Sickies 2.0

Poor Bun Bun.

She came down with another respiratory infection.  This time, she was knocked down with fatigue and no appetite.  For a child who loves to eat and eats everything, turning down the yummiest of all yummies was a bad sign.

At the doctor's office, her pulse/ox (measuring oxygen levels in the blood) was very low.  The doctor was concerned enough to send us to the ER for chest X-ray and rule out pneumonia.  Thankfully, the X-rays showed no pneumonia, just some viral infection.  After waiting around for almost 5 hours, we went home for lots of bed rest.

Two days later, we went back to the doctor's office.  Bun Bun's breathing wasn't improving.  She was still very lethargic and refused to eat.

Back to the ER.  This time, we were there to stay.  Bun Bun's pulse/ox was even lower.  Doctors wanted another X-ray, just be sure there was really no pneumonia.  A couple of tubes of blood and snot-suctioning later, RSV was confirmed.  Respiratory syncytial virus is usually bad news for babies, especially preemies with poorly developed lungs, and immune-compromised people.  Otherwise healthy individuals exhibit typical cold symptoms and  recover very quickly.  A very small percentage of children with RSV ends up with bronchiolitis; this was Bun Bun.  The virus affected the bronchioli, the smaller branches in the lungs, causing inflammation and breathing difficulties.

Four days of being hooked up to pulse/ox monitor, having nurses suck snot out of her nose, IV fluids,  constant vital sign check-ups, and eating nothing but crackers, Bun Bun is on the mend.  Phew.

For the first time today in over a week, Bun Bun ate her dinner, just half of what she usually eats, but it's a great start.

Modern medicine is truly amazing.  I am so thankful that CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), one of the best hospitals in the world, is just a 30-minute car ride away.  I am so glad that they were able to determine the cause of Bun Bun's illness.  Instead of pumping her with antibiotics right away, they waited for a diagnosis.  Antibiotics are one of the greatest inventions in the 20th century; collectively, they kill bacteria, but they do not kill viruses.  Even though antibiotics do not harm any human cells, they kill the bad bacteria that make us sick but do end up killing the good bacteria in the human gut.  Good bacteria have significant benefits.  In the intestines, they create what scientists have called the gut microbiome.  Research has found that when disturbed may lead to various diseases.  Stayed tuned...  I have just started reading a book by Martin Blaser, "Missing Microbes."

First ER visit...  I think we watched all 6 episodes of Baby Signing Time, twice!

Still managed to smile and laugh a little bit.

Not so happy second ER visit.  Here, the nurses had put an IV in her hand.  Daddy thought her arm reminded him of Hellboy.

Poor Bun Bun:  so lethargic, only had appetite for hard pretzels and crackers.  She's got oxygen cannula going up her nose.  She definitely did not like that.  

The turn-around.  Cheese-It's and Curious George: it's a winning combination.

Sickies

Baby Bunny and Mama have the sickies this week.  I'm pretty sure the transmission occurred through a cup of vanilla and chocolate ice cream we shared on Sunday at Longwood Gardens.  Once again, Baby Bunny is only afflicted with a running nose and coughs, Mama is down with fever, chills, stuffed nose, probably bronchitis and sinusitis at the same time.  That says something about the immune response of a 2.5-year old versus a 41-year old

This weekend we celebrate Easter.  I have a long 4-day weekend.  The weather has gotten more seasonal compared to the warm 80-degrees on the day we visited Longwood.  Being cold and sick, we'll likely wait until May to go back and see the tulips in full bloom.  That's suppose to be spectacular.

Looking forward to seeing all the tulips in full bloom later this spring.

Bun Bun in her spring dress.

Snuggling with Mama before she succumbed to some respiratory bug.

Becky

When Bun Bun was a day old, we were given the news that she may have Down Syndrome.  In my earlier blogs, I spoke about how devastated we were but that we were still madly in love with our Baby Bunny regardless.

I have never met anyone with Down Syndrome before.  I've seen them out and about with their families, and some bagged my groceries at the supermarket.  The only people I really kinda knew were those on TV, like Chris Burke who played Corky on "Life Goes On" in the 80's and Lauren Potter who currently plays Becky on "Glee".  We've been fans of "Glee" pretty much since the beginning and always looked forward to watching.  I think Becky became a regular on the show while I was pregnant.  So, when we knew Bun Bun has Down Syndrome, we often thought about her and how amazing she was.  Because of Lauren Potter/Becky, we were greatly encouraged by how much this young woman (now 23 years old) was able to accomplish.

