Just when I thought everyone was on the mend, the pediatrician called and both Maddy and Lacy tested positive for the swine flu.  She calling in Tamiflu but she's afraid that no one has the suspension.  Of course, that is exactly what I found out when I started calling.  Only one pharmacy out of the 5 I called offered to mix the suspension for us.  So, as of right now, Maddy and Aleah will receive Tamiflu and Lacy will not.  The doctor says that Tamiflu will not do any good for Lacy since she is out of the 48 hour window.  Maddy is considered high risk because of her asthma and she's treating Aleah as if she has symptoms due to the loose stools that Aleah has been having the last day and a half.  I'm just praying that Aleah does not run a fever - it's still a two day stay in the hospital if she does. 

Pray for us . . . I feel like we can't catch a break!

Good news:  Fevers seems to be gone for the moment.  Children are on the mend - Praise the Lord!

Bad news:  This is what happens when you have 4 women in the house and no time to do laundry . . .

 
and one pile is already in the washer!  If you don't hear from me tomorrow, it's because I got suffocated by a mound of laundry.  Tell my husband and children that I love them . . .

Where is Fall?  Autumn?  The time of year when the leaves are changing from their bright vibrant green to orange and yellow and brown.  Fall . . . the indication that Halloween and Thanksgiving Day are just around the corner.  Fall . . . the sign that temperatures will begin to drop and there will be a cool crispness in the air.

Apparently, Florida has not gotten the memo about fall.  It's so hot and humid here.  Mid 80's everyday.  If you are reading this and you've got fall weather, do you think you could send it down our way, please?  Thanks!

What's going on . . . well, we've got a house full of sick children.  As if it wasn't bad enough that I had to spend last Thursday in the flu infested emergency room, today I spent 2 hours in the pediatricians office.  For most people, the emergency room is not a big deal.  But, for a germ-a-phobic control freak . . . well, let's just say that my children were the only children in the ER wearing those masks over their faces.  In fact, I had two of the girls strapped into the stroller so that they couldn't touch anything and the other was glued to me.  One of her hands was totally unusable and the other . . . well, I held it to keep it from wandering over and touching even the arm of the chair.  All of this to say that even with all of my fretting and precautions, my children still ended up sick.  Now, I'm not saying that they necessarily got the bug from the ER,but sitting there for four hours certainly couldn't have helped. 

Anyway, today . . . well, they did a strep test on Maddy and it came back negative.  They also did a flu test on both the older girls.  We should have the results back from those tomorrow morning.  The doctor said that she was really only doing the flu tests to figure out what the girls had so that if Aleah starts running a fever, we can treat her appropriately.  Any baby that runs a fever prior to 6 weeks of age gets a minimum two day stay in the hospital.  For those of you who have known us a while, you'll remember that this happened to Lacy when she was an infant.  She ran a fever prior to 6 weeks of age and I ended up having to spend a miserable two days in the hospital.  To this day, we still don't know what caused the fever!

As of now, the girls are in bed.  Maddy has been running a consistent fever today but Lacy has not.  I'm hoping we're on the other side of whatever this is and we'll all be well soon.  As for me, I'm just tired.  Aleah has been feeding every four hours but last night, she decided that she'd like to eat every two hours.  So, needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Oh yes . . . the whole point of the title and this post . . . a friend asked me how I was doing handling all of this and I told her that I felt like this was just a "season".  It's just something we'll get through and then move on.  But, I am wondering, if mother nature can skip out on some seasons, why can't we?

Blessings!

Well, I'm a little late in updating this, but we welcomed our little Aleah Paige on August 28th @ 11:09 p.m.  She was a whopping 9 lbs and 20 inches long.  She's healthy and thriving and our other girls are just thrilled to have a little baby in house.

Isn't she adorable?

And here she is at 2 weeks old . . .

This Friday, she'll be 6 weeks old already.

As for the other girls . . . well life is always an adventure when you have children.

Maddy got her pinky finger caught on her bunk bed last Thursday.  After spending four hours in the emergency room, we arrived home with ten stitches.  She was a trooper.  She barely cried when the whole thing happened and she didn't whine or cry when they put stitches in her finger.  I was so proud of my big girl.  The wound seems to be healing ok and we'll make another trip to the doctor next week to have the stitches removed. 

Her asthma is becoming more of an issue during this flu season.  It seems that she keeps a cough and congestion.  We've got her on several medications and we're working closely with the allergist to try to get a handle on what our next step should be - they've mentioned allergy shots.  We'll go back for another evaluation November 1st.  We are praying that God will guide our decisions and make it clear what path we should take regarding her treatment.

Maddy is attending half days at the local Christian school.  I was so surprised when they sent her home with cursive tracings.  When we questioned the teachers, we were told that they teach the children cursive writing first because it's easier.  Who knew?  I really enjoy that she is being challenged on a daily basis.  I love to hear all the new songs she's learning.  Even more than that, it does a Mama's heart good to hear her little girl quote scripture.  She's having a great time and her teachers say she is doing really well.  They remark how she smiles all of the time. 

Lacy is well . . . Lacy.  With Maddy spending half days at school, Lacy is bored stiff.  She's had Maddy to entertain her from birth.  Now, I'm occupied with the baby and Lacy can't seem to learn to play on her own.  It's tough being the middle child.  But, she's making the adjustment and I'm trying to take some extra time with her.  She's learning lots from her big sister.  Maddy comes home from school and teaches Lacy what she has learned that day. 

She is enjoying being Mama's little helper.  She likes to make sure that I'm taking care of the baby properly.  I'm constantly told by her "The baby needs her pacifier."  Oh yes m'am, she keeps track of everything I do.  I'm not supposed to move little Aleah without telling her where, when and how.  I do enjoy watching her love on her little sister.  It's nice to see her in the "big sister" capacity now.

As for me, I'm doing well.  I'm overwhelmed sometimes, but all in all, I'm happy.  That little baby is the best thing ever!  And my two big girls - well, they're lots of fun too.  I look at all three of them and know that I have been blessed far beyond what I ever deserved.  The Lord is so good.

As for Hubby, he's working, working, working.  I really do wish he could spend less time working and more time doing some things that he really enjoys.  He's a trooper, too.  He puts up with all the emotions of a house full of women.  He's grown so much as a father and a husband.  I've really enjoyed watching him evolve.  And when I look at him I do thank God that he was chosen just for me.  I think we are a good pair.

I'm working heavily on the new Pilot Wives Club website.  I hope to have it live within the month.  Also, I'm working on my application to graduate school.  I'm looking at starting in January.  So, lots to do and little time to do it.

Right now, though . . . I'm just soaking Miss Aleah Paige in -- holding her, loving on her, kissing her and just being with her.  So, if you don't see a lot of me here on the blog, just know I'm putting my time to good use and loving on my family.

Blessings!