Daddy is back!

Day 5 of 5 is done! Jon got home this evening in time to eat dinner with Logan and I, play with Logan and his trucks, and put him down for bed. Logan was, of course, Mr. Happy all night long - but I'll take it!

We had another rough morning before school/work. Logan woke up about an hour earlier than usual, which wasn't terrible since I needed us to get out of the house earlier than usual anyway, but it was still exhausting considering both he and Odin were antsy all night and between the two, kept waking me up every hour until waaaaaay too late.

I can't remember exactly all the things that set Logan off this morning. I think the biggest was when it was time to put on his socks and shoes to get ready to leave the house. He thew a fit, not wanting to put his shoes on (knowing he'd have to leave for school I guess?). I finally ended up carrying him kicking and screaming to the car. He cried and screamed in the back of the car for awhile until I finally got him focused on all of the cars, trucks, buses, vans, cops, etc. that we were passing by on our drive to school. He eventually warmed up to the game of pointing out the next cool truck to pass by (everything was a garbage truck this morning) or school bus.

The only problem with this game is it can sometimes backfire on you. For example, School Bus A, riding alongside us for a few blocks, decides to turn LEFT. However, Mommy and Logan need to turn RIGHT. And School Bus A tumbles along, growing smaller and smaller.

Logan then screams at me "NO MOMMY! No Mommy! This way!" (pointing left, toward the School Bus A)

*sigh*

Soooo very glad Jon is back home. :)

Possessed

This morning as we were getting ready for work and school, Logan found one of my cough drops on my bedside table. He was so excited, thinking it was a candy and trying to unwrap it. When I asked him to give it to me, he refused and ran away. I chased him down and after several "nice" asks, I finally just took it from him.

Logan was pissed.

After such a nice day yesterday, my demon child reappeared, throwing another one of his mountain tantrums.

I left him to simmer alone in my room and went to the office to check on a few emails. Unfortunately, ignoring him didn't help but instead seemed to upset him more. He seeked me out, yelling at me to "Go away Mommy!" and hitting me in between yells. When he wasn't hitting me he was hugging my leg desperately, with tears streaming down his face.

Dude, I did go away. I'm not exactly sure you know what "Go away" means.

I've often wondered how I'd do, if I quit work to stay home with Logan. The last couple of days I've been grateful for work - my daytime escape - leaving the teachers to deal with my sensitive monster child (of course he's happy and joyful with them). Just yesterday, one of my coworkers was teasing me about something at work and I just looked at him and said "I really don't give a shit. I'm just happy to have a break from my kid right now." He and the other guy with us, both fathers themselves, laughed and thought that was the greatest thing they'd heard all day. They knew exactly what I meant. ;-)

In other news, the hospital actually called and left a message to let me know the H1N1 virus restrictions for kids under 16 has been lifted for the postpartum unit, so Logan will now be allowed to visit his baby brother once he's born. Yay!! And how nice of them to call! They made sure to inform me that this was for the postpartum unit only, and that he still would not be allowed to visit during labor.

To that I respond: HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAAAhhhaaaaaaa. *gasp* OMG how hilarious. No really. HI-LAR-I-OUS.

Back to our Routine

Today was a much better day. I think it's because we were able to get back into our daily routine and it wasn't as noticeable that Jon is gone.

We had a fairly good morning, although there was a brief repeat appearance of the bathtub incident, where Logan stripped down to sit on the potty this morning, and then climbed into the tub right after and "soaped" himself up (from an in-reach Cetaphil dispenser) for another bath. I rinsed him off but BOY was he mad at not getting a real bath. Luckily, we got passed it fairly quickly.

I was pretty worried about drop off at school this morning but it wasn't as bad as some days have been. He clung to my hand, walking around the play yard with the other kids but not leaving my side. When I finally handed him off to one of the teachers, he whimpered a little but then very quietly just kept snuggled in her arms. We were actually all pretty shocked, but they were also giving him some extra love and attention since I explained what a rough weekend we had had (and that he was missing his Daddy).

Kim and Miss Molly came over for a play date this evening which was great fun. The minute Kim and Molly showed up, Logan turned into an intense host, immediately grabbing Molly's hand and asking her to "Come this way; this room" (toward the living room with all of his toys) to play. He continued to grab her hand throughout the evening to guide her from room to room and seemed very happy to have the company. It made me think we need to have friends over at our house more often, so that Logan can play and share his house and toys too.


Toward the end of the evening, the two wanted to watch a bit of TV. Just when I thought we might have a fight on our hands for who would get to sit in Logan's little "sofa" chair, he plopped down on the floor next to the chair and told Molly to "Sit down, right here" patting the seat of the chair for her instead. What a gentleman!


Thanks again to Kim and Molly for the wonderful visit - and Kim for snagging a few shots of our two playing together! :)

Sometimes I feel like throwing in the towel...

