Our First Hospitalization

We have had a very scary, long, and stressful week. B and B started not feeling well last Sunday. They started not eating, running temps (Brody-101s, Brynn- 102s), and coughing A LOT. We kept them home from daycare on Monday and Tuesday. We had been giving Brody breathing treatments as needed and they both had been getting Tylenol and Motrin pretty much around the clock. On Tuesday, Bryan said they acted okay and even played a little as long as they had Tylenol and Motrin on board. They still weren't eating, but drinking okay. That night Brynn spiked another fever and I decided that when Bryan got home from work the next morning that we would take them to Urgent Care at Mercy South. I had had B and B's ears checked the week before, so I figured that this was just viral anyway. When we arrived at Mercy South, neither B or B had a fever. They checked their o2 sats and they were both ok, a little low, but nothing to be too concerned about. When the doctor came in to assess them, he didn't like what he heard in Brody's lungs. He said his lungs were crackly and wheezy and that Brody was retracting. Brody got 2 albuterol treatments and deep suctioned. His oxygen levels started deterioating and his sats were only upper 80s/lows 90s (normal 93-100%). Brody then got a racemic epi breathing treament and he still wasn't improving, so they put him on 2L o2 via nasal cannula. His sats remained upper 80s/low 90s. His sputum came back positive for RSV and he was also diagnosed with a mild ear infection. The doctor said Brody needed to be hospitalized, so Brody and Mommy got to take a ride with Children's Mercy Critical Care Transport Team to KU where he was admitted. Brynn was diagnosed with an ear infection and sent home on antibiotics. She mostly likely had RSV also, but her lungs sounded clear and her o2 levels were ok so she didn't need to be hospitalized. Brody was in the hospital at KU until Friday. He started out getting nasal suctioned every 2 hours, albuterol breathing treatments every 4 hours, and pulmicort breathing treatments every 12 hours. He stayed on this regimen his whole hospitalization, except they changed the suctioning to every 4 hours. You wouldn't believe the amount of mucous we suctioned out of him. Suctioning him was quite the task too since Brody is very strong and it required me actually sitting on him and holding his arms down while someone else suctioned him. I know it sounds awful, but it had to be done:( Throughout his hospitalization, he required o2 as needed, especially when he was sleeping. Fortunately, they gave me the option of him having an IV for hydration or me pushing fluids on him. I opted for pushing fluids and we managed to avoid an IV. He did have to get an IM shot while we were there for his ear infection though. He barely ate in the hospital at all, except on Friday, he did manage to eat some sausage for breakfast and some pizza for lunch. As soon as he woke up from his nap on Friday after we got home from the hospital he has been a new boy. He started eating and was already getting into trouble:) We are still giving him pulmicort treatments twice a day and albuterol treatments as needed. We even gave Brynn a few treatments, which seemed to help her a little too. They both are not 100% yet, but a lot better. A giant "thank you" to Grandma Farnan for staying a night with Brody in the hospital so I could spend some time with Brynn and get some rest. I have never been so thankful to have my entire family under one roof as I have been this weekend. Brynn told me several times Friday that she wanted to go see Brody. This was the first time since their birth that they have spent any nights apart. However, I think their missing each other has passed because they have gotten in trouble for fighting several times. Although, I don't like them fighting, it means that they're feeling better:)

Painting With Cool Whip

Last night, we let B and B paint with cool whip. Boy, did they have fun! They painted the table, their faces, and their shirts. It was really nice to let them play with stuff that they could eat if they wanted to. Surprisingly, it wasn't really that bad to clean up and it was B and B's bath time afterwards anyway. Brynn decided on the way to the tub though that she would just wash her hands in the toilet:) Brody got his first black eye on Friday. He has a nice multi-colored bruise under his eye and along his inner eye. It looks a lot worse in person than it does in the pictures:( Bryan said he wasn't quite sure what happened between him and Brynn. Our guess is that Brynn decided she had finally had enough. Either way, we will be working on playing "nicely" this week.

Indoor Fun!

Cabin Fever

We are all getting a little cabin fever around here and are ready for some warmer weather. We took B and B to Dairy Queen this weekend and we let them have their own cones. As you can tell from the pictures, they enjoyed their ice cream! The other picture is of Brody after I found him playing with my lotion the other day. He has a new obsession with lotion lately and always seems to think his hair needs lotion:) On Friday night, Bryan and I did get out for a while and went to the New Theatre Restaurant to see Lend Me a Tenor starring Jamie Farr from M*A*S*H. It was our first time going to the theater and we had a really good time. The buffet was fantastic and the play was really funny! We have another set of tickets we received for Christmas, so we will be going back again and taking Grandma Farnan with us. A big thank you to Grandma Madden and Tavia for watching B and B!

Elmo Live: Healthy Heroes

Last night, we took B and B to see Elmo Live: Healthy Heroes at the Sprint Center. It was a really cute show and B and B had a good time! At the beginning of the show, when Bert and Ernie came out on stage, Brody starting yelling, "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo!" It was really cute:) He did really well at the beginning, but then his attention span got the best of him. Brynn did pretty good, as usual. Several times throughout the show, they would ask the children to get up and do the "Fab Five" dance and by then end of the show, she was really getting the hang of it! We caught her dancing several other times throughout the show to the music. It always makes me smile to watch her dance:) The entire show lasted about 1.5 hours and we were happy that B and B seemed to enjoy it!

2 Year 2 1/2 Month Update

B and B are sailing through their "2s" and time is flying by faster than ever! B and B seem to have really changed and "grown up" a lot since their birthday. Brody is a typical little boy who loves all things "boy". His favorite toys are his trains, cars, and balls. He still finds little "treasures" (tiny balls, dice, old cell phone battery, etc.) around the house and carries them around for hours and sometimes days. He is the first to repeat something he hears, whether it be good or bad. He has a wonderful sense of humor and often starts laughing for no apparent reason to the rest of us. He particularly finds burping and tooting to be hilarous:) He has been in a bit of trouble lately for throwing tantrums, hitting, and screaming (ear piercing screaming). We hope he passes through this phase as fast as it seemed to hit. He is a very sweet little boy that gives the most amazing hugs:) Brynn is a typical little girl that loves all things "girly". Her favorite toys are her dolls and any of my clothes/accessories. She continues to love her dvds and has taken a real interest in what is on tv. We love to hear her sing and watch her dance. She has a big heart and is the first to console someone in need:) This weekend, she has decided to start potty training herself. We will often find her sitting on the toilet. She doesn't tell us she has to go to the bathroom, she will just go do it by herself. I found her on the toilet today and she told me to leave and to shut the door:) She has even went poop on the potty a couple of times. She still hasn't quite figured out how to make it to the bathroom before she starts going poop in her diaper though. We are very proud of her for being such a "big girl". She is very independent and definitely doesn't want help in doing anything and does things on her own time frame. She is a very sweet little girl and gives the best kisses:) Bryan and I feel very blessed to be their parents!

Merry Christmas-Part 2

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated Christmas with the Maddens and then we had our family Christmas on Christmas morning. Santa was very good to B and B this year and they have been having lots of fun playing with all their new stuff! Brody's favorite presents have been his matchbox cars and his Thomas the Train toys. Brynn's favorite presents have been her sing-a-long dvds (she frequently asks to watch a "movie") and her doll accessories. We hope everyone had a great holiday season and we wish everyone health, wealth, and happiness in 2011!