Cloudland Canyon -- Day 2

Keira woke up this morning and sounded clearer than she's sounded in a long time. Hallelejah! She's on the mend. Although, I think we've got a few more weeks until her breathing is all clear. For me, I don't think I had any idea how much stress I was under until it was all over. I think the latent stress has given me a back ache, nothing that a little ice and yoga can't remedy. Now that I've written the hospital update, I'm going to get back to catching up on the blog. I'm really behind -- obviously I've been a little busy. Back to Cloudland Canyon...

Ahhhh, it's nice to think about Cloudland Canyon. We had so much fun, and it's much easier and more fun to blog about than the hospital. On the second day, we woke up and Eli was really excited to get outside. It was freezing, so we held off until after Keira's morning nap to set out for our hike. One of Scott and my favorite things about Cloudland Canyon is that the cottages are right off of the canyon and the hiking trails. So, all we have to do is step out our door and step onto a trail. It's great not to have to get into the car to go on a hike. Eli hiked for a little while. While we were hiking I enjoyed looking around at the fall colors and I was impressed to see that the fall leaves even made the ground beautiful. It was so relaxing.





While we were hiking I thought I heard someone yell, "Mr. Moore!" Sure enough, one of Scott's students from last year was up hiking with their family. What are the odds? We are almost in Tennessee and he bumps into one of his students. The good thing about bumping into the family was that we were able to get some shots of all four of us. We have precious few of those.



As you can see it was so cold that I carried Keira in the Baby Bjorn with a blanket over her. I think we confused quite a few people... Keira was dressed all in pink with green hat and a blue blanket. :)

One of the best things about this visit to Cloudland Canyon was the incredible volume of water. Last time we went I think we were in the middle of the drought, so if there was any water to speak of I think it was a mere trickle. This time, the water roared all around us. It provided a beautiful background soundtrack to our hike, and gorgeous backdrops for contemplation and picture taking. Especially impressive was the waterfall. Last time, the water supply was so paltry that we decided it wasn't worth all of the stairs to view the trickle. But, this time it was so impressive that Eli's still talking about it. As you can tell from the picture of Eli and Scottie, Eli was not interested in posing.





But, of course the best part of any vacation is getting to spend undivided time with my three favorite people. Here I am getting concentrated baby love.


Finally, the most surprising part of our quick adventure was that our six hours in the car getting there and back was no big deal. Keira spent a lot of time sleeping, looking around or playing with the toys that I continued handing her.


Perhaps most surprising of all, Eli snoozed a little but mostly entertained himself for six hours. Amazing. Here he is coloring.


All in all, we packed a lot of fun and relaxation into twenty-four hours and had a wonderful time at Cloudland Canyon. Scottie and I talked about maybe making it an annual tradition.

Four Days at the Hospital with Keira

I'm now going to interrupt my old postings for our hospital adventure. I think I'm just now recovering. For about a month, Keira has been fighting one virus after another. A week ago Friday, I took her to the pediatrician AGAIN. And, yet again, they said no wheezing. Saturday was fairly normal, except that we sadly missed the MOMS club Halloween party (I didn't think Keira was up for it) and only made a very brief appearance to Trick or Treat at the Avenue (by the evening, she sounded a little bit better.) On Sunday, we woke up and Keira was definitely wheezing and retracting. Very scary. Scott and I took her into the emergency room. Fortunately, for the coming week of hospital stays Dendi and Grammie took turns taking care of Eli. I don't know what we would have done without them. On Sunday morning, at the ER, they gave Keira a breathing treatment, prescribed her steroids (which she never seemed to keep down -- she was always throwing up mucuous) and sent us home. I was uneasy.

