In the last few weeks, Miles has been trying to perfect the art of walking. In the last few days, walking has replaced crawling as his preferred method of transportation. It's awesome to see him toddling around here and there, and he seems really proud of himself too. Yay for upward mobility!
Note: This is a relief for me, as crawling around outside isn't the best option - either for his poor bare knees OR for my laundry pile.
And I have to share that Jeff taught Miles how to "wink." Ask him to wink, and he'll close both eyes very slowly and dramatically. You just can't help but laugh when he does this, and of course, he loves the accolades. He'll blink, errr, wink over and over until he feels the crowd has had enough.
Such a ham, he is.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Oopsie Daisy...
Crash. "My Armmmm!!! Owwww!"
This is what I heard on Monday (6/22) when I had slipped away from the living room to go to the bathroom. I ran into the living room and found Adam in a lot of pain. Usually he's quick to "get over" things like this, so when he didn't stop crying after a half hour, I knew something wasn't right.
I called my Pediatrician's office, and they asked me to bring him in, because they could fix what they called "Nursemaid's Elbow" in the office. Ooook then. Off we went. The doctor examined his left arm and noted swelling in the elbow area, but that was it. By that time, he had calmed down, and so the doctor wrote an order up for an x-ray "just in case" his discomfort didn't lessen in the next day.
No sooner had we left the office that he started complaining/crying about his elbow. Unreal! It hurt to extend it as well as put pressure on the back of his arm, right above the elbow. We quickly ate dinner and Jeff stayed home with Miles while I took him to get an x-ray.
The next day we got the results (Don't get me started on this. Note to self: next time, head straight to the Pediatric ER!), and the x-ray showed a "severe" fracture of the bone just above the elbow. Of course. Poor Adam! We headed back to the Ped's office to get it splinted properly.
That was yesterday. Today (yes, two days after it happened) we went and saw the Pediatric Orthopedist and got it casted. Adam was quick to pick the color purple, because it was "just like Ramone." He was also quick to cry and scream when they lay him down on the table to get it casted. For all the crying he did, he did listen well and didn't move or wiggle a bit. The doctor and nurses did all they could to distract him, but he wasn't having it ("do you like candy? NO!"). He was just scared.
The GOOD thing is, casts come with a waterproof option. Since it's summer, I thought it was a no-brainer, and agreed to pay extra for the waterproof cast. And everyone knows sweaty summertime boys need baths nightly, so it'll be a lot easier if he can get it wet in the bathtub.
So, for the next three weeks, this is what my boy has to sport on his (entire) arm:
Oh, and the "crash" was him falling off of the back of the living room chair. The same one we've told him a zillion times not to climb on. Let's hope this is a (hard) lesson learned.
This is what I heard on Monday (6/22) when I had slipped away from the living room to go to the bathroom. I ran into the living room and found Adam in a lot of pain. Usually he's quick to "get over" things like this, so when he didn't stop crying after a half hour, I knew something wasn't right.
I called my Pediatrician's office, and they asked me to bring him in, because they could fix what they called "Nursemaid's Elbow" in the office. Ooook then. Off we went. The doctor examined his left arm and noted swelling in the elbow area, but that was it. By that time, he had calmed down, and so the doctor wrote an order up for an x-ray "just in case" his discomfort didn't lessen in the next day.
No sooner had we left the office that he started complaining/crying about his elbow. Unreal! It hurt to extend it as well as put pressure on the back of his arm, right above the elbow. We quickly ate dinner and Jeff stayed home with Miles while I took him to get an x-ray.
The next day we got the results (Don't get me started on this. Note to self: next time, head straight to the Pediatric ER!), and the x-ray showed a "severe" fracture of the bone just above the elbow. Of course. Poor Adam! We headed back to the Ped's office to get it splinted properly.
That was yesterday. Today (yes, two days after it happened) we went and saw the Pediatric Orthopedist and got it casted. Adam was quick to pick the color purple, because it was "just like Ramone." He was also quick to cry and scream when they lay him down on the table to get it casted. For all the crying he did, he did listen well and didn't move or wiggle a bit. The doctor and nurses did all they could to distract him, but he wasn't having it ("do you like candy? NO!"). He was just scared.
The GOOD thing is, casts come with a waterproof option. Since it's summer, I thought it was a no-brainer, and agreed to pay extra for the waterproof cast. And everyone knows sweaty summertime boys need baths nightly, so it'll be a lot easier if he can get it wet in the bathtub.
