I hate croup. I really, REALLY hate it.
Kisa came down with croup this weekend for the third or fourth time in her short life, but this was the worst case she has ever had before. I spent Friday morning at the pediatrician and Sunday morning at the ER trying to figure out what was wrong (I should have known croup when I saw it, but I guess I just hoped it would be something else). The ER doctor informed me that Kisa has smaller airways than the average toddler, which is probably why her lungs get so easily inflamed and why almost every cold she has ever caught has ended in croup. She is an unusually healthy child, so the reality is the only real illness we've ever dealt with is croup. And we've done it several times in the last year and a half.
In short, he told me to learn how to deal with it because it is the way her body responds to illness. Kids grow out of "croup" as they get older and their airways enlarge, but she will probably always be prone to respiratory illness and will get coughs more often than her peers. This is a wonderful trait she has inherited from her daddy.
Luckily, the older you get the less dangerous respiratory illnesses become (well... to a point), so hopefully there will come a time when her coughs are just coughs and not cause for alarm.
However. It is still a really scary and annoying illness. It's basically just the common cold settling in a kid's lungs, but it causes a cough and phlegm that can clog your airways and make you choke/asphyxiate. There's nothing you can do to treat it except push steroids (which help decrease inflammation and open up your airways) and ibuprofen to keep irritation down. Cough medicines don't work at all.
But probably the number one reason I hate croup is because it is so deceptive. You wake up in the morning to a basically healthy kid and think, "really? Did I just imagine them almost suffocating last night? They seem FINE right now." All day they play happily and seem barely bothered by a slight cough. You question the decision you made at 3am in the morning to call the doctor when the office opens for the day. You think you must be past the worst of it, or maybe you were just overreacting. Then 8 or 9 pm rolls around and they are gagging and sputtering and your only option is to deal with it or pack them in the car and head to the ER... and you think, what the hell? THEY WERE JUST FINE.
So that is why I hate croup. Because no matter how many times I've dealt with it, despite knowing what it is and the symptoms and remedies, it is still surprisingly terrifying and stressful. Every single time.
Sigh.
Monday, November 07, 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
An addendum to my last post
I have discovered that Kisa does not understand the word "some". Ask her if she would like some of something (some peas, some cheese, some toys) and she will look at you like you just offered to give her a shot or put her down for naptime.
If, however, you ask her if she would like peas, or more peas, or cold peas, or hot peas, (you get the idea) she will understand you perfectly and a tantrum will be avoided.
Kids are crazy.
If, however, you ask her if she would like peas, or more peas, or cold peas, or hot peas, (you get the idea) she will understand you perfectly and a tantrum will be avoided.
Kids are crazy.
Friday, September 02, 2011
Conversations with toddlers
Kisa: (apocalyptic meltdown)
Me: Kisa, are you hungry?
Kisa: YES! (panic) Ok, YES!!!
Me: What do you want to eat?
Kisa: Fishes!
Me: You want fishes?
Kisa: No! NO! NO! NO!
Me: Do you want a strawberry bar?
Kisa: NO!
Me: Do you want some cheese?
Kisa: NO!
Me: Do you want some crackers?
Kisa: No! NOOOOO! (resume apocalyptic meltdown)
Kisa: Fishes!
Me: Do you want some fishes?
Kisa: No!
Kisa: Fishes!
Me: Do you want fishes?
Kisa: Ok, YES!
Sigh.
Me: Kisa, are you hungry?
Kisa: YES! (panic) Ok, YES!!!
Me: What do you want to eat?
Kisa: Fishes!
Me: You want fishes?
Kisa: No! NO! NO! NO!
Me: Do you want a strawberry bar?
Kisa: NO!
Me: Do you want some cheese?
Kisa: NO!
Me: Do you want some crackers?
Kisa: No! NOOOOO! (resume apocalyptic meltdown)
Kisa: Fishes!
Me: Do you want some fishes?
Kisa: No!
Kisa: Fishes!
Me: Do you want fishes?
Kisa: Ok, YES!
Sigh.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Interactive Play Mat for B
Note: I realize it's been a thousand years since my last blog post... so I'm going to do what any normal person would do and carry on as if there has been absolutely no gap in time whatsoever. :)
I have this girlfriend, Allie, who is quite the world traveler. Her husband's work takes him on business trips frequently- and she often gets to join him (with toddler in tow). Recently her family has decided to temporarily relocate to Indiana, which means she will be making a lot of plane trips back to Portland over the next year to visit friends and family. And she will be bringing her two-year-old on these trips. (I know, she's like supermom, I can't even fathom it).
ANYWAY. Allie came up with this GREAT idea for moms like her who are often in situations when they need to keep their little ones quietly occupied. It is sort of like a "quiet book"- made of fabric and with plenty of things for kids to interact with- buttons, snaps, zipeprs, etc. Instead of being a book, it is about the size of playmat and can roll up to be stowed in a purse or diaper bag. Neat idea, huh? Perfect for plane travel or while waiting for your meal at the restaurant.
As a going away present, I decided to tackle this project for Allie to (hopefully) keep her son occupied on his many trips back to visit us. I am pretty proud of the results so I thought I would show it off and give my blog a much-needed update (whoops, I mentioned my slacking off).
So (drumroll please) here it is:
The whole project is made of felt with two exceptions, which I will mention when I get to them. Let's start with the tree. The apples attach to the tree with magnets and can be interchanged with flowers (which are hidden inside a secret pocket in the tree trunk). The tire swing is only attached to the tree at the branch, so it swings around like a real tire swing (Kisa thought this was AWESOME. I had to go back to the drawing board after she ripped the first tire swing off the tree branch. She is an excellent product tester.)
The rope ladder is made of yarn, and the bucket at the bottom of the tree is a pocket filled with six apples on strings, for little hands to stuff in and pull out to their heart's content.
What you are seeing in this (really poor quality- sorry, I am just too lazy to go back and take another pic) shot is the center of the playmat.
Little items of clothing attach with velcro to a clothesline. The flowers attach to their stems with snaps, and the ball slides up and down the grass. All the people (and the cat) that you see are backed with velcro so they can move anywhere (and attach to anything) on the play mat.
I really like the little house.
The flower patch is the same (snaps), but the door "opens" with a button. The roof of the house lifts up and the inside of the house is a pocket, where you can store the family when they are not in use. My favorite find was the little windows- they are actually tiny mirrors. :)
The sky:
The clouds are made of nylon and stuffed with plastic bags to make a little rustling sound (that didn't work out as well as I had hoped- oh well. The little pearlized beads symbolize raindrops. The ribbons (which you can tie and untie) are meant to be little birds.
The sun is made out of a felt, a bright yellow button, and a bunch of ribbon with free edges. I know how little kids love to play with tags and ribbons.
And, my favorite addition (a practical one, of course)... the suction cups at top, allowing you to secure the mat to a table/tray table to prevent that whole flinging thing that toddlers are sooooooo good at. :)
So... there you have it! An interactive play mat, the size of a place mat, that rolls up and then secures with a buckle:
The little red bag you see contains extras of the little pieces (since toddlers are also really great at losing small items).
And it all stows away in this little bag, which keeps it safe in your purse next to the sippy cup and the crushed-up goldfish crackers (don't pretend like you don't have those in your purse):
This is, by far, the most fun project I have ever worked on. I hope it buys Allie plenty of quiet time on plane trips. :) I plan on making a duplicate for Kisa soon (she fell in love)... after my fingers recover from all the hand-stitching. :)
I have this girlfriend, Allie, who is quite the world traveler. Her husband's work takes him on business trips frequently- and she often gets to join him (with toddler in tow). Recently her family has decided to temporarily relocate to Indiana, which means she will be making a lot of plane trips back to Portland over the next year to visit friends and family. And she will be bringing her two-year-old on these trips. (I know, she's like supermom, I can't even fathom it).
ANYWAY. Allie came up with this GREAT idea for moms like her who are often in situations when they need to keep their little ones quietly occupied. It is sort of like a "quiet book"- made of fabric and with plenty of things for kids to interact with- buttons, snaps, zipeprs, etc. Instead of being a book, it is about the size of playmat and can roll up to be stowed in a purse or diaper bag. Neat idea, huh? Perfect for plane travel or while waiting for your meal at the restaurant.
As a going away present, I decided to tackle this project for Allie to (hopefully) keep her son occupied on his many trips back to visit us. I am pretty proud of the results so I thought I would show it off and give my blog a much-needed update (whoops, I mentioned my slacking off).
So (drumroll please) here it is:
The whole project is made of felt with two exceptions, which I will mention when I get to them. Let's start with the tree. The apples attach to the tree with magnets and can be interchanged with flowers (which are hidden inside a secret pocket in the tree trunk). The tire swing is only attached to the tree at the branch, so it swings around like a real tire swing (Kisa thought this was AWESOME. I had to go back to the drawing board after she ripped the first tire swing off the tree branch. She is an excellent product tester.)
The rope ladder is made of yarn, and the bucket at the bottom of the tree is a pocket filled with six apples on strings, for little hands to stuff in and pull out to their heart's content.
What you are seeing in this (really poor quality- sorry, I am just too lazy to go back and take another pic) shot is the center of the playmat.
Little items of clothing attach with velcro to a clothesline. The flowers attach to their stems with snaps, and the ball slides up and down the grass. All the people (and the cat) that you see are backed with velcro so they can move anywhere (and attach to anything) on the play mat.
I really like the little house.
The flower patch is the same (snaps), but the door "opens" with a button. The roof of the house lifts up and the inside of the house is a pocket, where you can store the family when they are not in use. My favorite find was the little windows- they are actually tiny mirrors. :)
The sky:
The clouds are made of nylon and stuffed with plastic bags to make a little rustling sound (that didn't work out as well as I had hoped- oh well. The little pearlized beads symbolize raindrops. The ribbons (which you can tie and untie) are meant to be little birds.
The sun is made out of a felt, a bright yellow button, and a bunch of ribbon with free edges. I know how little kids love to play with tags and ribbons.
And, my favorite addition (a practical one, of course)... the suction cups at top, allowing you to secure the mat to a table/tray table to prevent that whole flinging thing that toddlers are sooooooo good at. :)
So... there you have it! An interactive play mat, the size of a place mat, that rolls up and then secures with a buckle:
The little red bag you see contains extras of the little pieces (since toddlers are also really great at losing small items).
And it all stows away in this little bag, which keeps it safe in your purse next to the sippy cup and the crushed-up goldfish crackers (don't pretend like you don't have those in your purse):
This is, by far, the most fun project I have ever worked on. I hope it buys Allie plenty of quiet time on plane trips. :) I plan on making a duplicate for Kisa soon (she fell in love)... after my fingers recover from all the hand-stitching. :)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Recent Projects
I've been digging out my sewing machine for quite a few projects lately. I find that it's great therapy when you're having a tough day, and I love the productivity- making something out of almost nothing. Kid projects are easy and take the least resources (fabric and notions) so that's what I've been doing. Thought I would share some of my pieces here:
This first one is a dress I made for Kisa out of fabric scraps... I made a similar one in a floral fabric for her BFF Millie and a matching one for Millie's baby sister Sophie. I ended up having enough plain fabric left over to whip up another dress. Since it was a little on the simple side, I added three coordinating rosettes on the waistband. I think it turned out pretty cute... a little on the long side, but hopefully she will be able to wear this all spring and summer. The straps tie so they are adjustable which is neat for little kiddos.
(Here is a link to the pattern which, of course, was free: http://www.made-by-rae.com/2008/05/itty-bitty-dress-take-ii-only-not-as.html)
This one is one of my favorites... not because the fabric is super great, but because Kisa looks amazing in bright blue and the summery-ness of the outfit makes me feel happy inside, even though it will be months before she can wear it out of our house.
The rest of the outfits in this blog were made out of some of Matt's old dress shirts. He was throwing some stuff out the other day, and I just can't stand to see stuff leave my house if I can find something useful to do with it. So I snatched up four shirts and set to work. This particular one was a long sleeve, so I was able to sew the entire top out of the fabric just in the sleeves! Isn't that incredible? The bloomers took up most of the rest of the shirt.
This outfit cost me $1 to make, since I had to buy the elastic for the bloomers, but I used the buttons from Matt's old shirt and had white thread on hand. So it was super cheap! I should mention that if anyone wants to use this pattern, the bloomers are huuuuuuuuge... the pattern was for a 3 month old and these are pretty big on Kisa. She's got little(ish) hips, but still.
