The FLU

We have our first case of the FLU! In the three years of Alohi’s life, she has only run a fever if she has an ear infection and once she had a cold.  So on Sunday, when she woke up from her nap she had a 100 temp I figured we had another ear infection. We had gone to the Y’s swimming pool on Saturday as a family outing and thought that might have triggered it. So, I just waited things out. Sunday night was rough. Rylan was getting packed for his two day business trip to Northplatte, Nebraska and I was keeping Alohi happy with movies, soup & lots of liquids on the couch.  Po’okela decided to join in the fun, by spitting up most of his dinner (carrots).  So by the time we got settled and both kids sleeping I was exhausted! 

At about 12 am, Alohi called out for me. She was shivering and saying she was cold.  I took her temp and it was 101, so another dose of Tylenol and snuggling on the couch for an hour and half (that way we didn’t wake up daddy because he had a morning of driving to get to meeting).  I laid her down and crawled back into bed… 30 minutes later, Po`okela was up. I normally let him talk himself back to sleep, but I didn’t want him to wake up his sister so I went to get him and we snuggled on the couch for about 30 minutes.  Thankfully neither of them got up again.  

The next morning, I was up with Rylan getting him out the door and nursing Po’okela.  Alohi calls out, so Rylan goes into get her and he comes out and tells me she is burning up. So he sets her up on the couch with some water, under the covers and turns on PBS.  Once I get Po’okela fed, changed and playing I go check on Alohi, who has a temp of 102.4, eyes watering, nose running, complaining of her legs hurting and looking pretty sad.  I make some chicken noodle soup and give her some juice.  She falls asleep off and on for the next hour. 

At 8:00 I call the doctor, who needs to call me back. We get an appointment schedule for 1:15 that day. Why so late, who knows…. I’m just glad that we got in with the quiz of questions I was given.  When I got off the phone, I was a bit frustrated because I really felt like they didn’t believe me that my child was sick.  I’m sure not getting a full nights of sleep didn’t help.  

For the rest of the day, Alohi laid on the couch watching movies or PBS. She would only get up to go to the bathroom or to climb into my lap.  Thankfully Po’okela was happy to just play on his own.  He is such a happy boy!

At 1:00, we loaded up in the car to go to the doctors.  I planned on pushing Po’okela in the stroller and letting Alohi wake.  I should have brought the sling along and carried Po’okela in the sling, pushing Alohi in the stroller because once we got to the doctors office Alohi’s legs (according to her) hurt way to bad to wake.  So I’m now carrying Alohi and trying to push/drag the stroller to the office.  She again is snoozing on me and thankfully the nurse pushed Po’okela to the room.  

They took her temp there and it was 103.7! I answered the list of questions again and the nurse knew she was sick.  When the doctor came in, Alohi’s ear checked out clear and everything look just like a virus that has been going around. But they decided to check her for the flu.  Poor girl had to get this swap thing put up her nose, which led to crying and we were told it would take 15 minutes to get the results. The nurse was back in less than 3 minutes with a positive result.  Doctor comes in to tell us that because we have caught it within a 48 hour window, that we can take much needed preventative measures for Po’okela not to get it.  So, we are all on meds. Alohi takes her twice a day.  It won’t heal her, but it will make the course of the flu (10-14 days normally) maybe last 7-10 days.  Po’okela, Rylan and I are on something for 10 days.  Po’okela is currently sleeping in our room to also help prevent him from getting it from Alohi, since they sleep in the same room.  

We leave there and stop at sonic for happy hour and then head to walgreens to pick up meds.  I knew I needed some more chicken noodle soup and fever reducing meds and I needed to update our insurance info.  Little did I know that Walgreens is one of the most happening places in this town and we end up waiting there for an hour and half.  Po’okela thankfully slept through that trip and again I find myself sitting at the chairs with Alohi snoring on me (I felt bad because she had crashed out in the shopping cart all twisted up).  

I decided at that point, I was NOT going to make dinner so I drove through drive through to get a burger. By the time I got home, both kids were crying.  It was time for Po’okela to nurse/feed again and Alohi’s body was hurting. Thank goodness I got dinner!!  

The evening went by with more movies, soup and snugging on the couch with both kids.  We aren’t going to be going anywhere until her fever is gone for two days.  I’m just thankful that Rylan will be home tonight and will be able to help out!

Helpful learning tip…. Make sure everyone gets the FLU shot!

Here’s some pictures that I managed to get from yesterday.

This is how we spent most of the day.

Crashed out waiting way too long at Walgreens!

The sticky cooling thingy was 50% off, so I picked them up for her. She liked them!

This morning with homemade apple juice popsicle!

