M&M's-melt in your mouth, on your face, AND on your hands...

I have been trying to load all of my pictures in an attempt to clear my camera before our Florida trip next month. I realized I have several videos dating back to last summer that I forgot about. For whatever reason, it takes my computer forever and a day to load them. This one took 2 hours! I am amazed at how much younger Holden looks here. You can tell it was the good old summer time because his hair is so blond! =o) Here is his first taste of M&M's. As you can see, he is a fan!

Getting back in the swing of things

After being sick for three days last week and not getting any better, Holden was diagnosed with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) on Saturday. This was after three trips to the doctor, much discomfort on his part, and a lot of worry on ours! I had only heard of infants getting this, but apparently you can get it up to age 2 or 3, it's just more uncommon. The virus attacks the lungs and causes them to fill with mucus, similar to pneumonia. He had very labored breathing and a horrible cough. Very scary! He also had a double ear infection. He'd started on amoxicillan for one ear, and then it moved into the other. Apparently the RSV bacteria is resistant to amoxicillan. They put him on a heavier antibiotic and it seems to be working. We have had to do nebulizer breathing treatments every three hours around the clock since Friday night. It's like having a newborn again! Adults can't catch it, but they can catch a nasty cold and a fever, which Jay promptly got. So I have been "Nurse Katie" around here. I'm not sure who was harder to deal with....I love you Jay! I took Monday off to take care of both of them. Fortunately, Jay was on the mend by Tues. although still not feeling 100 percent. Holden's pediatrician told us he should not go back to the sitter's until next week even if he started to feel better; RSV is just so contagious to little ones. So Jay and I have taken turns taking days off, and his mom is watching him tomorrow since Jay has to work and I have a field trip. Needless to say, we are all ready for spring, warm weather, being able to air the house out, and HEALTH!!!!!!!!


Some pictures of my poor little guy doing just about all he did for the first 3 days...sleeping. Which was a relief because when he wasn't sleeping, he was inconsolable and very clingy. That is my living room with the guest bed mattress in it. I slept there with him to monitor him and give him his nebulizer treatments. Felt like an infirmary! I couldn't change the sheets often enough. Thanks, Memaw, for the extras you brought by!!! You'll see his dinosaur mask in the lower picture. He is not a fan and that was one of the few times he slept through it.

As you can see, I am happy to report that my little guy is FINALLY on the mend and starting to act like the little devil we all know and love! I had today off with him and I even bundled him up and took him out for some fresh air since there weren't any other kids around. It is in the 50's today which is like heat wave for us. He was THRILLED to be outdoors! It has been hard keeping him contained to the house now that he is feeling better. We also ran a few errands early this morning while there weren't many people out. We just needed to get out of the house!

Holden's new entertaiment that he and Daddy discovered yesterday; turning the guest bed mattress into a slide! He scrambles right up to the top and bounces down yelling, "Whee!" Whatever keeps him entertained!

All tuckered out

Holden has been sick the past few days with an ear infection and upper respiratory infection. He likes nothing better than snuggling with Daddy on the couch when he doesn't feel well. They are pretty sweet together!

This was Wednesday morning before I left for school... (I love the contrast of the tiny little hand next to Daddy's big one!)

...And this is Wednesday evening before I headed to bed. They both sleep the same way, too, with reckless abandon! Arms flailing, legs kicking, obnoxious sleepers. You can tell in this picture that Holden had just flung his arm over. I have no clue how he was sleeping next to Jay, who was sawing logs so loud it sounded like a sonic boom!

Mean Mommy

I had to add this one in addition to my last post! Look at that face!! This was when I told him he had to put his newfound "toys" back in the box. =o)

Tub Time and Holden's new "toys"

One of Holden's Valentine's Day gifts was a packet of those little capsules that you drop in the bathtub and watch open up into little sponge shapes. My brother and I used to love them as kids. Holden was really funny with them at first, because he kept trying to color with them. He has tub crayons, paint, and markers, so why would these be any different? When he finally saw one pop open into a little truck (they were all vehicles of some type) his little mouth made a big "O" and he said, "Again! Again Please!" =o) I love the first picture of him staring at his little cup that he placed some in, just waiting for them to open. It's the simple things...oh, to be a kid again!

While I was doing my makeup this weekend, Holden had ran off to play and I noticed the sound that puts fear in every mom's heart-absolute silence!! All moms know this surely means their child is up to no good. I hunted him down in our other bathroom, and well, I think you get the idea from looking at the pictures. When I walked in he grinned at me and said, "Toys!" Is it really sad that I went ahead and let him transfer an entire box of tampons from the box, to the drawer, and to a wastebasket, just so I could finish getting ready in peace? Jay will no doubt be THRILLED with these pictures! HA!

Valentine's Day conclusion and Kara's baby shower!

