Merry Christmas!

We made our annual trek to the local Christmas tree farm today. String Bean is now 3 (yes, she had an epic birthday celebration since my last post) and fully enjoyed the experience. While hunting for a tree, we stopped and pondered the merits of many before we found String Bean standing in front of one and pointing. We ended up taking that one home.

Upon arriving at home, Mr. Bean put the lights on the tree while we watched the Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles, much to my father's dismay. String Bean eagerly awaited her chance to put the ornaments on. Jelly Bean just tried to chew and grab whatever she could reach. (She is crawling and pulling up now. We've hit a lot of milestones since my last post.)

When the time to decorate finally came, String Bean concentrated on a very small portion of the tree and hung the majority of her ornaments there. She also put on her mittens to do it because the tree was too pokey.

That was our afternoon and evening. It is 10:30 and Mr. Bean and I just finished donning the rest of the house in holiday fare. Now to relax and enjoy the season!

Merry Christmas!

Fame in Philly

We travelled to Philadelphia this weekend to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday which happened to fall on Friday the 13th this year. He was born on Friday the 13th as was his wife, my aunt, one of his great great grandchildren, and me. (My father-in-law was also born on Friday the 13th.) My grandfather could have had an entire hour dedicated to his life story about how God has taken care of him over the years, but you'll catch just a brief glimpse of that here.

This is not my television debut in Philadelphia. My photo has been on the news twice before when the reporters covered the same story with a different angle. This is, however, my first interview on the news in Philadelphia!

Happy 90th Birthday, Pop-Pop! Proud to be one of the fellow Friday the 13th-ers in the family!

(Print version can be found here.)

String Bean on Dental Health

Mr. Bean is responsible for String Bean's oral hygiene. Now, I used to work for an endodontist (root canal doctor), so I am definitely the expert here, but String Bean insists that Daddy help her brush her teeth; however, when he is gone at bedtime, I am an acceptable substitute.

This evening, Mr. Bean sat down to watch the Blackhawks game and String Bean's bedtime was creeping ever so close. I looked at String Bean and said, "String Bean, it is almost bedtime. Have you brushed your teeth?"

Mr. Bean looked at me and said, "No, Daddy is watching hockey."

As I started to stand up, I said, "String Bean, it is time to brush your teeth."

String Bean replied, "No, Daddy watching hockey!" Clearly, Mr. Bean and I had a good chuckle over this.

I finally convinced her to get her toothbrush ready for Daddy and she decided to "brush" them on her own. Then she let me check her work and clean the spots she missed...which was nearly everything.

Don't worry, Mr. Bean still read her a story and tucked her in.

Paternity Leave

Mr. Bean's last day of paternity leave. He's been asleep for hours. String Bean has been asleep for hours. Jelly Bean has been asleep beside me on the couch for about an hour.

We are all still in our PJs and sleeping through the lunch hour.

Why can't paternity leave last forever?

Sideshow Attraction

It was 1 am the morning of May 5, 2010. Mr. Bean was sleeping on the couch/bed in the room and I was breastfeeding Jelly Bean by the glow of the television with the reading lights on overhead. I glanced down at my child who was a mere 42 hours old when I noticed a weird shadow across her face. I moved her position but the shadow line did not move. I started to laugh because the line down her entire face was so odd that it struck me as funny. (Side note: It is interesting how as a second-time mom things don't freak you out like they would have if the same thing happened to your first baby.)

I kept staring at the line down Jelly Bean's face and finally decided I was either going crazy or something weird was happening with her body and either way I needed a second opinion. Mr. Bean hadn't moved despite my audible laughter, so I paged a nurse. She came in and said, "Oh my! That is weird. I have never seen a baby do that before." After some discussion and convincing her that I was not freaking out over the odd coloring, the nurse took a walk down to the nursery to talk to the newborn nurses to ask them if they needed to see Jelly Bean.

A couple of minutes later, the same nurse burst into the room and hurriedly took Jelly Bean to the nursery while yelling over her shoulder for us to join her as soon as we were able. Mr. Bean was stumbling to wake up from deep sleep, and I was just fresh from a Cesarean Section.

Upon arrival at the nursery, I was asked all sorts of questions about the weird coloration on Jelly Bean. By the time she had arrived in the nursery, her coloring was normal. They had her under the warming lights and stripped down to just her diaper. Another nurse was on the phone with the on-call doctor who insisted she be monitored for the duration of the night.

I returned to my room and consulted with Dr. Google. His diagnosis was that Jelly Bean had a rare condition called harlequin effect. It is a benign condition where the immature vessels over dilate when a baby is placed on her side. It can take several minutes or just a few seconds. Whichever side the baby is lying on turns red and the top side goes pale. A sharp line forms between the two from the forehead down the entire length of the body.

