Hodge-podge

A hodge-podge is what this post is going to be. Hmmm...let's see...where shall I start? How about with my children's health.

Nathan got sick about 2 weeks ago with what seemed to be the common cold. He got better for a little bit, but then started getting high fevers on Saturday, the 24th. They came and went for a few days and then Nathan has a previously schedule 1-year check-up. At that appointment, it was discovered that he had an ear infection and was put on the antibiotic, Amoxicillin. He was on it for about 4 days and seemed to get better. Joe and I left on Friday for Chicago/Indiana (more on that later) and left the kiddos with my parents. When I called to check in on Saturday morning, the 31st, my mom told me that Nathan started getting fevers again, and this continued until Monday. I called the doctor and we had to go in again. Nathan's ears looked okay, so the doctor thought it had turned into a sinus infection. He prescribed another antibiotic called Augmentin, which is Amoxicillin with something else added to assist in killing the bacteria. No more fevers, but now Nathan has broken out in a rash. I called the doctor AGAIN this morning, and we have an appointment at 4:45 this afternoon. Oh, and I forgot the best part...Nathan tested positive for H1N1 as well! My poor baby. I can tell he's just so uncomfortable today. He's clingy, crabby, and nothing seems to make him happy. I finally resorted to rocking him with his blanket and his NUK, and he finally fell asleep in my arms. I can't remember the last time he did that. He's been sleeping for a while now, so hopefully when he wakes up, he'll be a new man! I ended up giving him some Benadryl in case the rash was causing some itching. Now it's Ella's turn...

Ella started getting high fevers the evening of Thursday, October 22nd. I kept her home from Preschool the next day, and she and Joe ended up having to miss our Godson's 1st birthday party. Nathan and I still went and had a great time (although that's when Nathan was starting to GET sick...) Anyways, the following Tuesday, the same day that Nathan had his 1 year check-up, Ella was not acting like her normal self. She started getting a fever again and was digging around in her ear. So I called the doctor (we're BFFs now, by the way) and we went in. We were at the doctor twice in one day, once for Nate and once for Ella. Turned out, Ella had a double ear infection and was started on antibiotics. I'm happy to say that Ella is now healthy and back to normal. Her new favorite phrase is, "You're not my friend anymore." Hand on hip and all! Now onto our weekend get-away...

Joe and I left for Chicago this past Friday afternoon. It took us almost 3 hours to get there. I HATE Chicago area traffic. It's always horrible! Our first stop was at Joe's friend Meghan and her husband Brian's condo. We had never seen their place so it was nice to finally get the tour. From there we went over to Katie and Dave's condo. Katie is one of my old roommates. They have an awesome cat named Kevin. I love it! We had a fabulous dinner at Big Jones and then headed over to Simons, a whole-in-the-wall dive bar. Joe's friend Jen and her boyfriend Brendan met us out, as well as another one of my old roommates, Niki and her boyfriend Pete. We had a great night catching up! The next morning, Joe and I left for Indiana for a wedding. My friend Kelly, from high school, married her long-time boyfriend Tom in a very interested ceremony. Tom's family is Serbian and they got married at a Serbian Orthodox Church. There was a lot of standing and a lot of singing/chanting by the priest. I had never been to something like that before. The church was beautiful. The reception was a lot of fun! I was able to finally meet my friend Jenn's two adorable boys and chat with her husband Matt. I also ran into some unexpected people from high school, which was a nice surprise. Joe and I dance, drank, and then had a full-night's rest. All in all, it was an awesome weekend, but it was sure nice to get home and hug my kids!

So, if you've made it this far, you can tell we've had a sick, busy, crazy, fun, and tiring past few weeks! Enjoy the pictures of the wedding and of Halloween!

How'd He Do That?

When Ella yelled out to me, "Mommy, how'd he get up there?" I wasn't quite sure what I was going to find. Apparently, Nate has learned how to get on top of his train table. Let the climbing adventures begin! See how proud he is?



