I Knew It Was Coming

Guess who has a temperature of 102 now?Drats, copious amounts of hand sanitizer, hand washing, and changing/washing clothes/bedding didn't prevent this sweet little man

from coming down with whatever Bryce has. Sharing germs is just about the only downfall to having two children that I've found so far!

He just wants to be held all the time, which I'll gladly do. Thank heavens for the wrap as carrying around 17lbs. for a few hours gets tiresome.

He still loves the wrap and will fall fast asleep in it.

I wonder if Michael and I are next up for this rotten virus?!?!

P.S. New post below of happier times :).

Only Bryce

...can make his brother laugh like this...

Seriously, Dawson is as even tempered as they come, and Bryce is the only one that can get him to belly laugh. It's hysterical. I wish you could see the tears in Dawson's eyes in this video. He was beside himself. Nevermind the camera shake at the end of the video...that was Bryce pegging me in the head with Lambchop.

Too bad there's not much laughter in our household the past few days. One of these days I'll try and get a video of Bryce's "roid" rage. It's full fledge tantrums just about all day long while he's on these two types of steroids. Oh how I hope we can stop these treatments tomorrow.

OH MY GOODNESS

Our son has turned into this...

And, I'm not kidding. He becomes psychotic during his nebulizer treatments FIVE times a day. I literally can't hold him down and do it by myself. You should have witnessed the scene we created at the doctor's office...oh my goodness! Michael came home early to help me with the 4pm treatment, and I think he was even shocked by how strong Bryce is. He screams like I've never heard him scream, begins sweating profusely, stiffens his body out, shakes, acts like he is hyperventilating and is just all out hysterical...it is A-W-F-U-L!!! Michael literally wraps his entire body around Bryce holding both of his arms and legs and his head while I hold the mask on his face and pray for that medicine to quickly get in him. Poor Dawson looks on like we are performing open heart surgery with no anesthesia.

Any ideas? We've tried letting him hold/walk around with the mask throughout the day and also allowed him to hold the tubing with it on but no medicine in it. I wonder if we'll ever get him to this point:

At 12noon Today...

This is what I found at 12noon today...

Ummm...in case ya'll don't have a 2-year old...THAT'S NOT NORMAL!

Yeap, it's official, he's sick. I took him to the doctor this morning to get his H1N1 vaccine (Dawson and I got ours, too), but the Dr. listened to his lungs since he's had congestion and a cough for a week or so, and I knew you weren't supposed to get the vaccine if you're sick. His temperature at the doctor's office was normal. The doc said he's got a good bit of congestion in his lungs and that he was breathing fast. Additionally, his blood oxygen only registered between 75-90 (they like to see it at 96 at the lowest). So, he got 2 breathing treatments in the office and was sent home with a nebulizer every 3 hours and a liquid steroid on top of that for the next 3-5 days.

THEN, we got home and I found him asleep on the sofa. When I went over to pick him up and carry him to his bed I realized he had a temperature. I got the thermometer and it registered 103.6 on a forehead scan and 102.5 under his arm. YIKES! So, now he's on Motrin/Tylenol around the clock, too.

Dawson hopes his brother feels better soon. He wants to get back to happier times of chasing...

and wrestling his brother.

It's Dance Time in TN

So, the VOLS stink (again) this year as a football team. And Auburn doesn't seem much better!At least we can say that TN has the-best-fight-song of all time. See for yourself.

Bryce has always loved to dance, and there's barely a day that goes by that we don't have a dance party in our living room. Lately the favorite is an old bluegrass CD that I have. Both boys love the Rocky Top song. Michael does too, but he'd never admit it in public!

Side note...did you know a 2nd grade teacher (Mr. Carter) at my elementary school played Rocky Top with spoons and the entire grade sang along? I can still remember sitting there listening to him in awe. Then, he'd promptly stand on his head...seriously! He also had long hair, an ear ring and rode a motorcycle. We all loved him, and parents did, too. He was GREAT with kids and a favorite teacher for many.

Like Brother, Like Brother

We didn't travel with pack-n-plays when we recently went to Key West, and both kids did great in the hotel beds. They slept like two brothers, in the same position with heads turned the same direction...cuties!

