Happy Halloween!

Josie was napping when Eddie and Den left for a potluck Halloween party, so I didn't get a pre-shot of both kids that was good.

Here they are saying 'argh' after a night of trick and treating. She did have a little tiara, he had an eye patch, but they both came back with candy!

We had Cookie over today so we could get some things done around the house. We weren't the only people getting things done. Cookie carved 3 pumpkins, made butternut squash soup and Halloween Cookies! Oh and entertained the kids in 4 hours time.

Too tired to fret that the captions don't line up with the photos. Josie is watching Ed pulling the pumpkin seeds out. I wish I could have taken more photos with this lighting.

When I asked Ed how he got his hands clean, Ed said he wiped them on his pants. Great.

Here is Ed just before Den and Ed head out.

And the house with our cat to the right, and then more traditional pumpkins to the left.

Tonight as Ed laid down in his brand new light blue organic flannel twin sheets, he squiggled around the bed, taking in the warmth of the flannel, proclaiming he didn't need any blankets (it it almost 70 degrees outside). He also added that he wanted to be a ghost next year. Now that will be an easy costume!

The Flu...or Not the Flu?

I think I'll dub the month of October (of every year) our "sick" month. We seem to have really rough Octobers (Eddie and I had chickenpox oct. 2005 and if you check pretty much October of every year involves some extended illness) and the pediatrican said that September is the worst month of the year for asthmatics, so I guess we just have a delayed reaction.



Just as we all started to feel well towards the end of this October, the kids came down with something and I seem to be battling something with flu-like symptoms. The doctor thought it was the flu, but as the test is only 40% accurate, he didn't bother. He just gave me the vacinne for H1N1 in case it wasn't the flu, put me on tamiflu in case it is the flu because I'm still on prednisone and gave me yet more prednisone.



Tonight at dinner I overheard Eddie ask Cookie who was going to put he and Josie to bed tonight. I half chuckled, half cringed. We don't even have that busy of lives and they are accustomed to a rotation of people (usually just us and Cookie) putting them to bed. This week I've been going to bed before the kids.



Den's work travel is going to start up again pretty soon, so I'll be back on call. Hopefully feeling more healthy. At least the kids and Den have their H1N1 shots as well. If you plan to get one, call your local health department/check their website or call your doctor to see if they have received a shipment. It's been pretty wild around here with people jockeying to get their shots, which is an interesting contrast to the people who don't want to receive a shot at all.

The Snack I Didn't Prepare...

So I have about 15 other things I need to be doing right now:
work email, cleaning up the weekend's mess in the kitchen, putting the dinner dishes away, folding the load of laundry next to me, looking at Disney pictures, etc. but I want to write about how proud I am of Eddie.
This first picture is of kids enjoying a special lollypop treat after J got her H1N1 shot (Eddie got his earlier in the week and didn't get a lollypop then). They are watching their current favorite show on-line, Jungle Junction.

We had a bit of a rough weekend and I was really dreading today. Eddie got 2 staples in his head thanks to some direct door corner to head contact courtsey of an in my hindsight overzealous arm tug from mom yanking a mis-behaving son out of the closet. That's all I can say about it as I think I will need therapy to get past this. Then Sunday I twisted my ankle badly enough that Den took the kids through their gymnastics class today (doctor said it was fine for Ed). It's only a little swollen and throbbing after a full day (my ankle that is). For as graceful as I was in ballet and my own gymnastics classes as a child, I don't understand how I've become such a klutz and make such sudden movements, something Eddie has inherited from me. I do feel like we've spent a disproportionate amount of time in the ER for having such young kids and it really bothers me. Enough said.

So after gymnastics class where I stood in the balcony area with all the other parents (Ed is in a non-parents class and Josie is in the parent/child class), palms sweating as I watched Eddie so closely he actually looked right up at me a couple times and smiled. I even called out a couple times as if I could prevent him from doing something or make him move so I could see him from all the way across the gym. But he wanted to take the class, the doctor said it was okay and the teacher was informed of his limitations--no head contact in the form of somersaults--my limit, not the doctor's.

We got home and put Josie to bed. When I went up to get her from her nap, Eddie decided he wanted a snack of cereal. I got him the cereal from the cabinet and while I was upstairs he got them each a bowl. He got her a pink one he thought she'd really like. He got both kinds of milk out, took off the lids and set them on their green table. And in case we don't think they pay attention to our practices at home, when he used up all the cereal, he put the empty bag in the trash, smooshed down the box and put it in the recycle bin and took down the brand new box of cereal. He then opened the box but was thwarted by the bag and came running upstairs to Josie and me just as we were coming down.

