First A Flea Circus And Now A Chicken Coop

As of my last post, we were thinking that Kaylea might have come in contact with some fleas, either from Angel or the yard. Well, the "bites" have continued to multiply over the last week - not a lot, mind you, but a few new ones each day. I have thoroughly cleaned Kaylea's room; went over her bedding with a fine tooth comb; washed everything in HOT water that would fit in the washing machine; vacuumed on my hands and knees around the baseboards; and vacuumed the rest of the her room as well. All of this and not a single flea in sight; additionally, Barry and I have yet to receive the first flea bite.

I just couldn't figure out where the "bites" were coming from, so I decided it was probably best to take her to the Doctor on Monday (today). In the meantime, I spent quite awhile Saturday on the Internet looking up all sorts of insect bites and children's rashes. (Man there is some funky stuff out there - just sayin'.) I quickly eliminated the possibilities of shingles and body lice; however, I was questionable about the whole bed bug thing. So, I sent Bub to Walmart to buy a microscope so I could examine some black flakes I had collected in Kaylea's room during the cleaning process. (I know, I watch way too much CSI.) When I looked at Kaylea's crime scene - I mean bedroom samples, well they looked like the same black blobs of stuff as before, only now they were just really big. In other words, I still couldn't tell what it was.
*****Note to self: Horatio Cane didn't get his microscope at Walmart!

Yesterday, Grammy offered up a diagnosis of the mystery "bites". She said that Bub use to get similar spots when he was little and they were caused by his allergies. That gave us something else to think (worry) about. I was afraid the Doctor would want to give her an allergy test and this child is deathly afraid of any type of needle.

Kaylea went to school this morning armed with her Benedryl Itch Stick and I told her I would make a doctors appointment and check her out of school early. When we arrived at the Doctor's office the nurse seemed a little stumped when she looked at Kaylea's "bites." She took down all of the information and left us to wait for the Doctor.

When the Doctor came in she looked at Kaylea's "bites" and then confirmed that I was correct. She does not have shingles or body lice or flea bites or bed bug bites. The Doctor seems to believe that Kaylea has an atypical case of the ..........................................CHICKEN POX! Bub and I were quite surprised by this diagnosis, especially since Kaylea received the chicken pox vaccination twice, with the last one being within the last two years. The Doctor said that the bumps had the appearance of chicken pox sores and since new ones had continued to appear each day over the last week this would match the cycle of chicken pox, as well. She felt that because Kaylea had been vaccinated twice, her symptoms were not normal for the illness. Nonetheless, she said that Kaylea is contagious and we needed to keep her home from school through Thursday. Typically, the pox will develop for about a week, so we should be about done; however, if Kaylea develops any new pox tomorrow or Wednesday, we are to keep out of school through Friday. If she is still developing pox by Thursday they want to see her again, because it isn't chicken pox that she has. If that is the case they will have a dermatologist look at her.

Well my friends, now you know as much as I do. I might have a child with chicken pox and then again, maybe not. I guess the good part is that Kaylea gets a second Spring Break, but, unfortunately, she doesn't understand why she can't play outside this time.




Oh and P.S.
I bet you had always wondered why this Blog is called Curiously Kaylea. Now you know - she just gets curiouser and curiouser!!!!!

Welcome To The Flea Circus!

Sunday, Kaylea and Angel were playing outside in the yard. They were rolling around and having all kinds of fun. Then, Monday morning, Kaylea awoke with some mysterious little red bites on her tummy and chest. I looked her over carefully and did a sweep of the bed sheets, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. I figured she had been bitten by something while playing in the yard the day before.

I treated her itchy spots with Benedryl gel and sent her to school. We have been watching the spots the last few days and they have not spread, but they have not gone away as of yet, either.

Today, while I was playing with Angel I found a flea, yes just ONE flea, climbing on top of her fur towards her head. She had just come inside from using the bathroom. I immediately pinched the little sucker's head off (NOT Angel's - THE FLEA'S) and then proceeded to give Angel her first dose of K9 Advantix of the season.

As I was sharing Angel's adventure with Kaylea after school, she asked me, "Mom, do you think I have fleas, too?" My only response was, "Well dear, anything is possible."

Since the K9 Advantix clearly states in big bold letters, "KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN" and warns against any contact with skin, I guess I will have to come up with a different treatment for Kaylea. HMM.....I wonder if they make flea collars big enough for a 9 year-old?

Did You Know......

...the Dogwood Arts Parade is for dogs with wooden teeth. At least that is what Kaylea visualized when Auntie M. and I were talking about the parade over the weekend. Only Kaylea could come up with that one.

