We're Moving :)

Blogging will be light the next week or so. Ben and Emma and Kyle and I are all going together on renting a townhouse, and we will be moving this coming week.

My Dorky Life

If your arm was swollen, and had a reddened area with red streaks radiating outwards from it, most people would go to a doctor. This is what they taught me in nursing school (100 years ago,lol:) but when it happened to me, I decided the best course of action was "ignore it, and wait to see what happens. It doesn't hurt, and other than the itching, doesn't really bother me." (NOT what they taught me in nursing school, but ask any nurse....we are not good patients!:)

 

However, my son's fiancee convinced me to get it checked out. So I was given THREE prescriptions...because the ER doc wanted to treat it as both a possible infection, and/or an allergic reaction.  Out of the three prescriptions? the doctor wrote conflicting instructions on TWO of them, and I could not get the prescriptions filled until they were clarified. THAT makes me feel SO much better about getting it checked out...I lucked into a doc who can apparently 'get it right' ONE out of THREE times. Gotta love those odds!

 

When the redness and swelling subsided...it looks like it was possibly a cat scratch.  Can't recall that particular incident? but since we seem to specialize in raising 'attack kittens' ("Look, there's a leg...get it!  Try the arms!":) I can believe that could have happened. So kudos to Emma, for convincing me the 'Denial' method of treatment wasn't the best course of action!

 

For the 'rest of the story" (that I didn't post on my 3,000 other blogs,lol) yesterday when the above occurred, we also had Aiden cry non-stop for 3 hrs after getting his two month shots, and his leg was very red. So, after we got home from my ER visit, we went back to take him in per her Doctor's instructions.

 

Where the ER said "nothing is wrong" and sent us home.

 

Hope today is a better day for everyone!:) The swelling and redness in my arm has subsided, and Aiden is still a little fussy, but seems OK. Our main concern yesterday was he had 5 of his 'episodes' in quick succession after getting the shot.....I know, they aren't officially called 'petit mal seizures', but they sure as heck LOOK like that. And seizures are a possible side effect of the DPT shots.

 

The one good thing about the ER visit was that the woman in line in front of us (drawn to Aiden's cuteness:) started talking to Emma and said her own son was diagnosed finally at 18 months with epilepsy after much the same journey through neurology at UVA that Aiden has started on. She imparted a GREAT deal of advice,etc. to Emma.

 

Aiden Baptized Today! Oct.21,2006

Little Aiden got baptized today (and didn't even cry!!)

 

Oct.18,2006 Happy Birthday to...Me :) and a video

As a birthday gift to myself,lol, I made another 'corny' video (someone actually posted that comment on one of my videos..."corny,but good.":)

I can't 'embed' so here's the link...I call it a 'love letter' to my family..title 'We are Family"

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=d4b7c48fafd2a073222689f91608e10b.998500&fr=yvmtf

"Book Tag"

I actually got 'book-tagged' over on Yahoo 360, by my friend Missy

but I thought it would be fun to pass it on.

Here's the 'rules:

1. Grab the nearest book. If you are currently reading something, that'll be fine too.

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your Blog along with these  instructions.

5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet  I know that is what you were thinking!

6. Tag 5 people

"Nine Months at Ground Zero" The Story of the Brotherhood of Workers Who Took on a Job like No Other by Glenn Stout,Charles Vitchers, and Robert Gray

"Before then,people would be in positions where they would hamper somebody else. For instance, when we were using the man basket to pick steel out of the South Tower, it was being handled from a crane with a 350-foot boom on Liberty Street. Con Edison and the Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations needed to get at the watermain that ran up Liberty Street and the gasmain, and shut them off. But the matting for the crane was in the wrong spot."

--------------------------------------------------

I just started reading this, so I wasn't even up to page 123 yet.  How did I come across this book? Well, I always check out the New Non-Fiction section when we go to the library,lol. (can you say 'uber-geek'?)

For a summary:  From Booklist
Although the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11 are etched into our consciousness, few of us understand the enormity of the task of the subsequent search and rescue and protracted debris removal. The shots of the site with the coming and going of trucks is the most any of us remember about the grueling cleanup project. As the men who originally built the towers, coauthors Charles Vitchers and Robert Gray were uniquely qualified to help. Unasked, they devoted nine months of their lives, not to mention the stress, sleep deprivation, and loss of family life that went along with it. The scale and complexity is nearly unfathomable: 400 million pounds of twisted steel; 600,000 square feet of thick shattered glass; and mountains of the trappings of office life, including chairs, desks, and other furnishings; all mixed with the scattered remains of almost 3,000 victims. Through this account of their heroic effort, beginning at the moment of first impact, we can begin to get a sense of what the men and women went through who dealt with the tragedy firsthand. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

And now I need to 'book tag' 5 others.

I'll try

Proud Army Wife

Unhappily Ever After

Leslie's Universal/CAtholic Thoughts

A Red Thread to China

and Terry's Timeout

(and you don't have to participate,lol, I just thought it would be interesting. I'm going to cross post this on the Mail Call! blog, since this is a 'private' blog...so you can link back to that one if you decide to play:)

UPDATE   Thanks! for playing along

Leslie

Mandy

and ProudArmy Wife put this in the comments over on Mail Call!

"my book next to me only has 63 pages...lol  I'd like to share what it say's "Realize that it's never too late.  Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.  Have health and hope and happiness.  Take the time to wish upon a star.  And don't every forget---for even a day--- how very special you are."

