going to be hustling getting them organized.

16 Month Check In

At 16 months Ruby Jane:

• Weighs 25lbs and is 32" long, 95th percentile height, 75th percentile weight
• Head circumference is 95th percentile 
• Is wearing 24 month clothes
• Usually has on her purple, fleece-lined hoodie
• Can ride the mess out of a pony
• Cries when you take her off the pony
• Has gone on a boat ride
• Does not prefer to wear a life jacket
• Says 16 words regularly
• Loves crushed ice
• Loves to say "ICE"
• Laughs at Peek-a-Boo
• Laughs at just about everything daddy does
• Enthusiastically eats every meal and every snack
• Chomps down at mealtime with all her molars
• Cheese pizza is her favorite food
• Enjoys disciplining Keeper with an emphatic "NNNNNNNNO'
• Pats Moses with all of her might
• Runs everywhere she goes
• Naps in the jogging stroller
• Has the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful blue eyes in the world
• Is quite the accomplished bed jumper
• Dances with her sister in the kitchen when music is playing
• Adores Charlotte's shoes
• Still receives daily breathing treatments
• Uses a fork
• Refuses to let mommy or daddy feed her with a fork
• Is weary of everyone outside of the family
• Likes to visit the bunny rabbit at school
• Generously shares her bites of dinner with Keeper
• Tells Keeper to say 'Ahhh' when offering him bites of food
• Gives Charlotte kisses night-night and bye-bye
• Blows bubbles in the bath tub
• Is referred to by the nickname "Roo"
• Imitates Charlotte 
• Likes to feed people 
• Is especially fond of giving Charlotte her vitamins
• Has conquered the hill in the backyard and the tree house
• Tells me when she's "dirty" and then runs away laughing
• Is thrilled to finally have her own headrest DVD monitor
• Runs to daddy for a hug when she hears him come home
• Is "showed-off" on a daily basis by Charlotte
• Shows enthusiasm with a happy dance
• Slaps her thighs and jumps around when she's happy
• When the weather outside is frightful, wants to go for a stroller ride in the house
• Has picked up an amazing amount of tap moves from Charlotte's dance class
• Wants to ride a bike like her big sis
• Drinks apple juice!
• Runs to Popi with her arms open for a hug bye-bye
• Snuggles with her Noni
• Thinks finger puppets are silly
• Does not enjoy loading up in her car seat...unless it's Charlotte's seat
• Brings her family joy & laughter everyday
• Is brilliant, talented and fabulous

Party Time!

Charlotte has been talking about her 4th Birthday Party since she turned three last year. 

A year ago, Ruby was in pediatric intensive care.  Gigi was here, alternating shifts with Adam and me.  Mom & Dad brought Charlotte down, took a turn with Ruby at the hospital and then Adam, Gigi and I celebrated C's birthday at the house...with a pink itsy bitsy spider cake.  (It's what she wanted.)


This year, Adam and I were determined to give her a good time.  She wanted a pony at her party.  We found a perfect pony farm, complete with a petting zoo and "kid-size" barn and got ready.  Of course it was a gamble...an outdoor birthday party in December...but we're the gambling type.  And I still believe in the "Secret" (with positive thinking you can control the cosmos) - well, so far...it hasn't worked even though I said 10 times a day, 'Sunday, December 12 will be a BEAUTIFUL day!'. 

Two weeks before the party I started checking the weather.  It looked alright!  Then I continued checking...daily.  Last Sunday, 7 days pre-party it showed 30% chance of rain...well...alright...still a week out.  By Tuesday morning at 3 am (obsesses much?) it showed 70% chance of rain and the high was predicted to be 37 degrees. 

Time to panic.  Because what's worse than a party in the freezing cold rain? A party in the freezing cold rain without any friends.  All Charlotte really cared about was having her friends with her to party...and that included 'Snickers' her pony...but he couldn't make the trip (which is why we started out with pony rides and ended up at a pony farm). She's mature.  We explained the predicament.

So now what do we do.  Oh dear. 

Monkey Joe's.  Of course Monkey Joe's requires reservations to be made at a minimum, 2 weeks in advance.  I call.  All booked up.  I plead.  I beg.  Finally, they manage to arrange a party room for us at 12pm on Sunday.  Really?  I was aiming more for 2pm?  No?  Alright, 12pm will be super.  Time to rush rush rush.  Change the party decor.  Change the cake.  Change the goodie bag.  Get the invites. Hand-deliver the invites. Check out the party room.  Take over the deposit.  Phone calls.  Notes. 

Check. 

From mommy & daddy Charlotte received her first REAL bike.  We managed to find a 14" bike (which is perfect for a 4 year old, which is the age most kids get their first bike, but near impossible to find!  You have to go with a 12" or 16".  Which has got to be a good way for Huffy, and all the others, to make more money off of you, requiring you to buy 2 bikes in 2 years.  We found a Kent Bike - not a Disney princess bike with a child seat for her princess doll (or in Charlotte's case, "Bobo") in a 14".  Putting it together the night before her party brought back some old memories of my first bike...white with a banana seat (Sherpa-lined), streamers in the handlebars and "ANGIE" on the license plate.  I would get decked out in tights, a leotard and legwarmers to go for a ride...I hope Charlotte loves her bike as much as I love loved mine...

Day of the party arrives and it is freezing outside.  But Charlotte had a BLAST.  It turned out just right.  You know my rule, always serve alcohol at children's birthday parties.  No, of course not to the children.  But come on, what parent doesn't need a drink at a child's birthday party...but there was no alcohol...and we still had a good time.  Adam took Ruby down the giant slide more than 20 times...he didn't want to go alone. 

Just kidding.  Ruby is always up for a good time and wants to do whatever the big kids are doing.  She loved zipping down the slide.  Which is also why she wore a tutu.  Ruby will try her hardest to find clothes, shoes, headbands (because occasionally we do start out with fixed hair) just like big sis - Charlotte went through 5 tutus before she picked the one she wanted. Ruby picked up her favorite leftover one. 

We had a great time.  So, a big thank you goes out to all of the friends and family that braved the weather and came to party with us on Sunday.  Love, laughter, family & friends - that's what it's all about! 

Happy 4th Birthday Charlotte Rose!