Crazy Baby

Jack is loads of entertainment!

The Evil Glow Worm

Sunday morning while Stuart was in the shower and I was in the office playing on the computer, Jack was playing in his room. Suddenly, I hear an awful cry coming from him. He is in hysterics. We both run to him in a panic to see what is wrong. Jack is walking down the hall with a terrified look on his face, holding his glow worm out in front of him. He has turned it on and it's face is glowing while it plays soft lullabies. Jack was absolutely scared to death of the thing and was brining it to me to fix. It took awhile for us to calm Jack down and I had to get the glow worm out of his sight to do it. Now, he has played with this toy before with no problems. However, due to the vast number of toys he has, it had ended up at the bottom of his toy chest so he hadn't seen it in a couple of months. We were shocked by the strong reaction by Jack as he is a pretty fearless kid.

Then, last night, Stuart comes into the room with Jack in his arms; the boy is sobbing and miserable. Stuart informs me that he tried to show Jack the glow worm again to see if he would react the same way. What the heck?! Let's run a little experiment to see if he will freak out again? Nice. Notice the smile on Stuart's face in the picture. He assured me he hid the toy away so as not to upset the baby again.

Well, apparently Stuart's idea of hiding it was to throw it behind Jack's bedroom door. Which, of course, he found this morning and had the same reaction. You have to see this. It took some time to calm him down.

I guess I am no better than Stuart as I took the time to film the horrible scene before disposing of the evil glow worm. Some day this kid will have a lot to tell his therapist.

Celebrating Papa's Birthday

Saturday evening we celebrated my dad's birthday with some great steaks on the grill. My dad and Laura came up, along with Marcy and Bremen. Now, Jack has had some difficulty with my dad. You all know that Jack prefers women, but he has some real trepidation around older men, specifically those with gray hair (sorry dad!) So, it took him awhile to warm up to his papa. The problem is, every time he gets comfortable around him, my dad takes off for a few weeks. (How nice to be retired!) and we have to start over with him. It doesn't help that my son doesn't really like sweets so the usual papa bribes don't work on Jack. Saturday's celebration was no different as my dad had just returned from a month long vacation to visit my brothers in Idaho and Utah. It took a bit, but he won Jack over in the end.






Hmmm, I'm not sure I want papa holding me...

Wait a minute...what's that? Can I eat it?

Everything is good now!

The highlight of the evening was watching Jack play with his cousin Bremen. The last time they were together, Jack wasn't walking yet, so their interaction was limited. It was a whole different story this time. Bremen was so involved with Jack that I couldn't get him to eat any dinner; he preferred time with his cousin.

After such a long, crazy, active day, Jack slept great Saturday night!

The Pumpkin Patch

Saturday was busy for us. The first part of the day, we took Jack to the Desert Botanical Gardens. They had a pumpkin patch set up for the kids all weekend. Jack had a good time. I just bought him his first baby leash (no judgements--he needs one!) and we spent the morning dragging him around in our attempt to reign him in at the event. We got there early to try to beat the rush.

We started out with a hayride to the pumpkin patch. Jack seemed to like it.

Then, we went through the maze. Good thing I had the leash.

Poor Stuart. His allergies made this a difficult outing. Hay, animals, etc. He was struggling. But it is hard to deny a boy this cute!

Next, we hit the petting zoo. Jack wasn't sure about the pigs, but he loved the miniature horse.

His favorite part was the band that was playing; he just stood and watched them. (This boy loves music.) He was such a good audience, they gave him a set of beads, which he proceeded to eat.

He could not have cared less about the pumpkins.

He had a good nap after such an exciting morning.

My Protector

Saturday we were down in Gilbert for my aunt's fundraiser and thought we would take Stuart's sister, Alicia, to the Chandler mall while she was visiting. While Alicia was shopping, Stuart and I walked around the mall with Jack. They had a new cosmetic teeth whitening shop. I had really been wanting my teeth whitened, so Stuart took Jack around the mall while I had it done. They came back to see me just as I finished the first of two 20 minute sessions. Jack was happy as can be. Then, as they proceeded to set me up for the second session, all hell broke loose. They put my mouthpiece in, had me wear these funky orange glasses and positioned the machine in front of my mouth. It looked something like this:

(No, that's not me.) Anyway, Jack freaked out. He cried and screamed. Because of the mouth piece, I couldn't reassure him. Stuart tried to walk him around the mall, but it didn't help. During the entire 20 minute session, I could hear his crying getting louder and softer, depending on how close they were. They returned to the shop and Stuart finally distracted him with some of the rocks from a fountain. I had only 5 minutes left and was relieved that he was calming down. However, it was at this point that the woman performing the whitening came to check on my progress. As she walked over to me, Jack became hysterical and started running after her, screaming, in his attempt to keep her away from me. She kept trying to tell him she wasn't going to hurt me, but that didn't help. He was terrified and nothing could calm him at that point. I spent the last few minutes of the procedure with Jack on my lap crying. When I was done, Stuart went to look for his sister while I took Jack to the car. He slept the whole car ride home, letting out muffled sobs in his sleep.

