Nap Issues...Again

Gosh I am having a heck of a time with E and his naps these last few days. Right now he won't go to sleep and he's quite upset and making himself throw up. Blueberry smoothie yack. Lovely. I know if he really doesn't "need" the naps I will give up on them but the kid is such a grump with minimal sleep. His nighttime sleeps certainly aren't sufficient. It's frustrating. I hate getting into ruts where I have to help him fall asleep for his nap but I can't have him puking like that. Argh!

Well, onto not so frustrating things...my longtime friend Tonya is coming to hang out at our house this afternoon. She's one of the high school reunion pals, remember? She's never been up to our home and we don't get to see each other too often. In fact, until the reunion weekend it had been 3 years since we'd seen one another. We don't live that far apart.

After Tonya's visit my mom will be coming for the weekend. Lauren is no longer coming. She got invited to go away with a friend. So she is. And Gramoo's on her own. My mom is spending tonight as sort of a "practice" night to let E see her around in the mornings and so she can sort of see what our mornings 'round here look like. They've got the bedtime part of his routine figured out but she hasn't been here in the morning time before. Then tomorrow we're off for our getaway. Eek! I'm looking forward to it and I know Gramoo and E will do fine. She's got all sorts of fun plans and activities for them.

Okay, E's still not down...he's not making himself hurl so that's a plus but this is getting crazy. I'm all for changing the time of his nap if he would give me some clues as to what time that should be. He just keeps laying in there for, like, an hour no matter when I put him down. I should go...

Well, Easton is doing great with his boot. He doesn't try to remove it at all. And he seems to like it. He can run with it on (which he couldn't do without it because it hurt too much) and he's jumping, climbing, and dancing as usual. Plus he's been in a great mood.

We did Kindermusik this morning and Easton did so very well. He just did awesome with focusing and paying attention and not running around the room. He danced when we were supposed to and played his instruments when we were supposed to. The teacher even started an echoing game where she's sing, "Baa baa" and then call on a kid to echo her. She never called on Easton so he turned around to me and whispered, "Baa baa" which I loved because I knew he "got" the game and I loved that he whispered so he wouldn't get "caught". Tee hee. We were whispering in class together!

After Kindermusik we returned some things to Babies R Us and got some gas and found ourselves ready to do something fun like Circle Time. So we went there since we missed yesterday and E did the best he's ever done. He did the motions to the songs, repeated the names of colors when the librarian said them, he danced the way the songs said...a song he's never heard and he'd watch the librarian spin around or have a rest or march and I'd give him cues that he understands like, "go round and round" or "go night night" or "stomp stomp stomp" and he'd do them all. It was so great. She gave out a little teeny container of bubbles to each kid at the end and we blew a few before we left. Just once Easton got a bubble going himself but every other time he'd try to put the wand too close to his mouth or he would do his silly blow and not a real attempt. He'll get it soon, I'm sure. I told him we could do more bubbles after his lunch and nap.

It took him so long again to fall asleep for his nap. I've always thought Easton would be the type to give up napping by age 2 but now I'm afraid it may happen even earlier. Great. I apparently wasn't much of a napper until I got mono in high school. J has never ever been a napper and still can't/won't. We've done this to ourselves. :)

Here's a picture from this morning:

He wanted to brush when he saw me brushing. He's been doing that lately (wanting to brush when we do) and I'm more than happy to oblidge.

And here's a very blurry (but still cute) one of him before naptime:

Notice him sporting the boot in both the pics? We're trying to make him wear a sock with it to keep all the toe cheese from funking it up too much over the next 2-3 weeks. Ick. I'm glad it's removable and he's still washable unlike a cast or something. Gross.

Well, I guess the last thing to say is that I changed the "Same Time Last Year" stuffs. They're from 9/30 of last year and I love the video and how excited Easton gets when it's time for a sip of water. Okay, now I'm done...

Latest Injury Report

So, the update from Team Setzer is that we did not make it to the zoo yesterday. His nap ended up being almost 2 hours which was great but then we didn't think we'd have much time zooing. So we didn't go. Instead, Mr. E got another injury. *sigh* Does he get hurt more than other boys his age? He might...but then again maybe we just hear about it more thanks to this lovely blog of mine.

What'd he do, you ask? Well, he dropped this:

On this:

It is a crate of wooden blocks that he likes to carry around to use as another portable step stool. It is not light (weight-wise) by any means. He cried more than usual which perplexed me. He didn't look that hurt at first. Then after I cut us up an apple snack he came limping...yes, limping...to me on the couch and I noticed his purple toenail and swollen foot (and toe). Ouchie!

