Curse you daycare and your little germs too....

Well daycare germs have struck again...on the first week of summer vacation we are suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease, a nasty cough and leprosy.  (okay maybe not leprosy)  Thursday we get a call from daycare, "We had a case of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease reported this week.  They broke out with it on Sunday so Brynn would have been exposed on Friday." She proceeds to tell me the warning signs of this lovely illness.  Low and behold this would explain B's pink spot on her lip and hand.  Lovely.  I started googling.  Its basically sores and blisters in or around your mouth with a skin rash on your hands and feet.  The mouth blisters are the worst from my research.  It feels like a horrible sore throat.  Here is what I found, should you want to learn about this awesomeness. CDC: Hand foot and Mouth

Fortunately after reading all of this, and getting worried about the terror I saw other parents reporting, (because, of course, I found a blog sharing horror stories about this illness while googling) B did not have a severe case at all.  Maybe like 5 spots on her hands and feet total.  She was good after three days.  Unfortunately, Brynn became patient zero again.  Remember in February (during break, mind you) how we were decimated with the flu?  Brynn got it (from daycare), I got it, Claire got it, Mark got it and our carpet got it.  Also, due to the fact it was paczki weekend and everyone came over to make paczki on Saturday, Laura got it, my parents both got it, and Kristen, visiting from San Francisco and pregnant, got it.

Claire got the fever on Saturday with a sore throat, she never had any spots though but she wasn't very comfortable for about four days.  She is over it now, thankfully.  And, bah, bah, bah....Mark got it the worst of anyone.  He came down with it this past Saturday and six days later is still dealing with it. Brynn also shared this with her cousin Henry too.  Sorry Henry!  I , knock on some wood quick, have not gotten it.  I think what saved me was a nasty cough and cold I had at the beginning of the week and I took precautions not to share anything with the kids, so they would not get my cold.  Also Mark was watching the kids Monday-Wednesday that week because I had three full days of professional development.  So while he was doing some excellent father-daughter bonding, and I was learning about blended learning for kindergarten, he also bonded to hand, foot and mouth disease.  Never thought I would say thank you to professional development the first three days of summer break but, Thank You!

The first few days of summer vacation for me consisted of sanitizing every toy the children own. (I've discovered we have many, many toys.)  I've also cleaned the bathrooms -- a lot , and the kitchen -- a lot, and done a lot of laundry.  This may have been overboard since its only "mildly contagious"  but with the everyone visiting for Henry's first birthday and Kristen, Andy and baby Evelyn visiting for Evelyn's baptism, I don't want to spread this anymore...we don't want a repeat of February.

I mentioned the nasty cough.  I have it and now Brynn has it.  Poor thing doesn't sleep that well at all she's coughing so much.  We have an appointment tomorrow for her.  It's summertime you shouldn't have a cough!  Mine's still hanging on too.  It's annoying.  I also have an icky rash.  I don't know what it is.  I went to the general practitioner, nothing, and the dermatologist who prescribed something that was supposed to clear it up "in a few days".  It didn't.  Two weeks later I went back for a follow up since it was only getting worse.  I now have a huge bruise on my leg and two stitches since they took two biopsies to figure out what it is.  I should find out tomorrow.  I really hope so. I'm not worried its anything bad, I just want to stop itching and to have nice looking arms and legs, without all of my spots.   I'll even take my varicose veins so long as I don't itch and don't have anymore spots!

Well this post was really uplifting. Sorry.  I'll be more positive next time.

Thanks for reading,
Katie
  

Easter 2012

I just found this post that I started but never posted so Happy Easter, in June!

This Easter the girls and I spent at my parents' house.  Mark was out traipsing through Italy.  (Technically he was flying home from Italy) We moved in Friday Afternoon and stayed until we picked up Mark from the airport on Sunday evening.

Friday was spent dyeing Easter Eggs with Papa.  Claire had a good time and I think Papa did too.  Brynn hung out in her high chair.

 Brynn's model pose.

Saturday morning we went to food blessing at my parents' church.  Brynn stayed home and slept but, as you can see, Claire was very excited to go.

Then it was time to do Aunt Lo's makeup.  Claire likes playing beauty shop.  Aunt Lo was happy to oblige her.

Easter morning was fun.  Claire found the Easter eggs and we had our blessed food from Saturday.  I love Easter morning and all of its traditions.  The food, the egg hunts and baskets, Mass. It was neat to be back at my parents for an Easter morning and redo those same traditions.  Mark and I do them as well but I got to relive my childhood, well without Laura on a mad dash for Easter Eggs.

"What is this?" 

 

 

After naps the girls and I left to pick Mark up from the airport.  Claire was super excited but Brynn did not want to be in the car any longer.  As a result we didn't make it up for the family Easter but we had a nice McDonald's dinner for Easter!

Happy Easter!