Usually I'm pretty stubborn and won't give up but tonight, man oh man, did I ever feel like throwing in the towel on this whole parenting thing.

Day 2 of single parenting is finally over, THANK GOD. It was a really rough day.

We met up with many of our friends for breakfast at Stacks this morning. I sat between Jamie (age 6) and Logan (age 2), and across from Robert (age 2.5), so I didn't get much adult chit chat in, but I think that comes with the territory when you're flying solo with your kiddo. Poor Jarrod did try and keep a few conversations with me going in between the two of us catching flying crayons, wads of coloring paper, tipping juice cups and an occasional sugar packet being open and possibly eaten when we weren't looking.

After breakfast, the Chouns headed home but Kim/Molly, Logan and I all went back to the Jodoins house for a play date with the kids. I'm not sure what was Logan's issue today, but he definitely was much more sensitive than usual. Any time one of the kids snatched a toy away that he was playing with, or played with a toy that he was thinking of playing with, he'd burst into tears and throw a fit. He was also not hip on Robert consistently crashing trains and trucks and cars into this one truck that he was playing with - which is strange since Logan is usually all about the crashing and mayhem. Who knows.

Because I knew we'd be getting together with Zane for dinner tonight, I didn't want to try and put him down for a nap at the Jodoins house and then have a huge fight just before dinner with Zane. Instead, I opted for the fight earlier in the day prior to a (peaceful and restful) nap at home. HOW SMART, RIGHT?

When it was time to go, Logan was NOT a happy camper. In fact, he tore off his shoes as I put them on, throwing them across Robert's room and kicking and wrestling to get away from me. Kim finally offered a much needed hand for my disabled pregnant ass, and picked Logan up, carried him out and buckled him into his car seat. Yay for Kim! :) He was actually fine with this, up until I started up the car and backed out of the driveway. Then it dawned on him that he was leaving Robert's house. His precious Robert. His beloved BFF. *sigh*

So, the entire ride home (which is only about 10 minutes but felt like 10 HOURS), he screamed at me, like vein-popping-out-of-the-forehead-and-jugular screaming. He was pulling at the buckles on his car seat, begging to be let out. Begging to "No, go this way!" (pointing behind us). Begging to go back to Robert's house. It was awful. When we finally pulled into our own driveway he just lost it (as if he hadn't already), screaming "Logan doesn't want a nap!"

He had worked himself into a real state.

I finally coaxed him inside saying "How about we just lie down together on Mommy's bed instead?" That was a permissible idea and he suddenly perked right up, grabbing my hand and saying "C'mon Mommy, this way" pulling me down the hallway toward my room.

He climbed into our bed, I popped a movie in and warmed up a bottle of milk and we quieted down together under the blankets. He was tired, but not ready to sleep yet - so I figured at least resting was something. Plus, I was really struggling with some aches and cramping and needed to lie down myself!

Once the movie was over, I told Logan it was time to try and lie down in his own bed, being 3pm and waaaaaaay past his naptime. He refused, and I literally had to pick him up and carry him into his own room, kicking and screaming. I had made another bottle at that point, but he couldn't think about milk, about books or story time, about settling down in his bed for a nap. He worked himself into another state. At one point I was literally holding him down in his bed so he wouldn't climb out and just to calm the kid down. It wasn't fun.

I'm not sure how, but he finally listened to reason and decided to take the bottle. Once he started taking a few sips, he calmed down (which I knew he would) and his eyelids became so heavy he could barely keep them open. He handed me back the bottle, rolled over and instantly fell asleep. THANK GOD.

While he napped I did some stretching to help with my back and joint pain, finished up a couple loads of laundry and dishes, and then laid down to watch a movie of my own. I got through about half of it before he woke up from his nap. He slept about 2.5 hours so it wasn't too bad.

Since it was close to dinner time, and we were meeting Zane, I needed to start getting us ready to go. I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth, brush my hair, go to the bathroom, etc. While on the toilet, Logan walks in and says "Mommy wants an M&M?"

Because, whenever Logan goes pee or poop these days, we'll give him an M&M afterward.

It was pretty cute. :)

He then proceeds to strip down naked, diaper off and all, before I have a chance to get up off the toilet and rescue him. He walks into our shower asking me to turn on the water so he can take a "bath" and starts picking up the few shampoo bottles within reach, asking me which one was for him.

And, right in the middle of inspecting my shaving gel, he pees.

Thankfully, he was naked, and it was in the shower. But still. We were supposed to meet my brother clear across town in half an hour. Gah.

So I carry him over to the bathtub and start an impromptu "quickie" bath, while calling my brother to let him know we'll need a few more minutes before meeting for dinner. :) I scrub him down quickly and then flip the switch to drain the tub - at which point Logan loses it. AGAIN.