Po`okela 5 Months

I can’t believe Po’okela is 5 months old already!! I know where the time went and things were so busy that I don’t really feel I got to really appreciate the earliest stages of your life.  Right now your personality is shining through! You are a very happy boy, as long as I don’t put you on your tummy for too long. You always give me a warning cry/scream to let me know that you are done being on your tummy and to help assist you in rolling to your side, which then you are as happy as can be.  You have noticed your sister and daddy playing and want to be apart of the action.  However, when they get a little rough and loud you let out a scream, which I then tell them to settle down.  If they are playing and it is nursing time, we normally either have to send them out of the room or we exit the room so you get your full feeding in!

Speaking of your feeding, today we introduced green beans with your rice cereal for dinner tonight.  You like it best when its a little warm and ate the most food today in one sitting.  We will continue to introduce each food a 3-4 days at a time to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction to anything.  You will get all the green veggies, then orange stuff, and last we will move on to the yummy fruits which I know you will have no problems liking.  You still nurse a full feeding before every meal and occasionally want more milk after you have eaten.  You sit in your bumbo chair at the table while the rest of the family eats breakfast or dinner and really enjoy the interaction.  Your nursing times are 7:00/7:30 am, 10:00, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 (these times aren’t exact and you occasionally feed 30 minutes before or after those times).  You have started to sign milk, but that is only when your daddy picks you up from your nap and normally head straight to me for a feeding!

Speaking of your feeding, today we introduced green beans with your rice cereal for dinner tonight.  You like it best when its a little warm and ate the most food today in one sitting.  We will continue to introduce each food a 3-4 days at a time to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction to anything.  You will get all the green veggies, then orange stuff, and last we will move on to the yummy fruits which I know you will have no problems liking.  You still nurse a full feeding before every meal and occasionally want more milk after you have eaten.  You sit in your bumbo chair at the table while the rest of the family eats breakfast or dinner and really enjoy the interaction.  Your nursing times are 7:00/7:30 am, 10:00, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 (these times aren’t exact and you occasionally feed 30 minutes before or after those times).  You have started to sign milk, but that is only when your daddy picks you up from your nap and normally head straight to me for a feeding!

 

You are a good sleeper. Not nearly as easy as your sister, but you are a good sleeper.  Your naps fluctuate between a 1 hour nap to 2 ½ hours.  It just depends on how the day has gone, how your previous nap was, if you sister has woken you up (which doesn’t happen very often) or if we have been out.  On Sundays you normally skip your early morning nap because we are trying to get to church, but that just means you take a great nap during the sermon and thru lunch!  At night you occasionally get up and talk to yourself, but always put yourself back to sleep on your own.  Rarely do you ever cry, so if you are crying I go into check on your and you have your blanket on your face or your sleeve has covered your thumb so you can’t suck it.  After that you settle down and fall back to sleep.

I have learned that you and your sister don’t take naps well together in the same room, so I separate the two of you during the day.  Yep, you and your sister share the same room for now.  When she gets a little older we will move her down to the basement bedroom (depending how long we are here in this house).  The one day I had you both in the same room, she decided to put on a dancing show for you while you played your mobile music.  You two were laughing, when I came up from working on the play area in the basement.  So, now you take naps in our bedroom in the bassinet, which you are about to out grow.  I’ll get the pack-n-play set up soon! 

You and your sister get along well. If I’m busy in the kitchen or cleaning and you start to fuss, she comes to your rescue to tell you it will be okay.  You like it when she reads to you, but she gets frustrated when you try to put the book in your mouth.  She tells you when you are doing a good job or if you shouldn’t do something.  I enjoy watching the two of you together and always makes my heart melt.

Your favorite place to play is on your play mat. You spend time in your exersuacer and like that.  You love to eat links!  You have learned to talk in your own happy voice and only have one volume, which is loud.  Hoku is your buddy and he lets you do just about anything to him (which he never did with your sister).  You have found your feet and will put them in your mouth!

 I love you sweet boy and I am so very blessed to be able to be at home with you and your sister! Happy 5 months Po`okela Ikaika Matthew Kocher!

Twist and Turn Po`okela

This is post just for my little man.  He is all smiles until you put him on his belly. So most days he plays on his back if he is on the floor, but lately he has learned to spin around! Yep, he can roll from back to belly with his head facing up and then roll back again. Which normally leads him to spinning around.  So here's my little man showing off his skills!

Since I have uploaded these pictures he has continued his turning/rolling to be completely 180 degrees facing the other direction!  I can't believe how quickly he is growing up!

How we got our Blog name...

