Marlee and Dakota~To know what was going through both of their minds...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Wagon Fun on a Winter Day
Marlee and Dakota~To know what was going through both of their minds...
Marlee and Dakota~To know what was going through both of their minds...
Bad Boys, Bad Boys
Well, Cooper is guilty of his first "bad boy" antics. He is fascinated with toilet paper for some reason. I try and keep the stand up and away, but obviously I forgot. :)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Random Bits
Well I thought I would post a little today. I have some random bits of information since I last posted. Now that we are back and somewhat settled, I finally got Cooper to the doctor for his 9 month check up. While in Knoxville, we used a very highly recommended pediatrician. Although she cared for Marlee and Cooper, we just never felt the same connection that we had with our GA doctor. I guess it has to do as much with history and comfort than anything. So, I was very excited to take Cooper back to see Dr. Douglass. She's so laid back and asks about the family and just genuinely seems to care and spend time with us. Coop's checkup went very well. She says he's growing right on track. He weighs 18 1/2 lbs, which puts him in the 25% for other boys his age. I've forgotten how tall he was, but I do know it was in the 25th percentile, too. He's also right on track developmentally.
That afternoon he started to run a fever. Since she has thoroughly checked him out from head to toe, I just thought it was associated with teething. Well, the fever didn't go away and lingered for about 3 days. I called the nurse's help line on Wednesday to see if I should bring him in. They said as long as his fever was below 101 then he didn't need to come in (since he has just been checked and nothing was wrong with his ears, throat, etc). We kept rotating motrin and tylenol. I think since I started him on tylenol as soon as he felt warm (99.9) I kept the high temps away. He did get up to 100.7. Well Thursday afternoon the fever was gone but still no teeth. I had my suspicions about what was wrong, but I was waiting on one key feature. Friday afternoon my suspicions were confirmed when I changed his diaper and saw a red rash all over his torso. So the poor guy had roseola. It is very common in children his age. Actually, Marlee had it when she was around one year old. Except with her, her fever got up to 103. I was totally freaking out and took her to the doctor. He said he thought it was roseola and to wait for a rash. Sure enough one showed up on her after about three days with a fever.
So for all you new moms out there, don't panic when your child is running a high fever with no other symptoms. Rotate the tylenol and motrin. Lukewarm bathes and frozen wash cloths help too. All you can do for roseola is wait it out. It is a viral infection, so no medication can do anything.
Yesterday we went over to our friend Lindsay's house for a play date. Her little boy, Charlie. is two weeks older than Cooper. She has a play group of moms with babies all around the same age. They get together a few times a month and let the babies play and let the moms talk. I prepared Marlee as best as I could. I think she was still a little shocked with the number of babies there. I think there were 10 or so. She was well behaved and really just kept to herself. Cooper seemed to enjoy himself. That afternoon we went to visit some more friends, the Burke's. Marlee had a grand time playing. The Burke's have a little boy a few weeks younger than Cooper. So, Coop really had fun. We stayed for dinner which was nice. I really had a nice time catching up with friends and look forward to more play dates in the future.
We're expecting bone-chilling temperatures, as the meteorologist said, by the end of the week. If only, so precipitation was floating around in the sky. Marlee has only had one experience with snow. It was around this time last year. By the time we got outside, it had started to melt. I think she would have a ball playing around in the snow. Hopefully one day she'll experience a great snow.
Well, enough random bits of info for today. Stay warm!
www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/SnowDay.jpg
That afternoon he started to run a fever. Since she has thoroughly checked him out from head to toe, I just thought it was associated with teething. Well, the fever didn't go away and lingered for about 3 days. I called the nurse's help line on Wednesday to see if I should bring him in. They said as long as his fever was below 101 then he didn't need to come in (since he has just been checked and nothing was wrong with his ears, throat, etc). We kept rotating motrin and tylenol. I think since I started him on tylenol as soon as he felt warm (99.9) I kept the high temps away. He did get up to 100.7. Well Thursday afternoon the fever was gone but still no teeth. I had my suspicions about what was wrong, but I was waiting on one key feature. Friday afternoon my suspicions were confirmed when I changed his diaper and saw a red rash all over his torso. So the poor guy had roseola. It is very common in children his age. Actually, Marlee had it when she was around one year old. Except with her, her fever got up to 103. I was totally freaking out and took her to the doctor. He said he thought it was roseola and to wait for a rash. Sure enough one showed up on her after about three days with a fever.
So for all you new moms out there, don't panic when your child is running a high fever with no other symptoms. Rotate the tylenol and motrin. Lukewarm bathes and frozen wash cloths help too. All you can do for roseola is wait it out. It is a viral infection, so no medication can do anything.
