Dave and I got married last weekend. It was a beautiful evening and the ceremony was great.
I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time, but its not like anyone is going to tell you they had a horrible time at your wedding.
I will post photos when I get the professional ones back. Obviously I wasnt lugging around a camera, so I dont even have any to share anyways.
Mali keeps saying at dinner "Mummy, did you marry daddy?" followed by " Daddy, did you marry mummy?" rinse and repeat 50 times. Im really glad both the girls were able to be a part of the night and that Mali will remember it.
During the ceremony I wrote in a piece about Mali having been so sick and how pleased we were that she was here with us and well. She heard her name and yelled out "It's me!! I'm Mal!!" as she ran around on the wet grass with Spencer and Kaiden catching bubbles. That did me in, it took everything not to burst into tears.
Alex discovered if you scream "mamamamama mama" long enough you WILL get handed back to mum.
Davids mum ripped up the dance floor and my brother busted out some disco moves. My mum, step Dad and two close friends did a wonderful drunk ABBA impression. Matt, the best man, made a cracker of a speech, that I doubt will ever be topped and was the talk of the night.
All in all it was a great night!!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Reporting back
Last night was good. Small group of friends, dinner, drinks and singing.
There were no shenanigans other than a veil with devil horns....thanks guys.
(Oh and a hens night is a bachelorette party.....female bucks night....I don't know, the last party before you get married with a group of female friends)
There were no shenanigans other than a veil with devil horns....thanks guys.
(Oh and a hens night is a bachelorette party.....female bucks night....I don't know, the last party before you get married with a group of female friends)
Friday, November 14, 2008
Hens Night
I've got my Hens night tonight.....there better be no shenanigans.
Im looking forward to some drinks and singstar action (have I mentioned I kick butt at this thing?) followed by a night of sleep without kids.
How wild of me. I will report back tomorrow.
Im looking forward to some drinks and singstar action (have I mentioned I kick butt at this thing?) followed by a night of sleep without kids.
How wild of me. I will report back tomorrow.
Monday, November 10, 2008
What?
This morning I took Mali to her favourite park. Everything was good, we went early so there wouldnt be heaps of people then the devil appeared. Mali wanted to go and play on the rope climbing thingy and I said no.
She SPAT at me!!
Where on earth did she learn this?? I don't spit, David doesn't spit. The only time we spit is if we tell her to spit out after brushing her teeth. And it wasn't like she spat at me without knowing it was bad. She pulled a horrible face and spat AT me. She doesn't go to daycare so I don't know where she got this from.
So being the mean mum that I can be, we left straight away. Maybe a warning was called for first, but her behavior has been, well that of a 2 year old lately and I'm trying to get her to realize that I mean business. So far I don't think its working. If I tell her that she needs to be a good girl I mostly just get screaming of 'I'm being a good girl' with tears and pushing and yelling.....
This too shall pass, right?
She SPAT at me!!
Where on earth did she learn this?? I don't spit, David doesn't spit. The only time we spit is if we tell her to spit out after brushing her teeth. And it wasn't like she spat at me without knowing it was bad. She pulled a horrible face and spat AT me. She doesn't go to daycare so I don't know where she got this from.
So being the mean mum that I can be, we left straight away. Maybe a warning was called for first, but her behavior has been, well that of a 2 year old lately and I'm trying to get her to realize that I mean business. So far I don't think its working. If I tell her that she needs to be a good girl I mostly just get screaming of 'I'm being a good girl' with tears and pushing and yelling.....
This too shall pass, right?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
But....
Not so thankful for banning gay marriages in some states. Not that my country is any better on this topic and I wish we had a chance to vote and even one state where it was legal.
At least I can hold on to the fact that I'm sure it will become legal within my lifetime. It annoys me to no end that at my wedding the celebrant will have to say the bit about marriage being between a man and woman.
At least I can hold on to the fact that I'm sure it will become legal within my lifetime. It annoys me to no end that at my wedding the celebrant will have to say the bit about marriage being between a man and woman.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sugar coating it
Sitting at the dinner table and Mali as usual is kicking Daddy in the leg. I think she does it without even realizing.
Daddy: Mali, would you please stop kicking my leg?
Mali: Um...I'm just patting it with my foots, ok?
Daddy: No, you kicking me, please stop.
Mali: No, its nice, I'm just patting you with my foots.
Daddy: Mali, would you please stop kicking my leg?
Mali: Um...I'm just patting it with my foots, ok?
Daddy: No, you kicking me, please stop.
Mali: No, its nice, I'm just patting you with my foots.
Ready for this?
Its a big one!!
Alex slept through the night!! Last night she slept from 7:20pm til 6 amazing am.
Of course I didn't sleep and had to check her every 15 minutes, but this is a child who her longest sleep has been 5 hours (and that was only once). I know theres no guarantees for tonight or the night after, but its a start.
On a side note - Mali is watching cartoons and one just finished. She exclaimed 'It finished, Goodness me!'
Alex slept through the night!! Last night she slept from 7:20pm til 6 amazing am.
Of course I didn't sleep and had to check her every 15 minutes, but this is a child who her longest sleep has been 5 hours (and that was only once). I know theres no guarantees for tonight or the night after, but its a start.
On a side note - Mali is watching cartoons and one just finished. She exclaimed 'It finished, Goodness me!'
Monday, November 3, 2008
Tires...I mean Tired......Ughh
Im so tired. Alex doesn't sleep unless she is attached to the boob and I cant sleep when she is there. Last night she woke at 1am and fed until 6:30am when she was wide awake, as was Mali who was kicking me in the back. Thanks Dad for bringing her to bed at 5am this morning!!
I've had enough. Starting tonight Alex will be forced to have bottles during the night and if she wont go back to sleep in the bassinet she can have a dummy or scream. I cant keep doing this.
I had a tooth pulled today and all I was hoping for was that the pain would be enough that I would HAVE to have someone else watch the girls so I could sleep alone for a few hours. Wasn't quite painful enough and I sucked it up and took the both home for a nap with one kicking me in the back and the other glued to my boob.
I've had enough. Starting tonight Alex will be forced to have bottles during the night and if she wont go back to sleep in the bassinet she can have a dummy or scream. I cant keep doing this.
