In an epic battle between good and evil, the Ramseys went up against arch nemesis,
H1N1, in the most heated play off of the season.
Team Ramsey made early attempts to thwart the advancement of Team Swine by isolating lead player, Gavin Ramsey. Resistance was futile, however, and Team Swine kept the virus in play, overcoming valiant team members, Caeden, Suzy and Nathan Ramsey.
Things looked rough at half time for the home team. Players were down and Team Swine appeared to have the upper-hand. Reinforcements were called in and the team was seen by their lead MD. Excellent efforts and vigilant care ensued on behalf of team Ramsey by their awesome Pediatrician and the efforts of head coaches, Mom and Dad.
Thanks to the help of home team supporters who cheered, chanted and brought in refreshments, the Ramseys began upping their game and by the fourth quarter, had regained strength.
Team Pig made a last attempt with an illegal underhanded attack at players Gavin, Nathan and Suzy, resulting in worsening coughs and, in the most shocking fowl play seen thus far, an episode of barfing. Thanks again to the efforts of their expert doctor, Gavin and Suzy were both able to turn it around and gain possession of the lead.
After this grueling show down the score landed at Team Ramsey 4, Team Swine 0. The head virus of H1N1 was overheard saying that there is no plan for a rematch.
Well done Team Ramsey!
On a more serious note, I realize that the decision to vaccinate is very personal and sometimes a difficult choice to make. I just want to encourage everyone to really do the research. The Swine Flu is no joke. We actually had a fairly mild to moderate case with only one child ending up on a nebulizer(and it isn't the one I would have expected), and one child ending up with a secondary infection. This strain of the flu is receiving a lot of hype. Some is unnecessary. Some, however, is well founded. A few facts to chew on:
* This strain of the flu is becoming very serious for young children and pregnant women.
* 1 in 4 of the children who have died from H1N1 were healthy prior to contracting the virus.
* The CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 2 people will contract H1N1.
* More people have died in October from H1N1 than typically die in an entire flu season.
I realize that vaccinating carries risks but when it comes down to it, the risk of complications from the vaccine are minuscule in comparison to the risks of contracting , and having complications from, the flu. I have attached two links with some information on the swine flu vaccine. I would encourage all of my friends and family to read it and become educated. This last week was intensely difficult and my children were lucky.
http://windsorpeak.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?flavor=archive;list=baby411;id=20090922153943
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My Little Crocodile!
Well folks, it's official, my little boy is growing up!! On Tuesday Gavin lost his very first tooth! It's kind of a big deal....I'm pretty excited and so is Gavin!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Great Kid Quotes of the Week
Gavin (to a mannequin at Dick's Sporting Goods): "Next time I'm gonna come back and give you a kiss babe!"
Caeden (to me while waiting for Gavin to get off the bus, while watching the lawn guy cut and bag the grass..in a desperate attempt to rid our yard of the evil sticker weeds):
Caeden- "Why is that man here?"
Me- "He's cutting the grass."
Caeden- "Why?"
Me- "Well that's what he does. Like daddy cleans carpets for a job, Mr. Bruce cuts grass for a job."
Caeden- "Oh. Well, you should cut the grass mom."
Me- "Well I can't."
Caeden- "Why?"
Me- "Because I can't cut grass and hold baby Nathan at the same time."
Caeden- "Would baby Nathan get frustrated?"
Me- chuckle "Yes, he would."
Caeden- "Oh." pause "I love saying the word frustrated."
Suzy (to me with her stuffed pink kitty): "Mommy, do you want to pet my kitty? He's very nice. He don't bite. He tickles."
Nathan of course isn't saying much but he's smiling lots which is so fun! :)
Caeden (to me while waiting for Gavin to get off the bus, while watching the lawn guy cut and bag the grass..in a desperate attempt to rid our yard of the evil sticker weeds):
Caeden- "Why is that man here?"
Me- "He's cutting the grass."
Caeden- "Why?"
Me- "Well that's what he does. Like daddy cleans carpets for a job, Mr. Bruce cuts grass for a job."
Caeden- "Oh. Well, you should cut the grass mom."
Me- "Well I can't."
Caeden- "Why?"
