Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Melt My Heart Moments
As a mom you get these wonderful moments every now and then that make all the times you deal with the tantrums, the disobedience and the messes totally worth it. I'm not sure if any other relationship on earth can give you such moments. The moments when you get an unsolicited, "I love you, mommy!" or the big, light-up-your-world smile from your baby, just because you're the mommy. These are moments I treasure. Like today when we were Reading the Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Book. The book talks about Raggedy Anne and Andy being good friends and then asks, "Do you have a friend?" To which Ryan replied, "Yes!" pause "I have Mommy!" How sweet is he?! Lily, not to be out done by her big brother, gave me the cutest, sweetest giggles when I was talking to her today. Baby smiles rule, baby giggles are even better!
Oh, the Zachary
I found Jen's post about Ryan so adorable. It immediately made pop to mind my recollections of Zachary at a similar age, doubtless also inspired by having viewed with Jen recently our wedding video (DVD) kindly filmed & given to us by Erin & Tom. Jen & I both enjoyed watching our wedding, remembering the day, how we felt, and I was especially amused looking at the very small, very round-faced 3-year-old Zachary marching up the aisle steps next to his cute-as-a-button cousin Emily.
(oops, sorry for the rambling tangent)
Anyway, given that Zachary lived in my apartment until age 3 1/2, I have a long memory of his 2- and 3-year old fun habits that were also quite endearing. Although I do have to say, Ryan's particularly strike a chord with me, because I ALSO am a car guy, and Ryan is like a very miniature version of me in so many ways!
Zachary's main specialty was his preference for patterns. He LOVED patterns. It didn't as much matter that they be cars, as much as he would organize his collections of items by color, size, and/or shape. With M&M's, they would quickly be divided into red, yellow, green, etc. Embarassingly, this is also how I eat M&M's. I divide them, then eat down the 'extras', so that there are equal numbers remaining of each color. Then I proceed to eat away the remaining M&M's while still leaving a discernable 'pattern' that for some unknown reason, provides my simple brain with great satisfaction.
So, as far as toys went, I remember coming out of my room and seeing long lines of toys - legos were not built into structures, they were placed end-to-end in color patterns, grouped by the piece type. There would be various trains of puzzle pieces, blocks, rings, whatever the toys might be, if it had multiples of colors or shapes, they would be repeated, and organized. This he also gets from me. The order thing is fun, satisfying, and strangely addictive. When I build even now with legoes, I LOVE color symmetry. I will take great satisfaction in creating a lego sculpture that has no resemblence to anything in particular, but has an embedded pattern that repeats perfectly, whether in a spiral, helix, or simple linear style.
Speaking of this, I might as well confess my obssession with double-helix structures - the parking garage I park at, is one of those that is actually an embedded and stacked double helix. So it's actually a quadruple helix, with two ups, and two downs. I realized this when I would park on the 5th level, then walk down the stairs to the exit. Other cars were parked on a 4th & 2nd level that I could not get to. Needless to say, you can probably anticipate what happened. When I next entered the garage, it did not matter that I was running late for work, I was determined to find out how to switch over to the other helix. Because I wanted to, and it was fascinating. On every garage level, there was a "cross-over" to get from the "up" helix to the "down" helix. But I didn't want to go down on my designated helix - I wanted to hop to the other one! I took it as a personal challenge, and an affront to my dignity that they could attempt to channel me to only one helix pathway. I'd show them. So I drove around and around in the parking garage for 10 minutes, doubtless provoking dubious suspicion from the garage attendants, attempting to discover the "magical" gateway that would allow me to efficiently park on the 4th level. (I had deemed this the ideal one, as it would allow me to exit out into traffic exactly where I wanted, and was on the side that was the shortest walk to work). Finally, I gave up, as the few cut-overs allowing any chance of doing so were specifically blocked using plastic barriers, requiring me to drive up ALL 7 levels, cross over at the top, and then traverse back down, all in the name of parking on the 4th level. The only other way to park on that helix is to take the separate garage entrance - can you believe it! The two up/down helixes have their own entrance and exits. Despite being able to see the other pathway, in the SAME GARAGE, they are really two separate parking entities! You have to go all the way to the top of the garage to switch entities, otherwise the two intertwined garage pathways are completely independent of one another.
