Our Crazy Morning....

(more six month pictures to come)

Finley got to bed late last night so I was hoping we would all sleep in and then head to the zoo before it became scorching hot outside.  Jude woke up at 7:30 when he usually sleeps until 8:30 so I go in and scoop him up.  Instead of relaxing in my arms, he fusses and I quickly fix him a bottle and climb back into bed.  I soon realize that he is really pale and not taking the bottle the way he usually does.  I go downstairs so that we don't wake up Finley.

I change his diaper and I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience.  Jude doesn't look like himself at all.  He's seriously pale and even his lips are white.  He won't smile at me and when I stand him up, he won't put weight on his legs the way he normally does.  I give him the rest of the bottle hoping to perk him up, but instead he throws it up.

I clean up the floor and sit on the couch with him.  He goes completely limp and crumbles in my arms.  I find myself saying "Jude, stay with me.  Stay with me!!!!!"  I'm not sure what is happening, but he is so lethargic and his eyes seem to be fluttering.

Trying not to freak out, I call the doctor's office which is still closed for another 10 minutes.  I had already called Devin, but try him again.  He still doesn't answer.

I take Jude into the playroom and he is looking a bit better.  More responsive, but still pale.  I lay him on his back and am relieved when he flips himself over as it is the first normal thing he has done all morning.

Devin calls me back and tells me to call Lauren, but I hate to take advantage of our friendship even though I know she would be happy to help.  Since Jude is doing better, I tell Devin I'm going to see if I can get into our pediatrician and if not, I'll call Lauren and apologize for pulling the "friend" card.

I call our pediatrician and get an appointment.  Jude reaches for his bottle so I make him a new one.  He takes two ounces and throws up all over me again.  I sit him down so I can clean myself up and when I pick him back up, he goes limp again, has zero color in his body, and once again I find myself trying to keep him conscious.  He literally looks dead.

I have lost my cool by this point and am trying to form a coherent prayer.  I go upstairs, open Finley's door, tell her Jude is sick and that we need to go to the doctor NOW.

I change quickly and Finley is telling Jude that he will be just fine which would've been so sweet if I wasn't freaking out.  Jude is looking much better though and seems to like having Finley by his side.

I'm loading the car when Beth calls.  I am a sobbing mess on the phone with her and she tells me that she'll be praying for us.

We get to the doctor's over 30 minutes before our appointment, but I wanted to be near a medical professional in case he had another "episode."

In the waiting room, Jude becomes Jude again.  His color is completely back and he is smiling a bit as well as playing with his toys.  I am heavily relieved.

After talking with Dr. K, it appears that the vomitting created a vasovagal response which basically means his blood pressure dropped really low causing him to pass out.  He said it is harmless even though it is really scary to watch.  He told me that while he might outgrow it, Jude might be prone to passing out if he stands too long, vomits, or is dehydrated, etc. for the rest of his life.

I told him that I thought he was having a seizure, but Dr. K said he showed no signs of a seizure and I confirmed that he hadn't been convulsing or anything.  He does think he has some sort of bug and that if he continues to throw up, he might continue to lose consciousness.  He recommends small bottles and Pediatlite if needed.  I'm willing to do just about anything to keep him from throwing up again!

So it's been a really crazy morning around here, but thankfully, my little guy is just fine.  I must admit that I'm still a bit on edge.  I really thought he might die.  I've never seen him like that before and it was scary to feel so helpless.

Needless to say we didn't make it to the zoo this morning and I'm thinking we're going to take it easy the rest of the day.  Of course a day of extra cuddles sounds like the perfect medicine for all of us.

July 2010

July was a crazy month for us!

Chicago:

We started the month off with a trip to Chicago and I have yet to sit down and sift through pictures and recap our vacation.  Suffice to say, we had a great time and fell in love with Chicago!  Devin loved the architecture and I loved the shopping, the water, the cleanliness, etc.  It was a great place to take our anniversary trip and I am so grateful that we've been able to continue our tradition for another year!

Playdates:

Liberty and Emory came over to play!  They were so sweet and we had a really fun time.  I was a little nervous about keeping 4 kids by myself, but they played really well together and Liberty is just a huge help!

