I’m really hoping this will be our one and only Asthma Swatch this year. And I am very grateful that it was minor and short-lived.
The pollen counts skyrocketed here over the weekend. To the point where people without seasonal allergies were having allergy problems, as told to me by my pharmacist. Her’s were so bad, her doctor prescribed her an inhaler and she doesn’t even has asthma.
Needless to say, Sean was wheezing like he’d just run a marathon. Playing tag with Skye and Tad in the backyard didn’t help. Sunday night he had a full on asthma attack. His first in nearly a year. I really thought we’d made it through. I’d JUST been talking about it with someone last week. Damn you Mr. Murphy and your f***ing law!! You’re a cruel, cruel man. For the first time since she was three, Skye needed her inhaler too. I had to call in a refill request since it has been over three years since the last time.
The two littles spent Sunday night sleeping in their little portable couches on the floor of my room. None of us got much sleep however. Not with all the wheezing, sneezing and coughing going on. They were both still can’t go to school shape, so I kept them home and gave Jason strict instructions for their care while I was at work. Since my commute is literally 5 minutes, I don’t stress about being away from them. The orders were for them to take long hot showers (hoping the steam will help shrink airways and loosen things up in general.) Then pjs and lots of cartoon watching while snuggled in Mommy’s bed. They managed a couple of naps too. Getting breathing treatments every two to four hours meant that I came home to some easy breathin’ kids. We all had a much more peaceful night Monday. I told the kids if Tuesday went well, we’d go give those new beach toys they got from the Easter bunny a try.
Tuesday, the weather was ideal. I spoke with the school secretary about Sean’s asthma treatments during the day (we’d made a contingency plan and had all his meds ready to go). Everything went exactly as planned. Sean sounded 100% by the time I got home from work that afternoon. So I pile the littles into the car along with every beachlike toy they could find, bathing suits, towels, a big blanket and my steeley resolve to make this happen.
It was our first trip to the beach of the year. And we were way psyched. Especially me!! I adore the beach. It’s how I connect with my inner self. I’ll try to keep from getting all new-age granola-y on y’all. But I can feel my energy change. I just sit and commune. I heal. And mostly I just relax and breath. These are my favorite scents. Saltwater and sand. You can smell the sun warming the sand, it’s such a unique scent. I adore it. I can’t help smiling at that first whiff as we come around the last bend and can finally see the sun throwing diamonds off the surface. My beloved ocean. I can’t believe I ever voluntarily lived in a land-locked state. What was I thinking? No wonder I always felt like someone else. It’s only when I can see, smell, taste and feel all that is the beach experience, only then do I feel my true essence. I feel peace and acceptance, mostly of myself. Like all those judgements and pressures put on us by society, none of it matters. I’m pickin’ up some Good Vibrations, baby!
Despite some way harsh winds, the kids immediately stripped down to their bathing suits and ran at the waves. Crazy kids! That is some freakin’ cold water. The Pacific never really warms up around here. That didn’t even slow them down. Because I use Jaws as an educational tool, I no longer worry about the kids going in beyond knees deep. Even though we are over at Muir Beach, it’s right next to Stinson. A kid out about waist deep was attacked by a shark. He survived by was definitely missing part of a leg. It took a while for him to recover. This wasn’t a surfer or diver. This was a teenage boy just wading out in the water. I have instead a deep seated irrational fear of healthy respect for sharks, especially Great Whites, which frequent our area (and one of which was responsible of taking a bit out of that boy.) If there are seals around, they don’t go in at all. We love the ocean, but we don’t plan on being a snack.
The kids had a blast attempting sand castle building, wave jumping and digging for those tiny crabs. We were there for about an hour and a half. Since we left the house at 5 and it’s a 20-30 minute drive, I wanted to be home before 8. We totally made it and I got to watch the whole episode of Biggest Loser while the kids bathed all the sand out of their special bits, jammie up, and get some snuggle time in with mom.
What a seriously great way to end a rough two days. We all slept GREAT last night. Not a single wheeze, though Sean sniffled and snorted all night. So I bought some allergie meds and I’m going for 100% peaceful sleep tonite. Fingers crossed!!
Here’s some pics of my little mermaid and castle construction engineer:
Stay Beachy!!
