fever, rash, and snot galore

Dylan came home from daycare yesterday with a fever (102.3) and a nasty rash across his tummy. He was so sad and obviously feeling crummy. We got him fed, bathed, and then snuggled in for the night. Only problem is that he's not sleeping as well as usual. And because of the fever factor, he couldn't go to daycare today. That means that Ryan had to stay home for the day (trying to get work done during naptime and other random stolen minutes) while I was at work. Then he went to work after I got home for a few hours. It was a long day for all of us.
I just hope Dylan can get some sleep tonight (little cough in background).

Ryan and I are desperately trying to ward off the spread of this virus he's picked up who-knows-where (another little cough heard from down the hallway).
We are washing our hands like crazy and I'm on a near-constant mission to wash all laundry before the germies crawl down the hall and attack us.

Memory Lane

We went for a stroll down memory lane today at UCSD, our old undergraduate college campus.
We felt nearly overwhelmed with memories as we walked around the campus. The eucalyptus tress, the hilly pathways we used to trod between classes, the Price Center.
The site of many long nights of studying: Geisel Library.
The building where we first became friends, as two Cognitive Science majors.
Where we had our first "study-date" about 8 years ago. CogSci 115. Ahhh, the memories.

Weekend Getaway

We are enjoying our baby-free weekend getaway down in lovely San Diego. Dylan is at Grandma & Grandpa's house having a blast and we are soaking up the time alone together. We arrived at our lovely hotel this afternoon, walked around exploring the grounds for a bit, then headed over to the spa where we had our couple's massage. Wow. It was great. My muscles feel like J-E-L-L-O. Fabulous.
Then we went out for dinner and enjoyed people-watching the obvious young college freshman doing things that we used to do... about 10 years ago. It was fun. We sat and reminisced about our first date at the nearby Starbucks, memories of late night Jamba Juice runs next door, and my job as a teller at the bank across the street.
Then we drove over to UTC (University Towne Center) Mall across from where we used to live way back when we first were dating, and walked around hand in hand. Then we headed here back to our hotel.
Ok, here's the kicker: I apparently have a UTI. Yeah. I'm basically a typhoid version of my former self. I called my doctor to check and see if my symptoms could wait until next week and she admonished me for not calling earlier today and firmly told me to go to the ER if a fever or chills develop. Yeah, I guess I should have called earlier. But I was convinced that chugging cranberry juice would fix me right up. But then the pinkish urine came along tonight after dinner and so here I sit waiting for Ryan to come back to the hotel from the pharmacy (picking up my prescription so I can nip this bad-boy in the bud sooner than later).
And despite this little glitch, we are very excited to be here. Enjoying each other. Soaking up the tranquility around us. It's so lovely here.
And now I have to pee again.

Update: Ryan just got back from the store with my medicine. And he also brought me back some M&Ms. I'm in love.

Snapshot

Found this glorious challenge at Mary's blog today. And I've decided to rise to the challenge.

Reading: Blogs. Lots of them. (current favorites: Owlhaven and The Empty Sky). But I'd love to start reading a real book one of these days again. Any suggestions for something really wonderful?

Music in my head: nothing at the moment.

Drinking: water

Wishing: That I was napping. That I had less anxiety. That we had a house (see previous post).

Considering: A nap while my little one is still napping himself. That or laundry. Hmmm. Tough decision here.

Feeling: Thankful for my little boy (who is being a doll right now and napping peacefully so I can do things like this) and my wonderful, wonderful husband.
Thankful that I'm don't have the stomach flu right now. Oh, and definitely pleased that I can fit into my ever-so-small size 4 pants again. I haven't worn them for a couple years now and I nearly cried last night when I discovered that I could again. Glory behold: I've finally lost that baby-weight (only took me a year and a half! - ok, and the stomach flu... Twice.)

Goals: Enjoy this weekend's getaway with my darling husband in San Diego. Relax and just enjoy eachother. Walk on the beach. Not worry about Dylan the entire time (Just regular mommy-worry. But I'm allowed. It'll be my first nights away from him since he was born).

To Do List: laundry, pack for our trip, make dinner for family, Love Thursday shows tonight (the Office, and Gray's Anatomy - YEAH!)