When Jason got home I told him and showed him my concerns and he suggested our "we'll keep an eye on it" approach. At bedtime we gave him a dose of Motrin to help with the pain and swelling as I believed it was hurting him--heck, he was limping after all. And a little cranky. He couldn't even run anymore. Click here for a video of his limp as he put away his toys before bed. Poor doodle.

He slept fine but woke up still limping. So, I made a call to the doctor and the nurse told me, "He should be seen. If he's 20 months and limping that means something is really hurting him. Those little guys are usually pretty resiliant." My thoughts exactly, Nursie. So off to Boulder we went. We hit bad traffic. I called and told them we'd be late. They said, "come anyway and we'll figure it out when you get here." Well, we got there 10-15 minutes after our scheduled appointment and they said, "Sorry, you'll have to reschedule...how about 1:45?" Look, people--we live a half hour away in normal traffic and I'm not about to sit here till 1:45 (it was 9:30)--we're leaving you big fat poo heads!!! That's what I thought, anyway. Instead I said, "We can't...we live too far away...I'll call later (Doodie Face)" and that's when Mrs. Poo Head suggested urgent care. So, I went to the car and relayed the story to Jason via cell phone, he thought urgent care too so we went there. I'm glad we did.

We didn't have a very long wait and everyone was nice to us both. They took a look at E's foot and said they wanted x-rays. Eek! So down the hall we went for those. Because I'm pregnant I couldn't hold him during the x-rays. They got an extra person to lend a hand and then they laid my sweet little boy on a pillow on the x-ray table, covered him with the fancy x-ray shield and held his foot still for picture #1. He was so brave up till he heard the noise for the first x-ray. Then he looked for me (I was in the x-ray proof booth with a window where we could see each other). He started whimpering and asking, "Mama?" I just kept talking to him and so did the x-rayers. Between x-rays 2 and 3 I went and gave him kisses and cuddles. He did as well as I could've expected. Mabye even better since I didn't have too much time to think about what I'd really expect. He laid still the whole time, even when he was sad. I was proud of him for that.

They took 3 x-rays and we were done in there. Fortunately it turns out there's no fracture. His injury is to the soft tissue not the bones. However, the treatment for him...broken or not...is the same:

He gets to wear this cute little boot while he heals which at his age is "only" 2-3 weeks. We're supposed to keep it on him whenever he's awake to keep him from flexing the toes when he walks. She wants to make sure he has time to heal correctly since we use our big toes for balance and she doesn't want him to become a permanent wonky walker from this injury. He's still young and impressionable enough that he might completely change the way he walks due to this if not taken care of properly. We don't want that! Our other treatments are to continue with the Motrin for a bit for the swelling, do ice if he'll tolerate it, and rest/elevate as much as he's willing. Yeah, good luck to us with that! :)

Wowsa! So, I wasn't really counting on all that today. We stopped by for smoothies with J because he wanted to see the boot...and us. Needless to say, we did not make it to Circle Time this morning but we did stop by the library afterwards for new books. The one book E picked out himself is one called, "Whose Toes are Those?" Appropriate, no? He's checked it out before and we currently have "Whose Knees are These?" here at home as well.

We'll still be doing Kindermusik tomorrow but I think I'll cancel Gymsters for next Tuesday. J won't mind the opportunity to do a Saturday make-up anyway. Before I go here's a happy picture nearly identical to one from the other day. This time it's his burp cloth on his head. He's dressed as a lobotomy patient:


Alrighty pals, that's all she wrote...

To Zoo or Not to Zoo?

I'm not sure how long E's nap will be--I never am. But he just now fell asleep at 1:20. If he naps his hour and fifteen minutes he's been doing lately then we might make it to the zoo for a short time. We'll just be playing it by ear. I just took this photo of him cuddling his blanket and not his burp cloth. At least he's not afraid of the blanket anymore:


When E first woke up from yesterday's nap (with another friggin' poo!) I let him play up here while I looked at something online. He was jumping on our bed which I can see from my postition here at the computer. All of a sudden I realized I didn't see or hear him anymore. Mind you, not much time has really passed. I went to look in our room and couldn't find him. I went to look in his room and couldn't find him although I'm sure I would've seen him walk down the hall. So, it occurs to me to check downstairs and there he is in just his diaper crouching next to Blitz. I can't believe I didn't see or hear him go all the way downstairs. Oops, bad Mama. At least I didn't hear him crashing onto the tile floor below but he's pretty good with the stairs these days. And, I'm a pretty brave mama...and I'm even getting braver with germs.

Once I was safely downstairs with him I was writing out the rest of the grocery list and E wanted to color. Then I was motivated to give him a tatoo:

Yes, it says "Mom".



Then he got dressed and we did hit Wal-Mart as planned. He was an excellent helper and shopper yet again. As we were checking out I had a rare hankering for something sweet so I picked up an Almond Joy. Easton pretended to eat it and said, "Mmmm mmmm" so I told him, "Hold on...we have to buy it first." So he nodded and said, "bite". I guess 'buy it' does sort of sound like 'bite'. We ate half of it during check out and the other half on the way to the car. Yum.

