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! :)

Imagine Jesus

Today while Alex and I were "rocky-ing" before his nap, I was singing 'I Can Only Imagine' to him. The words he picked up were--imagine and Jesus. So for the rest of the song and "rocky" time he kept on saying "Imagine Jesus!" I found it sweet.

His eye is improving. Now the skin under his eye is wrinkled and dry. I'm guessing it's just from being stretched. At his age his elasticity should be top notch! If his Dad would only remember the bug spray, it would be much more helpful. I came home last night to 3 more bites. GRRR!

Tomorrow we are leaving for a long weekend to Bemidji. We are attending the Lake George Blueberry Festival. It'll be a new experience for all of us. Paul is just hoping our cabin is nice. I told him as long as there weren't dead bugs and it was clean, we would be fine.

Rxn

This morning Alex and I made a mad dash to see his pediatrician. Alex woke up lookin' like a one eyed monster! He woke up Sunday morning with a mosquito bite under his eye. It started swelling yesterday. I read online about mosquito bites, and he seemed to follow what the website described. This morning, however, his eye was almost closed. I decided to call Ask a Nurse, and we ended up going in for an appt. It was just a reaction like I thought, but the Dr. said sometimes they can be infected. We learned what to watch for in the future and were told that this probably would not be the last time it happened. He told me the hands, feet, and eyes tend to swell dramatically. There isn't much that can be done. We just have to wait. Until then, I guess Alex will have a "new look!"

Here are some pics. He tells himself to smile for the camera....such a ham. I couldn't really get a good angle, but you'll get the idea

.

Fair Time

Even with the sky looking like rain, we ventured out to the Red River Valley Fair last night. Of course, we mostly wanted the food. Alex munched on a hot dog, I had a pulled pork sandwich, and Paul had a bison burger. The thing I look forward to the most is the CHEESE CURDS! You can't pass up the fresh squeezed lemonade...although there was something very strange tasting with ours. Paul couldn't leave until he had deep fried oreos! Alex found those to be pretty good, too.

After feasting, we headed to the barns. Alex loved the pigs and goats. He would just sit and laugh at them and then tell them hello. He checked out the horses, chickens and rabbits. On the way we passed a hay maze which he spent a while running through. It was pretty cute. You could just see the top of his head moving around.

We weren't sure if adults could ride the smaller rides, so we opted for the pick a duck game. He thought he was allowed to pick as many ducks as he wanted. He wasn't too happy when we made him stop. He ended up winning a blow up soccer ball. I was disappointed that Paul picked the ball over some of the other things since we have tons of balls; however, Alex was delighted!

Alex and I learned an important lesson on Friday night. I was letting him help grind pepper. He thinks pushing the button and watching the peppercorns spin is very entertaining. However, after I took the top off, he decided to blow the pepper. A nice fine cloud of pepper floated into his eyes. I felt so bad. He just started screaming and rubbing his eyes. We attempted to rinse them with cold water, but it just wasn't working. Poor little fellow.