Grandpa G.'s Birthday

Thankfully my bout with the flu only lasted about 36 hours, and then I felt much, much better. However, Ethan still had a runny nose, chest cold, persistent cough, and intermittent diarrhea. Dan also battled a severe head cold for about 5 days. Even though Ethan and Dan were still battling illnesses, we managed a trek to my parent's house and were able to enjoy celebrating Dad's birthday with him. My Aunt Joanne and Uncle Leonard and Gene and Joyce (close family friends) joined us to celebrate too. Ethan and Dan kept their distance from everyone else for the most part to avoid passing along any of their germs. We enjoyed great company and had a yummy dinner from Outback Steakhouse.

Grandpa G. and Ethan

Mom, Dad, Ethan, Joanne, and Leonard

Gene, Joyce, Mom, and Dad

Now Me Too :(

Thankfully I can't remember the last time that I had the flu, but unfortunately this nasty strain that Ethan has did a number on me last night too. I barely slept and threw up 6 times, amongst other unpleasant symptoms. It was strange though because I felt 100% fine until about 10:30pm last night and then very suddenly felt extremely sick. I don't remember the onset of the flu being this rapid before, but I certainly hope that I can recover faster than it has taken Ethan (he's on Day 6 now). And the weather is gorgeous too- hopefully we'll be well and able to get out and enjoy it in the near future!

And the Illness Continues...

Poor Ethan, just when we thought he was improving, he threw up two more times on Tuesday (this time getting mommy, the carpet, two cushions in his playroom, and himself). Our washing machine has been working overtime here recently. He also started running a fever again. I called the pediatrician's office this morning, and they have been swamped, so we were able to get in with the nurse practitioner rather than our regular pediatrician. She said that there is a very nasty flu bug going around that lasts 5-7 days (we're in day 5), where the symptoms are cyclical. Ethan's symptoms match that exactly (vomiting, high fever, and diarrhea has come and gone and come and gone depending on the day). Last night he started with a runny nose and cough that kept us all up most of the night. The nurse practitioner examined his gums and said that, in addition to the tooth that just broke the gumline, he has 3 more just about to break through. She also said that he is somewhat dehydrated, so we are supposed to encourage as much water and Gatorade as possible. I wish that I could explain to him how important it is to drink, because he has entered a very opinionated phase regarding food and drink (it is a phase, right? ;) where no amount of encouragement will result in him eating or drinking. He hasn't had Gatorade before, but I bought some on our way home from the doctor's office. Hopefully a novel taste will encourage him to drink. I had no idea there were so many flavors of Gatorade. He likes fruit, so I bought "Berry", but if anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know!

Poor Sickly Little One

I thought that we had evaded the flu season... But I was very wrong. Ethan threw up several times this weekend (this is the first illness and non-gag reflex related vomiting that we've encountered). Poor little guy was absolutely miserable all weekend. He hardly ate anything for a day and a half and woke up Sunday morning with dry heaves. I have been fortunate to never experience that myself, but I'm sure that it was very scary for Ethan especially since he didn't understand what was happening. When he started holding down some food, then his fever spiked to 103-104ish, so we've been alternating Tylenol and Motrin to try to give him some relief. And, as if that wasn't enough, a new tooth poked through his gumline in the middle of his bout with the flu. These are times when I wish that I could just cuddle away all the discomfort and pain so that he feels all better again. He was so worn out and felt so awful that he fell asleep in his bean bag watching Sesame Street (this never happens). I took a picture of him totally zonked out. We had an old pillowcase placed behind and around him in case he got sick again. He showed some signs of improvement today, so we're hoping that he'll be back to 100% soon!

Getting Back into Stamping

Several years ago I attended a stamping workshop where a demonstrator taught us how to make 10 different greeting cards using different stamping techniques, and I LOVED it!! I was so excited to make cards myself, and I accumulated quite a bit of stamping gear (stamps, inks, papers, etc.) I went to several additional workshops and really enjoyed those too. Since work was really hectic before Ethan was born, and life was even more hectic after Ethan was born, I had not had the opportunity to stamp in quite awhile. A friend motivated me to "find the time" to get back into the hobby that I enjoyed so much, so this week I made 3 cards (2 baby cards and a bridal shower card). I got inspiration from looking at stamping blogs online, and I was really excited to get back into it. Here are a few pics of 2 of the cards that I made:

Baby girl onesie card

Bridal shower card (sorry for the poor picture quality!)
The wedding colors are going to be yellow and blue (could you tell? ;)

And a New Haircut for Ethan Too!