He couldn't stand the idea of bath time being done. He couldn't stand the idea of me turning off the water. He couldn't stand the idea of me draining the tub. He just sat in the tub screaming his head off at me, his entire body shaking with rage.

And that's when my emotions got the best of me, and I finally felt like throwing that towel in.

I left the bathroom for a minute to shed a few tears, before composing myself and going back in to fight the nasty fight. He was so furious that he couldn't sit down and just play in the tub anymore. It was past the point of no return. So, I picked him up out of the tub, laid him onto the bed to dry him off and try to hug him and calm him down. He continued to shake and scream with rage.

I was so desperate to get him to calm down I finally decided to call Jon. I thought MAYBE if he heard Jon's voice on the phone he could snap out of it. A circuit or two could get reseated and we'd be on our merry way. But, alas, that idea backfired on me - and he screamed at Jon on the phone as well.

I flipped on one of his TV shows, and that finally cooled him off (or distracted him) enough for me to finish drying, lotion him up and get him dressed. He was still holding onto a couple of his rubber bath toys this whole time and when I took them away to put them back into the tub, I also flipped the switch to finish draining the tub and HOLY SHIT was that the wrong move because he heard the draining water start up again and threw another fit! I stopped the drain, brought the toys back in for him to hold, and thought oh well, I guess I'll just drain it tonight once he's in bed (speaking of, I still need to go in there and drain the damn tub).

It had just started raining which was actually a good thing, since it got him interested in walking outside, with his new umbrella, and climbing into the car (I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get him out of the house or not!). We met up with my brother for dinner at one of our favorite Mexican places, La Milpa, and had a fantastic dinner. Logan was a total champ, hamming it up for his Uncle Zane every other minute, never showing a sign of grumpiness or devil-child that he had had in him just minutes earlier. We hung out for a couple of hours before calling it a night, and heading back home.

Thankfully, Logan didn't resist bedtime. Thankfully because I'm not sure if I'd have had the strength left in me for another fight tonight.

Single Parenting

First things first, Jon and I spent a really nice night out last night with a number of our friends to celebrate Jenn's upcoming birthday. We stuffed ourselves silly at Straits before heading to see Valentine's Day (I enjoyed it, but wasn't expecting much to begin with). Logan's Aunt Catherine drove down to babysit Logan for the evening and the two of them had a wonderful time playing and eating ice cream and staying up late, reading 10 more bedtime stories than usual. :) Thank you again Catherine! We are so glad you were able to come down and spend some time with Loganito (and allow us some time off!).

So, today. Day 1 of single parenting week is now done. WHEW! :)

After we dropped Jon off at the airport, Logan and I hung around for a little bit to watch several of the airplanes take off and/or land. He was VERY mad at me when we finally had to leave. So, what to do? Onto our favorite donut shop, since I can't very well screw up the weekend tradition that Jon has started, now can I? ;-)

After a tasty donut and milk, we headed over to the hospital for Logan's Sibling Preparation class. I had orginally thought I wouldn't bother signing up for one of these, but a co-worker of mine talked me into it. The class is built for older children, about 3-8 yrs is the range, so I was afraid it would all be over Logan's head and not worth the time nor money. But, my co-worker said she still took her daughter (and then son) to the class when they were about 2-2.5 yrs old and felt it was still worth it. She mentioned a few things that they did that sounded pretty cool (mind you, her experience was up at a hospital in Redmond, but I figured the classes were all pretty similar in content and structure) - like learning to hold a baby (with dolls), swaddle a baby, keep the babies safe, ways the siblings can "help" and that it's OKAY if a baby is still crying, even after being changed, fed, burped, etc.

In addition to all that, we watched a short video, which Logan was only half interested in, sat and listened to a story, which Logan was only half interested in, and made the baby's first birthday card, which Logan LOVED.



He was also extremely interested in holding the baby (doll), but would NOT let me help him swaddle or show him how to hold the baby (at one point he got up to run away from me, dangling the baby by one arm), and thought it was REALLY funny to touch and poke at the baby's eyes.

I guess we have some work cut out for us. ;-)

At the end, he got his own "I'm a Big Brother" t-shirt and diploma for completing the class (with coloring book). He was by far the youngest kid there but I'm still glad we went. My only regret was that the maternity ward tour portion of the class did not happen due to the current H1N1 concerns. :( They said that we won't be able to bring the kids to visit once the baby is born as well - although when I called the hospital to book the class, I actually spoke to the lady about that and she said as long as we have proof of his vaccine, then he'd be allowed in to visit his baby brother. So, hopefully the lady on the phone was right rather than the teacher today! We'll see....

Logan was pretty beat (as was I!) after the class, so we headed straight home and got ready for nap time. He really fought me but finally fell asleep and slept a good 3.5 hours. Which was WONDERFUL because I got to rest myself, catching up on a few TV shows and even sneaking in an hour nap in the end (thank goodness, I was really beat!).

