Our Week

Monday

Max and Maya came to play. Brooklynn was a great help--she brought the babies toys, played peek-a-boo and helped me make them laugh. In the picture below, Maya had just fallen over into Ian's lap. Neither of them seemed to mind being up close and personal (I think there was even a small head sucking incident).

Afterwards, we rushed off to the pediatrician. Ian was still wheezing and I figured I'd just go in for a quick check up. I was so convinced the doctor would say there wasn't much they could do that I didn't take anything with me--no diapers, no bottles, no snacks. What was I thinking? Three hours and a visit to the hospital for x-rays later we were on our way home. Fortunately, there were no meltdowns, the receptionist in radiology was terrific (bringing us snacks and pictures to color), and Brooklynn was a great big sister. No pneumonia or RSV. They're calling it his first episode of Reactive Airway Distress (a possible precurser to asthma). For now, he is on a nebulizer every 4 hours (yep, even at night). Brooklynn calls it his elephant. It has taken its toll on our happy little boy and he has been more grumpy than normal. He is smiling in the picture below though, even if you can't see it.
Tuesday

The day of the great kid swap. I love Tuesdays--both the days when I have the kids and the days when I have three hours to myself. Addie joined the usual group this day.

Addie, William, Brooklynn, and Anna.

Afterwards, Marci, Shannon, and I (along with the kids) hit Denny's for the free grand slam. Mmmm . . . there is nothing like free food! While the other kids sat nicely next to their moms, Brooklynn brushed up on one of her latest skills in the aisle--spinning until she is dizzy. She's so talented!

Wednesday
After my very first Relief Society pres. meeting, we ran off for Brooklynn's first trip to the dentist! The picture below was taken before the crying started. It was a very nice office and Brooklynn LOVED the train above the receptionists' desk (she said "Whoa! That's amazin!")

Ian turned 8 months old on Wednesday! I can hardly believe it has been that long! We are so in love with our little Ian! His smile has saved my day on more than one occasion. He celebrated in part with Max and Maya while we were at the dentist. Thursday
We met Jennifer and Brayden for a shopping extravaganza at Carters and then lunch at the food court. Brooklynn's highlight was hiding in the clothes racks and the carousal ride. She still wears size 18 months (and even those can be a little big) but she is a darn cute little wipper snapper!

Shannon was nice enough to watch the kids for me while I ran off to my doctor appointment and then it was home for naps before meeting up with Jennifer and her kids again at Panera to "celebrate" the fact that we always seem to be alone at night (and that we both love to eat out). As luck would have it, it turned out to be the one night that John and Brad left work at a somewhat reasonable hour so they met us there.

Friday

After Little Gym, we went to Marci's for a fab little birthday party. Thanks again for letting us come and share your cupcakes!

Brooklynn and Addie (Brooklynn was totally fascinated by this windmill)

That night the kids were off to the Careys again so John and I could join the Bonds at the Alamo to see He's Just not that into You. The food and company were great--the movie wasn't my favorite. Oh, well--two out of three ain't bad and it was a night out so I'm not complaining!

Saturday

It has been a horrible week for allergies around here and as you can imagine, it is probably ten times worse in our house. John gave up trying to sleep around 4 am and headed into work where they have better filtration (and no dogs and cats). Plus he needed to work anyway. He did brave the great outdoors to go with us to Clay's where we met up with the Gouges and the Mireleses. Brooklynn loved being able to visit the horses and chickens and play in the sandbox while we ate outside enjoying our beautiful 75 degree weather. My only concern was that I hadn't brought sunscreen--yep it was just that sunny and nice (eat your heart out Utahns!)

The lip pursing thing is Brooklynn's smile on demand smile.

And for those of you wondering about our latest sleeping arrangements, Brooklynn has taken to sleeping in her papasan chair which is fine by me and I think gives her a sense of control. She usually stuffs it full of blankets, books, and stuffed animals (which is less than she managed to fit in her bed, thank heavens!).

Brooklynn amidst about 7 books, 1 dvd, 6 blankets, two hairclips, a hairbow, 6 stuffed animals, a sippy cup and . . . a ball? No wonder she is hanging off the bed!

After 3 consecutive nights of leaks (and therefore, three sheet changes) we have decided that Huggies really are best on boys (at night anyway). Poor Ian had to make due with pink flowered sheets and a pink blanket until his mom got around to washing his other ones. I hope he's not scarred for life.

Finally, Harley has taken up residence in the bouncer.

Phew! I'm exhausted! I think I'll head to bed before we have to start this all over again tomorrow.