So, we went and did the bluebonnet pics with my side of the family on Sunday up in Brenham. When Lisa gets them posted on her website, I'll let you know, but in the mean time, I just love this pic Eric took of me playing with Micah man, and my sis and bro in law holding hands in the background. They were getting couple only shots taken :)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Cloth Diapering 101--VERY picture heavy post
updated to add:
I have received lots of questions....via comment and email and thought I'd share what the answers were:
1) Yes, you have to take the inserts out of the diapers. I just pull them out before I dump them in the pail liner. There are some Mommy's Touch Easy Clean ones that are supposed to come out in the wash, but I want to make SURE they come out and get super clean. Plus, I wash my hands anyways after changing the dipes, so who cares if I touch a little more urine :). Eric doesn't like this step (though he does it), so he usually gives the dipes a few hard shakes to get them out without touching them.
2) What about poop? Ok, poopy is interesting....While breastfed exclusively, the poop is pretty runny, and is all water soluble. So, you don't have to do anything except throw it in the pail. My mom did get me some bum genius spray, that's like veggie extract, etc to help with the smell, so if I remember, I spray that on them. But, since we haven't started solid foods yet (I bought some sweet potatoes to start pureeing soon), we don't rinse or anything. With Cara's, when she rarely does it in the dipe, it is pretty much one big clump so I just dump it in the toilet. If it is runny, I DO have a diaper sprayer, that Eric's school family gave us, so sometimes I use that, but it usually makes more of a mess than just shaking the dipe a few times, and maybe using a little toilet paper to get the big clumps off. I use the sprayer for tons of other uses. Spraying the dogs in the tub if they get stuff on them, etc.
I heard the hard stage of poop is first starting solid foods, like 6-9 months, it's like peanut butter. YUCK, not looking forward to it, but will deal with it when it comes.
3) While out and about, I use them like I always do. Now granted, I have kids that don't poop every day. They usually go every 2-3 days, so I have it pretty nice :). But I pack a couple diapers in my diaper bag. I do use disposable wipes (when I have them) while I'm out, but rarely need them. I'm usually at someone's house who already has wipes if I'm out and about. I have 2 kids under the age of 3, so besides playgroup and church, we are home a lot. I have 2 wet bags. They are like pail liners, with a waterproof layer, but smaller to fit in a diaper bag, and I prefer the ones that zipper close. That's where you put the wet and dirty diapers while out. Then I just dump them in the pail when I get home. I got one off ebay that I don't like, just stick with mommy's touch for pail liners and wet bags, they are the best I've found.
Original Post follows:
So yesterday, as I sat around folding clothes, which included a load of cloth diapers, I started to think, man, this is so easy, why doesn't everyone do it?? I have also recently had lots of questions as to how and why I chose cloth diapers (when I used disposables on Cara until she was 22 months old), and I wanted to clarify to some people that I don't do it JUST because it is cheap (although that was one of the reasons I first started looking into it--knowing I wanted more kids). I also thought (and was told by my husband who checks my blog each night to see what I've admitted about us for the world to see) that I haven't posted in awhile, and I'm going to start losing my loyal readers (Yes Chris B, this means you...your sweet wife ratted your blog stalking out to me last night!).
I have received lots of questions....via comment and email and thought I'd share what the answers were:
1) Yes, you have to take the inserts out of the diapers. I just pull them out before I dump them in the pail liner. There are some Mommy's Touch Easy Clean ones that are supposed to come out in the wash, but I want to make SURE they come out and get super clean. Plus, I wash my hands anyways after changing the dipes, so who cares if I touch a little more urine :). Eric doesn't like this step (though he does it), so he usually gives the dipes a few hard shakes to get them out without touching them.
2) What about poop? Ok, poopy is interesting....While breastfed exclusively, the poop is pretty runny, and is all water soluble. So, you don't have to do anything except throw it in the pail. My mom did get me some bum genius spray, that's like veggie extract, etc to help with the smell, so if I remember, I spray that on them. But, since we haven't started solid foods yet (I bought some sweet potatoes to start pureeing soon), we don't rinse or anything. With Cara's, when she rarely does it in the dipe, it is pretty much one big clump so I just dump it in the toilet. If it is runny, I DO have a diaper sprayer, that Eric's school family gave us, so sometimes I use that, but it usually makes more of a mess than just shaking the dipe a few times, and maybe using a little toilet paper to get the big clumps off. I use the sprayer for tons of other uses. Spraying the dogs in the tub if they get stuff on them, etc.
I heard the hard stage of poop is first starting solid foods, like 6-9 months, it's like peanut butter. YUCK, not looking forward to it, but will deal with it when it comes.
