Sick Baby

This may be too much information, but I want to remember everything about my baby, so if you hate vomit, stop here, you were warned.  My poor Jude got so sick on Wednesday night with food poisoning, and this is the story.

It all started when I met up with Mimi to pick him up after work and we had an early dinner at Panera.  He didn't eat much, but he was his friendly self, saying hi to strangers, and roaming around the restaurant.  But when I got him home, he didn't want to eat anything and was clingy.  We then had to run to Home Depot, and usually when we're there he will run around and loves rolling around in the cart, but he just wanted to be held by Mommy or Daddy.

Poor little guy.  The minute we got home and I let him out of my arms, he vomited everywhere.  I felt so bad for him.  It was everywhere, and I DO NOT deal well with vomit.  Lonnie and I stripped him down, I snuggled with him, and we took a bath and cuddled before bed.  I knew he would probably get sick again, and I didn't want him to be alone in his crib when it happened, so he slept with me, and Lonnie slept on the couch.  Right before bed, he did it again, on me.  We cleaned up, laid out a bunch of towels in the bed, and went to sleep.  He did it again in the middle of sleeping, but went right back to sleep afterwards.  He tried to a few more times throughout the night, but nothing would come up.

When we woke up (I say woke up, but I never went to sleep for more than 10 minutes), he seemed better, ate some watermelon and drank water, and kept it all down.  By 9am, he still hadn't had a wet diaper (15 hours with no pee), so I called the pediatrician, and they said to take him to Kosair to get fluids since he was dehydrated.  Ugh, I did not want to take this little guy to an emergency room!

We got there and waited about 30 minutes before we got a room.  I could tell Jude was feeling better, but he could barely walk...he was stumbling everywhere because he was so weak.  That broke my heart.  Then, when we were in our room waiting, Jude had a major meltdown, like he's never had before.  I think he was just tired, weak, confused, and did not want to be in a hospital, and he screamed and cried for a long time while I held him.  He eventually tuckered out and took a power nap.  Right before he went to sleep though, he peed!  Yes!!!!  He peed through his clothes, and mine, but I didn't care, baby boy was peeing!  And then 20 minutes later he peed again.  I was so relieved and hoped the doctors wouldn't make him get fluids pumped through an IV.

We then saw some nurses and physicians, and they agreed that he was going to be okay and did not need fluids.  They said he would probably have diarrhea (which he did a few hours later), but to just keep him hydrated and make sure he continues to pee.

Here's a picture of my sweet boy waiting to see the doctor.  Not the best quality with my phone.  But, he looked so pathetic in his hospital gown clutching his Bunny.

We went home and took a marathon 4 hour nap.  He woke up feeling okay, and we went for a stroll in the park.  We cuddled the rest of the day, and he was cured by the next day - back to his old self.

Now that this is all said and done, and I've had a moment to reflect on this situation, I've realized a few things.  Even though the moment Jude was born I knew right away that I would do anything to protect him or make him feel comfortable, I didn't realize what that meant until my first (actual 2nd but the 1st one doesn't even compare) vomit experience and recovery.  It's amazing (sometimes crazy) to think about the things you just do as a parent because you love your little one so much.  I don't think I could EVER imagine being able to deal with vomit....ever.  Let alone, being on the receiving end of it.  But, when that moment comes, you just want to do anything you can to make them feel better, and if that means sleeping in a vomit covered bed with them just to let them know that you're there, that's what you do.

I also thought back to my childhood, and all the times I felt terrible or sick, and my Mom and Dad were there to clean the vomit, hug me, and make me feel better just by being there.  I remember my Mom and Dad holding my hair while I puked pizza in Gatlinburg.  I remember another time waking my Mom up to tell her I felt sick, and then proceeded to spew right next to her bed, and then she took care of me.  I remember my parents helping me when I was a teenager and had terrible stomach pains for months and months.  I remember my Mom flying to New York to be with me when I had my kidney stone.  I remember oodles of times when they were there when I felt terrible.  And I am so thankful for that they were there for me.  And, I am so thankful Lonnie and I can be that for Jude.

And then I think about how blessed I am to have a healthy boy.  I can't even let my mind think about what it would be like if Jude were really, really sick.  I need/should/must thank God everyday for this gift, and that he's healthy and beautiful.

I hope that kid knows how much he's loved.

