14/365

Getting ready for Chirstmas... His first taste of lamb.



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13/365

Tried out a new church this morning and went out to lunch after. Tortas!!


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12/365

Nathan went to the Circus with dad. Alex and I got to hang out.
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11/365

Last minute dinner plans with Willow, Dagny and Anderson. Great friends, good gyros.



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10/365

All you need is chalk, a hockey stick and some rain. Boots optional.




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9/365

Might be the last sunny summer day.



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8/365

Alex is loving his whole pear.



Nathan had a fun splash in Lake Washington:

7/365

Paul is off with old coworkers tonight having dinner. So I packed up the kids for dinner with Grandma.


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6/365

I didn't buy this!:



Just a few of our finds at the fruit market today.



I made roasted tomato salsa that was way way too hot and I like hot.


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5/365

Today was a short but fun hike with the Jacksons. Nathan ran most of the way and told me on the way that "Zoe is not going, she lives too far away". Think he misses his hiking buddy.

4/365

The sport if the day is basketball.









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3/365

We stayed home today and played with the neighbors.

365

I am going to try to do a photo a day for a year. Wish me luck.

1/365

Yesterday was moms night out. Great turn out with 8 amazing women and one baby girl. Preservation Kitchen we will be back.

2/365

Nathan at 3 years and a week or so gave up his bink. Hope the coming weeks are not too hard in us. He traded his binks for a donut.

Alex 10 Months ER/Hospital stay.

So far it has been a busy busy month and it feels like it just started.

August 1st started out like any normal Sunday at home but Alex had a fever.  I thought nothing of it because we had spent Thursday at a friends birthday where a child was sick.  I figured Alex got it.  No big deal, we can deal with a sick kid.  He was eating fine and acting normal.  Then he took a extra long nap.  Not strange since he wasn't feeling well.  Finally at noon I changed his diaper for the first time in the light and saw that he had a bad infection.  I first looked to see if my doctors office was open.  Nope not on Sunday, next I called the nurse hotline.  They said to go to urgent care in Woodinville.  Ok Call Woodinville Urgent care...2.5 hours!  Called Redmond Urgent care, no wait if I get there now.  Well it was a 20 minute drive.  Paul was putting Nathan down for his nap at 1pm, so I grabbed my phone, a diaper or two and Alex.  We get there and they tell me a 1/2 hour wait.  Fine sounds good.  Nurse sees us about 40 minutes later and tries to take his temp.  It comes up at 100, I say that can't be right he is so hot.  She doesn't retake it.  Oh well.  Then we wait another 40 mins to see the doctor.  She take one look and says I have to got to the ER.  Then pokes at him and retells me yep go to the ER and then asks me what one I am going too.  In the back of my mind I think Children's but then think Evergreen is just up the hill.  So she said she will call ahead.  Fine.... the whole drive to Evergreen I am thinking I should go to Children's.  Darn it next time I will.  We get to Evergreen and we see the triage nurse right away.  They poke at his sore and take his temp the un-nice way 103.  I knew that he was hotter than 100  Alex is unhappy so I nurse him.  It is 3pm and we wait.  Alex is sleepy but seems ok.  The call us in and wait and wait for a doctor.  The nurse puts some numbing on the sore, tells me what she thinks the doctor will do.  Alex is mad every time his diaper comes off.  Finally the doctor comes in, takes one look, pushes a few times to make sure he is mad again and tells me I have to go to straight to Children's because it is an emergency.  I say to the ER doctor "I understand, this is why I am HERE".  Oh drat.  I am losing my cool now that I am going to have to, drive across the lake and wait again.  I am thinking the only thing I have had to drink is OJ at 9am.   I am thinking how is Alex going to do with another wait.  If this is a emergency why are they not helping Alex!!  At least he can sleep in the car and I don't have to take a Aid car. My phone doesn't work here and is nearly out of battery life so I am looking up numbers on my phone and calling people.... but nobody is answering, not even Paul.  I know Paul is painting the house so I am thinking that he is in need of a trip to the ER too.  I finally get a hold of the neighbor Heidi and the connection hangs up...  Suddenly the phone in the room is ringing.  It is neighbor Ken.  FEW  I break down because at least someone is going to help me now.  Ken and Heidi leave Costco in a rush to find Paul.  I call my mom on the off chance they are home from the cabin.  Oh they are so she leaves to go to our house too and has my dad call Paul over and over.  Everyone had instructions to tell Paul to pack a bag with clothes, food and water.  I finally get discharged from Evergreen and head across the lake to Children's.  Alex is going down hill, there is no more full on crying anymore just small whimpers.  I get to Children's they have been called.  They have a foot band ready for Alex.  They triage us and get us in a room right away.   It doesn't take long before Paul gets there.  I give him Alex who is grunting with every breath.  My arms and back are sore from holding him for 5 hours in uncomfortable chairs. The ER is busy.  People are everywhere moving around.  This is a busy ER.  Our room is not quiet for very long, we see some action.  Doctors, residents, surgery doctors, nurses come in.  There is talk of maybe going to the OR.  The same questions are asked of me. "are his immunizations up to date, when did he last eat, when did this happen."  My story is more precise for each doctor that comes in.  I am thinking OR really,  he just had a pimple.  Now we are going to the OR?!  A young short resident finally says that the call is going to be OR tonight as soon as the doctor is out and the OR is preped.  About another hour, it is 8PM already. Nurses come in and try to put in a IV.  I think they tried about 4-6 times.  Poor Alex is looking so bad.     I think we should eat so I run to QFC and get some sandwiches for Paul and myself.  Yep not really hungry.  We eat a bit and toss the rest.  9PM it is time.  We meet the a surgery nurse and the anesthesiologist.   The surgery doctor is there too.  I think to myself do I trust these people and then think I don't have much of a choice.  We walk now limp grunting Alex down the hall give him one last kiss and hug and then I hand him off to the anesthesiologist.  I am calm with what is happening.  Time was going fast, now it has slowed down. Someone takes us to a strange wing of the hospital.  Nobody is there.  1/2 the lighting is on.  There is no noise.  This is so different from where we came.  We are told 1/2 hour to get him under and another 1/2 hour to drain the abscess and put in tubes.  It is difficult based on where the abscess is located.  An hour later we are told that it went well and that he is in the recovery room.  FEW!  It will be while and then will take us back. It is a little after 10pm.   The recovery room is huge and only 3 people are in there when we get there.  Two nurses and Alex.  He is sleeping.  He finally isn't in pain.  He had tubes and monitors on him but he looks good.  We are told I can feed him right away.  We are shown the drains.  Oh they are much bigger than I was thinking but not too bad.  I think how am I ever going to keep that clean.  They take us to isolation, our room. I hold Alex for a while, he wakes for a bit and is back to sleep with grunting.  Amanda is our nurse for the night and gives us instructions and takes us to security to get our badges.   Paul goes home at some point.  Midnight? It is 4am and I ask for Tylenol for Alex as he is grunting in his sleep.  He sleeps, I am up for the day.  Paul shows up with a scone around 8.  He takes over I go home in hopes to sleep and shower.  I shower, eat, grab a fews things and head back.  Yeah I can't sleep.  Alex is awake and is happy.  Fever seems to be gone.  One more night in the hosptial for Alex and me. We go home before noon on the 3rd.  I am happy to leave Children's with a well child.  Sad for all the other families that are still there.  I think about each story, cry for them and my healthy child. We don't tell Nathan it is his birthday.  I am happy to give him a hug.  He had a great two nights at the grandparents house.