I think I have polluted poor Jen's blog enough for one post, perhaps I should refrain, as I doubt her audience of readers will find much coherence in my thoughts. But it all stemmed from remembering about little round-faced Zachary and his love of patterns, cute Ryan and his love of all things cars, and the current adventures of their father, who really hasn't changed all that much since age 3 ;)
(oops, sorry for the rambling tangent)
Anyway, given that Zachary lived in my apartment until age 3 1/2, I have a long memory of his 2- and 3-year old fun habits that were also quite endearing. Although I do have to say, Ryan's particularly strike a chord with me, because I ALSO am a car guy, and Ryan is like a very miniature version of me in so many ways!
Zachary's main specialty was his preference for patterns. He LOVED patterns. It didn't as much matter that they be cars, as much as he would organize his collections of items by color, size, and/or shape. With M&M's, they would quickly be divided into red, yellow, green, etc. Embarassingly, this is also how I eat M&M's. I divide them, then eat down the 'extras', so that there are equal numbers remaining of each color. Then I proceed to eat away the remaining M&M's while still leaving a discernable 'pattern' that for some unknown reason, provides my simple brain with great satisfaction.
So, as far as toys went, I remember coming out of my room and seeing long lines of toys - legos were not built into structures, they were placed end-to-end in color patterns, grouped by the piece type. There would be various trains of puzzle pieces, blocks, rings, whatever the toys might be, if it had multiples of colors or shapes, they would be repeated, and organized. This he also gets from me. The order thing is fun, satisfying, and strangely addictive. When I build even now with legoes, I LOVE color symmetry. I will take great satisfaction in creating a lego sculpture that has no resemblence to anything in particular, but has an embedded pattern that repeats perfectly, whether in a spiral, helix, or simple linear style.
Speaking of this, I might as well confess my obssession with double-helix structures - the parking garage I park at, is one of those that is actually an embedded and stacked double helix. So it's actually a quadruple helix, with two ups, and two downs. I realized this when I would park on the 5th level, then walk down the stairs to the exit. Other cars were parked on a 4th & 2nd level that I could not get to. Needless to say, you can probably anticipate what happened. When I next entered the garage, it did not matter that I was running late for work, I was determined to find out how to switch over to the other helix. Because I wanted to, and it was fascinating. On every garage level, there was a "cross-over" to get from the "up" helix to the "down" helix. But I didn't want to go down on my designated helix - I wanted to hop to the other one! I took it as a personal challenge, and an affront to my dignity that they could attempt to channel me to only one helix pathway. I'd show them. So I drove around and around in the parking garage for 10 minutes, doubtless provoking dubious suspicion from the garage attendants, attempting to discover the "magical" gateway that would allow me to efficiently park on the 4th level. (I had deemed this the ideal one, as it would allow me to exit out into traffic exactly where I wanted, and was on the side that was the shortest walk to work). Finally, I gave up, as the few cut-overs allowing any chance of doing so were specifically blocked using plastic barriers, requiring me to drive up ALL 7 levels, cross over at the top, and then traverse back down, all in the name of parking on the 4th level. The only other way to park on that helix is to take the separate garage entrance - can you believe it! The two up/down helixes have their own entrance and exits. Despite being able to see the other pathway, in the SAME GARAGE, they are really two separate parking entities! You have to go all the way to the top of the garage to switch entities, otherwise the two intertwined garage pathways are completely independent of one another.
I think I have polluted poor Jen's blog enough for one post, perhaps I should refrain, as I doubt her audience of readers will find much coherence in my thoughts. But it all stemmed from remembering about little round-faced Zachary and his love of patterns, cute Ryan and his love of all things cars, and the current adventures of their father, who really hasn't changed all that much since age 3 ;)
Monday, June 26, 2006
That's so Ryan
There are a few things I can count on in my life. One is Ryan being Ryan. Certain things are just "Ryan." Most of these things are cute. Even his stubbornness can be funny at times, though exasperating at others. One thing that is just so Ryan is his obsession with cars. In all parts of life. I can count on finding a few random "parking lots" throughout my house on a daily basis. These lots consist of a few cars, trucks and/or other vehicles lined up neatly with each other. He drives his cars around, he rides on his cars, his cars(or other vehicles) ride on other cars and trucks. They make caravans and have races. They have conversations with each other and with anyone around who will play along. And that's just with toy cars.
