Trifecta

Whew! What a rough couple of days it has been for Adam. I mentioned in an earlier post that Adam was sick. Well, last night was ROUGH. Let me back up.

Adam came down with a fever on Saturday, and Sunday he seemed quite well but not quite himself. By Monday he'd developed a wet cough and Tuesday brought the sniffles. He has had trouble sleeping the last few night, so when he fell asleep on the couch at 8:15 last night, I was relieved. He slept until almost 9pm and then was up. By 9:15 he started coughing and gagging and crying. By 9:30 I called in help-- Gramma.

Mom ran to Walgreen's for me and brought over a cough suppressant. Adam finally settled enough to fall asleep at 11 but was up at 12:30am. I couldn't comfort him enough. He was miserable, and as I found out, Moms will do anything for their sick babies, which is why at 2 in the morning I pulled out the stroller and took him for a walk outside. He always calms down outside, and after 45 minutes of walking, he was amazingly still awake. So we went back upstairs, had a snack, and he sacked out at 3. He slept until 7:30 but was awake briefly each hour. By morning, I knew we needed to go to the doctor.

Fortunately we were able to get in at 10, and after being weighed in (19.4 lbs) and his temperature taken (100.4) we saw the doctor. She diagnosed the trifecta -- upper respiratory, double ear infection, and molars coming in. :( We went straight to Gramma's and started him on a decongestant and antibiotic. He has slept most of the day -- not soundly, but at least he is finally getting some rest. I, too, was able to get a much needed nap myself.

It is killing Michael that he is away during this time, but we are making do. We just may stay over here at Gramma's tonight so Mom can take care of us both. :) Thank goodness for Grammas! I greatly appreciate you, Mom, for helping me out with Adam and me, too. We love you!

So now that we have drugs for him, I am hoping he will have an easier night... for both of us.

Hello, 33!

Well, it's happened. Somewhere along the line I managed to near the mid-30s. The strangest part of it all is to say that I'm now 33, and I'm sure it will just get weirder and weirder with each passing year and each year older.

My birthday was last week, and though I would have been content staying home with my little man and my little visiting nephew, at the last minute I thought I'd get some girlfriends together to celebrate. You only turn 33 once, right?  Michael was across the pond touring Switzerland for work so since he was enjoying some authentic fondue, I thought why not enjoy some fondue myself and rallied whoever was available to join me at The Melting Pot.

Thank you girls for coming together to help me celebrate with some yummmmy cheese and chocolate (though it was 2 pots of cheese too many)! I don't think of it so much as celebrating me but celebrating us. I have lost track of how many years our girls group has been in existence, and I love that we can put out a call and all get together last-minute.

Excuse the quality, a picture of a picture

In fact,  last night was a great example of how we can throw a party together. Great friend Audrey hosted a Bachelor finale party, and though not all of us watched this season, it was still fun to have the girls and their hubbies together. I brought over an un-cut ice cream cake from my birthday (shocking I hadn't gotten around to having a slice beforehand) and our lovely hosts added my name to the icing, lit some candles, and all sang Happy Birthday to me. It's shameless how I brought my own birthday cake just to get all the attention, haha!

So here's to another year, a GREAT year! I predict this year will be a year of change and self-improvement. I feel more "me" and on top of my life now than I have in a long time, and I think my wonderful girlfriends for always giving me their honest two-cents and take great care of me and my little man while Michael is away.

P.S. Thank you Gramma for all your help with Adam this last week (and next week). Because of you I was able to go out and celebrate my birthday and join the girls last night. You're the BEST -- Love you!

Swiss Mister

En route to Wengen

Michael is halfway around the world, halfway through a 2-week work trip in Switzerland. This is the first time he has traveled in over a year and a half, and the first time he's been away from Adam for an extended amount of time. 

Thanks to modern technology we've been able to speak at least once a day, which is wonderful. He has a computer phone that he can call from for free if he has an internet connection, and we swap pictures and notes via email as well. We are even hoping to be able to Skype together so he can see Adam and me and hopefully show us some of his views at the same time.

If I have the right image, Michael hiked the upper right portion above this valley.

I know he has been working hard, but sometimes you have to wonder when you hear about the activities the resorts have planned for him and his coworkers. He started in the German region in Gstaad (pronounced Staad) where he enjoyed Raclette (mmmmm!), fondue, mountaintop lunches, massages, and some skiing. He has since moved on to Wengen (pronounced Vengen) where he's been hiking and "sledging", which is sledding on the old-fashioned-type sleds with runners. In another day he'll be on his way to Zermatt where we honeymooned (loooove Zermatt!), St. Moritz, and then lastly Zurich before flying home. One of those transfers takes them on the Glacier Express train, which looks super cool and he'll just have to take me back to Switzerland someday. (I know you are trying to drum up pity for his hardships.)

