Oops, it's been a while!

I don't take a lot of pictures when the kids are sick. Therefore, I don't blog much. Sorry to keep everyone in the dark! It hasn't been the best few weeks in our house. Not terrible, but definitely not fun to take pictures of or write about. Sickness--that's the theme of January. Ick. It all started with me having strep throat the first week back to school after vacation. I only missed one day of school, thank goodness, because little did I know the plague was about to descend upon our house...

Saturday, January 8th brought the beginning of a string of fever and illness for Patrick and Will. We were on the phone with the pediatrician that evening, as Patrick's temp was 104.8. She said to give him ibuprofen and monitor him and call in the a.m. if he still had the fever, which he did. So, we were off to the doc on Sunday morning. Everything checked out fine, but he still had that high fever, so diagnosed him with Roseola, but we wouldn't be sure until the rash appeared. I stayed home Monday, Justin stayed home Tuesday, and I stayed home Wednesday (because, by then, Will had a fever too...low grade, but still a fever). Insert a few trips back and forth to the doctor Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Yikes! Patrick finally broke out in a minor rash on Wednesday. Everyone was back at school/daycare Thursday and Friday that week, and our weekend was relatively healthy, as was the beginning of the week...

Then it started again. Will woke up last Wednesday night with a fever of 104.5 and was shaking and extremely red. Poor guy. So, Justin stayed home with both kids on Thursday, as Patrick has not really been quite himself ever since his fever that began on January 8th. We kept him home for good measure, which was a good thing, because he developed a fever that day too. I stayed home Friday, because although Will was fine throughout the day/evening on Thursday, the fever came back on Thursday night. This weekend, they've both been really tired but fever free. Will has very little appetite and some intestinal issues. The doctor told me Friday she thinks they have the flu, which this year is apparently characterized with a fever over 100.4 and a cough (which she laughed describes almost all her patients!). So, they seem better and we're planning on a normal week and hoping the fevers don't come back and that appetites return to normal. Poor kids! Oh...and poor daddy! Justin got sick Thursday too, which meant he was caring for two sick babies while being sick himself. Yuck! 

My attendance at school has been terrible--4 days out in January already. Yikes...but oh well. I've been doing what I need to do for our family. But writing sub plans really does stink. Here's a glimpse into our sick house...what few pictures I have. 

A typical sick morning for Will. Pillows, blankets, and a little Sesame Street.

Since kids don't just lay around when sick, Will had lots of ideas about what he wanted to do. Making cookies was an obsession one day, so we did it. 

One sign that Will is under the weather--wanting his pacifier all the time, even when playing. I do love how Patrick follows him around. He just adores Will, even when Will hits him on the head over and over.... :-(

Will wanted to be close to me, but I had to make dinner. Solution--sit on the kitchen floor and play with kitchen tools. Kept him happy for about 5 minutes. Poor Justin was asleep from 5pm until 6:30 a.m. Thursday night-Friday morning, so it was just me and the kids. Note Will's paci--he was not doing so well. 

A snowy walk

We forgot the snow gear at daycare, but that didn't stop us from taking a quick walk in the snow last weekend. Will started out walking, but quickly decided he wanted to ride with Patrick in the stroller. Unfortunately we only had the single stroller, so we went home to get the double. That made the experience MUCH better. It's so cold this weekend, we're stuck in the house. :-( Will loves going outside in all kinds of weather--he's a true Vermont boy! 

Walking down Oakcrest. He looks so little next to that big tree!

Trying to keep up!

Yeah, this really didn't work. 

Ah, much better. 

Feeling better?

Will MIGHT be on the upswing...he still has no appetite and is very low energy, but he is starting to act silly again. Whenever he does something he thinks is funny, he'll say, "Funny boy, right?" Ha ha! I stayed home with boy kids on Friday due to fevers. The diagnosis seems to be a case of the flu. We took a quick trip to the grocery store after the doctor visit since we were already out and desperately needed some basics. When we got home, Will was exhausted, but that didn't stop him from trying to amuse Patrick by putting the grocery bag on his head. He did get Patrick to laugh...and me too! 

