Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Tying Shoes...√ check


Well, today was the day. "Kindergarten skill # 1", tying shoes, seamlessly slipped into our morning routine and quietly checked off our list!
Ok, No, that wasn't exactly the way it occurred, as nothing is "seamless" or "quiet" about our morning routine! We always seem to be short on time, no matter how early I get up. Kayli always has to be dragged out of bed, no matter how much sleep she gets. Kayli then, likes to "bumble and tumble" through our morning routine, somewhat like coaxing a chimpanzee to actively participate in a structured process like dressing, brushing teeth, brushing hair, and putting on shoes. Always the comedian, Kayli is pretending to get her shirt stuck on her head, which leads her to tumble, which turns into a summersault, which leaves her tangled in her clothes, which leads to a good hearty chuckle at herself, which leads her to search my face for signs of laughter and instead I'm saying "C'mon, c'mon, let's get moving..." and on we go. So we were REALLY running late this morning and I was rushing Kayli through the morning routine. The last thing we did was to choose her shoes. TODAY, she chose her shiny red high-top boots with the black ties, TODAY, as I look at my watch and realize that we SHOULD be pulling out of the driveway about now, Kayli grabs the shoelaces and says "Let me try, Mom!" Oh, Lord, I think, there's no time for this, but, I hold my thoughts in check and take a deep breath while she begins to cross and tuck the strings on the first shoe. Ok, I know she can do this first part, but the part with tying the bows is the part that provides the ultimate challenge. She tries, then tries again, and, with a little verbal direction from mom, oh my gosh, it works! Shoe number 2, same challenge, bows are too long, she pulls them all the way through, tries again, makes the bows/loops smaller, again at my very controlled, patient, verbal guidance, and pulls off a PERFECTLY TIED SHOE!!! She quietly looks up at me as she raises her eyebrows in surprised triumph, and then we both squeal with excitement!!! Woohoo, Kayli tied her shoes today!!!




Sunday, March 21, 2010

What? Winter Again???

Kayli woke up yesterday, and upon seeing the snow, she said "Mom, everyone's gonna be soooo disappointed! We were just starting Summer and now we have to do Winter ALL OVER AGAAAAIN!"
***
In a mere couple of days, we've gone from this...



To this...Waaaaa...we're sooo tired of snow...

Good Thing!

It's a good thing we got to celebrate St. Paddy's Day the Saturday before the real day, since,who would have guessed we'd be wearin' our green to the Children's hospital on the actual St Paddy's Day?!!!

Even though the weather was a little chilly and a bit drizzly, we bundled up for the annual S*hawnee parade! It is rare to see a St. Paddy's Day without some type of rain or mist in the air, but that is pretty typical weather if you live in Ireland, so, rain or mist, let the celebration begin...
We get to try out our cool, new wagon, while Kayli's Grandpa gets to try out his cool new chair...
Kayli's cousin arrives. Now the two of them can stay warm together in the wagon, while we wait for the parade to begin...
Kayli shares her luncheable with Anna...
Snug as two bugs in a rug...
Excitement is mounting, the girls are giddy!
Silly girls, pretending to be sooo tired from waiting!

Woohoo, the parade is starting!






As the "parade candy" keeps coming, Kayli yells "Mom, it's just like Halloween, only during the day!"

It's a...

Leprechaun!






Good-bye parade. See you again next year!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Always an Adventure!

Kayli is always telling me “Mom, let’s go on an adventure!” So, those were the very words I used with her, while at the doctor’s office, when the doctor told me I would need to take Kayli by ambulance to be admitted to the hospital!
So, let’s start at the beginning. On Tuesday afternoon I got a call from Kayli’s daycare telling me that she was running a high fever. Once home, her oral temp registered 103.6. She was miserably hot and we all know how Kayli hates being hot! I gave her all the standard “at home treatments” ibuprofen, food, fluids, sympathy, and a watchful eye. She seemed to start perking up, just in time for bed. I decided to see how things looked in the morning and head to the “walk-in clinic” at our pediatrician’s office if she hadn’t made the typical “Quick Kayli turnaround”. The next morning her oral temp was 104.4. She was coughing and wheezing and rapid-shallow-breathing. So off we went to the pediatrician. We spent the next 3 hours “camped out” in the tiny examining room, while the staff attempted to get Kayli’s low blood oxygen level into the minimally acceptable range by administering breathing treatments, spaced apart at pre-determined intervals, giving her an oral steroid, and adding some oxygen “for good measure”. (mind you this is my non-medical interpretive description of the sequence of events/treatments) The treatment would help briefly, then the level would drop again. So, eventually the doctor told me that Kayli would need to be taken by ambulance to one of the Children’s hospitals where Kayli would have to spend the night. The doctor turned to Kayli and told her what she just told me. Kayli’s eyes got as big as saucers, and I could see the panic in her face as she asked the doc if her mom could come too. I quickly “jumped in” with “Hey, you know what Kayli? You and I are going on an adventure today!” “We get to ride in an ambulance, and I have my camera in my purse so we can take pictures of our adventure!” Relief clearly registered on her face as she gave me a weak smile. She and I were sooo ready to get out of this little room, but I really hadn’t planned on this kind of detour in our day/week. The wearing of the green on St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t so lucky for us today. Well, except for the fact that I happened to have my camera in my purse! AND, really, Kayli and I are always up for turning our events into an adventure!!!



