The Good Dinosaur- The Good, The Sad, and the Scary.

I received a copy of THE GOOD DINOSAUR for review purposes. No other compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.

If you haven't heard yet, Disney Pixar's  The Good Dinosaur is available now! We just watched the movie, and I have to say- I love it. Here's my review (WARNING- Spoilers).

This story is a fabulous story about friendship and courage. Arlo (the dino) is the "runt" of the family, and scared of everything. He struggles to find his place and his worth in the family. The story takes a turn when a family member dies ( why are these always SO sad?!) and when Arlo feels like he is to blame for the tragedy.

After another accident happens Arlo finds himself a long way from home, but with an unusual companion- a foe turned friend. Together they must find their way home, and Arlo has to find his courage to face the unknown along the way.

Okay, so I want to share with you one thing that I think parents should be aware of... if you really don't want specific spoilers, stop reading now.

There is a point in the movie when some dinosaurs seem like they are friends, but they are really the bad guys.... and it's pretty scary, especially for the younger or more sensitive kids. You see a little "critter" be "saved" and then promptly eaten unexpectedly, and it's harsh. These dinosaurs also attack later in the movie and it's a bit frightening then, too.  Aside from the frightening parts, there is also many sad parts that will make your eyes swell with tears. The movie is a good movie, but I do wish they hadn't disguised the bad guys as helpers at first.

The ending will warm your heart and overall it's a very powerful movie about facing fears and being a good friend.

Here's a clip from the movie, check it out and check out your local retailer or find The Good Dinosaur on Amazon.

You can also find the new short, Sanjay's Super Team.  These shorts have become almost as anticipated as the movies for our family. I enjoyed this one, and I loved how it helped open my kids to another culture, making them curious. 
Included in the bonus materials, you can also find "True Lies about Dinosaurs". I loved this bonus material because it tells kids about how this movie is make believe, it's not factual, and that the dinosaurs likely wouldn't have actually seen one another since they live at different times. The other bonus materials include deleted scenes and Recylosaurus: a fun short about how people made large dinosaurs out of only recycled items.
 

The whirlwind of the end of Summer.

It's officially Autumn, as much as I hate to admit it. I don't know about you, but the beginning of the school year has my head still turning. We are still working on getting into a routine around here.

I hope things have been wonderful with my dedicated readers!

I've been working on a new photography venture, I started classes last March, and I'm finally getting to a point where I'm liking my photos. 

(Please note, these are low-resolution photos to deter people from taking them without permission)

During Labor Day weekend we visited the LOVELY Fayette, MI. Here's a photo of Snailshell Harbor!

And here's the furnaces from the ghost town of Fayette.

We've witnessed some amazing Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) this summer, too!

And some other beautiful things in the sky.

Our small, and close, adventures have kept the last few weeks thoroughly busy!

Another busy season is upon us, as the holidays roll in.

If you'd like to see more of my photos, please follow me on instagram! 

See you soon!

Answers. #RatBiteFever Part 6.

Yep, there's more to the story! Check out these posts if you haven't yet:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5

So, it is now Wednesday. Nearly two weeks since Orrin first started having problems. We are at Helen DeVos children's hospital, admitted, and looking for answers.

     

More doctors started to come in. First some residents, as DeVos is a teaching hospital, then Dr. Kassenich.  She came in and told us that Orrin has arthritis, but there are two forms of arthritis: primary arthritis and secondary arthritis. Secondary arthritis is caused by something else. She said they would figure out what was wrong and we WOULD have answers. So we talked.

I told Dr. Kassenich everything I could think of... about the strep throat that went through our house a couple months ago, the new Baltic Amber teething necklace we had gotten the day before this started, the rat bite. We talked about his arm and leg, and how there was no known trauma to either.

When I told her about the rat bite she said, "that is probably THE most important thing you've said".  I knew then that she thought it was rat bite fever. She said there would be more blood tests done, and that she would consult with an infectious disease (ID) doctor and that ID would be in to look at Orrin.

Blood was taken, and IV was started (which was horrible... Orrin has horrible veins and it was just such a bad experience).  That first night was a night of waiting. No real answers...

Orrin was started on penicillin as a precaution.

