Creating More Questions

Dear Chicken Nugget,

It's been a long week!  Somehow I managed to get sick at the end of the work week, just in time for our Spring break.  We're flying to Madison, WI this week to visit your Aunt Sara, Uncle Jerry, and Cousin Timothy this week.  Your Grandpa Dale and Grandma Sue will be there too.

I have a tendency to get sick right before vacations.  I have a feeling that it's because my body knows that I'm going to have time to rest so it pushes through and doesn't give in to the bug until the last minute.  Unfortunately, it ruins a couple of days of vacation for me.

I am looking forward to a few days of play time with you and your mom.  As you get older and become much more aware of your surroundings, it has been an incredible experience to show you new things.

For example . . . a box!  Yes, a cardboard box.  Your mom placed you in one the other day and you enjoyed it tremendously.  In fact, we now have a permanent cardboard box station in the kitchen for you to play in.

As we were learning about paper and boxes in kindergarten science, I decided to show my kindergarteners how you play in the box:

I recently started a Science Teacher blog called "Creating More Questions" for my students, their parents, and other science teachers.  My students love it!  They keep sending me emails about the website or asking questions about science via the website.  In fact, two students wrote a comment about you in the box, wondering how you got in there.  I'm using you to show them that kids (and some adults) learn best by playing. 

Nugget, you are a non-stop playing machine right now and you're learning so much.  I hope that by sharing your experience in a box we'll prompt another parent out there to put their kid in a box or prompt kids to build a fort out of the box or use the box as an imaginary boat.  The possibilities are endless, the learning is limitless, and the photos are priceless.


Thank you for helping me teach science,

Tu papa 

asthma

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I went out for another run tonight.  The wind did indeed bring friends to try and slow me down, freezing temperature was on hand to show me a good time and snow made an appearance.

As I took deep breaths of the crisp cold air, I remembered that for almost half of my life I couldn't do what I was doing at that moment.

When I was three years old I was diagnosed with asthma.  I had asthma that was triggered by allergies, cold, and exercise.  I had to get steroid shots once a month and would use an inhaler whenever necessary; as I remember it, I used it often.

And then there were the Emergency Room visits.  I remember being taken to the ER on many occasions due to a severe asthma attack.  It always started with some coughing, then some wheezing in my lungs, and slowly I felt as if my lungs thickened to the point of only being able to allow a tiny bit of air in at a time.

I would take a couple of puffs of my inhaler and wait.  I would try to steady my breathing.  My mom would take breaths with me and massage my back.  Sometimes it would go away.  Sometimes I ended up in the ER.

Once, sometime in the fifth grade, I had an asthma attack in the morning.  It just so happened that it was the morning of the City Wide Math Test.  My mom asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital.  I told her I wanted to go to school to take my test.  So, she took me to school and waited in the Main Office for me while I went to take the test.  I don't remember how long those tests took back in the day but it felt like five minutes.  My guess is I rushed through it just to be able to get out of there.

My mom immediately hauled me off to the ER where they determined I was having such a bad attack and lacking so much oxygen that they admitted me to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.  I was frightened.

The staff was incredibly friendly but I was surrounded by kids of all ages hooked up to machines in different stages of serious illness.  There was a constant hum of machines, puffing of ventilators, and beeps from heart monitors.  I had nightmares almost every night I was there.  Five nights total.

Honestly, I never thought the asthma would go away.  We had a next door neighbor who was in her 50s or 60s who was always being taken to the hospital with asthma attacks.  That always scared me.

At the age of 14, as a freshman in high school, I had a pretty bad asthma attack that landed me in yet another ER overnight.  And then, it went away.

For the last 16 years I have not had a single asthma attack, thank God. I still keep an inhaler around just in case I ever feel the symptoms of an attack.  So far I've only had to use it about once a year and only for very mild symptoms.

When I first started to run six years ago and it got close to winter, I was scared of going out.  My first marathon was in 22 degree weather but I ended up taking two months off after that -- too scared to go back out in the cold.  When I did finally run in the cold I felt my chest tightening.  But, slowly, the more I did it and the better prepared I was (wearing the right gear also helps), it became easier.