Yesterday we went over to our friend Lindsay's house for a play date. Her little boy, Charlie. is two weeks older than Cooper. She has a play group of moms with babies all around the same age. They get together a few times a month and let the babies play and let the moms talk. I prepared Marlee as best as I could. I think she was still a little shocked with the number of babies there. I think there were 10 or so. She was well behaved and really just kept to herself. Cooper seemed to enjoy himself. That afternoon we went to visit some more friends, the Burke's. Marlee had a grand time playing. The Burke's have a little boy a few weeks younger than Cooper. So, Coop really had fun. We stayed for dinner which was nice. I really had a nice time catching up with friends and look forward to more play dates in the future.
We're expecting bone-chilling temperatures, as the meteorologist said, by the end of the week. If only, so precipitation was floating around in the sky. Marlee has only had one experience with snow. It was around this time last year. By the time we got outside, it had started to melt. I think she would have a ball playing around in the snow. Hopefully one day she'll experience a great snow.
Well, enough random bits of info for today. Stay warm!
www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/SnowDay.jpg
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas 2008
This was our second year staying in GA for the Holidays. Last year I was sad to not be with my family and I missed them again this year. But I am so thankful that we stayed here for Christmas. Marlee was really into Santa and the idea of presents. We made Christmas cookies on Tuesday and talked about how it would come down the chimney. We watched every holiday movie I own (which is A LOT) and read so many Christmas books. Plus, we did not have a TV downstairs in the living room for the last two weeks. So Marlee and I sang every Christmas song that came on 98.5. And trust me, there are not really that many different songs, just different versions. She's still singing Jingle Bells and Rudolph!
Marlee and Cooper had a bath and got decked out in their matching xmas pj's. It is a goal of mine to find matching pj's for as long as they will let me dress them the same. :) Marlee helped me set the cookies and milk out for Santa. She was pretty wired up when we put her to bed. My parents came in Christmas Eve and helped finish up the last minute wrapping and off to bed we all went.
Marlee was beside herself with excitement. She didn't know which presents to open first. She of course wanted to open and play with all of her toys. Cooper had woke up extra early and was asleep, so she really had the floor.
Once Coop woke up, Marlee was just as excited to help him open his presents. She loved his toys as much as he did. We had a wonderful breakfast and lounged the rest of the day. Unfortunately, my parents had to leave in the early afternoon. They both had to work the next day.
Friday, Chad's dad came down to visit. Marlee and Cooper were excited and thankful for his visit. Mimi also came down that Friday night. They had Christmas all over again. Kelly, Chad's cousin, had sent some hand me down toys from her little boy Koen. Marlee and Cooper liked those toys as much as the new toys they got for Christmas.
Saturday was my 28th birthday. It was uneventful, but relaxing. Overall, I really enjoyed the low-key and low-stress holiday with family. Sometimes it is easy to get all caught up in the hoopla of Christmas. People thinking they have to spend tons of money on presents for the holiday to have any meaning. I learned the opposite. I learned that spending no money at all can really show you what this time if year is all about. This year will always stand out in my mind as showing me the true meaning of the season. Thank you to all of you wonderful people at Farragut Primary. I pledge to give unto others from here on out. I hope you will pledge to do the same and feel that warmth in your hearts that I felt this year.
Marlee and Cooper had a bath and got decked out in their matching xmas pj's. It is a goal of mine to find matching pj's for as long as they will let me dress them the same. :) Marlee helped me set the cookies and milk out for Santa. She was pretty wired up when we put her to bed. My parents came in Christmas Eve and helped finish up the last minute wrapping and off to bed we all went.
Marlee was beside herself with excitement. She didn't know which presents to open first. She of course wanted to open and play with all of her toys. Cooper had woke up extra early and was asleep, so she really had the floor.
Once Coop woke up, Marlee was just as excited to help him open his presents. She loved his toys as much as he did. We had a wonderful breakfast and lounged the rest of the day. Unfortunately, my parents had to leave in the early afternoon. They both had to work the next day.
Friday, Chad's dad came down to visit. Marlee and Cooper were excited and thankful for his visit. Mimi also came down that Friday night. They had Christmas all over again. Kelly, Chad's cousin, had sent some hand me down toys from her little boy Koen. Marlee and Cooper liked those toys as much as the new toys they got for Christmas.
Saturday was my 28th birthday. It was uneventful, but relaxing. Overall, I really enjoyed the low-key and low-stress holiday with family. Sometimes it is easy to get all caught up in the hoopla of Christmas. People thinking they have to spend tons of money on presents for the holiday to have any meaning. I learned the opposite. I learned that spending no money at all can really show you what this time if year is all about. This year will always stand out in my mind as showing me the true meaning of the season. Thank you to all of you wonderful people at Farragut Primary. I pledge to give unto others from here on out. I hope you will pledge to do the same and feel that warmth in your hearts that I felt this year.
"That's What Friends are For..."
I have to admit that I came back to a wonderful group of friends, and I have enjoyed visiting with most of them. One friend in particular, Lindsay, wanted to welcome our family home. She came up with the grand idea of decorating our house for Christmas. Since we were moving back on the 20th and would spend most of our time unpacking, we really didn't have time to get the house ready for Christmas. I had already reserved the fact that I would kind of skip Christmas this year. I really LOVE Christmas, and if I am going to do Christmas, then I am going all out.