Several times throughout the night I was able to get Jelly Bean to change colors when I nursed her. The nurses insisted I let them know when she did it so they could chart the symptoms. Based on their reactions when I alerted them to the harlequin effect, I think they really wanted to know so they could call every nurse within yelling distance to check out the sideshow act going on in the nursery. Of the approximately 30 nurses on staff in the Maternity ward of the hospital, only one had ever seen this before.

For your viewing pleasure, we took a photo for you to see and enjoy this sideshow attraction for yourselves. Please excuse Jelly Bean's jaundice which seems severe next to my pale skin which apparently has not seen the sun in several years.

Photo taken May 5, 2010 in the wee hours of the morning in the nursery of the hospital where Jelly Bean was delivered. Jelly Bean is a few hours shy of two days old.
Photo by Mr. Bean

I am told it takes up to 3 weeks for the harlequin effect to disappear when the newborn's system matures. Jelly Bean is 2 weeks old today and we have not seen her "go harlequin" on us in a few days, so she has apparently grown out of it!

Resurrection Rolls

Our family tradition at Easter time is to make Resurrection Rolls. This afternoon when String Bean finished her lunch, we set up the workstation to make the Rolls. She did not enjoy getting her fingers dirty (typical). However, once she realized the dough was not cookie dough, she had fun trying to wrap the marshmallows up in it.

While we waited for the Rolls to cook and cool, String Bean, Mr. Bean, and I watched the Charlie Brown Easter Beagle special. String Bean is the biggest Charlie Brown and gang fan you've ever seen. (All we've heard the last few days is "New Brown? Please?")

We set the ready-to-eat Resurrection Roll in front of String Bean and told her to look and see if Jesus was still in there. When she popped it open, she just looked at me with a blank stare unsure of what to say since Jesus had disappeared. I said, "Where is he?" She replied, "Bye-bye." Mr. Bean and I taught her to say, "Risen."

It is a precious tradition especially with preschool aged kids. If you and your family don't have a tradition and are looking to start one, we highly recommend Resurrection Rolls!

It is Much Too Early

I got a text message today that said, "Can I pick up String Bean for a date tomorrow night? I'd like to take her out to dinner."

Is it just me, or are kids dating younger and younger these days? Perhaps Mr. Bean needs to start practicing at the shooting range!

At the Hospital (Part 2)

Yesterday, I told you about the dehydration that landed me as an overnight guest in one of the finer hospitals in the greater Chicago-land area. I concluded that post with the image of me hobbling around due to my piriformis syndrome really flaring up.

Shortly after publishing yesterday's post, my blood was drawn and it was discovered that my calcium, iron and potassium were low. I already knew about the iron. I'm on supplements for that. My iron levels have dropped much lower than where they were a few weeks ago, but the nurses have assured me that is due to all the throwing up I have been doing. The calcium didn't surprise me much. I know I need more.

The potassium levels were dangerously low. Normal is 3.5 to 5. My potassium was measuring at 2.2. This could be one of the reasons I was having so much pain in my piriformis area. (Time will tell!)

I was given potassium in my IV. While the nurse was getting the IV ready, I asked her if this would be like penicillin and burn going in. She said, "It might." Understatement of the year.

As soon as she left, my attention turned to String Bean who was visiting along with Mr. Bean and I was trying to determine if she had a fever or not. I started to feel a sting in my arm. I called the nurse in. She "stopped" the potassium and left. She hadn't fully stopped it and the pain crept up my arm. By the time she got the potassium stopped and flushed my IV with the hydrating solution, I was on the verge of puking and passing out. Mr. Bean said I looked like death. The nurse was clearly freaking out but doing her best to remain calm. Several other nurses came in during the episode and a call to the OB on call went out. My blood pressure was taken. I measured at 76/30 (or something in that ball park). I am certain my blood pressure was much lower as I was starting to feel a little bit better by the time the blood pressure was taken.

Mr. Bean wondered aloud if that bag was really labeled "potassium" and not "hydrochloric acid."

We finally got the "watered down" solution balanced correctly so I was not in pain during the procedure. The infusion ended at 1 am, and at 3 am, they had to draw my blood. There must be something mystical and magical about drawing blood 2 hours after the infusion.

My number needed to be 3.9 or higher. I was 3.4. So, I am now on infusion #2 which takes about 6 hours to draw. Not sure if the 2 hour thing still applies (assume so), which puts me here until 5 at the very earliest. This does not look good for me going home today. Sigh.

Waiting for the OB to come and do rounds so I have a better idea of what is going on.

Scariest thought: they were considering sending me home after triage and my first couple IVs on Thursday. Glad I decided to stick it out a bit.

At the Hospital

Well, I did not survive much longer past Mr. Bean. Unfortunately, being 7 months pregnant sure adds to the stress of the stomach flu on the body.

