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Journal Key:

Green = Steve | George = navy | Janet = Purple | Evelyn = Black

1/13/11 (Thursday)

As we speak, meatloaf is being prepared at Grandmama's house to be served for dinner tomorrow night when Cara comes to sleep over. Last week, when Cara and Grandmama played Flight, meatloaf was what Cara chose to serve for dinner on her airline. (Hot dogs were lunch.) I have suggested that Cara, Grandmama, and Grandpapa all sit on the same side of the table, so that it would be like they were all sitting in a row on an airplane. It was Cara who pointed out that they'd all have to scrunch together. She feels that the order should be herself, then Grandmama, then Grandpapa, because then they'd be in height order. You're welcome, Ma.

1/14/11 (Friday)

Owen had a day of adventure: the alarm system at YBR was broken in some way that resulted in the babies and toddlers being evacuated to the big-kid YBR building across the street! Between the snow and their phone system being down and then this, they've had quite a week over there. When I arrived to get Owen, Miss Camille was sitting in a side room with babies surrounding her in their carriers and bouncers and Owen in a rocking seat, just falling asleep. He woke up, though, and while he was a little bit spacey for a bit he decided to be cheerful.

At home, I started cleaning the house for his party while Owen sat and played. I put him near his sports activity center, and he immediately started playing basketball. I'd wondered whether he would remember, but he was delighted to get back to it! Sometimes the balls would get away from him, and I went and got some other balls to add to his rotation. He played happily on his own for a long time.

1/15/11 (Saturday)

It was a nice day of cleaning and baking today. Owen napped in the morning but not very much in the afternoon, and was a bit crabby about our trying to do chores while he sat with toys. We have rearranged the furniture in the living room a bit so that he has a lot more things to cruise on, so he was practicing that a little. He continues to put his little basketballs into the hoop. Cara played a good bit of her "flight" game yesterday evening, then went to dance class this morning. The two of us went shopping for things for Owen's party tomorrow, and Cara decided to get a birthday card for him. She is a fine companion at the grocery store.

In the evening when we were mostly done for the day, we realized that we should really give Owen a bath. I groaned and ran the bath water, and stuck him in it. I don't know why I still think of this as a chore. It is so funny to watch him in the bath. He doesn't even need toys: he just sits in the water and smacks it with his hands, and splashes water all over himself, and laughs and laughs. It's great.

Should be interesting to see how he reacts to his birthday party tomorrow! Considering that I managed to frighten him while imitating a turkey today, I imagine there will be ups and downs. But I'm sure he'll find things to enjoy.

1/16/11 (Sunday)

Today Owen had a wonderful First Birthday Party! It was a Star Wars party, in that I got Star Wars streamers, we made Star Wars cupcakes, Steve made a Star Wars invitation, there were Star Wars balloons, and Steve wore a Star Wars shirt. There were no Star Wars activities. There were no activities. I did buy cheesy Star Wars premade goodie bags for our four young guests: PJ, Casey, Cara, and Griffin. The very funny thing is that both PJ and Cara, separately and independently, announced that they wanted to have Star Wars parties for their birthdays. Cara still is interested in this idea; she's pulled out some items she intends for the girls at her party to use to be Princess Leias. She has discovered that she can only have two girls at her party.

Steve and I were nervous because Owen only napped for about an hour this morning, but he turned out to be fine. He let Grandmom feed him his lunch (apples and chicken, easily his favorite), and he even let people carry him around and play with him. He enjoyed cruising and banging on the coffee table, and he walked around holding Grandmama's hands. He played basketball in front of an eager audience; he also showed them how much fun it is to just bang the two basketballs together. He talked a lot.

Cara, PJ, and Casey had a very different party from everyone else's. They spent most of it in Cara's room. Em and I peeked in once in a while. She got to see a wrestling match in which Cara dragged PJ around the room by his sweater, insisting that he had to put away all of the stuffed animals, while Casey, in the background, piped in, "Put them in the basket, PJ!" I noticed that the door was very difficult to open. This was because, I later discovered, Cara's little armchair and a few other things had been lined up, possibly to make a space for an audience, about eight inches in front of the door.

