Keisha and Princess

My sister Elena took this picture of Keisha and our pet shih tzu Princess who just gave birth a week ago when they stopped by for a visit. Keisha's really thin in this picture, as she lost a lot of weight after having a fever for 3 days. Good thing everything's OK and she's back to school today!

The First Day of School

Today is Keisha's first day of school as a Kinder 2 pupil, but unfortunately, she's staying at home because she has a fever. She's almost better and we all want her to rest as much as she can. Besides, there isn't much activities for today since this is her first day of school.

I am hoping that tomorrow she'll be OK to go to school. I still have to iron her uniforms, something I deliberately did not do yesterday since I knew she wouldn't be going to school today anyway.

Coughing and Sneezing

Oh well, what can I say?

Keisha is coughing, and Nicole is down with the snuffles. I guess it's because of the hot summer climate that we have, and what makes it worse is the fact that nights are cold and the mornings are unbelievably hot.

It's a good thing though that none of them have fever, and they seem to be their normal, energetic selves, and eating the same as they always do.

When Keisha was Hospitalized

This is a picture of Keisha when she was confined in the hospital for mercury ingestion. She still has her dextrose on, and is sound asleep.

Mercury Ingestion

Last February 26, Keisha got confined in the hospital for mercury ingestion. This was the worst day of all of our lives. We ended up sleeping in the hospital, and now we're waiting for a test result that takes weeks before we find out.

When I was a kid, I recall that neither my elder sisters and I have been hospitalized when we were kids. I can't help but feel like a bad parent, and I can't blame my mom in law too. Keisha has her way of being naughty to the point that you'll get so fed up you just feel the urge to spank her, something we don't do so we just turn our backs around and wait until her spell is over.

My mom in law takes care of Nicole, and Henry was at a meeting that night. Keisha said she felt like she had a fever so she took one of our chairs from the dining table, and reached for the thermometer on top of the fridge. She put it inside her mouth, but I guess she bit it too hard as it broke. My mom in law said Keisha spit a lot out, and there was also a lot of mercury left in the broken thermometer. She also made Keisha gargle with water, but we just both wanted to be sure she was free from any harm.

Since during the first 24 hours she didn't suffer from nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or stomach aches, we were released the following day and we're just waiting for one of her test results for mercury level. We're waiting and praying...

Cough and Colds

Nicole is down with cough and colds for 2 days now. We're regularly checking her temperature because we fear that she might have a fever, but luckily we have been proven wrong.

Her cold is not improving though, and she's starting to cough. We're hoping that in the coming days she'll get better, which eventually know she will.

Nicole is just a bit hard to take care of, since she feels sick she always wants to be carried. My mom in law and I find it hard, because she's heavy and very wiggly.

Oh well, I guess this is what day-offs are for, so I can take care and attend to my kids while I have the time.

A Bit Better

Keisha seems to be getting better as the days go by, but she has lost weight so much and I can't help but feel sad whenever I see her without an appetite. What Henry, my mom in law and I are trying to do is that we always involve her in planning meals and we ask her what she wants to eat and that will be our lunch.

She's sleeping right now but will surely be awake a few hours later. I hope she manages to eat a hearty breakfast and regain her appetite. If her condition does not improve in the following days, I just might have to take her to a pediatrician for a check-up.

Down with the Snuffles

Keisha's still down with the snuffles and the occasional cough, but other than that, she's generally fine. We thought she had a fever, which we were proven wrong. I'm glad we were, otherwise we'd have to separate Keisha from Nicole and stop Keisha from kissing Nicole, which is something she does all the time.

Right now, Keisha's going to the market with her grandma to buy our lunch. Her dad's worried she might have a relapse or something, but I agreed to let her go out. I don't think making her stay at home all the time is going to make her any better anyway, for as long as she drinks her meds on time and doesn't let her back get soaked with sweat.

Tooth Extractions

I got two of my teeth extracted the other day, and they still hurt quite a bit. How is this related to Keisha? Well, for starters, my eldest daughter has been really considerate and did not bug me with carrying her, which she usually does. She would also often ask if my gums hurt and if I needed anything.

Keisha would also ask if I already drank the antibiotics and the pain relievers the doctor prescribed, and her reminding me of those things made me not forget, since I'm honestly not that good when it comes to drinking medicines on time.

Yesterday my mom, Leslie, and Keisha went to a mall and brought me back a shirt with red stripes, which looked great. I'm glad they had a great time, although I was left with Nicole. Good thing though I had my cousin to help me out.

I know I promised previously that I'll try to make my share of this blog, and again I apologize for not being able to complete my end of the bargain. I'm glad how this blog has been going, though, and I'll really make an effort to post as often as I can after work.

Shopping with Keisha and Monic

As mentioned in Henry's post, I recently had appendicitis and I was confined for several days. I'm trying to see it in a positive way, like I had the time and chance for a much-needed break, but I also feel that I have been so left-out and behind a couple of things, like my blogs for example.

So when I got home and took a few more days' worth of rest, I wanted to move around not just because my doctor advised me to, but because I wanted to take back what I seem to have missed. I'd consider myself a bit knowledgeable about surgeries and operations, having given birth to my two daughters via cesarean section. But I don't know why, but this one felt different.

Moving on, as part of my moving up and about, Keisha, my mom in law and I went shopping. Therapeutic, huh? Lol. But I had a really great time save the constant nagging and misbehaving Keisha gave us a dose of almost the whole time we were outside. I understand the reason for her being so - she was already sleepy and tired from all the walking we did.

What I loved best about our trip today was that we found so many beautiful dresses for Keisha for a really low price. We paid a visit to a nearby thrift store initially in search of jeans for me, but we ended up buying more for Keisha and I only brought a jacket and a long-sleeved shirt (which I absolutely love).

My mom in law was at her usual haggling self; she got us really big discounts off of the already discounted prices, and even got the store owner to put other kid's dresses on layaway for us. Talk about gift of the gab, huh. Well, better call it a night, since I still have some errands to complete in the morning.

Appendicitis

I know it's a minor thing, but I was really worried when Leslie had appendicitis. Her tolerance for pain for a girl (or am I being subjective) is unusually high, so when she stated her abdomen ached, I knew she wasn't kidding because she rarely says that. She rarely says anything about pain anyway.

I remember when she gave birth to Keisha and Nicole (Simone's real name, we'll have to explain in a later post why), she was still smiling after the operation and with her last cesarean section, she was already sitting down and smiling a couple of hours right after.

Keisha was really worried too; I still recall the look in her face when we started to panic. Although I still remember everything as though it were yesterday, I would like to dwell on the memory of seeing Keisha's face when her mom and I arrived home.

Keisha's Turn

My mom's all better, but it's Keisha's turn to be sick, I guess. She most probably got her cough from my mom, since they sleep together in one bed, and also the fact that Keisha won't stop kissing my mom. So there, she's coughing in her sleep and has lost a little of her appetite.

What she hasn't lost though, is her appetite for playing computer games. When she wakes up, the first thing she does is to sit in front of the pc and ask my mom or Leslie or me to type in her favorite websites, Y8 and Puffgames. And she's all set - she chooses what game to play herself and even figures out on her own how to operate those games as well. My kid's pretty smart.

And since I'm back in the travel industry, Leslie's the one who usually stays up late to watch the shop. Keisha's ok with having Simone sleep in her bed until Leslie goes up to bed herself and takes Simone with her. I'm just worried since Keisha is such a fidgety sleeper, she might hit Simone or something. But not to worry, my mom stays in the middle anyway.

Still Sick

My mom in law's still sick...it's been several days already, and I'm honestly beginning to worry. She's always pretty tough against fevers, colds and coughs, but I guess she was hit pretty hard this time. It's a pretty good thing I have Henry to help me around the house, or else I'd probably be nuts right now. It's hard to take care of two kids, plus the computer shop and the entire house in general. She is taking her meds religiously, and and hopefully in the coming days, she'll be a lot better and back to playing Tantra.

Keisha is, as always, very considerate with her grandma. She helps me massage her, takes water up to her room, and always asks whether it's time for her to drink her medicines. I'm very thankful to have Keisha around, she's a big help.

Down With the Flu

My mom-in-law's down with the flu...she has a pretty high fever, colds, and body pains. Henry's out at work, so I'm stuck taking care of the two kids and managing the house, plus watching the computer shop....whew. But she still manages to get up and help me whenever she can.

Keisha has to be the most considerate daughter ever. She knows her grandma is sick, so she's behaving pretty well today. She's not making much of a fuss about everything and anything (like she always does) and even watches over her grandma. For today, she's in-charge of watching over Simone, she goes to the bathroom unsupervised, and ate a lot during lunch.

I hope when Keisha grows up, she'll keep this attitude of hers. For a baby (yes, I still call her baby) who's turning four, she's pretty responsible. Simone's lucky to have her as a sibling. :-)

It's Keisha who's Sick Now

Simone's a lot better today, but it's Keisha who's down with the snuffles. Her grandmother caught her stuffing Simone's nasal aspirator in her nose after she just used it on Simone, so everything that she took out of Simone's nose went inside Keisha's (yuck). So when Keisha woke up today, she had watery eyes, sneezed a lot, and talked differently.

After 2 days of fever due to her immunizations, we were able to bathe Simone. Boy, was she happy to bathe! Before she even finished her bottle, she fell fast asleep. I think it'll be after lunch that she'll wake up.

Simone Got Immunized

Very early today I took my daughter Simone to the doctor to have her immunization and to have her cough checked. She's been coughing for two days now, along with an occassional runny nose. We were gone for about two hours or so and when we got home, Keisha immediately descended the stairs and asked where I went.

"Where have you been mommy? I was looking for you everywhere."

"Simone and I went to the doctor for her shots."

"Did you bring anything back for me?"

"No, sorry I forgot," I said. I honestly forgot to buy her a present which was something I always did. She frowned, looked at Simone and then screamed.

"Mommy! There's bloooooood!"

One of Simone's legs where she was immunized had a little red dot of blood on it, and there were some that went to her dress. I wonder why kids are so fascinated with blood. Before she could press Simone's leg, I stopped her and explained, "Keisha, that spot hurts. She was pierced by a needle by the doctor."

"Oh, okay then. I'll watch tv instead."

Later this day, Simone got a fever of 38 degrees C, something that I expected as a result of the immunizations. I've never seen Keisha so concerned about Simone. She appointed herself as Head Doctor, applying a cold towel on Simone's forehead, talking to Simone in a soothing voice when it was time for her medicines, and she just laid by Simone's side, watching her sleep and patting her back whenever she coughed.

I guess today was a pretty good day for both Keisha and Simone.