Call the CDC, we've been quarantined

After feeling great all weekend I decided to take the kids to the mall this morning to play and get some energy out. We weren't there 15 minutes when I got a message from Dr. Howell asking to giver her a call back as soon as possible. As she put it, it's the call you don't want to get, "Cooper has whooping cough". I was totally surprised. He's been great all weekend, but she said he does in fact have it in his system and is contagious. She called in prescriptions of Zithromax for the whole family and it was off to Target to stock our in-home pharmacy. Imagine this; I'm in Target and I have about 25 minutes to spare until our medicine is ready knowing I can't leave our house for 5 days. I somehow managed to get out of there only spending $40. I told Cooper he could pick out something and he got these butterfly nets from the dollar spot. We had already paid and were walking out when he says something about catching something. Just as I am about to walk out the door I look up to see a pair of bunny ears in the his net. Already trying to shop lift at the age of 4.

I'm trying to make the best out of all this, he isn't really sick and most likey wont get sick, we are just stuck all week. I just got gas so that should last me over two weeks now. I don't have to leave my pj's or do laundry all week. Target has a new pharmacy rewards program, once you fill 5 sciprts you get 5% off an in-store purchase. We filled 4 just today. What I do feel bad about is possibly infecting another child at church yesterday. Steve's parents also had to get the antibiotic. Steve'd dad was diagonised with possibly having multiple myeloma about a year and a half ago. Since then his numbers have gotten better, it's just very important he doesn't get sick. So as a precaution they were both put on it. This is the only the second time in more than probably 10 years I have been on an antibiotic and I'm not even sick!

A big thank you to Amy G. Amy's daughter goes to school with Cooper. Their fundraiser is due tomorrow, I was scheduled to bring in snacks tomorrow, and I needed to bring in some earrings to a girl who ordered from me. Amy stopped by today and is taking all that in for me. Thank you!!!!

Inquiring minds want to know

While getting ready for bed the other night Cooper runs up to Steve and says, "daddy can your read me the story of Jesus dying on the cross". Sure son, nothing like a little light reading before bed. Steve has been reading this and Jesus going to Heaven the past 3 days. I am so amazed what his little four year old mind can comprehend. Then of course he reminds us that in fact is really is only 4. When talking about the other two men on the cross with Jesus, Cooper asks, "did they go to jail for showing people their wee wee's?" Yes folks, we talk about wee wee's and Jesus at the same time.

Wish someone told me to fatten up

While at the doctor on Friday I asked our pediatrician about Cooper's weight. He weighs 32 lbs. That's about a 3 lb weight gain in almost 2 years. I believe he grew 3 inches and gained a pound last year. That's almost like loosing weight. It's not like we are worried, at least he is still on the charts. He is still in his car seat which she wants him to remain until he is 40 lbs, Cameron may very well out grow his before Cooper does. Cooper doesn't eat a lot of meat and he doesn't like milk. I don't either so I can't really force him to drink it. He really only drinks water and occasionally juice. She gave us a few suggestions for a high fat diet. Don't you wish someone would tell you to get on a high fat diet? How awesome! Most of foods are things he likes; yogurt, cheeses, nuts, peanut butter. We are trying out Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks in the morning. He's done okay with those the past two days, I can't do it everyday or he will get bored with it. You should see his little arms when his shirt is off, they are tiny!!!! I guess he's just built like his daddy.

Back to Normal

Everything is back to normal in the Lee household. Cooper has been fever free since Friday night. His appetite isn't 100% back, what can I expect from a 32 lb 4 year old, but his energy level is. Steve worked on Saturday so the boys and I just hung out at home. I didn't want to get him around anyone since it hadn't been 24 hours yet, it never fails, when Steve works a weekend someone is sick and we are under quarantine. The highlight of my day was when the FedEx truck pulled up at 9:30. I had a jewelry show for Jaime Mac 2 weeks ago and my jewelry arrived. Let me tell ya about this show, it rocked!!! I ended up getting almost $500 free and 8 half piece items. I let my cousins pick out the half price items, I let my mom get a bracelet, necklace, and 2 earrings for free. Then I got....5 pair of earrings, 4 necklaces, and 2 bracelets.... ALL FREE!!!!