I woke up at about 12:00 on Sunday night/Monday morning and she didn't sound right. Scott had to convince me to go in, but thank God I did. When she snoozed in the ER her oxygen went down to 86%. They gave her three breathing treatments and none of them did anything to improve her breathing. The ER doctor told me that they would be transferring her to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. I was relieved. Eli was hospitalized there and Scott and I have nothing but good things to say about Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Since her oxygen level was dipping so low, they were bringing their mobile ICU unit to transport her. I think that was one of the worst hours of my life. Don't get me wrong. They were doing everything right. But, it was horrible. I sat in the front with the driver while they strapped Keira down, took blood, took her blood pressure, put in an IV, gave her a breathing treatment, and who knows what else. She screamed and cried so hard the whole time she went horse. She screamed and I cried. I like to playfully refer to that mobile ICU unit as the "torture chamber." I could hear all her cries, but I couldn't get to her to comfort her or just to let her know that I hadn't abandoned her. Ugh. Thinking about it still puts a knot in my throat.

They had given her so many medications by the time that we arrived at Scottish Rite that her stats were fairly strong. After several hours in their ER, on the doctor's suggestion, we decided to take Keira home. Unfortunately, we made the wrong decision. We went home, slept for about three hours (which we sorely needed after our sleepless night) and headed back to Scottish Rite at about 5 o'clock on Monday night for our fourth ER visit in two days.

When she woke up from her nap she was wheezing, retracting and struggling to breathe. We suctioned out her nose and gave her a breathing treatment as we'd been advised, but her status didn't change. We headed back in. We did pack a suitcase this time, as we were determined to stay. Although, I don't think either of us thought we'd be there long -- we didn't pack any clothes for us, only for her. We didn't have to put up a fight. They admitted us almost automatically. Her oxygen levels again were dipping down dangerously low. She spent the night in the ER throwing up (all over me and my one clean shirt), having breathing treatments and resting on oxygen. When they had room, they finally admitted us to the fourth floor, where we stayed until Thursday. Fortunately, she's a fighter. She never had to go back on oxygen once we got to her room. But, she sounded horrible and had to fight to breathe. We stayed in the hospital until Thursday because the doctor was concerned that she'd been sick for a month, she needed to get well this time, and she required Respiratory Therapy every four hours. *A little clothing side note -- an ER nurse gave me a clean shirt that they had on hand for their bigger kids. Finally, Scott broke down and made a Target run after my ER shirt got thrown up on a couple more times.

I joked with the doctor early on that we would gladly go home if we could take one of the Respiratory Therapists with us. The therapy was vital for Keira but horrific. Every four hours they would give her a breathing treatment which she tolerated in my arms while I rocked her and sang to her. But, then they would deep suction her. Deep suction means that the R.T.s put saline in her nose and while I held her head and Scott held her hands and feet they stuck a long thin tube down each nostril to her larynx. Then they would suction out all the mucuous. Needless to say, Keira hated it. She developped this pitiful cry that she reserved for R.T. that I'd never heard before, and she would get so panicky that she would hold her breath and her lips turned blue while her eyes bulged. It felt like baby torture, but we know she desperately needed it. I think this suctioning was the main reason we were able to keep her off the oxygen. And, it was the main reason they kept us until Thursday. The doctor said that they would keep us until she no longer required it.

To me, they were never quite sure what she had. At times they called it Reactive Airway, Asthma, Brionchiolitis, or RSV. Officially, she tested negative for RSV, but the test is apparently only 83% effective, and there are a lot of viruses that mimic it. Basically, the doctor came to the conclusion that she had had a string of viruses for a month. With each virus, she got weaker, until she finally couldn't fight them off anymore. Also, with our family history of asthma, her lungs started reacting asthmatically. They sent us home on Thursday, but told me to stay away from large groups for at least a week. The doctor impressed upon me that this winter was going to be rough on Keira and she hoped she wouldn't see us back in the ER. When I followed up with our pediatrician on Saturday, she suggested that I not start Eli in preschool this winter (something we'd been thinking about doing) and the nurse talked to me and suggested that I might want to lay low all winter. Wow, I'm not sure what to make of all of it yet. But, so far I'm definitely keeping Keira out of public until she sounds 100% better. So far, her spirits are back and her smile, but she still requires three breathing treatments a day, and sounds pretty awful in the morning. I'm just so glad to be home with both of my babies and Scottie again.