After nap time the two of us played and cuddled on my/Jon's bed while Toy Story ran in the background. Once it was over, we took off to the grocery store to get some much needed supplies for the week. It was pretty late in the evening since his nap ran so long but I risked it anyway, and I'm glad we did. He was a champ and "helped" me pick out groceries (he was VERY insistent on fresh strawberries and Goldfish crackers) and even helped me carry a few into the house once we got home.

We fixed up dinner (where he ate an ENORMOUS amount of food) and watched a few clips of the Winter Olympics that I'm severely behind in. He was especially interested in the Men's Snowboarding competition - exclaiming, "He's FLYING!" And he was totally right - those guys are ridiculous on the slopes!

Saturday Morning

We dropped Jon off at the airport about 30 min ago. Logan and I are on our own for the next 5 days as Jon'll be out of town at a business conference. What better way to start off the weekend than with some donuts and milk? :)

All clear: Load up the carbs!

I'm joking, really I am. I love me some carbs, but I also know I need to be careful since my body apparently can't process sugars as quickly as the "average" person.... I'll blame it on my genes and the diabetes that already runs in the family. ;-)

All that said, I had another checkup today - and first things first, I passed the glucose tolerance test from last week. Yay! Just like last time, I failed the first blood draw (the 1 hr test) but then passed all the others. I've gotta keep an eye on my sugar and carb intake, but it's something I need to keep an eye on after pregnancy as well - just good to know. I wasn't surprised at all, but relieved it didn't move into the DANGER DANGER gestational diabetes zone nonetheless. :)

The baby is doing great. Right on target size-wise, healthy heart beat, movement, etc. My iron is running low these days, so I've got to take some extra supplements throughout the day. Also not a surprise since I've always been slightly anemic and pregnant women tend to run shorter on iron anyway. But, we'll do another blood test in a couple of weeks just to keep an eye on things.

I (and Jon) had a REALLY rough night sleeping last night. This head cold is almost gone, but I have a nasty cough that persists, being the worst at night and waking me (and Jon) up every hour or two. It was awful. Thankfully, the doctor ok'd cough syrup to take at night to help me out (I wasn't sure, so I wasn't taking anything for it), so I immediately visited the drugstore right after the appt (after loading up on sugar and carbs of course). ;-)

Now off to my PT appt. I'm actually really enjoying the PT right now, since it's basically a weekly massage to loosen my back and joints up, but also keeps me stretching and exercising throughout the week, which my poor body (and mind) really really need!

President's Day

Logan's school was closed today so Jon and I took the day off to spend time with Logan and a few friends. We started off the day meeting up with the Jodoins for breakfast at our favorite, Stacks. YUM!! :)

Afterward, we took Logan to get his H1N1 Booster shot (Jon is the only one left who needs an H1N1 shot, which he'll receive tomorrow since I was finally able to get an appointment with my own OB secured for him). While there, Dr. Safir also checked out Logan's ear, which has healed remarkably. Dr. Safir actually commented that it's the fastest recovery he's seen, for an ear infection that was in such bad shape as Logan's last week. WHEW!

After the doctor's office, we met with the Jodoins and the Hicksons at the Children's Discovery Museum to let the kiddos run around and play for a couple of hours. The Hicksons left first, since Molly was starting to get really tired, but we braved on with Logan, Robert and Connor a bit longer. When it was finally nap-time, we went over to the Jodoins house to put the boys down for a nap while the adults had a late lunch and played Carcassonne (another game that Jon has gotten us addicted to).

When Logan woke up from his nap he insisted I sit down with him on the couch for a bit. He often finds my belly makes a convenient pillow when we're hanging out together, so I asked Jon to snag a quick pic. I hate how unflattering the pic is of me, but it was the only one we could grab before Logan got up to greet his BBF Robert who had woken up just after. :)

As always, we had a wonderful time with our friends! If only we could have more days off to relax with the kiddos...

Year of the Tiger

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today begins the year of the Tiger and I couldn't be more excited to meet our own little tiger soon! Logan was born at 38 weeks; I'm now at 28 weeks.

Possibly 10 weeks and this little guy is already here?!? Insane!

As our usual Sunday tradition dictates, Jon picked up some delicious donuts and we all stuffed ourselves full of sugar and dough in the morning. Jon and Logan then hung out together while I took a nap (trying to get over the head cold that I've caught as a result of Logan's own sickness I think).

Every week, Logan's school sponsors a "Parent's Night Out", rotating between Friday and Saturday nights to watch the kids for a few extra hours while we parents can enjoy a date night alone. This evening, as it was Valentine's Day (and because Logan's usual babysitters, my parents, are out of town visiting my grandparents), we decided to try the Parent's Night Out for the first time. :) Poor Logan was NOT a happy camper when we dropped him off (I don't think it helped that he had just woken up from his nap about 45 minutes prior and was still a bit groggy) but thankfully, the teachers said he was fine after we left.