Cuddle Bug

Dawson is my cuddle bug. He loves to cuddle, and I love to cuddle him.

I've been the only one to feed Dawson all but a very small handful of times mostly because of nursing, but partly because I just want to. We've literally spent hundreds and hundreds (no exaggeration) of hours together in this rocking chair as he just started sleeping through the night at six months old. By the way, have I mentioned he's now a rock star sleeper? He's finally sleeping 12-13 hours at night and taking a 1-1.5 hour nap in the am and a 2 hour nap in the pm...can I get an AMEN?! He's a much lighter sleeper than Bryce, but I'll take it!

Because he's been SO little, I exclusively nursed him:

• 9-12 times a day for the first three months (it took him 1 hour and 15 minutes to eat until he was almost 3 months old)
• 7-8 times a day until he was five months old (average length 30 minutes...he's SLOW people)
  
• and at least 5-6 times a day (again, 30 minutes) and then given him a bottle of formula up until just a few weeks ago.
  
  He's now being nursed/given a bottle four times a day. So, like I said, it's no lie that we've spent approximately 900+ hours in this rocking chair (and, that's a low estimate).We've kind of gotten into a routine every night where he'll fall asleep in my arms (first photo above) and then sleep on my shoulder (second photo) for 10-15 minutes while I rock him, love on him and pray over him. I'm going to miss these sweet times!!

Of course, I love lovin' on Bryce just as much, it's just he's far too busy nowadays to be bothered with much cuddling. Every now and then he'll treat me to a sweet hug, kiss or cuddle on the couch, (then he'll promptly do something that requires a spanking). I sure wish there was a way to bottle up the feeling of my kids loving on me. I try to treasure every second because I know one day they're going to be out of the house, and I'll give anything for one more hug! I sure love my boys!

Vacation of a Lifetime

An extremely generous friend offered our family a vacation of a lifetime by allowing us to use his home on Sunset Key. Sunset Key is a 27-acre private island off the coast of Key West, FL that is only accessible by ferry. It is pure paradise! We feel very lucky to have experienced such a fabulous trip, and were thankful our friends, Courtney and Jeff joined us. Naïve and unsuspecting travelers, we randomly booked our trip to begin on October 31st.
Charlie Brown and Snoopy traveled with us.

I knew our departure day was Halloween, but I didn’t have any idea it was Fantasy Fest. In fact, I had no idea what Fantasy Fest even was. Well, I do now.

Fantasy Fest (noun – also known as NIGHTMARE)
“This year, Key West celebrates 31 years of Fantasy Fest with attendance surpassing 100,000 people or more than three times the population of the island itself. The event has escalated to a ten day celebration that includes balls, a parade, costume competitions, AIDS fundraisers, body painting, drag queen contests, costume parties, lots of drinking, as well as pet and neighborhood parades for the whole family. Fantasy Fest has grown to rival New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. The highlight of Fantasy Fest is its parade.”

With that said, we arrived in Key West (after about 12 hours of travel by plane and rental van) around 10pm with two VERY tired kids two years old and younger. And, wouldn’t you know, the streets were blocked off and there was no way to the ferry boat dock until after the parade/crowds dispersed (which was going to be NO TIME soon). The situation seemed dire as we were in the thick of huge crowds with two small children. We had to get them to that boat and on over to the island. So, Courtney and I took off on foot, with a two year old, a seven month old, a stroller, several bags of cold groceries, and some luggage. The guys stayed behind with the van to wait for the roads to open. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that my kids and I got “cultured” that night. It’s laughable now, and thankfully we handled it all in stride. What else were we going to do?

Once we arrived on the island, all the mess of Fantasy Fest was washed into a distant memory. We had now arrived in paradise. This place was amazing! From private beaches with literally NOONE else on them... to million dollar sunsets...

to zero entry pools... with waterfalls... to brick lined pathways...

and flower covered fences…

it was all fabulous!

The home we stayed in was nothing short of beautiful and beyond comfortable.

