Asleep at 7:30pm

This little boy is not quite himself these days, which is what I made mention of in my last post.  Asleep at 7:30pm NEVER happens...

It all started back in January. I took him to the doctor when I had the day off for Martin Luther King Day.  Remember that senseless visit?  His low grade fever, sore throat, headache, and ear ache seemed to go away as fast as they came.  And, that's the way it's been since that visit.  In the last two months, he's had six bouts of low fevers, along with two doctor's visits and two negative strep tests.  He's also had a rash, that we self diagnosed (with the help of daycare) as Fifths disease, and lots of complaining about fatigue and general pain.  Last weekend, it became all too much for me.

I made an appointment for him to see Dr. Bates on Tuesday afternoon.  We talked about everything, the symptoms and the timeline.  Since the courier had already run for the day and we couldn't do full blood work, we settled for a quick in office mono test.  This only required a finger prick.  I think we all thought that would come back positive.  It didn't, which meant that we had to go back the next morning for full blood work.  He wanted to check for mono again, Fifths disease, Cat Scratch fever, and whatever else he didn't call by name to me.

That night I tried a different approach with Miles and the blood work. I actually told him about it and explained how everything would go.  When the nurse did the finger prick for the in office mono test, she carefully explained everything to him and he was very receptive, so I thought it was worth a try.  I explained that if he freaked out, we would have to hold him down and he does not like that at all.  He always says he wants to watch, which is exactly like me.  I want to know when it's going to hurt.  That was the answer. He sat there and let her draw four vials of blood without a single tear. It was amazing. Donya, one of our favorite nurses, did an amazing job and he made me so proud. It was a major accomplishment for him. He was so proud of himself.  I had pictures of our visit, but all my pictures are gone from my phone??? No idea how or when that happened.

We got the results yesterday. They showed the parvo virus, which is Fifths disease, not like parvo in dogs.  Everything else looked great.  No sign of mono, which I was very happy about.  Fifths just has to run its course, which can take up to five weeks. It can cause low fevers, sore throats, fatigue, and joint pain, among other symptoms, so for now, we are blaming all his aliments on Fifths.  The plan is to watch him over the next 2-4 weeks and see if we are satisfied that he is feeling better and back to his normal self.

I feel good about the diagnosis and the plan for now. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Lyme disease.  The transmission of Lyme is debatable and there hasn't been much research.  Surprisingly, I didn't think about it before he had his blood work done or I would have had Dr. Bates test for that also.  I'm choosing to think the Lord didn't bring that to my mind until afterwards for a reason. There is no reason to fear that just yet.  Miles was super hyper all weekend. When I asked him why, he said, "b/c I feel better." I truly think he has not felt good in months. Praying that good, energetic, healthy days are just around the corner.

Weekend Wrap Up

This is actually the end to my weekend b/c I had the day off unplanned.  We'll get to that in a minute.  Saturday morning, Darrin and Miles moved the firewood from our garage to outside.  We store it in the garage during the winter so it's easy to access.  Now that spring is here, it was time to get the mess out of the garage. 

Being silly, acting like the log is heavy...

My mom came to visit for the weekend.  She and Miles worked on a coin collection together among other fun things.

We decided to take advantage of my mom being here and go on a date.  The plan was to eat dinner and go to Painting with a Twist in Jackson.  I have wanted to do that forever, and it happened to be couples night.

Unfortunately, my mom called during dinner to say that Miles was sick. She had text earlier in the afternoon with concerns about some stomach issues, but we weren't sure.  Projectile vomit confirmed it a couple hours later. My poor mom...not only was it the first time he's ever thrown up, but apparently it was really bad and she was the one stuck with cleaning it up.  He was asleep when we got home. He had a fever and was super grumpy when we moved him. He does not like to be touched when he's sick.  No rubbing or loving when he's down for the count with a stomach virus.

My mom definitely got the worst of it.  I dealt with him once during the night and he slept well the rest of the night.  I stayed home with him Sunday and Monday, while Darrin went to church and work.  He's been fine since a brief episode Sunday morning.  No fever since Saturday, so he's ready to go back to school tomorrow.  This makes the 5th or 6th episode of fever and other issues since mid January.  We actually went to Dr. Bates last week b/c I haven't been comfortable with how he's been feeling lately.  I'll write more about that this week.  Right now, it's getting late and I haven't stopped all day.  Time for some down time before bed.  Good night, all!

Pinterest Quotes

I don't know what I did before Pinterest and ecards.  Ecards make my day.  I like the recipes and home stuff on Pinterest, but the quotes are where it's at. 

Miles is spending the night with Darrin's parents tonight. I feel like I have a night off from being an adult.

