Pumpkin Patch and Kidney Reflux

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I bet the post title sucked you in...
Went to the pumpkin patch yesterday with The Hobbit, Princess Leia and a UCLA cheerleader.



On another note, after Jordis had the UTI we knew she would need to be tested for kidney reflux or Vesicoureteral Reflux. Click on the link to read about it. We had the test on Thursday (thanks to Brenda for coming with me for this jolly procedure) and she has bilateral kidney reflux. Not a shock based on her UTI at her young age.

Bottom line is this: the treatment is a year of low dose antibiotics! Yuck! I talked to Jordis's pediatrician, Dr. Whyte, yesterday. She knew I would be resistant (considering I don't even vaccinate). I told her I would research it over the weekend. She said if I don't do the antibiotics (which she recommends - especially because Jordis is only 3 months old) she would refer me to a pediatric urologist. The risk is that she could get an infection and show no signs of one (especially since she cannot communicate about it) and then get kidney damage. Without getting into all the details and info (you can look online if you are interested), I wanted to see if anyone has had experience with this.


I don't want her to take those antibiotics (Septra), but it may be the lesser of two evils.
P.S. Stay tuned for more pumpkin patch photos.

------

Kidney Reflux update.

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Dirty Siblings

Pin It Now! When my kids all dirty I feel like it has been a good day. Kids were made for dirt. This was a good dirty day ...
The other day I unloosed the children in the backyard by themselves. Big brother Elijah took his role as big brother seriously. Thus, created turned on the hose, filled a bucket with water and dumped it into the sandbox. Once the mud was created, he lined the slide with it and encouraged his sister to slide on down.



As you can see from the photo below she had no problem following her brothers instruction. (What's the trick Elijah? I need to know.)



Then she climbed back up and did it again ... and again ... and again.



I really can't blame her. It brought back fond memories for me of when I used to play "trip" with my brothers. I thought it was the greatest game ever. Here is how it went. Brothers get down on hands and knees. Sister runs by and they trip her with their arms and legs. "Trip" got especially fun when sister would try and jump over a swiping arm only to get swiped midair and then fall flat on her face. And sister just wanted to keep on playing. Aren't siblings great? Pin It Now!

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Slumber Party

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We had a slumber party last night. Owen (neighbor and buddy) spent the night. Friday afternoons Ava comes over after school (6th grade) and is the "Mommy's Helper." She plays with the kids so I can get stuff done around the house. The boys enjoyed hearing her tell them a story. Lydia... not so much. She just rolled around on the floor.



I put them to bed a little early so they could get all their sneak outs and giggles out of their system. And Dad got donuts for breakfast because what would a sleep over be without donuts? Juvenile Hall.



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Seven Pounds

Pin It Now! Check out this trailer for an upcoming movie starring Will Smith called "Seven Pounds." And the best part is ... it was written by a friend of ours, ( Grant Nieporte). His wife, Jill, has been a friend of mine since high school youth group days and they are both from Danville. SO please support this movie. I think it is going to be awesome. I am going to try to get a group of people together to go see it on opening night (December 19th) so let me know if you want to go. Here is the trailer from You Tube. I am not sure how to post the higher quality version so if you want to see that click here: "Seven Pounds."



Congratulations Grant and Jill!


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The Bible Called Jesus

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I just put Lydia down for a nap. I told her I would read her a book first. She said,
"I want you to read me the Bible called 'Jesus.'"
What can I say? The kid gets it. Pin It Now!

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Chronicles of Narnia and Rockets

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Shiloh and Elijah (and now the cat) are on book 3 of the Chronicle of Narnia series. It is comforting to know that the TV is not the only thing that creates a catatonic state in Elijah. Shiloh has admitted that he is just as sucked in to these stories as Elijah. Shiloh was bummed that they were not going to be able to finish the book last night since Elijah spent the night at Owen Stoke's house.

Elijah made a rocket at school. So I made one (well, not really. I just got a paper towel roll and added tin foil and ribbon) for Lydia and added "streamers" to Elijah.


Elijah named his rocket the "American Streamer." Lydia's is the "Snoogie Shuttle."



Jordis is 11 weeks old and sweet. She doesn't have a rocket, but she makes explosions out the back.