And because our friends have grandchildren, it was equipped with many kid friendly things that made traveling with children that much easier (crib, sand toys/floats, high chair, etc.). It had a backyard pool... and a spiral stair case... that led up to an observation deck that sported 360 degree views of the island and Key West. We spent our entire week soaking in every minute of it. We lounged and played at the private beaches...played in the pools...

and went snorkeling. We also took a catamaran to a coral reef 6 miles south of Key West to snorkel. But, since I was trying to keep my eyes on the horizon and my lunch in my stomach, there are no pictures of that trip. I haven't felt that sick in a long time!

We caught the ferry back to Key West for dinner as a group one night... and for a night out with just our families.We enjoyed the gourmet meals prepared by Jeff and Courtney.Ya’ll we ate like Kings and Queens…they’re GREAT cooks.We enjoyed conversation out on the porch while listening to beach music... allowed our kids to sleep in bed with us since it was vacation...and SO much more.

On our departing day, we treated ourselves to a delicious ocean side dinner at the island’s restaurant. It was the perfect way to prepare us for the trip home, because it’s quite a trip with a 4 hour drive to Miami and then a flight back to our house!

And, airports don’t make it easy on those traveling with kids. Seriously, how are you supposed to fit this...

into this? And, there was no other entry door…I looked. I literally wet myself (2 pregnancies have affected my bladder control) watching Michael do his song and dance getting all our gear through this revolving door. It was HILARIOUS, but he prevailed!

Our kids did great traveling on the plane. Both Dawson and Bryce slept a good portion and were easily entertained when awake (for the most part). We just got home today, and it already seems like a dream…

one that I hope I have again! And, oh how grateful I am that our "dream" took place last week and not this week.

Charlie Brown Loves Snoopy

Sorry for the delayed post. We just returned from paradise...Like I said, it was PARADISE! These are real photos that I took with my point and shoot camera. It was EVERY BIT as beautiful as these photos depict and then some. This slice of heaven is also known as Sunset Key, a private island off the coast of Key West that a friend of ours has a house on that he let us borrow. More about that later.

Since we were flying on Halloween, all the folks in the airport and on the plane got to meet the cutest Charlie Brown and Snoopy on the planet.I thought ya'll wouldn't want to miss out on meeting them, too.Told ya they were cute.

Home Grown Camping Fun

We spent our anniversary weekend doing one of my all-time favorite things...CAMPING (in a tent, on a weekend that dipped into the 30's, with a 2 year old and a 7 month old)! It was Bryce's second camping trip and Dawson's first. We had planned to go as a family a few weekends ago, but it rained, so we opted out. Lucky for us, our friends, Craig and Shannon, asked us to join them and a few other families they know to camp this past weekend. They're professional campers, and life around the campground is much more enjoyable when they're around. My husband, now doesn't he look like a professional camper?

Anyway, Shannon found this fantastic campground 45 minutes from our front door called Bald Ridge Creek. It's PERFECT for kids and absolutely beautiful because it sits on a pennisula on Lake Lanier. So, we packed up and off we went with everything but the kitchen sink!

Upon arrival, we set up camp and got the boys fed.Bryce had a great time tackling, I mean, filling holes with pinecones with Xander. All of the families had children. It was so nice to have some playmates for Bryce to interact with. They jumped rope...road bikes...played Marco Polo and freeze tag on the playground...played flashlight tag and so much more. Don't ya just love home grown fun! It's WAY better than what Fisher Price offers.Dawson, he preferred to hang out with the dogs...literally.

Bryce really wanted to go swimming. With it being in the 30's and 40's, it wasn't an option...so-we-thought. Michael says he "fell" in. I'm not so sure it was an accident. Regardless, BOTH of his jackets (who knew I'd need to bring more than two) that I brought were soaked to the bone, as was every inch of his body. I was afraid his skin would permanently be the above rosey red color. The child felt like an ice cube. Never fear, moms are always prepared. He wore my down vest jacket the rest of the night.
Like I said, Craig and Shannon are professional campers. They cooked our entire dinner in dutch ovens over a fire...apple cobbler, too. It was delicious!We hung out by the campfire...a lot.And, ate s'mores.Sleeping in the tent was FUN for Bryce.