Another highlight was a trip to Sweet n Swirly after dinner. This momma needed to get out of the house. Seize the Deal had some vouchers a month ago and I bought two. It was time to cash one in. Cooper got Mike N Ikes and sour gummy worms in his yogurt. I like to think I'm being somewhat good since it's fat free yogurt. Gives me more wiggle room to add in things like Kit Kat's and Butterfingers.

Cam's usual smile here. We brought our stroller in cause last time they didn't have high chairs. I am happy to report they do now. Who doesn't have high chairs, it's a yogurt place not a bar.Today was our usual Sunday of church and naps, except for me. I guess my body has finally adjusted to no more naps cause I couldn't sleep. The rest of the fam did though. That's almost as nice, quiet alone time.

I am determined to find something fun to do this week. I have been okay with winter up until now. I am ready for Spring and outdoors. We were teased with good weather this week and I want it back.

Embarassing Moments

We are having another blog off topic and this time it's most embarrassing moments. I'm pretty sure I have blogged this before, I think I did a question and answer thing. Just in case I have picked up new readers, here we go again.

Back in my "working" days I worked at Mercer, a HR consulting firm, in Louisville. I started there in January 2005 in a small accounting department for a larger group within the company. The whole group, about 150-200 people, had monthly staff meetings. At my first meeting I had to introduce myself and tell something interesting. I hate doing these things but I got through it, no biggie. I worked in that department for about 2 years before transferring to our larger accounting department for the whole company. Shortly later there were rumors of outsourcing and I was beginning to be afraid of losing my job. I talked to HR, it pays to have good relationships with important people, and I was able to transfer back out to my old department, despite being 7 months pregnant and and only in that job for 9 months. I couldn't go back to accounting, instead I went to their compensation department. It was exciting and something new. This meant it was back to those big monthly staff meetings. I had to introduce myself all over again. This time was going to be easy, I already knew everyone and had worked there for almost 3 years. I stand up and begin to say who I am and where I work and then I am supposed to say a hobby. I forget my exact words, it was meant to come out along the lines of I'm getting ready for my baby. Instead, it came out something like, "look at my, isn't it obvious what my hobbies are". Oh my word, the place erupted. My face was bright red, embarrassing!!!! It was the talk of the day. It's a good thing I worked with such laid back people.

How I know he is sick

This is how I know Cooper wasn't feeling himself today. This is how he spent most of the evening.

Once the Advil kicked in he was all fun and games again, at least for about 20 minutes. No fever at bedtime, I'm pretty sure it's just a bug. It's just so rare for him to be down. He's usually our wild child.

Shoe me your teeth

We have found a way for Cameron to smile at the camera. We just asked him to show us his teeth. Pure cuteness!

Does a doctor visit count as one on one time?

While Cooper had school yesterday, Cameron and I met some girls from church for breakfast. We met at Panera, when I worked we had free breakfast every Friday. I used to get a Panera bagel, man I miss those. Cameron was all smiles during breakfast. After a trip to Sam's he was all snoozes. Someone made the comment that I probably enjoy this one on one time with him. I do, I think it's so important each child gets that one on one interaction with their parents. I rarely get it with Cooper. If we have a lot going on and we need to divide and conquer, Steve usually gets Cooper and I get Cameron. I don't mind either way, Cooper just chooses Steve. He doesn't spend nearly as much time with him as he does me, you can't blame him.