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the demise of rat bootie

Pin It Now! I forgot to mention in my previous post that upon returning from the ER (to get my overnight stuff) big, ugly, face mangled (according to Shiloh) rat was dead in the middle of my driveway. R.I.P.



This photo has nothing to do with rats or rat booties, but rather bunnies. The kids were hopping around like bunnies (in skeleton clothes) yesterday. But we had several wardrobe malfunctions as you can tell from Lydia's face. Hard to keep those ears on. Thanks Brenda, for that pink ball/fish thingy. It has been the source of much play ... and fighting. They both want it all the time. Learning to share. It's a good thing.



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Drama Details

Pin It Now! So for the full version of our recent sickness adventures ...
Sunday Sept. 21st. The day started pleasant enough. I got to go to Trader Joes all by myself. Like a big girl. As I was unloading groceries from the car I noticed something strange and quite disturbing. Rat booty. That's right folks. Rat bootie and tail poking out from some of the dirty clothes on the floor in front of the washer in my garage. It moved a little so I knew he was alive, but he didn't scamper off as one would expect. So being the typical woman that I am, I ran inside to get my camera... and Shiloh. I sat on a chair poised with the camera and Shiloh shooed the bad boy toward me with a broom. Then I screamed like a girl. And the rat was injured and I felt sorry for him. I will posted the video of this incident on previous post since this one is already going to be a long one. Click here for Rat Bootie Video.
Here is a pic.



Meanwhile, Jordis had been extra sleepy all day. After the RB incident, I took her temp because she felt a little warm. It was 101.4. So I took her to the weekend clinic in Walnut Creek at 3:30pm. Her temp was 103 by the time we got there so because of her age (8 weeks) they sent us to the ER at John Muir for tests. They tried unsuccessfully with two sets of nurses and 4 pokes to get a line for blood on the top of her hands. It was so sad. She screamed her little, actually, her big, head off. After about an hour of torture they called down the lab peeps and they were able to draw some blood using a different, easier method. it came back positive for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and they sent us up stairs to our hospital accommodations as we would be there for at least a few days.

My Mom came to the ER to be with us. When I heard we were going to be there overnight I ran home (what a workout) and got some overnight stuff and my Mom stayed with Jordis. While I was gone 2 more sets of nurses (including ones from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - who are supposed to the best vein finders in babes) poked Jordis again to try and start a line. After over another hour of pure screaming and discomfort, they gave up for the night. Two weeks later, the top of her hand is still bruised. Since they couldn't get the IV in her they had to give her 2 shots in the leg (supposedly much more painful than having an IV) of the antibiotic. We finally were left alone for some sleep around 12:30am.



Monday morning they tried again for the IV placement and finally got one ... in her head. And believe it or not, that was a relief. I never thought I would say, "Phew. I am so glad that got an IV in my daughter's head." But there I was, phewing it up.



Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my Dad came over to watch Lydia and Jordis so Shiloh could come visit us. Lydia had a poopy diaper so my dad changed it. But then he made a BIG mistake. He left our "handful" naked and unattended while he threw away the diaper outside. When he came back in she was standing on elijah's bed and said, "Hey Grandpa, I pooped on Elijah's bed." She must have been saving up for that.




And that is about if for the funny parts of the story. The rest was pretty sad.



Being in the hospital for 4 days and 3 nights. And on day 3 is when Jordis starting throwing up. We think she picked up that deliciousness from the hospital and if you've read my blog, you know she passed that along to people we love ... including our whole family. And we put one of my best friends into preterm labor and the hospital with it. Fabulous.



Here is my sister-in-law contracting the virus.
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Rat Bootie Video

Pin It Now! Here is live footage of Shiloh trying to get Rat Bootie out of our garage...enjoy.

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handful

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I wonder who came up with the euphemism "handful." Let's face it, when you say, "She's a handful." You really mean, "She is a pain in the butt. Often quite sassy and disobedient. We really don't know what to do with her." And yes, Lydia is a "handful."
Here is a recent exchange I had with her.

Stop jumping on your bed young lady. (I cannot believe I said "young lady.")

NO!

Don't you say no to me.

Mom, I really like saying no. Pin It Now!

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simple things

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Everyday Elijah can't wait to get the mail to see if he has received any Halloween costume catalogs. Pin It Now!

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