Hey 2011, Didn't We Have a Deal?
The last month hasn't exactly been what we were hoping for. We had such wonderful expectations for 2011. Don't get me wrong, 2010 was good in that it brought us Lane, but it also brought quite a few other 'spiderwebs' in the mix. So far...2011 hasn't been much different.
Thursday night was Lane's first (and, OH, how I wish the last) trip to the emergency room. Ryan had band practice at the church so Lane and I had the evening to ourselves. He had a tiny bit of a runny nose, but was pretty much fine otherwise. We watched "Thoroughly Modern Millie", one of my favorite musicals, and had a blast. During Intermission I busted out some of my tap dancing skills from the good old days and he thought that was a hoot. He laughed and laughed and crawled over to me, sat up, and waved those arms like a mad man. I picked him up and we danced all over the living room. Might my sweet boy become a Fred Astaire? Possibly.
He went to bed at his normal time and showed no issues. Ryan got home, we talked a little, and went to bed around 9:30. At 10:45 I awoke to Lane crying hysterically. We both went in his room and tried to console him. We quickly noticed that he was wheezing considerably and struggling to breath. We thought maybe he was congested or...we just didn't know. I was rocking him and he stopped breathing for about three seconds. Ryan and I both sat up somewhat alarmed, and then Lane started breathing again...they were still raspy breaths and he was still crying. We kept rocking and after a few minutes, Lane stopped breathing again...this time for about 5-6 seconds. Now, yes, I know 5-6 seconds...we can hold our breath that long with no issues...but those were the longest seconds we've ever had. I got so scared, flipped him over, shook him and started yelling at him. And he started breathing. Ryan said, "Do you want to just take him in?" and I started crying and begging Ryan to get us to the emergency room. We threw on some clothes, grabbed the diaper bag, threw a blanket over Lane, and ran to the car. And on the way there, it was raining so Ryan was driving a little slower than normal...I was in the back seat and found myself almost wanting to SCREAM at him to drive faster. Looking back, I realize how quickly we can become meaner than grizzly bears when we think our babies are in jeopardy.
We got to the ER and walked in to the front window. The girl behind the window took down some info, but before I could even get to his symptoms, she said, "Goodness, I can hear him from here." There was already someone with the nursing tech being evaluated, but she ran around the corner, grabbed another tech, and told us to meet the girl around the corner. We didn't even have to sit down in the waiting room. So many times I see people in service positions that have the worst attitudes. This girl was so considerate and kind. It might have been that she was just doing her job, but still. The tech let us through the doors and I turned to Front Desk Girl and said, "Thank you so much." She turned around, smiled, and said, "You're welcome!" Not sure if the appreciation was made known, but I hope so.
The tech took down our info, a nurse came in right after to help with vitals. The doc also came in to check things out. We even had a paramedic student come in and ask if it was okay for him to listen to Lane's heart and lungs and take some notes. Usually, the students can get on my nerves a little, but this guy was so nice and kept playing with Lane. He said that he didn't get to see many babies and thus he didn't have as much experience with them so we let him hang around as much as he wanted.
The doc checked out Lane, asked us a few questions, and said that he thought it was croup. They nurse brought in a steroid to open Lane's lungs...which didn't go well. He screamed, fought, kicked, and screamed some more. Then came the breathing treatment...administered by Luna Lovegood herself. She walked in and I thought, 'Dang, this girl looks familiar.' She held the little hose up to Lane's face and we got the biggest kick out of him 'following' it with his mouth. He kept trying to put the hose in his mouth...you know what you look like when you hold up a drink and you're not paying close attention...and you do that searching-for-the-straw-thing with your mouth? Yeah....he was doing that with the little hose. The doc came in and started laughing and said, "You dig the peace pipe, huh?"
