I'm Taking A Shower

Last weekend Little Guy and I went to SD to visit my side of the family and watch SoyBoy play in the state baseball tournament (more to come later on that). We were staying with Ranger and FavoriteAunt and I was a little nervous about the bathroom situation. You see, their kids are almost fully grown and no one takes baths. When they redid their bathroom a couple years ago instead of putting in a tub they opted for a shower only instead of stepping over the tub to get into the shower (the shower is huge and I love that!). However, the only time Little Guy has been in the shower was a few months back. He was playing in the bathroom while I was showering. The next thing I know, the shower curtain is moving and Little Guy is crawling into the shower - fully clothed. After he felt the water splashing on him and it not stopping, Little Guy let me know his displeasure. I had visions of tears and sadness while forcing him to shower.

Friday night got to be too late and Little Guy fell asleep without getting cleaned up. That had to be wonderful sleeping for him. I mean, have you ever started watching baseball at noon with high humidity? Napping in the shade of the grand stands because you were so upset to go home for a few minutes because Mommy wanted you to nap in the air conditioned home? Making it home around 10 pm? But he did fall straight asleep despite my poor parenting skills. :)

On Saturday morning, I re-introduced the shower to Little Guy.

There were tears alright. Tears when it was time to turn the shower off. He was not a happy boy.

Saturday was much of the same. Baseball. Hot. High humidity. Napping in the grand stands. However, Little Guy was a little wiser. At about 7:30 he looked to me and said. "Hot. Go home." I asked him, "You want to go home?" "YES!"

And so we went home and he was able to shower again and I took these three quick video clips with my phone. I watch them now and still laugh. 

When we got home on Sunday, Big Poppy was holding Little Guy. All of a sudden Little Guy looked dead serious.

LG: I showered!

BP: You took a shower?

LG: Yeah. Little Guy showered!

He is too flipping cute!

Birthday Fun

This past weekend was GrandC's birthday and today is FavoriteNiece's birthday (a new niece will be appearing soon, I may need to rethink this name). For a low-key celebration, we went a few rides and had a little lunch. Of course there were presents and cake (or key lime pie)! I truly believe the reason why some people do not like getting older has everything to do with how we celebrate birthdays.

When we are first beginning to celebrate our birthday, family and close friends come over to eat cake and ice cream. A lot of the time those that love us spoil us with presents. SIDEBAR: Spoiling is ok, in moderation. Spoiling to the point of rottenness, not ok.

As our birthday draw nears, we sit in anticipation, not quite sure what will happen this year. Will the cake be chocolate? Will our favorite food be served? It is all so very exciting, waiting to see is going to happen. 

Then, on the day, THE DAY, things really start to look up.

Before we know it, our heart is racing. The thrill of our birthday brings so many smiles.

I understand why some may not like getting older. The slice of cake we eat gets smaller. The number of people who see or call you or send a card on your birthday reduces dramatically. Suddenly, telling someone "Happy Birthday" on Facebook is socially acceptable. The personal connection is gone.

It's time to treat every one's birthday like a special day. I challenge you for the next year to send a card. Use the phone as a phone (i.e. don't text or Facebook). Eat a big slice of cake. Celebrate those you care about. Reconnect. And above all, have fun. Have a happy birthday. Help someone else have a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday to our FavoriteNiece!

I Know

I know I am not always the best at keeping things updated.

I know that I have many areas to improve myself.

I know that despite my many flaws I have a beautiful family, both here and far away.

I know that these blue eyes see the best in everyone, including me.

I know our love and happiness is real.

I know that we open our arms love everyone, furry or not.

I know this Little Guy is learning from the best man I know.

I know having a best friend helps you jump feet first.

I know having some you trust, respect and love is vital.

I know that power of flying on your own.

I know the power of keeping people close.

I know I have a wonderful family.

I know how truely lucky I am.

NOTE: These are a few of the pictures from Little Guys two year photos. I know - we look good. :)

I Understand

Do you see these beautiful blue eyes?



I understand. I get it. Little Guy is easy to fall in love with.

I also understand that I may have played a role in our current situation. After all it was I that taught him:

ME: What do you give the girls?