So, for the next three weeks, this is what my boy has to sport on his (entire) arm:
Oh, and the "crash" was him falling off of the back of the living room chair. The same one we've told him a zillion times not to climb on. Let's hope this is a (hard) lesson learned.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Missing Adam...
This week, Adam is on vacation with his Grandma and Grandpa Gray. It was an impromptu invite - they were going on a State Farm trip that turned out to be geared towards families with younger kids, and thought it would be fun if Adam could join them. So...off he went for 3 nights and 4 days, down to French Lick, Indiana (I can hardly type that name out without laughing...ha!). They arrived down there safely, but he couldn't be bothered to talk on the phone because he was preoccupied, telling me: "We were just walking out the door...love you!" I'm glad he's having fun, and not homesick!
It is so strange to not have him here. No chitter-chatter throughout the day. No early morning cuddles in bed. No second set of straps to buckle in the car. Only one bath in the evening. You get the picture.
On the other hand, it's refreshing to be able to focus solely on Miles. Perhaps coincidentally, his clinginess has subsided since Adam has been gone. Even though he's not speaking any "words" yet, he sure has a lot to say. Lots of pointing and grunting, and surprisingly, it's pretty easy to understand. The other day I was putting away groceries and he kept bringing me the bag of Goldfish crackers. Ok, ok...I got your number. Have a cracker or two. Or ten.
Another thing I've noticed, even more so in the days that Adam has been gone, is that he has a great sense of humor. He loves to hold my attention with his goofy faces. He encourages me to chase him, which is pretty funny, considering he can only crawl "so" fast. But he howls with laughter when I finally "catch" him.
So...Adam will be back on Friday, hopefully full of stories of his time away, yet happy to be back at home. I hope he misses us a little bit...:)
It is so strange to not have him here. No chitter-chatter throughout the day. No early morning cuddles in bed. No second set of straps to buckle in the car. Only one bath in the evening. You get the picture.
On the other hand, it's refreshing to be able to focus solely on Miles. Perhaps coincidentally, his clinginess has subsided since Adam has been gone. Even though he's not speaking any "words" yet, he sure has a lot to say. Lots of pointing and grunting, and surprisingly, it's pretty easy to understand. The other day I was putting away groceries and he kept bringing me the bag of Goldfish crackers. Ok, ok...I got your number. Have a cracker or two. Or ten.
Another thing I've noticed, even more so in the days that Adam has been gone, is that he has a great sense of humor. He loves to hold my attention with his goofy faces. He encourages me to chase him, which is pretty funny, considering he can only crawl "so" fast. But he howls with laughter when I finally "catch" him.
So...Adam will be back on Friday, hopefully full of stories of his time away, yet happy to be back at home. I hope he misses us a little bit...:)
Friday, June 5, 2009
Hello, Summertime.
Woooboy. I'm really glad May is over with. My usually healthy boys passed a virus back and forth and to Jeff and I for weeks. Ear infections for both of them (not at the same time, of course). Roseola. Bronchitis. Sinus infection. Coughs/runny nose/congestion for all. Oh, and I woke up with pink eye one day. Fantastic. Thankfully, I can say we're all feeling well now!
Last week we went camping at Lake Mitchell in Cadillac, thanks to my Mom and her fantastic idea. Even though it started off wet, the boys had fun riding their bikes in the nearly empty campground. I never knew a puddle of water could entertain two toddlers for hours. And I mean hours. Unfortunately for Adam, the last day we were able to spend up there was the best weather of the entire trip...but the afternoon was spent in the ER, waiting to be diagnosed with an ear infection. Poor baby.
That trip wasn't so relaxing for us adults, of course. Camping isn't that much fun with a crawler - there isn't a whole lot he can do at this stage. So, you can imagine I was thrilled to get away for a night to go camping in South Haven with my Mommy and my Aunt. It was just the ticket - kid-free for over 24 hours. And with two people who are fun-loving and require game-playing! It was awesome and I wish I could re-charge like that every week!
And today, it's a beautiful day so we got out of the house early and headed to the FM Gardens. It was good to get out in the fresh air and have fun. Adam enjoyed the little hand puppet area more than I thought he would, which was cute. He liked the butterfly the best. Miles had fun splashing around in the "Great Lakes" area. I remembered a change of clothes for him, but forgot my camera. I never seem to have it when I want to take pictures...grrrrr.
I officially welcome summer. Here's to warm weather, sunscreen, sand, sunscreen, skinned knees, sunscreen, popsicles, sunscreen, and good times.