How nice, that Erin, the paramedic, gave Kayli this little sombrero-wearing-pony, on the ride to the hospital!
The Respiratory Therapist connects Kayli to the blood oxygen level monitor, by putting the "cool sticker with the red light" on her big toe...
The nurse was immediately given top class status when she brought in a DVD for Kayli and it was, yes, you guessed it, LAND BEFORE TIME!!! AND, the bigger surprise was that this was one we hadn't seen before. I thought we had every one that was out there!!!
So the admission desk is directly across from the gift shop window, where this darling poodle purse was hanging! Of course I had to get it for my "container/purse loving girl" and fill it with a few trinkets to brighten up her day!
This is a quilt donated by a group of Olathe Quilters for the children at this hospital to have on their beds as they are admitted. What a HUGE impact this had on Kayli. She couldn't believe someone gave her this beautiful quilt! She kept saying "Mom, just look at this beautiful quilt." She was sure someone made it just for her, because this quilt had rainbow colored butterflies, and how did they know that Kayli's favorite color was "all the colors of the rainbow!"
Then, while one of the nurses carried Kayli to get her chest x-rays, they had a nice discussion about Kayli's favorite foods, which this nice nurse ordered for Kayli's dinner. Even though the kitchen sent cheese pizza instead of cheeseburger, Kayli was thrilled to see someone walk through the door carrying her favorite, Mac N' Cheese!
Without a nap today, I knew Kayli would eventually just "drop in her tracks"! Kayli had at least 4 stuffed animal "friends" to snuggle with tonight. Still not enough, though, since she insisted she needed me to snuggle and sleep with her in this cozy little hospital bed!!! There was a designated "mommy bed" in the room (the vinyl window-seat could be transformed into a makeshift bed) but Kayli saw no sense in me sleeping way across the room when I could just be right next to her in her bed! AND I use the term "sleep" lightly, since every time we would start to drift off, the monitor would start beeping (this meant that Kayli's blood oxygen level had dipped below a certain number) and it would continue to beep until the number returned to normal by either switching Kayli's position, having her cough, etc. etc.

We were disappointed that Aunt Laura was out of town this week, since this is "her hospital" and she could have been right here to greet us when we came. When she found out about our stay, though, she emailed a mutual friend who works here, and she made a surprise appearance at our room early this morning, bearing gifts of all kinds, that would help Kayli pass the time; DVDs, a cool Barbie computer, markers and coloring pages, a giant bunny, etc. etc. Kayli thinks this place is the best!

The doctor does a final assessment to determine if Kayli can go home today...fever gone, breathing better, lungs are sounding good...so the doctor says "Yes" we can go home. Kayli says "But Mom, can't we just stay til we watch the rest of these DVDs?!!!"

Everything's packed in the special wagon for the ride down to the car. Woohoo!
Good-bye Children's Hospital... time to get on with what's left of our Spring Break!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Hide and Shreek!

What do you do after you've had a morning play date, (Kayli played with her toddler friend, Lily, while the moms attempted a rainy day garage sale)

then lunch at the big M, very short nap (ok, only mom napped) and it's still raining? You play "hide and shreek!" Kayli insisted that we play "hide and seek" while also insisting on telling me where to hide. But, what's the fun in that? It's only fun when you seek til you shreek!In the video below, Kayli had just informed me that she would count and then I should "hide behind the couch" and of course I didn't:

Monday, March 8, 2010

Accident Report

It's Monday afternoon, the end of my work day, and I head to Kayli's daycare to pick her up. I walk into the daycare office and reach for the pen at the "sign-in/sign-out" desk, when I catch a glimpse of a note attached to the clipboard for her classroom. The note has Kayli's name on it, just under the words "ACCIDENT REPORT!"
Well, when my heart started beating again, I opened the note to find...




While she holds a new ice pack on her swollen eye, Kayli tells me/relives the events leading up to the accident...
"Well, Mom, after you dropped me off, we ate breakfast, then we had circle time, and went to the gym. (I think, oh, of course it happened in the gym, but no, the story moves on) Then, it was center time, and I was in the 'puzzle and book center' with Sam. Then, I throwed something in the trash, and then I was hopping around and around like a dinosaur, (oh, yeah, I can picture that) and I runned right into Sam!" "Sam's head hitted MY eye!" Then, Kayli reports "You know, Mom, this will turn into a bruise and it's going to hurt for at least 20 years!" Then, she looked at herself in the mirror and it reminded her about how much this hurts, and, well, a little more TLC was called for, and in our house that not only stands for "Tender Loving Care" but also "Time for a Little Comfort food"...Ice Cream always makes us feel better!
***
I'm adding an entry for Tuesday, the day after the injury, because eye bruises always look so much "prettier" the next day, as they spread to the rest of the eye, and turn a nicer shade of lavender, and narrow the "viewing area" as the eye swells shut a bit more, as is evidenced from the photo below:
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