When it comes to real cars he is just as interested. He will see a car in a parking lot, driving down the road, out our front window that catches his interest and he will make a comment. Usually something like, "Wow, cool car."; "It's a [color] Humber" that's a hummer to the rest of us; "That car looks like Uncle TJ's(or grandpa's, Daddy's, our) car!" He is usually right about the make and model. All these sayings and tendencies about cars are "so Ryan."
There are other things Ryan does quite a bit that I find adorable. Like when he misses a ball he was trying to kick or something doesn't go his way and he says, "Oh, man!" in this cute little way. He also needs to start over from the beginning if something gets messed up. For instance if he falls down the stairs he needs to walk back up the stairs and go down again "so he doesn't fall" or if he falls off the beam in gymnastics he has to start back at the beginning, not just the beginning of the beam, the beginning of the whole course he is on. There is also the way he doesn't ever want to say good bye or good night because he thinks if he doesn't say it it won't happen. Sometimes he wants me to come up to his room to "not say goodnight." He could count to 30 except he always skips 15, when I try to correct him he thinks I'm joking. He says, "Nooooooo" tipping his head and looking at me out of the top of his eyes that says 'You can't pull one over on me. I'm on to you.'
He so funny and just so Ryan.
When it comes to real cars he is just as interested. He will see a car in a parking lot, driving down the road, out our front window that catches his interest and he will make a comment. Usually something like, "Wow, cool car."; "It's a [color] Humber" that's a hummer to the rest of us; "That car looks like Uncle TJ's(or grandpa's, Daddy's, our) car!" He is usually right about the make and model. All these sayings and tendencies about cars are "so Ryan."
There are other things Ryan does quite a bit that I find adorable. Like when he misses a ball he was trying to kick or something doesn't go his way and he says, "Oh, man!" in this cute little way. He also needs to start over from the beginning if something gets messed up. For instance if he falls down the stairs he needs to walk back up the stairs and go down again "so he doesn't fall" or if he falls off the beam in gymnastics he has to start back at the beginning, not just the beginning of the beam, the beginning of the whole course he is on. There is also the way he doesn't ever want to say good bye or good night because he thinks if he doesn't say it it won't happen. Sometimes he wants me to come up to his room to "not say goodnight." He could count to 30 except he always skips 15, when I try to correct him he thinks I'm joking. He says, "Nooooooo" tipping his head and looking at me out of the top of his eyes that says 'You can't pull one over on me. I'm on to you.'
He so funny and just so Ryan.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Daddy's boy
I knew when he pulled out the Motor Trend magazine and started looking at the pictures I had to get a picture for daddy. I didn't realize until after I took it that he even has his Maryland gear on!
What now?
What do you do when your toddler has figured out how to open the doors to the outside and your baby keeps pushing right up out of the safety belt on the bouncy seat?
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Missing
Missing: Periwinkle Jen- aka- Mommy, Mahhhhhhhhmmeeeeeeeeeee, Waaaaa waaa waaaaaah
Last seen: trying to conquer Mt. Clothesmore
Known hang-outs: Dishtopia, Periwinkle Kitchen
Identifying features: dark circles under eyes, infant attached to upper extremities, toddler hanging from one leg
eyes: blue(and red)
hair: was brown; age progression of one week shows possible increasing grayness
height: 5'4"
weight: does that include the infant and toddler attachments?
Warning: Approach with extreme caution. May be sleep deprived and cranky. Has not been seen in the vicinity of a shower in days.
PS- Just kidding. I have not gone off the deep end. It's just been busy here in Periwinkleland. It is also hard to type one handed(especially if it's the left one), but not impossible as you can see here:-)
Last seen: trying to conquer Mt. Clothesmore
Known hang-outs: Dishtopia, Periwinkle Kitchen
Identifying features: dark circles under eyes, infant attached to upper extremities, toddler hanging from one leg
eyes: blue(and red)
hair: was brown; age progression of one week shows possible increasing grayness
height: 5'4"
weight: does that include the infant and toddler attachments?
