First Snow

Friday afternoon was Kellen's first snowfall that was significant enough to really play in that lined up with me being home from work. So I bundled the kids up and we ran and played outside for a bit after nap. Kellen thought it was pretty funny to see the white stuff falling down and Noelle was in heaven. Unfortunately, we don't have snow suits currently so K got cold pretty quick and we went inside to warm up. It was so cold that I knew it wasn't melting quickly and we'd be able to enjoy the snow more on Saturday.

Christmas 2011 Noelle and Kellen got a snowman making kit from Bryan's secretary. It never snowed last year, so Saturday morning was Noelle's first chance to use the kit. The snow was tough to form so it wasn't the three big snowballs she described before we went out, but she loved her and daddy's creation! K snoozed the opportunity to go out and play away as he decided he wanted to take two naps.

Perhaps it is time to invest in some winter wear or at least a sled. I hate the idea of buying snow clothes that the kids will use once or twice. Anyone want to hand us down something? We aren't picky, just cheap! The sled will happen this week - sledding is the only thing that makes me like going out in the cold snow at all!

Open Wide

This afternoon I took Noelle to her first dental appointment. Depending on whom you ask, the correct  age to take a child to the dentist is 1, 18 months, 2, or 3. Deciding that Noelle clearly has fabulous genes (for real actually on this one since B and I are both in our thirties and have been cavity free!) and that her teeth must be great because of my anti-juice stance, I decided three was fine for her first experience. So I put Kellen down for a nap at a friends and Noelle and I headed to the dentist in downtown Catonsville.

I had high hopes for the appointment. My daughter is the kid who likes getting shots at the doctor to prove how brave she can be. The dentist I figured was nothing in comparison. I did have brief flashbacks to how horrible my younger brother was at the dentist when he was little, but pushed this out of my mind. And thankfully I was right. Noelle was amazing. She listened, opened wide, let them brush, floss, and flouride, used mr thirsty with no problem, and was generally lovely. The dentist was impressed that she could name healthy snacks without prompting and that she flosses every night. And as I suspected her teeth were healthy and cavity-free and the spacing looks good for now. So she pretty much aced her first dental appointment. Don't be mad at us though. We have to wrestle Kellen to the ground to get the toothbrush anywhere near his mouth. I'm pretty sure his first appointment won't be quite so swell!

Noelle left the dentist with two stickers, a hello Kitty journal, Belle toothbrush, toothpaste, and big kid floss, as well as a love of the dentist! And the hygenist even went along with my favorite thing to say - the Easter Bunny only comes to visit kids who brush their teeth really well! We'll see if that one makes it to late March!

Boxes of Fun

Seriously I am not sure why we even buy toys. Well, I guess I am thankful that Bryan and I rarely do - that's what grandma's and great grandma's are for. Because clearly my kids are quite satisfied with boxes for entertainment. And Costco boxes seem to be the best!

They make great seats for TV viewing, a comfy place to rest, and are awesome for forts and jumping!

A Pretty Perfect Winter Sunday

Today we returned to a spring, summer, and fall tradition for the first time in months - we went on a family hike. The sun was shinning brightly, it wasn't totally freezing, and real winter seems about ready to strike, so we took advantage of the sun and headed out to the trails. First, we bundled my little guy up and got him ready for his first real ride in the backpack. Noelle was on her own to hike. This went pretty well and we made it all the way across the swinging bridge and to the waterfall and back. Noelle kept wanting to go further but clearly was not fully understanding the fact that she would have to walk an equal distance on the way home. So the hike back up the hill took a long time but we made it and we had a great afternoon! I think we may still bring out the ergo and put Noelle in the backpack a bit this spring (thank goodness both of my kids are pretty much the same weight they have been the past six months!) but it is nice to know Noelle is ready for some hiking on her own!

And the day ended with a Ravens win so besides B's sadness about his Atlanta Falcons, it really was a pretty perfect winter Sunday!

