The Longest Week EVER

Things have been pretty busy and chaotic around here lately...my "part time" job (have I posted about that yet?? it requires its OWN post) has taken over my life, I'm planning a surprise 40th birthday party for The Colonel next weekend, and we have friends and family coming into town - in fact, I'm awake and posting at 4:41 am because all the little things I need to accomplish were bouncing around in my head not letting me sleep. I got up to make a bunch of TO DO lists before I forget what I need TO DO, and now here I am - posting.

So, on top of all of this, we had a very unwelcome guest in our home this week. It showed up late on Sunday night - just after I'd closed my eyes to go to sleep. The Stomach Flu invaded our house. It started with Lil Major and went something like this:

Day 1 - puking (every 30 minutes for about 13 hours)
Day 2 - fever and rag doll syndrome (the boy would NOT move and when you picked him up, he was just limp)
Day 3 - appears to be getting better, little spurts of energy, and then...
Day 4 - Diarrhea AND Daddy gets the bug - bad!

I caught a hint of it on Wednesday evening - terrible headache, exhaustion, but maybe that was from not sleeping for 2 nights as I lay on the floor next to my son, with the puke bowl only inches away. Then on Wednesday as I drove from meeting to meeting, I started looking around my car wondering what I could puke in if I needed to. Luckily, I didn't need to. I came home from my meeting to find The Colonel had come home from work sick, I forced Lil Major to go to bed early, and we were all in bed by 7:30pm. I slept hard and long that night and woke up Thursday feeling almost normal.

Too bad The Colonel couldn't say the same. He's been moaning and groaning ever since. AND NOW, Mema has it, and it may have hit her the worst! So, it's kinda weird how it's affecting those of us who have been around the kid...the less time you spent w/ him, the worse it hits you. Makes no sense. And I feel so bad for Mema b/c she's miserable, and her TO DO list is as long as mine to get ready for next week. Bah!

Just to show you how bad it's been, I didn't even THINK to get out my camera and take a picture of my super cute but so pitiful limp noodle son as he lay on the floor (seriously, he NEVER just lays anywhere unless he's asleep in his crib!).

And we had to cancel Mom's Day Out this week (b/c it was my turn to work, and obviously, I couldn't take the sick kid w/ me). And my TO DO list is growing and nothing is being crossed off. And it's stinkin' 4 something in the morning, and I'm not sleeping.

And it's only Friday morning.

The LONGEST week EVER...

16 ½ Months

It’s been WAY too long since I posted. I think about posting, I start to plan out posts in my mind, I think about which pictures to post…and then…life happens, or I read all of your blogs, and then I never post. But, I’ve read some of your posts about the new things that your kids are doing as they get bigger, and I decided I need to do that for Lil Major...especially since I haven’t added much to his baby book lately.

We've been busy this summer. We've been to Dallas, to Indianapolis, and to Oklahoma City. We've been to the zoo, Exploration Place, the park, and the pool. Time flew by, and I can't believe it's almost time for The Colonel and I to have birthdays. And our little bambino has been very busy, too.

So, here are some things that my sweet baby boy (who is growing up before my eyes!) has been up to lately:

You say: Hummer, Papa (which means Daddy and Papa), Up, cow, duck, and you just said drink for the first time.

You know where your body parts are: hair, ear, nose, hand, foot, knee, head, tongue, tummy

You know animal sounds: cow, duck, monkey, sheep

You know the signs for more and please. We’re working on: thank you, all done, and help

You are FAST – you can get into an unlocked cupboard or the pantry in record time! So, you keep Mommy hopping, that’s for sure! You also can open most of the doors in our house – sometimes it’s fun and keeps you occupied as you close yourself into your room or the closet and then open and close the door a hundred times…other times it’s scary, like when you open the door and try to get into the garage. Baby proofing has happened in our house this week, and Mommy is MUCH happier now.

You love the water. At the beginning of the summer, you were a little nervous in the pool, but ever since our trip to Dallas, you can’t get enough. You love the sprinklers, fountains, and hanging out in the pool w/ Mommy and Daddy.

You call every SUV a Hummer, much to Daddy’s dismay. You love to play with the trains and Daddy’s RC airplanes, and your favorite time of day is when daddy gets home from work and you play in the basement and on the stairs.

When we ask if you want to go outside, you get SO excited. You start kicking your legs and jumping around until we get outside.

You love to read, and you bring us books many times a day to read. You also love balls, any ball, all balls! Including the 6-pound medicine ball, which you carry around the basement like you’re a body builder.

You wear 12-18 month clothes, but most pants are too big around your waist. You wear a size 5 shoe, and you’re about 30” tall.

When we go out with the stroller, you would rather help us push the stroller than ride inside of it.

You’ve started to have a bit of separation anxiety, and sometimes you’re sad when we drop you off at the nursery at church or when we leave you with Mema and Papa. But, it only lasts for a few minutes, and then you get busy playing with your toys and having fun.

The night before you turned 15 months old, you decided that you were done nursing. You just stopped like that! Mommy was a little sad, but it was time.

Right after you turned 16 months, you stopped taking your afternoon nap. Mommy was ok with you having only one nap, but we wanted it to be an afternoon nap. So, we started finding fun things to do in the morning so that you wouldn’t get too sleepy, and now you just nap in the afternoon.

You are a pro at getting your diaper off, and you love to run around naked. But, after a freak peeing incident, we closely monitor your naked time. =)

My boy is so much fun. He loves his mama and daddy, and he's quite the cuddler. I love him so much, and as much as I welcome naptime and bed time, I also love watching him learn and discover when he's awake. Life is full and busy and stressful and fun and passing by way too quickly!