Landry's 1st IVIg

For starters, I was a bit nervous about the whole prospect of Landry potentially hooked up to an IV for any length of time, especially with wrangling Ryli as well. Fortunately, Nicole doesn't start her summer job until next week, so she and Ryli had a sleep-over Tuesday night That proved very fortunate, as our ride showed up fifteen minutes early, and Landry did not want to wake up.

So, we loaded up the car seat and the bags. I erred on the side of caution and packed his dinosaurs and some things to keep me occupied, as well as snacks and drinks. Landry was nervous, and held my hand until he fell asleep en route.

We got signed in and headed to intake. Height and weight and blood pressure were a breeze, as always; he likes those. Buzzy made the actual blood drive a bit better, and then it was off to a room to wait for the doctor. That meant seeing one of his favorite nurses, Ashley, who he gushed all his knowledge of dinosaurs to. 

Results came back at 27. Between what I had been noticing in the past few days and his history of nosediving numbers, in conjunction with me not having a car and his upcoming birthday this weekend, they decided that the best course was to go ahead and proceed with the IVIg. So, off we went with Nurse Ashley to meet Nurse Coco and Nurse Shelly.

First things first a we got into our room... the dreaded IV. This prospect of another needle was made infinitely better by the promise that once it was placed, Landry got to go pick out a prize from the prize closet. He almost got it on the first go, but it ended up being a bad placement. So, with the news that another stick would mean a second prize, Landry sat perfectly still, and it was placed in no time.

While we waited for the bag of immunoglobulin to arrive, we were shown to the prize closet. Landry found his toy snake in no time flat, then spent the next five minutes scouring the closets for something, ANYTHING dinosaur. Finally, on the bottom shelf, slid way into a corner, he found his holy grail. A 2" by 3" Melissa & Doug dinosaur puzzle. 

We put the puzzle on the table as Landry climbed back into his treatment chair to get his Benadryl and Tylenol to stave off the potential side effects. Nurse Shelly wielded them, so of course Landry took them like a little champ. Then, the bag of immunoglobulin arrived and the drip was started. It wasn't long before the Benadryl carried Landry off to dreamland, and I sat and played with my phone and texted back and forth with Ryli and Nicole. 

Landry also got a steroid shot into his IV. When he woke up, the pig out began. Chicken strips, french fries and macaroni and cheese with a chocolate milk chaser. Before too long, he was hungry again and ate a cup of chocolate ice cream, a pizza, and 75% of a bag of popcorn. All of that between one and four. He also made his first foray with his IV stand to the activity area, where he played with cars and watched part of Toy Story 3.

At around three, Nurse Shelly came in to see if we wanted to go back to the activity area, as some of the other kids undergoing various treatments and their siblings were there doing crafts, playing, and watching movies. Landry couldn't get back down there fast enough and nearly forgot he was attached to an IV stand. He played along side his fellow patients and their siblings, and painted a set of pencil bags, one for him and one for Ryli.

By 4:30, the IVIg was done and the lines were flushed, and we posted up at the entrance for our return trip home. He is still extremely active but much happier now that his treatment is working its way through his body. If there is a next time, Ryli will go. There is plenty for the two of them to do.

All in all, I'd say it was a success. I made a mountain out of a molehill in my mind.So, next time, if it's needed, I'll be ready. Landry already wants to go back to see the nurses.

Life With/Life Without: Friends

The title of this one alone makes it sound like a bit of a social pariah. For the longest time, however, I was more or less kept from having any friends. X just made it nearly impossible to have any. The one I did have, he eventually sabotaged by getting into it with her man. After that, I never really tried to have any.

I started making friends again when the kids and I were in the shelter. It was nice. To have someone to talk to in the flesh, and not just through Facebook and the like. When we got the house, however, I once again retreated. The units around ours were mostly empty, and the ones that were occupied seemed to be single people, without kids. I had one friend in the complex, an old veteran named Andy, and he has been my walking buddy for treks up to Aldi and the occasional stroll down to QuikTrip.

My Facebook friend Ashley drove up from De Soto with her son when I had a class to take, and no sitter to watch the kids. I fed the mob pizza and paid her with A World of Ice and Fire. After class, we had a beer and mugged for some selfies, as the boys played with their Toothless figures. That was a blast.