Me- "Because I can't cut grass and hold baby Nathan at the same time."
Caeden- "Would baby Nathan get frustrated?"
Me- chuckle "Yes, he would."
Caeden- "Oh." pause "I love saying the word frustrated."
Suzy (to me with her stuffed pink kitty): "Mommy, do you want to pet my kitty? He's very nice. He don't bite. He tickles."
Nathan of course isn't saying much but he's smiling lots which is so fun! :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Nathan's Big Adventure
Once upon a Saturday....
Baby Nathan woke up and was not acting his normal, cheery self. He had been battling a little head cold, along with the rest of the family, but he had seemed fine other than some stuffiness and a small cough. But on Saturday morning he woke up extremely fussy and very sleepy. I decided to take him to the pediatricians office. They only have walk-ins on Saturday so I got there right when they opened thinking I might beat the crowd....WRONG!! So my four kids and I sit in the waiting room, probably picking up three additional bugs for the one we came with, and patiently wait for our turn. We couldn't see our doctor so had to settle for a different one. She looked him over, checked ears and throat and such. She ruled it to be a simple cold and sent us on our merry way.
By early afternoon I knew that something wasn't right. He had been sleeping all day and wasn't eating. Then came the fever and the real beginning of our adventure. I took him over to KidMed. For those of you who live in Richmond, I highly recommend this place if your child ever needs urgent care. It is SO much better than the ER and has mostly the same capabilities (ie. a lab, x-ray, etc). There are three doctors, all of them are from St. Mary's ER staff and they are EXCELLENT. Anyway, we head over there. By this point his fever is higher. They examine him, run tests, take a urine sample (via catheter...it was awful), do an x-ray and attempt to administer an IV. Need less to say, mom is starting to fall apart. After the third attempt to put in the IV I was truly sobbing. My poor little man was losing his voice from crying so much and everything from his temperature to my blood pressure was continuing to rise. When they came in the fourth time to attempt the IV I informed them that if they came within two feet of my son with another needle I would politely rip their arms out of their sockets, retrieve the needle and they could have it back when they preyed it from my cold, lifeless fingers. They got the doctor. :) The doctor and I talked and agreed to hold off on the IV as long as he would eat. And he did. Blessing!
After examining the x-ray and the blood work they determined that he may have the early stages of bacterial pneumonia, along with the virus that caused it. The virus was NOT the flu or RSV. Blessing!
Because he is so tiny they decided he needed to go to St.Mary's for observation and possible treatment. So we were taken by emergency transport. It was awful watching my baby be strapped to a gurney and being loaded up. The staff was so kind. They even put on a movie for him. I was not allowed to ride in the back with him so they would call up to the front and let me know how he was doing. A word about riding in an emergency transport...it's terrible. It feels a bit like riding in a plane that's crashing.
We get to the hospital and get into our room. It was a very humbling experience walking down the halls of the pediatric unit. I don't think I'll ever let a day pass without praying for the children and parents who endure serious illness. It was an eye opening experience.
After a long night of observation things were looking much better. He was active and happy, no fever, his lungs sounded clear. Sunday afternoon we were able to come home with antibiotics.
This morning he had an appointment with his doctor. She checked his white count and it was normal! BLESSING!! The bacteria is clearing and his lungs sound good. It looks like we dodged a bullet this time. Pneumonia in a new baby is no joke.
We are so thankful that Nathan is doing well. I truly felt guided to know what things to do for him and I am so thankful for that. As always, I am amazed by the beauty of medical technology. We had wonderful doctors and nurses. I am so thankful for that.
We are glad to be home and happy. BLESSINGS!!!!
Baby Nathan woke up and was not acting his normal, cheery self. He had been battling a little head cold, along with the rest of the family, but he had seemed fine other than some stuffiness and a small cough. But on Saturday morning he woke up extremely fussy and very sleepy. I decided to take him to the pediatricians office. They only have walk-ins on Saturday so I got there right when they opened thinking I might beat the crowd....WRONG!! So my four kids and I sit in the waiting room, probably picking up three additional bugs for the one we came with, and patiently wait for our turn. We couldn't see our doctor so had to settle for a different one. She looked him over, checked ears and throat and such. She ruled it to be a simple cold and sent us on our merry way.