Life goes full circle

Life goes full circle

Hottest 2007 Calendar

There are some ways to support the troops that are...mmm..just easy on the eyes!

From the website 

HOTTEST 2007 CALENDAR
 

You may have heard about it or seen it in the media, now you can order the 2007 America's Heroes Reconnaissance Marines Calendar for yourself and/or all your friends. 100% of the proceeds go to our wounded heroes and their families as directed by those who have been awarded the Purple Heart.

 

http://www.freedomisnotfree.com/

 

 

Pics of Aiden in the hospital

Here's pics of our little guy....can you believe he is up to 13+ pounds??

Yay! Aiden on the Way Home:)

Hurray! Aiden was discharged this evening, and is on the way home!!

Thanks to everyone, for all the love and prayers and encouragement!

And, if you'd like to see what half my family is up to,LOL, roll on over to youngest sis's blog and check out the Hong Kong pics.

http://emanoff-china.blogspot.com/

Top Ten Reasons Halloween is Better than Marriage

Too cute...found this on MySpace:)

10. You are guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack, candy never has a headache or any other excuse.

9. If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.

8. The uglier you look, the easier it is to get some.

7. You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.

6. It's OK when the person you're with fantasizes you're someone else, because you are.

5. Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.

4. If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.

3. It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.

2. Less guilt the morning after when you tried others.

AND THE #1 REASON IS. . . . . .

1. You can do the whole neighborhood.

Tuesday Aiden Update

Aiden stayed overnight at the hospital again last night, as they were running a 24 EEG test, with video, so that if any more episodes occurred they would have both an EEG reading and video of how he looked during and after the episode. (the 24 hour Aiden show?)

They are also keeping him tonight, as they decided to extend the test. He had an episode yesterday just prior to them placing the electrodes to start the test, he actually had it in the hall on the way down to the EEG room, so all the doctors witnessed one of these episodes for the first time.

Essentially, he seems to go completely unresponsive for anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds, and then is extremely hard to rouse afterwards. (although he still keeps breathing during the unresponsive part.) So it does seem to be some kind of 'absence' type of seizure activity.  He had two small episodes last night, and then the doctors witnessed the tail end of an episode this morning and they decided to extend the test another 24 hours.

So, we have a little 'elf' with electrodes glued all over his head, and a long stocking cap over that to keep all the wires together.He was very funny yesterday when they were gluing the electrodes on...he was of course screaming while they were gluing the stuff to his head (and holding him still to do it) but then every time the tech would use the compressed air to quick dry the glue, he would go instantly quiet and get this look on his face like 'oh, I like THIS". Even the tech and the nurse started laughing, as he did it every single time:) He just already has such a quirky personality,even at 6 weeks!

I am choosing not to speculate at all on what any of this could possibly be, as the doctors have not really given us any tenative diagnosis or ideas, and although I have suspicions, I figure why research something that it might turn out not to be?

Again, I appreciate all the words of encouragement, and the prayers!! Thank you very much!!

Update on Aiden

He's still over at UVA Medical Center...they are planning on running some tests today, am getting ready to head over the mountain back to the hospital.

(at least, thank goodness, it's not raining and foggy....I HATE driving over the mountain to Charlottesville on a Good day...let alone at night,in the fog, in the rain!! Saturday night in pea soup fog at the top of the mountain coming and going, was...interesting. And not the best time to think of all the pileups over the years on that road in those conditions!!)

We're hopeful that after these tests he may be discharged, and we can do outpatient follow up. Will let everyone know.

Thanks so much! for all the prayers, and emails/words of encouragement!!

Aiden in University of Virginia hospital

Aiden had what appeared to be some seizure-like activity yesterday and his mom of course took him to the hospital. The CAT scan he had there was, they said,"fine" .....but they decided to send him on to University of Virginia Medical Center over in Charlottesville because he had some more activity in the ER at our local hospital. (They appeared to be more of an 'absence' type of activity, with a fixed stare and non responsive for 15 to 30 seconds.)

The neurologist who saw him over there said the CAT scan didn't show any tumors (thank you, God) and Aiden didn't show any symptoms of meningitis...but he had had 5 episodes in all, the last one being at 8:30 pm Sat night in the UVA pediatric ER....so the neurologist wanted to admit him overnight for observation. If he had any more activity, they would do an EEG....if he is without activity for tonight and tomorrow,they will most likely discharge him and schedule the EEG for sometime in the near future.

So I'd greatly appreciate any prayers, and I will keep y'all posted.

Thanks,Kathi

Not much going on

The above is my brother and his wife, and their TWO year old daughter, who I have yet to meet, as they live in Hong Kong.  I put up a pic of them because Mom and Dad are leaving today to go visit them, and my youngest sis will fly over the second week they are there to visit also.I hope to meet my youngest niece before she graduates from high school,lol.

I am watching Aiden a lot this week, which is fun. His dad took him for a shot yesterday, and I had been going to go with him, but April woke up vomiting the night before so I stayed home with her. It seems to be a virus we've been passing back and forth, and I would just as soon it passes me by, as I have never really gotten over my sinus infection/cold yet...I was getting better, and then seem to have gotten worse again. So I'm already sick and tired of being sick and tired:)

Emma decided this past weekend that she wanted to join Soldiers Angels to actually 'adopt' a soldier, as long as I would 'co-adopt' one with her.So I saw she got her name today, and I'm looking forward to us going shopping for his first 'care package':)that should be fun. 

Other than that, there's not a whole lot going on...just popping in to say we're still here!