When James was Sick

I just pulled these off my iPod from when James was sick last week.

He took all of his naps on me, and it was so nice for me to snuggle him!

He even ended up in my bed, but only for a few minutes.  He snores!!

Gran bought him these new shoes early in the week, and he spent almost every moment in them.  Here you can see he fell asleep with both of his hands inside one of the shoes.

That day he woke up after a short nap but then settled back in for some more time.

Several days last week I had help picking up the girls in the afternoon.  I hate waking a sleeping baby, most especially when they’re sick!

Turkey Trot

Thursday was the Turkey Trot at Joanna’s school, and Laura and I went up to walk with her class!

It was a beautiful day for walking the track, and I got double sticks for every lap because of my little passenger!

Joanna, Laura, and I managed 27 sticks between us – I think we did a pretty good job!

Mrs. M had her students help count the sticks by tens.

It was a fun way to get a little exercise (and boy was I sore later – I’m so out of shape!)

The next day (or rather way later that night) Joanna started throwing up and didn’t feel any better until Friday afternoon.  :(

Even though I’m really really really sad she was sick and wouldn’t have wished that for the world, it was nice to just sit around and snuggle all day.  She was feeling much more herself by mid-afternoon, and even ate a normalish dinner.

And that was very good because Saturday was “Thanksgiving” for my side of the family.  That post is up next!

Lazy today

I’m sitting on my couch at 10:30 in the morning, (re)watching the first season of Fringe on my Roku player.  The wonderful thing about watching TV when the children aren’t home is not having to turn down the volume on the loud parts.  Oh, and being able to watch things that are totally inappropriate for children.  I definitely have some chores I could be doing, but I’m focusing on resting today for the good of us all.  I was so sick yesterday.  I’m not sure I’ve been that sick in a very long time.  Stomach bugs don’t usually affect me so very badly.  Thankfully, Matt was able to stay home because otherwise CPS might have had to come.  I simply would not have been able to care for the children, much less myself.  :) 

Joanna looked so cute yesterday, I had to take a picture from my spot on the couch.  She’s been into side ponytails this week – she loves ‘em!

Anyway, I had to go almost 24 hours without food and my body just did not know what to do about that!  I seldom go 24 minutes, you know?  I started feeling bad through the night; the nausea would wake me up, and I didn’t feel like I could eat anything until about 4:30pm.  I was so weak and had such a headache.  Fortunately my MIL had dropped off Sprite, Gatorade, and some chicken soup.  And we had saltines from James being sick over the weekend.  I was set!  Matt did such a good job taking care of me and the kiddos.  I love that man!  And I was so thankful that I had really (well, for me anyway) cleaned house over the weekend and on Monday.  I hate being stuck in bed with a mess around me that is only going to get clean if I do it.

I drove Joanna to school this morning because even though I feel better I don’t want to push it.  No relapse for me thank you!  And my wonderful friend Lisa took the little kids to school.  I did need to get out and take care of a dog, but that gave me the excuse to go ahead and get my Thursday Dr. Pepper.  The headache, you know.  And I sat on my mom’s couch and watched cable for a little while.

I feel very lazy today, and I’m loving every minute!

The Weekend!!

Poor James woke up throwing up Saturday morning.  :(  So I left his butt at home and took my back-up toddler, Natalie, to the Musikgarten class I teach.  She had a great time and it was a treat to spend some one-on-one time with her.  I am soooooo thankful that Matt can take care of all the vomit situations – wahoo!  Poor James was hungry and thirsty all morning, even though he couldn’t keep anything down.  At about noon I could tell he was feeling better and he was really wanting food, so he got some crackers and Pedialyte.  He kept those down so it was pretty much back to normal that day.  He felt fine until after nap when he had a fever and just felt crummy.  After some Tylenol he was back to his old self.  I left Matt (again!) at home with the kiddos while I headed out to a much needed Girls Night Out!!  My friends Amy and Kim were in from out of town and we met up with Theresa for some dinner at Johnny Carino’s. 