I had a tooth pulled today and all I was hoping for was that the pain would be enough that I would HAVE to have someone else watch the girls so I could sleep alone for a few hours. Wasn't quite painful enough and I sucked it up and took the both home for a nap with one kicking me in the back and the other glued to my boob.
Friday, September 19, 2008
I can do this
See, no pictures and I can post!!
According to our doctor, Mali is okay. He said her lungs sound clear but gave me a script just in case. Im still worried though.
We held off on Alexs needles until Mali is well just incase Alex gets it too. I had a blood test to check my thyroid function. I think Ive got the cold too. Fun, Fun.
Tomorrow we have a meeting with the venue for our wedding which means I will be leaving Alex with my mum for a few hours. Im sure she will be fine, but she is such a mummies girl. The we have a wedding tomorrow night. The ceremony is at 3 so I will leave the girls with mum again and then the reception doesnt start till 6pm (why on earth do people think its okay to ask their guests to find something to do for 2+ hours inbetween). Dave is going to the pub with some work mates but Im going to go back to my mums so I can feed Alex and give them a break. Then I will go back for the reception and then pick up Alex on the way home. If Mali is not feeling well I will pick her up too. I should be looking forward to these things but Im not. In fact it all sounds like alot of work and I would prefer to send Alex to my mum so I could sleep all day.
According to our doctor, Mali is okay. He said her lungs sound clear but gave me a script just in case. Im still worried though.
We held off on Alexs needles until Mali is well just incase Alex gets it too. I had a blood test to check my thyroid function. I think Ive got the cold too. Fun, Fun.
Tomorrow we have a meeting with the venue for our wedding which means I will be leaving Alex with my mum for a few hours. Im sure she will be fine, but she is such a mummies girl. The we have a wedding tomorrow night. The ceremony is at 3 so I will leave the girls with mum again and then the reception doesnt start till 6pm (why on earth do people think its okay to ask their guests to find something to do for 2+ hours inbetween). Dave is going to the pub with some work mates but Im going to go back to my mums so I can feed Alex and give them a break. Then I will go back for the reception and then pick up Alex on the way home. If Mali is not feeling well I will pick her up too. I should be looking forward to these things but Im not. In fact it all sounds like alot of work and I would prefer to send Alex to my mum so I could sleep all day.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Damn it
Look at that, I haven't posted in, well 3 weeks... Yep, its official, I'm not a reliable blogger, but if you actually check in here you would already know that. Keep coming back though, it will be like a great surprise each time you click to see whether there is something new or not.
I sent Mali to the creche at the local club the other day for 2 hours while I met up with the Mothers group for Alex. Bad Idea. She had a good time but she now has a nasty cold and I'm crossing everything that its JUST a cold. Please don't let us go through all that again. She is so upset too that her nose is blocked and her throat is sore, I'm sure its bringing back some memories for her:(
Alex seems a bit better, she doesn't scream nearly as often and we are now getting some small stretches of sleep at night. We are booked in to go to tresillian on Oct 12Th which is a residential stay program which will hopefully help with both Mali and Alex's sleeping. Judy at the cottage brought up the idea that perhaps my milk supply issue is due to my thyroid (I have the antibodies for Hasimotos and it has gone hypo before), so I will go get a thyroid function test tomorrow. I also have to get Alex her 2 month needles :( Should be a fun day....
Oh and it just occurred to me that the reason I don't update is because I hate uploading photos. If I just type and throw in photos occasionally we should see an increase in posts! Kthanxbai
I sent Mali to the creche at the local club the other day for 2 hours while I met up with the Mothers group for Alex. Bad Idea. She had a good time but she now has a nasty cold and I'm crossing everything that its JUST a cold. Please don't let us go through all that again. She is so upset too that her nose is blocked and her throat is sore, I'm sure its bringing back some memories for her:(
Alex seems a bit better, she doesn't scream nearly as often and we are now getting some small stretches of sleep at night. We are booked in to go to tresillian on Oct 12Th which is a residential stay program which will hopefully help with both Mali and Alex's sleeping. Judy at the cottage brought up the idea that perhaps my milk supply issue is due to my thyroid (I have the antibodies for Hasimotos and it has gone hypo before), so I will go get a thyroid function test tomorrow. I also have to get Alex her 2 month needles :( Should be a fun day....
Oh and it just occurred to me that the reason I don't update is because I hate uploading photos. If I just type and throw in photos occasionally we should see an increase in posts! Kthanxbai
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Cranky
We had a busy day today.
First off, I must have broken a mirror or walked under a ladder or something, because my Mum crashed her car this morning. She is okay, the car however, is not. This year just keeps getting better and better....
I then took Mali and Alex to our appointment at the cottage and Alex slept in the bassinet for about an hour. Why cant I get her to do this at home? It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. One positive thing is that the nurse is going to loan me an electric breast pump to try to get enough milk to allow someone else to give her a bottle and let e have a bit of sleep.
We then headed off to our paediatrician appointment. He said her shaking legs are nothing to worry about and they should stop by the time she is 3-4 months. Neurologically she looks fine and her muscle tone is good. He lowered the Zantac to 0.8ml twice a day as he thinks her crankiness is not linked to the reflux. I'm now on a dairy free diet for 4 days to see if that improves things and if not we will try a prescription formula to see if there is some other sensitivity going on. I also have to get a urine sample from her to rule out a UTI. She doesn't have a temperature and is having plenty of wet nappies but he said it could still be a possibility.
I finally get breastfeeding working (in that she is gaining weight, never mind the fact I spend all day feeding) and now I have to give up all dairy...Grr...I need chocolate!!! I'm thinking of just trying formula anyway, the prescription one will cost a fortune and maybe regular formula will work. I really want the breastfeeding to work out though, so I guess I will keep at it for a while and see what we come up with.
On a lighter note, Mali has been telling us 'When I'm older I can drive a car!' She seems pretty keen on this idea and is telling everyone.
First off, I must have broken a mirror or walked under a ladder or something, because my Mum crashed her car this morning. She is okay, the car however, is not. This year just keeps getting better and better....
