Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Month of January was EXHAUSTING!

Hello 2010!

Our family always gathers at GiGi's house to start off the New Year. This year, my parents kept Lucas on New Years Eve and then watched him the entire next day until we all met up at GiGi's. It was so nice to have a day to sleep in and be completely lazy! As always though, we missed Lucas very much and couldn't stop talking about him.

At GiGi's, Lucas entertained us all by jumping on the bed, standing on tables, and rocking or picking up the rocking chair! Dinner was fabulous and we enjoyed every bite!
























We have an artist in our midst now...Lucas loves to color with markers and crayons and we have even been exploring in paint. He tries so hard to not put the crayons or markers in his mouth, but sometimes he just can't resist (yes, he has pink marker all over his face!)









Our biggest news yet is that Lucas has started the potty training process! He has absolutely amazed us with how quickly he has picked it up. We bought him a potty for Christmas because he has definitely showed interest in going and can hold it just until he gets undressed and shows his new skill off. The downfall was that we were pretty much under house arrest so that he could stick to his schedule. It's been pretty easy so far; every 30-45 minutes I just remind him to go potty and he goes to the bathroom.


Our next event, outside of the house, we gathered over at Sam, Steve, and Olivia's house to watch the Georgia Tech bowl game. Since Lucas was doing the potty thing, we packed everything up and took it with us. At first, he wasn't quite sure about using the potty over at Olivia's house; but, he ended up doing just fine after we let him run around without his pants!

We all had a lot of fun over at their house and Lucas especially loved her new playroom complete with a drum set and vacuum! Later in the evening, Olivia made it known that she had enough entertaining and decided it was time for bed. She had her milk and then a family friend read Olivia and Lucas a book. Thanks Kendig family for dinner and a great time!





























January also brought a little snow! It first started while we were over at a playgroup. I didn't have my camera with me, but Lucas had a great time playing with Colt's toys. Colt is 2 1/2 and had a bunch of really cool cars, trains, kitchen sets, and even the Pottery Barn shopping cart-Lucas was in heaven! When the snow started to fall, Lucas, Olivia, and Colt gathered at the window and just looked out amazed and banged on the window. When we left, Lucas and Olivia spent a few minutes outside in the snow before we got into the car.

(Thanks Morris Family for the cute "Let It Snow" outfit below! We have about 25 pictures of Lucas in this cute outfit)










Lucas already LOVES his sweets! I bake something yummy at least once a week. However, this time, MiMi made Lucas a car cake that he could decorate himself. He stood up on a chair at the kitchen table and decorated and made a huge mess until his heart was content!
















We had another great playgroup over at Alisha's and Tyler's house. Unfortunately, Lucas displayed some very naughty behavior which resulted in two time outs. First, Tyler put his finger in Lucas' mouth and Lucas bit him until I made him let go. Then, Olivia fell down in front of him and he hit her on the head. Mrs. Sam said she was sure it was just one of many fights to come between them! I however was completely shocked at him, and we have been working very hard to let him know that none of that is acceptable. This Toddler Stage is really exhausting!










We also had a nice visit from my parents on Saturday afternoon. They came up to hang out for awhile and then we all headed to Chepe's. Lucas was actually great while we were out to eat (something that we haven't experienced in awhile.) After dinner, Grandmama held him and they brought over a balloon and some teddy grahams. The balloon only lasted a few minutes until it floated up to the ceiling! We all went back to our house and just relaxed and played with Lucas. He loves showing everyone his toys and getting them to do exactly what he wants!









One evening when Ben came home early from work, we all headed out for walk around the neighborhood. We called Olivia along the way to see if she wanted a ride too. The kids enjoyed a nice "Sunset Cruise" around the neighborhood complete with a snack and a quick trip to the park.










Like I said earlier, Lucas loves to paint! When it was too cold to go outside, we just painted in the kitchen. He gets it everywhere and it really doesn't matter because everything is so easy to clean up. Recently he has ditched the paintbrush and found that painting with his fingers is much more fun. Our next adventure is to paint with Jell-O!









We also had playgroup over at our house this month. Olivia came straight from her 15 month check up complete with shots, but insisted she see Lucas before going home. At one point, they found a quiet spot on the steps and ate their Thin Mint cookies!









Lucas has started saying "M&Ms" when he sees them. It is so darn cute that we had to capture it on video. We also wanted him to say 'more' because he says it in such a cute southern accent that sounds like "MO." Here's the video...





This was our new addition to the family for a few days! The neighborhood kids brought her to our house for some reason (we must just look like we accept anything because we have two dogs a cat and a baby!) We were hoping to find her home, but she ran off after a few days so we hope she is ok.