Hours gloriously spent in bathtub: None yet. But the day is young.

Things Accomplished: stroller strides class this morning at 9am. Lunch with Dylan. Coloring pictures (with Dylan - no, I'm not in Kindergarten). IM Kristie and my MIL. Caught up on emails and new blog posts.
(And it is only 1:00, so no judging me - ok?)

Challenge: Pick at least 3 of the above categories and list your "Snapshot" in the Comments.

the constant juggle

My dear friend Julie and I were chatting today about the constant juggling act we do as parents in trying to balance work and home and family and things. It was interesting to talk about the perspectives we have as moms who want to have it all. And we know we can't, but still try. It's a constant juggle. Constant.
Last night I sat here online, drooling over affordable housing in different parts of the country that we (obviously) don't live in. Wishing that somehow I could have it all: stay at home with Dylan, own a home, work just as much as I WANT and no more, be able to afford both financially and timewise the little mommy-and-me classes that I know Dylan would so enjoy, etc, etc, etc.

In order to stay at home fulltime (translation: be able to AFFORD me at home fulltime), Ryan would have to be one of those dads who are nearly never around. That is not an option for our family.
In order to afford all the THINGS I want, like a home of our own (as in owning real estate in Southern California where a basic 2-3 bedroom house costs roughly $600,000 in an average area, where we'd still have to send our kids to private school), I'd have to work fulltime... That is not an option for our family.

The bottom line here with us is, that of all my desires, my time with Dylan and Ryan is the most precious of all... and I'm just not willing to give that up.

In the middle of this constant juggle, we've found a place to settle for now... but of course, there are still balls hanging in the air. And eventually we'll find a way to juggle some more. Somehow we always do.

color blindness, clean sheets, and more

Briana here. My dad is color-blind. To be precise, he is red-green color blind. Which means he sees yellows and blues, but cannot distinguish between red and greens. The translation here is that Dylan has a 50/50 chance of being color-blind as I'm the carrier of the genes to any sons that I end up having. Right now Dylan is working on learning his colors, and I've noticed that he prefers blue and yellow legos and pictures in books. Of course it is WAY to early to really distinguish if he has any deficits, but I'm keeping a close watch on it and think it is very interesting during this stage of learning. He loves pointing out colors to me when we read together and I'm excited about this milestone. Coloring with crayons is something he enjoys doing at daycare and at home. And I DO appreciate that crayons are washable! And for that reason alone I'm resisting the urge to bust out the markers just yet. They say washable on the box, but I seriously wonder how "washable" they will be when on my furniture.

Ryan has installed two more cupboard locks in the kitchen this morning. One particular drawer was making me nervous (the "misc" bottom drawer with screw-drivers and light bulbs galore) and so today was the appointed day for such projects. We also took a nice morning walk before Dylan's nap around the neighborhood, talking about the future and what we want to be doing in the next couple of years. It was nice to be out as a family and try to separate from the regular stresses for a while. It was sunny with just the slightest breeze, and warm enough to be outside without a jacket. And while Dylan naps this afternoon, I do believe there is a football game or two on for Ryan to enjoy. Oh, and I was able to smuggle Dylan's blankie away for another washing this morning... smart mommy. And I also I have fresh, clean sheets on my bed.
Oh, what a lovely day. (too bad tomorrow is Monday!)

Teeth updates

My teeth: I'm back in the saddle again with flossing. (I know you were all very concerned and worried about that two day lapse). But the good news is that I'm finally starting to feel a bit better after this last dose of stomach flu. I'm really hoping that I've put in my dues for the year and can be exempt from any further sickness. I'm planning on making that an official petition.
Dylan's teeth: He's getting a second molar. Ryan found it last night for us and was very welcoming to his arrival, commenting to our new pearly friend that "thanks to you, Dylan will be happy to finally be able to chew some meat." But technically the first one hasn't really popped in yet fully (taking it's sweet time there, I'm afraid). So the race is on.
And Ryan's teeth: nothing to report. I just didn't want to leave him out on the update.

you say TEN?