I then took Mali and Alex to our appointment at the cottage and Alex slept in the bassinet for about an hour. Why cant I get her to do this at home? It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. One positive thing is that the nurse is going to loan me an electric breast pump to try to get enough milk to allow someone else to give her a bottle and let e have a bit of sleep.
We then headed off to our paediatrician appointment. He said her shaking legs are nothing to worry about and they should stop by the time she is 3-4 months. Neurologically she looks fine and her muscle tone is good. He lowered the Zantac to 0.8ml twice a day as he thinks her crankiness is not linked to the reflux. I'm now on a dairy free diet for 4 days to see if that improves things and if not we will try a prescription formula to see if there is some other sensitivity going on. I also have to get a urine sample from her to rule out a UTI. She doesn't have a temperature and is having plenty of wet nappies but he said it could still be a possibility.
I finally get breastfeeding working (in that she is gaining weight, never mind the fact I spend all day feeding) and now I have to give up all dairy...Grr...I need chocolate!!! I'm thinking of just trying formula anyway, the prescription one will cost a fortune and maybe regular formula will work. I really want the breastfeeding to work out though, so I guess I will keep at it for a while and see what we come up with.
On a lighter note, Mali has been telling us 'When I'm older I can drive a car!' She seems pretty keen on this idea and is telling everyone.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
6 Weeks of this -
Alex has reflux. So we have had a lot of screaming and not a lot of sleeping. We did start her on Zantac and whilst it has helped with the screaming, she still does not sleep a lot and only sleeps if she is being held.
Just so I can show that she is not always screaming, here's one with Mali and her out of control hair. Mali has such fine hair that is always everywhere. It is so hard to keep it under control. Any tips?
That crazy hair again. My two babies (I'm pretty sure she is over the weight limit).
I managed to catch a picture of Alex asleep somewhere other then on a person. She did wake up after 20 minutes, but you take what you can get. She is 6 weeks old in this picture and we still get stopped by people everywhere to ask how big she is and who think she is a week old, she is so little compared to Mali.
Here's Mali at 6 weeks with Auntie Sam, Uncle Greg and Spencer.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
A day with Trains
We took Mali to the local miniature steam trains last weekend. Silly me didn't put her in enclosed shoes but luckily they had a pair there that fit. Who would have known that enclosed cloth shoes would save your toes in the event of a train derailment??
Alex just chilled in her sling. I had sandals on too, so no train for me, but a cute sleepy baby made up for it.
Waiting to leave the station
And were off
Back and looking like it was a tiring trip.Mali loved it and keeps asking to go back. Its only open the first Saturday of each month but were planning a picnic for next time.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Baby Talk
Mali spouted some great one through the pregnancy and since Alex's arrival. Here are a few -
- After hearing me say something about the baby being in water whilst pregnant Mali would often ask 'Baby sister swimming at the beach?"
- Mali kept grabbing my hand and pushing it on my stomach and saying "you push baby sister out your hole".
- When she arrived at the hospital to see Alex for the first time see exclaimed "yay, mummy pushed baby sister out her hole!!"
- Seeing me feed Alex for the first time, " Baby sister drink from your boobies? Baby sister drink from your nipples? You got sippy cup in there?"
- Mali often asks if baby is drinking milk or water. She is convinced there is milk in one breast and water in the other.
- After hearing me say something about the baby being in water whilst pregnant Mali would often ask 'Baby sister swimming at the beach?"
- Mali kept grabbing my hand and pushing it on my stomach and saying "you push baby sister out your hole".
- When she arrived at the hospital to see Alex for the first time see exclaimed "yay, mummy pushed baby sister out her hole!!"
- Seeing me feed Alex for the first time, " Baby sister drink from your boobies? Baby sister drink from your nipples? You got sippy cup in there?"
- Mali often asks if baby is drinking milk or water. She is convinced there is milk in one breast and water in the other.
The wait is long over
Yep, been busy....that and I hate typing one handed, but Alex made her debut on the 13th of July. Here's the generic story posted everywhere to avoid typing it out a million times:
Strong contractions started on Wednesday the 9th. They didn’t form a pattern and when they did it was at intervals of 20 minutes most of the time. By Sunday morning I was so tired I decided to call the hospital and go in and be checked.
We dropped
The contractions went to every 4 minutes almost immediately. I labored in the shower for awhile and at 4pm I asked her to check me again and I was7-8cm dilated. I cried because with
At 5pm the midwife asked if I would like her to break my waters to speed things up. I agreed and as soon as I turned around on the bed I felt the urge to push. Next thing the baby's head is out with the bag of waters intact. The midwife broke the bag as another walked in the room and made some comment about a cord. She slipped the cord over the baby's head and I pushed once more and she was out.
Alexandria Lindy was born at 5:04pm weighing 6lb5oz and 49.5cm long.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Still waiting
On your comments people!!
I guess I was misinformed and no one reads this. Oh well, I will type away anyway.
I'm also still waiting on this new baby. I don't think she got the memo about being due on the 10th. Its the 12th already, Ive been having contractions since the 9th and still nothing. I'm in Pain, people, PAIN!!!!
Lucky the little suckers are cute and that tends to convince you its a good idea to do it all again. Oh, and the hormones that make you forget the PAIN!!!
Im hoping my next post will be some wonderful birth story with yummy baby pictures
I guess I was misinformed and no one reads this. Oh well, I will type away anyway.
I'm also still waiting on this new baby. I don't think she got the memo about being due on the 10th. Its the 12th already, Ive been having contractions since the 9th and still nothing. I'm in Pain, people, PAIN!!!!
Lucky the little suckers are cute and that tends to convince you its a good idea to do it all again. Oh, and the hormones that make you forget the PAIN!!!
Im hoping my next post will be some wonderful birth story with yummy baby pictures
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Attention People
It has come to my attention that there are actually a few people that read my blog.
If you read it, leave a comment people! Its really not hard and it makes me feel loved, well it at least encourages me to write a bit more.
I dont care if you comment with a link to your own blog, I will even put it on my blogroll, but make sure you add me too.
Attention seeking much?
If you read it, leave a comment people! Its really not hard and it makes me feel loved, well it at least encourages me to write a bit more.
