Ellie goes in for her EEG today at 1:00 p.m. We are really nervous but praying that everything will be ok. I'll post again later after her test.

Another Day at the Doctor's

I took Ethan back to the doctor's today. His breathing was not improving and I was worried about his oxygen levels. When we arrived Dr. Lish and his nurse Suzanne (who is also awesome!) were talking about Ellie being at the ER. So we talked about Ellie for a few minutes. He asked what had happened and I recapped the whole story. When I told him that she had been asleep he suggested that we get her an EEG. He said it was still most likely a Breath Holding Spell but he wanted to rule out a seizure all together. I agree! I would much rather be safe than sorry. I would rather pay out the wazoo in copays and deductibles than withold an important test that could possible discover a serious ailment. So they will be calling us for a date and time for her EEG. In the meantime, I have time to browse the many information highways to find out everything I can about seizures and an EEG!

When we finally got to Ethan he sent us over to the hospital to get chest x-ray, worried about pneumonia. I called my Grandma Youngberg who lives less than a block away from said hospital and dropped Ellie off. They are so good to play with the kids and I think they were happy to have some solo time with her without Ethan grabbing one of them away! I was glad that they were able to help because it took us nearly 1 1/2 hrs. at the hospital. Back at Dr. Lish's office he said it wasn't pneumonia but that he was swallowing alot of air.

We have heard this before and knew exactly what that meant - steroids. For those asthma newbies out there. Swallowing air isn't good. It basically means that because his lungs cannot absorb what he is breathing in - it is going into stomach. That creates pain and discomfort and in a two year old results in misbehavior. Steroids open up his bronchials and allow more air to be absorbed. The horrible thing about steroids is the side affects. Having had him on steroids before I knew this was coming but dreading it at the same time. Unlike his breathing treatments and inhaler (which are just inhaled steroids) they prescribe liquid steroids. Because they are liquid they get into his blood stream and therefore effect his brain and actions! So my at one time sweet little boy turns into a little terror. Doing everything but listen or be good. It's hard to be nice and understanding when your two year old throws something at your head or kicks you in the leg and then turns and runs - but it is just the medicine - not my boy. It is going to be a long week.

Oh...my children!!

Ethan is my favorite little boy. I love everything about him and everything he does (well...almost everything he does!). But lately he has been greatly trying my patience and sanity.

Here is a really good example.

We have fish. About 45 fish. Well, atleast we HAD about 45 fish. Now we have one.


Ethan loves to be a helper. Even though he is only two he has chores. Not real chores - just things for him to do every day so that he feels like he is helping. He takes the garbage out. He puts the dishes away, helps wash the laundy, and of course - puts his toys away every day. He actually does really well at these things and thoroughly enjoys them.


Well, about a month ago I convinced Jacob that getting our fish tank up and going would be a good thing for Ethan. We could teach about animals. How to feed them, take care of them, clean the tank. You know, a little learnig experience. He was doind good. I mean, as good as a two year old can do. We had to keep him from standing on the tank a few times and trying to keep him from pounding on the glass was, and is, just about impossible. But feeding the fish was his favorite thing to do. We were sure to keep the fish food up on the computer desk where he couldn't reach it. I knew he would feed them every chance he got if he was allowed to feed them whenever. For those of you who don't know fish very well - they aren't very smart. They will eat all the food you give them. They will eat themselves to death. Also, if you put too much food in the tank - you can actually make the water toxic.

Oh...my son.


Quiet had crept over the house. A rarity. Jacob asked, "Have you checked on Ethan?" Of course not, I thought he was with his Daddy!! We both look downstairs just in time to see Ethan dump an entire bottle of fish food into the tank. We both hurry downstairs and I start scooping it off the top of the water with the empty food jar. There was so much food in there that it was clumping on top because it couldn't dissolve into the water fast enough. Jacob went and got a bucket and started ciphoning the water and food out. He did a good 5 gallons of our 29 gallon tank. We put fresh water in and were hoping the filters would work their magic.

The next morning I went down to feed the fish, as always, at 8 a.m. About 12 hours since their feeding frenzy. The water was so cloudy that I couldn't see anything at all - but that's not normal for what just happened. I turn on the light - and guess what!! I see 45 fish dead on the bottom of the tank. Awesome. So I spent my morning scooping out dead fish fro the bottom of the tank, ciphoning out 13 gallons of water, cleaning out food filled filter cartridges, and cleaning the tank. It was a good morning.


One fish survived. Our plecostomus. You know those sucker fishes that clean the tank? Our lone survivor of 45 fish.


On a totally seperate note. We had family pictures taken not too long ago. Here are some of my favorites.





The whole Youngberg Family

Back: Jacob, Dad, Craig

Middle: Myslef, Mom, Melissa, Samantha

Front: Ellie, Ethan, Aiden

Cute Ellie girl and Grandpa Youngberg

Ellie with just a hint of her black eye

Daddy and a very tired little boy. Ethan was really good considering we took pictures for 2 1/2 hrs.


Two cute boys



Two more cute boys



Ethan and Ellie looking super cute!

My Ellie girl with a sweet little smile

Ethan: showing off his personality!

