The Future Daughter In Law

Colby: "Mom, we have three Daddy's and two Mommy's in this house."
Mom: "Oh, you mean when you grow up?"
Colby: "Yeah. We will grow up to be Daddy's, and Reagan will grow up to be a Mommy."
Mom: "MmmHmm."
Quinn: "So we'll marry a girl?"
Mom: "Yup. I'll pick out a nice one for you."
Quinn: "I thought I got to pick her out!"
Mom: "Nope. That's my job. I get to pick one out, and then you'll live right next door to me."
Colby: "But I want to live in Africa!"
Quinn: "I want to live in Australia!"
Mom: "Too far away. You'll live next door to me."
Quinn and Colby: "OK."

Rob: "You're gonna write that one down in the blog for the record, aren't you?"
Mom: "You bet."

Sisters

Quinn (pushing his sister in a pedal car): "Wow, Mom. Reagan's not bugging me! I'm actually playing with Reagan for the first time!"
Mom: "Well, it's about time. Colby plays with her all the time."
Quinn: "Well, she's not crying. She's having fun! She's not bugging me!"
Mom: "See, it can be fun to play with her."
Quinn: "That's why she was crying all the time. Because I wasn't playing with her."
Mom: "Maybe."
Quinn: "Mom, can I have a dollar for playing with Reagan?"
Mom: "Nope."

For the record, the above picture is actually of Colby. By the time I got my camera, Quinn had had enough of playing with Reagan, it was Colby's turn to push her around in the car. So much for that.

Health Food, Overheard

Colby: "I want a corn dog for lunch."
Quinn: "I don't LIKE corn dogs."
Colby: "How can you not like corn dogs? They're healthy for you!"
Quinn: "Colby. It's a HOT DOG. On a STICK. Without ketchup and mustard!!! It's NOT healthy."
Colby: "Sure it is. The bread makes it healthy."

The obvious, incredulous impatience in Quinn's voice just was classic.

Toys

Mom: "Boys, put your Bakugan's away. No toys at the breakfast table."
Quinn: "A Bakugan's not a toy. I saw big kids playing with them, and big kids don't play with toys."
Mom: "Sure they do. "
Quinn: "No, when you're grown up and out of school, when you're a daddy, you don't have toys."
Mom: "Uhhhhh... the toys just get bigger and more expensive. Like an AIRPLANE."
Quinn: "Oh."

Questions I Can't Answer

Quinn: "Mom, if dolphins breathe air instead of water, why don't they drown when they sleep?"

I just Googled dolphin sleep, because I couldn't stand not knowing the answer. How DO they sleep? Listen to this...

Dolphins have to be conscious to breathe. This means that they cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they would suffocate. Dolphins have "solved" that by letting one half of their brain sleep at a time. This has been determined by doing EEG studies on dolphins. Dolphins sleep about 8 hours day in this fashion.

No WAY!

A Diagnosis

Just got back from the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, where we spent last night. The pediatric cardiologist there asked to see him right away ("you mean right now? Today? You know that's five hours away from here and we won't be there until after work hours?"). She stayed late for us, which was awfully nice of her. And then spent another two and a half hours checking him out. LUCKILY.... no endocarditis. WHEW. What a relief. Rob was still out of town, so I packed up all three kids, and caravaned with Al and LaVerne to Wisconsin for the evening. The cardiologist sent us to an infectious disease specialist this morning, who concluded that the reason the past SIX doctors couldn't find the source of this alleged infection is that there wasn't any to be found. His words... Quinn's body is fighting "evil spirits". It's thinking that there's an infection to fight when there's not. He diagnosed Still's disease, which is a form of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Quinn doesn't have joint pain or stiffness, though, so... I don't know. We're hoping this is an isolated event, and that our two week course of anti-inflammatories will be enough to knock the fevers out once and for all. It's at least reassuring that none of the big scary things that were lurking in the back of our minds (cancer, heart, or kidney infection in his lone kidney) turned out to be the source of the past two weeks worth of fevers. Last night's fever topped 102, but today he is fever free and currently riding his scooter with his brother, so.... things are looking up.

Exhausting few days. Now it's time to shift gears, realize that it's Holy Week, and start preparing for Easter!!!

Prayers for Quinn

A trip to the emergency room last night for Quinn. The fever persists (day 12, off and on) and got up to 105 last night. Too scary for this mom. The emergency department was wonderful and thorough, which is JUST what I wanted them to be. Still don't have a firm diagnosis, awaiting a blood culture result and an echocardiogram, but all indicators at this time are pointing to infective endocarditis - a bacterial infection of the heart, most likely caused by his recent trip to the dentist. Quinn was SO BRAVE through the 3 hour visit. So many pokes and tests and shots. He held it together right until the end, when there were two shots given in his legs. Poor kid. We see the pediatrician today, who will get us in to the pediatric cardiologist as soon as possible (hopefully today or tomorrow), so we can get to the bottom of this thing, and get our little boy well. Can I just say that this spring break has SUCKED. Beautiful weather (over 70 degrees!!) outside, and Rob's out of town, I have been on call for work, and now have a sick kid in need of urgent care out of town. Poor Quinn. He's such a trooper. Prayers are appreciated.