Today we took a trip up to Forest Lake, MN, to visit a new dairy farm. The Autumnwood Farm just started dairy production and had an open house. E enjoyed looking at the animals and Amy and I enjoyed learning how they process milk. We sampled some chocolate milk and ended up buying some. We also visited one of the barns where they had baby animals you could pet, E really enjoyed it. He almost pet a month old calf, but wasn't too sure. We also went on a hay ride.
Pictures can be seen in our Dairy album (password required).
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
We Weren't Home, And It Wasn't Our Neighborhood
I'd say it is a bit unusual to have to field phone calls from well wishers on two nationally reported events within 9-months (I-35W Bridge last August), but here we are again, and a quite a bit closer to home. As most of you know, if you have been watching television in the last 24 hours, our town was hit by a devastating tornado. Many have called or emailed us but I just want everyone to know we were not home but over a hundred miles away up north at the lake.
The neighborhood in which the tornado went through was about 29 blocks to the north of us, but the damage is more widespread. When we came from the north on 35-E we saw a farm in Lino Lakes which had it's silos torn apart and strewn up to the interstate. As we came into town we saw windows tarped and siding with large holes where the baseball sized hail just pummeled everything. Hwy 61 to the north is closed off which means no Subway, Carpenter's Steak House, or Blacksmith Lounge for a while.
None of this compares to what those in the 159th street area lost. Silos, siding, and windows can be replaced but a lot of people lost their homes, memories, and for one couple, their two-year-old son. It really hits home not that it was our town that got hit, but that the boy was about E's age.
Our house escaped with little damage. A few screens will need to be replaced as they now have large holes, and our siding needs to be fixed as it has chips and fractures. Just a few blocks to the north the damage is more intense as you can't miss the holes in the siding and broken windows. To the east, in a small Lino Lakes neighborhood every house has holes in the siding like swiss cheese. It is unbelievable, and again, we are very fortunate. Our prayers and thoughts are with those in the areas most affected, as they are our neighbors in a very, very close sense of the word.
The neighborhood in which the tornado went through was about 29 blocks to the north of us, but the damage is more widespread. When we came from the north on 35-E we saw a farm in Lino Lakes which had it's silos torn apart and strewn up to the interstate. As we came into town we saw windows tarped and siding with large holes where the baseball sized hail just pummeled everything. Hwy 61 to the north is closed off which means no Subway, Carpenter's Steak House, or Blacksmith Lounge for a while.
None of this compares to what those in the 159th street area lost. Silos, siding, and windows can be replaced but a lot of people lost their homes, memories, and for one couple, their two-year-old son. It really hits home not that it was our town that got hit, but that the boy was about E's age.
Our house escaped with little damage. A few screens will need to be replaced as they now have large holes, and our siding needs to be fixed as it has chips and fractures. Just a few blocks to the north the damage is more intense as you can't miss the holes in the siding and broken windows. To the east, in a small Lino Lakes neighborhood every house has holes in the siding like swiss cheese. It is unbelievable, and again, we are very fortunate. Our prayers and thoughts are with those in the areas most affected, as they are our neighbors in a very, very close sense of the word.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Another Fever
Yesterday afternoon E started running a temperature at daycare. They gave him medicine but his temp did not go down. Amy picked him up, brought him home and give him two Popsicles as well as dinner but it didn't help. At around ten o'clock I went in to give him medicine and found he had diarrhea and a temp of 102. We started monitoring him and he seemed in high spirits.
Around 1:15am this morning we have him some more medicine but his fever was not going away. At around 1:30am we heard strange noises from his room and went to check. He had gone into seizure, yet again. We called the on-call doctor who suggested calling 911 because the seizure had gone on for a little longer than before.
The ambulance yet again made its way to our house and transported E to our hospital. This time, since it was late at night, there was little fan fare for our neighbors as sirens were not used while approaching our house and only four vehicles responded. We were calm this time as we had gone through this before and are assured by everyone that it causes no damage or long term effects on our little guy.
We arrived back home at around 4:15am and as you can imagine we were all exhausted. We now have medicine to give E if/when he goes into another seizure that can hopefully prevent us from calling 911 again. We are told to call 911 if the seizure seems to be lasting too long. I expect us to get to know our local EMT's real well, and since they keep asking me for E's social security number after they transport him, Amy and I are going to have to seriously memorize it.
