The Swine Flu Pandemic

You gotta love the media. We live in an era now where it is hard to filter the information that comes our way because we are bombarded. The media loves to go crazy with the story of the week causing us to panic even further. I wonder how much of our economic situation was brought about by media coverage??

So the flavor of the week is the swine flu pandemic. Every time I open the internet or turn on the news I see people walking around with masks on with the big pandemic headline running across the screen. You can't help but feel a bit nervous. However, I'm much more skeptical than I used to be...maybe being with Steve so many years has rubbed off on me!

Most people know that I'm not a fan of MOST vaccinations. There are a few I feel are necessary, but for the most part I feel that the majority are not needed and are actually harmful for us. So this current issue grabbed my attention as soon as they started talking about rushing vaccinations out.

I found a most interesting article on the current situation. The link to the article is
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx

I suggest you print out the article and read it when you have a few minutes. It is very intriguing.

I will pull out some key elements from this article for your quick reading. Everything below comes straight from the article above found on mercola's website.

---On April 27, Time magazine published an article which discusses how dozens died and hundreds were injured from vaccines as a result of the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when the Ford administration attempted to use the infection of soldiers at Fort Dix as a pretext for a mass vaccination of the entire country.

---This is NOT the First Swine Flu Panic

My guess is that you can expect to see a lot of panic over this issue in the near future. But the key is to remain calm -- this isn't the first time the public has been warned about swine flu. The last time was in 1976, right before I entered medical school and I remember it very clearly. It resulted in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign.

Do you happen to recall the result of this massive campaign?

Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis from the vaccine. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths.
However, several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome after they were injected with the swine flu vaccine. Even healthy 20-year-olds ended up as paraplegics.
And the swine flu pandemic itself? It never materialized.

More People Died From the Swine Flu Vaccine than Swine Flu!

---As of Monday April 27, the worldwide total number of confirmed cases was 82, according to WHO, which included 40 cases in the U.S., confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control. But does that truly warrant the feverish news headlines?
To put things into perspective, malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY DAY, and it's considered "a health problem"... But of course, there are no fancy vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars in a short amount of time.

---Just a couple of months ago, scientists concluded that the 1918 flu pandemic that killed between 50-100 million people worldwide in a matter of 18 months -- which all these worst case scenarios are built upon -- was NOT due to the flu itself!4
Instead, they discovered the real culprit was strep infections.

---Please remember that, despite the fantastic headlines and projections of MILLIONS of deaths, the H5N1 bird flu virus killed a mere 257 people worldwide since late 2003. As unfortunate as those deaths are, 257 deaths worldwide from any disease, over the course of five years, simply does not constitute an emergency worthy of much attention, let alone fear!
Honestly, your risk of being killed by a lightning strike in the last five years was about 2,300 percent higher than your risk of contracting and dying from the bird flu.6 I'm not kidding! In just one year (2004), more than 1,170 people died from lighting strikes, worldwide.7
So please, as the numbers of confirmed swine flu cases are released, keep a level head and don't let fear run away with your brains.

---According to the World Health Organization's Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response site; as of April 27, there are:
64 laboratory confirmed cases in U.S. -- 0 deaths (reported by CDC as of April 29)
26 confirmed cases in Mexico -- 7 deaths
6 confirmed cases in Canada -- 0 deaths
1 confirmed case in Spain -- 0 deaths
Additionally, nearly all suspected new cases have been reported as mild.
Personally, I am highly skeptical. It simply doesn't add up to a real pandemic.
But it does raise serious questions about where this brand new, never before seen virus came from, especially since it cannot be contracted from eating pork products, and has never before been seen in pigs, and contains traits from the bird flu -- and which, so far, only seems to respond to Tamiflu. Are we just that lucky, or... what?

