Snotorious B.I.G.: Day 1

The snow started this morning around 9:30am! Luckily it didn't start sticking until much later in the afternoon. Josh had planned to take today off anyways, so we were all home ready to hunker down! Before the hunkering began, however, Jackson and I went off on a pilgrimage to Ace Hardware for sleds! They were expecting a delivery truck around 9am and the gentleman I spoke with before we left said there were lots and lots of sleds and shovels. He wasn't kidding! There were TONS of sleds and shovels! It was funny to watch the customers coming out of the store--pretty much everyone had two shovels (there was a two-shovel-per-person limit) and a sled or two! The line wasn't too bad and I was just so excited that we actually found sleds!!!

Our deck

The tree in front of our house

I just thought this one was cool. I was trying to take a picture out the front door of our neighborhood, but the snow was falling too fast to get anything but snowflakes!

Our deck, about two hours after the first picture was taken!

This was how I found Jackson lying when I checked on him before bed!

This is the position he moved to while I was still watching :)

Overall, we enjoyed our first snow day! We took a nice walk with Pax in the afternoon. There wasn't much snow stuck on the ground at all, but Josh still used the backpack for Jackson since there was still snow stuck on the trails from the previous snow. Josh made the most amazing dinner for us! We had a frozen pizza with tasty toppings added, and he made homemade fries with a delicious dipping sauce! I can't wait for him to make it again! Josh and I also tried out a new game we got: Bananagrams! It was really fun! We didn't even pretend to think about shoveling since there was still a looong way to go! We just enjoyed being warm :) We also periodically opened the sliding door to the deck to peek at how much more snow we had! The last measurement Josh took before we went to bed was ten inches...

Old Navy Ad?

Last year, my friend, Erin, gave Jackson this super cute striped one-piece outfit from Old Navy. I LOVED it! He was so cute and snuggly in it! It was one of those outfits that I was super sad to pack away... Well, Old Navy came through and had almost the exact same outfit this year!!! The only difference is last year's was a more knitted texture, and this year's is a smooth cotton. Jackson didn't really NEED anymore clothes in this size, but I figured the $7 was WAY cheaper thank having another baby to snuggle ;)

Goodnight Moon

I think I always "loved" "Goodnight Moon" because it is a classic and that is how you are supposed to feel about it. I got really excited when I found out that I could order a copy in French during high school. I thought it would be a great "easy reader." Ummm...not so much ;) Fast forward about 10 years and Josh reads "Goodnight Moon" for the first time. He finished and said, "That's it?" One might say he was underwhelmed... I kind of realized it might not be THAT great and didn't worry too much about Jackson having a copy in his collection. A couple of weeks ago, we were hanging out at Casa Mullen and I grabbed "Goodnight Moon" to read to Jackson before laying him down. He LOVED it! It was an immediate hit since there was a balloon in almost every picture. He points those out all the time. He also had fun pointing out the moon (I think because it's yellow). We read it a second time and he started pointing at all kinds of things on the pages. I had it on my list to get at the bookstore, but it ended up being one of the great finds at TJ Maxx when my mom was in town. It was the first book I saw! I always appreciate when I can save a few bucks!

We have had some very good sleeping nights! Woo hoo! While I'm sure this is mostly due to the wonders of antibiotics, I would like to give some of the credit to our new sound machine :) Our old one was AWESOME! It had been a hand me down/gift from the Yanceys, but it was something someone had gotten randomly as a free gift (I think that's the story). Anyways, it was very small, portable, and had a clock and multiple sounds. Jackson also loved this sound machine and due to his love, it hit the floor many times :( The sounds started to be tinny and staticy. I did a little research and found the new one at BuyBuyBaby. It isn't quite as small, but still pretty darn portable!

Eating is going much better as well! Jackson is still being a bit picky, but not nearly as bad as at the height of his sickness. Yesterday he ate two whole veggie pancakes spread with peanut butter and I almost cried! LOL We were also getting concerned about his hydration again because he wasn't super excited about the Pedialyte. Maybe I haven't found his favorite flavor? We had even taken to giving him one teaspoon "shots" with the syringe we used for his amoxicillan! LOL He LOVES that pink goo! Yesterday I finally poured him a cup of milk and his face did a little happy dance!

Happy 5th Birthday Paxton!

Today we are celebrating Pax's 5th birthday! Animal House Shelter did not know his exact birthday, but knew he was about a year old. We decided that his birthday would be the day we got him! So, he's five, but he's only been a beloved, furry member of our family for four :) The picture above is from the day we got him! If the shot included the deck outside, you would see snow. Are we seeing a theme here?

Jackson helping Paxton celebrate by playing trucks :)

For a birthday treat, Paxie gets to stand in for a racetrack!

Kisses for yummy faces!

Birthday greetings from the JAS and JAM!

Today has also been fun because I have been blown two very deliberate kisses! When I was sick in bed a few weeks ago, Josh taught Jackson the sign for "thank you." Jackson decided to make it an all in one sign and add a smack of the lips so it was a thank you kiss! He did a bunch of times that day and used it quite appropriately. However, we have not seen it since :( This morning, Jackson ate some breakfast and then got SO upset when he finished one thing. I had to get him out of his seat because he was so hysterical. After calming down and playing for a bit, he asked for a pretzel. I gave him one and he did his thank you kiss! I made a really big deal about it so hopefully he would do it again. He did it one other time this morning! It is super cute!!!