3) While out and about, I use them like I always do. Now granted, I have kids that don't poop every day. They usually go every 2-3 days, so I have it pretty nice :). But I pack a couple diapers in my diaper bag. I do use disposable wipes (when I have them) while I'm out, but rarely need them. I'm usually at someone's house who already has wipes if I'm out and about. I have 2 kids under the age of 3, so besides playgroup and church, we are home a lot. I have 2 wet bags. They are like pail liners, with a waterproof layer, but smaller to fit in a diaper bag, and I prefer the ones that zipper close. That's where you put the wet and dirty diapers while out. Then I just dump them in the pail when I get home. I got one off ebay that I don't like, just stick with mommy's touch for pail liners and wet bags, they are the best I've found.
Original Post follows:
So yesterday, as I sat around folding clothes, which included a load of cloth diapers, I started to think, man, this is so easy, why doesn't everyone do it?? I have also recently had lots of questions as to how and why I chose cloth diapers (when I used disposables on Cara until she was 22 months old), and I wanted to clarify to some people that I don't do it JUST because it is cheap (although that was one of the reasons I first started looking into it--knowing I wanted more kids). I also thought (and was told by my husband who checks my blog each night to see what I've admitted about us for the world to see) that I haven't posted in awhile, and I'm going to start losing my loyal readers (Yes Chris B, this means you...your sweet wife ratted your blog stalking out to me last night!).
So, I thought I'd post some quick thoughts, and LOTS of pictures to show you what I actually do. I know when I was researching online, and even having LENGTHY emails back and forth with a good friend who has now #3 in cloth, I just really didn't GET it. There were so many kids, so much verbage I didn't understand. That is until I went to a consignment store in the heights that had a monthly cloth diaper talk. I got to touch and feel and learn and process what all the different things meant! I also, through another friend, found this cloth diaper board. They have an AMAZING post on new to cloth diapering. My favorite part is the cost comparison at the end. Please, if you have no other time, just scroll down and read that part!!
Another reason I chose to switch is the ingredients in disposable diapers. I know that most of them contain chlorine, among tons of other chemicals. With the average child being in diapers 2-3 YEARS, I didn't want my kids sitting in that any more than they had to. Plus, I just can't help but think that maybe this, among other things, leads to some of the rampant infertility that grieves our nation.
Ok, so onto what I do. I chose for the most part pocket diapers. These are diapers that are the most similar to disposables (besides all in ones). They have a pocket that you slip inserts into, that can make them less or more absorbent (depending on if it is nighttime, naptime, daytime, etc). There are tons of different kinds. I own BumGenius 3.0, Happy Heinys, Mommys Touch, SwaddleBees, FuzziBunz, Blueberrys and Wonderoos...I think that's it. My favorites change, but for the most part I like Bum Genius' for Micah, and Happy Heinys fit Cara the best. There is a great local store in Houston called Nurtured Family. I LOVE it, it's close, and I can see and try what I like. They also have awesome sales, and its where I buy my detergent.
However, I do have to mention that most of these are One Size Fits all, which is why Frugal Misty likes them. They started fitting Micah when he was around 9 or 10 pounds, which was around 4-6 weeks. And they still fit Cara (most of them). However, when you have a newborn, you need a separate newborn stash (unless they come out 10 pounds, Jenn!). My good friend Jenny let me borrow lots of her fitteds and covers, and I did use prefolds, those rectangle looking ones your grandma knows. But I never used or owned a diaper pin, now they have these wonderful things called snappis that hold everything together.
Ok, here is a bumgenius 3.0 unstuffed. The blue/white on the left is the actual diaper, the white thing on the right is an insert.
You stuff the insert in, and this is what you get. (well, you stuff it all the way, I just wanted to show you wher it goes)
It works just like a disposable, it has velcro to hold it on the baby.
It works just like a disposable, it has velcro to hold it on the baby.I also use cloth wipes, as can be seen here. They can be scraps. All of mine were free. A great friend sent me some off my amazon.com registry. I have received a few odds and ends free when I ordered a cloth diaper or something, and also, when Cara was born, my cousin gave me TONS of them. I thought she was crazy and never used them, until I started cloth diapering! :)
About half of my stash (maybe 2/3). It includes my wipes, already stuff dipes waiting for Micah (and Cara if sleeping).
And here's how you change a baby. You wait for him to give you the biggest grin so you can snap a picture. :) Oh wait, you don't have to do that, but that's what I do! I put him on the changing table. This is a SIZED fuzzibunz. I got 13 size small FB and Swaddlebees when I was expecting from a SWEET lady at church in bible study who overheard me saying I had switched to CD'ing (Cloth Diapering). She tried it and didn't like it, and just gave these to me. I cannot thank her enough (and yes, these are the ones that are pink and lilac and peach...but again FREE)!! I like the sized because they were free :) But for my own money I spend, I go for one size fits all so they fit longer!