He kept saying, "Where's William? There he is!!!"

Don't tell Will, but Patrick was actually more fascinated with his toast than his brother's antics! :-)

Sick, but still handsome and even a little hungry!

Hello!!

Will loves books!

Nothing warms a teacher/mom's heart like watching her son develop a true love for books and reading! Will wants to read books constantly. He also likes to sit in his chair and "read" them himself. Yay! I hope this means he'll become a lifelong reader...he certainly has some good role models for this! Will loves certain books and wants to read them over and over and over...typical, I'm sure. His current favorites are How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Five Little Monkeys, and any books in the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. Oh, and he LOVES any books related to trucks, trains, or big machines of any sort. Such a boy. :-)

Breaking news: After the nap

So, if you read the last post, you're probably wondering how Will's nap ended. It ended with him falling onto his night stand--head and shoulders only, the rest of him was in bed. An abrupt end to a peaceful nap. Gotta get those bed rails! :-)

Big Boy Bed

Something changed in Will over the Christmas vacation. He's talking more, and more clearly. He does not want to go to bed as easily. He is increasingly curious...and brave (case in point: Last night he wanted to see what would happen if he tipped his milk cup upside and walked all around the living room and dining room. What happened? Daddy got MAD! Mommy too. Also last night--Will went to the stove and turned up one of our gas burners, something he's never even hinted he'd think of doing...and to top it all off, he pulled three keys off our laptop. The old one, thankfully.) So, I guess with this new older kid behavior, I shouldn't be too surprised that Will now wants to sleep in the "big boy bed." 

Over vacation, Will frequently slept with Justin and I, as this was the only way to get him to sleep while traveling and sleeping in so many different places. When we got home, naturally, he wanted to keep this same system. We allowed it for one night, then it was back to his room. He then started to insist on sleeping in his big boy bed. He has both a crib and a twin bed in his room, so I was wondering when he'd start to show interest in the bed. Last Sunday night was the first try and he's been in there ever since. We put him in his crib when we go to bed, as we would like to keep him contained for as long as possible. We don't have the rails up on his bed yet, so I know I couldn't sleep with him in the bed as it is right now.

Today is the first time he's taken his entire nap in his bed. He looks so small in that big bed. I am not sure how to feel...happy that we can possibly take the crib out of his room soon, which will free up more space? Sad that my "big" boy is growing up? The nap is still in progress, and it will be interesting to see what he does when he wakes up. Will he wait there until we come to get him, or will he climb out of bed by himself? Stay tuned... :-)

Giddy to be in his bed! This was Sunday night...

Falling asleep...he insists on having all lights on when he goes to sleep. 

Today's nap in progress. Grammy, notice the fish tank right next to him. I found him hugging it a few nights ago. And then he nearly fell out of bed. This is why he doesn't stay in there all night yet. :-)

He seems comfortable!

Hanging at Grandma and Grandpa's house

It was nice to relax at my mom and dad's house for the few days we were in Traverse City. Will and Patrick were ALL OVER the place, exploring somewhere new. They did the same in Grand Rapids, of course. It amazes me how unafraid Patrick is just to go wherever he pleases, whether the lights are on in a room or not. We have to be very vigilant with him. Will was intrigued with all my mom's Christmas decorations, and I have a feeling he's a big part of the reason she put up some of her Christmas village houses, buildings, etc. She knew he'd be an appreciative audience! Here are some random moments...

Oh, WOW!

Much to Will's dismay, Patrick really likes Will's GFS truck. Uncle Tim works for GFS, for those who don't know. It's a great truck!

Grandpa enjoys these quiet moments with Patrick. I'm glad he did, since Patrick probably won't take bottles anymore by the time we see my mom and dad next. :( 

Just a random moment--Will was playing hide and seek in the coat closet, Dad was feeding Patrick, and Justin is playing a game on my mom's smartphone. 

