Colds, Coughs, and Fevers

Cold, coughs, and fevers have been plaguing our family for almost three weeks now. I am anxious for EVERYONE to be completely well. Perhaps by Mother's Day that will happen.

No Sick Days for Moms

Getting sick is horrible for a mom. You can't just lay in bed all day. Children need to be taken care of. Diapers need to be changed. Teenagers need to be taken places. Meals need to be fixed. And the list can go on and on. This week I finally succumbed to a sickness that is making its rounds in our home. On the second day of my illness, Dave-o asked me to play sharks with him. He had just bought a great white shark toy with his own money and was dying to show it off. 

Now, whenever I play with Dave-o we play house, so-to-speak. Just minus the dolls. Sometimes it's using dinosaurs, or lego mini-figures. Today it was sharks. He handed me a mommy shark and Dave-o was of course the daddy. Then there were three children that we took turns being. I was feeling really sick at this point and had the mommy shark say, "I'm sick today." Daddy shark said, "Ok. You stay in bed." Then he swam off and returned with a Lego stud, giving it to mommy, explaining that it was an Advil. Next, he said, "Ok. I have to go to work. But I'll find someone to watch the kids for you." Sure enough, a cousin joined the shark family and played with the children while mommy slept. 

You're going to make a great husband, Dave-o.

Staying Home

I had great plans to spend this week doing fun children activities since it was only Dave-o, Loni, and I at home. Activities like, the Children's Museum, Happy Hollow, the zoo, etc. But, sickness kept us home. Dave-o has been running a fever for five days with a sore throat. Today he is finally fever free. Loni has the same thing, but thankfully on a lesser scale. She's dealing with conjunctivitis right now.

It's the thought that counts, right?

Monday Madness

Early this morning I said goodbye to Kirsten as she left for a week long Girls Camp. When I got home, Daveo was awake and not feeling well. He had diarrhea, a fever, and felt like throwing up. How was I going to drive Steven to his Orchestra Camp with a nauseous child? I'm so used to having a least one "babysitting-age" child at home at all times for situations like this. Steven suggested we wait a bit and see if Daveo improves. Once the medicine did it's job with bringing down his fever, he no longer felt like throwing up. Thank goodness. I've had enough puking for a while. 

I finally get Steven to where he needed to be; late, but at least he made it. I love the adobe style of the building he'll be staying in until Friday. This will be his last year with the symphony, so I hope he has a good experience this week. 

Daveo's stomach issues lasted the rest of the day, but by evening he felt a lot better. 

Then, Justin walked in the door wincing in pain after playing basketball at the park. (This is a common occurrence. Basketball=injuries with him). A guy had bumped into him, jamming his thumb. It's really swollen and painful right now. We'll have to see how it feels tomorrow.

I'm so glad this day is almost over.

Trying to Trick my Body

I awoke this morning thinking my body would be feeling better. (Mind over matter isn't all it's cracked up to be.) After all, my niece, Mary, was actively enjoying life again after day three of this horrible flu. This is day four for me and yet my body still aches, my nose is still congested, and my cough still persists. Oh, to be young again. I envy you, Mary!

After eating breakfast and downing my Advil, I found enough energy to make a quick trip to Target. I desperately needed to get out of my house, thinking I could trick my body into feeling normal again.

An hour later I was wiped out. I crashed on the couch and watched bits and pieces of General Conference. Dave-o was very excited to see his mommy out of bed and insisted I be his play buddy (which was fine by me; I had missed our play dates).

In between rainstorms, a friend of ours came over to help David rebuild some new gates for our yard. Next they'll work on the fence.

In the evening I sent my boys and man off to the Priesthood session of conference and quietly hung out with Kirsten and Dave-o. We ate cereal for dinner and watched a lot of Backyardigan episodes until Dave-o's bedtime.

It is now 9pm and my eyes are as heavy as a two ton elephant. Good night!

Another one Bites the Dust

It is Kirsten's turn to be sick now. Her body is fighting the same flu that has been plaguing our family for the past month. This particular bug seems to have a long incubation period, with someone falling victim to it every other week. The remaining survivors thus far are myself, David, and James. I know it's only time...

Hanging Out

 Dave-o woke up sick, which explains why he was so grouchy yesterday. It appears to be the same thing that Steven and Justin had last week. At nine this morning his little body and lips began to shiver uncontrollably. From there his temperature kept rising. His thumb looks like a raisin from being in his mouth nonstop. 

(Steven is the goalie and James is wearing light blue and shorts.)

(Kirsten is blowing bubbles with her gum.)

The schools in our area have the week off (Ski Week). Justin played basketball at the park with Kyle and worked out at the gym with Merek. James and Steven gathered a bunch of friends together to play street hockey. And Kirsten played with Fiona all afternoon. I'm glad they all have friends to hang out with especially since a little boy needed my attention for most of the day.