Rat Bite Fever, if left untreated, ends in death in 10-25% of the cases, and can result in problems with the heart, and linings of the spine and brain (as well as a bunch of other complications), so it was better to get this simple treatment started rather than delay. ID wouldn't be able to see us until the next day, and they would be the ones who determined if it was, in fact, rat bite fever.

The night was horrible. Very little sleep for anyone in the room. Orrin was cranky, and his IV kept having issues.

A little bit of precious sleep.... pure exhaustion!

The next morning, Thursday, Orrin's IV came out by accident. He got a new IV, this time in his foot... and no less trouble than the first. Orrin wasn't eating or drinking, he was quickly becoming dehydrated. We needed the IV for the antibiotics and his hydration.

An Infectious Disease resident came in and talked to us. Heard the whole story, checked out the finger which had been bit, and looked Orrin over. He said he would consult with the ID doctor and get back to us. A little later ID came in and said, yes, they do believe that he has Rat Bite Fever (Streptobacillus moniliformis). 


Rat Bite Fever comes from a type of staph bacteria that is in nearly all mouths of rats. It can also be carried by other rodents. This dangerous possibility was never mentioned by the pet store where we purchased the rat. We had no idea that "Rat bite fever" even existed before this situation. The rat just seemed like a cute and easy pet.

With about 200 documented cases of rat bite fever in the US since 1839, it is a relatively rare and unknown illness, but one that anyone who owns a rat should know about. Rats do not die from this bacteria, they are only carriers. A person does NOT need to be bit to get ill from this bacteria. Something as simple as holding the animal can lead to infection. Scratches and bites make it easier to transmit, but they are not the only way of transmission. Please, be cautious.

We still have no idea why the rat died, the only reason I can see is divine intervention to help us remember that Orrin was bit.

The bacteria that causes rat bite fever is difficult to grow for a blood test, it takes specific conditions which are hard to create in a lab. We are still awaiting final test results, but they may take up to three weeks.

About 24 hours after starting the penicillin we did notice that Orrin was improving. He was able to stand. By Friday morning he was able to walk. The usual treatment for rat bite fever is 5-7 days of IV penicillin, and then oral antibiotics for an additional 14 days. Due to the multiple issues with Orrin's IVs and his difficult veins, the doctors decided that he would be switched to oral antibiotics as of Friday. We were released Friday afternoon, and so far Orrin seems to be pretty happy.


Orrin has been walking around, playing, and eating plenty of Easter candy today!

We will continue to watch for fever and joint pain to be sure he doesn't relapse, and we will be following up with his doctors to make sure that he doesn't have any complications in his joints, heart, brain, or lungs.

We were told that with treatment of antibiotics, the mortality rate of Rat Bite Fever is extremely low and Orrin seems to be doing great so far. It's been a crazy couple of weeks...

Have you owned a pet rat? Would you own a pet rat now?

It's Getting Worse. #RatBiteFever Part 5

A continuation of... Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Okay.. so this is Tuesday. About 10 days after the first incident that started with Orrin not using his arm. His leg had seemed better the last couple days... but he still had a fever- despite Motrin around the clock (every 6 hours). We were supposed to have a follow up appointment with the orthopedic specialist affiliated with DeVos, but there was no referral so we couldn't get an appointment. We had been calling all Monday trying to figure out how to get this follow up scheduled, and now it seemed even more important.

While Orrin had been acting fairly normal the last two days, this morning he started walking with a limp again. He was very uncomfortable. I called his pediatrician's office to ask for something stronger. Maybe he could get another shot of toradol? It seemed to help him so much before.

Orrin's doctor had gone out of state for Spring break, so we talked with the doctor that was filling in. There was a lot to catch up on. She had to make many, many calls. After several rounds of calling to get more information, and her calling DeVos, she called me back around 4:30 that afternoon. She said that we were never supposed to be discharged from DeVos- we were supposed to be admitted.

She immediately ordered more blood tests, and we went to Munson hospital to get them done... she said the results would be back that evening. Depending on the results, we may need to see a specialist at Munson, but she was hoping the blood tests showed that there was improvement. They didn't.