I woke up at 3 am on Thursday morning with the stomach flu. I was enjoying some quality time with the toilet in the bathroom until I realized that I was "leaking" out of both ends and perhaps I should enjoy more quality time with a bowl while sitting on the toilet instead.

It didn't take long for me to be vomiting bile, and by 7 am, I was ready to call the OB and find out if there were some meds I should be taking to reduce the nausea and hopefully vomiting. Wouldn't it figure that my OB is on vacation right now? Around 8 am, his nurse told me just to "wait it out" and after 48 hours I should be "just fine."

By noon, I was miserable. I had stopped throwing up around 10:30 am, but I kept hopping out of bed sure I would be vomiting at any moment. The nausea and heartburn I was experiencing were horrible. At 1 pm, Mr. Bean and I decided going to the ER would probably be the best thing I could do to alleviate the pain.

Upon arrival at the ER, I was immediately taken up to labor and delivery so I could be monitored. I was asked for a urine sample. When the results came back, I went right onto IV fluids. I was mercifully given Zofran for the nausea which is a miracle drug.

3 liters of fluids later, I gave another urine sample and still was spilling keytones in my urine (which is indicitive of muscular tissue breaking down - not a desirable outcome) so I was admitted.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Bean called to let me know that String Bean threw up again at home. This poor kid just can't lick this bug.

When I woke up this morning, I continued to have severe diarrhea, so some additional labs were taken which we are waiting for the results of. Mr. Bean is working on a project for work and String Bean is asleep on the couch in my room.

According to the appearance of my urine, I am still very dehydrated despite having gotten 5 liters of fluid in my IV. We wait to see if I'll be enjoying another night at the hospital.

To make matters more comical, I'm having a lot of difficulty walking around. Imagine having diarrhea, having to carry and IV stand around with you and barely being able to walk. What a sight!

Another One Bites the Dust!

Mr. Bean came home early from work with a fever and chills and threw up. His response, "It feels so good to finally throw up."

String Bean slept all day long. Only woke up to go to the pediatrician and say hi to dad once.

I'm the one left standing. How long can I last?

Our ER Trip

At 3 pm yesterday, String Bean massively threw up all over her bedroom floor. I walked in and she began to cry hysterically because her pants were dirty. So, I threw her in the bathtub with all her clothes on and started peeling them off. Crying continued over the dirty clothes and how dirty she was. Shortly then she insisted on water...tears increasing. So, I grabbed her water and my cell phone. While I was grabbing the water and cell, the water sprayer she'd been holding she dropped in the tub and it sprayed water all over the bathroom. (We had 1 inch of standing water in one of the corners.)

With my hip/butt being what it is (read previous posts), just leaning over the tub was killing me. I called Mr. Bean and requested his presence.

String Bean came out of the bath and I wrapped her up and put a onesie on her. We laid down together and she puked all over me and her before I was able to spring into action. My springing is not very springy these days.

Mr. Bean arrived home at 3:15 in time for puke #3 and bath #2. Being the smart mom I am, I blowed String Bean's hair dry and put pony tails on top of her head to avoid having to do another bath if she threw up again. I also insisted we put zip up or button up shirts on the little one so we didn't have to pull anything puke-y over her head.

Little did I know she had much, much more puke in her system.

By the time we took her to the ER around 10 pm, she had puked 17 times in 7 hours. She puked in the parking lot of the ER and again in the waiting room before she was seen.

Almost immediately after being taken back, the nurse administered Zofran orally. Miracle of miracles, the puking stopped immediately. Upon being able to keep down 4 oz of water for over an hour, they released us to go home. (Thereby skirting the blood and urine draws!)

Upon arriving home near 1 am, String Bean asked for her teeth to be brushed and for 3 books in bed with her. She got up once in the night because she was thirsty. (Can you blame her?) And this morning she is enjoying "apple juice" which is really watered down Gatorade.

Armed with our prescription for more Zofran, we are ready to face the day and I am looking forward to physical therapy more than you can imagine!

Going for Gold!

I've been distracted from this blog by the Olympics, sciatic pain, single motherhood (Mr. Bean has had several nights he's worked in a row) and general laziness.

If you didn't catch the final program by Evan Lysacek, the American Olympic figure skater from the Chicago-land area, I highly suggest you do! There was some trash talking done by his closest competitor, a skater from Russia. In the end, Lysacek showed him by taking it to the ice and going for gold!

I'm enjoying watching our national anthem played while Americans like Shani Davis, also from Chicago-land, Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Hannah Kearney, Seth Wescott and now Evan Lysacek, stood proud to represent America.

(I should mention that it is 11:22 pm and String Bean just got up in time to watch Lysacek's ceremony and our anthem. She's patriotic that one.)

Earthquake!