---Your Fear Will Make Some People VERY Rich in Today's Crumbling Economy
As soon as Homeland Security declared a health emergency, 25 percent -- about 12 million doses of Tamiflu and Relenza treatment courses were released from the nation's stockpile. However, beware that the declaration also allows unapproved tests and drugs to be administered to children. Many health- and government officials are more than willing to take that chance with your life, and the life of your child. But are you?

---Remember, Tamiflu went through some rough times not too long ago, as the dangers of this drug came to light when, in 2007, the FDA finally began investigating some 1,800 adverse event reports related to the drug. Common side effects of Tamiflu include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Headache
Dizziness
Fatigue
Cough
All in all, the very symptoms you're trying to avoid.
More serious symptoms included convulsions, delirium or delusions, and 14 deaths in children and teens as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections (which led Japan to ban Tamiflu for children in 2007). And that's for a drug that, when used as directed, only reduces the duration of influenza symptoms by 1 to 1 ½ days, according to the official data.

But making matters worse, some patients with influenza are at HIGHER risk for secondary bacterial infections when on Tamiflu. And secondary bacterial infections, as I mentioned earlier, was likely the REAL cause of the mass fatalities during the 1918 pandemic!

---Just last month I reported on the story that the American pharmaceutical company Baxter was under investigation for distributing the deadly avian flu virus to 18 different countries as part of a seasonal flu vaccine shipment. Czech reporters were probing to see if it may have been part of a deliberate attempt to start a pandemic; as such a "mistake" would be virtually impossible under the security protocols of that virus.

But there seems to be no repercussions or hard feelings when industry oversteps the boundaries of morality and integrity and enters the arena of obscenity. Because, lo and behold, which company has been chosen to head up efforts, along with WHO, to produce a vaccine against the Mexican swine flu?
Baxter!11 Despite the fact that ink has barely dried on the investigative reports from their should-be-criminal "mistake" against humanity.

---I've written extensively about the numerous dangers (and ineffectiveness) of flu vaccines, and why I do not recommend them to anyone. So no matter what you hear -- even if it comes from your doctor -- don't get a regular flu shot. They rarely work against seasonal flu...and certainly can't offer protection against a never-before- seen strain.

---Topping the whole mess off, of course, is the fact that if the new vaccine turns out to be a killer, the pharmaceutical companies responsible are immune from lawsuits -- something I've also warned about before on numerous occasions

Bottom line...don't let fear from the media get the best of you.

Our hot weekend

How funny that just a week ago we had temps that dipped into the 40s and 50s and this weekend it was 91! Too bad our air condition went out. We were sweltering! Saturday late afternoon we attempted to turn our air on and quickly discovered it didn't work. We all took cold showers and baths to cool down. We didn't have screens on our windows yet so we couldn't open the windows up. Sunday the heat started to drive me nuts. It actually felt better outside in 90 degrees than it did in our house. Andrew is asleep in just a onesie with 3 fans going in his room! We hope we can get it fixed soon.

We had a fun weekend. Steve had been out of town until Friday. So he took off a 1/2 day on Friday and we went fishing. There is a great lake up the street, so we headed out for the afternoon. The boys were very excited. Of course about 30 minutes into not catching anything, Jacob and Zachary lost interest in fishing and just wanted to play in the worms. They like the idea and experience more than the actual act of fishing. But it was nice and relaxing for me and Steve. We had a great time!

Saturday morning our neighborhood had a garage sale. I was shocked when cars were piling in at daylight. Seriously, at 6:00am the neighborhood was hopping! I ran and got Steve up so he could help me get everything out and set up before the kids woke up (I'm sure he appreciated that on a Saturday morning!) We had pretty much sold all of our stuff by 10:00 so it was well worth it. Jacob had a great soccer game. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon just playing. The boys ran through the sprinkler and played their hearts out all day.

Today, we went to church then came home for a work day around the house. Steve and I cleaned out the garage and put up the screens. Then we all just tried our best to stay cool!

An email that got my attention

This post comes from an email that Corie Morgan sent to Steve. Thank you Corie, we really enjoyed it!



