The Good Ol' Days

No these aren't the good ol' days - yet, but looking at these pictures I can see myself saying it ten years down the road when I go back and look at these. I love moments like this when things are serene and peaceful.

Happy 3rd Paul!

Paul's birthday was a couple months ago, but I've since fallen off the face of the earth. I'm back hopefully to stay. Paul wanted a dinosaur party, but I didn't take him seriously because he's never liked dinosaurs until we were at a party store and he saw a dinosaur lunch box that he just had to have. Anyway, I decided no theme with a snake cake was less work. Theme or no theme, the kids still ate candy and cake and had a good time. As a family, we went to a Rockies baseball game to celebrate his day. Paul still asks to have a birthday party. He doesn't quite get the once-a-year concept.

Estes Park Retreat

A friend of mine had a timeshare cabin in Estes Park that wasn't being used for a few days so we packed up and hit the trail. It was a lot of fun to be with so many of my friends, but I would have enjoyed it a little more had I gotten a babysitter. Not that I would have because everyone else brought their kids, but it's nice to dream about. All the kids had a blast with the gigantic sleep over. We went hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park. I love to hike and luckily their were some hikes that were easy enough for the kids to do. Paul jumped into a huge puddle at the beginning of the hike which made me furious because I knew that he would complain the entire time about being cold and wet. However, to my surprise he didn't even mention it. At the end of the hike he wanted to go home, but I think it was because he was cold and wet. So we went back to the cabins while the majority of everyone else continued to hike. We played in the game room and got a ping pong ball caught in the pool table which gave us a never-ending pool game. Hehehehe The best part of the trip was the girl talk after all the kiddos were asleep. Ahhhhh

BolderBoulder 10K

I ran a 10K (6.2 miles) on Memorial Day with some friends. It was a lot of fun. My main motivation for running it was to lose the last of the baby weight while training, and I am happy to announce the baby weight is off! However, my shirts will have to sit in the closet for a few more months. I am still a little top heavy. The last couple pounds don't count when you're still nursing though right? :)

I took the race at a pretty leisurely jog averaging a 10 minute mile. My overall time was 63 minutes putting me in 19,782th place! Wow, that sounds pretty pathetic doesn't it? But out of over 50,000 people... I am just glad I did it, and that my end goal was met.

I thought these stats about the BolderBoulder were kind of fun:

-It's the 2nd biggest race in the US
-5th biggest in the world
-Over 50,000 runners and 150,000 spectators
-It's at 5,300 feet making it an altitude challenge
-It's 31 years running

Crawling Caleb

This video is a couple weeks old, and Caleb seems to make daily progress, but here is a video of Caleb's crawling abilities at 6 1/2 months. Caleb seems to be ahead of the game a little bit. He has been doing milestone activities earlier than most babies his age. I don't think it has anything to do with what I am doing; I think it's just his personality. He watches Paul alot. I was actually hoping he'd take his time and I could just enjoy him being a baby because I remember being so anxious for Paul to hit his next milestone. This time around I wanted to let Caleb do it when he was ready. Part of me wishes he wasn't quite ready yet. This morning I was watching Caleb pucker his lips and make kissy noises. So I kissed him and then he did it again. I then started to say, "kisses" and then he'd pucker up and I'd kiss him. He did it several times in a row. It surprises me how much Caleb understands, and how fast babies pick up on things. It's going by too fast this time around.

Green Thumb

Denver has a program called Denver Urban Gardens, and there are little community gardens around Denver where people can rent out some land for the year and plant a garden. There is a little garden just down the street from our apartment so we decided to exercise our green thumb and do a veggie garden this year. We spent most of last Saturday pulling weeds, turning in fertilizer, and preparing our seeds. It was fun to spend time as a family. Someday we'll have one in our backyard, but I am so excited to be able to do this while we're still in an apartment. Can you tell what Caleb was enjoying? He really wasn't on the ground too long though because there were so many goatheads. Anyone have suggestions on how to get rid of them?

Just Kidding, Not Salmonella

I just got off the phone with our Pediatrician. They received the further results from the cultures done on Paul while at the hospital. After a more extensive study the lab determined that it was E Coli and not Salmonella. However, after doing a little online reading they have very similar symptoms. There are a couple differences like the incubation period for E Coli has a much broader time frame. So most people show signs 3-4 days after they're infected, but can show signs anywhere between 1-10 days. The long term possible side effects also differ(very scary so I don't want to dwell), but the general run of the course illness is the same. They are both passed from feces contaminated food and they both are no fun to have.

What a Week!