You take it off and put it in an open kitchen trash can with a pail liner in it. My favorite brand is Mommy's Touch.
Then you put a new, clean (this is a sized Happy Heiny I got on clearance on Black Friday) diaper under baby's bottom (and try not to show his man parts for the world to see).
You then velcro one side...
...and then the other. Sounds familiar....
There you go, cutie with a clean diapered bottom. Here's a picture of how I store them. Stacked and shoved into our cabinet that is on the right half of our changing table. Easy to grab and change.
What was that you said about cloth wipes?? Oh yeah, so here's what I do. I have a wipes warmer I used religiously with Cara. I was a little weary about using water in it with the cloth wipes, but I read up on what other people used, and we have had no problems, so here you go (oh, and all dirty/wet wipes get thrown in with the diapers in the pail liner, and washed with the dipes). Fill your warmer (or a normal tub empty of the disposable wipes) about 1/3 full.
About half of my stash (maybe 2/3). It includes my wipes, already stuff dipes waiting for Micah (and Cara if sleeping).
And here's how you change a baby. You wait for him to give you the biggest grin so you can snap a picture. :) Oh wait, you don't have to do that, but that's what I do! I put him on the changing table. This is a SIZED fuzzibunz. I got 13 size small FB and Swaddlebees when I was expecting from a SWEET lady at church in bible study who overheard me saying I had switched to CD'ing (Cloth Diapering). She tried it and didn't like it, and just gave these to me. I cannot thank her enough (and yes, these are the ones that are pink and lilac and peach...but again FREE)!! I like the sized because they were free :) But for my own money I spend, I go for one size fits all so they fit longer!You take it off and put it in an open kitchen trash can with a pail liner in it. My favorite brand is Mommy's Touch.Then you put a new, clean (this is a sized Happy Heiny I got on clearance on Black Friday) diaper under baby's bottom (and try not to show his man parts for the world to see).You then velcro one side...
...and then the other. Sounds familiar....
There you go, cutie with a clean diapered bottom. Here's a picture of how I store them. Stacked and shoved into our cabinet that is on the right half of our changing table. Easy to grab and change.What was that you said about cloth wipes?? Oh yeah, so here's what I do. I have a wipes warmer I used religiously with Cara. I was a little weary about using water in it with the cloth wipes, but I read up on what other people used, and we have had no problems, so here you go (oh, and all dirty/wet wipes get thrown in with the diapers in the pail liner, and washed with the dipes). Fill your warmer (or a normal tub empty of the disposable wipes) about 1/3 full.Add a DAB of baby soap. Since I was taking a picture one handed, I added a little more than I usually do.
If you have some kind of essential oil (tea tree oil, lavender oil, grapeseed oil), add a couple drops. I did this for picture purposes only, as I got one, our last, drop out of this little bottle of tea tree oil. I lasted us since abou 2 weeks before Micah was born until this week!
Swish it around a little with your fingers to mix everything up.
Add your dry wipes. I usually add them (slowly so the water doesn't spray out the top) and push them down until they are moist.
Then I turn the stack over so the wettest ones are on top. Then, when I use one, if it is really wet, I wring it out real quick, other wise I just grab and go.
Ready to use warm wipes :)
If you have some kind of essential oil (tea tree oil, lavender oil, grapeseed oil), add a couple drops. I did this for picture purposes only, as I got one, our last, drop out of this little bottle of tea tree oil. I lasted us since abou 2 weeks before Micah was born until this week!Swish it around a little with your fingers to mix everything up.Add your dry wipes. I usually add them (slowly so the water doesn't spray out the top) and push them down until they are moist.Then I turn the stack over so the wettest ones are on top. Then, when I use one, if it is really wet, I wring it out real quick, other wise I just grab and go.
Ready to use warm wipes :)Onto the part everyone cringes over....washing the diapers. I'm just going to show my process....not debate all the issues ;) ok, so here goes:
This is the soap I use: Allens Naturally. You don't have to, I've heard people use Tide Free and Clear, etc, but I started using this last May, and love it. I use it on all our laundry, not just diapers. This box is $19.95 at nurtured family, and it's the first box I have bought since mid-October, right before Micah was born (you can actually see the baggy of what's left from the last box sitting next to it that I have been using up). Oh, and sorry for the bra hanging, didn't notice until picture is posted!! :)
ALWAYS use less than what is recommended. I use a full scoop for normal laundry, and half a scoop for diapers. You can get recommendations from where you buy your diapers, the cloth diaper board I listed above, or the detergent company.
