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Jeffery tried out for the swim team the day after Ron's birthday in October. (What an
appropriate birthday gift for Dad!) So far, Jeffery really enjoys swimming and has
participated in two swim meets. Swimming has been a great athletic activity for Jeffery
since he is already involved in so many other activities.
Jeffery has been taking piano lessons since first grade. In second grade he joined the
Saint Mary's Joyful Noise Choir. He started viola in third grade and school chorus in fourth
grade. Jeffery has participated in Odyssey of the Mind since third grade and is starting his
second year of OM with his mom as his coach. Jeffery was the top fourth grader in the
local GeoBee finals last year and is competing in GeoBee again this year. As a fifth
grader Jeffery is on the Safety Patrol at school and is also on the First Lego League -
Robotics team. Academically, Jeffery does very well in school and is even showing great
improvement in writing!
At home (or just about anywhere) you are most likely to find Jeffery READING. Jeffery is a
great big brother to Bethan and Thomas and is idolized by Jake (perhaps because Jeffery
is the one who is in charge of feeding Jake). Jeffery also enjoys riding his bike and
working with his electric trains. This past summer Jeffery attended Camp Nazareth in the
Adirondacks for a week. Jeffery also learned how to mow the lawn! If Mom would allow it,
Jeffery would be on the computer or watching movies more often.
We are very proud of Jeffery!
appropriate birthday gift for Dad!) So far, Jeffery really enjoys swimming and has
participated in two swim meets. Swimming has been a great athletic activity for Jeffery
since he is already involved in so many other activities.
Jeffery has been taking piano lessons since first grade. In second grade he joined the
Saint Mary's Joyful Noise Choir. He started viola in third grade and school chorus in fourth
grade. Jeffery has participated in Odyssey of the Mind since third grade and is starting his
second year of OM with his mom as his coach. Jeffery was the top fourth grader in the
local GeoBee finals last year and is competing in GeoBee again this year. As a fifth
grader Jeffery is on the Safety Patrol at school and is also on the First Lego League -
Robotics team. Academically, Jeffery does very well in school and is even showing great
improvement in writing!
At home (or just about anywhere) you are most likely to find Jeffery READING. Jeffery is a
great big brother to Bethan and Thomas and is idolized by Jake (perhaps because Jeffery
is the one who is in charge of feeding Jake). Jeffery also enjoys riding his bike and
working with his electric trains. This past summer Jeffery attended Camp Nazareth in the
Adirondacks for a week. Jeffery also learned how to mow the lawn! If Mom would allow it,
Jeffery would be on the computer or watching movies more often.
We are very proud of Jeffery!
| JEFFERY |
| Oh, and about that ambulance ride... On Tuesday, October 6th Jeffery got stung by a bee during the afternoon bus run. Jeffery's arm swelled a bit, but he was "quite fine". On Wednesday the school nurse called me to say that he was having a delayed reaction and that his arm was swelling up like a tangerine. He missed choir and came home for a dose of Benadryl. His arm was red, but "not too itchy". During that same week I had a root canal and was taking high doses of Motrin to control my own pain. Thomas woke me several times each night and I had been over to help our neighbor, Maya, who had a trip to the hospital at 5am on Tuesday. Ron was in New Jersey for work. So, Thursday morning at 5am I hear Jeffery GASPING for air. He could not breath. I called 911 and gave Jeffery a dose of Benadryl. I did not think I had time to get Bethan and Thomas up and ready to go to the hospital with us...nor did I really want to wait for someone to get to our house so that I could bring Jeffery to the ER...and what if he stopped breathing on the way to the hospital? Paramedics arrived and ruled out lung trouble but they wanted to take him in for a more complete check over. He left in the ambulance (he really was okay with this - better than I was). I called my Mom to come stay with Bethan and Thomas. By the time I arrived at the ER...Jeffery told me about his smooth ambulance ride and was ready to be discharged. The doctor assured me that it was laryngitis and should take care of itself in a matter of days. Jeffery stayed home that Thursday reading the next couple of Percy Jackson books. His throat was fine all day and his arm was still red and swollen. Jeffery coughed on and off for the next several days and an occasional dose of Benadryl seemed to help quite a bit. Especially since my sisters, Gail and Amy, carry Epi pens in case of bee stings, my gut is telling me that the whole gasping episode was more a delayed reaction to the bee sting and less a really bad case of laryngitis. And yes, I do know and appreciate that we have so many wonderful friends to call on in case of an emergency. Hopefully, we won't need to do so in the future. |
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November 2009