Hand, Foot and Mouth...again!

 

Poor baby. No one should have to get this once, let alone twice!! Luckily, both times, his seemed to be pretty minimal though. I know his poor little mouth had sores on the inside, which was the worst part even though he didn't look bad from the outside. He was attached to his plug 24/7, but I can only imagine how awful his mouth hurt. We felt so bad and just tried to keep on the meds.

It all came on VERY quickly. We were with Cora and Liz at the Children's Discovery Museum having a great time when all of a sudden he became very sad. Well, Miss Cora didn't want him to take the wheel in the car at the museum and that made him mad and then upset. But, I have not seen him cry like that before. He was soooo sad. As I was hugging him, I realized that he was on fire. Once we got home, I took his temp and it was 102. He took an almost 4 hour nap and when he woke up, it was down to 100. The next morning we took it and it was normal, but he just looked sicky. His eyes were red and puffy and knowing his history with ear infections, we didn't want to chance it. We also really thought it was just teeth because he would take his plug out and point to his mouth and say, "ow".  Besides that, he was acting completely fine, but better safe than sorry. We took him to Prompt Care and sure enough, he had a mild ear infection in his right ear. So, we thought we did a good job being proactive.

Fast forward to Monday morning. Darin called me at work to let me know that it looked like Jameson had bitten his lips overnight. I instantly thought, oh no, it's hand, foot and mouth. I asked Darin to take a look and he said there were no other red bumps anywhere and it really just looked like he had bitten his lips. An hour later, he called back to tell me there were bumps around his mouth now and it was definitely HFM. Ugh. Poor kid. I have NO clue where he could have picked this up seeing as how he isn't in daycare. But, it would be our luck that he got it from Target or the Grocery store or something! We continued on the meds to ease his pain. And, it was kind of nice because Darin and I took turns staying home that week, so we got in lots of Jameson time. The bumps never got bad at all - just a few around his mouth and what looked like a mild little rash around his shoulders. By Thursday, he was back to normal and the bumps were barely visible.

Hopefully, this will be the last time HFM visits our household. I always feel so bad when he is in pain like that and there is nothing I can do or say to make it better. Luckily, he can understand us better now, so we can try to explain things a little better. And, better yet, he is old enough to have ice cream, which can make anyone feel better :). 

Poor little sicky eyes and bumpy mouth!

Bumpy chest and arms.

Still happy though!!

And, now he stole my camera and was having some fun!

Hanging out with Mom watching some Hot Dog (Mickey).

Chillin'!

One Minute Can Change Everything

We have all been there. We have had that one experience that changed our lives forever. You wake up the same person you have always been, but go to sleep a different person because of one single event that happened during the day that changed you forever. Most of us have probably had a few - both good and bad - throughout our lives. I know I am blessed to say that I have had a multitude of positive experiences that have transformed my life and shaped who I have become today.  Family vacations to Florida every summer. Dairy Queen outings every Friday with my Dad after school. Seeing my name on the cheerleading list in 6th grade (yes, that was a defining moment for a 12 year old!).  My parents always supporting me and cheering me on no matter what throughout my whole life. Having an amazing sister to turn to for everything. Getting accepted into U of I and then ISU for Grad School. Accepting my first job and moving to Minneapolis with Darin. All of the many conversations/phone calls I have had with my Mom throughout the years. Darin proposing to me in front of our families. My Dad and I holding hands tightly as he walked me down the aisle to give me away to my future husband, all of us with happy tears in our eyes. Saying, "I Do" and feeling like a Princess on my wedding day. Being welcomed into the Weber family with open arms. Becoming an Aunt. And, of course, holding my sweet baby boy and looking into his eyes for the first time. These are all moments that make my heart leap. They bring me back to a place that is filled with nothing but happiness and excitement.

Of course, with the good comes the bad. I also distinctly remember NOT making cheerleading in 8th grade (as a dramatic 14 year old, yes, my life was over).  My parents letting me know that a grandparent had passed. Receiving the call that one of my best friend's dad passed away. Having to say goodbye to our family pets when it was their time. Getting the call that one of my dearest friend's husband had passed. My parents sitting my sister and me down to tell us that Mom had been diagnosed with cancer.  The call from my Dad to let me know that my sweet little niece, Lauren, had gotten her angel wings before we would get the chance to meet her. All of these events hover over me like a swarm of black fog. I can seriously feel the emotions I felt during each of these events and it is no less painful each time I remember. I know that life is full of surprises, both good and bad, and that these are the types of events that can make or break us.