At 4 am, Mr. Bean and I both woke up. I only knew he was awake because I heard him gasp in response to the low rumble and shaking of our home. It was a surreal moment where I was processing what exactly was happening as I fell asleep. "Earthquake!" went through my mind, but by the time I woke up, I had dismissed the notion thinking it was all a dream. Sure enough, I heard on the news that an earthquake had indeed hit the Chicago-land area.

Mr. Bean grew up in Japan which means he has lived through his fare share of earthquakes. This also explains his gasp in the midnight hours. What we experienced was mild, but certainly brought up the appropriate fear of an impending natural disaster in his mind. He told me he considered that perhaps a snow plow had hit the building, but dismissed that after the shaking went on long enough. (I should mention we were in the middle of a large snow storm during the earthquake!)

While the earthquake we experienced in the Chicago-land area was no where near the severity of the earthquake that hit Haiti in January, it was a surprise and shock for all of us here. We just don't expect this kind of event in Chicago!

My sister lives in northern California and has been regularly experiencing earthquakes the last few months. I just had to update my facebook status to let her know she was not the only earthquake survivor in the family. My grandmother's response was, "What is it with you sisters that causes earthquakes????"

For those who are wondering, String Bean slept through the entire episode.

Our Last Saturday

This is our last Saturday before Mr. Bean starts his job as our church's interim music pastor. We have spent it by sleeping in and being rather lazy. Once String Bean wakes up from her nap, we will continue the celebration by doing laundry.

Our lives will just be busier starting February 1, so it is nice to have a blah day to just relax and enjoy doing nothing of consequence. Starting in May, our lives will get a lot busier, so I am trying to just enjoy the slow pace of a day like today. Who knows when another will come along?

Oh, and Mr. Bean did get a haircut.

Open Your Eyes, Sir!

When Mr. Bean and I were newlyweds, we had our photo taken for the church directory. The cameraman said, "Smile!" Before he took the picture he paused and said, "Open your eyes, sir!" Mr. Bean responded with, "My eyes are open. This is how I smile."

Photo by Mr. Bean on December 20, 2009
String Bean: 26 months

Apparently, String Bean inherited that trait from her father.

What Did You Say?!

String Bean's language explosion is here to stay. Every day she is saying new words, even ones we didn't know she knew. Today was no exception.

Mr. Bean was dressing String Bean for church and I was listening to their chatter on the baby monitor while finishing my hair. The outfit Mr. Bean picked out was a brown shirt with a pink corduroy jumper. He put the brown shirt on String Bean and she pointed at it and said, "Brown shirt!" Although, it didn't come out that way.

The first word, "brown," sounded more like "bull" and the second word's "r" was mysteriously missing.

We've gotten a lot of giggles out of that today and even took a video to show her some day. Somewhere along the line she realized we giggled whenever she said it, so she ran around the house saying, "Brown shirt! Brown shirt! Brown shirt!" Or her version of it anyway.

Thank goodness she didn't realize she was being funny until after we'd left church!

I was a little scared, but it turned out okay.

A few years ago, I heard a woman say that she prayed one year to become organized. It was the worst year of her life. The next year she prayed for organized friends and things have been great ever since. Well, yesterday, my organized friends, Mandie and Aimee came to visit. Mr. Bean and Filbert took off with the kids and I was left to fend for myself against the organizational push. Three rooms were tackled and defeated. Mandie made me get rid of my wedding shoes and then even after that she said I had get rid of at least one more pair, but preferably three pairs. (This is when it got scary.) (This is also when the term Nazi entered the conversation.) (In my defense, it was actually Mandie that said it.) (I just quietly agreed.)

After about 3 hours, 3 rooms were clean and organized, except for a couple of piles of Filbert's stuff in our bedroom. I even went a little further after and Aimee and the Nazi Mandie left. My entire fabric stash is organized and stored on a book shelf. Yay me!

And Yay for Organized Friends!

Spring Whirlwind

As spring approaches, we (the Bean family) are looking forward to some whirlwind changes. Mr. Bean has been approached about a part time job that is temporary, but could be long in nature (to start in February-ish). We are also expecting String Bean's sibling to arrive around the first week of May.

2010 is going to be interesting to say the least!

Finally

For years, Mr. Bean and I have been the only married siblings. All that changed today (and explains my lack of posting here recently).

I am glad to have a brother-in-law who also does not know the intricate details of every childhood event of the family. Whew. No longer alone!

Congratulations, Carolyn and Ryan!

Long Overdue Photos

String Bean enjoys the Bears Rams game on December 6, 2009. Bears win! Also pictured: Guy. Guy is her trusty companion and curer of all that ails.

Making a fashion statement. Of course boots, a winter coat and mittens go with a diaper-only outfit!

Merry Christmas from the Bean family!