LG: *** Wink, Wink - as in both eyes close for a quick wink*** A wink and smile

I may have also contributed by this:

ME: Where are your biceps?

LG: ***Rolls up the right arm sleeve and kisses the bicep, rolls up the left arm sleeve and kisses the bicep. ***

I do understand it is hard to resist these smiles.

However, I do not understand this change.

The game is suppose to go like this:

ME: Who loves you?

LG: MOMMY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: DADDY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: JETER!

Sometimes the game goes like this:

ME: Who loves you?

LG: DADDY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: MOMMY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: JETER!

Ok, not as much fun for me but it is acceptable.

However, there have been a couple times where it went like this:

ME: Who loves you?

LG: EMILY! (not her real name)

ME: ***Excuse me? When did this little hussy show up in the picture? The last time I knew, Emily was the school "friend" biter on the incident report. When did the little hussy trump me? This will never do. ***

I understand this little hussy friend becoming smitten by Little Guy.

I do not understand this little hussy friend out-ranking me.

I might need to have a talk with the little hussy friend's parents to ensure she watches herself.

Growing Boy, Jumping Boy

Last month was Little Guy's birthday. It also means it was time to check in the doctor and see how he compares to other little boys in terms of growth. As expected, he is a tall little guy (I am starting to get looks from people that don't understand he isn't as old has his height makes him appear. You know the looks, why isn't he potty trained - more on that to come - or he should be speaking better by now.)

Vitals at Twenty-four Months

Height: 35 1/2" (90 percentile)
Weight: 28 lbs 7.5 oz (50-75 percentile)
Head: 49.8 cm (50-75 percentile)
Click here for vitals at eighteen months.

Two year pictures are on the way. From the sneak peak, I am very pleased. It helps to have such a handsome family.

*** Can I tell you how annoying it is to have program updates running in the background while I am trying to do this update. Things are running very slow and I need to leave in a few minutes. Sometimes, I think computers are meant to irritate me. ***

Along with being a growing boy, Little Guy is also a jumping boy. He finds anything and everything to use as his launching pad, including yoga blocks.

Prior to jumping, one must count to three.

After reaching three, bend the knees, put a smile on your face and prepare for blast off.

Now it is time to enjoy the flight.

A safe landing is desirable, however, tumbling to the ground also offers up loads of fun.

And if you are lucky Little Guy, I will soon be able to hide the shirt you are wearing so Big Poppy cannot put it on you ever again. When you look back to pictures and it looks like you wore the same shirt every day please know that was not the case, however Big Poppy put it on you once a week and let other shirts gather dust in your drawer (Big Poppy helps him get ready in the morning most of the time).

Birthday Fun

Did you think I had forgotten how to post a blog? Not at all. I was just trying to get caught up in life and then would update my friends and family on the exciting life and times of a Happy Mom. Alas, I have come to the realization that catching up is not in the cards for this gal. Instead, I just will keep playing along and do my best. From now on, my best will include blog posts. If for no other reason, I really enjoy it.

Despite how this first picture may look, Little Guy had a wonderful birthday. His actual birthday was on Thursday and a few close friends and family joined us on Saturday. I took both Thursday and Friday off from work...sorta, I rebelled and wore jeans to the office on Thursday morning and then picked up Little Guy early from school. Big Poppy, Little Guy and I had a relaxing afternoon and enjoyed homemade mac-n-cheese and a little cupcake for desert. When asked, Little Guy would proudly declare it his birthday and let us know he was TWO, just in case we had forgotten.

On Friday, Little Guy headed back to school and I focused on party prep. Mainly baking and frosting (more on this on a later date). A Mickey Mouse pound cake was baked and then some carrot cake cupcakes hit the oven. Lot's of frosting was whipped up, plenty of it sampled (I still have a tummy ache) and coloring added. All in all, I think my first venture into the world of cake decorating went rather well. Little Guy was very excited to see the Mickey cake. If nothing else, I got to see lots of smiles and more than one "MICKEY". 

Little Guy has a little friend in BabyMack. Although I'm not sure if BabyMack was all too thrilled to be hugged so tightly but my blue babe.

