More on Junk Posse

Wow - I am embarrassed - it's been a week since I last posted - that is bad - sorry. Can you tell we are extremely busy AND, yes, still sick!?!?! We are sick of being sick - Joe went back to work this week after being down flat for almost 5 days - I am telling you what, we seem to have been hit hard. AND NOW, when I think we are making some progress - all are seeming well - Micah comes down with another fever - I GIVE UP!!!! So that's where we are!

But my good news is that the new China Jewelry - is up at Junk Posse - I can not tell you how beautiful her designs are - and so unique. Go check them out!!! And remember, all China jewelry sold until May helps us out too!! (To see her new China designs - click on China Dolls in the right had sidebar.)

Have a great weekend - You can bet we'll be home again!!!! :)

Home

It is Monday night and we are home! Glad to be here - it is true you know - there is NO PLACE like home!!! Aaron is still running a pretty good temp off and on, but we are confident that all the fluids and antibiotics they pumped into him will help soon!!! We are just glad he is home and on the mend. Thank you SO much for all of the prayers - we felt it!!! I am thankful for Jevohovah - Rophe - the God who Heals! Keep praying - he is definately not "our Aaron" but he is getting there!

Getting the Better of Us...

You know - we've been sick over here for awhile - so when Aaron announced last night that he was starting to feel yuck - I just assumed it was another attack of Influenza A over here. Boy was I wrong - he woke up this morning when I went down to check on him, fever raging, and promptly threw up (sorry - but all the moms will understand!!!) thus began our roller coaster ride. This is when he fell to the floor in pain - could not walk or bend over and so we called the Emergency Room. Of course we heard the dreaded - "Bring him right in". So we did - and the tests began - I can't even tell you what all they ran on him - all I know is that that poor little guy is tired of being poked and prodded. As they ran the second blood draw tonight and were having trouble finding a vein because he is so dehydrated - he had tears running down his face and said to the nurse, "It's ok, I'm just tired of all of this."

They have narrowed it down now - not appendicitis as they first thought - but bladder infection - yes, for a boy that is very rare - and quite serious for how bad his is, I guess. His blood level was high this morning for the infection but even higher tonight when they took the test again. So - he has to spend the night. His temp is also up higher now than it has been all day. We are just covering our little guy in prayer. Tomorrow he has more tests - including an ultrasound to see what is going on in the bladder and, most importantly, if any damage has been done to the kidneys. We pray for wisdom for the doctors.

I will leave you with Chloe's prayer for tonight: "Thank you God for my Polly Pockets and for Aaron. Please help his body to get strong - you can make him strong, God. Amen."

4 Boxes

4 Boxes - the number of boxes of Kleenex we have gone through in this house since last WEDNESDAY!!! (And these are the jumbo boxes, mind you!!!) Yes, we have been hit - last week Chloe battled Influenza A - and has so kindly shared it with me. Poor thing - her temp was 104 or higher from Wednesday through Friday - runny nose, horrible cough, high fever - you get the picture. And now, yesterday I woke up with 102 fever!! Yes - it is NOT fun - now I know why she had such a hard time sleeping, breathing, etc. So - here we go - our oldest has started in with the symptoms as well - this is when large families AREN'T a blessing!!! :)

Blessings

I have been complaining too much over here so I want to list some blessings today:
(can you tell I'm finally seeing some light at the end of a very long tunnel???)

*All of my kids are back in their beds to sleep - you remember this whole flu bug thing started exactly one week ago today!!

*No bloody noses last night!!

*No vomiting last night!!

*Chloe only got up THREE times last night!!

*I got five hours of sleep IN A ROW last night!!

*The boys slept ALL NIGHT!!

*When I got home from work last night, Joe had the whole house cleaned and sanitized and I AM NOT KIDDING!! I love that guy!!!

*All of my little ones are up and around today!

*Chloe is the only one still on meds! (Well, if you count cough medicine, then so is Aaron!)

*There is NEW SNOW on the ground!!

*I have super friends and family!!

*Through this past week, Chloe has started telling us when she has to go potty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Don't say it too loudly, I don't want her to know it's a GOOD thing!!!!) It may be those pull-ups Joe bought that turn cold when she pees - he is brilliant!!

*We have a BIG GOD that heals our frail bodies even after they've been through "the wringer" - Thank you God!

Where are the Bilby's????

