Life after Tahoe

So now that you've read all about our adventures in Lake Tahoe, what have we been up to since returning home? If you're up to a long read, stick around and find out.

Last week:

Monday--Rested a bit, got caught up on laundry, restocked on groceries, and discovered that M had a touch of the flu: headache, fever, chills. Oh joy!

Tuesday--I had a check-up with my ob: baby is doing well, growing within average ranges. M continued to lay low and rest up.

Wednesday--M feels better, no more fever or chills--nice! Zippy cleans house in preparation for...

Thursday--We host our monthly Mom's Club Pool Party. The party is very well attended and all have a great time! I have such a good time visiting with all the mom's that I only end up taking one picture the whole time, and it was of the yummy food bar--what???

Thursday continued--Since all I did during the party was socialize, and never did make it into the pool with my boys, once everyone left and we got things pick-up I finally got in to swim with the boys. We didn't last very long though...the wind picked up and started blowing things every which way, a sure sign that an AZ summer storm, or Monsoon, was about to blow through. And just as soon as we had everything put away securely and had gotten inside, the downpour began. The boys had a great time watching the backyard pretty much flood!

Friday--We made some progress towards finishing the baby's room, but still have a ways to go. In the afternoon while in the pool, Li'l J was moping around definitely not acting like himself. After a bit he said he had a headache, when I felt his forehead there was no question he was burning up! Out of the pool everyone! When we got inside and I could take an accurate reading of his temperature, he had a fever of 102.5--yikes! I gave him Tylenol and Children's Motrin, after which he said he was "too cold" and promptly snuggled up on J-rod's recliner for a cat nap.

Saturday--M and I headed over to the church for a Primary Pioneer Day Activity while J-rod stayed home, nursed a feverish and vomiting Li'l J, and continued to work on the baby's room--poor thing! While at the activity, M learned about pioneer children and their lives, sang fun pioneer songs, got to make a pioneer hat, helped make sweet butter, built a sugar-cube temple, ran in a three-legged race, and panned for "gold." I got to take pictures of the activity and all the many things the kids got to do. At the end of the activity everyone got to eat their own mini-whole wheat loaf of bread with the sweet butter they helped make throughout the activity. A sweet sister in the ward made each child a loaf--boy were they yummy! I'm going to have to take lessons in bread making from her...soon!

M gets fitted for his pioneer hat.

Our little pioneer boy.

The three-legged race.

Making sweet butter.

Sunday--J-rod and I went to church in shifts so that our li'l monkey would have someone to keep him company while he was home sick. M and I went to our ward in the morning and J-rod went to his assigned branch in the afternoon. Li'l J's fever finally broke on Sunday, but then he started complaining about a sore throat. With the help of a tongue depressor and a flashlight we took a good look at his little throat--flaming red, swollen glands, tiny red pin-pricks on back portion of the roof of his mouth--all that coupled with the high fevers, chills, headache, and vomiting and we thought for sure he had strep throat!

This week:

Monday--M eagerly begins attending a week long session of Camp Invention. After his first day he reports that he LOVES it--yay! After we pick M up from camp, off we go to see the pediatrician. When the rapid-strep test for Li'l J comes back negative, the doctor concludes that based on Li'l J's symptoms what has been ailing our li'l monkey's body is the Coxsackie virus--like strep throat it's highly contagious and painful--poor little guy! Of course, I should have known...M had this very same virus about three summer's back while living in NY! The remedy? Lots of fluids, rest, and more Children's Motrin (for pain control) for the next three days...after which it should clear up.

Tuesday--M leaves for the day prepared for "Crazy Hat Day" wearing a hat of his creation--a "drink hat."

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday--In an effort to keep from contaminating anyone else and as to help him get better soon, during the day while M is at camp Li'l J and I lay low at home...no library, Mom's Club activities, or swimming for us this week. Li'l J has done a lot of movie watching, Game Boy and Leapster playing, as well as waiting anxiously for his big brother to come back home to play with him. I've been keeping busy with the usual daily chores, making sure Li'l J is comfortable, catching up on projects, and blogging when Li'l J is watching a movie or sleeping.

Friday--As long as Li'l J is healthy again, our plan is to attend the Inventor's Showcase program at M's Camp Invention in the afternoon and then come home and finally go swimming again! If J-rod does indeed have the day off as originally scheduled (it's still up for debate) we might actually get to work on the baby's room some more and hopefully get it finished...finally! With two days to go 'til Friday though, it's any body's guess what adventures will actually come our way!