Stay Tuned...

We found another rashy area on Lennon today.  I'm still hopeful that it is just a regular old diaper rash, but we'll have to wait and see in the morning if it is better or worse.  

Rashes and Blisters and Pain, Oh My!

For those of you who I haven't talked too already, I have shingles!  And for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a form of the chicken pox virus.  Anyone who has ever had chicken pox is susceptible to breaking out with it at some point.  Basically it started out like an itchy splotch that I thought was some kind of bug or spider bite.  It has now turned into painful blisters all over my chest, back and under my left arm.  It's not that big of a deal except that if you have not had chicken pox you can catch it from someone who has shingles.  

Now, if you had asked me two weeks ago how I felt about my kids getting chicken pox I would have said, "no big deal.  Everyone used to get chicken pox.  I've had it, all my brothers and sister and husband and his brothers and everything had it.  Everybody has had it, it's no big deal."  Well, suddenly the possibility of it is looming over head and it's a little unnerving.  It's not so much that I'm concerned about the actual disease, although there are complications in about 1 in every 1000 people to get it, as it is I just don't want to basically be responsible for the suffering of my kids and also we are flying to Texas in a couple of weeks and after doing a little internet research I found that they will not let you fly if you have active chicken pox.  Which sort of brings me back to one of my basic objections to the chicken pox vaccine in the first place.  If you've had the vaccine and you are on that plane it shouldn't be a concern and if you've had the disease it also shouldn't be a concern cause you would be immune.  I'm not saying I think you should be able to fly with chicken pox, I know that's crazy.  I'm just saying they maybe should do a little more work on the vaccine before unleashing it on the public.  Anyway, the point is.  I have shingles and if my kids come into contact with one of the blisters they could get chicken pox and we won't be able to fly to Texas.  

That being said, I am being super careful.  As careful as I really can be considering where the blisters are.  With Lennon still nursing it presents a particularly tricky problem.  I am having to just be sooo careful when he nurses and wear shirts that fully cover my arms and chest at all times.  During the hottest summer month this is especially fun.  Yesterday we had a little scare.  I noticed during Lennon's bath that he had a bit of a rash under his chin on his chest.  He has been prone to skin irritations since birth and under different circumstances I wouldn't have thought twice about this rash, but I then showed it to Shelby and he seemed convinced that it was indeed chicken pox.  I honestly thought it was probably heat rash or something cause he's had it many times in the past, but still was a little worried about possibly dealing with a baby with chicken pox for the next 10 or so days.  I decided I would take him in to the doc this morning just to check it out.  Luckily, when he woke up the rash was almost totally gone.  Disaster averted!  The bad news is that even though that was not chicken pox, there are still plenty of days left that I will be contagious.  Here's hoping the kids don't get sick now and we get to come to Texas as planned in August!

The Mia Show

Some of what she learned in gymnastics last term.

Definitely, Maybe, Pretty Sure...

Shelby and I were just sitting here in the living room playing with Lennon while Mia was at a friends house and Lennon had asked to nurse and then got sort of distracted and frustrated when Shelby brought me a glass of cold water.  We then realized that what he wanted was not to nurse, but to have some of my water.  After giving him a long drink he seemed much happier.  We continued playing and then he came back toward the water and as he did his sign for "more" we are almost positive he also said "Mooe."  It was different from the usual "ma ma ma" sound he has made in the past.  

To test it out, we baited him the glass of water, asking him again if he wanted more, and out it came:  "Moouue!"  It was like nothing we had ever heard before and he was going toward the glass of water that he clearly wanted "more" of and took another long drink before looking very satisfied with himself and going back to ride his horsey some more. 

 

So, although we may never know if this was really his first word or just a mere coincidence, Shelby and I are going to count today, July 27 2008 - the day before Lennon's first birthday - as the day he spoke his first word.  Yeah!  

Sign it Lennon!

Lennon using his sign for more/again as Mia and I make him laugh.

Paradise

Today we went to lunch at Chic Fil A and while we were sitting there I said, "well I guess Kelsey and Bethany are back from paradise."  To which Mia replied "Paradise!  Wow!  Can we go to Paradise some day?"  