Jon and I didn't do anything spectacular - we caught a movie (The Wolfman - great cast but the movie was disappointing) and had a delicious dinner at a Vietnamese Pho house (special to us since our first date was at a Pho house). It was a nice treat to get out on our own but we also missed our Loganito. We ended up picking him up an hour earlier than planned. :)

Logan made us a cute little Valentine card from school - where he promptly ate part of the candy cane "heart" that was stuck to it before I could even look at the card. Oh well.


Logan also showered Lola (and her crate) with his favorite Legos and cars this weekend.


I bought iPhone covers for both Jon and I - can you tell which phone belongs to whom?

When we got home tonight, we had a lovely surprise waiting for us. One of the cats (I'm going to blame Iz) decided to bring us a dead mouse, to put on display in the middle of the living room.

Apparently he loves us that much (I'll spare you a pic).

Being Valentine's, I suppose it's the season of love (and gifts). And don't get me wrong, I love and adore all my boys.

But, I'm certain I could have done without the last gift and still had a wonderful day. ;-)

26 months old

Wednesday's date was 02-10-10. Two tens. Get it? HA! I kill myself.

Ok - so Logan turned 26 months old on Wednesday and for once I don't feel like I have much to report on this past month, but given I've been doing monthly updates I figured I'd still acknowledge it.

The biggest change for Logan has been his new class. We've had a number of tough drop offs (like yesterday morning, oy!), but usually he quickly forgets Mommy or Daddy and runs off to play. I've heard several reassuring comments from the teachers about how (surprisingly) easy his transition to the new class has gone, how (surprisingly) quick he's adapted and how extremely adorable and happy (is that surprising?) he is.

He's a cute and happy kid - that's for sure. And he knows it.

Along with his new class, his vocabulary has really picked up. He adds new words to his repertoire every day! It's amazing and we're always looking forward to what he's going to say next.

He's using his potty more and more every day - he will often ask to sit on his potty right after we take off his diaper, and more times than not he'll either go pee or poop. He seems to like being naked while sitting on his potty (don't ask, I really don't know why) and usually prefers sitting alone. But, once he's peed or poop, you can hear him calling for you down the hall "Mommy! Come look!!" We applaud any little thing, so it's no wonder he swells with pride and wants to show us what he can do.

I don't feel like I take near as many pics as I used to - and worse than that, I rarely post them up anymore. So, I'll leave the rest of this post to a few pics I've taken of Loganito this past month but haven't yet shared. :)

He was quite taken with "Big Kitty Cat" for a while. I think "Big Kitty Cat" is currently stuck in a bin full of toys since I haven't seen his appearance in a couple of weeks.

Poor Lola puts up with A LOT of torture by Mr. Logan. Here he's "sawing" her head, which he thought was HILARIOUS. I'm not so sure she shared that sentiment. In fact, I think she's silently begging me to MAKE THE BOY STOP.

A typical Saturday morning. Banging on his toy drum and making a lot of racket.

I get a scrunched up nose anytime I ask him to smile.

Still a big fan of art and coloring books.

One of the bigger storms Logan's seen hit us this past month. He was amazed at the endless buckets of rain falling from the sky or rushing down our rain gutter spouts.

This also happened to be the morning he opened the front door when I was in another room, letting both dogs out to take off in the pouring rain in opposite directions, leaving me to CHASE trouble-maker Odin around the block (while pregnant, and did I mention, in the pouring rain??).

See what I mean about torture?
See what I mean about cute and happy?
See what I mean about him knowing it?
He so knows it.

Picky Picky

What is it with fruit skins and why don't kids like them? I can understand a furry peach but a sweet and smooth nectarine? C'mon!


I guess I should just be happy he ate ACTUAL FOOD tonight. Bananas, hummus, pita bread and nectarines (sans skins, thank you) for the win.

I think we finally have our boy back.

And the verdict is in

Unfortunately, I didn't pass last week's glucose screening test. So, I've got to go back in later this week for another, longer, test. I wasn't really upset by the news - I was expecting it based on my pregnancy with Logan. Still, it's a bummer to have to deal with and it's going to knock out my entire morning to do. Oh well.

Logan, so far, seems much MUCH better today. His temp was down to 99 in the morning and back to normal (~98.2) this afternoon. I expect he'll go back to school again tomorrow. In the meantime, he's been getting into his fair share of trouble, now that he's got some of his energy back.

Earlier this afternoon he was stomping around playing with some of his toys and disappeared into the bathroom, closed the door and started playing in the tub. I could hear him talking and throwing the toys around (I was in the dining room, working on my laptop) - so after a few minutes of exchanges: "Whatcha doin' Logan?" "Logan's taking a bath!" I went in to see what exactly he was doing.