As I had mentioned earlier, we were calm this time, and I don't think we will just "get used to it" but we really hope he doesn't do this every time he gets a fever. The good new is that the fever has nothing to do with his ears. They are clear of fluid and not infected. (Yeah! NO TUBES! -yet) The bad news is that they think he has the Rota (sp?) virus which is causing the diarrhea and fever.
Around 1:15am this morning we have him some more medicine but his fever was not going away. At around 1:30am we heard strange noises from his room and went to check. He had gone into seizure, yet again. We called the on-call doctor who suggested calling 911 because the seizure had gone on for a little longer than before.
The ambulance yet again made its way to our house and transported E to our hospital. This time, since it was late at night, there was little fan fare for our neighbors as sirens were not used while approaching our house and only four vehicles responded. We were calm this time as we had gone through this before and are assured by everyone that it causes no damage or long term effects on our little guy.
We arrived back home at around 4:15am and as you can imagine we were all exhausted. We now have medicine to give E if/when he goes into another seizure that can hopefully prevent us from calling 911 again. We are told to call 911 if the seizure seems to be lasting too long. I expect us to get to know our local EMT's real well, and since they keep asking me for E's social security number after they transport him, Amy and I are going to have to seriously memorize it.
As I had mentioned earlier, we were calm this time, and I don't think we will just "get used to it" but we really hope he doesn't do this every time he gets a fever. The good new is that the fever has nothing to do with his ears. They are clear of fluid and not infected. (Yeah! NO TUBES! -yet) The bad news is that they think he has the Rota (sp?) virus which is causing the diarrhea and fever.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Weekend Scare
I'm emerging from a hectic 14 days of grad project and final studies, UST Board of Trustees presentation prep, final AITP meeting of the semester, and various other work projects. Amy is counting down the days to the end of school, scheduling E's appointments, and trying to keep our house together. We were not ready for last weekend.
E's ear infections have been on again and off again for about five or so months. If he didn't have an ear infection, there was fluid, so he hasn't had decent ears in quite a while. However, we are blessed with the fact that he does understand directions and he is saying Bu-Bu-Bu for Buddy, Da-da-da for daddy, and ma-ma-ma for mommy. He can be quite helpful when he chooses, like following orders to bring dirty clothes to the laundry room, though sometimes he will then go through the drawers and bring clean clothes to the laundry.
Teething always seems to bring out the sickness in E. First he gets a runny nose, then a slight fever, and finally an ear infection. Right now he is teething four at once. We are leaning towards tubes, but really don't want to rush. If we can hold off, we want to, but the reality is we might be be able for long.
It was no surprise, when at his 15 month appointment, he had a slight fever and so the doctor decided not to do shots. E was also prescribed a new anti-biotic. His fourth.
Come Saturday, E's fever did not go away and we put him down for a nap as he was tired. I was working on my grad work when E woke up crying. Amy went up there to get him out of his crib and noticed he was soaked with sweat. She undressed him, went to get a cool wash cloth and when she came back she found that E had his eyes closed and was unresponsive. She tried waking him up and when he wouldn't, she called down to me.
I arrived upstairs with Amy holding E, limp in her arms and asking me to call 911. As I was on the phone with the operator E's eyes opened but were rolling in the back of his head. Within a minute we heard a siren and E was starting to twitch and then foam at the mouth. The sheriff's deputy was the first to arrive. Shortly after the first paramedic arrived, within another 30 seconds, E started to cry. Amy heard them say it was a good sign. Over the next few minutes I let in about six more emergency workers. We have a volunteer emergency crew in our city so whoever was available responded. We ended up with two ambulances, a Fire/Rescue Suburban, and two sheriff deputies. Looking back, we are amazed at the response time.
E was transported to our hospital, mainly because they wanted to make sure it was not the new anti-biotic. After 30 minutes in the ER (E's third visit this year) it was determined that he had a Febrile seizure brought on by his fever. It is common among those under the age of 6 and some will say that it in no way relates to Epilepsy or seizures later in life. It depends on what professional you ask or Web site you visit.
