So OVER Green Beans

Along with hand foot and mouth disease can also come a loss in appetite. Barker hasn't been too bad, just a little pickier than usual. After four days of enjoying green beans, he was so over them Sunday night. ;)

You can't help but smile at this little boy.

(And thank God for our Sahara!)

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Hand Foot and Mouth Disease =(

On Friday morning I noticed Barker was feeling pretty warm. I took his temperature and it was 100.4

I gave him some Tylenol and tried to keep him comfortable and encouraged extra naps. He was quite the trooper. His fever lowered during the day and he didn't act too upset, just clingy as he typically gets when he isn't feeling well.

That night he woke up a lot. I didn't really end up falling asleep until 2am.

On Saturday his fever was still there, but after some morning Tylenol it went down again. He was a little more irritable and I continued to encourage naps.

Last night he woke up pretty much every hour but was able to self-sooth for the most part.

When I looked at him in the daylight this morning it was clear he had a rash. The rash wasn't horrible, but included tiny red bumps on his face, hands and diaper area.

After his morning nap, the rash was even more obvious.

It is Sunday, so, after making some calls, Brett talked to our insurance's nurse hotline. They confirmed (after a lot of questions) what we suspected, it must be hand foot and mouth disease. =(

The poor little guy doesn't look great, but he still smiles back sweetly when you smile at him. He also does not want Mommy out of his sight. Preferably, Mommy should be holding him at all times.

Say a prayer for our little guy! Thank you!

Baby Language

Barker has developed a very specific "cry/yell" for when he is frustrated by something and might require assistance. It's a pretty quick call and I'm actually thankful for it because it keeps him from getting hurt occasionally.

This call may be used when:

He needs more food on his tray

He wants into Daddy's office but can't open the door

He has opened a new cabinet door

He discovered the top of the stairs (freaked me out!)

He discovered how to shut a door

And yesterday, he discovered the dog in the shower.

I wonder what will be discovered next...


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Barker's First Zoo!

Last week my husband and I decided to take our 10 month old (yes, we're crazy) on a cruise. My parents came as well so we had some help. (We wouldn't have survived without them.)

In Nassau, we visited the Ardastra Gardens & Zoo!

2010

2014

It was a place I loved visiting with them back in 2010 on our first cruise and it was very exciting to now share it with Barker. =)

2010

2014

I love this Zoo. It hasn't been crazy crowded either time we visited, the plant life is amazing

It has awesome (marching) flamingos

and peacocks (My fav!)

You also get to feed parrots!

Overall, a pretty awesome "first zoo" experience for our little guy. =)

So if you're ever looking for something to do in Nassau, go to the zoo! It's a little hot and humid, but totally worth it to see some awesome tropical plants and animals.


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Throwing an Anniversary Party

I haven't forgotten about my blog! I've just been out of town.

Two weekends ago my sisters and I successfully threw our parents a 30th Wedding Anniversary Party! =)

Hubby, Myself, Little Man, Mom, Dad, Big Sis, Lil Sis

My husband came up the brilliant idea of throwing the event at McCormick & Schmick's in Cincinnati. The restaurant has a window that overlooks fountain square, it was awesome. Beerfest was going on outside the window, but hey, it just made my parents look even more popular by the crowds of party guests! haha

The restaurant provided basic table decorations, but we added purple accents through flowers and butterflies, as well as a collection of silver frames that showed black and white photos of Mom & Dad over the past 30 years.

We also had Costco Cakes

A guestbook full of pictures that was signed "yearbook style"

And of course, a dance floor

Overall, it was a great night! We had around 50 people that came in their formal wear to celebrate with us.

And how cute is my little man?? (He caught a bug on the plane ride there, but he's a trooper!)

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Lemon Eater

My father-in-law has been waiting to feed Barker his first lemon for...well, probably 10 months now. ;) Last week, we finally decided Barker was old enough and...

He loves them! He has probably eaten 4 lemons and 2 limes in the last 3 days! Haha. My dad says, at least he won't get scurvy! ;) 

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Eeek

Say a prayer for me, there is a RAT living in our garage.

I noticed some of his "droppings" about a month ago but my husband was certain it was just a squirrel.

Then a couple weeks ago he mentioned he had seen a rat in the garage a month before but I was assured the rat was long gone now. (This he told me after I had spent an afternoon cleaning out the garage by myself.)

Last night...I went to the garage to get a screw driver... I flipped on the light and...I absolutely saw a rat run across the back of the garage door.

Not.

