Emma Rey Red Feather

Here is the poster we made for her "Pin the Tail on" game...

Easy way to personalize the party theme, too!

Emma's 3rd Birthday Party

My little baby turned 3!  

Emma is cray cray right now about all things Indian.  Native, that is!  She adores this cartoon called, Yakari, here in Germany so we just HAD to have a  "Yakari Birthday Party" - as she called it.  Mama called it, get all the Native American themed shit you can find and pass it off as Yakari party.  Meh, I suppose her way sounded better...

I started by giving Emme her own "indian name":  Emma Rey Red Feather

2 cakes!  And yes, both had Gummi Bears!

 The kids had a great time.  We did warrior face paint, and I pre-cut construction paper so they could each make their own head dresses adorned with feathers and crayons, Emma's of course was made by Mama!!

My friend, Sandra and her baby Jonas.
No, I didn't have a 4th, that's Merla!

Oma & Opa holding down the fort at the Kiddie Table

 Hajo & Dolly came down to help us out with the last week of a FOUR WEEK PROCESS of integrating the twins into their Daycare program.  You start with only an hour and a half, and work your way S.L.O.W.L.Y up to the whole day at the end of the 4 weeks.  Bwahhhh.  Do we do that, too??

Enthusiastic Emma with one of her presents

We played: Pin the Feather on Emma Rey Red Feather!

 With help from my Dad, I made Emma her own "pin the tail on" game poster.  Her little face with the coolest, biggest headdress we could find!  The kids had to pin a feather onto the feathers on the poster to win the prize.  We even had some of the adults try too, including myself, and out of all of us, Anton (pic above) was the best!!

Here's the poster I made for the game

Christian attempting to steal the spotlight

My Pied Piper british friend taking the kids
on a Magic Picnic Blanket ride!

Everyone had a great time, the weather was awesome.  Which was surprising because the days leading up to, and the very next day after were HORRIBLE.

Happy Birthday, Emma!!!

Henry's in the Hospital

The title pretty much says it all.  

The night of Emma's birthday party was horrible for Henry.  

Coughing, screaming, crying, stretching like he was in pain.  All of this isn't so unusual for us, but by 2 a.m. we knew it was more than the usual.  By 5 a.m. he  had been admitted to the local hospital with a heart rate of over 200, and breathing 4 times as fast as he should.  His poor little chest was puffing so fast, it just broke my heart.  He was white as a ghost and pissed (also due to lack of sleep FROM this horrible night).  He was immediately placed on oxygen because he wasn't receiving enough, and an IV of antibiotics and cortisone to open his lungs.  This was the beginning of a new kind of horrible experience for us.

And you would have NEVER guessed it by looking at the birthday party photos the day before.  

At least SOMEONE loved my bluebird costume!!

Since 5 weeks old Henry has had a wet cough.  We took him to Doctor(s), and even to the hospital once before, and they all just told me he's a "happy wheezer".  My pediatrician said the words, "It's his "thing"."  Um, mucus in throat is his thing??  And he was always a horrible sleeper, see ALL previous posts to attest this!  He would cough himself awake, and then begin this horrible cycle of trying to fall back asleep, only to cough himself awake again, only to aggravate his mood and repeat the cycle.  Awful.

I started doing research a few months ago because I just never believed this whole "happy wheezer" thing, and he just didn't seem healthy to me.  One thing here about socialized medicine that sucks is that the Doctor's have no fear of repercussions against their poor diagnoses.  So they pacify your complaints as if you just picked some random disease in the medical journal to claim your child has it.  On top of which, most of this is done in German!!  My German now is pretty proficient, on things which I speak of everyday, medical terms are not one of them.  So I often ask the Doctor's to speak in English but they have the same problem, except reverse the language...so I'm stuck in German speaking about what my son could possibly have.

Bringing it back to the hospital visit.  He stayed for 6 days.  4 of which he was on oxygen the entire time, all of which he received cortisone and antibiotics for the pneumonia he was later diagnosed with.  We had to do breathing treatments with him 4 times a day, and that was.a.fight.  He fights with the same power from the first second, to the last.

Of course one of us always had to be with him there, and I had just started back to work (so not really the time to take off - of course I could have, but was trying to make it all work), we have 2 other kids, and my husband works, oh, and NO FAMILY TO HELP US.  It was awful.  It's also just plain ol' awful being in a hospital with other sick kids.

And they attempted yet again to tell me that he was just a "happy wheezer", and pacify my complaints as I read the internet too often.  I got into it with one of the student doctors - because of COURSE this was a teaching hospital - of course in German, because we all know everyone learns "cut downs" first in a language!  haha.

At this point I had done plenty of my own research, I was/am convinced Henry has Asthma.  He has about 7 signs of the 9 listed signs on American Asthma Association's website.  Not that that should be convincing, but I live with him EVERY DAY.  These "signs" are a way of life for us, however that means nothing to Doctor's who go to school to tell me: "I don't know what he has".  Um, ok thanks.

Another problem is that Doctor's don't like to diagnose Asthma in babies so small.  Really, until 4 years old they're scarce to make that diagnoses in any child.  However, that doesn't mean that's NOT what he has, just because they're unwilling to make the actual diagnoses!!!

This last Doctor told me, "well, if he shows chronic infections, that could mean he has Asthma".  I countered, "how many chronic infections?", she," 4 or more in a year".  me,"um, he has Pneumonia NOW, and I told you he had Bronchitis 2 times in Winter.  THAT'S 3!!!!!  Do you mean because he's missing ONE MORE CHRONIC INFECTION HE DOESN'T HAVE ASTHMA????".  her, "hmmm, good point".  Kill.me.now.  - no, wait, I.AM.GONNA.KILL.U.NOW.

So, he came home after 6 days with no medicine because he's a "happy wheezer" and I'm a crazy Mama.  3 days later he was admitted back to the hospital, the only thing that saved us was the fact he didn't need oxygen.  He didn't have to stay long.

I called Henry's Doctor, took off my earrings, rolled up my sleeves, and prepared for a fight.  I wanted him to have this breathing machine that he used in the Hospital - it was the only thing that I felt really helped him.  My previous attempts to get this machine had been met with a firm NO.  I wasn't taking no this time.

I won't bore you with the details, or of how I asked to see his Medical License.  :)  Needless to say, I got the machine.  And the treatment for Asthma that goes into the machine.  He has really flourished, and although his breathing problems haven't gone away totally.  The nights are much better.  He can typically sleep through the nights now (last night wasn't so, and he had a fever this morning), but we are seeing some progress and that's what counts.

I feel like from beginning April until literally, right now has been a blur.  Starting work again, doing the "transitional time" with the babies to slowly integrate them into the daycare (one month long!), 2 separate birthday parties, 3 people visiting us, Henry's hospital visit, existing with the 2 girls.

I just don't know how much more we can take.  I truly thought when they got into the daycare, things would settle down.  My head is spinning everyday, all day.  Christian's too.  He's such a champ.  We don't have time to cry, or to enjoy the kids, we just have to keep moving all the time - or I feel like we will collapse and not get up.

I wish I had time to cry now, but I have 2 hours before I work and they need to be spent cleaning.
ugh.