Warning: Approach with extreme caution. May be sleep deprived and cranky. Has not been seen in the vicinity of a shower in days.
PS- Just kidding. I have not gone off the deep end. It's just been busy here in Periwinkleland. It is also hard to type one handed(especially if it's the left one), but not impossible as you can see here:-)
Monday, June 12, 2006
Milestone- Rolling Over
Lily rolled from her tummy to her back today. On the floor and quite intentionally, so there is nothing making it easier for her(well, daddy would say it helps that she is round) . She rolled 3 times before she worked up an appetite and needed to take a milk break. I *think* I got the last one on video just before the battery died on the camera.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Now Featuring Jay
After many, many 'You should blog that's and 'Now THAT is blogworthy's I've decided to add Jay as a writer on my blog. My guess is it will still mostly be me blogging with an occasional guest appearance by Jay. Of course he is welcome to write as much or as little as he wants, but given his last blog writing endeavor I think that I am the big blogger in the family. So everyone give a warm welcome to the hubby and encourage lots of daddy perspective:-)
Father/Son Time
Jay and Ryan are spending some time alone together today. They went to see the new Disney movie, Cars. I heard it's good. I can't wait to hear Ryan's review :-) The boy loves cars and so does his dad, so this is the perfect first movie for him. I'm so glad to have a husband who values spending one on one time with all of his kids.
The bonus is that I get some alone time with Lily. We had a couple minutes before she fell asleep. I hope she wakes up in time to have some good happy mommy/Lily time
Ryan's saying of the day...
"Well, okay then!"
Ryan: "I want juice!"
Mommy: "Is that the way we ask for something?"
Ryan: "Could I please have some watermelon juice, mommy?"
Mommy: "We don't have any more watermelon juice. How about some apple juice?"
Ryan: "Well, okay then."
-------
Mommy: "Ryan, please don't play with that bus near Lily. We don't want to wake her up."
Ryan: "Well, okay then."
------
Maybe you have to be there, but it's really cute:-)
I'm hoping this agreeable-ness is a sign that we are turning the corner from the defiance that is a two year old.
The bonus is that I get some alone time with Lily. We had a couple minutes before she fell asleep. I hope she wakes up in time to have some good happy mommy/Lily time
Ryan's saying of the day...
"Well, okay then!"
Ryan: "I want juice!"
Mommy: "Is that the way we ask for something?"
Ryan: "Could I please have some watermelon juice, mommy?"
Mommy: "We don't have any more watermelon juice. How about some apple juice?"
Ryan: "Well, okay then."
-------
Mommy: "Ryan, please don't play with that bus near Lily. We don't want to wake her up."
Ryan: "Well, okay then."
------
Maybe you have to be there, but it's really cute:-)
I'm hoping this agreeable-ness is a sign that we are turning the corner from the defiance that is a two year old.
Friday, June 09, 2006
The Balloons
These are the balloons my mom gave Zach when he had his cast put on.
There was also candy (that has been enjoyed by all) and some activity books. The funny thing about these balloons is Zach really liked them. He couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom without major pain. But he had to hold those balloons. Jay got him all settled on the couch then left for work. Zach, wincing with pain, worked himself up to grab the balloons that were floating above him, but just out of reach. He could have just looked up at the balloons admiringly, but he felt the need to hold them. He fell asleep with them clutched in his hand. He dragged them all over the house with him when he was able to move about. It was quite amusing really. So, mom, thanks for the balloons. I think they really were a bright spot in a hard day for Zach.
There was also candy (that has been enjoyed by all) and some activity books. The funny thing about these balloons is Zach really liked them. He couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom without major pain. But he had to hold those balloons. Jay got him all settled on the couch then left for work. Zach, wincing with pain, worked himself up to grab the balloons that were floating above him, but just out of reach. He could have just looked up at the balloons admiringly, but he felt the need to hold them. He fell asleep with them clutched in his hand. He dragged them all over the house with him when he was able to move about. It was quite amusing really. So, mom, thanks for the balloons. I think they really were a bright spot in a hard day for Zach.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Don't get your hopes up...