My Sick Boys

My two Davids have recently been under the weather. David has been fighting off a cold for quite some time. Last Sunday he woke up to plugged and achy sinuses and ears. With doctor's offices being closed, I searched online for a home remedy; anything to relieve some of the pain. I found a few articles that recommended drinking a liquid mixture of 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar to 8 ounces warm water twice a day. Since we had both ingredients, I put on my witches hat, said a few spells and gave the potion to my sick husband. His reaction to the taste was comical. The twitching and gagging and screaming that this was the grossest thing he has ever had was unforgettable. Almost immediately after forcing the liquid down, David noticed an improvement. He could feel his sinuses opening up. We were both amazed at the results. He repeated the above treatment in the evening and by Monday David was at work feeling great.

Dave-o woke up Tuesday to a fever that progressively rose as the day went on. By bedtime he had a temperature of 103.9 degrees. A cool bath brought it down one degree giving him enough relief to sleep. In the morning, he was cool as a cucumber, but by the afternoon the fever began again. Today he is fever-free (thus far).  Other than being a bit over-clingy with me, Dave-o seems to be feeling a lot better.

Get Weller, Mom

Me, Kirsten, and my mom
I believe this was taken in June of 2006. Houston, TX

Last night my mom had her gallbladder removed. She had been admitted into the ER for excruciating pain earlier that morning. Morphine was pumped into her body while she waited for a surgeon to arrive from Brigham City, UT. After a successful removal of her organ, the surgeon told my dad that the gallbladder had been badly infected. If they had waited till the next day to operate, she wouldn't have been stable enough to endure the procedure.

I am grateful for modern medicine and for a mother who is a saint.

Get well Mom. Love you!

Day One of Springbreak

Our first day of springbreak and it RAINED.

This morning I took Kirsten to a different doctor because she is still wheezing. The doctor looked at her chart and was surprised that the previous doctor diagnosed her with pneumonia without even doing a lung x-ray. She spent 15 minutes telling me the reasons that she believes Kirsten has asthma. It's allergy season right now and she doesn't have any other symptoms except for a cough and wheezing. The antibiotics didn't work, which is more proof that she never had pneumonia. So, Dr. McNabb put Kirsten on a different inhaler to use twice a day until her wheezing improves (4-5 days) and then once a day until allergy season is over. This inhaler will strengthen her lungs. We are also supposed to watch her closely to see what it is that's causing this allergy. Is she worse when it rains? Than it might be mold. Or is she worse when we notice the trees dropping things. The doctor said that there are a lot of Oak trees in the valley that many people are allergic to.

After lunch, it was still raining so I took the kids to the church where they played various games in the gym.

Justin spent the entire time shooting some b-ball. Dave-o explored.

James and Steven played dodgeball and hide-and-seek

Kirsten played her Gameboy. She wasn't feeling well.

Easter Sunday

Easter morning began like all the others.
The kids got up and went straight to their baskets excited about the contents.

Then I did something that I've never done on Easter. I took Kirsten to the doctor's office. On Saturday I had noticed that her cough was worse and even heard her wheezing. I immediately called Kaiser and they made an appointment at an office that is open on weekends. After a thorough examination, the doctor said that Kirsten has Walking Pneumonia. She was given a breathing treatment which made her feel "funny" in the head. We picked up antibiotics and a breathing mask and inhaler. Kirsten now has to rest, which is hard to get her to do since she feels fine.

Once home, we had an Easter egg hunt. Just as we finished, it began to rain. And it rained for the remainder of the day. We finished watching General Conference and had a yummy ham dinner with apple pie for dessert. Later on in the evening, I turned on "Easter Parade" thinking that the kids would skedaddle once they realized it was a musical. I was wrong. They actually sat through the entire movie (except for Kirsten who went to bed). The kids even got mad at their dad when he started flying his remote control helicopter (that the Easter bunny gave him) over their heads. They repeatedly asked him to stop because they couldn't hear the movie. Now that I know the kids can sit through a musical, I'm going to take them to a theater nearby that plays "old" movies on a big screen.

Unbeknownst to the kids, I filled 4 bright orange eggs (Justin is holding one) with a dollar bill.

I scattered a few on the grass for Dave-o, but he only had eyes for the bright pink one. He had fun shaking it around.

Note: If you click on the first picture of Dave-o, you can see his bottom teeth poking through.

Something Old, New, and Strange

Something Old: The Dodge Durango just reached 100,000+ miles.
Something New: Each year, I enjoy making new ornaments for our Christmas tree. Usually all of the children get involved, but this time I could persuade only Kirsten to join in. I love having Kirsten as my co-crafter because she hums while she works. You can't help but smile when there's a hummer nearby. Here's our finished product. I got the idea from here.

Something Strange: Right this very moment, Justin, James, Kirsten, and Dave-o are taking naps! Five out of six asleep in broad daylight is a record. Justin and James have a good reason to be asleep as they are sick. I don't know why Kirsten is sleeping...I hope she's not coming down with the flu.

