Tuesday, November 12, 2013

New Season!

I'm a warm weather girl.   I think its a safe bet that my current self diagnosis is that disease where you need sunlight to function.... I for sure have that.  I really do not function well in the cold.  I'm overly dramatic about my body temperature, I layer my clothing in inappropriate/ridiculous amounts and I am admittedly crabbier when I am cold.  I'm betting its fair to say that I'm much more fun in the summer.  I'm happier in a warm climate and I really feel it affects all aspects of my life.  Thankfully, I am headed to Florida soon.  Last year I made it to Florida three times in six months.  I'm making it a personal goal to beat that this year.  After all, A happy wife is a happy life:)

So... with this cold weather comes annoying cold illnesses.  For some reason, the Clark's have already been hit hard and its only November!  First off, Carter got really sick.  Like, missed 6 days of school kind of sick.  It started with just a cough and low grade fever and before I knew it he had strep throat and full blown pneumonia in his left lung.  We were totally taken aback.  Carter IS the healthiest kid I have.  How in the world he got pneumonia is beyond me.  Six school days and two full weekends later- he was back in business.  Thank the Lord!   Next, Paige got a horrible cold that left her poor nose looking like Rudolph and chapped beyond belief.  Poor girl already had two black eyes, one courtesy of the living room ottoman that also left a nice scar on her face and the other courtesy of a crazy two year old that lives in this house and thought it would be funny to chuck a ball directly at her face!  This poor beauty was looking a fright!  I was the next lucky one on Halloween.  Just in time for trick-or-treat, I spiked a fever of 102.5 and had to lay on the couch while my kids went door to door for candy.  Yes, I cried and felt like the worst Mom in America. Who can't pull it together to watch their kids trick-or-treat?  This girl!  I was a disaster and that awesome virus lasted about 5 days.  Easton and Matty are the soldiers thus far....

A little update on Easy E.  For those of you who follow Easton closely, you know that he has been off all inhalants and steroids (for the first time in his life) since the end of May.  He has totally been rockin' it.  No illness.  No wheezing.  Just acting like a normal human being... well besides his weird ear stuff that was more annoying than serious!  Anyways- A couple weeks ago he started having these coughing fits that were making it so he literally couldn't breathe.  His o2 was dropping to about 92-93 while it was happening and even to 88 if it happened during the night.  At first, I thought he was getting sick because it was right after Carter was sick but something was weird about it.  Easton wasn't sick.  No fever, not run down, no runny nose and completely normally active.  It was just these "fits" of coughing that were leaving him breathless and retracting.  The only thing that pulled him out of it was to sit him down and give him a couple puffs of his rescue inhaler.  After a couple days of this, the genius that I am, thought he was having Asthma Attacks- which is something he has never had.  Turns out, I was right.   See, we are used to Easton not breathing well as a whole, all of the time.  We have never experienced "attacks" with him.  In fact, we really thought he was better.  I'm not a doctor but I know my Easy so I don't tend to rush him to the doctor as quickly as others may think I should.  However, after three days of this, I knew I needed back up drugs that I didn't have access to.  I took him to his pediatrician who immediately prescribed oral steroids in addition to his rescue inhaler 4 times a day to pull him out of this.  She also ordered a chest xray to rule out pneumonia- and fortunately it was negative.  Here is the thing- when I caught a glimpse of his chest X-ray, my heart sank.  I've seen at least 50 chest xrays of this kid in his life and this wasn't pretty.  We were told that babies with PPHN were likely to be 'normal' by the time they were two or three years old.  Easy is two and a half and this chest x ray was not normal.  In fact, it was ugly.  Today we had our six month pulmonology appointment.  The end result wasn't exactly what we were looking for but I am bringing myself around to the fact that its OK.  We are back on all drugs.  A daily allergy/asthma pill, four puffs daily of a maintenance steroid inhaler, keeping rescue inhaler with us all the time and a ready oral steroid script at the pharmacy whenever needed.  At first thought, it felt like a landslide in the wrong direction.  Those drugs represent a daily reminder of what struggles Easton has fought in his two short years of life.  It makes me mad and sad all at once.  I don't want his body dependent on steroids or pills to function like his siblings do.  I want him to breathe on his own like a normal kid.  It breaks my heart that every time he runs or exerts any energy- he cant breathe.  Its sad to watch.  And it makes me angry. Easton is the PERFECT kid for his life.  He loves doctors, is not scared of hospitals and will take any meds you give him without a fight.  He is beyond compliant with anything medical- but he shouldn't have to be.  As his Mom, as proud of him as I am at all these appointments, I'm equally sad.  He shouldn't be that good.  He shouldn't be so used to doctors and hospitals and medications.  I have to catch myself in these thoughts and remember that his entire life is a miracle.  That I have absolutely no reason in the world to be angry because to be honest, I have no idea how I even have him.  I thank him every day of his life for fighting so hard to stay with us and I need to just be thankful for who he is, because he is perfect.  Inhalers and all.

Other than all that, the Clark's are busy!  The kids activities keep us moving all the time.  Football three times a week just ended but basketball picked up the following weekend.  The kids also have gymnastics once a week and Paige dances once a week.  It's just a constant wheel of chaos over here- and I like it that way.  It means that all is as it should be.  We are supposed to be crazy busy.  By having three kids in under four year, aren't you practically begging for that?  I think so.  

Here are a few pictures of our life as Clark, Party of Five!  Enjoy:)
Halloween Cookies
Carving Pumpkins
Typical Paige
Ultimate Humongosaur, LalaLoopsy, Lion

Sass

Sick, sick boy
Doctor Time

My Matty
Oetjens Bar
Kroger!



School Pics.  Cutest. Kids. Ever.


"School"



Pre-Op

Recovery :)


Love this Boy
"Where is the snow?"
Family Fun Night @ Brendel
BFF's




This was on my Instagram feed yesterday.  And, Its funny.