As per the norm, Little Guy was spoiled. Water toys are always a big hit with him. Dancing Mickey found his way back into our home - thanks GrandB - and his songs and dance are filling up my head.

No party is complete without ballons. You cannot imagine how much fun it is to take the weight off a helium ballon and watch it dance on the ceiling. Little Guy would "jump" to try to grab the ballon string, however this boy cannot jump to save his life - the 1/2 inch vertical just does not help you get things up high.

Little Guy had two of his favorite play mates to help him.

After everyone left, Little Guy proudly declared:

"It as a party for me!"

Yes it was.

Weekend Ice

Little Guy is waaaaay into hockey. He likes other things but loves hockey...and Mickey and Nemo. A perfect day for Little Guy right now is one spent watching hockey (or shooting the puck in the house) with Mickey and Nemo at his side.

Earlier this year Big Poppy and Little Guy went skating for the first time. There were big grins as Big Poppy hunched over and helped Little Guy along. Needless to say, it didn't take long before Big Poppy's back was sore and he needed a break. However, Little Guy wanted none of that. He carefully made his way out to the ice.

Yesterday we all went skating together. Let me point I grew up in state where hockey was only seen on tv. People who skated did so on 4 wheels and may or may not have had a big old round break on the front of the skate. (In college I did purchase my first pair of roller blades and a few summers ago I got a second pair. Big Poppy and I would skate the bike trails and he will do circles around me - literally. The showoff also likes to skate backwards much faster and safer than I do facing forward. This has a point - maybe.)

As I was saying, yesterday we all went skating together. We brought the camera to capture the fun times. And it was fun. But I learned that I need to take some skating lessons if I am going to be out on the ice. Little Guy prefers to have Big Poppy hold him while going really fast than to sit around and wait for a normal speed with Mommy. I will be purchasing a helmet for Little Guy before we go out on the ice again. The visions of him slipping and Big Poppy not catching him where too much for me. No pictures will be taken when I cannot trust my skating skills with camera - there was no way I was going to be helping Little Guy.

And I do find it odd that I wanted to go skating as the season is changing to spring.

New Friend

There's a new friend at our house.

He brightens up the day of everyone, especially Little Guy.

I do feel a little bad. He says he feels like a fish out of water.

Wishing You A Magical Christmas

Baby, It's Cold Outside - II

Day two of vacation (or is it really day one since Saturday was a travel day?) started off cool and cloudy. I went for a quick wog -- somewhere between a walk and a jog -- and returned back to our place just as it started to rain. Now a little rain does not make me melt, I am not made of sugar nor am I green, but this did dampen my mood. Vacation rain does not make me happy. In fact it makes me very sad.

AuntJ and Big T were set to travel over to spend the day with us. While our place is larger than a hotel room, a two bedroom condo unit, it would feel very small if three adults and two young, energetic boys were forced to stay inside and play all day. One thing Big Poppy has told me about Florida, it may rain every day but it will not rain all day. I admit, I doubted this because of the cloud coverage and how cold it was outside. Fortunately, Big Poppy was correct. By the time AuntJ and Big T made their way over, the sun was out and while it was not warm it was no longer cold.

Big T and AuntJ were great little hosts for the day at Sea World and helped us plan out a good day.

It started with the dolphins.

As you can see, despite seeing the dolphins more often Big T was still happy to see them again. Little Guy's mouth and eyes are opened up in wonder and awe. What is hard to capture on camera (darn you point and shoot) is the pointing fingers and the "oohhh!" and smiles and laughter and the trying to jump into the pool with the dolphins. Little Guy could have stayed watching much longer, we stayed here for 15 minutes, and he was displeased when we moved on to see what else there was to see at Sea World.

About two weeks ago I was speaking with a client who has two year old twins. She told me we could talk more the next day because she was on her way out the door to take the twins to Sesame Street Live. We laughed about her exciting life and how jealous I was not be going to Sesame Street Live. As I hung up the phone I thought to myself how lucky I was Little Guy has not shown interest in some childhood characters - yet.

