Pneumonia (updated)

The post title doesn't match the first two pictures, but I'll explain.

Elena had a high fever that began on Tuesday night of last week. My mom came into town on Thursday to spend a long weekend with us and go to the Curious George Live show, so she was helping out. I took Elena to the pediatrician on Friday who said that Elena probably had roseola (even though she's had it before) and that her fever should be gone within 24 hours. She said that if her fever was below 101, we could go to the show. And it was, so we did.
Elena had a great time. Kevin too. He couldn't take his eyes of the stage. The show was fun and bright and cute. E has been a huge Curious George fan since the days when I first started letting her watch TV. We love PBS kids. Someday (when we have an income) I'll be happy to donate to public television. For now, we are total moochers. Anyway: it was a blast and she hasn't stopped listening to the soundtrack since.
Over the weekend, the fever didn't go away, it got higher (up to 104.7 a couple of times). And a little, very infrequent cough that I wasn't even concerned about previously became worrisome and frequent. So, we went back to the doctor on Sunday. This doc said that she could hear a little pneumonia on one side and sent us home with an antibiotic (Azithromycin).
Monday and Tuesday were the worst. High fevers, horrible cough day and night. I noticed no positive change with the antibiotic. Things seemed worse. Our actual doctor whom I love (Dr. Armentrout) was working, so I took E back to the pediatrician on Tuesday. Dr. Armentrout only works Tuesday/Thursday because she also stays at home with her kids the rest of the week. LOVE her! Long story short: I'm sure the other doctors diagnosed the best they could according to how Elena was presenting at the time, but by Tuesday afternoon: Dr. Armentrout found an ear infection, pnuemonia, and borderline O2 levels (89-90). She called ahead and then sent us to the ER (called the ED here) which is just down the street. After a very short wait, we got back Elena's chest Xrays. Pneumonia in both lungs. She was admitted at about 7pm.
They started her on IV antibiotics (2 different ones) and oxygen (You can see in the pics that it took her a while to get used to it and leave it in her nose). She is now doing great. She hasn't had a high fever since the middle of last night, she has been off of the oxygen for a few hours, and she's eating now. Last night she was breathing fast and shallow and now her O2 levels are normal (96). They are keeping her tonight to observe her and make sure everything stays great. We are expecting to take her home tomorrow. We even got to unplug her and take her upstairs to the rooftop playground. She started coughing like crazy after a while but had fun. It was so nice to see her run around. Sick, quiet, zombie Elena is so sad to see.
I'll have to post the playground pics soon. These photos are the only 5 that I uploaded while I was at home earlier. I just wanted to say thanks to my mom for staying longer and taking care of sweet Kevin and the house, thanks to Bethany for letting me steal Mom on your bday (Happy Birthday!), and thanks to you guys for your prayers and concern. I have to say that we knew that she was in good hands and going to be fine, but it is a scary/strange thing to have your kid in the hospital. No me gusta.

Last night when her fever was high, and her alarm kept going off because her oxygen was low, and she was so out of it that she was sleeping and crying at the same time, I said to Dan, "We are so lucky to be raising our kids now rather than 200 years ago." I can't imagine...

We are so very blessed. :)

4-1-10 UPDATE: She's home, happy/tired/cranky (mood swings in full effect), and not contagious!

What we've been up to:

Kevin is doing something new each day it seems. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago because he was constantly kneeling and peeking his head over the coffee table at us all. Now, I need a new picture because he doesn't kneel anymore, he only stands.
Kevin's first time eating spaghetti:
I started sewing. My mom came to visit and served as my personal instructor. I made these pajamas for Elena, and I'm now in the middle of a dress for her. She wanted scrub-like pjs since she wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
I am such a beginner at sewing, but I love it! I made some simple skirts (with Whit) and a pair of pajama pants (with Kathy) in college, but I've never followed a real pattern and made quality things before. I'm honestly shocked by how much I love it. It's so much fun.
Dan had a Saturday off and we went to the science museum. It was so great to spend time together as a family out of the house. Kevin was starting to feel a little sick that day, but he was a good sport (as always).
If you take a close look at E's hair as she watches Dan come down the slide, you can see that I was able to french braid it! I was so proud of myself (and of her for sitting still).
These pics are from the Virginia Zoo. Doesn't this turtle remind you of the one on The NeverEnding Story? Okay, maybe it's just me... :)
The zoo had a little train. The kids loved it, but it ended up being a tour of construction because they are currently building a huge new habitat, and the trains spends half of its time driving around there.The Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia has a really great Maurice Sendak exhibit right now. Elena had a blast playing with lots of fun props and my mom and I couldn't get enough of the stories of his life and events (including the Holocaust) that influenced his work. It was very interesting. This link is about an exhibit in San Fransisco, but it includes some of the stories about him.
We weren't allowed to take pics in the museum, but here's an awesome glass chandelier in the lobby. It's by Dale Chihuly and called Mille Colori. I've seen his work before, but I especially love this one because of the brilliant colors.
Finally: I am such a nerd - I loved filling out the census this week! I just felt like it was so cool to counted, to be part of my family, and to be American. I even took a picture of it. Nerd.

February fun!