I dont care if you comment with a link to your own blog, I will even put it on my blogroll, but make sure you add me too.
Attention seeking much?
Treasure hunting
I just thought I would share this interesting Blog I found through Ashley's Closet (yes, she is brilliant, you should all go read her blog!!). Its about a guy who decides to search for German war bunkers in his garden in Jersey. Its a good read and its recent, so you can read the last months worth of material and then keep following.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Long Overdue
And I'm not talking about the baby....yet.
Things have been really hectic and to top it off I forgot my password for blogger...
Mali was very very sick. We got home 2 weeks ago after a 3 week stint in hospital. She had a complicated pneumonia with empyemas which required 2 weeks in ICU on a ventilator and 2 surgeries. It has been a scary time to say the least. I will give a brief recap, more so that I can show her one day.
Saturday 24th May - Dave woke me up at about 11am to tell me Mali was really tired and was having a nap on the lounge. This was far to early for her to nap so I got up and checked her. She was running a really high fever so I gave her some panadol. After 30 minutes her temp was still 39.5C so I ran out and got some nurofen for her. I managed to get the temp down to 38.2 piggybacking the two. I thought it might just be a virus and was willing to give it 3 days to run its course. She continued about the same for 3 days but by the Monday night she was miserable.
Tuesday 27th May - Mali woke up at 2am and was inconsolable. I put her in the bath for a bit and then we hopped into her bed but she was falling asleep sitting up and then would cry every 10 minutes. We left at 7:30am for the doctors, I honestly thought she might have tonsillitis or something, I was very wrong. The doctor took one look at her, listened to her chest and told me she had increased sounds on the right and none on the left and I needed to take her straight to Gosford hospital. So off we went.
Once in the ER at gosford she declined quickly with RR of about 60 and SpO2 or about 88. They put a canular in and did a portable x-ray and put her on some oxygen. They then moved us to the resus bay so they could monitor her more closely. Her Xray showed her lower and middle left lung were whited out (pneumonia) and one of the doctors thought there was signs of an occlusion (fluid around the lung). They then did an Ultrasound of her lung but found no fluid but that the lung was completely collapsed. They started her on 3 antibiotics (fluclox, cephotaxine, cyclomyocin) and we spent the night in the High Observation room.
Wednesday 28th May - Mali seemed a lot better in the morning and we were moved to a normal room. She was up walking around and playing. Her canular occluded at about 2 0r 3 pm. The resident attempted to put in a new one (in three different places, poor baby) but could not get one. We then had to wait for the anethitist to come put one in. He got one in her foot first try but we had already missed 2 doses of antibiotics. She had a really rough night but her SpO2 stats stayed okay at 94 room air.
Thursday 29th May - Sent for another X-ray which showed the entire lung was now whited out. Sent straight away for another U/S. As soon as they started this one I could see all the fluid....I was given the option of heading to Westmead or John Hunter. I chose Westmead (good thing too as we would have ended up there anyway) and we waited until about 7pm for an ambulance transport. Poor Mali was so scared on the way down there but was so brave. They had booked us a bed on the ward but as soon as we got there they had ICU registrar Jo and ICU nurse practitioner, Brad come and evaluate her as they felt she was too unwell to go to the ward. They decided she needed surgery to place an intercostal chest drain straight away and that she should stay on the ventilator until the next morning. I think this night was the hardest. I lost it but was trying not to cry for her. We walked with her to surgery and as they wheeled her away she yelled out 'Bye Mummy' and my heart broke. Her surgery was over very quickly (about 30 minutes) and they brought her back to ICU. Seeing her with all the tubes was so scary and I was in tears so they sent us to bed for the night.
Friday 30th May - Mali was very sedated still and on the ventilator. They placed a central line in as she would be on antibiotics for awhile. They also had to reposition the vent tube to in her nose and put in an arterial line. The X-ray that day looked the same or a bit worse and they decided to keep her on the vent until at least the next day.
Saturday 31st May - Respiratory team decides to use Urokinase to flush the drain which would help dissolve any puss in there. Still ventilated and expected to be until sunday or monday.
Sunday 1st June - Urokinase started. Still ventilated and continues to spike 39.6 temps.
Monday2nd June - The temps still spiking, not talking about taking her off the vent anytime soon. She has started desaturating when they do physio. X-ray looking a little worse.
Tuesday 3rd June - Test comes back positive for pnumococcus antigen. Antibiotics reduced to just the Cephotaxine.
Wednesday 4th June - Sent for a CT scan to see what is in the lung cavity. Shows a large abscess which may be multiple pockets or one big one. 2 surgery options suggested. Either a radiologist goes in and aspirates the abscess and hopefully the rest will drain out or keyhole surgery to actually remove the puss and abscess. Thankfully the ICU consultant (David) and the surgeon both wanted to do the keyhole surgery which would have the greatest chance of working. Surgery planned for the next day.
Thursday 5th June - Sent to surgery at 8:30am. Takes about 3 hours. Surgeon says it went really well and there was alot of stuff to remove. Once her removed the web of fibrin over the lung it inflated. He was pleased they decided to do that surgery. She now had two chest drains which were a fair bit larger than the original. One in the original site and one lower down. She also had a small incision on her back where to camera was put in. Due to the surgery all her vent settings were put back up and they decided to leave them for a couple of days to give her lung a chance to recover a bit.
Friday 6th June - Xray looked about the same. Still high temperatures but it was assumed this was from stirring up the toxins into her system. Infectious diseases decided to place her on Flagil and Vancomyocin to cover anaerobic bacteria and penicillin resistant pnumoccoccus strains.
Saturday 7th June - Vent setting stayed the same but temperatures did drop a little
Sunday 8th June - Vent settings lowered a little. Temperatures seemed to be subsiding.
Monday 9th June - Upper chest drain removed and the began to wean the morphine and switched from midazolam to valium
Tuesday 10th June - Mali was finally extubated. She did really well and I was able to hold her for the first time.
Wednesday 11th June - Lower chest drain removed and arterial line taken out for transfer to ward. Now on oral morphine. Finally started talking a little bit and moving arms to catch bubbles.
Thursday 12th June - Still very sleepy but talking a bit more. Refuses to walk and screams in pain. Acting more like herself.