Big Shoes to Fill!

Someone is ready to fill his daddy's big shoes!

Yup, we wear crocs at our house. Because we are just that cool!

Fifteen Months

Kellen is still recovering from his various illnesses but today he hits the big 15 months! Here is a little bit of what my little guy is up to these days.

First off, yesterday he was 22.4 pounds fully clothed at the doctor. That puts him in the 10-25% percentile for weight still. He has hasn't grown much this winter in weight but he is definitely growing taller and is firmly into 18-month clothes these days. The pants are a bit on the long side, but he has a long torso and definitely needs the length for the shirts. I am not sure of his exact height but he definitely has crossed the 30 inch threshold and then some.

Kellen is developing a little personality. He is mostly a sweetheart but has a sneaky/sly side to him as well. He knows what he wants (case in point, walks over to the pantry with Bryan this morning to pick out a snack, shakes his head no with every offering he is given, then gives B a look and picks up the huge jar of peanut butter off the shelf and tries to place it on the counter. Next up walk to the fridge and stand there til B gets out the jelly). The kid definitely cracks me up. Peanut butter and jelly is definitely his current favorite food. He also loves green beans, pretzels, freeze-dried peas, any type of dessert/sweet, blueberry waffles, and most fruit. Right now he is not super interested in meat, most vegetables, or strawberries. He is definitely a pickier eater than Noelle but does eat a fairly balanced diet, particularly if we get the meat and veggies in early in the day. Generally Kellen does not eat dinner but there are some exceptions to his self-imposed food rule!

Kellen is in the midst of giving up one nap a day (or at least he was before this whole flu thing struck!) He would prefer to take a long late morning nap. That doesn't work for us so I am trying to keep him awake til after lunch when Noelle has quiet time. He still goes to bed at around 7:30 and his routine is bath, pajamas, teeth brushing, books, and bed. Books are a new thing for him. Noelle loved them much earlier in life but he has really only gotten in to them the past few months. Book is one of his favorite words and he loves to pick up a book, hand it to you, turn around, and plop himself down in your lap for a story. His attention span is still pretty short but he is a big fan of Animal Sounds and Goodnight Gorilla in particular. I try to get him to say the animal sounds with me, particularly the dog sounds, but so far he refuses. I think this is to spite me but can't prove he is just being stubborn!

Kellen's other favorite activities include running around the house, closing anything that might be open (doors mostly), harrassing his sister, destroying towers or anything we have built, riding on the ice cream truck or toy car, playing with the kitchen, tea set, and cupcakes with Noelle, throwing and chasing balls, dancing, singing, and playing instruments, and stacking cups and playing with his airplane. He is pretty coordinated I think, so we still have hopes that he'll be an amazing athlete that can support us when we are old. We just need to get him to grow a little first I think!

Kellen also is communicating much more than he was previously. His favorite words mostly rhyme - book and look, up and cup, peas, cheese, and please, plus mama, daddy, pop pop, eat, gorilla, and a few others. He shakes his head with determination yes or no and generally goes and does what we ask (gets his shoes, picks up his cup, etc) so he certainly understands most of what we are saying.

So that's Kel at 15 months in a nutshell. Thriving despite his sickness. I look forward to seeing him grow in his communication skills and his mischevious personality over the next few months!

My Little Sicky

I know things could be way worse for my little guy. Tomorrow he turns 15 months and he has been without a hospital stay or surgery in his life which definitely makes us fortunate compared to many others. But his immune system could definitely use some work. My hope is that he will get everything as a baby and by the time he is in Kindergarten he'll be the most healthy kid you have ever seen. We'll see. The latest illness has been going on about 5 days.