Might not seem like much, but my heart just about burst. This after he happily shared the remains of his preschool lunch with Josie on the way to gymnastics class. Course the later part could be more about not grooving on his lunch...but he did eat it alongside her. While they were waiting for daddy to show for gymnastics class, they were so loving to each other, Josie sitting on Eddie's lap and hugging each other, it was just so sweet. What a nice Monday to have after such a horrific weekend.

And here they are eating said cereal (of course with marshmellows, as that's the reason they want the cereal). Jelly was on a good sale today...

The Soft Playroom is Open

We're done! Almost. Couple finishing touches and then we're done! It opened last weekend--thankfully both kids were well enough by then to visit and then we have the Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting on November 1 at 2pm--I couldn't be more excited.

Loading up the ball pit...

The toddler/infant play area, complete with a mini-ball pit.














The room just prior to first use. Standing near the door.

Eddie and Josie in the ball pit. Eddie didn't hold still the whole time we were in there, so all the photos are blurry. They are all from the i-phone.

Disney

3 weeks later, here are some Disney pictures...

We did the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween. The kids thought the best thing was the candy and Den and I loved that the lines were crazy short for the rides. Also it was our favorite parade of our whole visit, just really cool. We dressed the kids in costume, but they barely ever got out of the stroller except to get on a ride. They didn't even get out of the stroller to trick or treat....

Sat. morning we had a character b-fast with all the major players. This was the first time Josie was willing to approach/be approached...it started with Daisy who was great with her and by the time of Minnie, she was okay being this close. The previous evening's character dinner, she cried if a character came within 5 feet or even looked at her.
Here's the whole group. 5 families, 6 kids and a whole bunch of adults who thought they were kids.

This photo-op occured while I was off getting my antibiotics and prednisone...they were waiting for the boat to EPCOT and I guess Eddie and Josie laid down to look at the water through the slats. Before long it was the thing to do...not sure if I'll ever get more photos posted...

I booked our return trip for next year where I hope I stay healtier (and really everyone).

Snapshot

In the month of October, Eddie has missed 9 of the last 11 days of preschool (he was in last Friday and this Friday). The doctor advised us to keep him home this week even if he was feeling better just to let his body 'reset'. He was a bit of a pain for poor Cookie as he began to feel better.

While he was at school, Josie and I went grocery shopping. We bought some raspberries. Josie loves raspberries. I mean she can eat a whole pint by herself 'loves' raspberries. So when I only let her have 4 I thought she was going to knock me out of the way to get to the remaining raspberries.

Before all our illness, Eddie did the below for back to school night (which occured the day after we returned from Disney). The teachers had hung these up in the hallway and the parents were to go along and see if you could find your kid.

I of course knew right away and I also knew what Eddie had eaten just before he did his. We ALL love those cinamon sugar carrots, but I think if you had asked Eddie on a different day, he would have said pasta. Plain pasta with 'daddy's' cheese, which means shredded, not grated parmasean.

Knock on wood, we are starting to feel better in the house. I think one more weekend of laying low and we should all be returning to normal. Now to get Eddie the flu shot...

When I was a Kid...

My parents have frequently commented on how much as changed about being a parent since they were raising young kids. Eddie has been sick since the 2nd week of school (with peaks and valleys, but in essence sick...and badly enough lately to miss 2 days of school right after we got back from vacation. His asthma adds a whole new dimension to being sick. Most people cycle through a cold in a couple days or a week and Eddis is sick for 3 weeks. Then you have whatever he has been battling since Disney...we are all down for the count to varying degrees.

When I was a kid, there were glass thermometers filled with mercury that you seemed to have to hold beneath your tongue forever. Now there are ear thermometers that do the job in a matter of seconds. At the doctors offices they now have these 2-inch long strips of plastic that more resemble a pull tab than a thermemeter and are placed under the tongue for the time it takes to get your vitals checked--if you are an adult.

Then there are the philosphical approaches to dealing with the symptoms. Nowadays they want you to be 4 years old before they treat with anything substantive. Kind of takes some re-programming after 4 years of saline, humidifer, vapor rub, hot showers and tylenol to open up a whole new world of kid drugs. And the drugs themselves have certainly changed. Tonight I gave Eddie some meds that resembled a pixie stix http://www.nostalgiccandy.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=390. His prednisone (which he took pre-Disney) was a tablet that melts in your mouth and we can give Claritin that way if we like too.

The other kind of change of meds are those thin strips that almost seem to disolve before you get them in your mouth. Listerine and others make these as breath fresheners and now lots of the kids medicenes do too. This is by far my favorite formulary--quick, not usually messy, compact, and the kids seem to like how it disolves on their tongues.

