Coxsackie what?

Owen fell victim to Coxsackie Virus.

Also known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.

Whatever you call it, it isn't good.  

We aren't sure where he caught it, but first noticed him acting different on a Tuesday night.

 My mom picked him up from daycare.  He was fussy, didn't eat much, and slept most of the evening.

He started to get a fever that night.  We knew he didn't feel well, but we weren't

sure if it was yet another tooth giving him trouble, or something worse.

 Wednesday morning I went back and forth trying to decide if I should stay home or not.

If it was just teething, I figured I should save my sick days.

But, I started to notice a rash.  I decided that my baby needed me more than work, 

so I called in and called daycare.  Owen spent the morning sleeping on me, which I would gladly take any day IF it didn't mean he felt terrible. 

 By that afternoon the rash was getting more prominent.

I called the doctor and we went in that afternoon to learn that Owen had 

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.  It's a virus and all you can do is wait for it to pass through your system.  They told me that it was highly contagious and most common in infants and children.

I was really happy we didn't send him to daycare!

They said that Owen would only be contagious as long as he had a fever.  The rash would last longer, but once the fever was gone, he was safe around others.

 Thursday he still had a fever.  Nate was off that afternoon, so I just needed to worry about filling the morning.  Brian was home for spring break and graciously volunteered to watch little O.

 Owen slept on Brian all morning.  I came home to change his diaper (uncles can't do everything) and feed him lunch.  I saw a big difference from morning to afternoon.  Owen was beginning to act like himself again.

 Friday the fever was gone and Owen went back to daycare. 

I worried about him all day, but they said he had a good day.

 That night, his rash hadn't gotten any better and he was still really sleepy.

He took a snooze when we got home, but then woke up ready to play.

 Or at least ride around in his wagon.

 By Sunday he looked like a new man.  Completely recovered.  Except at that point, he was used to being held all the time and sleeping with Mom and Dad.  Tough habits to break.

 And then Monday came.

Owen was great.

Uncle Brian?

Not so much.

 He text me that he thought he got what Owen had.

I replied that I had a cold too.

Then he sent me pictures.

He really did catch what Owen had. 

Except worse.

And guess where this terrible rash appeared?

You guessed it.

 Hand, foot, and mouth.

We felt and still feel terrible.  After further research, it turns out adults with low immune systems (a.k.a. college students) can also contract the virus.  His has lasted longer than a week now.

I asked if people ask him what is wrong, his response?

"Laura, it looks like I have really bad acne, people aren't going to ask me to my face."

Poor guy is probably right.

I am sure we will all laugh about this some day, but right now Nate and I feel really bad.

And as for Brian?  Well, he still itches.

Dearest Brother, 

if you are reading this, 

we are really, really, really,

really, really,

really sorry.

Spring Break 2012!

It may not have been Padre Island, but what a story you have to tell!

 

 

Dirty Mouth? Clean It Up.

Spring sprung a bit early this year.

And although we're a bit nervous about what this means for summer, 

we are enjoying these lovely days while we have them.

I've mentioned it before, but Owen LOVES being outside.

Loves walking around the yard.

Loves wagon rides.

Loves the park.

and

Loves dirt.

Loves sand.

Loves rocks.

Oh, and I almost forgot.  Inside or out, loves carrying our shoes from place to place.

We are fine with most of his hobbies, but we have to do something about his obsession 

with dirt, sand, and rocks.  He is constantly putting everything from the outdoors in his mouth.  

Loves twigs and grass too. 

I'm not sure if it's normal, 

but I don't notice other parents fishing pebbles out of their children's mouth at the park.

Ironically, when Owen goes in for dinner, he spits out some of the food I give him.

A little offended that he thinks dirt is better than my cooking.

One of the things on Owen's new list of school supplies for the toddler room was a toothbrush and toothpaste.  I didn't really know what age you start to brush a child's teeth.  It seems early.  He only has a few.  But, rather than research, we took the hint from them and started brushing his teeth at home too. 

We sent the blue brush and kept the pink one home...just in case there are any toddler bullies that would make fun of a boy with a pink brush.