By early afternoon I knew that something wasn't right. He had been sleeping all day and wasn't eating. Then came the fever and the real beginning of our adventure. I took him over to KidMed. For those of you who live in Richmond, I highly recommend this place if your child ever needs urgent care. It is SO much better than the ER and has mostly the same capabilities (ie. a lab, x-ray, etc). There are three doctors, all of them are from St. Mary's ER staff and they are EXCELLENT. Anyway, we head over there. By this point his fever is higher. They examine him, run tests, take a urine sample (via catheter...it was awful), do an x-ray and attempt to administer an IV. Need less to say, mom is starting to fall apart. After the third attempt to put in the IV I was truly sobbing. My poor little man was losing his voice from crying so much and everything from his temperature to my blood pressure was continuing to rise. When they came in the fourth time to attempt the IV I informed them that if they came within two feet of my son with another needle I would politely rip their arms out of their sockets, retrieve the needle and they could have it back when they preyed it from my cold, lifeless fingers. They got the doctor. :) The doctor and I talked and agreed to hold off on the IV as long as he would eat. And he did. Blessing!
After examining the x-ray and the blood work they determined that he may have the early stages of bacterial pneumonia, along with the virus that caused it. The virus was NOT the flu or RSV. Blessing!
Because he is so tiny they decided he needed to go to St.Mary's for observation and possible treatment. So we were taken by emergency transport. It was awful watching my baby be strapped to a gurney and being loaded up. The staff was so kind. They even put on a movie for him. I was not allowed to ride in the back with him so they would call up to the front and let me know how he was doing. A word about riding in an emergency transport...it's terrible. It feels a bit like riding in a plane that's crashing.
We get to the hospital and get into our room. It was a very humbling experience walking down the halls of the pediatric unit. I don't think I'll ever let a day pass without praying for the children and parents who endure serious illness. It was an eye opening experience.
After a long night of observation things were looking much better. He was active and happy, no fever, his lungs sounded clear. Sunday afternoon we were able to come home with antibiotics.
This morning he had an appointment with his doctor. She checked his white count and it was normal! BLESSING!! The bacteria is clearing and his lungs sound good. It looks like we dodged a bullet this time. Pneumonia in a new baby is no joke.
We are so thankful that Nathan is doing well. I truly felt guided to know what things to do for him and I am so thankful for that. As always, I am amazed by the beauty of medical technology. We had wonderful doctors and nurses. I am so thankful for that.
We are glad to be home and happy. BLESSINGS!!!!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
A Great Bargain
If you're a nursing mom or if you have a friend or relative needing a baby shower gift, check out www.uddercovers.com and use the promotional code "country". These nursing wraps are awesome and usually retail for $32.00 but with this code they are absolutely FREE! You pay the shipping ($8.95) so it's a great value!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Update
Well, there has been lots happening. We took a trip to MA, had family out for Nathan's blessing, Gavin started first grade. Need less to say, we've been running around, staying busy, having fun, trying to sleep....etc. I don't have time to write tons right now but I'll try to do a more detailed update soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures of our recent adventures!!
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| Make a Smilebox slideshow |
Saturday, August 8, 2009
No News is Good News!
It's been a few weeks since I last posted...not because I am sleep deprived or overly busy...and I am a little bit of those things...but really it's because there hasn't been anything really entertaining to write about! It's been pretty much business as usual here in the Ramsey home. We are all re-adjusting to a new baby in the home but really I must say it's been a smooth transition. I guess I will answer the three questions I get asked the most: "Is he a good baby?", "How do the other kids like him?" and of course, "How does he sleep at night?" So here we go: Nathan is such a joy and the other kids have been SUPERBLY fantastic with him. Nathan does not sleep through the night, he wakes up several times a night to eat and have a diaper change but really, what else would we expect?
All in all things are going marvelously well. We are so thankful for our blessings and our family. As soon as I have some disasterous day I am sure I will blog about it. Those are always the most hilarious and entertaining ones after all. :)
All in all things are going marvelously well. We are so thankful for our blessings and our family. As soon as I have some disasterous day I am sure I will blog about it. Those are always the most hilarious and entertaining ones after all. :)
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