March Madness

So I told myself I wasn't going to let another day go by without getting the blog at least one month closer to being caught up. Those of you reading this as a note on my FB feed may recall our status updates and some amusing photos that were posted from our many visits to medical establishments in the month of March. Let's just say that I drained my healthcare reimbursement account for the year in the span of about 2 weeks.

The month started dramatically. John had a nosebleed just after midnight on the 1st, which he couldn't stop. I eventually convinced him, after I think about an hour and a half, to let me call a friend to drive him to the ER (he wanted to drive himself!). I stayed home and nervously waited with the kids asleep in bed until he returned. Chemical cauterization had it stopped-- but only temporarily, as it turns out. Over the course of the next several days we made several return trips to ERs, and we made the acquaintance of a very nice ENT. John wasted no time becoming a frequent patient of that practice. We moved from the first treatment on to packing, then a few rounds of electrical cauterization, with a couple of balloons mixed in, along with heavy painkillers and a couple of antibiotics to prevent infection. By mid month there were only minor episodes of bleeding.

Probably the worst part of the nosebleed episodes was the Saturday when I had to run home from the mall with Charlie to take John into the ER, and having to explain to him what was happening with his daddy. He had either been asleep or at school for all the episodes up to that point. We are thankful for the friends who helped us watch kids or drive to hospitals during this span of time-- you know who you are!

The rest of the month included a sinus infection for me, and I think an ear infection for Liam. Only Charlie remained healthy the entire month. But we still managed to have some fun.

Mid-month we had a fabulous outing to the Cincinnati International Wine Festival with friends. We once again attended the Saturday afternoon tasting, followed by our traditional meal at Jeff Ruby's for dinner. This year we followed that up with a great James Taylor concert before the night was over. The following week John took Charlie to his first circus. They didn't stay for the whole show, because it ran into Charlie's bedtime, but Charlie seemed to especially like certain things, including the motorcycles. We finished the month by attending Opening Day for the Reds -- this year held on a Thursday. For the first time in a while, the Reds actually won, and in dramatic walk-off home-run fashion.

For the kids, there were of course milestones in March as well. They continued to grow like weeds. I remember glancing across the room and thinking I saw Charlie at the play piano, but it turned out it was Liam. Charlie no longer needed his long pants rolled up, and he nearly mastered buttoning his own shirt. During the first part of the month, Liam started saying "ooooh!" a lot when something excited him. One day, he grabbed his diaper and walked over to a container of wipes-- turns out he had a dirty diaper and we just didn't smell it yet. He did it again about 3 days later. Mid-month we turned Liam's car seat around to face forward in the car, which he loves.

Off to bed I go-- the next update will cover our rainy spring here in Cincinnati.