"Hopefully"  I said.  "Do you know what paradise is?"

"Yes.  France.  You didn't think I knew what paradise was did you?"

Oh Mia.  

Our Week Down South

What a fun week!  I did such a lame job of retelling all the fun from Plymouth that I decided to take notes this past week in Atlanta so that I wouldn't forget anything super important.  Hopefully this post will be more entertaining for anyone who reads it.  

The trip didn't start off too well.  The morning we left was kind of hectic.  The kids and I had to take a taxi and when he got here it started raining and I was in a panic for some reason and suddenly realized I would have to take Mia's booster seat with us and once we finally got everything loaded into the car and were half way to the airport I realized I had forgotten the stroller!  Without time to get back to the house I sucked it up and realized that I would have to lug two kids, a diaper bag that currently weighed about as much as the baby because of all the stuff I had crammed into it in a futile attempt to make sure Lennon was sufficiently entertained on the airplane, a backpack full of DVD's and books for Mia, and a soft cooler with a day's full of food cause you never know how hungry kids are going to be while traveling and it's better to have too much than too little when you are thousands of feet in the air and the only choice is rotten peanuts or pretzels with junk in them.  Not so much fun as you can imagine, but we all made it.  Lennon did pretty well and Mia was awesome as usual.  

We basically got into Atlanta, where we were met by Granmommy and Grandaddy with lots of hugs and excitement, unpacked ate dinner and went to bed.  Tuesday Granmommy, Mia and I went to the bridesmaid's luncheon thrown by the bride, Bethany and her mother, Candy.  It was really great.  It was at this cute little restaurant called The Old Town Cafe on Main and it was in downtown Woodstock.  They did such a great job of decorating.  Everything looked really cute and pink.  The wedding colors were green and pink so everything the whole week was green and pink.  After the lunch Mia and I went with Bethany and the bridesmaids to make wedding party t-shirts.  Mia had a lot of fun painting and then got to watch Cinderella.  It was fun for me to get to see Bethany comfortable with her friends.  I feel like I really got a good idea of what she was like.  I am so excited to have a new sister in law.  Especially one as sweet and fun as Bethany.  Lennon had fun with Grandaddy most of the day and then with both Granmommy and Grandaddy once she got home from the luncheon.  I got home with Mia just in time to put him to bed.  I had worried that Lennon would be difficult for Grandaddy, but he told me he did great.  

SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA RULES MAN!

Shelby got in late Tuesday night so that early Wednesday morning we could all head out to Six Flags!  It was so fun!  Both babies and both kids did awesome and had a great time.  Mia was tall enough to do several rides and also old enough not to complain about lines very much.  Granmommy and Grandaddy were so nice and hung out with the kids a lot of the time while the rest of us rode some of the bigger rides.  There was even a little water park with several slides and sprinklers for the kids.  Mia and I just went down the slides in our clothes and Lennon slashed in the water fully clothed too.  Luckily we had a swim suit of Lennon's that somehow fit Peyton cause he was too proper to get in the water in his clothes.  The whole day was awesome and everyone had a good time.  I didn't think we would stay very late but all the kids were in such good moods that we didn't end up leaving until about 7.  Back at the hotel we could not put the kids to bed without baths so we went over to Dustin and LeNan's room to bathe them cause our rooms just had showers.  First in was Mia and Reagan.  While they were in Lennon decided to throw his blankie in the tub.  Luckily it needed a bath anyway and we had extras.  Next in was Peyton and Lennon threw in Peyton's Big Brother Bear.  LeNan caught it before it got to wet and then when it was Lennon's turn he tossed in his pacifier and the baby shampoo.  While I was grabbing them he slipped and smacked his face against the side of the tub pretty hard.  The kids were exhausted so I quickly dressed them and got them tucked in a asleep by about 9.  Phew.  What a long fun day!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAGAN!!!

