Since this is our children's first year in preschool we seem to be stricken with a never ending length of sickness. I suspect it's due to new exposure to germs, whatever the reason I am ready for this season of sickness to be over.
I hate to see my children sick, as all parents do. The glazed eyes, pink cheeks, and hot-to-the-touch skin, just melt my heart, usually. After this season, I'm drained and struggling to find the patience needed during this next round that has settle upon the house.
During a Monday morning playgroup Noelle mentioned her throat was hurting and I put my hand to her forehead, instantly feeling the warmth and I found my self rolling my eyes, annoyed. We hightailed it out, as I apologized for potentially infecting the surrounding children.
During the drive home I cried. I cried at the thought of more sleepless nights tending to more sickness. I cried thinking of the endless complaining that accompanies my children. I cried dreading the doctor appointment, with four children crammed into a room waiting. I cried thinking of the disinfecting that I will have to do, again. I cried because I needed it, and it felt good.
It was a pity-party drive home. I composed myself and began the nursing aspect of being a Domestic Engineer. Comforting my ill Noelle, keeping her hydrated and giving the right amounts of drugs to keep the fever down. Occupying the other three so they were away and not worried about Noelle, as this always is the trickiest part. I forgot about the amount of work and just surrounded Noelle with love as she spiraled downhill.
It's strep throat that has decided to enter the house. Noelle is on medication and will soon be better. The first night was long, filled with waking chills, needing Mommy's arms to sooth the pain. I hold her as she shivers, her little body fighting once again. I wipe away the tears as she cries out about her ailing throat. I focus on mending her, trying to push my exhaustion out of my head. Again.
I pray this isn't passed around and this is our last bout before summer. I need a break. We need a break. My patience needs time to recover.
Wish me, and us luck. We need it.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Easter Weekend
My family came in for a weekend of fun. It was great, although sickness seemed to descend upon us again. Just fevers that could be controlled with many doses of ibuprofen.
The shenanigans began on Saturday afternoon and the warmer weather could not be ignored. Rag tag, Noelle on the roof, and lots of running around were enjoyed.
Of course we dipped into the tradition of dying eggs. The children are getting older and I see how we are shaping our traditions. They remember last year, and want to duplicate certain aspects, bringing endless joy to me as a Mother.
My Dad is a character. Silly has to be a great way to describe him when dealing with his grandchildren. He is always coming up with fun ideas (note the picture of Noelle on the roof) that I would never think of. These out-of-the-box ideas bring complete and utter joy and keep them talking for days after his departure.
Easter morning came and Aunt Ceecee came with Mike and their new puppy. Sickness had spread to both girls so home we stayed. We hunted eggs outside, enjoyed each other's company and celebrated together as a family.
It was a great weekend and we all had an enjoyable time!
The shenanigans began on Saturday afternoon and the warmer weather could not be ignored. Rag tag, Noelle on the roof, and lots of running around were enjoyed.
Of course we dipped into the tradition of dying eggs. The children are getting older and I see how we are shaping our traditions. They remember last year, and want to duplicate certain aspects, bringing endless joy to me as a Mother.
My Dad is a character. Silly has to be a great way to describe him when dealing with his grandchildren. He is always coming up with fun ideas (note the picture of Noelle on the roof) that I would never think of. These out-of-the-box ideas bring complete and utter joy and keep them talking for days after his departure.
Easter morning came and Aunt Ceecee came with Mike and their new puppy. Sickness had spread to both girls so home we stayed. We hunted eggs outside, enjoyed each other's company and celebrated together as a family.
It was a great weekend and we all had an enjoyable time!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Half Birthday
Zane Michael Roehrig, born October 19th, is officially 6 months old today (Tuesday). Half a year has flown by. October, November, December, January, February, March, and April, seriously, that is a lot of months to go by in a seemingly short period of time. A lot of months for a baby to grow, develop and become. Zane has definitely grown, developed, and became a intricate part of our family.
Grown for sure. He is all solid, rolly-polly, baby delight. At his doctor appointment he weighed in at 18 lbs. 10 oz. and 27 1/2 inches.