More from TC

Mom made a delicious shrimp pasta. I'm still thinking about that meal. :-) Cute picture of you, Mom, by the way.

Just like home...this is one of Patrick's favorite activities. 

Patrick liked the rolls!

.Will loved using the mini broom and dustpan. What a helper! :-)

Opening gifts...don't blink or you'll miss it!

We arrived from Grand Rapids in Traverse City about 6 pm on December 28th, had dinner soon after, and then Jack and Ella were READY to open gifts. I hadn't really thought about it, but I am sure they had been itching to open gifts since they arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house earlier that day, so our "late" arrival must have made for a difficult wait! :-) Before I knew it, I heard wrapping paper ripping in the living room, and by the time I found my camera, most of the kids' gifts were open. I managed to snap a few photos of the post-opening action, but I had to help Will and Patrick open gifts too. Seeing Jack and Ella's enthusiasm made me very excited for how Will and Patrick will be in the years to come...although I did get a glimpse of it this year. Will is starting to "get" the idea of gifts. He wants to open any wrapped package he sees!

Jack is really into LEGOS and Patrick is really into sucking on his hands. :-)

Ella could not get through her pile fast enough!

Tim and Kerry outfitted both boys in U of M gear for the upcoming football season (next fall), and  possibly for some basketball games this winter/spring! Justin tried to model Will's gear. 

Uncle Tim and Patrick.

Cousins!

I think Jack is Will's idol. He's a boy, he's older, and he has the patience to hang out with a two-year-old. And, he's really kind and sweet to Will. I love watching them together. Sometimes I wish we would have started our family a bit sooner, as they have a six-year age difference. But, in some ways, this bigger age difference might be good. Will looks up to Jack, and I have a feeling Jack will continue to be a good role model for Will. For Jack, Will can be like a little brother who he doesn't have to live with every day! :-) As for Ella, she dotes on Patrick and is so sweet to him. She always wants to hold him and feed him, and I am always willing to let her!

Will loves to rough house with Ella and Jack!

Ella enjoyed playing with Will's new computer from Grammy and Poppi!

Barbie helps with the computing, while Will and Jack look on.

Will paused from her feeding duties to pose for me, and Aunt Kerry stepped in to feed Patrick. Pauses in feeding don't work for Patrick!

Will's first snowmobile ride

This was Will's first trip to Michigan in the winter, and Justin didn't waste any time getting on the snowmobile. Good thing, since much of the snow melted away before we left. We had a beautiful sunny day on our first full day in Traverse City (December 29th), so the boys got out in the woods on the "sled." Justin said that Will LOVED it and didn't seem scared at all! I know that he drove really slowly, so I guess I'm not too bothered. Will talked about the "nomobile" for hours afterward! 

Trains!

I don't know if it's the train theme in Will's bedroom or just a general interest in things that move, but Will definitely has an interest in trains. Not quite an obsession yet (like hair dryers are), but trains get Will's attention. He loves Thomas the Tank Engine videos, seeing trains around our house, making train noises, and playing with his toy trains. So, when we arrived at my parents house for our belated Christmas celebration on December 28th, Will was VERY excited to see my dad's latest train set-up in the basement. 

My dad built this table specifically for this model railroad, as he sold the pool table (which served as a train table, too). Jack was pretty impressed with the train too, so watching the three of them together was a treat. Will now associates "papa" with tools, snowmobiles, and trains. :-)

Grand Rapids Children's Museum

The last hurrah with the Grand Rapids crew was a visit to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, which I had never been to before. I used to look at it from my office window across the street, way back when I was in the advertising/PR business. I always thought it would be a great place to take my kids, someday. Well, someday is here, and it IS a wonderful place to go with children. This will be an annual thing for sure. I took some photos, but as usual, Mary took more. I will have to get those, somehow. Here's a glimpse into our afternoon...

Another free digital collage by Smilebox