Recently I’ve given you all a peek into the family messenger group or I’ve overloaded you with family pictures and given updates about our crew. These have proven to be very popular so I think I’m going to make that a regular feature.
This week I’m starting out with an extra crazy story from our oldest daughter Kelli’s family….
So Kelli called me last week and said guess how I awoke last night. I said, “A puking kid?” With three kids that were sick and all of them 2 1/2 and younger I thought that was a pretty good guess.
Kelli said no…I woke to Jason yelling and dancing around the bed. He woke to find a bat (yes a bat that flies in the night) on his back and arm. It had been on him while he was sleeping. Jason jumped out of bed and was trying to kill it. He ended up killing it by hitting it with a book.
The two of them eventually went back to sleep after the whole incident.
I laughed. I expressed my shock and surprise…and then we chatted about the kids.
I ended up talking to Kalissa a short time later and told her about Kelli being woke last night after the bat incident. Kalissa said, “Have they called in to get their rabies shots set up?” I said, “What??”. Apparently, Kalissa being an ER nurse, said that anytime anyone has a bat in their bedroom, they are required to get rabies shots. WHAT?? I had no idea. Kalissa said she has done them before and in all seriousness, yes, if you encounter a bat in your bedroom and there is the slightest chance you could have gotten bitten, you need to have rabies shots.
This was Kelli’s face when we told her.
That was me laughing. Sometimes when stuff is so crazy, laughing is about all a person can do.
So they went in and had their first round of treatment. I called Kelli and told her she should likely call and ask the vet about their dog as the dog sleeps with them and was in the bed when the incident with the bat happened.
The vet said the dog was fine and then offered that they could bring the bat in. They would send it to the state testing lab. The lab would determine if the bat was rabid. If it is, they have to continue with the shots over the course of the next two weeks. If it isn’t, they can quit the shots.
We are all in shock. Seriously…what a weird strange event!!
Kelli has a nice house and we can’t imagine how a bat got into the house…all we can think is there was possibly one in the attic and it somehow got in. Who knows…all we know is that the whole event was weird.
Sticking with the Hanken family…I told you that Eli, Kelli’s little guy has been having trouble with his ears. Ear infection has been plaguing him for almost two months with little relief regardless of the meds they give him.
Last week he went to see the ENT about getting tubes put in his ears.
He’s so cute in the car seat picture…
Here is Kelli’s report after the appointment.
She writes:
“The plan is for Eli to get tubes on Dec 7th—Covid testing on the 4th. And if he acts like ha has anything between now and then, I can call in and she’ll put him on either oral meds or we will have to do the Rocephin shots again. When they did his hearing test, they said that he is able to hear as good as we would if we stuck our fingers in our ears. We also talked about Emmett and it sounds like they would do his if he gets another ear infection or if this one doesn’t clear.”
Craig got done with harvest. We’re all so happy. We have missed him LOTS. Life just isn’t the same without Craig around. I told Kalissa long ago that if she ever got divorced from Craig, I’m keeping him. It’s totally true.
On Sunday we ended up getting take-out food from the fundraiser dinner for the Catholic Church here in town. It’s always good food. This is the Waucoma-ins. All of us live here in town.
After we all played Ticket to Ride. So many people have messaged me and asked, “What’s that game you guys play?” HERE is the link for it. I saw the price for it when I got the link. Oh my. The game was over $40 when we originally got it. A couple of weeks ago I said it was the lowest price ever at $32. Today when I got the link it was $21. Oh my. That’s frustrating to those of us that paid the $42…if you haven’t gotten one and love board games, I think now is the time!! WOW!
Kalissa played for the very first time ever. She is not big on board games like the rest of us. I’m proud of her for giving it a try. She ended up liking it.
Later in the day I went over and helped Karl paint again. We are now officially done with the two bedrooms. I’m so happy to have that done. Now hopefully my shoulder can get back to where it was.
Remember I said our meal was from the fundraiser for the Catholic church? After I left his house from painting, Karl sent me a message and picture. Look what he won from raffles bought at the dinner.
