Tubes

Just a very quick note ------
Went to the ENT. Stated that Miles still has fluid on his ears, has had too many ear infections. The fluid is not just "fluid" but the consistency of jello. This will not clear up on its own and will lead to permanent hearing loss. So, he will be getting tubes in his ears Thursday, April 10th at 7:30am. I know it is not a big deal and is a very easy surgery, but I am still a little freaked out.

Weekend in Chicago

We had a fabulous last 4 days!!! Wednesday, we left the boys with Mimi and Grandpa (Wednesday and Thursday nights) and flew to Chicago. Eric had a training class on Thursday and Friday. I got to sleep (at least until 5am when Eric had wake-up calls to our room so he could work .... ARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!), read, hang with our youngest niece, Emi and my sis-in-law Kim, eat, eat, eat, shop a little and have a great time recharging!
We had no real agenda, except for a list of foods/restaurants we (ok, I) wanted while we were there -- yummy italian food (check), deep dish pizza (check), "toast" (our favorite breakfast place-check), ice cream from Annettes (oops - missed that one - it was closed last night when we went by after dinner). Oh well... next time we'll be sure and visit 2 times to make up for the miss this time! :)
The weather was SO cold, windy and it even "thunder-snowed" on Thursday. Crazy snow blowing off the lake, could not even see the road from our room on the 31st floor!! Plus, it was thundering at the same time. Very bizarre happenings!
The boys stayed with Nana and Papa Friday and Saturday. Mason did great about being consistent with his potty training (only one accident that I heard about - thank you God for this amazing turn of events!!). They both slept better than they did when we went away in October. Miles made huge improvements in his "walking/cruising". He was taking off around the coffee table like an old pro this evening. He also wants to just hold your hands and walk, walk, walk. Before we left (yes, just 4 days ago), you really had to pull him along to get his feet moving. Today, he was off and I had to keep up with him! He also is balancing so much better and is standing on his own for a few seconds at a time. I may be very wrong, but I will be quite shocked if he does not walk by May 1st. I'll (of course) keep you posted and put some pics and video up of him walking.
We go to our first appointment at the ENT tomorrow. Great timing as he still has a runny nose. Hopefully, we will find out something and learn if the fluid that was still on both of his ears about 9 days ago (Friday a week ago) dried up or is still there. He did get a second round of antibiotics since it was there and we were going out of town and he is still on that. So, there should not be infection.
Have a great week!

Day 2 of the patio and Easter

Just wanted to show the progress on the patio and some Easter pics of the boys!

New experience in our bed last night....

hahahaha! Bet I made you want to read on, huh? Don't worry, mom, it's G rated! :)

About 12:15 I woke up and heard Mason calling "daddy, daddy, daddy". That in itself is not odd, but he was in our room (usually he yells to us from his room down the hall). Then, he just climbed up into our bed and laid down between us. He has never before done that. Ever. It was really odd. After just a few minutes, I took him back to his bed and laid down with him. About 10 minutes after he went to sleep, Miles woke up screaming. His ears must have been hurting because he would not stop rubbing them. I feel so bad for the little guy. After about an hour, he settled down and slept for 6 1/2 hours. That is the longest he has slept for a very long time. The sleep felt so great!!

Today at school, Miles feel face first onto the floor. So, he will have a purple forehead and eye for Easter. Purple coordinates nicely for Easter with yellow and blue, right?

Work also started on our back patio today. I am so excited to have a nice area for the boys to play and where I can see Mason more easily when he is in the yard. Here is what it looked like when we bought the house (in April 2004).

Here is day 1 progress.

