Lung Infection

Adeline has been fighting on and off fevers, some as high as 103.5, and a pretty bad cough for a week and a half.  Neither of these symptoms are out of character for Adeline so I didn't take her to the doctor.  I have learned over the past couple of years that the girl has some pretty stellar lungs.  Yes, they have BPD but they haven't given her any problems once she kicked the O's.  She has landed in the hospital for upper airway inflammation and obstruction due to mucus but never for lung function.

This time I was wrong.  I didn't want to push into the weekend without our pulmonologist listening to Adeline so Alex drove her down to duPont yesterday afternoon.  Our pulmonologist was in a deposition and couldn't break free which left us under the care of a new doc.  Adeline was satting in the low 90's which was surprising.  We have a pulse ox at home but I rarely put it on her because her sats are ALWAYS within range.  Adeline was also x-rayed to rule out pneumonia after the doc heard some noise in her lower lobe.  It ends up that she has a lung infection but not pneumonia.  We were told to manage it over night and get in touch with our pulmonologist in the morning. 

We didn't make it that long.  Adeline was satting 88 when she went to bed last night.  It took a 2L flow to get her up to 94, 95 and above being the safe range.  We called our doctor and he was very surprised that Adeline had such an oxygen requirement.  After a lengthy discussion, we felt comfortable managing it home with our doctor a phone call away.  The only other option was admission to the hospital.  Luckily, our doc let it be our call.

Adeline fought the cannula and pulse ox probe but, once reasoned with, accepted her fate.  She has been a trooper.  We are all out of practice when it comes to the O2 equipment and dragging around a 50 line of tubing is less than desirable.  We have our fingers crossed that we stay out of the ER this weekend and that Adeline is off the O's by Monday.

Here are some pictures of The Belle and her cannula.

I wasn't prepared to come home from work and see my girl on oxygen. She was miserable.

We finally got her to sleep and she slept the whole night through. She woke up very happy which makes me think she was enjoying her easy breathing.

How do you tame hair this wild? A stocking cap, even if it is 65 degrees (she can't stand hair blowing in her face). Her batting session didn't last long and soon she was asleep in a stroller.

Spring has Sprung

My "Spring Meter" is Miss Grace.  When she can go barefoot and fancy free outdoors for hours on end, spring has sprung in my book!  I should also mention that it was 70 degrees and sunny!!  Not bad when thinking back to two weeks ago and how the ground was still hiding under a foot of snow.

Think Green

This morning we woke up to a great big green surprise! Savannah and Grammy had planned a St. Paddy's day celebration. The table was set, cards and gifts purchased, and green food prepared. I have to admit that I was in the spirit after seeing Savannah and Grammy's hard work.

Adeline thought she looked like her favorite Baby Einstein caterpillar with her headband on. Lila ended up wearing her headband to school with great pride!

Later, we found green milk and green water in our refrigerator. Those sneaky Leprechauns!! Gold coins were also discovered in very strange places too. We had a fun dinner with great green sides that consisted of: pineapple in green jello, pumpkin bars with green cream cheese frosting, and shamrock cookies. Quite healthy too!

To close the day, Savannah had written out steps to a shamrock scavenger hunt. She had some great one on one with Adeline while she did her hunt first. It was so sweet to see how much they loved each other.

Here is a video of Miss Adeline wishing you a Happy St. Patty's day while a 103 fever was raging away in her body.

Walk On Lady

A Hippotherapy update.

Here is a video of Adeline getting on Lady. First, she pats the horse and then mounts using a stirrup. After she is comfortable, she tells the horse to, "Walk on." She sits so tall and appears very calm and confident while riding. I am very proud of her progress. Recently, our insurance stuck it to us with Hippotherapy and I momentarily questioned whether or not her weekly rides were worth nearly $2000 a year. I just have to watch this video and compare it where she was when she first started and I am a believer.

A Daddy Afternoon

The girls had a fun filled daddy day today. They spent hours at Monkey Joe's (Bounce House) and then headed to McDonald's for lunch. It sounded like the girls had a great time. Savannah and Lila were all over the place bouncing and climbing to their hearts' content. Savannah, also, took time to help Adeline navigate the different bounces and help her get comfortable but soon, Adeline was left to her own devices when having to overcome her insecurities about unstable ground. Before the afternoon ended, I am very proud to report that she climbed up the big slide and slid down all on her own. Pretty impressive when considering her delay in gross motor skills, not to mention her sensory issues. Very brave for the The Belle.

Please bare with the sideways video. Alex remembered halfway through that the SLR can only be used on its side when taking pictures and not while using the video function.

Pirate Day at School

Lila didn't know what a pirate was when her Pirate Day at school took place. I gave her a crash course on saying, "Arrgh," and put a bandanna on her head. Not so fierce but pretty cute instead!

A Very Serious Matter

Last year, we had really bad luck with mice. We couldn't seem to pick a ripe strawberry before a little chunk was taken out by a mouse. We never confirmed that they were mice, in fact our friends told us they were voles. Another friend saw one run through the garage and told me they were rats. I am pretty sure they were of the mouse variety because I saw their tiny bodies scurry through the grass in the back yard whenever I walked to the garden.

In any case, these creatures left some pretty serious trails through our grass. Now that the grass has thinned and gone dormant, it is easy to see the pathways of these mice. Savannah and her friends recently discovered these paths which catapulted them back into last summer's battle with the mice.

One one of our warmer days last week, Savannah and her friends observed, planned, and executed their mouse strategy.

The Plan. . .

1. Cover up the hole that is up against the house to prevent them from going to the basement. This required little rocks and dirt so that the debris would wedge down inside the hole.

2. Find another hole that isn't up against the house and lay bait outside of it. The bait was worms that girls dug for. They laid a path of worms that lured the mice away from the house.

I am not sure how the girls planned to keep the mice out of the hole once they exited. The play date ended before that part of the plan was in place.  The girls felt as though they accomplished something as they walked away. 

A green leaf and a caterpillar... Possibly a sign of spring?