Sweet Ellie

Jacob and myself

Ethan, just chillin' before everyone arriaves

And then there is my little Ellie. Who is already such a little drama queen!! On Tuesday we took both kids to the Doctor's office. Which they both love by the way. Dr. Lish is an awesome doctor - you know that's true when the kids get excited to see him! Anyway, they both have bronchitis and Ellie has an ear infection - again! Because Ethan has asthma he get to have breathing treatments three times a day untill he gets better!

Poor Ethan with his oxygen mask at home. We have a little nebulizer at home (a mini air compressor) that turns his liquid medication into a mist that he breathes in. He doens't mind it so much because that means he gets to watch a show three times a day to help him sit still!

Anyway, on to my little drama queen. We put the kids to better early around 7:30 and Jacob and I were hanging out downstairs. All of a sudden we Ellie just start screaming. And I mean screaming. Not her I'm hungry scream or mama just put me down and walked away scream. This was her "I'm going to die unless you fix it scream". So I go up there and usually I can calm her right down and she will go back to sleep. But after a few minutes she is still screaming - so Jacob comes upstairs. He tries for several minutes and she is still screaming. And this whole time, from the second I picked her up, she is so very limp. She wouldn't hold her head up, grab for her blanket or anything. So I go and get her a bottle. Which she won't reach for. So Jacob starts feeding her and she calms down after a few drinks. But when Jacob takes the bottle away and she finally opens her eyes she stares blankly at the ceiling. She still won't repsond, still won't respond, so I finally say/yell "We are going to the hospital!!"

I told Jacob to get dressed because he was coming with me, while I grabbed my bag and called my parents to come over since Ethan was still asleep. But apparently, Jacob was way too slow getting dressed because I just left without him and made him drive his own car. I think I drove 55 my way there!! in a 30 limit by the way!! Oh well, I wouldn't have stopped had they tried to pull me over anyway!

I rush in there and they take us right back. Dr. Gardner was there, who we really like (he was the Dr. we saw when we took Ethan in to the ER with his RSV). He checks her over and asks us some questions and all through this it was like Ellie was just barely waking up. I was really worried that she had a seizure - but she hadn't had a fever. So he tells us the diagnosis. Breath Holding Spell. Apparently a lot of kids do it, just not normally in their sleep. It happens in their sleep, just not as often as when they are awake. Most of the time when it happens it is because a child is having a tantrum or something and cries so hard that they aren't taking breathes and nearly pass out or do sometimes. When it does happen in their sleep, it looks a lot like a siezure. He said the only way to tell is to wait 10-15 minutes, if they snap out of it after a few mintues, it was a Breath Holding Spell. If not, it was a seizure.

So we paid our co-pay and took her home.

She fell right asleep.

Slept all through the night.

Happy as a lark the next morning.

Whereas I went home and stayed up all night listening intently to see if I could hear her breathing! I was not happy!

Life has been crazy!!

We have some illness lately that has taken over my life a bit. Nothing serious, just constant ear infections and tonsilitis that we can't seem to get rid of. I feel like I live at the doctors office and I am personally paying for the new truck he was talking to me about buying at our last visit. I really our Dr. - he is awesome with the kids. Whatver Dr. Lish tells Ethan to do: Ethan does! That's how we got him to eat apples; Dr Lish said to eat apples and gave him at a recent appointment. Now he loves apples!!

Ellie got tubes in the last part of September. She hasn't had a problem with her ears but she has tonsilitis that isn't going away. One more week of trying to get better and then the tonsils come out!! For heavens sake - I just got the bill for the tubes!!

The tube in ethan's right ear fell out and he immediately got an ear infection. We are just waiting for him to get another - it's inevitable.

I did buy a new first aid tool that I amrather happy with and I think every parent should invest in. It's called Ear Check Monitor. It was rather pricey at $61.99. But our FSA covered it and it works wonderfully. I even took it in the doctors office to see what he thought and he said it would well worth the money for our ear infection prone family. It sends sound waves into the ear and reads the return wave - telling you if there is fluid in the ear. I would recommend it to anyone who has a child that gets ear infections.

We ordered ethan's Halloween costume this weeks. We gave him a couple of choices and he chose Spiderman. So thanks to the wonderful world of eBay, spiderman should be here sometime this week - and at a fraction of the cost of department store/professional costume website spiderman.

Ellie is going to be the cutesy little fairy ever! She has a tutu, tights, cute top, wings, flowers, and sparkly candy bag and all. Her cute best friend, Kaylee Fuller, is going to be a fairy too. I will have to post the pictures of the two of them together on Halloween.

This is the first year we are letting Ethan actually go trick-or-treating. I am kinda excited for him to go - o just really hope Jacob can get the night off. It makes me sad to think he might miss ethan's first time out.

Today is the real reason I am writing though. Of course, ot is fast Sunday today. And every time a woman, and occassionally a man, gets up and starts to cry, ethan turns to me and says, "matter, mama?". Well today he did just that. When I said that the lady was happy, he said, "Ethan happy too?". So when I asked him if he wanted to go up there his cute little face just lit up and he said yea mama!! So when she was done he joes out into the aisle and yelled "come on mama!!" as he ran up to the stage. When we got up there I helped him and he ever so quotely whispered it unto the microphone. I dot think anyone could hear him at all!! It was just the cutesy thing ever. An so, today, is the first timey little bore his testimony in sacrent meeting. I love it when the kids stand up so I am so happy that he was excited to do that. He is a sweet little boy!!