19 months old

Jude Thomas Gardner - you are 19 months old, and a day closer to being a two year old.  You are a vivacious boy, that is so stinkin' cute, that I let you get away with too much.  I LOVE YOU baby.

Note to Mommy: Figure out a way to break Jude of the dependency on the nunu before his 2nd birthday.

Quick little Waller update

Being an aunt is fabulous!  It's perfect timing too, because I sometimes think I'm ready for kid #2, but then Jude will kick my butt one day, and I'll realize we're not quite ready for that.  But, having little Waller around fills my baby void. 

Seeing my sister with her first baby is so precious too.  To say Kitty is the most attentive and most concerned for her baby being perfectly happy Mommy I have ever met, is an understatement.  When Waller cries, her heart breaks.  She has to know he is 100% perfectly happy before she's satisfied.  She won't even take naps, because she's afraid someone else won't know how to calm him down in case he starts crying.  Because of her great Momma skills, he is one happy, healthy boy, and growing up too fast already! 

Here I am with my first picture with both my boys.  Jude was especially clingy this day, and having a hard time sharing his Mommy with his little cousin, so this picture was a challenge!

Next weekend, I am babysitting little Waller for a few hours.  I'm so excited/nervous to see how I handle Jude and a newborn.  Update on that later :)

What we do for fun

Jude is at that crazy age...he's throwing tantrums over the silliest things, he wants what he wants when he wants it, exploring everything he can get into, and nothing keeps his attention for very long.  He rarely plays with his toys anymore - we need to upgrade to some cool toddler ones - so he's been finding fun in the strangest ways.

I am so sad to think that winter is just around the corner, and our fabulous park days are coming to an end.  We love the park!  It's a great place for Jude to interact and get out some energy.  On a park visit last weekend, Jude met a new friend, who was very kind and attentive to Jude.  Her name was Alexis, and she was Jude's "babysitter."  She held his hand and pushed him up the stairs to get to the slides, and made sure he was sitting on his bottom before he went down the slide to Mommy.

Here she is helping him up the stairs.

And making sure he gets down ok.

And then the gentle pushes and encouragement, turned into full-blown carrying this baby around!  It was hilarious.  Jude took it in stride, held on tight and let her carry him everywhere.

Alexis sure was helpful, and such a caring little girl.  I hope Jude is that kind to little ones one day.  Alexis' mommy said it was time to go, and she protested for awhile because she was babysitting and couldn't leave Jude.  I told her I could take over from here.  What a cute kid!

We were back to exploring by ourselves.

We've had a few cool days, so we've had to start being creative with playing indoors.  Here Lonnie built Jude's first fort.  Not the best picture, but he thought it was pretty cool.

 There was some Meryl Streep chick flick on that Jude loved, so he got a little distracted during his macho man time.

We've also been doing a lot of brushing teeth around here.  Jude has a ton of teeth, and LOVES to stand at the sink and brush his teeth.  Pretty much every morning, he'll walk into the bathroom and say "tooth tooth" and point up at where the toothbrushes live.  On a recent visit to see little Waller and Kitty, we found some instant entertainment with toothbrushes.

And of course, he's had fun mimicking everything Lonnie or I do.  Lonnie works at UPS, and when he gets home, he likes for his back to be stepped on and cracked.  So, I will step on his back and start cracking away.  Jude usually helps, and gets on his back too.  Here he is hanging out a little bit longer on Daddy's back.

P.S. Lonnie falls asleep for a ten minute power nap pretty much every time we step on his back.  Get it where you can!

Too cool for school

My buddy

Some days you just need to end the long, fun day with a snuggle session watching cartoons, sipping on some milk, or a beer for me!

Look what we found

Jude has been loving all the baby toys at little Waller's house.  The biggest hit though, is the vibrating baby chair.  We decided that since he was loving it so much on our visits, that we'd get his back out of the attic.  Huge hit, he loves it!  And very happy to report he hasn't snapped it in two yet.

We also had a couple large Amazon purchases, that came in huge boxes.  This was Jude's first experience pretending and playing in a box.

Checking Daddy out first - looks fun!

My turn!

Labor Day Weekend Fun

The day before Labor Day, we went over to Pappa G and Momma D's house for a family cookout.  Jude got so much attention from his grandparents, uncle, Amy, and Great Aunt Yvonne.  He is so loved and spoiled.  He didn't want to eat in his high chair, so he threw a major fit, and got his way (of course) and got to eat on the run.  He's so stinkin' cute though.