Cloudland Canyon Park -- Day One

Scott took me by complete surprise on Friday morning. He had a bittersweet three day weekend -- Friday was supposed to be a teacher workday and they were furloughed. So, we got to spend three days together, but we had to take the pay cut. When Keira and I got up, he was already moving around the house, seemingly cleaning up. Unfortunately, now that I'm the mother of two, I can't seem to keep the house under control. When I couldn't find my allergy medicine, Scott finally told me that he was surpising me and taking us out of town. I love being surprised and I love going out of town. What a good husband! The interesting wrinkle in the plan was that Keira was getting baptized on Sunday, so it was a short trip. But, we packed as much fun into a little over twenty four hours as we could. We had a great time. And, we were back with plenty of time to spare to enjoy baptizing Keira. All in all, we had a busy, wonderful weekend.

We had a surprisingly uneventful three hour drive up to Cloudland Canyon on Friday morning. Unfortunately, both kids only slept about a half an hour, but considering we had two kids awake for two and a half hours we did amazingly well. Keira is slowly but surely doing better in the car. And, luckily Eli entertained himself the whole way. Another boon was that the Moores let us borrow the minivan. That way I'm able to sit within arms reach of both kids and keep everyone happy.

This was our second trip to Cloudland Canyon. The first time we went Eli was eighteen months old and it was my surprise for Scott. Of course, when it's my surprise we drive there via Chatanooga, but we did get there, eventually. We love the park. It's an especially beautiful place to take in the changing fall colors. To Scott and I, it felt like we had just been there. But, in the life of a child it was forever ago. Here's what Eli looked like during our last visit...


Scott and I knew that we would have a good time, but we weren't sure what Eli would think. Fortunately, he loved it. In fact, he's now calling it his "new favorite place", and trying to plan our next two weekends there. Especially surprising was how much he loved our cottage. He found the most everyday things exciting and intriguing. Here he is shortly after we arrived running outside of the cottage, swinging down from the wheelchair ramp and playing his door game. That boy has been fascinated with doors since before he could walk. Apparently, the fascination has not worn off.




After unpacking, we spent the remainder of our day exploring the park's three playgrounds. I'm sure Uncle Brian and Ms. Kathryn will approve -- Eli now likes to bring along a frisbee. And, as you can see from all the bundling... it was COLD!

Feeling Crafty and Keira Firsts

Eli and I did a lot of Fall Crafts last week. I think we did six at home and one at the library's Story Time. We are both really enjoying them. I found a website that takes all the guesswork out of crafts and Dendi generously bought us new paints and a palette. I think it appeals to my teacher side and it gives Eli and I something concrete to do together while Keira sleeps. The fortunate thing is that Keira is good enough that even when she's awake we can get a little crafting in. For a while she was happily playing in her play place. But, the good thing about crafts, is that unlike cooking, we can generally stop mid step indefinitely and come back to them when the time is right.




In Keira news... October has been a month of firsts for her. On the 2nd, Keira laughed out loud at Eli. She's done her share of giggling, but that was her first out right laugh. Then, on the 14th, she rolled over for the first time. She was on Tummy Time and she was leaning on her side, which she's been doing for some time, then surprised herself by rolling all the way over. I had to happily exclaim and reassure her so that she knew it was a good thing. Here she is once she was on her back.


Finally, this morning, she was baptized (more on that later) and she cut her first tooth. It's been a busy month for Little Miss Keira.

Nap Walk

We are still loving our nap walks. Yesterday, we were out of the house for four hours. Eli napped in the stroller while we walked around Lake Peachtree, we played for a few hours at Pebble Pocket Park, then we walked back home. According to my pedometer, I walked aerobically for 120 minutes yesterday, which is about right. It takes an hour to walk each way to the park. One of my favorite parts of the walk are the views. It's so peaceful and tranquil. Here's what Lake Peachtree looks like through the trees.