He did great in his new sleeping bag and slept like a baby.This one, NOT-SO-MUCH!!!!
The 30 seconds it took me to locate my camera and take this photo is about as long as he slept THE-ENTIRE-NIGHT! I had kind of prepared myself for a rough night as Dawson still isn't a great sleeper. He'll still give us a bad night at least once a week or so even at home. But rough doesn't really explain it. Let's just say the two of us had a lot of quality time together that night.

Too bad Dawson and I weren't quite as "rested" as Bryce was the following morning.Apparently most of the families heard Dawson at some point in the middle of the night (oh goodness, I feel kind of bad about that). Craig heard him early in the morning so he got up and made a fire so we could get warm. How thoughtful...that Craig! (Note: Dawson wasn't crying because he was cold. He wasn't. Trust me.)

We also roasted our frozen doughnuts over the fire. Bryce was a *huge* fan.

I can't hardly wait to take them both camping again. Even with the lack of sleep, we had SO much fun. We are already semi-making plans to invest in a pop-up camper (let us know if you know anyone selling one) once we buy our next car that can pull it.

Thanks Craig and Shannon for allowing us to tag along! Now, I'm off to tackle Mount Laundry (I end up having to wash everything twice to get the campfire smell out if it)!

6 Years

Six years ago tonight I began my new life as Michael's wife. Six years later, I'm writing this while my two children and husband are sleeping in the room next to me. I love my life!

Michael,

As I vowed on October 25, 2003:“I commit myself to love you and even lay down my life for you. I forsake all others to fight for your heart. I cherish you when you are sick and when you are healthy; when money is abundant or when we have to watch every dollar; when things are good and even better and when things are worse; when we are fighting and when we are at peace. I will go with you and encourage you as you follow God’s calling in the faith and hope of Jesus Christ our Lord.” So, for everything I am, I commit to dedicating myself to making Jesus the center of our lives and marriage. I'm so proud of who you are. I'm proud to talk about you, to be your partner in life and to call you the father of our children. I can only pray God shapes me into what you and our children need and deserve in a wife and mother.

I love and believe in you! Happy anniversary!

Oh, and thanks for the best gift ever...these two rascals!

Camping for Christmas

Bryce got an early Christmas present and is trying it out in his bed tonight.

The true test will be tomorrow night when we hit the tent!! It's Bryce's second camping trip and Dawson's first. We're pumped!

Pumpkin Patch

Flashback

The other day we took Bryce back to the park that we went to just a couple of days before Dawson was born. Here's a flash back to about 7 months ago.

Boy have we ever hit a stage of tantrums. Virtually ANYTIME Bryce doesn't get what he wants, when he wants it, how he wants it, at what time he wants, in the color/shape/size/smell he wants it, he throws an all out temper tantrum. And, I admit, we've let it go on too long. This behavior has crept in over the last few months, and we're now kind of in a small mess. I basically have committed to virtually staying home until we get this behavior modified. I've consulted many books and a few other folks that I greatly respect for parenting advice, and we've now got a plan in place that started yesterday. I've also prayed about it a great deal as it's really just been on my mind a lot over the past few weeks. I think Bryce woke up and within 15 minutes was looking at me like, "Where did the mom I knew yesterday go?" By the end of yesterday, I was pleased with the results (from both him and me) and could already tell somewhat of a difference. One day is by no means a "quick fix" but we're sticking with our strategy at least for a few weeks to see if we can turn things around.

Hopefully Not a Sign of Things to Come

I'm trying to tell myself that Dawson is going to be like any "normal" kid and when the time comes, he'll just pick up a puff or any other baby-sized solid food and eat it with no problem. I'm trying to overlook the fact that Dawson seems to gag a lot on baby food. I'm trying to tell myself, "All babies gag, Amy."

But, I'm having a hard time overlooking the fact that yesterday he gagged on baby food (the jarred, very smooth kind) and vomited all over himself, the highchair/chair and the floor when I was feeding him.UGHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE, someone tell me that this is just a one time occurrence, and I wont' have ANOTHER kid on baby food for 2+ years!!!!!!!!

P.S. Sorry for the photos, but I didn't want ya'll to think I was making it up!