Snow Day!

This is my first "Not Me Monday" by MckMama so I'm only participating with one sentence: I am NOT turning 30 exactly a week from today. Not me. I'm not old. No way.

Last Wednesday was a snow day as expected! We got a foot (12 inches) total of snow (in Iowa at my parents' place was 16 inches) so Joe worked from home and Logan played outside. . .for about 5 minutes, haha. It was bitter cold. But he seemed to like it. . .here is a pic of him playing in the snow last year at 8 months old compared to this year at 19.5 months:

And last year's snowsuit reminiscent of A Christmas Story, LOL, compared with this year's:So Logan went to Babysitter's for his final mornings Thursday & Friday. He always gets a big grin on his face and runs to the door when I ask him if he wants to go to her house. In January she is getting her first girl (a six month old) since Logan started going there last March (not counting the summer older girls) and then a newborn girl in April so it won't be testosterone-city anymore, LOL. (My friend Lisa K who I met through Stacy who I mentioned in my post Hello! that had considered my sitter since she is having a baby boy in February decided to go with one on her street due to convenience. By the way, she has been reading my blog since October, thanks Lisa!)

The other day Logan picked up a flashlight and started making gun sounds with it. I was like, OMG you must have picked that up at Babysitter's house from the other 7 boys! I remember when I was pregnant I was like no way is my son ever playing with guns. I can't remember who it was but some mother I know laughed and said, "You'll see. . .you won't be able to control that, it's a boy thing."

Despite me having a father who had guns at his house because he worked for law enforcement, as well as he and my brother did a small amount of hunting, I will never be comfortable with guns. Too many stories haunted me when I was a little girl of kids finding real guns and accidentally shooting themselves or each other. So I made a rule that when I became a parent I was never going to buy toy guns or allow my children to pretend they were playing with one.

Humph.

Okay, I still don't like it, but as I watched Logan run around the house pretending to shoot things (he even made a gun shape with his finger and was going "pow pow pow"), I realized that whoever said those words to me when I was pregnant was right. There is something that is coming from within him, the same thing that has drawn him towards trucks and balls. . .so I can't exactly forbid him unless I want to make that desire turn into major temptation!

I still don't plan to actually buy him guns myself, but I have no doubt he'll be playing with them at his friends' houses and pretty soon he'll be old enough to learn the dangers and hopefully will lose interest since my husband did at some point when he was a little boy and could care less about guns now. But my grandma pointed out that's what men were originally for, LOL - they were hunters, they had to win wars, etc. It is definitely pretty funny and entertaining, I was totally not expecting it already at this age!The other day he was walking around with Joe's golf balls and so I said, "Are you going to play golf when you get older?" Logan said, "Football!" How funny!!! He also likes to pretend he's walking around like an old man - he tries to be funny every other minute, he must be naturally light-hearted and take after any of the many funny men in his family (for example, Joe has a witty sense of humor and on both sides of my family my dad or my maternal uncle and grandfather were/are known for their major humor and clowning around with everyone). I wish he could have his laugh forever, it's the classic baby laugh - is there any better sound in the world? I think not!

Usually this time of year Joe would have an office Christmas party, but his job decided not to do them anymore. We've never been to his new place of employment's party because the first year (2007) we were out of town and then last year (2008) we would have had to hire a babysitter and we weren't ready yet. I guess each year they've gotten worse and worse until last year the building that hosted it as well as the caterers said they'd never worked a worse party in all of their years!!! So that's too bad, I always liked them at the place Joe used to work - we went in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Over the weekend I made cookies (I made them for the first time this Christmas season the previous weekend) - these were for a couple of Joe's friends from work who came over on Saturday to move our entertainment center and TV upstairs since, as I said in my last two posts, our new TV is being delivered today! My friend Brooke and her daughter Kaelyn are also coming over for "Stay At Home Mom Day!"

Yesterday (Sunday) Joe, Logan, and I went out to eat at Roja Mexican Grill - where I plan to go for my birthday dinner since that's where we went last year due to my previous annual holiday restaurant (Macaroni's Italian Bar & Grill) no longer being in Omaha. We've only been to Roja once since my birthday because it's not near where we live but it's the best Mexican restaurant in Omaha as far as I'm concerned (locally it's rated #2), especially since the place I blogged about a few times (Margarita's which had been in the running for my fav) wasn't good the last couple of times.

Logan has been great since the whole TG experience, however, no sooner did I write my post last Tuesday night about how his week of waking up for the first time in the night since he was 9 months old had ended the previous week - he woke up screaming in the night from a nightmare :( As I've written here before, he's had night terrors off & on since he was born (which means he cries in his sleep due to his brain developing - I wrote about this most recently in my post Poor Pup), but generally he has only awoke from them (making them nightmares) when his nap is over or it's morning. This was only the second time he's ever woken up in the middle of the night due to one, and the first for not being able to put him back in his crib. It was midnight and he kept falling asleep on me in the recliner, but as soon as I'd put him back down he'd scream. It was so obvious he was scared of something and so I brought him to our bed and he slept the rest of the night there for the very first time (as I said in my post last Tuesday our other 5 co-sleeps in his life have happened at other peoples' houses).

But, on Fri night he was crying as we were trying to get him to go to sleep in his crib (which also had been a one-time thing in his life when he was sick over TG), so I turned on the light and his skin had totally broken out in eczema again! I was sooooo disappointed. For anyone who read my posts over the summer then you know he first had eczema for a six week period when he caught fifth's disease. Even though his doctor gave him a sample of the prescription cream that takes care of it temporarily, 99% of the cases return (and not necessarily from the same thing that first caused it). This was not comforting to me at all, but since Logan went all of Aug, Sept, Oct, and Nov with perfect skin again then I was really hopeful maybe it was a one-time thing (some kids have it every month).

Nope. Over the summer it had just been on his upper back (the shoulder area). This time it is splotches all over his entire body. We still have a little of the sample cream left but it's not something I actually want to get a prescription for because long term use may be dangerous (which is what monthly use would be considered). Thankfully, Locoid (the brand that Logan's pediatrician gave us) is the safest eczema cream. It's considered a low-potent steroid cream, whereas the controversy is with mid to high-potent topical steroid creams because long term studies show hypertension, stretch marks and spider veins, infection, skin rashes and irritation, skin thinning, and formation of dilated blood vessels. Some opinions also suggest immunosuppressive symptoms that will lead to bacterial infections if not supported with antibiotics. Also, the steroids can get absorbed into the blood stream and suppress the normal steroid production in the body. This can lead to lots of complications, including bone fractures.

However, every website I researched agreed that the cream does work. Indeed, Logan's eczema went away completely just two days after I first applied it in the summer (you can see pics in my post titled Our Weekend). But why can't there be something that makes it go away PERMANENTLY???

30% of infants/toddlers have eczema. I wrote a little about it in my post titled, Everything -- like how it really didn't even exist until the late 1940's! After researching eczema, I was left feeling so confused because I don't understand why it's becoming more and more widespread each year and yet nobody can come up with any reason why or how to cure it. Many infants outgrow it by their second birthday, but others have it until puberty, and some even as adults! Last year at this time Logan's doctors remarked that his skin was one of the best they'd seen, especially without ever putting any lotion on him (I never did until June, when he got eczema the first time). Now it looks awful. Eczema is a dry, thickened or scaly rash that is often itchy. It is not contagious and can be caused by: upper respiratory infections or colds or other virus', stress, allergies or asthma, or flare-ups in response to certain conditions. For example, winter is the most common time of year. This is not hard to understand - even I need lotion in the winter due to dry, itchy skin, but I never need to use it any other time of year.