Amy's parents met us in the waiting room and brought a smile to E's face. It was nice to have them there as he was extremely tired from the seizure and the medical staff said he might not be himself for a day or two, but there would be no permanent damage. A febrile seizure is harmless, but really traumatic for parents who go through it for the first time. No kidding. They do recommend you call 911 though on the first instance, but after that just let him work himself through it as there is nothing you can do. We just hope there isn't a next time as we both thought we had lost our little guy.
My mom was planning on coming up this coming weekend, but came up early to help out as he re cooperated and I finished out my hectic week. I am glad to have a four day weekend coming as mid-last week I thought I needed a break. Now I am really glad to have taken the time off. I can now spend some time at home doing things and being with E.
E has been doing fine and we are looking forward to transitioning him to the toddler room at daycare next week. His fever is gone and his teeth don't seem to be bugging him much anymore. One ear no longer has an infection.
E's ear infections have been on again and off again for about five or so months. If he didn't have an ear infection, there was fluid, so he hasn't had decent ears in quite a while. However, we are blessed with the fact that he does understand directions and he is saying Bu-Bu-Bu for Buddy, Da-da-da for daddy, and ma-ma-ma for mommy. He can be quite helpful when he chooses, like following orders to bring dirty clothes to the laundry room, though sometimes he will then go through the drawers and bring clean clothes to the laundry.
Teething always seems to bring out the sickness in E. First he gets a runny nose, then a slight fever, and finally an ear infection. Right now he is teething four at once. We are leaning towards tubes, but really don't want to rush. If we can hold off, we want to, but the reality is we might be be able for long.
It was no surprise, when at his 15 month appointment, he had a slight fever and so the doctor decided not to do shots. E was also prescribed a new anti-biotic. His fourth.
Come Saturday, E's fever did not go away and we put him down for a nap as he was tired. I was working on my grad work when E woke up crying. Amy went up there to get him out of his crib and noticed he was soaked with sweat. She undressed him, went to get a cool wash cloth and when she came back she found that E had his eyes closed and was unresponsive. She tried waking him up and when he wouldn't, she called down to me.
I arrived upstairs with Amy holding E, limp in her arms and asking me to call 911. As I was on the phone with the operator E's eyes opened but were rolling in the back of his head. Within a minute we heard a siren and E was starting to twitch and then foam at the mouth. The sheriff's deputy was the first to arrive. Shortly after the first paramedic arrived, within another 30 seconds, E started to cry. Amy heard them say it was a good sign. Over the next few minutes I let in about six more emergency workers. We have a volunteer emergency crew in our city so whoever was available responded. We ended up with two ambulances, a Fire/Rescue Suburban, and two sheriff deputies. Looking back, we are amazed at the response time.
E was transported to our hospital, mainly because they wanted to make sure it was not the new anti-biotic. After 30 minutes in the ER (E's third visit this year) it was determined that he had a Febrile seizure brought on by his fever. It is common among those under the age of 6 and some will say that it in no way relates to Epilepsy or seizures later in life. It depends on what professional you ask or Web site you visit.
Amy's parents met us in the waiting room and brought a smile to E's face. It was nice to have them there as he was extremely tired from the seizure and the medical staff said he might not be himself for a day or two, but there would be no permanent damage. A febrile seizure is harmless, but really traumatic for parents who go through it for the first time. No kidding. They do recommend you call 911 though on the first instance, but after that just let him work himself through it as there is nothing you can do. We just hope there isn't a next time as we both thought we had lost our little guy.
My mom was planning on coming up this coming weekend, but came up early to help out as he re cooperated and I finished out my hectic week. I am glad to have a four day weekend coming as mid-last week I thought I needed a break. Now I am really glad to have taken the time off. I can now spend some time at home doing things and being with E.
E has been doing fine and we are looking forward to transitioning him to the toddler room at daycare next week. His fever is gone and his teeth don't seem to be bugging him much anymore. One ear no longer has an infection.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spring has sprung!
Blah, over-used phrase, I know, but after the snow last week it was a treat to actually hear the sounds of the frogs coming off of our lake. I love having our windows open finally!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
15 Months Old
It's Saturday night. E is sleeping, Chad is working on Master's homework, so I decided I'd take the time to add an entry.
