Alex turns 2! (And other things)

(Written on Sunday Jan. 31st:)

Happy Birthday, Munchkin!

The poor chap is sick. He got a fever Friday evening and hasn't been fever-free much since then. Motrin and Tylenol take it down for awhile, but it always rises again. And he seems to be getting worse instead of better. He's got the fever, he's lethargic, doesn't care to eat and says he's cold a lot. He's into cuddles and, of course, is wanting to nurse more. The five of us (Gracie the cat included) had a snuggle this morning in our queen sized bed. While we were laying there, we took Alex's temp - 103.0. Then the Motrin kicked in and he ran around acting normal (though he still felt warm to the touch). Around lunchtime, you could tell the Motrin was losing its effectiveness. He started losing energy, and almost fell asleep on Biju's shoulder. He wouldn't eat his lunch, so we just gave him his dose of Tylenol and I took him to his room. I sat on his rocking chair with him and took his temp again. 103.9 under the armpit! Ack! I called the doctor on call for the weekend and he suggested taking him to Immediate Care. As Biju put it, there is nothing immediate about Immediate Care. We decided to put him down for his nap and just keep an eye on him. I've checked on him twice and he still feels warm, but not as hot as before.
In the meantime, Ajay and I made his birthday cake! It smells delish, and I just hope it tastes as good. I need to get my hands on some powdered sugar so I can make the frosting. Ajay is excited about decorating it and putting the candles on.
(Written Feb 2:)
Well it's been a busy couple of days, so I'll attempt to finish up this post now!
Alex and Ajay helped to put sprinkles on the cake. Ajay ate his up. Alex didn't even take a bite.
Alex LOVES his birthday present. We went to see the pediatrician yesterday. Doc seems to think it's walking pneumonia again. We've got the same medicine that he was on back in November when he had it the first time. He had a fever throughout yesterday, but so far today, he doesn't feel warm - and he's acting like the goofball he is, so that is a good sign! Still isn't into food much, though. We'll just keep praying for continued improvement.
We're so proud of our little two-year-old. He weighs 25lbs on a good day, and is about 32.5 inches tall. He talks like a 3 year old, I'm sure of it. He can hold down his end of a conversation and easily makes 4-6 word sentences. This helps cut down on the temper tantrums, as he's able to tell us what he wants/whats going on. Ajay can't get away with things anymore, as Alex has learned (from big brother) how to tattle. And Alex can't lie, yet, so Brother gets busted quite often!
He enjoys dancing around the room with Ajay. We often have kid-music playing (we love our library!) and they'll do their herky-jerky moves that make us laugh. He's a shy flirt and it usually takes him awhile to warm up to new situations. He's not quite as outgoing as Ajay is, but I still think he tends to be more extroverted than introverted.

The cake didn't turn out as pretty as I'd hoped (still tasted good, though!). Two different piping bags (er, Ziplock baggies) burst open as I was trying to decorate it. So I gave up and just dolloped the rest of the icing around the side.

As you can see, he was mesmerized by the candles!



As for other things, here are some snaps of random pics taken since the last time I posted miscellaneous updates.

Ajay tried his hand at melted crayon prints. I got the idea from here. We took a hot-plate of sorts, put some aluminum foil on it and turned it to low. Once it was warm, we took crayons and drew on the aluminum. Afterward, we took a piece of paper, placed it over the drawing, pressed down with a hot glove, and viola! Artwork!

Drawing on the foil:


Pressing the paper to the foil:


Ever so enthusiastically showing off his art:


After melting crayons, Ajay had some fun outside - it was one of those days when it was actually NICE to be outside! And what better way to play than to use a lopped off branch as an army rifle?


When we were last ill (all of us), we ended up giving Shelly and her family the stomach bug. So one day last week we kept Kyleigh for the day so Shell could get some rest. Kyleigh and Alex enjoyed each others company so much they didn't even fight (much)!

They sat on the swing for a bit after we dropped Ajay off at school:



They sat inside this cool expandable ball:



Ajay came home from school and played, then Paige came over w/ Carrick (this was when he was working on our computer). The kids had made up a nest of sorts out of the over-turned footstool and stuffed buddies.



The next day while Carrick was still working on our computer virus, Audrey came over for a little visit, too. She's over 6 weeks already! She's still having a hard time keeping her eyes focused!



More snow!! The boys wanted to go out and play. This was last Friday. Alex ended up getting his fever later this night. I hope it didn't have to do with playing in the snow, this is a child's rite of passage!






Here is our lil patient getting some rest on Saturday before I left for Topeka for a Norwex party:



Here is a photo of Ajay that Alex took:



Even though Alex was feeling sickly, he still felt well enough (with the help of Tylenol and Motrin) to play Superhero with Big Brother!