Uncle Taylor also came over to hang out with his little buddy! Those two are so cute together! Lucas just adores Taylor and remembers almost everything they do. This last time, we all went to CiCi's Pizza where Taylor used the seasoning on the table. Now, every time we are out to eat, he points to the salt and pepper and says "Ta" for Taylor. Oh and we can't forget that Uncle Taylor pulled up in his big truck while we were out walking with Mrs. Lindsi and Mrs. Sam. Lucas is now absolutely obsessed with trucks! Also, Thanks Mrs. Linda (Olivia's Grandma) for the adorable bulldozer t-shirt. It is so cute and he loves to pick it out of his closet to wear.








And now the worst moments of our lives...Saturday morning Lucas woke up with a fever around 102. We were barely able to keep the fever steady and it rose all the way up to 104 by Sunday morning. He was so pathetic and could barely eat; all he wanted to do was lay on my chest while I rocked in the rocking chair. Sunday afternoon, Ben and I took him to the Children's Urgent Care center in Alpharetta. They did a strep test on him and checked his ears. The only other abnormal thing he did was keep grabbing his lower abdomen. After not finding anything wrong with him besides a fever, they sent us home with a diagnosis of a virus.

Monday morning at 1:20, Lucas woke up crying so we put him in bed with us. After a little while I noticed that he was really burning up. When I took his temperature the first time, it read 107! I sat straight up in bed and told Ben that we were going to the hospital. I called our pediatrician after hours line and spoke with a nurse at Children's and told her we were coming in. When I rechecked the temperature it had gone down to 105.4. We arrived at Children's Health Care at Scottish Rite a little after 2. They checked us in and had Lucas strip down to just his diaper to help him cool off. The little guy was miserable and could barely hold his head up. The nurse put in an IV on his hand and then had to splint it. They also did a catheter in him to rule out a urinary tract infection since he kept holding his stomach and pulling down there. Next, the doctor ordered a stomach xray. At 3:45 they gave him Motrin for his fever which was around 103. When we went back to radiology, they did a stomach and a chest xray. Lucas did such a great job with all of the poking that was going on. He was seriously so sick that he really couldn't fight back. At 5:00, his fever had even gone up to around 104 with Motrin! Ben and I agreed that we would not leave there without an answer this time. Finally, the doctor came in and told us what was wrong...Lucas had pneumonia in his lower left lung, with no symptoms! We were all shocked and stunned by the diagnosis. After we found out what was wrong and came down off the shock, they gave him an antibiotic through his IV for 30 minutes. Ben and Lucas were so exhausted that Ben just laid there while Lucas slept on his stomach. We left there around 6 with a prescription for antibiotics and headed home. When we got home, we all crashed out until after 12.
My mom was such a trouper; we had been texting the entire night and keeping her updated. I'm sure if we would have been there much longer, she would have come right down.
Also, thanks to the Wheeler family for bringing pizza later that night. We were all exhausted and they were so concerned about Lucas.
Another thank you to my grandmother, GiGi, for coming over on Wednesday to watch Lucas for a few hours so I could get some things done.
We don't know how we would have made it through all of that without love and support from our family and friends.










I didn't get many pictures while he was sick because it was pretty exhausting around here. Lucas becomes a major mommy's boy when he is sick and will not go to anyone else. He pretty much slept when he wanted and munched on a few snacks when he wanted. It was a little hard on us, but within a few days, he was getting back to normal and testing the limits and boundaries.

We had a recheck on Tuesday for the pneumonia and the entire doctor's office was just as shocked about his illness. We were to keep giving him the antibiotics, Tylenol and Motrin and keep pushing the fluids. By the end of the week, Lucas was doing great! He never did have a cough; his lack of energy and appetite where the only things that lingered.








Friday night, Ben had a company party at the Sundial at the Westin in Atlanta. My parents, and GiGi, watched Lucas overnight while we went out. Ben and I had such a great time getting out and doing the grown-up thing, but we were still pretty tired from the week. We picked Lucas up Saturday afternoon and we couldn't wait to see him! After we left, we had a quick bite to eat at a delicious BBQ restaurant and headed home for a family nap. What a perfect way to start the weekend. Also, my parent's celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on Sunday-yay!











But oh no, it doesn't stop there...Lucas had to somehow catch a cold and ran a slight fever over the weekend. It has only evolved into a stuffy nose head cold thank goodness. Poor thing just can't catch a break. I can't wait for him to stop sneezing and feel better; oh and also sleep through the night again! He keeps waking up stuffy and needs some Benedryl to breath.

On a side note, our mommy group has decided to take a break for a few weeks and let all of the little ones recover. It seems that almost everyone has had to deal with some sickness lately. I hope no one has to ever see their baby as sick as we saw Lucas.

Our little man is such a trouper and even with pneumonia and a cold, he can manage to put on a show for all of us! Lucas loves anything to do with a farm right now, especially make all of the animal noises! Another one of Luke's cute things right now is saying "Bump-Bump". I know it is so small and not a big thing to many, but around our house all we hear, every other minute, is this cute little voice saying "Bump-Bump!" as he is walking around.



Let's hope February is better, stay well
(and if you are germy, stay away from us!)

Friday, January 1, 2010

The End of December and 2009 all wrapped up!

