Tunbridge Fair

We made it to the Tunbridge Fair!  Having missed all the other fairs in the area and skipped this particular fair last year, we were excited to get back there!  As you can see, Cally was thrilled to get on a pony again, but Hazen wasn't all that into it.  He opted to hang out with his special Auntie, Cara, instead of sitting on a moving beast of burden...

Both of the kids got to enjoy a few spins on the carousel:

We even got to ride the Ferris Wheel with Uncle Scotty and Aunt Cynthia:

And Cal was finally big enough to go on the small people rides all by herself.  She loved the mini roller coaster:

 

  The real fun was seeing all the animals....... Hazen loved watching the 4H kids show their sheep:

And Cal was pretty into the maple cotton candy:

Highlights have been a visit to the Tunbridge Worlds Fair:

Sicko

 Life is full of surprises and challenges.  And they don't always time themselves in the best way.

Hazen started getting sick on the second day that school started this year.  It seemed like a regular old cough, but it turned kind of ugly, quickly.  By Saturday, he sounded croupy and wheezy (but now I know the technical term for his sounds is strider), but did not have a fever.  So, we went ahead with business as usual (going on a hike, attending a few parties.......), but did consult Dr. Parker about his condition and contagiousness and he said it sounded like a version of a virus floating around and if we were outside, we shouldn't worry about him being contagious.

By Monday, Hazen had a fever.  Because of his history of ear infections, we brought him in to see Dr. Parker on Tuesday.  He checked his ears and lungs and said they were both clear.  But, his fever didn't go away-- though it wasn't all that high.  By Friday, the fever was still persisting and I kept him home from day care to bring him to the doctor (I had called again on Thursday, but they said this "virus" lingers for 9-10 days, but if he still had a fever on Friday I should bring him in).  At this appointment, Dr. Parker confirmed what I suspected, that Hazen had pneumonia.  We got him on amoxycillian right away and hoped for the best.

Dr. Parker had warned us that his temperature might spike a day or two after taking the antibiotic as a result of the bacteria dying off and the body responding.  So, when he got a fever of 102.5 on Saturday evening, we didn't think that much of it.  However, when he got up 4 or 5 times that night fussing, I had a sense that something was wrong.  By Sunday I mentioned to John that he seemed to have really fast respirations.   I looked up what a toddler's respirations should be (20-30/min) and a list of signs of respiration difficulty (flared nostrils, discolored skin, and muscle retraction in his ribs). I never could get a watch out and count his breathing rate as he squirmed around and/or Cally was around, but I did check the other signs and felt like he checked out all right.  Also, during the day he didn't seem that off.  He was playing, a bit clingy, but otherwise seemed all right.

He slept through the night on Sunday, but still had a fever.  I finally took the time to count his respirations while he lay on my chest and he was at 48/min. We immediately called Dr. Parker and he asked us to come into the office once he returned from rounds at the hospital.  I went off to school for the morning and the plan was for John to take Hazey to the doctor and I'd come home after teaching at 11:30.

I got a call in my classroom at 10:20 from John saying that he was on the way to the hospital.  Dr. Parker wanted him to get a chest x-ray and a pulse oximeter reading.  His reading at the office was in the mid 80's and he wasn't comfortable with that.  He mentioned that there was a chance Hazen would be admitted to the hospital.

My heart sank.  I was in the middle of teaching a class and I couldn't be there anymore.  I immediately called for a sub and then ran to the new technology integration specialist and asked him to take over my class (because a sub wouldn't necessarily know a thing about Google docs and all that).

All I wanted was to be there for Mr. H.  I felt so horrible for not realizing he was struggling to get oxygen all weekend.  I just wanted to turn back time.

Of course, I arrived at radiology to find a happy little guy running around and playing with John, as if nothing was wrong......... We got an x-ray, which didn't reveal a whole lot, and then headed to the ER because that is the only place in the hospital to get a pulse oximeter reading.  Sure enough, he was still in the 80's and no one likes to see that.  "They" want it above 90.

Hazen was given a dose of albuterol with a nebulizer.  They hoped that the steroid would open his bronchi and that would be the end of it.  Besides freaking him out in a way I'd never seen him freak out, it did nothing.  So from that point further, we had to get oxygen into him using a mask (which he hated).  Becasue he wasn't able to keep is oxygen up, he earned himself a night in the Pediatric ward.  This also meant he had to get an IV put in (for fluids and antibiotics).

 The Vermont Children's Hospital is an amazing place.  The nurses, doctors, medical students, residents, social workers and volunteers do a wonderful job making you feel as comfortable as you can while you are there.  We were only there for 24 hours, but I really appreciated everything about that place.

Don't get me wrong, it certainly was not comfortable or fun.  Hazen had to sleep in a crib that was more like a cage-- with a nasal cannula tube, and IV tube, and a monitor stuck to his toe.  I got to sleep on the red chair pictured above, but turned into a cot.  The lighting is awful and the temperature is always wrong.  But these people who work there made it all that much more tolerable. 

