Texas for a week!

We decided it would be best to separate the kids for a while when we got home, thinking that they may be passing this virus back and forth to each other. Pop was off for a few days so he and Noni picked up Kaylon when we made it back to Texas. I got a few texts messages from Pop letting me know he was doing fine and filing me in on how much fun they were having. Kolbie and I stayed at Grammys house a couple of nights and had quality girl time. We weren't very busy and didn't get out much because I was still weary of them getting sick.

I took Kolbie for her 1 year check up (I know, only 4 months late!) I would love to update her stats but for the life of me I can't find that paper anywhere...

Anyway...The doctor said she looked great and was growing right on target. She was a little concerned she might be underweight, but I filled her in on the last months episodes and Kaylon's hospital ordeal. She thought they both needed to start a probiotic and if it didn't solve any

problems it definitely wouldn't hurt them to have it. She said after a few days of that she didn't see any problem bringing them back into the public.

We manged to get some play time in at Pirates Bay, which was a real treat. We started going there last summer and made plans to go once a week before we found out we were moving to MS. Mema, GG, Aunt Meag, Aunt B, Kinzie, and Cameron made it to the water park with us this trip and it was so much fun!

You would not believe that I started having car trouble while we were home. My car battery kept dying on me and Saturday when we were supposed to be at Jenna and TJ's wedding, we were stranded in Crosby waiting for Mema to come rescue us while my car was in the shop. Thankfully it was just the battery that needed replacing and we made it to the wedding right on time, which was kind of important seeing as how I was taking the pictures.

The wedding was really sweet.

Welcome to this crazy family TJ and Congratulations to you both!

We originally had plans to stay until tuesday, but I was having major husband withdraws so I decided we would leave early Sunday morning. I loaded the kids up at 3 am and made it back to MS in record time...5 1/2 hours! I told you I wanted to get back, and don't worry...I was driving at the posted speed limits, I promise.

We really hated not being able to see everyone like we planned, but I have come to the realization the "home" is where my husband is. I'm glad to be back in his company :) Adios Texas, see you October!

Kaylon in the Hospital

As you know my babies have been very very sick with a tummy bug that just wont go away. After seeing the doctor about a week ago to no avail, we decided to take him back in for a 2nd opinion. At this point he had been having nasty poops for 20+ days and vomiting nearly every night for 14 days. We met with Dr. Dupont and she decided it was pretty urgent to admit him to the hospital to try and figure out what was going on.

I was pretty upset that I let it get this far. I felt like I had been giving them both plenty of fluids to try and keep them hydrated. I had taken milk and dairy foods out of their diet completely. Kolbie's tummy wasn't half as bad as Kaylon's. She was having nasty diapers just as long, but only threw up once the entire time, and I could not keep her sippy cup full. Kaylon on the other hand, I offered and offered drinks to him, and he would take some every now and again, but it obviously wasn't enough.

When we got to the hospital, the orders were already there waiting on us to start his fluids. The IV i had anticipated was going to be a bad deal for both of us. The doctor suggested that we not even be in the room when they put it in. YEAH RIGHT! Ryan and I were both there. It took us both plus 4 other nurses to hold him down to get it in. He was fatigued already so that fight just wore him right out and he slept pretty much the rest of the night. They had to wake him up again to draw blood out of the other arm which made me PRETTY UPSET! I thought they should have drawn the blood out of the IV port before they started running the fluids. But I'm not a nurse, I guess they had there reasons. We made sure they understood they had one shot to get it and draw all they needed because it wasn't happening again. Daddy stayed with us and got a little sleep on the couch bench in the room and I tried to rest in the bed with Kaylon.

After the 1st bag of fluid he still had not wet his diaper, so they started another bag of fluid. By morning (5AM) he had perked up quite a bit. He thought he was being spoiled by getting all the popsicles he wanted for breakfast.

He was became very interested in his IV and I think he started to realize that is what was making him feel better. He wanted to walk around, so we ventured out of the room a few times to let him stretch his legs. We had waited all night to hear the results of his blood work and the x-rays. The doctor came in for just a minute that morning to say she was being pulled into a delivery and would wait to discuss all the result with us in the afternoon. So Ryan went home to spend some time with Kolbie and Grammy came up to the hospital. We hated that the kids had to be sick when Grammy was out to visit, but we were sure happy to have her here with Kolbie so we both could be with Kaylon.

After the 2nd bag of fluid he finally started to wet his diaper. That was very good news.

When the doctor finally made it in she informed us that ALL the test she had run were negative and didn't show any infections or virus in his blood. His x-ray showed he had no fluid built up in his lungs which was a concern since he had been vomiting so much. Ironically he had not thrown up or had a dirty diaper the entire time we were there. She came to the conclusion that he must have gotten a bad virus (like Rotovirus) that put his body of balance and he couldn't get back on track. She still wanted to test a stool sample, but said that he could eat and if he didn't throw anything up, he could go home. Thankfully Ryan had brought Kolbie up to the hospital by that time and Dr. Dupont agreed that the stool sample could come from Kolbie since she had been having the same symptoms.

