March 23, 2011

ChickenPox Boy

Last week Nathan came down with the Chickenpox. I know what you're thinking.
"Did he get the vaccine?"
Oh wait, maybe you were thinking, "Chickenpox, isn't that so 1982?"
And the answer is "Yes" to both questions. 
Just for your future reference apparently the vaccine isn't 100% effective. BUT...I can testify that it does truly limit the symptoms. Luckily he only got about 20 pox, vs. a typical 300+ for a non vaccinated child.
The Dr.'s office hadn't seen chickenpox in so long that the pediatrician needed to pull out her Dr. Manual when I asked what the incubation period was.
When she walked out of the treatment room, I heard her whisper to the nurses, "It's the chickenpox!"
My little chickenpox boy was having his 5 minutes of fame!
I wonder if it's like Sorority Rush where they show the picture of the "rushee" after the day is over and then the entire sorority has the chance to critique her with only three pathetic words.
In our case I had visions of the staff gathering around after hours with Nate's innocent face on the wall, and someone saying.
1. Leper
2. Parent's probably don't bathe him
3. Chickenpox boy

And then they proceeded to hose down the the treatment room with a big batch of bleach.

Luckily Nate was a trooper, albeit is has been the longest 6 days of our lives. To top it off, we've had torrential rain so we couldn't go outside. When the rain finally let up, I had to think of an outside activity. I asked the boys to clean the yard. They were more than happy to grab two sponges and spend hours cleaning the toys. I know it sounds like child labor, but I can safely say, "No true cleaning went on."

I knew we were running out of ideas when they decided to cut the backyard weeds each with a pair of child scissors. When they showed me their progress, I was truly amazed at the size of the pile. We may no longer need a Gardner. (Only kidding of course...we don't actually have a Gardner.)
Today is Wednesday....day six, and I've run out of crafty ideas and/or chores they can safely do.

Magically a new tent appeared on our doorstep. Long story, but we received a replacement Coleman tent after our last one ripped over the Summer. It couldn't have come at a better time. I wised up after our last camping trip, and picked a new tent that was marketed with the phrase, "Easy 1 minute set up".
Say no more...that's the tent we need!
The poles are already attached, it's beautiful, even a 9 month pregnant woman can set it up. Well almost. I got it out of the box, and then lost steam. The final 30 seconds was Doug making it upright.
But look at those happy faces. It was a great ending to long week.
The pox are gone, and Nate will be returning to school tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed that Jack won't be the next Chickenpox boy!



March 20, 2011

Not the Next Great Baker

There comes a time in life when you realize as much as you want to be good at something, you come to terms with the fact you just aren't! For me lately, that "thing" is decorating cakes. I was about to write baking cakes, but when it comes to actually cooking them, they turn out fine. It's the decorating piece that is so incredibly hard.

I am impressed when I watch shows like the Cake Boss where they whip up any old cake, even ones with a working toilet. Now, I'm not kidding myself. I don't expect to be a "Cake Boss", but I would just like to write a simple sentence on the top, and not look like I dropped the cake in the parking lot.

I'm also amazed by so many woman who are really really good at it. I read blogs where I see these woman baking cakes in their spare time when they could be selling them for a huge profit in a bakery. So I've been thinking about where I fall short. (I think this is the first step to recovery.)

I realized I'm missing two key components.
1. Patience
2. Spare time (As if I had all the time in the world I would spend baking cakes.)

Anybody who knows me, knows that I don't even really like sweets.....unless I'm pregnant. So most likely this will be the last post on anything sweets related. I'm entering my last month of pregnancy, and once I'm done...I'm back to being a potato chip girl!

So in honor of St. Patty's Day this past week, and Doug being "part" Irish and me being "full" pregnant, I gave it one more shot.

P.S. This photo inspired me, by a mom blogger. See what I mean. Incredible!
Below was my cake. Can't you just feel the love. But I have to say, Nate colored in the green shamrock. (That's why it looks so good.)

March 13, 2011

Sprint Training Roundup

The young Angel lineup is looking solid this year. Most importantly, no injuries...yet.
Their first spring training practice started with rule #1.
1. Bats are for hitting the ball ONLY.  (Funny...we have the same rule in our house.)

The team ran three very strategic drills.
1. Run the bases, and say the base number when you touch the bag. (Amazing how many "home" plates there are.)
2. Throwing. Pick a partner and play catch. Our little smart alack threw the first two pitches about 10 ft beyond his partners head. But the players were quick learners and adjusted their distance accordingly.
3. Batting practice. The team has some strong starters this year. A few balls even made it past the infield.

A special mention really for his father's benefit. Nathan Willbanks had the furthest hit of the day. Five years of practice in the front yard, dodging cars as he shagged balls, has started to pay off. I could see the joy in Doug's face, and know that comment went straight to his head...I mean heart!

The first official game isn't for a few weeks, but the team is looking ready!

Players to keep an eye on: Nathan Willbanks Age - 5.5, Weight 42lbs, Height - (who knows, we can't find the measuring tape.) Salary - $1 a day. Future Goals - When he grows up he wants to be a Hotel Man. (whatever that means.)


The Motley Crew

Ready for Anything
Action
Probably negotiating with the Coach

March 9, 2011

8th Inning Stretch

Tomorrow I'll be 31 weeks pregnant. I've been telling people that I'm due at the end of April, which isn't entirely true, but it makes me feel better.

My official due date is May 15th, but I'll have a scheduled c-section on the books for the beginning of May.

If this baby is anything like her brothers....(god help us)......she's planning her big exit around April 25th.  By the size of my belly, I better listen to her. Nate was born at 36 weeks, and Jack at 37.5.  So rather than go into all those details with every person that asks, "When are you due?" I simply say, end of April!

Today was a big day. I hit the 40lb mark of weight gain. If you just gasped, don't worry, I'm actually happy about it.
With Nathan I gained 75 lbs, and with Jack 55 lbs.

Apparently it takes three kids for me to realize that I shouldn't eat two lunches.

Although I am somewhat happy with the 40lbs, I can't help but wonder what I could have done differently.

  1. Never should have ordered 6 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies..... two weeks ago.
  2. Probably should have shared those cookies with my family.
  3. Made Martinelli's Sparkling Cider my drink of choice at the holidays. (Purchased in bulk at Costco) 
  4. Should have eaten Turkey at Thanksgiving.....rather than just the mashed potatoes and stuffing.... 3X.
  5. For some reason Chipotle burritos were calling my name in the first few months.... I should have changed my name.
Of course this list would have been 4 times longer when I was pregnant with Nathan, so I'm feeling pretty proud today, but still a little stuffed. I'm entering what I call the "indescent phase" where my pants won't stay up, and I need perfect strangers to tell me if my belly is hanging out. (At least I'm not drooling.)

BTW: I was going to title this post, "7th Inning Stretch", but that would mean I have two more innings to go, and if you are going by my predictions I technically only have an inning and a half, hence the new title.

It's the little ways that I lie to myself that keep me going. If you've been pregnant you understand! If you haven't....stay away from these expressions, "Oh my god....are you having twins?" Or could you GET any larger? Take it from me, those never go over well for either party.