Maybe I should have heeded that advice. Zach is home with a white, non-waterproof cast. I guess we'll use a green marker. Apparently even waterproof(Fiberglas) casts have padding that would get wet and be really hard to dry. The good news is he will probably only have to wear the cast for 3 or 4 weeks.
"I want a green one"
That is what Zach told the doctor the moment he found out he would need a cast. Unfortunately he had to get an ace bandage colored temporary cast until today. Today he gets his permanent cast. I have not been able to sleep since Jay kissed me good-bye this morning. Usually I just roll over and go back to sleep when he leaves in the morning, but I'm too nervous today. I hope all goes well for Zach and Jay this morning. I hope Zach gets his green cast and I really hope it's water proof! It would stink to spend most of the summer in a cast that you can't get wet.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Milestone- Potty Trained
I think I can officially declare Ryan potty trained! It has been 2 and 1/2 weeks since the first whole day of dryness in underwear. He has been wearing underwear every day and only had two small accidents. He only had those because he was having trouble getting his pants down and refused to accept help. One of the times I could tell he needed to go right away, so I pulled his pants down a little. Big mistake. In typical Ryan fashion he pulled them back up to where they started so he could do it himself. He got them down far enough to spray the wall and floor of the bathroom. That is the day we learned to go like daddy, standing up. Since he obviously didn't know what to do with this uncontrollable stream I helped him aim and told him that's how daddy does it. Now he likes to "Do it like daddy." Should be lots of fun for me...toddler aim and all.
Monday, June 05, 2006
14 Pounds 4 Ounces
That's what Lily weighed at the doctor today. I knew she was eating well, but wow!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Random Pictures from Today
Ryan followed Uncle Ben around with his 'lawn mower'. They cut the back yard together. 
Lily's dedication was today. Doesn't she look pretty?
Zach was playing games on the laptop when I took this picture.Saturday, June 03, 2006
Random Bullet Points
- Check out Lily's 3 month post. I finished it this morning.
-Zach's teacher just called to check on him. Isn't that sweet?! I love his school and all the teachers he has had.
-Our POD is here! Moving is becoming more real. I guess we better get started filling it! We need to cut down the clutter before we put our house on the market.
-Zach's teacher just called to check on him. Isn't that sweet?! I love his school and all the teachers he has had.
-Our POD is here! Moving is becoming more real. I guess we better get started filling it! We need to cut down the clutter before we put our house on the market.
Friday, June 02, 2006
One of those times...
I believe this is one of those stretches of time God gives us to remind us how wonderful our blessings are. Erin, you had no idea how your comment would strike me at the time, but I read it after this afternoon's events. Wait to you hear this...
Zach broke his arm at school today. I guess he didn't want to be left out of the super sicky club anymore. There are a few questions that tend to follow that sort of statement, so I'll hit the highlights for you.
How did it happen? He went to jump off the swing and his shirt sleeve got caught on the chain. The shirt sleeve was ripped, so it must have been good and stuck on there. He landed on his arm.
Is it bad? Uh, yeah. Both bones in his forearm are broken. One is a displaced fracture (meaning the two ends that were connected no longer meet) and one is an angular fracture (the bone is broken all the way through, but the ends meet to form an angle- In his case I'd guess maybe a 120* angle, though I may be exaggerating it in my memory). I only saw the x-ray, but Jay saw his arm and said it was shaped like an 'S'. He only has a temporary cast on now. When the swelling goes down they will have to set the bones under an x-ray machine.
How is he now? By all accounts he seems pretty good considering. He is excited about all the extra TV he will get to watch. I believe the exact quote was "YAY! More TV!" He has some pretty good pain medication.
Did I cover all your questions?
Well, I don't want to leave you all depressed so I'll share some notes Jay found from Zach's classmates when he went to pick up his backpack. Just a few of my favorites.
This is one note front, middle and back.
**You can click on the picture to make it bigger if you can't read these**
Zach broke his arm at school today. I guess he didn't want to be left out of the super sicky club anymore. There are a few questions that tend to follow that sort of statement, so I'll hit the highlights for you.