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day thanks to my hubby! He really pulled out all the stops to give me a weekend that I would love! We headed for our destination and I figured out we were going to Peoria after about 20 minutes. He booked a hotel room at the casino, which we have stayed at before and I always enjoy. However, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical since everyone knows he loves to gamble...I figured he picked this place so he could have fun playing blackjack! I was pleasantly surprised, however. We had 6:30 dinner reservations, so we did play the slots before dinner. They have a new Wheel of Fortune game that I actually really liked! I am the opposite of Jay when it comes to gambling; I am so frugal with my money it is ridiculous! I just keep thinking the whole time about what I could be purchasing with the money instead. If I win anything at all I immediately cash out and call it a day. Jay had set aside a certain amount of money to play with, so I just loosened up and had fun. We went to dinner at a really nice steak house they have there. It is a 4 star establishment and the food is awesome. We had yummy bacon wrapped shrimp, bruschetta, and a big basket of different types of bread. I had to pace myself to make it to the meal! I had salmon and a big baked potato, and Jay had steak. I had chocolate topped cheesecake for dessert. I think we rolled out of there afterwards. =o) I figured we'd be heading back to the boat, but I was pleasantly surprised. Jay said, no, it was my night, and we were done there. We went back to the hotel and he let me pick any movie I wanted to order. We watched "Nights in Rodanthe" and I heard not a complaint from him, nor did he make fun of me when I bawled my eyes out at the end. I had read the book and really wanted to see the movie. I would recommend it! In the morning he took me to a big breakfast buffet with omelette's, pancakes, pastries, bacon and other meats, and fresh fruit. I LOVE breakfast and rarely get anything but Cheerios these days, so it was a real treat! Before heading home, he took me shopping. He let me get whatever I wanted with a promise not to complain. He held my clothes and even went to get me different sizes several times! If you know Jay, this is NOT his cup of tea, so I was in total shock. He definitely earned a lot of brownie points for a wonderful V-Day!!!!


I realized on the way home that I hadn't taken a single picture. So here is us in the car. You can tell Jay is driving and is really "thrilled" that I insist on doing this! Ha!

We had a great time on our "date night," but we sure missed our little buddy. Who can stay away long when you have this to return to?? I love his rosy cheeks and his little dimpled "Kirk Douglas" chin. He looks so sweet and innocent when he's sleeping. (If only they knew!!!) ;o)

My best friend, Kara's shower was today! She is having a little girl in April. Jay actually dropped me off on the way home so I could help set up. Although Heather and Bridget had taken care of most of it by the time I got there. I did make a last minute run to get more bowls; does that count?! Caution: lots of PINK ahead! (Ahhh, living vicariously through my ribboned, bowed, laced, pink and purple clad friends' babies!)

The lady who made the cupcakes actually copied the butterflies off of the plates we bought.
Aren't they cute?! The "drowning babies" as Bridget dubbed them were supposed to be immersed in water, but they floated to the top so they looked pretty humorous. We handed a cup to each person and the one to have their "water break" first was the winner! You should have seen some of the methods these ladies resorted to in order to get their baby out. Our friend Stacy actually put hers in her mouth to get all the ice off it!

Some fun shots of Kara enjoying her day. I love how happy she looks in these pictures. Pregnancy definitely agrees with her! The guests' faces in these pictures are so funny, too...can you just hear them "oohing and ahhing" over all the cute girly stuff?! We can't wait to meet "baby Thompson!" (Kara is keeping the name a secret...which is killing me!!!!)

Kara-I will Walgreens these soon for you. =o)

It's All About the Hunt

When I was a little girl, my mom used to leave a trail of hearts for my brother and me to follow when we woke up on Valentine's Day. We each had our own trail, starting at our door and leading us to special treats at the end. As we got older, the trails became more elaborate as we enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. I vividly recall the year she taped hearts going all the way up the refrigerator for my brother to follow, and how we delighted in this. I started the heart tradition with Holden last year, when he was just 11 months old. He actually crawled after them, and I have great pictures of him chewing and ripping them to bits. This year, I was excited to see what he'd do.

Outside of his door....

Down the stairs...

Well, being my anal retentive almost-2-year-old, he took one look at the heart and announced, "UCK! UCK!" I guess he decided they must be garbage since they were foreign objects littering our hallway. He did follow them, picking each one up along the way and handing them to me. When we got downstairs, before he'd look at his presents, I had to throw the weird objects away. Cracks me up!!!! He was thrilled with his Matchbox cars, book, capsules for the bathtub, and Mickey Mouse sippy cups. He even made me open the package to the cups and tried to drink them! He is so funny. Here are some pictures of his "hunt."

Happy little guy! Yes, he slept in the V-Day outfit from yesterday. And no, apparently if it's his OWN litter that he has created all over the floor, he DOESN'T consider it "Uck uck!"

Jay and I are headed out in a few hours for whereabouts unknown to me! His mom is watching Holden overnight, and all I know is that we're going someplace an hour away. How exciting! It is so unlike Jay to keep a secret and so far I don't have a clue other than we will obviously have to eat and spend the night somewhere. I'll let you know when I find out! =o)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy hearts day, everyone! Our festivities started a day early with Holden coming to my classroom party. Thanks for bringing him, Memaw! My sitter's daughter has been sick this week, so Holden has been spending some time with my parents, or "Gee" (his version of Grammy), and "Papa" as he knows them. On Thursday my mom brought over the giant monkey balloon you'll see pictured below. He loves it and is a total ham with it-very silly! I thought I'd get some picture of us in our matching red outfits.


