Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The shirt off his back

We're gearing up for the big birthday next week and the party to follow the weekend after. I decided to make Jack a shirt to commemorate the occasion.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Mommy and Me

Just me...

and my shadow. Jack seems a little less than thrilled to be playing goalie. He actually had a good time doing it but you wouldn't know it from this shot!

Corny

Friday, March 26, 2010

Where's Daddy?


-- Posted from my iPhone

Spaghetti Slurps

Homemade spaghetti and meatballs makes for happy kids! Yum!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Another Allergy

We had to make another trip to Dr. Raine's office on Wednesday. This is the third time in ten days that we've graced him with our presence. We like him and all but this is too much!

Lemme tell ya how it went down...

We headed to our Moms in the Outfield playgroup at church on Wednesday morning with everyone feeling great. Jack had a wonderful time running off some energy and bouncing his head off in the bounce house. We sang songs and had a fantastic time. When it was time to go home the kids were helping clean up by picking up all the balls. Nothing unusual as of yet.

When we got to the car Jack had a little welt under his left eye and said it itched. It looked a little like a bug bite but seemed like no big deal. Well, in the five minutes it took us to drive home we were faced with a different story. His left eye had swollen almost completely shut. I'll admit, I freaked out a little bit. I had to step out of the car and calm myself down and then call the pediatrician who said to bring him right in. Here's what it looked like after about ten minutes in the doctor's waiting room. A little better but still super swollen.

Thankfully, Dr. Raine took one look at Jack and immediately calmed him (and me) down. Jack was so worried that he was going to touch his eye and was NOT happy about being in his office again. The doc proclaimed that Jack was just allergic to something and asked about the circumstances leading up to his condition. I explained about being at playgroup and putting away the balls. I then mentioned a couple of other incidents, both not as severe, that involved similar circumstances... playing in the gym at church with the balls. So, the verdict was that Jack was allergic to something either where the balls are stored or whatever disinfecting agent is used to clean the balls. Now I have to do some research and find out exactly WHAT that is.

So, here's Jack a dose of Benadryl and a few hours later, lounging on the couch with me and watching Disney's Robin Hood.
His eyes now are still a little swollen but he's back at 100%. I swear, this kid's gonna give me a heart attack by the time he's five! What can I say? He's my child, through and through... I was allergic to everything when I was a kid. Thankfully, I've outgrown it and I'm praying that Jack does too (though I don't think the peanut allergy is going anywhere).

-- Posted from my iPhone

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Sweet Slumber

Just before I had to wake her up to get Jack from school. I hated to do it. She was so peaceful.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Soccer Shots

The Owls had their first soccer practice this evening. Jack had so much fun and only shed a few tears. He was mad when the team was playing Duck, Duck, Goose. He told me he came to play soccer and that's what he wanted to do. He sat and pouted for a bit and then was back at it in time for drills. He can't wait for his next practice though I think we'll work a bit on his team spirit. Go Owls!

Jack and Selah
Dribble, dribble...
KICK!
Man to man...
Jack got it. Too bad it was from a teammate!

Kick it!

Jack is getting accustomed to his new soccer gear just in time for his first practice this evening. I could only get them to pose together if I gave them lollipops. Bribery at it's finest.

Pantego Ink

Thankfully she used washable markers and it was all gone in a matter of minutes with a couple of baby wipes. She does make an awfully cute canvas, though!

Well, well, well...

We're all working on getting well around here. After the kiddos week of illness, Jason and I started feeling yucky near the end of the week. By Sunday morning we were full on sick. Really sick. We both headed to CareNow on Sunday morning to get some much needed meds. We both have the same thing the kids had - double ear infection and upper respiratory infection for me and an ear infection, sinus infection, and upper respiratory infection for Jason. Nice. So, our whole family made it to the doctor in one week. That's a first and I hope we don't have to endure that again!

We're all on the upswing. Jack's at 100% and Caroline's not far behind. Jason and I are still feeling puny in the evenings but are much better than we were a couple of days ago.

Jack's got his first soccer practice tonight and is so excited. Hopefully he'll be as excited when we get there as he is now. He's funny about changing his mind about things at the last minute. Thankfully, our friend Terry is his coach and Selah's on the team so he should do fine. GO OWLS!

Thanks for the prayers. Keep 'em coming! That is all.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

If it's not one thing...

