I just spent the last 30 minutes rereading my blog trying to see a connect point with Rainee's sick episodes, and realized...I have stopped writing about sick, I only blog when I have something happy--with the exception of two recent whines.

And as a result.  I have NO record of Rainee's many sick episodes.  Unfortunately for you that means you get to hear about them.  I need to start recording what I do and when so I can possibly find a pattern as to why, and when she gets so miserable.

So today she was FINE all day.  No rescues until 45 minutes after bedtime.  She came out with asthma satting between 90-92.  I rescued her she perked back up, and went back to her room.

About 35 minutes later Zeria came out to tell me she was crying.  I told her to bring her out.  Her sats were at 98.  But I could hear her wheezing.  She was already crying. 

In the process of dealing with her already being miserable I discovered something naughty she did.  I didn't even scold her, but she started crying even worse.  And cried herself to sleep.

She had hot dogs & ketchup for dinner along with at least one apple and one bananna.  She had chicken noodle soup & granola bar for a snack. 

She was covered in red welts when she came out the second time--and warm.  Though I didn't take her temperature.

I sat her in my arms gave her a second treatment, and kept the window open to help her get some fresh air.  She cried for about 30 minutes before falling asleep mid cry.

Beautiful blue sky and sunshine today...totally rare.  Especially on a Saturday when we can enjoy it!  So we headed to the beach and just did that.  Rob and I laid on that rock for over an hour while the kids played tag below us.

KK took that picture with her Christmas camera.

Our find of the day was a dead octopus.  KK took that one as well.

And I rather liked this one she took as well.

I took this one.  

Trust me when I say they were quite high!

SEE!  Jeremiah REFUSED to climb to the top for the picture.  LOL

Rather frosty the last couple mornings.   So yesterday I had to try to capture some of it.  I'm still adjusting to my camera, but I was quite happy with a couple of them.

No frost today, just some rather wicked wind gusts.   That somehow its hard to take seriously cause its sooooo pretty out there.  Blue sky and sunshine.  and BRR!

After picture taking we headed to our first event the Awana Christmas festival.  It was fun.  I got to see and visit with quite a few people I hadn't seen in awhile.

My kids got volunteered to do the nativity scene for awhile.

We had to kidnap Kiah my niece for baby Jesus.      They looked very cute,

But this is more reality.
And if you believe this next pose I have a bridge to sale you.     Or ocean front property in the Sahara.

We drove home and recuperated for about an hour, and then headed to do our Twinkle Parade with our Clallam Bay team.  It went very well, and the kids have improved soooo much in regards to watching lines. 

The weather was FREEZING!   But it was very fun.   And the parade was a short one, and because they were so excited we were there we were the third entry, which meant we got to watch the rest of the parade.

All in all the day was a lovely success.  And after church today we shall go get our Christmas tree. I have it scoped out, we just need to go cut it.

Good morning.

This has been my longest haul since Xanga that I haven't blogged basically daily.   Its been a long couple months.  And I think its time to get back in this habit.

The next week is going to be insane, and then I can enjoy Christmas.   I've spent the last four months making purchases, and planning, and painting to decorate a tree for Awana, and told them last night I wouldn't be able to decorate it.

I'm kinda bummed, but also relieved.   Now I just have to decide what to do with all thedecorations.  The best plan would be to store them until next Christmas.  But storage in our house is non-existent.  And I resent storing pretty much anything.

We had a wicked storm the weekend of the bazaar that I'd been counting on to help with Christmas.  So I have two boxes of things I made to sale talking up precious walk space.  I keep staring at them completely frazzled as to what to do with them. I have no place to put them. I'd love to dump them in the garbage...but Rob tells me I need to try again.  *growl*

I hate clutter.  I don't mind dirt, but I hate clutter.