Looking at these views, and soaking up my time with the trees fills me with awe and gratitude that we live in such a beautiful place -- perfect for nap walks to the park of our choice.

Yesterday, once we got to the park, Eli played in the sand first. I played a little, but mostly entertained Keira who sat on my lap and experienced sand between her toes for the first time. She seemed interested and excited about the new sensation.


Next, Eli played on the teeter totter. He created an elaborate game that I sometimes played with him. But, mostly I walked around in the shade with Keira in the Baby Bjorn. She was due for her next nap, but couldn't quite settle down and fall asleep.


Then, Eli drove us to California and the Lake House.



Finally, we spent the remainder of our time on the swings. When we started playing, I told Eli we'd have to leave soon, as I knew Keira would fall asleep once we started our trek home. But, I put her in a swing and she was thrilled. I think it was her fourth time on a swing -- and by far the most successful attempt. She happily sat, swung and chewed on her hat. That gave Eli an opportunity to play on the swings his favorite way -- on his tummy. Of course, the puddle under the swing made it even more fun. Then, he pushed Keira on the swing. He hasn't quite mastered the gentle push, luckily she's exceptionally tolerant. He made up for his exuberant pushing with a little cuddle.

So Cute Together

As Keira is getting older and more active, it's been so fun watching them interract. As she's always been, Keira's fascinated by Eli. She loves to watch him and often gives him her best smiles. Eli says, "She just smiled at me because she loves me so much." And, he always says how much he loves her. Now, that she's getting better with her hands and feet she loves grabbing his face and kicking him when he's in reach. We've told him that she doesn't understand yet, so if he doesn't like it he needs to move a little farther away. But, actually he loves to "play" with her and thinks it's hilarious.

My Birthday Weekend

I felt very spoiled this weekend. We went out for my birthday dinner three times! On Friday, we went to Longhorn with the Dendi, Bapa, Ms. Andrea, and Uncle Jason. We rarely eat out and when we do it tends to be Moe's or Chick-Fil-A, so real restaurant food tasted DELICIOUS! Of course, eating out with two small children is always a challenge. Scott spent most of the meal walking around outside with Keira on his shoulder and I spent most of the time entertaining Eli. He loved Longhorn's kid's menu, since it was like a brand new activity book. As you can see from his scowl in the second picture, the boy is not fond of posing for pictures.


I had the intention of taking more pictures -- lots of us as a family of four and at least one of the whole table, but it didn't happen.

Here's the best picture that we got of the four of us last weekend. Obviously, it's not great, but it's one of very few that I have with all four of us. Eli's not interested in posing and we were in desperate need of a flash. But, of course by the time that happened, the moment was gone.


The next night, my actual birthday, Scott, the kids and I went to Newnan and ate a very early dinner at La Parilla, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Then, we spent a relaxing evening eating ice cream, and hanging out at Barnes and Noble and Shenanigans Toy Store. I spent a lot of time walking around with Keira while she snoozed in the Baby Bjorn. While she was awake, but still wanted to move around, I went shopping with her in the Baby Bjorn. I even tried on and bought myself a pair of high heels for my birthday with her riding in the front. It felt relaxing and indulgent to be shopping for something frivolous for myself.

Finally, on Sunday night, Babo and Grammie took us, Aunt Seana, Mr. Josh, Uncle Brian and Ms. Kathryn out to eat Chinese Food at Chin Chin. The food and the company were great. But, it was fairly chaotic with Eli. I think three nights out for him in a row was a little much. But, we survived, ate great food, and heard about Uncle Brian and Ms. Kathryn's trip to California. As the meal was a little crazy with keeping Eli entertained, I got no pictures at dinner. But, here are a few that we took before we headed out for the restaurant. Eli was not interested in posing, so we photographed Keira instead.