I truly mean this - your kind comments and emails have kept me going over here - we thought we were "in the clear" last night as we went to bed - Micah and Caleb had no fevers (still laying flat - but no fevers!!) and Aaron and Chloe seemed great. 11:00 pm - Aaron's up with a raging fever and Chloe walks out of her room and her face is VERY red - here we go again!! If I thought the boys with high fevers was yucky, imagine a 2 year old with a raging fever - she acts dillusional - she cries, whimpers, thrashes all over the bed and then tries to get up and come find us - I finally gave in and slept in her bed (I NEVER do that - I love my sleep too much!!!) But that didn't even work - she just kept saying - "Mommy, I NEED you to howd me." (That's "hold" in Chloe language.) But after hours of sitting up in bed holding a little one that becomes dangerous - I was afraid I'd fall off the bed!! She only sleeps for 30-45 min. at a time and then spends an hour crying because she's so uncomfortable. Tonight I'm sleeping on the couch - one of the boys will have to be de-throned - I've got to find a spot I can sleep sitting up with her! SO, there it is - the Bilby Saga in a nutshell - just wanted to catch you all up since you aren't here to experience it with us!! :) Thanks for thinking of us though - I'm feeling like I need it at this point!!

Favorite Photo Friday

LOVE THIS ONE !! My boys at their best!!

**Update #1 - yes, I am feeling rather unpopular with the comments but I do know that it is blogger - I've been in touch with them and they are working on it - mine is not the only one - if there's comfort in that!! So keep trying to post - it will work eventually! Thanks for all of the nice emails though - I still felt loved!

**Update #2 - sick update - well fevers are down now to 102 - that's good for us - Caleb got over 105 today and Micah was right behind him - scary!! Aaron and Chloe, Dad and Mom are still "holding their own"!! Say a prayer - this is yucky and WE DON'T WANT IT!!!

**Guess what we won't be doing this weekend?!?!? HOCKEY!! (Don't say this too loudly but I may even miss it!!)

The Flu Bug

I am wondering at this point - what are those flu shots for anyway?!?!? I have two down with fevers that just don't stop rising - at one point last night they both reached 104 - THAT I DO NOT LIKE!!! I have one that can not stand up or he vomits, and mostly both just stay flat in their beds all day. AND another just came up from sleeping and announced that his throat was hurting and he was feeling a little funny. So far, Chloe is holding her own - running around like Florence Nightingale to see who needs a bucket and if they don't need the bucket then I have caught her with it on her head - LOVELY!!! Now she is asking who needs juice and offering each of them her sippy cup in turn - good thing they know not to drink out of it. Our coughs are horrible and our Kleenex supply is nearing it's end. I ran out of liquid Acetaminophen last night and the Ibuprofen in quickly vanishing as well - this blinkie says it all

By the way - thanks Mom for all the times you sat up with me - that's a big job!! :)

Slumber Party or Bucket Brigade??

Well - this was what I had been waiting for - wondering when it would happen - the stomach flu!! Chloe got the stomach flu last night. She had said before she went to bed that her tummy hurt, so I laid a towel down under her but when she sat up at 2 am and "tossed her cookies" it wasn't on the towel - no, it was on her BRAND NEW BEDSPREAD!! Joe took to scubbing, cleaning, and gagging :) and I sat with a shivering Chloe - stripped her down, washed her off, and began the task of teaching a two year old to throw up in a bucket! Oh how I remember this task from years ago - NOT FUN!! She was SO sick - we would clean out the bucket just in time to use it again. Joe looked at me and said, "I don't think this is a one-man job." So we both ended up "sleeping" in the living room on comforters and towels with the necessities - Chloe's baby, her blankie (second one - the first one was in the laundry) and THREE buckets around us - not kidding here!!! I say "Sleeping" with quotes because any parent knows listening for the next cough or heave is NOT SLEEPING!! Finally, about 5 am, she turned to me - I was laying right beside her on the floor - and she said, "Mommy, I need you." She rolled over and promptly closed her eyes and went to sleep. What you wouldn't do for these sick little pumpkins - yep, I wouldn't leave her side - my back was killing me on the floor, my neck was stiff, and she could have puked in my hair at any moment, but I couldn't even think of rolling over when I heard those words. I think we slept better after 5 - now it's just tears because she can't drink and eat as much as she'd like - but I'll take that as a good sign. I am thankful it didn't happen Friday night when I was gone ~ there's never a great time for the flu, but this is better than some. Now we're just cuddling together on the comforters and towels - oh yeah, that's why I titled this the way I did - the boys came out this morning and asked, "Hey, how come we missed out on the slumber party??" :)