Last night, the students at the University invited Lauren Potter to speak here, and I got to meet her and her big brother, Brandon.  Lauren read from a manuscript to a fairly large size crowd.  She talked about her dream of becoming an actress and her experiences on "Glee".  She took questions from the audience and was actually very articulate and witty.  I jumped at the chance to meet her afterwards and talk to her big brother a little bit.  Thanks to a student I knew, I cut in front of the line (milking my professor status), thanked her for visiting us, and got a picture taken with her.

Cutting in front of the line and meeting Lauren Potter

New books for Baby Bunny!  Between some Jane Austen and Moby Dick, she's going to be the most well-read pre-schooler!

92 Signs!

Bun Bun is now up to 92 signs!  She's learning her colors, too.  She can point out yellow.  I think she really misses George and the Man with the Yellow Hat!

Daddy thinks this is Bun Bun's "worry" look.

Hunger Strike

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, hard to believe the spring break was just 2 weeks ago.

Spring break is when I pack in all the appointments for everyone.  I get a break from teaching and meetings with students, but I still need to catch up on grading and finishing up miscellaneous things I didn't have time to do. 

For Bun Bun alone, we had a dentist and eye appointments.  She did very well for the dentist - no cavities; although, she didn't like to be held down and have metal probes in her mouth.  Who does? 

At the eye appointment, a young opthalmologist fellow managed to entertain while examine her eyes with his iPhone (playing some songs by a popsicle with a bag of frozen peas playing the drums, jamming about eating healthy...).  No tears there.  Sadly, he did find that Bun Bun needs glasses.  She is near-sighted.  Much of this could be genetics (from her daddy, of course!) but could be from her obsession with the iPad.

The girl loves watching Curious George and Signing Time on the iPad.  She also loves playing with some of the apps and looking through pictures of herself.  It has been one way to keep her entertained while she eats her meals.  It has also been a very bad babysitter. 

Bun Bun typically likes to lunge forward in front of the devices just like she stands right in front of the TV, maybe because she has been having trouble seeing all along with her near-sightedness and/or it's just something all kids do.  With the diagnosis, we've decided to deny her of TVs and iPads, cold turkey.

Hence, the hunger strike!

For about a week, it was very hard to coax to eat her meals without George or Signing Time.  She would demand a look through 婆婆's bag to double and triple check to be sure that 婆婆 really didn't bring her iPad.

It has gotten better.  She has been reading books and drawing a lot more.  Now that it's finally starting to get warm outside, we'll be letting her run around in the yard.  Hopefully, her eyesight won't get worse. 

Those glasses?  We'll wait until May to reassess.  I'm pretty sure she will need something when she officially starts pre-school in July.

Spring Break!!!

Yahoo!!!

Legacy

I suppose it is kind of morbid to talk about death, but this post isn't really about that.  It's a reflection on a sermon series from Alistair Begg, "What Is Your Legacy".  Uncle Ali preached from 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and reflected on the people in his life that have left godly legacies.  This got me thinking.

What will my legacy be?

Will I be missed when I'm not around anymore?

Will people say that I did the best I possibly could for my family?  My friends?

Will former students say that I left deep impacts on their lives and careers?

Most importantly, will anyone say that they saw Christ in action because of something I said or did?

John and I recently had to write an one-page testimony, in part, to officially join the membership of our church.  It forced me to think about the people who had impacted my decision to trust Jesus.

Almost 25 years ago, a young woman fittingly named Liberty was the youth group leader at the church we were attending.  She was soft-spoken and epitomized gentleness.  At least, this is what I remembered most about her.  One week before my mom, sister, and I were to be baptized, she sat me down and asked me what "grace" meant to me.  I told her that it reminded me of ballerinas because they were GRACEful.  I can only now imagine what Liberty thought when I told her this.  She patiently explained that it's like someone coming to me if I were in jail and told me that he would set me free and take my prison sentence instead.  Indeed, this is exactly what Christ did on the cross to free me from the penalties of sin.  I think that's when the heart knowledge of God really began to take root in me.  Liberty's legacy is one seed sown in this heart.