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th June - Continues to improve. Only one temperature of 38C and did vomit once on Saturday.
Sunday 15th June - Switched to oral antibiotics only (E-myocin and Augmentin Duo) and discuss sending home on Monday
Monday 16th June - Finally discharged. Still not walking but acting like herself now.
She did start walking on the thursday afterwards but she is still abit wobbly on her feet. We have a follow up appointment on the 17th July and if she is not walking normally we will organise physio for her.
Thankfully I was able to stay with her the entire time and a central coast charity, Kids in Need, paid for my accommodation in the parents hostel.
Im so thankful to have her home and that she is ok. We did have alot of fun family drama in there too but it pales in comparison to her health. My mum broke her shoulder an we are currently not speaking to Dave's family...Hopefully that will be sorted out soon.
Things have been really hectic and to top it off I forgot my password for blogger...
Mali was very very sick. We got home 2 weeks ago after a 3 week stint in hospital. She had a complicated pneumonia with empyemas which required 2 weeks in ICU on a ventilator and 2 surgeries. It has been a scary time to say the least. I will give a brief recap, more so that I can show her one day.
Saturday 24th May - Dave woke me up at about 11am to tell me Mali was really tired and was having a nap on the lounge. This was far to early for her to nap so I got up and checked her. She was running a really high fever so I gave her some panadol. After 30 minutes her temp was still 39.5C so I ran out and got some nurofen for her. I managed to get the temp down to 38.2 piggybacking the two. I thought it might just be a virus and was willing to give it 3 days to run its course. She continued about the same for 3 days but by the Monday night she was miserable.
Tuesday 27th May - Mali woke up at 2am and was inconsolable. I put her in the bath for a bit and then we hopped into her bed but she was falling asleep sitting up and then would cry every 10 minutes. We left at 7:30am for the doctors, I honestly thought she might have tonsillitis or something, I was very wrong. The doctor took one look at her, listened to her chest and told me she had increased sounds on the right and none on the left and I needed to take her straight to Gosford hospital. So off we went.
Once in the ER at gosford she declined quickly with RR of about 60 and SpO2 or about 88. They put a canular in and did a portable x-ray and put her on some oxygen. They then moved us to the resus bay so they could monitor her more closely. Her Xray showed her lower and middle left lung were whited out (pneumonia) and one of the doctors thought there was signs of an occlusion (fluid around the lung). They then did an Ultrasound of her lung but found no fluid but that the lung was completely collapsed. They started her on 3 antibiotics (fluclox, cephotaxine, cyclomyocin) and we spent the night in the High Observation room.
Wednesday 28th May - Mali seemed a lot better in the morning and we were moved to a normal room. She was up walking around and playing. Her canular occluded at about 2 0r 3 pm. The resident attempted to put in a new one (in three different places, poor baby) but could not get one. We then had to wait for the anethitist to come put one in. He got one in her foot first try but we had already missed 2 doses of antibiotics. She had a really rough night but her SpO2 stats stayed okay at 94 room air.
Thursday 29th May - Sent for another X-ray which showed the entire lung was now whited out. Sent straight away for another U/S. As soon as they started this one I could see all the fluid....I was given the option of heading to Westmead or John Hunter. I chose Westmead (good thing too as we would have ended up there anyway) and we waited until about 7pm for an ambulance transport. Poor Mali was so scared on the way down there but was so brave. They had booked us a bed on the ward but as soon as we got there they had ICU registrar Jo and ICU nurse practitioner, Brad come and evaluate her as they felt she was too unwell to go to the ward. They decided she needed surgery to place an intercostal chest drain straight away and that she should stay on the ventilator until the next morning. I think this night was the hardest. I lost it but was trying not to cry for her. We walked with her to surgery and as they wheeled her away she yelled out 'Bye Mummy' and my heart broke. Her surgery was over very quickly (about 30 minutes) and they brought her back to ICU. Seeing her with all the tubes was so scary and I was in tears so they sent us to bed for the night.
Friday 30th May - Mali was very sedated still and on the ventilator. They placed a central line in as she would be on antibiotics for awhile. They also had to reposition the vent tube to in her nose and put in an arterial line. The X-ray that day looked the same or a bit worse and they decided to keep her on the vent until at least the next day.
Saturday 31st May - Respiratory team decides to use Urokinase to flush the drain which would help dissolve any puss in there. Still ventilated and expected to be until sunday or monday.
Sunday 1st June - Urokinase started. Still ventilated and continues to spike 39.6 temps.
Monday2nd June - The temps still spiking, not talking about taking her off the vent anytime soon. She has started desaturating when they do physio. X-ray looking a little worse.
Tuesday 3rd June - Test comes back positive for pnumococcus antigen. Antibiotics reduced to just the Cephotaxine.
Wednesday 4th June - Sent for a CT scan to see what is in the lung cavity. Shows a large abscess which may be multiple pockets or one big one. 2 surgery options suggested. Either a radiologist goes in and aspirates the abscess and hopefully the rest will drain out or keyhole surgery to actually remove the puss and abscess. Thankfully the ICU consultant (David) and the surgeon both wanted to do the keyhole surgery which would have the greatest chance of working. Surgery planned for the next day.
Thursday 5th June - Sent to surgery at 8:30am. Takes about 3 hours. Surgeon says it went really well and there was alot of stuff to remove. Once her removed the web of fibrin over the lung it inflated. He was pleased they decided to do that surgery. She now had two chest drains which were a fair bit larger than the original. One in the original site and one lower down. She also had a small incision on her back where to camera was put in. Due to the surgery all her vent settings were put back up and they decided to leave them for a couple of days to give her lung a chance to recover a bit.
Friday 6th June - Xray looked about the same. Still high temperatures but it was assumed this was from stirring up the toxins into her system. Infectious diseases decided to place her on Flagil and Vancomyocin to cover anaerobic bacteria and penicillin resistant pnumoccoccus strains.
Saturday 7th June - Vent setting stayed the same but temperatures did drop a little
Sunday 8th June - Vent settings lowered a little. Temperatures seemed to be subsiding.