We also had a playdate to the Omniplex with Lauren and Lila.  This was our second trip to the Omniplex and we explored new things this time.  Finley LOVED it and declared over and over that Lila was her best friend!

And we went to the mall to play with Josiah and he came over one morning to play!

Birthday Parties:

We celebrated Liberty and Emory's birthday party.  It was incredibly hot so we were all thankful for the cool pool water!  This was the first time I took Finley swimming since her swim lessons and she was a total fish.  I loved watching her confidence!

We also celebrated Adam's birthday.  He had a Star Wars theme and lots of water games.  Finley loved the waterslide.  I was cracking up because she had no fear whatsoever.  After she broke her wrist, she went from being my little dare devil to being pretty timid.  It was clear that my daredevil was back!

Jude also meet little Lucye for the first time.  Understandably so, he was smitten.

Adam Date:
Speaking of Adam's birthday, I took him on a lunch date for his birthday just like I did last year.  We went to Toys R Us where he picked out a lego set and then we went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch.  It was really fun and I enjoyed spending time with my nephew and getting to know him better.  He is such a sweetie!

Pelican Bay:

One Saturday, our family met up with Lauren, Paul, and Lila to go to Pelican Bay.  We had never been and it was so fun!  Finley and Lila both loved it!  Jude was oblivious which was fine.  He didn't mind being in the water, but he could've cared less.  He is such an easy-going guy!  This trip also convinced us that we all needed to go to Great Wolf Lodge this fall.  We can't wait to go and hang out with them for a whole weekend of waterslides!

Passages:
Devin and I also went to Passages which was a really cool exhibit at the art museum over the history of the Bible.  We felt a little rushed, but it was still very neat!  We went to eat afterwards and it was the first date without either kids for us.  It was so nice!

Guthrie:
Beth and I also started meeting in Guthrie every other week for dinner.  We have really been missing our girl time and I am so thankful that we have been able to reconnect every couple of weeks.  I am so grateful for a husband that is willing to watch the kids so that I can get some much needed time with my sister!

Wising Up:
My Wising Up Bible study ended.  It was really good and I think I need to spend more time going over it again.  I also want to listen to the third and fourth parts!

Dinners:
Along with everything else, little Hunter had his tonsils out so we took them dinner one night.  Finley loves playing with Hunter and Ryan!  Though poor Mary had to deal with Finley's horrible poopie diaper... this was only funny because Finley manages to ALWAYS have a blow-out when she is over there!  I had dropped Finley and Jude off to play while I ran to pick their dinner up and in the 20 minutes I was gone, Finley managed to stick Mary with the dirty work!

We also had dinner with Whitney and Patrick.  They were house sitting and we were able to swim in the pool and hang out.  We stayed way too late, but it was such a good time!  We're so excited that they are married and that Whitney is now here for good!

And we had Lauren and Paul over for dinner as well!  Lila and Finley loved playing in the pool together!

Our Tiny Dancer

Last night, we started a whole new phase of life.  DANCE!  I can't believe Finley is old enough for actual organized activities!  Devin and I were pretty unsure how this would go, but she absolutely loved it!

I was most nervous about getting her hair into a bun.  When Beth kept her this summer, she said she had no problem pulling her hair back into a ponytail so I knew it could be done, but I just hadn't ever tried.  Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult.  It looked super-cute at first, but it sort of fell as time went on... still cute, but I loved when it was high up on her head!

Kristin and I signed up our girls to take together so that we could chat while we waited.  Grace and Finley were fast friends and so cute together!

Everytime we peeked in at them, Finley was doing exactly what she was supposed to.  When we got home, she wanted to take a few more pictures.

She showed me "Big Pizza" (arms in first position) and "Chocolate Cake" (arms in second position) and then did a little jump from second to first position. I thought it was soooo cute!

When we were getting her into bed, I asked her what she wanted to do the next day and she said "Go back to dance class!"

I don't want to get tooooo excited, but I would obviously love to have a little dancer since I enjoyed it so much myself.  It'll be fun to see what she decides she's passionate about, but I think dance is going to be the perfect first activity for her!

She is seriously the cutest little ballerina and tap dancer I've ever seen!