I recently had two more of these experiences. To my surprise, I found out I was pregnant in April. Darin and I were shocked, but thrilled. However, the pregnancy was not progressing correctly and the loss started on Mother's Day (yeah, that seems fair). We were both upset, but knew that the timing wasn't right or that something just wasn't right with the baby. I accepted that and moved on - wasn't sure I was ready for 2 kids under 2 anyway. Fast forward a little less than 2 months and surprise, I find myself pregnant again. This time everything seemed perfect. We felt confident, my levels were perfect and we saw the baby and its beautiful heartbeat twice. On Monday, September 10, in just one blink of an eye, our world was turned upside down. I went to the doctor just to check on the baby only to find out there was no heartbeat at 10 weeks.  I replay that conversation over and over in my head and see that tiny little baby on the screen when I shut my eyes at night. Why did this happen? I just don't understand. I have a healthy marriage to a man whom I love so deeply. We have amazing families who would drop anything for me, Darin and Jameson (and even Hoyt!). If you read just one line from any of my blog posts, you will see how insanely deep my love for my child is and I know I have more of that to share. So, why? Why? Why? My body showed no signs this was coming and we had just seen a healthy baby not even two weeks before. I honestly felt my heart break in that instant and the pain is so paralyzing that it is hard to move forward at times.

Even though the pain is so raw right now and I am angry, devastated and confused, I have to understand that things just happen. There doesn't have to be a reason for everything. However, I have to have faith that this is all part of the bigger picture and I will someday maybe understand why these things happen when they do. Case in point: 42 years ago yesterday, my Dad stepped on a booby trap in Vietnam. He spent time in the hospital, but had the strength to fight. One slight change in that day's events and maybe my Dad wouldn't be here today, nor would I or Lindsay, Braden, Madison or Jameson and my Mom's world would be completely different. I am sure my Dad has reflected on this experience a million times throughout his life and I am sure he would tell you that one minute changed him forever. I am definitely thankful that things happened the way they did that day and it is a beautiful reminder that life does not always happen how you want it to - it just happens and you have to go with it or it will break you.

I look around me - at the pain and joy people feel each day. And, then I look at my sweet Jameson and my blessed life and know that I have no control over the good and the bad that happens in life. I can pray, I can go to church, I can be a good person and bad things still happen. Such is life. It is what I do with the experiences that define me. Whenever I feel that paralyzing fog approaching, I just look at what I have and know that it will all fall into place how it should - all in perfect order. I can also look to my sister, my Mom and my Dad and draw inspiration from their strength. I do have faith that one day we will be blessed with our rainbow baby. Until then, I will lean on my amazing family, husband and in-laws and love/squeeze the heck out of Jameson, as he truly is my sunshine through the dark clouds. It is pretty incredible how my world is instantly brighter with him by my side. And, because of him, I have faith that things really do work in perfect order.

My Hero!



Dad in action!

The sunshine in the darkness!

Blessed.



Hard to be mad at the world when you look at that face!

Don't know what I would do without them!

My everything.



Always in my heart.
Lauren
BW #2
BW #3

18 Months - Happy Half Birthday J Man!!!

No way. I cannot possibly be writing this blog post already. I must be doing my math wrong or something. 18 months?! Wow! I adore this age. Jameson talks all of the time - repeats everything, tells us what he wants (for the most part!), says please and thank you, gives us hugs and kisses all of the time, makes animal sounds, dances all of the time, and is just plain awesome! As usual, he changed a ton over the past month, learning new things everyday. This post is going to focus a lot on words because he has expanded his vocab by a ton and has perfected some of the words he has been saying for months.

