Owen Puts Gray in My Hair

What a week! Monday afternoon Owen was running a fever, so I gave him some medicine and it went down. I put him to bed around 7pm and when I went in to check on him, he was moving strangely in his bed. It look me some time to process what I was seeing--he wasn't having a nightmare, he was having a seizure.

At first I was strangely calm, I picked him up and walked out to tell Jim to call the medical duty officer at the Embassy and to let Tukkie know what was going on. Tukkie freaked out, though, and Jim looked up from the phone and said "Go to the hospital. Go! Go!" So at that point I basically freaked out too.

We jumped in a taxi and headed for the hospital, but traffic on Soi 3 was at a standstill. We managed to get across the street at least, and then Tukkie and I jumped out of the cab and started running for the hospital. The taxi driver was really nice--he loaned us his umbrella since it was raining and said he'd meet us at the hospital to get it back (and to get paid--I'd left without any change.)

By the time we got there, Owen was just lying in my arms limply. We were seen right away in the emergency room--Owen had a temperature of 39 Celsius (which I later learned was 102F), so they gave him ibuprofen and a sponge bath. We were admitted and basically, that was the next 24 hours--rotating high fevers, ibuprofen and sponge baths.

Owen was on an IV to keep him hydrated and that was difficult for a lot of reasons. When he was feeling good between fevers, he paced the length of his crib and once even managed to get the IV tubing wrapped around his neck. Yesterday morning, when he was feeling much better, he finally succeeded in pulling it out (despite assurances a nurse made to Tukkie that this was "impossible.") I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, blood was all over his little pink hospital pajamas, but the nurses were unfazed. I asked them to just take the whole thing out since by then he'd been hooked up to it for a long time. The doctor happened to be in the neighborhood and agreed that it could be removed. She really wanted Owen to stay a third night, but he seemed so much better and I thought we'd both get more sleep at home--finally she agreed to let us check out.

So, today, after a good night's sleep, we went back to the hospital for a check-up. Owen hasn't had a fever at all today, but we still have no idea why he had one in the first place. Roseola seemed the most likely explanation, but he doesn't have the tell-tale rash--we thought he might be getting it, but he's just really pale and everything makes him red. So, he's on antibiotics just in case. (Normally, I'm strongly against unnecessary antibiotic use, but Jim tells me this is not the time to worry about global public health.)

Apparently this type of seizure is just something that happens with a certain percentage of children when they have a high fever. We'll have to watch for it if he ever starts to get a temperature again, but there's really nothing you can do and no long term effects.

It's an incredible relief to have Owen home and feeling better, but now we're literally two weeks away from moving and I feel more unprepared than ever. Oh, well. I'm sure we'll get to Tennessee one way or another, and I did manage to do one thing today: I changed all my magazine subscriptions to Collierville, Tennessee.

Hopefully, this epic length blog posts makes up for the weeks of silence!

One busy little monkey

We have been so busy getting ready for our move that I've been neglecting the blog--at least you grandparents out there will get to see the kids in person very soon! In the meantime, here's the latest: Owen & Maria had their check-ups today and both are doing great. Owen is in the 60th percentile for weight (23 pounds) and 75th for height. Maria is 3 foot 2 and 32 pounds. (I think. I always forget to write this stuff down.) Poor Owen had to get four shots and has to go back in two weeks for three more, but Maria wasn't due for any, lucky girl.

Owen has been a very busy guy lately. He's learned to walk and say a few words and he basically keeps us on our toes all day long. Here's some proof:

Declan finally celebrated his 8th birthday this Saturday with a trip to see Night at the Museum 2, followed by cake and ice cream with a few friends. Unfortunately, our camera has been acting up so most of the pictures from his party didn't come out. Here are two that did:

Owen and Maria show off their moves

I love Owen's little wave when he sees me. That boy loves to dance.

Fun at the Funarium

Wow, has it really been a whole month since I last posted? Time is flying, and I'm borderline freaking out about the upcoming move. The kids are handling it well, though--the new super-play area Funarium has been a helpful distraction. Here are some pictures from our first visit last week (we're going back today!)

Attack of the Giant Baby

That weird laugh in the background is me--I've got a serious case of laryngitis, so when I laugh it sounds like "squeak, squeak."

Easter at the Embassy

On Saturday we went to the Embassy's Easter party. As you can see, the kids were very excited about hunting for Easter eggs.

Once it got started, though, everyone had a good time. Declan and Joey got a good haul of eggs.

Owen wasn't so sure about that Easter Bunny, though.

And finally, a couple of pictures of Owen, just because.

Owen babbles!

Owen has been so busy cruising around and climbing up on the furniture, he hasn't had much time to concentrate on verbal communication. A few days ago, though, he discovered the "buh" sound and he loves saying it! Maybe because a few of his very favorite words start with B--bottle and banana, in particular. He also loves to go to the bus stop and say bye-bye to his brothers, complete with frantic arm waving, so maybe he's really saying bye-bye!

Here, as promised, is a shot of Joey, hanging out with his mini-me.

Maria is going to be three years old on April 5th--I can't believe it! We have a busy weekend planned-- Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes Thursday night, the Embassy Songkran celebration on Friday, the Embassy Easter party on Saturday and a cookout/birthday party on Easter Sunday. Non-stop excitement!

And here are two more pictures of Owen, showing off his big smile and all those teeth!

everyone but Joey--I'll get one of him soon, I promise!

Owen likes to move it!

Owen loves the song "I Like to Move It" from Madagascar--just sing the words and he starts jumping. (The thing he's clinging to, by the way, is an inflatable mattress we use as a Playstation buffer zone. Otherwise there's no keeping him away from it.)

Owen just had his 9 month doctor's visit (a couple of weeks late). He's doing great--at 21 pounds, he's in the 75th percentile for weight, and he's in the 95th percentile for height and head size. Basically, he's all muscle. The doctor seems to get a real kick out of him: the whole time she was trying to hear his heart, he had a huge smile on his face and kept grabbing at the stethoscope, and when that didn't work, at her nose.

In other news, Declan had a basketball game today and his team, the Golden Lions, won! Most of the other kids on his team played last year, but Declan is learning fast.

Finally, here's one more video of Owen. This one's a bit long, but it gives you a real glimpse of O's personality. He is non-stop!

Owen sings for the camera

Baby O, Joey & Maria at Big C

Today we had off for President's Day, and the boys' schools are closed for mid-term break, so Joey, Maria & I headed to Big C for some fun. (Declan was at his first day of EcoKids camp.)

Joey played tuk-tuk driver (and convinced me to get a real tuk-tuk for the ride home. Luckily, we survived!)

Owen in his cozy red pajamas!

Can you see the mischievous look in his eyes? He's 100% happy, but there's some stinkpot in there too!

He has actually stood up without holding onto anything a few times now, and he'll take a few steps if you hold his hands.

New kid pics

Joey & Maria at Declan's basketball practice

Maria looking at a book

Owen aka Mr. Happy

Yikes, time's flying!

It's 2009 already, Owen is sitting up, crawling and (help!) trying to pull up. I have reason to fear he'll be walking by 10 months (March 20th, mark your calendars.) He is still a generally cheerful guy, but he's also unstoppable--he powers over pillow barriers, attempts to squeeze into impossibly small spaces and will happily crawl right out of the room if you turn your back for even a second. Here's a (blurry) video of him crawling--it's actually from a couple of weeks ago.