The Taylor Spot

Drew has burning eyes, a low fever, and GI problems this morning. He got up at 7:00 as he almost always does, alarm or no alarm, but he went back to bed. That means he feels pretty bad. He will stay home from church today. As I write he is up and about, stoking the fire. He loves the fire, and has learned to build and manage it. This has become one of his favorite things to do, and we all enjoy it. Daddy will need to split some more firewood soon.

Tori was without fever through the evening and even when we checked at about 1:30 this morning, but at 6:00 this morning she woke up cyring with her temperature elevated again. The antibiotic is not having much effect, leading me to think Melissa was right to suspect something viral. Maybe her ears will feel better, at least. Tori has not thrown up since yesterday morning, and has had no more seizures. She is crying more this morning, and evidently feels awful.

The rest of us seem to be doing well at this time. Alex and I will try to go to church for morning services.

Tori is still not well. No more seizures, thankfully, but she still has a low fever. Yesterday she kept all her BRAT foods and medicine down, but she threw up another dose of antibiotic this morning. Melissa is going to give her some electrolyte and put her down for a nap now.

This has been such an eventful week.  I was holding Tori and talking with Jolie on the phone while the three boys were playing outside in the back yard with several neighbor children.  I’m always concerned that Matt might wonder off (although he hasn’t in the last 2 years), so I keep a close eye on him.  I didn’t see him, so I went outside to check on him and give the phone to Drew so that he could talk to Ben.  Well, my silly (perhaps tired) brain gave the phone to Drew and forgot to find Matt.  Then, Alex talked to Ben, and at least 10 minutes later, I realized (again) that I didn’t see Matt.  About six neighbor kids and one other mom called and looked outside and inside for what seemed like an eternity (probably about 10 minutes).  Drew came inside to call Nik Farrin to tell him that our resident “spy” (who has been unseen to date but has been leaving clues around our house ever since Drew and Alex started reading Hardy Boys) had abducted Matt.  The Farrins started praying, and about 5 minutes later, we found Matt way down on the side walk with a nice pink and purple scooter, which he had taken from the neighbors who he was playing with.  I guess that he thought that it was too hard to ride it in the grass in the back yard, and he decided to take it up in the front yard on the sidewalk. 

Tori had a febrile seizure about 9:30 tonight. After we gave her the first dose of antibiotic, she threw up immediately. That was around 7:00. We were letting her stomach settle to give her more ibuprofen and antibiotic. Melissa was holding her when the convulsions started. It is so terrifying to watch and wait, but the episode thankfully lasted only 2 or 3 minutes.

She was inconsolable for 25 minutes, then took an ounce of electrolyte fluid and went to sleep. Our doctor advised us to let her stay home and rest rather than taking her to the ER where she would only be observed, and would not rest very easily in the strange surroundings. We pray she will sleep through the night without further episodes.

Tori had a very rough night. She woke up crying loudly at 12:30. I got to her first, and she was burning up with fever. Her temperature registered 104.3 two times in the next 30 minutes. Despite that, she was amazingly alert and precocious. She did all her tricks: she loved her dolly, said “uh-oh,” gave us fish kisses. Like her mother, she seems able to keep right on going when she’s ill!

Meanwhile Melissa and I were both very anxiously waiting on the on-call pediatrician to call back, and for the Motrin to take effect. Finally both happened, and we decided not to go the the ER. Melissa got Tori settled back down and stayed in her room.

Thank God Tori did not suffer from any febrile seizures like Drew did. Hopefully all will be well soon. This morning, the pediatrician diagnosed an ear infection and Tori will start antibiotics tonight.

This post is way over due!  The night after Uncle Matt came for a visit, Chris was coming home after being gone all week on a business trip.  I was playing freeze tag with the boys in the front yard so that we could all welcome Chris home when he drove in the driveway.  I ran past Alex so that I could unfreeze him, and I accidentally hit his mouth, and knocked a tooth out!  So instead of being able to greet Daddy as he had planned he had to go in the house and wash his mouth out.  What’s more, he was concerned that I had knocked out a permanent tooth, instead of a baby tooth that he was supposed to lose.  “And, Oh! NO!  Will the tooth fairy come since we can’t find my tooth!?!,” he wanted to know.  You bet, that was one night that this tooth fairy did not forget.  I felt terrible!  Alex also lost a bottom tooth, recently.  He pulled it himself in his bathroom, and it went immediately down the drain.  He found that the tooth fairy is pretty smart b/c somehow she knew about that one too!

 

We had a very fun filled evening trick or treating and pumpkin carving.  I kept being surprised at how old and perceptive all of our children are.  Drew had big ideas about how our house should be decorated and what we should do.  He wanted lots of spider webs and skeletons!  I’m more the fun fall leaves and mums kind of “Halloween” decorator, but I went out on a limb and bought Drew some spider webs.  He worked tirelessly cutting out huge construction paper letters and spiders so that his web could be properly outfitted with “Trick or Treat” spiders.  When we were trick or treating, we arrived at one house that had eerie music, lots of graves and skeletons, and dry ice.  Drew said, “Now, Mommy, this is what our house should look like.  Ours just isn’t cool!”  I was crushed.  I really thought that the spider webs would do the trick! 

In favor of my leaf decorations, however, Alex prayed tonight right before he got into bed that “no one would have scary dreams!”  At the beginning of the evening, we had to convince Alex to wear shoes with his Ninja turtle costume.  He told us that his white socks matched and people might laugh at him if he wore any kind of shoes.  We finally convinced him that his brown hiking boots looked just like tutle feet!  Needless to say, in the dark, no one lauged at his boots! 

Matt had a blast and was very focussed on saying everything just right.  “Happy Halloween” was a bit of a mouthful for him at first, so he would say “Halloween!” to every one, and after we left each house he would look up at me, so proud of himself, and say, “I say ‘Halloween’ to dem [them], Mommy.”  By the end he was actually saying, “Happy Halloween!” 

Tori was the perfect flower (thanks to cousin Evelyn’s sunflower costume).  She enjoyed riding in her new umbrella stroller.  The one that we had with Drew, Alex, and Matt, finally died last year after many trips across the soccer field with 35 lb. Matt in it!  Tori really enjoyed the whole evening until Chris discovered that Drew had given her a foil wrapped piece of chocolate, all of which she had crammed into her mouth.  Chris retrieved it, and it was kind of down hill from there for her!  We found out that she REALLY LIKES her chocolate.  What woman doesn’t?!? 

I boutght a bunch of bags of Halloween candy, but I did not actually buy ENOUGH, so we decided to turn out the lights while we were carving our pumpkins.  We thought that it would actually be easier to carve with all three boys without also handing out candy, anyway.  But, both Drew and Alex, immediately said, “Mommy, why did you turn out the lights?  Now, no one will come trick or treating at our house!”  So, what actually ended up happening for part of the evening is the three boys handed out candy, and Chris and I carved the pumpkins!  All three boys did their share of carving, though, and did a fantastic job!