So all I can do are the following 3 things every day from here on out to try and keep Logan's outbreaks to a minimum and hopefully his will be one of the cases that we never see again after the age of two! (You can read more on Dr. Sears' site here)

1) Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize. I admit that aside from those 6 weeks during the summer, lotion has not been in our routine. That changed on Saturday! I went to website after website, message board after message board, and there seemed to be no comparison: Aveeno is the best brand. We've always used Burt's Bee's but just because it's organic doesn't meant it's the best for Logan. It always seems to make his eczema worse (and most other lotions probably will, too) so we are now using Aveeno and I am already seeing and feeling a difference!!!! His skin feels like a baby's for the first time in 7 months - it's so soft and smooth. It is recommended to use 2-4 times a day, and always after a bath, so I hope that over time it will make the eczema go away and stay away forever. (Scented lotions or perfumes should never be used on infants or children.)

2) Avoid skin irritants. I mentioned over the summer that we already use organic detergent (I've rotated between 4 and never saw any change in his skin so I don't think that is causing it) as well as Burt's Bees body soap. However, Aveeno is said to be the best body soap for eczema as well (Johnson & Johnson is the worst), so we started using that on Saturday, too, to see if it makes a difference. Cetaphil is a cleanser that is also soap-free and good for eczema. Never have a baby wear clothes without washing them (we never have) and 100% cotton is best. I was stunned to realize that all of his winter pajamas are 100% polyester!!! This could be playing a role to why it has come back this winter - every single night he is wearing material that can be abrasive/irritating to anyone's skin, combined with the dry weather and his recent Thanksgiving virus (thankfully all but one shirt and pants from his daily clothes are 100% cotton). It is also recommended to get a humidifier which I have contemplated before but never have bought.

3) Avoid Allergy-Triggers. The six most common foods are: milk, egg, soy, peanuts, fish and wheat. Eliminate all 6 foods for 2 to 3 weeks. If you see dramatic improvement, then re-introduce each food one at a time to determine which is causing the allergy. Environmental allergies include dust, mold, pets, and seasonal outdoor allergies such as pollens. These environmental allergies are more likely to cause nasal allergies and asthma rather than eczema, though. (I don't think these are the case with Logan.) He has never liked eggs, we've never given him soy or peanuts, and he's only had fish 2-3 times in his life. I guess it is possible that it could be milk or wheat, however he has tried goat's milk before but that did not seem to make a difference (in fact, his eczema both times came a couple of weeks after drinking goat's milk at my parents' house - he always has goat's milk at their place). Both milk and wheat became part of his diet at 12.5 months old and his fifth's disease came at 14 months old so I am not ruling those out, however he has never shown any other signs of allergies and continued to have wheat and milk in Aug, Sept, Oct, and Nov without any eczema. So, I'm still just as confused about eczema as I was over the summer. My guess is that it's global warming or whatever is the definition of our environment being different than it was 70 years ago. Maybe skin keeps getting more sensitive and issues are showing up through the skin because of our air that we can't see (like how they say the sun is more damaging to everyone nowadays because of the ozone layer or something like that).

Anyway, I think he realized after his restless Thanksgiving week, then the night he had his nightmare, and then the night with eczema -- he has decided he prefers the company of mama and dadda to being alone. Because Saturday he refused to take his nap all day! I'm not sure there's ever been a day in his life that he didn't take at least an hour nap!!! Despite that, Saturday night was really hard getting him to go to bed (although he slept until after 8 am on Sunday). Since he's generally never cried in his life when we put him to bed, we kept going and getting him to try again later. We did every bit of soothing we knew how to do, but it wasn't working because his entire life he's always been able to soothe himself (without crying). So, we decided to do "the five minute rule" where if his crying has gotten worse after five minutes then we go in, but if not then we hope he's about to fall asleep! I think it took him 10 minutes but he did fall asleep.

Like I said on Tuesday, even though I'm not a fan of the cry it out method for those under a year, 19.5 months when they do understand what's going on is sometimes necessary. It's still hard at this age to pick out the logical reasons, though. At least after the age of 2 I'm hoping he'll be able to communicate "I don't feel well" or "I had a bad dream" and then I can be confident to when he needs comforted. Unfortunately, getting him to nap on Sunday was hard, too - 3 pm. I don't know why the other days last week were easy - he even took 4 hour naps each day! He also kept laughing every time I'd wave goodbye at the door. (I must look humorous or something to him from his angle/view because he did the same chuckle every time!)

It could be he's going into a new phase :( Not only because he's always taken his nap at noon or earlier but now he prefers 1 pm or later (despite still going to bed at 8 pm, although thankfully he doesn't get up before 7 am anymore), but I remember that a friend from elementary school who now lives in Florida (so I haven't seen her in 11 years) e-mailed me over the summer because her son was 20 months old at the time and she wondered if I had any advice because he'd always been a good sleeper like Logan, however now he was waking up in the night and crying before naps and bed time. She was trying everything, however nothing seemed to be working. I was bummed that I wasn't able to help her like I'd hoped - but it was because there was hardly any info "out there" about this subject. It's all geared towards infants. I guess people think that once our kids get to be toddlers we should just know what to do? :p Well thankfully things did improve for her - and I locked away the reason in my head in case it happened to me. Now my son is about 20 months old so I am really wondering. . .is this just another weaning thing? Because my friend decided to move her son to a "big boy bed." She wondered if he felt too caged/confined in his crib. Once they did that, he stopped fighting with them!

I was hoping to wait until Logan turned 2 before we even started designing his new room, buying him his new bed, etc. so then he'd be 25/26 months before he'd sleep in there every night. Because, I just don't understand how this age group actually STAYS in a bed that's not a crib???? Joe and I just can't imagine Logan having the freedom to get up and yet choosing to stay in his bed. Plus, I admit, it seems scary to me. Right now I don't have to worry about him getting into anything dangerous while I'm sleeping - or what if he suddenly learns to open his door. . .I've heard of toddlers ending up down the street at night! (Okay so that one doesn't seem likely at this point - but still.)

So instead, first we are going to try a night light. His crying sounds "scared" and so maybe as he's getting older he's decided that the dark is scary. (I had a night light until high school!) I've tried to put balls in his crib but they no longer seem like a comfort object for him like they were in October/November. I'm also going to buy a music box because I used to turn that on for him a few times a week throughout his life and he really liked that, but it broke a couple of months ago. Last night (Sunday night) he went down without any noise/tears so hopefully if he doesn't get sick again for awhile, doesn't have another nightmare, and now that I'm following the rules for eczema, he will go back to being confident at night like he is during his day-to-day life!

Our Weekend

My goal is to participate in more memes over the next year! My first was a Coversations With Moms Friday Frustrations (Baby's Neck, Mommy's Hair), here is my second meme - or first time for The Healthy Moms Weekend Reflection!

This was originally written on Wednesday, July 29, 2009:

Here are some pics of Logan's eczema (to recap: it first appeared when he got fifth's disease in June and lasted for six weeks before going away on its own. Unfortunately, it returned a week later when he caught a cold but went away two days later with a prescription cream sample we got from our pediatrician a week ago. I explained what eczema is in my posts, Fifth's Disease and Everything). While at my parents' house over the weekend it came back so we put the cream on again last night and this morning. It's so sad to see his shoulders like this!UPDATE: The following pic was taken two days later - it went away again and hasn't returned this time!On a brighter note, he had a good weekend with my mom & stepdad, and Joe & I had a fun weekend here. After meeting my parents halfway on Thurs. night, Joe & I went out for supper at Red Lobster (I had yummy Tilapia Parmesan).

On Friday I decided that since I'm no longer going to pamper myself with changing my hair every two months (like I have the past 5 yrs), I would get a manicure instead. I've only gotten acrylic french nails once before (in 2003 for my wedding) and now I know why I didn't get them refilled or done again in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, or 2008 - I liked them for about 24 hrs but now I'm ready to have them removed. However, I want to get my money's worth so I'll keep them for the full three weeks but don't plan to get them again. I've only gotten four "regular" manicures in my life and decided five years ago not to do that again, either, because they didn't last or come out any better than when I paint my nails myself - but yet it's more expensive. I've never had a pedicure. I think I'll stick with massages as my treat to myself.