He had taken a shampoo bottle, opened and dumped it all over the place and was sliding around in it, in the tub. Amazingly, he didn't fall once.

Needless to say, we had to start a bath since he, and the bathtub, and the floor, and the walls, were covered in silky smooth Pantene slime. Luckily, it was pretty easy to clean up?

Oy.

Logan lined up his letters by color, all on his own. I did not tell him to do this - but clearly he's starting to take on some of his Mom's obsessive-compulsive qualities.

(This series is a bit blurry since I was rushing to capture the moment,
but you get the idea)

Sampras holds his serve

My Dad and I got tix to see the Sampras v. Verdasco exhibition match at the SAP Open tonight. We actually have really great seats (thanks to my bro Zane, an SAP'er), despite my crappy pic. You can tell Sampras is a bit slower on the courts than he used to be but MAN his serves are still on fire!! :)

An ear infection

Logan had another really rough night last night. He woke up about midnight and then every 10-15 minutes (I'm not even exaggerating, I was timing it!) thereafter. About 1am or so, Jon brought him into bed with us, hoping he'd finally just calm down and fall asleep. We didn't know what was wrong other than him being sick. We both tried sleeping while our toddler kicked and squirmed and whined and rolled and whimpered between us. He was like the dog circling 7 times for just the right spot to lie down in, only he never found that right spot. It was miserable.

About 2am or so, I can't really remember, I asked if he wanted to try sleeping in his own bed and he said yes (or more like HELL YEAH LADY that's what I've been WAITING for, what TOOK YOU SO LONG). So, I brought him back to his bed and rubbed his back until he fell asleep. Went back to bed and the vicious 10-15 minute wake up calls continued.

MOMMY!! Mommy, back please (he wanted me to rub his back).

So at about 3 or maybe 3:30am? Who knows, I certainly lost count, we brought him back to bed with us again, not knowing what else to do. LUCKILY, this time he fell asleep and slept (I had him sorta propped up in the crook of my arm wrapped around him, so maybe that helped) until morning.

Once morning hit, we could tell he still wasn't himself. His fever had come back (102) and he was coughing up a storm. He cried anytime I left his side and at one point, while Jon laid him down on the bed to change his diaper, he started SCREAMING at us. We couldn't figure out what he was saying at first, and suddenly it dawned on me, he was yelling "Logan's falling! Logan's falling!" (even though he wasn't at risk of falling off the bed). Jon and I wondered if it was possible he had vertigo, since he's normally really well balanced. It dawned on me that he had said that a few times over the weekend too, which I had thought was strange for him but hadn't thought much more about it until then.

Luckily, his doctor's office called (I had left a semi-desperate voice mail last night to CALL ME THE MINUTE YOU GUYS OPEN TOMORROW PLEASE PLEASE OH PRETTY PLEASE) and said they could see us at 9:15am and could we make it? It was 8:45am, Logan and I were still in our pj's and I was all oh hell yeah, we'll be there.

As it turns out, Logan was pretty bad off. His temp rose to 103.9 when we got to the dr's office, and he was so miserable that he clung to me, arms and legs wrapped around my body, not even looking up or blinking as Dr. Safir checked his eyes, ears, mouth, chest, etc. Other than obviously appearing super sick (Dr. Safir immediately said, clearly he's feeling shitty - this isn't the Logan I'm used to seeing) he had a horrible ear infection that made Dr. Safir jump back a couple feet with surprise. He wasn't sure how Logan wasn't complaining about the pain since it looked pretty bad. :( Logan's complained of an "owie" but when we ask him where, he can't point it out.... so I guess now we know where (it also explains the vertigo and eye infection symptoms).

Dr. Safir was actually really concerned. Of the 50-60 patients he sees in a day (I can't believe he really sees that many), he said 2-3 will actually be this sick. He wanted to make sure we treated the ear infection pronto, as well as got his fever down to a manageable level. He also wanted to make sure I was getting plenty of fluids into Logan since he could get dehydrated pretty quickly.

So, we gave him a shot of antibiotics to get it into his system right away, along with a prescription that we'll start tomorrow. We're on a rigid Tylenol/Motrin rotation every 4 hours (apparently rotating between the two is better than using just one type when you've got a fever this high) with lots of fluids.

Logan was clearly exhausted after the appointment, poor guy. We got home and I propped him up in our bed with a choice of several movies. He actually got into a better mood after a few hours, and ate some Cheerios along with the "just two sips" of apple juice or Gatorade that I insisted he take every 20 minutes. He also had some Jello that I made to help get some liquid into him (suggestion from the nurse) - and loved that. ;-)

Nap time was actually the roughest part of the day, since he woke up a few times crying in my arms non-stop for about 15-20 minutes. It's the first time I've seen him rub at his ear, so I can only guess the pain is really bothering him. I wanted so much to help him get over the pain and sleep some more (he'd keep his eyes closed, still clearly very tired and wanting to sleep) but had no idea what to do. I called the doctor again and they said other than the antibiotics and Motrin which we've already given him, there's not much else to do.