Another indoor activity Ajay and I did was our own version of "Air Hockey." He must've seen some children's show freeze water, as he had poured some water into a little bowl and stuck it in the freezer. He knocked the ice out of the bowl and thought it resembled a hockey puck. So we used some of the toys from Alex's new Clippo set, got out a metal cookie sheet, and had a little friendly competition!



And now you're pretty much caught up on the family. Be sure to check in later for more random bits of information!! (And feel free to leave a comment, or click on the little boxes below. I love to hear back from people and get a feel as to who all has visited the blog!)

Another virus....

.....but this virus was in our computer. BIL Carrick came over to do some magic on the sick machine and, over a matter of two days and probably 5-6 hours, got the problem taken care of. I was quite distraught over not having access to our computer as I've got three Norwex parties to present this weekend. This little box is also my window to the outside world and a great way to keep in contact with everyone. We now have AVG on our computer. We had used McAfee for awhile but it bogged everything down and was like working through mud. Carrick says AVG is much lighter and faster, and so far, it is! I feel better knowing that our computer is protected.
It's so good to be back!

The Flu - Part 2

Warning: This post is not for anyone with a weak stomach!
We've got the flu in the house. Nasty little germ.
Of course we didn't know we had a bug on Tuesday when my sister brought her girls over for a play date. Now it seems both families have it.
I started feeling a little queasy yesterday (Wed) morning. Ajay went to school, feeling fine, but mentioning an upset stomach. It was hard for me to know if he really did have an upset tum or if he was just saying it 'cuz I was saying it. Over the course of the day, I got progressively worse. After lunch (I didn't eat!) Alex went down for his nap and I turned on Kung Fu Panda for Ajay. I camped out on the couch, wearing sweats and covered by two blankets. I still felt cold, and had goose bumps. Yet I didn't feel feverish. It was odd. Once Ajay's movie was over, I got him set up at the computer, where he stayed, playing PBS all afternoon. Biju took complete care of the boys in the evening, getting their dinner, tidying up with them, getting them in their pajamas. They knelt by the couch so I could say bedtime prayers with them, then he tucked them in. Biju's stomach seemed to be feeling "a little funny," too. As any parent knows, it just won't do to have two sick parents!
I moved from the couch to the bed a little after 10, and 2.5 hours later, Ajay came in crying "Mommy! I spit up on my pillow!" Well the sweetheart may have used the more gentle term "spit up" but it was the real deal!! I was still weak and feeling ill, so Biju had to take care of the situation. We set Ajay up on the love seat, and I decided to sleep on the couch to be near him. We put a bowl in between the couches "just in case." About ten minutes after we were all settled in, Ajay made a beeline for the bathroom. At least this time it made it into the designated spot!!
This morning, we all had a piece of dry toast, and Biju ran to Quik Trip to get us some Gatorade before he left for work. Alex has mentioned "Tummy. Hurt." but has been acting normal. I kept Ajay home from school, but he seems to be feeling fairly decent (though when I ask how his tummy is he says it still bothers him). With my toast, I was able to take a Tylenol and I feel SOO much better. My joints don't ache anymore and my headache is gone. I was able to put fresh sheets onto Ajay's bed, and have plans of (slowly, bit by bit) doing the dishes. I'll also be washing the laundry to get rid of any lingering germs!
I'm feeling a lot better and I'm hoping to eat some lunch when it comes time. If all goes well, I think I'll even be able to attend my Bunco gathering tonight! I'll just be sure to gargle with Listerine before I head out, and I'll take hand sanitizer with me :) I know the ladies I play Bunco with won't want any part of my flu germs!
My apologies to Shelly and her crew. I hope the girls feel better soon! Maybe everyone will just get the 24-hour version!
(By the way, the Flu - Part 1 version took place back at the beginning of November. However I was the only one who got the flu. The others were lucky enough not to come down with what I had)
Here's hoping everyone else is keeping healthy!!

The Bedroom Experiment

We've moved the boys back to seperate rooms. We think they'll both sleep better this way!!

Ice Skating!

Our local PBS station had a big birthday bash today. We heard one could gain free admittance to the ice skate center if one brought in a new children's book. We happened to have a couple of those lying around the house that I weren't given away at Christmas, so Ajay and I headed out to see what kind of damage we could cause! We got our skates on and headed out onto the ice. It didn't take long for Ajay to end up face down on the cold stuff! And then he was there again. And again. I lost count of how many times he fell, but he was always ready to get up and try again. I heard serveral "Mom, I'm doing it!" 's. It took the both of us about 20 minutes to make one full round. And that was that. He was ready to get out of the rink. So we got our shoes back on and headed to the upper level, where there was cake and juice, bubbles, face painting, and balloon animals! What else could a preschooler ask for??

As we checked in, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George were there to greet us.



