An RX for a Xmas Tree Set up.

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we are on to Xmas and all that.  The good news is that we got the tree set up this weekend, as you can see here.

The bad news is; We didn’t do LegoLand or Thanksgiving this weekend.

Thursday, Kiddo woke and complained of not feeling well.  It wasn’t burn out.  You could see it in her eyes and face that we was sick.  Plus, she was warm to the touch.  Not burning, but warm.  That, however, reminded us that we didn’t own a thermometer so I got on ordering that and we had it the next day.  By Friday, she was worse.  Worse to the point that we made a doctor appointment for her.  Now, let me say that we are not see a doc for everything kind of parents.  Kids get sick.  Usually, drink some water, rest for a day or two, and get back to life.  When she is sick, however, we will get medical intervention.

J was also not feeling well, so we had a lazy Friday hoping everyone would rebound.  As the day went on, everyone only got worse.  More run down.  Kiddo napped!  Kiddo, to note, has taken about 3.64 naps in her life.  Once with C-Dif, once in Thailand when she got that flu and that was a stomach flu, so super fun, and then Friday.  The other 0.64 naps were before she was 2 when she would crash out for anywhere between 20 min and 0.0009 seconds.  See, fully qualified 3.64 naps!  Glad we had the doctor set for the next day.  Due to sickness and due to doctors on Saturday (our planned Thanksgiving) we punted on it until next weekend and we’ll just be late.  It’s a bummer, not because I didn’t get a chance to cook, but because the girls were sick.  

J got tested for infections and those came back negative, so she got some decongestants and the like.  She asked about a Influenza swab, but the doc decided that it wasn’t likely and passed on that for her, plus records show she had gotten a flu shot.  So, that was that.

Kiddo, on the other hand, had a doc that wanted to check her for everything and then some.  They did a finger prick to get blood for an infection test, which came back positive for a strep variant.  They also did a nose and throat swab for Influenza.  That came back positive as well.  Poor baby had strep AND the flu.  She was miserable.  They gave us an antibiotic and tamiflu for Kiddo, plus a decongestant for her head and guaifenesin for the cough.  We got home and rested, wanting to wait until dinner to start the antibiotic as antibiotics with food are usually a good idea.  The tamiflu was held off until before bed.  That way, we can do antibiotics with breakfast and dinner and tamiflu q12h at bed ready times and wake up since both are right around 7:30.

Sunday, Kiddo reported, “I still feel awful, but like I might actually survive.”  However, she had the spark in her eye again.  The Kiddo look; part puckish, part mischievous, part pure joy.  She was also back to her full Mogli feralness contorting herself to all positions in her play and drawing and was able to do more that lay like a lump on a log.  She never got out of jammies, but sometimes that all you need in life.

Monday, J was feeling better, much better, as was Kiddo.  I kept Kiddo home yesterday, just to take the extra day to rest and recoup.  She could have done the day, but better to give it 5 days, 48+ hours on meds, and 48 hours without fever before sending her back to it.  For all the energy, though, she is still on the backend of it, as evidenced by her going to bed last night.  She wanted to read for a bit, “maybe 20 minutes.”  An hour later, her lights still on, we went in to tell her to shut it down.  HAHAHA

So, we had a sick weekend.  I do want to brag on the Kid though.  For more than one reason.

First, she was a champ about the doc, giving blood, getting throat swabbed, and all the rest.  She’s also a champ about the meds.  Swallowing the antibiotic tablet no problem and the tamiflu needs to be opened and mixed with water as a full cap is too much for her.  It is, I can attest in a lot of ways, BITTER.  Just foul.  However, like with the C-Dif meds, she has a sweet drink at the ready, takes the dose, and slams some juice or sweetness to get the wickedness gone.  Super proud of her for that.  Some kids would fight that and refuse it.  She, however, knows it only sucks for a second and it helps… significantly, so might as well take one second of yuck so you can have more days of good.

The other brag is that Kiddo is frickin’ awesome.  With the girls being sick, I’ve been scrambling with meals.  Pizza on night, made pancakes another.  Keeping it simple and easy so I could monitor and support the ladies.  Yesterday, for lunch, I really was out of food and ideas, at least for an easy lunch.  We had chicken and pork in the house, but no quick foods or leftovers.  I was running out to get some produce to make with dinner last night and a new McDonalds opened near there.  I offered Kiddo McDs.  This is the awesome part - “Nah.  But there is the fried rice and dumpling place there.  That sounds good!”

OK, take that in for a second.  Those of you with kids, read that again and tell me, honestly, how many of your kids would pass up chicken nuggets for fried rice and dumplings?  Heck, I know teenagers that would pass on fried rice and dumplings in favor of McDs.  Kiddo was also telling me yesterday how she can’t wait for Winter Break so she can get “good stuff again, not just Chinese food.”  When asked what the good stuff was, she went off about Hot Pot and market food in Thailand and Banh Mi and Pho in Vietnam.  Yeah, that’s our kid.

It’s all that we ever let her go on food.  Not that it’s, eat it now or eat it cold tomorrow.  That is, in our opinion, counter productive and causes issues.  I was, around age 11, forced to eat a zucchini dish I didn’t care for and to this day, I can eat zucchini, but I don’t care for it, don’t seek it out, and (generally speaking) hate the look, smell, and even cleaning it.  We don’t want that with Kiddo, so the rule is - one bite.  You don’t need to like it, but you need to try it. So, she’s tried A LOT of things.  Some she liked right away.  Some she came around on.  Some, she’s still not a big fan of and we don’t push.  Asparagus, which she ate up as a 2 year old, she doesn’t like now, but she always eats a spear when I make them.  The funniest is that when I order Americano coffees, especially iced, she always wants a sip, but she loathes dark chocolate.  I refill the coffee grinder and she’ll want a bean to munch on, but complains about arugula and radicchio.  However, whenever I make a salad and ask if she has wants for what I should add, radishes are the answer, but green bell peppers are “too flavory and like, bitter and just not sweet.”  You want radishes, even eating them whole, but a green bell pepper is too much??????  I know, crazy.  However, you gotta admit that it’s a pretty complex and varied palate for an 8 year old.  She’s not a chicken nugget or GTFO kind of kid.  She’s willing to try most things and we are proud of her for that.

Hard to believe that we are getting close to Xmas and all that, but also getting to the point that we will need to book our Winter Break trip in the next week or two.  That we are getting within smackin’ distance of a month off, but also 3 weeks (or there abouts) in warm and beach weather again.  So much is coming and so soon, plus I still get to make a Thanksgiving meal on Saturday.  Much fun is on the horizon.

Let’s go, Kiddo…. It’s time for fun, now that you are feeling better.  You get to turn on the Xmas Tree every night, you get to be excited for Xmas.  You get to holiday in warm weather soon.  Get a dress made, just for you.  Shoes too!  So much for is on the horizon.  Plus food.  Plus family time.  Plus… Well, you know the list and it goes on and on.  We can’t wait for all the fun we get to have with you in the next three weeks, the next 2 months, and then beyond that, year after year, watching you grow, become, and be the fullest and best Kiddo ever.