A Mini Vacation

 

Mike and I don't do a couple thing as often as we should like going on a date or watch a movie together, but one thing we are doing this week is being sick together!  Very sick together, I might add.  On Wednesday, I started to feel slightly off with light coughs from the chest and just general fatigued feeling.  I took precaution and skipped gymnastics that day.  Mike came home early saying he isn't feeling so well, but he chipped in to pick up multiple children from different places since I couldn't go.  I increasingly felt dizzy and tired, so I went to bed early hoping that rest would cure it.  The next day, I felt the same as I felt on Wednesday but I started to get the crazy chills in the afternoon.  I had no reason to be cold as I was wearing a fleece jacket and a blanket.  I knew then that I was going to have a high fever, so took medicine and went to sleep.  When I woke up at 10 pm from resting, my temperature was 104.6 F (about 40C)!  I had to look up on my smart phone to see if it's ok to have a fever that high.  Surely.  Am I going to die?  Suddenly, I remembered the news about a dozen people dying from the flu this year in Western Washington.  "You may have a brain damage with a fever as high as 105F" one website read.  I can't afford any less brain cells, I thought.  I contemplated about going to the emergency room, but I knew that was going to be a waste of time - making me wait forever for a doctor and he is going to give me a Tylenol.  So, I stayed put on my bed, feeling hot like desert sand.  Eventually though the fever came down with the help of ibuprofen.  Don't mess with Flu.  I am going to be punctual about flu shot next year!

Well, the last weekend was much anticipated because uncle Aaron and Tina were visiting from Salt Lake City.  It was just unfortunate that Mike and I were both sick.  We were planning to go to the Bainbridge Island on Saturday together, but we couldn't join them.  They said they enjoyed the visit to the island and the view of Seattle from the ocean.  It's a nice little hope over on a local ferry and the view of Seattle skyline is spectacular.  I forget we live in an area surrounded by islands and we need to enjoy them more.  Mike got to visit with them the night they arrived and I got to hang out with them a little on Sunday morning at the school playground with kids.  Sean showed off his NFL knowledge with uncle Aaron and they played some catch together.  Sean enjoyed that very much.  Saya was in a bit of a funny mood and kept to herself most of the time, but Aly enjoyed talking with Tina and uncle Aaron.  Noah was busy running around and made sure that I am getting my exercise.  Alyson now says she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, so she has a mentor in the family.  It's always nice to see them and we miss having them close. 

So, it was an interesting week.  I am almost 100% better and now that I am capable of doing what I usually do everyday, I am simply baffled by how much stuff I do everyday!  I guess I will just take my sick episode as my mini vacation.  As awful as I felt, it was easy lying around.   Mike is feeling better, too, so life is back to "normal" now.

Congratulations Seahawks!

I am behind on my posts now so this news is a week old.  Seattle Seahawks are NFC Champion!  We beat 49ers last Sunday in the divisional championship tournament.  That means... WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!  Woohooo!!  It was a rollercoaster ride game and Sean was just an emotional wreck.  I wonder sometimes if my neighbors think we torture him every Sunday.  We want him to get better with handling the stress of watching his favorite team play.  He gets very upset if the game doesn't go the way he wants it to.  We had no problem last Sunday though and he was in a good mood the entire week because of the win.  When we took him to see the doctor for a check up on Tuesday, he was in such a good mood that he didn't fuss taking his clothes off in front of the doctor.  He was chatting away (about foodball, of course) with Dr. Uyeno and I was glad he did so well during the visit.  So, thank you Seahawks!! 


I haven't done this for a while but here are his stats:

Weight: 54 pounds / 25kg
Height: 4 feet 4 1/2 inches / 133 cm
BMI (body mass index) 5%

He is tall and skinny!  His legs start from unbelievablly high location and that is definitely American.  The skinny thing is me.  I have very small bones that my Mom used to worry I would casually break them from running around.  Of course, that never happend so I know Sean is going to be OK, too.  He is only a foot shorter than me now.  Sigh...  He is going to be taller than me in about 3 or 4 years.  That is a scary thought!! 

A Tale of 4 kids and 4 flu shots

Well, I heard the flu this year is particularly bad.   Eleven people died in Western Washington alone from the flu and reading the news made me finally call the kids' doctor's office to book their flu shots appointment.  I've decided to book it in a single appointment taking all four kids in at the same time on last Sunday.   I thought having the two of us would be better than me taking one or two kids at a time. 

After breakfast, we told the kids to put their coat on.  "Why?  Where are we going?", Sean asked with inquisitive eyes.  "We are going to get measured," I said avoiding using the word "doctor" or worse "shots".  That brought up more questions from the him.

Sean: What do you mean measured?
Me: Well, it's been a while since you went to get your measurement and we need to find out how big you have gotten.
Sean: Why do we need to do that?
Me: We all have to get measured every once in a while.  Particularly, kids need to be because you guys grow very quickly.