At home we watched the special Saints Dome-return game in front of the TV *gasp*. We very very rarely do this. And it's always for football the 3-4 times we've done it in E's lifetime. While J and I were fixing our plates in the kitchen E broke into his raisins that were on the seat of his highchair. Oops again. Guess he was hungry.


And a final pic of the boys celebrating the Saints first touchdown of the night:

E was so super for both of us during our TV time. He stayed with J for about 40 minutes...when I came to get him after 30 they were cuddling on the couch so I left him for a bit longer. Too cute. Then he came up with me for the end of 7th Heaven and colored and played on the bed. He was asleep by 8:25. Not too bad. His bathing is still a little strained right now rather than the good ol' fun he used to have. I'm really curious as to why. Sometimes he is like that, though. As I have said before, he is only predictable in his unpredictability.

We did Gymsters this morning and had lots of fun. Easton is still a super star at the gym. We hit the regular grocery store on the way back and he got to drive the car cart again and even got a free cookie. Lucky. He was acting so tired in the car and at the store that I'm surprised it took him as long to fall asleep as it did. Again, Mr. Unpredictable.

I guess tomorrow you'll hear whether we made it to the zoo or not. Until then...

"Bah-Jah Ahh Duh"

That is Eastonese for Baby John is all done. As in, all done coming here. His mom called yesterday afternoon and left a message saying his aunt would be watching him this week and next week he starts daycare. So, he's not coming back. I'm a little sad that I didn't get a "last day" with him but oh well. We'll still see them, though. I am glad I finally get to pack up the Pack & Play in our room that he slept in. At least for a few more months till Deuce arrives, then we'll get it back out to put right next to the bed for those frequent nighttime feedings. Eek! If I get my way, my C-section would be in less than 5 months. Holy cow! There's less than 5 months to go no matter what happens!!!

Well, E finally fell asleep about a half hour before it was time to leave for his portraits yesterday. He wasn't cranky for his pictures or anything but he wasn't his most photogenic self having missed out on some important beauty rest. We're still happy with the ones we picked. You'll see them before too long--like in a couple of weeks. Despite having a very short nap Easton was in a remarkably good mood yesterday afternoon. We still opted for the freakishly early 7:45 bedtime, though. His bath and therefore routine went much more smoothly without the inflatable tub involved. He did want to get out quickly but we were able to distract him with some fun tub games and even got some great belly laughs out of him. He went right to sleep afterwards and then slept till 8:20 this morning! Wowsa!

Yesterday was even more special because, as a treat, J made dinner! Chili rice and cornbread. Delish. We ate it and then watched the Broncos win. Tonight we'll be having the leftovers and watching the Saints on Monday Night Football. They return to the Superdome tonight for the first time since Katrina. Very special. The problem, for me, is that it's also the 7th Heaven season premiere. I made J hook up the TV antenna in our bedroom so I could watch in there. I think we'll tag team Easton during that hour. I guess he won't be going to bed tonight till 7th Heaven is over. J can pause the TiVo for the Saints but we can't do that in the bedroom. So, no 7:45 tonight. Oh well. E's adaptable. Sort of.

Since Baby John didn't come today we're having a lazy day. We're so busy the rest of the weekday mornings now so it's nice to chill. We'll be heading out for the groceries later on, though. And tomorrow after his nap I think we'll hit the zoo. It's forecasted to be 75. Perfect zooing weather, eh? This zoo trip I plan on taking him on the train for the first time. Fun fun fun.

Anyway, here's some pics from this morning:
Giving Pablo a train ride:

Easton took off his clothes shortly after that and didn't get re-dressed till naptime. I'm just thankful he doesn't try to take off his diaper anymore. Here he is modeling a piece of his Halloween costume:


And here he is on his "mobile step stool" aka Thomas the Train. This is how I found him when I came out of the bathroom. It's preferable to the time I came out to find he used Thomas to climb on top of the speaker. Yikes! Apparently he needed my phone to make an important call:


He's now down for his nap in fleece footie jammies, a fleece sleep sack, with a fleece blanket on top of him. Overkill perhaps for a kid that spent the morning in the buff? But, I like to be nice and cozy when I sleep and parents tend to force their own preferences on their kids, no? Poor guy. Hopefully he won't get too toasty. The blanket rarely stays on top of him anyway.

Alrighty, time for me to hit the showers. I like to feel my freshest for Wal-Mart...yeah right.