Well there are Sesame Street shows at Sea World. We decided to go. I thought it would be a good introduction for Little Guy. Boy do I feel like a bad mommy now. Little Guy loved it. He stood on the bench in amazement, watching everything. Big Poppy and I have done plenty of things with Little Guy and have introduced him to many parts of life. However, Sesame Street or other characters have not been around us all that much (I may have a fear of create a couch potato that misses out on the activities of life).

I need to realize a little show here and there is not going to harm Little Guy. He deserves a little entertainment too.

Afterall, if Little Guy sees puppets every now and then, he may not be afraid of Shamu...or maybe a whale is something to be a little scared of.
 
AuntJ and I swapped kiddo's, Big T was a big fan of this aunt (yeah!). The Christmas tree light show held their attention (and ours) for the entire time. Little Guy is young enough that he was amazed every time the lights came back on or changed colors.
 

 
We stayed until the park closed to see the fireworks. It was cold. COLD. While walking around to find a good vantage point for the fireworks I spotted heaters. We found our spot. Big Poppy walked back a short ways to get himself a hot chocolate and a hot toddy for AuntJ and me. Between the heater, hot toddy and snuggling boys I was able to keep my blood circulation circulating.

18 Months & Growing

Last Friday Big Poppy, Little Guy and I spent the morning together - at the doctor's office. It was Little Guy's 18-month appointment. It use to be going to the doctor was uneventful but not, Little Guy is showing he is 18 months and is not a fan of strangers. Even when a cute nurse looks at him Little Guy was about ready to burst into tears and needed a great big hug from Mommy or Daddy (which I was more than willing to take...hmmm, maybe we should go to the doctor's office more often).

At each check-up visit we are sent home with sheets of paper that help Big Poppy and I evaluate if Little Guy is on track. There are some items that seem fairly standard such as:

• Walks fast
• Throws a ball
• Stacks blocks

Check, check, check.

Then we notice some gray areas or maybe I should say, some areas that make me wonder.

• Guard against falls - Does this mean I should put rubber foam on all of our floors?
• Supervise all play near street - Does that mean if it is in the backyard I don't need to supervise?
• Don't share cups - Are water bottles ok? Do they not realize how much Little Guy wants to drink from whatever Big Poppy and I are drinking from, especially our refillable water bottles?

I guess, it could just be me. While it might seem like common sense to me not to let Little Guy play in or near the street, it might seem perfectly logic to the next person which is why we have the oddest warnings are items.

All in all, Little Guy is a healthy, normal little boy. At one time he had four to ten words but these days he pretty much says three words.

1. Ball - at all times he wants a ball
2. Jtr - he still loves his puppy however the "e's" in Jeter don't quite make it out of Little Guy's mouth
3. Peese - this word is spoken after several (think double digit) reminders when he wants more of something ("What do you say?" times 15) and is of course followed with a cute little smile letting you know he knew what to say but really did not want to

Little Guy is still growing which is a good thing. I do not think he would like to have stopped growing so young.

Vitals at Eighteen Months
Height: 33 3/4" (90 percentile)
Weight: 26 lbs 9.5 oz (50-75 percentile)
Head: 47.5 cm (50 percentile)
Click here for the vitals at fifteen months.

Insert picture here - well, for some reason I cannot upload pictures right now. I'll be back soon.

Little Big Poppy

Little Guy really loves his daddy and must be next to him (ok, on some occasions Little Guy does want his mommy). This past weekend we had the first snow fall of the year. Big Poppy went out to shovel. Of course that means Little Guy needed to go out and shovel.

We were not ready for such a helper in the snow and did not have a shovel Little Guy size. In case you were wondering, a broom ball stick works just fine. It is a slow process but the snow will move.

However, when the cheeks and nose are red and snot is running into his mouth, Little Guy still is not ready to come inside.

My Little Big Poppy wants to be out with Big Poppy.

Once he determines the tears are not going to let him back outside, Little Big Poppy will wait right by the door. I guess he is hoping Big Poppy will sneak him out to help again.

Winds of Change

The winds of change are blowing our way.

Or maybe the winds are just trying to blow us away.

At any rate, there are some fun and exciting changes taking place is the house that Big Poppy built.