Friday evening my friend Christy arrived. We met at ISU's freshman orientation June '98. We were assigned as partners because we were both journalism majors. We met our advisor together and had the same schedule for the day. The first thing I noticed was her red hair. She was friendly, but seemed more on the serious/cool side so I couldn't tell if she liked me. :)

At one point I went to check out my dorm floor (8th - Thompson - of Willow) and met a girl named Jen (who was also checking it out). Later in the day I learned that Jen and Christy were from the same school (this was a coincidence because they graduated from a really small town with only 20 other students in their class and they were the only two at orientation that weekend).

I really only chatted with one other girl that day, her name was Emily. She also had red hair. When school started 2.5 months later, I happened to run into all three of the girls pretty much immediately.

Jen was the first, since she lived on my floor. We only saw each other from time to time (she was an exercise sports science major), but whenever we did, we shared stories of our awful roommates. They were both stereotypical horror stories which I can blog about another time. :p Needless to say, we decided to room together second semester. We got along great, Jen was quiet and easy going. She was tall and athletic with blonde hair. By then, though, she'd already decided to transfer to a smaller college for her sophomore year so she could play volleyball. We lost touch. . .but Christy told me a few years ago she married the same boyfriend she had then (whom she'd been dating since she was 12!) and this year just had a baby girl.

Emily ended up having two classes with me, so we recognized each other on the first day and sat by each other every day after that. We had fun conversations, and so second semester (even though we didn't have anymore classes together the rest of college since she was a psychology major), we hung out and got to be even better friends. In fact, she was one of my closest friends sophomore year but unfortunately some incidences occured that damaged our friendship and we didn't speak at all for a year. We reconnected the spring of our senior year and so I invited her to my bridal shower, bachelorette party, and wedding (which she attended) and visited her & her husband (they had no interest in ever having children) the first couple of years after I moved away and came back to Iowa. . .but we gradually lost touch.

Christy, however, has remained my friend since we recognized each other in our very first class on the very first day of our freshman year! We had the exact same schedule first semester, so we sat next to each other in all of our classes. In other words, we chatted all day :p She also lived on first floor Willow (same dorm as me, just a different floor). She turned out not to be serious, but rather outgoing. We decided to be roommates our junior year - she was able to get a room on her floor with a bathroom. (For my sophomore year I roomed with a girl I met in a class named Sarah, we lived on Murphy floor in Friley and hung out mostly with the girls across the hall that year.) Christy & I had the best time!

Senior year she studied abroad in Italy (so I moved to Hawthorn Court with a girl I'd never met before, Elaine, who I've stayed in touch with and who reads this blog), but Christy & I stayed the best of friends and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. I was sad when we only saw each other once after I moved to Omaha and she moved to Minnesota. . .I thought our friendship wasn't going to last. . .I'm not even sure if I saw her in 2004 and we hardly talked on the phone or e-mailed. But then she moved back to Iowa in 2005 and even though I think I only saw her once that year, once in 2006, once in 2007, and once in 2008 - we've been able to pick up where we left off each time. This year I've seen her three times, so I am glad our friendship has continued for over 11 years!

I don't think any of the three girls ended up using their major. Christy was a manager of Subway, then manager of Barnes & Noble, then a manager at Sears, and most recently changed positions to a Policy & Procedures Writer at Sears. She loves to travel and hopes to write travel books someday.

She arrived to my house around 8 pm and went with me to the grocery store to pick up some things because we decided that since Joe's HS friend Grife and his fiancee' were coming over on Saturday, we'd also have a few Omaha friends over as well since it will probably be our only party of the year! With both Joe & my birthdays the same week as holidays, we never really celebrate. So, we made it a joint 30th b-day party since Joe turned 30 three weeks ago and I turn 30 in five months!

Christy and I just had girl talk that night and then on Saturday went with Joe out for lunch at 370 Grill. Grife and Jeannie arrived while we were there, so they joined us.

Afterwards I showed Christy our old apartment and old house since this was her first visit, then we went to pick up wings (original hot, hawaiian, cajun and BBQ from my favorite wing place ever: Wingstop) and pizza (pepperoni, sausage, hawaiian, and veggie from Valentino's which I'd only had from their buffet years ago so I didn't know if I'd like it, but they had the best deal - thankfully it turned out okay). We also had a veggie tray, chips & salsa, a cake, peanut butter cup and chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, cherry coke, diet pepsi, 7 Up, bottled water, lemonade, and alcohol. Unfortunately, Joe's other HS friend (Andy and his wife Ashley) were unable to make it at the last minute, but from Omaha Mike & Sara came, Darin & Lisa with their daughters 2.5 year old Lexi and 8 month old Riley, Shawn & Sarah with their 9 month old son Elijah, and Kent & Chris with their 5.5 month old son Gregory.

A little pool & Guitar Hero was played - but not much else because the party went really fast, it started at 5 pm and the Omahains only stayed a couple of hours, so by 8:30 the five of us left went to the Old Market where we stayed until 1 am. We went to bed around 2 am and then Grife & Jeannie had to leave at 9 am. Joe, Christy, and I went out for breakfast around 11 am and then she headed home a little after noon. It's always sad when fun weekends come to an end!

But that evening Joe & I saw The Proposal at the movie theater, which was good. Not a favorite, but nothing to complain about. We also bought Chicago Bears tickets. Joe's been a life-long fan but has only been to two games - neither of which were in Chicago. He's always wanted to go to Soldier Field but it has never worked out before. Back in 2005 I tried to get him tickets but could only find the super-duper expensive ones. Over the weekend he saw some reasonable ones. . .so a month after our mini vacation to Lake Rathbun we are going on another - to Chicago for a weekend!

We picked Logan up on Monday and he was happy to see us - he spent the whole car ride laughing and smiling, as well as the rest of the night! :) He was the same way when he woke up on Tuesday morning, so maybe month 15 will continue to go well. . .

At around 13.5 months he began shaking his head no when he wants to get his point across so that is cute.

This weekend we're going to Kansas City to visit my mom's side of the family. Her brother and his wife have never met Logan, nor have my middle cousin Bridget and her husband and two daughters. We're also going to see my grandma; my aunt and uncle are having a cookout so it should be fun. We are staying in a hotel with Logan for the first time so hopefully it will go well. We haven't taken him anywhere but Iowa since Colorado last Thanksgiving!

Anyway, I LOVE my camera so far! (New Hobby) I took some pics of Logan today so I'll end this post with those.

Everything

In two weeks I'm going to be taking a break from blogging. Other than my closest friends and family members, I don't think anyone else has been reading every single post I write, or even complete posts (and I've gradually been losing readers), so for those who are still reading, there's plenty to catch up on before my return.

I don't want to conform and make my blog like everyone else's, but when I come back I won't be writing updates anymore. It's been hard since the minute Logan was born, but I still stayed up late or chose to blog rather than do other necessary things because I felt it was worth it to record our day-to-day life (which is what I've been doing since I first started blogging [privately] in July 2006). But now with (My Update On My Writing) and (New Hobby), I'm only going to blog about specific topics or spontaneous stuff going on in our lives. I will still throw in Logan's most major milestones/developments (because I do think that's worth it!), but as I said in my last update post three months ago titled, Finally, I'm not even going to write about Logan's daily life, either, like I did in my posts titled 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, etc.

The reason why I'm not taking my break today but rather waiting two weeks is because in three days (August 10th) will be the year anniversary of when I started transferring my posts here. A week-and-a-half later all of my posts from the past two years will finally be finished being transferred, and so I will finally blog here "live" (after I'm done with my break).

