ECHO... Echo... echo...

Hello there! As was recently so lovingly pointed out by my mother, I have been a touch neglectful of this blog. Evidently the Pooh joke has gotten old. ;-) Of course, if you want to check that I'm still alive, check traceystamps.blogspot.com... I'm a touch more consistent with that one.

So... what's been happening here? Well, this week Clara got Roseola. Sunday, Monday and a good part of Tuesday she had a fever topping off over 104. It was fun. It was all good though. Wednesday evening she started to get a little splotchy, but I figured it was from her major wipe-out at the park earlier in the day. Thursday it was all over her body. An hour and a half at the clinic later we have the verdict of Roseola. Woo hoo. One more common childhood virus I can check off the "my-kid's-had-it" list. Of course there's nothing to do about it but wait for it to fade, which it has already.

Well, there's a little start for you. I will post more (with pictures) later today or tomorrow. There's all kinds of nature involved... sounds super exciting, huh? It was!

Pinky

Can you guess what's wrong with this baby? If you read the title of the post, you might make a good guess. She has pinkeye! It started on Sunday - we were hoping she had just rubbed it a little too much, but by the afternoon it was obvious there was more going on. Thank goodness we kept her home from church! Yesterday we were at the doctor bright and early. She now has eye drops I have to fight in every six hours. She's starting to catch on to the pattern of events that proceed the drop hitting her eyeball and I'm not joking when I say fight. She's one strong little baby!

Aren't these pictures the cutest? Midday we have the best light coming in our front door. I finally got the kiddos to cooperate with a little photo shoot. Connor was serious at first, but quickly turned into a ham. All his "serious" shots have his eyes cutting to the side... there's always some plan turning around in his head. This one was probably "I wonder how I can get mommy to take me outside again..."

Beautiful CT

It has finally turned warm here in the frozen north (well if you don't count yesterday.. 45! BRRRR!) and that means the green has arrived. I have been waiting for spring like a crazy lady. We arrived here at the end of fall and I didn't think we would ever see leaves again! Hehe. Yes, I'm a little dramatic lately. Anyhow, everyone I talked to before we left would say how beautiful it is up here. Well, bare trees and rocky terrain are beautiful... but can get a little monotonous. So anyway, I awaited spring with baited breathe... bated breathe... I was anxious for spring. Thank God, spring has sprung!

This is the view from my window! Wow! Of course, it is better in real life, but at least you can get an idea. If the clouds are just right it looks like you're looking out on the ocean. Now I just need to get a baby backpack and we can go hiking! Woo hoo!

So about the drama... sorry to go all weird on you yesterday. I was/am having one of those days. My immediate reaction to change is to get all moody and irritable (just ask Michael). I've had my day and a half of funk and I think I'm feeling better. I stamped tonight... it was way fun and I can tell Michael knew I needed it. When I accomplish something creative I always feel better. I guess you want to know why I'm facing change again... well if you have my phone number feel free to call and ask me. Otherwise you will just have to wait for the official announcement. So there. The truth is we know nothing really so there is nothing really to report.

Connor is feeling better. He has been a total pain the last 2 days, because he's well enough to be active but not well enough to control his emotions. That means endless tantrums and crying fits. I shut him in his room today until he finished with a particularly nasty one. I am finding 3 to be much more challenging than 2.

I guess that's the short of it now. TTFN!

Sicky

This is my poor sick baby. Shortly after I took this picture yesterday, Connor planted himself on the couch. He curled up in a ball and zoned out. I know he was feeling bad... it takes a lot to slow him down, much less stop him. He had a little fever. He and Clara have been passing a cold back and forth, and I guess this viral strain was a touch too rough for him. Poor baby. Today he is more like himself. He is at least playing a little in between cuddles with me.

This was my surprise from Clara earlier this week. I heard her giggle and looked around to see her seated on "Connor's" motorcycle. She likes to push it around and push the noisy buttons on it, but this is the first time she's gotten on it. She was very proud of herself!

I'm still alive...

I know, because I'm still miserable. Okay, not as miserable as I have been. I am getting better, with professional help. I had the loverly flu last week. Fever, chills, aches, congestion, cough... etc. Friday I started to feel better but then my snot turned yellow in the evening. On Saturday I officially decided that I had a sinus infection and needed to see a doctor ASAP (Monday). Sunday further supported that conclusion. This morning I woke up with a little sinus pressure (compared to the intense pain from Sunday), but a killer ear pain. Man. I hate it when my body is predictable. The same thing happened last year with my annual sinus-pressure-fest. So at 6:30 this morning when the call center opened I made my appointment. Michael came home to watch the kids (thank God!) and I headed off to see what was said. He said I have a sinus infection and that he thought my ear pain was referred. I got heavy duty Motrin, heavy duty decongestant, and augmentin. I feel better already. I'm still tired and cranky, but that's a pretty frequent thing for me. The funny thing is my ear with "referred" pain popped this afternoon and has been leaking ever since. Luckily my antibiotic will cover that too. Anyway, I wanted to update everybody on that situation.

The kids so far have not gotten that ill. Connor had a few days of a very mild fever and congestion and fatigue, but he seems to be making it through. Clara came out clean as a whistle (except for being a little ticked at me - I had some feeding issues due to fatigue and such). She is suffering from something a little different. Finally she is getting teeth! She has a bumpy lump right in the bottom middle and I don't think there's a second of the day that she isn't chewing on something. I'm kind of scared about this, because she is a biter. She comes at you with her mouth open all the time. She likes to chew chins (something I hate btw, but seems to be cute to others). Well, I need to get to bed... or at least sit here mindlessly watching Michael play Lego Star Wars 2 for a little while. Have a great day tomorrow!

The flu sucks...

I've been down with the flu for 2 days now. I don't think I've ever had a respiratory flu before... and it sucks. I guess it's better than a stomach flu. I'm still sick today, but my fever isn't as high. Hopefully it stays down. In the morning yesterday I actually thought I was better. Boy was I wrong. Anyway, keep up in your prayers as I think Connor might be headed into this himself. I'm hoping Clara is protected by the antibodies in my breast milk. We'll see. Ta for now.

Funny how life...

you can fill in the blank. I've been busy already today. Connor got up about a half hour after I posted... or rather I went to check him and he was "awake". I found him sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window, wheezing away. That's right friends. Connor's cold turned into his annual asthma fest! Woo hoo! Being the smart respiratory therapist I am (hehe) I whipped out his inhaler and squirted away. It didn't exactly have the desired effect. Since I haven't (hadn't) figured out how the medical thing works up here, I called the clinic to see what they do (in VA you just head straight to the ER with wheezes). Up here, you make an appointment to be evaluated (unless you are about to die, of course). Yay! I made said appointment and of course Connor needed a nebulizer treatment. *sigh* At least he's predictable. Fortunately, he only needed one treatment. We picked up his meds and headed home. Poor kiddo. He did so well listening and such. He was just excited that it was his turn to go to the doctor. Silly kid.

As a side note, it is so extremely cold here today. The kind of cold that makes you gasp and then cough because it stings. When I looked at the weather this morning it said it was 19 here. Brrr! The van said it was 31 in the sun when we left the clinic. Ah! I need to figure out something for our front door... I may need to call the housing people. It won't lock if it's closed all the way (read against the weatherproofing strip). It is also on the river-side, meaning the wind is constantly blowing on that side of the house. Today you can actually feel the breeze coming through about 10ft from the door! I was wondering why the front was always so much colder than the back. Anyway, I taped some felt over the "seam". It is at least slowing the flow of frigid air. I'll come up with a better solution soon. Hmm... ~:-)