Happy Halloween

I'm so behind on posting here, and I have no excuse. It just seems that when I have time to sit down and write a post that my brain has died for the day. It's become so much easier just to update my FB status. Shame on me because this will be Sera's book some day.

I don't have the normal fun trick or treating pictures like I've had in the past, so I'm sharing a few pictures I took last week at a Halloween party. Forgive the quality as I forgot my camera and was a little shaky that day, so the pictures appear slightly out of focus. I'd had a minor, unexpected, office surgery two days before and was still recuperating. I wasn't going to let Sera miss that party though. She was so looking forward to it. I'm especially glad now that we went.



When my friend volunteered to host this party, I offered to provide the cupcakes. The idea I came up with was very fortuitous. I made one batch of cupcakes, and Jim made another for me. The morning of the party, I quickly frosted them. I brought small containers of about nine different toppings, sprinkles, etc..., and we let the kids decorate their own. Sera was a huge fan of this idea, and all the others seemed to enjoy it as well. We just put a spoonful of each topping around the perimeter of a paper plate with the cupcake in the center.

This is the weekly playgroup. Sera doesn't get to go weekly, but we go whenever we're on break and during the summer. Sleeping Beauty is in the same boat as Sera so her mom and I signed them up to take gymnastics and ballet together. It's really helped both of them to have someone in the group they see regularly. We (the moms) had talked about how by the time our girls warmed up to everyone, the party was always over. The other kids meet weekly and are very comfortable together.

We had to pass on going out tonight because Sera is on day four of H1N1. Jim picked her up Wednesday after school and noticed how warm she was. He took her temp and it was 101. Wednesday is our gymnastics/ballet night. I had a meeting after school and was planning to rush home, pick up Sera, and race to get there on time. When I got his text, I cancelled our plans.

I took Sera to her pediatrician the next morning. They were fantastic. As soon as I told them her symptoms, they had me scheduled to come in with an appointment within two hours. Her fever was up to 103 that morning, but responded well to Motrin.

We had to wait a very long time once we got to the doctor's office, which is very unusual at this practice. I wasn't upset though because I knew they were being slammed. I was just grateful they'd worked us in so quickly. Sera was having a great time in the waiting room. We finally made it to an exam room and waited a long time again.

When the doctor entered, she seemed uncharacteristically frazzled and apologized for the wait. I assured her that we understood and were fine. She then told me that the morning had gone down hill as the child in the next exam room was so ill they'd just called for an ambulance.

When she saw Sera bouncing around the room and having a good ole time, she got a quizzical look. I laughed because I knew what she was thinking. I went over Sera's symptoms again with her. I also mentioned that she was acting in a way she never had before with a fever. Even at its highest, she was still cheerful and happy. When the fever went below 100 though, she practically went manic. She was like that Wednesday night and Thursday morning. As soon as the Motrin kicked in, she would start twirling, dancing, singing, hanging upside down, and just generally acting like she'd lost it. The doctor smiled, nodded and said, "ah, Motrin high."

Luckily, the crazy behavior didn't last. She's doing very well though. She's congested, coughing, and running that fever. Today her fever didn't get quite as high, and she was even fever-free several times during the day without the aid of Motrin.

Jim is also congested and coughing, but doesn't have a fever. I'm coughing, but no fever and no congestion. We could just have colds, or we could also have a mild case of H1N1. Adults don't always get the fever. We're all sticking pretty close to home and just trying to get healthy again. I'm considering hiring a HazMat team to make sure the entire house is disinfected, sterilized, whatever it takes. Okay, maybe not a HazMat team. I did buy all new toothbrushes and will be stripping all linens and washing in hot water. Everything is getting wiped down, too. If there's a germ in this house, I want it gone.

Halloween wasn't skipped entirely though. Sera got the new Tinkerbelle movie, some stickers, and an Ariel Pez Dispenser and was completely thrilled. Her night got even better though. Sera got some surprise visitors. In the next subdivision over from our house lives a family that have become good friends to us. Tammy used to teach at my school and now teachs at Jim's. Her son is a high school senior and does our yard work. Their daughter is 12. Her name is also Sara. She babysat Sera one evening at their home. Justin and Sara and a group of Sara's friends showed up at our house with treat bags in hand. They all wanted to share with her since she couldn't go out trick or treating. It was the sweetest thing. Justin and Sara are great kids, and it's because they have great parents.

I hope this holiday was warmer and healthier for all of you. We'll try again next year.