I might have spoke too soon as I got some alone time with Cooper today, it just so happened to be at the doctor. He came home from school complaining of a belly ache. He didn't eat lunch and by dinner he was running a slight fever. He didn't eat dinner either and we had baked potatoes which are a favorite. By bedtime he was feeling better, of course he also had Advil and Tylenol on board. This morning the fever was back and he turned down chocolate chip muffins. Normally I would give it a few days but he was just laying around on the coach and he turned down chocolate. Plus, this is a biggie, a kid from preschool has been diagnosed with whopping cough. Whopping cough can present itself in the form of a common cold before the cough gets severe, he isn't coughing at all now, but you can never be too sure. Steve's mom came over to watch Cameron while we went to the doctor. I got my alone time! He wanted to wear his pj's to the doctor, we compromised. He could wear the shirt but not the pants.

He was feeling great by his appointment time, still not fully himself, but better. She tested for strep and that was negative. She has had about 15 cases of whopping cough this year and since he had been exposed she tested for that as well. We won't know until Monday. It's one of those no news is good news. They call her directly if positive but sometimes can lag on negatives. I have to call by noon to double check if I haven't heard anything. I asked about Cameron just in case and if one person is positive, they treat the whole family and the health department is contacted. Serious business. I honestly think he is okay, just trying to be proactive. I have been joking that I like feverish Cooper, he is quite! I had to cancel a couple of play dates today and tomorrow and Steve is working tomorrow as well, kind of stinks we have to be housebound. I am expecting a special package from the Fed Ex man tomorrow, that will lift my spirits some.

Hiding

I wish these pictures would have come out better but it was the best I could do. I could hear Cameron but couldn't find him. Which I guess is better than not hearing anything, usually that means trouble. Anyway, I found him laying in Cooper's closet on top of some blankets. I wish I had my camera on him when I found him. Trying to catch the moment after the fact doesn't work as well.

Soon after this Steve was out for a run. He just started in the basketball league at church and wants to get in shape. So I hear Cameron at Cooper's window screaming "dada, dada, dada". I look outside and Steve is in the driveway talking to a neighbor. I open up the window so Cameron and see better and say hi. We had promised the kids once Steve got home we would let them take a bath in the our big bathtub. I guess Cooper took this for we were all ready. He comes running into his room with the window wide open, totally naked. Never a dull moment.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We had a great day as we celebrated Steve's birthday, the only bummer was that he had to work. I met Tracey and the girls at Krispy Kreme this morning to cash in some free donut coupons, I thought it would be fun to get one for Steve and take it to him at work. We also surprised him with a balloon that Cooper picked out. I love that he works so close and we are able to stop by at random times. He was about to walk out of the therapy gym and turned around and we were there. I tried out a new recipe I found on pinterest, Red Velvet Cheese Ball. It was killing me not to dig into this before he got home. You can find the recipe here. It is super easy and within that link is another link to a peanut butter cheese ball that I must also try.

Steve got off work early, he got home as Cameron was waking up from a nap. Seriously, if this doesn't just melt your heart nothing will.

I made his favorite; meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Okay, I didn't make the mashed potatoes as the picture shows. They are Bob Evans, but don't hate, they are delicious! I even broke out the leftover Chicago Bears napkins from Cameron's bday party.

After dinner it was finally time to break into the yummy goodness. Oh.my.word!!!! It was amazing!!!! So, so, good!!!!!!!!!!

He had a really great day. We got him some Lowe's gift cards so we can start on some projects to the house that we weren't 100% in love with when we bought it. I loved going to see him at work and seeing his surprise when he saw us. I love doing the little things that help him feel just a little special on his special day.

Because you asked

A couple of you have asked or mentioned the crock pot steak we had Saturday night.

She used steak patties, they usually come two in a pack at the grocery. They look like a thin hamburger. Add a little flour to both sides and brown in skillet. Add to crock pot. Use a brown gravy packet to make the gravy first then pour on top of steaks. Cut up a green pepper and onion, place on top, and cook on low. It was delicious and steak was so tender. Cooper even ate it so this may work it's way into our rotation of meals.