We tried to introduce some solids, rice cereal and then on a separate occasion,pureed bananas, but we were met with a peculiar reaction. After each time, Zane got fiercely ill, throwing up everything, projecting it all over me. After that he would have nothing left to regurgitate, but continued to heave and get up bile (yes, it's gross, but such a severe reaction on multiple occasions that I want to make clear note of) for hours and hours afterward. Going over this bizarre reaction with the doctor he just figured, due to lack of fever or rash of any sort, that Zane is not ready for any solids. I will continue to exclusively breastfeed him until 7 months, then try a little solids . If the reaction occurs again, I will wait until 8 months, then 9 if needed.
This continuation of complete dependency on me has me grinning from ear to ear. This is a solid excuse to cherish my breastfeeding moments and drink them all in. To stare down at his large blue eyes, stroke his soft bald head, and tightly grip his chubby fingers, is something that will only be for a little while. When not holding onto my finger his hands knead my skin just like a kitten. The pain is worth the comfort it lends to him. The smiles that sneak in while he doesn't miss a beat gulping down his meal, instantly bring a deep giggle from me and I always lean in for just one more kiss.
Zane is now doing the normal six month old things, sitting on his own, grabbing everything in sight and gnawing on it. Typical, and so fun! Crawling should be a ways off, he likes to sit and watch the chaos ensue around as there is always someone to entertain him for a bit.
All in all he is chunky, healthy, happy, wonderful, and pretty cute to boot. These last six months have been a joy, chaotic, but very joyful.
Grown for sure. He is all solid, rolly-polly, baby delight. At his doctor appointment he weighed in at 18 lbs. 10 oz. and 27 1/2 inches.
We tried to introduce some solids, rice cereal and then on a separate occasion,pureed bananas, but we were met with a peculiar reaction. After each time, Zane got fiercely ill, throwing up everything, projecting it all over me. After that he would have nothing left to regurgitate, but continued to heave and get up bile (yes, it's gross, but such a severe reaction on multiple occasions that I want to make clear note of) for hours and hours afterward. Going over this bizarre reaction with the doctor he just figured, due to lack of fever or rash of any sort, that Zane is not ready for any solids. I will continue to exclusively breastfeed him until 7 months, then try a little solids . If the reaction occurs again, I will wait until 8 months, then 9 if needed.
This continuation of complete dependency on me has me grinning from ear to ear. This is a solid excuse to cherish my breastfeeding moments and drink them all in. To stare down at his large blue eyes, stroke his soft bald head, and tightly grip his chubby fingers, is something that will only be for a little while. When not holding onto my finger his hands knead my skin just like a kitten. The pain is worth the comfort it lends to him. The smiles that sneak in while he doesn't miss a beat gulping down his meal, instantly bring a deep giggle from me and I always lean in for just one more kiss.
Zane is now doing the normal six month old things, sitting on his own, grabbing everything in sight and gnawing on it. Typical, and so fun! Crawling should be a ways off, he likes to sit and watch the chaos ensue around as there is always someone to entertain him for a bit.All in all he is chunky, healthy, happy, wonderful, and pretty cute to boot. These last six months have been a joy, chaotic, but very joyful.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Air Museum Saturday
We loaded up the SUV and headed out Saturday late morning. The rain drizzled down, but modes were high and sickness was gone. I was well rested and ready to tackle our adventure.
On a side note, I have to ready myself mentally, and thoroughly prepare for adventures. I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of Mom. I need a plan, an idea, a tentative schedule for the day/week/weekend. Last minute (I'm okay with a few hours notice) plans are a bit much and anxiety builds. As the children get older this will fade, but with young ones I need time to prepare for possible obstacles we may encounter. This preparation makes me feel more at ease and makes our adventures more pleasant. Short outings are not an issue, it's the all day ones that require notice.
Anyways, back to our Saturday adventure...we drove to Kalamazoo, DVD player blasting and children content during the just-under-two-hour drive to the Air Museum. We met up with the Feyes Family and had a wonderful time. Their girls, Olivia, 5, and Mia, 2are great companions for our girls. Olivia's outgoingness is intoxicating and Noelle loves being around her and seems to come out of her shell a bit more than usual.
Although prepared for blowouts, snackage, and most other things, I forgot to put the fully charged battery in the camera. The camera was with me, but lacking that important battery. Pictures are, understandably, minimal, only a few captured on my phone.
The museum is pretty darn cool. Large displays of planes are everywhere, but the rides, those are the key for the children. A Balloon Ride was the voted upon favorite. For us parents, it was, well, a bit much and I think we all felt our age while whipping around at speeds faster than anticipated. The girls were able to ride it without a guardian, and they certainly did with huge smiles planted on their petite faces. Max, Violette, and Mia required an adult to ride with them and we took turns many times.