I thought I took a pic of the settings, but the first load you do with half a scoop on COLD with NO extra rinse. The cold setting gets the stains out...more on that later.
This is the soap I use: Allens Naturally. You don't have to, I've heard people use Tide Free and Clear, etc, but I started using this last May, and love it. I use it on all our laundry, not just diapers. This box is $19.95 at nurtured family, and it's the first box I have bought since mid-October, right before Micah was born (you can actually see the baggy of what's left from the last box sitting next to it that I have been using up). Oh, and sorry for the bra hanging, didn't notice until picture is posted!! :)
ALWAYS use less than what is recommended. I use a full scoop for normal laundry, and half a scoop for diapers. You can get recommendations from where you buy your diapers, the cloth diaper board I listed above, or the detergent company.I thought I took a pic of the settings, but the first load you do with half a scoop on COLD with NO extra rinse. The cold setting gets the stains out...more on that later.This is me grabbing, not touching the wet/dirty diapers. 
They go straight from there, to here. I never touch them. I end up usually putting my hand on the outside of the bag and turning inside out to get them all in the wash.
I then go put my only other pail liner in the trash can so that I don't forget.
Then you just wait for the signal that the load is done. Next, you have to do one more load. I do my 2nd load on HOT wash and rinse with an EXTRA Rinse (so yes, that's 1 rinse on the first load and 2 on the second load).
They go straight from there, to here. I never touch them. I end up usually putting my hand on the outside of the bag and turning inside out to get them all in the wash.I then go put my only other pail liner in the trash can so that I don't forget.
Then you just wait for the signal that the load is done. Next, you have to do one more load. I do my 2nd load on HOT wash and rinse with an EXTRA Rinse (so yes, that's 1 rinse on the first load and 2 on the second load).
This CLEANS and sanitizes the diapers. And there you go, my routine. I wash every 2-4 days, depending on how many diapers I have left, and more importantly, if Micah had a BM on the first diaper right after I threw them in the wash or not! :)
I would love to answer questions and turn some maybe's into yes!! Especially for people in my sister's stage of life, no kids, ready to start trying, has extra spending money....Buy 1 one size fits all diaper a month (or 2) for $17.95 and by the time you have that sweet baby, you'll have a decent stash!! :)
Oh, I forgot to mention, you can throw them all in the dryer, which is what will happen today since it's raining on and off. But you can also line dry them (still throw them in the dryer for like 5 minutes to fluff them up when they are done), the sun is the best stain bleacher out there!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
$500 Lowe's gift card is in my hand!
My $500 Lowe's gift card came yesterday. I started it on Saturday 2/7 and received my gift card on 3/26!! I spent $31.67 on the offers, and $29.75 on shipping back product and buying delivery confirmation. So total spent was $61.42, less the $25 Wal-mart gift card I got through signing up for Buyer's Edge from one of the offer, and total spent was $36.42. And I got $500 to Lowe's!! My net profit is $463.58.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Micah is 5 months old!
Today, Micah turns 5 months old! I cannot believe how much faster it seems to be going with him vs. Cara. I miss my little tiny baby already. He was 16 pounds 12 ounces last Friday at the doctor. He's been in 6-9 month clothes since he was 4 months. He's a rolling machine, and is for the most part a very happy healthy baby. Above is a picture from today, in his 6-9 month BU onsie. I also put a picture of Cara in it, at 8 months at TMEA (below). Stellan is just a few short days younger than my little man. I am so thankful for Micah's health these past few days!! I can't imagine the pain that family must be going through. 
Here is a picture of Cara on 11/18/2006--2 days before she turned 5 months. She was so much more chunkier than Micah!! He's super long, she was super chunk! :)
And here's her sweet 5 month face. I think they look alike, but not as much as my friend Aimee's kids!!
Please pray this with me over the MckClan : Psalm 29:11 "The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace."
Just the two of us
Just a random picture of Eric and myself. We went to my friend Adrienne's wedding on Saturday night, and mom took this before we left. We haven't had a picture of just the two of us in a LONG time ;). So there you go!
Cara to the bank with her "Money Pig"
My sister painted Cara a very cute piggy bank 2 Christmases ago. Cara calls it her Money Pig. Any time she sees change she says, "Can I go put that in my money pig??!?" and gets very excited. It has also helped her learn to count, because I make her count the change each time she puts some in. Well, it was getting VERY heavy, and I keep it on a high shelf so she can't reach it, because I don't want her to drop it. So, we spent part of a day taking it to the bank that counts the change, and putting in her savings account. Our credit union only has one branch that has a coin counter, so we drove over to Hwy 6 and I-10 area. I was actually very bummed to find out they charge a fee, as I could have gone to the grocery store and done it. However, after we deposited it, they said, on her deposit is more because we don't charge minors the fee. Guess where Mommy and Daddy are going to take all their change from now on? I can transfer between accounts :), haha. Here she is dumping her coins in: 
Waiting in line.
