We brought her to the doc earlier in the week with an awful cough and fever, and she was diagnosed with pneumonia. A couple days later, her breathing was suspicously more intense, so we brought her to the ER and she was admitted with RSV. Her pneumonia diagnosis was based on an x-ray which they thought showed pneumonia at an early stage. But she tested positive for RSV, and that explains her symptoms and reactions better.
So we're here at PCH. Lauren is on a bi-pap machine for breathing, 24x7. We take her off to eat, and to perform extensive chest percussions(CPT) followed by several rounds on the Cough Assist and then deep suction her nose and throat to get the gunk out.
She just had another chest xray, and it looks like a little more fluid is present in her left lung. They suspect that our last round of chest percussions was so effective that it rattled around all the gunk in her lungs and it's begun to settle. So after she naps, we're doing another super-intensive round of chest percussions in hopes that we'll get all that crud ready to come out with the Cough Assist and that she'll really kick this thing fast. That extra fluid in her lung is causing her breathing rate to increase and for her belly to retract (protract? I have no idea anymore) and it's worrisome. So they're fiddling some more with the pressure settings on her bipap and we hope she gets enough rest to make up for all the wakeful time she spent today.
She's a very sick little girl. Please keep her in your prayers.
Based on his own fever and congestion, we assume now that Kyle has RSV, too, not pneumonia like we originally guessed. But so far his breathing is okay and he's managing a little better. Chris is having trouble getting him to eat and drink at home, but that's probably because he's so tired and feels so icky.
We expect that Kyle will worsen and will be admitted to the same hospital over the weekend. You know what they say about twins being double trouble and all.....
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
What to do with all this lemon juice?
Our lemon tree has been dripping with lemons for a couple months now. Sure, we go pick a fresh lemon when we serve salmon, or when we want to freshen up the garbage disposal (quarter a lemon and drop a one or two pieces into your disposal with the water turned on, that's guaranteed to get rid of any funk). But my husband went lemon picking today (again) and gave a dozen lemons to one neighbor, another dozen to another neighbor, and then picked me about 40 lemons to juice. I can still see at least 40 or 50 more lemons here from my window, and I know there are probably 100-300 more where I can't see them. This tree is crazy.
As I understand it from Alton Brown on the Food Network, citrus zest can be frozen. So I have zested 18 full lemons. I'm bored with zesting and refuse to do anymore of it for now. But they're in little Ziplock baggies in my freezer, waiting for a lemon scone recipe, or maybe to be thrown into a future vanilla cake mix to give it some zing.
But can I do with all this lemon juice? I have juiced all these lemons, as opposed to just tossing them in the trash can. I don't want anyone to tell me to make lemonade, because frankly, lemonade is just too sugary for my taste. We occasionally use pineapple juice or citrus juice in a steak marinade, so we could adapt and use lemon juice instead (I assume). But what else to do with 2 gallons of lemon juice? And that's just two gallons from today, portioned into ice cube trays, Ziplock bags, and Gladware. There's still a ton left on the tree and I really don't want to waste it!
What can I make with lemon juice?
As I understand it from Alton Brown on the Food Network, citrus zest can be frozen. So I have zested 18 full lemons. I'm bored with zesting and refuse to do anymore of it for now. But they're in little Ziplock baggies in my freezer, waiting for a lemon scone recipe, or maybe to be thrown into a future vanilla cake mix to give it some zing.
But can I do with all this lemon juice? I have juiced all these lemons, as opposed to just tossing them in the trash can. I don't want anyone to tell me to make lemonade, because frankly, lemonade is just too sugary for my taste. We occasionally use pineapple juice or citrus juice in a steak marinade, so we could adapt and use lemon juice instead (I assume). But what else to do with 2 gallons of lemon juice? And that's just two gallons from today, portioned into ice cube trays, Ziplock bags, and Gladware. There's still a ton left on the tree and I really don't want to waste it!
What can I make with lemon juice?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
"Daddy!"
It is endlessly amusing to me that Lauren will call anything Daddy. And I don't mean she goes about it casually. No, no. She tenses her whole body, takes a deep breath, smiles huge, and squeals clear as day, "Daddeeeeeeee!" This is what she has done when she sees:
^strange men at the mall
^a ceiling fan
^her mother
^her grandparents
^her sister
^a magazine with Barack Obama on the cover
^the Lerner & Rowe TV commercial (local accident/injury lawyers)
^a block of cheese
^balloons
^Zoo Lights
^the priest, during mass (yeeps!)
Basically, she hysterically cries out, "Daddy!!!" at anything she likes. Including her actual father (thank goodness). And it will never not be funny to me that she does this!!
^strange men at the mall
^a ceiling fan
^her mother
^her grandparents
^her sister
^a magazine with Barack Obama on the cover
^the Lerner & Rowe TV commercial (local accident/injury lawyers)
^a block of cheese
^balloons
^Zoo Lights
^the priest, during mass (yeeps!)
Basically, she hysterically cries out, "Daddy!!!" at anything she likes. Including her actual father (thank goodness). And it will never not be funny to me that she does this!!
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