How did it happen? He went to jump off the swing and his shirt sleeve got caught on the chain. The shirt sleeve was ripped, so it must have been good and stuck on there. He landed on his arm.
Is it bad? Uh, yeah. Both bones in his forearm are broken. One is a displaced fracture (meaning the two ends that were connected no longer meet) and one is an angular fracture (the bone is broken all the way through, but the ends meet to form an angle- In his case I'd guess maybe a 120* angle, though I may be exaggerating it in my memory). I only saw the x-ray, but Jay saw his arm and said it was shaped like an 'S'. He only has a temporary cast on now. When the swelling goes down they will have to set the bones under an x-ray machine.
How is he now? By all accounts he seems pretty good considering. He is excited about all the extra TV he will get to watch. I believe the exact quote was "YAY! More TV!" He has some pretty good pain medication.
Did I cover all your questions?
Well, I don't want to leave you all depressed so I'll share some notes Jay found from Zach's classmates when he went to pick up his backpack. Just a few of my favorites.
Notice the green cast and the pen ready in his hand.
One of Jay's favorites.
There were quite a few of the swing with a slash drawings. I guess that 'say no to drugs' training is pretty memorable.
This is one note front, middle and back.
**You can click on the picture to make it bigger if you can't read these**
Lily is 3 Months Old!
More to follow. I have to go help the boy with something that is "not connected." I'm not sure what he is talking about, but he seems concerned.
Update: Ryan was talking about a baby gate we had up temporally. I'm not sure why he was worried about it.
As you can probably guess the 3 month pictures got a little sidetracked because of Zach's arm. I did manage to get some, but not until like 7:30PM. That is not Lily's best time, so there are no smiling ones. I might try to get some good ones today to sub-in. I've decided to use a "month-day chair" like Erin, but mine is a little different. I have a 2 month picture in it, but not a one month picture because we didn't have the chair then. I think it will really highlight how much she has grown if I can manage it. I tried this with Ryan too, but after a few months he really didn't want to sit it the same place long enough for a picture. That is part of the reason I'm using the kiddie chair this time.
ANYWAY, back to the real purpose for this entry...
She loves munching that fist.
I take it back, here is a smile. It's just hidden by her hand.
Update: Ryan was talking about a baby gate we had up temporally. I'm not sure why he was worried about it.
As you can probably guess the 3 month pictures got a little sidetracked because of Zach's arm. I did manage to get some, but not until like 7:30PM. That is not Lily's best time, so there are no smiling ones. I might try to get some good ones today to sub-in. I've decided to use a "month-day chair" like Erin, but mine is a little different. I have a 2 month picture in it, but not a one month picture because we didn't have the chair then. I think it will really highlight how much she has grown if I can manage it. I tried this with Ryan too, but after a few months he really didn't want to sit it the same place long enough for a picture. That is part of the reason I'm using the kiddie chair this time.
ANYWAY, back to the real purpose for this entry...
Lily at 3 Months
She is amazing. She is sweet and lovable. Adorable beyond reason. She is so social. Always cooing or smiling at anyone who catches her eye. She has lots of things to say. It's impossible not to compare my experience with Ryan to my experience with her, but I will try not to do that in her updates. She sure does love her big brother, Ryan though. She just has to see his face and she smiles this great big wonderful smile full of joy. It's still so cute to watch them together. For some reason Lily does not like riding in the car. at. all. While she is wailing away Ryan is telling her in his 'Lily voice', "It's okay. Mommy is right there." or "It's okay, sweet girl, we are going to be home soon." Sometimes it helps. Lily will watch Ryan play intently for long stretches with this open mouthed look of wonder on her face. She likes everyone else too, there is just something very special about her relationship with Ryan. Maybe it is because they are together all day when the house is quieter and there are not so many things going on. It's really wonderful as a mother to see that your kids love each other though.
