We're Home

Elena was released from the hospital this morning and Karen has taken her home!

Update

Elena's condition has improved quite a bit. Her breathing is less labored and her heart rate is closer to normal. She still isn't eating or drinking much and requires oxygen to keep her blood saturation where it should be. She'll probably be in the hospital until Wednesday or so.

Elena spends most of her time clutching her giraffe, bunny, and blanket. These are all things that people have given her throughout her life. The nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors all know better than to touch one of these precious items. Last night we tried to give Elena a bath, but eventually had to abort mission once she realized that her prized possessions weren't allowed in the bath tub with her. People were poking their heads out of their rooms up and down the pediatric unit to see what kind of torturous act was taking place. Babies were crying. On the bright side, I think she cleared some of the crap out of her lungs during the tirade.

We would like to thank everyone who has offered kind words and all sorts of help. Karen's sister, Lisa, has been helping out twice a day, before and after her shifts in the ER downstairs. Karen's mom watched Elena today so that Karen could go home and take a "real" shower. We've also enjoyed visits from her other grandparents. Elena is posing with the octopus that her grandma Jeanie made for her. Sorry about the picture quality, I took it with my phone.

Elena Has Pneumonia

Yesterday (Saturday) Elena came down with pneumonia. We spent the night at the hospital last night, and she will be there for at least one more night. She is doing much better now, but at one point she had a respiratory rate of 60-80 breaths/minute, a HR over 180, and a temperature nearing 103. As you can see, she's not very happy about her situation. Mostly, she's not very happy about the poking, prodding, and shoving of medicine down her throat. Most of the nurses wear black scrubs, so anyone wearing black can expect her to scowl at them from the moment they walk in the door. The good news is that she is improving, and we hope to bring her home tomorrow or Tuesday.

Big Number Two

Today we celebrated Elena's second birthday one day early. Since this is just her second birthday party, she is still learning about the social expectations that come along with birthdays. For example, when presented with the birthday "cake," one wants to make oneself presentable.Lesson number two: aging is something that none of us can avoid. One must learn to embrace the fact that yet another year has passed and accept it gracefully.We had a great time at the party and would like to thank everyone who made it. I think the kids enjoyed themselves. Karen decided to hire child wranglers for the event, which may have been her best decision since marrying me. The girls played quietly together (here with Hannah; Shelby is in the upper left corner of the previous pic)...While the boys took turns slamming a ball against each others' skull on the stairway.This scene reminded me of when I told my friends that I was having a girl. One friend congratulated me for "not having a boy." Now I know what he was talking about.

Here is a picture of Karen, looking sexy despite the fact that she is 5 months pregnant (with a boy...). We haven't opened presents yet, but Elena did get a balloon from her Nana. The balloon turned out to be a big hit. She took it with her EVERYWHERE, and threw a fit about going outside because she had to abandon her beloved balloon. The only way we could get her into the bathtub (her #2 favorite pastime next to going outside) this evening was to bait her with the balloon.

Idaho Aquarium

Today we decided to check out the new aquarium in Boise with Elena and her cousins. It's much smaller in scale compared to the aquaria in Monterey or Newport, but we enjoyed it. This aquarium is very hands-on, which was great for the kids. Here they are feeding the tangs and trigger fish.Among the hands-on displays was...a shark tank. I think the sign says it all.As it turns out, this was Elena's favorite exhibit. She would splash around for a bit, sprint over to the towels to dry her hands, then race back to the shark tank to repeat the process all over again. I felt like a crossing guard because she nearly ran into a dozen people racing back and forth across the room.Elena figured out that a stool was necessary for the best splashing opportunities, so she quickly claimed one and carried it around the entire aquarium.One of the coolest displays was a set of tide pools which filled and drained every few minutes. This was a great one for the kids.Everything was going great until we left the aquarium and started looking for a place to take the kids for lunch. Karen and I both failed to scout out a good kid-friendly eatery. In haste, we decided on Chuck E Cheese. The pizza was horrible, but the kids had a great time.
I definitely recommend the aquarium to anyone who has small children. Just remember to bring a fresh set of dry clothes for them afterwards.

Odds and Ends

The last week has been pretty low-key around the Bean house. I've been mourning the end of upland bird season and Karen has been nesting and celebrating the end of upland bird season. The weather has been nice, so we took Elena to the park in Marsing to feed the ducks. Everything was going great....
...Until Elena held onto one piece of bread just a little bit longer than she should have. One especially aggressive duck tired of waiting, so he charged in and took the bread and bit her fingers in the process. Needless to say, we were done feeding the ducks at that point.
Many of you know that Karen hates shopping. She especially hates shopping for home decor. Our 700 square foot basement has one mirror and one pegboard hanging on the walls. I have suggested many times that we need some artwork on the walls, but nothing has happened...until now. It's nice to know that Sprout shares my frustration (and appreciation for abstract artwork).I have one other bit of random news. School buses drive by our house at odd hours. At first I thought that the kids got out of school early more frequently than they deserved, but I have come to the conclusion that our road is part of a training route for new drivers. My suspicions were confirmed this week when a school bus cut the corner and got stuck in the ditch by our house. Karen took this photo of the incident. I was bummed that I wasn't home; I'm sure I could've made some money with John's tractor.Tomorrow we plan to go to the new Idaho Aquarium before Super Bowl. I will post a review here soon.