ON top of that,  tomorrow is an Olympia baton, so that means making 3 meals today for tomorrow--gotta save that money ya know. And Saturday is our Awana tree festival, which I love and want to enjoy, but feel so stressed I keep wondering if we should even go, cause that evening we have a baton parade to go to in Forks.  And I'm always dragging after an Olympia baton, and I have to coach that parade.

And the cycle of things i have to do keeps racing through my head in horrible vicious patterns.   When all I really want to do is sit on the couch and stare blankly.

Basically the winter doldrums have hit me very very early.  LOL  I don't usually get them until after Christmas.

Rob told me this morning that I've been without one of my thyroid pills for over a week.   Which is probably why I feel so bleh

But even with that, I can appreciate the amazing beauty around me. And I have to choose to focus on it.   Last night on the way to Awana I *had* to take a detour to Pillar Point cause I knew what I'd find.

Moon rise!  I took this with my new camera and if you enlarge it you can even see a few stars.  WAY cool!

Its not Thanksgiving in our house.  We are celebrating Saturday, due to Rob working.  Although I couldn't help myself, and picked up a turkey for today, cause we will have turkey at my moms and not get leftovers to bring home.

Yesterday was payday.   And I left very early to get the job done, before all the last minuters.  It was so quiet in Walmart.  *beams*  On the way there, I had to pull over to the side of the road and appreciate God's beauty.

And now I have to share it.

You can decide which is your favorite shot.  Rob and I have differing opinions.  LOL

So for the last two months at baton the coach has spent quite a bit of time on some basic gymnastics.  One of those things she's worked on has been a handstand.

Rainee mastered it today.

She can hold it about 5 seconds before going down.  LOL  But thats a MAJOR accomplishment for her.  
Kaylin still can't do it.   

So very cool, and she earned herself a bottle of pop. 

Kinda been a Calamity Jane week.

Yesterday we went into town to get Zeria who spent the weekend at the baton coaches with her twins.  She had a lot of fun.  We stopped at the Humane Society to see if the peak-a-pom was still available that I'd spotted online.  It was.  Beautiful, Lovely 6 month old puppy.  So I bought it.  Climbed in the excursion, and realized I'd left the lights on, and the battery was dead.

The lovely lady at the Pound tried to jump my excursion, but her car was just too small to get it going. 

So I called the coach who had a mutual friend come get my kids while I waited for the tow truck.  The mutual friend picked up my 6 kids and dog, and took them to the gym.

The tow truck came.  He offered to try to jump it.  It worked.  And he did NOT charge me.  I was thrilled, as otherwise we were doomed to spend the night in Port Angeles, and complicated several peoples lives getting us to where we needed to be.

I headed to the school to get my kids.  Jumped out to say hi.  Told them we'd head down and get Zeria's stuff and then leave.  They'd been playing at the playground.  Jeremiah turned to climb up the slide one last time, and fell and split his lip badly, and poked a hole in his tongue.  Almost needed stitches.  Bleeding, and screaming hard.  Very upset.

So I head down to the school office carrying him.  And trying not to laugh.  Laughing was hysterical.  LOL

Get some klynex for Jeremiah examine it a bit closer.  No we don't need stitches, but its definitely NASTY.  Head home without further incident.

Today has been a much better day.  Other then heading into costco without my list, so headed back to the car got my list, headed back to Costco, forgot my pen, headed back again.

Yup I have blonde roots.  *nods* 

Got home from grocery shopping to find a very very miserable Jeremiah.  I'm holding his birthday pressy a kitten, and he doesn't even want to look at it cause he's puking.  Why is he puking?  Cause he hasn't eaten a single bite of food since yesterday before he cut his lip.  He's scared its going to hurt, so he declared a fast.

*ugh*  Tried to bribe, bully, cajole him into eating.  No go.  He pukes again.  Suggest pudding, and he says he'll eat that.  So run to PB's to get it.  He ate it, and a yougart, and is now sleeping.  Split lips, and tongues are very stressful. 

Todays going to be better yes?