I have never seen anything like this with Jack. How sweet that he wants so much to protect me!



These pics are from last night. His hair was all curly after his bath (what little he has) and he was extremely excited. Who better to protect me?

(As a side note, if you are interested in getting your teeth whitened, go to iSmile at Chandler Mall and tell them I sent you. If I get 2 referrals, my next visit is free!)

Summer Fun in October

While Jack's cousin Lexi is enjoying the snow, we are still having beautiful warm weather here in Arizona. It was 96 on Sunday. Although the pool has cooled down too much to enjoy, the sprinklers were just fine for baby Jack.

Thankful

Jack is feeling much better and we had a chance to get down to Gilbert Saturday. This was for a car wash held to raise money for my Aunt Shelley. She is struggling with stage 4 lung cancer. I was stunned by the number of people who turned out for the event. There was a non-stop stream of cars and many who just stopped by to donate what they could. There were a ton of friends and family there to wash cars and sell baked goods. I was touched by the show of support. I remember babysitting for my uncle Mike and aunt Shelly when I was a teenager. I have some great memories of not just babysitting, but hanging out at their home. I think they knew our home got a little crowded and had us come over sometimes to just get away. My sister Charlotte and I were reminiscing about some of those times the other day and I know how lucky we were to have them around when we were younger. Most people know I have a huge family. (I know that is an understatement with approximately 100 first cousins. My father is one of 8 children and my mother one of 10 and they all just kept breeding from there.) Because there are so many, I don't see everyone often and easily lose touch. I can't even remember who is who at most family events, but it is so wonderful to know how everyone comes together when they are needed. My uncle Michael is keeping a blog to keep everyone updates on Shelley's condition and it is so wonderful to know how people just come out and do what needs to be done for them. It's those little things that make me so grateful for the network of people out there that I am lucky to be a part of (even if I often think of it as a curse instead of the blessing it is!)

For those of you wondering, they raised $9000.00 at the car wash! And a local business offered to match funds raised, so $18,000.00 is the total! Thank you everyone! If you want to follow Shelley's progress, you can check out the blog at: Shelley.

Anyway, I am so grateful for the health of my family and will not take it for granted. I don't have a pic of my aunt, so I thought I would instead post a pic of my little family that I love so much.

A Boy and His Spatula

Jack wouldn't let go of the spatula yesterday. I tried to take it away from him when he fell asleep for his nap, but he woke up and cried until I gave it back. He slept his whole nap like this.

Stuart took the morning off while I went to a doctor appointment. When I returned, Jack was eating lunch and still holding tight to the spatula.

Replacing One Problem with Another

We had a very rough weekend with Baby Jack. Although his rash seemed to improve, he ran a constant fever, waking up both Sunday and Monday morning very early, screaming in pain with 102.5 temp each time. We gave him Motrin or Tylenol 2-3 times a day, but the temperature never dropped below 100. Of course, when the boy is sick he wants to be held -- a lot! And, mainly by me. We went back to the doctor on Monday and I was very frustrated. We were told the condition seems to be almost cleared and now it appears it was just a yeast infection caused by diarrhea. However, now he seems to have another viral rash all over his body that is causing the fever. We believe it is hand foot mouth disease that was likely picked up from one of the other kids during one of our many visits to the doctor's office. Sheesh! Not enough to be sick, but let's take him to the doctor and make him worse!

Stuart and I are more than a little tired right now. Luckily his fever finally broke last night before he went to bed. (Of course, he woke up because of teething pain, so it's always something!) I just don't want him to hurt anymore.

When Jack is sick, he is especially loving. He has been giving me tons of kisses over the past couple of days. As we were getting him ready for bed last night, he kept coming up and kissing me on the lips. Stuart was getting more than a bit jealous, so I told Jack to give his dad a kiss; Jack responded by kissing me instead. I again told him to kiss his dad and Jack looked at Stuart and again kissed me instead. After multiple attempts, Stuart was tired of the blatant rejection. What can I say? The boy has his preferences when he is sick.

If you get caught, get rid of the evidence

Another Jack Update

So, we went back to the doctor again yesterday. Although some of his sores are looking better, he is sprouting new ones. The doctor said the culture didn't turn up anything and with all his medications and creams it should have been gone by now. He prescribed us some more cream and some new anti-fungal medication. (Which our insurance doesn't cover btw and costs $98!) He said if it isn't gone by Monday he will refer us to another doctor. I hate how much medication this kid is taking and just want him better. Also, how much Motrin is too much? He has taken it daily for fevers now for 2 weeks.

He is a tough little kid and still pretty happy. The doctor and nurses are always surprised how happy he is despite everything going on right now. Here he is in his new outfit from his nana.

"How You Doing?"

My son is a total flirt. He flirts and smiles with everyone he meets. He loves kids, but especially loves women and young girls. However, it's a much stronger reaction to girls. He will run after them in stores. He even has a special high-pitched squeal that only comes out around girls (and dogs, so I don't know what that means.)

