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
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!
2 comments:
Oh all of us sickies. Sounds like a fun-filled week!
I would have freaked out! That Ellie...what a naughty little girl. Glad everything worked out okay and I'm sure the EEG will go just wonderfully.
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