Here she is after I filled out her deposit slip.
Waiting in line.
After she handed her money to the lady.
We kept trying to get her attention (and on the drive over talked to her) about how we will put all the money God gave her in her bank, and we will donate 10% of it to our church, as God commands us too. But after the fun of putting the money in the machine ended, all she wanted to do was play on the little play area the bank had. And here's one of Micah, he was along for the ride too :)
Freebies
I took this over a week ago, and have continue to get more in, including my check for $3.78 for my windex rebate :). It's not much, but it made that windex I bought (for cheaper because of Coupons) FREE. It includes:
My free Food & Family subscription (have had this for years)
My free Kiwi subscription, LOVE this magazine.
Free Juicy Fruit gum thanks to thegrocerygame.com
Free selsun blue sample and coupon (my kids get cradle cap...ugh)
Free Fall Favorites cookbook
Free metamucil samples and coupons (we'll see)
my 2nd Free $25 giftcard to Wal-mart for signing up for Buyer's Edge
Free Mr. Clean small sample eraser
Free makeup sample and coupon
And just yesterday I received my Frito Lay coupons for the rebate I submitted. They are awesome coupons!! Eric is very pumped :).
Oh yeah, and I received my Entertainment book that netted cost me $5 including shipping (because of a $10 cash back at http://www.cashbaq.com/?refer=466611). Woo Hoo!
Trip to Corpus
We had a great trip to Corpus last Wednesday. We stopped in Sinton on the way into town and had lunch with my Grandma Betty Chafin. It was her first time to meet Micah (as was everyone we saw almost).
After lunch at the Butter Churn :), we headed to Eric's grandma MeeMee's house. We got to see her and his Uncle Steve. 
After that, we headed to his Aunt Patti and Uncle Freddy's house. This is Matthew, their grandson (Eric's cousin Amy's baby boy), they are 10 months a part. He is Tiny. Micah is Huge. They almost look the same size, but Matty can walk! :)
After that, we headed to his Aunt Patti and Uncle Freddy's house. This is Matthew, their grandson (Eric's cousin Amy's baby boy), they are 10 months a part. He is Tiny. Micah is Huge. They almost look the same size, but Matty can walk! :)
My aunt and uncle recently moved to Corpus, about a year ago. We found out they live like 1.5 miles from Patti! We stopped by and saw them on the way out of town. We headed back to Sinton to see my Uncle Blair and he cooked us fajitas at Betty's house. We returned home at 11, and BOY was it a long but FUN day!
Freezer Idea
I'm about to go post crazy. Both kids are in bed, and I'm putting off cleaning house....again. Ok, I really should go do that, but I did so much laundry yesterday, well, enough to feel like the dishwasher can wait to be unloaded until later today :)
I laid another one over it, and 'forked' it all the way around. I bake almost everything on my two stones. One is a cookie rectangle stone, and one is a round pizza stone, but they all work the same. 
Ok, so I found an easy recipe on Jane4girls, and thought I'd give it a try. It was the day after we got back from Corpus, and neither of us felt like cooking, so we decided we'd do breakfast for dinner. Which I LOVE and Eric DOES NOT, but he dealt. First time in probably 2 years, I think that's ok. Ok, so I made this easy dough. Well, I take that back, I tried to make it, I don't think it came out very well. I used half white half wheat flour....I'm not sure it worked how it is supposed to :). But they tasted decent. Ok, so I rolled the dough out here.
Then we had scrambled some eggs and cooked some bacon. I shredded some cheese and mixed it all together here.
I used some old biscuit cutters my grandad gave me. In hindsight, next time I will just cut big square and fold them over, they held very little stuffing and were a pain to 'fork' closed! :)
I laid another one over it, and 'forked' it all the way around. I bake almost everything on my two stones. One is a cookie rectangle stone, and one is a round pizza stone, but they all work the same. Final product. We split one and tried it, and I put the rest in the freezer in a freezer bag. Cara and I have been eating them on and off for quick breakfasts. 
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Safe Sippy
One more giveaway. I've been wanting to get a couple of these for Micah, and now I have a chance to win 1! Click here to read about Mommies with Cents giveaway, and enter for yourself!! I've won a workout DVD and some Formula II lotion from online giveaways!
Great book giveaway
You know me and giveaways. And I found this one, a book I am very interested in reading. Click here to see the giveaway, from Delighting in His Richness!
LONG 2 days--probably TMI!