E is now 15 months old and as the daycare says, he's "Mr. Investigator." He wants to see, touch, and play with everything! His favorite things right now are things that aren't toys...anything with a cord is really cool in his eyes. He enjoys giving high fives, tickling people, giving hugs and kisses, coloring, climbing on anything and everything, playing in his fort made out of two cardboard boxes, and putting toys in and out of everything. He also still enjoys bathtime and has recently discovered that playing with the faucet is really fun! E also has mastered two baby sign language signs. He knows "more" and "all done." The daycare has been working with the kids on these and unfortunately, we didn't know what the signs were until a couple of weeks ago. Here our little guy has been using them all along and we were missing them! Sad! But now that we've caught on, he sure smiles as he knows we're understanding him. E has also developed a happy dance. It looks like he is running in place when he does it, because his little feet move rapidly but his body stays in one place.
E now has 10 teeth...as his first year molars on the top poked through about a month ago. We can tell he's working on the bottom ones now, as he's begun to drool, have runny noses and coughs, diaper rashes, wake up in the middle of the night, etc. It seems this is what happens whenever teeth are working their way out. We'll sure be glad when he doesn't have to endure any more of that pain!
E still stays mama and dada...although not as often as he used to. He says "oh, oh" which we can understand clear as day...but the rest of his chatter is foreign language to us. We're sure anticipating the day he speaks English! He is very good as understanding English though! It's amazing to us how much he understands. He's become quite a good listener!
E is enjoying eating real food. He has a sweet tooth...but some of his favorites are spaghetti, mac and cheese, yogurt, and milk. He sure still loves his milk. He is still getting a few ounces of milk in a bottle before naptime and bedtime...although we're really going to start working on that as he's about to move up to the toddler room at daycare...where bottles go bye-bye. We expect it's going to be tough for him, but the daycare thinks it will be a breeze. We'll see who's right! He's begun to transition up to the next room now and absolutely enjoys it! He doesn't want to leave when we go to pick him up. He runs away...trying to hide. That's a good thing! In this next room, he'll enjoy going outside, sitting on a chair at a table, singing songs, doing a variety of activities, and will eventually take naps on a cot. I say eventually because I'm expecting it to take awhile for the little guy to grasp onto this concept. However, monkey see, monkey do. Maybe he'll catch on fast from the others.
E has been going to bed around 7:30 and waking up around 7am. As mentioned before, there have been a couple of times lately where he's woken up once in the middle of the night in pain due to teething. But geez, it's sure nice to be able to get a night's sleep. He wakes up ready to go! He then takes his nap at the daycare around 11:30 for about two hours.
We recently took a trip down to Nebraska to see Grams, Chad's mom. We went down on a Wednesday and came back on Monday. We were able to be down there for Easter, which was nice as we haven't been down there for a holiday lately due to my school schedule, etc. The trip down there was quite stressful as E only slept for an hour! Chad and I couldn't believe it. The trip took us seven hours, with a few stops....including E's first Subway meal. Chad sat in the backseat and did the entertaining, while I drove. Being down there was great. The weather was gorgeous...and the time spent with Chad's mom was great. She sure is good to E. I dream about her moving up here to Minnesota to be with the little guy. They have so much fun together and she has so much to offer him! The trip back home was much better as E slept for four hours! Yay! Made it home in 6 hours! Only one stop! :)
I better close for now. But I must say, E is still sure one sweet boy. His hugs and kisses brighten my days and melt my heart.
E is now 15 months old and as the daycare says, he's "Mr. Investigator." He wants to see, touch, and play with everything! His favorite things right now are things that aren't toys...anything with a cord is really cool in his eyes. He enjoys giving high fives, tickling people, giving hugs and kisses, coloring, climbing on anything and everything, playing in his fort made out of two cardboard boxes, and putting toys in and out of everything. He also still enjoys bathtime and has recently discovered that playing with the faucet is really fun! E also has mastered two baby sign language signs. He knows "more" and "all done." The daycare has been working with the kids on these and unfortunately, we didn't know what the signs were until a couple of weeks ago. Here our little guy has been using them all along and we were missing them! Sad! But now that we've caught on, he sure smiles as he knows we're understanding him. E has also developed a happy dance. It looks like he is running in place when he does it, because his little feet move rapidly but his body stays in one place.
E now has 10 teeth...as his first year molars on the top poked through about a month ago. We can tell he's working on the bottom ones now, as he's begun to drool, have runny noses and coughs, diaper rashes, wake up in the middle of the night, etc. It seems this is what happens whenever teeth are working their way out. We'll sure be glad when he doesn't have to endure any more of that pain!