We had a busy week! Ella went to the pumpkin farm with her daycare and picked out a lovely pumpkin. Through Newcomers, the Kidclub section held a Halloween Scavenger Hunt. We walked on a nature trail in the area and found all sorts of treasures! Gourds, pumpkins, corn, apples...everything Autumn! (Someone had hidden these items ahead of time, in case you didn't already figure that out.) After the scavenger hunt, we went back to the host's house and let all the kids play together for a while. I am so glad I joined this group. We've done lots of fun things with the kids, and I've also enjoyed the Ladies Night Out events. I learned how to play Bunko!


Nathan has been fighting a cold for the past week, and then yesterday spiked a pretty high fever and has been coughing. He's been waking up a few times during the night because of it, but can generally put himself back to sleep. Ella spiked a fever on Thursday night, seemingly right during her last dance class. She stayed home from Preschool on Friday and then Friday night it turned into Croup. She sounds like a barking seal when she coughs. Poor thing. Unfortunately, Ella and Joe had to stay home and miss our Godson's 1st birthday party. April put together such a nice party. The theme was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and she made all of the decorations by hand. Nathan was beginning to get a fever, so he was super cranky and clingy. He was perfect for the long car ride however! Here's a shot of the birthday boy and his parents:




We have lots of fun things ahead of us in the next few weeks. My parents are coming into town this Thursday so Joe and I can take off for the weekend. My friend Kelly, from high school, is getting married to Tom in Indiana this Saturday, the 31st. And no, it is not a Halloween themed wedding! We are leaving Friday evening and staying with some friends in Chicago before heading to the wedding on Saturday. The weekend after that, we are heading back to Appleton to stay with Paul and April. April invited me to see "Rent" with her on November 7th. It will be my 3rd time seeing "Rent" and I couldn't be more excited! Plus, April and I will have some baby-free time together, so we can actually talk to each other. Amazing concept, huh?

Fall Days

Today is a beautiful day. Except for Nate's snotty nose. But otherwise, today is a beautiful day. We spent some time at the park and it was warm enough to take off my jacket. Oh yeah, that's right...I live in Wisconsin. Ella and Nathan had some fun playing in the leaves, and I had to snap some pictures of them wearing their adorable hats from Auntie April. See that flower button on the left-hand side? Scroll down a little bit...now do you see it? If you click on it, it will take you to April's store, where you can order your OWN hats.

Merry Christmas!

Joe and I received an early Christmas present from my parents this past weekend. Wanna see what it is???

A new stove!!! I am so excited to have finally gotten rid of our very out-dated stove, coils and all, and have it replaced with a smooth surface cook-top. Clean-up is so much easier, and slowly but surely, our appliances are beginning to match. All we need now is to replace our 1990 microwave. In time, in time... Thanks Mom and Dad! I'll cook you something in a few weeks when you're back!

I started to come down with a cold on the day of Nathan's 1st birthday party, so I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, but I wanted to update a little bit a post some pictures from his very special day. He received some wonderful and thoughtful gifts, such as a beanie from April (she has her own blog store, you know...you can get your own by going to her website.) From his Godparents, he received a beautiful wooden box that holds 20 silver dollars, all representing a different year. Inside were two silver dollars, one from his birth year, 2008, and one for this birthday, 2009. I thought that was a great idea! He got some really neat toys, which of course come with lots of lights and noise (thanks everyone! Haha!) and a very nice college fund contribution. Nathan even got his own train table! I think Ella enjoyed opening most of his gifts and got a huge kick out of playing with all of "her" new toys. Here are a few shots from his memorable day!

I'm still having a hard time believing that Nathan was born a whole year ago!

A few weeks ago, I entered a contest on another April's blog, and I won! The picture is a bit blurry, but here's what it looks like:

It's a custom made mat surrounding a picture of the cutest kids alive...okay, I made up that last part, but it's my blog, my opinion, right? This is the first blog contest that I've won. Go me!

Okay, I think this blog post is choppy enough, so I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Nathan Gerald Dietrich is turning 1 today, and I can't believe it. I know it sounds completely cliche, but this year has gone by so fast. It might be because I was in a exhaustion-induced haze for the first 6 months...but I'd rather focus on the positives now! Nate is such a joy. His laugh makes me laugh, his smile makes me smile. The way he lays his head on my shoulder when I sing him the same 4 songs on the nights I put him to bed makes me feel incredible. He is such a wonderful child and I am so lucky to have him as my son.