So, this week has been a challenge to say the least and it's only Thursday. It seems like we can't catch a break at the Maurice house.

We're in the thick of busy season. In essence, I'm a single parent from late January to mid-April. It's tough. I don't know how "real" single parents and military spouses do it. Seriously. I should just start putting money away for my therapy bills. Kidding. Kind of.

If busy season, in and of itself isn't enough to make me run for the hills, this week has been particularly hard. The kids went to my mom's on Friday night because Jason and I both had to work all day Saturday. They had a great time at Yaya's... cooking, playing outside, watching the sun come up, even a trip to the Gainesville Zoo. Fun times. Mom packed them back up, drove them home and delivered them to our house on Saturday evening.

When she got them here, she and Jason remarked about how red, swollen, and teary Jack's eyes were. He just wasn't acting himself either. The Thompsons came over and Jack just wanted to lay in our bed, in the dark, and watch TV. He didn't want pizza for dinner. He didn't want to play with Riley and Victoria. He wanted to be in bed and be left alone. Not normal for Jack.

Well, he seemed a bit better on Sunday but we kept him home from church. The extra time with Jason was really great for him but by lunchtime he was spent. He and Caroline both took nice, long naps. This is a rarity in our house - Jack hasn't napped at home in about a month. After naps, Caroline and I loaded up in Jason's car with a baby gift and some yummy appetizers that I'd spent the afternoon preparing for our friend Rae's baby shower. As we were pulling in to Rae's driveway Caroline threw up. A lot. We delivered the food and gift and headed back home. Caroline threw up two more times on the way back. Not fun. After getting her bathed and the car cleaned out she seemed better. She went to bed with no problem that night and the puking hasn't returned.

Jack seemed better on Monday but had a hard night's sleep that night. I kept him home from school on Tuesday and took him in to see Dr. Harris (she shares an office with Dr. Raine) who discovered that he had a severe sinus infection that had settled in his eyes and a pretty bad ear infection. We've not got antibiotics on board and Jack was able to return to school this morning. He's feeling better but still in a bit of a funk, attitude-wise.

Caroline was awakened early this morning. Jack was up before six and decided everyone else needed to be up too. She heard him yelling and was ready to get up... or just not able to go back to sleep because of the noise. After dropping Jack off at school she and I headed to Target (or mecca, whatever) to get a few things. After about ten minutes she started whining and crying that she wanted to go home. She'd say "Not in there! No more shirts! No more shoes!" She was having fits about what we were doing in the store at every turn. My girl loves to shop and be out so this was very odd. We came home and she wanted to lay on the couch and watch Dora... not unusual. She wanted oatmeal for lunch... a little unusual. She ate about five bites and then just started crying for no reason. She wanted to go to bed. "NO BOOKS! LIGHT OFF! TAKE A NAP!" She was very upset but settled once in bed.

About five minutes later she was screeching and yelling that she had a boo boo. I went to her room and she was inconsolable. It took me about five minutes to get her calmed down and find out what was going on. She finally was able to eek out "Ear boo boo!" between sobs. I gave her some Tylenol, some snuggles and kisses, and put her back to bed. She's got a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I'm nearly sure she's got an ear infection. Sheesh.

So, prayers for us to make it till April 15 would be great. Prayers for us to be well and happy would be wonderful. Prayers for me to stay patient with my kids, no matter how frustrated or sad they are (busy season's taking it's toll on them) would be fantastic. I know that Christ will give me strength to make it through but it seems like I'm having a hard time remembering that in the midst of these trials. Pray that I remember. Thanks friends!

UPDATE: Caroline does, indeed, have an ear infection. A really, really bad ear infection that's likely to rupture. She's cried most of the day. Thankfully, she's got ibuprofen and numbing drops on board as well as a super antibiotic. It must be super because it's super priced. $211 for 10 days worth. Thank the Lord for manufacturer coupons and a pediatrician that understands my crummy insurance policy.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Crafty Caroline

We're working on our fine motor skills. Pretty soon I'll have an entire collection of jewelry to sell on Etsy.

-- Posted from my iPhone

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

That's what we're in for. She's practicing her best diva-esque pose. Silly girl!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Sunny Day

On a gorgeous day last week we enjoyed a picnic in the backyard. Spring is coming!

-- Posted from my iPhone