Still not convinced but my answers kept him busy thinking.  He put his coat on and got in the van.  The girls had no idea where they were going, but they seemed content to go on a "weekend outing" with the whole family.  Noah particularly looked very happy and was smiling all the way to the doctor's office.  Mike and I looked at each other and giggled, feeling a little sorry for the kids.  We quietly discussed who should get the shot first.  We agreed that since Noah is less aware of what is going on, he should go first, then Saya because she tends to be less of a hassle, and whoever less distressed would go next.  We brought all the entertainment media available to distract the kids. 
We cannot be more ready than this, I thought. 

When we arrived to the doctor's office, we immediately herded the children to the fish tank.  Thank goodness for the fish tanks at doctor's offices.  It's a must have for every dentist and doctor's office out there.  "Wooo, which fish do you like the most?" "What do you think would be a good name for that fish?" I can bombard the kids with questions and when they get bored, there are always bubbles!  Kids on the spectrum in particular love staring at the bubbles going up in the water.  The endless spectacle of sparkly marbles dissipating up to the surface mesmerize them and their thoughts are occupied.  The fish tank in the waiting room is great in so many ways!

"Sean?" called the nurse from the door and hurriedly added "Alyson, Noah and Saya" after double checking her clipboard.  I felt like we were the half of the crowd in the waiting room.  "So, we are here for flu shots, aren't we?", the nurse said as we walked in to the room.  My heart pounded a little bigger and I forgot to exhale.  If my children were cats, they would have had all their back hair standing and hissing with arched back.  Sean was becoming hysterical by seconds and the girls were terrified watching Sean's reaction to the news.  As planned, I rolled up Noah's sleeve first and had him go first.  He was crying but it ended swiftly as planned.  Saya was screaming and was wiggly as a terrified piglet, but Mike was able to hold her down and the nurse did her thing pretty quickly.  We were on a battle zone mode by then and were moving quickly to the next target, Alyson.  She ran outside the room and we had to bring her back.  I felt sorry for her but we knew the time was crucial in this game.  By the time we held her, she said in a determined voice "I will do it!" like she decided to be brave.  There were no tears from her from then on.  What a brave girl!

And there was Sean.  He was screaming as loud as he could and was panicking.  We felt terrible for him as we knew he could not control his fear.  Mike stepped up a big time, talking to him calmly about how brave Russell Wilson is.  Russell Wilson is the Seahawk's quarterback who is Sean's hero at the moment.  He explained that it hurts very much to be tackled in football more than a flu shot.  "Russell Wilson doesn't complain about the pain, does he?", he said and after much gentle persuading, Sean decided to do it.  Sean exclaimed "I can do it!" and although he was tense, he let the nurse give him the shot.  Where are the flying confetti and champagne?   Flu shot, I hope you were worth it.    I was100% positive that we just played the most theatrical drama in that 10 minutes than any other families this season.  Go Campbells! 

For next year, I won't be doing the four kids four shots in one visit anymore.  It sort of had the slaughter house effect, waiting to get poked after seeing it done was way too hard for the kids.  We were exhausted by the time it all ended and kids were begging to go home.  These are the things I want to remember since it's going to make a good dinner conversation with my future son or daughter-in-laws.  Now it's all recorded for our future pleasure!  Aren't you so lucky, kids!?

Power of Food and Supplements

Well, today went very well for me and Sean.  He didn't scream or act disrespectfully to us at all today.  He kicked Saya once, but he immediately apologized.  So what changed?  Well, one thing is he did get enough sleep.  He had a sleepover with his best buddy the night before and they were up until 10:30 pm and decided to wake up at 4:30 am the next day!  Therefore, he was pretty tired and slept for 12 hours straight.  Another reason could be because I reintroduced him to his supplements.  I used to give him a mix of vitamins and minerals, all liquid, in his juice in the morning but I decided that was just too much work to do it every morning.  I remembered though that his mood did deteriorate after stopping the vitamins and decided to give it another shot.  He takes mega dose of VitaminBs, Calcium, Magnesium, VitaminD, and blended minerals and vitamins to target his attention problems.  The juice is too sweet when I put everything in it, so I add some water in the blend.  He didnt' like it at  first, but eventually got used to it.  What do you know?  It works!  He was like a different boy today. 

I am experiencing the difference myself also.  Sean's liquid VitaminD from Costco came with a sample of liquid calcium and magnesium, so I decided to try it to see if it tastes different from Sean's liquid calcium.  The texture of it is like dissolved cornstarch (not that I tried it), but the taste was ok.  All I can say is that I felt great all day today.  I was positive, happy (not manic) and very collective when handling potentially disastrous situations.   It is amazing how a small change can make a big difference.  It feels very promising that the change in diet could be enough to make Sean's life easier.  I know he feels terrible whenever he loses control of his emotions and I know he is losing his self-esteem every time that happens.   Something has to be done.  Someone has to act, and that is Mike and I. 

