A Girl, a Bead, and a Nose

I got the call shortly before lunch today at school.

Lauren had stuck a bead up her nose at the babysitter's house.

Good grief!

Lauren was freaking out, Tiff couldn't get her to blow, she kept sucking IN the air.

So I ok'ed the babysitter giving her Tylenol, called the Dr and got him to agree to squeeze us in as soon as we got there to remove the bead.

I RAN to the office and talked with the assistant principal and got coverage for my room. RAN back to my room and grabbed my stuff, and called Tiff to tell her I was on my way.  Then I said, "hey, just for fun, have LJ cover up one nostril and BLOW hard out the other one and see if it comes out."  IT DID!  Soooooo, I RAN back to the office to tell them I didn't need coverage, called the Dr. and canceled the appointment, and went back to my day as usual.

What a day!

I fully expect to get calls like this about Braden. . .but Lauren!!!????  She has NEVER stuck anything anywhere that it didn't belong!  It's SO unlike her!  Strange.  But. . .you can bet she'll never do it again!

How Lauren almost put me in the ER:

Tuesday night Jason was working at the shop, so I was with the kids. (duh)  We were playing puzzles on the living room floor and the tv was on.  I decided that it didn't need to be because it was just noise and no one was actually watching it.  So I asked Lauren to hand me the remote so that I could turn it off.  She grabbed it off the coffee table and turned to hand it to me.  Somehow it fell out of her hand and conked me on the back of my hand to the right of my middle knuckle right on a large vein.  I said "Ow."  Then I was shaking my hand at my side while Lauren says "Oh sorry Mommy!"  I say, "Oh honey, it was an accident, don't worry about it."  So she says, like I always say when she's hurt, "Let me see it."  So I bring my hand back around in front of me and IT IS SWOLLEN TO I'M NOT KIDDING YOU 4 TIMES IT'S NORMAL SIZE!  Not to mention it was black and blue and right on the vein where I had gotten hit, it was puffed up and looked like I had an extra knuckle.

Lauren and I both freaked out!  She was almost in tears and kept repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." just over and over and over.  It took me awhile to reassure her that Mommy was okay!!  She ran for Boo-Boo Bear while I ran for the ice pack that goes inside of him (that sounded nastier than it really is. . .he's a stuffed bear that you put an ice pack in to use with little kids when they get hurt. . .get your minds outa the gutter!), and we sat on the couch together while I iced my hand.  It was so swollen and black and blue and HURT like crazy!!

I kept ice on it the rest of the night and by the time Jason came home the swelling had gone down considerably and it wasn't nearly as black and blue as it had been.  The vein had also gone down, so I had the correct number of knuckles again.  If it hadn't gone down I was going to hop in the van as soon as Jason got home and run to the ER.

What a freak accident!  And nuts!  It's not like she dropped it from a 3-story building or something!  I mean, she's pretty close to the ground, and I was SITTING on the ground!!!

Well, all's well that ends well.

Picture update!

Lauren was a flower girl for Jason's cousin Kendra's wedding.  This is her third time at being a flower girl and she looks just as pretty in this wedding as she did in the previous two!

The bride, groom, and their littles attendants.

The flower girls gazing in "astonishment" at the size of Kendra's ring.

My two favorite men!  Aren't they handsome?

A nice family portrait!  It's not often we're all dressed up with somewhere to go!

My children showing their true personalities.  Lauren is a goofy little princess, and Braden, well, let's just say Braden is doing what Braden does best.  We love him anyway.

Jason, the kids, Pam, Jon, and I (even thought I'm not in the picture) took the kids to the Omaha zoo last weekend.  We had a wonderful time!  Everyone behaved, everyone was happy, and everyone loved it!

Both kids love shoulder rides.  Lauren has a very special relationship with her Uncle Jon.  They are two peas in a pod!

Braden thoroughly enjoyed our picnic lunch!!!  He ate TWO PB&J sandwiches!  (Which we saw later on that night as he puked for 4 hours straight.  Mmmmmmm!)

Our happy little family in front of a waterfall at the zoo.  What do you think?  Christmas card material?

My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to meeeeee!

Happy Birthday to me!

And many more!

Too bad I spent yesterday, today, and will again spend tomorrow, home SICK!  Grrrr.

I was feeling yucky on Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon REALLY crummy.  People at school kept telling me how red I looked.  I felt really hot, but no temp until evening.  Then it was about 99.

I spent Wednesday home in bed suffering from a fever of 101, chills, aches, and a red, splotchy rash ALL OVER!  The rash was hot and itchy on my face and upper body, but just red and splotchy everywhere else.  I called the Dr's office mid-morning and made an appointment to be seen at 2:15.  Around 11 I got the call that Braden was puking all over the place at Tiff's, so she brought him home to me at my request.  She said she'd keep him for me cuz she knew I was miserable, but I know that when kids are sick they just want Mommy.  He slept until it was time for the appointment.  (And I cried my eyes out.  I was so miserable and Jason was out of town on business and couldn't help me at all.  Once I was at the Dr's he called and said he was turning around and would be home that night.  I love that man!)

First the Doctors made me their human pin-cushion, and then they sat perplexed looking at me and asking me a ton of questions.  They tested me for strep, mono, and MEASLES!  Turns out that what I have is a viral reaction to the Amoxicilin that I've been on for my sinus crap.  They thought that Braden had the same thing, just affecting him a different way.  (We have since decided that Braden was just teething badly.  He tends to get sick when he's having a bad teething moment.)  So, one shot in the butt and some steroids later and I am finally on the mend.  Man I was miserable.  And let me say, what a wonderful way to spend my birthday!  Hopefully by tomorrow I am 100% and can enjoy my day "off". (Doctor's orders. . .so I might as well enjoy having an excuse not to work!)

I think I'll take my gift card from my wonderful husband and children and go BIKE SHOPPING!

And the award for the worst mom of the century goes to. . .

Me!

Here's my day in review:

• Taught kids until noon.
• Tested kids all afternoon on reading in Spanish (FUN!!)
• Debriefed after testing.
• Met with my principal.  Good meeting.
• Finished up some work in my classroom.
• Stopped by principal's office on my way out.  Chatted.  Finally said, "Oh, I better go I need to pick up my kids."  It was 4:45
• Jumped in the van, drove to the sitter's house.
• Walked in the door to hear my wonderful 18 month old saying "Mama, Mama!"  LOVE that sound!
• Lauren and Nevaeh had been fighting all day the day before, so I asked the sitter, "How did Lauren and Nevaeh get along today?"
• She says,
• "Lauren is at Preschool today!!!!"
• Can you imagine what my face looked like?
• I forgot to pick up my daughter at Preschool!!!!!!!

I felt this big.

Thankfully she wasn't traumatized and I don't think she even knew that I was late.  And there is NO way that I am going to tell her that I forgot her.  Can you imagine ten years from now if she knew?  I'd never hear the end of it!!!