At 3:00 AM I heard a thump followed by shouting. Charlie had fallen out of bed and was crying. I went into his room, flipped on his light and untangled him from his comforter. “Owww, it really hurts!” he exclaimed as he touched his mouth and cried louder. His upper lip was bloody and had a good gash on the outside. It was already swelled up. It looked like it really hurt, the poor guy.

After we calmed him down, cleaned him up and got him a Popsicle, I told Charlie that mixed in with his well deserved crying he had said something profound. Between sobs he had exclaimed with exasperation, “It hurts, it’s not fair!”

Hopefully this is a life lesson for Charlie because it was for me. Sometimes life  throws you out of bed, smacks you in the face and splits your lip without cause. And it hurts.  Yes, Charlie, it certainly is not fair.

Our little Sam took his first steps yesterday! I’ll post some video soon.

Jodi and I are considering moving to another part of town. There are many branches on this decision tree, with when to sell our house and when to buy a significant limb. The many variables are enough to make your head spin, figuratively speaking.

Well, this little gem induces a literal queasiness on the question of real estate value. Somebody plotted the real estate market (adjusted for inflation) to a roller coaster. The ride is rough and the ending is ominous.

Real Estate Roller Coaster – Google Video

We have had a few challenging weeks. Charlie came down with a fever a week ago Thursday, February 8th. On Thursday night his temp got up over 104 degrees. At the doctor on Friday he was tested for influenza but came up negative. Charlie was not feeling well. He had a temperature for six days. In the end his doctor said he certainly had influenza. He started feeling better on Wednesday and was his old self by the weekend. Sam developed a cough on Wednesday, the same day Charlie started feeling better, but did not have a fever. He went to the doctor on Thursday afternoon; he was wheezing and laboring to breathe. He was prescribed albuterol which we administered with a nebulizer. He was very uncomfortable on Friday, so we took him in again, and this time he was diagnosed with a double ear infection. Sam was prescribed with an antibiotic for the ears, and it would help prevent pneumonia as well.

He seemed to be improving on Saturday, but on Sunday morning he was wheezing loudly and having trouble breathing even after the nebulizer treatment. Our doctor’s office advised that we take him to Children’s Hospital. I’m writing this from the emergency room. They are testing Sam for Flu and RSV, a respiratory viral infection. They are going to do chest x-ray to look at his lungs and to see if his heart is enlarged.

UPDATE: The x-ray shows that his heart is probably enlarged and the lab tests are positive for RSV. Sam is being admitted and will see a cardiologist tomorrow (today is Sunday).

UPDATE: Today is Monday morning and Sam and Jodi had a restless night in the hospital. Sam was given oxygen while he slept and he needed nasal suction numerous times. He’s not eating as much as we would like due to the congestion. We’ll see the doctors this morning and get an update. Charlie’s Grandma Sue is coming to the house to play (Thanks Sue!).

UPDATE: Monday night: Sam did well today. He was eating this afternoon and his oxygenation was holding fairly steady. And he’s a happy little guy as usual. This morning his doctor said we should expect him to be in the hospital until Wednesday or longer. He had an echocardiogram this afternoon to see what is causing his heart murmur and enlarged heart. As we expected, he has a VSD — a defect where the muscles between chambers hasn’t completely grown together. Sam has thrived in his first 12 weeks, so there isn’t anything to do at this point. Most VSDs close over time and we’re optimistic. Hopefully Jodi and Sam have a peaceful evening.

UPDATE: Tuesday afternoon: We’re home! Sam had a very good night and morning so they let us come home today. We’d like to thank everyone who sent their wishes and prayers, and especially Sue and Dale, and Kris, Dave and Conner who helped out at the hospital and with Charlie at home.

I have been interested in collecting information about my family history (genealogy) for some time. Every few years I’ll come across the family tree my sister put together for a school project many years ago and it always sparks my interest in my family tree.

I came across a new web site Geni that helps you build and share family trees. Although its still in beta and pretty buggy, the interface is slick and easy to use. It allows all your family members to access it and input information, and its free. So I’ve started a project to collect all the information I can gather and build and extensive family tree. So far I have just over a hundred people on my tree.

My mom sent me a bunch of materials including pictures of many paternal ancestors, data on maternal history, and even an Italian passport and a naturalization certificate from my paternal great-grandfather. I’ve used the web site Ancestry.com to locate census records for many of my relatives. The next task is to query my relatives to verify and extend the data I’ve collected. I’ll also scan and post the pictures and other documents (e.g. census records) I’ve collected. Not only does this share them with the family, it is a good way to archive them for the future.

If you’re in my family and want an invitation to participate in the Geni family tree, send me a email.