Bronchiolitis Begets Big Boys

March was another whirlwind, which I guess is appropriate, considering how windy it was in our neck of the woods.

We had a visit from our beloved friends, the Webbs, celebrated St. Patrick's Day, taught a fun preschool class about the letter X, and started to celebrate Easter.

Hinckley has been drooling, teething like a puppy (he loves to chew on my chin and Dane's beard!), is a champ at the karate chop and digging his nails into skin, can hold a toy, got his first diaper rash, and was 15 lbs, 10 ounces at his 4 month appointment (he cried for only a few seconds before smiling at me after getting his shots, sweet boy!) 

At the beginning of the month he was treated like a celebrity at a babysitter's house.  Lucky boy.

He has been known to make even the coldest looking store clerk grin with his sweet smiles and laughter.  He is seriously the most adorable little lamb.  If you ever need a pick me up, just talk to Hinckley for a few minutes and everything will feel better.

Little did I know that this little heart breaker was about to break our hearts in a very different way.  On Thursday, the 15th, Hinckley woke up with some congestion.  I didn't think much of it since he is often congested.  Later that morning we went to the doctor for his 4 month well child appointment.  On Sunday, he woke up with a cough and Dane left for Washington, D.C. (why is it that everything falls apart when husbands leave?!) by Tuesday his breathing sounded suspicious and on Wednesday I was pretty sure he was wheezing.  Thursday morning I took him to the doctor and, after two nebulizer treatments failed, she sent us to the Pediatric ER at Summerlin Hospital.

It was a long four days (the nights were even longer!) and I was absolutely terrified at first.  I tried to keep it together for the first couple hours when I couldn't get hold of Dane and made arrangements for Atticus.  I'm not sure what the worst moment was, but it was absolutely sickening to watch yet another child have to wear oxygen.  Thank heavens, our friends and family were angels and took care of everything.

Sweet Amanda came to the hospital to bring me some food and comfort while we were still in the ER.  A couple hours later her husband and our other home teacher came and administered a blessing.  The reassurance I felt having those men there was overwhelming.

Dane's dad, who I've decided is my official hero, came down at the drop of a hat.  He left work, packed his bags, and drove down as fast as he could.  He was able to get in that night, gave me a much needed blessing of comfort, and grabbed Atticus in the morning.  He really is a superhero and  helped us in countless ways while he was here.

My dear friend Ginger (who had agreed to watch Atticus for the doctor visit) found herself stuck with our crazy three-year-old overnight!  She didn't bat an eyelash and took care of him like one of her own.  He was so content that when I called him that night he only stayed by the phone long enough to say, "Hi Mommy!" and ran back to keep playing.  I can't begin to express the peace it brought knowing he was not only safe but having the time of his life.

(Reading books and playing with the snake at Ginger's house.  Her kids were so sweet with him!) 

 Another friend grabbed some essentials for Atticus and for me and brought them to us, along with some sweet words of comfort.

I can't even count the number of people who checked on us and offered help.  We've had meals and desserts brought and so many people praying for us.  Thank you all so much!  I can't wait to be on the giving end again.

Dane came home the next day around noon and he and Bob cared for Atticus while Hinckley and I battled his virus at the hospital for the next few days. (Here he is at a ward Easter party)

Thank goodness, we were able to come home on Sunday afternoon, March 25.  Hinckley's breathing improved until, by Wednesday, the pediatrician declared him well from the bronchiolitis.  He still has some congestion to clear up, but we'll take that any day.

On top of the wonderful people who came to us in our moment of need, there have been other blessings from this experience.

One is my deepening understanding and love for what it means to be a mother.  At the hospital, no one called me by my name, calling me "Mom" instead.  I know it's mostly to make it easy and call all of the parents the same thing, but I loved it.  When I was teaching, my favorite thing people would call me was "Coach."  Miss Brough and Mrs. Maes always seemed so cold and distant.  Coach, on the other hand, was affectionate and yet respectful.  "Mom" is even more so.  It helped me feel empowered.  I felt like an equal with them and in charge when it came to making healthcare decisions.

I certainly am not taking my sons and their health for granted now.  I'm trying to soak in all of the sweet moments.  For example, one day, while Dane was gone and I was almost crazy from fear for Hinckley's health, I was able to lay down with them both and hold each of their hands.  It was blissful. 

