Very Odd

This morning Little Man woke up at 6:45 crying for his "juice", which is a sippy cup of milk. I tried my normal routine of giving him a pacifier and telling him that it was still sleepy time. That worked for about 10 minutes and he was again crying for juice. The medicine he has been on this weekend has done a great job of kicking the cough, but has made the poor kid terribly gassy and REALLY irritable. It was obvious this morning that he was NOT ready to be awake, but he is stubborn enough to force himself awake for his sippy cup. So, desperately wanting to start the day with a shower, I took his cup of milk into him and told him that he could have his milk, but that he had to go back to sleep as soon as he was done drinking it. TWO HOURS later he was still playing quietly in his crib. I had time to shower and get ready, check my email, make some phone calls and make breakfast. I'm sure that this was a fluke, but believe me, I'm gonna try it again!

Return of the Cough, Part 2

I found out today that Little Man's pearly whites are not the cause of his fussiness this week. I was worried this morning, wondering how long I should let it go before heading to the Doctor. I was dreading the trip and the co-pay to hear the words, "He's just teething". Then he woke up from his nap with THE COUGH and wheezing... a total red flag for a mom who spent 4 days at Children's with RSV. I called the doc right away and he saw us half an hour later. Good news is his lungs are clear. Bad news is the he does have croup. I'm so glad we caught it right away and got meds in him before he went to bed tonight. We'll be staying in tomorrow and hopefully getting him some extra sleep.

My Mom ROCKS!

Of course, she's my mom and I'm totally biased. But this post is to congratulate her on her PROMOTION!!!! You deserve it!

Those Pearly Whites

Little Man and teeth have been an issue since month 4, when he started teething. By 6 months he had 6 teeth and by 7 months he had 8. Up side to the whole thing was that it was over fairly quickly. Now he's working on his 2 year molars and I don't know if we are going to survive. Today was a whirlwind of crying, tylenol, temper tantrums with only a one hour nap for a break. Definitely a "Calgon take me away" kinda day. Until, Susie came over to Mom and Dad's after work and played with Little Man so I could get dinner ready with out any fits. She sure is a great sissie.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

Today is Dad's big SIX-0. I'm not sure how happy he is about that, but we sure hope he has a great day!

Grandmother's Chicken Noodle Soup

My grandmother isn't your typical "Grannie" by any means. She will ONLY answer to Grandmother. By the age of 4, I knew how to shop, taking the time to look through the racks to find a good deal... thanks to Grandmother's training. And although she has always been a great cook, homemade chicken soup was never on the menu. When we were sick, Grandmother would show up to visit with her special bag of Chinese take-out. Wonton Soup always made it better. Now when I'm feeling under the weather, the first thing I want is some Wonton Soup.

**This picture was taken right after sitting on Santa's lap Thanksgiving weekend. Grandmother was in great spirit's, but Little Man had had enough of picture taking for one day.

Return of the Cough

The first time I experienced The Cough, I was pregnant with Little Man. The Cough started in the first trimester and turned into bronchitis. It came and went throughout the pregnancy and turned ugly the week he was born. The Cough is the main reason behind the no dairy mandate...in hopes to avoid the Return of the Cough. It worked pretty well until the last few days, then I spent last night keeping everyone in the apartment awake with my dog like barking. I wish I could begin to describe to you what it sounds like. It's so nasty - one of those deep painful coughs that leaves your voice sounding like something that is more fitting to a large burly man. It's really attractive!

At some point last night, I came up with a great post about The Cough and my frustrations. Luckily, sleep finally took over for a couple hours. Unfortunately that leaves this version of "Return of the Cough" for you to read. The good news though...my doctor just called in two prescriptions for me that should help make the weekend better and best of all, will knock me out.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

After spending over 3 hours in the car yesterday, I was a little concerned about how Little Man would react to a highchair at a nice restaurant. Well, nicer than what he's used to in Calvert County. Luckily, we were early and there's a small park across the street from Wil's office. So we spent half an hour letting the Little Man get some of the wiggles out. At first it was funny because he wasn't sure what to do. You could see the questioning look on his face when I told him he was allowed to let go of my hand and run. Then the magic happened... the amtrak train runs about a block away and even though it's hard to see through the trees, you can definitely hear the engine and the horn. Little Man was amazed. And if that wasn't enough, we realized that if you sit in the right place you can see the planes taking off from National airport. He didn't know what to do. Watch for the planes, try to find the train, run through the muddy grass... what's a little boy to choose. He finally decided that he would run to the center of the lawn, where he could still see the planes, watch for one to take off then run back to us, excitedly pounding his chest (Little Man sign language for "please") and saying "Again, Again". It was nice to not be rushed to be somewhere and to have the time to enjoy him being a little boy.

Eating in Style

Part 1
It seems like years ago that the girls (you know who you are!) made frequent trips to Baja Fresh and every time we pass one, I get the craving. I don't know if it's so much the food (which I do still love) or the fond memories. Either way, yesterday while out shopping we passed a Baja Fresh. In between our trips to the Arundel Mills Mall and Costco, I got to quell the craving. I was a little concerned that the no dairy mandate would put a damper on the experience, but I think for the first time it actually made something better. I ordered my usual Baja Burrito with Steak (NO CHEESE) and it was fabulous. A little messier without the cheese to hold stuff together, but it wasn't as heavy and really yummy! The added benefit? No repeating the guac a few hours later.

Part 2
After a long day of shopping, Little Man and I drove over to Crystal City to pick Wil up from work and meet our friends, Todd and Mandi for dinner. It's been far too long since we've seen them and even though I was exhausted, I was so excited to hang out with them. Little Man was an angel, especially for only having had a 40 minute nap in the car. We went to the Carlyle Grand (owned by the same people who run Sweetwater) and the Great American Restaurants chain has yet to disappoint. The Roast Chicken Salad was divine. Wil's ribs were really good too.

So I guess the theme of the weekend ended up being good food and great company, not a bad way to spend your time.

A Pilot or a Wingman?

After reading Heidi's blog a couple days ago with her pilot and wingman theory, I've been thinking about which I am in different relationships. At heart, I am a wingman. I am rarely comfortable as the center of attention and have always liked to have someone with me when involved in large social events. I think that's part of the reason Heidi and I made such great roommates for so long. But I was a bit perplexed at which I was when it came to Wil and I. Until last night....

We went on a double date with some friends from the ward. They wanted to learn how to peel and eat crabs, which is one of my favorite things to do. It's definitely a Maryland thing, that a lot of people don't get. It isn't about the food, it's a social thing. Wil didn't get it either until our date last night. Picking crabs is all about being social, it's never a quick meal and you HAVE to be with people you enjoy. So we headed to Abner's, one of those places that looks like a dump, but has great food. We spent 2 hours, picking and eating crabs, shrimp, hush puppies and onion rings, talking, laughing and having a great time. It was FABULOUS! As we sat there, I realized that my husband is definitely the pilot, although I'm not sure he would see it that way. He HATES large social situations and avoids them like the plague. But last night he was totally in his element and it showed - people he felt comfortable with and enjoyed, not too fancy of a place and good food - a great combination. I, of course, was happy to let him run with the conversation and inserted my 2 cents whenever I felt the need. Meanwhile, those crabs sure did hit the spot!