The nurse came back in to 'dig for boogers' so she could test for the flu and RSV. Next came the x-rays (on the way we had to walk by the nurse's station and Lane saw the 'steroid nurse' and instantly gave her the stink eye). I got him to sleep in the room and after about thirty minutes or so the nurse comes back with an antibiotic shot...translate that into more justification for the stink eye. After that Luna came back for another breathing treatment. And I'm totally not making fun. She was SOOO sweet. She not only looked just like her, but she talked super soft and was so gentle with Lane. I think all three of us felt so calm around her. We also wanted to ask about the nargles. After making sure he didn't have an allergic reaction to the shot, they let us go home. At 2:00 am.
Lane slept the whole way home and Ryan and I cried. Friday we both stayed home. Last Sunday our sermon was on Living in the Now. Normally when Lane is sick, one of us stays home while the other goes to work. We don't want to burn too much sick leave and we want to make sure that our duties at work don't fall too far behind. But the next morning we had a different outlook. We decided that we were both staying home and we weren't going to worry about work. We even bought a box of Little Debbie cakes.
I was talking to my mom Friday morning and she said, "Now, I thought you said that 2011 was going to be better?" And she's got a point. Ryan, Lane, and I have all had nasty colds, Ryan had a little bout with his 'weakness' issue again, I'm sporting a bruise that has all colors of the rainbow, and now Lane has croup. Things haven't improved.
What has improved is our outlook and understanding on everything. We talked about it this weekend and we realize that things aren't going to change just because one digit on the calendar changes. We're still going to have crazy crap going on and 'stuff' hitting the fan from all kinds of angles. But...as long as we keep a level head, we'll make it. And where we lack? We've just got to trust that God will fill in for us.
Lane's doing much better. We have a nebulizer for here at the house (it's a penguin so Ryan has named it 'Tux') and the breathing treatments are helping.. Lane's meds are making him INSANE as well as an insomniac so we're thankful that tomorrow is the last day. (wOOt!)
And as tired as we are, we're happy.
'Cause we know we're going to make it.
And that's why 2011 is going to be better than 2010.
Sleepy boy...only took an hour to get him to go to bed.
Thursday night was Lane's first (and, OH, how I wish the last) trip to the emergency room. Ryan had band practice at the church so Lane and I had the evening to ourselves. He had a tiny bit of a runny nose, but was pretty much fine otherwise. We watched "Thoroughly Modern Millie", one of my favorite musicals, and had a blast. During Intermission I busted out some of my tap dancing skills from the good old days and he thought that was a hoot. He laughed and laughed and crawled over to me, sat up, and waved those arms like a mad man. I picked him up and we danced all over the living room. Might my sweet boy become a Fred Astaire? Possibly.
He went to bed at his normal time and showed no issues. Ryan got home, we talked a little, and went to bed around 9:30. At 10:45 I awoke to Lane crying hysterically. We both went in his room and tried to console him. We quickly noticed that he was wheezing considerably and struggling to breath. We thought maybe he was congested or...we just didn't know. I was rocking him and he stopped breathing for about three seconds. Ryan and I both sat up somewhat alarmed, and then Lane started breathing again...they were still raspy breaths and he was still crying. We kept rocking and after a few minutes, Lane stopped breathing again...this time for about 5-6 seconds. Now, yes, I know 5-6 seconds...we can hold our breath that long with no issues...but those were the longest seconds we've ever had. I got so scared, flipped him over, shook him and started yelling at him. And he started breathing. Ryan said, "Do you want to just take him in?" and I started crying and begging Ryan to get us to the emergency room. We threw on some clothes, grabbed the diaper bag, threw a blanket over Lane, and ran to the car. And on the way there, it was raining so Ryan was driving a little slower than normal...I was in the back seat and found myself almost wanting to SCREAM at him to drive faster. Looking back, I realize how quickly we can become meaner than grizzly bears when we think our babies are in jeopardy.