First Day of School

Cally started at Poker Hill School on Wednesday.  She has been asking about and wondering about Poker Hill for what seems like a year.  She was so excited to go to this magical place!

John dropped her off and she seemed at ease from the moment she walked in.  She signed up to be "music retriever" (her job for the day) and jumped into a drawing project.  I picked her up to find her happy and comfortable in her new school with lots of new friends and stories to tell.

What she was most excited about was getting to take Poley Poley home for the night.  He's her groups "mascot" and she was the first to volunteer to take care of him for a few days.  I guess she gets to take him on adventures and then write/draw about them in his journal.

Cal decided to take him on our regular family hike in the Upper Pastures:

And to our magic rock:

I hear about kids having a rough transition to new schools, but am so happy to report that hers was smooth sailing.  I wish there had been a place like Poker Hill when I was a kid!

We wrapped up Cally's first week of school with some good family time in Burlington.

And spent some time on the bike path with my good friend Christine who was in town from California for a wedding:

A Great Day for a Hike

We did it!  We finally got to the top of Vermont to scatter Zola's ashes (my beloved dog who died six months before Cally was born).  It was the last hike she had done before she got sick and it's something I've wanted to do as a family for some time.  We actually attempted this mission last year, but it just didn't work out.  So, when our friends Amy and Anton (and their son Henry) mentioned that they were hiking up Mt. Mansfield on Labor Day, we jumped at the opportunity to go for a hike on a gorgeous day.

 It was a perfect day and a perfect way to celebrate the end of summer and the end of a great dog's life!

Swan Song of Summer

Ahhhhh August.  So bitter sweet.  After weeks of traveling and getting things done around the house, this is when summer really kicks in for me, but then I see the end in sight and panic.  I know I shouldn't complain.... I mean, I have about 3/4 of the month off, but it carries with it an element of chaos.  John dives deep into prepping for Wilderness TREK, training the leaders, and then as incident commander and master of ceremonies for the week that students are out in the field.  I start to think about the upcoming school year, but do nothing about it...... it's the same old feeling every year.  

This year, we got to break up John's TREK chaos with our dear friend's Adam and Colleen's wedding.  This was such a fun event.  We got to hang out with so many of our adult friends with no child care worries because Uncle Tom and Aunt Cara had it all under control with the kids (even though they did get to see what happens when you keep our No Nap Nelly up late-- it's not pretty, sorry Scotty).

Cal, Hazen and I went on a little road trip to CT again this year to visit the two sets of grandparents and some cousins while John was in the thick of leader training.  Just when we were getting back into our groove at home, I sort of wondered why I was uprooting everything to travel again........ But, it's always nice to see family. 

We were treated to good food, fun company,  a few field trips-- to a nature center and children's museum. 

Hazen and Bumpa checking out bunnies

Tractor Rider

Checking out the enormous toe biting pig at the Nature Center

Dance Party with Grandma

West Hartford Children's Museum

Cal swinging like a Chimpanze at the Children's Museum

Picking flowers with Nana

After our visit to Connecticut, we got to have a lunch date and hike with my cousin Lindsay and her husband Silas and then caught up with Bo, Gretchen, Henry, and Lila for the Farmer's Market in Richmond.

In other news, Cal managed to trip and smack her nose on the coffee table.  There was lots of blood and swelling, but as she has proved to be in the past, she was seriously brave about the whole thing.

And so the summer, as I know it, ends.  We've had lots of popsicles, swim lessons, walks, and playground visits.  I love that I have this time with my kids.  It's going to be really hard to break away from this unit. I love my job and I know I'll love being back once it's all happening, but right now, I'm feeling pretty sad about having to break away from lazy mornings, unscheduled days, and having time to get things done around the house.  I cherish my summers, but look forward to cooler days, frost on the pumpkin, apple picking, and snow, lots and lots of fluffy white snow. 

18 Months

Look who is 18 months!   Weighing in at 21 lbs and 13 oz. and 31.75 inches tall, he's turning out to be the real little peanut of the family (5-10th %ile for weight and ~50th %ile for height).  He's walking, climbing, and has a great affinity for balls-- any type, he's not discerning.  He's talking more and more everyday, but a bit overshadowed by the verbal turtle of a sister he lives with.

Mr. H, Dr. Paul, and our medical assistant Cal

He's showing more and more personality everyday-- screeching, belly laughing, and just being silly whenever possible.  He and Cally are getting along really well (note the picture above when he walked over to give his crying sister a hug.  Cal brings him a stuffed animal anytime that he falls down or is upset, but she's been know to order him here and there (he's getting training for being a good boyfriend later in life).

But really, he's just an easy going, snuggle bug who seems to go with the flow of this chaotic life.  I am having so much fun with this little dude this summer and feel so lucky to have him in our lives!

Hiking down from Maple Ridge........ poor neck support on that pack!