School Daze

I know my title seems like so many others as all the kiddos get back to school, but this year that title is literally how our school year started of for me. I've been awake for roughly 25 hours straight, so when I dropped my boys off for their first day back to school I was in a daze. (I still am, so don't hold me accountable for spelling or grammar errors.) Last night was pretty much the same as it is for us every year; I double checked that all their supplies were in their packs (and labeled), clothes were laid out, alarm clocks were set, the boys were in bed earlier and had muffins baking for the morning. We were all ready and eager to begin another school year. Then thing took a turn I had not expected.

Yesterday Jacob had his first ever soccer game. He and his team had played well. They didn't win, but they played hard. Jacob hadn't expected so much running and with his allergies kicking in, he started to get a bit wheezy. No big deal, we've dealt with this before a quick breathing treatment and he'd be as good as new. He had been too nervous before his game to eat, so after his treatment we celebrated his first game with pizza. Then spent some downtime watching tv before preparing for school the next day. All the kiddos were in bed and all the "school stuff" taken care of, I went to visit with a friend across the street for a bit. As we chatted time got away from us (as it often does) and around midnight we called it a night. I peeked in on my boys before heading to bed and noticed that Jacob was starting to get wheezy again. I really didn't want to wake him, he had an exciting day ahead of him so I went to lay down. I had this nagging feeling to check on him that could not be quieted. I went back and watched my sweet child sleeping. His body was working harder than it should have to breathe and out came the breathing treatment again. I knew it was necessary but felt so bad watching him fight to stay awake enough to sit up for the treatment. Knowing he had his treatment that he would be able to rest more peacefully I went back to bed, it was one in the morning and I had to be up early. There was that feeling again that something just wasn't right, I had to check on him again. When I went to him his breathing hadn't got any better. I stood there on the ladder of the bunk bed for at least a half hour watching the way his chest moved and comparing it with the way his brother's was moving. His breaths were to shallow and to quick and his heart was racing. To reassure myself that he was fine, I woke my poor baby up and had him come sleep in my bed so I could watch his breathing. By this time his tummy had started doing what I could only describe as "the worm" it wiggle up his chest with every breath than his body did this kind of twitch. I really started to panic, this happened last time when his oxygen levels had started dropping. I kept asking him if he was okay, and he kept telling me that he was tired. Hating to keep waking him due to my own paranoia I let to sleep but kept an eye on his breathing, something just didn't feel right. Then he woke and asked me to call the doctors because his chest was hurting really bad.

It was around 3:15 am so the only option was to call 911 and they were here in less than five minutes. They said that he needed to go to the hospital. I called Papa waking him up at 3:30 in the morning to have him come watch my other boys so I could follow the ambulance. Papa doesn't live real close by and we couldn't sit and wait until he got here. I called my friend and she woke up her kids and came straight here. (I have the best friends ever <3). She stayed until Papa got here then had to get to work and her own kids off to school. I swear the scariest thing I have ever seen is one of my kids in the back of an ambulance.

Jacob and I spent the next 3 hours in the hospital while they helped return his breathing to normal. I was still too shook up to sleep, as he slept I watched his chest. While there we also learned he had a double ear infection he hadn't complained about. We were sent home with a steroid, a script for his treatments, and an antibiotic.

While I wasn't sleeping at the hospital, Papa and Joey weren't getting any rest at my house either. I learned when we got home that Joey had been awake since the paramedics were at our house. He was all wound up between worrying about his brother and school starting in only a few short hours. Jordan was able to sleep until about 6 when Joey woke him thinking he needed to be at school by 7. Jordan was baffled that Papa was there as he had slept through all the events of the happened.

We made it home from the hospital just in time for me to run Jordan to school. Papa stayed to watch the boys for me seems they were wide awake. Papa headed back to his house (hopefully to get some sleep) as the younger boys were getting ready to leave for school.

While we had had a rather eventful night Jacob insisted on attending the first day of school, it's only a half day. My baby was safe and acting like himself so I let him go to school. We still managed to keep our tradition of first day pictures and mom seeing them off to school. For the younger two it also include seeing them to their classroom doors.

A huge thank you to Papa and to my friend Krystal for being there when we needed you!! You truly are blessings to us.

8th grade

3rd grade

4th grade