Guess who has a new hobby?

Making sure to get all 6.

Owen's newest love is definitely his toothbrush.  

To avoid meltdowns, we have to keep it out of sight until it's time to brush.

And although it doesn't counteract all of the gross things he's putting in his mouth, 

at least it makes us feel a little bit better about it.

:)

Senior Night

 Uncle Brian was supposed to get to come to Owen's birthday party.

But then K-State had a bad loss and Frank took away the team's day off.

And that meant he took away Brian's day off.

I would say, no hard feelings, Frank.  But, we already know the rest of the story.  

So Frank, there are hard feelings.  Just so you know.

The weekend after the BIG birthday bash, we celebrated round #2 in Manhattan.

It worked perfectly.  We we were able to celebrate with Travis, Jamie, and Summer, who were also unable to make it and we got to catch the last home game and see Brian get honored on senior night.

 Nate had obligations with work and couldn't make the trip.

:(

So while I finagled Owen, Travis got video of my parents and Brian on the court.

But, I missed getting pictures until after the game.

 The Cats picked up a "W" and Owen made it through the game.

Despite the noise, he slept on Grandma and Grandpa the second half.

 Summer was excited to get her picture with a few of the guys.

 

 

Victor enjoyed Owen, but Owen wasn't too sure about Victor.

 A great family pic, just pretend Nate is dressed as Willie...

After the game we found this perfect spot at Ramblers.  It was already adorned with a birthday banner...and they didn't even know we were coming.

 

We had such a great time and I was SO happy we got to see ALL of these wonderful people.

Owen said it was worth the wait.

1st Birthday

 After the BIG party Sunday, I had to go out of town for work Monday and Tuesday.

I was so excited to get back, see my boys, and gear up for Owen's birthday on Thursday.

Luckily, Owen has one awesome papa who got his birthday shirt all washed up and ready to go.

Thursday morning we kept telling Owen it was his birthday, but we just weren't seeing much excitement.  We even sang him happy birthday, but still nothing.  Just curious stares.

Maybe more excitement on birthday #2?

Owen spent the morning at daycare.  They sent him home with a sweet little gift and a cupcake.

I went to pick him up around noon and walked into the toddler room to find he and 4 other babies toddlers sleeping.  All at once.  It was crazy.  I told his new teacher that she must be magic.

 Clearly Owen didn't realize the significance of the day, but we sure did.  

We decided to take the afternoon off and experience our first trip to the zoo.

1st stop, petting zoo.

Very intrigued by the goats.  

They seemed a bit wild, so we didn't pet, just looked.

 

On to the penguins.

Happy feet!

Not sure how they survive in Kansas.

 Owen's reaction to the BIG scary turtles was a bit similar to mine.

 He was very unimpressed with many of the animals.  He just loved walking around.

 Bald eagle, no big deal.

But the kids walking up behind us were SO exciting.

 First trip to the water fountain = love

I promise I didn't let him touch anything on it.

 The lions and tigers were the most arrogant animals in the whole place.

They didn't say it, but you could just tell they thought they were way too good for the Sedgwick County Zoo.

 Geese were cra (as the kids say)

 Loved this.

 And this.

Big scary bird from Up.

 After talking about how great it was that we had a membership and could come back whenever and just see a little bit at a time, we walked around the whole thing.  We finished with the monkeys.  I may not want a dog, but I would take a baby monkey.  So cute!

After three hours of zoo, Owen was plum tuckered out.

 After dinner, he enjoyed his cupcake from daycare, but just ate the frosting.

So I can rest assured that it isn't my baking, he just doesn't like cake.

After zoo grime + frosting, Owen was in dire need of a bath.  

And, he got to use his brand new towel, compliments of Aunt Ange.

 Check this out...

 the towel and baby, that is.  Please ignore the disheveled momma.

She's awesome.  So talented.

She needs to pitch this idea on Shark Tank.

 :)

 

Another great day! 

Happy Birthday, my sweet babe.  You've brought nothing but pure joy to our lives.

So completely blessed to be your momma.