The Higgins Family: The House of Higgins: October 23

Well, we've had an interesting two weeks. We had a really fun fall week with two Arboretum visits, a trip to the fair, etc. and then a week of sickness.

Arboretum

Two weeks ago we went to the Arboretum on Tuesday morning for all the free, fun events! And then we met some friends there Wednesday afternoon after school for a MOPS play date. We didn't make it this week since both kids were sick =(

Love all these babies like my own! My besties kids.

Photo remake! 2015 and 2016

Toddy and William matching in their pumpkin monogram shirts.

Rockyglen Drive Rugrats! ;) Eliot, Todd, and Embry

T hadn't napped at school that day and crashed soon after we got to the Arboretum!

It was so hot I let E strip down and play in the water at the Arboretum!

Todd's first trip to the Arboretum and now =)

The State Fair of Texas

We live a few miles from Fair Park and pass it a few times a week. So Embry has been talking about going to the fair for MONTHS. I realized with our busy schedules we really only had last Thursday to go. So we packed up before ballet and right after class the kids and I went for about 2.5 hours. Embry really had three things on her mind...cotton candy, games, and rides. So that's what we did! The kids each had a blast! And it was tiring taking two kids alone in a really crowded area!

Big Tex

Getting a Big Tex tattoo

Doing spin art

So nervous haha

Watching big sis!

Fire Station Tour

I had coordinated a fire station tour for MOPS last Friday and it was a big hit! We went to the second closest fire station to our house, right across the street from the church we do MOPS at (and the kids school) and we found out it's the second oldest station in Dallas! And one of only four stations with a fire pole still =) Todd was obsessed with one fireman in particular and kept fussing and reaching for him. Finally I set him down and he ran to him and the fireman held T the rest of the tour. Haha. That night, Jacob asked Embry her favorite part and she said- "seeing their kitchen"! Had us cracking up.

Hah something loud was going on!

Watching the fireman come down!

Toddy's buddy

Visit from Grandpa Higgins and Uncle Luke

Last weekend Jacob's dad, Rick, and twin brother, Luke, came to visit for the weekend. We had a great time celebrating the kids birthdays with them, decorating a cookie haunted house, and cooking out. Poor Todd woke up Sunday with croup, but the rest of the weekend was fun!

Sickness GALORE

UGH!!!!

So like I said, last Sunday I woke up at 5:20 to the sound of Todd doing his croupy, barky cough. It came on all the sudden! He hadn't been snotty or anything the day before. He was running a low grade fever and was having some stridor issues (wheezing with breaths in and out), so I called our pediatrician and got the advice from the on call doc to take him into an after hours clinic. Sure enough, he needed steroids. But luckily his ears were clear. One had some fluid on it, but "definitely wasn't infected".

Come Monday, Embry woke up with a low grade fever and cough (not croupy) and Todd seemed worse to me. So I called the doctor and we went to our normal pediatrician for more steroids and of course, over night Todd's ear became infected. So we're now scheduled to see an ENT this upcoming week and I assume discuss tubes. Both kids were home from school Monday. Tuesday, both kids seemed pretty bad still so we stayed home all day. And Embry was still running a low grade fever around 99. I talked to the nurse on the phone and she assured me that anything under 100.4 technically isn't a fever and just keep an eye on her.

Wednesday she woke up with the same thing, but I gave her Tylenol and her fever came down immediately and she was raring to go to speech and school and choir! Even after the Tylenol wore off after school, she was fever free so we went to choir that night. Once we got home she was back to fever and this time over 100.4. (Looking back we never should have done so much activitiy that day, ugh).

Thursday, Todd finally seemed back to normal appetite and mood wise! Yay! Still coughing, but a nice wet cough, not croupy. Embry still running low fever, I called the nurses line again and still four days of off and on fever, they weren't too concerned. After her nap that day, things went way downhill fast. She was burning up (over 102) and super lethargic. She wouldn't even get out of bed after her nap and was saying her tummy hurt. So I called back and the nurse agreed she needed to be seen. E was diagnosed with bronchitis and walking pneumonia. She started a Z pack immediately. Friday she seemed a little big perkier and was back down to a low fever and Saturday she was even better, woke up fever free, but was running a really low one by late afternoon and today she seems back to normal, but were still trying to make her rest quite a bit.

Toddy still happy at Urgent Care with croup

Did my first Amazon grocery delivery this week

Poor bud not feeling so good.

When your mom takes your temp (forehead scan) a million times a day.

Sweetest bunny boy.

When E wouldn't get out of bed.

She was SO puny. I even had to carry her inside.

Todd loves men lol, this is the doctor who started the practice we go to and is actually our normal pedi's dad. Todd LOVED him and he's so fabulous with kids he held T the entire time.