Around 10pm that night we were called and told we needed to leave early on Wednesday and drive to the orthopedic specialist down at DeVos. Orrin's blood tests still showed high levels of inflammation and showed he had low hemoglobin. Something was going on.

The next morning Orrin's leg was very swollen, very painful, and he wasn't walking at all. We were on the road. We didn't even have an appointment yet, but Dr. Statler said she'd get it taken care of and give us a call in the morning while we were driving down. She did, and we were able to have Orrin be seen at 11:30 that morning. Dr. Cassidy, the orthopedic specialist, had more x-rays done of Orrin's arm and leg. He said there was no sign of bone-regrowth... which means that Orrin's arm was not broken. It hadn't been broken. But, there was something wrong and we needed to figure out what it was.

The orthopedic team had consulted with the oncology department, and had gotten confirmation that this was NOT cancer. We were relieved that we were at least not facing that epic battle. But what was wrong?!

Dr. Cassidy said we needed to figure it out... and so he arranged for a team of doctors, called the hospitalists, at DeVos, to figure it out. Orrin would be admitted, and we would have answers soon.



Part 6: Answers.

The Rat. #RatBiteFever Part 4

In case you missed the other posts...
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

I'm going to give a little history here. We purchased a rat, in January, after much begging from our son Gavin. It was his 11th birthday, and I gave in. It would be good to teach him responsibility!

So, we purchased a rat from Pet Supplies Plus (and we were given this information, in a print out). All the kids loved it. It was cute, cuddly, and nice. It died within days. So, we went back and got another from a new shipment. This rat seemed healthy and happy- it was cute, cuddly, and nice too! We were happy.

We were amazed at how tame this rat was. Even our one year old son could hold it! Orrin adored the rat. He adores all animals, really; you can tell he is an animal lover.

 But... we also have a cat. The cat wanted to eat the rat.

For the last couple months, the cat would try to get the rat through the cage. We couldn't keep it away. The cat seemed to be just playing with, it in a way- she didn't attack the rat out of the cage... just messed with it while in the cage. But, the rat started attacking everything that touched the cage (fairly understandably, IMO).

Our son, Nolyn, got bit first, it was more of a nick than anything, but we moved the cage. Then another day, Orrin got bit... just a small bite, barely enough to get the skin. We moved the cage again. The kids loved the rat, and the rat was still very tame and calm when held- it just didn't like to be messed with in the cage. Then, Orrin got bit again. This time right through the finger nail. It was a full bite.

This time the rat went up above the bird cage. The kids couldn't really see it to mess with it and the cat didn't mess with it. Seemed like it was a good place for it.

After we cleaned Orrin's wound it healed up- and we didn't think much more of it... until the rat died.

So, that's the story of the rat... which is an important piece to this whole story.

Now back to Tuesday and Part 5.

Horrible thoughts. #RatBiteFever Part 3

If you need to catch up, here's part one and part two.

The next morning we were called and told to immediately go to Helen DeVos children's hospital. It's a 3 and a half hour drive from where we live... so it isn't a quick or easy chore for us. We had to get childcare for the other kids, then drive an extra hour to pick up the x-rays from the hospital... but we were on our way.

My husband and I had had horrible thoughts racing through our minds for the entire night, and now they were even worse. We hadn't been sent an hour away to Munson (the next biggest hospital near us)... no, we were sent across the state to a special children's hospital. The doctor has said the test results could mean a range of things were wrong, but he was most concerned about a bone infection.


Helen DeVos emergency got us in very quickly (the shortest wait I've ever had at any hospital). Orrin was quickly assessed and the slew of doctors started pouring in. We saw so many doctors in such a short amount of time, it was nearly overwhelming.

The first thing they wanted to do was repeat some blood tests. So, they did...and we waited.

We waited, and waited, and waited.

Finally, pretty close after shift change, a new doctor came in and said that they thought everything was fine and that we would be going home soon.

Then, another doctor came in and said that we would need to have Orrin sedated so they could take fluid out of his knee and elbow to check for infection. We were confused, we had just been told everything was fine?! Well, apparently the test results hadn't come back when the other doctor had said we should go home, and now that they were back, and showing even higher levels of inflammation, Orrin needed to have his knee and elbow aspirated to check for bacteria.