Little Guy is in transition. This is his final week of "infant" care and has been spending this week split between the older infant room and the toddle room. This next move means he gets to play outside every day. It also means no more sippy cup - well at least at school. I am not quite sure if I am ready for a big boy cup and the messes it brings. Then again, I am betting it will be like everything else. Little Guy will start to notice Big Poppy's cups do not have a top. Heaven forbid Little Guy does not do something exactly like Big Poppy!

The fierce independence all kids like to display is also coming our way. On those rare occassions Big Poppy and I do tell Little Guy no we are rewarded with Little Guy letting us know how he feels about the situation. I do admit I find it comical to see the frustration or tears over minor things. It is even funnier when Little Guy realizes that approach is not going to work and he shoots you a look - you know the look. The one that says: I'll get my way some how. Just you wait and see.

Yes, the wind is definately blowing change our way. I wonder what else will blow our way.

Could it be Little Guy's Halloween gear? Will he fly in on a broomstick, magic carpet or wings?

Catch-up Time

It's been a while and let me tell you something. A lot of fun things have been happening. The great thing about fun...it's fun. The bad thing about fun, I get too caught up in the fun to take pictures or let everyone know what we are doing.

I should be out for a little run but the wind sounds cold, the sky is black and the wind sound cold. Did I mention that already? Sure, the treadmill could work but ... I'm thinking a great excuse on why to skip a morning workout ... I don't feel like jogging this morning becaue the wind sounds cold. I'm sure that means the wind would be blowing quite a bit on our treadmill too.

The last time I was here there was a quick run down of Labor Day weekend. Remember to breath while we catch-up. Also, just to note, by no means do I think we are any busier than any other family. I really do not know anyone with time to sit around watching the paint dry. This month has just had more packed into it than normal. We do our best to give us time as a family to play, talk and chill out together. Go - go - go is not the best idea all the time, at least in my opinion. I do like my couch, well, really I like to sit on my couch. I would love a new couch however that is a story for another day.

Big Poppy, a couple times a year, goes to Missouri to golf work with his biggest client. He during the day on September 9 and returned September 12. While he was away, Little Guy had his first swimming lesson. We got up bright and early Saturday morning, swim lessons are at 8 am, to dress, have a little breakfast and then make it over to the swim school. The dressing rooms are very bright and colorful, don't you think?

Swim class was great. Little Guy was a little shy with all the extra people around (there are six small classes going on at once which is a lot for a little boy who does not want to miss a thing). After getting use to all the other classes, Little Guy focused in on our group and had a lot of fun.

After swimming lessons, we rushed home to shower and change. We were off to a football with a friend and her son. The mom's were in one color and the boys were in the home town favorite colors. I went to college with Wendy and we busted out the old school gear. Both to my astonishment and my dismay, I am a home town supporter, the little school won.

Sunday was a big, big day for Little Guy. Big Poppy was not a fan of me cutting Little Guy's hair so we went to have a big boy haircut. It was not excactly the experience I thought it would be. Little Guy is normally very laid back, happy and has a winning smile. From the moment he sat in the chair Little Guy was over it. He let everyone know this current situation was unacceptable and he wanted out.

Even on the ride to lunch with GrandB, Little Guy let his sour mood over the whole thing shine through. It took a few hours before he liked me again. Next time, Big Poppy gets to be the bad guy.

Big Poppy made it home, safe and sound, and Little Guy was very happy to snuggle up next to him Sunday afternoon after the tourture of a haircut I put him through. After Little Guy was sound asleep, we started moving furniture. Tuesday was the big day of the carpet install. The entire upstairs and the living room would have fresh flooring and I was excited.

But, before Tuesday carpet install we needed to clear out all of the rooms. Thankfully Danno helped with a couple of the heavy lifting items. We had everything squared away for Tuesday, well almost everything. On Monday, the guys came to move the pool table from the "pool table room" (I have no other word to describe the game room because the room was built around the pool table) to the basement and garage.

Tuesday was my favorite day. When I arrived home from work with Little Guy it was like a new home. We have a few more things we want to update and change but this carpeting was quite a transformation in the feel of our home. I may regret chocolate carpet considering how often you need to vacumn with a white fluffy puppy (love you Jeter) but it will be worth it every time Big Poppy brings out the vacumn.