On Friday morning, K woke up with some gunk in his eye. I figured he was probably getting Noelle's pinkeye and we gave him a few eye drops. Saturday his fever started. He was more goopy, and he started the cough/sneezing/cold. His fever was 104.5 at midafternoon, and 104 again twice over the next 36 hours and he just was tired and miserable unless we were holding him even throughout the night. Of course when the doctor opened back up Monday morning he was still gunky but without a fever so I didn't make him an appointment. I was pretty sure he had flu based on exposure last week and consultation with our nurse friend, and we were already doing everything we needed to be doing for it - liquids, tylenol and motrin, rest, etc. Late afternoon on Monday Kel's temp was back, he was crying like crazy, and his eyes were so puffy and red it made me sad. After talking to the nurse on triage who was clearly quite busy and not as nice as I would have liked, I got an appointment for Kellen this morning.

We had the first appointment of the day and had a great experience at the Catonsville office - kind of crazy I know! Our favorite nurse was on duty and we saw Dr. Kopper who was new to us and loved him so much I think I am going to switch to having him as Kellen's regular doctor. One swab confirmed what we already knew, flu positive. The strain this year is super nasty and quite a few cases are like Kellen's where people are getting it despite the shot. I feel bad he got not one but two flu shots, but am hoping that is keeping his case on the milder side. Dr. Kopper told me that his puffy, gunky eyes were definitely not related though. A quick exam confirmed that Kellen also has a bacterial infection in one ear, nose, eyes, and throat. "Well he is just a mess, isn't he? Poor little guy," was the direct quote of the doctor. Yup, my little guy seems to be hit by everything all at once. Kellen was a champ through it all though despite being so tired he fell asleep as soon as he was done being looked at.

Kel has spent the last 4 days sleeping but at least now his fever is down enough to be able to wear clothes!


So K is now on an antibiotic for his ear/nose/eye infection, as well as has antibiotic eye drops since his eyes are so bad. We aren't doing anything for his flu symptoms at this point since that seems to be running its course on its own. From what I hear TamiFlu is practically impossible to find anyways!

Wish us luck as we attempt to get Kellen's eye drops in his eyes. And please pray that my little mess gets better (and stays better) soon!

The Pink Eye and the Flu

Monday mornings are always tough. The work week begins and my three days at home with my family comes to an end. I actually only have to be at work 9.5 instead of 10 hours that day so I usually roll in a bit later than the rest of the week. This Monday as I walked in to my building, Bryan called my cell to say that Noelle's eye was red on the outside corner and complaining that it hurt a bit. She had gotten a good bit of soap in her eye the night before at bathtime (not sure why my usually brilliant daughter still doesn't fully understand that if she would just lean back and stay still during rinsing this would not occur), so I assumed that was the problem. I was pretty sure pinkeye was on the inside of the eye or in the whole eye and that wasn't what it sounded like. So the kids went to daycare and Rose was going to keep her eye on things.

By lunchtime Noelle's entire eye was red. B was able to get Noelle in to see the nurse practitioner and it was confirmed Noelle definitely had a contagious eye. Virus or bacteria who knows, but since it got worse throughout the day we filled the prescription for antibiotics and kept her home Tuesday. The best part of this has been our daughter loves medicine and being brave. Even with these conditions, quite a few drops end up not in her eye. The worst parts - following her around with a bottle of Lysol all day Tuesday and taking yet another sick day from work. JHU has a pretty generous policy and I am down to about 3 days left after rebuilding my stockpile the last year. Oh well. It has been fun to hear Noelle talk about "the pink eye" all week. And she was pretty good at not touching her brother for the first time ever.

By Friday morning Noelle's eye was pretty much back to normal. Kellen however woke up with eye goop, the likes of which we hadn't seen since the days of his blocked tear duct, in both eyes. I sent Noelle to school, cancelled our baby play date, and spent time with my little guy. He was more tired than normal and had the eye gunk, but otherwise seemed fine. Until about 5:45 am this morning that is. Kellen was a coughing, congested, feverish, eye gunked mess. By noon his fever was 104.5. Rose's own kids at daycare tested positive for flu earlier this week and after consultation, it seems that despite his two flu shots (you must get two your first year if a baby), he caught it. After a cool bath, liquids, compresses, and the day in only his diaper, K's fever has been a much less intimidating 102.5 or so most of the rest of the day. Hopefully my little guy will make a quick recovery and we'll all be back to normal Monday. No more sick days this winter Saxton's!

