Father's Day

Funny how sometimes you plan a day to a tee and it just doesn't come together.  Well, I need to be honest and fess up that I had not pre-planned anything for father's day, it just came together.

Carr and I baked Chocolate muffins with chocolate chips.  We finger painted and made daddy a card also.

We were so happy going about our business that we did not notice how loud we were and woke daddy up early (I wanted to let him sleep in).  We had breakfast together and we had french toast for lunch.  Yes, I know not very nutritious but yummy.  Carr and I did laundry and watered Mimi's plants, we played in their deck and took a good long nap.

Daddy woke us up, between you and me, he really enjoyed his quiet time to himself playing video games.  I started making dinner.

Scallops and asparagus sauce with Steaks

Fresh organic green beans, tomatoes, bacon with a honey balsamic reduction

Fresh organic cucumbers with dill and rice vinegar

Today, has been a great family day, we played, worked and ate as a family.  We are very fortunate to have each other.  Chip, Carr and I are so blessed having you in our life.  You are the father I always wanted and you're the husband I prayed for.  We love you very much!

Happy Father's Day Chip!

Roseolla, upset stomach and unknown bug

I had mentioned in my post "and life happens" that Carr had been sick.  When he has a bad night, restless, whinny, squirmy, you name it, that is always the prelude to a feverish day.  And so it began, fever of about 101/2 all day and then night hit where it ran about 103.  This is about when we started giving him Motrin. Chip doesn't like to over medicate our son, which is the main reason why he administers it, when, how much and frequency, obviously as directed by the pediatrician.  This is fine with me, I don't like to see my son suffer and get very nervous rendering me useless to administer any type of medication.  The next day we took him to the doctor, strep test, look over, you name it, and the pediatrician says..."I think it's a virus, it needs to run its course." Are you kidding me!?! Really?  You cannot pinpoint what he has, and you offer me no advice on how to get him better? I understand that doctors today fear liability but come on!  I would have really appreciated some input. Long story short, he had a even worse night until finally his fever broke.  The next day he was covered in red dots, like chicken pox but red.  Took him to an urgent care (my pediatrician closes for two hours at lunch) and they diagnosed him with Rosseolla.

One week after, he was getting better, he had started eating and had much more energy, he threw up for the first time.  My poor baby!  He didn't understand what was going on.  I think I held it together pretty well, I didn't freak out and I told him it was alright and normal, that probably he ate something that didn't agree with him and gave him water.  A piece of advice, never give them water right after, they are bound to through it up immediately, which he did.  He cried and hugged me, poor son.

Once again, about a week after, he had a fever again.  I called the doctor and we went to see her.  She said that this was worrisome, that he spent the month sick and she wanted to run some blood work.  Well, they did, BTW, he behaved like a champ, even hugged the nurse afterwards.  God I love my son!  Everything came back fine, he got better two days later and he has been fine ever since.

We have been very fortunate, our son has hardly been sick at all, other than teething.  One bad month is OK when you look at the big picture.  I just pray that it doesn't happen again this way.  Sleep deprived, stressed out and worried make for a very inefficient mom and wife.  My home has been a mess, I have over-spent in take-out food and stop doing things that kept me grounded.  Now I find myself picking up the pieces and slowly recovering to normality. Who would have thought routine and tranquility would be so desired in my life today.

And life happens...

It's been a while since I have posted a new entry. May has been a hard month to digest, literally.  While this mess has given me ample subject matter to write about, it has exhausted every shred of discipline I had.  Not only have I put the blog on hold, but my personal finances, relationships, etc have suffered from it also.  Now you can imagine me gathering up my life, like when you do housekeeping, trying to sort and put everything in its place.
The month started out as ordinary but quickly turned into what I like to call "mad house".  Almost immediately at the beginning of the month Carr got sick, and when I say sick, he didn't have a case of the sniffles.  Also my professional life was very hectic which added to the stress. Oh and by the way, Carr got sick again.  As if we didn't have enough on our plate, my parents are in a very nasty divorce and seem to be incapable of solving their own problems without trying to force me to participate. And ...Carr got sick yet again.
After only a month of utter madness, I have arouse with a feeling of accomplishment for having survived.  I know there are people that are going through worse.  I never forget how blessed I am. My point is Life Happens and one falls off the wagon so to speak. It's normal, it's human and it is to be expected.  What needs to happen immediately after you've taken a breathe, is  

KEEP AT IT!

