Back to the inhaler we go

My poor little girl has been coughing until she gags every night, during the night and in the morning.  I noticed that she did it when running around with her brother or friends also.  So, I took her into the Dr. today who said that it most likely is her allergies and asthma acting up =(
She put her on Zyrtec and both of her inhalers Qvar and Albuterol.  My poor baby, I hate having her on these meds, it scares me!  My 'step-dad' passed away from his asthma issues and it just is scary.
It was a crazy busy day, no particular reason, just was.  Then I was planning on going to Yucaipa to drop off a bible study book and some PC orders, but laid down at 2pm and passed out until 3:58!  GUESS I WAS TIRED!
Got up and made a very yummy dinner (maybe I'll blog it tomorrow).  Adi had practice and I had to get to the store for some essentials, we had absolutely no fruit, except for 1 banana. Mama needs her fruits & veggies!!!
Went to Albertsons and got some great deals, spent under $50 for 4 pkgs of chicken, 4 boxes of cereal, 2 pineapples, 8 cucumbers, 2 bottles of coffee creamer, chips and some other things.  Not Bad if I do say so myself =)  Then to Walmart to get the other stuff.
Got home and realized I forgot Dee's medicine..DUH MELISSA!  Guess I need more than just a 2 hour nap when I'm not getting enough sleep for my brain to function, egh?
We are down to 2 days left of the school year.  I'm kind of excited, kind of sad.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE having my babies home, the lazy days of summer and just enjoying each other.  Most moms can't wait for their kids to go back to get out of their hair, but I really do love having them home with me.  I don't like the not having a schedule and routine, but whatev.
Alrighty, so I'm outta here, I'm going to try to get some good sleep and maybe blog tomorrow when I have some brain power!
The Sleepy Mama

30 days of Thankfulness ~Day 16

Today's Thankfulness is easy peasy, mac n cheesy =)
So a little background to today's post. Anthony has been sick since about Saturday with a cough and his ear bothering him. He went to school sicker than a dog yesterday and even went to practice, but just couldn't get up and do it today.
I took the other 2 to school, came home and got him an appointment with his Doctor. I took him in and when I went to check him in, they told me I didn't have insurance for him. I was shocked, I hadn't a clue, REALLY! So I told the clerk I would call the insurance company to see what was going on. About 20 mins into calls, Delayna was being a monster and I told Ant to take her down and that I would sort it all out at the house. We got into the elevator and by the time we got to the bottom, the receptionist was there waiting for us. She said, "The nurse told me not to let you go." I explained to her what was going on, but she just basically told me that the Doctor is going to see him, even if I don't get the insurance worked out today.
We went to the expedition and I waited for another 20 mins and then sent him up to wait in the waiting room while I finished the call. I got up there again and went to the same receptionist. She explained to me that they can see him for as little as $27. I was shocked, I thought it was near $100 for sure. The nurse came out and talked to Ant while I talked to the receptionist. She said that it's basically up to the Doctor and what she wants to charge us. So after a while, the nurse came out and informed us that the Doctor is going to see Ant and not charge me...WOW!
I was floored! We went in and he was seen, then they informed us that we can go to stater bros to get the prescription filled for around $4.
I headed over there and turned in his prescription and explained to the man behind the counter everything that happened 2 hours earlier with the insurance. He said it would be about 20 mins. We left and then returned. I picked it up and asked how much, and he just said, "Don't worry about it."
WOWEE!!!! My boy was seen and given a prescription all for FREE!
So today my Thankfulness goes out to the Medical Facility, the Doctor, nurse and receptionist and Stater Bros. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Nope, it never ends!

As mentioned in my previous post, Delayna was diagnosed with an ear infection & bronchitis. She was prescribed Amoxacillan on the 16th of November. She was on that until the 23rd, when I called the Dr because she was pulling at her other ear and her buggers weren't getting any better. Not to mention the rash on her little wahoo. So they called in some other antibiotics and nystatin for the rash. I gave her the other antibiotic, Cefdinir, that night. She woke up Tuesday morning with bumps on her legs. At first I thought it just a few spider bites, but as the day went on they got worse. So I called the Dr around 12 to ask about it. They wanted her to come in right away. So I took her in, by then they were on her trunk & arms. Dr. Cuni looked at her and said it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic.
So she switched her to another antibiotic & said to treat her with Benedryl. Here's some pics of her.
This is Weds. morning, really bad!