This week has been one of the hardest I've ever had, if not THE hardest. Having sick kids while I'm not feeling well is very difficult, but what's worse is when I start to feel better and your child continues to worsen. This story does have a more positive ending, but here's our week's saga:

Last Friday and Saturday Caleb was running a fever with no other symptoms other than fussiness. The good news was I could keep his fever down by alternating Tylenol and Motrin. I figured he was getting teeth or something, and then on Sunday I started getting stomach cramps. This isn't too uncommon for me; I have had stomach aches for years. Paul woke up on Monday puking and continued to puke all day. I took the kids into the doctor worried that Caleb might be suffering from an ear infection or something. Tuesday morning Caleb broke out in spots all over his abdomen, back, neck, and scalp. I thought it might be an allergic reaction to watermelon I had given him the day before. After talking to my mom she suggested Chicken Pox or Measles because he had a fever a couple days prior. At this point my stomach ache had eased and Caleb was acting normal, he just had spots. However, Paul continued to puke and not be able to keep anything down. His diarrhea had become pretty bad. All I did the entire day was laundry, carpet cleaning, diaper changes, and lots of hugs.


I was extremely worried for Paul whose little body was going through such a struggle. He just laid and cried all day. He cried that his stomach hurt. What worried me was the way he was crying. It wasn't a normal sad cry it was a heavy breathing cry and then he'd hold his breath and hold his stomach. He was so weak. It got to the point that he was having a hard time holding his head up. His little body was limp when I'd pick him up. He wasn't eating. A lot more liquid was coming out than was going in. He had lost control over his bowels. He'd lay on the couch and his eyes would roll back and he'd fall asleep for ten minutes and wake up crying, and a few minutes later he'd fall back asleep again. This fifteen minute cycle lasted a day and a half. On Wednesday morning I tried to get Paul to eat since he hadn't eaten anything since Sunday. Paul was continuing to downward spiral though. I called the doctor, who said to bring him in. One of the things I really hate is going to the doctor and paying them to tell me what I already know (It's a virus. Go home and sip liquids.) like they did when I took the kids in on Monday, but I didn't know what else to do. I was so helpless to the situation. I was scared and I just needed someone to tell me he was going to be okay.

After assessing Paul, and discovering that he had lost 2 pounds in 2 days (water loss) they sent us to the ER. The IV insertion was a joy with a hungry and tired Caleb, and a very scared, sick Paul. They had to do the IV three times because he was so dehydrated. It was frustrating to be so helpless. I broke down holding my two crying babies, who both needed me. At that point I didn't feel like I was strong enough for them. My saving grace, Pat, was finally able to join me just as I got both of them to sleep in our little ER room.

The hospital moved Paul into a room for the night, which turned into two nights. His O2 and potassium levels were really low. So they did blood tests every four hours and stool samples trying to get his levels higher and figure out what was causing his sickness. Thursday morning in the hospital Paul had gotten his color back, his fingers had puffed up, his eyes weren't sunken, and he started to eat. However, his potassium continued to drop. I guess low potassium can cause heart trouble and seizures. Friday morning Paul was so irritated by the IV that he started to throw tantrums. It was good that he had some energy back, but he was getting hard to reason with. On Friday test results came back positive for Salmonella.

What is Salmonella?
Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

How do people catch Salmonella?
Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but any food, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Thorough cooking kills Salmonella. Food may also become contaminated by the hands of an infected food handler who did not wash hands with soap after using the bathroom.
cdc.gov

The good things is that the bacteria can be killed easily. So after the test came back positive I racked my brain on what we had been doing 12 to 72 hours before Monday morning. We went to a party and ate Wendy's on Friday, went to Scout Show on Saturday (at a livestock pavilion with thousands of people), and went to church on Sunday. So there are several possibilities on where he picked it up. The bad thing about Salmonella is that it can live on objects like toys for months. We have been sanitizing our house like crazy. You'll be able to eat off my floor when I'm done. I do not want a relapse.

So we are home now where Paul can be a normal kid and play. He had just about enough of that hospital room. Paul is doing great. We are trying to get him to drink and eat, which with Paul as most people know, is a struggle even when he's feeling fine. He should no longer be contagious, but we're going to stay away for a few more days just to be safe. I am so glad Paul is okay and returning to his spunky self. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

Caleb's spots cleared up, and we still don't know what caused it. Caleb is starting to crawl! He's only 6 1/2 months! Ahh the baby proofing is already starting. I was hoping Caleb would take his time, but it's fun to see him explore too.

Yeah, We're Still Here

My mom came to visit and we had a ton of fun. While she was here I had the boys' pictures taken. I'll post more about my mom's visit later because my blogging drive is temporarily dried up. I'll eventually get back into the swing of things, but for now I hope a couple cute pictures will appease our blog followers.

