Possibly Reclusive

I went to the doctor today. I'm having some swelling along my hip line that has become very painful when any type of pressure is applied to it (leaning on the counter, rolling over in bed, William leaning on me or kicking his feet while I hold him). As I suspected, I have a very swollen lymph node along my hip which is probably due to the bite of some kind I got last week around Wednesday or Thursday. The bite area is on the back of my upper right leg usually covered by shorts. Over the weekend, it was hot and very itchy and HUGE. I would guess at its largest, it measured about 6 inches wide by about 4-5 inches long. If you saw me this weekend and it appeared that I was itching my backside, I apologize. The professional medical doctor I saw today agreed with my self diagnosis and went a step further to say that the bite appears to be a classic Brown Recluse spider bite. She said that up to 60% of people who are bitten by these spiders do not have a severe reaction. Her explanation is that I was bitten by some spider on Wednesday or Thursday and my body reacted by Friday with the very swollen lymph nodes which is exactly what my body should be doing. So, the treatment at this time is to use anti inflammatories to help with the swelling and pain. The good news is that we are still okay to fly out to San Diego on Wednesday of this week.

What? I didn't tell you we were going to San Diego? Well, for your information we will be flying out to see my brother and take a little family vacation at the same time. The Grandparents McGarry will also be there at the same time which makes the deal even more attractive. Also, my big, burly neighbor with lots of big guns and tattoos will be watching our house - so don't try anything funny. She is a scary lady. So, all in all I am very relieved that everything is okay for travel and thankful there is nothing serious to report.

William also had a big weekend with bumps of his own. On Friday evening he fell off of the neighbor kid's tricycle. Yes, I know he is too little for the tricycle and his feet don't even reach the ground. But, I was enjoying a quick visit with the neighbor when he climbed on and it seemed harmless at the time. But here are the results:

Big bump located right above his right eyebrow


It was already looking better by Saturday morning - which was good because our neighbor was over twice on Saturday to apologize for him being hurt. Really no need - it was an accident! By this morning it is just a light bruise with a little bump. Not very noticeable at all!

And some pictures from Sunday playing in the yard:

2 before Noon

William has bust out two new words today before noon. What did you do this morning?


New word #1: MINE!!! Said forcefully and with accompanying hand motions pushing me away. Then repeated 15687856411 times while running away from me in the kitchen.


New word #2: eat. And he said it every single time he put something in his mouth during lunch today. Bite of grape: "Eat". Considering a bite of green beans: "Eat. No." and put it back down.


He has been picking up new words that I haven't documented here very well, but I was just impressed that we tried out two new ones just this morning. What will the afternoon bring?

Growing up

We've had a several little first today. We played with the sprinkler outside and ate corn off of the cob. Summer must be here!

Helping Mama cook dinner
I thought this would be all we would get, but he worked on this cob of corn for almost all of dinner time.
Mr Blue Eyes
Big boy can climb up into this chair now. Any bets on how much longer he'll stay in his crib? I am SO NOT READY to put him in a big boy bed!


PS No pictures of the sprinkler this time - too much water and not enough parents were home.

Hey Lady!

We were out and about this morning. One of the errands we had to run was to pick up one more box of flooring to complete the flooring installation in our office and playroom in the basement. While we were in the store, William was completely captivated by a woman looking at carpeting for her bathroom (seriously, who puts carpet in a bathroom?). William giggled and performed what has become his signature greeting: A huge wave of the right hand and a very sweet sounding "Haaaa" over and over and over and over again. The woman looked up several times to see him waving and saying hi. After a few minutes, I finally looked at him and said "Are you saying hi?" in a voice loud enough she would be able to hear and understand what he was doing, but quiet enough that she could ignore it if she wanted. And she did. She never said hi back to my baby and started to look annoyed. I tried to distract him with the carpet sample books and the toys in the diaper bag. I sang a song and tried to get his attention with my cell phone. Being the stubborn boy he is, William continued to wave and hi and her for the next five or six minutes until we left the store with our flooring.

Would it have been too much to ask for a hi from her? Just a wave, nothing more. Because really. How do I teach my almost 1 and a half year old that some people just aren't friendly?

[Not] Memorial Day weekend

All along I've been thinking this was Memorial Day weekend. Turns out it was last weekend. Oh well. We had a busy weekend with a little relaxing built in. We're tying up projects in the bathroom and trying to move forward. We installed a light fixture in the bathroom, wired up the smoke detectors, began working on the toilet in the bathroom and the vanity, and in general picked up downstairs. Oh and the washer decided to start spraying water everywhere in the basement Saturday evening so we fixed that also. Nothing is ever easy though and the vanity isn't quite how we thought it would work, the smoke detectors are currently chirping in a weird chorus and the washer shouldn't be leaking at all.