Hamming it up in my classroom. As you can see, he found the sugar very quickly. My students were happy to help him out on that front! He thinks he's hot stuff around all the "big kids."

I set the timer tonight and got some "Mommy and Me" pictures. He was in a silly, happy, giggly mood and was cracking me up! He kept watching the timer light and saying, "Beep beep!" then laughing hysterically. He's my little monkey, which is why my parents had to get him the balloon.

A sippy cup full of Fruit Punch (thanks to one of the room moms who noticed his cup was empty!), cheeks full of candy, and more in the goody bag. What a life!

As his shirt says, "Mommy's little love monster!" He is such a stinker and I love him so much. His outfit is notably wet here because he was retrieving toilet paper that he threw into the toilet. EWWW! He ran away from me and this is him giggling to himself as I come to get him.

"A Baby Changes Everything"

I know that Christmas has come and gone, but I recently heard Faith Hill's new song, "A Baby Changes Everything," off of her "Joy to the World" CD and had to share it. She is one of my all-time favorite singers. This song is a great reminder to me of the true meaning of not only Christmas, but of God's greatest gift-love. Which we can appreciate all year round. =o) Remember to pause on my music list so that you can hear the song uninterrupted.

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February Follies!

What has my little boy smiling SO big??
It has been warm enough to play OUTSIDE this week!

My little Cardinals fan was absolutely gleeful at the prospect of being out in the yard with Brady, let alone getting by with no winter hat or coat! It was in the 60's on Saturday and again today, and tomorrow is supposed to be nice again, too. As for later in the week....well, we refuse to think about that right now. (February spring in Illinois will not last.)

Some action shots of the boys. They had a blast with Brady's soccer ball, playing in the rocks, and getting muddy. Is it just me, or are they really looking like little boys these days? Sniff sniff! When did that happen?? Lil' Miss Kylie enjoyed her first stroller time outdoors. Holden is in love with her. He gave her about 10 kisses when we were outside, without any prompting. So sweet!

Paper Towel Bandit

In case you're wondering how long it took Holden to do this...less than a minute while I was putting laundry in the next room. Man, is he quick! Time for some damage control! That's the guinea pig's water bottle that he has in his hand in that first picture.

"Look what I did, Mommy!"

Please sign this petition

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, which you can find at: http://jessicaturnersblog.blogspot.com/. (Her link button is on the right side of my blog.) A woman wrote her a letter about her 16 month old daughter, Gwendolyn, who is living with a terminal disease known as SMA. There is a beautiful video clip on her blog that really touched me. I have never heard of SMA, but I can only imagine what it would be like to know your beautiful child was going to have a life cut tragically short. There is hope though.
There is an important petition to help find a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which is the number one genetic killer of infants. It is currently just a few years away from a cure, and has been labeled "the disease closest to treatment" by the National Institutes of Health. There is landmark legislation, the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act, currently sitting in Congress that, if passed, would provide researchers the resources needed to make that last crucial step. In addition, SMA research has already benefited the research of other diseases, such as ALS/Lou Gehrig's, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Tay Sachs, and many others. In fact, it is because so much is known about SMA that the national organizations consider it a "model" disease from which so much can be learned and put toward saving countless lives. (The bill has nothing to do with stem cell research.) Please take the time to go to the website below and sign the petition. This could be your baby.

http://www.petitiontocuresma.com/

Rascal

I call Holden my little Rascal. Can you see why?

Lately he is obsessed with climbing up in the picture window from the couch (a no-no, which of course makes it all the more intriguing!) and messing with the window blinds. (also a no-no!) Look at the sheer glee on his face!

He is just waiting for me to come capture him! Aren't his pj's the cutest though? I love Carters.

Poor Tiggy. 1 of our two tortured cats.

I love this shot. He is just sitting there thinking of something mischievous to do next. Look at that expression! God made him cute for a reason. (Can you tell bedtime is when he is at his orneriest?!)

Belated bday posts to my dad and my best friend, Bridget, coming soon. I am so behind! February is a busy month for me. We have 100's Day and our Valentine's Day party at school, my own V-Day plans, (Jay has a surprise overnight in the works! I don't know where we are going and his mom is watching Holden. Plus I want to do some special things with Holden that are traditions from when I was a child.) Bridget and I are planning our best friend, Kara's, baby shower and also attending her mom's shower for her, I have started planning Holden's 2nd b-day party (I am in denial that he is almost 2!!!), and we are planning our spring break trip for the end of March. Whew! I have to say I am really enjoying all of my favorite shows being on right now, too. Lost and American Idol are new, The Bachelor is one of my guiltiest pleasures, and Jon and Kate Plus 8 just moved into a new house. What great priorities I have for my evenings. ;o) Hey, those of us living in the Arctic chill that is Illinois right now have to do something to keep us from going stir crazy. Spring will eventually come, right? Right???