The Flu Hits Hard

A couple of weeks ago Chris & I were struck with the worst stomach flu we had ever experienced (at least since we were 10). I thought I had sufficiently Lysoled & disinfected the house. Unfortunately it reared it's ugly head again. Maudie suddenly fell ill Friday night when we got back from the movie store. She ripped off her coat & sweatshirt and screamed that she was SOOO COLD. After a few minutes cuddling with Daddy, her skin felt like she was on fire. I put her in her jammies, gave her some medicine & hoped that a good night's sleep would be the cure. The next moring she was still feverish so she spend the day in Mommy's bed watching movies (Daddy even hooked up the DVD player, just for her to watch the movies we rented). Her fever spiked at 6:00 at 105.5. I put her in the bath, gave her another dose of motrin & called the nurse. There's not much one can do, but keep her hydrated & cool (and feel completely helpless). She's on the mend now, following a 4 1/2 hour nap this afternoon. Her fever broke while she was sleeping and we found her, head drenched in a pool of sweat. May I note that the entire time she was ill she insisted that she was 'NOT SICK!!!"
Charlie was also running a low grade fever this weekend, but I'm pretty sure he was Senior Crabby Pants because he's teething & not from the flu.

Plumb Tuckered Out

I got a text message at work this morning with this photo in it.

Is there anything else this sweet?

St. Jude's Novena

May the scared heart of Jesus be

adored loved & preserved

throughout the world now and forever.

Sacred heart of Jesus, pray for us.

St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us.

St. Jude, help for the hopeless, pray for us.

Say this prayer 9 times per day.

On the 8th day your prayer will be answered.

Publication must be promised.

So much to tell....

Jeepers, it's been a while since I've updated this blog. Goes to show how busy we've all been the past month (or two).
Maudie turned 3 at the beginning of March & she decided she wanted another pool party for her birthday celebration (I have a feeling this is going to be a trend). It was fine by us, because there's not a whole lot of options in the winter. Plus I didn't have to cook or clean, I left it to the professionals at the Holiday Inn. They have a (tiny) little water park that was perfect for a hoard of 2 & 3 year olds and a couple of older cousins too. She swam until her fingers where raisins & her lips were blue, stopping only to open the mountain of presents that her aunts, uncles & grandparents piled upon her. Maudie & stayed the night in the hotel while Chris took Charlie home to sleep in his own crib (and tend to the dogs). In the morning she swam for another hour before breakfast until she proclaim, "Mom, I'm just so tired." Words not often spoken by a 3-year old.

Both kids had well-child checkups. Charlie is a 21lbs & falls around the 50% in height & weight. Maudie is now 34lbs & is in the top 75% in both height & weight. I think darling daughter takes after Daddy (at least in the height department). Chris is worried Charlie is wont break the 5'9'' mark, but Im sure he'll catch up.

With the passing of her third birthday and the mastering the art of controlled elimination, Maudie started ballet lessons last week. She is in a little class of 7, 3-5 year olds. It's called Fairytale Ballet & it melts my heart. They start each session with stretching in a circle then they read a classic fairytale. After the story, they dress up like the main character & do little dances to themed music. Last week was The Little Mermaid.
All us moms OOH'ed and AHH'ed at the window while or precious angels pranced around the studio. It was adorable. That is until I hear a blood-curdling scream & a thud against the window. I didn't have to look down to know it was MY child. I shooed her back in the room & she tore off her costume and ran out the door, never to rejoin the class. Does He think this is some kind of funny joke? Do I have some weird karma payback from child-hood? First swimming lessons, now ballet. I talked with the doctor and she assures me that I need to keep trying, it will pass. And not to be embarrassed by her behavior, every parent goes through it. Well then, why is my child the only one that is running from the building like it's burning behind her?

Charlie is now crawling & getting into trouble. His favorite two hang-outs are the bathroom & the closet. That is when he's not splashing in the water dish or sharing a snack of kibble with the dogs. It took him about 6 seconds to go from crawling to crawling up the steps. And now that he's also standing (sometimes on his own) it's only a matter of time before he's walking.

Attached at the hip...

I haven't had a man this clingy since his father & I were dating...
Seriously, Charlie has an unhealthy attachment to his momma. He has learned to scream and cry when he sees me in another room & can't get to me. He is also learning to put his arms up when he wants me to pick him up. One afternoon, he was siting on Chris' lap while I vacuumed the living room & every time I pulled the vacuum back in his direction he put his arms up in the air. It's very cute & I'm flattered he loves me so much, but sometimes I just want to do the dishes in peace & quiet.

Choo Choo!

Well, we managed to make it through the holiday season without being buried in snow. However, I'm still trying to dig us out from the mountain of toys that has seemed to accumulate in my living room. We got toys that flash lights, toys that read books, toys that move, toys that make lots of LOUD noises, and toys that hurt when you step on them. We're pretty much set.. well until the end of eternity. Here are a few photos of our season, though I managed to make it 3 days at the farm and not take one photo of the kids. Thank goodness Kim has become the family photographer, and if she sends me the digital pics my kids will actually have evidence that we DID celebrate the season. I did manage to take photos of Mom & Dad's house while the kids were napping. Nothing feels like home more than their house at Christmas.



The Farm:

There's been a lot happening around the house this past month. I've gotten my product into several boutiques both here and in Minnesota. It's very exciting but Olive and Maude kept me way to busy over the holidays. I decided to close my shop for January to release stress and catch up on a few things, including sleep. I LOVE selling my creations but when it turns more into a second job than a hobby, I need to take a break.

Charlie grows bigger every day. He's sitting up by himself and becoming quite mobile, rolling for anything he wants. He's completely weaned from mommy now which was a sad event. The clinic continues to praise me for nursing him for 7 months, but I cant help but feel let down. We both enjoyed the bonding time but it became increasingly frustrating when I could no long fill up his belly. When he switched to 100% formula, Chris & I had one of the parental freak out moments. His stool was black as tar and we were worried that maybe he was bleeding in his intestines, which would explain the refusal of solid foods and the night time fussiness. After blood tests and stool samples we concluded one thing. I'm delusional, he hates baby food and doesn't like to sleep alone. Everything was fine, he just happen to have an ear infection... and normally black poo. They say nobody cares more about poo than mothers and nurses. I think mothers care a bit more than nurses. Good thing is he's eating more solids. We are skipping the bland foods and moving straight to the good stuff. Strained peas today, bacon tomorrow.

Perhaps the biggest news is with Maudie. SHE'S ON THE POTTY TRAIN! (as she declares)! That's right, all you skeptics, she's has went more than 2 weeks with only one accident in the first couple of days. For the last week she has even been waking from naps and nighttime dry. We are so proud of her. The only down side is that I just spent $35 dollars on a jumbo box of diapers. Oh well, I also spent $20 on new undies. The other night during one of her trips to the loo she remembered our promise to her. She came running from the bathroom yelling, MOM! NOW I GET TO GO TO BALLERINA LESSONS! I told her we could sign her up after her birthday when she's 3. Now, several times a day she tries to convince us that it's her birthday today. All this growing up with the potty training has gone to her head. Today over dinner she stops and says to me, "Mom, I had a really long day at work at Kristeens today."

Last toothless grin

Here is the last photo of Charlie with his adorable, toothless grin... at least until he's 90. He cut his first tooth & taking the new mouth object surprisingly well. However we've stocked up on oxyclean for the extra drool and ibuprofen for the pain (both his and mine... he's a biter).