So, until I take that break in two weeks, I'll still blog the way I always have. Which means, in this post I'm going to write out our life since my last major update, and then my next post will focus on Logan's changes. Thanks to those who read!
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This was originally written on Saturday, July 11, 2009:

Month Twelve was not one of my fav's. Although Logan's temper tantrums stopped after my post about them starting, Terrible Ones? (so they only lasted the first half of his twelveth month), it was still one of the most exhausting months ever. I'm sure the virus' didn't help. (Thankfully Logan hasn't had any illnesses since my post, Fifth's Disease.)

Due to our sicknesses, we missed Joe's boss' wedding on May 16. Other than Chris, I haven't met anyone who works with Joe or their families since he started there two years ago, so hopefully I will soon!

On May 6th I had my first massage from my massuse, Deb, in two months so that was heaven - and I had another on May 21st. I haven't been since, though, so I'm hoping this week!

We didn't really do anything on Mother's Day (May 10). . .I'd been wanting a table for our entry way so we went to Nebraska Furniture Mart and bought one which completed my decorations for our living and dining rooms. (I've mentioned here a few times that I'm very slowly working on decorating all of the rooms of our house since moving here in Aug. 2007.)

You might remember that we were going to take Logan to the ENT on Monday, May 18 to have his neck drained if the infection hadn't healed - but praise God it had! So we were able to cancel the appointment. There's been no problems with his brachial cleft fistula area since April. Joe & I have noticed, though, that it still goes in when he drinks (what the dimple always did when it was a complete hole) so I'm planning to call the ENT to find out why it would do that if there's no longer a hole.I can't remember which day, but we went over to Jenn's (my neighbor's) for scrapbooking (she spent the next month in Utah with her family while her husband was gone for the military. Dave recently returned and so they are back in Utah right now. Her 4th child is due in two months)! Anyway, both times that I went over there with Logan after he started going to a babysitter's 8 hrs a week (3.5 months ago), he took off with the older boys and followed them around, leaving me in the dust, haha! This happened at the grocery store as well (no, he no longer stays by my side). It was cute to see him feel so comfortable with all 4-year-old boys, just from being around that age-group at his sitter's.

Whenever we drop him off he smiles and reaches for Babysitter, and then when I arrive he smiles at me but ignores me and keeps playing - and then when I try to pick him up he walks away from me toward the other kids!!! So, I usually talk to Babysitter for 5-10 minutes and then Logan comes over to me and waves to her so I know he's ready to go home.

As of today's date, Logan has gone 28 times. The group changed when school let out - no more brothers Matthew & Joshua until the fall (the 4-year-old and the boy who is two months younger than Logan). Instead, Babysitter added three girls and four boys! Her youngest daughter and son help her out in the summers. . .I get the feeling that's their arrangement so that they can live at home for free and not have a job in the summers, haha. (One is going to be a junior in college and the other is going to be a freshman. They both seem nice and the kids love them.)

Babysitter told me that I could switch days if I want because now Thursdays are her busiest day (with 7 other children) and some parents prefer their child with less amount. I said I would do whatever seemed best for Logan - does he act like he prefers one over the other? (Because when he's there on Tuesdays there are only three other children so that day is quieter).

She said that Logan actually likes when there's more children! This was apparent to me as well when observing him, he loves watching the other children run around and all of the noise! (There it is again: action-action-action!) So, I said as long as she didn't mind and that many wasn't too much for her, then I would keep my Tuesday & Thursday mornings. She said it was no problem because Logan has turned out to be one of her easiest, least-maintence kids. He's really attached himself to one of the little girls (who is 6), her name is Jackie. She's a cute little blonde girl - Joe teases him and says he's going after older women! :p Babysitter said all three of the girls spend the whole morning playing with him and he follows them around. I guess one of the days he wouldn't eat much for lunch and so Jackie fed him and Logan was happy and ate all of his food, LOL! It's too bad they won't be there in the fall. . .all three are such sweet girls (there's also Madeline who is 7 and Josie who is 8).

One of the new boys is a baby named Zay, 3 months younger than Logan, so I would assume he's staying in the fall (he's there right now with his two brothers, one who is school-age so he will be leaving in the fall). There's also another new boy who is almost two, so he seems close to Logan's level (although he can already shoot baskets in a basketball hoop that to him the same level that a real one would be to us - because his dad was a professional basketball player)!

Otherwise, there's still Henry the 4-year-old who was there in the spring (I can't remember when he's turning 5 - for some reason I thought he was starting kindergarten this fall; his sister is Josie), Jackson the 3-year-old, Ryan the 2-year-old (who is close, if not already, to 3; his sister is Madeline), and Ryder the 4-year-old. Everyone is still part-time, though, so there's no day that all 12 of Babysitter's kids are there (she's required by law not to have more than 10, but because her kids are helping her and at most she has 8 in one day, it's okay - and she will have a total of under 10 again in the fall/winter/spring).

It's still amazing to me that she does this job so easily. She's in her 50's and looks better and seems healthier than me. (Here's a pic of Logan's hair - have I mentioned that it's curly?! Joe & I have the straightest hair on the planet so this is fascinating.)Chris asked me if I would be her baby's nanny (her son was born in February). I was really honored. . . it would be too much pressure for me. I'd put even more pressure on myself with Gregory than I do with Logan. I really wish I was the kind of person who could. . .I would have loved to help them out, but I sadly declined. Fortunately, she had another friend to ask who agreed and started the last week of May and it has been going well - I'm really glad it worked out!

On Tuesday, May 19, Joe's mom came to visit with one of Joe's nieces. I don't think I ever wrote that Joe's nephew who is due to have a baby in September is having a boy (they're the ones who had a girl two months before Logan)! (I wrote in my post, 8 Months Old, that his nephews want to have six kids.)

Joe's mom & niece were on their way to Colorado (where Joe's sister's family lives) so we went out to eat at The Summer Kitchen Cafe (where Logan had his first kid's menu with crayons - he had his first resturant food: mac & cheese) and then they left the next morning.

On Wednesday, May 20 my brother flew to Omaha from California. His flight didn't get in until 11:30 at night so we didn't really have time to chat, but we went out for breakfast at Wheatfields the next morning and then I took him half-way to Des Moines so we caught up in the car. He has the possibility of a real TV show this fall! They shot the pilot episode and now pray that the TV executives choose to pick it up. It's a teen drama (similar to Dawson's Creek) called All At Once.

On Saturday, May 23 Joe, Logan, and I went to Iowa because my youngest cousin graduated from high school. We drove 5 hrs from Omaha to Eastern Iowa (where my stepdad's family lives). We split up the time by stopping at my dad's near Des Moines so he could dogsit Bella & Cosmo.

That evening we just hung out at my step grandparents' place and had supper and played games; my great uncle George was visiting from Texas (my step grandma's brother). Logan loved the new environment and new people and was having a blast so he wouldn't go to bed until we did at 11 pm (his usual time is 7:30-8 pm). Thankfully, he slept well in the pack n play in the same room as us.

The next day (Sunday, May 24) was Caitlin's graduation. (The picture below is where Logan decided to sit during the ceremony.) It was neat for me to see some of the other kids in her class, too, because my second job ever was a Bible School Teacher Assistant two summers in junior high - at their church! I helped with the three year olds when Caitlin's class was that age and so I saw some of those same kids all grown up now! :) (My first job was a swim instructor aid when I was 12.)Her parents (my stepdad's brother & wife) had a party at their house and I caught up with her brother, Marcus, who had just graduated from college (UNI). He's going to be a teacher this fall.

We left Eastern Iowa that night and picked up my dogs in Central Iowa and then spent the night at my mom & stepdad's place. On Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), we went back over to my dad's and were able to see my brother more before heading back to Omaha.

Logan had good moments & bad moments in the car. To refresh: Logan LOVED the car from birth until 7 months old when we went to Colorado. When I say loved I mean that he was really at his best! Most of the time he slept, otherwise was just perfectly content and happy. But, after our huge road trip, he changed his attitude. For the next month he let us know that he did not want to sit in a car for 9 hrs again.