This post will include how we got our blog name.  I knew once we moved, I would want people to still be able to keep up with our family happenings and everyone would want to watch Alohi and Po`okela grow.  So I posted on facebook to get some help from friends.  I liked them but nothing really stuck.  Especially since I was in the mood of… “what?!?!” or my favorite “And God did what.” But, I didn’t really think that God was purposefully manipulating our lives and I didn’t want to blame Him for the things happening.  Life has been all over the place and I know when I look back on the last 4-5 months I know God was working… for the good!  So I texted my soul sister Ro and she helped me find a more positive spin and we got, “See what happen was…”  After talking it over with Rylan, he liked them both but we couldn’t decide.  We decided to sleep on it, or we thought we would sleep on it.  Early in the day I went to the gym to Zumba, so I got into the shower so I would be ready to go the next morning for church.  As I was finishing up and reaching for my towel, I feel myself falling and the next thing I know I feel my head hitting the floor, shower curtain over me and my head hurts.  Yep, I slipped in the shower and I yell for Rylan, who is freaking out.  He got me an ice pack and I held it on my head for about an hour and stayed awake for another hour or longer to make sure I didn’t suffer a concussion.  With that, Rylan took a picture and sent it to Ro and used our blog name.  That’s how we got our blog started and now the shiner to prove the story.  I’ve now got green bruising on my head and cheek (I didn’t realize that evening that I hit my cheek too).  

Trip to the doctors....

In the last couple of weeks, we have visited our new pediatrician and I really like her. She seems like a younger version of our doctor back in OKC. It’s different because our last doctor had been working for a while and had a very laid back personality. Also, we got along with her really well. Our doc here is great too! She is helpful, informative and laid back. Here’s to a great relationship with her and her staff.

Po’okela had his 4 month check up before Christmas. We got lost finding the place and showed up just on time. They getting you in the back super quick, so I was juggling the stroller, hungry sister, the clipboard full of paper work, my wallet with insurance card and all of that I was so flustered… Actually we left the appointment not even sure all of his stats. All I knew was he was about 15 lbs because I laid him down on the scale. Alohi walked out of there with 5 princess stickers because she talked it up to the nurse.

Thankfully today’s appointment for Alohi’s 3 year check up went a bit smoother. I knew where I was going and I had a plan for the stack of paper work I needed to fill out. Also, I was prepared for them to usher us to the back quickly. I wasn’t going to let this trip get the best of me. Alohi was such a good sport. She got weighed and measured without me needing to do anything for her. When we got to the room she was hungry (11am appointments need to be changed to something earlier, but being new to town…. we got what we got). Thankfully I was prepared with one of her favorite snacks… Fruit by the Foot. That kept her quiet, while I answered questions and finished filling out the paperwork. (I finished before the end of the appointment this time and was able to hand it to the doctor!).

Before the nurse left, I asked her if she could give me Po`okela’s 4 month information since I hadn’t gotten that the last time. So here’s the stats for our little man:

Po`okela 4 Months

14.6 lbs

26 in

He’s a growing boy! He wears some 3-6 month clothing, along with some 6 month stuff and it looks like we are going to need to move up to 9 month onies because he is so long. You suck your thumb when you get tired, which is so cute. Unfortunately you have a thumb sucking sore, but the doctor told us how to take care of that. Your favorite thing to do is twist around on your play gym mat and tug on all the animals hanging down. You do like the exersaucer and that is where I can get you to poop most days. Lastly you like to sit at the table while everyone is eating. You smack your lips when you see food! It is super cute and your sister tells you “soon… you can get food soon.” I have introduced you to rice cereal. At first you didn’t like it, but within the week of trying it you are leaning into the spoon and chomping down on it! I’m sure you like the cereal, but I do know you like to chew on the spoon the best. Today was the first day I made a little more for you because you seem to have wanted more. You always know how to make my heart melt when you smile up at me! I love you little man.

Back to Alohi’s appointment. She got a shot today. Thankfully Nana got her a doctor play set, so she knew everything about shots. When we pretend play, we told her that shots only hurt for a little while and we should close our eyes and look away. She told the doctor that the shot would only hurt for a little while, while shaking her finger at her. The doctor asked her a set of questions and when she answered them wrong, I could tell she was trying to play the doctor with pretending not to know. That’s where my momma bear came out and told her to tell the truth. Silly girl thought she could pull a swift one and get all the colors mixed up. Over all she is healthy, talkative girl. We need to make a trip to the dentist (which is a whole story by itself because we will need to drive 1 ½ hours to the nearest one that is covered on our insurance) and hopefully not have to see her for another year.