You know I took pictures of my food.  :)

And even though it was hard to get far enough back, we took pictures at the table.  Theresa and Kim:

Me and Amy:

We took turns catching up around the table – it was SO NICE!!

Then we headed to our friend Shaun’s house after dinner for some ice cream and lots more chatting.  I needed every stinking bit of that evening!  Even the part where I got absolutely lost between the restaurant and Shaun’s house and my phone was blinking it’s battery light.  I may have cried.  :)

I didn’t get home until after midnight.  I could not tell you the last time I was out that late!  It was a good night for that extra hour of sleep.

Matt took the girls to church while I stayed at home with James and got caught up on life.  He seemed pretty much back to normal, though a little on the grumpy side.  I was glad for the opportunity to be at home with just one kiddo to get some things done.

This afternoon Joanna and I finished up her Student of the Week poster (due tomorrow).  She painted it yesterday and we were letting it get very dry.  Isn’t it gorgeous?!!  I just love all the colors and designs.  I kind of wanted to go get another plain white one to turn in so I could hang this one on the wall!

I had a bunch of pictures of Joanna and things/people she loves printed.  I cropped them (to show off more of the beautiful background) and matted them on white cardstock so they’d pop a bit.  She wrote her name for me on black cardstock and I cut it out, trying to preserve her handwriting as best as I could.  She wrote her name, age, and birthday on the white paper (I helped with spelling) that I mounted in the middle.  That was what was required to be on the poster, and the rest of the story is pretty much in the pictures.  I really love the way it turned out.  :)

We had Junior Vandenberge with us this weekend, and he always makes James happy!

My floor was soooo grody (even before Junior was dropped off on Thursday) but between being lazy and busy and smart, I think, I decided to hold off vacuuming until that sweet shedding boy went home this evening.  :)  Now after emptying the canister on the Dyson three times, my floors are much cleaner!!

James woke up from his rather short nap this afternoon not feeling good at all.  He often wakes up cranky, so I wasn’t sure he was really sick.  I can’t find our good thermometer, but I was guessing he didn’t have a fever.  Then when Joanna and I were sticking the pictures on her poster, James came up to me just crying hard like he’d been hurt.  I of course did the automatic mommy thing and gathered him up in my arms to comfort him, where he absolutely threw up a ton all over me.  I don’t really do vomit well, so thankfully Matt was home.  He swooped in, gave me a towel, and grabbed James.  I plugged my nose, closed my eyes, and went to my happy place (it is, by the way, on a lake in Maine) until my stomach settled.  Then I left my clothes right there and made a beeline for the shower!

And you know what?  My AMAZING husband cleaned it all up.  I am definitely going to keep him forever.  :)

James was pretty fine for the rest of the day.  I didn’t feel too bad about denying him any food since he’d eaten well today and it was close enough to bedtime.  He did fuss for some water, so we gave him just a little bit of pedialyte.  I hope he wakes up feeling okay!

And during all of this my sweet sweet Natalie was just entertaining herself and staying out of the way.  Love her!  She was using a pair of those little sock things you get at the shoe store to put over her Little People so they could be ghosts!

I really could watch her play for hours.

Despite the vomit and fever, it was a fabulous weekend.  I had some energy and some time away and I really got caught up on some parts of life.  I feel much more on top of things than I have in weeks, I think.  Hallelujah!

The Traveling to Oklahoma Saga, episode one: Gotta get sick first

James started feeling not great on Friday, but I had my hopes it was a leetle cold.  Saturday he had a fever, and Sunday he was feeling downright puny.  I got him checked out and discovered he had double ear infections.  :(  I’m sooooo glad I didn’t wait until Monday to take him in to his regular doc though.  He was able to start antibiotics Sunday night and was almost back to his self by Tuesday (when we needed to fly out!) 

We grabbed new bottles of Tylenol and Ibuprofen on Monday since James was about to finish ours off.  Martha (Ray’s mom who is a PA) told me to give James Ibuprofen before the flight to help his ears, which would likely still be sore.  James was very happy at Walgreens when he got to hold his meds.  But WOE to the checker who needed to scan them!