BlizzBowl 2010

These pictures are from the snow we got Wednesday night. We ended up with just a few inches. Right before the holidays we got quite a lot of snow (16.4 inches was reported near National Airport), and it stuck around for just about a month! That is really unusual for Northern Virginia. Now, there is a winter storm warning for this weekend. The watch begins tomorrow morning at 10am and extends through Saturday night at 10pm! The governor has also declared a state of emergency for the state! Craziness! We were supposed to spend the weekend with friends in Charlottesville, but that has been postponed due to the impending storm :( Instead we are getting ready to hunker down with the rest of Northern Virginia! This is all so funny to me! Having lived in Chicago for almost my entire life, snow comes and snow goes (well, not quickly). That's what happens in the winter. The stores were PACKED already at 11 this morning! It was kind of funny to peek in people's carts to see what they were stocking up on. The guy in front of me had a case of beer, Edy's ice cream, and some cookies! I think he's got the right idea! I saw lots of Duraflame logs being loaded into cars, lots of general groceries, and lots of essentials like toilet paper. Do people really buy toilet paper on a need-to-have basis? I feel like we are usually stocked for a while since the packs are so big. Mark and I were joking this morning about the things people run out to get: break, milk, eggs, toilet paper... Funny thing is, he said they actually do need toilet paper so they will be "those" people at the store tonight, and we need milk and eggs! LOL Today I went out in search of a sled, salt, and little guy boots. Target did not have any more winter gear at all! It wasn't even like there were bare shelves and I was just too late. Walmart at least had a large stockpile of salt and shovels. They did not have any boots or sleds :( There were many aisles already labeled "Spring Toys," "Water Toys," and "Beach Toys." Seriously? It is barely February! It's not like this is a freak snowstorm in March or April. That is when my amusement was tinged with frustration. Ok, I can deal with the snow. I'm not super excited about it like kids from around here are, but whatever. But, the stores aren't even equipped for snow to happen! I called Ace Hardware and they are out of sleds but are supposed to be getting more in the morning...might make an outing for that...

P.S. The title of my blog is not my own idea. The Washington Post is apparently conducting a poll for nicknames for the storm. Here are some other funny ones: Tsnownami, snOMG, and Snowmageddon.

Kitchen Confidential

Jackson went to town on his macaroni and cheese last night! It was great to see some of his appetite back. Sometimes he will give me a piece of food he is finished with or doesn't want. He sort of started doing that with the macaroni, but he was also reaching for the bowl I had it in. I gave him the bowl and he dumped out the rest of the macaroni. Then he put one piece in the bowl. Then he took out that piece to eat. He did that a few times! It was hilarious!



Jackson decided he would help me sort the recycling today. After he dumped it out, that is! He is really attracted to the pantry these days and comes running whenever he hears the doors open. It's almost as cute as watching him hurry to the stairs as fast as his little legs will carry him when he knows a gate is open!

Tis the (Other) Season

2010 has gotten off to a rough start for poor Jackson :( It started with needing to get back on a good schedule after all of our traveling, then he got a stomach bug, and now he has a horrible cold! He had his 15 month well check-up last Wednesday and he was already on day 2 of slight sniffles. The doctor didn't detect anything other than that. Seriously, that afternoon I could tell he was getting a touch worse. Fast forward to Saturday and he had a super runny nose, cough, and an odor! Eek! That was kind of weird, but we just chalked it up to him being sick. He slept surprisingly well Friday and Saturday nights. During the days he was stuffy and drippy. Sunday night was a bit more rough and he just didn't look good Monday morning. I went ahead and called the doctor's office and a nurse called back. When I mentioned the odor, she said that wasn't normal and we should come in. As the morning wore on, it seemed like Jackson was getting warmer too... Extra glad we were going in!

We saw a really nice nurse practitioner (the practice is so big, and we've had a relatively happy baby, that we still haven't seen everyone!) and she agreed that Jackson's odor was really strong. LOL I had kind of gotten used to it... She said one of his ears just had clear fluid, but she could tell the other one was on it's way to becoming infected. She also some some white stuff on his tonsils. She had him tested for strep (SO not a fun time for Jackson, but not as bad as I thought it would be), and I think sBhe and I were both surprised that it came back negative. She said the bumps on his tonsils COULD turn into blisters that are a form of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. That doesn't sound good! But, she was prescribing amoxicillan anyways, so I'm assuming that would combat that too if that's what it is! He also did have a temp of 101.7. Poor little guy!

We picked up his prescription at CVS along with some lotioned up Kleenex and some Motrin. We've been giving him Motrin every six hours and he's had three doses of the antibiotic. He seems better personality-wise, but he is still really congested :( Last night was a rough, rough sleep night. He kept waking up needing major consolation before settling back down. He did settle back down at 5 this morning until 6:30. That was a nice change of pace. Yesterday he took quite a few short naps, but today he was back to the two short naps. I'm definitely not worrying about a schedule until he feels better!

It's amazing how much worse a cold seems when it's your little baby! I know it's that time of year and kids get sick all the time, but it's just a much bigger deal for a little guy!

Bath time has been the highlight of Jackson's days while not feeling well! I don't think he can tell that his nose is running while he's playing in the tub. He also has really enjoyed getting out in the fresh air for walks with Pax. I noticed today that his nose didn't run at all while we were out!


I did have a genius moment when I realized safety Q-Tips are great for cleaning out little noses and applying clear Desitin to sooth the little, raw nostrils! Go me! Hey, I need to feel like I'm doing something to help my poor, sad bug!!! On a side note, I think these Q-tips are genius! I haven't ever worried about hurting Jackson while cleaning out his ears. He thinks they are fabulous too and doesn't mind when I use them. Funny kid....