I alluded to another really great development in this post's title.  Atticus has matured SO much in the last month.  I hated to see him so bored, yet I think that we often don't allow our children the boredom and responsibility they so desperately need to, well, grow up.
I can't count everything, but some of the things I've noticed include the following:

• Singing and caring for Hinckley way more
• Yelling and screaming less, being far more reasonable and willing to negotiate
• Brushing his own hair
• Washing his own dishes (he's starting to do it all on his own without any request from me!)
• Eating a much wider variety of food (asking for lettuce, tomatoes and pepper on his taco?!)
• Deeper questions and prayers ("Why did Jesus have to die?" "I don't want you to die." "I don't want to die." He even asked Heavenly Father to "Help me to cheer up" in his nighttime prayer the day his daddy left on a trip)

We've always loved this kiddo, but MAN we enjoy being around our new and improved toddler!

Here are a few more moments from the month.  

Atticus had a great lesson on the letter Y.  Here are his "Yucky" and "Yummy" faces: 

 And here is his reaction when he found out they would be making a "Yoda" craft:

 Here's my lame attempt to have some "fun" while Hinckley was sick (he wanted a "Polah bear snack"):

  We visited the dentist again.  It was a MUCH better visit (Atticus loved it this time!) but we are still worried about his two front teeth.  They have turned gray from his fall and it's possible that he might have to lose them in the coming months.  But they could just be bruised...  Only time will tell.  That adorable smile might change.  But we can deal with it.

Atticusisms

• "Stop doing that every day!"  "Stop doing that all the time!"
• After being told that Easter is all about Jesus- "No!  I don't want Jesus to take/steal all the eggs!"
• Steps into shower to help clean.  "Ugh!" (Did you get our feet wet?) "No, they're all showery!"
• "I have two stomach aches at the same time!"
• ("I have to give Hinckley his breathing treament.") "I get to have a treat?"
• (After being told the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho and being asked, "Did you like that story?") "No, I just like Batman stories.
• "He didn't wash his hands!" (when talking about the naughty leprechaun who left green pee in the potty)
• "Look!  I can fit in the bumbo!  Take a picture."
• "We're making the baby laugh!" (Bowman and Atticus had been rubbing chalk on poor Hinckley's forehead...)
• "I love you too." (Shyly said to his friend Aven after she told him 3-4 times, "I love you Atticus!" during preschool)
• "Did you do that?!" (when he found our guest bathroom's toilet a little gross)
• "I'm not thinking about Jesus, I'm thinking about superheroes!" (during the sacrament)

Mommy, I Need Privacy

Well, February was... eventful.  Not all good events but still, it sure flew by.

The first two weeks of the month Dane was gone and so my mom flew down on a mission of mercy.  My goodness, was it delightful to have her there.  When she wasn't reading to Atticus (he was in heaven!) she was holding the baby or doing dishes.  She did way more than anyone in her position should, and we were so grateful for it.  I had a good cry when she left.  Again.  I always cry when she leaves.

Mom even gave us the motivation to get out of the house and go to a local aquarium.  Atticus wasn't about to touch any of the sting rays but he loved it!

Dane came home four days later and we couldn't have been more relieved.

A week later, Bob and Marti came down over President's Day weekend to attend our baby's blessing.
As wonderful an occasion as it should have been, Dane and I found the day a bit traumatic.  I was frantically trying to feed the baby before sacrament meeting began (my poor, sleep-deprived mind was sure that he would cry through the whole blessing if he didn't eat!)  Hinckley decided to complicate matters and took the opportunity to poop.  No small poop, mind you!  Long story short, for some reason I thought I had more time than I did and ended up running into the room, 60 seconds too late! 

Thankfully, the bishopric took pity on us and let Dane, Bob, and a few friends bless the baby at the end of the meeting, by which time Hinckley had decided he had had quite enough.  You guessed it: he cried through the whole thing!  As a friend put it- we were running from our fate only to find it.

Some of the highlights from the blessing included the following:  Hinckley would have a special relationship with his Savior, how very loved little Hinckley was, and the fact that Hinckley had been named after two strong men (Gordon B. Hinckley and Robert Maes) and that Hinckley would, likewise, be strong. 