Ethan's hair grows incredibly fast... If he were a girl, he would easily have hair down his back by now! I have taken him to get 2 haircuts and have cut it myself at least 7 or 8 times already, and it amazes me how quickly it gets "shaggy" after each cut. I cut his hair today, removing the most length at one time as I have ever done, and I was so excited with the outcome! I took at least an inch, in some places more, off all around his head. It was nerve-wracking, but now that I have cut a lot off and am happy with it, I will be more comfortable cutting it shorter myself in the future. I know that I am incredibly biased, but here are some photos of our very handsome little boy (though these aren't the best shots of his haircut)! In a couple of pictures you can see that Ethan has a skinned knee (this was the first injury requiring a bandage that he has ever had). Dan took him outside for a walk at my parent's house, and he LOVED it! He loved seeing the flowers, bushes, and trees, and Dan had a hard time getting him back inside. He did a great job holding Dan's hand outside, but he tripped at one point on the sidewalk and skinned his knee. He was so proud of his first band-aid though. He kept lifting up the edge of his shorts and showing people his band-aid.

Mommy, I love you THIS much :)

Munching on a bagel Smiley guy

Earth-Shattering News

Well, not earth "shattering" really, just earthquaking! Dan woke me up this morning (I was still very groggy) and said "Did you feel that? What was that?" I was not lucid and had no idea what he was talking about, so I quickly returned to sleep. When I woke up again (more rested and coherent), Dan filled me in on the fact that I had slept through an earthquake! Not a typical morning! There was an aftershock a little after 11am, but Ethan and I were in a pool at Ethan's swim class, so again we were unaware that anything had happened. Apparently Dan heard our windows shaking and lots of rattling as the earth rumbled, and Waggles started whining and crying because he was frightened. I must confess that I am a bit disappointed that I am too heavy of a sleeper to have awoken due to the quake. I am curious what the sensation was like, though would be completely content never to have the opportunity to experience one again!

Finally a New Haircut!

It has been ridiculously long since I had a professional haircut (I've just been letting my hair grow out, and I rarely blow dry it, so it doesn't get too damaged). Anyhow, I decided that the start of some beautiful weather was occasion enough to get a new haircut! I had 3-4 inches cut off and some layering done, and I am excited to try some different styling options to see how I like it best. It was really nice to finally find the time to get a new hairdo! I will try to post a picture of me soon- I tried to get one taken and found that our camera batteries need charging, so the pic will have to wait...

The Thrill of a Bargain

I really enjoy bargain hunting and am very excited when I find a great deal!! Since Ethan outgrows his clothes and toys so quickly, I check out garage and consignment sales for great deals on gently used clothing and toys. Today a friend and I left our houses very early (6:30am) to drive to a gigantic community sale in a local suburb. The sale did not start until 8am, but we had been warned that the lines to get in were incredible, but that the prices and selection were worth it. It was held at a middle school, and when we arrived, the parking lot had caution tape all around it blocking access from the lot to the grassy areas. We thought, surely there aren't enough people who come to this sale that they would try to park on the grass? But yes, there certainly were. There were 3 lines set up in front of the huge rooms containing the sale items, and there were easily 200-300 people waiting before the 8am opening. It was kind of fun to make a mad dash for the tables piled high with clothes and to "dig in" to find some great bargains. Many of the items were new with tags or did not show any wear at all. I was a little weirded out though by the "hard core" sales attenders (those who brought large upright luggage with wheels or huge wheeled carts to stuff items into as they shopped). We waited in line for a half hour to get to the checkout. As we left the building, we saw that the parking lot was completely full, and people were lugging huge bags of items across a field to the elementary school parking lot which was equally as packed! Guess the caution tape was justified! Then we headed to another sale that was coordinated by an organization for families with multiples and had more success finding great bargains on very nice brand name clothing. It was a very fun morning, and I am very pleased with the super deals that I found!