Monday 9th June - Upper chest drain removed and the began to wean the morphine and switched from midazolam to valium
Tuesday 10th June - Mali was finally extubated. She did really well and I was able to hold her for the first time.
Wednesday 11th June - Lower chest drain removed and arterial line taken out for transfer to ward. Now on oral morphine. Finally started talking a little bit and moving arms to catch bubbles.
Thursday 12th June - Still very sleepy but talking a bit more. Refuses to walk and screams in pain. Acting more like herself.
Friday 13th and Saturday 14th June - Continues to improve. Only one temperature of 38C and did vomit once on Saturday.
Sunday 15th June - Switched to oral antibiotics only (E-myocin and Augmentin Duo) and discuss sending home on Monday
Monday 16th June - Finally discharged. Still not walking but acting like herself now.
She did start walking on the thursday afterwards but she is still abit wobbly on her feet. We have a follow up appointment on the 17th July and if she is not walking normally we will organise physio for her.
Thankfully I was able to stay with her the entire time and a central coast charity, Kids in Need, paid for my accommodation in the parents hostel.
Im so thankful to have her home and that she is ok. We did have alot of fun family drama in there too but it pales in comparison to her health. My mum broke her shoulder an we are currently not speaking to Dave's family...Hopefully that will be sorted out soon.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Im Coming...
Just some things so I don't forget -
Anytime you mention going somewhere Mali will yell out 'I'm coming'
If she hears you saying Mali she will yell out 'Its me, Its me'
She loves singing songs with Daddy. She sings I'm a one man revolution as ' Number one man revolution'.
Mali is now in a big bed. We are on night three and she has slept wonderfully, fingers crossed.
She is acting like a two year old with the tantrums. Everything is hers, shows cant finish unless she says so, we only sit and stand if we want to and on average we have a mini melt down 10 times a day.
She can count to 13, sings most of her ABC's and recognises and draws the letter 'W'.
Anytime you mention going somewhere Mali will yell out 'I'm coming'
If she hears you saying Mali she will yell out 'Its me, Its me'
She loves singing songs with Daddy. She sings I'm a one man revolution as ' Number one man revolution'.
Mali is now in a big bed. We are on night three and she has slept wonderfully, fingers crossed.
She is acting like a two year old with the tantrums. Everything is hers, shows cant finish unless she says so, we only sit and stand if we want to and on average we have a mini melt down 10 times a day.
She can count to 13, sings most of her ABC's and recognises and draws the letter 'W'.
The Baby is kicking you in the head!!
Just tonight Mali was lying with her head on my belly and the baby started kicking. I told her that her baby sister was kicking her in the head.
Mali: 'yeah, baby come out'
Me: 'yes, but not now, in about 9 weeks'
Mali: ' baby come out through hole' (I'm pretty sure she meant my belly button)
She's lifting my top looking for my belly button
Mali: 'come out through your hole and baby kick me'
I think she is starting to get the idea.
Mali: 'yeah, baby come out'
Me: 'yes, but not now, in about 9 weeks'
Mali: ' baby come out through hole' (I'm pretty sure she meant my belly button)
She's lifting my top looking for my belly button
Mali: 'come out through your hole and baby kick me'
I think she is starting to get the idea.
Well, I did warn you
I suck at sticking to the task.
I may have posted more but I will use the excuse that I was in hospital for a week. Not a great excuse when you look at how long its been.....Ummm what about BBC birth board drama taking up my time? Perhaps laziness....yep, I would say the last one.
Oh and for the record, Im fine, the baby is fine. I had a virus which caused my asthma to get really bad so I was in there on prednisone and nebulisers. Nothing super exciting.
I may have posted more but I will use the excuse that I was in hospital for a week. Not a great excuse when you look at how long its been.....Ummm what about BBC birth board drama taking up my time? Perhaps laziness....yep, I would say the last one.
Oh and for the record, Im fine, the baby is fine. I had a virus which caused my asthma to get really bad so I was in there on prednisone and nebulisers. Nothing super exciting.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Reading
Well not really reading but its pretty good for a 2 year old!
Everynight before bed myself or David read Mali a book (or 3). The obsession with Santa is still going strong in our house and for the last 4 nights we have been reading a little lift-a-flap book call Christmas Kitten. Tonight Mali wanted to read it to us.
Heres how it went :
Book: Christmas kitten you stay here while I pack the sleigh
Mali: Santa, Christmas kitten, time to go
Book: try to catch me (its a mouse)
Mali: Mouse. Catch me, Catch me!
Book: Where did christmas kitten go?
Mali: Christmas kitten where go?
Book: follow the paw prints
Mali: paw prints. Kitten hiding.
Book: Is christmas kitten in the toy shop
Mali: Christmas something something (yes she actually says "something something")
Book: Suprise (its a jack-in-the-box)
Mali: No...Jack in box
Book: Is christmas kitten in this stocking?
Mali: Christmas
Book:Oops! Thats a doll.
Mali: Nooo...Thats a doll
Book: Is christmas kitten hiding here?
Mali: Christmas hiding something something
Book: No, not here. (its a bear)
Mali: No christmas...teddy bear
Book: Is christmas kitten on the train?
Mali: Christmas on train?
Book: Not in here. All aboard!
Mali: No thats a man on train. Choo Choo
Book: Is christmas kitten under the tree?
Mali: Christmas tree
Book: No, thats a present (its a fire truck)
Mali: No christmas. Its a fire truck
Book: Is christmas kitten in the stable?
Mali: Is christmas kitten something something?
Book: No, just the reindeer.
Mali: No, just the reindeer.
Book: Christmas kitten its time to go!
Mali: Santa Ho Ho time to go
Book: Here I am
Mali: Christmas kitten
Book: Christmas kitten, you will be someones special present.
Mali: Christmas kitten ho ho boxes
Book: Here we go again (the mouse again)
Mali: Mouse time to go!
So obviously she is not reading as such but she makes up the story close to what it is and it is just too cute. I swear she has grown up so much in the last few months and her language just continues to astound me.
Everynight before bed myself or David read Mali a book (or 3). The obsession with Santa is still going strong in our house and for the last 4 nights we have been reading a little lift-a-flap book call Christmas Kitten. Tonight Mali wanted to read it to us.