I made it through the winter, and still more or less kept to myself and the kids, save our treks to Aldi with Andy, and my Facebook buddy Cynthia (and sometimes her little girl) that would drive down to help me with errands. We also went down to San Antonio with Ashley and her son to meet up with some other friends from a Facebook group to surprise a fellow mama who was going through a really dark time. We dropped Ryli off in Georgetown, however, as Dacey took the whole weekend off so she could spend time with her little sister. Cynthia got a job (yeah) so once again, it was just me and the kiddos, with an occasional stroll to the store with Andy.

Then spring came, and as the kids started to go outside more and more, I got to know some of the parents and grandparents of the kids friends. I started getting to know Nicole, one of my neighbors from the next building, who just finished up her first year teaching. And then, there's Jayden's G-Ma. 

Of the bunch, Nicole and I are definitely the closest. When the weather was awful, we agreed that since she was in an upstairs unit, she would hole up over here if the weather got too bad. She runs us to the store, and while school was still in session, she'd pick us up sometimes from Children's so we wouldn't have to take DART home. We have mastered the art of getting paid once a month, alternating who buys when we grub out on yum that we didn't cook. I found an ad on Craigslist for free kittens, and she took one to keep her Rosie company, while the kids each claimed one a piece.

I like having friends. It's nice to have someone that isn't related who "has your back" when you need a little help. I like the possibility of going to the Nacogdoches Film Festival next February with Ashley and Elizabeth. I have a blast on my little "cleaning parties" with Nicole ( we have both decided cleaning another person's house is a lot better than cleaning our own). It's just nice to have real, local friends, and those few that you get to see from time to time.

Mippy Manor's Week in Review: Chaos Edition

Ahhhh... I am sure that I was not the only person who began this week by that phenomenon I call Holiday Hangover. Coupled with the fact that we had Tag here to boot, it was definitely not your average week. I'm not complaining, but it just was a bit off kilter.

Since it is officially spring, the kids have once again been playing outside with the neighbor kids when they get home from school. By around noon, they start asking if their friends are home to play yet. They have gone out during the day a bit this week, as our neighbor has brought over his two year old charge. The old storage bins from our minivan have been getting a ton of use. Ryli uses one for her Littlest Pet Shop paraphernalia and dolls. Landry has his filled to the brim with dinosaurs. Having Tag around up until Thursday night definitely gave them a kick in the pants as far as picking up their toys.

I was originally going to write the "Life With/Life Without" series that I have been doing the past several weeks for a total of eight weeks. That notion has officially left the building, as I came up with three additional topics. I'm rather ashamed that I didn't think of any of the three sooner, but at least I thought of them while I'm still writing the series.

Our lease here is up in under a month. I'm starting to gear up for the inevitable packing, which I will more than likely start as soon as we get the annual inspection done next week. The part I fear the most is taking the kids away from all their friends that live a hop, skip, and a jump away, but they will make new friends. Also, I will eventually need to scrounge up movers. I'll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess.

We have to restart getting Ryli and Landry to sleep in their own beds. With Tag here, I had to have him in the room with me, which meant they were in my bed as well. That will start tonight with a vengeance. The stupid folded laundry did not put itself away, so that's what I get to do tonight as a nightcap. 

Thursday night we went grocery shopping with our neighbor Nicole. Of course the kids minded freakishly well. They had an audience to preform for, after all. The best part of that, though, is that we got a few treats to bake tomorrow, like pretzels and chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and Landry's undying love of play dough will surely require a replenishment of his stores. Hopefully, he will forgive me if I forgot to grab more food coloring. If he has a problem with it, I'll just remind him that we would have food coloring if he and Ryli did not demand to have their bath water colored.

I'm really missing Tag. More than I dare let on with Ryli and Landry. Soon enough, though, we will have a new place, ideally one level with a yard, and a puppy won't be so daunting of an undertaking. Tag would get tired and want to nap, and he would always find me and curl up at my feet.

Here is to a dozy of a week, with appointments three consecutive days. We get our monthly water delivery, I start a parenting class, and who knows what else. Thursday will mark one week from seeing my mom and Dacey. That will be quite the adventure, taking the bus and train to Union Station, and from there, on to an southbound Amtrak. My mom is going to bring us back on Saturday, That I can NOT wait for. The kids will get more excited as it draws nearer, I am certain.

And I almost forgot... Winter is coming! Season five Game of Thrones starts tomorrow night!