Feeling much better

We are all feeling much better now. We have all had two good nights sleep, except I had to get up at 4.30am yesterday to go and get my mam from the airport, but that really was not a problem.

Both girls are much better, still have coughs and sometimes a little difficulty breathing but nothing like the other day.

All the kids have taken to grandma straight away again (she was last here 2 years ago).

It is a grey and wet day here at the moment but we are still planning on going into Darling Harbour for the day and me sneaking into the expo for a look around.

Croup

We have had a rough night, we, being me and my kids are exhausted. Last night at 1.30am Miss T woke with a coughing fit brought on by croup (though I wasn't sure at the time that it was croup). She was really distressed and panicking because she couldn't breathe. Jon was away and despite my first aid training, I really didn't know what to do,  I was very close to calling an ambulance, instead I put a call in to Jon in Melbourne.

My kids have never had croup before and as Miss T has asthma as well I was really scared and not able to make a rational decision as to what to do.

I gave her panadol for her fever and ventolin in the hope that it would help her breathing. An hour later she still couldn't breathe properly so I got the other kids up and we headed to the emergency department. (I couldn't even call my mum because she was on a plane to come and see us.)

By the time we got to the hospital, she had calmed and her breathing was much easier. The hospital still wanted her to stay for 3 more hours for observation.

We got back home at 7am this morning and I called Jon to let him know. I hadn't called him to tell him we were at hospital because she was ok and we didn't all need to be sleep deprived.

My son managed to curl himself up into the tiniest ball on a chair and get 20 minutes of sleep before I had to wake him to go home.

We had some breakfast and all went back to bed. Miss T struggled a few times, waking me up with a terrified look on her face saying she couldn't breathe, but this time I felt more in control and calmed her and gave her more ventolin.

I feel for those who are single parents and have to deal with situations like these on their own all the time. I am so looking forward to Jon getting home tonight and my mum arriving in the morning. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the 6am pickup though! I need some sleep.

Abdominal ultrasound

I have just been to the physio again, this time to look at a long term back issue. This issue started when I was 18 and had a car accident and dislocated my pelvis.

For 4 years now I have been having 2 monthly chiropractic appointments to keep my back functional but really these days it rarely causes me any problems.

The physio said she would rather I didn't see any other practitioners while I was seeing her (so that she and I could be certain what treatments and I guess which practitioner was helping).

Consequently I missed my regular chiro appointment. I decided to ask the physio for her opinion.

Apparently, my back is moving bizarrely.  I also objected rather loudly when she poked and prodded various places, in particular L4. Part of her assessment was to see how the core performs and then to see if simply teaching correct core activation will help strengthen by back.

It was strange having an ultrasound for a reason other than pregnancy, but I did get to see my abdominal muscles, my internal and external obliques and my transverse abdominus - not as exciting as seeing a new baby but still...

She took a still of my abs in their relaxed state and then split the screen and asked me to activate my core.

Result - perfect core activation. 

Now, she had no quick and easy explanation for my back problems. So I need x-rays to establish what treatment will fix it.

Cruel trick

Someone was playing a very cruel trick on me this evening.

Imagine - I was cycling towards the top of a very large hill on my trusty exercise bike when I heard that fantastic whirring noise of the bike ramping down, YES, I had reached the top and I had 3 minutes of a small hill to enjoy before I encountered another very large hill - BUT - NO......

........tonight we must be on the flight path and it was the whirring of an aeroplane coming in to land and I still had another 52 seconds still to go!!!

Junk mail

How much junk mail do we get? I don't mean the junk mail that advertises ways for us to spend our very hard earned money, but the junk that is actually addressed to us. The pointless information that is sent to us every day through the postal system.

Unless my kids are having a splurge on scribbling, I never need to find them fresh paper, they draw on the back of the scrap paper that gets delivered to our door, err not in England any more, to our mail boxes, every day.

Do you believe, all things happen for a reason?

Jon and I were both non committal on going camping this weekend. Weeks ago we were really excited about it but as the time got nearer, we were both so busy that neither of us managed to arrange anything.

We decided that on Saturday, we would get up and head to a campsite in Canberra. - None of us have been to Canberra before.

We got there and pitched the tent, why does it look smaller than I remembered?

The space saving bunk beds for the kids, yeah right, they were huge, I think my garage must have some growth hormone in there that worked on the bunk beds but not on the tent.

Never mind, all is ok, barely. Off we head to Questacon. Kids had a good time, Miss C was a little (well a lot) scared of the clowns but we got over that.

As we came out of Questacon it started to rain. - great!  

We struggled to find somewhere to eat. I wanted a nice family restaurant but all we could find were nice, posh, trendy looking places with wine glasses already on the table, nice but not where I wanted to take 3 tired children.

We found a little Chinese restaurant that would do.

Headed back to the tent and least said the better, tiny, cramped, wet and the ground was so hard. Didn't sleep all night, was very achy and extremely cranky and unless drastic improvements are made, I will not be going again.

We had planned to go to another campsite but instead at 5am packed up and came home. At least it had stopped raining by then.

What was the reason? By midday Miss C had a 39.7 temperature and was not feeling at all well. Last night she was up again, more panadol administered.

We were not supposed to be camping last night or having a very long drive home today. All things happen for a reason.

Shoulder news

My shoulder is improving heaps, I am still limited to upper body training of rotator cuff strengthening in neutral and lower body - body weight training only (due to not being able to hold any hand weights or use a barbell) - but I can live with that so long as it is a means to an end.

My triceps have retained strength for several consecutive weeks and the neural pain (ssshhh) has disappeared.

I don't doubt there is still a way to go, my right rotator cuff strength is so much weaker than my non dominant left side but I think this is the physio to get me there.

We won one.....

little Easter Egg raffle, Miss T's first Easter Hat Parade and assembly. She won a little hamper, she is so happy - and she wants to share with everyone, teachers, siblings, friends, parents, dance teachers.  I love her.

Growing up and determination

Well that's it. You know your kids are growing up when the last training wheels (stabilizers to all of us from England) come off the bikes.  My youngest learned to ride her bike last weekend. We do have legs that are black and blue from the experience but they will heal.

What I noticed most however, was her determination, she kept on going and going despite the blood and bruises. She decided that this was the day she was going to learn - and she did.

She didn't try to complete the Tour de France, she did little baby steps, she was just so happy to get 2 metres (well from the skipping rope to the skittle) without falling off or putting her feet down.

Kids can teach us so much!

So far so good

We have not yet won any of the Easter Raffles!!!

Missing you

From our front window we can see the bus stop for the school bus.

Miss T and Master C were getting on the bus and my little Miss 4 year old was singing, I will miss you Miss T, always miss you, every day and for ever. I love you Miss T, I will always love you and miss you. I miss you every day and I can't wait until you come home.

(Obviously she didn't actually say Miss T - but you get it.)

So cute - she will be with her at school next year and then it will be me all sad at the window watching my 3 babies go off to school - yeah right - or maybe, I'm not sure yet!