B's new trick

B is starting to sit for a few seconds with no help!! YEAH for B! He has to have something to hold in his lap or else he just falls over (or forward or backward) but he can do it.

I called the Dr. this morning to get his test results and the nurse said that everything was normal except he was a little anemic. He has to have some followup bloodwork done next week to see if he needs to be put on a iron supplement. We will know more on the 10th when he goes in for his 6-month check up. I cann't believe he is already 6 months old!

House of Sickies

Tuesday morning around 1:30 B woke up crying. I thought it was rather unusual since he usually sleeps through the night. I went and got him and started feeding him. He wasn't interested. In my sleepy state I kept trying to get him to eat thinking it was really weird for him not to want food. So around 2 I checked his temperature and sure enough it was 102 degrees!! NO GOOD! We gave him some Tylenol and he went back to sleep. Around the time I got him to sleep G woke up crying. When I went to check on her she said, "I'm sick. I need medicine." I wasn't convinced since she tells us she is sick sometimes when she just doesn't want to eat something specific or something like that. I took her temperature just to be sure - 102 degrees! She got her medicine. She then wanted to see dad. SO she ended up in bed with me and T slept in her bed to try and salvage the rest of the night for him since he had to be up at 5:30. It was pretty much off and on for the rest of the night. By the time T left for work they were both in bed with me.

Their temperatures stayed pretty consistent throughout the morning and since B is only 5 months I called the Dr. We got appointments for both kids for the afternoon and T was able to go with us. The Dr. said that G's breathing rate was a little fast and she was breathing a little weird so he did a nebulizer treatment to open up her lungs and a chest x-ray to see if he could find any evidence of asthma or pneumonia. There was none and we were given instructions to call if anything changed. He said that B just had a cold and there wasn't anything we could do for him because he is so little and just to keep giving him the Tylenol. While we were waiting on G's results B's Tylenol wore off and he was seeming really warm so we had the nurse take his temperature again. It was 103.3 this time. We gave him Tylenol immediately and were instructed to take him home and give him a room-temperature bath. That was my Tuesday.

The bath seemed to help and we were able to keep his temperature below 102 with baths, cool rags and Tylenol through Wednesday and Thursday. G's cold was helped with some over-the-counter cold medicine she is finally old enough to take. B was up the next 2 night with his fever and just being extra fussy.

Friday morning his fever was down to 100 so I didn't give him any Tylenol hoping to give his immune system a chance to fight off whatever it was. He did, however, develop a new symptom - His arms and legs were red, warm, a little puffy and he would cry every time I touched them. I called the Dr. again. They worked him in for that morning. The Dr. said it was probably just a virus causing a rash and the reason he was so fussy was because he was achy from the virus. He did some blood tests and a urine test just to make sure nothing else was going on. We were there for 4 hours waiting on the urine collection. NO FUN!! The nurse was extra nice, however, and got G some mac and cheese for lunch. T was able to meet us at the Dr.'s about the time it was all over but I was happy to have some help with the kids and some moral support. The Dr. called Fri. afternoon saying the urine test came back normal and that the blood work was still being processed and he would call us Monday.

Saturday we got our smiley, happy baby back for the most part. He still seems a little more needy than usual and has a little cough now. His red arms and legs are still present but they don't seem to be as achy or as warm. He still isn't sleeping all that well so as a result Mommy and Daddy are exhausted! We all stayed home from church today to try and recover and get a little extra rest.

So that has been my week - taking care of sick kids and waiting in the Dr.'s office and trying to get enough sleep so that I don't get sick as well. As a result, my house has suffered tremendously - the dishes and laundry are taking over!! Hopefully I will be able to catch up a little this week :)

Now for the comic relief - one of the nights (I don't remember which one.) we went to check on G and this is what we found.

We are not sure if she fell asleep geting out or getting in. Her right knee that is under the sheet is up by her elbow. It cracks me up that her toes are holding her weight so that she doesn't just fall out. We can usually count on G to make us smile right before bed!

Our Fun Week*

Much to our surprise and delight our power came back on Sunday afternoon. We waited until Monday to come back just in case it decided not to stay!! YEAH for electricity!!