Start all over again, take it a day at a time.

Your children deserve no less!

Upgrading transportation - neat!

For about more than a year this little Tonka truck has been a loyal means for transportation for my son.  I have watched Carr discover at his own pace the uses for it.  When my "pride and joy" started to use the truck as a step stool and could not ride it because his legs are to long, Chip and I started talking about upgrading.  How hard could that be? yeah, right!
Chip and I both agreed that Carr needed a tricycle, but which one?  If you are a parent, you completely understand what I am talking to you about.  Quality, durability, name were all characteristics that we were looking for.  There are tons out there, so do not buy in a rush, take some time to look at what there is out there and your needs. We wanted to get this for his birthday but between the cost of the celebration, and Christmas and please lets not forget my car decided to throw a hissy fit on December 23rd, which required that we spend around $400 in repairs, we decided that we would get it for Easter.
I want to give you a little background information so you can understand the complexity of this expenditure in its full scope.  I will readily admit, I am the kind of mom that wanted to put a helmet on Carr when he was learning to walk.  Yes, you know the kind of mom I am talking about.  I worry constantly about Carr.  To my defense, he is always running into things, falling from chairs, sofas, beds, etc.  No fear and 100% boy.  Well needless to say, I have never put a helmet on my little man and that is thanks to my husband.  He talks me down and makes me see the logic in not wrapping my only son in bubble wrap!
I wanted to get Carr a tricycle that even had a canopy, so that the sun wouldn't be an issue in the summer.

 Chip wanted a normal tricycle, that our son would not look all weird in.  We compromised and we got a Radio Flyer with safety parental handle.The great thing about this, is that I can buy a canopy for it if it becomes an issue.  I hate the fact that it doesn't have a safety belt attachment but I solved that issue already.

He loves his new tricycle and we are getting ready to say bye-bye  to loyal Tonka truck.  We are lending it to a friend that is expecting a little boy.

Leaps and bounds: part two

This a post totally dedicated to Carr.
Every now and then, I see this brilliant human being that I gave birth to, change in small little ways.  I do not want to forget those details of Carr's growing up.  Life is complicated and very busy, one tends to at best stop, laugh and then keep going on. Those little things that bring a smile to my face but somehow after time they seem to be forgotten. So here it goes Carr, you are 2 years old and 2 months.
You're a funny man, your sense of humor is hilarious.  Of course you are "all boy", so you think farts (sorry mom in law) are hilarious. You find certain phrases that include non-words funny as well: yew, yuck, boom, and all sort of noises.  You love to drink from your own big boy cup and when you want, you do a pretty good job at it.  For some outrageous reason you like filling your mouth with water, juice or milk and then just leaving your mouth open so that the liquid would dribble down your chin...you find that amusing.
Carr, let me tell you something, you are too tall for your own good.  You can reach anything and everything.  Half the time your father and I spend running around getting things from you that you shouldn't have in the first place.
You love to cuddle when going to bed but you like to do this on your terms not ours.  I normally go night night with you, it is my favorite time of the day.  We read and sing and then you love on me for what sometimes seems like forever (especially if I had a tough day at work).  You say "aiyaya mommy" which we found out is how you're saying "I love you mommy"!  You take sometimes up to an hour to settle down before you pass out!
In the language department, you amaze me every day.  I was so worried about you, it has been a relief that you were just taking your time.  Like a friend told me once, that when you had something important to say you would.  You ask for your milk, you ask for wawi (water), you love bobis (bubbles).  You show us your booboos and you love your papa and granma tutti.  You love words that start with the letter S, like stick and soap.  You favorite word right now is cookie and more.  You cry out "help" when you want us to come and fix something.  You run all the time, you play with your Lego's and make toy guns out of them (topic for my next post) and say pow pow.
You never run out of energy and it is so hard to make you take a nap.  You love playing outside and watching the wiggles, and Yo Gabba Gabba.  You also enjoy Go Diego Go, Max and Ruby and Dora.  When you disappear into your room you are most of the time sitting on the floor reading your books.
You are quite a dancer, and love an audience.  You have started singing along with me at night night time, which is so sweet.  There is a song by Laurie Berkner, "Fast and Slow", you love the song and so do I, we usually dance it together and I shed a tear because it is so true, dear son.  Mommies would love to have a remote control to be able to pause and smell the roses, so to speak.  Please don't be in a rush to grow up and let me enjoy what little time I have with you.  Pause and look around, there is a universe of discoveries you can enjoy when you settle down. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgHeJ6yO1c

There is so much and I hope I caught the highlights.  Your mommy loves you very much!