Cool.

Brett's Dad was on the phone with him at the time so we have some advice for how to get rid of it, but in the meantime... prayers are appreciated.

New "Recipe"

Yesterday I made dinner out of things we had around the kitchen and so I created "creamy chicken roll ups."

It's simple and here is what I did:

Ingredients:
- chicken
- seasonings
- cream of chicken
- crescent rolls
- shredded cheese

 1. Grill up chicken chunks with whatever seasoning seems appealing at the time

2. Spread cream of chicken on a crescent roll

3. Add chicken and cheese

4. Roll it up

5. Bake it

6. Eat it

 

It was yummy. But then again, anything in a crescent roll is good.

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Good Naps/ Bad Naps

Isn't it amazing how much improved your day is when you child actually falls asleep right away and naps for a full hour vs. when he fusses himself to sleep after 15 minutes, then wakes up 27 minutes later and can't get back to sleep?

Tired Baby = Tired Mommy 

Luckily today was one of the better days. Yesterday...not so much.

At least he's starting to pull his weight around here. ;)

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My Husband's Invention

Brett is always coming up with new invention ideas. Typically they have to do with food, and they just become interesting conversation pieces.

[Similar to his idea that a chip is just a "vessel" so that you are not eating straight cheese. (The same goes for fries, crackers etc and whatever topping they help you eat.)]

2 years ago Brett came up with his idea of the "Weenie Canoe." The idea is that you would have a hotdog bun that doesn't come apart at the seem because there is no seam.

On Saturday he decided to make his invention dream a reality and so the Weenie Canoe was officially born:

Step One:

Step Two:

Step Three:

Yes, that is homemade chilli sauce.

And there you have it folks. The Weenie Canoe. Patent pending...


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Disney Movie Classics

Barker has been losing his voice over the last couple of days and how do you get a baby to stop talking, squealing and crying?

He wasn't happy playing, napping, drinking water or just being held so I tried cartoons. I busted out my Classic Disney Movies and we started watching the AristoCats! =)


Yesterday we finished the movie and it was super fun singing and dancing to my favorite songs from when I was little. Barker especially enjoyed being swung around and bouncing along during "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat." Brett even came out of his office once to check on us because he couldn't tell if Barker was giggling or screaming. haha (it was giggling)

Luckily, Barker's voice doesn't seem to be getting any worse, although I can tell he is not feeling the best. He was up at 2:30 this morning, needing Tylenol. I just know we're going to see a new tooth any day now.

In the mean time though, we're hanging in there.

 

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10 Month Home Photoshoot

My sweet Barker Allen is 10 months old today!!

So of course it was time for our monthly photo shoot.

These photo sessions get a little more interesting every month. You should hear some of the silly sounds I make as I attempt to make my child smile, sit in one place, and get the perfect shot. =P

-Excuse me, I cannot read your sticker.-

The stuffed animals are a bit of a distraction

"Oh it's you again."

He wants to be on the move! Or crawl to Mommy because she is making all these silly sounds. ;)

"Look Momma! I can crawl right off the blanket now..."

It's hard to predict where his hands will be. They are typically in his mouth though.

"Look at me! I'm a silly ballerina!"

He now notices the sticker...

"Oh look, a giant sticker on my shirt. Let's pull it off and take a closer look."

He would rather roll over than lay on his back. And today he kept grabbing his toes.

"Look Mom! Get a picture of me grabbing my toes and rolling all around!"

And then you get a quick shot of your little sweetie that makes your heart melt.

"Love me."

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Scheduling and the Dentist

You may recall that last week I called and set up all our appointments for September.

At the time I then logged them on my ical and invited my husband to the events so he could see them. I also wrote them on our physical calendar in the kitchen. Then, I proceeded to remind my husband of my dental appointment every day for the 3 days leading up to it.

And what should happen at 8:15 yesterday morning, only 1hr and 45min before my appointment?
Brett discovers he has a meeting at 10:30 (only 30min after my appointment begins) that he must attend at the office.

Oy. Barker isn't exactly old enough to sit at a dentist office while my cavities are being filled...

So I call and am able to move my appointment to 2.

An hour later I come downstairs, after putting the baby down for his morning nap, and Brett announces, "the meeting was cancelled."

*face plant*

Anyway, here is my dental selfie:

Bored, waiting for the numbness to really kick in so we can get the filling party started...

 Half of my mouth was numb from for 5 hours. What an exciting time... At least now my teeth are all pretty and no longer sensitive! =P

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