• I need to do your height and weight because your Mom is terrible and didn't schedule your 18 month appointment enough ahead of time and it isn't until the 25th. But, I would imagine you are hanging out around 26-26.5 pounds and 33.5 inches.
• You love to hide and then pop out and say "boo". Peek-a-boo at its finest!
• You have started walking on your knees a lot - it's pretty funny, but I am always nervous you are going to topple forward onto your face! You think it's pretty funny too.
• You do what we call "maniac on the floor" with your legs/body. It's hilarious and we sing "He's a maniac, maniac on the floor" to you and you just giggle!
• We listen to Toddler Tunes quite a bit and you are a dancing fool. Watching you dance brightens my day and makes me smile ear to ear. You have to have the surround sound on though and have figured out how to turn it on!
• During the week, I guess you like to nap on the big bed and when you wake up, you call for Ray or Gmas (depending on where you are). What's funny is you call for them sometimes when you wake up in the morning or from a nap when you are at home with me and Dad!
• You are VERY opinionated. You want something and you think you should get it right that second! It's a tough age because patience is not something you have developed yet, but we are trying to teach you as best as possible...but a lot of the time you manage to get your way :).
• You seem much older than you are. Gma Debbie and I were talking about this the other day. You can say so many things and you understand so much that sometimes I forget that you are still so little!
• You love apples right now. We were at the grocery store and you saw the apples while we were checking out and said apples on repeat - the bagger thought it was simply amazing that a kid could love apples so much!
• You sometimes like carrots and cucumbers in raw form. Sometimes.
• You also love blueberry pancakes and will ask for pa-cakes.
• I forgot to mention a few months ago that you actually like to eat "chip-n-dip" or chips and salsa as commonly referred to. It's pretty funny to watch you eat it!
• No matter how hard we try to move the toys away from the couch/ottoman, you have figured out how to pick them up and move them to use them as step stools. You can also pretty much just climb up on the furniture by yourself!
• Sometimes if I ask you to smile, you will. But, of course not when we are getting your pictures taken!
• You will go grab a diaper and say "biper" and hand it to us if you need a diaper change. Not always, but it's a step in the right direction! And, in the last few weeks, you have gone potty in the potty and actually told me once that you had to go! We are still a long way off and I am not going to push potty training, but I am super proud of you already!
• You love to collect walnuts, bugs and pine cones at Ray and Gma Debbie's. You line them up in a nice little pattern...you make your Daddy so proud!
• You are really sweet and like to feed your stuffed animals your milk/water/treats. It's very sweet!
• Whenever you see a little red spoon, you start saying ice cream and then run to the freezer...I think we eat Dairy Queen too much! However, you really don't eat much ice cream whenever we get it for you.
• You went to your 2nd Cubs game! Overall, you did amazingly well! Another blog post will follow on that adventure!
• You got to meet your 2nd cousin, Avery and you were so good with her! You kept making sure she had enough blankets and had her hats! You are so good with babies!
• You saw your first rainbow and kept pointing up in the sky saying "way-bow!".
• You are still obsessed with our toothbrushes and know exactly where to find them! And, you get BEYOND excited when you see them.
• You try to count. I swear after I say "one", you say two, free, foh. Probably just Mommy ears, but it's still pretty impressive!

OK, onto the vocab:

• Words/Sentences that you can say perfectly now:
• Mommy
• Daddy (you exaggerate the Y on both Mommy and Daddy!)
• Puppy
• Doggy
• Hoyt - you kind of make his name two syllables. It's super cute.
• Thank you - still sounds a little like tank you, but you say it all of the time! Every time we hand you something or do something for you, you say it. LOVE!
• People - this is tough and you say it clear as day!
• Arrow - we learned this at the Jump Spot during one of the circuits!
• Here you go/There you go!
• Let's go!
• Heart  - you can correctly identify this shape and say it perfectly!
• Pig - and you have started snorting like a pig and it's way too adorable.
• Turkey - more like toorkey, but very close.
• Gobble Gobble
• Bug - and when you say "bug", you stick your tongue out and open your hands real big like you are grossed out even though you really like bugs.
• Airplane - it's not quite perfect, but very easy to understand what you are saying because it's so close.  Sounds a little like ice cream too though!
• Milk - you have been saying this perfectly for awhile, but you have suddenly started using two syllables when you say it...it's so funny! Here is a video - doesn't quite do it justice, but you can get an idea!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUtkwCRlnK0
• Popcorn
• Car - and you usually say "beep beep!".
• Truck - sometimes it's more like Twuck, but you point to the trucks when we pass them in the car!
• Bus: you also point to school buses in the morning in the car.
• Caillou: yep, you can say this perfectly. We hardly ever watch this because it drives your dad and me nuts, but for some reason, you love him! I hummed like three notes of the theme song and you yelled "Caillou" and pointed to the TV. Crazy!
• Oh No/Oh Man/Oh Dear - I think we have traumatized you because you say these phrases all of the time! And, you sound so distraught when you say Oh No! Oh Man is pretty funny and Oh dear is usually only when someone (Ray) prompts you to say it.
• Oh Boy! - This is recent and is the CUTEST thing ever! When we say yes to something or ask if you want to go somewhere/do something, you will say "oh boy!" and then run around. A-dor-able.
• You say "up" all of the time. If you want out of your crib, out of your highchair, want someone to stand up, etc. It's so cute because you exaggerate the "p" sound!
• Pull - you have started saying this and pulling us when you want us to move or when you want something to open/move. It's pretty smart because we have always told you "pull" when you play with certain toys that require it. You have clearly picked that up and now apply it to different things now! Just didn't think you would apply it to a human, but it's still cute!