And then the nurse said, almost as an after thought, oh and try to keep him propped up, since lying down will hurt more.

AHA! I finally realized why poor Loganito's been having trouble sleeping!

We're supposed to keep a close eye on him throughout the day and night, and if he's the same or any worse tomorrow, Dr. Safir wants to see him again. I'm hoping it won't come to that but we'll just have to wait it out and see.

Giving Miss Manners a run for her money

Since we've been spending a lot of time in bed these last couple of days, I've been feeling more and more like a punching bag. Not just from the little one inside, but from the big kid outside as well. When Logan needs to let off some steam, he gets very rambunctious, and what better place to do so, than on Mommy and Daddy's bed? He tumbles and jumps and kicks and punches and plays - all on my legs, my shoulders, my arms, my back, my belly. I'm just another (padded) gymnasium to this kid, I suppose.

I can usually see enough ahead to ward off most blows - but a couple of good ones slipped past me this weekend - head butts whipping around the corner at lightening speed that I didn't have enough time to prepare for. When a couple of those smacks to the head landed harder than the laughs could distract, we'd both look at each other a bit dazed, until I'd come to and say "Ow Logan!" and rub my forehead.

Surprisingly, Logan's face quickly softened, he'd say "Sorry Mommy" and then pull my head, with both his hands, toward his face to kiss the "Owie" and make it feel much better. And it actually did feel better.

He'd then lean his head toward my lips, expecting the same in return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the past week, I could have sworn I heard Logan say "Excuse me ..." and I thought naaaaah, I'm just HOPEFULLY dreaming my son is actually polite. But, we all know he's not. What toddler is, anyway?

But tonight, after dinner, he asked to get down from the table so he could finish watching his movie ("Logan's all done. Watch more TV please?"). We've been pretty lenient with him this weekend since he's been sick, and I think he knows it.

So, Jon washed his hands and he started his little trot down the hallway - only to run into Odin, the roadblock (who currently has a huge threatening cone on his head).

Normally, he yells at the dogs to "Go away dog!" or "Stay!" or something of that nature. But tonight was different. Tonight, he said "Excuse me, dog" as he slowly shuffled, back against the wall, behind and around Odin.

Jon turned to me and said, Did our son just say excuse me?

Yes, I think he did. Amazing, isn't it?

Where he picked it up from however, I've no clue.

Dexterity

Logan's doing much better but still a bit sickly. He had a really great morning today, we even got out and ran a couple errands which felt good to get out of the house, however after his nap this afternoon he was back to his clingy, fragile, upset self. :(

His fever is pretty much gone, although it did appear after his nap just a tiny bit (upper 99s), and the rash is also mostly gone (a few small spots also poked their ugly head out briefly after the nap), so we'll see. Unfortunately, he also has a weepy eye that's getting clogged up every time he cries (which feels like every 5 minutes), so I'll be calling the doc again tomorrow to see if we can get some drops for it since it's not clearing up on its own.

Because we've been cooped up in the house all weekend and Logan doesn't want to do anything but cuddle in bed and watch movies or sit on my lap, as close to me as humanly possible, I broke out some of the art supplies today so we could get a break from the TV.


I got about two 20 minute sessions out of him before he decided to quit and grab my hand to pull me back to cuddle in bed, but at least it was something. He absolutely fell in love with his new "froggy" scissors (I got the ladybug pair as well), learning how to cut paper on his own for the first time. Of course, he's not skilled enough to be left alone, but I was surprised at how quickly he picked up how to use them, one handed and all!

Nesting, Fasting and Mothering

Hooooooo boy, where to begin?

So I'll start by saying I've become obsessed - like Obsessed with a capital "O" - this week, lurking around Craigslist.

It suddenly dawned on me that there are a few baby items we actually might need when the baby arrives (like an infant car seat *cough* Jon! *cough*) and I got the wild and crazy idea of looking on Craiglist for a few of them. Lo and behold, I got SUCKED IN. And before you know it, I literally had appointments every.single.day this week, meeting with a different random person, to check out, and pay for, more stuff.

What did I end up buying?

- Tuesday was another booster chair
- Wednesday was another baby monitor (to use at my parent's house)
- Yesterday was a couple bags of toddler clothes (they'll be for Logan first before the baby)
- And today was the cutest little rainboots you ever did see (also for Logan first)

See?