Tuesday night, not as bad.





My poor girl, we just can't catch a break over here!

First Check Up

My little girl had her first physical today. She was scheduled to get her first shots, but we discovered she had a pretty bad ear infection. So we opted out for a couple more weeks.
As of today she is 29 weeks & 1 day old = 6 months, 4 weeks, 1 day
She weighs a whopping 18.4 lbs (90-95%)
Is 27" long (75%)
Has a head circumference of 17.25" (75%)
The Dr said she is pretty well proportioned.
She is sitting unassisted, crawling, standing while holding onto something, cruising furniture, playing by herself and basically above her expected goals.
She is eating lots for fruits, vegis, cereal & yogurt. She's not a big eater though.
Delayna is an extremely happy baby! She adjusts to things fairly easily.
Her sleeping is an issue. Before her ear infection, I was dancing her to sleep to praise & worship music. She loves me to sing to her (glad I'm not the one listening to myself...LOL!) so I do. It's a special time that we have together.
So all is well with my big little girl!
I will be doing some photo shoots soon and will get some pics up.

Here we go again...

And I'm not talking the song from Whitesnake.
Oh no! I'm talking about my poor boy.
Dominic was perfectly fine yesterday, playing with Celine & Shellianna for hours. Then last night around 1am, he came into my room with a fever. So I laid him into bed with me, until Jose got home from his meeting.
Jose got home around 1:30am & put Dominic into his bed.
Around 6 am, Dominic came in & said that he needed to go potty, so I told him to go. He came back crying and saying, "Mama, I just pee'd on the floor." I consoled him, telling him it was ok that I would clean it later & pulled him into bed with Jose & I.
We woke up late at 9am. We were hurrying to get ready for church. Jose got into the shower & I got Dominic up to get him in with him.
When I pulled his chones off, I noticed there was reddish stuff on them. I took him to Jose & told Jose about it. I then remembered what Dominic said about peeing on the floor.
I turned around & saw blood all over my bathroom!
I thought I was going to be sick. Not because of it being as disgusting as it was, but because ALL of that came out of my boy!
I went & told my mom and of course she was spazzing & called my Aunt Cheryl, who wasn't home.
I decided to call Urgent Care and see when we can get him in. They told me to take him in at 10:45am. My mom took the older two kids to church & I got ready.
Jose, Delayna, Dominic & I all headed over to Urgent Care. It was a quick wait.
They called us back & I went to do a urine sample. When Dominic went pee, his urine was the darkest deepest red I've ever seen come out of a body. Not to mention the smell. It was horrendous!
The Dr came in fairly quickly & was boggled by everything. It was the same Dr we saw the first time this all started. He even remembered us. I took him through everything that we have been through since seeing him last.
He really didn't know what to do for him or what was going on with him. He stated that boys and especially boys at Dominic's age rarely get bladder or kidney infections. He stated, it isn't impossible, but it's extremely rare. He decided to refer us to a Urologist and put Dominic on an antibiotic.

I am just at a loss right now. I've been doing whatever I can to keep my mind occupied. I couldn't eat for hours this morning, just hurting so much over all of this being such a mystery. My heart hurts, I'm struck with fear of the unknown, I am at a loss and the list goes on!

After calling Urgent Care, I called Glenda to start praying & put Dominic on the prayer chain. Within minutes I had people calling & texting me words of hope, strength & speaking life into my boy.
God knows what we need, because I was really broken.
Then when the kids got home, they told me that Mishelle was praying during praise & worship for Dominic, Jose & I. Then Pastor Todd prayed for us all also.
To know that my family is loved so much & cared for really helps me in my time of need.
I've always felt that I have to be "the bigger" person and that crying & breaking is a sign of weakness.
In a way, I feel as though this is God's way of working this out of me. I've prayed for a long time that the Lord would break the walls around my heart. I feel like this is doing it.
Thank you all for your love & support!
Just because I want to remember, I am posting a pic of the bathroom.
WARNING~IT IS GRAPHIC!

My LONG week!