Update

It has been a busy week since I last posted.
Miles - Tuesday night he started a croup-like cough. Wednesday late afternoon started running really high fevers (103.7-104.5). Again. Thursday, took him to the ped and he had another ear infection (only in one ear). High fevers, not eating, throwing up what he did eat. Longggggggg weekend and not much sleep...took him back on Monday and the infection was much worse and in both ears. He lost 1 pound in the last week as well. So, we officially got a referral to an ENT yesterday. We knew it was time and the ped agreed. So, we'll be going in on 3/31 to see what they think if this situation. Please keep Miles in your prayers that the new medication will get rid of these ear infections. On a happy note, Miles is cruising around furniture, hates sitting, just wants to crawl or stand, and loves to "walk" while we are holding onto our hands. He has also stood by himself a few times for several seconds. We are getting closer to having 2 walkers/runners in the house! :)
Mason - Mason is doing great. I think that he is having a little bit of jealousy issues. He had to go with me to 3 ped appointments for Miles in the last 7 days. A lot of attention has been paid to Miles lately, so he is understandably looking for attention and acting out to get it. Seems easy enough to remedy with a little extra TLC. Otherwise, he is happy, healthy (yea!) and a typical 3 year old!

9 mo check-up

Monday was Miles' 9 month well baby check-up. He weighs 20 lbs, 12 oz (45%) and is 30" long (95%)!! I knew he was tall, but I had no idea he was in such a high percentile. His ears were clear from the ear infections last week. Everything else checked out perfectly.
Last night, about 10:45 we awoke to a "barking" cough coming from Miles' room. Yes, I think he has the croup. Once you have had a child with the croup, the sound of the cough is unmistakable. He has no other symptoms (fever, runny nose, congestion, etc) of any illness, just a sudden cough. I am in denial that he might be sick AGAIN! I slept in his room last night because everytime I put him down, he would cry (scream) and his cough intensified. Today, everytime he coughs, he cries afterwards like it hurts him. I don't know if his throat or chest hurts from the cough. Anyone know? It is so much easier when they can just tell you what hurts. Praying for all four of us to be well (especially Miles, poor guy has had it all lately!) and to finally get a good night sleep.

I'm in mourning.....

I am so sad to say goodbye to something sacred to my day for the last 3 years. Mason has officially outgrown his nap. I have been fighting him at naptime to stay in bed, stay quiet, go to sleep, etc for the last several weeks. And, we have started having to fight him at bedtime to stay in bed as well. Most nights, he does not go to sleep until 9PM or after. So, today I put the portable DVD player in his room and instituted "quiet time". He can play, read, watch the video or nap - as long as he stays in his room and stays quiet until mommy comes to get him. So far, it is going well. I am glad, but also so sad to know that 1) he is growing up so quickly and 2) my day just got a little longer. Although, he may go to bed a little earlier tonight. That would be nice!
Ran 3.5 miles this morning. Don't remember the time. I know I was slow though.... some days just are slow days, I guess.

M&M Quirks

I know that everyone has their "quirks", but the boys have been cracking me up lately!


Mason is very "type A" - meaning that he likes things in order and has a tendancy to line up things -- cars, books, toys, etc. Check out this picture -- he did this while I was in the shower, so it was totally his idea, impulse, compulsion.




He lined up cars and trains (and a few helicopters and airplanes) from one end of the den to the other. What 3 year old does that????

Miles has been crawling for a while now like any other normal child. Last night, he started crawling a little differently. Watch this video to see what I mean....

Double ear infection

Miles went to the ped this morning. He has been somewhat fussy, still congested, and did not sleep well at all last night. He has a double ear infection. At least this illnes is treatable with medication. Will this ever end????

7 mi run

According to our GPS, I ran 7 mi. According to google maps, I ran 7.3 miles. I'll go with google maps! :) 7.3 mi -> 1:27:23
I just ran 7 miles. Wow! It is tempting to think, wow, I am just now over halfway to 13 miles. I have such a long way to go still and only 5 weeks until the run. My head tells me that I should quit training. That I will never be able to run 13 miles, especially with the little training time that I am able to put in during the week. My legs tell me that they are tired right now. My hips say that they hurt and why do I insist on pounding on them. But, my heart is just really, really proud of me. I have never run 7 miles. Next weekend, I will run 8. I am sure that around mile 2-3 I will start thinking I am crazy, why am I doing this, this hurts, etc. But, I have the next 7 days to be proud of myself and enjoy my accomplishment. I have always wanted to run all the way around White Rock Lake (it is approx 9 miles). In 3 weeks, on my 9 mile run, I plan to do just that. Wow.
Hope you have a great day.
PS... happy 32nd birthday to me!!! :)