Day 1 Without Grandma and Grandpa

Well Grandma and Grandpa are no longer here visiting with us. They left yesterday to fly back to America. It was sure nice to have them here. The kids really enjoyed them being here. Spencer enjoyed running with Grandpa every morning. Spencer was also really glad that Grandpa was here when he had an important dentist appointment and actually pulled out two of Spencer's teeth! (Grandpa Wheeler is a dentist!) And Emma enjoyed calling, "Grandpa Wheeler, Grandpa Wheeler" every 30 seconds or so. Emma also enjoyed playing board games with Grandma Wheeler. Emma was up stairs sleeping when Grandma and Grandpa left for the airport. And when she woke up from her nap, the first thing she asked , "where is Grandma Wheeler?".

Emma woke up sick yesterday morning. I thought it was croup. Croup is characterized by a loud cough that resembles the barking of a seal, difficulty breathing, and a grunting noise or wheezing during breathing. She didn't really have the cough but the breathing part was grunting and wheezing. My kids have had croup more times than I can count, and decided this is what she had.

Emma also had a fever. She was so hot, I was getting hot by her just sitting on me. She was not eating or drinking. She became someone that just laid on me. She was extremely lethargic (deficient in alertness or activity). And I started to worry. I thought, if her breathing is this bad already during the day, what will it be like tonight. As Croup is usually worse during the night. So at 4pm, I had Gardner call the doctors office. With it being a Friday, I knew everything would be closed for the weekend and then I would be doing a Hospital Visit if I got too concerned. So, off to the doctors I went with Emma.

Come to find out, Emma has Croup and Bronchitis (an inflammation of the air passages within your lungs). The doctor prescribed an inhaler for Emma with this chamber device for little kids. It is fantastic. Here is a picture of it.



She gets two pumps of the inhaler. It stays in the chamber between the inhaler and the breathing mask until she breathes it. And let me tell ya, that is not easy. She fights me and I have to hold her down. I feel so bad. But she needs it. I can't tell if it is helping at all right now. She goes back into the doctors on Monday.

Last night around 12 midnight, she woke up and she threw up. The poor girl. We gave her some Mineral Water (bubbly water that is most common to drink here in Germany). She loves the stuff and she just kept burping. I was so afraid of her throwing up again. I got out a bowl just incase she had to throw up again and everytime she burped we would put that bowl under her chin and she would push it away and say, "not yet, not yet!". I personally went to bed at 1:30am and Gardner stayed up with her longer. It seemed like she breathed a lot better when she was sitting up and not laying down.

Shantal and Gardner had a date night last night and went to a Concert. At first, Shantal kept saying she didn't want to go. I know, sometimes things sounds so boring. And I guess, this is one of those things she thought was boring. I told her she had to go. We usually know that the kids will have a great time once they actually leave. And this time was just the same as usual. When she came home, at 11 pm (really late for our Shantal), I asked her if she had fun. And of course, the answer was yes. She was so excited about it. Started talking about who she saw there, where they went, the seats at the concert. And of course, she was overly excited about being up really late.

Now, it is Saturday. I guess we are kind of taking it easy this morning. It is World Card Making Day (yes there is such a thing!). I would like to make at least one homemade card today. But we will have to see if I get the chance with Emma not feeling so well. We also will be spending some time at the Church today for some meetings. I need to be there at 3pm and then I will come home and Gardner will go at 6pm.

And then school starts back up on Monday. The kids have been off for 2 weeks for the Fall Holidays that they get every year. It will be hard to be back on a schedule again. But it will also be nice to have some quiet time in the mornings again while they three older ones are at school. Emma and Ian are so much more calm when they are gone and the two play very well together.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tamara