Flu Season

It's been a while since I've posted. I have discovered that it's hard to get back in the habit of writing on my blog after being absent for so long. I've had a good excuse though...The FLU set up camp in our home last Tuesday, and is still here. Kirsten was the first to succumb to the sickness, with me following a day behind. We endured high fevers, headaches, body aches, coughing, and congestion. All of this lasted 5 days. Then, when I thought the rest of the family had escaped this flu, Dave-o woke up sick (poor baby). The next day (today), David, Justin, and Steven awoke to the same horrible symptoms.

It's a good thing I still had some of my "good stuff" left over from post-childbirth. That extra, extra strength ibuprofen rocks! I was even nice enough to save some for David.

I wonder how long it will be before James is down and out...

Taking My Meds

This is the last day on my second round of penicillin for my urinary track infection. Last Monday, (only two days after I had finished my first round of medicine) I awoke to that all too familiar burning feeling. So, I went to the doctor and was told that I tested positive for another infection. If this happens again, I will be sent to a urologist. I am hoping and praying that it won't come to this.

I've had my fair share of urologists. When I was younger, I had to have my urethra tube stretched. Each year following this procedure (until I was 16), a urologist checked to make sure everything was still functioning properly. The method of doing this was extremely painful.

Worse case scenario, if I get yet another infection, I will be prepared with:

Not the End of the World

Once again, I am not feeling well. I have been on medicine since Monday for my urinary track infection. During this time I have been suffering from aches, chills, and fevers. What else could be wrong with me? I should be feeling better by now. I called a nurse asking her if my symptoms had anything to do with my medication.

She said, "No. It sounds like you have a viral infection. You probably picked it up while at the doctors on Monday."

I don't think it's a viral infection. Wouldn't other members of my family be sick?

When David came home from work yesterday, I poured out my frustrations to him about being sick. Tears and all. When will my body be healthy and strong again? I hate feeling this way. I want to be strong again. I want to be able to go for walks and play with my children again. I want to be able to go through the day without taking pain medicine.

In the middle of my self pity party, I said rather dramatically to David, "Am I going to die?"

Kirsten overheard our conversation and came over to me saying, "It's not the end of the world, Mom. You're not going to die. It's not the end of the world."

Then she hugged me and I was cured.

Thank you Kirsten for your wisdom and love.

It is NOT the end of the world.

Re-Smile

David is four weeks old today. He is outgrowing his newborn clothes and is wearing a size one diaper. I can't believe how quickly he is growing.

These past four weeks have gone by slow yet quick. Does that make sense? It went by slow while life was actually happening. But, quick now that I'm looking back at it.

Everyday I am thankful that I have a healthy baby. I on the other hand have not been very healthy. I've had a cold, mastitis, and now I have a urinary track infection. All of this in four weeks. Yikes! Will I ever be healthy?

And now...Here's what you've all been waiting for...
A picture of David smiling!
I had some fun with the picture using a website called picnik.
You can go here to try it out for yourself. It's addicting and FREE.

Sick House

Our Easter week is over. Deborah and her family have come and gone. They came with healthy bodies and dreams of a fun-filled week. Our family welcomed them with the same expectations.

But Monday morning greeted us with a very sick James. Everyday after that, another victim fell. One after the other...Each succumbing to this "plague" that had infested our home.

"When will this end?" Deborah and I kept asking each other.

In the midst of fever, pain, coughing, sneezing, lack of sleep, etc. there were little moments of fun that kept us all going.

On Monday, we took Kirsten, Sean, Aaron, and Kamea to the park.



I taught Deborah some sewing basics. She even made a miniature quilt (doll size).

Thursday evening, James was able to attend a San Jose Shark's playoff game versus the Anaheim Ducks with Grandma Zinn (he was the only one healthy enough to go). Unfortunately the Sharks lost, but James still had a blast. He was able to spend valuable time with his grandma, he sat on the first row behind the goal, and was shown on TV many times.
Back at home, we watched the game and excitedly yelled, "There's James!" every time the camera panned his area.

Friday evening, David came home from work early to watch the children while Deborah and I escaped the "sick house" for a couple of hours. Even though we were both sleep deprived, we enjoyed this break. Deborah faced her fears of "buffet style" restaurants and agreed to eat at Fresh Choice. Then, we went to the mall in search of a nursing bra for myself and new clothes for Deborah.

Saturday, Thavee made the drive here from San Diego to take his family home. We (the adults) spent this last evening going out to dinner, grabbing a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, and eating it at home while watching Twilight.

The kids enjoyed their time together. Even the time spent being sick. At least they had company in their misery. Kirsten especially enjoyed having Sean to ride scooters with. They were together the entire week. And I enjoyed being with my sister. We will for sure never forget this week.

The next time we see the Douangaphiavong family, we will have a new member to our family. Only 4 more weeks before David joins us.

A New Cure for Germs

This is a cute letter that Steven wrote to his brother James, who was sick at the time. Here is what it says in case you can't see the words well enough in the picture:

Dear, James
I know you have germs, that's why I gave you this dragon so it can chomp the germs.
to James from Steven