I hesitate to admit that I rarely read "forward" emails. No offense if you love them! I just rarely have time to read them. But I almost always read them when they come from someone that never sends forwards...i.e my husband! So when Steve forwarded me a forward, I was surprised and definitely took the time to read it. Let me clarify, that I always read emails that are sent with a message to me or if they are political/action emails. I'm only speaking of the email forward chains.



I liked this one maybe because it applies to my life right now. Who knows...but it got my attention.





Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
In his opening address he said,"We can't keep Christians from going to church.""We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and
Knowing the truth.""We can't even keep them from forming an intimate
Relationship with their Saviour.""Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power
Over them is broken.""So let them go to their churches; let them have their
Covered dish dinners, BUT steal their time, so they
Don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus
Christ.."
"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:"Distract them from gaining hold of their Saviour and
Maintaining that vital connection throughout their
Day!""How shall we do this?" his demons shouted."Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and
Invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he
Answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow,
Borrow, borrow.""Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and
The husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a
Day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.""Keep them from spending time with their children.""As their families fragment, soon, their homes will
Offer no escape from the pressures of work!""Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear
That still, small voice.""Entice them to play the radio or cd player
Whenever they drive" To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and
Their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it
That every store and restaurant in the world plays
Non-biblical music constantly.""This will jam their minds and break that union with
Christ.""Fill the coffee tables with magazines and
Newspapers.""Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."
"Invade their driving moments with billboards.""Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order
Catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter
And promotional offering free products, services and
False hopes..""Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV
So their husbands will believe that outward beauty is
what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with
Their wives. ""Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at
Night.""Give them headaches too! ""If they don't give their husbands the love they need,
They will begin to look elsewhere..""That will fragment their families quickly!""Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching
Their children the real meaning of Christmas.""Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about
His resurrection and power over sin and death.""Even in their recreation, let them be excessive.""Have them return from their recreation exhausted.""Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on
God's creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting
Events, plays, concerts, and movies instead.""Keep them busy, busy, busy!"
"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve
Them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with
Troubled consciences.""Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have
No time to seek power from Jesus.""Soon they will be working in their own strength,
Sacrificing their health and family for the good of
The cause.""It will work!""It will work!"It was quite a plan!The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing
Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed,
Going here and there.Having little time for their God or their families.Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus
To change lives.I guess the question is, has the devil been successful
In his schemes?You be the judge!!!!!Does"BUSY"mean:
B-eingU-nderS-atan'sY-oke?

My new favorite website

My sister has turned me on to a great website. It is www.thepioneerwoman.com

The author of the site is super creative and a witty writer. She has sections for cooking, homeschooling, photography, and home and garden. Her site appeals to anyone with an interest in any of these areas...not just stay at home moms.

But what I love about this site is how she posts her ideas. If she posts a recipe, she takes a picture of each step so that you can actually see what she is describing. My sister has made several of her recipes and they have all been a huge hit with her family. All of her posts are like this. She did a post of how to make a raised vegetable garden and after reading her instructions, I felt that even I could do that. She has an ability to really simplify things so that anyone can put her ideas into practice.

When you have a few minutes to spare, browse her site. It is really neat. I really love her photography section. So if you enjoy taking pictures, she posts great ideas, tutorials, and products preferences.

Here is her bio straight from her website:

Howdy. I’m Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. Welcome to my frontier!
I’m a thirty-something ranch wife, mother of four, moderately-agoraphobic middle child who grew up on a golf course in the city. I attended college in Los Angeles and wore black pumps to work every day. I ate sushi and treated myself to pedicures on a semi-regular basis. I even kissed James Garner in an elevator once. Then, on a brief trip to my hometown, I met and fell in love with a rugged cattle rancher. Now I live in the middle of nowhere on a working cattle ranch. My days are spent wrangling children, chipping dried manure from boots, washing jeans, and frying calf nuts. I have no idea how I got here…but you know what? I love it. Don’t tell anyone.
I hope you enjoy my website, ThePioneerWoman.com. Here, I write about my decade-long transition from spoiled city girl to domestic country wife. I post photos of cows, horses, and my four weird children, and frequently include shots of cowboys wearing chaps. In my Photography section, I include Photography and Photoshop tutorials. In my Cooking section, I post step-by-step photos of all the cowboy-friendly dishes I’ve taught myself to cook through the years, and in Home & Garden, I chronicle the start-to-finish remodeling project of an old guest house on our ranch.
I post frequent audio clips of my children mispronouncing simple words and of me doing Ethel Merman impersonations. I also share delightful audio clips of different styles of burps as well as photos of my son picking his nose.
I’ve embarrassed myself a lot. Once, I spilled a pot of hot tea on Gary Coleman’s lap.
I have two brothers. Here’s my oldest brother’s wrestling picture from high school:

Here’s me with my punks:
They’re sweet kids. Generally speaking.
And here’s my husband, Marlboro Man:

He’s rugged and virile.
Here are our four punks:

They’re suckers.
I love taking pictures and post frequent photos of my life on a working cattle ranch. And at least twice a week, I hold contests and giveaways. The prizes are fabulous, and I get to satisfy the middle child in me. Don’t miss ‘em!
In my spare time, I also manage to write, take pictures of nature, and compose ridiculous poetry in an effort to chronicle this bizarre, beautiful, and often hilarious journey I’m on. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you!
Love, Ree

Hope you enjoy her site as much as I do!!

Our little thumb sucker

The first picture was taken when Andrew was 3 months old in March. The second was taken last week at 4 months old. These shots are of his latest thumb sucking.

We continue to see great results in Andrew's progress from his torticollis. We never ended up going to physical therapy after the first session. We chose to try NUCCA chiropractic instead. My friend explained in laymens terms to me that Andrew's condition was a neurological issue where there was basically a disconnect between his brain and muscles not receiving the proper message. She explained the nervous system to me as a circuit breaker where Andrew had a blown fuse. So all he needed was to have that blown fuse reset. Andrew has had about 6 treatments and we have been amazed at his quick progress. The actual torticollis is completely gone. He has 100% full range of motion now. This week was the first session he needed no correction because he held his correction from the previous week.

Each day his muscles get stronger and stronger. He was a little behind b/c for 3 months he didn't really use the musles on the left side of his neck. Now his muscles are learning. However, he is making very fast progress in catching up. He will be 5 months old next week and he is basically on the same track Jacob and Zachary were on with their milestones.

The cutest thing that Andrew is doing right now is his belly laugh and squeals and sucking his thumb. I could just eat him up when he sucks his thumb. It is adorable! He usually sucks his thumb when he goes to sleep, is getting sleepy or is hungry. Great for me because he can soothe himself. Jacob and Zachary were not thumb suckers nor did they take a pacifier. They just cried when they were tired!

Andrew breaks out in belly laughs at the sight of his big brothers. He has always been interested in them and loved to watch them. They have always had the ability to soothe him or make him laugh. And they love the job! But lately just their mere presence is enough to send Drew into full giggles. He has to be able to see what they are doing at all times. And in the car is great b/c rear facing doesn't bother him in the least b/c he just watches Jacob and Zach in the 3rd row and is highly entertained!

It is so joyful having a baby in the house. Just watching this innocent little guy observe and learn from the world around us is such a neat experience for us all. He keeps us enjoying the simple moments of life as we see him light up with his new experiences.

God's Creativity

I think we see God's creativity the most when we look at our children. To see how God has created us each so uniquely exemplifies the awesomeness of His creativity. Each of our children are very, very different from each other. They are each special in their own ways. And I'm so thankful God gave us such different children. Otherwise, it would just be boring!