Orrin's cast came off... and his elbow looked huge, red, and was very painful. He was not a happy kiddo. The orthopedic specialist there said he didn't see a fracture on the films, so they weren't planning on re-casting his arm, but would put it in a splint after the sedation to protect the joint just in case it was close to fracturing.

Then, they put our little guy into a "semi-sleep" state and we had to wait in the waiting room.

We came back and our little dude was still in this sleep-like state. His eyes were twitching and he wasn't really aware of his surroundings. 

And now we had to wait some more. The results of these tests wouldn't be quick. The test was completed at 8:30pm... and we waited.

We were told that the fluid taken from the joints looked pretty good, it wasn't full of pus, but there was very little fluid collected from his elbow. This was good thing in relation to infection, because infection creates pus and that would mean that there would be a lot of fluid.

The waiting was horrible. Orrin was starving, We hadn't eaten in... well, I don't even remember when. Raymond went to the cafeteria to get something for us to eat. When he got back, Orrin was SO upset. He wanted "nummies". He wasn't allowed anything to eat or drink, though, in case he needed emergency surgery. So, we all sat there... staring at the to-go container all wishing we could eat. Finally, Orrin fell asleep around 1am.


Around 1:30am the doctors came in and told us that his knee results came back negative. But we were still waiting on his elbow results. A bit later the doctor came in and said they were negative as far as he could tell. The situation wasn't deemed an emergency any longer so we were discharged after they gave Orrin some more toradol (a strong anti-inflammatory medication given by IV).

We were told Orrin likely had Toxic Synovitis. A type of arthritis that is common and is the body's response to a viral infection. The doctor also said it could be a rheumatoid arthritis since RA is on both sides of the family... but that it would take a rheumatist to find out and that would be coordinated with our primary doctor.

 We thought that it might just be Toxic Synovitis.... but something had happened while we were at the hospital that kept playing on our minds. Our pet rat had died quite suddenly while we were at DeVos. 

We traveled home, exhausted, and in the dark. We finally got home and got a few hours sleep.  When I finally woke up my husband and I started discussing the death of the rat and how Orrin had been bitten a couple weeks before, and  I started Google-ing.

This was the first instance where I saw anything about Rat Bite Fever. The arthritis and fever fit... but besides that, it didn't seem that likely. He didn't have a rash, or an open sore... the site of the bite had healed well.

Orrin's doctor called that Saturday afternoon. I mentioned the rat, but he asked if the bite seemed to be infected, and it didn't, it had healed well and we had cleaned it thoroughly. The pediatrician said it was pretty unlikely and so we didn't give it much thought after that.

The next few days Orrin seemed to be better. He was walking around and acting fairly normal. We had two birthday parties and he was active in them both. We thought everything might be okay.... that he may just have arthritis... or maybe it was just a viral infection. 

Then, Tuesday came.

Part 4: The Rat.  

SOMETHING is wrong! #RatBiteFever Part 2.

(Did you miss part one? Click here)

We weren't thrilled to be going to the hospital again, but our kid couldn't walk! I was worried about how they would think of us as parents. Our son's arm was broken, and we didn't know how it happened... and now he wasn't walking on his leg. AND, we had just been at the hospital with our 9 year old who had a concussion. Surely they would assume we were harming our children. I was crying I was so upset at this. Nothing had happened... nothing out of the ordinary toddler bumps and falls, at least.

When we got to the hospital we were seen pretty quickly. One of the nurses had been there the last time I was at the hospital with Orrin, and the doctor said she'd already heard about what happened with Orrin's arm. She had seen Orrin and I before when I had picked him up from the couch and hurt his leg, which was stuck under part of the couch before I had realized it, and was hurting. Last time we were seen he was fine and walked fine as soon as we got to the hospital. She asked to see him walk just to make sure I wasn't just an over-worried mom. But, Orrin didn't walk right. He was dragging his leg behind.

So, she ordered some x-rays. Nothing showed up, everything appeared normal on the films. When the doctor came back to the room she asked if anything had happened. RJ, our 10 year old, had said Luke had thrown something at Orrin's leg earlier, but it didn't seem to bother him- it didn't even knock him over- but I told her about it.