Like I said, I’m soooooo glad I didn’t wait to bring James in on Monday.  I’m not sure we’d have been able to make the flight that-a-way.  And make it we did – more adventures in the Traveling to Oklahoma Saga to come!

This Boy Loves to Walk!

So I recently posted about poor James and his chair-walker.  Well Kimberly texted me that she had a push toy we could borrow for a while.  Wahoo!

James is such a happy boy!!

This one’s so blurry, but you can see his happy face!

He goes all over the house with his buggy; it makes him so happy!

He’s so sturdy, I just can’t believe it.  The girls couldn’t walk with these things; the walker thing moved too fast for them.  James is a moving machine!  I think he will be so happy once he learns to walk for real.  He’s so confident; I guess it could be any time now!

Poor guy isn’t feeling good.  He started getting something Thursday I think, definitely had a cough on Friday, fever on Saturday, and was down right puny today.  I took him in this afternoon mainly because I wanted to rule out an ear infection before our trip on Tuesday.  My mom, James, and I are planning to fly to OKC to see my sister’s pinning ceremony for completing nursing school!!  I hoped he just had the crud, but he does have an infection in both ears.  :(  Hopefully with three doses of antibiotics in him he’ll be okay to fly on Tuesday.  I really hope he starts feeling better soon.  Being sick is NO FUN!

Wednesday

Tuesday I came down with some kind of cruddy bug which wiped me out.  Matt went to work on Wednesday, but was able to have someone come in and cover for him, so he came back home!  I spent a lot of that day in a coma.  :)  After rest time I was feeling a bit better so I helped get the kiddos ready for a walk with Daddy.  (I stayed home.)

(Side story while I’m thinking about it:  The girls have these hats from David and Gran from Amsterdam.  Joanna asked the other day if she could have her “Lobster Hat… you know, the one with the braids.”  It took me a minute, but I guess her brain filed “Amsterdam” with “Lobster” since that’s an easier word.  She’s funny.)

Anyway, you just see James and Natalie here because Joanna was essentially being punished for not having put away her shoes.  She couldn’t find them so she couldn’t go for a walk!

Matt took a lap and came back for her.  I was making her help pick up toys and clothes and shoes and whatever.  I eventually found her shoes under the hall tree, but she did her penance helping me clean up!

Oh Roseola, we meet again

Poor James has been sick.  Last week he just wasn’t quite himself, then Thursday evening we noticed a little fever before he went to bed.  Then Friday I thought he was better, but then his fever went way up that evening so we brought him to the doctor Saturday morning.  The doc diagnosed a little ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic.  Honestly, I think that was just a coincidence (or a byproduct of the virus) because the antibiotic did not make him feel better at all.  He does think it’s horribly yucky though.  :)  Anyway he’s just been miserable – clingy, fussy, grumpy.  Over the weekend Tylenol would make him feel better but did little for his fever, poor little guy.  And it’s funny, his fever was always higher in the morning than when he went to bed.  That seems backward.  :) 

I think this was Monday afternoon.  I walked out of the bedroom after putting Natalie down for a nap and found James fast asleep on the floor.

He had a good little nap there too!

He’s been pretty much attached at the hip for several days.  I love my little attachment, but it’s too hot to be so close to anyone.  :)

We’ve still gone about our regular stuff.

Hanging laundry and what not.

This morning, he finally woke up without a fever – wahoo!  He’s still been a little more clingy and needy than usual, but soooo much closer to “normal” today!  He ate some, filled up his diaper, played a little.  And this evening we saw the spots.  Those tell-tale Roseola-ish virus spots.  I’m looking forward to Jamesie Boy getting back to normal in the next few days!  I hope we didn’t infect anyone; we haven’t been having so much fun.  :)

Sick Kids and Astros T-Shirts

On Tuesday I would have said that Natalie had some allergies.  She was congested, but not too runny, not goopy.  That evening I might have classified it as a cold, she was a little more drippy and I think a light cough started.  That night the hacking seal cough came – it was so sad!  Same overnight, Joanna appeared to have a stomach bug and threw up several times.  (Including all over Matt – have I mentioned I love my husband?)