The end of December was busy and crazy as always! Ben had a lot of vacation days saved up so he got to hang out with us for almost two weeks with only a few phone calls from work. One day we met Pops for lunch. As you can tell from the pictures below, Lucas loves to spend time and goof off with Pops.









While Ben was off work, we also finished up some last minute Christmas shopping. One trip was up at the Outlet Mall where Lucas got to play at Pottery Barn Kids and I finally got a tree skirt that goes with our family stockings. Lucas really enjoyed playing on the pretend motorcycle and threw a major fit when it was time to leave.

We also treated Lucas to pizza and a ride on the Merry-go-round. He had so much fun riding the horses with Daddy that he barely could stop for a second to smile for the camera!




















Uncle Taylor celebrated his birthday on December 23rd. He came up to our house for awhile to hang out with Lucas. Lucas had a great time "helping" Taylor open his birthday present. Poor Uncle Taylor was not feeling well so after a short nap on the couch, he headed home. Later that night we went down to Taco Mac to celebrate his birthday with more family and friends. It was great hanging out with everyone that we haven't seen in awhile. Of course Lucas charmed everyone that night with his smile and the ability to get people to do what he wants!

Even after we got home, we still had to make an appearance at a neighbor's house who was having a Christmas Party. It was a busy day, but we all love the holidays and it wouldn't be the same if we were not jammed packed with things to do.

Here are some pictures from Uncle Taylor's Birthday Celebration...

In our family, we celebrate Christmas Eve with my family in Winder. Lucas fell asleep the last few minutes that we were driving there, so we decided to let him sleep for awhile in the car. My mom and I had a great time sitting in the car just having girl time while he slept. When he woke up, he was ready to entertain anyone that would watch him. He immediately attached himself to Dylan and followed in his footsteps the entire night. One of their games that Lucas loved was Lucas would throw one of his toys and Dylan would pick it up acting all silly. Each time Dylan picked it up, Lucas would laugh and immediately throw another one. Even now when Lucas looks at the pictures on the computer, he smiles when he sees Dylan.

Here are some pictures of our Christmas in Winder...

When we got home from Winder, we all changed into our pajamas and had some fun family time together. Lucas helped pour the milk into a glass for Santa as well as carried over a plate of cookies to the fireplace. We placed everything on the fireplace next to a picture of Lucas and Santa. Later that night, while getting a diaper change before bed, Lucas heard Santa yell "Ho Ho Ho" from outside. He was absolutely fascinated and kept looking out the window!

The next morning, we had our video camera ready when Lucas got up. We captured every moment for about an hour on video! Lucas came downstairs and immediately saw his car in front of the tree. After the excitement of the car wore off, he remembered the milk and cookies for Santa and went to investigate. When he got to the fireplace, he saw that the milk had been drunk and the cookies were gone. We told him that Santa ate and drank everything and then left him presents. I know he is young, but we swear he completely understood that Santa ate the cookies. Even now, he still talks about the milk he poured and the cookies he set out.

Later Christmas day, Ben's family came over to celebrate Christmas. Lucas really enjoyed opening the presents. One of the presents he got was a remote control car (even though Daddy really enjoys it more now!). Lucas is getting the hang of using the remote, so none of the dogs are safe! He also got a big tool set complete with all of the dress up pieces. Lucas absolutely loves using the screwdriver and hammer to fix anything and everything around the house. We were so excited that Aunt Brooke and Lawrence also came over to celebrate with us. They even got to play a game on the PlayStation while we hung out. Everyone was pretty tired around here and some even got a little nap in before they headed back home.

After Lucas had his nap and Ben and I straightened up the house, we headed over to my parent's house for Christmas dinner. It was their first Christmas in their new house and it looked beautiful with all of the decorations up. GiGi even stayed overnight and was there to celebrate with us. When we came in the door, Lucas couldn't even wait for everyone to come together before he found his first present...a wagon! It is adorable and even seats two (Olivia here we come!) Lucas also got several small trucks and cars and even a session at Gymboree (when flu season is over of course.)

Here are the pictures from Christmas Day celebrating with all of our family...



The end of December passed by pretty quickly. Lucas has spent a lot of time playing with all of his new toys and of course, the wagon. We have to pull him around several times a day. It seems almost cruel giving him toys for outside when it is so cold that he can't go out.








Our anniversary was on the 30th so Pops and MiMi came over to watch Lucas while we went out. We went to eat at Spondivits and then headed out for some shopping. We wanted to go to a movie, but I had to get back home before Lucas went to bed so I could feed him. When we came home, we saw everyone having such a good time. Lucas was all smiles and ready to pose for us!
















I wish we could say we had a great New Years Eve, but unfortunately, Ben ate some bad crab for our anniversary dinner and was sick the entire next day. We took Lucas over to my parent's house for the night and we went to a movie. Nothing too exciting, but we did have a great time just the two of us.

Happy New Year and we hope everyone has a wonderful 2010!