I really was worried when we put Owen into his high chair, everyone piled into the kitchen, and we all sang. He did look as though he thought we were a little weird, but he didn't object. Cara blew out the candle, and he thought that was very funny. Then he got the cupcake. I took the wrapper off, and first he wanted that. When I took the wrapper away from him, he discovered what a wonderful mess he could make. He ate a good deal of that cupcake, including most of the letters of his name, which I had made of chocolate. In pictures he looks very skeptical about the whole thing, but he really did enjoy it and he kept working on it for a long time!

It's hard to shop for a boy who has everything (or at least everything that a well-supplied older sister had), but Owen still got a lot of good presents. I noticed in his closet a toy for boys this age, so Steve and I, to our surprise, gave him a gift. It's a recycling truck with big lego-type blocks. We all like it. He also got some new pajamas, which he needed, and some books, a shape-sorter, and a drum. A present that's sure to be popular: a light saber.

I'm pretty sure that, at Cara's party, while the girls are wearing paper crowns to be Princess Leia, the boys will be being Dark Vader and playing with light savers.

Unfortunately, Owen compounded his decision to take an abbreviated morning nap by taking no afternoon nap whatsoever. He was great at the party, but the evening was a struggle. He was down at seven, a happy, cuddly boy.

1/17/11 (Monday)

It's a good thing Steve and I both had off today. The reason Owen was crabby in the evening became clear yesterday when he woke up feverish at nine thirty last night. He had a very hard time sleeping, even with Tylenol. It was the first time I'd had to dance with him in months!

After a rough night, he had a very rough day. Nothing made him happy, except maybe to look at books for a few minutes. Basically, he fussed for hours. He wouldn't play. He had to be held, but then he still whimpered. He still kind of ate, but his only naps were two hour-long periods in the glider, when I bottled and danced him to sleep and then carefully sat with him.

Grandmama and I had had plans, so she came up. She was going to stay with him while Steve and I went to a movie, but he was just too miserable; we couldn't do that to either one of them. It was very nice to have her here, though. We called the pediatrician for advice when he hit 104, and the nurse suggested that we try Motrin. Sometimes, she says, when babies get colds it starts off with a high fever. Grandmama and I went out and got some Motrin, and it really did help. Not long after he took it, he was playing again. Soon enough, we were even able to put him down on his own and step out of his sight!

He took the Motrin around three, and now, at seven thirty, I just put him down. It was such a relief to have him back to himself this evening! How wonderful to have to wrangle a normal baby! We're figuring it'll probably wear off in a couple of hours and he'll wake up, but we can handle it. Tomorrow, for his birthday, he'll be home with his daddy.

Tonight, we'll keep reading Farmer Boy. We're all really enjoying it. We do miss Laura, but this is good, too. Last night, Steve and I remarked how much we liked this book. Cara said that she didn't like it. That's too bad, we said, with some skepticism. Three minutes later, Almanzo's father returned from a trip to town to announce that the New York potato buyers were in town. Cara leaped out of her seat, squealing with excitement and delight.

We just got a phone call from PJ, who wanted to speak to Steve. He had to tell him that he's opened up some new levels in Mario Kart!

1/18/11 (Tuesday)

Owen's first birthday has been memorable, but not in a good way. He himself had a far better day today than he did yesterday. He got a little fussy once in a while, but mostly he was just playful and fine. We were all home. Steve had planned to stay with him, but school was closed because of ice, so we all stayed home.

Steve was sick. Cara was cranky and sad and tired and, guess what, sick too! From about two in the afternoon, she and Steve were both feverish and limp. He got up near 104. I mostly dealt with Owen, who mostly had a pretty ok time. He had a birthday dinner of apples-and-chicken baby food, chawed on a piece of bread while I washed some dishes, and went to bed at seven, having opted out of his afternoon nap. Unfortunately, in the evening he did get up to around 99.1. I'm really hoping he stays normal all night--if he does, I think he can go to school! I really really hope he can.

As soon as he was down, I brought Cara upstairs for a sponge bath and bed. Her temperature was 104.6. Her stomach had been upset and she threw up a little. Steve lay on the floor while I read to her. After a while she felt ready to take some medicine. Steve took Nyquil and went to bed. I sponged her some more and then came down to arrange for a sub for tomorrow. When I went back up to read to her some more, she was asleep. It was eight o'clock.

