A Sam Hill Kind of Day

Yesterday was one of those days. You know the kind of day where you are finally lying bed wondering, "what in the sam hill just happened to me!" It was just one of those sam hill kind of days yesterday. All of it involving Chubbers.
Yesterday was a preschool day for Titus and a stay home with Mom and Teensy day for Chubbers. He goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday. Our church has a Ladies Bible Class on Wednesday with child care provided for the ladies until 1:30 and Kendra, craving adult interaction and scenery NOT inside our house, wanted to go. We were all trying to get ready. It seemed like we were herding turtles in a pile of peanut butter, but we were trudging along.
Titus had the brilliant idea that he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What he forgot to mention is that he wanted the sandwich minus the jelly. Titus is the kind of kid that does not tolerate corruption of any kind and will reject an entire "fing" with one defect. Ito doesn't' have to defile the thing to be eaten at all, just has to be not the way he thought it should go. Not knowing that it was a no jelly on the sandwich day meant I had to hear the gripping. "Dad, I didn't want jelly on the sandwich it's ruined so I threw it away." "You threw that sandwich away?" "I don't want jelly make me another one." I'm a patient man...long fuse...work with kids as my full-time job..he pissed me off! I couldn't believe he would throw away an perfectly good sandwich. I mean, I made sure that the peanut butter was adequately spread, evenly, on both slices of the bread so the jelly wouldn't make the bread all squishy and wet. Even went to the trouble of unclumping the jelly. Jelly loves to be clumpy and it's no small task to make the stuff smooth and silky. I took the time to do that for my ungrateful ball of flesh. "You may not have another sandwich. that's wasteful." Tears, crying, rapid explanations about how I had defiled the sandwich and it wasn't what he wanted...off to Mom.
Mom, not wanting to get the day off to a bad start (did I mention it wasn't even 8:30 yet?) made him another sandwich. She made the peanut butter and no jelly sandwich and even cut the sniveler's sandwich into squares for easier handling. Enter Chubbers.
At eight months old we learned that Chubbers couldn't eat peanut butter because it made him whelp up. Benadryl helped then and we just avoided giving him peanut butter. Chubbers is the raccoon of our family. He loves to pillage for food and find any scraps he can find. He especially finds joy in stealing his brothers food. Chubbers knows that if he touches any of Titus' food it is an ultimate defilement and thereby his. Chubbers snuck a piece of Titus' sandwich.
I was shaving and trying to get ready so I could help get everyone else ready. Chubbers walked in and laid a piece of that sandwich on my sink, peanut butter side down. He had eaten the top piece of bread and decided it wasn't for him. This piece was maybe the size of a Cheese-it cracker, not so big. "Kendra...give Chubbers some Benadryl he just ate peanut butter." "I have already given him his medicine." I continued shaving then got in the shower. I almost went into my whole obsession about the getting ready process--you are saved...and welcome.
"Will get in here quick." I hopped into the bedroom from our bathroom still drying off.."what's the matter." "Levis' face is swelling get him some Benadryl." She was tending to Teensy and couldn't break free. Towel now wrapped around my waist I ran to the kitchen and got the dose. His left eye was very red, very watter, almost jelly like, and swollen. Prize fighter who lost swollen. Dose down hopefully we are good to go.
Kendra decided to stay home and not go to class since Chubbers was beginning to look like Hitch (Will Smith movie..check it out it's good.). I left with Titus and we were off. Titus to school me to Starbucks to get my Non-fat White Mocha, please stir no whip, thank you very much. Not even the White Mocha could save this day.
About 11:00 Kendra called to say that his face was no better and that we needed to call the doctor. We have a great doctor and he has the best nurse we have ever worked for--ever! She's nice, she's actually nice and cares about the patients she sees-Amazing I know. "Will this is Brandy I got your message, you need to come in at 1:30 today to let us see Levi...is he wheezing?" "Some, not a lot, but some." "He may need to go to the ER." "Call Kendra at home and ask her your questions because she's been there with him." About ten minutes expired when..."Will line 6 is Kendra." "Hello...ok I'm on my way." We were going to the ER.
His face was horrible, just horrible. Chubbers has the most beautiful complexion, gorgeous brown eyes and huge long lashes. he's just beautiful. Not so this morning. Swollen, blood red eyes, watering just a mess. I felt so sorry for him. I wanted to trade places right there on the spot with him and go through this for him. We were off to the Doctor. By the way Teensy was minus the monitor because the battery was all crazy--her first day to be monitor free and that had us keyed up to boot.
Once we got to the ER we joined the rest of the people who had decided they needed to go to the ER. The room was nearly full, as was the parking lot. I was so frustrated trying to find a parking place. The check-in went smoothly and now all we had to do was wait. I don't wait well. "Levi Spoon?" Back into the bowels of the ER.
