What a past couple weeks

It's been a little busy here to say the least. I've finally gotten over being sick. That took a wonderful month. It's still been busy here. I'm babysitting 1 afternoon and 2 nights a week. Plus my group, advisory board, it's committees (I've joined 2 Ad Hoc committees), and all the other things in life.
Babysitting is going along smoothly for the most part. With the kids at least. I say the kids bit because last weekend I had a little problem with the adults downstairs. I had only 1 of the kids as the other one was spending the night elsewhere. The child (10 yrs) and I were asleep and I wake up hearing slamming doors, yelling and whatnot downstairs (I watch the kids at their home). I go down and politely ask the people downstairs to quietdown as I have a child upstairs trying to sleep as well as I am. Also it's midnight. Half an hour later they're still going at it and throwing things. I've had it and go down to tell them that the cops are being called. It's reached beyond rediculious. I'm begged not to. The guy across the hall tells them that if they make 1 more noise he'll call the cops. A fistfight breaks out within seconds so the guy and I both call the cops. I've also told the child who they woke up to get her things together. I was taking her to my place. THankfully her mom leaves her car for emergencies. Apparently when the cops showed up some people ran, but the people that didn't got mouthy with the police and ended up getting arrested. Hopefully things quiet down and I adjust to the new schedule soon. Yeah it's been 2 months and I still haven't adjusted to not being home 2 nights a week. At least the kids are good when they're with me and I can knit while there.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling better. No longer feeling like death warmed over then run over by a semi. Finally staying out of bed and back to knitting. Went to the docs. Have a minor ear infection. I can deal with that. It's better than the flu.

Ugh! I've managed to catch the virus that's going around. It's not a pleasant one. Ok being sick is never pleasant, but I haven't been this miserable in ages. I feel like death warmed over and like I've been run over by a semi at the same time. My sleep schedule is all messed up because of all the sleep I've been getting.

Heck I even called yesterday evening to say that I wouldn't be at group today. I sure hope I feel better by Thursday. I'm supposed to babysit then.

When it comes to me and kids, I can handle the serious stuff. Give me: you need stitches (I can handle minor cuts and scrapes too). Give me you're in respriatory or cardiac arrest. I can handle you're choking too. I can take sprained ankles and broken bones. Give me anything along that kind of stuff and I'm perfectly fine. I can swing right into motion without thinking twice. Give me you don't feel good ...your sick. What am I going to do? I'm going to look at you like you have 3 heads while I shush the adrenaline and figure out what to do. I haven't raised kids. I live vicariously through others in this department. I don't know off the top of my head what to do for a 10 year that's got an upset stomach besides hold the asprin.
Last week I got 2 crash courses in parenting. Previous posts have covered 1 of them a bit. Looking back at them it's rather scketchy and behind the cut covers both of them with a little humor. I can laugh now.
So Monday night's Crash Course: What to do for a 10 year old that had an upset stomach in the middle of the night.

Scenario: You are going upstairs into your apartment on the 3rd floor. The 13 and 10 year olds that you are taking care of are asleep in the main part of the house 1 floor below you on the second floor. You told them when they went to bed that if they needed anything during the night and the downstairs lights were off you would be right upstairs. As you open the door to your apartment to go from the 2nd to the 3rd floor you hear the 10 year old "C" call you from the bathroom and say that they don't feel good. You go in and discovet that they have thrown up (thankfuly in the toilet so no cleanup). What do you do? Remember you have not had experience with this before (at least with children and thankfully the sight of emesis doesn't make you sick)
In my world I sat down with her and felt her forehead. Not warm. Good.
Asked if she wanted any Pepto {Bismol}. Refused. Me thinking ok, what next...

Asked her what mommy usually does. She's doesn't remember. Me thinking ok...

I look up and see a washcloth...Score. Wet it and put it on her forehead. She feels a little better. Good.
Ask if she wants to lay in the living room. No, she wants to go back to bed. Ok.

Get her back to bed with another washcloth (other one used to wipe mouth), told to make sure she stays on side, and given a bowl just in case.

Then leave her mom a voicemail and call a friend to make sure I did right. Think My crash course is over yet...Nope. I ended up staying up with "C" for another 4 hours with her getting up sick 2-3 times an hour. Couldn't come up with anything else to do for her. She kept refusing pepto, figured if her mom wanted her to have it then her mom can make her take it when she gets home. Finally her mom came home didn't get message till shift was over and took over. Thus ending my crash course in parenting till 2 days later and another incident which I could handle.2 days later...It's mid afternoon and "N" and "C" want to go downstairs and say hi to the downstairs tenant. "N" wants to hang out. I say ok and as for the hanging out as long as it's ok with them. Next thing know there's yelling and crying. I walk into the other room. They are yelling at each other"C" through tears and is holding her arm. What to do? Noone to call in this case and it's storming out (everything is icing).

Starters...get them to stop. I'm not even going to try and sort out who did what to who. I just tell them their mom can sort it out when she gets home. Since "C" was in the room first she gets to stay in that room to watch tv. "N" can either go upstairs in the grandparents room to watch tv or in the other room where I am and do the same. hey they both wated to watch tv and there's nothing else to do.

now that they are separated swing into evaluation mode. What hurts? Arm/Wrist. Apparently "N" twisted it. Can you move it? "C" does. Can you move your fingers? good. I check for swelling and there's none nor any bruising. BY now I'm sinlently cursing the sibling out. Go make ice pack and give it to "C" with instructions to keep it on. I'll chek on her, but if anything changes let me know. So we all survived intact, sane, and ready to go another day. Do I want to keep watching the kids??

So I ended up staying up till 4:30 this morning. Carlie's mom got home from work around 3. Felt so bad for the kid. She was feeling better this afternoon.

Gotta Laugh At Yourself

And tonight was one of those nights that I did. So I ended up sitting Nicky and Carlie. THere was a little issue of the sitter calling Julie 45 min before she was supposed to be here saying she needed a ride. That was also the time Julie was getting ready for work so her going to get the sitter was not an option. It was me to the rescue. Hey I was on standby for things like this anyways.

The kids were great all night. Dodn't have to ask them to take chowers. No problems with them going to bed. Actually one went to bed early of their own accord. I shoud have known things were going too smoothly.

It was, and the hitch came about an 75 min ago when I went to come upstairs to my own place (I was watching them downstairs). I heard a little voice out of the bathroom saying that they didn't feel good. Turns out that Carlie had thrown up and their stomach was bothering them. Ok. I can deal with this, but my mind just blanked out. Give me a crisis. I can handle blood; cuts, even a deep ones. I can handle choking, cardiac and respriatory arrest. Basically Give me emergencies and I'm good. It's from my being a CNA and nursing student. Also, naturally I can handle the female end of life. Give me run of the mill things and I tend to blank out for a second. I can handle myself, but to figure out how to care for someone else in this aspect...I'm a tad bit rusty. I ended up doing a few things (try to make her laugh, cool washcloth, offer pepto, give her a bowl) and then once I got her resting again called a friend to double check that I didn't forget anything. Oh yeah left a voice mail on her mom's cell. Hey I haven't raised any kids of my own yet. I just do it vicariously through others. It made my friend laugh though, me calling about wether or not I left anything out.