Last week Charles was not himself. We went to the doctor on Tuesday and discovered he has his first ear infection. He's been a trooper, but definitely not himself. Waking up in the night is a rare and unwelcome occurrence at our house. Yesterday he woke up with thick green snot dripping out of his nose so I called the doctor. He'd been on the amoxicillin (a childhood favorite of mine but this was orange instead of the traditional bubblegum pink) for almost a week and still wasn't himself. It's not like him to lay down on the floor or cry at the drop of a hat. So...we're on to the next round of antibiotics. The pharmacist warned it may cause diarrhea towards the end of the 10 days he's on it. Great...one more thing to look forward to. I guess it kills all the bacteria even the ones that help your digestive system function normally. If it's not one thing it's another.
Charles is still trying to learn how to do somersaults. He stands with his rear in the air and his hands and head on the floor. That's about as close as he gets. Then he stands up and moves on to something else. I'm sure he'll figure it out sooner or later. In the mean time it's pretty funny.
His other new trick is to lay down in the bath tub. I think face down. I'm not sure what he thinks he's doing, but we've been advised to get him in to swimming lessons as soon as we can. I need to do some checking to find a place that gives kids this little lessons. I've got a lifeguard friend. Maybe she'll know. I think she used to give lessons.
I'm sure I'll get some good pictures tomorrow night. We haven't decided on the tiger or the puppy costume. I think the tiger will probably win as it's easier to put on and has less accessories to worry about. I've got to pull out my lipstick and eyeliner and draw on a nose and whiskers. He'll hate it but he'll be cute. Russell will miss the trick-or-treating adventure since he has class until after 8pm. We're planning to go to Grandpa & Grandma's house and meet up with cousins Elena, PJ, and Brookelyn. Mom & Dad have lots of kids in their neighborhood and it's a safe place to walk at night. We're planning to eat sloppy joes, hit some houses, and then hand out candy. I got Charles a little pumpkin trick-or-treat bag last night at Wal-Mart. He liked carrying it around the house, hopefully he'll do okay tomorrow night. He'll love being outside walking if nothing else. His dad will like the candy!
Russell has about 5 weeks until the end of the semester. The countdown began quite a while ago! Last week he had two tests. He got his score for the one he was most concerned about and did much better than last time, and better than the class average on this test. His professor told him if he makes improvements throughout the semester he shouldn't worry about his grade. He's got another test tomorrow and is getting ready for his exit exam which is the Saturday before Thanksgiving. He gets 4 pieces of paper with notes which will help. Two of his classes this semester are preparing him for 1/2 the exit exam and he's been assured that the class will have covered the topics on the exam. Other good news on the educational front...he got a professor to work with him and do a 1 hour independent study next spring. It sounds like they had a good conversation and this man helped Russ choose an appropriate class for next semester as well as outline the independent study. If all goes well he'll graduate in May! Charles and I won't know what to do with him home all the time and Russell won't know what to do with all his free time. I'm sure for the first few weeks he'll enjoy doing NOTHING!!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Autumn is on its way!
Fall is on its way! It's been way too HOT for my taste. Highs in the low to mid 80s are not acceptable in October. This week it cooled off and was rainy, a welcome change. We wore long sleeves and jackets, it was wonderful!
The word on the street (a reference to Sesame Street for those of you who aren't up-to-date on PBS shows) for this week is BABYSITTER. We took care of both Merrill and Elena this week. They're both good and now two other mommies are indebted to me! I don't really ask for anything in return, but it's always good to know there are some friends out there in case I need a sitter, especially since few, if any, doctors (including dentist and optometrist) work on Fridays when Charles is at Friday Friends.
When we arrived at Elena's house we were tickled to find that both kids were in their Halloween-themed t-shirts. It was finally cool enough to put the kids in long sleeves. I took some photos. Charles wasn't too cooperative but Elena was "cheeezing" for the camera. I decided to try my hand at pigtails. She actually sat still while I did it and loved that she was a "piggy!" See photos below.
Charles continues to be captivated by the dog's water bowl. Sunday after church he found it again and got his church clothes drenched. Russell had time to hang one of our new shades and Charles loved playing under the ladder. He even knew it was made to climb (it must've looked like the stairs) but his little legs weren't long enough to get on the step. Thank goodness!
A funny story...Aunt Christy has decided to teach Charles to do a somersault. It isn't as funny to watch Charles as it is to watch Aunt Christy! He got the idea but couldn't do it. He thought rolling across the family room was doing the same thing. It was hilarious. Maybe we can digitally capture it someday...he's quick to move on to something else if we decide to get out the camera.
Some pictures and video of the week are below...
This is blurry but you can get the idea of how much water he played in
Peeking through the ladder's rungs
New in the 'burbs...squirrels. Casey and Lille went berserk!
