The last couple of weeks...

YUCK!!! That pretty much sums up what's been going on. It first started about two weeks ago with Alex getting sick. He never ran a fever, so I wasn't ever concerned about the flu or H1N1. He was very congested, sneezy and complained of itchy eyes...sounded like a cold to me. I figured I was doomed since he wanted to smother me in kisses ( you can't resist those no matter how sick he is), and he isn't able to blow his nose yet. About midway through the week my throat started getting itchy at night. For some reason, nothing really progressed...just a little congestion. Then Paul started the same thing, but he never got sick either. I thought we were in the clear.

Since everyone was feeling well, I decided to head up to Langdon for one last scrapbooking weekend on the 17th. That Friday night my throat started itching, and it was downhill from there. This past week wasn't too fun. I've been extremely congested in my chest and sinuses so sleeping has been a problem. My mom was worried about me being exhausted before the baby even getting here, so she came down to help me out on Thursday. It was a nice relief to have help with Alex. He didn't understand why I couldn't go full speed each day. Paul was busy all weekend, so I would have been flying solo. I can honestly say that today is the first day I feel better. Since I never ran a fever or had a sore throat, I knew that there wasn't much to be done. I just needed to wait.

In the mean time, Alex learned a very valuable yet costly lesson. After telling him over and over not to touch the stove, curiosity got the best of him. He sat most of the first half of his right hand on the burner. It was awful. His hand blistered immediately, and he was screaming in pain. Paul was running errands, so I called him to get home. Alex wouldn't go to anyone but me. We called ask a nurse for some help. I was ready to take him to the ER due to the incredible amount of pain he was in. Due to all the flu calls, it took almost 45 minutes to talk to a nurse. Two hours after the ordeal he would scream out in pain and tell me how it burned and was hot. Everyone was miserable and worried.

These were taken this afternoon

I've continued to keep his hand wrapped like a mummy in hopes of keeping the blisters from popping. He has been very good about the bandages and calls them his medicine. However, tonight the "big one" burst. This will make it easier for infection to set in. I slathered his sterile gauze in antibiotic ointment and re-wrapped him. I'm hoping for a speedy healing time. Although from what I've read, his degree of burns can take several weeks to heal. :(

In the middle of all of this, we found out that MeritCare put restrictions on visitation. Only immediate family members are allowed...and they must be 18 years or older. This means Alex will not get to come to the hospital when the baby is born. My mom, dad and Paul can visit. I certainly understand their concern, but it has kind of put a damper on my mood. I just hope everyone stays healthy. I would hate to not have Paul in the room with me. I'm not sure how we will handle company after we get home. There are just too many compromised or immature immune systems under this roof :)!

35 weeks

Today we had another ultrasound with a biophysical challenge. The baby appears to be doing great. Lots of movement, practicing breathing and growing like normal. The estimated weight is 5lbs 8 oz...this is +/- 13 oz. Even if you take a pound off, this baby is still bigger than Alex when he was born. I'm really hoping for a little roly poly chubber!

We finally got to see the baby in 3-D. It was really neat. However, the baby was covering it's face with both hands. The technician said at this point it's pretty rare to see that. Although I would have liked a better view of the face, it's kind of funny to see.

Alex Funnies

1. He likes speaking in third person
2. When he says "roni" for pepperoni, it sounds obscene
3. He always wants to wear yellow, orange or red
4. He enjoys feeding me my lunch....not so much fun for me
5. He is asking to use the potty sometimes which has now led to discussing anatomy. Someone is very curious about who has that part and how many! Thankfully it hasn't been brought up in public.
6. "I can't do it" or "I can do it" are common phrases heard around the house.
7. Trucks are intriguing....as are planes.
8. There are 10 steps in his bedtime ritual.
9. He can recognize a pizza box from a mile away.
10. We are told many things are yummy... although they are rarely eaten by the food critic.

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!