Since the new year began, I have been thinking about going back gluten free and eventually eliminating dairy as well if Sean's mood and behavior don't improve.  I have done a lot of research on nutrition and brain chemistry, and all data points to certain foods affecting the productions neurotransmitters or blocking important chemicals to be absorbed by neuron receptors.  Gluten found in wheat, barley and oats is one of them.  Some people with digestive problems lack the proper filter to eliminate gluten from entering the blood stream.  It's sort of like having a meshed wall in the stomach and the openings are too large so that it allows the gluten to pass inside the blood vessels.  The gluten then gets carried up to the brain and attaches to neurons and causes problems.  A person with gluten intolerance (not to be mixed up with allergy, which affects a person physically) may feel they cannot think straight or their brain is working slowly.  It also affects mood and can make a person very irritable.

I veered away from special diet for a while since it's not easy.  I used to make special meatballs and chicken nuggets in a batch and froze them.  I also baked and brought gluten and milk free cupcakes every time Sean was invited to a birthday party.   I did it for two years and one day the stress of everything got to me.  I couldn't do it anymore.   I focused on eliminating the stress factors from my life and the gluten and casein free diet was one of them.  Now it's time to give it another try.  My boys' life is tough enough, that is the least I can do as a Mom. 

Gantan - New Year's Day

 

We made it today to the Tsubaki Shrine (a Japanese Shinto Shrine in Granite Falls) to give a prayer for good health and luck in the new year.  It's an annual tradition I am trying to hold so adamantly and almost failed this year since Sean was upset he had to stop watching a recorded football game and that made Noah cry hysterically for what seemed like an eternity.  Of course that was too much to handle and Mike offered to stay home with Noah and Sean.  In the end we all loaded up in the van and once on the road, everyone was at peace.

Mike wore his fancy suits and a tie which made the rest of us look sloppy, so the girls and I dressed up for the occasion.  The shrine is about an hour north of Bellevue and located on the river by Lake Stevens.  It's a beautiful place with moss covered ancient trees and deep green of the forest.  The rustic wooden Japanese style building matches well with the surrounding and it reminds me of the temples and shrines back home.   How not to feel peaceful in a setting like this?  Mike and I used to practice Aikido in college and we came to this very place back in the day for a spring training camp.  The head priest, Mr. Barish, is an interesting guy and I had an extraordinary experience spending a weekend there.  Who would have guessed I will be returning here 17 years later with four children?

Noah had to be strapped in the stroller since he would be climbing the sacred stones or jumping into the freezing river as soon as set loose.  He whined and whined the last time we came, but he was very good today, silent as a bug sitting nicely on the stroller.  I prayed that the children stay healthy and that Noah in particular makes a good progress this year.  Maybe we will be stroller free by the next visit.  The double jogger is making my girls lazy to walk and I very much would like to sell it soon. 

Look at this magnificent ancient tree!  In Shinto religion, we believe God is in the nature everywhere.  The mountains are sacred, trees, rivers, rocks, the sun, house superior being within and we are to care and respect them to preserve the world harmony.  I am not a Shintoist, but I grew up with their beliefs, solidly embedded in my everyday life.  I wish to teach my children the same in the way I can.  Nature is to be respected and that in many ways Seattlites are in sync with.

The children enjoyed throwing the rocks into the pristine stream behind the shrine.  Who can throw it across to the rock wall?  I tried and didn't make it.  The kids kept trying and trying, but they only could throw as far as the mid point.  Maybe sometime I will take the kids to a river nearby so that they can throw rocks for hours.  I am sure they would like that and make me very popular.

What I want to achieve this year is to be more patient and be the type of person who makes others happy.  I feel like everything else would follow.  I love my family and I will do anything to help them be the best person they can be.  I want to have a quick wit and sharp eyes to see what is important.  Choosing the right words and attitude at the right time.  I am hoping to get a hang of it this year and conquer my shortcomings.  I waited long enough!

 

We had a nice New Year's Day dinner at my house with Nana.  I used my new Fagor pressure cooker I got for Christmas.  It's shabby and does the job well.  It's a fancy European made cookery and quite an upgrade from the $40 pressure cooker I burnt last year.  I, however, went too aggressive with seasonings and the ribs were too salty.  Disappointment!  My nice Mother-in-law and husband ate all their share and like I said they are very nice! 

 

We had a very good New Year despite the sweat inducing stressful start.  If today symbolizes how the year is going to turn out like some people believe in Japan, I think it is going be a good year.  I don't mind a little drama as long as it ends happy.

 

Thanks for reading and I hope you had a good start to this brand new year!