Oct 5th

Hmmm.. something seems familiar about this day....not sure what??? Oh yes, according to the calendar it's our anniversary! Had I not looked at the calendar today, it would have slipped my mind. I ended up calling Paul around lunch to wish him a happy anniversary. He hadn't remembered either until he was on his way to work. I'm not sure if this is good or bad thing, but it is kind of funny. I guess it'll be a memorable 7th anniversary.

Today Alex and I made 4 dzn carmel rolls. I'm usually not that ambitious, but I had cream that was going to expire. Alex enjoyed tasting every individual ingredient: flour, baking pwd, salt, sugar, brown sugar. I did put my foot down on the raw egg and yeast. According to him, it's all yummy! :) I did catch him sneaking bites of dough. I can't imagine anything but the sugars tasting remotely yummy. His favorite part was sprinkling the dough with cinnamon/sugar.

I tend to be a messy cook...add him to the picture and the kitchen looked like a tornado blew through. Oh well, we both had fun and enjoyed the finished product.

Bountiful Harvest

I believe we have officially wrapped up our garden harvest. Here is how the season ended:

- 2 dzn pints spaghetti sauce
-19 pints salsa
-13 pints tomato soup
-12 pints of pizza sauce
-10 quarts pickles (cucumbers courtesy of Paul's parents)

We figured that we used about 100 lbs of tomatoes. Most of the ingredients also came from our harvest such as: onions, jalapenos, green peppers, garlic, dill. We played around with the cucumbers and tried at least 4 different recipes. We also made two varieties of pizza sauce. In the process I acquired a handy kitchen tool. I'm the proud owner of an immersion blender. It's turned out to be a very good investment and fun to use. :)

It was a tough battle against the slugs, but I don't think we did too shabby!

My little speckled egg!

Alex has a new look! He's speckled from his head to his toes...almost. What's the cause?? Good question! We'd like to know, too. Everything started to go downhill Saturday afternoon when he got up from his nap. He was burning up with around a 102 temp. We gave him Tylenol and around 8pm he puked. This was his first experience with true vomiting which freaked him out. He then took off running while puking. Needless to say, I had quite the stinky mess to clean up. By the time bedtime rolled around, his fever was on it's way down. We figured he had a little stomach flu. Sunday he refused to eat and his temp came back with a vengeance later that afternoon. He continued this cycle through last night. However, Tuesday morning he woke up with a rash on his face. It now covers his almost his entire body.

I finally took him in yesterday afternoon. All they could tell me was he has some sort of mystery virus because of the temp and swollen nodes. However, his throat and ears looked great. They were giving us until Thurs morning for his fever to break before they started a gamut of tests. Thankfully, I think he is on the mend. The rash is still very present but the fever is down, and he has finally eaten. Poor little guy!

Between Paul traveling for work and having company at various times, the last week and half or so has zoomed by. I had another ultrasound yesterday. Things look really good. We might even get a normal weight baby this time!!! This baby's birth date is set to be Nov 6th or maybe even Oct 30th. That's hoping that all goes well. I have a feeling we will make it this time!

Just the two of us

We weren't building castles in the sand, but Paul and I did enjoy a little getaway last weekend. We were gone Thurs-Mon. to Park Rapids. I wasn't thrilled about going, but once we got there, it was fun....minus the 3 pounds I gained from perpetual eating.

We stayed in very nice cabins along the Fishhook River. It was just a mom & pop place. There were 7 cabins, and the owners were in their late 50's or early 60's. They were very nice. We had free access to canoes and paddle boats. It was nice and peaceful. An added bonus was the AC. 90 degrees and humid is rough on a pregnant girl who hasn't seen much summer weather this year! :)

Thursday night we ate at a German restaurant. It was very good. We then headed in to the Woodtick Theater for a "Branson" type production. The average age was at least 65. You can imagine the quality of the comedy. :) It was still enjoyable.

Friday we took in Dorset, some local shopping and then headed to another theater. The play was a comedy, and we got a lot of good laughs. Plus we were surrounded by thunderstorms on our way home. I loved watching the lightening show.

Saturday Paul ran a 10K through Itasca. He managed to get lost on a primitive trail, trip on a tree root and strain his already injured groin muscle. It's been a tough summer for running. To say I have a disgruntled runner on my hands is putting in mildly. We then headed for Bemidji to go back to a few places that we saw from our trip in July. It rained most of the time and turned out to be a wasted trip.