Seeeee?? :)

I've only spent about $50 so far, for all the above, so not too shabby. I have a couple other small things I want to get for the baby but haven't been able to find the right size or color or deal yet. I'll keep searching. :)

I do wonder what this says about me as a parent the second time around. Since, for this guy, I'm all about buying on the cheap, cheap, cheap! ;-) I'm still pretty choosy about quality and brands, so I think it's more about saving where possible. We still need to buy an infant car seat (a job I've assigned to Jon), and though there are plenty to find on Craigslist, I'm going to guess we'll end up buying it in a store just because.

I guess nesting has finally begun?

Other than my maniac Craiglist shopping, I also had my glucose screening test this morning. Downing 50 g of syrup in 5 minutes is NOT my idea of a good time. And definitely makes you sick and queasy when taken on an empty stomach. :( But, at least I got that out of the way. We'll see what happens once we get the results next week.

After the test, I came back home to take care of Mr. Logan. Last night, at about 3am, Logan came stumbling into our room, up to my side of the bed, and then coughed a couple of times before starting to heave. I caught him before he got near the bed and sat with him trying to contain the vomit while Jon ran to get some towels, bowls and help clean up.

Poor Logan was pretty upset from throwing up - in the past he's always had just one quick and dirty projectile vomit - but this was more like what you'd see hovering over your dorm room toilet when your roommate had too much to drink after her sorority initiation and you thought you'd be nice and hold back her hair for the night. It was swell after swell of heaving, his body laboriously trying to get out whatever was bothering him. Luckily for us, the cleanup wasn't that bad, since he seemed to mostly be puking up water and clear liquid.

While Jon cleaned up the floor in our bedroom, I carried him into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. I figured not only was he not liking the heaving his stomach was doing, but he couldn't possibly like the taste in his mouth either. That seemed to make him feel better as he perked right up after that. We gave him a bit of cough medicine (he seemed to be running a bit of a fever in addition to the cough) and put him back to bed.

When he woke up in the morning, he was still a bit off. He was pretty hot - his temp was a bit over a 100, but he felt much warmer to me. Jon watched him while I did my blood test and then took off for work when I got back to take care of him.

My dad came over for a few hours to also help watch him since I had a client call I couldn't reschedule (and, since he was over at about the same time, I snuck off to snag the rainboots afterward!). Though continuing to run a fever, Logan was actually in pretty good spirits all morning. He even took another bike ride out with my dad around the block.

However, when I got back from my errand (and to grab lunch), I noticed a rash developing on his face, arms and belly. My dad mentioned he had just started scratching and itching pretty regularly. He was also steaming up. :( And, unfortunately, started going downhill from there.

I monitored him pretty closely the rest of the afternoon and talked to his doctor. They weren't too concerned about the rash - due to the other symptoms (mainly fever) just before it - they said it was likely a "viral rash". Essentially, whatever bug he caught, was deciding to make itself known to the outside world as well. They gave me instructions for Tylenol and Benedryl - neither of which I had in the house at the time (we ran out of Children's Tylenol earlier in the day). And unfortunately, once Logan woke up from his nap, he was NOT in a state to be taken out (very sensitive, delicate and extremely clingy - crying for me incessantly all afternoon long).

I normally don't mind his sicky-clingy behavior when he's sick, but all he wanted today was to sit and/or lay in my lap - of which I no longer really have! So it got to be really uncomfortable and frustrating as he would literally try to PUSH my belly to one side and move it out of the way for a better spot to lie.

*sigh*

Luckily, by the time Jon got home, his rash was already improving significantly. He was itching much less and the little hot spots were disappearing to the point that Jon really didn't see much of it at all. He was still running a decent fever (it had crept up to 102) but seemed to be in better spirits at least. We got some more Tylenol and Benedryl in him and relaxed on the couches with him until it was time for bed.

I'm really hoping whatever bug he caught has run its course and he'll be on the mend tomorrow. Otherwise, we have a long night, and weekend, ahead of us! :(

Butterflies and all things verklempt

Logan is obsessed with butterflies. Here he is helping his teacher make some butterfly art for the classroom. He especially enjoyed pushing down on the stapler (what he's doing here).

I had one of those major verklempt moments yesterday morning when I dropped him off at school. We arrived just in time for "Circle Time", so all of the kids were sitting on the floor, watching the teacher in front of them, learning their ABCs. Logan immediately ran and sat down in the back, tumbling and rough housing with some of his buddies (it gave me flash-forwards of what he's going to be like in his HS auditorium down the road).

But he was also VERY into the ABC flashcards the teacher was holding out - practically shouting at each one (he got about a quarter right but that didn't stop him). And, because he was SO DAMN THRILLED, he was literally bouncing (on his knees) with excitement and happiness. I walked past him to put his lunch away and he briefly turned and looked up at me, saying "Bye Bye Mommy!" with the biggest smile on his face.

As I left, I stood at the door and watched for awhile before leaving. I was kicking myself for not bringing my phone and taking a video but oh well. The image is still burned into my memory and locked away forever.