Lately, Zachary has been quite a challenge for us. He is a high energy kid, but a really neat kid. I will start with the positives...he has never met a stranger, he loves to be around people, he is hilarious and loves to clown around and "be silly" as he calls it...loves to be the center of attention and LOVES to make people laugh. He is very strong willed (this can be negative at times, but later in life, it will be an asset for him). He loves to run, play, be with Jacob, play any sport, read books,and wrestle. He has a sweet heart (most of the time). He is very good with his hands and likes to figure things out. Zachary is full of life. He has a sparkle in his eye that just lights his entire face up. He is the most honest child I've ever met. He will come tell on himself before another kid does it. He is very, very smart...but he doesn't like you to realize that about him (I think this follows the birth order).

Now for the challenging aspects, he is prone to temper tantrums, he has a super strong will, he can sap my energy in an instant, he has to be pushed to do for himself b/c Jacob is willing to do everything for him. He can "turn mean" as he calls it where he is mean to other children for no reason. He doesn't fear consequences too much...we are constantly reevaluating discipline methods to use that will actually work!

We can look at our scrapbook and see Zachary at 9 months old making mean or "tough guy" faces. He was already a tough guy as a baby! He is the type of child that we don't have to worry about getting pushed around. In fact, he has been playing with kids that are 7-9 years old and we don't really worry b/c we know Zachary will defend himself. In fact this weekend, Jacob and Zachary were playing with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood. All the kids were around 1st-3rd grade. So Jacob and Zachary were definitely among the youngest. Zachary was wrestling around with some of the older boys. Jacob came running home crying thinking they were picking on him. But Zachary LOVED it! It bothered Jacob and didn't bother Zachary! Often we are delighted to see a kid push Zachary so he can see what it is like!

I try to picture what Zachary will be like when he is a teenager. If he has a heart for God at that point in his life, I think he could do amazing things for the kingdom of God. He has the type of personality that people enjoy being around. He is just a joy to be with. I can picture him standing firm for what he believes in, standing for the values of God. I can picture him as a leader not falling easily into peer pressure. I can see him as a voice of truth in a dark world. I see amazing qualities in Zachary that I know God put in him for a reason. So I pray that I don't break him of these God given traits in an effort to have a perfectly obedient preschooler. I pray that I mother him in such a way as to show love to him, show God's love to him, teach him to obey and respect adults, and teach him to follow God no matter what.

Another vision that I have of Zachary as a teenager I feel is just the work of Satan to make me fearful. The same qualities that can be used for God's glory can be dangerous to Zachary if he doesn't have a heart for God. His zest for life and love for fun could be dangerous for a teenager. But I won't allow myself to fear these things b/c I know that is what Satan would like. Instead, we will stand firm. We will pray for Zachary to have a heart that loves God deeply from a young age and grow in that love and fellowship with Christ throughout his life. I pray everyday that God would use each of my children in a powerful way for His kingdom. And I do pray that Zachary, and each of my children, would strike fear in the eyes of the enemy because of their unfaltering love of Jesus.

First Soccer Game

Jacob had his first soccer game 2 weeks ago. What a stud our coach is! We aren't crazy about purple jerseys...but oh well! Zachary isn't old enough to play (although we think he is talented enough :) ). However for the first game, we were a couple players short, so Zach got to fill in in order to give the other kids much needed rest. He had a blast! He does understand that he isn't on the team and this was likely a one time event.

Jacob had a great game. He scored 3 goals! Steve is really enjoying coaching. It is so cute to see these little guys running around out there!

Jacob played when he was 3 in Smyrna and it didn't go so well. He was just too young. This time around he really loves it. He is a pretty athletic little dude He is super speedy and loves competition. Can't wait until Zach is old enough to play!

"The Trip" Part 3

So the last 1/2 of our trip really seemed to fly by. On Wednesday we spent the day with Steve's parents, his sister and her little ones, Aaron and Ansley. The kids played nonstop from 9:30 to about 5:00. They had to be worn out. We were outside all day and they just ran their little hearts out.



