Herpangina

Yep, that's what Reid has. This lady described it better than I ever could (and yes, I'm too dumb to figure out how to copy and paste into my own blog...so I had to write out the entire thing):

http://www.thehouswifediaries.com/2008/05/herpangina.html

Poor Reid was fussy a couple of days this week, so the sitter and I took it as being teething (think I've blamed just about everything on that in the past few months, hehe, but someday he really WILL get those teeth to come in!). But when he went down for a nap on Wednesday afternoon (no fever) and awoke an hour later with a 101.2 degree fever, I knew something else must be amiss. Sure enough, he woke intermittently (screaming sometimes) all night long despite the Tylenol he'd been given and had a 102 degree fever at 6am. Since then, he's been subjected to elongated q-tips up the nose, in the throat, and a "sharp, knife-like stabbing pain" in his poor little throat. No wonder he doesn't want to eat. So please pray for this yucky virus to pass quickly...

Reid's New Cousin & Superbowl XIV

So really, this post should've been before the Valentine's post... Oh, well. I figured Reid would never have been able to wear this bib AND see snow at the same time, but little did I know I'd see more snow in Texas this year than I'd ever seen in my life!



And I (ahem..."Santa," I mean...) apparently did well choosing this Christmas present for him. He has loved it! It also doubles as a distracter at mealtimes when the bottle hasn't quite warmed up all the way--has a nice little suction cup bottom that sticks to his high chair tray.

"Squash!! Yessssssssssss....my favorite!!!"

Our little cat burglar...

The onesy must state the truth because he spit up all over it the first time he wore it.

"Not this Stay-Puft Marshmallow suit again!!"

Baby Harrison was born on February 3rd, so he and Reid are exactly eight months apart. So sweet! I cannot believe Reid was ever this tiny, now that he's 20+ pounds (and yes, my tendonitis/carpal tunnel is worse!! I am trying my best to pick him up less, or have Jason do it, but I've discovered you use those same muscles/motions for just about everything you do).

Jason's brother somehow managed to get tickets to the Superbowl. Here are a couple pics.

And I saved my favorite for last! Reid loves looking outside, and on the snow days it was quite chilly near the windows so I just left him in his footie pj's and sleep sack (it's a Snuggie, right?). He couldn't exactly fit his legs into the Bumbo with all that on, so it made for a funny picture.

Remind you of Gumby? :)

But the video is even funnier!

Valentine's Day

Happy (late) Valentine's Day! I snapped these pics yesterday morning, but never had time to upload them AND put them on the blog... Reid wasn't too sure about his new outfit...


"But MOOOooomm..."



"What? You got me a puppy??"

And then when he wasn't too smiley, Papa saved the day! (Jason's parents were in town to see Reid's sweet new cousin, Baby Harrison, and they were kind enough to watch Reid Sunday night so Jason and I could have our first solo dinner out since he'd been born :)

Thanks so much, Papa and Mamere. It was so fun to see you!! (And we sure enjoyed our Valentine's Date Night at Ra for some awesome sushi!)

Snow!

Here are pics from Day Four...no school :) Loved every second of it (and all that fun time off almost makes it harder to go back tomorrow!!)






Not our house, but the longest icicles I have ever since in Texas!



Ignore the fuzz and cat hair, but notice the perfect snowflake. Jason and I had the most fun just admiring God's handiwork :)



And (big) kids will be (big) kids! I really think being a parent lets you "rediscover" those amazing little things in life that are so exciting when you're a child. Watching Reid learn about the little things is really quite inspiring. Reid went down for a nap and we discovered that our video monitor works allllll the way down our street, so we went out for a little fun ourselves.








The final product:

We got our new camera delivered JUST in time for all this wonderful white stuff! Still learning how to use it...but it takes great pictures.

Our happy boy loves standing up with a little help.

He wasn't so fond of being outside in the cold due to his runny nose (at least we made it 8 months before his first cold!)...which brought back great memories of my own family's vacation when I was in kindergarten...and gave everyone but my dad the stomach flu. We'd flown to Utah--my sister was scared the icicles would come through the window and get her (Laura, that icicle pic at the beginning made me think of you!) and my dad was bound and determined to get all of us outside. We girls couldn't breathe, cried, and begged to go back inside rather than making a snowman. Sad trip, but hilarious memories full of "3-2-1 Contact," puzzles, and popsicles. But I digress..