By 8 months old he realized that the majority of the time we drive for less than 20 minutes, so he was content again until 11 months old. At that point he was used to running around and so to be confined was the worst thing we could do to him! Any trip over a half an hour would make him fussy unless I entertained him non-stop (and included food and milk and/or water). During this Memorial Day weekend, he was still sitting in the rear-facing carseat because our brand (Chicco) doesn't switch when they get to be a year old (if they're 20 lbs) like other brands. So my parents bought us the carseat that he'll now have for the next several years (a Graco). They gave it to us on June 8th, so since then Logan has been able to face front. I was surprised - his first reaction was NOT to like it! He kept trying to turn his head to face backwards and whimpered. . .it was so sweet. I showed him that this way he could see more. . .then he seemed to agree and has been easier in the car since 13 months.

He's still not exactly back to how he was from birth to 7 months or from 8 to 11 months, though, because sleep is out of the question. He can't sleep in this carseat for some reason, and so he only takes 10-20 minute naps. If he stays awake all 2.5-3 hrs to Iowa when he's tired then I still have to entertain him or else he throws a fit. Sometimes I sit in back with him and sometimes in the front, it doesn't really seem to make a difference.

He's starting to be interested in cartoons though, so when he gets to the point of actually watching our portable DVD player then I will finally get a break in the car. The other day I turned on Sid The Science Kid on our home TV which I thought was a really good show :) Until now (almost 15 months old) Logan looked at the TV for a couple of minutes - but nothing more. This week he watched about 10 minutes, the most he ever has of any cartoon in his life. Since four months old the only thing he has watched was his Baby Einstein Head To Toe (I highly recommend Baby Einstein DVDs because it is stimulating to their brain - I don't agree that TV is unhealthy if it's watched just a little amount, infrequently. By that I mean 1-2 hrs a week or less before the age of two, and after that not more than 7 hrs a week.) I wrote here back when Logan was 4 months old that it was impossible not to let him watch TV because Joe & I watch TV and Logan would stare at it, so I preferred having a DVD to put in rather than him catching scenes from Law & Order SVU. I've also blogged before about how it's been obvious to me that Logan has truly learned from his DVD, but there have been months that he didn't even watch one minute at all. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan to ever plop him in front of our TV at home and use it as a babysitter - but for road trips the portable DVD player is perfect because it takes his mind off of being stuck!

On Wednesday, May 27, my stepdad's uncle George was heading back to San Antonio, TX (who we had seen at Caitlin's graduation) so he stopped to see our new house (he'd visited our old one in 2006). We took him out to eat at Nebraska Brewing Company and then helped him learn the ropes of the internet because he bought his first laptop.

Joe's mom came back on Friday, May 29th and stayed thru Sunday, May 31st. The first night she made us nachos for supper, the second night we ordered Gambino's Pizza and rented Seven Pounds which none of us liked, and then after she left on Sunday is when Chris, her husband, and Gregory came over to grill out, which I mentioned in my post Fifth's Disease. They have decided to move to Washington DC next year. We will be sad to see them go! :(

Month Thirteen was a lot better/easier than month twelve - in fact Logan was a perfect angel except for two fussy days when his molars came in (which I wrote about in my post Lots of Firsts!)

On Thursday, June 4 we met my parents half-way to Des Moines so Logan could stay with them for the first time since his birthday in April. On Friday, June 5 I went over to Lisa P's because Sara T was visiting from California (where she moved last August). I hadn't seen Max since he was 11 months old. . .now he was 21 months! Heather V and Sarah S and Sara B came over as well and it was a really fun night. We had girl talk while our husbands played poker.

Joe & I didn't do anything the rest of the weekend. We had gone out to eat after dropping Logan off on Thurs (to Margarita's, our new fav Mexican restaurant where we also ate last night), but that was it because I was still recovering from Fifth's Disease. My rash & sick symptoms both went away on June 11th, but Logan's eczema (what he got as his rash) stayed until July 6th (even though his sick symptoms had ended on May 30th)!

I was just about to take him to the doctor last week because I was worried it wasn't going to go away - when then it did overnight, as if it had never been there at all! Whew.

I'd always been glad not to have any skin issues with Logan before. Our pediatrician and his partner at different times had commented about what incredible skin he's always had without us ever putting any lotion on him. But then the eczema came and even bled the last weekend of June so his shoulder area especially looked so pathetic. :( I read about eczema and was left feeling helpless because apparently there is no cure! Nobody even knows what causes it because there seems to be so many different causes (for example, one theory is an attack on the immune system which makes sense for Logan since his came when he had fifth's disease; but for other babies it is allergies or something else entirely. We already use "all natural" products on Logan and give him organic milk & food, and he shows no other signs of allergies, so I'm convinced his wasn't for any other reason aside from the viral infection).

Some kids have it so bad they have to go on prescription lotion from the doctor - but even this doesn't make it go away forever. It sounds like once a kid gets it, they will probably get it again. I really hope Logan doesn't get it again!

It's strange because apparently it's a "new" thing - I never had it as a child, Joe never had it, but three other babies I know in Omaha had it the same month Logan did. According to Wikipedia, there were no known cases before 1945 and a huge increase in the late 1990's/early 2000's. Experts believe that for some reason now our skin is more fragile than it used to be. There are also so many different types of eczema that has attributed to why there is currently no cure.

I started putting lotion on Logan for the first time (Burt's Bee's Organic) when the eczema first appeared, but I think the reason it went away was just that his immune system recovered, since the fifth's disease is said to live in the body a month.

In brighter news, on June 11 I got my hair cut - as in to my chin! It was just looking unhealthy after my disaster in April (Baby's Neck, Mommy's Hair) and so I wanted to chop it off and start all over except that this is the shortest I'll ever be able to cut my hair because I don't have a face for shorter hair. I really liked it until now - unfortunately with no highlights or color since April, my growth is now showing and so I think I am going to have to color it one more time. :( I was planning on being done with highlights and color in April, which would have worked had I gotten what I asked (brown hair with blonde highlights mixed subtly through). Instead, my stylist covered the top of my hair blonde (which is not my natural color), so I have an appt. scheduled (with the lady who fixed my hair in April and cut it in June) for this Tuesday to dye it my original color. THEN I can give it a rest until it turns gray (hopefully not for at least ten + more years) and it should get healthy again.

On Friday, June 12 we went to Iowa because my friend Melissa (she's the one who moved to Arizona from Omaha in April 2008) was visiting Joe's hometown (her husband Jake went to high school with Joe). So I was able to meet baby Axton! (Born April 9.) He was such a cutie and looks just like Melissa!

Jake's family was having a big dinner with their family (Jake has two brothers and a sister who are married with kids) and also invited Joe & Jake's mutual friend Andy (he was both of their best men) and his wife since September Ashley (and their two children). It was cute to see Logan run off and play with the other kids because I don't get to really see him play at his babysitter's or his personality in a group setting. I was surprised at how easy-going he was. Andy's daughter Karlee (who will be 6 next month) kept snatching the toys out of Logan's hand but he didn't care, he just grabbed another in its place.

On Saturday, June 13 I met my college bff Christy at the movie theater in Des Moines to see The Hangover. I hadn't laughed so hard, non-stop, at the theater since Knocked Up. Afterwards we went to The Cheesecake Factory and then it was a really nice night so we sat outside and talked. She is visiting Omaha for the first time July 24-26 - I can't wait! Andy & Ashley are coming as well to see our new house (they haven't visited since spring '07 before we moved), and Joe's other high school friend Grife and his fiancee (they're getting married August 15th - Joe is the best man) haven't been here since we moved, either. It should be a fun time!