I have to make sub plans and wash bottles and go to bed, too. There's no way everyone'll make it through the night.

*****

It's eleven thirty. Cara's still asleep, and she may be somewhat cooler. Owen and I are up, playing pn the Boohbah zone website while we wait for his Motrin to take effect and him to be willing to try the crib again. I think we may head to the pediatrician tomorrow.

1/19/11 (Wednesday)

We all stayed home again. Owen was fine all day, except for a case of cabin fever. He and I did some errands, which he seemed to enjoy very much. We went to the bank. We went to the grocery store, and he rode in the cart! I used the old cart cover thing I bought when Cara was little; the last time I put him in a cart, he was sliding all over the place and falling over, and I thought that the cover thing might help. Of course, the last time I put him in a cart was at least three months ago. He really enjoyed the whole thing. He completely ignored the toy attached to his seat. Shaking an Advil bottle was a lot of fun, and staring at all of the other shoppers was wonderful. At one point he craned his head back as he used to do in his jumperoo, checking out the ceiling.

Steve switched to Advil from Tylenol and managed to get his temperature down from 103 to only a little over 100. He was more human but still pretty pitiful. Cara was up at three. I'd slept in her room, to keep an ear on her, because she'd been in such bad shape and I thought she would need me. I did get some medicine into her at one point, and at three she was done sleeping. We went downstairs, where she watched Scooby Doo Camp Scare and I, as I explained to her I had to do, slept on the couch.

Her temperature bounced around all day, from just a bit over 100 all the way to 105.1. Mostly, with the Advil, she hovered around 102. She and Steve both spent most of the day on the couch, though she also ventured downstairs to work on a project. For a while she described herself as "wobbly," and when she insisted on going to work like that she had a wonderful idea. To be extra safe, she would crawl the whole way. I was carrying Owen around, so I couldn't do anything about it. She did make a few nice bead creations today.

This evening, things looked bad. Steve's Advil was wearing off. Cara was feverish and plaintive. Owen was cranky and I clocked him at 99.5. I called the pediatrician at their East Brunswick office, which is open late on Wednesdays. At six thirty, I bundled the kids into the car and we were off!

We saw a nurse practitioner. Owen was 99.4, Cara was 102.6, having had Advil two hours previously. Bearing out my theory about cabin fever, my cranky baby was very, very happy being up past his bedtime at the doctor's office. He really loves that crinkly paper. He loves everything. The best news of the night is that Owen is cleared to go to school tomorrow! Unless he hits 101, his temperature doesn't count as a fever. This morning I had felt that saying that to Sandi would sort of be splitting hairs, but at this point it sounds good to me! He has a head cold and needs to sleep with his head elevated and get his nose suctioned out. Everyone can enjoy that.

Poor Cara! She got a lot of sympathetic clucking tonight. She also got a strep test, which was negative, and she got a dose of Motrin, which I personally feel came rather soon after her last Advil. She did end up perking up a lot at home, though, so it worked out. They'll call tomorrow if the more thorough strep test comes out positive. We're supposed to give her a decongestant and Advil or Motrin.

It was after eight when I dropped Cara off with Steve and took Owen with me to the pharmacy. Cara insisted that he would like it and that she'd be too lonely at home if Steve had to take care of Owen. I listened to her. That sounds sort of weird, but, why not? Owen did fine at the pharmacy. The decongestant that the nurses told us to get turns out to be just for adults, so the pharmacist picked out another for me. Owen and I got some gatorade, the grown-up decongestant for Steve, and and came home.

Owen bore manfully with our holding him upside down to squirt saline up his nose and then suctioning him out. He was very happy to get to bed. Cara was very perked up. She asked, at nine o'clock, what was for dinner. (She's been periodically asking things like that at very odd times. She doesn't seem to have noticed that the whole house has ground to a halt. It's funny!) I asked whether she felt like eating, and she did. She had some ham, some rice, some carrots, and a hot dog. At ten, we put her down. She was still feeling perky, but Steve talked her into it.

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