Going on 40...

So, yeah, I am about to turn 40 tomorrow and I have been taking a long hard look at my life.  Comparing where I am to where I thought I would be. I find myself elated and also sad at times for the decisions I have to make in order to go on.
Elated, because I truely never imagine my life blessed with a family.  I figured I would be saving the world (yeah right!) or CEO of a multinational company.  Never did I allow myself to dream that I would have a family of my own.  I had my own family obligations, taking care of my mom and grandmother and the family business in Argentina.  I thought I wouldn't have time or the energy to have something of my own.  Funny how things turn out, funny that my mom pushed me to get out (at least for a while) to get my degree far away from them.  Thanks to this I met incredible people, made soul-saving friends and fell in love with my husband.  In a million years did I think that I would end up in VA married and with the best child ever, surrounded with friends and family. 

 

Now, I find myself 40 years of age with a 2 year old and a husband.  Sometimes wishing I were 30 so I could be relatively young when Carr goes to college and decides to have a family of his own.  I find myself worrying about my health and age because I want to be around to enjoy all this.  My mid-life crisis has to do more with my son than with me.  I thought this would hit me full force with gray hair, wrinkles, etc. but it has to do with the might happens and as a friend told me asteriods falling from heaven.  Let me explain: I worry about not being there for Carr, I worry about dying and missing all that I never once dared to dream about.  It might not make sense to you, and frankly it sometimes doesn't make sense to me but I have been engrossed in constant worry about "missing out" on things that have yet to happen because I am old.  I also find myself filled with sorrow about not having seen my grandmother for the past six years, missing my friends from my other life (argentina) and missing their moments (weddings, babies, etc).  Life is complicated and messy, doesn't matter how OCD you are or how hard you try to control your surroundings.  I have been through a lot, and experienced many awesome things and my heart longs to experience more and for the first time in my life I am afraid. 
I am trying to snap out of it but this past week has come and gone.  I am trying  to concentrate on the blessings and not focus on my fears.  I love my son more than life itself.  Whenever I think about not being with him I can't breathe but you know what, God gave me this blessing and I am going to enjoy it while I can and I will leave my worries on His lap.  I want to thank those that have helped me this week, I really have listened and I am counting my blessings.

Carr's skin condition

I have mentioned in previous posts that my son suffers from excema and has some strange allergic reactions.  This has been something that has worried Chip and I to death.  We have tried everything when it comes to combating his excema with no success.  As a result of our concern we requested that our pediatrician test Carr for allergies. This is about the time we discovered that he was allergic to egg whites.  After the first "overreaction" we settled into a routine and had successfully eliminated all egg from his diet except for one thing: Carr's eggos.  Our little monster refused to have any breakfast at all if he didn't have his waffle (he was about 1 year old).  We didn't stop giving him this and we did not see any improvement or worsening of his condition.  As time went by, fast forward a year, birthday parties, get togethers and playdates made it harder and harder for me to inspect any and all food my son was cramming into his mouth.  Unfortunately, I have to admit that he was probably eating eggs in one manner or another, in cakes, sweets, etc.  I did not observe a worsening of his skin condition at all, which made me suspicious.

I never stopped looking researching and talking to other parents.  About a month ago, while talking to a co-worker about Carr, we got on the excema subject and he told me what his pediatrician recommended.

wow!!!

My co-workers pediatrician told him to bathe his son with Dove deep moisturizing body-wash and afterwards apply Aquaphor healing ointment.  Well, it works like a charm!  My son enjoys now healthy skin, no itching  and no scaring.  I wish I had before and after photos but I wrestled with appropriateness of posting these personal photos of my son.  I kept thinking of what my son would say 10 years, 15 years and 30 years from now to me, if this would embarrass him or not.  I choose to play it safe and only describe to you his condition, out of respect for Carr.  For my friends and family that have seen his outbreaks, you know how bad it was and how miserable he was.  I wanted to share this with you, just in case you know someone out there that is going thorough the same dilemma.  No child should have to suffer from something so uncomfortable.  You won't lose anything by trying! I hope this helps you as it has us.

disclosure:  I have not received any products or money for naming the Dove or Aquaphor.