Kaylea Is Going Green

Let me start by saying that Bub and I are BAD - very very BAD! We do not recycle; heck in our neck of the woods we do good to get the trash hauled off to the dump before it overruns the cans. You see, we don't have city trash service because we live out in the little unincorporated town that wants to big but wants to stay small. So, recycling is something that I have yet to tackle.

Kaylea has been learning about recycling at school and wants us to begin. Kaylea's teacher is encouraging the children to bring their recyclable items into class and deposit them into the appropriate bins. Well, last night we had to hang a new roll of toilet paper and imagine my surprise when Kaylea asked if she could take the old used cardboard roll to school. When I inquired as to the reason, she said, "Well, Mom, we are suppose to recycle paper and this is paper." I controlled my inner laughter and told her "yes" she could take the toilet paper roll to school. So this morning, she put the TP roll in her backpack and proudly marched it into her class. Yes, friends, my daughter is doing her part to save the planet - one toilet paper roll at a time.

P.S. I think I am going to put out some tubs for paper, plastic and metal at home. Maybe, I can save Kaylea a little bit of future humiliation.

Everything Is Just Ducky!!!!!!!!!

As I mentioned before, Kaylea is the princess of fashion. And, if you remember, she has outgrown almost everything in her closet. Normally, I eBay her clothes, but I am a little peeved at them right now because of the changes they have made to the feedback system. So, I did a little research on the internet and found the Duck-Duck-Goose website. This is a HUGE children's consignment sales right here in Knoxville. Luckily, I found the site early enough to get all of Kaylea's stuff in the sale (all 150+ pieces). So, all of you local readers out there, the sale runs Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday from 10 - 8, AND Monday is 1/2 price day on qualifying items. If you want some good deals on gently used children's clothes, I would recommend coming out and taking a look around. I know I'll be there!

Extreme Makeover - Puppy Edition

Today, Angel went to the dog groomers for her Spring haircut. She has shed her winter coat and is ready for the beach, also. Just take a look see.

Before

Angel looking more Poodle(ish) in her long fluffy winter coat.

After

Angel looking a little more Schnoodle(ish) with her snazy new cut.

Look out cousins, Lulu and Mabel. The "Rat Dog" has returned!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life In Kaylea Land

Things are crazy, as usual, in Kaylea's little corner of the world. The child is involved in so many activities, it makes my mind spin. She has chorus at school 2 mornings a week; Girls Scouts every other Tuesday; Handbells and Church Choir every Wednesday afternoon; Karate every Wednesday evening; and Art Classes every Thursday afternoon. WHEW! (You can't tell me that my child wouldn't be adversely affected if I returned to the regular working world.)

More important than the extra-curricular activities, we are currently trying to get her prepped for the Terra Nova (TCAP) Test. This is the year end standardized test that is administered by the school system to track the progress and academic level of the students. Personally, I hate these tests! Last year, Kaylea didn't do as well as we thought she would/should. Bub and I were a little shocked when we saw her results. They weren't bad, but mostly just in the middle percentile. With the excellent grades that she brought home on her report cards last year, we were just assuming that her test scores would be in the upper percentile. Her teacher, Ms. W., was a little surprised, as well. Ms. W. said that Kaylea just might not be a good test taker. Well, if that is the case, we are in for a long road ahead. Unfortunately, as all of you are aware, our educational system uses "tests" for the primary method of evaluating a child's learning. If the child knows the material, but doesn't test well, the grades are an inaccurate reflection of comprehension and knowledge. Seeing as I can't single handedly change the philosophy and practices of the entire educational system, I suppose we might need to invest in some study skills classes for Kaylea in the future. Can you say, "Hello, Sylvan!"

After TCAPS are completed, it is pretty much a downhill ride for the rest of the school year. There will only be six weeks left and those weeks will be filled with parties, field days, field trips and other special activities. It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over. We are cutting Kaylea's school year short by one day so we can head out of town to Hilton Head the first week of June. All of us are starting to get excited about the trip. We can almost hear the beach calling our names. It should be a nice and relaxing way to end the school year and begin the summer.

Now, I guess it is time for me to start researching some summer programs to keep Kaylea busy and away from the TV for the remaining 10 weeks of summer vacation. So far, we are considering a reading program at UT; an art camp; continuing with karate; and a summer reading program at the library. Oh, and of course, there are the Kid's Summer Movies at Movies on the Parkway and we have our Dollywood and Splash Country season passes. I think I will be able to keep her entertained, how 'bout you? If any of you have any additional suggestions, I welcome all of them! I am always looking for new things to try out.

Now that I have made you conscious of the fact that there are only 6 weeks left until summer, go day dream about your vacation(s)!