More words/sentences:

• Dad started this thing with you during bath time where he says "Oh ____" and then fills in the blank with a family member. It is sooo entertaining and you are so good at saying everyone...except for a few tough ones. The best ones are Oh Drakey, which is "Oh Cakey". And, Oh Jeremy, which is "Oh Mayme"! We also love that you change Oh Grandpa to "Oh Pawpaw", Oh Grandma to "Oh Maamaw", Oh Nicole to "Oh Cole" and Oh Rowan to "Oh Ro Ro". You have a hard time with Lindsay and Madison, so we will continue to work on them! Derek is also pretty funny, but I won't write out what that one sounds like!
• Gapagapagapagapagapa: we have NO idea what this noise is, but you will say it a lot and smile. It's hilarious, so we say it with you because it's fun. Thought maybe gobble gobble, but that's not it!
• Ro-rah: I thought you were saying Laura forever until I figured out you were saying Dora! And, you can say Backpack and Boots perfectly.
• Pacca - pasta
• Folk - Fork.
• Ice - you say it more like "eyes", but whenever you hear the ice machine, you get really excited and point to the fridge and say "ice".
• We have taught you to say "so smart" and it comes out a bit like "so smah".  
• I taught you to say "Go Illini!". Sounds more like No Nigh Nigh! But, cute nonetheless.
• You can kind of say pine cone. Not sure how to write it out though!
• Ice cream - it's more like "eye cweam", but we know exactly what you mean!
• Pug = plug. We have created a monster - you now say "pug peeze" and how the heck are we supposed to say no to that cuteness?! You have gotten more attached to that plug recently, but we are still trying to keep it just for naps/night/car rides and when you are sick. Definitely not weaning at 18 months like I thought I would. However, here is my thinking. You are one amazing little dude. You are super smart and the brightest ray of sunshine. So, if having a plug is the worst of our worries, I am totally OK with that. Maybe we will try at 2!

Your Dad and I were just talking before bed last night about how great you are. You make us smile/laugh a million times a day! You are a tough cookie to deal with sometimes, but that is nothing in comparison to how sweet, smart and down right funny you are!! We love you - Happy 18 Month Birthday, Bean!


18 month informal photo session!

 

 

Yeah, it's sad how small your bear is now!
Had to pull him back out for the 18 month photo shoot!

Peek-a-boo!

Taking a break, hanging out on the kitchen floor.



E-I-E-I-OOOO!





Showing his awesome dance moves! HA!



Classic Jameson meltdown.



Both Mom AND Dad's toothbrushes...score!!

He looks so BIG here!

Had to get a picture of his curls on his 18 month bday! Love.

Photos from the last month...as usual, I have a ton to show.

Getting so good at using a fork!

Mmmm, toast!

Best buddies!

Giving Baby M some kisses!

Love.



Uh-oh, we have another Amp Junkie in the family...guess he wants to be
like Daddy! (this was rinsed and totally empty!)



Drinking out of a big boy cup!



Resting.



He LOVES wrecking Daddy's block towers!

Jameson and "Cakey"



Being silly at Madison's baptism!



Bubble bath!

Lol! I swear I feed this kid.



Practicing for Illini tailgates!

Trying to steal Gma's keys!

Box boy! Who knew this could be so much fun?!
 



Oh I think these two are going to get in some trouble over the years!
 

So, are these two!
 

Playing with pine cones and walnuts...notice how neatly they are piled?!
 

Mmm, popsicle!
 

Walking on the knees!!
 

Meeting Baby Avery...just peeking to make sure she was OK.


 

Oh you know, just making a weekly grocery list.
Ahh, this is by far one of my favorite pictures!


 

Digging into some apples!



Happy Birthday to Ray!

We had to get creative with activities during a rainy weekend!
 

Enjoying a popsicle on a hot day!



SUPER Cousins!



Enjoying some apples at the zoo with Gma Debbie and Ray!
Little chipmunk!
 



Oh, we have so much fun!!