But when it comes down to it, there is nothing like hot tea with lemon and honey (and if things are really bad, you can turn it into Kentucky cough syrup, a receipe my parents learned I think from living in the Appalachian mountains). We have yet to give that to Eddie (the spiked variety), but I have lots of memories of coughing so badly that my dad would make this, I'd choke down about 2 sips and then he'd finish the rest of the shot of jack daniels, honey and lemon. It was awful tasting!

It feels like we are about as sick right now as we were when Eddie and I have chicken pox except lower fevers http://watchusgo.blogspot.com/2005/10/pox-presence.html
This was the first and least graphic of several posts on the topic. Even then they didn't want us to use cold compresses too much or bath in too cool of water to reduce the fever...

Here's hoping we all start to round the corner in the next couple days. I hesitate to report on Josie for fear of changing her path, but aside from a fever spike here and there and a stray cough, she seems to be muddling through. Please let her have Den's genes on this one. At least Eddie happily downs all his meds and in general is a good patient.

Layin' Low

We're soldily in the 'sticker' phase. J, more than Ed is really into stickers. Would that she could get them off the pages as well as he can...as I type, I am being plastered with stickers by both kids.

We are trading 100 degree fevers around here (knock on wood, I've just got the breathing issues, no huge fever). Den is never sick and if he is, it's rarely more than 1 day, and yet day 3 of him saying "I can't believe I feel this rough."

Even Den had some of the above 'juice' that Ed and I have been sucking on. I'm not even sure how many vials we've gone through, but Den and I both keep crossing our fingers that nebulizers have long life-spans.

Preschool Science test run

I read to Eddie's class earlier this month and when the teachers said that parents could do other things besides read books to the class, I suggested that Den could do a science/engineering project. Den decided that using Nitrogen gas to make ice cream would be great....

So we had a test run tonight and it certainly held the attention of Josie and Eddie, but I think Den and I were more excited. The liquid in the bowl started out as, well, liquid. As it froze you could hear the 'tink tink' as it moved around the mixer. In all, it turned out like soft serve and needs a bit more vanilla. Otherwise everyone should be good to go for next week.

The Hyped up Vacation

Just got back last night from a 6 day vacation to Disney World and Cousinfest where Eddie, Josie and 4 cousins got to hang out (3 2-year olds, 2 4 year olds and a 10 year old whom by the end hand the kids wrappd around her finger). I would say it was a great vacation, because it was and we really managed to do some fun stuff, but I developed Bronchitis and had to visit the ER in the middle of the night on Sat. and Eddie has come back with what I think is developing into pneumonia (did I mention I'm a hypochrondriac?). We're both going to the doctor this mornng, so we'll see how it all goes, but last night was a rough night (Den slept on the floor of Ed's room). I know I'm not crazy when I see Den kind of freaking out too. Lots of great photos to upload soon. Crossing fingers no one get sick who vacationed with us...

So my top 10 memories of this trip:
1. Feeling that I can't catch my breath and visiting first Magic Kingdom first aid and the next day giving in and visiting the ER from 12:30am to 5:00AM with g'pa (so Den can stay with the kids).
2. Character meals: kids are too distracted to eat and the food at the buffets was awful anyway--correlation?
3. Character meals: Josie initially crying when the characters came around, to 6 days later embrassing most of them (starting with Daisy)
4. More character meals: Tyler (aka Loverboy), same age as Josie, so into the characters that he'd give a hug and not want to let go (Eddie was equally transfixed, but would eventually let go)
5. 'I'm not tired, I don't want to nap' and five minutes later Eddie would be out cold in the hotel. Josie on the other hand, 'I'm tired' and practically tries to climb in pack n play.
6. 'can we go on some rides'? Our kids are addicted to the rides. Josie was transfixed by it's a small world. Eddie liked pretty much every ride, but was bored by Peter Pan (one of my favs). He was too short for many of the big kid rides--next year.
7. Meal plan--far more food than I expected...used up snack credits at the last minute with mickey head shpaed rice crispy bars. Don't need to buy separate groceries next time.
8. EXTREMELY impressed with Disney's attention to food allergies. At nearly every meal, the chef came out to talk with us about Josie's (and Tyler's dairy issues), advising us not only on what they could eat, but in most cases, whipping up something special just for them. Notably at the Ohana dinner, a wonderful ice cream cookie banana sundae complete with Chocolate sauce
9. Herding 15 people through a crowded theme park and no one getting lost/separated--miracle.
10. Reliving the memories of growing up with lots of cousins and everyone getting together every couple years in Florida to hang out; loved providing that for our kids/cousins.
E