Thursday was the much anticipated zoo trip. We still had our membership that hadn't expired yet. We have been to the zoo plenty of times when it was spring break, so we weren't too concerned about the crowds. However, had I known how crowded it was going to be, we would have skipped this outing. It was so packed, that the line wrapped around the Cyclorama and people were parking miles away and walking! In addition, you couldn't even walk through the exhibits because there were sooo many people. You were literally shoulder to shoulder. There were times I couldn't push my stroller through so I would just have to wait for an opening and shove my way on through.



Throughout much of the trip, I kept waiting for that feeling of "home". Since we haven't been back since September, I naturally thought that arriving back in Atlanta I would immediately feel that sense of home again. It was strange when I didn't get that feeling (not including being with family). I guess that is a good thing...meaning Virginia actually feels like home now. I thought that being at the zoo would definitely bring back those feelings since that is something the boys and I did regularly. We had our little routine down of the order we saw the animals and the little treats they enjoyed along the way. But when we arrived at the zoo, it felt different. First we were surrounded by moms in designer jeans and shoes all fixed up for a night out! Little girls were even carrying Coach bags! And because of the crowds we visited the exhibits in reverse order. That just threw Jacob for a loop (he takes after me in that department). It was so funny b/c Jacob just couldn't get past the fact that we were going backwards. It really bothered him! So all that to say that people were right when they prepared us for what it would be like to return the first couple of times...things would feel different. The completely "normal" was just being with our families. Sadly, we just didn't have the time to visit with our friends, but hope we can do that on the next trip down.



Jacob got a tick in his neck, Zachary got a splinter in his arm, 2 moms almost approached me for child abuse when they incorrectly thought I was yanking on his arm when in fact I was just trying to hold him still while I yanked out a splinter, and we lost Zachary at the zoo! So it was a bit stressful to say the least. We were standing in line waiting to ride the little train around the zoo when suddenly Zachary was missing. I began screaming like a madwoman. I was absolutely more terrified than I've ever been in my life. We didn't see him anywhere. Amber took off in the crowd of people and found him making his way to jump ahead of the line to board the train. I don't know what he was thinking! We quickly ended our zoo trip and headed home for the day...after stopping at Trader joes! I have missed that store so much! So I loaded up on our favorite stuff.



Friday was spent at Ambers just saying bye to everyone then we headed to Steve's parents and spent the night with them before heading out Saturday morning. Our return trip was MUCH better. Grandma and Grandpa helped us out by going along with us until we met up with Steve. We made it with only 2 stops during the whole trip and made it home in 9 hours. Much better this time around!

So our trip was crazy, hectic, and just a bit strange with Jacob's allergies and all the running around that we did. But we were so grateful for the time we had with our families and only wish we could have seen each of them more. But we were ready to get back home to Steve and Virginia. When we crossed the state line back into VA it was a warm feeling! And the boys (and me) were thrilled to be back with Steve after such a long time apart!

"The Trip" Part 2

Each day of our trip was planned out with a different family member and one day set aside for friends. I went into the trip knowing that it would be crazy and that we would be all over the place. I think we would have been better off having everyone come see us rather than us driving all over. Several times on the trip the boys grumbled about how much we were in the car. Zachary said "I don't like GA b/c it is a long car ride".



So Monday was our day to go to my dad's for the day. I actually woke up the boys at 7:00 so that we could be on the road to his house by 7:30. My boys love to eat a "Paw Paw" breakfast. He is known for cooking a great big breakfast with both bacon and sausage just for Jacob. They were so excited to see Paw Paw and Cee Cee for the day.



When I woke them up, Jacob wasn't himself. He couldn't really get out of bed. When I finally forced him out, he would just lay back down on the floor. I thought the trip was just catching up with him and he would be fine once we were up and going. Then I started noticing he had a bit of a sassy mouth. Jacob always does that when he doesn't feel well. So I started wondering if he was getting sick, but he didn't look sick.