His Uncle Jon Jon was showing him how to fly this airplane -- which would absolutely NOT fly.  Jude decided it would be more fun to just break the wing off - so that's what he did.

 Jude also gave some wagon rides, and took a few of his own with his favorite passenger, Momma D.

  We never use our keys to get into a car, but he still knows the old-school way to open a car door.

Hanging out in the truck.

The next day, I met Kitty and baby Waller at Cherokee park for some playground fun and a walk.  It was a nasty looking day outside, but it was perfect, crisp fall weather.  It was difficult finding this kid some fall clothes to wear, when we had drawers full of 90+ degree weather outfits.  We played hard at the playground, and then went for a walk around the loop.  Jude passed out about 1.5 miles in.

One of their first pictures together - sleeping cousins.

 With the proud Mama.

I can't wait to see these boys grow up together!

Gesundheit

Jude does whatever Daddy does, and a few weeks ago, Lonnie had a cold and was coughing, sneezing, and blowing his nose non-stop.  At first, he thought it was hilarious (and it is considering Lonnie's nose blowing sounds like an elephant call).  But, after so many times, he wanted to try it for himself.  So, now, whenever some one starts blowing their nose, he'll do it too.  It looks something like this.

Zoo Tember

So, we're Zoo members, obviously.  And both the Zoo and McDonald's are my clients, so when McDonald's sponsors a bunch of events in September at the Zoo, I get to mix a little bit of work and fun and bring the family to some "work" events.  On the hottest day of the year, really it was, Zoo Tember began.  They had a movie playing on the lawn and Ronald McDonald was visiting, and I still really wanted to go with Jude.  So, we went!  By dusk, it really did cool off, so it was only super hot for the first 30 minutes.  I guess the scorching temperatures kept the crowd away, but that was ok with us.

Apparently all the ducks, geese, peacocks, bird species animals come out to play in the evening.  Jude got so close to some very friendly geese and loved it!

Dancing while the big kids were playing a game.

Watching the fun with Daddy.

He didn't really care much for Ronald just yet, so we didn't get any pictures with him...but I'm sure he'll meet him a few more times.  After all, I know Ronald...like know know Ronald.

When we got home, this kid was hot, tired and delirious, but so sweet. He wanted to be held like a little baby, and squeeze on Mommy's face.  He was laughing hysterically, while holding my face, rubbing my nose, and kissing me.  I love this kid.  Wish I could bottle him up and keep him forever.

First Trip to the Science Center

I got to be a stay-at-home Mom for a few days this week.  Mimi and K Pa were out of town, and I had plenty of vacation days, so I took some time to hang out with Jude.  We visited Kitty and Waller Harris lots, went to the Doctor (no fun - flu shot!) and went to the Science Center.  I was super excited to take Jude to the Science Center because they have an under 7 room that I knew he would love.  I always like to take any opportunities I get to socialize him to work on his no-pinching, no-hitting, and sharing skills.  Happy to report - he did great!  He didn't pinch one person there, and actually got hit by a 2 yr old.  We didn't mind!  I was just glad that Jude wasn't doing the hitting.

I thought Jude would be very interested in the entrance because they have this cool glass eye thing.  Best description I could come up with.  But, nope, Jude didn't care much for it, so this was the quick pic I was able to get.

It will never cease to amaze me that kids love to act like adults.  Grocery shopping, pretend vacuuming and driving cars...this kid could do for days.  When in our lives, do we realize doing adult chores is NOT all it's cracked up to be?

 The also have a splash area, where they provide all these raincoats for kids to wear so they do not get drenched.  Jude was not having that.  I put on a raincoat, and he laid on the wet floor having a temper tantrum.  So, I gave in.  We took it off, he didn't get too wet, and got to play in the water.  I know, great disciplining...I pick my battles.

The absolute best part of this place -- were the hand dryers!  Obsessed!!  Who knew?

We're also trying to work on being sweet - a tough thing to teach to this crazy kid.  But, we need to learn how to be gentle, especially with little Waller.  I was very happy that Jude found this baby, and was VERY gentle to her.  He's getting there, I'll have him sweeter than cherry pie in no time.

 He found this stuffed taxidermy section and kept pointing to the moose and wolf and saying "dog."  Close enough buddy.

Exploring "cave life."

 This place was so cool, and I can't wait to visit more in the winter months when we all get stir crazy!