Meanwhile that day, Joe, Logan, and his mom all went to one of her friend's pool parties. (Joe grew up playing in her pool every summer and I always wished I had a private pool, so as soon as our kids can swim we plan to build an in-ground pool in our backyard)! (Here Logan is at Joe's old house wearing Joe's old outfit!)On Sunday, June 14 we drove home to Omaha. That Tuesday, June 16 I went over to Heather V's house for breakfast (Panera bagels and we rented Bride Wars). Her daughter (Eden, who was born March 25) had started daycare the day before, so I kept her company while Logan was at his babysitter's. She has been trying to find a job in a different profession than the one she'd done since college, because she was let go just a few weeks before her baby was born (in a really unprofessional way). So we made the best of the situation and had a fun morning.

Sunday, June 21st was Father's Day and also Logan's first swimming experience which I posted about in Lots Of Firsts! Logan gave his daddy a subscription to ESPN magazine. . .I'd been approached in the Hy-Vee parking lot by a college student selling magazines for a vacation. I've never bought from them before but this was just a few days before Father's Day and I hadn't bought a gift for Joe yet. Joe said he's looking forward to it.That weekend I started a detox for a cough that I've had off & on for 2 years. Yes, seriously. The first time I remember it was the spring of 2007 - I had a very quick cold, but the cough hung around for three more weeks with no other symptoms (no phlegm, no sore throat) - it was very annoying. Then, it went away but came back with my next virus in Feb. 2008 when I was pregnant. Once again, even after I recovered, the cough hung around for three more weeks without any symptoms. The next time I caught a virus was September 2008. The exact same cough returned and stayed for another three weeks. It returned with my next three virus' this past spring & summer 2009 - only in May it lasted for 4 weeks - the longest it ever had and so I reached the end of my rope. (I'd tried both organic and non-organic over the counter stuff and nothing had ever helped.)

One night I was at Hy-Vee and saw their 24 Urgent Care sign. I called Joe and told him I was going to go to the doctor. I decied to go to Alegent Health's 24 hr place instead (down the street) - I'd been there once in 2006 because one of my toes turned black one night. I hadn't remember bruising it but that was my diagnosis and it did go away, so whatever.

I had to wait an hour, but they got me in and I had the exact same doctor as 3 years before. She said I was right for coming in - nobody should have a cough longer than 1-2 weeks, especially one that has been recurring for 2 years. I explained that prior to 2007 I'd never had this kind of cough in my life - it was from my chest, like an itch that couldn't be scratched. Since then, that's the only kind of cough I get. I can't control it and it's worse at night. In fact, it was non-existant every morning when I woke up because I often thought it was gone and then around noon I'd start coughing and the worst would be at night before bed. Sometimes I would wake myself up in the night, still coughing, but at some point in the night it would go away.

I had an x-ray taken of my chest which I'm not a fan of since this made three in a year (my wrist last summer and routine teeth in the fall/early winter). A couple of weeks ago I learned that every single person in my dad's family has died of cancer! I didn't realize this because all but one were in their 80's or 90's. So, on the one hand it's not a huge deal because everyone's going to die of something by the time you get that old, but on the other hand it is definitely a pattern in my family history that I don't want! There's been every single type, too. My dad's sister was the most serious because she was only 40 (breast cancer). His only other sibling, my uncle, thankfully has beat prostate cancer. But their dad (my grandfather) died of bone marrow cancer. His two sisters died of leukemia and colan cancer. My grandma had four sisters and three of them have passed away from thyroid cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer. On my mom's side most people have died from heart-related issues.

But, the x-ray was necessary and this way I had peace of mind that there wasn't a mass or anything serious in my lungs. My results came back as "lungs look great." (This was nice to know because my mom had an x-ray of her chest when she was about my age and her doctor didn't believe she wasn't a smoker because her lungs looked like that of a smoker since both of her parents smoked and my dad did at that time in their marriage.)

The doctor recommended I make an appt. with a physician to have tests done to see what their theory was. My cough stopped soon after and so I have yet to make an appt. Judging by my history, though, I know it will come back next time I catch the slightest virus, so I'll go to a real doctor at that time.

In the meantime, I looked up online what it could be and my symptoms don't fit anything except possibly a parasite. It's totally disgusting to know 1 in 10 in North America have worms living inside our bodies. We get them from food and water intake, through a transmitting agent such as a mosquito, through sexual conduct, or via the nose and skin.

Who knows how I got it, if that's what I have, but it would make sense if there is a parasite in my lungs (it wouldn't show up in an x-ray) and why it's only noticeable when my immune system is lowered (that's when parasites thrive - they attach to your organs and suck out the nutrition). So, I bought a detox kit at No Name Nutrition store (because even if I don't have it, it won't hurt anything), but after three days had to stop because I had bad side effects. Fortunately they took it back and gave me a refund.

The week of June 22nd Logan's babysitter went on vacation and so that Thursday, June 25 I took Logan to the zoo - we met Andrea and her 22 month old. (She is a friend of Lisa P's) She is the only other woman I know here aside from my neighbor who is a stay at home mom, too; we had a fun time on our first outing together. It was super hot, though, so we only stayed for a couple of hours and Logan fell asleep for the last 20 minutes. It was the first time I'd taken Logan to the zoo by myself. Joe has taken him 4 or 5 times since the three of us went the first time together on March 31st - we hope to go several more times this summer.

On Friday, June 26th we went to Iowa for my dad's retirement party. (In the pic he's sitting across from Joe who is next to me.) He completed 33 years as a Special Agent for the Division of Criminal Investigation. It was really entertaining to hear the funny stories about my dad from over the years. They gave him a mild roast :) The main point that all of his co-workers shared was that my dad made their job enjoyable. He's always had a good sense of humor so he made them laugh a lot.

The best story was when my dad shot himself in the butt - haha! I guess 25+ years ago he was protecting an informant's house with another agent and as he reclined in a chair his wallet got caught on the trigger of his gun and it went off! Only everyone in the house thought the informant was being shot at and so the other agent drew his gun and the informant dived under the table and his wife came running out of the bedroom screaming. . .meanwhile, smoke was billowing up around my dad and his fellow agent started laughing - realizing what happened. When my dad went into the bathroom to look at his wound he said that he "decided to lay down on the floor". . .right :p I guess if there is any place to get shot that is the best place!

There were almost 100 people at his party and my dad was given a few awards and then played some good music (a few years ago some of his friends got together as a hobby to form a band and play shows a few times a year; my dad plays the bass guitar).

My Uncle Jim (dad's brother) came from Houston, Texas so it was nice to see him, and my stepmom Seb had good food catered so we enjoyed a nice meal. The guy who threw the party made a funny slideshow of my dad from over the years and I also met one of my dad's co-workers who I've e-mailed with a few times because she had a son born three months before Logan and she reads my blog and I read her blog :) (We also have the exact same nursery stuff and her son's pediatrician was my pediatrician when I was a baby!)

My mom & stepdad watched Logan on Saturday, June 27 while Joe & I went down to Grant City, Missouri to visit my paternal grandmother. She is doing excellent! I am so glad to be proven wrong - you might remember me talking about her over Christmas not doing very well. I was preparing myself to say goodbye this year but she looked great, acted great, and would have beat us at Rummikub except she had one bad hand. She's been living at an assisted living home down the street from her house and I think it has made her life a lot easier.

We ate lunch at the Drive Inn and then hung out at her house with her neighbor Judy (my dad & uncle plan to keep the house where they were raised for many more years).

Joe & I headed back to Iowa around supper, so we stopped at a small town Pizza Hut on the way. Andy & Ashley just moved to the same town as my mom & stepdad a few weeks ago so we called them when we got back - Andy was at McDonalds with Ashley's almost 4-year-old son Logan (Ashley and Karlee were at a Taylor Swift concert) so we chatted with Andy for an hour.