I asked her if there was any way it could be related to his arm. I mean, two limbs not being used within a week? She said it was probably just a coincidence. I asked if there were any labs or anything that could be done to see if he was sick. She said they don't do that there, we would have to go to our primary doctor. She "diagnosed" Orrin with a limp and said to follow up with our pediatrician in the next few days if it persisted.

Well, it didn't get better and I was able to finish work early the next day. We were able to get in to the pediatrician. I told him what had led up to this and said SOMETHING is wrong. I really felt like Orrin's arm trouble and leg trouble were connected. Orrin's knee was warm and slightly swollen at this point. The pediatrician agreed that something was amiss. He ordered a bunch of blood tests and told us he'd call when the results came in.

At this point I was very concerned. I had had two friends who had children with leg pain, one had ended up with cancer, the other a serious bone infection. Nothing good was running through my mind.

At 6 PM we got a call from the pediatrician. His first blood test results looked okay. He didn't think this was anything serious at this point. His white blood cells were at a normal level and he said the tests looked reassuring. I was relieved, but still baffled at what was going on. We waited for more test results.

Then, at 10pm, we received another call from the doctor. His blood tests that tested for inflammation had come back with very abnormal results. The doctor told us he would call in the morning after consulting with some other doctors in some other major cities and decide what to do from there.

Part Three: Horrible thoughts.

Sad, Mad, Glad.

About a week ago we introduced a new activity to our family's dinner experience. We've always shared dinner together, always sat around the same table. I've loved the conversations and closeness that it brings. We recently heard of a "game", and we've now adopted it into our daily schedule. 

Sad, Mad, Glad. It's easy to "play". In our family we start with the youngest (well, the youngest who can talk), and ask them to share one thing from their day that made them sad, one thing from their day that made them mad, and one thing from their day that made them glad.  When each person is talking they are the only one who's allowed to speak, everyone else has to listen and no one is excused from the table. It's really been a great lesson in patience and respect!

The first day we just tried it to see how it would go, to our surprise the kids asked to pay it the next night and have been insistent on doing it every day since! It has definitely given us a little more insight to our children's day as well. One day we learned that two of the boys had been fighting on the bus (something they didn't share with us when simply asked how their day was). I'm not sure who "created" this game, but I love it and wanted to share it with all of you, because I think your family may love it too! 

If you try Sad, Mad, Glad, or currently play, please share your experiences!

When a five year old steals...

Well, it's happened. One of our boys have stolen something. Our 5 year old decided that it was okay to take a piece of candy from the store tonight. 

We found out rather quickly, within about 5 minutes of him being home. I quickly told my husband to take him back to the store and make him apologize and pay for the candy. I wanted to be sure the punishment quickly followed the crime.

My husband agreed and took our son back to the grocery store.

They came back about 10 minutes later. Our son was obviously upset. Good, I thought... I hope it sinks in! Then my husband started telling me what had happened at the store.

The lady who our son apologized to was nice enough... but explained that even though he's only 5 she could still call the cops. He was scared, probably embarrassed as well. 

Well, there were several customers in the store. My husband told me that the lady directly behind him (probably about mid 20-30's) was "disgusted" that he would publicly embarrass our son by having him return to the store to apologize and pay. 

I was pretty shocked to hear this! 

Well, there were a few older people there as well, and they were glad that my husband brought our son to the store. One elderly man actually asked my husband if he needed to borrow his belt. That's a little extreme, but it is amazing how differently generations parent their children. 

Now, back to the shocking part... "disgusted" because we made our child do the right thing? It makes me wish that I had been there so I could ask her what she thought was an appropriate punishment. It also makes me wonder if we as parents in this generation are going "too soft" on our kids. Is a little humiliation not okay when disciplining your child? 

I remember when I was a young girl, I was 5 I believe, I stole a rubber snake from the grocery store. My mother made me take it back and apologize. I was scared to death, and I felt really bad...but I also never stole again. I learned my lesson... and I definitely did not want to feel like that again!

Do you think making your child be embarrassed in this situation is inappropriate? What punishment would you have chose if it was your 5 year old child?