In spite of his lack of cooperation for the blessing, Hinckley continues to be a little darling.  He is so interactive, smiling at the store at anyone he can make eye contact with and babbling and quacking all the time.  He was 14 lbs 10 oz. at the beginning of the month, and is now reaching well and holding toys.  He chews anything he can and is starting to drool.  He's done a bit more rolling, but he's still not consistent.  He got his first cold this month and had a runny nose for a few days but has since recovered.

We're still working on his gas.  Probiotic drops seemed to have helped.  My going off dairy did not.  The quest continues!

Atticus has had really sweet and really mean moments this month.  The first couple weeks of the month I felt like he had his angry, goblin-like face on all the time.  Every time someone would come to the house he would yell and scream ("Go away!")  Then, when it was time for them to leave, he would yell and scream because he didn't want them to go.  Augh.  It was rough.

At the same time, he has had adorable moments with Hinckley now that I'm putting the baby in the high chair and bouncer.  Atticus seems to do better when he can look the baby in the eyes.

He's also had so much fun with Bowman!  We love this kid!

On Valentine's Day he and Dane went to the store and got me some flowers.  He was SO cute and insisted on getting me a stuffed monkey and some chocolate.  He thought I would like some milk chocolate but Dane assured him that dark was the way to go.  When he gave it all to me he told me, "Maybe when you're older you'll like that other chocolate."

Another cute thing this past month that was very exciting for me?  He got some soccer cleats from his friend Holden and suddenly he was all about soccer!

Welllll... he was all about wearing the clothes, anyway.  Most of our time "playing soccer" was spent working on his imaginary garden.  Still, the seed has been planted and he still tells me that his favorite sports are baseball and soccer.  Hooray!

I think my favorite part of this month was his talk at church.  He is the youngest one in the room but he did a great job!  I have to admit, I was a little worried because every time we practiced he would introduce his talk by saying, "I would like to talk about Dragons!"  When he actually gave his talk, however, he stuck to the material.

Gosh we love this kid!

Another great primary moment that I've been told about (we're still a bit skeptical, ha ha!) happened this past Sunday.  Apparently, the child who was supposed to recite the 2nd Article of Faith wasn't there and they asked if anyone knew it.  Atticus raised his hand and they had him come up.  She began telling him the verse and they said he recited the rest of it by heart!

He refuses to do it for us but the little guy is constantly surprising us.  I've sung the song to him a few times and he really liked it- kept asking me what "transgression" meant.  His Sunbeam teacher says she read it to them once... and somehow his little brain caught hold.  Amazing.  He has his problems, for sure, but what a gift!

The last few days of the month were especially tough.  On Sunday, the 25th, Atticus took a nose dive off of one of our stools (while standing) and really hurt his mouth.  There was a lot of blood, tears, and swelling, but thank heavens it is looking a lot better.  We've just had to eat much softer foods.

That night, he began coughing and just never stopped.  Dane left Monday morning and so I was on my own with the two boys.  Atticus was so exhausted (because his cough kept him from sleeping at night or during the day) that he began having more and more night terrors- we're talking 10+ a night.  The night terrors involved screaming, which exacerbated his cough.  Ugh, it was an ugly cycle.  By the time he would settle down to sleep it would be time to feed Hinckley, who happened to have some bad bouts of gas from 3-5 AM a couple nights in a row. 

I'm convinced that the only reason I was able to stand and not blow up at the boys for those few days was thanks to the power of prayer.  Thank goodness, last night was our first good night, where everyone in the house got 4+ solid hours of sleep in a row.  We're not out of the woods yet, but we're making progress.  Hopefully the warm weather of March will wash away all of our coughs and colds!

Atticusisms:

• I don’t like _______ He is not my best friend!
• (In answer to “Who is your best friend?”)  “Bowman and Skye.”
• I need to finish this bacon!  Where did you get that?  From the couch!
• When I was a kid... now I’m a big boy...
• I want salad (I just about keeled over!) 
• Mommy, I need Privacy (while on the potty every so often)
• 
• I throwded up, too! (He hadn’t...) 
• May I please...?