Bronchitis and asthma

Last week Andrew started getting a little cough, which then turned into a really bad cough and fever. I ended up taking him to the ER, was told that he had bronchitis and sent home with an antibiotic prescription for him. He kept getting worse. His respirations were very fast and labored. He was using all of his accessory muscles to breath. When I listened to him with my stethoscope I could hear wheezing all throughout his lung fields. I took him to his pediatrician and while I was waiting in the office, the medical assistants rushed to get the doctor, saying "that little boy is going to need a treatment." The doctor asked if he had any history of asthma, because he was definitely having an asthma attack. They gave him an albuterol nebulizer treatment and ordered a nebulizer for me to use for him at home. At home, he was still breathing very labored and fast. Even after the treatments, he was still wheezing really bad. His fever was 102.6 and an hour after Tylenol was still 101. We decided to take him back to the ER. We spent 6 hours in the ER filled with nebulizer treatments, chest xray, IV antibiotics, IV fluids. They debated whether they should send him to Cottage hospital, but in the end the doctor thought he was turning the corner enough to go home. Thank goodness he did turn the corner. He is finally back to his normal self now. Here are some pictures from last week.

4th of July

We had a fun morning watching the Solvang Parade with Grandma and Grandpa Arnold. It was hot, but luckily we found a spot of shade. Andrew really enjoyed watching the parade this year. They threw candy out to him and he even got to see Mater from Cars there.

We headed back home to Camarillo and watched the fireworks from a nearby park. I really thought Andrew would enjoy the fireworks, but he was more interested in running around. Oh well, he had fun either way.

Safety Fair

Today our housing community had a safety fair. Nic, Andrew and I went and had a really nice time. We got to see a live California King snake and a Rattlesnake (behind glass, thank goodness) . We scored a lot of free pens and handouts and even a free life jacket for Andrew! They served lunch, popcorn, and snow cones.

Andrew loved the little train they had!

He got really excited when he saw "firefighters!"

The bounce houses were a blast.

They also had a Search and Rescue helicopter land while we were there. Andrew was a little scared of the loud noise it made, but later went close to it and started dancing. Silly boy.

Not quite a crazy couponer

So, today I attempted to save a little $$ by couponing. I still ended up spending quite a bit in my final bill, but I did get a few steals. My favorite was getting a bottle of Ibuprofen for 2 cents!

Day at the Beach

Yesterday we spent a couple hours at the beach. It was a bit windy, but still a lot of fun. Andrew loved playing in the sand and water. He was getting a little too brave for my comfort towards the end. He doesn't quite get how powerful water can be. We had to keep a close eye on him. Nic is in the middle of finals, but he came with us and brought some study material with him. It was a nice day at the beach together.

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iPod Fun

This is what happens when Andrew gets ahold of my iPod and I'm in the other room:

Caution Readers

CAUTION: THIS POST CONTAINS IMAGES THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO VIEWERS.

I'm such a proud mommy. This is what Andrew did tonight.

I haven't been pushing too hard to potty train Andrew. I was waiting until he showed some interest so I wouldn't overly stress out about the whole thing. We caught him sitting on the toilet in our hotel room a couple weeks ago while in San Diego and he's been tugging on his diapers like they irritate his skin. Tonight I noticed that Andrew was squatting in the living room, so I took him into the bathroom and let him sit on the toilet for a little while. He didn't really do anything, but I decided to put underwear on him and watch him closely in the living room. He started squatting again so I said "Andrew, why don't you sit on the toilet" and I brought his little toddler toilet in the living room. He sat on it while watching the Backyardigans. I didn't really think he was going to do anything and got on the computer and started reading blogs. I kind of forgot that he was sitting on the toilet and suddenly noticed a very strong smell. He had success!!! Oh, some of the joys that come to a mommy of a 2 1/2 year old are embarrassing. Haha! I'm still a little nervous about having him wear underwear, but I guess we'll have to try it a little each day now (and maybe invest in a carpet cleaner)