Thankfully, Lindsay came to the rescue! We came home to a beautifully decorated home. I didn't take any direct shots of how well she did, but I made a mental note for next year! :0 Thank you Lindsay for making Cooper's first Christmas so special and decorating the house for Santa to visit Marlee. She was so excited about the "Pritty Kismas Tee."
Thankfully, Lindsay came to the rescue! We came home to a beautifully decorated home. I didn't take any direct shots of how well she did, but I made a mental note for next year! :0 Thank you Lindsay for making Cooper's first Christmas so special and decorating the house for Santa to visit Marlee. She was so excited about the "Pritty Kismas Tee."
Where We Left Off
Okay, so the last time I posted was before Christmas and our move back to GA. So, I'll start there. The last couple of weeks of school were hectic. I was packing up my classroom and the apartment, and I hate to pack. Packing up my classroom was a little weird. It didn't feel like I was really leaving, just going off for Winter Break. I had many more boxes than I thought I would have. I hope that I got everything that I really needed. My students were really sad. In the same breath of excitement about Christmas was a reminder that after the holidays I wouldn't be their teacher anymore. I don't know how well it really registered with them. I think it will hit them tomorrow. I hope they experience a smooth transition.
As for the apartment, it looked like a bomb had exploded. I was not motivated to pack it up. It of course never felt like home, but Marlee and Cooper has several milestones while living there. Maybe I'll just be sentimental about Knoxville and not the apartment! :0
Thankfully, my mom came the last few days and helped crank out the last minute packing. I think there was more than she was anticipating, but as I said I wasn't motivated to pack it up. So, I didn't! HA
Chad rented the dreaded U-Haul! We've kept them in business over the last 10 years as much as we have moved. Loading the truck actually went pretty fast. Josh stopped by to help Chad with the really heavy items. It was as packed as it could be Friday night, so we went to bed and got up and going around 7 AM. Chad was eager to get going and had planned for a 10 AM departure.
You may be wondering what we did about the cats this go round. Well, we were smart and had a sedative for Chloe. Chad drove the U-Haul, I drove Chad's car with the two cats, and my mom drove my car with the two kids! What an adventure! :0
I didn't feel the need to take any pictures, but I wish I would have been in the car with Marlee when they pulled up. She said something along the lines of, "That's my house!" She was oh, so excited to be back. She hasn't stopped running around yet.
I do feel a little guilty though. She does remember her TN home. Whenever we say we're going home, she corrects us and says we are going to her house. I think she associates the word "home" with the apartment and "house" with the house in GA. Hopefully, those memories will fade. Although, she does miss Ms. Karen and all her friends and day care. She talks about them frequently.
As for the apartment, it looked like a bomb had exploded. I was not motivated to pack it up. It of course never felt like home, but Marlee and Cooper has several milestones while living there. Maybe I'll just be sentimental about Knoxville and not the apartment! :0
Thankfully, my mom came the last few days and helped crank out the last minute packing. I think there was more than she was anticipating, but as I said I wasn't motivated to pack it up. So, I didn't! HA
Chad rented the dreaded U-Haul! We've kept them in business over the last 10 years as much as we have moved. Loading the truck actually went pretty fast. Josh stopped by to help Chad with the really heavy items. It was as packed as it could be Friday night, so we went to bed and got up and going around 7 AM. Chad was eager to get going and had planned for a 10 AM departure.
You may be wondering what we did about the cats this go round. Well, we were smart and had a sedative for Chloe. Chad drove the U-Haul, I drove Chad's car with the two cats, and my mom drove my car with the two kids! What an adventure! :0
I didn't feel the need to take any pictures, but I wish I would have been in the car with Marlee when they pulled up. She said something along the lines of, "That's my house!" She was oh, so excited to be back. She hasn't stopped running around yet.
I do feel a little guilty though. She does remember her TN home. Whenever we say we're going home, she corrects us and says we are going to her house. I think she associates the word "home" with the apartment and "house" with the house in GA. Hopefully, those memories will fade. Although, she does miss Ms. Karen and all her friends and day care. She talks about them frequently.
Apologies
Well, let me apologize for not updating in such a long time. If you have been reading the blog, then you know we moved back to GA a few days before Christmas. Well, we have been without the internet for nearly 2 weeks, then we went to the mountains for New Years.
So, I am ready to enter the blogging world again! I have tons of pictures and stories to share. So start checking back every couple of days. I will post blogs and pictures tonight after the kids go to bed.
Happy New Year and Happy Blogging! :)
So, I am ready to enter the blogging world again! I have tons of pictures and stories to share. So start checking back every couple of days. I will post blogs and pictures tonight after the kids go to bed.
Happy New Year and Happy Blogging! :)
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