Lily is doing things now! She is batting at the toys that hang over her from the car seat or play chairs. Not only that, but she is now grabbing them and holding on. She started a couple weeks ago catching the stuffed toys between her hands. Now she will grab the toys one handed and push or pull them around. I think she also realizes that when she kicks her feet on the bouncy seat it makes the lights and music go on. She can roll on her side and back to her back at will. Jay saw her roll up on her side then roll on to her tummy on vacation last Sunday, but I have not seen her truly do that. You spend 99.9% of their lives with them and they do the new stuff when you are not there. Go figure! I have seen her roll to her tummy when she is on our bed and she has my little indentation to roll into. She has great control of her head and seems to be developing control of more of her body. People keep commenting on how alert she is. They often think she is older because she is so alert. I'm not really sure why because to me she is just Lily, my wonderful little 3 month old baby :-)
She loves munching that fist.
I take it back, here is a smile. It's just hidden by her hand.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Where have I been?
A question I've heard more than once this week. Well, we had a weekend getaway with Jay's family. We went to this great place in Lancaster called Willow Valley. I didn't touch the computer the whole weekend! The funny part is I didn't miss it. It was a nice weekend. We rode the train at the Strasburg Railroad. Ryan, train lover that he is, cried. He was scared by the noise the steam made. He calmed down on the train(after a while) and remembers the trains fondly. Poor kid is going to be scarred for life. We took him to the air show the weekend before last and he was traumatized by the loud noise of the jets. Man I hope this passes. Anyway, back to vacation... We had some fun on the playground, took a nice hike and played in the swimming pool. Ryan even went down the frog slide and Zach worked on his swimming with Aunt Bee. On the way home we played mini-golf at this really great course. Just a tip for those with children if they offer a 23 hole course DO NOT DO IT. It was really fun until about hole 17 though ;-) All in all great vacation and good family time.
Then came Tuesday [insert a foreboding 'dun-dun-dun' here]. Jay woke up with a sore throat and I was sore all over by the afternoon. I mean every muscle in my body hurt. From my hair follicles to the soles of my feet. I could barely move. Then came the fever and sweats. 102.8 while on Motrin. I went to the doctor, it turns out I have an infection. Let's just say sports bra+nursing mom=bad idea. It baffles me that I had muscle aches all over because of an infection in one little part of my body. I mean I understand the fever and even the chills and sweats because my body was trying to fight the infection, but flu symptoms including headache? What's up with that? (Christina?) Jay got his sore throat checked. It's strep. Mean while Ryan is waking up several times a night sweating. I thought he was just hot the first night. It's not uncommon for him to pile himself with blankets and he said nothing hurt. The second night I checked his temperature 101. I took him to the doctor this morning. He has strep too. We gave him his antibiotic as soon as we got it, but he still woke up from his nap crying inconsolably. He managed to tell me he had 'burning in his mouth'. Poor kid. when I told him the Tylenol we had been trying to get him to take would make his mouth feel better he finally agreed. I guess he didn't hear me say it would make him feel better the first million times because he was too busy screaming at me. It has been a very hard few days. The good news is we are all on antibiotics now and things should be better soon.
Then came Tuesday [insert a foreboding 'dun-dun-dun' here]. Jay woke up with a sore throat and I was sore all over by the afternoon. I mean every muscle in my body hurt. From my hair follicles to the soles of my feet. I could barely move. Then came the fever and sweats. 102.8 while on Motrin. I went to the doctor, it turns out I have an infection. Let's just say sports bra+nursing mom=bad idea. It baffles me that I had muscle aches all over because of an infection in one little part of my body. I mean I understand the fever and even the chills and sweats because my body was trying to fight the infection, but flu symptoms including headache? What's up with that? (Christina?) Jay got his sore throat checked. It's strep. Mean while Ryan is waking up several times a night sweating. I thought he was just hot the first night. It's not uncommon for him to pile himself with blankets and he said nothing hurt. The second night I checked his temperature 101. I took him to the doctor this morning. He has strep too. We gave him his antibiotic as soon as we got it, but he still woke up from his nap crying inconsolably. He managed to tell me he had 'burning in his mouth'. Poor kid. when I told him the Tylenol we had been trying to get him to take would make his mouth feel better he finally agreed. I guess he didn't hear me say it would make him feel better the first million times because he was too busy screaming at me. It has been a very hard few days. The good news is we are all on antibiotics now and things should be better soon.