So Wednesday morning rolls around and Matt and I are both sleep deprived, the girls are pretty puny, but thankfully James slept through it all!

Matt was going to take a little time off of work to help, since I really don’t think that two sick kids and one little baby is the right amount of work for one person, you know?  Maybe there are some supermoms out there to disagree with me, but that’s my opinion!  I was joking that my mom could help (she was on call that day) if she ended up with an 8pm assignment, thus freeing her day.  I swear not ten minutes later she called to say she had an 8:00 airport alert.  Ha!  Thank you Continental for getting my telepathy!

So Matt shuffled off to work a little late since my mom was on her way over.  I had Joanna asleep up next to me on the couch and James asleep on me (he’d flat out refused a nap in the crib).  When Natalie got up she was actually very chipper – happy, playing, with no sign of the hacking seal.  Wahoo!  She was good and goopy, congested, and had a little normal sounding cough, but she felt good.  Just a cold – yay!  So Natalie was wondering around the house, entertaining herself as I snuggled my “Js.”  Fortunately the worst trouble she wanted to get into was chillin’ in the baby bouncer.  I usually don’t let her sit there, but she knew I wasn’t going to jump up and stop her!

Here’s how Joanna was crashed after I got up:

And this is probably an example of how James got his cold.  Ummm… oops.

When Joanna got up, she was really feeling fine, so she got to have the very first tasted of my canned applesauce!  She proclaimed it good.

Joanna and Natalie really were both pretty okay during the day.  Natalie felt great, and Joanna didn’t throw up at all, she was just tired.  I was still really really thankful to have my mom over for most of the day since everybody needed extra snuggles.

By the evening I had pretty much decided that Joanna would go to school Thursday but I’d keep Natalie home.  She felt great but was pretty drippy, and could probably use some down time.  So Joanna and I headed to out get her some shoes for picture day!  We found her annual Jellies at Payless, but then hopped over to Target to pick up some Vicks and a birthday present.

I found what I was looking for, and…

Astros T-shirts!

But not just any Astros shirts – PENCE shirts!

I couldn’t help myself (okay, I could help myself, but I didn’t).  I picked up one for each of us.

I try not to be such a spender :), which is why I usually try to just STAY OUT of stores, but I really had been looking for some “Pence” shirts for the kids.  I mean, how often is it that a “cousin” (ha!) of ours will be a famous ball player?  So now, as Matt says, we can can go on family outings.  Hee hee hee.

It was too late to get everybody in the shirts for a picture, but I made Natalie try hers on, since I wasn’t sure which size she really needed.  I had trouble getting her to smile since she had started to feel bad.  I ended up having to tell her I wanted to show her picture off – would she smile for Pop?  Yes, she decided she would smile for Pop.  So, Pop, this one’s for you.  :)

I guess now we’re ready to watch some baseball, eh?

James had a pretty good night last night, even though he started feeling a little punk.  Natalie had a pretty great night, even with all her goop.  But poor Joanna had another rough night.

My first theory was that she really had a little stomach bug Tuesday night, but I’ve since revised my theory.  I think her ears are draining.  I don’t even know if that’s medically possible, but I think they’re draining ,causing 1.) some kind of equilibrium issue that made her throw up after she’d been laying down a while, and 2.) snot and fluid and gunk running down her throat into her stomach, making her not feel good and throw up.  She’s also had a lot more trouble hearing us the last couple of days, which makes me think something’s up.  Should I take her to the doctor?  Eh, maybe.  But I really think it’s going to resolve itself here pretty quick.

So this morning, James is doing okay, Natalie’s chipper and playing, and Joanna is falling asleep in weird positions:

I didn’t move her because I thought it might feel good.  She has since rolled over and collected a blanket.  She’s still out though.