This just makes sense to me.  Words to live by.

I used to be a big time worrier.  Being married to Darrin and having such a steady home life has helped me not worry as much especially about things that haven't happened yet.

While I do worry less, stressing is a different story.  My 'to do' list and a busy life keep my stress level high.  This describes me perfectly when my stress level maxes out.

One perk to moving is that I will live near a Target.

Can I get an amen???

Hope your Thursday has been great. It's time for me to enjoy my night off from 'adult'!

Less Words Wednesday

Miles had an Easter Egg Hunt at school today b/c next week is spring break in our county and a lot of the kids won't be there.  I didn't attend the party, but his teacher sent this to me.

It was perfect timing b/c I was missing him today while I was at work. I had to laugh when I got the pic. I asked him this morning if he wanted to wear shorts or jeans. I thought it might be a little cool since they were hunting eggs in the morning. He picked jeans.  Turns out, it wasn't the slightest bit cold at any point during the day as noted by the little girl in the picture.  Nevertheless, Miles has on jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and his winter jacket zipped all the way to his chin. I commented on it to his teacher and she replied "yes, he had to have that jacket on lol....hahahaha that's Miles!!"

Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready for some special guests.  My mom, my brother, Dave, and sister-in-law, Emily, came to Martin to pick up a mattress that my mom bought the last time she was here.  We knew it would be a quick trip but we were still excited to see them all.  Miles occupied himself while I took a shower and got ready.  I love when he plays by himself. It makes me so happy.

My first tote from Le Tote arrived.  Of the five items, I liked three of them.  I wore the earrings and cardigan on Saturday.  Nothing fancy, but this is actually a little different for me.

Aunt Emily reading Bible stories to Miles from the new Bible he got last week...

Since they would be here during lunch, I whipped up a few things.  It was meant to be a light lunch since they would be traveling home afterwards. We had a baked potatoes, salad, lunch meat roll ups, veggies with dip, and the peanut butter and Hersey Kiss cookies I made the night before.  Miles took this picture while we were eating. Not bad for a five year old. He can't help the angle, after all.

It's been a long time since we've seen Marmee b/c she was in Florida...then it snowed...then we were all sick. Miles was very happy to see her.  Not so happy about the short visit when she left.

My mom knows one of the ways to Darrin's heart is through coffee.  This is what you call the hook up...

 Miles was quick to follow Uncle Dave outside after lunch to help secure the mattress.

Miles was a little sad after they left so we turned his frown upside down with popcorn and a movie.

I also did a little resale shopping this weekend.  Not particularly smart when you are moving and don't know what you will need in your future house, but who can't use a few side chairs?  I bought two like the one to the right of the couch. 

I also bought this desk.  I LOVE it.  My mom is going to help me repair and refinish it. I can't wait to get started.  Sure hope the new house has a special place for it.

Speaking of houses, we went to look at another house this afternoon that is very intriguing.  It has the PERFECT place for the desk, among other things.  We are trying to just be patient as we walk through this adventure.  As much as I like to look at houses, it would be a shame to find the 'one' so quickly.  Although, the fun of house hunting is dampened a bit when you have to drive 50 minutes to the town where you are moving.  Nevertheless.... It was a great weekend. Hope yours was too!

Friday Fun Night

Miles had a impromptu Friday Fun Night. He went outside to play the minute we got home from daycare.  When it was time to come in for dinner, we asked two of his friends to join us. Miles loves to have friends over for dinner. Most of the time it doesn't work out, so he was thrilled when Savannah & Cambry were both able to eat with us.  We had tacos in a bowl, which were too spicy for the girls, but we were still happy to have them. 

After dinner, they played the XBOX, which is usually off limits.  Miles was shocked when I actually said yes.  I like the games that use the Connect so they are at least jumping around and not just sitting in a chair with a controller. 

I made these peanut butter cookies while they played.  They wanted to help, so I let them put the Hersey Kisses in the cookies when they were finished baking.  It's the first time I've made them and all three of us approved.

Now, they are in the living room watching Jessie and Lab Rats on Netflix.  We are breaking all the rules tonight and Cambry is staying until 9pm. We are pretending it's summer when anything goes....even though it's still cold outside.

When I got to daycare this afternoon, the director had all the kids sitting down listening to her b/c they were in trouble. Apparently they've been a rowdy crew this week.  As punishment they got their rock wall taken away for a week. In the car, Miles declared that it was the worst day of his life. I'm pretty sure this day has gone from worst to first.

