Sunday, January 17, 2010

Issue 86

A Little Scare

For all of our readers who don't live in Utah right now, you'll be breathing easier than those of us who are. The inversion rolled in on Monday, and seems to be here to stay.

We always spend Monday afternoon at a little park while Daniel is at tutoring. This Monday as Ellie was climbing around the playground getting some exercise, I looked at the mucky sky and wondered if it was such a good idea. Turns out it wasn't. When I picked Whitney up from school shortly after, she ran to the car with her nose buried in her shirt. She informed me that our part of Utah officially has the most polluted air in the nation right now. She went on to inform me that being outside in it was equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes on your lungs. "Oh no! What have I done?" was all I could think.

Sure enough, Ellie spun into an asthma attack that got worse as the week went on. I was up most the night Thursday giving treatments and counting breaths per minute. It finally landed us in Primary Children's Emergency room by Friday. Thankfully they didn't keep us overnight this time, but her very high temp. that night had me worried we might be back. Her fever broke, but her cough is going to be much slower to go.

She is doing much better, but will have to stay in for a good week because her medication lowers her immune system. She is already bored and bouncing off the walls (her medication also makes her extra everything.) I dragged her bike inside yesterday and let her ride it around the kitchen just to help her get some energy out. We've also had extra snuggle time and some naps together.

Thanks to everyone who's called to check on her and for your continued prayers for her quick recovery. Steve and I decided that next January we are going to spend the money on a hotel in the mountains of Park City when the inversion rolls in, instead of spending the money on hospital bills!

Cookie Time by Janey


I am selling Girl Scout cookies! This is my second year selling. My goal this year is to sell 1000 boxes. Last year I sold 500. If you want to buy any girl scout cookies, just call me! My favorites are thin mints and lemon creams. What are your favorites?

Aquarium

At Christmas Santa gave me a twenty gallon fish tank! Before Christmas I had two three-and-a-half inch goldfish and a crayfish named Huka. Now I am the proud owner of two dalmatian mollies, (four-inch fish that look like floating sticks of granite) four sunburst playties, (three-inch yellow and orange fish) five neon tetras,(teeny little one-inch guys that are patriotically colored) and two Octocincluses (little two-inch guys that eat the algae off the tank wall and have racing stripes).

They are awesome, I suggest that you look up photos of them because I am not good at aquarium photography yet. This is my very first tropical tank, which means that it isn't room temperature like a goldfish tank, it has a heater, and with the species of fish that I have there is a tiny bit of aquarium salt. It isn't salt water, it is salty water.


Here is a picture of my tank.

P.S. I think that one of my dalmatian mollies is going to have babies, (Mollies anyone?) :)