Aw man, we've got pertussis

I only title it this because that's been Blaine's phrase lately. Every now and then he'll just come out with an "Aw man" in a little sing-songey voice. It's so cute and we've begun to apply it to our current family situation.

So, where to begin. Basically one or all of us have been sick since the beginning of October. I got sick first and quickly came down with a sinus infection and got on antibiotics. Then the boys got sick with, what I assume, was pretty much the same thing. They had thick, runny noses and a little bit of coughs. Pierce's finally cleared, but Blaine's just wasn't. And he was so cranky all day, which just wasn't like him. I took him in to Dr. Hartman and she looked in both ears and quickly diagnosed him with a double ear infection. Poor baby! I hadn't expected that, but was glad to have him on antibiotics to put it all behind us. Around this same time, BJ got a chest cold and we just assumed he had what the 3 of us did. And maybe he did, but November 2 he got the menacing email from Joe at work that he had gotten a positive pertussis test back. And the boys and I had just been to NovaTech 2 days before for Halloween. Not good. I wasn't too worried at first, but then Pierce started coughing. He had been the healthy one and this was such an isolated symptom. At first I just thought it was the dry air so I bought a humidifier. Didn't help. I called the dr. and explained the situation and my nagging feeling about pertussis, but they said we should be fine and to monitor and call back if it worsened. So I put my worries aside and chalked it up to another random virus he had. Besides, BJ was still coughing too.

 So on Friday of that week, BJ reluctantly decided to go back to the doctor just to be sure he didn't have an infection. He'd already been previously for a weird rash (we had been afraid of shingles), but they had just said it was related to the virus he had. They ran all sorts of tests and sent him home saying it was probably still the virus lingering. But then, Tuesday night he walked in the door and told me he had just gotten the call that his pertussis culture came back positive. I was shocked and not sure what to even do next. So the next day the boys and I went in to the doctor and we all got put on a Z pack as prevention/treatment. They didn't test any of us, but I just know Pierce's would have been positive. I think Blaine and I escaped the worst because we'd both previously been on an antibiotic. So BJ took a couple of "disease days" and we laid low at home. All 4 of us feel pretty much normal. BJ coughs very occasionally, but Pierce is a little worse. Every now and then he'll have a short coughing fit, but it is pretty manageable. The worst is at night though and that's what gets taxing. The poor baby won't even wake all the up sometimes, but he just can't stop so we'll have to intervene with a drink and paci. I think it's messed up Blaine's cycle too though because he has been waking up ridiculously early (like 4 AM) and sometimes won't go back. But considering that we have pertussis, it could be a lot worse.

Perhaps the worst timing of all of this is with GG's trip here for Thanksgiving. She flew in the Tuesday night we found out. Not good timing! Wonderful Dr. Talbert wrote everyone in my family prescriptions for Z-packs which I guess can also help prevent it. We also had to send out an email and make phone calls to everyone we'd been around in the past couple of weeks to let them know. Talk about a humbling position. I felt so bad, but knew we had to. Everyone has been very gracious and appreciative of us letting them know. And so far, no one else appears to be infected. Now we're just praying it stays that way.

Will we ever be healthy again? I'm not so sure at this point...

17 Month Update

Time is flying and I am starting to come to grips with the fact that I don't really have babies anymore. They are true toddlers and now that Pierce is officially walking there's just not much maybe left around here. It's very bittersweet. It's still crazy to see two little vertical bodies and heads at the same level now!

- We had a very sick month of October. I got sick first, then the boys got it, then BJ. And it was a nasty virus. I got a sinus infection, both boys had very yucky noses and coughs, and Blaine's ended up turning into a double ear infection. Poor baby. He just could not kick it, but I was surprised that's what it was after I took him in. He had never pulled on them or anything, but she said it looked new. Shortly after he was diagnosed though, the crankiness really set in and he is just now back to his normal self for the most part over 3 weeks later! So I don't feel like I've really had my normal Blaine this month.

- Pierce has been talking up a storm lately. He jabbers about, but is our curious one constantly asking "Dat?" in his cute, high-pitched voice. He points at every single picture when we read books and asks what it is and also loves to hear us name the body parts he points to on our faces. He can identify hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and bellybutton so far. It's so cute!

- Blaine's love for animals seems to have grown even more. He loves books that have pictures of real animals and this month all animals are called "ah-bee"s. That's also his name for Beary, whom he has become even more attached to. Every night before we go up to bed he searches the living room for "Ah Bee" to take up with him. We feel really bad when it's already upstairs! He also learned how to make a fish face and I was shocked when he did it after we looked at fish in one of his books. So smart!

- Just yesterday I taught them both how to give kisses on the cheek. Pierce isn't super interested. He will kind of lean in with his pixie smile and allow a kiss on the lips, but Blaine leans in a gives a big wet one on the cheek whenever I ask. It melts my mommy heart.

- Blaine has also learned to "march" where he brings one foot up higher when he walks and gets a big grin on his face. He also recently learned how to spin on a circle which usually ends with his losing his balance and ending up on the floor. He's also gotten even better at feeding himself with a bowl and spoon. He did great with chili the other night and likes to do yogurt himself too. This usually ends up in a pretty big mess, but he feels so proud and I know it's part of the process.