Three Thoughts & Some Stuff I Like

We went to look at the for sale by owner house last night in Medina.  Half way through the tour Miles busted out with "this house is legit".  This kid cannot be five.  We walked away from the house feeling like it was the one and then today I've been filled with all kinds of doubt.  Thankfully there is no rush, so I'm just going to take a few deep breaths and keep walking through this process.  Darrin is good at talking me off the ledge.

I've had car fever so bad lately. When we were car shopping for Darrin we saw a few that I would like to have. We have committed to one car payment at a time, so this simply cannot happen. Darrin waited a sweet forever for his new ride, so I need to buckle up in the Highlander and enjoy the ride. #punintended  To make myself more content with my car, I had it detailed today and ordered new floor mats from Amazon that are actually made to fit a Highlander....instead of some from Walmart that curl on the edges and scoot all over the place b/c they don't fit.  I also took all the UTM hype off the car and added a new Union decal. I guess I'm good to go for the next 3-4 years :)

I signed up for Le Tote.  It's a clothing & accessory rental website with a monthly fee.  You can also buy the clothing if you like it.  I read about it on this blog, which is a new favorite.  You pick out some styles and enter your sizes.  Then, they pick out 2 accessories and 3 articles of clothing for you. They let you know when your 'Tote' is ready. You have 24 hours to swap some things out before they ship it to you. I swapped 4 out of 5 items, so clearly I am very open to their suggestions.  You get to keep the items as long as you want.  When you return them, they will send you more. It's kind of like Netflix when they used to come in the mail.  I don't really like shopping for clothes, so this sounded like a fun way to branch out and maybe find some items to buy.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Now on to some Stuff I Like.  It's just a short list today.

This Appliance Tray 

Darrin's Keurig (because I don't drink coffee) is under the cabinet. Every time he wanted to use it, he had to pull it out to raise the top.  I read about this appliance tray that slides in and out easily.  The size is perfect for a Keurig.  It's such a handy little gadget, and it was super cheap.  Highly recommend.

Married At First Sight 



The trailer for the first season of Married at First Sight popped up in my Facebook newsfeed a couple months ago.  It comes on the FYI network.  I'd never heard of it.  I watched the first episode and then binge watched the rest of the season in like two days.  I watched some episodes online and some on Amazon Prime.  The second season started this week, but I don't get the channel, so I'll have to wait.  It was very interesting to me.  I think I may have mentioned it on here before so if you are reading this for the second time, go watch it!

Chocolate Almond Milk

 

I'm not a huge chocolate milk fan, but this stuff is so good.  If you try to avoid a lot of dairy, give this a shot.  It still has sugar like regular chocolate milk, but it's good for a treat.  I also warm it up and drink it as hot chocolate.

And last, I love these recaps of the Bachelor finale (here & here). My favorite line from each..."it's clear that the interns had gone to Pinterest and typed in "fancy barn"......and....."Becca and Whitney had "last chance" dates where they did Powerpoint presentations as to why they were the best choice, and then Mark Cuban offered them money...wait nope that's "Shark Tank"...how weird that I got the two shows confused."

That's all for tonight. Let me know if you try/read any of the things I'm liking right now.

Thoughts for Today

Miles woke up Monday morning with a terrible rash on his cheeks. He's never had Fifths Disease, but the thought crossed my mind b/c you always see that Illness Alert posted at daycare.

I asked his teachers when I picked him up that afternoon and they confirmed that's what it looked like. Apparently you aren't contagious after your fever goes away, and that's when the rash appears.  It looked even worse this morning, but started disappearing towards the end of the day.

I went to a local consignment sale over the weekend. It was really picked over because I went on the third day. The only item of clothing I bought was a Sonic the Hedgehog t-shirt for Miles to sleep in for $1.50.  I did pick up this Leap Pad for $10. It came with 4 games & books.  Miles really likes it. Some of the games are too advanced for him, but he is very entertained by the ones that are age appropriate.

A couple months ago, Miles graduated to a big bed. We wanted him to have more room to stretch out, and I also wanted to have another big bed in our house for guests. I've been waiting until he was out of the bed wetting phase. He's still not 100%, but he's good enough.  I knew when we bought him a bigger bed, I wanted to spring for Pottery Barn bedding. Miles picked out the Marvel quilt, but it was back ordered for a long time. Batman was his second choice. I have to say, after holding out for so long to buy this, knowing it was exactly what I wanted, in the end it is only okay for me.  I really like it, but I don't love it.  He seems to like it, so that's good enough for me.  I did a Pinterest project and wrapped the box springs in material. It was a bigger job than I thought, but I like it and I don't have to mess with a bed skirt.  I ordered the bed frame from Overstock and I'm very pleased with it.  I still need to get a new nightstand & lamp.

