Cole...Sick...Again

This is just for updating and keeping track purposes only.

Cole woke up at about 5am this morning with the horrible breathing problems again.

Yesterday he did not leave the house. He stayed home all day.

We did have two darling, healthy friends over to play. They have a semi-sick baby brother who was going to come but didn't, because this friend knows how fragile Cole is. (She is an amazing friend, and I am lucky to have her, and her kids in my life. Her husband is okay... but needs to learn the joys of coconut before he can be considered great.)

Friend, you know who you are, stop reading this now because it is in no way your fault and I know you will blame yourself!

Anyway... is it possible that they were fine, but just carried the germs over to Cole? Or am I way over-thinking this? But really, what else could it be? No new soap, no new cleaning supplies, no changes of any sort. No weather changes, no smokers in his area, no hay, no grass.... ARGHHH!
It is making me crazy just not knowing what causes it.

This video is AFTER his breathing treatment. I really don't think the treatments work... but what do I know? This was definitely not as bad as some are... But I want to keep of record of them. Notice the tears in his eyes at the end. I know it is terribly painful for him to cough like that for hours.


He slept very fitfully until 11:00am. I had to stay close because when he stirs and starts to wake up, he realizes he can't breathe and panics and it makes it so much worse. So I just snuggled him in bed until 2:00 today. (Rough Life, I Know!)

But now tonight, he is much better.

Flag Waiving Glorious Fourth!!!

We had such an AMAZING Fourth of July!!!!

8:30am Fresh Strawberries and Cream in Bed in our beautiful hotel room at the Marriott Fisherman's Wharf!

9:30am meet the group to catch a Cable Car up to the Cable Car Museum

10:00am Tour the Cable Car Museum and watch the penny picture shows of old town San Francisco


10:45am Ride the Cable Car to the Embarcadero Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building and perform for the crowds. (Also... eat tons of yummy fresh fruit and produce and homemade candy samples! YUMMY!)

1:00pm Boudin Bakery Performance - The entire place was packed and our kids were darling!!

1:15pm Boudin Bakery Tour - It was really neat to see such a huge bakery tour.
And to see what they can make out of the bread!

Check out this crab!

And this sourdough bread Alligator was amazing!

Then we had free time to get lunch on your own. Of course I had a sourdough bread bowl with Clam Chowder! But Bill wanted to try the crab from the street venders that were right on the water there. It was so fantastic and fresh!

You choose your crab, then he puts it in this HUGE pot of boiling salt water, and cooks it for about 3 minutes. Then he takes it out and chop chops it right there in front of you, and then you eat it. Delicious! Best $14 we spent on the entire trip!






After lunch, I took Cole back to the hotel for a nap, and Bill took Brighton to see the Cannon loading at Fort Point. I hear it was great fun.

6:30pm - Meet up with the group at the bottom of Ghirradelli Square and tour the grounds with impromptu shows! The crowds LOVED our kids!

7:30pm - Board the USS Jerimiah O'brien World War 2 Liberty War Ship.

We were the main entertainment and it was an incredible experience. We had a huge crowd who loved the patriotism of our kids, and then we got prime seating for the terrific fireworks display over the bay!
Sorry, I don't know why this picture is sideways. It refuses to stay turned around when I upload it. It is the gangplank.

Biking the Bay!!!

For a long time, I have thought it sounded fun to Bike Across the Golden Gate Bridge!

Bill was really worried about one of the boys going over the rail and plummeting to their watery grave, and he really hated the idea of it at first, but after seeing me be so excited about it, he was a really cute sport and got on board. Before we left, he got a bike that we had found in our neighbor's trash (literally!) and he fixed it up so that it was totally great! Then we borrowed a wagon pull for Cole to ride in from our next door neighbors. Brighton has his own bike, which was perfect because he was used to it and comfortable with it. So all we had to rent was a bike for me.
Alcatraz is behind us. The ride was so amazingly beautiful!!


My super duper fast bike rider boy! I think he loved this day as much as I did!






Our cute friends, the Ingram Family, came with us. Trevor is great with Brighton, although they both liked to wander off and explore a little too far away!

The weather was PERFECT! Sunny, light breeze... it was a gorgeous day! We packed lunches, and stoped a few times on the way to enjoy some picnic spots.