- Pierce is still our pickier eater and less open to new foods, but he really seems to have matured over the past couple of weeks. At the beginning of the month he was still having a lot of tantrums and would fall apart when he didn't get what he wanted (including me staying in the same room at all times), but post-sickness he seemed to come out of it and has been so easy-going and fun lately. Dinners have also gone better and, even though he isn't always trying what I want him to, he will sit in his chair more calmly and likes to hand us any food that he doesn't care for. We always say at least he's not throwing it on the floor in a rage.

- Pierce is also in a big mommy phase. He is probably the one with more anxiety now and we had a rough Y attempt a couple of weeks back which has left me pretty gun shy about the whole thing. I know he'll get past it, but it's so sad for now. I'm debating about leaving them at the Y altogether right now because of cold and flu season. I don't know why, but it just seems germier than church. I don't have a great alternative right now though. Plus it's so hard to tear myself away when they're both sobbing as I leave. We'll see...

Favorite:
Foods: PB and honey sandwhich, waffles/pancakes, chick-fil-a nuggets, pizza, yogurt
Books: Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Baby Einstein Category Book, I Love You Through and Through
Songs: Five Little Ducks (Pierce quacks along)
Games: Deathball with Daddy (Daddy throws soft balls and hits them), "I'm Gonna Get You", tickle time, slide, riding mommy horse,
Shows: Elmo, Fresh Beat Band, Super Why, The Wiggles, Barney

A little glance into current life...

A Rough Morning...

Last Friday was a rough one. It had started out as any normal day, but began to unravel like a chain of dominoes. Looking back it's getting funnier, but I was definitely not laughing at the time. It started out with a 7:30 phone call from my mom that she was stuck in bed because her helper for that morning (my dad was out of town) had her back go out. So I packed up breakfast and the boys and we headed over there. It went pretty well, but I find I just don't love breaking our daily routine. It's just a lot to haul them over and keep them entertained and safe while I help my mom. This had already come after a late CAbi party the night before and other previous days of helping that week. I was just completely worn down by Friday and really just at my wit's end. So we come home around 10 and we all headed upstairs to get dressed. The only doors  open up there were their room and the laundry room. Lately they love playing in the laundry room. I'm not sure why. Maybe it seems like a room just their size or something. They also love playing with the washer door and the big Costco-size laundry detergent I had on the floor. They love taking the lid off and putting it back on. By this point they had lost the lid, but I had reasoned with myself that it was too heavy for them to knock over. Wrong.

I had just gone downstairs to make a cup of tea when I hear Blaine at the upstairs gate crying. I figure he just wanted to see me, but it sounded like a more upset-something-is-wrong cry. I came back up and noticed something thick all over his hands and the gate. My first thought was the vaseline in their room, but I knew it was out of reach. And that's when I heard Pierce's delighted squeals coming from the laundry room. I raced down the hall and found him gleefully playing in a half inch of laundry detergent. He was like a greased pig rolling all over and having a ball. This was the first toddler incident that I stood frozen for a moment because I honestly wasn't sure where to begin and felt very outnumbered. I knew I had to get them in the tub so I began running the water and peeling Pierce's sopping jammies off of him. Meanwhile Blaine is still crying and I began to realize that I think he had put some in his mouth. At least it was the fragrance and dye free kind. I also noticed at this moment that Pierce had pooped so I couldn't just strip him down and throw him in the tub. I got Blaine naked and as I'm doing that I hear a kerplunk and turn to see that Pierce had fallen in the tub, poopy diaper and all. This is where I start to get tickled now, but I was too overwhelmed at the time. I finally get them both in the tub and rinsed off. I pulled Blaine out first and got him dried off and as I'm getting Pierce out, I hear the sound of pee hitting the bathroom rug. Yes, Blaine was peeing and not only that, but also putting his hand in it. Lord have mercy. So I re-rinse him, quickly get them dressed, and stuck them in the pack 'n play with a movie. Sometime over the course of our chaos I had called BJ and flat out asked him to come home. I hate doing that, but I knew I was breaking down. By the time he got home I was pathetically sitting in the doorway of the laundry room trying to sop up the soap with some towels. I melted down right then and there in the hallway.

I think it was the culmination of a long series of weeks. This had all happened after weeks of my dad being incapacitated with a serious back problem, trying to be there for my mom, and taking care of 2 sick babies after having been sick myself. Not good. BJ swooped in and took over the clean up while I showered and pulled myself together. The boys were no worse for the wear and my laundry room floor has never been cleaner.

Pierce did it!

This past weekend he officially transferred to walking as his main method! I wasn't sure I'd see the day. :) He's been using the walker quite a bit and I think it helped give him the confidence and practice he needed. Blaine had done the same thing. We knew that one day he'd just decide. He started out by walking more on his own in short distances between furniture or from something to us. Pretty soon he was going longer distances and now he's pretty comfortable. I am so proud of him! My favorite part of all is the huge grin he has on his face as he toddles over with his arms up for balance. So cute! Way to go, Piercey!