The only thing I do not like about the camera is how it shows so many details in my face (I imagine that's how the broadcasters feel about HD tv). My skin is still all funky after being pregnant!! And poor Reid looks yellow/orange thanks to his pickily odd diet. (still working on that, but still only really likes squash, sweet potatoes, and sometimes carrots)

I can't tell you enough how we have LOVED our back porch/patio. Best thing we've done to our house!!

Reid's new favorite thing? Sticking his tongue out. All. the. time.

And I can't forget to mention the kitties. Our snow Dixie surprised us by actually asking to go outside...and liking the cold white stuff.

We still aren't sure how those tiny paws support a Two Ton Tilly cat!! But they make cute paw prints.

Samson refused to go outside until the next day. Pretty funny.

3 Ice Days...and Now Snow!

On Monday, we were excited at the prospect of a late start on Tuesday. (Now most people think teachers like snow days, but in the back of our minds, we are always thinking of having to make those days up later...but I do try to enjoy the day as much as possible.) As a native Texan, I don't think I have ever seen a forecast like this!! (If you can't quite see it, it says "chance of snow 100%")



So on Tuesday, when we awoke to the odd combination of thunder, lightening, and sleet around 4am, I was pretty sure we wouldn't be having school at all. Sure enough, after waiting and waiting around for the "official" call sometime after 6am (even though it was posted on the MISD website waaaaaaay before that), I got to enjoy being a stay at home mommy. Reid, Jason, and I played, played, and played some more.



Look at this handsome boy! ("Who, moi?")


Oddly enough, the temperature never rose above 22 that day...nor Wednesday...or even Thursday! So I have gotten to be a stay at home mommy all week!! :) Besides playing, we've also begun spitting on Mommy during dinner... I did video this one on Monday when it was still kind of cute, but it got increasingly messier each consecutive night.

And more playing... The sleep sack (we've been in pj's all week because they're so cozy) is one I got at the Carter's outlet. Reid picked it out himself--when I held it up, he laughed like it was hilarious or something. None of the other sleep sacks got that reaction, so this was the one I bought.

Our sitter kept telling me how much he loves the bouncer, so we decided to use a Babies 'R Us credit we had to get him one (I know...we're suckers, but he's so stinking cute!). At first, I thought she was fibbing, but I think he just had to loosen up the springs. Since this video, he goes bonkers in this thing and has a ball!

And even instead of naptime one day, I came in to Reid's room to see his sock off and his foot in his mouth (the ol' camera was a little too slow to capture it once I ran back downstairs to grab it, but here's what I could get)...his favorite thing recently.


Jason has been in to work intermittently this week, but we've been blessed to enjoy some extra family time. It's been much less hectic than a normal week (and so entertaining to watch all the crazies sliding around on the ice when we watch the news!)...probably due to a stress free me, lol. I think I am developing carpal tunnel or something--Reid is getting so big and heavy, now! My neck and hands hurt from picking him up so much, but it's a great problem to have :) Even the kitties have enjoyed the week. They have taken turns curling up on me when I'm catching up on all the baby books I'm behind in while Reid is napping, and this morning was even more fun when they discovered a cardinal pecking at the frozen bread I'd tossed out for them yesterday.

7 Months

Wow...where on earth has the time gone??? Here's our little 7 (and a half!) month old sweet baby! He LOVES removing his own socks, which is what he was preparing to do, I'm sure...



Hahahaha!




So the kindergarten teacher in me just HAD to introduce him to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (one of my faves, no matter how many times I see/hear it!!) He loves it, especially since it can be pulled up on the new, giant tv now. He just bounces right along...




Word! (think "Ice Ice Baby" circa 1991)

He is totally entertained by the gift our sitter got him for Christmas (and yes, it was totally on Mommy's list!!). Getting him to do tummy time is still kind of tricky...has to be a certain amount of time after eating, but he can't be cranky...blah, blah, blah. I really thought he might crawl, but Reid is pretty darn content to just lay back and watch things. We're thinking he'll be a late crawler, but seeing as how we aren't baby-proofed for a crawler, that might not be a bad thing.