Thursday was Reagan's first birthday!!!  LeNan planned a cute little family part for both babies at The Cheesecake Factory across from our hotel.  After lunch each baby had their own giant cupcake.  LeNan had tried to order some really cute personal size smash cakes, but what we got were gigantic cupcakes with the scariest icing you have ever seen.  After singing to the babies and blowing their candles out for them they both had a fun time exploring the interesting thing before them.  Lennon was not a huge fan of the way the icing felt on his hands, so I ended up cleaning him up pretty quickly.  Reagan on the other hand loved her cupcake and ate almost the whole thing.  Way to go Reagan!  After lunch we all took naps while Shelby went with Kelsey to have his hair cut.  I even got to sleep longer than Lennon because Grandaddy got up with him and let me sleep.  After naps my good friend from high school came over to the hotel with his new wife Mandy to hang out with us.  We all went over to check out Kelsey's fancy downtown pad and then Brandon, Mandy, Shelby, Mia, Lennon and I all headed back to the hotel for dinner and bedtime for the kids.  We got to chat with them for a little while and then they had to leave cause they had work early the next morning.  It was so nice to see them!

Friday after breakfast Granmommy, Mia and I went to get pedicures.  A first for both Mia and Granmommy.  We all really enjoyed being pampered while the boys went to pick up their tuxes for the wedding.  LeNan was nice enough to stay with both babies so that they didn't have to run errands with anyone.  After lunch we ran down to have milkshakes with Mike, Denise, Rick and Bev at The Varsity - a popular hamburger joint near Georgia Tech.  When we got back to the hotel Kendra, GranGran, Pepa and Randy had arrived and the girls got to go swimming together before we all had to go to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  The rehearsal went well and dinner was awesome!  I had to leave Lennon with his first babysitter and was pretty nervous about it.  However, when we got home she told me, and I quote "he was so easy, I feel guilty accepting money."  She said he was the easiest baby ever and that when she went to put him to sleep he was so sweet it was hard to put him down.  It was so nice for both Lennon and me to have such a great first experience with a babysitter.  She was the best friend of Bethany's brother's wife, so she wasn't just some random stranger from a babysitting service or something.  

Bethany showing Mia her bouquet

The Big Day!  Saturday came faster than any of us could believe.  The day was kind of crazy even for me so I can only imagine what it was like for the rest of the wedding party.  Mia had to be at the hairdressers house, which was half an hour away at 11 in the morning AND I had to have the car back to the hotel no later than 12 30 so that we could leave for the wedding.  We just barely made it back in time with me driving like a crazy person the whole way there and back.  I endedup getting ready at the church while the wedding party was doing pictures.  My mom and Jeremy drove all day friday to get there for the wedding and were so helpful in letting Lennon nap in their room and then dressing him and bringing him to the wedding.  He looked sooo adorable!  The wedding was so beautiful.  The ceremony was sweet and both bride and groom seemed calm and completely in love.  I loved watching Mia walk down the aisle and stand up there watching the wedding and Peyton did a great job as ring bearer.  He is just so so cute!Oh yeah and Mia caught the bouquet after the wedding!  She was so excited but Shelby said he felt sorry for all those bridesmaids who were going to have to wait 25 years to get married.  After the reception we all went to a BBQ at the house of a friend of the mother of the bride.  I had debated staying at the hotel and putting Lennon to bed cause the BBQ didn't even start until after his bedtime, but I ended up deciding to take him in the end.  LeNan was smart and left her kids both with her parents.  At the house I tried putting him to sleep, but the room was hot and bright and loud and he just cried.  I had a meltdown and started to leave, but Vickie talked me down from the ledge and convinced me to stay.  It ended up being great once I relaxed and everyone around took turns holding Lennon who was basically in a trance.  He didn't get to bed that night until almost 10 I think.

The Happy Couple

Sunday everyone took off pretty early and we were still there at the hotel until about 2 30.  We had to be out of the room by 1 though.  Mia was so tired she feel asleep in my lap in the lobby of the hotel and we both napped for about an hour sitting straight up!  Candy, the mother of the bride was kind enough to take us to the airport where we waited forever for our delayed flight.  Every time we checked the board it was leaving later and later.  We finally got home and got the kids to bed at about 11 PM.  Sigh.  What a long, fun week!  Monday we all took good long naps and felt pretty well recovered by Tuesday morning.  

CONGRATULATIONS KELSEY AND BETHANY!  Oh yeah, the bride and groom are spending a week in St. Lucia!