Bedtime Routine

Just so I don't forget I want to list our bedtime routine with Cooper. After books, devotional, and prayer he wants me to carry him into bed. I pray again, he prays. I give him a kiss to rub in and a kiss for his pocket. He gives me a kiss to rub in and for my pocket. He tells me his favorite thing for the day and I tell him mine. He tells me what Steve's and Cameron's favorite things were. I tickle his back. He gives me 3 or 4 hugs, tells me if I need anything he will be right there, and tells me to tell Steve that as well. Finally, I get to walk out the door while he is still talking to me and telling me these things. If I don't say goodnight and walk out he will have me in there for another half hour. I love it!

A few thoughts

My boys like to watch home videos of themselves. Cooper has always loved this and now Cameron is getting into it as well. We watched a few from this past Spring and Summer but the ones that got me the most were from Summer and Fall of 2010. These was one video in particular of Cooper, it was a couple weeks before he got his tonsils taken out and about 6 months into his speech therapy. There was one part where I couldn't understand a word he was saying. He even asked us what he had just said. A few scenes later it is a couple weeks after surgery and man alive it's perfectly clear.
Then there are those videos of Cameron. I think he needs a do-over. It was so easy to get caught up in the frustration of a baby who cries all the time, looking back he deserves better. I can throw a pity party for myself all I want but the bottom line is he didn't deserve to be in pain all the time. I just want to go back and take it all away from him.

Birthday Dinner #1

We went to my in-laws last night to celebrate Steve's birthday. He turns 34 on Monday. I like to tease him because for 2 1/2 months he gets to be 2 years older than me.
We left as soon as Cameron woke up from his nap so his hair was looking a little rough. He's still a cute kid! He likes to sweep Mamaw's floor. I got some self portraits of my two favorite guys. I LOVE this one. He looks so darn cute and genuine. It's hard to get a 4 year old to give you a real smile.

Boy do I love this one too! My three favorite guys!

We had a wonderful meal of crock pot steak, baked potatoes, green beans, and yeast rolls. It was yummy! The steak was cooked in brown gravy, green peppers, and onions. Cooper wasn't so sure about it at first, Scott promised him a surprise if he ate it. More on that later. After dinner we dove into cake with chocolate icing.

We all look like we are about to pounce.

As we were about to begin to sing Steve was no where to be found. He was checking his blood pressure. That is when know you are getting old.Cooper got in some "jump on Uncle Scott" fun. Then it was off to Toys R Us for the two of them. Scott took him by himself, I thought about stalking them and spying but I was calm, self controlled mommy. He came back with Crayola art supplies, a rubber snake, and a book of Berenstain Bears stories. SPOILED!!!!

We are celebrating here tomorrow. I have a new dessert recipe I am trying out. Hope it's good!!!!

17 Months

Cameron turned 17 months on Monday. How did we go from this....

to this? I was in the car this morning and head Bon Jovi Never Say Goodbye. This is what was on the radio when Cameron was born. At times it seems like Cameron has been in our lives forever and other it just seems like yesterday. I started to think about how old Cooper was when we found out I was pregnant. It's not like we just woke up one day and decided to have another child, there was planning involved. That got me thinking, if we were to have another child and space it out the same as we did Cooper and Cameron, it would be like thinking about it again this June or July. That can't be possible! He was just born yesterday.

He really is turning into the sweetest little guy and if you can believe it, a daddy's boy! He still doesn't like church all that much but he will stay with Steve's parents without crying. That is a huge accomplishment. While Cooper is our observer, Cameron is going to be our doer. I find him trying to climb anything and everything. Take the grocery store of example, if he wants something out of cart he will try to stand up and turn around in the cart. Shopping is not an easy task with this little one. He loves Cooper so much and wants to be just like him. I love watching my little guy grow and become more independent. I need to face it, he will be my independent one.

