Not Our Week

This hasn't been our finest week.
In very saddest of news, our cat died.  Our Christmas kitty.  We found her on our sidewalk.  We don't know what happened to her and there is great sadness at our house.  Abe saw another cat in the neighborhood who appeared to have passed on.  So I fear that there may be a cat killer on the loose.

Faith broke out in hives twice this week.  We don't know why.  The first time her ears got super swollen and hot.  She had hard, fat ears.

Today her hands swelled up.  She couldn't make a tight fist because she had fat sausage fingers.  This picture is her hand between Cannon's and George's.

Her face got hives and her feet and ankles.  She is sleeping peacefully this evening thanks to a generous dose of Benadryl.
What the heck?

I took Greta to the Dr. yesterday where she was promptly diagnosed with double ear infections.  She's had a bad week with the same sickness that Peter had the week before.  I'm not a believer in flu shots, but I think I made the wrong call this year in not getting them for the littles.

On Valentine's day I took Clark in for his mission physical.  All was well, except his red blood cell count was a little high.  They retested it a couple of days later and it was still a little high.  We went to have blood labs done at Primary Children's.  They came back in a normal range.  Just a little elevated.  Why?
I have a theory.  According to my research, chronic exposure to higher than normal carbon monoxide (working in tunnels, driving taxi cab, working parking garage) can raise red blood cell counts.  I suggest that working for hours and weeks, and months on end in the sub-basement of the Leonardo Museum, right by a parking garage, has affected his oxygen levels.
At least build season is almost over (Tuesday is the final day).

Anyway, it's February.  Maybe I've mentioned before that this isn't my favorite month.  More like my least favorite month.  I am struggling.  Weeks of sick kids and poor sleep have taken a toll.

In good news, this little guy is feeling better.

He looks like the Tin-Man, but Faith made this robot costume for George.

I didn't grow up making Valentine's boxes, but it is all the rage here in Utah.  Of course, having homeschooled my children, they haven't grown up making Valentine's boxes.
We had a homeschool gathering the day after Valentine's and this is what George and I came up with for his box.  Not too shabby.

The kid's cousins in Spokane always send a package of Valentines.  This year it contained these most attractive paper glasses.  Work it, girlfriend!

 The week is almost done and I cannot say I'm sad to see it go.  Not our best.  May Greta's antibiotics take effect quickly.  May our cat rest in peace.  May robot season wrap up quickly and Clark and Elinor's exposure to CO be minimal.  May Faith's throat not swell up in another outbreak of hives. AND MAY WE ALL SLEEP WELL TONIGHT!