Scaredy Pants

Okay, Easton is still scared of his new bath tub. It's the exact same kind we used to have that popped. I think he is traumatized by the air bubble incident (where it came up through the water and made him want to get out right away). The past 3 nights he has screamed and cried during his bath, reaching up for me and crying, "Mama! Mama!" Very sad. We're going to go back to the regular ol' big tub tonight and see what happens.

Speaking of being afraid, Easton was also afraid of the dishwasher running during dinner last night. Strange sounds kept coming from the kitchen, so, since the kid doesn't eat anyway we let him get down to play in the other room while we finished eating at the table. He was still a little scared so we got him a distracting TV show and some company:


However, Easton is no longer scared of having a blanket in his crib. He slept with one the last two nights...naps too. He doesn't stay covered all night but, hey, it's a start.

Oh, so yesterday was the day Jason took Easton to Gymsters. They had a good time together and J would like to take him back another time so we'll "miss" a class later this session too so they can go to a make-up again. Here they are leaving the house without me:

While they were gone I changed my banner up top there, see? Added a song back on (I hate that it's a Buffy video but I love the song) and I worked a little in Photoshop but didn't scrap any pages. Oh well. It was strange to be sitting here without having to be so quiet (I'm used to my light sleeper napping next door while I 'pute.) One time I sneezed and it was so nice not to have to muffle it. I should've put on some loud tunes or something but old habits are hard to break.

Anyway, once my boys got home we did our usual family fun 'round the house. Is that a toddler in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

And, wearing Mama's glasses this time:


Easton was quite cranky in the evening so we opted for a very early bedtime: 7:45!! And, by 7:45 on the dot he was out. His wake-up time the last week or so has been 7:30 and he stuck to it again today, no matter what time he goes to bed. We're just glad it's dark at 7:45 now--for his sake, anyway. In the summer he had trouble falling asleep at first with it being still light. Anyway, now he's supposed to be napping but he's not. Ack! We're taking him for pictures today and are not wanting Mr. Cranky Butt on our hands. Yikes! What to do? What to do?

Oh yeah, Jason also made our hotel reservations this morning for next weekend. My mom and Lauren will be here with Easton and we're really gonna do our first overnight away from him! We got ourselves a nice room with a "heavenly" bed and a "heavenly" tub--whatever those mean. And 24 hour room service. I was really wanting breakfast in bed so I get it! The big tub was important to me too so let's hope that's what "heavenly" means. :) I'm looking forward to the getaway, Easton does well with my mom and especially Lauren since he spends lots of time with her here at our house. I know he'll be fine, I just hope I don't miss him too much. It's good practice for everyone involved for when Deucie is born and we have to spend a few nights in the 'spital. I'm just super glad the sitters are willing to come here where Easton is most comfortable.

Okay, I think that's going to be it for today. I expect Baby John for the next two days (his last two days!) starting tomorrow. Ta ta!

Autumn's Arrived

It's officially fall now. It certainly feels like it here. Our "stew-pendous" dinner last night was the perfect kick-off for autumn. My stew was super, if I do say so myself. Jason even said he'd have to call me Captain Stewbing. He really makes me laugh. A lot. Easton did not eat much stew. He preferred to stab pieces of vegetable and then take it off with his fingers to stab again. Oh well. The boy is eating unusually large amounts of food today to make up for it.

Last night we also had a fun package waiting for us from The Alabamaws. I loved that G-Maw wrote on the side, "To be used as a step stool until opened." Hee hee! We all got a kick out of that...does she know her grandson or what? Anyway, she sent his Halloween costume that we asked her to get but I'm not sharing just yet. (However I'm not sure why I'm keeping it a secret right now) And, they also sent Eastie a "Sweet Dreams Pablo" from the Backyardigans. He loves it!

And click here for a video too.

Last night we also had to inflate E's new tub. Easton decided to help:

He was so sad and clingy to me during last night's bedtime routine and he hated getting in the bath which is really unusual for him. I'm not sure what was up but he went to sleep just fine.

This morning he woke up nice and happy and asked for his new Pablo. He took care of it all morning, too. Feeding him breakfast:


And giving it a "Muh" (his kissing sound):


When it was time to head to my doctor's appointment I asked E if he wanted to bring Pablo in the car. He said yes. But we couldn't find Pablo. I looked around calling "Pablo" and Easton looked too yelling for "Baa-Boh". We found him under the couch and he enjoyed his time in the car with Baa-Boh.

My appointment was super. Well, first the not so good (to me)...I'm gaining weight. Yes, I know I'm supposed to but it's still hard. My last two visits I had actually lost weight. Only a pound each time. Now it's all back and then some. Yuck. I hope I slow down. I don't exactly understand because my sweet tooth is virtually gone with this pregnancy. I'm eating fairly well. They didn't say anything about my weight at all. This is all me. Anyway...back to the rest of the visit...the heartbeat was nice and strong and reassuring as always. Easton pointed at my belly and said, "Baby" and then I think he imitated the sound he heard. He was saying, "shh shh shh" pretty fast. I still don't think he knows there's a baby in there but whatever. It was still cute.

