Summer Cleaning

I have never been a spring cleaner. I don't clean on any kind of schedule, really. I consistently pick up every room in the house at the end of the day, but then I just go on common sense - the floor looks dirty so I sweep it, or the bathrooms haven't been deep cleaned in a while so I do it. The last few days I have been in a bit of a cleaning mood. It started when my washer flooded our basement (note to self: can't have clothes in the sink the washer drains into during a cycle). I ended up having to move everything on the floor, so I organized it and put it in piles in our other storage area. That led to cleaning out various kitchen drawers and cabinets that have long needed to be gone through. It's never fun and always takes longer than I think it should, but it's nice to have a clean and organized house in the end.

This afternoon one of our neighbors came over with a bag full of stuffed animals. They have recently moved across the street (literally) from a house they were renting to a house they have now purchased. As the kids have been unpacking their rooms they were getting rid of various books and stuffed animals, and Amber came to see if my girls would be interested in any of them. OF COURSE the girls quickly began deciding which animal would go to whom. Before they got carried away, I explained to Ava and Jocie that they could each pick 3 stuffed animals to keep, but would then have to pick 3 of their own stuffed animals to give away. They managed to do this with no problem. What really surprised me was that all of a sudden they wanted to go through ALL of their toys to pick things to give away. By the end of the night we had stuffed a garbage bag full of toys the girls were willing to part with. There were a few surprises, and a small handful of items I made them keep for sentimental reasons, but I did my best to keep my opinions to myself and let them have at it. The mother in me was happy to see my children so willing to share their old things with others less fortunate. The neat freak in me was ecstatic to see a few less toys to clutter up the rooms. There is still a TON of sorting out to be done with the girls' toys, but today was a great place to start from.

Momma/Molly date

This afternoon Ben, Ava, and Jocelyn left for another camping adventure, leaving Molly and I to our own devices. When Molly had woken up from her nap, we headed to the pool with a few of our neighbors. Then we came back home to shower, eat, and watch the latest Tinker Bell movie. It was fun to have some one-on-one time with Molly somewhere other than a medical facility. It was a fairly quiet but very nice evening.

Let's Bowl!

Tonight Ben and I finally got to have our date night that was postponed by Molly's hospital stay a few weeks ago. We went to Carrabba's and, thanks to a thank you gift from the Foleys for watching their girls when Catherine was born, Ben and I had a great meal for only $12.

Our after dinner plans had been up in the air. We couldn't really decide on a movie to see. Walking around wasn't really an option with the on-and-off rain. Finally Ben suggested we go bowling, and since we didn't have any better ideas that's where we headed.

It was SO much fun. I don't even remember the last time I bowled... and boy did that show in our first game! Ben blew me out of the water. I of course didn't go down without a fight, and eked out a victory in our second game. It was a good time reconnecting with my competitive self - I haven't allowed myself to be truly competitive in a while. It was nice, to say the least. I had a great time letting those juices flow once more, especially with Ben who loves to egg on. I am determined not to let so much time go by until the next time we have a "friendly" competition/date.

Race to Say Hello

I was eating dinner with Ava and Jocelyn when the kids who live two doors down ran outside to play. I knew exactly what was coming next: even though they had both been claiming starvation for almost an hour, Ava and Jocie both inhaled what was left on their plates and asked to go outside. I warned them that once they left the table dinner was over, but there was no slowing these girls down. Ava finished first, and as she ran out the door and down the driveway, I saw our neighbor (also an Ava) running toward my daughter. It could have been a remake of the cheesy scene with the two people running toward each other on the beach. It immediately made me smile - Ava would complain later on about being humgry, but in that moment nothing was going to keep her from her friend.

Answers

Heard of Periodic Fever Syndrome? I hadn't either, before today. But it seems I will be learning more about it, as this is the first actual diagnosis we have received for Molly's mystery fevers. I have to be honest, when I first heard it I thought it sounded like a load of baloney. However, having talked at length with an infectious disease specialist, it seems that not only is this a real thing, but best of all there are ways to manage it. For whatever reason Molly's body routinely thinks there is an infection to fight when there is nothing there. It's something she should outgrow in a few years, and on the off chance this is a misdiagnosis we'll know as soon as the treatment options are ineffective. The diagnosis is a clinical one - there is no medical test or marker to confirm it - but we now have a direction. The answers may not be absolute, but they're more than we've had up til now, and I couldn't be more thankful.

More Medical Adventures

This is another super late night post, as I am yet again in the pediatric ER with Molly. She has had another of her fever episodes for the last few days, and she has spiked high enough (105-106 degrees) that a trip to the ER was warrented. We arrived just after 9pm and were finally discharged just before 2am. Basically same results as the last time - indicators that an infection is present without an indication of exactly what kind of infection it may be.

The silver lining was that once again Molly was a total trooper. We learned this time that the pediatric ER has a TV channel where you can watch movies. We watched Tangled 1 1/2 times, Finding Nemo, and part of the Little Mermaid. She never fell asleep, but she was completely content sitting with me watching her movies. She peed in a cup, tolerated a strep culture, and championed through two blood work sticks. Her fever was under control when we arrived but returned while they were there; other than acting slightly more puny she handled it better than any 2-year-old should. I would have very much rather not have had to return to the ER with Molly, but my little medical superstar made the night together darn near fun.

Miss Jiu Jitsu

Over the last month, Jocelyn has been trying a jiu jitsu class. She has loved it from day one, but it has not been the easiest fit. She is the youngest by at least a few years and is usually the only girl. We hit a bit of a low point last week when Jocie spent more of her time chasing the boys trying to kiss them and tell them she loves them than actually learning jiu jitsu. Ben and I discussed taking her out and trying again later on, but decided to give it a few more weeks.

We didn't have to wait nearly that long. This evening Jocelyn and Ben came home from the gym very happy. There had been another 4-year-old in the class, which seemed to help Jocie out tremendously. The most remarkable part for me: at dinner I asked Jocelyn what was the coolest thing she learned in class. (I do this with the girls' dance classes too - it's easier for them to tell me one specific thing than recount an entire class.) Rather respond with "I don't know" like she usually does, she tells me the specific name of a move. I won't even pretend to remember what its name was, but it was a "sweep" move, and she was able to show me exactly where her hands would be placed on her opponent as she kicked his legs out from under him. I was blown away that she had picked that up. Now not only is she having fun but she is learning something. That makes it all worthwhile.