I'm sorry I've been completely non-existent in the blog world lately. I actually did a cool breakfast cooking/freezing thing that I took pics of, but then life happened and I haven't blogged. Spring break was a good week, we went to my 10 year high school reunion on Friday 3/13, spent lots of good time at home together, Wednesday took a day trip to Corpus to show Micah off to family, and then Friday/Saturday hit. The kids slept horribly Wednesday night after returning to town. Thursday, they started runny noses and Cara was coughing. We took them to the doctor on Friday and were told both had bronchitis. Micah was prescribed Zithromax (his first ever antibiotic), which is normally what Cara gets, since she's allergic to Penicillin. We asked the doctor, then later called and made sure via the nurse that the new antibiotic Cara was prescribed was not penicillin, and they both assured us it wasn't. She had a dose on Friday and Saturday, and still coughed/runny nosed, but seemed fine. We went to a good friend's (hi Adrienne!) wedding on Saturday night and had an absolute BLAST!! My mom was able to come into town and watch the kids....poor her. We texted throughout the evening and she said Micah was super fussy, and Cara would not stop coughing. She kept waking herself up. We got home around 10, and on top of the bronchitis, she was constipated. She kept screaming that her tummy hurt, so we gave her some pedia-lax (this is around 1:50 or so) and after that she would sleep for about 20-30 minutes, then sit straight up screaming (for Daddy) that she had to go, and had the runs all night. Around 2 or 3 am I noticed her breathing was very labored. So I couldn't sleep when she was, because I was worried about her. I prayed and thought and decided to call the pharmacist, since it was 24 hour. They said that the drug was a 2nd generation penicillin and to stop it right away (she hadn't had a dose since 1 pm) and give her Benadryll. We had none, so Eric went to Walgreens to get some (poor guy, at 4:30 am).
She didn't seem to get better with the breathing, but she did sleep better after the benadryll. We all slept on and off (between potty breaks) until 9, then my mom had to go home. I called her pediatrician and she said to give her one more dose of benadryll (at 9:30) and if it didn't get better, to go to the ER. She assured me the antibiotic was not penicillin, and that this didn't sound like an allergic reaction, but may be her lungs worsening from the bronchitis. She and Micah fell asleep about 10:30, so we let her sleep while we gathered a bag together of snacks/diapers/clothes just in case. When she got up, she was still bad, so we headed to Katy Mermorial Hermann. I walked in with her while Eric and Micah parked the car. I sat right down and asked how long this was going to take because she was having trouble breathing and if it was going to take long, we'd go to Christus. They lifted her shirt, saw how bad she was laboring (retracting) and took us right back. They put a thing on her finger to check her O2 and she was at 91, supposed to be at least 100. So they called for a chest Xray and respiratory to meet us in the triage for continuous Nebulizer treatments of albuterol.
She was on continuous Nebs for 3+ hours. Her O2 got back up to around 95, but only with continuous meds. They ruled out pnemonia, her chest xray was clear. They said since she's not getting better, and gets worse when she's not on the meds, they needed to admit her, but they didn't want to do it in Katy because if she got worse, they'd rather treat children at the Hermann Children's hospital downtown. So, we waited for an ambulance transport. I was about to take Micah home to gather more things, when they came in to give Cara an IV (which they ended up not using the WHOLE time!), and Eric did not want to be left alone with that. That was the hardest part of this whole ordeal, besides seeing your little girl sick. They wrapped a sheet around all parts of her except her left arm, basically to hold her down, and it took 3 of us to hold her arm straight so she wouldn't yank her arm away while they did the needle. It was awful.
After that, we waited for the ambulance. Eric went with her and I followed in the van with Micah. Eric called me to tell me where to park and said she was happier in the ambulance (aka fire truck to her) than she'd been all day. He said he could tell she felt better. They gave her one last neb treatment in the ambulance, and that was her last one. Once we got settled in the room, they came in and said her O2 levels were stabilized. She was staying around a 95-96 on her own. This hospital was so much nicer! The people, the rooms, etc. The ER nurse that checked us in made us feel like such awful parents. I'm like, I have asthma, I know how hard it is when you're trying to take a deep breath and can't, that's why I brought her in and didn't wait around any longer than I did. That, and I prayed all night about what we should do and felt at peace the whole time. I only cried one time and poor Luke Pearson got the brunt of it. I was trying to find someone to watch the dogs, and he answered the phone. I think I scared him off for good ;).