The best part of the visit: They changed my due date!!! Here's my happy dance:

I had been so bummed that they had two other dates for me, both earlier than the date I know is right. Most people would love to "lose" a week of their pregnancy but not me and my history. I want the C-section at MY 39 weeks (if possible, of course) not their 39 weeks (which is my 38). The doctor understood my point of view since she was involved last time. She also thinks it's stupid for them to have so many dates for me. I told her the perinatologist's ultrasound confirmed MY dates and she switched it! Woo hoo! That had been bothering me since the first time I saw a doctor there. I'm so glad she listened to me! Still, their dumb pregnancy wheels have me at 17 weeks today which we all know is a day ahead but whatever...

On the way home Easser and I hit Noodles for some lunch. While we were there he spotted their giant Rice Krispie treats and kept saying, "Please? Please?" but I had already checked out. Sorry kiddo. Then some employee dude was making small talk with us and said, "How old is he?" and then "Has he had a haircut yet?" Huh?!?! What is with these strange restaurant men we come across and their bizarre small talk? 'Member the guy that said, "He's cool"? Weirdos. But, I politely play along because I'm a nicey.

Tomorrow is the day Jason is taking E to his Gymsters class. I'm not sure what I'll do with a couple hours to myself here at home. Scrap probably. It's been a little while. We'll see when the time comes. Happy trails!

Tonight's the Grey's Anatomy Premiere!!

Yippee!! I'm so excited...'member way back when I was having a hard time even getting into the show? Not anymore!

Well, Easton did SOOOO great at Kindermusik today. He was well behaved and sat still and did the songs and instruments with me. Woo hoo! Afterwards we hit Babies R Us for a tub and we got 2 new outfits. I even made him try the pants on in the store to check that they wouldn't fall off but would be long enough. He's a good sport.

Although, he did just have a heck of a time falling asleep for his nap. Not sure what was up with that. Yesterday's nap was only a half hour again thanks to a lovely poo he decided was the right time to have. He was a bit extra cranky yesterday after that and was somewhat of a booger this morning too. Hopefully he'll get a good nap and it'll all be fixed. Wishful thinking...

Here's some pics from him yesterday at some non-cranky moments:




You wanna know what bugs me a little? Do ya? I hate discussing baby names with people. Right now I even hate discussing them with Jason as we don't agree so much. However, we've got one name that's a "quite likely" for a boy and my family asked about it at the weekend's get together. My grandma said, "That's a bookstore!" My aunt said, "What about Collin?" and my grandpa said, "What about Jason?" No, we were not asking their opinions nor were we asking for alternatives. Ugh! I guess it's hard for me to hear since I'm not completely sold on the name either. But still...it makes me not want to share the names till it's too late (for them). So there. They like our girl name still and they didn't exactly say, "Yuck" to the boy name but when you hear responses like theirs it's just a fancy way of saying, "Yuck." Now that I've vented I feel better. I wish I loved the name so their attitudes wouldn't faze me. Oh well.

Okay, I think I'm gonna go read my bee book in my bed now. It is cold and rainy today. Fall arrived a day early at our house. I've invented a stew recipe that is currently stewing in the Crock Pot. Mmmmm fall. It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow. Bummer. We've got an OB appointment tomorrow too. Till then...

Halfway?

Strange. At this exact point--16 weeks 4 days--in my pregnancy with Easton I was exactly halfway through the pregnancy. It makes me wonder how this time might go. Am I already halfway done? Am I not even close? I feel encouraged by the care my doctors are giving me and I'm fairly confident that this pregnancy outcome will be better than last time. Even if it's not perfect it'd be hard to be worse than before. Boy, last time was a real doozy, eh? :) Seriously, though I'm not too worried about things this time. I'm not sure why but I like it.

Easton has been puke free for over 24 hours now. That's a good thing. He's still pretty stuffy and coughy though.

We made it to Circle Time this morning. Easton didn't do his best. I thought he might do really well. He was practicing his patting and hand motions in the car but once it was time for the stories he didn't want to sit. The best I could do was get him to lay on the floor. Well, that was quite tempting to a 9 month old girlie crawling about. She kept coming over to E and patting him on the head and tummy. Easton didn't mind a bit, in fact he wanted her to come visit. I felt bad for that baby's mom because I don't think she wanted that happening but if Easton was laying on the floor her daughter wanted to be with E. We eventually made it through the session which was about apples today. Mmmm. She gave out Apple Cinnamon Cheerios as a fun treat afterwards. Eating those was the only time Eassie-Bug would sit still.