E still stays mama and dada...although not as often as he used to. He says "oh, oh" which we can understand clear as day...but the rest of his chatter is foreign language to us. We're sure anticipating the day he speaks English! He is very good as understanding English though! It's amazing to us how much he understands. He's become quite a good listener!
E is enjoying eating real food. He has a sweet tooth...but some of his favorites are spaghetti, mac and cheese, yogurt, and milk. He sure still loves his milk. He is still getting a few ounces of milk in a bottle before naptime and bedtime...although we're really going to start working on that as he's about to move up to the toddler room at daycare...where bottles go bye-bye. We expect it's going to be tough for him, but the daycare thinks it will be a breeze. We'll see who's right! He's begun to transition up to the next room now and absolutely enjoys it! He doesn't want to leave when we go to pick him up. He runs away...trying to hide. That's a good thing! In this next room, he'll enjoy going outside, sitting on a chair at a table, singing songs, doing a variety of activities, and will eventually take naps on a cot. I say eventually because I'm expecting it to take awhile for the little guy to grasp onto this concept. However, monkey see, monkey do. Maybe he'll catch on fast from the others.
E has been going to bed around 7:30 and waking up around 7am. As mentioned before, there have been a couple of times lately where he's woken up once in the middle of the night in pain due to teething. But geez, it's sure nice to be able to get a night's sleep. He wakes up ready to go! He then takes his nap at the daycare around 11:30 for about two hours.
We recently took a trip down to Nebraska to see Grams, Chad's mom. We went down on a Wednesday and came back on Monday. We were able to be down there for Easter, which was nice as we haven't been down there for a holiday lately due to my school schedule, etc. The trip down there was quite stressful as E only slept for an hour! Chad and I couldn't believe it. The trip took us seven hours, with a few stops....including E's first Subway meal. Chad sat in the backseat and did the entertaining, while I drove. Being down there was great. The weather was gorgeous...and the time spent with Chad's mom was great. She sure is good to E. I dream about her moving up here to Minnesota to be with the little guy. They have so much fun together and she has so much to offer him! The trip back home was much better as E slept for four hours! Yay! Made it home in 6 hours! Only one stop! :)
I better close for now. But I must say, E is still sure one sweet boy. His hugs and kisses brighten my days and melt my heart.
Monday, March 10, 2008
St. Patrick's Day on KUST
St. Patrick's Day is next Monday, which happens to also be a day that I have the KUST studio all to myself between 10 and noon, so I figured I'd celebrate BIG! I'm "taking" the studio to Chicago in order to bring the listeners the sounds of St. Patty's Day in Chicago.
This has never been done before on KUST so it should be a spectacular broadcast. I'll be playing Celtic and Irish music, bringing you the parade and greening of the Chicago River.
FYI: Don't attempt to go to Chicago on Monday as you will have missed everything. The festivities are actually held on Saturday before St. Patrick's day. It is through the magic of radio, time shifting, and time travel that I am able to do this. We have a fabulous studio here at KUST with the latest in high tech devices so don't attempt to enjoy Chicago on St. Patrick's day without listening to my broadcast.
If you can't make it between 10 and noon on Monday, you can always download it from my web site at www.chadleighkluck.net and celebrate at a later time.
Be sure to invite your friends to my broadcast and tune in yourself by going to www.stthomas.edu/kust between 10 and noon on Monday, March 17. Wear green!
This has never been done before on KUST so it should be a spectacular broadcast. I'll be playing Celtic and Irish music, bringing you the parade and greening of the Chicago River.
FYI: Don't attempt to go to Chicago on Monday as you will have missed everything. The festivities are actually held on Saturday before St. Patrick's day. It is through the magic of radio, time shifting, and time travel that I am able to do this. We have a fabulous studio here at KUST with the latest in high tech devices so don't attempt to enjoy Chicago on St. Patrick's day without listening to my broadcast.
If you can't make it between 10 and noon on Monday, you can always download it from my web site at www.chadleighkluck.net and celebrate at a later time.
Be sure to invite your friends to my broadcast and tune in yourself by going to www.stthomas.edu/kust between 10 and noon on Monday, March 17. Wear green!
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