End of the Summer

I am going back to work tomorrow. I have to tackle the mountain of stuff that is in the middle of my classroom floor and have limited time to do it in. We have had a big summer and I cannot believe it is now over. Here are a few highlights from the past two months:

• We were able to go see Austin's family in Rockingham, NC. We visited with his grandparents, Aunts, cousins and of course his mom and Michael. It was a nice visit. We are looking forward to a visit with Grams soon.
• Owen and I went to the waterpark a lot. He loves it! Every time we went he got just as excited as he did the first time.
• Owen started potty training. At first, we were giving him an M&M each time he went potty then, I ate them all one night. So now, we give him yogurt bites. They are healthier and I really do not like them. :) He is doing pretty good. Most days have been great, but some days going to the bathroom is NOT on his daily agenda.
• We took Owen to the aquarium and he loved the fish and "turdles."
• We found out the the county park near our house has a really good shaded playground for toddlers. We would go early in the morning (8:30ish) before the day got hot. Owen could play, it was not crowded and being that early the bathrooms were still clean.
• Owen began to talk more. He is a hoot!
• I now have four new friends. There names are Murray, Jeff, Anthony and Greg (who has been replaced by Sam--I have a hard time telling the difference). They are the Wiggles!
• We are continually working on Owen's space, his playroom. We have cleaned up and cleaned out and I believe I found a way to divide the room so that Austin has his space and Owen has his.
• Owen pulled a few stunts. He climbed on top of the kitchen table and was standing in the middle of it one day when I to a quick trip to the bathroom. He hid in a cabinet and thought it was funny when I finally found him. He layed on a balloon one day and could not figure out what happened when it shot out from under him. He has figured out how to take his diaper off at night (he doesn't do this everynight thank goodness). He can now open doors, but he knocks first.

It really has been a joy to be home this summer. Owen stays so very busy and is in continual motion! I hate to go back to work and for him to go to his "school," but we have to and it will be okay.

Oh by the way, did I mention that my big boy needs a bookbag? It was on his school supply list! :)

VENT

I have to VENT!!!! I went to see an ENT last week (see previous post). Before I left the office the doctor told me that I would be receiving a phone call from them Monday. I asked if I were to call him, just to clarify, and he said that they would "track me down." So, I took that as a no and that somebody from his office would call me Monday. Monday came and Monday went and nobody called. I called them Tuesday and left a message. Somebody called me back Tuesday after the doctor left. She apologized and told me that she would pull my chart and that I would get called Wednesday. Wednesday came and Wednesday went and nobody called. I called this morning. When the lady called me back she wanted to know why I was calling. I told her that I did not receive a phone call yesterday and wanted to touch base to find out what would happen next. She told me she would, again, pull my chart and call me back. She did twice. The first time was to find out my symptoms and I told her and the second time was to tell me that the doctor wanted to see me today.
I made arrangements for my sister to watch Owen and went to the doctor's office in Moncks Corner. His office is located in a small hospital. The reception area is a larger sized waiting room and it is for many doctors. When I went to the desk the receptionist/clerk told me that my doctor was not in that office today, that he was in his downtown Charleston office. She called that office. I spoke to somebody on the phone who told me that if I could not be downtown at that moment then the doctor could not see me today because he had a meeting. It's a long drive from Moncks Corner to the city of Charleston. So, I now have an appointment for Monday at 11:45 and whoever I talked to told me to expect to wait because if people walked in he would have to see them. Why make an appoinment if I will have to wait on the other people who had to be fit in? I know they wish I would just go away, but I wish this ringing in my ear would go away too.
I cried when I left the office. I am so frusterated and I just want somebody to find out what is wrong with my ear and fix it. I stopped by my doctor's office on the way home to ask for a referral to a different doctor and of course, the woman who does referrals is out until Monday. I came home and called the insurance company and with my plan I have to have a referral from my PCP.
Austin told me to look on the bright side... at least the ringing is not in both ears.

My Ear

As many people know I have been having ear trouble and am going to describe what is going on the best I can understand.
Ten days ago I had a dull pain in my left ear and went to the doctor. The doctor (which was not mine) told me my ear looked red and asked if I had been digging in it... YUCK! She gave me an antibiotic for an ear infection. That evening I had a very sharp, piercing pain in that ear. I layed on a heating pad all night to help ease the pain. The next day my ear felt clogged and the day following I discovered lots of blood in my ear. I went back to the doctor (mine this time) and he told me that I had a severe ear infection and my eardrum was perforated (busted). I continued with my antibiotic and went back today for a follow-up. I still have ringing (Tinnitus) in my left ear and it still feels clogged (fullness).
My doctor sent me to an ENT. The ENT looked at everything and told me that my nose and throat look good and that my right ear looks good also. The ENT had an Audiologist run a series of test on my ears. The first test was to check to see if my eardrums are performing like they should. The doctor applied pressure on the eardrums to see if it would respond and it did and then used very loud noises to see what my eardrums would do and they were fine. Next, I was put in a box... literally a big box. It was phone booth sized and complete enclosed. There was a widow on the side of it and I was not allowed to look out of the window. This is where the hearing test was performed. That did not come back so good. My right ear hears well. I have moderate hearing loss in my left ear. Well, the hearing loss has to be caused from something. The ENT seems to think that I have a virus (I don't know what kind) in between my inner ear and my brain. The virus is causing the fullness, the Tinnitus and the hearing loss. When the virus is gone he believes all will be well. I am now taking a steroid drug to cure the virus. The office will call me on Monday and if I am still having trouble I will be sent for more tests, possibly an MRI to find out exactly what is wrong.