We had so much fun at Nana and Papa's over the last week and a half while we waited for our electricity to com back on.
*WARNING: This is a really LONG post so you might want to get a snack while you read :)


PARK

Gilmer has a new park at the fair grounds. We went 3 times while we were there. Twice during the day and we took pizza one evening for a little picnic. It was so much fun!! I think G had the most fun on the slides. As soon as she would get to the bottom she would say "Do it again?" and off she went. It was great that we didn't have to carry her up every time. It was kinda chilly the first morning we went but it warmed up pretty quickly. G would not let me take her jacket off and she insisted on wearing the hood. Sometimes she is a little silly!

This picture just makes me smile. You can tell how much fun she was having!

She didn't even hesitate going down the big slides. I was pretty impressed with how brave she was. It usually takes some talking into before she will try big slides.

B even went down a tiny slide. I don't think he was all that impressed :)

This is the only swing G would sit in for more than 2 seconds. She has always had a problem with swings for some reason. Hopefully she will out grow it soon!


Again with the bravery! She was so funny though. She woundn't step on the horizontal ropes only the one in the middle :)

G thought she was hot stuff being able to rock climb. G kept calling this see-saw a "sea horsey". She know what a sea horse is but I am not sure what the connection is.

G loves her Uncle M.

B slept for most of the last trip to the park.

B does love being outside!!

FISHING

Papa took us fishing. G lost intrest pretty quickly and there were lots of mosquitos so we didn't stay very long but it was still fun. When we first got there G kept talking about Nemo. I think she thought she might see him. She also didn't quite get that you had to hold the pole still. She
was talking about it for days afterwards.

B again just enjoyed being outside. He is such happy baby and getting so big!

TRACTOR RIDES

There are always tractor rides when we go to Nana and Papa's. G even got to go on one where she saw a donkey. You really should hear her make a donkey sound - it is really funny! B got enjoy his first tractor ride this time!

HORSE RIDING

We went to Papa D's and got to ride horses. Well, the kids did anyway :) G has ridden a horse before but this was another first for B. Doesn't he look like a pro grabbing the saddle horn?

PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS

Papa bought this purple hat for cousin B. I am not quite sure if you should call it a hat or not but that it what we had the most fun using it as. The kids especially cousin B thought it was so funny to put it on and to see others with it on. It even had a grape sent. Boy was that thing sweaty when we were all done :)

Unlce C was a good sport letting me take his picture for the blog - or maybe he didn't know it was going on here ;)

G and B

Thanks for palying wtih us Papa!! G still loves to read to B and to give him lots of kisses and hugs. She loves to 'help' with diaper changes and to play with him.

MEXICO

So this really was our last visit before Unlce M goes to Mexico. It was good to get to spend time with him. Thanks for playing and helping so much this past week Unlce M.! We love you and will miss you.

G was sitting with Unlce M once night drinking her milk. He was talking to her about Mexico and that he would be gone for a long time. He said, "G, where is Mexico?" She took her cup out and without hesitation said "Outside." and then put her cup right back in. She does have a point. Mexico is outside. It was really funny!! Afterwards she kept saying how she needed to go to Mexico wtih Unlce M. (I think she probably just wantedt o go outside!)

LITTE B

Just some fun pictures of our B.

Sleeping with Daddy. We think he is teething and he can be really fussy at night especially. Once he finally goes to sleep he sleeps for a long time. I am not so excited about my nursing 5-month-old to be getting teeth but what can I do?

B got to try 2 new foods while we were there. Bananas (above) and sweet potatoes. He loves them both even though he always makes faces for the first 2 or 3 bites. He really just loves food. He is getting so much better at eating also. He has since tried pears. I think carrots will be next!!

What a handsome fella!! G added the glasses :)

Tiny Update

T went back to Houston yesterday. He has to be back at work on Mon. with the students returning on Tues. The rest of us stayed in Gilmer as our power most likely won't be back until at least Thurs.

We have been having LOTS of fun this past week and I have LOTS of pictures but I am waiting to post them until we get back home so stay tuned :)

Safe & Sound

T, Papa and Uncle M drove down to Houston this morning to check on our house and get a few things since we won't be going back for a while due to power outages and other damage. Our house weathered the storm great!! There were no broken windows, the roof was intact, no leaks, no fallen trees, and the fence was even intact. We are very greatful we suffered no damage from the storm. We know there are many who lost a lot if not everything when Ike roared ashore and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

We will be at my parent's house at least until Wed. As of now T's school district is closed until then. It could be longer. We will know more around the middle of the week. Our plan is for me to stay here until the electricity is back even if T has to go back before then.