We're back from our trip to Seattle and Olympia.   We had an appointment for Rainee at pulmonology, and then the kids baton.  We had a fun trip there, more relaxing then we suspected.  And had a AWESOME motel only four  blocks from the space needle.

That was the view from our room.    After a bit of a down time we walked over to the space needle, and looked around.

Though you can't tell it in this picture the space needle is just behind them.  The kids were properly impressed with the height of it, and if we were rich we would have gone up.  We weren't LOL, so instead we just looked.

Sitting/Standing at the base of it.

Looking up the base of it.

We also wondered over to the very cool water fountain.

The kids had a blast at it.  We stayed there for almost an hour.  It performs to music, and was quite entertaining.  You can also get very close to it, and play russian rullette over getting wet.

I kinda like this picture blurry it shows the kids in action.  They got a bit close.  LOL

Samuel also loved the water fall, probably the most.  And its not actually a blurry picture, he's IN the water.  LOL

After the nice adventure we headed back to the motel and settled in for the night. 

I however spent the night VERY sick.  *ugh*  My flu bug came back that I'd had a day and a half earlier, and I ran to the toilet every 15 minutes all night long.  In the morning I got some keopectate, and was fine.  We actually do not think it was a flu bug, as NOBODY has gotten it.  I think its an allergy to corn oil.  But not sure and certain yet.

The next morning after everyone praying over mommy, we headed very early to Childrens Hospital for Rainee's pulmo visit.  It was a hard visit.  Rainee's asthma hasn't been great for awhile.  The test in early September rather woke us up.  We had thought it was her reflux acting up, but I'd missed valuable cues, and for the last year and a half its NOT been her tummy but her lungs.

While I filled the nurse practitioner in on what had been going on since September, they did her lung study test.

It what NOT a good test.  IT more then confirmed what I told the doctor.  The irony is in Rainee's mind she was having a VERY good day.  She did NOT have asthma.  Her small airways are functioning at 40%.  Her large airways under 60%.

The doctors kept saying.  "When Rainee has a good day, you can do this and that."  And I'd say.  This is a good day.  And they'd say, well when she's better.  And I'd say she *is* better.   They never did actually hear that part.    So when my child is the "healthiest" they believe she is in severe distress.  Great no?

The intresting news is Rainee finally responds to albuterol.  She absolutely did NOT when she was a baby.  So their switching her med to advair which has longacting albuterol and flovent (she's currently on flovent).  There hoping this will maintain her better.

We will take the long expensive trip back in 3 months and see if that helps.  There's also talk about revisiting a bronchostopy, and a sleep study.  But those will be discussed with our regular doctor who we were unable to see on such short notice.  We will find out in about a week if that is necessary.

Rainee was a major trooper at the visit.  And they were able to see how clearly she does NOT communicate about her asthma.  But also how talented she is.

She drew that on the white board while we were waiting for prescriptions, and results.    theres a dragon, and a lion in a cage, and a knight with a bow, and a knight on a horse.  Well study it, she's got lots of stuff in it.  ROFL.   Not bad for a white board and a very dead blue pen.  (no tip left lol)

The rest of the adventure was mundane.  Olympia, our normal motel which we love.  And Rob and I reeling from the news, and quite frankly too numb to worry.  About half way through baton the next day we finally started grasping the realities, and making game plans.  Not that there's a lot of game plan.

Also Rainee in talking with the doctors made her own wee break through and began informing us more often that she "can't breathe."  This is a VERY good thing.

The very sad thing is how very often she said it.  And we just can't give her meds that often.

Her baton coach is very aware of how bad she is, and was extra solitictous about giving her the time she needs when she got tired.  So we'll continue on with that.  All prayers are appreciated.

We will now travel with a epi pen.  And have a prescription of liquid steroids at home.  These are last resorts.  I don't know.  I'm too numb to really think through it all.  Living in denial will do that.