This has been SUCH a week!
Dominic has been running a fever for over a week now. It started a week ago Sunday morning. I thought it was just the flu, but then the fevers got so high (104.6*) that I got worried. You can read about all that here.
Well, nothing changed by Monday night, so Tuesday morning I called Dr. Cuni's office & they got him in that morning. When we went in, he of course didn't have a fever at all. She sent us over for blood work & another chest x-ray.
We get there & finally called back. My poor baby is trembling. Delayna is in her carseat fussing while the intern tries to console her (NO GO!), so my good friend Jackie comes in & gets Delayna's attention while I try to focus on Dominic. The phlebotomist cleans the area she is going to take blood & goes to get the butterfly needle. I let go of Dominic's hand for one second & he starts pulling his sleeves down, fighting to get his blood drawn. It was so hard to stay calm & make him understand that it will be quick and easy. He is SO opposite of Anthony! Anthony would walk in and get his blood work done like it was a treat. Dominic literally kicked & screamed. He is so timid & small & scared. It broke my heart!
I of course, had to be strong & let him be scared & fall into mama's arms for comfort.
That was done & over with. He got 2 suckers and a stack of stickers (So blessed I have an "in" there and friends that truly care!).
Then a bit more of a wait and he went with Jackie to get his x-ray done.
We went to Burger King to get him his chicken nuggets & fries to make it all better. Get home & he doesn't eat. I should've known that he was about to get a fever.
I laid Dominic and Delayna down at 12:45. He slept until 4:45!
Dr. Cuni called me just as he was waking up. She told me that his white blood cells looked good, but his 'sedamentation rate' was elevated. She asked if he was complaining of his body hurting or joints bothering him. I guess this indicates a sign of inflamation, but where is to be determined. He has been fine. She asked me to bring him in in the morning to do a flu & strep swab. I asked her if I could run him down now, just so I could know right away. She let me.
I ran him down there & he was running his fever. I had her check him & she just confirmed that he was running a high fever, yet again & I'm not crazy!
She did the swabs, poor Dominic was once again freaking out. Those swabs are NOT an easy thing either. It made him gag & the nose one really sucked!
She put it into the little vile things & waited for the results. She tested for Flu, Swine Flu & Strep. All 3 came back negative....UGH!!!!
Dr. Cuni said to just go home & keep him comfortable and she would be following up again the next day.
Last night at about 4:45pm I got a call from Dr. Cuni. She said that the chest x-ray came back clear & the other test were all negative. Still mind boggling!
She said to continue to monitor him. It is possible that he is fighting a virus, but what kind of virus is unknown. She wants to see him next week & have his sederation rate tested again.

Yesterday we had no fevers & so far today, so good. I am praying this is all over with!

Now on to Delayna...
She was a crabby patty Sat & Sun. Not sleeping for very long, not eating all the way, just not a happy girl at all. I had no idea what was going on with her.
Monday morning, Jose went out to my Grandpa & Grandma's house to help Grandpa with the sink that exploded Sunday morning. I planned on going, but with Dominic being a grump & running fevers and now Delayna just being unhappy & fussy, I decided to stay home.
Well, while nursing her, I noticed her little lip had a white blister on it. I took her off & sure enough, all inside her lips & the roof of her mouth was chuck full of white blisters! My poor baby has thrush, BAD! I kinda said out loud, Delayna has thrush!
Anthony commented, is that what's inside her mouth?
I was like, YEAH, you saw them?
He said, Yeah, I told you. She's had them since Thursday or Friday.
UGH! THIS KID, WHY DIDN'T HE MAKE SURE I KNEW...."HE TOLD ME." AAAAAAAAAAH!
So, I immediately started treating both of us with gentian violet. My poor girl is in pain, my boy is running fevers & sick of getting tests done...I'm just D.O.N.E!
Delyana's mouth is starting to look better. I saw one spot on her yesterday & I still have to check her today.
This weeks has been exhausting mentally, physically, emotionally and I AM DRAINED!
Not to mention on top of no sleeping & caring for sick babies all day...
I found a new blog that shows really cool hairstyles. So my little girl wants mama to get up every morning & do her hair. Yeah, I know I could say no & start when everyone is better, but she is always left out in the field. She needs her 'special attention'. So I have committed to getting up by 7am all week this week so I can have some mama/little time and make my girl pretty for school. She's getting lots of attention & complements and it makes her feel good.
So, that's been my week. I am really hoping that I get a nice relaxing weekend & everyone is on the mend!
OH, and on another note...My dear friend Karen, who has allowed me to borrow her camera since having Delayna, is taking her camera back =( So I won't be having many pics of the kids. It sucks that Little's promotion is in 2 weeks & I won't have a camera. I just may have to invest in a cheap small one.
K, that's all...

