The Peanut

Hi Guys.  I need to preface this blog post by saying my mommy really isn't sure she wants this on the internet for people to read.  BUT since this blog is sorta my baby book in our digital age, she has agreed to let me write about my experience with The Peanut on here.

However, let's not go and tell Super Grammy (aka Mommy's grandmother) anything we read here today.  In fact, let's never talk about this to anyone.  Thanks!  :)

Last Friday, the 22nd of February, Mommy was still at work while Daddy and Laura (and Riesling) were eating peanuts.  Peanuts are tricky, because sometimes they fall.  And sometimes Daddy and Laura (and Riesling) don't notice they have fallen.  I'm at the perfect age right now for finding the tiniest, most miniscule things  dropped on the floor, and putting them in my mouth.  So I found a peanut.  I put it in my mouth.  I couldn't quite swallow it right - and I choked.

I was always breathing  and I never turned blue or anything, but I had this obnoxious thing lodged someplace that was neither my mouth nor my tummy, I was wheezing like a broken squeaky toy, and I had a dad thumping me on the back really hard.

Mommy came home and immediately knew something was wrong.  She said I looked like carp.  (Um, Mommy?  Did I really look like a goldfish?  Maybe I misheard her.)  She mentioned ER, Daddy thought about it too.  They waffled back and forth, and both decided that maybe I just needed a good night's sleep.  But I was still wheezing funny the next morning, so Mommy bundled me off to the nearest ER.

The ER got me situated very quickly.  But! My wheezing didn't sound like choking to them.  It sounded more like a virus.  Both my lungs were wheezing, not just one.  The nice doctor took me to radiology for mean old x-rays for some inconclusive pictures of my lungs.  Apparently peanuts don't show up on x-rays!  So they took more pictures - if each lung got smaller when I laid on that side, I was fine.  Unfortunately, my right lung didn't get smaller (sign of obstruction), but my left lung got TOO MUCH smaller (sign of a virus).  No one knew what to do!

Finally, the nice doctor talked with some pediatric specialists at another hospital and they all decided to transfer me.  Daddy got to the ER just in time for my ride in an ambulance across town, while Mommy went home with Laura (and also her friends who were visiting from out of town).  The doctors at the next hospital waffled a little back and forth on what to do, too.  But in the end, the scheduled me for a bronchoscopy.  That's a procedure where they put a camera down into my lungs to see what was going on.  They had to give me general anesthesia to do it, which was partly why it took so long to decide if that was the right move.

Transfer to Hopkins

Chillin' in my scrubs

 The bronchoscopy was definitely the right move!  They quickly found the peanut at the top of my right lung - and a little bit of fluid in my left!  Both were removed (but we only kept the peanut).  They kept me overnight, since I did indeed have a virus after all, and I went home the next morning, ready to play.

Before: see the peanut on the right?

After: peanut free!

Here's the peanut!

Mommy and Daddy (and Laura, too) have been far more wary of little things on the floor ever since.  No fun for me!

Thinking about going to med school: I look awesome in a stethoscope.

Laura: February Recap

Don't I look badicalous in this?  (Yup!)

Looking thru a Tiffany catalog: how do we get the jewels off [the [page]? Where are the crowns?  (Alas, I don't know.  Get on that, Tiffany & Co.)

Mommy, for your birthday I will buy you a cot for your work so you can take naps! That a good idea?  (Yes!  A thousand times, yes!)

Scun-scweam - sunscreen

Is Gavin Jesus?  (Not that I know of.)

Laura pretended to he a wolf all afternoon, so I asked when she turned onto one. She said this afternoon when Liz took her wand and said Abra cadabra. I asked who is Liz (because I thought she was talking about a school friend), she said "Aunt Liz, my fairy godmother!"

Laura seems to consistently call Liz her fairy godmother:

 Laura will you be my valentine?

Um, okay.  But can I be a princess first?  (Obviously!)

I love ___ TOO MUCH!

Keeps me worm (warm)

Audrey tricked me on the playground today! She slid down my castle! And then I! Haha! And then she!!  Haha!  Then heehee!  Oh and then! Haha! And then I said oh my gracious! (Audrey's mom tried to find out what was so funny.  Audrey said "I don't know.  Laura just kept laughing!")

Laura insisted on wearing beachy summer capris to school on Monday.  Mid-morning, her teacher found her sobbing.  "What's wrong Laura?  Are you hurt??"  "These pants are TOO WEIRD!"  I could have told her that before she left the house... 

 Mommy when I grow up can I go to college?  (Yes please. Go Terps!)

We finally used the gingerbread man baking dish we received for Christmas.  The results were delicious.  Laura also asked rather mischievously if she could cut off the gingerman's head.

Dogmation - Dalmatian (as in 101 Dalmatians - we've watched the live-action version a lot this month!)

Mommy, next time we go to that beautiful restaurant with the slides, we should get a shake milk! (Chick fil-a is pretty awesome, politics aside.)

I'm running so fast you can't see me!

You wear a braid in your hair too! We can be braid buddies! (Done.)

Who is Gavin's favorite best friend?

Well you of course!

No, I think it's Baby Emmett

Laura built a house (that was really just a disastrous pile of books around a chair that she didn't want to clean up).  Between the interest in architecture and the desire to fix all the roads when she grows up, she might want to look into engineering as a career choice.

Gavin: 9 Months

Gavin had his 3/4 birthday on February 18th.  Here's a look at the few things I thought to write down over the course of his 9th month.

1/30/13: Gavin started waving!

Also on the 30th, we noticed he yelled Lalala as Laura walked by.  It's infrequent, but he does seem to call his beloved big sister "Lala!"

Gavin started banging his empty bottle with a toy teacup trying to get more to drink.

Gavin finally started clapping!  His cousin Nico has been clapping for at least a month longer.  Not that it's a race, right? 

2/13: Gavin got his first nosebleed! It wasn't bad at all, more just a funny little thing.  He was really sleeping, and started to fall asleep at the toy piano.  He woke right up when his nose hit the top!

This month, Gavin became more vocal about everything.  As if he wasn't vocal before. 

He also welcomed in his fourth tooth (a fifth is coming in soon).  

Gavin is starting to eat more finger foods: cheerios and steamed carrots are my favorites to give him; he's not such a fan of cheese, but I'll try again. 

Gavin really seems to want Laura's sippy cups... I've gotten a few just for him and he has no interest in them.  But show him a pink princess sippy in Laura's hand - he's all over it.  It's probably really just anything Laura has in her hand, which just happens o be a pink princess sippy!

Gavin is incredibly resourceful at using various toys to get across the room.  His push-car, the ride-on horse, Laura's stroller... But without a toy around, he'd still much rather crawl than attempt to stand on his own.  Fine by me.  Gavin gets into enough trouble as it is without walking!

Gavin does not appear to like snow.

Kale, Valentine's and Baptisms

What do all three of those things have in common?  Me!  On Monday February 11th, Mom, Gavin and I were at Giant, per usual.  Except that I got to walk next to the cart while Gavin rode - yessss!  I decided to embrace my new grocery store freedom, and walked over to the leafy greens.  Grabbing a bunch of kale, I reminded my mom that "we haven't tried this before but we might like it."  I like a little shock value - so of course Mom bought the kale.  I ate some in the store, a little in the kitchen while Mom got ready to cook it, and then I devoured the bunch.  Yum!  I liked kale that one time, maybe I'll never like it again!

After we ate our kale all up (Daddy was not a fan), we made our Valentine's.  Mom only got a picture of this one, which I sent to Super Grammy.  All of the others I made were these cute little foam animals.  Mom helped me with the first one, but then I got the idea and made all the Valentine's for my class without any help at all!

Dad and I chose these beautiful tulips to surprise Mom at work on Valentine's Day.  Boy was she surprised!  She was not expecting flowers at work!  Mom and Dad also went to see Flashdance at the Hippodrome Friday night.  They said the plot and acting weren't great, but that the dancing was fantastic! 

After a night out on the town, Mom and Dad met up with me and Gavin in Philly for an overnight with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Joe, as well as Nico's baptism. 

The baptism meant I got to hang out with my really cool older 2nd cousins.  They are so much fun, and so patient with tag-along little me!  They even gave me a present - a Horton the Elephant stuffed friend (and a Seuss alligator for Gavin).  Gavin and I both fell asleep clutching our new friends on the ride home.

Nico was baptized, assuming any of the Holy Water could get through her much and much hair to her head.  Let's just assume that it did ;-)  Nico didn't cry at all, and she looked so sweet in the dress her Grandma Margaret made for her.

(Mom would like to add that she really enjoyed having Monday off while the rest of us were at school and work.  She claims to have gotten a lot of errands run without us.  Silly mom - who will select the leafy greens if you go to the grocery store without me??)