I've switched my Same Time Last Year video to our first zoo trip last year with Easton's gal pal Isabelle. She moved away. :( Anyway, I'm using Zippy Videos as my video hoster right now instead of mostly Putfile so let me know if it's helping or hindering some of you: Mom...Britten...J at work...

And then speaking of video, if you want to click on the picture of Easton below you can see a long video of him getting in some baby practice. He was just being so sweet and quite gentle with his "Baby" yesterday and I just sat there with the camera observing.

Practicing swaddling and cuddling:



And then moving on to typical big brother stunts like stuffing the baby in a basketball hoop:


With the inflatable tub popping Easton took a swim in the big tub last night. He enjoyed himself but it just takes too much water to do it regularly. Water is far from free, you know. 'Specially in Colorado. I think I'll get a new tub tomorrow.


Alrighty, I switched my book too. I'm reading the same one Britty's reading and I'm on page 136 I've just been too lazy to update it on here. Oops. I just realized it is a Richard Gere movie. Gotta add that to my Netflix list for when I'm done. I love watching the movie after I've read a book.

Okay, so all y'all have a nice day. I'm off to enjoy E's nap.

ETA: Dang it...I just checked out the ol' Zippy Video and between uploading yesterday's zoo video and today's Baby Practice video they've switched to some dumb beta version and it's not even working for me. Poop on a log. Now I'm trying You Tube for at least the Baby Practice video. Argh!

Here I Am

Sorry I skipped a day. I took a nap yesterday instead of blogging. Anyway, back to Sunday...

Here is the little football fan getting ready for the game:

Guess what!?!? That is an 18 month size outfit. I originally bought the 12 month size for my peanut but when he tried it on it was too short in both the pants and jacket. So, we exchanged it for a bigger size...I don't think that's ever even happened before. Woo hoo!

Anyway, we watched the game and Easton and his new bud Kaiden had some fun:






Kaiden's parents were quite impressed with Easton's ability to share. Yay!

Anyway, after they left we rushed down to my grandparents house for the tail end of dinner and then some pie. My grandma made me my very own salad with tomatoes from her garden. And spinach. I hope the spinach was from her garden too. I'm not wanting any E. coli. Eek! She also gave me feta: I know, I know it's a soft cheese (a pregnancy "no no") but I'm sure it's pasteurized. She shops at a grocery store, not a "goatery" as J put it. :)

After our meal my mom did a lot of E-wrangling and later Easton looked right at her and called her, "Gramoo" Yippee!! We even made him say it a few more times to be sure that's really what he was saying. I think it was. A teary-eyed Gramoo was pretty sure too, I'd say. How special! He said it so clearly and much better than calling her "Snack" eh?

That night we planned to bring E's jammies and overnight diaper and we tried skipping the bedtime "routine" for the first time since we started it. Easton did great! He fell asleep in the car and stayed pretty much asleep even with taking him out of the seat and into the house. I laid him right down in his crib and didn't hear from him again till 8:45. Nice.

Yesterday (Monday) we had a very lazy day. The furthest we got out of the house was to walk to the mailbox. Twice for E. We both stayed in our p.j.'s all day, even. Easton had a very limited appetite--I was wondering if it was from still being sick. Poor guy. Then, at dinner the most amazing thing happened: he ate a bunch! Pasta and even chicken without even flinching. Normally he won't even put it in his mouth but he was eating the chicken and pasta no problem. We were so happy. Then guess what happened: he yakked it all over his highchair. :( Perhaps the phlegmy belly caused it. He puked again in the highchair this morning. Poor guy. He's been pretty fine since but I'm taking him off dairy again temporarily. The problem is Baby John is here today and so far they've been sleeping on opposite schedules so we can't leave the house to get the chocolate soy milk. Maybe in a bit we'll be able to leave. I've got him drinking Gatorade instead. He's being a trooper.

Anyway, after skipping the bath on Sunday and then puking on himself last night he needed a good bath. He popped the inflatable tub yet again but this time as air bubbles worked their way rapidly through the water he got scared and wanted, "Up?" So the bath was done. I like that he's scared of silly things. His "Baby" Pooh used to make lullaby sounds but right now the batteries are wearing down and it just sounds sick. This scares him too. He amuses me.

We intentionally skipped Gymsters today so that Jason can take him to a "make-up" class on Saturday. I want for Jason to be a part of these fun things when possible too. It will be the first time Jason has taken E somewhere without me. Funny, huh? The situation has just never really presented itself before.

Okay, off to help Baby John fall asleep. Too-da-loo!

Pre-Game

I forgot when I posted yesterday that I did have a picture to share. So, here it is now instead:

When Easton woke up from his nap on Friday he asked for Bee (Blitz) to be put in his crib with him. Always fun, right? Then I got Easton out first and somehow caught this pic when I was really trying to take a video. Hee hee.