Caleb and Elena after the preschool Valentine's Day party. They had a good time and loved looking at (and eating) their valentines. If you look carefully, you can see traces of Caleb's Harry Potter glasses that he "wears" everyday. He is such a cute and fun boy!
Kevin scoots! What a big boy! Now that he's moving, I really have to watch him carefully. He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. This has not been a good time for my vacuum to break. I have to use my little Dust Buster to get lint/etc. off the carpet. (Hopefully Dan will get a chance to take a look at it this weekend. He's a good handyman.)
My sister Bethany made this awesome sampler for Kevin, and my mom and I recently framed and hung it. Didn't she do a great job? I love it! Thanks, BB.
Thanks so much for ironing it, Mom. I was worried I would screw it up. It just looks perfect in his room.
Kevin really enjoyed seeing himself in the mirror of the toddler area at one of the local children's museums. I think you get a chance to see a little bit of scooting in this video too.

More museum pics: He needed some support to stay upright, but I can't believe he was big enough to sit on this with both feet touching the floor! He enjoyed himself.

Playing dress up!

In the built-it room:

Baby Games

Don't you love when little ones are finally old enough to play? This video is from Christmastime. Elena and I watched it the other day, and I just had to post it. Kevin's such a happy baby - sometimes he just can't contain his joy!

All our videos are dark and grainy now. How sad that a 4 year old camera is considered ancient?!

Family Photos

I have always wanted a wall in our house dedicated to family pictures. Many of my friends have one, and they always look so great. Well, the way our house is set up, there wasn't really a good spot. Plus, when we first moved in to this house, I suppose we didn't really have enough people in the family (just 2) to warrant a photo wall.

A couple of months ago I decided that it was time. I had already taken Elena to get her picture taken in May, and then I took both kids in December. So now I had the photographs. In January, I went to Michael's and bought the frames. I put them up over our piano and...Viola! Here is the finished arrangement. I know it's small, but I'm really excited. I can't wait to add to it over the years!

My Big Girl is 3!

Sunday was Elena's actual birthday. We had waffles for dinner (per her request) and enjoyed a nice evening at home with Granny, Granddad, and Aunt BB.
Because Monday was a holiday and that's when my parents were able to come, we had Elena's birthday party on MLK Day. She wanted to have a pajama party, so we invited all of her friends over for a light brunch in the morning.

We ate mini-muffins and orange juice:

Poor Shelley and Kristin had to eat on the kitchen floor.
I guess the front room got pretty crowded.

The kids all played for a while:

Elena and Reese in the foreground.

Ms Humphreys kept Kevin entertained during the party.

I read "The Napping House": Pin a star in the night sky:

Raegan's turn. I just held the blindfold on their faces.
It was easier than tying it.
It didn't stop a couple of them from peeking though. :)

Pinata time:

Dan was brave enough to hold on the end of a stick.
(We looked around for a star/moon pinata, but no luck.)
Some of the kids really got into it. I wish I had a video of Luke!

Elena blew out the candles:

I hope that she made a wish because I forgot to remind her!

Everyone ate the cupcakes:

This is one of only 2 pictures were I was able to get with multiple kids in the picture together.

Time to open presents:

The audience.

And play some more:

Laurel and Elena with her new easel and princess dress.

The party was a lot of fun. I never would have thought that we could host 20 kids at our house at once, but I think it was a success. I'm so grateful that people took the time out of their holiday to come and help us celebrate with Elena!

A couple of days after her birthday, Elena got something special in the mail from Barbie and Kevin (via woot.com). Isn't this little foam house awesome?
She'll be loving it for years. I used to pretend I had a clubhouse by putting a tablecloth over my parents' card table, and now my kids have a little house with a flower garden and a skylight! :) I set it up in about 20 minutes and it's supposed to be very easy to take down too. Although, she's enjoying it too much for me to find out yet. :)

7 Months Today!

Kevin Ezequiel in a nutshell:

• Very, very happy child.
• Loves his sister, mom, and dad.
• 8 teeth!
• Good eater.
• Loves banging things: spoon on table/toy hammer on the floor/small toy on a larger toy. Anything will do.
• Great napper. (I deserved that this time around.)
• Still immobile. He just spins in circles on the floor and rolls a lot.
• Enjoys grabbing noses and trying to pull/twist them off.
• Gives awesome, wet kisses.
• Hates having his nose wiped/face cleaned. This one is unfortunate since he's currently getting over croup and has a fountain pouring out of his nose all day.
• 19 pounds!
  
• Freaks out when a book is being read to him. He loves it.
  
• Almost never cries. Seriously. (Well...except this week when he's been so pitiful and sick.)
• Very loved!!!
  

The Lake

Dan is very busy with school and studying, and on days-off, we generally end up playing games at the home or going to my parents However, we do occasionally get out and do fun things with just the 4 of us. Don't believe me? I have proof!
Dan got a child bike seat for Christmas, so we went on a run/bike ride around a nearby lake. We didn't do the whole 7 miles (hah!), but we had a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day. We even switched for a while I got to ride with Elena while he ran with Kevin. Elena insisted that we switch back though because "Daddy goes faster."

When we asked her what her favorite part of the morning was, she said, "Throwing rocks at the lake." I wasn't surprised since she asked us to stop and let her throw rocks a dozen times. How beautiful is my sweet boy?!