Getting ready for Kindergarten

My little bits had his kindergarten physical yesterday.
He is so sweet! He knew he was gonna get shots & was asking me to tell the Dr that he doesn't want his shots...Poor thing!
We went in & he got weighed & measured...38lbs & 42"
Then we had to have him pee in a cup...poor little man! He wasn't sure what to do, but luckily he went with me many a dr visits while pregnant with Delayna & saw mama do it.
After that task, we "played a game" where he had to stand FAR away from the wall & tell the nurse the shapes that he saw...Come to find out his right eye is maturing faster than his left. By the age of 7 his eyes should be completely developed & we'll test again.
We went into the room & the nurse gave us a gown. Dominic was not happy with needing to strip down to his chones. He couldn't understand why he had to wear it & he was complaining he was cold.
Here's a pic of him in it...I couldn't resist

The NP came in and asked him a ton of questions, which he did really well answering. I think he would have done much better if he was seeing his normal Dr, but she wasn't available.
The NP had Dominic jump on one leg without any assistance & he couldn't do it...It was hillarious!!!
She was done with the physical & I started to tell her about his little cold he has had. Well come to find out, it's not a little cold, it's bronchitis! UGH! He is now on an antibiotic & is back on the inhaler for his asthma...It really stinks!
She went out & sent in the nurse...Those poor nurses, they get the hard part, IMO. The nurse was telling Dominic what she was going to do & showed him the tray. She asked him for his finger, just to do the finger prick & he already started freaking...remind me next time, taking Delayna is NOT the best thing when Dominic is getting shots!
So, I talked to him calmly & told him that it wouldn't hurt & it would be real fast...He didn't fall for it.
She pricked his finger & he jumped,,,my poor boy! He was ok though.
Then she told him to lay down on his back. Asked me to go to his head and explained to both of us that she was going to hold his legs & wanted mama to "hug" him while holding his arms down. Good thing I did, because his arms went flailing when the shot went in!
I had to hold Delayna, sitting on the exam table, while I "laid" ontop of Domi.
The nurse was SUPER fast, but it didn't help that pain at all! He screamed like nobody's business!
She got him up real fast & I was able to just hold him while he cried. But then Delayna started in too...OH BOY!
We got his prescription, got him dressed & we headed out. I asked him if he was hungry & of course he was, so through his tears, he took a breath and informed me he wanted Chicken Nuggets & fries from Mc Donald's. So, off to the golden arches we went...
We came home. Just as I was getting him out, Grammie pulled in & the faucet was turned back on...Boy does he know how to work her! She let him take over the t.v. after he ate his nuggets.
So, now we have to head out to pick up his birth certificate & he'll be all ready to start school August 24...

A day at the Dr's office with the Herrera Boys

Friday I had to take Anthony in to the Dr.
His chest bone has been protruding and getting worse. Jose was REALLY worried about him and what was going on.
So I called Thursday and the only day they could get me in was on Friday (which was the day of Vicky's memorial & I had to miss it), or I had to wait until January.
So Dominic and I get ready and go pick up Anthony from his school. While we are waiting (like 15 mins!), Dominic is just being a goof and entertaining the staff & I.
We head to the Dr's and Dominic realizes which office we are going to and starts screaming,
"Mama, we can go in the alligator!?!" I know what it means, but Ant looks at me like, "what is this kid talking about?"
So I told Dominic, "Well, ask 'Bobo' and see if he wants to go in the alligator."
Dominic asks Ant and Ant replies, "What is the alligator?"
So, I told Dominic, "We'll go in and surprise Bobo what the alligator is."
Well, anyone that has kept up with my blog knows, the alligator is the ELEVATOR at the Dr's office.
We go into the building and Dominic shows Bobo what the alligator is and asks him if he wants to go in. Of course we do and Anthony starts busting a gut when he realizes that the alligator was the elevator.
We go up and I go to check Ant in. Dominic & Anthony walk off and I look over to see Dominic standing in front of the Women's bathroom. I ask him, "Dominic, what are you doing? Why are you standing here?"
He answers, "Because Bobo is in there." I said, "WHAT, why is your brother in there?!?!"
I open the door and yell, "Anthony?"
Oh yes, the boy answered me!!! He was in the Woman's bathroom, in a stall getting ready to go to the bathroom.
He replies, "What!?" Like I was in the wrong bathroom and he was baffled that I was in there.
I tell him, "Your in the Women's bathroom."
He didn't believe me and started to argue and laugh at the same time. Then he comes out of the stall to see me standing there pointing to the sign on the door.
"Yes son, your in the Women's bathroom!"
We were ROLLING!!!!
He quickly came out and went into the Men's.

