Snow and Spaghetti

More snow is currently falling.  One of my friends decided to call this storm SnOverkill.  Maybe we'll get off of work tomorrow and get to play with daddy's new snow thrower again.  Fun!  We really need to go sledding on the big hill, maybe tomorrow.  I know I really want to experience the hill and think Roo would love it.  We'll probably take both boys out on the sled for a short ride, they should enjoy that.

And speaking of things the boys enjoy....spaghetti night is a family favorite.  On the way home from work today Roo said that he wanted spaghetti night because it would make him happy.  So spaghetti night it was!

SnOMG!

That was a lot of snow we got.  Daddy got a snow thrower the day before the snow and was able to clean off our driveway really quickly and help some neighbors get out as well.  We baked healthy muffins and brownies (not healthy), we ate, we super bowl partied, we were cooped up in the house for yet another weekend, we played in the snow, we took Roo on his first sled ride and we had a snowball fight...we did a lot.  The snow was beautiful and other than being cooped up in the house was tolerable and we were lucky enough to keep our power.  The neighborhood dues that pay in part for plowing are totally worth it.  But I hear we have more snow ahead.

Bedtime, Love Bug Style

Awhile back I shared some pictures of the boys running around in Love Bug's room at bedtime.  Now when Roo and daddy leave to go to Roo's room and read book, Love Bug insists on going too.  He'll actually bang on his door and cry until you let him out and then once you open the door he toddles as fast as he can to Roo's room.  Once he's in Roo's room he snuggles right in with Roo and Daddy who are usually on Roo's super big stuffed dog reading books.  It's super cute and Love Bug won't go to bed until he gets his cuddle time.  I never imagined when Daddy gave him the Love Bug nickname that it would be so true.  What a cute little bug :)

Love Letters

Dear Baxter,

We all love you very much.  

Love Bug says that you are the best in the whole world to cuddle with.   He loves snuggling up with you at night and can't wait until you can sleep on his bed one day when he is older. 

Roo says that you are fun to play house with and that he also really likes to make sure you are clean. 

Both boys told us that you make them feel better when they're not feeling well and that you're fun to feed their extra food to.  

Even though you lick too much and your farts are increasingly stinky, you're the best dog ever! Thanks for being such a great dog and making your boys so happy.

Love,

Your Human Family

xoxo

Roo is a Battery

Roo did nothing at all yesterday, nothing, just laid there.  

But that energy just didn't disappear, oh no, he got it all out tonight (daddy said during the day today too).  I could not believe how much energy that kid had.  Oh my.  I'm always amazed by the energy he has, but tonight, wow.

Lesson learned, when Roo is sick and he is lethargic, that energy does not disappear, it is being stored for a later date, watch out!

Mother Nature Wins

Warm then cold then snow and more snow.  Such a great recipe for getting sick.  And sick we have gotten.

Mommy was sick with the worst sore throat ever last week and it looks like I gave my sickness to Roo.  He wasn't acting himself yesterday and our sitter said he was coughing during the day and a little that evening.  When he went to bed last night he ended up having a few coughing fits that really upset him that just made them worse.  Daddy ended up sleeping on the futon in the playroom with Roo and that really helped calm him down.  

Daddy stayed home with him today and cleaned the germs out of the house and then took him to the doctor.  Roo now has some steroids to help his croup and should hopefully feel better tomorrow.  We're still expecting tonight to be a long night.  Hopefully the two humidifiers in his room give him enough steam to keep his throat clear.  It's really sad watching sick Roo, he's lost his spirit, can barely talk and is just really not himself.  You'd never think he would come to a stand still with the energy he has!  

So, we give up; mother nature, you win as usual and we wish Mr. Groundhog declared that spring would be here shortly.  But alas, more snow is due tonight and this weekend.  In the meantime, lets keep our fingers crossed that we get a day off of work from all of this. 

Hopefully we'll have some pictures of Roo sledding and snow castles this coming weekend. Sledding sounds like fun!

Great News

Today was a wonderful day for Love Bug.  We went to Children's Hospital to meet with Dr. Gibbons in the Urology Department to discuss his Love Bug's kidney.  Our new doctor, Dr. Bradshaw told us that there was probably nothing to worry about but to follow up with a urologist just to be sure.  If you've been following this, essentially, when I was pregnant with Love Bug they found that one of his kidney's ureter's was dilated.  The ureter is where the urine exits the kidney, and if it backs up, it could cause renal fullness leading to things like UTI's or more serious kidney issues.