It was great place to spend during a cold and rainy Saturday with our dear friends. Afterwards we refueled with an early dinner. We always have a great time with them, even though it doesn't happen nearly enough!
On a side note, I have to ready myself mentally, and thoroughly prepare for adventures. I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of Mom. I need a plan, an idea, a tentative schedule for the day/week/weekend. Last minute (I'm okay with a few hours notice) plans are a bit much and anxiety builds. As the children get older this will fade, but with young ones I need time to prepare for possible obstacles we may encounter. This preparation makes me feel more at ease and makes our adventures more pleasant. Short outings are not an issue, it's the all day ones that require notice.
Anyways, back to our Saturday adventure...we drove to Kalamazoo, DVD player blasting and children content during the just-under-two-hour drive to the Air Museum. We met up with the Feyes Family and had a wonderful time. Their girls, Olivia, 5, and Mia, 2are great companions for our girls. Olivia's outgoingness is intoxicating and Noelle loves being around her and seems to come out of her shell a bit more than usual.
Although prepared for blowouts, snackage, and most other things, I forgot to put the fully charged battery in the camera. The camera was with me, but lacking that important battery. Pictures are, understandably, minimal, only a few captured on my phone.
The museum is pretty darn cool. Large displays of planes are everywhere, but the rides, those are the key for the children. A Balloon Ride was the voted upon favorite. For us parents, it was, well, a bit much and I think we all felt our age while whipping around at speeds faster than anticipated. The girls were able to ride it without a guardian, and they certainly did with huge smiles planted on their petite faces. Max, Violette, and Mia required an adult to ride with them and we took turns many times.
It was great place to spend during a cold and rainy Saturday with our dear friends. Afterwards we refueled with an early dinner. We always have a great time with them, even though it doesn't happen nearly enough!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
I Think It's Gone...
The past two weeks we have been fighting a wicked virus. Fighting hard, but as of today, I think we have beat it! Zane is/was the last hold out, but today he has no fever. A cough still persists (the kind that makes you cringe upon hearing the sound) and runny noses seem to be hanging on, but fevers, they are gone and happiness has been restored! 
As one can imagine the amount of activities during our two week period of sickness, are minimal. The children missed a week of school, then used Spring Break as a recuperation period. We watched a LOT of TV, but they needed it. They needed to just chill out and work on fighting the virus. In truth, I think they kept passing it back and forth. One would get better then two days later their temperature would be back up, rosy cheeks, and glazed eyes would take over smiles and giggles. I guess this is the norm with a house sporting multiple young ones.
A treat came to visit this weekend. Uncle Alex had some hockey try outs about an hour away and stayed with us. The children were ecstatic. They played with "Unkie" and wore him out! It brings such a smile to my face when they jump on his back and thoroughly enjoy every moment spent with him. 
Alex was a great sport and let Noelle do his hair and put makeup on him! I can say, that Tom has never allowed the application of makeup on him, so this was very exciting for Noelle! 
Today, Sunday, reached just over eighty degrees! We enjoyed the weather and spent a lot of time outside, playing, riding bikes, eating ice cream. Typical actions of a family ready for some warmer weather to stick around! 
It was more than welcomed in our house and we look forward to many more days of warm weather and outdoor fun!
As one can imagine the amount of activities during our two week period of sickness, are minimal. The children missed a week of school, then used Spring Break as a recuperation period. We watched a LOT of TV, but they needed it. They needed to just chill out and work on fighting the virus. In truth, I think they kept passing it back and forth. One would get better then two days later their temperature would be back up, rosy cheeks, and glazed eyes would take over smiles and giggles. I guess this is the norm with a house sporting multiple young ones. 
A treat came to visit this weekend. Uncle Alex had some hockey try outs about an hour away and stayed with us. The children were ecstatic. They played with "Unkie" and wore him out! It brings such a smile to my face when they jump on his back and thoroughly enjoy every moment spent with him. 
Alex was a great sport and let Noelle do his hair and put makeup on him! I can say, that Tom has never allowed the application of makeup on him, so this was very exciting for Noelle! 
Today, Sunday, reached just over eighty degrees! We enjoyed the weather and spent a lot of time outside, playing, riding bikes, eating ice cream. Typical actions of a family ready for some warmer weather to stick around! 
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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