I’m sad she’s missing her class picture.  :(  Wouldn’t it figure that her class is the only one taking theirs today!  We’ll still be able to get their individual shots done on Tuesday though.  Assuming we manage to heath up!

Natalie gave me her cold too, so we’re sure a bundle of fun around here.  :)

I’m very very thankful for the big ol’ pot of beef stew my mother made for us yesterday.  And the milk and eggs Matt will be stopping to pick up on the way home today.  And for Sola Gratia practice tonight, if I still feel okay!  And for a healthy Matt, so far.  And for a happy Natalie.  And a sunny day for drying diapers.  And I’m sure a million other things… like “personalized” Astros t-shirts.  :)

Needless to say, I cannot feel my feet.

She is seriously asleep right now.  And who knows?  Maybe this position is good for her… um, digestive issues.
And the poor thing has an ear infection.
Her days since the four year old immunizations have not been good ones.

My Sweet Girls

Sunday morning in the nursery, Natalie grabbed the hand of this little girl and just didn’t let go!

They wandered around the room like that for a long time!  I have to wonder what this little girl what thinking.  :)

Natalie and James, my cute cloth diaper babies, hanging out on the play mat.

This is my favorite current look for Miss Natalie – a dress with her pink cowgirl boots!!

I looked over at one point yesterday and saw that Natalie had taken it upon herself to fold the wipes for me!  What a great helper!

My poor Joanna has not pooped since Friday.  I’m sorry if that’s a little TMI for you.  It’s Tuesday now, and we’ve tried everything I can think of.  I will call the nurse line again this afternoon if she hasn’t gone since then.  She’s actually at school right now since she really wanted to go (even though she’s not 100%).  I let her, thinking it would get her mind off her misery and maybe help things along! 

This was Sunday afternoon at Mamma and Pop’s house.  She literally fell asleep on Matt’s lap as he was rubbing her back. She’s been pretty lethargic and puny.  It’s just so sad!  She’ll drink juice and water for me, but she hasn’t eaten anything since lunch on Sunday!  She did take a couple of bites of oatmeal this morning.  Yay!

This was yesterday during rest time.

My poor sad Joanna who never ever naps has napped the last four days!

Combo Play Day Birthday Party

We decided to celebrate the girls’ birthdays with a play day party this year, not to leave anyone out, but to keep it simple.  We’ll do another little celebration for the family for Joanna in the next couple of weeks, similar to what we did for Natalie I’m sure.

We invited a few of our playgroup friends over (and their moms) for some lunch, playing, and cookies!

I guess the first time I managed to get the camera out was at cookie time.

I baked some train shaped sugar cookies and we let the kids frost and sprinkle them.

Yum!

I told the girls NOT to eat their cookies after they finished decorating so that we could put candles in them.

Even though you see me blowing in the picture, the girls were both able to blow out their own candle.

This cutie pie only took a couple bites of her cookie.

But big sister devoured almost the whole thing.  The cookie cutters were on the big side!

Matt was home that day too!  (It was our anniversary.  )

I’m pretty sure I didn’t get pictures of all the kiddos, but they were all just so sweet and played so well together!

Here is Judson feeding a baby doll.  Don’t you love his technique?

The girls were so excited to open presents.  Our friends have such good taste in toys and games!!

They have LOVED LOVED playing with their new goodies the last couple of days.  And unless I’m imagining it, they’ve been bothering me less a little more independent.

Anna and Emma got Joanna a bicycle!

My friend Lisa sure looks out for my girls.  :)  She found a great little bike at an amazing little price at Baby Daze and called to see if I wanted it for Joanna.  How perfect!

More pics to come of Joanna riding it outside for the first time!

After the party we cleaned up and had our usual naps.  When Natalie woke up she was awfully clingy and sad and crying.

Then she threw up everywhere.

Several times over the course of two hours.

And then amazingly, delightfully, she was done.

She didn’t want to be too far from me even though Matt was home.  At one point though I needed to do something in the kitchen.  She was satisfied with a little palate on the floor by me.

Oh I love that little girl.