(Links to the patterns: Bloomers- http://madquilter.blogspot.com/2010/04/knotted-bow-bloomers.html and Toddler Top- http://www.prudentbaby.com/2010/05/snappy-toddler-top-free-downloadable.html)
This jumper is made out of another one of Matt's shirts, and trimmed with fabric from one of my old shirts. I love jumpers because they are so versatile (worn with leggings and a turtleneck in fall/winter or alone in the summer. You can adjust the buttons as they grow so it will hopefully last a while too!).
As you can see, I have some trouble adhering to the "rules", so I definitely took liberties with some of these patterns. Anyway, here is a link to the jumper pattern I used: http://www.ikatbag.com/2010/01/dress-for-winter-iv-gathered-jumper_15.html
Finally, this is an apron made from another one of Matt's old shirts. It was a pretty nice one, but it had an Axium logo, so it was out! Black isn't really a great color on little girls so I made it into an apron (so helpful for those messy toddler games) and tried to spunk it up a little with some pink accents. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but hey, it was free and it will protect her other clothes from messes, so that's what matters. Right?!
Apron Pattern here: http://supamb.com/supafine/2007/08/24/sewing-how-to-make-a-kid-sized-chef-apron/
P.S. Isn't that picture hysterical? This kid is destined for a modeling career for sure!
That is it for now, although I have my eye on a couple other patterns I found online and at least one shirt left to recycle, so I'm sure I'll be posting more projects soon. :)
This first one is a dress I made for Kisa out of fabric scraps... I made a similar one in a floral fabric for her BFF Millie and a matching one for Millie's baby sister Sophie. I ended up having enough plain fabric left over to whip up another dress. Since it was a little on the simple side, I added three coordinating rosettes on the waistband. I think it turned out pretty cute... a little on the long side, but hopefully she will be able to wear this all spring and summer. The straps tie so they are adjustable which is neat for little kiddos.
(Here is a link to the pattern which, of course, was free: http://www.made-by-rae.com/2008/05/itty-bitty-dress-take-ii-only-not-as.html)
This one is one of my favorites... not because the fabric is super great, but because Kisa looks amazing in bright blue and the summery-ness of the outfit makes me feel happy inside, even though it will be months before she can wear it out of our house.
The rest of the outfits in this blog were made out of some of Matt's old dress shirts. He was throwing some stuff out the other day, and I just can't stand to see stuff leave my house if I can find something useful to do with it. So I snatched up four shirts and set to work. This particular one was a long sleeve, so I was able to sew the entire top out of the fabric just in the sleeves! Isn't that incredible? The bloomers took up most of the rest of the shirt.
This outfit cost me $1 to make, since I had to buy the elastic for the bloomers, but I used the buttons from Matt's old shirt and had white thread on hand. So it was super cheap! I should mention that if anyone wants to use this pattern, the bloomers are huuuuuuuuge... the pattern was for a 3 month old and these are pretty big on Kisa. She's got little(ish) hips, but still.
(Links to the patterns: Bloomers- http://madquilter.blogspot.com/2010/04/knotted-bow-bloomers.html and Toddler Top- http://www.prudentbaby.com/2010/05/snappy-toddler-top-free-downloadable.html)
This jumper is made out of another one of Matt's shirts, and trimmed with fabric from one of my old shirts. I love jumpers because they are so versatile (worn with leggings and a turtleneck in fall/winter or alone in the summer. You can adjust the buttons as they grow so it will hopefully last a while too!).
As you can see, I have some trouble adhering to the "rules", so I definitely took liberties with some of these patterns. Anyway, here is a link to the jumper pattern I used: http://www.ikatbag.com/2010/01/dress-for-winter-iv-gathered-jumper_15.html
Finally, this is an apron made from another one of Matt's old shirts. It was a pretty nice one, but it had an Axium logo, so it was out! Black isn't really a great color on little girls so I made it into an apron (so helpful for those messy toddler games) and tried to spunk it up a little with some pink accents. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but hey, it was free and it will protect her other clothes from messes, so that's what matters. Right?!
Apron Pattern here: http://supamb.com/supafine/2007/08/24/sewing-how-to-make-a-kid-sized-chef-apron/
P.S. Isn't that picture hysterical? This kid is destined for a modeling career for sure!
That is it for now, although I have my eye on a couple other patterns I found online and at least one shirt left to recycle, so I'm sure I'll be posting more projects soon. :)
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