From one holiday to another

We had one more Valentine celebration on Wednesday at church. Jennifer decided to make the Peeps party a day late instead of a week early. Worked out great for us because Steve was off work and got to tag along. This party was pretty much perfect for Cooper. We began by decorating bag for more cards and candy. Two peas in a pod.

We had lunch and then it was off to dance party central. They had the choice of dancing in the preschool worship area or playing play doh in one of the classrooms. Cooper dances the entire time. At one point a song from our Jake and the Neverland Pirates cd came on, I got so excited that Jennifer compared it to being out with the girls in our early 20's at the club and getting excited when our favorite song would come on. Now I'm 32 and get excited when a pirate song comes on.

Today when Cameron was napping we scouted out our loot. I had to go through our candy stash and throw away the candy left over from Christmas. It's like a revolving door around here.

Cooper chose the marshmallow sucker Mamaw and Papaw got him for a treat.

Since Cooper doesn't nap much anymore I try to do a few fun activities with him while Cameron is napping, then he gets to watch a show while I relax. Today we took down our Valentine gel clings and put up some Easter ones.
If I had a never-ending supply of money I think I would decorate for Easter even more than I do for Christmas. I just love all the pretty colors.

Can you believe we are halfway through February?

My Valentine Date

Steve had his big basketball game today and left me home all along with the boys. I am going to milk this for all it's worth and he knows it. I did what any other woman would do, I called up my good friend Tracey how I knew would also be husbandless. I picked us up some Papa Murphy pizza and we had a date. I joked after I cut it that this was our heart breaking tonight.

I have been wanting to try their Smore's pizza for a long time now. I thought about getting it tonight then I found out it was only $3 extra. Oh.my.word!!! This thing was amazing!!!! Obviously, I couldn't even manage a picture before it was half gone. It was so good!!!Seriously, Tracey couldn't even keep it out of her teeth.

I tried get a picture of Maggie hugging Cameron, this was the best I could do. I asked Cameron to give her a hug but he walked off instead, so she got up and walked over to give him one instead. It was adorable!

Cooper loves it when Levi comes over. It's not often he gets someone to play with that not only can keep up with him but out-play him as well. They were both in the tunnel rolling around.

Of course I couldn't end the night without a self-portrait. Once again, our sad miserable poor little me face

Wee Ones Valentines Party

Cooper had his Valentine Party at school this morning. The two hour turned out to be a blessing. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough to do, with the delay school was cut by half an hour, leaving us the perfect amount of time. Steve was off work today, Cooper was so excited that he would be coming to school with him. It helped me out a ton, he was able to take the pictures while I coordinated the activities. We started off by decorating bags for the Valentines and making a foam finger puppet.

You should have seen the amount of glitter on his bag. It is all over my kitchen table, don't think I will ever get it all up.

Our first game was blowing q-tips through a straw into heart shaped bowls. It took a while for my line to get the hang of it.

We had the class divided into three groups, the first group played pass the heart necklace. It was similar to to musical chairs, when the music stopped the one wearing the necklace was out, but they also got a treat.

Next up was pin the lips on the Valentine, which was a giant heart tapped on the wall. I didn't find any pictures so I assume Steve didn't get any. The last section a bean bag toss on an X's and O's board. I think they played tic-tac-toe with it.While we were getting snacks ready, cake pops and pretzel rods, Ms Amy read the kids a couple stories. Steve said it was so cute how Cooper was listening and paying attention to the story. He loves books so that doesn't surprise me. I think she read a story about Clifford.

Steve had to leave right after snack time, so there went my picture guy. After snacks we helped the kids pass out the Valentines. Each kid needed an adult to help them and that took up more time than I had anticipated. We ended up with about 15 minutes to spare, just enough time to make our Monster Valentine I had blogged about last week. Overall I think it was a successful party. I had fun planning and organizing. Cooper had fun too, so that is really all that matters.