The word on the street (a reference to Sesame Street for those of you who aren't up-to-date on PBS shows) for this week is BABYSITTER. We took care of both Merrill and Elena this week. They're both good and now two other mommies are indebted to me! I don't really ask for anything in return, but it's always good to know there are some friends out there in case I need a sitter, especially since few, if any, doctors (including dentist and optometrist) work on Fridays when Charles is at Friday Friends.
When we arrived at Elena's house we were tickled to find that both kids were in their Halloween-themed t-shirts. It was finally cool enough to put the kids in long sleeves. I took some photos. Charles wasn't too cooperative but Elena was "cheeezing" for the camera. I decided to try my hand at pigtails. She actually sat still while I did it and loved that she was a "piggy!" See photos below.
Charles continues to be captivated by the dog's water bowl. Sunday after church he found it again and got his church clothes drenched. Russell had time to hang one of our new shades and Charles loved playing under the ladder. He even knew it was made to climb (it must've looked like the stairs) but his little legs weren't long enough to get on the step. Thank goodness!
A funny story...Aunt Christy has decided to teach Charles to do a somersault. It isn't as funny to watch Charles as it is to watch Aunt Christy! He got the idea but couldn't do it. He thought rolling across the family room was doing the same thing. It was hilarious. Maybe we can digitally capture it someday...he's quick to move on to something else if we decide to get out the camera.
Some pictures and video of the week are below...
Wet and heading upstairs
This is blurry but you can get the idea of how much water he played in
Peeking through the ladder's rungs
New in the 'burbs...squirrels. Casey and Lille went berserk!
"Ghouls" just want to have fun! 
I tried to get a picture of him in his "Spooky" shirt, but he's too busy with other things. Both these festive outfits are brought to you by the local consignment sale!
Elena got this rocking horse for her 2nd birthday. She loves it. Charles liked riding it too but I couldn't hold him on and tape him at the same time. He's just a little too little. Not for long...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Photos
Most of you just want to see what Charles is up to, so here are some pictures. Charles has been getting 4 molars and has been up in the night since Saturday night. Thankfully last night he went back to his normal routine! Mom's wasted after such an erratic sleep schedule. He must've woken me in the middle of a sleep cycle, because I've been exhausted! They're almost all in, only one left to break through the skin.
We went to the mall to walk and got stranded. It was pouring down rain, thundering, and lightening. So...we decided to eat lunch in the food court at Subway.
Sparkling water makes me giggle. It tickles!
A snack at Grandma's. A cone is close to a Vanilla Wafer, right?
Say CHEEEEEEESE!
I'm not supposed to get on the fireplace, but I do it anyway.
I chew on anything and everything. 
My pool got more indoor play than outdoor use. Here I think I need a nap
I've learned to lean backwards.
I almost took a ride down the steps. Mom rescued me before any joy rides or injuries. 
I love emptying out ANYTHING. Today I dumped out my diaper bag and found a blue Dum Dum sucker. It's good! 
I have two Halloween costumes from clearance sales and garage sales. Mommy made me try them on. I did NOT like them. 
I love to take baths. And showers. Splashing is the most fun. Along with standing and walking in the tub and sticking my face in the water. 
Escapee!
And a streaker!
I "helped" my Mommy pack Daddy's lunch. I discovered I can crawl on the stool and stand on it. 
Almost every morning Charles is waiting for us to come get him out of his crib. Lately he has abandoned playing with his musical aquarium and has taken to jumping. He gets going pretty high and fast. Lillie loves to watch and give an occasional lick! Guess he hasn't heard what happened to the monkeys who jumped on the bed... There's no audio--we're not that technologically advanced!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Every New Day Brings Something New
I wish I had a camera implanted in my brain so I could take pictures of all that I see. It sounds a little freaky, and a little like 1984, but Charles is doing so many things I wish I could capture on film for all you to see. Like what, you ask?
Well, Sunday night I was giving him a bath. Lillie came in to check out what was going on. Normally the dogs aren't too interested in the bathtub (they're afraid if they get too close they'll be next!) but this night was different. Lillie's more social to begin with and she came to check out what was going on. She had an epiphany! The bathtub is full of water--just like my water bowl which, by the way is either empty or unavailable because it's too much of a temptation to Charles. So, there Charles was, playing in the water and Lillie leaning over the side lapping up water. What made it even more hilarious, or gross, was that the water had two added ingredients, soap and pee. Yuck! Not a refreshing beverage, at least not to humans--adult humans any way. Charles stuck his face in the water and tried to get a mouth full.
What else? Oh, his new skill is walking backwards. He doesn't do it too often at home, but at Grandpa & Grandma's house there's a long hallway from the kitchen to the front door. He can watch us while we sit at the kitchen table and walk backwards down the hallway at the same time. Maybe he's realizing he has a back, he also is starting to sit and lean against things, mostly because it's entertaining not because he needs the support.