All our family came up to see her, so she was distracted all evening. Oh yeah, and the ER wouldn't let her have food OR WATER the whole time we were there. The ambulance guys let her have water, so she downed a sippy cup full then, and another when we got to the new hospital, so she finally started having wet pull-ups. And once we were settled, they let her have all the food she wanted, so my parents had brought us Wendy's, so she ate half my chicken sandwich, then Papa went and got her ice cream, which she downed. They started her on albuterol inhalers, 4 puffs every 3 hours. She did really well with them, with everything!! They ended up moving her from floor 9 (more critical) to floor 10 (less critical) at around 8pm. We packed all our junk up, and I waited for one more inhaler treatment at 9. Once that happened, she was restless (aka SUPER tired), so I went home with Micah to try to catch a few winks (they would have let both of us--parents--stay, but not Micah, and when you're nursing, well you know). Eric called and said she went to sleep around 9:30 and he was heading there too.....that was the last I heard until I got to the hospital at 6 am on Monday. Oh yeah, Micah woke up at 12:15, 3, and 4:30, (this is EXTREMELY unusual for him, I chalk it up to a long day in the hospital, and a runny nose when he lays down), so at that point, I got up, took a shower, fed him, got gas in the car and missed all the traffic!! I walked in at 6 and asked the nurse how she did. Eric and C were still asleep, so Micah and I dropped some stuff in the room and went and waited for them to wake up. I went in at 7, and had just missed the doctor!!
Here's the recap of overnight. She fell asleep around 9:30. Eric said around 10:30 they came in because her O2 had dipped to 87, which they expected. They said with having so many treatments that day, they expected it to dip at night, especially because it lowers anyways when you sleep. So they put her on oxygen, the two little tubes in your nose. Well that went over well. He said the rest of the night was her sleeping around 20-30 minutes, then waking up and rubbing her face and him having to calm her down and tell her she couldn't take it off. They gave her a treatment around midnight, and around 3:30 or 4. He said she slept really well from 4-6:30 or so when the doctor came in, except when I woke her up briefly when I got there. They took her off the oxygen at 6:30 when the doctor came in, and she perked up a little. Here is a picture of her and Micah after the oxygen was removed.
She had been hooked up to all the stuff from noon on Sunday, until 9 am on Monday with only a 5 minute break to look out the window Sunday evening. She had been sitting in bed and was beyond restless....here is her watching Nemo on our laptop (they had tv/dvd player there, but nemo kept messing up).
Since she had been so good, we asked if she could be taken off the monitors for a little while so she could go play in the play area that opened at 9. Boy was she excited to say the least, its better described like she was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off!!! Here are some very happy pictures of Cara:
Her cute little backside in the too small gown:
She didn't seem to get better with the breathing, but she did sleep better after the benadryll. We all slept on and off (between potty breaks) until 9, then my mom had to go home. I called her pediatrician and she said to give her one more dose of benadryll (at 9:30) and if it didn't get better, to go to the ER. She assured me the antibiotic was not penicillin, and that this didn't sound like an allergic reaction, but may be her lungs worsening from the bronchitis. She and Micah fell asleep about 10:30, so we let her sleep while we gathered a bag together of snacks/diapers/clothes just in case. When she got up, she was still bad, so we headed to Katy Mermorial Hermann. I walked in with her while Eric and Micah parked the car. I sat right down and asked how long this was going to take because she was having trouble breathing and if it was going to take long, we'd go to Christus. They lifted her shirt, saw how bad she was laboring (retracting) and took us right back. They put a thing on her finger to check her O2 and she was at 91, supposed to be at least 100. So they called for a chest Xray and respiratory to meet us in the triage for continuous Nebulizer treatments of albuterol.
She was on continuous Nebs for 3+ hours. Her O2 got back up to around 95, but only with continuous meds. They ruled out pnemonia, her chest xray was clear. They said since she's not getting better, and gets worse when she's not on the meds, they needed to admit her, but they didn't want to do it in Katy because if she got worse, they'd rather treat children at the Hermann Children's hospital downtown. So, we waited for an ambulance transport. I was about to take Micah home to gather more things, when they came in to give Cara an IV (which they ended up not using the WHOLE time!), and Eric did not want to be left alone with that. That was the hardest part of this whole ordeal, besides seeing your little girl sick. They wrapped a sheet around all parts of her except her left arm, basically to hold her down, and it took 3 of us to hold her arm straight so she wouldn't yank her arm away while they did the needle. It was awful.
After that, we waited for the ambulance. Eric went with her and I followed in the van with Micah. Eric called me to tell me where to park and said she was happier in the ambulance (aka fire truck to her) than she'd been all day. He said he could tell she felt better. They gave her one last neb treatment in the ambulance, and that was her last one. Once we got settled in the room, they came in and said her O2 levels were stabilized. She was staying around a 95-96 on her own. This hospital was so much nicer! The people, the rooms, etc. The ER nurse that checked us in made us feel like such awful parents. I'm like, I have asthma, I know how hard it is when you're trying to take a deep breath and can't, that's why I brought her in and didn't wait around any longer than I did. That, and I prayed all night about what we should do and felt at peace the whole time. I only cried one time and poor Luke Pearson got the brunt of it. I was trying to find someone to watch the dogs, and he answered the phone. I think I scared him off for good ;).