Kaylon was hungry but was not the least bit interested in the cafeteria food that was sent in. After only eating a couple of crackers and toast one of the nurses went on a special run just fir him to get him some chicken nuggets and french fries! I'm not sure if they wanted to see him go home or just me, but either way...he ate them up. After an hour, there was no throw up and we Kolbie Michelle came through with a nasty diaper! So we were on our way home!

Kolbie had no problem eating hospital food!

Of course the 1st hour we were home Kaylon made 2 super nasty diapers, so I called the doctor and she said she was happy with just testing Kolbie's and that we would hear from her Sunday morning before we headed back to Texas.

Kaylon ended up sleeping the entire afternoon from 5pm until 4:20 the next morning but woke up my bright and shinny boy and being extra generous with all his hugs and kisses!

Saturday night was a different story, he started throwing up again at 4am Sunday morning, so I went ahead and put a call in to the doctor. Said the stool sample didnt show any signs of the 5 virus' she checked for and she was comfortable with us headed back to Texas and recommended we follow up with our Pediatrician back home.

It was a pretty stressful situation, but I am thankful that he was there. I really had no idea he was as dehydrated as he was. So even though we didn't get a definitive diagnosis, they did resolve the dehydration so we are headed back to Texas for a week!

Grammy Comes to visit- Part 2

Fort Maurpeas Play Ground and Splash Park

Probably our favorite park here in Ocean Springs. We go to this park at least once a week if not more. The plan for today was just a quick visit so we could get the kids out for a bit.

I don't know why I thought I could keep them off the splash pad! Oh well... spontaneous fun!

Thurdsay and Friday

Since we have been battling sick babies for quite a while, the doctor decided to admit Kaylon to the hospital. More details to follow....

Red, White, and Blueberry Festival

For Grammy's last day in MS we decided to go our for a cozy breakfast on the courtyard. Yummy Yummy french toast, if I do say so myself!

More water! My kids are just drawn to it!!

Ocean Springs is surrounded by several small blueberry farms, so they had a local festival to celebrate. Tons of Blueberry goodies all around. We didn't stay long though because we had to get my poor babies out of that heat!

Grammy, Thank You so much for coming to visit us for a WHOLE week! We can't wait for you to come back! (we will do our best to stay out of the hospital next time :)

Grammy Comes to visit- Part 1

We have been in Mississippi for 2 full months now, so Grammy decided she needed to get some Kaylon and Kolbie love. We did our best staying busy...

The kids LOVE to play out side with the neighborhood "friends." It is lots of fun for us to just sit out and watch them run around having fun.

Daddy brought a special surprise home from work and they have had as much fun with this box as they have with real toys!

St. Andrew Park and Splash Pad

During our outdoor activities I always try to incorporate some kind of water play. We have an awesome park that has 2 covered playground areas and a LARGE splash pad. I was excited to show this find off to Ryan so he can see for himself what we do during the days he is at work. It was Sunday before Memorial Day but decided to go any way despite the crowd were were expecting. We hit the drive thru to supply our "picnic" and spent the afternoon splashing

around. We were the ONLY people there for most of the time, and only a handful of people

ventured in and out. Another reason why I love this place!

Pensacola, Florida

So beautiful. It was interesting because Kaylon and Kolbie have both been battling a stomach bug and Kaylon woke up a little grumpy from his nap, but we were determined to have fun! The beaches are so beautiful there its hard not too! After a few hours in the sun, we of course had to visit the Souvenir Shop and ate some delicious food on the Boardwalk.

Indoor Day- FREE Puppy Kisses!

This was a great find! My kids are animal lovers...ESPECIALLY Kolbie! We have a local pet shop that will let you come in and play with their animals. It helps get them out of the cages and have a little extra play time too.

They were both so excited to play with the puppies. Kaylon loved to throw them the toy and play tug. Kolbie was just happy as she could be getting tons of puppy kisses.

Definitely going to have to go back there soon! An awesome way to wear out a couple of toddlers!

Sick Babies

7 nights ago...some nasty bug found its way into my children's tummies. I don't know where they got it...but I am ready for it to go!

They both started out with nasty diapers ( I will spare you the details :) that I thought was just from moving and getting settled in. Then Kaylon screamed from his room in the middle of the night for me to arrive with him and his entire bed covered in vomit! He hung his head over the toilet SIX more times that night. BUT when he woke up the next morning he was fine. Played hard...even ran a mile with us over the bridge! That night...after he had slept for a few hours, same thing...just less of it. Woke up that morning ready to play! I don't get it! Finally the 3rd night I called the doctor and scheduled an appointment of course for the next day. I was leaning towards reflux since he was fine during the day. Poor baby would tell me "Mommy, my tummy hurts" and "My tummy sad." After trying some Tums, he said his tummy didn't hurt any more and he didn't have any episodes that night. So we cancelled that doctors appointment. BIG MISTAKE!