When it came time for Alohi’s shot, she closed her eyes and only when the nurse put the bandaid on did you cry. She said it hurt and you didn’t like it. I reminded her that it would only hurt for a little while and that we would get to go pick out a sticker once we leave. I got to hold my little big girl in my arms to comfort her, but when she heard tinker bell stickers she was ready to go. Here are her stats from today… you should compare them with her little brother:

Alohi 3 Years Old

25.6 lbs

(ounces count for her)

36 ½ in

Sweet little big girl. I can’t believe you are already 3! Right now you love love love princess stuff. You are in one of the 5 princess dresses Santa brought you and always wearing your high heeled shoes. If you don’t have your crown on its because it has scratched your head. Your favorite thing to do is sing made up songs about whatever you are doing (you get this from your daddy… it’s cute). You do test us when asked to do something, but all we need to do is remind you about time out or the paddle, and you are back on task. We cook weekly together, read books and do projects. You love to watch tv and your favorite shows are sesame street, dinosaur train, signing time and the cooking channel. Yes, you love the cooking channel and I am not going to complain! And oh my goodness, you love to talk! You say the sweetest things and always in the right context. But, most of all I love your tender heart. I love you my sunshine girl!

Praise God, both kids are healthy and we are blessed everyday with them. And I’m so glad we were able to find a pediatrician that we like! Now to end with a few pictures of the kids!

First Post

Well I'm not sure where to begin. So much has happened in the last year that I think that listing everything will be the easiest thing to do. Here goes... Recap of 2011:

~ We found out we were expecting another little one.

~ Alohi turned 2 (and she is now 3... today! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl).

~ Work, work and more Work. I finished my 6th year as a 4th grade teacher. Rylan continued his job with AutoCraft working on the manuals, design and whatever else he did there.

~ Alohi loves daycare and her teachers are the best! Ms. Kelly, Ms. Kristin, Ms. Kristie, Ms. Bambi, & Ms. Brenda we all love you so very much!

~ I stopped training for a half marathon, but continued running 2-3 miles 3 times a week with Rylan and Alohi in the stroller. I had to stop when the Oklahoma heat became too unbearable!

~ Rylan took care of Alohi while I went to a two week workshop/math college class in Weatherford, OK. I stayed in the dorms 7 months preggo & I loved my roomie. I was NOT happy about the burnt popcorn or ramen noodles fire at 11pm or so. I had to go down 6 flights of stairs and then climb back up once we got the all clear.

~ Oklahoma has 30+ days of triple digit weather! HOT! HOT! HOT! Even more HOT when I'm in the last trimester of pregnancy.

~ Grandparents come for a visit and we help Pepaw (Brennon) recover from his ankle injury. We spent a lot of time there.

~ Alohi and I helped take care of baby Rylan (a friends little boy) for a couple of weeks before he got to go to daycare.

~ My dad came early for my mom's surgery... I put him to work helping me set up my classroom for the 2011-2012 school year.

~ My mom arrives to have ankle replacement surgery before baby boy arrives.

~ Aug. 18th my mom has surgery.

~ August 22nd at 5:55pm Po`okela Ikaika Matthew Kocher arrives weighing in at 8lbs 10oz and 21". I will save his delivery for another post... I should post about both kids deliveries!

~ I get to stay at home with both kids with my mom (helping her recover) for 10 weeks.

~ Rylan gets a call from the FAA. Interviewing for a position in Nebraska.

~ Rylan is offered a job with the FAA as a ATSS (or a technical technician). We need to be in Scottsbluff, Nebraska on November 7th for him to start! CRAZY!!

~ I immediately go to school to talk to my principals... Which led to tons of crying... Where I resigned from my 4th grade position at Mustang Creek Elementary.

~ Our house goes on the market and have 4 showings within 2 weeks.

~ Grandpa comes to help do the "fix it up" stuff to get house sold.

~ My mom is a HUGE help and gets us packed up!

~ Nov. 4th we start the 12 hour drive to Scottsbluff to find a place to rent. We took two cars to leave one at rental and that way we could drive uhaul and one car back here.

~ My dad comes to OKC to help drive the uhaul from OKC to Scottsbluff. Also we get to celebrate his birthday.

~ November 12th we load up the uhaul with a bunch of friends (Sim's, Skaggs', Barnes', Berry's, Steward's). We spend our last night in OKC with Pepaw and Mema (Brennon and Tam or B&T).

~ We spend the next two days driving to our new rental.

~ November 14th was Rylan's first day of work... Talk about OVERLOAD.

~ My dad stayed with us until the weekend after

Thanksgiving and my mom left the weekend after. Both weekends we got to visit the city of Denver, where we did some sightseeing. A few stops were a free driving tour, Coors Brewery tour (free!), The Children's Museum, Hammond's Candy Factory (Free & Free lollipop), and a quick trip to the Asian food market.

~ Dec. 4th we said goodbye to nana.

~ I visited the MOPS (moms of pre-schoolers) group and will be joining this month.

So that bring us to December; Christmas and New Years. However, I'll save that for the next post.

I want to end this first blog with saying Happy Brithday to Alohi. Three years ago God blessed us with you and I don't think I could have imagined these last years without you. I pray that God continue to bless you in this next year! You are a great big sister and love princess stuff! I love you sweet girl!

You weren't happy that I stopped you from eating your slice of cake.