My bachelor boy is going to have a festive fall wreath for his door. I told him I have an extra wreath hanger so he’ll be able to hang it. I wish it had been a Christmas one as we’re hoping his house gets sided by the time Christmas is here. The wreath would be a nice finishing touch to the freshly-sided house.
I want to tell you about something I discovered. I have a friend and the two of us walk when we can at about 5 pm. Well with the time change, that has gotten hard as it’s dark. Our town streets aren’t the best and the last thing I want to do is twist and hurt an ankle. We thought we’d have to quit walking but I had an idea.
I took my book light…this one…
and hung it around my neck. Then we walked. It worked WONDERFULLY. I feel much safer walking in the evening when it’s getting dark. It just hangs around my neck so I don’t have to worry about carrying it or dropping it. I love it for this.
I originally bought this thinking it would work for a cross-stitching light when I travel…but I don’t like it for that. I love it for actual light. I used this when we lost power one time too. I have hung it around my neck and go about the house. The light comes right with me and I have two hands to do whatever I need to. I’m in love with this light. If you have someone in your life that you need a $15 gift for, this is perfect.
You can find them HERE on Amazon.
That’s what is new here…by the way, the bat was not rabid. I’m happy about that!! It’s always something crazy around here. I’m so thankful I’ve learned to roll with the punches.
Update as of today:
Eli had a ruptured ear drum today so he’s back on meds.
Emmett’s ear infection didn’t heal so he’s on a bigger med.
Never-ending excitement around your family!! So glad the bat wasn’t rabid – never would have thought of needing to get rabies shots!! Those poor boys…I hope the tubes fix the problems. I’ve not had a kid or grandkid that needed them, but having sick babies is just not good! Karl is making good progress on his house – so glad he came home and lives so close to you!!
Bats are definitely not something to mess around with. I was in the west suburbs of Chicago a couple of years ago for my nephew’s wedding. I was staying in a very nice international brand hotel and had a bat in my room. I was working on my laptop and saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a bat! They did move me but did not get any sleep that night. According to housekeeping they have a problem with bats all summer long coming in through the window air conditioning to get cool. Animal control was called. They caught the bat and it tested negative. No shots required. Hotel was much less than professional in the way it was handled. I had to fight with corporate to get my charges refunded. However the letter of apology from the manager was very legally written, Duh!!
Such a fun family! A bat – not sure how I would deal with one of those. I do remember my mother catching one by throwing a screen over it. I hope the twins will be better after the treatment. You said Eli so cute in his car seat. He was, but he was ever so cute in mama’s arms!
Yes! I thought so too! Such a sweet face!
Just a little public service announcement: We have a fairly new house and we had an infestation of bats. They sounded like mice in the walls and attic but when we set traps we found bats. We had to pay to have them iradicated because supposedly it’s illegal to kill them. All points of entry were closed up except for three places. A tube was placed in the three holes and the bats flew out but couldn’t get back in. We found all of the entry points were in the house soffit so Kelli might want to check hers. If there’s too much bat guano (crap) in the attic all insulation will have to be removed. Fortunately we caught it soon enough there wasn’t enough to worry about.
Ear infections in babies are just so hard. I know they don’t like to insert tubes but the boys need them to protect their hearing. When my youngest got home from getting tubes his older brother kept looking at him funny. He thought the tubes would be hanging out of his ears!!
Yay for Karl winning a wreath! I’ve been wondering about his house getting siding on it. I can’t wait to see the finished project. He’s worked so hard on his house. It just seems right that he came back to Waucoma.
Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family tomorrow, Jo. The next few weeks could be rough for you. Know you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Propping bottles to feed babies can allow liquid to flow back to the eustachian (?) tubes causing ear infections. Don’t know if that applies in this case, but something to be aware of.
Oh, bats! My family lived in a big old Victorian before the kids grew up and we moved to our little ranch. We had bats in the attic and sometimes they would find their way down the wall voids and end up in the basement. I remember opening the cellar door to take some laundry down and found a bat in the stairwell. I promptly slammed the door and locked it! Take that, bat! Robin is right, the best way to persuade them to leave is to have a pro deal with the openings at the appropriate time of year. Problem solved. So sorry to hear the little boys are still dealing with ear infections. I’m sure the tubes will help and and Kelli will have her littles on the mend. Thanks for sharing the Kramer Family Adventures with us. Though I’m fairly new to the blog, I feel as if we could be neighbors, sharing the ups and downs of daily life. Blessings and prayers for all.