Meanwhile back on the homefront Adam has been a Sick Mister. He had a fever on Saturday, and by the end of Monday he'd developed a thick, wet cough. He seems in decent spirits for the most part but is a bit more clingy, tires out faster, and takes longer naps. Nighttime is worse for the cough, which makes him cry, and I've been keeping him close so I can comfort him quickly each time he wakes. Last night we cuddled on the couch all night. Today his nose is a bit runny, and I'm sure hoping he starts improving in the next couple days. He's been through illnesses before, and I have to say that this one is much easier to manage because he is still eating great and playing each day. He should be good as new before Daddy comes home.

Double Trouble

All last week it was the Jake and Adam show. These two little men were very active playmates, and it was so fun to watch how they are with one another. Here's a little of what they were up to while together:

The Beach: We took the boys to the beach one morning, and though it was quite windy, that didn't stop Jake from loving the sand.

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Golf Outing: We had tickets to the World Golf Championship, so we took the boys down to the Doral. Kim got to show off Jake to her co-workers and we got to stand 2 feet from Tiger Woods as he passed us in a hallway. Adam and Jake's first celebrity sighting! (sorry, no pics of that.)

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Playing: I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but it seems Adam is the bully. With a bit more practice at walking (well, running now), he is faster and more agile than Jake. There were instances where he'd rush to take a toy before Jake could get there, or, most often, he simply take the toy right out of Jake's hands. (Being the sweetheart Jake is, he usually offers it to Adam anyway.) We are all too aware that very soon Jake will be standing his ground and fighting back!

Bath Time: Favorite time for both! They were little water babies and learned how to turn the water on themselves. Jake especially loved to stand at the faucet and drink clean water sttraight from the tap (unlike my son who often drinks the bath water). He had no care that the water was cold water running down his belly.

Meals: The boys shared most meals together, and if you thought one of these guys could eat well, imagine the two together. At one particular lunch they ate 3 hot dogs between the two of them. There's also the added bonus of taking food from the other's tray or sharing beverages. When Jake is done eating he slides his hands back and forth over the tray and food goes flying. When Adam is done he starts throwing food off his tray. Needless to say there's been a lot of sweeping this week (we need a dog) and the floor could now use a good scrub-down.

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Jake's Almost 1st Birthday: Actually, I should say Jake's Almost 1st Birthday Party. Gramma baked a cake and we wrapped presents, but Jake wasn't feeling well. He did get his gifts opened and even played with his new Little People Barn, but the cake was never cut. Guess who gets the cake now? Yup, guilty.


Overall, it was a great week, and I will confess that these two dudes wore me out! Towards the end of their stay Jakey came down with a fever, then croup. Adam picked up the fever on Saturday and today I can hear a wheeze in his cry. I hope both boys are back to their usual happy, healthy selves very soon!

Kimber, we didn't see a whole lot of you, but it is always special to be with you. Thanks for bring down Jake so we could learn more about him and he us. Keep showing him pictures of all of us so he doesn't forget!

Getting to know you

My Nephew Jake,

I am so happy that you are here with us in Florida this week! While your Mommy works (and you know she'd much rather be here playing with us), we have been getting some quality time with YOU! We have loved watching you and Adam interact and take share toys with one another. The two of you are Double Trouble, already following what the other is doing and working together to effectively destroy a room! I'm a little afraid of what you'll be like together at 2, 3, 6, 16.... Ok, that's it, just STOP growing up, you two!

These last few  days have given me an opportunity to learn more about you, to fill in the gaps of where your Mommy's stories and pictures leave off. I've heard the antedotes and milestones but that's nothing compared to observing and interacting with you. Here are a few things I've discovered about you:

* You giggle like crazy at bubbles
* You put your hands over your ears when you've eaten all the food on your tray
* You love oranges and grapes, but not so much chicken and bananas
* You are quite determined -- you will try to squeeze through a small space to get what you want
* You can say "da" for dog. (I'm waiting to hear you say Ball and Book, too!)
* You have a fascination with ceiling fans. You point and say "d-A" at the fan. (Hmmm, "da" seems to be your word of choice. Are you saying "That" when you point?)
* You squeal when you're frustrated or stuck in an awkward position
* You love to splash, splash, splash in the bathtub and drink the water straight from the faucet
* You will sweetly sit in my lap and listen to me read you a book. Please teach your cousin to sit so quietly!
* When you don't feel well you just want to be held, cuddled and loved on. (And we happily oblige!)
* You love to get dirty! Whether it's dirt or sand, you just want to put your hands in it.
* Your face lights up when you see your Mommy. I sure hope Adam has the same expression when he sees me.
* You are so good at sharing. Whether it's toys or food, you hand it off so sweetly. When I tell your cousin not to take toys away from you, you generously hand it to him regardless. 