Heres how it went :
Book: Christmas kitten you stay here while I pack the sleigh
Mali: Santa, Christmas kitten, time to go
Book: try to catch me (its a mouse)
Mali: Mouse. Catch me, Catch me!
Book: Where did christmas kitten go?
Mali: Christmas kitten where go?
Book: follow the paw prints
Mali: paw prints. Kitten hiding.
Book: Is christmas kitten in the toy shop
Mali: Christmas something something (yes she actually says "something something")
Book: Suprise (its a jack-in-the-box)
Mali: No...Jack in box
Book: Is christmas kitten in this stocking?
Mali: Christmas
Book:Oops! Thats a doll.
Mali: Nooo...Thats a doll
Book: Is christmas kitten hiding here?
Mali: Christmas hiding something something
Book: No, not here. (its a bear)
Mali: No christmas...teddy bear
Book: Is christmas kitten on the train?
Mali: Christmas on train?
Book: Not in here. All aboard!
Mali: No thats a man on train. Choo Choo
Book: Is christmas kitten under the tree?
Mali: Christmas tree
Book: No, thats a present (its a fire truck)
Mali: No christmas. Its a fire truck
Book: Is christmas kitten in the stable?
Mali: Is christmas kitten something something?
Book: No, just the reindeer.
Mali: No, just the reindeer.
Book: Christmas kitten its time to go!
Mali: Santa Ho Ho time to go
Book: Here I am
Mali: Christmas kitten
Book: Christmas kitten, you will be someones special present.
Mali: Christmas kitten ho ho boxes
Book: Here we go again (the mouse again)
Mali: Mouse time to go!
So obviously she is not reading as such but she makes up the story close to what it is and it is just too cute. I swear she has grown up so much in the last few months and her language just continues to astound me.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Itsy Bitsy Spiders
We have a spider obsession going on right now.
Mali loves to make me draw spiders, not just one but multiple spiders in every colour available. It doesnt end with drawing either...
She also pretends to be spiders. She will go to the other side of the room and say 'how about spider come get you?' and repeat it until you say 'oh no, not a spider, please dont get me spider'.
The crawling spider (aka Mali) will growl its way across the room with creeping fingers and come and attack you leg. Rinse and repeat 20 times with a different spider each time. We have coloured spiders, stripy spiders, floor spiders, wall spiders, foot spiders...all the spiders you can wish for.
At first I was a little concerned that when she ran across a real spider she was going to want to play with it. I was quickly proved otherwise whilst doing the dishes one day. She was in the playroom and I hear 'A spider!! Oh no a spider!!' and lots of screaming. She is standing there bawling and pointing at a spider (not a little one either, eck) that has dropped down from our fan. I grabbed her and moved her to the lounge room and went back and killed the spider. When I returned to get her she was still upset so I said 'Mummy squished the spider' but that was not enough 'Mum clean up spider, mum spider rubbish? Mum spider??' I took showing her the squished spider in the rubbish for her to settle and yet occasionally I still catch her staring apprehensively at the fans in our house.
Now any time she sees a spider or thinks there may be a spider her instant response is 'Oh no spider hurt me owwie...naughty spider'. And no, the spider did not hurt her, but she certainly has not forgotten that real spiders are not good and that playing spiders is much more fun.
Mali loves to make me draw spiders, not just one but multiple spiders in every colour available. It doesnt end with drawing either...
She also pretends to be spiders. She will go to the other side of the room and say 'how about spider come get you?' and repeat it until you say 'oh no, not a spider, please dont get me spider'.
The crawling spider (aka Mali) will growl its way across the room with creeping fingers and come and attack you leg. Rinse and repeat 20 times with a different spider each time. We have coloured spiders, stripy spiders, floor spiders, wall spiders, foot spiders...all the spiders you can wish for.
At first I was a little concerned that when she ran across a real spider she was going to want to play with it. I was quickly proved otherwise whilst doing the dishes one day. She was in the playroom and I hear 'A spider!! Oh no a spider!!' and lots of screaming. She is standing there bawling and pointing at a spider (not a little one either, eck) that has dropped down from our fan. I grabbed her and moved her to the lounge room and went back and killed the spider. When I returned to get her she was still upset so I said 'Mummy squished the spider' but that was not enough 'Mum clean up spider, mum spider rubbish? Mum spider??' I took showing her the squished spider in the rubbish for her to settle and yet occasionally I still catch her staring apprehensively at the fans in our house.
Now any time she sees a spider or thinks there may be a spider her instant response is 'Oh no spider hurt me owwie...naughty spider'. And no, the spider did not hurt her, but she certainly has not forgotten that real spiders are not good and that playing spiders is much more fun.
Drama
I have been really slack...yes I know it.
BBC decided in their infinite wisdom to start a new board and invite (some) people over. Turns out my July08 board is now owned by a dictator and for the last 2 days I have taken it upon myself to out her. Well, not so much out her but make her see reason.
It hasn't happened so we just all left and made our own group. I guess I can get back to spending time with my daughter and perhaps getting this shit hole of a house cleaned up. The house itself is not bad, Ive just been really (read: REALLY) slack about cleaning and its getting to the point where I cant stand it but I don't know where to start.....Maybe I'll start tomorrow, somewhere....
BBC decided in their infinite wisdom to start a new board and invite (some) people over. Turns out my July08 board is now owned by a dictator and for the last 2 days I have taken it upon myself to out her. Well, not so much out her but make her see reason.
It hasn't happened so we just all left and made our own group. I guess I can get back to spending time with my daughter and perhaps getting this shit hole of a house cleaned up. The house itself is not bad, Ive just been really (read: REALLY) slack about cleaning and its getting to the point where I cant stand it but I don't know where to start.....Maybe I'll start tomorrow, somewhere....
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Random Thoughts
So, since becoming pregnant I have had good days where it seems like this was the right decision and not so good days where I wonder what the hell I was thinking.
Yes, it will be great to give Mali a sibling. Yes, they will love each other. Yes, I will love this baby just as much as Mali. Yes, this will be one more step towards completing our family.
BUT...
Will I be as good a mother to two children?