Glad that the bat tested negative! While my husband was deployed overseas my son came downstairs after he had gone to bed to tell me there was a bat in his room and it had flown over him while he was laying in his bed. We lived in an old house on base so I knew it was possible. I checked my bedroom and since it was clear he waited there while I looked over the whole house. It ended up downstairs hanging on a Japanese carved item on the wall. I didn’t know what to do so I called security police and they sent a couple of folks out. One of the guys used a ladder and grabbed it and I had a small box ready and we shut it and I taped it up. This was a Saturday evening and I had to keep it until Monday to take it to the base vet so it could be tested. I also had to report that the security guy had touched it with his bare hands. I don’t know what happened to him but the bat was negative. I felt bad because I knew they would kill the bat to test it but I didn’t want my son to have to have the rabies shots since we didn’t know if it had been on him or not. After that my son made sure he kept his closet closed as we figured it got in somehow that way. Glad that they can enjoy Thanksgiving without worries about rabies and prayers for the twins that they get through this time with no further issues. Have a good Thanksgiving tomorrow!
I have to ditto what Robin commented. My sister had a bat last fall, and went through the abatement. She got another one inside not too long ago. They can squeeze into very small openings. Scary about the rabies shots, I have a friend who has had to have them twice.
Regarding the bat incident: when I was talking with one of the vet techs at our local clinic when we were making the appointment for our farm visit for vaccinations, she told me that in our state (Oregon) if dogs aren’t up to date on their rabies vax and are bitten by a rabid bat (or a bat whose rabies status is unknown), they must be euthanized!!! An excellent incentive to keep our dogs up to date, which we do anyway, but now that I know about this rule I will never, ever allow them to fall even a wee bit behind. Out in the country a bat encounter can happen and I’m not going to lose a dog over it. Something to be aware of; we’ve lived here for 17 years and this is the first I’ve heard of this.
Bats are everywhere. My husband had them in his room as a child in DC. We had them in our apt. in NYC, our house in Wisc, in Chicago, and in NC. Rabies is a problem but a bigger problem here in NC is the skunks. Skunks with rabies spray dogs and other animals. Impossible to catch the sick skunk. So sorry the little ones have ear issues. Mine did too. Prayers for the little guys.
We had a bat in the RV once. What a time that was. Fortunately Mike was able to chase it the front door.
Glad everyone is ok and no rabies – good grief – always something.
Praying the boys get better – ear problems seem hard to get rid of – even with tubes.
Love and prayers
Where there is one bat there might be two. Might want to have an exterminator check the attic. What a scary thing. Why do quilters always put bats in their halloween quilts? Scary things they are.
Add 2 red bows to Karl’s fall wreath and it will be a Christmas wreath.
I recall about 15-ish(?) years ago, a man in Cedar Rapids, or in the area, died of rabies. As far as I know they never found how he got it, but there was lots of talk about bats. And given how small of holes they can fly or stuff themselves through, it’s hard to find where they come in. In our newly built house, we found some were coming in through the roof vent fans. A wire screen installed at night over the openings fixed that. Thankfully they never got down into the house, but given the leaky attic access door and whole house fan, they easily could have.
I hope the little ones get over their ear woes soon!
Oh, my!! That was QUITE a week, Jo.
Make Karl’s wreath into a Christmas wreath with one big red bow. Or a few holly berries, a present pick, endless choices. Good Luck to everyone this season!
You’re good at crafts, re-do the new wreath to fit the Christmas season. Some paint, ribbon, etc. ought to do it.
ARGH ear infections! I breastfed all of my kids (and worked) for 2.5 years…. of course when they were older it was not that often of feedings more like comfort. I thought they would be more likely protected from ear infections. Mostly they were fine, but the youngest UGH frequently on meds! Finally we got around to cleaning up her bedroom, striping wallpaper on the house that was about 100 yrs old! guess what was behind the wallpaper?DUST,& Mold! guess who’s ear infections cleared up!