Did I mention sunscreen? ;)
Last week we went camping at Lake Mitchell in Cadillac, thanks to my Mom and her fantastic idea. Even though it started off wet, the boys had fun riding their bikes in the nearly empty campground. I never knew a puddle of water could entertain two toddlers for hours. And I mean hours. Unfortunately for Adam, the last day we were able to spend up there was the best weather of the entire trip...but the afternoon was spent in the ER, waiting to be diagnosed with an ear infection. Poor baby.
That trip wasn't so relaxing for us adults, of course. Camping isn't that much fun with a crawler - there isn't a whole lot he can do at this stage. So, you can imagine I was thrilled to get away for a night to go camping in South Haven with my Mommy and my Aunt. It was just the ticket - kid-free for over 24 hours. And with two people who are fun-loving and require game-playing! It was awesome and I wish I could re-charge like that every week!
And today, it's a beautiful day so we got out of the house early and headed to the FM Gardens. It was good to get out in the fresh air and have fun. Adam enjoyed the little hand puppet area more than I thought he would, which was cute. He liked the butterfly the best. Miles had fun splashing around in the "Great Lakes" area. I remembered a change of clothes for him, but forgot my camera. I never seem to have it when I want to take pictures...grrrrr.
I officially welcome summer. Here's to warm weather, sunscreen, sand, sunscreen, skinned knees, sunscreen, popsicles, sunscreen, and good times.
Did I mention sunscreen? ;)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Poor sick bubba.
I should be thankful that between my two kids, we've only made TWO sick-child visits to the pediatrician's office. Today was Miles' turn. After a really rough night last night of him only wanting to sleep sitting upright in my lap, I figured his cold (which he will have had for 2 weeks tomorrow) had progressed into something more. He was so brave at the doctor's office...all smiles until his ears were examined. And sure enough - a diagnosis of a double ear infection and a sinus infection to boot.
Miles, who is normally cuddly anyways, has been even more so in the last 24 hours. While holding his feverish body last night, it made me happy to know that I was able to soothe him. Listening to the sound of his raspy breathing, I pondered at how small he seemed, thinking: "in a few short years, you'll be too big to do this." At the same time, I marveled at how big he has gotten, with his long legs dangling over the side of the rocking chair. Holding him close in the wee hours of the morning I was not missing sleep (although it would have been nice, believe me!), but lovingly reveling in the fact that in my lap, my baby was calm. Sleeping. At peace.
God has given (most) women the gift of being able to spring into action when needed. To comfort. To put together. To reach out. What a blessing! My prayer is that I continue to mature in this role as my children grow older, to be able to provide calm to them no matter what the situation.
Miles, who is normally cuddly anyways, has been even more so in the last 24 hours. While holding his feverish body last night, it made me happy to know that I was able to soothe him. Listening to the sound of his raspy breathing, I pondered at how small he seemed, thinking: "in a few short years, you'll be too big to do this." At the same time, I marveled at how big he has gotten, with his long legs dangling over the side of the rocking chair. Holding him close in the wee hours of the morning I was not missing sleep (although it would have been nice, believe me!), but lovingly reveling in the fact that in my lap, my baby was calm. Sleeping. At peace.
God has given (most) women the gift of being able to spring into action when needed. To comfort. To put together. To reach out. What a blessing! My prayer is that I continue to mature in this role as my children grow older, to be able to provide calm to them no matter what the situation.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Catching up...
It's been a few weeks since I've blogged...sorry!
The weather was beautiful here this past Friday, so I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and bring the boys to the FM Gardens for a few hours. I thought everyone was having a great time - too good of a time, as it turns out. Despite my 10-minute and 5-minute warnings, Adam had a complete meltdown when it was time to go. Screaming. Oh, that kid can scream! Luckily, as I was pushing the stroller with one hand, and dragging Adam with the other, my eyes met with those of sympathetic mothers as we were exiting the premises. Their kind glances in my direction reminded me that this is (semi) normal - and I'm not parenting some type of monster. "I am SO MAD AT YOU!!!!" could be heard loud and clear by all, and it was at that point that I was asking myself "why do I bother?" Perhaps we should have just stayed home. The boys would have stayed cleaner (they were greasy from sunscreen and sandy from the sandbox) and drier (Adam was soaked from playing with the water/boats).
But we as mothers *do* bother, don't we? God bless Mothers. No doubt we'll be back again soon, hoping that "the talk" we had afterwords sank in, and that the exit will be quieter next time. Or else. ;)
Adam has also been bombarding me with "Watch this, Mommy!" commands throughout the day. Unfortunately for me, just saying "ok, I'm watching" is not enough. I tried. I have to be watching him motoring his monster truck for a "sweet jump" over and over and over. Silly kid.