The Wiggles

Owen has fallen in love with The Wiggles. He had 2 DVD's and I really got tired of hearing the same songs over and over and over again. Today I found a Wiggles DVD at Big Lots. It is a Christmas DVD, but it only cost $4.00 so I couldn't pass it up. I like Christmas songs and thought it would be okay all year long. What I didn't think about is that The Wiggles are from Australia and it is summer when they have Christmas! Owen will be so confused when he gets a little older. Now I see why it was such a good deal DVD.

Busy Day

Yesterday was a very busy day for us. The weather was cloudy and even though we didn't really feel well, we decided to do something together as a family. Owen loves fish "fshhh" and we took him to the South Carolina Aquarium. He had a blast! It was so funny to watch him look at the fish. He stood as close as he could to the class of the different exhibits. He told most of the fish "hi" and just watched them. When we got home Owen and Austin washed Austin's squad car, Owen "rode" his bike and then played with Harley. What a good way to spend a cloudy day!

Austin and Owen when we first arried at the aquarium

This is where Owen spent most of his time... on his daddy's shoulders.

Owen looking at fish with Austin.

Owen and me looking at fish.

Our little fisherman!

Helping daddy wash his car...
Time to rinse!
Playing with the water was the best part of all!
"Bye-Bye"
Owen loves Harley

Pediatricain

Owen and I met a new pediatrician today. I liked her. I went in with a typed page of all of Owen's respiratory "issues" and she listened. She told me that when children are wheezers, like Owen, that they watch them very carefully and that they check their blood oxygen level when they come in with a respiratory related issue. I will still go to Dr. Harper (the asthma doctor) for respiratory trouble, but just the thought that this office is closer and that they will check his blood ox when we go in is comforting.
There are 6 actual doctors in the office. The practice we were in only had 2 doctors and a bunch of nurse practitioners. Not that the nurses weren't good, because they were, I also like the fact that when we go in we will see a doctor. They do not have Saturday hours, but are starting to extend their hours due to growth and she said that Saturday's are something they have been talking about. Their last appointment is at 4, but they will see a sick child after that if they cannot get him/her in before.
I filled out the paperwork to have Owen's records sent over and hope I am making a good decision. Austin said that it didn't matter to him who Owen saw, just so he received treatment if he was sick. Our first scheduled appointment is Oct. 28th for his 2 year well baby exam.

Yesterday's News

Austin came home Wednesday and told me that he was selected to do an escort on Thursday and had to report to the captain's office. I didn't ask a lot of questions, knowing he would tell me about it when he got home. He was home early yesterday and told me that we needed to watch the news. The U.S. Transportation Secretary was in Charleston and that is who Austin was helping to escort. He was standing almost directly behind her while she made her press statement. Here is a link to the news segment: http://www.live5news.com/global/story.asp?s=8617337 . Click on the red camera beside the words Safety on the Roads this Fourth. Austin is behind Joe Riley, the city of Charleston's mayor, which is to the left of Mary Peters (the transportation secretary). I am so proud!

Virus

I took Owen to the doctor yesterday and once again he has a "virus." When he woke up he felt warm and I took his temperature. It was 101.3. I gave him Tylenol. All he wanted to do was lay around. He did not want to play, he did not want to eat. All he wanted to do was sleep. This is very unusual. I called the doctor. When the doctor saw Owen, his temperature was 103.2. Owen's ears looked good, but his throat looked red. The doctor did a step culture and it came back negative. He took blood for a white cell count and that came back good. He told me it was a virus and to give it time. He said that if Owen was still running a fever in three days, Saturday, to take him back. When we left, I called the asthma doctor. With every virus Owen has he has asthma trouble. That doctor put Owen on Pulmicort twice a day. Pulmicort is a maintenance drug and hopefully it will prevent any asthma trouble Owen may have. I put Owen in the bed with us when I went to bed last night. Knowing that temperature rise at night I wanted to make sure we could keep a close check on him. He had a low fever at 1:00 and so we gave him more Tylenol. When Owen woke up this morning he was feeling much better. He has laughed, danced and today. So far, so good. :)

Little Boys and Great Big Potties

Sunday, at church, Owen let me know many times that he had to go potty. The first three times, I got wet. He peed on my legs and on my shoes (I am thankful I wore sandles and did not have on pantyhose) and all over the floor. I asked a very nice lady in nursery (who has a son and grandsons) how to prevent it. She told me that if you turn a boy around backwards on the big potty he won't pee all over. If he does pee out of the potty, it will hit the back of the tank and not you. I did this and it works! I back Owen up to the front of the potty and then he can lean on my legs if he needs to. He doesn't though because he is too busy watching the pee-pee, which makes him lean forward and TA-DA he pees in the pot and not out onto the floor. We have successfully used the potty at Andolini's Pizza, Target and the water park... and I did NOT get wet!