Love Bug had his first ultrasound a few weeks after birth where our old doctor, who I won't name, said she'd consult with a urologist to find out what the results meant for his kidney.  I don't think this ever happened, so we were lead to believe that he still had this problem for about the last year until our new doctor accurately read the results of the ultrasound and honestly discussed the results with a urologist and to be sure she was correct recommended we see a pediatric urologist.

So fast forward to today's visit to Children's and the doctor telling us that Love Bug's kidney's are both perfect, growing really nicely and that they've been just fine since his very first ultrasound at just a few weeks old!  He said that the ureter's aren't completely normal but they're not at all abnormal and that there's nothing to worry about and no follow up required.  I couldn't have been happier with the news!  The appointment was short and sweet and Love Bug was good the entire day.

We're so happy that the kidney thing is resolved and that his GI issues appear to be gone.  Now I just need to learn how to not beat myself up so much for not switching to our new pediatrician sooner and eventually not have so much anger towards our old doctor.  But for today, we're celebrating the great news and strides we've made in the last few months!

Time to focus on potty training Roo.....

Catching Up

I'm a little behind with the blogging but have lots to share.  

Over the holidays Juice Jam was in town and Roo and I went to visit with her.  We met up at the mall and took Roo to the play area.  Roo put on his new "Uncle Matt's School" jacket before we left and Roo was excited to meet this friend named Juice Jam.  

We practiced her name in the car and he was really shy when he first met her.  He warmed up quickly and showed off his jumping and sliding skills in the play/germ area.  I think of the mall play area as one big germ infestation.  Juice made fun of me at first and then quickly agreed on my assessment.  After playing in the play area, we walked over to the cookie stand and got a cookie for Roo and a cookie for mommy.  Roo thought mommy's cookie looked much better than his, so I let him have it.  Juice encouraged him to get really messy.  He got an A+ for that effort!  It was great to see Juice and Roo had a blast, we can't wait to hang out again! 

Love Bug had a fever last weekend that we figured was more molars coming in.  3 days later, his fever broke and he was covered in a rash.  Hooray for Roseola.  Nothing huge to worry about and it didn't require a trip to the doctor.  Just made him miserable but all things considered could have been a lot worse.  We didn't do his normal skin regime so once the rash was gone his eczema was pretty bad in a few spots.  It's all looking a lot better now and we can cross Roseola off the list for both boys.

Love Bug's walking has really taken of in the last few weeks.  His balance is getting better every day and he's just as happy as can be walking around.  But, with walking comes those first few walking accidents.  You can see Love Bug's result from his first big accident where he fell and hit the leg of the end table with his head.

I've been testing out a lot of new recipes.  My friend Michele from high school has a great blog where she posts all of her recipes.  She had one for Blueberry Applesauce Muffins.  They use whole wheat flour and only have a tiny bit of oil and sugar in them.  They turned out great and it seems that Love Bug absolutely loves them.  He's been eating one or two per sitting.  I made a double batch of them today so he has them for the week.  This is sure to become a staple in our house and they're really healthy!

One of the biggest events from over the holidays was Baxter's vacation to Uncle Matt's house.  Uncle Matt has his own place now and is trying to figure out if he wants a dog.  We thought Baxter would give him a good test run, daddy also thought that if Uncle Matt really wanted, he could keep Baxter.  Crazy, I know!  Well, it didn't last long.  I really missed B and Roo eventually missed him and then Daddy decided he missed him too.  But worse, Uncle Matt said Baxter would pace around by the door at around 430 in the afternoon every day and when no one would come home he would cry.  Poor Baxter missed his boys!  He's done this with me when I've been alone with him in the afternoon.  No doubt, Baxter definitely thinks he's a human.  

When went and got him from Uncle Matt, who took really good care of him and returned him very nicely groomed.  And when we got home, Roo took some time to clean him a little more and made sure that he got a really warm welcome.  Today he let Baxter into his hangout he made and gave him a big hug.  Baxter wanted nothing more than to escape!  Silly boys!

Oh, and Roo spent the afternoon cleaning all of those chairs in the picture.  He had a blast and they looked great when he was done!

I think that's it for now!

Bath and Bedtime Fun