Miles! His fifth tooth just popped through and he's working on mastering the art of standing on his own. I am hoping that walking is in his future sooner rather than later, because I really can't see a summer of his little knees crawling on the ground outside. Yeouch! He loves his big brother, and the two of them are constantly cracking eachother up.
We got a kick out of him last night at dinner. I had given him pears on his tray - something he usually loves to eat. When he started chucking them on the ground, I simply removed his tray. Of course, then he started whining, I assumed he wanted more pears. Now, I've been down this road before and know not to give him his tray back (the whole "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" thing). So, I put a piece of pear in his mouth. You know what that little stinker did? He took that pear out of his mouth and thew it across the room, giggling the whole time. Ha! He's a smart one, that Miles.
Well, that seems to sum up the week over here. It's Sunday. Jeff is at work, the boys are napping, and I've finished 4 loads of laundry. Time to head for the couch and try to finish the book I've started...
The weather was beautiful here this past Friday, so I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and bring the boys to the FM Gardens for a few hours. I thought everyone was having a great time - too good of a time, as it turns out. Despite my 10-minute and 5-minute warnings, Adam had a complete meltdown when it was time to go. Screaming. Oh, that kid can scream! Luckily, as I was pushing the stroller with one hand, and dragging Adam with the other, my eyes met with those of sympathetic mothers as we were exiting the premises. Their kind glances in my direction reminded me that this is (semi) normal - and I'm not parenting some type of monster. "I am SO MAD AT YOU!!!!" could be heard loud and clear by all, and it was at that point that I was asking myself "why do I bother?" Perhaps we should have just stayed home. The boys would have stayed cleaner (they were greasy from sunscreen and sandy from the sandbox) and drier (Adam was soaked from playing with the water/boats).
But we as mothers *do* bother, don't we? God bless Mothers. No doubt we'll be back again soon, hoping that "the talk" we had afterwords sank in, and that the exit will be quieter next time. Or else. ;)
Adam has also been bombarding me with "Watch this, Mommy!" commands throughout the day. Unfortunately for me, just saying "ok, I'm watching" is not enough. I tried. I have to be watching him motoring his monster truck for a "sweet jump" over and over and over. Silly kid.
Miles! His fifth tooth just popped through and he's working on mastering the art of standing on his own. I am hoping that walking is in his future sooner rather than later, because I really can't see a summer of his little knees crawling on the ground outside. Yeouch! He loves his big brother, and the two of them are constantly cracking eachother up.
We got a kick out of him last night at dinner. I had given him pears on his tray - something he usually loves to eat. When he started chucking them on the ground, I simply removed his tray. Of course, then he started whining, I assumed he wanted more pears. Now, I've been down this road before and know not to give him his tray back (the whole "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" thing). So, I put a piece of pear in his mouth. You know what that little stinker did? He took that pear out of his mouth and thew it across the room, giggling the whole time. Ha! He's a smart one, that Miles.
Well, that seems to sum up the week over here. It's Sunday. Jeff is at work, the boys are napping, and I've finished 4 loads of laundry. Time to head for the couch and try to finish the book I've started...
The Real Deal
My friend Michelle was kind enough to tag me in this virtual dare. Here are the rules:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
No primping or preparing. Just snap a picture.
Load the picture onto your blog.
Tag some people to play.
Now, I could have waited for another day, one where I had makeup on, or was wearing something semi-cute. But no, I opted to play by the rules and snap a picture (Ok, I tried to have Adam snap the picture, but he wasn't holding the button down long enough). Today is a cloudy Sunday. Jeff is working and I'm home in my comfy pants and making my way through the mounds of laundry, being careful not to trip over toys while carrying the laundry basket up and down stairs.
Tomorrow, I shall do my makeup.
Ok...so, if I did it, you can do it too. Cheryl and Karen...you're tagged!
Take a picture of yourself right now.
No primping or preparing. Just snap a picture.
Load the picture onto your blog.
Tag some people to play.
Now, I could have waited for another day, one where I had makeup on, or was wearing something semi-cute. But no, I opted to play by the rules and snap a picture (Ok, I tried to have Adam snap the picture, but he wasn't holding the button down long enough). Today is a cloudy Sunday. Jeff is working and I'm home in my comfy pants and making my way through the mounds of laundry, being careful not to trip over toys while carrying the laundry basket up and down stairs.
Tomorrow, I shall do my makeup.
Ok...so, if I did it, you can do it too. Cheryl and Karen...you're tagged!
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