This Mama Loves Her Bargains also had a tough time with a child's behavior... check out her post too!

First Day of School- 2011

It was my boys' first day of school today.

I captured some pictures this morning before the bus came...

It was a very foggy morning!

Here are each of the boys:

  

  

They all said they had a good day at school, so I am glad!

Yard Sales and Emergency Rooms...

We have been planning a yard sale for couple weekends now. Last weekend I was too sick to do much other than lie in bed. This weekend started off quite rainy. 

We were blessed with some sun this morning and were getting our yard sale set up. My husband wanted to put his weight bench out for sale, so he put that out. My kids had quite the fascination with it. They all wanted to be tough guys! Well, we kept telling them to leave the bench alone, that it could hurt them, but they didn't listen. Well, at least not until their two year old brother decided to mess with it too... he ended up with a broken, fractured, and mushed thumb. :(

I can handle a lot... most injuries are not a big deal to me.... I've seen some pretty bad ones. This one was different. Nolyn's thumb swelled so much that I thought it was going to burst, and it looked like he was pouring blood out of his thumb like a watering can does water. It was everywhere. 

We quickly poured some water on it and bandaged it and he was off to the hospital with his Daddy.

This is what it looks like 10 hours later... ( much, much better than this morning):

 

The doctors said he would have to have surgery to really do everything they needed to do, but that they didn't recommend it because of his age. He will likely never have a nail on his thumb again because of the damage to his nail bed. For now, all we can do is change the bandages, keep it in a splint, and follow up as soon as the nail falls off to see if they can try to repair the nail bed. 

It was hard to believe how quickly it swelled this morning, it was really scary! My husband told me Nolyn broke his thumb, and has a fracture near the knuckle, which is why it swelled so much. Poor little Boog! 

Other than that, the yard sale was pretty uneventful. Only a handful of people came (and we are thankful for each one!). It was a hot, sunny day up until about 4:30 pm or so...then a dark cloud loomed in the distance. My husband told me to check the weather...'no real chance of rain', I told him. Within minutes it was pouring and we were scurrying around covering and moving things. Hoping for a busier day tomorrow and no rain- we need this stuff gone!

What kind of ouchies have your kids (or yourself) gotten? Do you handle blood/injuries well, or do they make you a little flustered? 

Camping for a week with SIX Kids- We Survived!

Oh yes, you read that title correctly. We finally did it.... we went camping. 

This surprise vacation was the first camping trip we have been on as a family.... and we did it with all six kids in tow!

It all started out as a day trip to go to my family reunion. We had considered camping, if we could, but nothing was set in stone and nothing was packed. Well, long story short.... at the end of the day we decided to stay. So my wonderful husband went home and gather the needed things for an overnight stay, including our tent and clothing.

Okay, day one over, we are now on Sunday. We are almost all packed up, everything but the tent is ready to go.... my cousin says we should stay. Well, we think, why not? So another day we shall stay. :)

The next morning, we start to pack again.... then we think, why not make a vacation of it? There isn't anything we HAVE to do that can't be rescheduled. So, we stay.... and this time we decide to stay for a while! No more packing!!!!! 

We had so much fun. It wasn't always easy with six little ones....but it was still SO nice.  No T.V., no computer, no fridge, no video games, back to basic life! We enjoyed nature and our family.

The kids climbed trees....

      

We ate lots of food and got really dirty...

         

   And there were lots of smiles...

           

  

There was swimming, and sunburns, campfires and tuckered out kids...

      

A gorgeous sunset and a beautiful moon...

We even had an interesting visit from a couple of skunks! Thankfully no stink was left, but the campground did manage to capture this sneaky creature.

Through all the craziness of keeping six children in a campsite, putting them to bed in sleeping bags in a tent, and eating from a cooler we managed to have fun and enjoy the time together. It is a week I wont soon forget, and one I hope to recreate again. My family is so blessed to live in such an amazing place in the world, and we are even more blessed to have one another. 

Surprise Vacation!

Woooo Hooooo!

Just letting everyone know I am on a surprise vacation until this weekend...so there won't be many posts! 

Hope everyone else is having a decent week!