Click here if you'd like to read Nathan's birth story. Come on...you know you want to. Stay tuned for my next post about Nate's 1st birthday party with lots of pictures to go along with it.

Induced or Not to be Induced...That is the Question (written one year ago today)

Big day today. I went in the doctor for my 38 week appointment and got some shocking news! My platelet count had dropped from 91 last week to 88 this week. They did a STAT blood draw to see if my platelets had dropped even more, in which case, they were going to induce me TODAY! Holy cow! Fortunately, I just received a call from the nurse and was told that my platelets were up to 103. Phew! No baby today. However, I am scheduled to be induced this coming Sunday, Oct. 12th, at 8:30am to avoid any complications from the low platelets, or what is called, thrombocytopenia. Say that 5 times fast! Although, after walking 3 miles this past Saturday in the Alzheimer's walk in memory of Joe's grandma, I started having some mild contractions. They stopped though, and I haven't really had any since. I am 2, almost 3 centimeters dialated, the baby is low, and my cervix is "favorable." Too much information? Sorry! So I think I may have this baby before Sunday anyways. Our poor parents...we keep calling them with different news every day. My parents are about to jump in the car in order to make it in time! At this point, they will come sometime later this week. So here's my plan...I'm going to take a long walk this afternoon and see if we can get things moving. I don't really want to be induced...I've heard that it's not the easiest situation. I'll keep everyone informed as I know more information. When I do go to the hospital, my friend April will update for me. (Unless she's in the hospital having HER baby!)


I took this picture shortly after returning home from that doctor's appointment, just in case it was my last chance to take a belly pic. I hadn't heard yet if I was going to be induced that day.

Question of the day and a new blog award...

After a fun-filled morning at an indoor playroom, playing with our new friends from Newcomers group, we had lunch at Culver's. Back in the van, about to pull out of our space, Ella asks,

"Mommy, why is that doggy driving?"

I just happened to have my camera in my purse and couldn't resist!

My friend April gave me a blog award!

Rules:

1. You Can Only Use One Word!

2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!

3. Alert them that you have given them this award!

4. Have Fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse

2. Your hair? Red

3. Your mother? Caring

4. Your father? Loving

5. Your favorite food? Ice Cream

6. Your dream last night? Blank

7. Your favorite drink? Diet Pepsi

8. Your dream/goal? Travel

9. What room are you in? Office

10. Your hobby? Photography

11. Your fear? Bees

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here

13. Where were you last night? Dance

14. Something that you aren’t? Pregnant

15. Muffins? Lemon

16. Wish list item? Stove

17. Where did you grow up? Northville, MI

18. Last thing you did? Naps (not me)

19. What are you wearing? Jeans

20. Your TV? Off

21. Your pets? Furry

22. Friends? Wonderful

23. Your life? Full

24. Your mood? Calm (for the moment)

25. Missing someone? Yes!

26. Vehicle? Mini-van

27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes

28. Your favorite store? Kohl's

29. Your favorite color? Blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? Earlier

31. Last time you cried? Oprah

32. Your best friend? Many!

33. One place that I go to over and over? Dollar Store

34. One person who emails me regularly? Kari

35. Favorite place to eat? Noodles

Now I get to pass this award onto 6 of my favorite bloggers: (And they will love me for it!)

Christine

Katie

Audrey

Jenn

Okay...I only have 4. I would give this award to April, but she just gave it to me. I need more blog friends.

Tomorrow is our big walk for Alzheimer's. Thank you so much to all who donated. I appreciate it so much. I didn't raise as much as I set out to, but I raised more than last year. The weather is supposed to be cold and rainy...but hey, at least this year I won't be waddling along. I was 9 months pregnant this time last year!

This picture was taken the night before I was induced with Nathan, October 11th, 2008. Stay tuned for some blog reposts from a year ago. It's always fun to look back, isn't it?