There was touch up painting and curtains hung (another thing I cannot get enough of, I can hide the ugly blinds now). A speaker was moved (thank you Big Poppy!). Most of our furniture was put back by Friday and the rest occured when Danno came over to help with the heavy lifting.

And the pool table. Now this was a gem I was not expecting. When they moved the pool table back we had it refelted. I now believe the felt on the table may have dated back to the early 1800's. The new felt is so clean and crisp. Had I know how easy and somewhat inexpensive it was to refelt a table, I would have done this a long time ago. It completely changed the look of the table and I no longer hate it. It was so ugly and icky before. Now it actually looks nice.

Now let me give you the quick recap of Friday. Work, pool table, furniture...oh, yes, I ran over to Mack's house for a little party with Danno's Girl and after they left Les and Travie arrived to spend the weekend with us along with Travie's brother and sister-in-law.

Which means September 18th and 19th was spent like this: Saturday morning, up and off to swim lessons and upon returning grabbing Les to be my personal cheerleader for a co-ed football game (in the future Big Poppy and Little Guy will come to cheer) while Travie, Big Poppy and Little Guy searched for Vikings helmut's (YUCK!) for Les and Travie's two boys. When we all met up around lunch time, Travie's family had arrived and we were off to the home of the juicy lucy (as seen on tv). Then we came home to watch some college football, played a game and more family came over for a quick minute before they went out for a few drinks. Big Poppy and I stayed home, picked up a bit and put Little Guy to bed. When they arrived home, most went to bed and we yacked a bit with Les before I sent her to bed for the second night in a row (she needs her sleep). Sunday morning everyone was up early and we were off for pre-game breakfast. Our guests were going to the Vikes game (we were asked but I did not want to spend good money on a team like the Vikings...but I willl go sometimes, just not this time). We came home, picked up, watched some football, GrandB wanted to stop over to see Little Guy, we went for a walk and then made supper. The disappointed crowd made it home in time for the Manning Bowl II but did not last long before they were ready for bed. Monday Les and I went for a jog/walk to catch-up and then everyone was off and we were back to reality of our own work day.

Which brings us to this week. It has been slow in comparison. A little playing. A little laundry. And now we are at the weekend again (Friday's are a good thing).

It's been nice catching up.

15 Months

Yesterday was Little Guy's 15 month birthday.

We busted out the balloon's, cake, ice cream...ok, maybe we took Jeter for a walk on the drive, bought some tickets for a high school football team's fundraiser and splashed around in the bath until Big Poppy said "enough" due the large volume of water on the floor.

This morning we ventured to the doctor's office for the 15 month check-up and shots. The best way to describe our morning - vocal.

Little Guy was not a fan of nurse one.

Little Guy was not a fan of the pediatrician.

Little Guy was not a fan of nurse two.

Little Guy was not a fan if I left the room.

Little Guy was not a fan if Big Poppy left the room.

Little Guy was a fan of snacks.

Little Guy let the entire clinic know he was unhappy with anything and everything.

How did it turn out? I'm skeptical of the some of the vitals because of Little Guy's vocal discord and the wrenching the body to get away from nurse one, the pediatrician and nurse two.

Vitals at Fifteen Months:

Height: 32 1/2" (90 percentile)

Weight: 25 lbs (50 -75 percentile)

Head: 47.5 cm (50 percentile)

Click here for a comparison at twelve months.

How's my boy doing now? By looking at him, you would never know he was full of piss and vinegar earlier. Go figure.

We have Not Left the Country

Has it felt like we've been gone for a while and does it feel like we have left the country? Let me assure you, we have been snuggled up nicely this month, in our home. We have not left the country NOR have we had much of dreamland trips. Our pleasant dreams have been apparently awaken each night for most of July with cries of pain.

It hasn't been Jeter.

It hasn't been Big Poppy.

It's Little Guy.

And now I know why. This past week Little Guy ran a low grade fever and it went up to 101 degrees on Monday and then again on Friday. When the low grade fever started, Big Poppy and I were waiting for a new tooth to pop through Little Guy's gums. Nothing surfaced.