Anna was the ER nurse who took the initial stats. "he's definitely having a reaction. I don't' think it's anaphalactic shock, but we will get him taken care of." ER waiting rooms are not the best place in the world to children. Especially children who love to lick things--anything. As a certified, card carrying germ a phobe I was grossed out! I didn't want him touching anything. Chubbers didn't really understand, "sit still and don't move too much, just wait." He wanted to explore and discover, push buttons and open doors. This was a wonderland of discovery and he had a mission to go on.
"Mr. and Mrs. Spoon we are going to give him an IV and three medications that should help him out and make him feel better." No parent is ever really ready to hear that your baby is going to get an IV. You try to brace yourself and be ready, but you aren't. The feeling of helplessness is just horrible. I'm a fixer, protector, and let me do it for you person. To be totally helpless and unable to immediately fix my Chubber Chubber was too much. Surprisingly though I didn't cry. Mildred, you would have been proud. She hates any display of emotional breakdown in public.
Pearson gave the IV. He was totally, freshly shaven bald with a beard. He looked to be about 30, really nice guy. He was the kind of guy you wouldn't expect to be a great ER nurse, but he was probably the best one they had. He would have fit better in leather pants on a Harley or in some motor cycle shop on the OCC. "OK, buddy this is going to hurt, just hang on and it's going to be over quick." "Anna and Pearson were holding Chubbers arm, Mom was holding Chubbers I was holding Emma in her carrier and rocking back and forth in a soothing motion. Poke...no screaming. Chubbers just looked at him like, "is that all you got? Bring it!" They were amazed that he was so good. I wasn't he's a tough cookie and just a wonderful baby. All the more reason why he didn't need to be doing this. He got solumedrol for the swelling, then Pepcid which is a blocker for the allergy things and Benadryl which blocks the histamine allergy. They were taking care of all the allergy reactions in three shots covering their bases. Damn the peanut allergy!
We waited for three hours after that and were moved deeper into the bowels of the ER. I guess there is the waiting room...processing room...waiting room again...bowel of the ER wait here get dressed room with a curtain...then the deeper bowel of the ER where the doctor actually sees you room. Chubbers was not satisfied to just wait. The glove balloon was not working, my cell phone not working. Thank God I packed Yo-go's and gummy snacks. Those storehouses depleted all we had to do was walk. I paced back and forth. We looked at this and that. He finally went to sleep.
About 3:30 we saw the doctor and he prescribed steroids and Benadryl for the next five days. We also had to follow up with our doctor for allergy testing. My Mom and Lucy were on their way. Even though the emergency was over they just needed to hold him for themselves. That's the great thing about living close to family and having great kids--family wants to come love on them in times of crisis. I honestly don't know how I could have survived the last 10 months of my life if hadn't been for my family. Especially Lucy, she just calms me down and when she's there I know everything is going to be ok. My big sis always makes everything ok. She'll beat the crap out of anyone who messes with her bubby and she can't stand the thought of me being distressed. That's the kind of Sissy everyone needs a tender and sweet yet kick the crap out of anyone who crosses me kind of sis.
The steroids made Chubbers spastic, rabid dog butt on fire spastic. I missed most of that because I had to go to work and try to make sense out of a lesson with 50 kids waiting to hear something great--they got a movie. Kendra and I were just wiped out. What a relief to see the cavalry come--Nonny and Aunt Lucy are here! Yippee.
We finally went to bed about 10:30 or so. I am usually in bed by 9 and turn into a zombie pumpkin by 10, just not a night owl at all. I can also fall asleep in less than 30 seconds from lying down. I have one spot I get in and WHAM! LaLa land. Not so this night I think it took like three minutes for me to go to sleep. Kendra and I just tried to process the whole events of our day. "What in the sam hill is going on?" "I don't know it's just been one of those days." "Is he going to be ok, can you hear him breath?" "Yeah he's breathing and ok."
This will be first of many crisis involving our kiddos I'm sure. Our rule is only one parent can have a meltdown at a time. Who ever goes first is the one, the other just has to suck it up. I don't' look forward to that kind of parenting, but I look forward to my kids knowing that there Daddy is going to be there. I want Teensy and the boys to know that I will be there to wipe their brow, hold them or their hand, look them in the eye and kiss their temple whispering to them, "Daddy's here, everything is going to be ok." There's not a thing in the world a family can't survive when you love each other. Chubbers knows he is loved. He knows that his Nonny, Sesa (that's what he calls Lucy), Mommy, Daddy, and Bubba are going to be there for him and I think deep down in his mind he has been given that assurance that whenever the Sam Hill days come, he wont' be alone and he will come out on top.