Our Kids

I think the girls are all well. Landis had her last day of coughing yesterday and hasn’t had any rattling in her chest today, yeah! I was starving today so we went out to lunch at a favorite haunt, Pita Jungle. We were there early so it wasn’t crowded which was great because the girls have been a bit snippy with each other lately (maybe they know something is up or that Phoebe is coming soon). Anyhoo, lunch went off without a hitch so we kept right on going. We headed out to Tumbleweed park which is a huge park, the kind where your kid can get away from you and you have no idea where they are due to the large amount of play equipment and other kids. I envy those moms/dads/grandparents that can just sit on a bench while their charges flit about in and out of eyesight. I of course must always be in eyesight of all my children which causes me a bit of stress but we managed to play for about an hour or so. After frolicking at the park we decided we would try to go to the Arizona Train Museum which is basically a train yard where guys who love trains have been collecting old cars and refurbishing them. Due to Jason’s excellent sense of direction we found the museum in record time and went about exploring. The girls really liked running through the cars but the giant steam engine was a bit overwhelming. When we got done they kept asking to go back so I suppose it was a bit of fun for them. We came home and I laid on the bed while Jason shoveled out the detritus of the week from my car (think pigsty). Dinner is done and baths are in progress so hopefully it will be an early/easy evening and J and I can relax (am I dreaming or what).

Great news, Lela is on the mend. Her spirits are up and her appetite is coming back, I think she even got a good nights sleep last night:) I wish I could say the same for Jason and I but alas it was not to be. Landis had a horrible night and by the morning I knew we were heading back to the pediatrician. Yes, yes, a good time was had by all.

Landis has the same virus as Lela which we knew, all the girls had it. The virus moved down in to her lungs, in the top and bottom of both lungs (Lela is just bottom left lung) last night. It is not pneumonia, and it was negative for RSV so I figure we just caught the little bugger early. The bad news is that she also has an ear infection and fever. Woot! So breathing treatments for her and antibiotics, gah! She is pretty puny but it looks like Lela is regaining her strength so yippee for that. At this rate Phoebe will be having her first dr appt while Landis has her follow up from this infection, lol!

Last year some time I heard a financial planner speak about how to teach your kids about money. Jason and I have had some ideas of our own along the way formed via our parenting coach Barb Grady. We are finally putting those things in to practice.

The girls got Moonjars for the holidays, these have separate banks for spending, saving and sharing. We are giving the girls $10 per month and they get to spend $8, and save/share $1. Jason thinks they should spend $5, save/share $2.50 but he has never bought anything for them apparently because at spend $5 they would have to save for like 4 months just to buy doll clothes and I am not sure they have that much patience at 5.

Anyhoo, the deal is that if they want to buy something other than necessities they have to spend their own money. So if they don’t need a new pair of shoes but they want some then they have to buy them. If they want a new doll/toy then they have to buy it. So far Piper has had one tantrum because she wanted new cowgirl boots and I said she had to buy them and Lela has made a list a page long of what she wants to buy but has not bought anything.

What makes it a little easier is that I don’t take them to Target or any other store much anymore so they don’t ask for much. We want them to know what is like to have money, to spend money and to buy things they really want instead of just stuff.

Of course I have veto power so they can’t buy $8 of candy etc. but that has never been an issue since we don’t buy candy and they don’t chew gum so that rack on the way out of the store doesn’t really hold much appeal. I just don’t want them to be those 10 year olds that have no concept of what money is, where it comes from or what it does. Like those kids that think food only comes from the grocery store, lol!

Well that is what I get for thinking we turned a corner, lol! Lela was the last to get sick and with a mom 37 weeks pregnant and two sisters sick ahead of you being the last one sick is no fun. By the time Lela got around to getting sick I was out of gas from the Rotovirus and whatever other virus Piper had gotten and passed along.

So lethargic Lela laid on the sofa all day Friday, stopped eating and drinking on Saturday and by Sunday my momdar started going off and I knew this was different than what Piper had had originally. Sunday morning Jason headed off to the Apple store with Piper and Landis in tow and right after he left I decided Lela needed to go to urgent care. I schlepped her down there and we met with a really nice doctor that said he was concerned with the sound of her cough but did not hear anything in her lungs. I brought her back home (with 3 prescriptions I did not intent to fill) and she had a spurt of energy followed by surly lethargy. She wouldn’t drink unless I badgered her.

Monday (today) rolled around and I was on the horn with the ped at 8AM making an appt. I took all 3 girls in since my ped is awesome about checking them all when one of them has something. Good news is that Piper was cleared for school and Landis sounded fine. Bad news was that Lela has pneumonia in her left lung. Sigh, enter the train:)

On the bright side we caught it super early and she should be fine in the next few days. She has already perked up around here but that might be because she is missing more than just the playoff football games now that Piper is back in school. Anyhoo, it has been a twin love fest since Piper got home from school so I expect Lela will sleep well tonight after playing non stop with Piper all afternoon.

Well I think we have turned the corner over here. Landis did throw up this morning but I think it was more from having such an empty stomach. She still has the Roto but was able to hold down some food this morning which is a first since Sunday. She is also in a better mood, still ultra clingy but at least she can smile.

Piper’s fever broke but she still looks haggard. Lela has been sensitive and cranky today so I figure they both have a quick case of the yucks. So no school for us today, mellow stay at home day.

Jason has a long day at work that includes evening festivities so thankfully my folks will be here to rescue me and help me through dinner and bedtime with 3 kids who have the funks.

I think we have turned the corner and I am just hoping the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t a train:)

Now I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason, fate or destiny but I do believe that we can and do create some circumstances. I have been afraid of these last few weeks of pregnancy because I have never been here before and just like any Type A person I don’t really like change or the unknown:)

So in a cosmic twist I now have one kid with Rotovirus that won’t seem to go away and another kid with a 102 fever and sore throat. HA! You gotta laugh because I don’t have the time to shower or even think about the fact that we are in the home stretch and will have a new baby in a few short weeks:) Perspective can be a real stinker!

Lucky for me my Roto baby is generally a charming, cute little bundle that needs lots of hugs and my 102 fever baby is one of the most easy going sick kids you will ever meet. So in the big scheme of karma I still got it pretty easy:)

Anyone that follows the blog knows about our family bedroom. Pretty much it is open to those who want to sleep in there, except the dog because he walks around on the wood floors all night clickety clacking:) Anyhoo, we have been talking to Lela about staying in her bed all night when Phoebe comes because she won’t get much sleep in our room. She was all on board for it. The other night she came in and Piper came in (Piper rarely comes in anymore) and we only had one toddler cot in the room so we took them back to their room. Lela was upset but I explained to her it was good practice since Phoebe would be here soon and she was okay with that. Ever since she has stayed in her room all night. This is huge for her. I am so glad because I know she needs the rest, she would still nap if Piper would nap. Anyway, Landis is going to sleep in her own room/bed at night and Lela is staying her room and Piper is staying in her bed! Jason and I have our room to ourselves for like two whole weeks! Oh and we thought it would never happen again, lol!

We do have and have had a lot going on lately. We recently picnic’d at the Riparian Preserve and I just love that place. The girls got to go to Disney on Ice with Nana and Grandpa, we met Grammy and Grampy for breakfast, we made bird feeders, went to ballet classes and started up with music classes again. Whew, maybe that is why I am tired:) No really it has been great to have my folks just 2 miles away. My dad is able to walk over in the morning and help to entertain the girls and my folks have been dropping them off and/or picking them up from school. In addition we have been able to drop them off so we can shop for a new mattress and even attend a movie. I don’t want to get to used to having reliable drop in care around but it sure is nice.