Snowball Dreaming

Ohio County, WV schools have had three snow days this week. And have had nearly three weeks of snow days since the kids "returned" from Christmas break.

Unfortunately, the little monkey's been sick for many of the best snow days, so he hasn't gotten to play much in the snow this winter. But Julie Goodneighbor & her little cousin took full advantage of today's snowy good fortune.

As soon as Alexander spotted the kids playing outside, he was glued to the window. He was tired, so he rested his head on the cool glass and watched as Julie shoveled the walk & then had a snowball fight.

Once the kids noticed Alexander glued to the window, they did their best to include him in their play. They made funny faces at him. Waved at him. And probably even threw snowballs at him.

Alexander LOVED it. He was all giggly & waving at his favorite friend. By the time I got the camera out, however, he was done yelling "hi" back at her. So cute!

Craft*Suki A Seat at the Table

On the first bright sunny day in Wild & Wintry West Virginia since... well, since... a while, we decided to take full advantage & head to Ikea in Pittsburgh to buy the little man his own little table & chair.

Great success. But, well, it was awfully white.

So, after 3 snow days to consider my options, I decided to save some paint, use up a few fabric scraps & make a seat cushion. You noticed I didn't say cushionS? Yeah, with a $12 price tag, I didn't figure the baby could sit on two chairs at once... so I just bought one. I mean, one chair before I saw the cute little, and even more expensive Rattan chair on the top Ikea rack. So, technically, the kid has 2 chairs, they just don't match...

So, when the baby finally took his first nap of the week, I quickly pulled out the sewing machine & got to work.

I used some full-price white cotton fabric that I bought last summer with JB @ JoAnn Fabrics for the purpose of curtain-making-that-would-never-happen, to make a small pillow stuffed with fiberfill that JB left behind. And I used some wonderful blue dandelion fabric to make the cases. I'm in love.

So, I made a second cushion for the babe's Rattan chair.

And I still have just enough blue dandelion fabric left over to make another cushion, if I ever decide to buy another chair...

Reprinted, with permission, from www.Craftsuki.com

Snack Time

Just so no one thinks today was a total loss, I decided to share a little super-cute snack time.

At 1pm I gave the hot potato some Tylenol, reducing his fever to 101.4*. At 4pm I pumped him with another shot of Motrin, reducing his temp down to normal, 99.4*. Great Success.

So, at 4:05pm we celebrated with some Honey Nut Spins.

Since we had so much extra time while the babes chomped some Spins, Papa & I decided to sign a window contract with Window World. So, for less than 1/2 the cost of our original estimate from Legacy, Window World is going to replace our remaining windows.

Too bad we didn't go to the 2008 Wheeling Home & Garden Show, we could'a saved some money... Now we're just waiting for estimates to waterproof the basement, fix the ice damaged box gutters & pour a new sidewalk.

Well, Good Morning to You Too!

Good Morning West Virginia! A few inches of snow & schools are closed. Pretty typical; snow is very unusual in Appalachia, you know...

Papa had an appointment this morning, so he got to greet Alexander when he started to fuss in his nursery. Alexander Loves to see Papa in the morning. Well, he loves it, until Papa has to leave for work. Then the inconsolable crying starts.

So this morning we distracted ourselves at the bird feeder, while Papa snuck out the back door.

We saw the West Virginian State Bird; a bright red cardinal. Along with his not-so-red lady friend.

Then a family of House Sparrows flew in for a little snack.

And finally a lone little Nuthatch grabbed a bite.

Did I mention the babe put in a pretty bad night? Well, he did. At 4am I dosed him with some Motrin to get his fever back down. And although he was miserable when he woke @ 7:30, his fever was a respectable 99.9*.

Shortly after Papa left, the little hot potato started fussing more. But I figured it was the typical, "I love my Papa more than my boring Mama," routine. So, we went upstairs. Listened to some Jefferson Airplane,

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall

The babe zoned out for the chorus, while I tickled his belly & tried to sooth him. I kind of thought he seemed shakey. And his fingers were quite cold, but the rest of him was feverish. So, I figured I was seeing things.

He got restless, & wanted to go look for Papa downstairs. So we did... no luck, of course. So the crank continued. And he loves to eat Mama's cereal, so I figured, that'd be a sure fire way to cheer him up. Strapped the poopsic in his booster, poured some cereal. And he still looked like he was shaking, but he never stops moving, so, it was hard to tell for sure.

I gave him the first bite out of the bowl, thinking all he needed was some Cheerio/Raisin Bran Therapy & he'd feel all better. But, even the way he was eating didn't seem right. And this time I knew he was shaking.