Our long, lean (but getting chunky!) little guy.

I realized I forgot the 7 month sign, so attempted again (no bueno). Instead, we opted for an assisted sitting position...sans socks. In the first 17 pics, he was eating his socks, playing with his socks, throwing his socks, giggling at his socks...you get the picture.

In other news, our retarded cat, Samson, (I am very sorry to use that word, but he really is MR) has recently become a lap cat. Why? Who knows. But he's a very cute one ;)

And he has actually learned how to fluff...after 10 yrs... Better late than never, right?

This was one of Jason's Christmas presents (the onesie). Of course, in true boy fashion, he peed on it later at the sitter's house. Sheesh. Wasn't NEARLY as cute when I picked him up in Winnie the Pooh. (For those of you who know me well, I can't stand Winnie. No offense to anyone who does. But Tigger's pretty cute ;)

The sitter keeps telling me how Reid LOVES bouncing, so Jason and I decided to use our Babies R Us credit to get our own. He really hasn't bounced yet, but it's still super cute.

We are attempting to get Reid to feed himself sometimes. He's shown interest in sippy cups, but can't quite get the hang of it. I was amazed how he knew to put it right up to his mouth the first time I ever handed him one (assumably b/c the girls at the sitter are both a little older and he's seen them use one), but he can't get the holding it upright AND sucking parts together. Still cute, though! Eating is another story. He has basically boycotted all things that are not yellow/orange. Seriously. So his nose is beginning to turn a nice shade of jaundice, hahaha. We're working on remedying that...

Not a single day goes by...no matter how cranky he is, how awful it was leaving him for 9 hrs, how stinky those diapers are (and believe me-they're getting bad!!), how much food gets sprayed in my face, or how much he cries...I am so, so grateful that God has blessed us with this little guy.

Reid's First Snow

Look at me--two posts in a day!! That's what a snow day will get you ;) After waiting...and waiting...and checking the school district's website and WFAA.com (who both said the district would be closed today)...then waiting some more, I finally got the official call at 6:15 that today would be a snow day. Exciting, yes, but we were hoping for a late start so that we wouldn't have to make up an entire day later in the spring. Oh, well. I'll take it and enjoy it!! The only thing that marred today is finding out my "special friend" (translated, kid who threw chairs across the room, tried to bite me, and had to be physically removed from my classroom--all on separate days--just to name a few of the lovely things that've happened) will be back in my class this week. I just think it is so unfair for the other 20 children I have to deal with this...and no, I do not have an aide/helper. So we'll all be tiptoeing around on eggshells again, wondering when he'll go off. (Prayers are appreciated--they can accomplish more than anything else!!!) Yes, I've already cried.

Anyhow, had one more video I took before the snow day...Reid LOVES balls that roll, even if they bonk him in the face inadvertently.



On to the snow! Reid wasn't quite sure what to think of his snowsuit (thanks, Aunt Laura! We wouldn't have had anything warm enough if it weren't for this adorable hand me down.) but was all smiles when we took him outside to see all the white stuff.



Daddy built a snowman that was a little bit taller than Reid, but Reid did not want to stand in the cold white stuff.

I added another little hat to make sure his ears were indeed warm enough, but then he wouldn't really turn his head.

We walked (carefully!) down the street to see the sights.

Reid made his first snow angel (with a little help from Mommy, of course).

We found a snowman almost as big as Daddy (and across the street, there was actually a taller one!)...

Back in our own backyard, we played some more. I realized I never put on makeup yesterday...went to church and all! Oh, well.

Our house, from the back:

Once back indoors in the warmth, Jason kept Reid entertained with one of his new Christmas toys. They've played with it a lot, but for some reason it totally cracked him up.

And the newest food o' the week? Pears, our first fruit! Check out his reaction. That was the second day to eat them, and he seems to like them, but it's the same reaction I have to Sweet Tarts, lol. I was very excited to capture it on film!