He's still sick today and yesterday's nap was 3 hours! There is a sedative type medication in that Tylenol Cold but he needed the rest too. Last night he slept for 12 hours before I went in to put a blanket on him for "practice" without him freaking out. I was able to sneak all the way into his room, creaky door, creaky floor and all and right after I covered him up the button on my sleeve hit the wood of his crib and on my way out the door I saw him look at me. I still tried sneaking out, just in case he wanted to fall back asleep but he said, "Mama?" and was up. Oops. Oh well.

Oh, and yesterday as part of my own "Milk and Cookies" Kindermusik curriculum I had the idea to make cookies with Easton. Sort of. I did most of it alone and brought him in to help stir. We made those "no bake" chocolate oatmeal cookies that are way too rich for J to ever eat. So we made a half batch. Yum yum. Here is my helper:




Taste testing:


And then last night Easton had the bright idea to put all his toys under the couch:


It was actually quite neat to watch the determination of his little mind at work. He'd get a toy or two, bring it over, shove it under, and go back for more. Very methodical and sometimes when a toy wouldn't fit, like that soccer ball, he'd pat it and leave it right next to it all. It was a pain to clean it all up later but that's part of having kids, right? At least he helps clean up.

Anyway, our football friends have not let a little cold scare them--daycare has toughened them up. We're expecting them before long. E is having a nap and I hope he can sleep as long as he wants without our excited company waking him prematurely. Tonight we're heading down to an extended family gathering at my grandparent's house. It's my uncles 50th. Whoa. I just hope Easton can get the sleep he's neeeding to get healthy again: both his nap and tonight for bed. I have yet to hear from Baby John's folks about watching him and my own snot face this week. We'll see. Okay, I'm sure I'll have super-cute pictures of our Bronco fan tomorrow. Woo hoo!

Aaarrrrggh! Not again...

Easton has got another yucky cold. I don't think he was even completely over the last one. But today he woke up at 6:45 coughing and coughing and hasn't really stopped. His nose is out of control too. Worse than last time. Poor guy has been coughing so hard that he gags likes he's about to hurl. No fever. But, we did decide to ask the doctor about a cough medicine for the first time. So, he's gotten his first ever dose of Tylenol's "Cough and Runny Nose" medicine and now he's having a nap. Hopefully the medicine will keep him from coughing himself awake. It's these darn classes and outings. Even with all the hand washing we do those bugs still find him. Poo. He is all better after his sting. Last night when he went to bed it was still swollen a bit but not so red. He did have a little red streak going from the sting site to the back of his hand where the majority of the swelling was. I regretted not giving him Benadryl. Oh well. Live and learn.

In better news, I am 16 weeks today and "they" say with subsequent pregnancies you often feel movement before 16 weeks. Guess what: I do. Deucie started moving where I can feel it back on Wednesday. It makes me a little sad to even admit this, but it's not as exciting as it was last time. I'm thinking it'll get better when Jason and even Easton can share the movements with me, perhaps? With my first pregnancy by the time I could feel definite movement Jason could feel it on the outside too and it was lots of fun. We're not there yet with this one. :( Anyway, Deuce is on the loose. Yay!

I was sure enjoying all that time with Easton being a sleepy head. The streak may be over now, although it might not--it could just be his cough that woke him this morning. It's been so nice to take leisurely showers in the morning complete with shaving and using yummy body washes instead of a boring (yet quicker) bar of soap. When he woke up this morning he was quiet for a bit after coughing. Then he started calling for me, moved on to calling for J, and then called for "baby". At 7 I went to get him and we all hung out for a bit in our room until we were completely awake. Easton really did want his "baby" (Baby Pooh) and he cuddled him and we put him "nigh nigh" in our bed. Very sweet.

And one last "sweet" story since I have no pics for you today: Yesterday Easton was dancing to the Thomas the Train song. He had his hands on his hips and even threw in a couple of pelvic thrust moves. Well, that cracked me up and he likes making us laugh so he stopped dancing and looked at me sweetly and cupped my cheek with his hand. Heart-melting, I tell you. It was soooooo precious. Him standing there cupping my cheek lovingly. Being his mom is the best. Love it! Love him!

Well, with this recent illness development we're not so sure about our football friends coming tomorrow. Their son goes to daycare though so they may be just fine with it after all. Then there's Baby John's parents I have to warn as well. Who knows how it'll all go down? Anyway...off to eat some lunch and then LSU plays. Geaux Tigers!