I called Dr. Arch. The new lady, who doesn't know us, or so I thought, answered. "Of course, I know you Mrs. Mama. We got Alexander's picture yesterday." (Yeah, I sent a thank you card to the Dr. & her lovely ladies. With my family so far away, i don't think I could have made it through the first year without weekly calls to Patty, Kristy & the doc.)

Anyway, she new me. I told her his fever was only 99.9* an hour ago, but that he looks like he's shaking. "He's probably cold," she said. "Blah, blah, blah," she continued. By that time I had him out of his seat, undressed & ready for yet another rectal reading.

"His fever is 103.5 now," I said. "Blah, blah, blah," she continued.

"I think his lips are turning purple. And his legs are purple & spotty."

"Hold on, I'll get the nurse...Go to the ER now."

"Bye."

OK, probably way more detail than you needed. But maybe when Alexander reads this in 20 years he will appreciate how quickly his Mama acted & want me to hold him, even when Papa is around:).

So, off we went. Papa was already at Wheeling Hospital for his appointment, but he silenced Mama when she called... I don't think he'll do that again. So I texted him, "Er." He didn't check that either, until he was getting into his car to leave...

Papa arrived just after they weighed the hot potato, 11.4 kilograms & poked his rump roast with some KY (Yep, i guess that is the preferred Wheeling Hospital brand. Talk about product placing.) 104.2*.

Then we had to listen to the addict next to us moan in "pain," requesting her drug of choice. Had to laugh when she peeked out of her door & walked nimbly down the corridor in her nightgown when no nurses were looking. I guess her pain wasn't a 10, like she had said...

Anyway. Nose swab; No flu. Chest X-ray; no pneumonia. Full body search; no rash. Fluid behind his ear; but no infection (yet). So, "it's just a virus." Well, we already kinda knew that, it was more the Febrile Seizure, that brought us to the ER.

About an hour after some extremely expensive ER Motrin, the babe's fever had only dropped to 103.5. After the nurse took it, she said "Uh oh. I better go tell the doctor." Well, geez. Luckily, they still discharged us. Two hours after the pricey ER Motrin, Z was only cooking at about 102.5.

So, we're home again. Motrin & Tylenol every 3 hours. The ER doc led us to believe that Virus' & 104 fevers shouldn't last more than 5 days, so hopefully we'll all be napping normal again by tomorrow. But, no swim lessons Saturday, I suspect.

The very efficient Aunt Jenn did some independent research while we were occupying ourselves with bedpans & dimmer switches, and reassured us that fever shakes or Febrile Seizures are fairly common with high fevers, but that once a babe's had one, more are likely.

So, let's just pray for bucking the trend!

104.6*

Well, we're paying the price.

The babe must have had a fabulous time@ Mardi Gras. So much so, he wanted to bring the good times home. Well, someone with a little more experience... ah hum, Papa?... should have explained that the parade throws can come home, but the feverish floats must stay in Louisiana.

Monday, after Mama & Zaney's first volunteering experience with Faith in Action for nearly a month, Zander woke up with a delirious fever of 103.3. We led Dr. Arch to believe the babe had just picked up a Fifth's Disease of Bourbon on Bourbon Street last week. So, no problem. Red cheeks will fade...

But Tuesday the little man's fever was up to 104.6 & his Rosy fever cheeks were gone. In we went. "Just another virus." The story of his short life; Just another virus.

Well, it's Wednesday. Mama thought maybe the fever had broke, so she let the Motrin lapse... bad idea. 104.7. (Aunt Jenn always said, probably just to make Mama feel better, that babies with high fevers are usually healthier when they grow older...)

So, Dr. Arch decided Amoxicillan would continue to end the story of the babe's life...

Unfortunately, Mama & babe's missed our airport/Ikea/Pirmani Bros date with Jenny Brown today. We didn't want to risk sending any illness back to J-ville to torment Dana Brown... Oh, how I miss me some crazy JB!

Daddy Knows Best

Daddy knows best. Surprisingly, it's true.

Papa's been preaching about getting the babes a miniature table & chair for months now, and after a very generous cash present from Mama Zoiya, we figured today was the day! So after swim lessons & a nap, we headed to Ikea.

Alexander, of course, LOVED helping Papa construct, AKA taste the new table!

What a great way to spend a Sunday evening. Unfortunately, we were a little late for the Swedish Meatball dinner, but at least we brought home an awesome Rattan chair, worm toy & table set!

Ah, did I mention Zander's new bedtime routine? Everyone knows Mama's a cuddler. And I've influenced the wee one. Yes, I'm a bad influence. I love it. But my babe, he's laid down to bed every night since our vacation... Awake, that's right, eyes wide open. Awake.