Today I decided against taking him to the Circus. I'm disappointed because it really is "The Greatest Show on Earth," but I just don't think he's old enough to "get it" or sit on my lap. Of course the next time Ringling Brothers is in town we'll have to pay for a ticket.
The camera battery is dead so no pictures this time. I've got some good ones. Yesterday I tried on the Halloween costumes we had in the closet. He was not in the best of moods and I only made it worse. They both fit, but he's not fond of things on his head. If it's cold I'll put him in the tiger costume with his new shoes. He'll just have to be the headless tiger because he couldn't stand the hood/head. It might be a little small for his big noggin! The puppy costume was cute, especially the floppy ears, but once again he's the anti-cap and can't stand anything on his head. It also had feet with an elastic band over the shoes and mittens for paws, but he didn't like those. Picky, picky. I wonder where that comes from...
We have exciting news this week. We booked our Christmas Vacation! We're going to Puerta Vallarta to see Russ' great aunt and uncle. Russ' sister Kim did a bunch of research and found affordable tickets and we even get to fly out of Wichita! Russ will be ready for the trip after a busy semester. A few days on the beach will make everything better.
Russ' tests went okay. There is one class he is struggling with. The grade on that test was lower than he expected. He's not sure if he should drop it or not, but will wait to see how he's doing when it gets to the last day to drop classes. I know it's frustrating to get a bad grade, but he did a few points better than average which means a lot of people did a lot worse. And, it tells the professor he didn't teach well or didn't write a very good test. From what I hear it may be both. Continue to pray for Russ' semester as I'm sure it will only get more busy.
Not much else going on here. We keep waiting for autumn to arrive. It's in the high 80s today, almost 90 and humid. I just wish we could wear jeans and jackets, it's so much more comfortable. It's almost too hot to be without the air conditioning during the day, but the evenings are cool, so that helps.
Well, Sunday night I was giving him a bath. Lillie came in to check out what was going on. Normally the dogs aren't too interested in the bathtub (they're afraid if they get too close they'll be next!) but this night was different. Lillie's more social to begin with and she came to check out what was going on. She had an epiphany! The bathtub is full of water--just like my water bowl which, by the way is either empty or unavailable because it's too much of a temptation to Charles. So, there Charles was, playing in the water and Lillie leaning over the side lapping up water. What made it even more hilarious, or gross, was that the water had two added ingredients, soap and pee. Yuck! Not a refreshing beverage, at least not to humans--adult humans any way. Charles stuck his face in the water and tried to get a mouth full.
What else? Oh, his new skill is walking backwards. He doesn't do it too often at home, but at Grandpa & Grandma's house there's a long hallway from the kitchen to the front door. He can watch us while we sit at the kitchen table and walk backwards down the hallway at the same time. Maybe he's realizing he has a back, he also is starting to sit and lean against things, mostly because it's entertaining not because he needs the support.
Today I decided against taking him to the Circus. I'm disappointed because it really is "The Greatest Show on Earth," but I just don't think he's old enough to "get it" or sit on my lap. Of course the next time Ringling Brothers is in town we'll have to pay for a ticket.
The camera battery is dead so no pictures this time. I've got some good ones. Yesterday I tried on the Halloween costumes we had in the closet. He was not in the best of moods and I only made it worse. They both fit, but he's not fond of things on his head. If it's cold I'll put him in the tiger costume with his new shoes. He'll just have to be the headless tiger because he couldn't stand the hood/head. It might be a little small for his big noggin! The puppy costume was cute, especially the floppy ears, but once again he's the anti-cap and can't stand anything on his head. It also had feet with an elastic band over the shoes and mittens for paws, but he didn't like those. Picky, picky. I wonder where that comes from...
We have exciting news this week. We booked our Christmas Vacation! We're going to Puerta Vallarta to see Russ' great aunt and uncle. Russ' sister Kim did a bunch of research and found affordable tickets and we even get to fly out of Wichita! Russ will be ready for the trip after a busy semester. A few days on the beach will make everything better.
Russ' tests went okay. There is one class he is struggling with. The grade on that test was lower than he expected. He's not sure if he should drop it or not, but will wait to see how he's doing when it gets to the last day to drop classes. I know it's frustrating to get a bad grade, but he did a few points better than average which means a lot of people did a lot worse. And, it tells the professor he didn't teach well or didn't write a very good test. From what I hear it may be both. Continue to pray for Russ' semester as I'm sure it will only get more busy.
Not much else going on here. We keep waiting for autumn to arrive. It's in the high 80s today, almost 90 and humid. I just wish we could wear jeans and jackets, it's so much more comfortable. It's almost too hot to be without the air conditioning during the day, but the evenings are cool, so that helps.
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