All our family came up to see her, so she was distracted all evening. Oh yeah, and the ER wouldn't let her have food OR WATER the whole time we were there. The ambulance guys let her have water, so she downed a sippy cup full then, and another when we got to the new hospital, so she finally started having wet pull-ups. And once we were settled, they let her have all the food she wanted, so my parents had brought us Wendy's, so she ate half my chicken sandwich, then Papa went and got her ice cream, which she downed. They started her on albuterol inhalers, 4 puffs every 3 hours. She did really well with them, with everything!! They ended up moving her from floor 9 (more critical) to floor 10 (less critical) at around 8pm. We packed all our junk up, and I waited for one more inhaler treatment at 9. Once that happened, she was restless (aka SUPER tired), so I went home with Micah to try to catch a few winks (they would have let both of us--parents--stay, but not Micah, and when you're nursing, well you know). Eric called and said she went to sleep around 9:30 and he was heading there too.....that was the last I heard until I got to the hospital at 6 am on Monday. Oh yeah, Micah woke up at 12:15, 3, and 4:30, (this is EXTREMELY unusual for him, I chalk it up to a long day in the hospital, and a runny nose when he lays down), so at that point, I got up, took a shower, fed him, got gas in the car and missed all the traffic!! I walked in at 6 and asked the nurse how she did. Eric and C were still asleep, so Micah and I dropped some stuff in the room and went and waited for them to wake up. I went in at 7, and had just missed the doctor!!
Here's the recap of overnight. She fell asleep around 9:30. Eric said around 10:30 they came in because her O2 had dipped to 87, which they expected. They said with having so many treatments that day, they expected it to dip at night, especially because it lowers anyways when you sleep. So they put her on oxygen, the two little tubes in your nose. Well that went over well. He said the rest of the night was her sleeping around 20-30 minutes, then waking up and rubbing her face and him having to calm her down and tell her she couldn't take it off. They gave her a treatment around midnight, and around 3:30 or 4. He said she slept really well from 4-6:30 or so when the doctor came in, except when I woke her up briefly when I got there. They took her off the oxygen at 6:30 when the doctor came in, and she perked up a little. Here is a picture of her and Micah after the oxygen was removed.
She had been hooked up to all the stuff from noon on Sunday, until 9 am on Monday with only a 5 minute break to look out the window Sunday evening. She had been sitting in bed and was beyond restless....here is her watching Nemo on our laptop (they had tv/dvd player there, but nemo kept messing up).
Since she had been so good, we asked if she could be taken off the monitors for a little while so she could go play in the play area that opened at 9. Boy was she excited to say the least, its better described like she was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off!!! Here are some very happy pictures of Cara:
Her cute little backside in the too small gown:
There are more pictures (if you are a friend/family on flickr) here. We let her run for about 20 minutes, then we hooked her back up. Her O2 was around 94-95 for just a little bit, then ramped back up to 97ish, where it had been. We were waiting around, and thought, um, she hasn't had a breathing treatment in awhile. They were supposed to be every 3 hours, then weaning her to every 4 hour. It had been 6 hours by this point. We asked the nurse, she called respiratory, who FORGOT, and got right down. It was a good thing, because it proved she was progressing fine, with no inhaler, and with running around, her O2 was doing well. So around 10 the doctor(s) came into check on us and gave us the all clear. She's to remain on the albuterol inhaler, 2 puffs every 4 hours for 5 days (except at night, we don't have to wake her, just give it to her if she wakes up coughing, which only happened once last night at 12:30). Of course, discharge takes forever, at 11 they came to take out her IV, take off all the stickers on her chest and O2 and pulse monitors, etc. As SOON as they were done, she passed out!! She was beyond tired. This gave us a chance to pack everything and send Eric to the car with it. The nurse came in and explained some stuff to us, and finally around 12:45 brought us our discharge papers. We let her sleep until 1, then woke her up to get her dressed. She was cranky at first, but when we told her we were going home (she had been asking to go home since about 6pm on Sunday evening), she got GIDDY! She almost ran to the van. She kept saying "Hooray, Hooray" the whole drive home. It was so cute. She's been doing well since. She's slowly getting her appetite back, and she doesn't mind her inhaler treatments at all. We call them her "puff puffs" :). She's taking a nap right now, so I'm off to entertain Micah for awhile. I will post other posts later, but in the meantime, PLEASE pray for MckMama's Stellan!!
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