There must have been countless souls who prayed for me and my family over the years.  I may never remember or even know who they were.  Yet, their prayer lives are the legacy that they will leave behind.

What will my legacy be?  I now ask myself.  I hope I will seize every opportunity to leave a good one.

I hope some day, I will see Liberty again and thank her for her faithfulness.

One Year

Over the weekend, Bun Bun and I were watching TV and the Purina Incredible Dog Agility Challenge came on.  I suddenly remembered watching this with Bun Bun exactly one year ago and teaching her the sign for "doggie".  That was her first sign!  Since then, she has picked up dozens and dozens more.  I have to do another assessment soon and see how many she has now.  Still hoping for her to talk soon though.  She has been trying to say "bubble".  It comes out as a quiet whisper.  But, it's a good start.

Last week, we were at the doctors.  Bun Bun weighed in at 10.955kg or 24.15lb.  She feels so heavy and is getting taller.  I will have to measure her this week for her growth chart.

Everyone has been under the weather though.  Bun Bun was diagnosed with left ear infection.  Both her daddy and I were down with some strange bug making us feel fatigues and achy.  Fortunately, my symptoms lasted for just a day.  Daddy is still on the mend.  Bun Bun is on antibiotics and making a good recovery.  She has school tomorrow.

We've been plummeted by snow this winter.  Yesterday, we got another 4 inches which we weren't able to clear off from been sick.  Our wonderful neighbor helped us out!  It's so great to have wonderful neighbors.  We are expecting freezing rain tonight and another storm this Sunday.  This has disrupted school.  One of my classes has only met twice; two classes have been canceled.  The students are happy, but professors are falling behind and stressing out.

Snow and a flat tire

14.3 inches.

This was how much snow that came down in 12 hours on Tuesday!

I made it to work before it all started.  By 10am, things outside looked white.  My class ended at 11, and the university had already decided to cancel all classes for the rest of the day.  I was going to head home.

No problems?

The drive home was treacherous, but not terrible.  Everyone was driving slow and being very cautious.  Half way home, my car sent me a message: "Very low tire pressure."  Oh no!  I still had about 5 miles to go, on the highway.

God must have been watching over me.  I slowly drove to the Sears Auto Center near home and got my tire replaced.  There were two nails!  One bent over like a hook and pierced through to the side.  There were 3 large holes!

By the time I finally got home, about 2.5 hours since leaving work, there was about 5 inches of snow on the ground.

Phew...

We got another snow day on Wednesday.  I missed one lecture for a class that still hasn't met yet.  So much for the first week of the semester.

Here are some cute pictures of Bun Bun.  I think we had just finished eating breakfast.  She was waiting for play time.

 

Happy New Year!

A belated happy new year, blog readers!

Yesterday, Baby Bunny turned exactly 30 months old, or two and a half! 

It was a "Polar Vortex" day when the thermometers read 6 degrees fahrenheit, but the nasty winds made it feel like 20-some degrees below zero.  It was chilly!  Effects of global climate change - a topic for another day...

We all ventured out anyway with fuzzy hats and layers of clothing.  We went to check out a pre-school program for Bun Bun.  Yes, we have enrolled her in a Mom-Morning-Out program once a week, for now.  Today was officially Bun Bun's first day of school.  I think she had a blast.  The teachers all thought she did great.  She didn't cry when we left her there.  In fact, she got right down to work on a puzzle.  When we went to pick her up, we found her letting out shrills of laughter; she was having a ball (literally and figuratively) in a moon bounce.  This will be a great start for her daily pre-school program and some academic routine when she turns 3 this summer.  We hope in the coming weeks, there will be room for her to attend on Fridays.  The program likes to keep the ratio of students per teacher low.  Right now, they only have spaces available on Wednesday.

Here are some pictures from today and from over my vacation.

Moon bounce at school today!

First day at preschool

Baby Bunny tackling one good book.  I suppose she'll want to watch the trilogy afterwards.

I think she's more fascinated with flipping the pages in books.  She's got in her hand the Anne of Green Gables series, her name sake and my favorite books.

Stacking with Daddy!