And, to top it all off, the babe has also messed up his time zones since we returned home. Yep, he's sleeping until 8 or 9am. Good stuff.

I wish I would wish a few hours East to Baby Charlotte... that girl's battling with reflux, colitis & siblings. Poor Aunt Jenn needs some sleep!

Tradition; TRADITION!

Alexander had so much fun yesterday, we decided to add swimming to our Sunday Morning Guacamole Tradition... It's a more creative way to wash off all the Guac after a delicious breakfast!

The Wet Pollywiggle

Alexander's scheduled February Swim Lessons got off to a slow start. The first lesson was canceled after ten inches of snow. And the second was postponed after Mama bought plane tickets to Mardi Gras.

But today Papa & Zander finally dove in! Well, Z kinda toddled around the deck for a while watching the older kids tied up with noodles. Then he tickled his big toe in the shallow end for a while and finally crawled down to the second step. The babe couldn't wiggle around it anymore, it was time to swim.

Zander was the littlest pollywog, so he didn't always follow along with the kicking, splashing, jumping & blowing, but he did great for being so young. After multiple bath time breakdowns with Baby Galya, we were pretty happy with Zander's tearless success...

Lessons are only 1x week, but hopefully Mama will break the snowy boredom a few snowy mornings or meet Papa after work for a quick splashdown.

Time Flies When You're Havin' Fun

Well, Alexander's first Mardi Gras was a great success! We caught some beads. Introduced the babes to all our best friends (or, at least the ones he hadn't met already). And familiarized him with some of the most delicious food in the lower 48.

Blake announced his engagement & his new job in Houston after a bottle of wine & some king cake shortly after we arrived. Congratulations Daddy Blake!

Yep, that's Baby Boris at the front of the crowd. The pink lady on the float called the babes to the front to personally hand him a little stuffed dog. Those scantily clad ladies sure like babies!

Our 2010 Spanishtown Krewe couldn't be beat. Everyone came out Saturday morning to bead with us. Lynn brought Bill. Ronnie & Ellen brought Melissa. Nette & Galya brought Vasya (for a minute). Blake brought Jennifer. And Leah & Dave brought Matt. We even bumped into some of Mama's old co-workers in the crowd! Good times.

After Spanishtown, the whole krewe, minus Lynn & Bill, headed to Dave & Leah's Chateau around the corner. Unfortunately, Nette, the babes & mama only hung out for a minute, before we had to start the long trek home to mid-town. Papa, on the other hand, had the distinct pleasure to hang out until the wee hours of the morn with all his old LSU pals.

I'm sure they were very glad to see us leave... Blake & Jennifer were teaching the little monkey an awful game of "smack-the-chip." What a mess!

I wish we could have hung out longer; I miss Leah & it was fun to see all of D's old buddies... but, there was a ghetto to walk through!

Luckily, an impromptu Birthday Lunch @ Sammy's brought most of us together again on Monday.

Sunday afternoon the German's invited us to their weekly family dinner. Z & G had so much fun playing in the backyard with PawPaw Craig. And Mama enjoyed some fabulous Valentine's Day Cheesecake. Yum.

Unfortunately, Vasya had to work nights all week, so we had to catch a ride back to mid-town with Nette's sister. Thank you so much!

Did I mention our walk through the aftermath of Spanishtown Sunday morning? As the store-owners pulled the beads out of their trees, the kiddos happily collected them. And I, of course, collected pictures of all the trash!

Our little family posing in front of the Tsunami fountain. I am shocked no one ran in!

Bathtime!

Home Sweet Home. I love these people!

Early in our visit we trekked out to Prairieville to visit Blitz & Dixie. Zander had so much fun, he passed out on the living room floor. But no worries, Dixie stood watch until we headed home...

After a long night for Papa @ Ronnie's and an even longer night for Mama, Nette & a bottle of wine... our 8am flight out of BR was canceled. So, while Papa napped on Vasya's couch, Nette & I took the kids to the brand-spanking-new City kid/dog park. We tired them out, which probably made the flight home a little easier.

When we finally got back to the airport @ 3pm, Nette was pulling her hair out & ready for us to go... just kiddin'. She misses us!


Luckily, our new air travel plans worked out well. We landed in 4 inches of tarmac snow in Pittsburgh around 8:30pm.

Papa had planned for the worst when he took the bus to the long-term parking. But luckily, the Prius was only covered in a few inches of snow. However, the cold had killed our 3 year-old battery. So after a call to the Parking Lot Super, and a $20 tip, we were on the move home...

Technically, we were moving, but not very fast. The roads were all covered in snow...Oh, to be home in Wild & Wonderful West Virginia...