After we get called back to the office, we are in there talking and Dominic is playing with a really cool puzzle that was in the office. I asked him to name the items in the puzzle.
So he started to name them off and picks up the helicopter and calls it a "HELOCLOPTO".
Anthony & I started busting up laughing the way he was pronouncing it.
Lately Dominic has been really using his tongue to pronounce his "L's" and calling it a "heloclopto" was just hillarious!
Dominic didn't find it very funny and started to get mad at Anthony for laughing.
So Dominic walked over to Anthony, who was laying on the table laughing, climbed up onto the step and...
WHAM! He hit him as hard as he could in his private!
I was laughing SO hard that I had to hide my face. I wanted Dominic to know that it wasn't ok to hit his brother there, but the way it all happened was so funny that I couldn't help but laugh while my poor son is curled up rolling on the table.
I finally compose myself and talk to Dom and tell him he needs to appologize to his Bobo.
He walked back over to the table and Anthony sat up to see him, and Dominic jumps up and...
WHAM! Dominic's head bonks Ant right in the nose!
We finally got the appologies out, but man, was I hurting from laughing so hard! While poor Anthony is dying in pain.
After we get through the painful appologies, Anthony is telling me how hungry he is and wants to go eat. He calls Dominic over and tells him in his ear to come ask me something.
Dominic comes over and is saying something about "Juno". I am trying to decifer what he is trying to say regarding "Juno". I know that boy has NEVER seen that movie!
He says, "Mama, Bobo wants Cardos Juno!" Then I finally figure out what he is saying...
"Bobo wants Carl's Jr." ROFLMBO!!!!!!
Finally the Dr comes in to check Ant out and is having him do the typical breathing excercises.
She tells him to breath in, breath out.
We hear this really heavy breathing and look over at Dom and he is breathing in and out with Anthony.
We all start busting up laughing!
So after about 1 1/2 hours of comedy, we find out that Anthony's sternom is growing outward instead of together (go figure, Dom's grows in & we were EXTREMELY worried when he was a baby that it would eventually puncture his lungs).
He is fine, he will just have a "well defined chest" as he gets older and works his pecs out.
All in all, everything is good and we got a great hour or so of comedy!!!

Can I go in the alligator, Mama?

Dominic and I went to my Dr's appt today. While I was driving there, we went by Beaver and he yells, "Mama, where you going?"
So I told him, "To my Dr." He replied, "Your Dr. not here, your Dr. over there." Pointing to the "old" Beaver building. Continuing to explain to me that his Dr. is in this building (the 'new' Beaver building.)
So as I continued to drive and explain to him that I do go to the Dr here, thinking that maybe because he hasn't gone with me to this one, only the Redlands office, that he was confused.
As I am pulling in, he begins to argue with me again that, "Mama, this NOT your Dr. my Dr. is here, your Dr. over there!"
I told him, "No Dominic, Mama comes here to."
He finally accepted that mama does go to the Dr where he goes to the Dr. So he asked,
"We'yell, can we go in the alligator then?"
I asked, "The alligator?"
He said, "Yes Mama, the alligator that takes you up, up, up to my Doctors."
*ROLLING!* He meant the ELEVATOR!!!
After I got over the initial burst of giggles, without trying to make him feel bad that he pronounced it wrong, I told him, "Yes mijo, we can go in the alligator."
Well, as I was parking, I realized...
This isn't where my Dr's office is...DUH! It is in the building, next door, where Dominic said it was!
UGH, I think I need some much needed sleep.
So, I told him, "Dominic, you were right, Mama's Dr isn't here it is in the other building."
Of course he replied, "See I teld you Mama. We go there before."

While we were in the Dr's office waiting, we were talking about his dentist appt that he has tomorrow. Well, he is insisting that he goes in the alligator...LOL