So I get everyone strapped in the van and I hop in the drivers seat. As I put the car in reverse, Jacob starts screaming and crying that he can't breathe. He is ripping at his seatbelt and is absolutely hysterical. I try not to panic as I put the car in park and jump in the back with him. He just keeps saying he can't breathe and he can't take a deep breath. I run inside and get my mom who is about to walk out the door for work. She brings him in and listens with the stethoscope. She said he is wheezing pretty bad and we should take him somewhere.



I call my sister and she takes over setting up a dr visit for Jacob with her pediatrician. We got Jacob calmed down, but his breathing was very frightening. He was struggling to breath. I start heading from McDonough to Covington to the dr. On the way, Jacob starts coughing so hard, he throws up. Zachary started crying when Jacob threw up b/c it scared him so bad. So now they are both hysterical. We stop, clean up, then continue on.



Meanwhile, I had called my dad and filled him in. Naturally, he said just take care of Jacob. But I had him meet me at the dr office to help me out with Zach and Andrew. We get to the office and sit in the parking lot waiting for them to open. We are then told they can't see us b/c the regular dr is out of town. So I call our dr here in VA.



Let me back up and say that I thought this was related to Jacob's dog allergy. He is allergic to dogs, but normally we can give him Claritan and he is ok. My mom has dogs, so we always give him Claritan when we stay there. This time the Claritan didn't do the trick. After talking to our doctor, he said it could be an allergy induced asthma attack. He prescribed stronger allergy medicine along with an inhaler.



From the doctor office, my dad followed us to my sister's house b/c she has a nebulizer, albuteral, epipen, and an oxygen checker. She stocked us up so that we could then get to my dad's and try to enjoy the rest of the day.



Once we were away from the dogs, Jacob really started to clear up. He did have to have a couple of breathing treatments and we had him spend the night with my sister most nights of the trip.



We arrive at dad's house, Jacob starts feeling better, and we all try to relax a bit. My dad took Jacob and Zachary out back to shoot his pellet gun. The first time they have ever shot a gun. He first gave them their gun safety lessons :) They really were excited to shoot the gun. He then took them to the taxidermist to see all the critters he has killed this year. They love being with Paw Paw and hearing his hunting stories.



So our day with Paw Paw and Cee Cee was much shorter than we would have liked. We only had a few hours with them for the entire week. I think that was hard on the boys that we were there so long but only got to see everyone a little.



We had to cancel our trip for Tuesday to visit our friends in Smyrna b/c Jacob was staying at Amber's house. So I just couldn't go from McDonough to Covington to Smyrna to Covington then back to McDonough. So Tuesday we ended up spending the day at Amber's house. It was nice to have the day with them as well.



We ended up taking the kids to Chick fil A for lunch so they could play. It was still cold in Atlanta so we weren't outside Tuesday either. All the kids spent the day playing inside then we rented a movie for them and they had a little movie afternoon.



Tuesday night I tried taking Jacob back with me to my mom's. He ended up feeling sick again and was starting with the difficult breathing. So that was the last night he was at Nannie's house until our last night. That was sad b/c Jacob adores Nannie. She and Jacob have a special bond and I could see how sad he was that he felt sick at nannie's house. He even said, "Does this mean I will never get to stay at Nannie's house again?" It broke my heart. I told him that once we got back home to VA, we would go to the doctor to figure out what was going on and that I am sure we would be able to go back to nannie's house eventually.



That recaps through Tuesday. Check back tomorrow for the rest of our trip highlights. I will post some pictures later in the week.

"The Trip" Part 1

So me and my 3 little amigos headed back to Atlanta for our first trip back since the big move to VA. The plan was for me to start the drive with just me and the boys and meet my parents 1/2 way. At that point, my mom would ride with me and we would follow my stepdad back to their house. The drive time should be about 8.5 to 9 hours not including stops. Our boys have always been fantastic travelers, so I thought it would be easy to do 4 hours on my own. Boy was I wrong!!