Mystery Solved

Okay, I know I said that I would post the word that Paul has been saying lately, but I figured it out before I could ask for my bloggers help. Paul has been pointing to the top of the frig lately and saying, "buy-ease." I would ask him to show me and then he'd follow up with, "Go buy it." He has been asking for strawberries. Ha! Those three syllable words are tricky. I love a good puzzle, and I feel like Sherlock Holmes when I figure it out. In the past I have kept frozen strawberries in the freezer to make smoothies with, and that's why he's pointing to the frig. I just happened to buy strawberries a few days ago and when I asked him to show me this time he opened the frig and pointed to them. So really I didn't do anything intelligent to figure it out, but...oh well. I love my little Paul, and the only reason he likes strawberries is because I give him a dish of sugar to dip them in.

I'm So Glad When Grandpa Comes!

Pat's dad came to visit a couple weeks ago and we had a good time. We went to the zoo, which Paul loves. We are still trying to figure out what Paul is talking about occasionally. He'll be ranting and raving about something and I'll catch most of the words, but the subject is sometimes sketchy. It took me a long time to figure out the zoo one. He'd often say something like, "Let's go amals." It wasn't until we were out and about with a friend that they thought he was saying "animals." Another one is, "In In the box." He'll also say "game" with the box comment. So I'd go to the closet with the board games and tell him to show me what he's talking about. Then the tantrum starts. Well, in Lacrosse the crowd shouts "GET IN THE BOX" when an apposing team member goes into the penalty box. He's been asking to go to a Lacrosse game. OOOhhhhh, got it. I enjoy figuring out what he is trying to say. However, Paul doesn't seem to care for it. He gets frustrated when I don't respond appropriately. One I haven't figured out yet is Paul will point to the top of the frig and say something, but I can't remember what it is at the moment. Next time he says it I'll write it down and see if my blog friends can help me out.

While Pat's dad was here we also went to the Train Museum. Paul was in Hog Heaven.

Paul was pretending to drive this train. It had a bell you could ring by pulling an overhead rope. That was his favorite part.

It was a pretty cold day, and since trains do nothing for me, and Caleb is too young to care, we just kept each other warm. I just want to eat those chubby cheeks!

Unimaginative Title

I realize the blog has been neglected for quite some time. Our computer has been on the fritz and it is difficult to maneuver websites without inappropiate pop-ups and the computer was running very slowly. It has been getting worse and worse. Hotmail wouldn't let me open emails, Internet Explorer would frequently wig out, and then last week the computer would start, and then restart, and then restart, over and over. We have not since been able to get the computer to start and stay on. So I am pleased to announce that I am posting from our new computer! Pat built our old computer and consequently we don't have any reboot/wipe your computer and start over CD's, nor does Pat have the time to fix it. So a new one is what we ended up with. It will take me some time to get used to Vista, but I am sure once I get the hang of it I won't want to go back.

Caleb is 5 months! It is going by much faster the second time around. I am sure that would be a consistent comment for all second children. Luckily for me, Caleb is an easy going, happy little guy. Paul has always been a little more tough. I am trying to enjoy it day by day, but we all know that kids are a lot of work. Paul and I have been butting heads a lot lately, and I think I finally came to the conclusion that the remedy will take an attitude adjustment on my end. I've always known that taking him outside will redirect his focus and his whining and crying will cease. However, lately I have found that outside is a very short fix. I think the other half of the problem is me. I would love to blame it all on someone else, but there it is. I am trying to focus on the good aspects of Paul's age; it's a work in progress. Patience is a virtue I wish I had more of. I know the day I send him off to school will be a difficult day so here are some things that I do love about my two year old:

I love his hugs and kisses
He misses me when I'm away
He's glad when I come back
Watching popcorn pop is exciting
His animal noises make me laugh
He forgives easily
He never tires of rocks and sticks
He loves helping me put on makeup
The look on his face when I sit and play with him
How tall he sits when he knows he's done something well

I sure do love him despite any quarrels we have. The majority of this post is about Paul, but I don't have any pictures of him on the new computer, so here are a couple of 5 month pics of Caleb.

You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth

I love My Family

I have watched several friends and family struggle through sickness and death of loved ones these past months and it causes me to reflect on the significance of life and living life in the way the Savior would. After hearing of another friend's baby's illness today I stopped and pondered, my heart ached and tears came. I can't help but feel a greater love and appreciation for my family. It makes me want to be a little more patient, a little more carefree, and little more kind, and little more forgiving.

New Years

Caleb looks good in red.

Paul loves birthdays. He thought the hats meant there was a birthday party so he insisted on singing and blowing a candle out.

Cousin Josh

Happy New Year!

Pat is showing Paul how to make a Coke rocket. Paul loved it.