It doesn't look complicated, but trust me on this.  The top was very very irritating.  ROFL.  Until I took matters into my own hands, disregarded the pattern, and tacked it down.  You can't tell in the picture, but its essentially two pieces in the top in the very modern style.  Well they didn't say to tack it down, and I kept getting it totally twisted up.  The second I tacked it down, everything just flew together.  Wish I'd thought of that two days ago.  *snigger*

In reality it took me about 3 hours start to finish, but I kept having to walk away in extreme frustration.  

The belt is shiny silver.  And the pajama pants aren't part of the costume.  *snicker*   She will have BIG dangly earrings, wear her hair in a fro, with a big silver headband. 

We were hoping for it to look 70's and showy at the same time.  Did it work?  Oh there's a good chance she'll wear silver spats on her feet.  But we're still negotiating that.  *snicker*

I've been putting off a venting blog for too long the time has come.

We had our loverly adventure.  It was fun.  I didn't however have the luxury of blogging about the fly in the ointment.  My dad came out and fell our last danger tree for us while we were at church.  He's not allowed on our property when the kids are her.  He can't currently go to church, because no church will allow him to.  So it was a good "safe" time to come do it.

After church we visited in the driveway (he and I) for a few minutes.  He said he was probably  maybe headed up to Ellis mountain, or maybe Snyder peak.  I mentioned we were planning on going to Snyder. .  He was headed there immediately.   And we didn't go for quite awhile.  I just *knew* that would be more then enough time for him to be long long gone.  I tried to call him on his cell phone to find out which he decided to do, so I could avoid him.  But he was out of range.

He's not allowed within 250 feet of his grandchildren.

He left our house at 12:15.  We didn't get to Snyder Peak until almost 3:30.  Pull into it, and there's his car.  *sigh*  He immediately heads down the road (to protect himself he's walking).  I hop out of the car.  "I thought you'd be gone."  "I would be, but my dog disappeared."

*GROWL*

So he continues to head down the road looking for his dog, and says he'll just stay down there.  His "friend" shows up about 20 minutes later to pick up the car so dad doesn't have to compromise himself.  I'm not going to apologize for visiting the same place he is.  He's the IDJIOT who made it so he has these wretched rules.

Zeria was cranky while we were up there, but her and Rob had spatted about ten minutes earlier, so I just figured that was it.  I tuned her out, cause I refused to let it irritate my outing.  When I was done enjoying the view, and before we went into the car I asked her what was wrong.  She just started sobbing.  It had broken her heart not to be able to see, talk, hug grandpa. 

She cried for about forty minutes of our drive home.  Eventually Rainee joined her in the tears.  Rainee was still crying when she got home. 

Its amazing how many people one "little" sin can hurt.  (sarcasm about the little).  Its days like this I could gladly shoot my dad.  (Not really, but gah* what a irritant)

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On another wee small rant.  I'm sick and tired of feeling like I have to justify the fact that I get Rainee the flu shot and the H1N1 shot.  If your child had 71% lung function, and averaged pneumonia 6 or so times a year, you'd be getting it too.

Yeah sometimes vacc's go wrong.  But vacc's have ALSO eliminated small pox, and almost eliminated polio.

As my pediatrition said.  "I've never seen a whooping cough vaccine cause a bad effect, I have however had two patients on ventilators, with serious life time consequences because there parents chose not to vaccinate."

You have the right to choose not to vaccinate.  Please don't cram it down my throat, and force me to do the same.

And Kate this is NOT aimed at you in anyway shape or form.  You and I agreed a long time ago to disagree on this, and it has never affected our friendship.  It never will.

It is aimed at quite a few others (as far as I can remember none of them at xanga) who keep venting about how they will "never" get that vac.  More power to you.  But if it protects Rainee from one bout of pneumonia this summer, it was worth the 30 seconds of pain in the arm.

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If you want to sympathize with me on the first rant go ahead.  If you want to discuss the second rant.  Please don't.  I value your friendship too much to get into it with whoever you are.