Tonight, as I ran in windy, snowy 28 degree weather, I thought about how a younger version of me could never do what I was doing.  I hope that it's gone for good.  And, I hope that your lungs are stronger than mine. 

Judging by the volume of your cries, so far so good.


Eternally yours,

Tu papa

Vivaporu: Grandpa was right!

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I am sick right now - just one of those Fall/Winter colds that doesn't seem to go away. 

A few days ago, as I opened my medicine cabinet for some sort of relief I saw an old bottle of Vicks Vapor Rub.

I remembered the greasiness and the smell from my sickly days as a child when my mom would rub Vivaporu (that's what latinos call it) all over my chest and sometimes even wipe some on my nose.  It's powerful stuff and clears up your airways pretty quickly and I remember the smell lingering on my skin and clothes for days.

So, with that memory, I took some Vivaporu out of the little jar and rubbed it all over my chest.  Immediately, I felt better!  Of course, four days later I'm still dealing with this cold so Vivaporu does not necessarily "cure" you but it does make you feel better.  I guarantee it.

It also makes me smell like my grandpa, your great grandpa, Bolivar Santiago.  My grandpa was a firm believer that Vivaporu could cure absolutely anything.  Cough? Vivaporu!  Stuffy nose?  Vivaporu!  Sore muscles?  Vivaporu!  Arthritis?  Vivaporu!  Bad cut or open wound? Vivaporu!  Toe fungus? Belly ache?  Headache? Hemorrhoids?  Oh yes, Vivaporu!

I remember my grandpa having little bottle of Vivaporu on his nightstand, in his chest of drawers, and sometimes, in a plastic bag that he used to carry all his important papers. 

I have to admit, I do feel better rubbing on the Vivaporu, even if it hasn't cured me.  I'll make sure that when you're old enough, you'll get to experience the magic of Vick's Vapor Rub.  And maybe some day, when we both have a cold, we'll both walk around with greasy, mentholy chests and smelling like Great Grandpa.

Eternally yours,

Tu papa

it's OK to turn back

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Yesterday I went out for a nine-mile run and didn't finish it.  I want you to know that it's OK to turn back.

Nebraska has had its first couple of days of warm weather since we arrived and the tree and weed pollen is picking up.  Something you'll learn is that your dad has allergies.  My bet is that you probably will too.  Sorry 'bout that.

But, this is not about allergies.  It's about knowing that it's OK to not finish something if it means pain or illness.

Running is part of my regular exercise and pushing through pain or illness can lead to injury.  So, If I'm not breathing well, running with an awkward gait, or feeling pain in any way, I've got to stop. 

Little nugget, if ever you feel pain or feel sick feel free to stop what you are doing.  Go home.  Rest up.  Try again later.

Unfortunately the pollen count here in Bellevue, Nebraska has gone from High yesterday to Very High today.  Not sure a run is going to happen today.  I'll probably try, but if it doesn't feel right, I may just turn back.  Nine miles is a long ways to go when you're not breathing well.

Plus, there's always tomorrow.


Eternally yours,

Your papa

a sensitive rooster

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I feel sick today - stuffy, runny nose, and general malaise (look it up!).  Something you're going to learn as you grow up is that your father is a whiner a baby  a little sensitive, but only when it comes to being sick. 

I enjoy life, little Nugget.  I love having great energy and going out for runs and generally keeping a positive attitude about most things.  But when I'm sick I have trouble keeping the energy levels up and doing the things I want to do.  So, I put on my "sick face," as your mom calls it.

I'll curl up on the couch with my baseball blankie (which I've had since I was seven and I hope you will inherit), half-watching the TV, half-napping, and just waiting for the sickness to go away.  If you ever have the chance to see me in this sorry state, your best bet is just to keep walking.

You'll never hear me arguing about who is stronger, women or men, because my own pathetic sensitive nature during an illness takes me out of contention.  I do believe women are stronger.  If you ever need evidence, ask your mom about the day you were born (which as of this entry is yet to happen, but I'm sure will be epic).  Also, ask her to tell you about the day she and I raced the Staten Island Triathlon in 2009. 

And while you stand in awe of what your mom and other women can do, be kind to your father wrapped up in his blankie.  He's just a little sensitive.

Eternally yours,

Your papa