Ok. So with the second bout of the stomach flu in the past month, I can safely say that my appetite has dwindled to near nothing (nausea really does a number on my appetite). On an ordinary day I'd be glad that I'm not hungry, but after stepping on the scale this afternoon and realizing that I've lost about 10 pounds in the past two months or so, this is ridiculous. I forced myself to eat a little something for lunch after work today. Hopefully it stays down....

Anyhow on a happier note, Dylan has finally gotten some new socks. He was busting out of the old ones. His morning with daddy (while I was at work, trying to see my patients and get home as quickly as possible) consisted of a trip to Target and the store. Ryan reports that Dylan had a meltdown in the grocery store, which I can imagine was NOT pleasant, but I'm glad they got out. And I'm very excited about those new socks. (can you tell that my expectations for good news has shifted?)... and in my own defense, Ryan seemed pretty excited about the new socks too.

Dylan is in love with his blankie now. He always seemed to like a couple of them, but recently (like in the past week or so) he's attached himself to one in particular. He chews on the soft, cushy fabric and snuggles it at bedtime. I figured out that he really liked it this past week when he saw me take it out of his crib to put it in the big-bad-washing-machine. I had to work some distractable mommy skills there to keep him from a full meltdown. "Hey, there's another blankie here. How about a train or your bear? Or how about helping mommy fold some laundry over here?" And, boy oh boy, was he excited when that beloved blankie returned the next day in his crib. I guess this one is a keeper.

Lastly, Dylan got a haircut recently. It is a little shorter than planned, but precious nevertheless. Kinda reminds Daddy of Jim Carrey a bit...

flossing? um.

My new years resolution was to floss. Everyday. But with another strike of the stomach flu (or whatever it is this time, I don't know), last night lent to an evening floss-less. That was the least of my concern really. But I'm disappointed in myself on a number of levels. Flossing is just laying on the surface. I'm disappointed that I am not fully "mommyable" to Dylan when he wants to play and I feel like running instead to the bathroom, with waves of nausea lurking around the next corner of my day. Disappointed that I'm not fully there for Ryan and having to lean on him more than he deserves right now, with a full plate of his own with work and Dylan when I'm feeling sick like this. I only hope this is just the flu and I'll be feeling like myself again in a day or so. I hope, I hope.
And so I ask, has anyone gotten the stomach flu TWICE this season? Is that possible?

prayerful Thursday

In honor of family on behalf of Love Thursday, I wanted to post a picture of my favorite moment of the day. When we pray for dinner each night, Ryan reaches across the table for my hand and Dylan likes to join in. He recently started holding one hand on each of ours, making a little nest of hands for our prayer. It warms my heart when I open my eyes to see him smiling back up at me, making me count my blessings once more before eating dinner. This Thursday I want to thank my boys for that precious moment each night, holding my hands and filling my heart with love.

call for chili

I'm on the hunt for a new easy chili recipe. My old recipe is now minus the "chili starter" that I used to use from the St. Louis Schnucks market because the markets out here don't carry it. With the rotation in my moms group "Make and Take" quickly approaching my turn, I'm on a serious hunt to try out a new recipe so I'll have a good one to share with the group (when I will make enough for all 6-7 other families and send it home with them after our playgroup, hence the "Make and Take" title).
So here is my call for new and (note emphasis on this next part) easy Chili crockpot recipes. If you have one to share, please do.

Double Dylan

What it would be like if we had identical twins


But having this one wonderful boy is perfect!

rolling along

I went to the Hungtinton Gardens with my friend Ana and her 13 month old daughter, Rowan, this past Thursday. Dylan had his first experience rolling down the grassy hillside (see video below). And might I add that the weather was PERFECT. It was 73 degrees and sunny the entire time we were out (despite the wind and rain later that evening). Amazing for January weather, even in Southern California. And the giggles from Dylan as he rolled down the hill and ran back up was wonderful and just what I needed after a long week of feeling sick on the couch.
Three cheers for Huntington Gardens and the rose garden hillside!