Surprising Grandma G. for her Birthday

My mom knew that we were planning to visit and celebrate her birthday with her on Sunday of last weekend, but did not expect us on her actual birthday (which was before that). We decided to surprise her on her actual birthday. At the mom's group that I participate in at church, our most recent speaker had been an elementary art teacher who talked about how to foster creativity in your kids. She had several make-and-take projects for us to try ourselves that we could then do with our kids at home. One project was tissue paper flowers. Ethan and I made a "bouquet" of tissue papers flowers and delivered them to Grandma as part of her birthday surprise. Below is a picture of Ethan presenting the flowers to Grandma. I apologize for the poor picture quality. Mom insists on using disposable cameras, and we don't have a scanner, so I took a digital photo of mom's photo print. Doesn't make for a very high quality photo, but the picture was so cute, I wanted to post it!

I can't believe that this is the first time that I've heard...

"No" from Ethan! Dan and I had been talking recently about how we were surprised that "No" had not yet become part of Ethan's vocabulary. I have only heard him say it once so far, and that was today when I was folding laundry and he tried to push our tall laundry basket over. When I realized what he was trying to do, I said "No, No, No", and he stopped pushing, looked at me, and repeated "No, No, No". It was kind of cute, but I didn't react with a smile or laugh so as not to encourage further use of "No". :) I realize that Ethan's use of "No" is bound to happen, but I'd like to stave it off for as long as possible!

Swimming Update, Animal Sounds, and Commentary on Mommy's Driving

A little update from Ethan's swim class... Each week we've been doing a variety of fun activities to encourage balance (on floats or foam noodles in the water), "gliding" to move toward a parent in the water or to jump to them from the side of the pool, color naming and recognition, kicking, and much more! This week was the first time that Ethan has started kicking on his own in the water (the other times I moved his legs for him in a kicking motion). It was exciting to see him picking up on some of the skills that the instructors are trying to teach the little ones in his class!

Ethan really loves animals and is interested in learning about them, particularly doggies. He has been making a "roar" sound for lions, tigers, and bears, a "moo (more like boo)" for cows, a "ba" for sheep, and "arf" for a dog for quite awhile, but now he can also "neigh" for a horse, "quack" for a duck, and "bak" for a chicken. Very cute!

A funny story about our ride home from my parent's house on Friday night. Those of you who know me and have ridden in my car also know that I have a bit of a lead foot. We were driving home, and I thought that I could make a stoplight on the highway when it turned red more quickly than I had expected. So, I had to brake fairly hard at the stoplight. Ethan was groggy on the trip home (it was after his bedtime), and up to that point he had been quietly gazing out the front window and hadn't said a word or made a peep. Shortly after I finished braking and we were at a complete stop, Ethan said rather loudly "Whoa!" Dan and I started cracking up-his timing was perfect, and his exclamation was hilarious! He has recently started shouting "Wow" when he builds something with his blocks or does something new (he is mimicking me), but we had never heard him say "Whoa" instead of "Wow". And it was a very distinct "Whoa"! Too funny!

Sesame Street Live!

I am finally getting around to posting some pics of our trip to Sesame Street Live!! Usually Ethan is quite an animated little guy, so I was expecting lots of smiles and squeals during the show and possibly even attempts to "rush" the stage, but we were surprised to find that he was completely silent and mesmerized. He stared wide-eyed, eyes completely fixed on the stage throughout the entire performance. He only said something and gestured during the intermission when a salesperson brought out 75+ gigantic Elmo mylar balloons that were for sale. He then started pointing at them and saying "Elmo boon" (Elmo balloon). I thought it was a bit silly for them to sell giant Elmo mylar balloons during the intermission inside the theater, but shortly after the show got started again, some employees came around and asked everyone to put them under their seats so the balloons wouldn't block anyone's view. Despite the lack of a dramatic reaction to the show, I think that Ethan loved it! We will definitely look into getting tickets again when a show comes nearby in the future. On a sidenote, Ethan can now clearly say all of the main Sesame Street character's names except for Oscar (I'm not sure that he realizes who he is yet). He clearly said "Grover" and "Abby" to me this week. It's fun to listen to him as he watches the intro and credits of each episode. He says each character's name as they come on the screen "Grover, Elmo, Ernie and Bert, Abby, Big Bird, etc.". We need to get the video camera out soon to tape him doing this. Sadly I have not been good about videotaping Ethan lately and don't have much footage over the last 5 months or so (just a few clips that I took with our digital camera). I'm going to be more diligent about taping him in the coming weeks!

Posing with a poster of Grover and Elmo before the show

Totally mesmerized
What a neat and colorful show!
Of course this was Ethan's favorite part!
Pointing out Elmo balloonsA picture with more of the cast after the show