Will my depression be worse? Will I cope with even less sleep?
Will we ever get our lives on track financially?
Am I ready to do the whole baby stage again?
What if this baby is not as easy as Mali was?
What are the odds I will have another girl that is as clever and funny as Mali (not that I wont love her all the same)?
My house is a mess now, what on earth will it look like when I have even less time?
So many what ifs? Im pretty sure these are normal feelings, but I still worry.
Maybe if we can just agree on a name for this little girl I will feel better about it all. And since Im being honest Im still a little dissapointed that we arent having a boy, and I feel guilty that I even feel that way in the slightest.
Ughh hormones, and the worse part is the post partum ones are far harder on me.
Yes, it will be great to give Mali a sibling. Yes, they will love each other. Yes, I will love this baby just as much as Mali. Yes, this will be one more step towards completing our family.
BUT...
Will I be as good a mother to two children?
Will my depression be worse? Will I cope with even less sleep?
Will we ever get our lives on track financially?
Am I ready to do the whole baby stage again?
What if this baby is not as easy as Mali was?
What are the odds I will have another girl that is as clever and funny as Mali (not that I wont love her all the same)?
My house is a mess now, what on earth will it look like when I have even less time?
So many what ifs? Im pretty sure these are normal feelings, but I still worry.
Maybe if we can just agree on a name for this little girl I will feel better about it all. And since Im being honest Im still a little dissapointed that we arent having a boy, and I feel guilty that I even feel that way in the slightest.
Ughh hormones, and the worse part is the post partum ones are far harder on me.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Turn the TV off!!!
So maybe I need to do this occasionally....Maybe
Mali and I just made Apple and cinnamon muffins to take to Dave's Aunties tonight. She had fun with the mixing and made a huge mess so I threw her (well not really threw) her in the bath which resulted in me being soaked, but that's a whole other issue. I brought her out to the lounge room to dry her off before her nap and Sesame street was on. She sees Cookie monster and exclaims "Cookies Monster eat letter of the day!'. Its a bit sad, we all know the Cookie monster eats cookies but his current stint on Sesame street involves him trying to eat the letter of the day whilst Prairie Dawn tries in vain to stop him. In Mali's mind, this is what he does, he eats letters, not just any letters but the one of the day.
Obviously I need to explain what were watching to her a bit more, find some good old episodes of Sesame street where he does eat cookies or turn off the TV. I think we all know the last one isn't likely to happen.
Mali and I just made Apple and cinnamon muffins to take to Dave's Aunties tonight. She had fun with the mixing and made a huge mess so I threw her (well not really threw) her in the bath which resulted in me being soaked, but that's a whole other issue. I brought her out to the lounge room to dry her off before her nap and Sesame street was on. She sees Cookie monster and exclaims "Cookies Monster eat letter of the day!'. Its a bit sad, we all know the Cookie monster eats cookies but his current stint on Sesame street involves him trying to eat the letter of the day whilst Prairie Dawn tries in vain to stop him. In Mali's mind, this is what he does, he eats letters, not just any letters but the one of the day.
Obviously I need to explain what were watching to her a bit more, find some good old episodes of Sesame street where he does eat cookies or turn off the TV. I think we all know the last one isn't likely to happen.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Speaking of the little Monkey
What is up with kids cartoons these days?
In any given day in our house you can view 4+ episodes of Dora the Explorer. Or perhaps you might prefer a dose of Poco or Fimbles, you may even enjoy a trip with the Teletubbies or the questionable Boom Bahs. Yes I let my toddler watch TV, yes she watches it for more than half an hour, yes the TV is pretty much running all day.
Now, I know that these cartoons are not new things, in fact they are not that different from cartoons when I was a kid, but where is the common sense? Dora relys on a monkey, some other furry critters, a talking back pack and a know it all map. How old is she, like 5? Do her parents worry about her wandering around the jungle without a clue as to where she is going? In one episode she has to ask the map how to get to her OWN house.
Besides the fact that its just dangerous, the monkey is a moocher. EVERY time coins are required for something, he never has any and poor Dora forks over more money for him. I really think she should drop the monkey.
Don't get me wrong, I would prefer Dora to Boom Bahs any day (I still don't know what that show is about). I have a two year old who yells things in Spanish at random times, can now count to five in Spanish and sings the theme song every morning when she wakes up. But at least when I was a kid it was teenagers (like in Scooby-Doo) running around unsupervised. Maybe we should just spend our time watching Oprah or Days.
Getting things started
So, Ive never been good at starting things, its taken me about 6 months to actually bother starting this, and this is something I actually wanted to do. Even worse, Im hopeless at finishing things I start so the chances of this being left with two posts, sitting in some cache (is that even the right term) slowly dying, are pretty high.
I'll give it a shot anyway.
I thought it would be important to document the quirky everyday things that happen when you have kids. Some of the things that are done and said should be recalled at 21st parties like they happened yesterday, not like some vague ramblings of an aging mother who cant remember which kid said what and if they were 2 or 12 when it happened. Hopefully one day my daughters will read this and laugh at themselves and their mum.
On that note - I have one daughter, Mali, and we are having another little girl in July. I also have a wonderful fiance, David, a cat and a dog.
Now we have the fun of rehashing all the things I have thought would make good content for the last 6 months in the next six days. My thought is that once I get all of that out of the way, this may actually be a good read. So 'Lets Go' as Mali (and a certain cartoon character who is followed around by a monkey) likes to scream at every opportunity.
I'll give it a shot anyway.
I thought it would be important to document the quirky everyday things that happen when you have kids. Some of the things that are done and said should be recalled at 21st parties like they happened yesterday, not like some vague ramblings of an aging mother who cant remember which kid said what and if they were 2 or 12 when it happened. Hopefully one day my daughters will read this and laugh at themselves and their mum.
On that note - I have one daughter, Mali, and we are having another little girl in July. I also have a wonderful fiance, David, a cat and a dog.
Now we have the fun of rehashing all the things I have thought would make good content for the last 6 months in the next six days. My thought is that once I get all of that out of the way, this may actually be a good read. So 'Lets Go' as Mali (and a certain cartoon character who is followed around by a monkey) likes to scream at every opportunity.
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