Kolbie on the other hand, other than going through a case of dirty diapers in a week has been fine. No signs of anything.

All until yesterday. For lack of better words...a hell broke loose at our house. Kolbie had projectile vomit at dinner and Kaylon was up hugging the toilet all night.

Off to the doctor we went. Kolbie was following the same routine as her brother and looked and felt fine by morning. The doctor determined that Kaylon had a stomach bug (duh:)...gastroenteritis is what he named it and warned me to hang in there that he still had a few more days of it left to endure. Of course, there is nothing they can do for a virus but treat the symptoms so we got a prescription for his nausea and diarrhea. Kolbie wasn't showing any signs at the appointment so he instructed to bring her in if she shows any other signs.

As the day went on, Kaylon was his cheery spastic 2 year old self, but Kolbie was clingy and restless and did not eat a bite of food all day long. This child is not my daughter. I had decided I was going to call the doctor today about her, but ...

last night about 5:30 a few red spots showed up on her. Ryan has seen a few on her tummy the night before, but we just brushed it off as some kind of skin irritation or possible flea bites. At 5:3o she had less than 10. By 6 those dots had turned into whelps, so I gave her some Benedryl. By 7 she was covered in them. So of to the Urgent Care Center we go. Immediately upon arriving to the office, her tummy decides to explode out of her diaper...I was so embarrassed, but thankfully we were the only ones there. So, she gets seen and it is determined she has a severe case of gastroenteritis also known as Rotovirus. Thankfully she is in the last stages of it because in most cases if there is a rash it means they are no longer contagious. Apparently the rash looks worse than it really is. (I'll never understand that!) The general consensus was that it usually last 10 days, so for me to stay on top of it because she still has a few days left of it. ( Where have I heard that before?? Oh yeah...just 8 hours ago at the doctors office!!)

Plans for the next 3 to 5 days.

-Stay at home

-Drink LOTS of fluids

-NO DAIRY

-restock on diapers

-Lysol EVERYWHERE

-discover new indoor activities to keep 2 toddlers busy

oh yes...and Welcome Grammy to MS on Saturday morning with a gas mask!

Pray for us...

Pictures I just have to share!

Our 1st MS visitors

My mom and sisters decided they would come down last weekend and spend a few days with us here in MS. I can't believe we have been here a month already.

Ryan had to work Friday, so we packed up and spent the morning at the beach.

I'll never figure out why, but I guess Kaylon thinks all the sand belongs in the water. He spends the entire time getting the sand and throwing it in the ocean. Then he realized that Aunt Meag, GG and Aunt B didn't want the sand on them...so mission diverted to throwing as much sand on them as possible.

Kolbie only spent a few minutes in the sand before she decided she didn't want to be dirty. So GG got to tote her highness around.

After the beach and a good nap, we decided we would go get our 1st snow cones of the season!

What a mess but OHHHHH so yummy! Daddy met us after work at the SnowBall shop so he could witness the adorable messyness.

Since Mama and the girls were available we jumped on our chance for our 1st date night in over 2 months. So everyone headed home for dinner and a bath while we headed out for dinner and a movie.

Ryan tried to surprise me and take me to Michaels to buy and attachment for my sewing machine that I have been wanting but was totally disappointed when I told him Michaels doesnt carry many sewing supplies...but a very sweet thought, wasn't it!

For dinner I decided we would go to The Fried Green Tomato for a "home" cooked meal and Ryan decided he would sit through a chick flick with me (Something Borrowed...HIGHLY recommended :) Then we finished off the night with a couple of drinks at Ruby Tuesdays.

It was sooo nice to have some time to ourselves minus 2 children for a few hours.

SATURDAY

So, I forgot my camera pretty much the rest of the weekend, but Saturday we decided we would treat ourselves to The Buffet at the Beau Rivage and after we ate ourselves sick we ventured out for a 3 mile walk across the Biloxi Bay Bridge.

Saturday night we hung around outside while Ryan prepared us a delicious dinner of Smoked Pork Chops, baked beans, and potato salad. Yum!

In lieu of a birthday cake I opted for a trip to the cupcake shop. Oh la la! Mine was Strawberry limeade, Ryan got Coconut Dream, Meagan enjoyed Sour Cream, Mom got her Prozac, Brittanee picked cookies and cream, and the kids got Old Faithful minis. All I have to say is thank goodness for that walk earlier :)

Sunday morning when everybody was dresses and ready to go except for us, Kaylon sensed something was happening. He kept telling them to "Stay at my house!," but when went outside to wave them bye and it broke his heart. He was pretty pitiful there for about 30 seconds before crisis was diverted by helping me clean out my car! Haha! Silly boy!

It was a great visit and we can't wait for them to come back!

(Sidebar: We have had some geese at the pond in the neighboor hood that have been missing for a little while, while everyone was here visiting they decided to show back up! And look who they brought with them...

BABIES!!! So cute:)