It is so nice that summer is almost here! It’s always nice when the kids can spend more time outside. May is always exciting because of all the outside things we can do. We went to the MN Seaplane Pilots conference the first weekend of May (unofficially anyway since we don’t actually participate in any of the MNSPA events, but mostly tag along to be with family). And the girls caught their first fish there!!! Unfortunately, Stella also got a shock from their cruddy outlet on which the cover was not screwed on. Thank goodness she was not burned or seriously hurt though!
Above: Nora, Ingrid, Stella, & Helen's first swim of the summer!
We also went to the fountains at Nicollet Commons in Burnsville when it got warm and the kids had a great time splashing around! Ingrid and Helen also ‘graduated’ from preschool. The school even had a formal ceremony with caps, gowns and diplomas! Although, they refused to wear the strange hats!
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| Ingrid & Helen's Preschool Graduation |
Other fun things we got to do include flying kites, go swimming for the first time of the season at Oma’s pool on Memorial Day and go to the park. When we went to the park, it was very apparent how much more ‘adventurous’ Nora is and Stella is definitely more cautious. When Nora came to the curb where she had to step down into the wood chips of the park, she hesitated only a moment before she stepped over, fumbled her feet a little and then proudly turned around and smiled at me! Stella however, stood at the edge of the curb, reached up to me and said ‘mamamamama!’ Nora learned a new word, ‘airplane!’. They had fun crawling around the park and learning how to go down the kiddy slide! Though they are definitely not addicted to the swings like their big sisters were!
On the crazy side of things, Mike got really pretty sick. At first it seemed like the flu, except that for 5 days straight he had a relentless headache, mild to moderate temperature, and tingly skin – not really a stomach bug. After 4 days of a fever and terrible headache, I sent him in to urgent care (it was the weekend and he was miserable and was supposed to leave out of town for business on Monday). He had gotten a tick bite just about a week before. I thought it could maybe be Lyme’s or some other disgusting tick disease. But the Urgent care doc refused to even test him for Lyme’s because the tick was not a dear tick and because he did not have the signature ‘bullseye’ rash. He simply sent him home and said to suck it up. His symptoms did finally let up the next day, and we were very glad! As soon as he was better it was time for him to go on a business trip to Sunnyvale, CA for some training for work.
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| Nora & Stella are now couch-proficient! |
Of course, the whole time he was gone, I was with the kids, 2 of which got sick themselves with soars in their mouths – perhaps hand/foot/mouth disease or roseola. It was by far the worst nights of sleep and crying I’ve had with the kids since Ingrid and Helen were babies! And Mike slimed his way out of it by being in California! I was TOTALLY exhausted, and the ped’s nurse line knew me by the number on the caller ID! I was SOOOO glad when Mike got home. He got home just barely in time to see Ingrid and Helen Graduate. Then, before we were even in the car on the way home he told me he was getting a headache. I looked at him and said, there is NO WAY you are getting out of my plans to check into a hotel tonight and get some rest! I REALLY was looking forward to 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep and some time to de-fuzz my head. By the time we got home he said his shoulders were aching. When the kids were in bed he took his temperature. He had a fever. I was LIVID! Though I knew I couldn’t be mad at HIM I was just mad that this was all happening again. He said his skin had this strange tingle to the touch, just like it did before. Saturday night, it had still not gone away. He was in huge pain from the headache and ibuprofen was not helping. I sent him to the ER and told him to at least bug them to get some drugs for a potential sinus infection that could be causing his headache and ask to be tested for Lymes. While he was gone, I started researching tick diseases online. Rocky Mountain fever (I think that’s what it was called) was one that seemed to have symptoms that disappear and reappear every 7-10 days. BINGO I thought. I called his cell and told him about it. He told the doctor. The doctor totally blew him off. Refused to test him for any tick diseases, but as a consolation prize at least gave him amoxacillan for a potential sinus infection. The next day he felt much better and by Monday he was back to work.
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| Nora, Nancy, Stella, Helen, Ingrid Sara & Kaleb! |
I consulted with my neighbor who was a nurse, and whose son once had Lyme’s. She advised me to get him in to his regular doctor and get tested. Even if he felt better. She said the
amoxicillin would help him feel better but that if it was in fact Lyme’s or something else, he would need some stronger stuff.
So even though it felt unnecessary, I sent him to his doctor that week, and told him to explain the tick and the recurring symptoms and the tingly skin and to refuse to leave until they have tested him. They did test him, thank God, because every test came back positive for Lyme’s. Right away they put him on some big time antibiotics for a month and he re-tested clean after that, Halleluiah!
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| Ingrid & Helen go swimming with their favorite toy, Chicky. |
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So a word to the wise, I don’t want to tell you NOT to trust a doctor, because certainly I think by and large they are capable and well-meaning. But, I am going to tell you to trust your own instinct and your own research MORE than your doctor – at least at first, and seek answers until you are comfortable with them.
Our Trip to Madden's Resort!
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| Helen's First Fish! |
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| Ingrid's First Fish! |
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| Stella shares her lunch with Daddy! |
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| Nora & Stella share their lunch with each other! |
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I don’t remember when, but they have become quite reliable about using care around stairs. Of course, you can’t trust them not to fall, but when they walk toward a stairway, the fact that they beat you there no longer means certain ER visit. They know to stop and even how to go down! I don’t know if I’ve ever written about it, but the yalso get themselves off couches and beds for some time. I started putting cushions on the floor next to the couch so they would fall on it. Then I showd them how to sit and swing on their belly to slide down. Didn’t take long to catch on! I think they’ve been doing that since April or may at least?! Maybe even before! 
Oh and the words…SO MANY words. They know all of their farm animal sounds. Nora always seems to have a new word first and then stella picks it up. They both know ‘No’ of cour
se! Which is useful actually, I don’t mind it a bit! I ask if they want water, and they say ‘No’! Ok! How bout a snack?! Nora calls Grandma ‘Bahma’ and stella calls her ‘Ama’. They say “Ou-side’ when they want to go and ‘Sitta’ for sister! When I point to a man in a book and ask what it is, Nora says ‘a dadda’! Here’s a list of words I can think of that either of them say:
