Home!!

In the end we landed up coming home early from the Kur (it was supposed to end today, we've been home since Saturday), it just wasn't worth the stress anymore. By Thursday I was coming down with a humdinger of a cold/flu and so wasn't able to participate in many of my therapies/activities. Then on Friday Ciara spiked another 40C temperature (3rd illness in 3 weeks) and the decision was made to come home early.

I'm really glad we came home when we did as the last few days have been horrendous with Ciara repeatedly spiking 40+C temperatures and refusing to stay in her bed at nights (me playing baby mattress as Z still wasn't being allowed near her). It is just so much easier to manage everything in our own 4 walls, where we are master of our own timetables and don't have noisy neighbours waking up the sick angels just when we've finally gotten them to sleep.

We did land up seeing our paed yesterday as it had been suggested to me at the Kur clinic if things got worse to get a second medical opinion. While things were not much worse, they were also no better so off to the paed we went- "viral infection" was the diagnosis and "we're doing everything right, just keep on going, it should be better tomorrow".

Ciara of course blew that out the water by throwing such a temp spike last night that we landed up doing cool calf swaddles to try bring her temp down (we had a 2 hour wait before we could give her her next dose of anti pyretic). Today as the day wears on she is creeping up again into the 39C range which means tonight is probably going to be another mess.

I feel an absolute mess too with a sexy deep Marlene voice, a foghorn cough and sinuses 10 seconds before implosion, but hey at least I don't have anyone lying on my chest right now for the first time in days (I managed to convince Ciara to nap in our bedroom without me!).

So in summary: all still sick as dogs but very happy to be home. There really is nowhere as good as home!

PS Enya still surprisingly chirpy with no fever although she too has the foghorn cough. She's also lost her appetite and found a donkeys, which can only be good since both girls have lost about half a "hard fought for" kilo in the last 3 weeks.

Keeps getting better!!

Last week I heard one of the kids staying here had landed up in ICU with Rota virus, then yesterday we had the air ambulance air lift another of the kids out of here, this time due to burns. I think I need a Kur from this Kur!

just call me mattress

It didn't take long did it!?! I wasn't feeling too well last night so I went to bed early, as I lay there just getting ready to doze off, I heard Enya coughing. Two seconds later I heard her gushing. Hop out of bed, run to their room, fling open the door, grab her out of bed and hold her over the cough cough bucket (and yes that is what they both refer to this bucket as, we had nothing to do with the naming!) to receive the second gush. She also had a very high temperature and so I landed up dragging the cot out of their room into ours and that was the end of my early night. Enya hasn't puked since and we think she actually just has a very bad cold as opposed to the gastric bug that Ciara had\has. We had thought Ciara was back to normal but after giving her some milk this morning she puked again and has been very lethargic and puky all day, at least her temperature is down. I have pretty much spent the entire day today with both of them draped over my chest, mostly lying on the bed. For some reason Daddy just isn't cutting it this illness, only mommy is allowed to cuddle with them and carry them. And walking that is just not in the programm at all today i.e. they have to be carried or cuddled at all times. And to crown it off tonight Ciara puked all over me again after I gave her some water. Motherhood definitely has it's moments!

This Kur is turning out to be the complete oppsite of relaxing!

The cough cough bucket

A little history first: when Enya gets carsick she usually gives us a bit of warning by saying "cough cough" (maybe TMI but it's usually after the first retch but before anything solid comes up).

So on to the present: I thought something was a bit off this morning when Ciara was exceptionally cuddily, then I heard her retch. Of course we're away in the Allgäu right now on the mother child Kur (which had been going great up till now, but another story and another time) so we have to follow the rules here. I phoned the night nurse to report that Ciara was off colour and her reaction was as long as Ciara hadn't actually vomitted she could still attend her therapy and playgroup sessions today. No sooner had she said that then Ciara vomitted, the question resolved itself nicely. Enya was still allowed out but now Ciara was banned to stay in our flat. To be honest she hasn't been up for anything all day, she has been draped listlessly over Z or my chest all day and mumbling the whole time about her cough cough bucket (her faithful companion!!).

As of this evening she has a 40°c temperature and is very lethargic, thankfully she is drinking well (water and peppermint tea!?!) although understandably she has no appetite. Boy am I glad Z came down to join us last weekend (another epic story to be told another time)as alone in a strange enviroment this would have been very hard to manage!

I really hope this is the same bug that has burned through the rest of the patients here as it seems to be a 24 hour bug which means Ciara would be back on her feet tomorrow and we only have to get Enya through it then (so far Enya is as fit as a fiddle)

Yesterday

My favourite part of the day yesterday was when Z rolled over in bed last night and thanked me for his birthday.
My least favourite part was when I landed up getting turned away from our local shopping centre as they had closed it due to the danger of roof collapsing under the snow load.

Thankfully the thaw has finally started so no more shovelling for this exhausted mommy and hopefully the roads will soon become 2 way again (right now most roads are only wide enough for one car) so driving will also become "fun" again.

Scratch that

Kinderturnen (tumble tots) was cancelled as all flat roofed buildings in our area have been closed due to the danger of them collapsing under the weight of the snow on them. I wish I had known that before I made the scary drive to the sports hall yesterday afternoon. Z even landed up leaving work early as he was worried about not getting home last night. Play group was cancelled as well this morning which means we've only got play therapy to look forward to this week. At least it gives us more time to prepare for Z's birthday dinner tonight though ;0)

I'll leave with you a photo from this morning- Enya just couldn't wait for her daddy to finish up shaving, so she climbed into her rocker and fed herself her bottle!

Sinking under a sea of snow

Our next door neighbours granddaughter kindly clearing our front path

Our back garden

We've had about half a meter of snow in the last week and they are predicting another 20cm of snow in the next 14 hours. Our city has no more salt for the roads as it has been an unexpectedly snow filled January which means driving conditions are scary. It is very difficult to get fresh supplies of salt as all the communities are in the same boat, which has driven the demand for (and the price of) salt up dramatically. They say it has been the snowiest (is that even a word?) winter in 30 years here in Germany.

Needless to say we're all going a little bit crazy after being trapped inside so long (we can't go out as the girls literally can't walk around, except on the cleared paths and that's not fun!)



At least we've got play group and play therapy to look forward to this week as well as, new to the programm, Kinderturnen (tumble tots in SA) this afternoon.