Spin, Spin, Spin

The weekend before New Years we lost power for a few hours in the morning. I have no clue why (it definitely was sunny and not windy), but it was a good opportunity for Bryan and Noelle to bond over one of the most basic toys in history - a top.

Here they are in all their spinning glory!

Sometimes it is nice to have time to enjoy the simple things in life. As long as the power comes back on before your food thaws or the house cools down too much that is!

Pump It Up

To celebrate our last Friday morning before Noelle begins AM preschool, I took the kids to Pump It Up. This is a huge inflatable bouncy place with obstacle courses, slides, etc. It is pretty much an active three year old's dream come true. I thought it was pretty fun too. Kellen wasn't as impressed. He did warm up to the idea the last twenty minutes or so but I am pretty sure holding him the first 80 minutes has given me a serious arm tendon injury and has caused the return of my carpal tunnel in my left wrist. Oh well. Thankfully they only charge for kids over two, adults are free, and I had an awesome certifikid deal to cover ten admissions for Noelle over the next year.

I thought the kids would be tired enough after Pump it Up that I could keep them under control at the Stride Rite going out of business sale. Clearly I forgot my daughter is a ball of energy. I also did not count on the grandma buying 37 (I do not lie) boxes of shoes at the front of the line or Kellen falling madly in love with a 16 month old and trying to make a break for it. 60% off everything just about made the visit worthwhile. Trader Joes was ok, and I only got through Costco with the help of samples and the deal I made with Noelle that kept her in the cart for the whole shopping excursion. It wasn't relaxing but it was productive!

We got home around one and I fed the kids lunch. The morning worked its magic on Kellen and he napped 3 lovely hours. Noelle emerged from her room 25 minutes after she entered announcing how refreshed she was. Apparently the morning only exhausted one of us and it wasn't my three year old. We did some cuddling, reading, and I *may* have allowed her to play on the mini Bow while I took a short bubble bath.

Final Friday Fun Day accomplished!

Ringing in the New Year

Bryan and I are not New Year's people. Maybe this is why we got married on December 30th - we can always use the excuse we just went out the night before to stay in on the biggest party night of the year! So we ended our 2012 and rang in 2013 with a fairly quiet evening at home. I say fairly quiet, because we hosted Noelle's first sleepover. Her friend came over to play after dinner NYE so that her parents could go out, and the girls had a great time. They had special applesauce in the pouches (the kind we only let our kids have when we are out and about!), played, and watched Dora. They even let Kellen play with them for a bit. They then had a hard time going to sleep with all their giggling and trips out of Noelle's room and down to the basement. About 90 minutes later this was no longer adorable and Bryan had to threaten separation and they finally went to sleep! Whew! It was just like when my dad came down to regulate during my sleepovers growing up. I guess we do all become our parents, at least in some ways! Bryan and I made it to about 10:30 before we both hit the hay as well. Sort of pathetic but it makes me happy we both are fine not seeing the ball drop.

The girls woke up pretty early despite going to bed late and quickly decided to dress up like princesses.

They played a bit while I got things ready for our first, and hopefully annual, New Year's Pajama Brunch. I made different egg bakes and breakfast casseroles and goodies, which were joined by some other yummy food and drink from friends, and we hosted some of our local friends with kids for brunch and a playdate. The kids had a ball, the food was yummy, and the mimosas were the perfect start to 2013.

That last picture was a Noelle original! She has mad photography skills so cousin Joe you better watch out!

2012 was pretty good for the Saxton crew. With the exception of some pretty minor illnesses, we can't complain. Here's praying 2013 will be just as sweet!