We locked up our street shoes and hobbled around in our ice skates. We're lucky neither one of us broke an ankle! Ajay took this pic of me - I wasn't sure if I was in the shot, so I squatted down a bit. It looks a bit awkward!



Ajay wasn't afraid to get out there! Oh to be a kid again!







A little video clip to watch:



We got to visit the Bubble Man and Troubles the Clown. These are characters Ajay has seen on T.V. so he was thrilled to see them in person. However, the cat did get his tongue as they asked him questions. Here is Ajay standing inside a bubble, and with his balloon sword and helmet (these both popped about 5 minutes after he got them, so we waited in line again for a second sword).



And although this lil feller wasn't a part of our ice skating birthday party, he came to sit on a tree branch in our backyard last week and I wanted to share him with you. What a beauty! (He or She, I'm not entirely sure!)

These cold days

I don't need to mention how cold it is, do I?? Most of you are stuck in the midst of it all with us. I don't mind winter with its chilly weather and pretty snow. But when Old Man Winter feels the need to move the North Pole to my living area, I can't say I'm thrilled with his decision!! These bitterly cold winds that bite into your face (since thats usually all that is left exposed after you bundle up) have me wishing Ajay was homeschooled just so we wouldn't have to go outside!

Alex all bundled up to watch some good ole PBS:



Ajay got some snow pants for Christmas (army, no less!) so he has gone out a couple times this week. Usually he throws a fit when I say its time to come in, but he doesn't argue as much when the wind chill is below 0. I think he was using the piece of ice in his hands as a harmonica? You can never be sure what is going through the imagination of a child.



To help keep the boys occupied and out of trouble, I gave them some jobs to do. Alex is attempting to open a can of beans, and Ajay is peeling carrots. Doing a pretty good job, too!

I caught the boys playing nicely together the other day. Doing something with dinosaurs. There was a lot of roaring going on.

The van showed it was 2 degrees (F) as I drove Ajay to school this morning. I don't know what the wind chill was. I can't wait until its back in the 30's again! (And for those of you who have even colder weather, or snow drifts that are limiting your mobility, I really feel for ya!!)

Time to vote!

I've recently discovered a feature Blogger offers. I can put little polls on the side of my blog. If you look to the right of your screen, you can see that my first poll question has to do with resolutions. Please be sure to vote! For those of you who read this via e-mail, I think you'll have to come to the blog's website to cast your vote. This particular poll will end on the 9th of Jan. I'll try to keep current and update my questions weekly, so be sure to vote then come back again later in the week to see the results!
Also, feel free to click on the little comment buttons at the bottom of the post, and/or leave comments under the "Your thoughts" section! I'd love to hear from all of you!

New Year Excitement!

Welcome, 2010!

The family had quite the exciting New Year's Eve.

I made up a little bean dip (combined a few recipes from online) and we loaded up the boys to head over to the church of a friend. We had yummy tacos (I want the recipe for the meat!) and lots of tastey dips and other side dishes. I even let the boys have some orange soda pop as a special treat! They didn't eat the "real" food very well, but sure did enjoy the goodies on the sweets table! They ran around playing with all the other children there while Biju and I played a very long game of Balderdash with others. We kept getting interrupted by parents (ourselves included) checking on children, grabbing a fresh plate of snacks, changing diapers (yeah, that one was Alex). Once we finally finished (congrats to Michelle, Ms. Green Jello!) we started in on Catch Phrase. It was boys against girls. We took note at 11:59 that it was "that time," greeted the new year, and kept on playing. The final score was Boys: 2 wins, Girls: 2 wins. After some clean up, we headed home. It was AFTER 1AM before we got home! Holy smokes! The boys handled themselves well all evening, but when it came time for bed, they let us know how they really felt! Both boys had meltdowns, and we could barely hear ourselves saying our before-bed prayers over their cries! Once the boys were down, we heard a popping noise. At first, Biju and I both thought someone was knocking on the door, then I thought maybe someone was shooting off fireworks. I think the real noise was gunfire! When Biju went outside to be sure he had locked the van, there were 4 police cruisers along our street. One officer came up to him and asked what he had heard. When Biju came back in, we ended up talking for awhile about the excitement and didn't get to sleep until close to 3am!! Ajay's new alarm clock went off at 8:05 and both boys slept right through it!! They finally were ready to get out of bed around 9. And still they were ready for their normal afternoon nap at 1pm. If you would've called us mid-afternoon, you wouldn't have gotten any answer, as everyone in the house, even Gracie, and probably even Nemo, was sleeping. Ahhhhh!
We gave the boys some "Bring in the New Year" gifts - new toothbrushes, their own containers of toothpaste, their own little tubes of lipbalm, their own combs, and some other things. They were very happy :)
I think 2010 is going to be a very good year for us. I hope it is good for you, too!