Ick

So, it is official.  Dude is sick.  Bacterial.
A bit of lung ick.
A bit of sinus ick.
A teeny bit of throat ick.
 Ears are ick-less though.
Dr C is not a big giver of antibiotics
but the lung ick
combined with the never ending fevers
and the overall ick-ness of how Ben looked in his office
all worked to create the second ever antibiotic given by the family doc.

Here is Sir Ick eating some Pho on Sunday around noon.
I needed to get out of the house.
He needed to eat something.
He will ALWAYS eat Pho.

Looking a bit ick-y, eh?

On to other news.
Hung this lovely 16x20 canvas on the wall Sunday.

Ben exclaimed,"Mama, you've never been on the wall!  You look great!"
Yes, in fact my walls are a bit Ben-entric.

Here is the end wall in our place.

Here is a close up of the left side.

Photos of Ben and I, in blue, by Leslie Lightfoot.
Oil painting of Ben and Boomer on his first birthday, by Susan Groot.

Yes, they both rock.

again...still

The prince is sick again
Feverish again
Sleepless again


And I'm tired
Still


The end

Halloween Fun!

He loved it.

Beginning 

Middle.

And end.

We are going on a mission...

Every time we go anywhere "we are going on a mission..."
That is superhero talk for getting out of the house.

Friday Ben went on a mission with Auntie Kristen.
Took a day off from daycare and headed out to see "sossils and bones"
at the museum.
He was impressed...
Also saw a mummy,
not quite as impressed.

photos will follow as soon as Auntie K forwards them.

Today was full of missions with gymnastics,
more Auntie Kristen fun
and a visit from Nana and Gramps.
The superstore, the mall play place and some early Christmas shopping.

And planning.
At Sport Check.
We were planning our Christmas mission to the mountains.
Very very big mountains in Golden British Columbia.
Ben is going to learn to ski and mama is going to ski again and pray she comes back unharmed.

Ben, after our planning trip to view sporting equipment,
has specific mission plans
and equipment needs:

Snowboarding with Auntie QuackQuack on the biggest mountain.
The board must have monsters all over it.
Because monsters are not afraid of big mountains...
The helmet needs a visor
and the goggles must have a red lens.
A monster lens.

And snow shoeing.
In deep deep snow.
With Gus...the 5 pound chihuahua...not sure exactly what this will look like.
Wearing the helmet and goggles of course.
Cause he will be on the side of a mountain...

Apparently downhill skis are not required
cause Auntie Quack Quack and Uncle Stinky don't use them.
And the boots are not nearly as soft and cozy.
According to Ben.

And he needs hot chocolate.
And marshmallows.
And hotdogs.
And an inside fire.
And he really really hopes there is a pho restaurant...
cause that's what superheros like to eat on missions.

Here is Ben having a bit of cereal for a bedtime snack...

always ready and prepared for mission.

From the Ben to you...always (VERY) loud and clear

A while back...
Talking about the Gujarati words he is learning at daycare:
I know water, and drink and hat and slippers and more in Indian.
Wow Ben, you know a lot of Gujarati words.
I know, I'm a mutant Vietnam Indian.

And more recently...
At Gymnastics:
Hi lady, did you grow that pretty baby in your belly?
Yes, I did.  She's brand new.
Mama, grow me one of those please!  Now!

At our favourite Vietnamese restaurant:
Look mama, that family has a daddy and two sisters!  They're perfect, let's join to them!

At the mall play place:
Look mama, there is the nice resper-doctor lady. (our hospital respiratory specialist)
She's the one who helped me when I had broccoli-itis.

To mama, during a particularly trying bedtime:
I'm the boss mama and you are going to get fired if you don't snuggle with me right this minute!

While sitting in the backseat of the car, screaming about something or other:
I'm so screwed.
What does that mean Ben.
I'm twisted up all tight cause I yelled at mama.
Yup, that's about right.

Watching retro cartoons (so commercials...):
Mama, for Christmas can you buy me that transformer building toy? Please?
Ben, maybe Santa will bring you a toy like that.
No mama, Santa doesn't like violence and battling.  You have to buy it.

During the daily wake up ritual (just this morning):
Ben, time to get up.
Time to get up!
Wake up sleepy head.
Honey, we are running late.
Mama, please co-operate with me and shut the door.  The light bothers me.

And today in the car, just 15 minutes later:
Mama, the sun is coming up and the sky is red.
I see that Ben.
Mama, I hope nounou's babies are not afraid of the dark.   Right now it's getting dark in vietnam.
(nounou is his word for orphanage nanny)

The Ben (mostly) says the sweetest things.  All day long.  And he picks up sayings SO fast (like "I'm screwed"...I have a good guess who he learned that one from).  He virtually never ever stops talking...morning till night.

There are so many more quirky little things he has said.  Like how he can say cooperation, and conversation, and mutant, and gaseous creature, all in a meaningful context, but still calls watermelon waterlemon.

And the way he calls me sweetie.  As in "Sweetie, I love you to the moon."

Mama loves you to the moon and back again.

The long (long, long) weekend...and why I'm thankful.

The weather was outstanding.
Sun, sun and more sun.

The company was marvellous.

The view delightful.

Unfortunately the camera battery died early
and the charger was at home.
Such is life.

Then, Ben got sick.
Snot on Saturday.
A bit of a cough on Sunday.
A poor night's sleep.
Then Monday, sick as a dog.
cough, snot, and fever
lots and lots of all 3
oh, and puke.  so very special.

Home we go late afternoon.
Sleeps like the dead for the whole 2 and a half hour drive.
Wet and feverish on arrival.

Call the principal-might be away Tuesday
our first grade farm trip day
yikes

Then?
68 breaths per minute (tachypnea)
google says that's bad...real bad
off to the hospital we go at about 8

Something called tracheal tugging
I call it gasping
Something called strider
I call it gasping
Something called blue lips (cyanosis)
I call it, well, sort of normal for Ben, perhaps a bit bluer than normal
Something called scare the hell out of mama....
well, yeah, I call it scared the hell out of mama

Give that boy a breathing treatment
and it kinda works for the breathing
but completely sends him SPINNING!  Like high.

Another treatment, some specialists,
an xray, more specialists,
a third treatment,
SPINNING the whole time...

I can spend the night
or agree to drive 30 or so kms for the meds
I drive.

Home by 2 or so with some puffers
to sleep
cause there was no way he was doing anything but dancing in that ER.

And here we are today.
Nearly a week after Thanksgiving...feeling thankful.
So very thankful for my son
our health
and easy access to excellent healthcare.
My extended family and friends
and their health.
Our lovely home.
Our lovely cottage.
My wonderful job
and lovely class
and terrific sick leave benefits.

A long week for sure...
Brings out the gratitude in me.

And to answer Catherine,
Bronchiolitis is swelling and mucus buildup in the smallest air passages in the lungs (bronchioles), usually due to a viral infection.

A direct quote...and how you know you live in the boonies

Walking the dog tonight
towards the lovely sunset sky of reds and oranges
watching the tractors approach
from waaaaay baack...

Then one arrived.
It was really really big.
Leap into the ditch and enter the field kind of big.
Fill the whole road
approaching cars pull into a driveway
kind of big.
And I was walking a dog
and a tractor crazy kid along the road.

Apparently Harvest=Hurry

A ben quote
"mama, that big old dusty combine operator
should share the road!"

He (the crotchety old combine operator) saved himself though
by waving back at the wee one.