It was an 8.2 mile ride total, from our hotel to Sausalito. Then we caught a ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf.




Just being on the bridge is awesome, but to be able to stop and gaze up at such an amazing engineering feat... It was so cool!


Self portrait on the bridge.... seriously... it was so much fun!

The cables were as thick as Trevor's Arm!
At one point we got a little lost. That part did not rock.... it actually sucked... so when you go, don't get lost! Take the Alexander drive route. It is much better... but don't go too fast. Trevor crashed and we were so lucky he did not get hurt worse than he did. He was a super good sport. My favorite line of his.... "Medic, I need the medic! Medic, someone get the medic!" (Hilarious Trevor!)
Cole was really sick on and off throughout the week. The morning of the bike ride, he was doing okay, but not great when we started out. He slept almost the entire day in his comfy little bed daddy made him in the wagon. As we were on the ferry going back he got a high fever and was having lots of difficult breathing and they had him exit the ferry first. It sounds so bad, that everyone always thinks the poor little guy is dying. It would have been the same if he was in bed in his hotel room though, so I am glad he got to get out and enjoy some family time with us before he got bad. After the ferry ride, Bill took him back to the hotel and snuggled him for the rest of the night.


I have to say that this was my very favorite part of our entire vacation. Thank you hunnie for supporting me and letting me enjoy it to the fullest! You are a terrific sport!

Cole the fish

(Pseudo-guest post from Uncle Chuck on 11/15/09. I saw Charise has a bunch of old "draft" posts that she must not have ever hit the publish button on or meant to come back and do pictures or video uploads later. I figure, she is busy and she can always come back and add pics, but we need to see the stories.)

Cole took swim lessons last week. I am so glad we did it, but he HATED it!

Every day now when he gets off the school bus, he asks with great fear... "I no go swimming now?"

This video (apparently didn't upload correctly) was on day two of five days. He got really good! Now we just need to practice all summer! Swim date anyone?

Bethany is amazing with the kids. I loved what she did. Her techniques and ideas are great!

Thanks Bethany!!

Autism anyone?

They ask me, "Does he ever line up his toys?" Ummmmmm.... ALWAYS!

Brighton, you are an amzing kid, and I am the luckiest mom in the world to get to hang out with you every day. I sure love you a lot!

You are Brighton's mom if:

If you know what IBI, ABA, SDC, ASL, IEP and TACA are.

The only thing that will calm him down is to yell "Baby Sandwich" and then run and catch him and lay down with all your weight on him.

You know that baby ears for breakfast is the greatest thing in the world!

If he is going to be 6 next week, and he is still very far from being potty trained.

You learn to adapt to OCD behavior and it doesn't bother you. You give him time and limits, but let him do it.

If you find yourself doing things in a pattern to prevent meltdowns

If you know to take a bag of gummies, sensory stretchy toys and a race car with you everywhere.

If you know NEVER to offer him a bottle of water without first grabbing a sharpie and writing a capital B on it (for Brighton)

If the clothes you purchase are button and zipper free

If you are still buying pull-ups at the age of 6 and wishing daily they would make bigger sizes, that are cool styles, not the grandma kind.

If you can watch the same section of Kung Fu Panda over and over and over and over and not get frustrated.

If you just picked things up, only to turn around and find them scattered in the EXACT manner as they were before.

IF YOU HAVE PATIENCE.

You have cars lined up always.

You cook the same food everyday!
Breakfast, frozen Waffles with peanut butter and whip cream, cut into strips, eaten with fingers. Do not make any changes!!! Followed by an Otter Pop if good behavior.

Immediately after school, Celeste's Pepperoni Pizza (Silly daddy bought Sausage/Pepperoni.... what was he thinking???) Right now, shout out a HUGE thank you to Celeste's Pizza for being so affordable! $1.00 a pizza! So great! followed, of course, by Otter Pop if good behavior.

He hugs you so tight you can't breathe, but you don't want him to stop as it is so wonderful.

You chuckle at the "problems" other parents THINK they have with a non Angel.

Your heart has broken during a severe meltdown or tantrum.

You are capable of finding many adaptations to make his world a little better.