Buzz Kill

My Li'l Easser was stung by his first bee today. Ouchie! More on that later...first, let's rewind to last night:

MOM'S NIGHT OUT
After making my guys what Jason called a "four course meal" but really just meant a four item meal (grilled cheese, chips, apple slices, and pickle) I headed off to my MNO. Apparently Easton did quite well with his dinner. He even ate some grilled cheese!--the other items are things he'll pretty much always eat. I arrived and hung out with a group of 4 other mom friends and we had a nice time eating and chatting and I drank water. Jason got to do the whole bedtime routine himself and of course it went fine. We nearly always do the routine together so when we change it up to just one of us E is fine with it. Thank goodness. J did so well that he had him in bed on time and he slept until I had to wake him up this morning!

BREAKFAST PLANS
I really hate when I have to wake Easton up but we had plans to meet up with Max and Susannah for breakfast this morning. I woke E up about 15-20 minutes before we had to be there and did like yesterday where I just threw him in some clothes and gave him a few sips of milk while I packed up our stuff. He saw me grab some apple slices to bring and he said, "Appo" and I said, "Yes, apple, we'll eat them at breakfast with Max" to which he nodded a "duh" nod and said, "Snack...apple". He thought I said "snack" instead of "Max". And now, guess what he calls Max: SNACK! We pulled up to the restaurant and they were standing outside and E saw Max and said, "snack". He's never called him anything before anyway. Easton was very very good at breakfast and Max stole one of his apple slices. E was fine with it though. I gave him another slice and the little sweetie broke it in half and then called for Snack's, I mean Max's, attention and gave him half!!! He shared!! Unprompted!!! He did the same thing later with crayons (minus the breakage) but he'd call, "Snack" and give him a crayon. Too precious.

PARKIN' IT
After breakfast we decided to take the boys to the park right by our house. Apparently Max likes to run and hates playgrounds still. So, that's what he did: ran around. Easton dug in the dirt a bit, asked to "swing swing", watched some other kids blow bubbles, and then did some sliding. Max just kept running around, mostly towards the road. I am very glad Easton is the way he is. At one point Susannah saw E up on the slide and asked, "Did he just get up there by himself?" to which I had to say, "Well, yeah!" That's what kids do, no? Anyway... Max got tired and they left but we stayed to play and I was chatting with a foster mom who was there with a couple of foster kids (the ones blowing the bubbles). She wanted to be best friends forever it seems and filled me in on waaaaaay too much about the children she was currently fostering and had fostered in the past. I'm pretty sure this is not allowed for confidentiality reasons, but whatever...she was nice and we had fun talking while the boys continued playing. Until...

THE STING
Easton was checking out a lovely plant at the park with pretty purple flowers and then he turned to me fussing and grabbing his hand. I immediately asked, "Did a bee get you?" and the foster mom helped me to check him out. She said, "Maybe it was a prickly plant?" and went to feel it but it wasn't prickly and there were bees a plenty. Then she said, "If he did get stung I would think he'd be making more noise unless he's super tough." And I said, "He is pretty tough." But then he started with the "more noise" she was expecting. So even though I couldn't see a mark or sting we headed for home with her calling out to us, "A baking soda paste is soothing if you can find the sting site." I'm sure she knows with 4 kids of her own and a billion past foster children. When we did get home I still was saying things to Eastie like, "I bet a bee got you" to which in between cries he'd say, "A Beeeeeeeeee". Sure enough, on his little finger tip he had a poke.

I wasn't too concerned about an anaphylactic reaction (I was more concerned about that with peanuts) but I called the doctor anyway to see how long I'd need to watch him for a reaction. The nurse said, "Awhile" and "Have you ever given him Benadryl?" to which I had to say no and then she said she'd check with the doctor. Over an hour later she called back--the Benadryl was her idea anyway, not mine--but finally she called back and said I could give him some. Good thing he didn't need it. I gave him some Motrin because his finger seemed to bother him just a bit and I wanted to maybe help with the minor swelling that was happening. Especially since nap time was approaching and distractions from the pain would be gone.

Here is his hand, the flash makes it hard to tell that it's red all the way to his hand (both on the palm and the back of his hand) plus it was slightly swollen too:

And here is his face...but, he hadn't even had the Motrin yet, let alone Benadryl so who knows why he is looking so very spacey:


Before long he was just fine and even mustered up the motivation to do this:



And this...


Anyway, we did do some ice right away while I called J to fill him in (before I decided to call the doctor). I skipped the baking soda paste even though it sounded like good advice I didn't think I could keep a paste on him so easily. I think he's all better. He's having a nap and I'll be sure to peek in just to make sure his head hasn't swollen up like a balloon although I think we're cleared of the "danger zone". I'm not worried about it.

In the meantime, here are a couple of silly emoticons I just saw in Reader's Digest. They made me smile and maybe you'll smile too:
:-.) That's Cindy Crawford
and
:-[ That's a vampire, you know, for Halloween and such.

Okay, that's all she wrote...have a good weekend!