On Sunday, June 28 we drove back to Omaha. . .and on Tuesday, June 30th my dogs had an appt. at the vet. Thankfully there have been no incidences since my post, A One-Year-Old and Two Dogs. Shortly after that, I attempted to give all three of my kids a walk at the same time again - and it wasn't bad at all. Maybe they realized after making it hard last summer that the only way they were going to get to go is if they walked properly. Bella and Cosmo have no problem walking behind the stroller and so I've been able to take them regularly! The Dog Whisperer says sometimes getting dogs to behave is that simple - that's how important dog walking is. I hope he was right and that incident was just a one-time thing.

It also seems like Bella is less scared of Logan these days. Maybe when he first started running around she got nervous because she didn't know what to expect. But now she doesn't even move out of the way when he comes over to her (something that had never happened in Logan's entire life). A few times she's even brought him toys to play with or let him try to kiss her. Of course I praised her tremendously!!!! I am so relieved - I would not want to give them away. Melissa said that she wouldn't think twice about her dog (she has a yorkie) if he bit Axton, but she grew up with a dad who took their Great Dane to the backyard after it bit their mail lady and he shot the dog! Yikes. :(

Their vet appointment went well except that Cosmo's going to have to have dental work done on July 16th. :( I guess his teeth are in pretty bad shape. You know how all breeds have an area that they're more likely to have problems with than another? Well, for maltipoos it's the teeth. Bella's are fine and I wonder if it's because I brushed her teeth religiously for two years. After about a year of having Cosmo, though, I got lazy and have hardly brushed either of their teeth the past two years. I give them greenies bones when I can (they're supposed to help) but they can only have one brand or else they'll throw up - and that brand is at PetSmart where I hardly ever go. But Cosmo has to be put under anesthesia and it's a several-hour thing (that is also expensive) so I'm going to be brushing both of their teeth religiously again after this so that Bella won't have to have it done and Cosmo won't ever again! Otherwise, their teeth will begin separating from the gums which is very painful and they will no longer be able to use them to chew. Sad. :(

Thursday, July 2nd, Chris invited us over for dinner. Her little boy is now 5 months old, I can't believe it. For dessert (after pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts which followed crackers & goat cheese, green tea, and bread), Chris surprised us with a chocolate birthday cake for Joe, complete with candles. We were touched by all of the work she went to.

The following day, Friday, July 3rd, was Joe's 30th birthday!!!! He had the day off from work, so his mom came over that afternoon with pork rites, and I picked up his traditional DQ chocolate extreme blizzard cake for dessert. For his birthday I wanted to get him a flat screen (we don't have one) but it wasn't something I felt comfortable buying without him, however I don't think he'll ever go with me to get one. Instead, I bought him a golf glove because that's the only thing he asked for. His mom gave us a vacation to Lake Rathbun in Iowa! We're going to stay at their nice, new resort this fall, I can't wait!That evening we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for supper and then played outside with Logan (as you saw from the cute picture in my post Like Father, Like Son). Sadly, Sandi learned that her dog (a boxer who was at a doggie daycare) had become really sick - was going diahrrea every few minutes. They had to put him in a cage for the night and when they checked on him in the morning, it was full of diarrhea. So, Joe's mom had to leave early Saturday morning, July 4th. It was too bad because we'd had a lot of fun stuff planned for the weekend, but Joe & I still took Logan to his first parade (which I mentioned in my post, New Hobby)! At first he was hesitant but then started clapping and waving and dancing! He had a great time :)

I don't know if Logan was going through a growth spurt or what that week but he ate every hour and went to bed at 7 pm every night. So, he slept through the fireworks for his second year which was amazing to me because they are legal in our neighborhood so they were going off constantly for three hours every night. Maybe next year he will see them for the first time!

On Sunday, July 5th, Logan ran through the sprinklers for the first time but didn't like it so that didn't last long.

Not much to report from the week. . .I signed Logan up for toddler time at the library which I'm excited about. It's on Mondays or Wednesdays. (Once kids get to be 13 months old they can participate in story time, so it's a way to meet other kids and moms.) I don't have a library card because it costs $40 a year for our neighborhood, but the librarian said we are free to read books there.

The new season of I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant started on TLC Wednesay. Have you all seen that show? I caught it for the first time a couple of months ago and just stared at the TV with my mouth open as they played back-to-back episodes over and over. No matter how many times I watched the stories, I just couldn't fathom it! I can't believe how many women are out there who make it 9 months without realizing they are pregnant!!!

I don't know what's more unbelievable to me - that there could be women without a single symptom (while I'd never felt worse in my life) or that several of them just thought they had to go to the bathroom when they were in labor and then the baby came out while they were on the toilet (while I pushed for 4 hrs).

A couple of them even had twins - these women had made it to the hospital and the doctors informed them that they were having a baby - so they were just processing that when the first comes out and the doctor's like, "OMG, there's another one!" Nobody would believe it if I wrote a fiction novel with a story like that. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction!

This weekend (July 11) Joe went to Iowa for Grife's bachelor party but I decided to stay here. We met my parents halfway on Thursday night so they could take Logan for the weekend (for the first time since the weekend of June 6) and we'll pick him up on Monday - which will be the longest we've ever been apart: 96 hrs! I needed the break again, though. Month fourteen has been another exhausting month! On Friday I spent the day shopping at Westroads Mall, which the only other time I've had a chance to do that since Logan's birthday was the last time Logan went to my parents'! I bought my first item (a shirt) at Von Maur since the shooting. It has been nice the past two mornings to sleep until 10 AM!!!

Fifth's Disease

This was originally written on Monday, June 1, 2009:

After I wrote my post, Did You Know?, about Logan coming down with his fourth virus in his 13 months, he recovered less than 48 hrs later - but then I had it for three days and Joe two days last week. Now it appears it's back for Logan & me. :( I don't know whether it never left and incubated for a few days or whether we were just unlucky enough to catch two things in one week.

Friday, May 22 Logan's nose started running again and I began feeling tired/run down. We had a busy Memorial Day weekend in Iowa so that didn't help. Sure enough, Logan's symptoms got worse and so he didn't go to Babysitter's at all that week (where he usually goes 8 hrs per week). When I called to tell her, she said that a couple of her kids there had fifth's disease:

Fifth disease (parvovirus B19) begins with a low-grade fever, headache, and mild cold-like symptoms (a stuffy or runny nose). These symptoms pass, and the illness seems to be gone until a rash appears a few days later. The bright red rash typically begins on the face. Several days later, the rash spreads and red blotches (usually lighter in color) extend down to the trunk, arms, and legs. The rash usually spares the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. As the centers of the blotches begin to clear, the rash takes on a lacy net-like appearance.

Older kids and adults sometimes complain that the rash itches, but most children with a rash caused by fifth disease do not look sick and no longer have fever. It may take 1 to 3 weeks for the rash to completely clear, and during that time it may seem to worsen until it finally fades away entirely.

A person with parvovirus infection is most contagious before the rash appears — either during the incubation period (the time between infection and the onset of symptoms) or during the time when he or she has only mild respiratory symptoms. Because the rash of fifth disease is due to an immune reaction (a defense response launched by the body against foreign substances like viruses) that occurs after the infection has passed, a child is usually not contagious once the rash appears.

Parvovirus B19 spreads easily from person to person in fluids from the nose, mouth, and throat of someone with the infection, especially through large droplets from coughs and sneezes.

In households where a child has fifth disease, another family member who hasn't previously had parvovirus B19 has about a 50% chance of also getting the infection. Children with fifth disease may attend childcare or school, since they are no longer contagious. Once infected with parvovirus B19, a person develops immunity to it and won't become infected again.

The only time Parvovirus B19 can be serious is during pregnancy. Some fetuses may develop severe anemia if the mother is infected while pregnant — especially if the infection occurs during the first half of the pregnancy. In some cases, this anemia is so severe that the fetus doesn't survive. Fortunately, about half of all pregnant women are immune from having had a previous infection with parvovirus.