Mistake number 1 was leaving after Jacob's soccer game on Saturday at 11:15. We should have just waited until Sunday morning and gotten an early start. Instead we left close to lunchtime. So within only 1 hour of driving, they were ready to stop to eat, pee, and Andrew needed to nurse. Zachary went from quiet and content to screaming that he needed to pee immediately. Since he is 3 1/2 and has been potty trained since he was barely over 2, I didn't feel the urgency to pull over immediately. I told him to wait until I could get off at an exit. I had brought empty bottles along for them to pee into to save me from having to get out of the car with them. Well, Zachary proceeded to get louder and louder saying he had to go so bad. There was nowhere to pull off...the exits were so far apart where we were at the time, so I told him to keep holding it. All the sudden, his cry changed. He had wet his pants. Zachary HATES to be wet unless he is in a pool or tub. So that just freaked him out. What was even worse is that Jacob had to sit next to him while he freaked out. And Andrew didn't know what had happened.



Now that he had already had the accident, there was no urgency to pull over. I didn't have spare clothes for him unless I went digging in our bags, which I didn't want to do. So I told him to wait until we got to our lunch stop and we would clean up then. Would you believe that within that short little time he actually wet his pants again. By this time, there is a pool of pee in his booster seat and he is beside himself.



So we get to a stopping place so I can start dealing with the kids. At this point, I feel pretty stressed b/c Andrew is starting to cry b/c he is hungry. Zachary is crying b/c he is wet and Jacob is just sitting there hoping he doesn't get involved in all that is going on. I end up being able to grab underwear and pants for Zach but he has to go without a shirt. So he is somewhat cleaned up. I then get Drew out of his carseat to nurse him and believe it or not, he had a poop diaper that exploded up his back. And again I had no spare clothes in reach. So that was fun to clean that stinky mess up on the van floor. I was really thankful for the minivan at this point. Now I'm sweating and stressed and just watching the time tick away that we are losing.

Kids are now fed and clothed so we proceed forward. That one stop was an hour. At this point I'm only a little discouraged. If we only lost an hour for the whole trip, that wouldn't be so bad. But the boys ended up needing to stop 5 times in 2 hours! That was just insane to me. These boys have been trained by Steve that you just don't stop on a trip unless it is an emergency. Our first trip to VA, they only required 2 stops in 9 hours. Here we are 3 hours into our trip and have already stopped 6 times. Now I'm panicking.

Each stop to pee, I had them pee in a bottle then we hit the road. We finally had to go inside so I could use the restroom. That was a sight to see me and 3 small children crammed into 1 stall.

Long story short, we finally meet up with my parents and follow them into Atlanta. We didn't arrive to their house until almost midnight. A 9 hour trip became a 12 hour trip. When we actually got into Atlanta, I swear my blood pressure rose immediately. I forgot how rude Atlanta drivers are and how crazy they drive. It has only been 9 months that we have been away, but my defensive driving was definitely a bit rusty.

I was absolutely exhausted when we got to their house. The boys slept from about 8:00 until we arrived. So when they woke up at midnight, they didn't just go back to sleep. It was almost 1:00am before they were able to get back to sleep. Then Andrew was off schedule and was up at 3:00 am (he normally gets up around 4:00 to eat). He went back to sleep and cried on and off from 4:30 until 6:30. So Sunday morning, I felt like a train had hit me.

So Sunday is our first full day. The boys are ecstatic because my sister's family was coming over for the day. My mom, sister, and I were heading out to do some shopping. Unfortunately the weather was cold and rainy so the kids were stuck inside all day.

I will stop for today...check back tomorrow for more of our trip adventures!

We're Back

We're back from our Atlanta trip...and what a trip it was. Stay tuned for a post later today recapping our trip. Let's just say that I don't think I will ever go down without Steve again...and I will never drive any part of the trip alone again either! Gotta run now to get ready for our weekly chiro outing to Charlottesville so check back later for our trip news and pictures. Hope everyone had a great Easter!