GO COUGS!!!

BYU 59 - UCLA 0

IKE

As most of you probably know, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston Bay Sat. morning around 2 am. We are safe and sound up at my parents and have been here since Thursday night. The drive up was great - just a couple delays at shelter exits and because of an accident and a couple potty breaks of course. We were actually planning to go to my parent's this weekend to hear Uncle M give his farwell talk in sacrament meeting but the threat of Ike solidified our plans! My parent's church is being used as an evacuee shelter so their church was cancelled this weekend so we don't get to hear Unlce M's talk afterall.

We have mixed feelings about leaving. For one we are definitely happy to be with family and only get a small part of Ike. (We did loose power for a few hours but were saved by dad's welding machine used as a generator.) We are happy not to have to worry about when the electricity will be back on. (We talked to some friends who stayed and are fairly confident the electricity is off.) We are also happy not to have to worry about the water being safe to drink and such. BUT we are very antsy about our house. We don't know if there are any broken windows or flooding or if the roof is intact. We are unsure of the fence in the backyard and the trees in our neighbor's yards. From what we are hearing we are mostly worried about the roof leaking but the uncertainty of it all has us a little worried....

We are also unsure of when T will be going back to work. He is supposed to get a call sometime tomorrow if school is cancelled for Monday but again with the waiting. Depending on the electricity situation I may be staying at my parent's house for a few days if he has to go back tomorrow. We should know more tomorrow and I will keep you posted.

I Couldn't Resist

I know I post a lot of picture of my kids sleeping. It probably happens for 2 main reasons:

1. I have a chance to find the camera and they hold still for the picture.

2. They always seem to be in funny positions - definitely not how we left them when we put them to bed!

So here are a couple pictures taken from B's nap this morning. I love how hee he holding on to the bar with his finger. (you can see it the best in the 2nd pic.) Oh, and I know it looks like his nose and mouth are smashed up against the bar but there is a little space and I promise he can breathe!

happy birthday

I won't say who this card is for because it hasn't been given

but you probably know who you are :0) I guess you get a sneek peek!! I used Load of Love and Birthday Wimsy, Sahara Sand, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss and Bayou Blue.

thanks, i needed that

I needed a couple thank you cards this weekend and this is what I came up with. I am always impressed with how quick cards can really come together when using Fun and Fast Notes. The colors I used are Almost Amethyst, Very Vanilla, Basic Gray and Regal Rose. I am getting pretty good and tying bows (if I do say so myself!).

Does 'Almost' Count??

B was trying so hard last night to crawl. It was pretty funny. He would 'almost'get up on his knees and then just lay back down for a few seconds like he ws getting up the strength and then his head would pop up and he would try again. He was pretty determined but never quite made it. He did, however, learn a new trick this weekend. He rolled from front to back for the first time on Sat. I guess he is feeling a little pressure from the new baby competition - CONGRATS to Uncle C and Aunt K on the arrival of their little boy!! We are so happy for you and can't wait to find out what the name will be!!

G and Uncle M

Uncle M came for a visit this weekend, probably his last visit before he goes to Mexico. G had so much fun with him. She followed him around everywhere and would only let him help her in the bathroom - I am not sure he enjoyed that part very much :) We will miss Uncle M while he is gone but are so excited for his decision to serve a mission.

More on G and her Baby

I know I have said before how much G loves and takes care of her baby but this pictures really shows it. I guess it was more important that her baby get the pillow that night. The picture was taken Sat. night. Sat. morning she came into our room and said "Dad, I love my baby". When you ask her what her baby's name is she will only reply "Baby". The other day I was saying a prayer for lunch and during the prayer she reminded me to bless her baby. We love our G!!!

Family Pictures

We decided to have some family pictures taken before Uncle M leaves for Mexico. They are pretty self explanatory. We are a little undecided about which of just our family we like better. T thinks he looks kinda funny in the one where he is laying down, but G has a cute smile and is looking at the camera. In the other one of us G has a funny smile and B isn't looking. I think I am happy we are getting picture again in Dec. :)