Update on Jack

OK, the doctor seems to think that Jack may have a staph infection. He isn't sure. He said although it is extremely unusual to get it on the genitals, it isn't unheard of, especially since he just had the circumcision correction done. Poor baby. He does seem to be doing a little better. He still screams when his penis is washed and hates his diaper changes, but at least he is napping and sleeping through the night again. Yea!

On a happier note, Jack currently likes to carry small objects around the house with him. He doesn't let them go, even when playing with other toys. It can be anything from a domino to a piece of paper. Here he is holding a piece of asparagus. He didn't want to eat it, but wouldn't let it go all evening.

What happens when you don't have a morning nap

Jack is slowly cutting out his morning nap from his routine. Some days that is good, some days it isn't so good as evidenced in this video of him finishing his lunch.

Prayers Needed

Last week my Aunt Shelley (the wife of my mom's brother Michael) was admitted to the hospital with severe pain. They ran several tests and today diagnosed her with stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to most of her body. She is the sweet and loving mother of 8 children, ranging in age from 8 to 23 years. When I was a teenager I often babysat for her oldest 2 children. We are asking everyone to keep her in their prayers. For updates on her health, you can visit the family blog set up to keep everyone in the loop at: Shelley

Pain

I know I haven't posted anything in awhile, but I have had a good reason. Poor Jack has had a tough week and a half. So, consequently, this has been an exhausting time for us. Jack is sick. And it isn't just one thing, it is a whole host of problems. The poor little man has so much going on right now. Where to start? 1st Jack had to have a little procedure done to correct his circumcision. I won't go into details, but it was supposed to be painless, but leave him red and a bit raw for a couple of days. This was done on Friday the 26th. 2nd While we were there, we thought why not give him the flu shot to save a trip back to the office. (Technically it was Stuart's idea, but I won't point the finger...) Well, he was in pain when we got home, screaming during diaper changes, and running a fever from the shot. But by Sunday, he seemed to be getting better.

Well, that didn't last. By Sunday night he had developed awful diarrhea. (that's 3) We think he picked up something at the doctor's office. Since he had to wait 30 minutes for the numbing cream to take effect before the procedure could be done, he had ample opportunity to run all over the office, checking out all of the other kids waiting in various patient rooms. The diarrhea wouldn't be so bad, but it has caused a bad infection. (4!) This virus really irritated the previous condition to the point that he screams whenever his diaper is even slightly wet. And, if he has a messy diaper, he screams like he is being tortured. (The neighbors must think I am beating the child at this point.) It is heartbreaking. If I change him, he calls out for his dad repeatedly and if Stuart changes him he calls out for me. He is red, swollen, and covered with sores all over the genitals. Because of this, he can't sleep more than a couple of hours at a time because any wetness causes great pain. Last Wednesday it got so bad I just couldn't let it continue. The doctor saw him Friday and wasn't sure what kind of virus he has but gave him multiple ointments to use at every changing. So, now we have to torture him more by slathering on these creams 10 times a day with a kid who can't stand to be touched there. After the middle of the night applications, he is so hysterical, it is impossible to get him back to sleep. We are so tired. (4 hours of sleep at night just doesn't cut it!)

5th So, did I mention our boy is still teething on top of this? Yes, all 4 molars are in, but he isn't slowing down, he is on to the next 4 teeth coming in simultaneously. In addition to everything else he has had a low fever pretty constantly for the last week.

6. Yes, there is more. Jack got his leg stuck between the bars of his crib last week and started screaming because he couldn't get it out. As a result, he has a 4 inch bruise down each side of his right shin. It doesn't seem to be fading and just looks awful.

7. Oh, he also was playing with a tiny pumpkin and hit himself in the face, bruising his upper lip. As seen in the picture above. (No, we didn't take pictures of the other stuff, be grateful!)

8. Well, because of all these issues, we don't want to take Jack too far from home right now. Sunday evening, we decided to go to a Halloween costume store near our house. We were looking for some accessories to go with his costume. Jack loved the place and was happily walking all over the store with a plastic pitchfork in hand. He ran into a metal hanging rack that was empty and sticking out at eye level. Total swollen eye. (not to mention some screaming.)

I just wish I could take away all his pain. When we pick him up now, he protectively brings his knees to his chest to ensure there is no pressure on his diaper. We have to go to the doctor everyday until this clears up, so that is lots of fun. As a result, our house is very messy. Stuart and I know we should consider ourselves lucky. He really is such a happy boy. Between all this, he really finds time to play and laugh. I can't imagine being that happy with that much pain going on.... Luckily, today we got a glimpse of an end to all the madness. Last night, after a rough start with lots of waking and screaming, he finally got some uninterrupted sleep from 8:30pm and is still asleep at 7:30am this morning. I think he is just exhausted at this point.

BTW, I know there are some grammatical errors in this post and I don't care. I am to tired to worry about accuracy.