Fifth disease is caused by a virus, and it cannot be treated with antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections. Although antiviral medicines do exist, there are currently none available that will treat fifth disease. In most cases, this is such a mild illness that no medicine is necessary.

Usually, kids with fifth disease feel fairly well and need little home treatment other than rest. After the fever and mild cold symptoms have passed, there may be little to treat except any discomfort from the rash itself. If your child has itching from the rash of fifth disease, ask the doctor for advice about relieving discomfort. The doctor may also recommend acetaminophen for fever or joint pain.
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I was hoping he just had a cold rather than fifth's disease. It is a myth that catching virus' are beneficial to babies. As pediatrician Robert P. Lindeman, MD, PhD Natick Pediatrics, PC says, it is never good for a baby get sick. "One popular myth says that if a baby catches a lot of colds early, he won’t get sick as often later. Unfortunately, this is not true. There are over 100 different varieties of the rhinovirus, one of the viruses responsible for the common cold. A baby in childcare is likely to catch between 8 and 12 colds each year. Assuming the child really gets sick that often, he would be in fourth grade before he caught every rhinovirus. And that’s only the rhinoviruses! There are about 100 other types of virus that cause the common cold. The unlucky child who catches all of them, and at the same pace as an infant in daycare, would finally be through with them no earlier than Spring break of his junior year in college."

It's like the advice of "wash your hands to avoid getting sick - but if you don't wash your hands you will have a stronger immune system." In other words, there's no point in exposing babies to virus' because there are so many virus' out there, they will get several each year no matter what, so might as well try & wait until they are older & stronger. HOWEVER, it is true that anytime we are exposed to germs and infections, the immune system gets tougher so that as a person gets older, they will fight them off easier and fall victim less often. (That makes sense because adults don't get sick as often as children.)

I obviously don't like that he's giving them to me right now!!! When he sneezed and coughed on my face several times (particles flying into my mouth) I knew I was a goner. The good news is this virus hasn't bothered him like the last one, which I mentioned in my Did You Know? post when he cried all day on Friday, May 15. He's had way more energy than me this week!

But, on Monday (May 25) Logan beat his 99.9 highest fever with a 100.8 temperature. By Tuesday his eyes were so red and swollen, and green puss was draining out the sides, they were actually sticking together, it was gross. He looked so pitiful and pathetic, and his nose needed wiping every other minute. Thankfully he was recovered by Saturday, May 30th.

However, on Friday, May 29 I began to feel sick (sore throat, headache, sweating, and a weird feeling in my ears) so I went to bed at 6:30 pm but woke up at 10:30 because I was itching so bad. I had red marks all over me but I couldn't tell whether it was from scratching from dry air or water. . .or if I had a rash like fifth's diesease! I decided to skip Tuesday for Logan at babysitter's because I think if he waits to return on Thursday and is exposed to something else his immune system will be strong enough to fight whatever else off. Maybe his immune system hadn't fully recovered from his #4 cold when he went back last Tuesday.

I've been spoiled by not being exposed to many virus' the past several years. If I caught a cold it was several months before I caught another. . .not days. :( It's almost June! Apparently the time of year doesn't matter.

At least for Logan, the breastfeeding I did for 9 months is still playing a part, keeping his diet rich in vegetables, giving him vitamin c, separating the vaccines, and sleeping well (there's been no more waking up at 5:30 am like in my De Ja Vu post, thankfully). So I guess if you look at it that way there is proof it's working: Logan only had 3 virus' in his first year (average is 8-12) and one of those only lasted 36 hrs. Counting the two he's had since, another one lasted less than 48 hrs. Only one involved an ear infection, and only the last two did he have a slight temperature. I'm sure baby #2 won't be as lucky since Logan will be around to bring home more virus', so I better get used to being sick now. :(

Joe's mom came over for the weekend which helped. Logan also stopped having diahrrea which he'd had off & on all week that had given him his third diaper rash in his life. So I thought maybe he hadn't had fifth's disease after all and therefore we kept our plans for Sunday, May 31st - Chris, her husband, and their 3.5 month old baby came over to grill out which was a lot of fun.

I really hope they don't get sick because this morning (Monday, June 1st) Logan woke up with rash-splotchs on his torso and shoulders so I am glad that we didn't touch the baby because now I know for a fact that we both have fifth's disease. Except, my "sick symptoms" became worse today. For most of the day I had NO VOICE. For hours I tried as hard as I could to make sound come out and there was nothing! Now I can talk but my voice goes in & out. Joe's mom called to see how I was feeling (she went home yesterday) and I think it was hard to understand me!

Also, now it's obvious I do indeed have the rash already - but it's not the classic fifth's disease (lace-like; but neither is Logan's - his is eczema). Mine are elevated white bumps ALL over my entire body that itch like crazy. I looked it up and this is a symptom of a viral infection, which fifth's disease is classified under. So you don't have to have the stereotype to have it. My nose hasn't run at all. Instead, I've just been fatigued (to the same degree as when I had mono in December 1999, which I guess makes sense because that was the last time I caught a viral infection [not counting colds] and did you know once you get mono it never leaves your body for the rest of your life?) and I've felt pain off & on since this all started for me on Friday. This is my 4th virus from the past year - my other three were all colds that included a day or two of "not feeling well," but I was still able to function. The past three days I've found functioning to be very hard!

Saturday night I woke up at 3 am because my throat hurt so bad (once again, it reminded me of when I had mono; hadn't had a sore throat quite like that since) and my entire body was in pain, I couldn't go back to sleep until 5. I felt like I needed a sleeping pill or a pain pill but I have neither. So my sleep has been awful, even though I feel like that's what I need to get better! AND I threw up twice in the past 24 hrs, which those of you who read about my morning sickness experience know that is not like me. I don't feel nauseous, though, which makes it weird I would throw up (flu-like symptoms are common for men who get fifth's disease so hopefully Joe won't catch it; other adult symptoms include joint pain and arthritus but, so far, good on those).

My parents are taking Logan this weekend for the first time since his birthday (it'll have been 7 weeks) which is perfect timing. But I'm hoping I will feel better before then. . .I'm obviously a wuss if this is considered a "no big deal" virus! (But I did read that this fifth's disease is worse for adults than children.) At least I haven't had any pain in my throat today so hopefully that's over.

FYI, viral infections include: fifth's disease, Mononucleosis/Epstein-Barr, chickenpox, shingles, hand-foot-mouth disease, herpes simplex, rosea, and warts. (Click here for the rest, a list of 84.)

Viruses are microscopic organisms whose survival is entirely dependent on using the DNA of other living cells (called host cells) to develop and multiply. The virus growth cycle has four stages. First, the virus attaches to a receptor on the cell's membrane. Second, the virus penetrates the cell either by fusing with the membrane or by being engulfed by the cell and delivered into its interior. Third, the virus is transported into the cell's nucleus where the virus uses the host cell's DNA to reproduce. Finally, the infectious virus particles (virions) are assembled and released from the host cell. The length of this cycle varies and can last several hours to many years (latent infection).

Viral infections commonly result in skin lesions and rashes. Typically, a rash occurs, and resolution is seen after the immune system clears the infection.

Fifth's Disease is the #5 most common childhood illness and is classified under "harmless." It affects mostly people ages 5 to 15 and once you get it you are immune to getting it again (too bad for me I didn't get it when I was a kid!) :p However, it's better I get it now and won't have to worry about it when I'm pregnant. It occurs mostly in the spring and lives only in humans.

UPDATE: It took until June 11th for my fifth's disease (symptoms & rash) to go away. I tried all of the tips listed here for the itchiness (which got so bad that my skin was bleeding and I had scabs all over), but the only one that worked for me was calamine lotion. Even though my fifth's disease lasted a week-and-a-half and Logan's only a week, his eczema (what he got as the rash) took six weeks to go away!