You remind yourself at least twice a day... It is a short circuit in his brain. It is not him being a brat or a jerk! He seriously does not get it. Talk it out, talk it out!

Count Your Blessings

Need I say more? I am the luckiest girl alive!!!

Really sick little guy

Cole is having a breathing "attack" that started Sunday night and I want to journal it so that we can remember it later. It has been almost a full week and he is still really bad.

This was our first time that it happened on anything other than a Saturday night/Sunday morning. At about 1am on Sunday (really Monday June 1) morning, Cole was really struggling to breath. This is him laying in bed. You can't really see him, but you can hear him. It is really a struggle to get air in and out, and there are lots of coughing attacks along with it.




We take him in to sleep with us whenever this happens. I have two dear friends, both strong, healthy 30ish year olds, who passed away this past year in the night because of breathing issues just like this. It literally terrifies me. These two friends (Kelly Knight and Zachary Cox) were healthy, active, grown men, but their asthma actually killed them. I am not ready for my Cole to go so soon. He is our joy and light in our lives.

Here he is in Daddy's arms. This is after the breathing treatments.
We take him outside to breath the night air, and it seems to help, although very little.

He stayed home from school Monday, and I held him all day in bed. He was so weak that he couldn't even talk to me. He just whimpers and points.

Tuesday he begged to go to school, and he seemed a little better so we sent him to school Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday he was miserable again, with fevers, so I kept him home. Today, Friday, he seems to not be any better. I talked to his pulminologist and they say I should take him in to the Emergency Room tomorrow morning if he is not better. I always hate that because they love to admit him at the hospitals... and then we end up spending the week... or month. :)

He sweats when he sleeps and wakes up in the mornings and from naps drenched. I have to change him and his sheets. Sometimes I even have to lay his pillow out to dry.

He gets fevers on and off. It seems to be helped by the baby tylonal.

We are giving him Prednisolone 15mg/5, 4ml 2 x a day. I started this yesterday.

He also does breathing treatments for about half an hour, every four hours. Albuterol and Pulmacourt. I am so lucky to have a nebulizer at home! This is the same machine they use at the hospital, and it makes it so much easier not to have to go to the hospital as often when we can just do it at home.

I don't mean to sound dramatic, but sometimes I feel like I could just start bawling. It gets hard to "hold it together" when your baby is sick. My heart aches for those moms of children who are really sick. It makes me realize how amazingly lucky we are that Cole is so healthy and strong. I think Heavenly Father just knows that I couldn't deal with it being too hard. I remember when we had only had Cole about 3 months, so he was about 7 1/2 months old. He was really sick, and had his full time oxygen, heart monitors, and wouldn't eat anything... I remember sobbing in my office one day, and just begging Father in Heaven, "Please, I am not this strong! I can't handle this. I know you might think I can, but I can't!!" I thought about the promise given to us that we would not be tried or tested more than we could handle. That promise has really gotten me through some dark times. I always know that I can do it, and that I just need to hold on.

I know we will be fine. There are things I am really thankful for.
**Girl's Night Out where I can escape for a few hours and relax. (My Claim Jumper Artichoke and Calizone were sooo good!)
**Backyardingan's DVD... Thanks Auntie Sue!!!
**Doctors and Medications!
**Target's "amazing, why didn't someone think of this before" medication dispensing system. It has truly made me a Target fan for life!
See, the syringe goes into the top, and no mess! Then it goes directly into Cole's tummy tube. Amazing! And since I am doing 14 medications a day this week, this little device has been a huge help! Our Pharmacist at Target even gives me extra stoppers, sot hat we can put them in our Tylonal and other over the counter meds. So great!**Since he can't talk this week, he is signing everything. It is so precious when he comes in and taps my arm and holds his arms up to me and starts humming. It must not hurt to hum, because that is how he lets me know he is happy. He will hum for me.

**When I ask him how he is doing, he croaks, "not good". So sad, but also so cute!

This morning the school bus driver did not get the message that he was not able to go to school today, so she came by to pick him up. He wanted to go so badly, but keep in mind that he physically could not even say a word! So he stood on the front porch with tears streaming sown his cheeks, and made this little mewling noise, and opening and closed his hand. It was heart breaking! I told him that he could go next time, but he just kept crying the huge tears and mewling!