William is also progressing and never easy either. I am afraid we are beginning the fight for independence on the early side as the number of episodes where kicking, screaming, falling down on the floor, and crying have increased to multiple times a day. I keep trying to make excuses for it, but no amount of hunger, tiredness, illness or discomfort from the heat could cause these tantrums with such regularity. I am forced to admit there is a strong possibility we are starting the "twos" early. My only hope is that by starting them early, we will also finish them early. Somehow I don't think that is how it works. Even though it is frustrating to have a companion with such a volatile temperament, most of the time his tantrums make me giggle from their dramatic outrageousness.

I'm sure there is other news, but I'm tired and off to bed! I'm hoping to catch some pictures of William blowing bubbles in the next few days - very entertaining is all I will say right now!

Memorable Memorial Day

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with the Grandparents McGarry here for a visit. Before they arrived on Friday evening, I got a visit from our friend Stomach Flu in the early hours of the day. Many phone calls later and John was home watching the Tornado Baby and the Grandparents were still on their way. We had a great visit - even though I wasn't feeling great (today is the first day I feel like eating again...and still not excited about it). Grandma and Grandpa were a H-U-G-E help in the basement and with watching William for us! They were also very understanding about my need to pass out on the couch for at least an hour for every hour I spent upright and avoid certain food smells to get through the day. Saturday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the graduation of the high school the kids I've taught in previous years. This year is the graduating class of the first eighth graders I taught during my first year. It was very emotional for me as well as fulfilling to see how successful [most ] they have become. On to some pictures of the progress:

THE OFFICE:

Changes to look for: there is flooring! and a door to the outside world!

Laying the underlayment for the flooring. PS My dad is now a laminate flooring expert if you need one!
More underlayment and William trying to help out Mama and Grandpa (that is my foot). William was NOT happy to have activity going on in our basement while he was corralled upstairs by Grandma. He thought he needed to be in the middle of everything!
We have a picture of William with Grandpa about every 1-2 hours. He just couldn't stand to not be a part of the project!

The [almost] finished room!

Another angle of [almost] finished room!

THE PLAYROOM:
Changes to look for: the circles are all painted, outlet covers are installed, doorway to the office and closet and FLOORING!
William opening and shutting the new door to the office. Note to self: must install the door bumpers soon - he isn't gentle at ALL!

THE BATHROOM:
Changes to look for: switches are wired, temporary light fixture installed, outlet covers installed, door put in, grout in tiles, beginning of tile in the shower, paint on the walls!
I am such a trooper! Laying floor tiles in the bathroom while thinking about throwing up.


The finished grouting project and door. Not pictured is the quarter size blister on the palm of my hand from putting in the grout.The start of the wall tile. It didn't get done and I'm disappointed. Although I'm excited about how it is looking so far!

Grandpa trying out our new Wii (here he is bowling).

William playing with Grandpa and Grandma's camera. I'm not sure, but I think he thought he could turn it on if he blew on it?
Trying to figure it out...






And we also turned 16 months old on Monday! Here is our 16 month old picture! While I was making dinner, William decided to cook up something good for himself: cars! He carried this pan around for a long time putting the cars in and taking them back out again.
Big boy!

How to Charm Thy Father

How to Charm Thy Father, A Users Guide

1. Go with him to Be$t Buy. This step alone buys you major points.

2. Upon entering the main isle, wiggle to be put down.

3. As soon as your feet hit the ground, make a beeline at top speed for the large screen TV display area disregarding all obstacles and other customers in the area.

4. Upon reaching the big screen TV area, stop and point at the biggest screen and laugh. Then,
do a little dance that involves bending your knees, waving your arms and shaking your behind. Laugh some more and clap.

5. Turn to find your daddy standing behind you. Point to the biggest screen and say "Oooooo".

6. Attempt to climb into one of the huge chairs parked in front of the big screen TV's.

7. After several minutes, give up on the climbing and just stand in front of the biggest of the big screen TVs with your mouth open.

8. Repeat dance from step 4 roughly every 30 seconds.

9. Ignore your parents laughing.

10. When removed physically from the Big Screen TV Area, use every opportunity to escape to go back and stare at the TVs.


The only way William could have possibly made John any happier is if he had somehow managed to produce cookies and milk in front of the big screens. I have a feeling I'm in for some long trips to Be$t Buy in the future.