On Friday I decided it was time to take Little Guy to see the pediatrician. He's been a very healthy little boy. The only times Little Guy has been to the doctor is when it's time for his check-ups. A quick look in Little Guy's mouth and the pediatrician found the problem. Little Guy is getting in a molar tooth and there is a cyst.

Here's a thought, if a cyst is nothing to be concerned about there should be another name for it. Saying the word cyst to a Mommy will cause the heart to stop momentarily. Maybe you should start a little differently instead of saying here, look, it's a cyst but nothing to worry about it. Once the tooth pops through the cyst will pop up and there will be lots of blood but don't be concerned. At this point, once the cyst pops through, the pain will be relieved and unfortunately there isn't really much we can do for the pain. And then follow-up with you think it will be another two weeks before the tooth pops through Little Guy's gums.

Little Guy also has an ear infection is in right ear and the pediatrician comment how great it was that he hasn't had one until now. (I guess we must be doing something right!) A quick prescription of amoxicillin and we are on our way.

And so, this weekend, while we have not left the country, we have not had much dreamland, we have however, had plenty of ice cream and popsicles. Nice cold and soothing ice cream and popsicles to help numb the gums. Little Guy has been living it up this weekend.

Unfortunately, ice cream does not seem appropriate in the middle of the night. Tonight, Mommy is persona non grata. Big Poppy is down comforting Little Guy since Mommy just won't do. I'm up here, feeling guilty for all kinds of reasons but mostly I'm feeling terrible that while we can give Little Guy a little bit of Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Motrin) it really isn't going to stop the pain, just lessen it.

Poor Little Guy.

Family Weekend

The Fourth of July holiday has always been one to spend with those who you love to have a good time with. Last year Big Poppy and I were very lucky to head back to my home town to visit family and friends. This year we hopped a plane and headed the opposite direction to meet up with some very special people in the windy city.

Our flight was bright and early on Thursday (6 am!) however, the unnatural hours did not slow Little Guy down. He flirted with the ladies on our nearly private flight (bonus) and waved to the little dog also on board. The flight is a quick one, about an hour, and as we waited for the car to arrive, well then Little Guy decided it was time for nap.

Wait a moment Mommy, this camera is not allowing the ladies to see me smile.

It was a quick car ride from the airport to the hotel. Little Guy and I grabbed some breakfast while we waited for the rest of the family to arrive and then we would be off to the Cubbies game. It is a good thing that Ranger, Aunt, Syd, Soy, Little Guy and I are not Cub fans (but who wouldn't like to see a game at Wrigley Field). While the game went into extra innings, the Cubs did not come out on top. Not that Little Guy would know. One moment he's in a rally cap and the next he snuggled up for nap.

Our weekend was fun with time at Shedd Aquarium.

To help defray the costs of vacationing in the windy city, we decided to put the kids to work at that the John Hancock Observatory.

Little Guy really liked the views. I had nightmares of the glass breaking.

At the end of a long day, Little Guy enjoyed eating a little food, using the left overs for a facial and sipping on some milk in the nice, cool AC.

At the Field Museum we entered a shrinking machine to see what it was liked to live underground. Some bugs make for good transportation.

Some people (Aunt) would make fun of how often Little Guy and I liked to eat. It's hard work growing up and we need lots to keep us properly fueled for the day ahead. Little Guy sometimes had difficulty deciding on what he wanted to order.

But the concentration involved in reviewing the menu options might run in the family.

Hmmm, this type of concentration on a menu, we are a focused group.

GrandB made one of her famous bibs for the Fourth of July.

But after a long day out and some time in the sun, all Little Guy wanted when we got back to the hotel was something cold and tasty. Strawberry daiquiri anyone? (Without the grown-up spice of course.) He was a BIG fan and would fuss voice his desire for more whenever I took the straw away - I didn't want Little Guy to get a cold headache from too much too fast.

All in all, it was a great vacation...except maybe for the return home. A three hour delay after you arrive at the airport is not an ideal way to end a relaxing and fun trip.