Yes, it's inevitable.....

Well, the boys have been sick for several weeks. Mason is almost well, but has a lingering cough. Miles has had 2 sets of ear infections (or maybe the first didn't go away. who knows!). I came down with an upper respiratory infection (read: viral = no medicine to make it go away or feel better sooner). Eric now has some congestion as well. I know that when you have kids coughing, sneezing and laying on you that it is almost inevitable that mom and/or dad get sick also. But this stinks. Miles has not slept a full night in almost a month. And, the pediatrician said on Tuesday that he looks like all 4 of his front teeth are ready to cut through. Wouldn't that be odd?? And, the top look more swolen than the bottom. Has anyone seen a baby with top teeth and not the bottoms in yet? Very odd.

Just a quick request to keep Eric in your prayers. He is running the White Rock marathon next Sunday, so this is not a good time for him to get sick. He needs to be healthy going into it in order to be able to qualify for Boston.

Only one other milestone to report is that Miles sat up by himself for the first time on Sunday, November 24th! Better late than never! :) Next milestone is crawling! I'm scared to have two mobile boys in the house!!! Maybe you should keep me in your prayers also!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello everyone!
Not much is going on around here. We are getting ready for Thanksgiving, which we will be spending with Eric's family. We are looking forward to spending some time with his sister, Kim, her hubby, Ben and our newest niece, Emilyn. (See their website at babyfearing.com).
Miles is slowly getting over his ear infection. He is also doing so much better on the formula. He has been pooping most days over the last couple of weeks (with very few doses or milk of magnesia). I now have approximately 60 bags of pumped milk in my freezer that I have no idea what to do with. I just don't think that I could throw it all out! His reflux is also much better. It is not totally gone, but it is not daily that he is going through several outfits.
Mason is great. He is starting to show some signs of turning the corner on the "terrible 2's". Again, everyday is not perfect, but I am seeing signs of things getting better. He has also learned to spell his name --- MSON. He refuses to say the "a". He skips it every time. He did the same thing when he first started counting to 10 - he would skip 7 every time. I think that he does it to make me crazy.
Mason is up from his nap, so quiet time is over! Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. I'll post some pics of the family soon.

Update - Miles

Miles has a double ear infection. The ped gave him a stronger antibiotic. It was a very long weekend and we haven't slept much in several days. More later....

Another dr trip

Miles has been really fussy most of this week and did not sleep well the last few nights. So, we are going to visit the pediatrician's office (anybody know of a ped with a frequent visitor program??? We would qualify lately!) later this morning to have his ears checked for another infection. Both boys have had a cold for a couple of weeks and Miles has not really seemed to be totally over his last ear infection two weeks ago. Please keep our family's health in your prayers. We need them lately. Momma (and daddy) are really tired right now! I'll update after we go to the doctor.

New pics of Miles - 5 1/2 months old

"Don't give me attitude, Mommy!"

So, this morning I was dressing Mason for another fun filled day. Mason asked about going to school (mother's day out, which is on Monday and Thursdays). I told him that he went yesterday and will go again on Thursday. I told him Miles will also be going to school on Thursday. Then I said (with a slight bit of sarcasm in my voice) "what will I do to fill my hours without you and your brother around? What am I going to do, Mason???" He looked me in the eyes and with a very serious look on his face, said "Don't give me attitude, Mommy!" I sat, stunned, for a moment trying to decide what he had just said and then busted out laughing. Apparently, Mason has heard this a few times lately (a few hundred probably) and I guess he picked up on the sarcasm in my voice. I could not help just cracking up laughing. He started laughing also (probably so he didn't get into trouble for attitude again). Nothing prepared me for this part of motherhood!

Enjoy the laugh and have a great week!

PS... Sunday's run -- 4 miles - 50:00 mins

Running

We have had a rough day in the Kimball house today. Mason has been a typical 2-year-old (read: attitude, tantrums, etc). A very wise mommy told me to take away something that means something to him to stop the meltdowns. So, today we did not go outside. The really hard part about that is that is how he runs off his energy and steam. He (like daddy) loves to be outside. He loves to dig in the dirt, collect rocks in his big dump truck and run up and down the front walk and driveway. Not going outside means a harder, longer evening and bedtime when we don't go outside. I need to find something else that means something to him (his blankets maybe???), but that is really the most effective way to get his attention. I don't know what to do!

Miles is also super fussy with teething, runny nose and the remnants of his ear infection. He has hardly eaten today and what he has eaten has mostly been spit back up. He is on his 4th outfit for the day and it is covered in spit-up, but I just can't change him again. He'll be getting a bath soon anyway.

On a totally different note -- or maybe a similar one since it has to do with me getting a break from the boys...........I have decided that I am going to train for a half-marathon (13.1 miles). I have never had the desire to do this until recently. I honestly have no idea why I decided to do it, but I have. So, I am putting it out there so that everyone can hold me accountable (and please, please, please do ask me about running and training! I need the pressure and encouragement!). Eric's sister, Kim and I will be running the Cowtown half-marathon on February 23rd (107 days away per cowtownmarathon.org). However, if my body (hips and pelvis especially) tells me that this is not a smart plan and that I just shouldn't run that far, I will be smart and stop training for such a long distance. But, for now the plan is to run (and hopefully lose a few more lbs!!!). To date, the farthest I have ever run is 6 miles (10k in May '06), so this will be a huge challenge to more than double that distance. Yesterday I ran 3 miles in 33:00 minutes. Today, 2 miles in 24:00. I'll post my progress and runs.

Preschools

"Buzz Lightyear" on Halloween

Mommy and her favorite lil' pumpkin at the Pumpkin Patch. Miles wanted to chew on the stem of the pumpkin.

We visited our first preshool for Mason this morning. We are looking at schools for next fall. Many take applications in January, so we have to make decisions pretty quickly. It is so hard to believe that we are at this point in our baby's life. Mason will be 3 in January. I can hardly believe it. I am not sure where the time goes. I am sure that next time I turn around, I will be enrolling Miles into preschool.
There are so many decisions on schools also. 3 or 5 days a week? What school? What teaching philosophy - more play based, montessori, etc? I never knew that there would be so much to think about. We didn't go to preschool and turned out just fine. But, everyone sends their kids now. Kids are "behind" at age 5 if they don't have some sort of schooling before kindergarten. Crazy!!
Miles had his first stuffy nose at the end of last week. Thursday night he hardly slept at all (and yes, Eric was out of town so I was totally on my own with both boys) and Friday the pediatrician told me he has a pretty bad ear infection. Poor kid is still stuffy and now has a runny nose, so he cannot lay flat to sleep. The ear seems better. But, he is working on cutting a tooth. It is close to cutting through and he is chewing on everything in sight! Let's hope it comes in quickly and my happy boy will come back to me!!