We got to the ER and walked in to the front window. The girl behind the window took down some info, but before I could even get to his symptoms, she said, "Goodness, I can hear him from here." There was already someone with the nursing tech being evaluated, but she ran around the corner, grabbed another tech, and told us to meet the girl around the corner. We didn't even have to sit down in the waiting room. So many times I see people in service positions that have the worst attitudes. This girl was so considerate and kind. It might have been that she was just doing her job, but still. The tech let us through the doors and I turned to Front Desk Girl and said, "Thank you so much." She turned around, smiled, and said, "You're welcome!" Not sure if the appreciation was made known, but I hope so.
The tech took down our info, a nurse came in right after to help with vitals. The doc also came in to check things out. We even had a paramedic student come in and ask if it was okay for him to listen to Lane's heart and lungs and take some notes. Usually, the students can get on my nerves a little, but this guy was so nice and kept playing with Lane. He said that he didn't get to see many babies and thus he didn't have as much experience with them so we let him hang around as much as he wanted.
The doc checked out Lane, asked us a few questions, and said that he thought it was croup. They nurse brought in a steroid to open Lane's lungs...which didn't go well. He screamed, fought, kicked, and screamed some more. Then came the breathing treatment...administered by Luna Lovegood herself. She walked in and I thought, 'Dang, this girl looks familiar.' She held the little hose up to Lane's face and we got the biggest kick out of him 'following' it with his mouth. He kept trying to put the hose in his mouth...you know what you look like when you hold up a drink and you're not paying close attention...and you do that searching-for-the-straw-thing with your mouth? Yeah....he was doing that with the little hose. The doc came in and started laughing and said, "You dig the peace pipe, huh?"
The nurse came back in to 'dig for boogers' so she could test for the flu and RSV. Next came the x-rays (on the way we had to walk by the nurse's station and Lane saw the 'steroid nurse' and instantly gave her the stink eye). I got him to sleep in the room and after about thirty minutes or so the nurse comes back with an antibiotic shot...translate that into more justification for the stink eye. After that Luna came back for another breathing treatment. And I'm totally not making fun. She was SOOO sweet. She not only looked just like her, but she talked super soft and was so gentle with Lane. I think all three of us felt so calm around her. We also wanted to ask about the nargles. After making sure he didn't have an allergic reaction to the shot, they let us go home. At 2:00 am.
Lane slept the whole way home and Ryan and I cried. Friday we both stayed home. Last Sunday our sermon was on Living in the Now. Normally when Lane is sick, one of us stays home while the other goes to work. We don't want to burn too much sick leave and we want to make sure that our duties at work don't fall too far behind. But the next morning we had a different outlook. We decided that we were both staying home and we weren't going to worry about work. We even bought a box of Little Debbie cakes.
I was talking to my mom Friday morning and she said, "Now, I thought you said that 2011 was going to be better?" And she's got a point. Ryan, Lane, and I have all had nasty colds, Ryan had a little bout with his 'weakness' issue again, I'm sporting a bruise that has all colors of the rainbow, and now Lane has croup. Things haven't improved.
What has improved is our outlook and understanding on everything. We talked about it this weekend and we realize that things aren't going to change just because one digit on the calendar changes. We're still going to have crazy crap going on and 'stuff' hitting the fan from all kinds of angles. But...as long as we keep a level head, we'll make it. And where we lack? We've just got to trust that God will fill in for us.
Lane's doing much better. We have a nebulizer for here at the house (it's a penguin so Ryan has named it 'Tux') and the breathing treatments are helping.. Lane's meds are making him INSANE as well as an insomniac so we're thankful that tomorrow is the last day. (wOOt!)
And as tired as we are, we're happy.
'Cause we know we're going to make it.
And that's why 2011 is going to be better than 2010.
Sleepy boy...only took an hour to get him to go to bed. 
Comments
Anyway, I'll be praying for you guys. I don't know what Ryan's "weakness" issues are, but it seems like there's always something to deal with. Good thing God is faithful, otherwise we would just all be a big mess!
Love you guys! (and miss you) {{hugs}}