On another note, Dylan is now 18 months. I can't believe how fast the past year has gone by. He's recently figured out the family snuggles and group kisses (where Ryan and I both kiss him at once as he kisses us back) and absolutely loves his trains and legos. He takes them to bed with him at naptime and won't have it any other way. The other afternoon he actually slept a full 3 hours after our day at the gardens and when he woke up, he still had the same yellow lego clutched in his hand like it was part of his body. Pretty cute.

And today when I picked him up from daycare, they said that he tried to say his colors during storytime, which was impressive. Also, he is coloring well, not attempting to eat crayons, which they were happy to report. I guess I'm not a slouch mommy like I thought. All that reading to him and pointing out colors and letting him color in the tub (washable tub-crayons, of course) DOES make a difference.

He knows most of his body parts (which I have to give daycare credit for teaching him because we didn't even work on that and one day he showed me his "nose"). Kids really are like sponges in how fast they learn new things. And I love my little sponge, with all his fingers and toes, nose, hair, mouth, ears, eyes, and precious little belly button.

and my teeth

Went to the dentist tonight. I like this new dentist a lot, even as she told me about my 6 (yeah S.I.X) cavities. You may be asking if I brush my teeth. In fact, I do.
Apparently flossing really is important and my negligence has spurred some havoc. So next week I'll be heading out to get 2 fillings.
And let me add a new years resolution here: To floss. Daily.

more teeth (finally)

Update: Dylan has finally showed the first glimpse of another tooth. It has been a long time waiting, and this is his first molar (upper left side). Welcome little tooth. Now where are your friends?

18 months

18 month checkup stats:
weight: 25# 1 oz. (25-50th percentile)
height: 35" (97th percentile)
head circumference: 49 1/2cm (90th percentile)

He also got his DAPT and Hep A shots. He did well with those, only crying with the second one. What a brave little boy! (and the RN was impressed).
Doctor said that he is doing well with weight and height as he is keeping on the same trends as before (percentiles staying constant), with a lean and tall body type like his daddy. Doctor said that potty training is coming up next and to think in that direction... Also, terrible-two tantrums. Fun times!

Next appointment is at 24 months. She said that at the next appointment he'll be talking in sentences. I can hardly believe that. Amazing.

2006, In my own words

Here are each of the opening sentences from the first blog entries for each month of the past year. Hardly profound, but it will do. (Idea stolen from lovley Mella over at The Empty Sky).

January
Dylan has made a few outstanding developmental milestones in the past two days.

February
We haven't updated in a long time, what with moving and my (Ryan) defense.

March
Dylan in his stroller, humoring his mommy during their long walks the past couple days.

April
Ryan here. Dylan's teeth are coming in full force.

May
Dylan clapped his hands for the first time today.

June
On June 22nd, little D-Man and I are going to be head-mama/baby for the newest Stroller Strides class.

July
Dylan loves Thaddeus.

August
Have you heard of the latest healthcare craze?

September
Dylan has been giving me kisses at night just before I put him down to bed for the past week or so, but tonight it was daddy's turn to get his first kiss.

November
This family loves the fall.

December
Tonight after leaving the annual Christmas party at Ryan's boss's house, on our drive home, we came upon an accident with a man lying in the road and an Explorer nearby.

Rose Bowl Parade

Happy New Year to everyone. This morning after watching the parade on tv, we gathered up the stroller and cameras and walked up the road to where the Rose Parade ended (yeah, it seriously ends just up the road from our place, which is pretty cool).

We found a loop-hole in security through the park fencing and were able to walk amongst the incoming floats and horses, take a handful of pictures, and listen to the last hurrah of the bands and floats as the parade came to an end. We even saw the characters from the Star Wars floats hanging out just next to us and one of the storm troopers in the first-aid booth.

All these years the floats looked pretty on tv, but they really were gorgeous in person. And the incredible smell of so many flowers was lovely (which you can't get from seeing them on tv).

This shows some of the incredible detail. Every inch was covered in some natural kind of leaf, petal, seed, you name it!

Couldn't resist taking some pictures of the underwater themed float from the "City of St. Louis!"

Later we found out that the security, etc. had assumed that we had local resident passes (which we actually didn't because our actual street wasn't blocked off) and so we freely had the chance to mingle before baracades and such were put along the edges of the floats for when the general paying public was admitted for viewing. Pretty neat stuff.