I'm sure there is a dozen more little personality quirks that I will discover about you in our last few days together. I've loved loving on you, and when you go home, I know you won't remember our good times, but I sure hope you'll remember Aunt Mindy. Come back soon!

Love, Aunt Mindy

It's a Boy's World

It is not that often that all our family is able to get together. With us spread between Florida, Kentucky and Illinois we are rarely in the same place at the same time. Last Christmas was one of those special reunions and we made sure to capture the moment. December 2010 But soon this picture will be outdated because by next Christmas there will be another little person to add. CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSH AND KIM ON BABY #2 and JAKE'S LITTLE SIBLING! It is remarkable that our family of 5 will grow to 11 in Sept/Oct. See, I grew up with only 4 cousins (and that's counting both sides of the family). Adam will soon have 4 on my side alone to add to the EIGHT on Michael's side. Look at the picture again. Notice anything interesting among the Under-12 set? Yes, all BOYS!! I have my fingers crossed that Baby Mauney will be a GIRL, which, believe it or not, is a novelty in our family. My parents had 3 girls who have gone on to have 4 boys. What once was a girls' world (poor Dad) has now become a boy empire. Bring on the estrogen!   I am so excited to enjoy my little sister's pregnancy without being pregnant myself this time around. I get to live it all with her without being distracted by my own pregnancy. I get to be a 100% devoted AUNT again like I was with nephews Kevin and Kyle, and hopefully in the fall I can be in Illinois for the big moment, or at least very soon after. Love you, guys, and we wish you a happy, healthy and safe pregnancy! Nap now while you can! PS. I know you are wondering but are too polite to ask -- While I LOVED being pregnant and look forward to the whole experience again, but we are enjoying Adam so much right now. We haven't even thought about expanding our family. In the meantime I am going to enjoy wave 2 of friends having babies. Wave 1 was all boys... maybe wave 2 will be girls??!  (Fingers crossed)

50 Minutes or Bust!

I am happy to report that Family Run Night still exists. Granted, it hasn't been every week, especially over the holidays, but for the last few weeks we've been strapping Adam into the stroller and taking him for a 3 mile run with us. Without me really noticing (because it happens so gradually), my pace has slowly sped up (hooray!), and with a little pushing from Michael, I can run my last mile or two under 10 minutes/mile! After one of our runs last week, Michael insisted that I could run my upcoming 5-mile race under 50 minutes. No way, I said -- 52 minutes sounded more reasonable. That's 2 extra miles from what I've been running, and it has been 2 months since I ran 5 miles (the last time being my half marathon).

Sunday morning was the test. Friend Sarah and I were signed up for the Riverwalk Run 5k/5-mile race. The last 2 years we ran the 5k distance (last year I was 7 weeks postpartum), but this year we took on the 5 mile challenge. After a less-than-a-mile warm up (the first 1-2 miles are always the hardest, might as well get that out of the way beforehand), Sarah and I lined up at the starting line and set out to break 50 minutes. When we crossed mile 1, I was astonished that my watch read 9:38?!?! Ok, I figured we started out too fast and we needed to control our pace a little more. After mile 2, I look down and see 9:32?!? Crazy for me! It was great that we had this cushion because I could already tell that I was going to need it by the end. After mile 3 I started to really notice the heat and I was dumping water on my head at each water stop. After mile 4 I knew I was slowing down. We have this!, Sarah reminded me. Ok, girlfriend, we have 7 minutes. Time was my motivator, and I just needed to get over the drawbridge, around the block, and along the waterfront to the finish line. Along the end of the route there was Michael and Adam cheering me on, and when I crossed the line, my time said 49:47!

I have to thank you, Michael, for always believing in me even when I wasn't sure I believed in myself. Thank you for encouraging me and pushing me (in a good way!) to always get better. Now that I have hit this milestone, I am a little afraid of what you're going to challenge me with next!

There's no next race on the calendar yet, but since we are in the midst of birthday season (cake, cake and more cake!), I hope to use that as motivation to run weekly, even if it's only on Family Run Night.

Bib   Overall   Clock time  Chip time

585      247         50:25         49:47