Sunday we explored Itasca. I had mosquito issues and forgot to pack the bug spray, so our nature path walking was short lived. We then decided to scout out the Lake George area for the elusive wild blueberry bushes. We spied raspberries and decided to start picking. We split in the woods. After 45 minutes of picking an aggressive bee decided to pester me. I slowly started walking to the car and saw Paul...he persisted (the bee that is). I started to run. In my panic, I forgot I had the berries in my hand and when the bee swarmed I tossed my bucket. There went all my hard work. I did manage to get in the car. Paul started to pick up my berries and the bee came after him. It was much more fun to watch. He ran...it followed. He picked up a big stick (not sure why) and started swingin. I just sat and laughed. Once he got my berries picked up, he opened the car door to hand them to me and wouldn't you know....in came the bee. Oh the joys of nature!

Smooth Move

It's official...Alex is now a BIG BOY! As of last Friday night, Alex sleeps downstairs in his big boy room. Paul and I were shocked at how easy it was. Alex was very much ready for the transition. He's been very interested in the progress of his room. During his bedtime routine Friday night we told him he finally got to sleep in his big boy room. He ran in, jumped on the bed, told us he loved us and then insisted we turn off the light and shut the door. That was that. He never made a peep. I have the monitor in his room just, so I can hear what's going on. In the morning when I open his door he greets me with a "good morning" and then scampers up the steps asking for milk. It's been a piece of cake. Some nights he plays with his wooden animals (which he loves) and then falls asleep. He pretty much puts himself to bed and down for a quick nap.

Tonight at the park Alex found himself a girlfriend. I guess once you get your own room the next step is to find a girl??!! Apparently they wouldn't do anything without the other: slide, swing, etc.

Bath Terror

Oh no!!!! We have made Alex terrified of his bath. Ever since he was little, he has had a very dry, flaky scalp. It was just poo pooed off as cradle cap. However, I'm not sure that cradle cap last until 2 years of age. Anyway, his hair never got oily...in fact, it's usually dry. Because, of this we didn't wash his hair very often but put in leave in conditioner daily. I was trying to get some answers about what the problem might be and decided we would start washing his hair once a week to see if maybe that would help. Let's just say it didn't go well. We picked Thursday nights as hair night. He flips out. He starts shaking, and screaming bloody murder and yelling about it hurting. I thought it was an act, so we tried several different methods. Now, he won't even get in to the bath tub without doing this. It takes forever to get him calmed down. I'm pretty sure it isn't an act.

I'm not sure what to do. He LOVED bath time prior to hair washing. I guess the first step is to get him to trust enough to just take a regular bath. I checked in to no-rinse shampoo last night. We might have to go that route until he is older. I don't want him terrified of the bath tub. What to do????

Momma, Momma

Things are progressing quite nicely on Alex's big boy room. Last weekend we painted the room...our last white room in the house...a safari green. I decided to create a safari room for him. I found this really neat dresser online for just over $1,000.00. Pfff...like I'd ever spend that much on a dresser!!! So, I decided to recreate it. We found an old dresser at an antique store for $75. You know the kind actually made of wood! Paul stripped it and then we painted it. We did the same thing to a brand new headboard. They are now "Coffee" by RL. It's a deep brown/black. I then was in search of drawer knobs...giraffe print in particular. Once again I did find them but refused to pay $22 a piece. I spent Alex's nap time yesterday hand painting drawer knobs. I hope to have those finished today. I believe I will skip the stenciling on the dresser. I found these really cool wooden animals at Toy R Us. They are lining the ledge in his room. I got 4 to start with and will slowly add more. My next project is a coat rack stand which I will paint with different animals prints. I plan to hang a canteen, rain stick, and safari hat from that. We will add a coupe of posters and then the room will be complete! We will probably move Alex downstairs this weekend once the big things are complete. I hope for a smooth transition.

The past week and a half Alex has really turned into a Momma's boy. He still enjoys his Dad but when we go somewhere he has to hold my hand etc. He is also my big helper. Not so much of a help at times, but it's hard to resist a little guy saying "Momma help you, help you?!" He is an excellent grated cheese sprinkler but not the best sweeper! :)