It was a beautiful day yesterday.  We ate outside for the first time this year.  Miles likes to eat outside during the summer, b/c he's usually playing outside when it's time to eat and he likes to keep an eye on his friends and make sure they don't go inside.  He bosses them from the deck...telling them to play on the trampoline or wait in his tree house. 

I'm not mentioning any names, but someone has WAY too many toys...

There is going to be a major purge if & when we move.

The three of us looked at seven houses in Medina today and we didn't like any of them. The lots are tiny, there are no trees, no detached garages, no pools, and apparently no one cooks in Medina b/c the kitchens are very small.  Let me rephrase, there are none of these things in our price range.  The whole day was a reality check.  The bottom line is that we are moving away from Martin, my home for the last 20 years and Darrin's for the last 14, and things are going to be different. The town is different, the neighborhoods are different, the people are different.  It was a little disheartening, but we are both confident that different isn't bad, it's just different.  Change takes some time. We believe wholeheartedly that God has chosen this path for us. And....I'm sure He is okay with my struggle.  Meanwhile, I'm going to continue to look for a kitchen that I love as much as mine...sniff, sniff...

After house hunting for us, I showed our house to someone.  Then, we ate dinner and played with Miles' Batman Caves together, even though it looks like they are leaving me out...

I feel certain that Miles' love tank was full after just an hour of playing together.

Such a simple way to make him incredibly happy. We should take the time to do this more often. All we really had to do was lay beside him while he played.  He never likes how I play anyway. No matter where I put something, he will always move it or tell me how it should be. I noticed tonight that he doesn't do that with Darrin.  I guess they understand boy stuff. 

We are looking at another house tomorrow that is for sale by owner.  Really hoping it gives us some hope even if it's not the one.  It's been a long day & it's time for me to crawl in bed and watch a little TV.

Weekend Wrap Up

We had another weekend of Miles feeling under the weather. Darrin was gone all day Saturday recruiting. I spent the day working around the house and Miles spent the day watching TV.

He went to bed at 7:30pm...

Seriously...that's about all I have for the entire weekend. We did put our house on Zillow last night and things are happening already.  Maybe I'll have some news to share soon.

Small World

So....last Tuesday at work it was decided that I needed to go to a meeting in Knoxville on Thursday, which meant leaving on Wednesday and returning on Friday, since it's a six hour drive.  Normally the last minute plan would make me panic a little, but surprisingly I didn't, and Darrin and I managed to put together an action plan that covered Miles. If I'm being honest, this little trip meant that Darrin would have to take Miles to get his last three immunizations instead of me, and that's not a bad reason to drive 12 hours round trip and be gone for two nights in my opinion.

I've been dealing with a cold that escalated during my trip. I used my share of cough drops, Kleenex, cough medicine, and nose spray.  I really didn't feel that bad...I just sounded rough and didn't have much of a voice. It would come and go, which was annoying. 

The first night I was there, my boss and I made a late night run to Kroger to get a few things. I made a beeline for the pharmacy to see what I could get my hands on. I had to get the cold medicine from the pharmacist.  When I walked up, the pharmacist was my AOII Big Sister, Jennifer, whom I haven't spoken with in years.  She moved away and she's not on Facebook, so I had lost touch with her. I had no idea she lived in Knoxville.  It was amazing to see her. She still looks the exact same.

I could have talked to her forever, but it was late and my boss was waiting in the car. I can't even describe what a fun surprise it was. What are the chances that I'm six hours from home, with a cold, and I pick the one pharmacy where she is working, at 9:30 at night??  It felt like a once in a lifetime moment to have something like that happen.  Alpha Love forever, right sisters?!?

More of Miles' Quotes & Quality Control

Miles is still on a roll with his one liners.  Yesterday he had some pjs on from last winter so they were a little snug, as you can imagine.  As he was taking them off, he said, "These pjs are exceptionally hard to get off."  He also used the word "officially" in perfect context over the weekend, but I can't remember b/c I didn't write it down.  That's what happens.

We haven't "officially" told Miles that we are moving, but we have talked about it in front of him. I figured that he was taking it all in, and I was right.  When I picked him up from school yesterday, his teacher said that he was telling all the kids at his lunch table that he was moving to Jackson. She said that when they started telling him not to move & that he couldn't leave, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, you have to do what you have to do."  He then proceeded to tell them that his mom said we have to go, so we have to go.

Since the subject of moving came up, I decided to talk to him about it on the way home. Let me tell you, he's not a fan. I kind of broke my heart. I know he will be fine, but it's hard to hear him say that he loves Martin....doesn't want to leave.....likes his friends...and doesn't need new ones.  I hear ya, Miles.  Preach on.

Grocery shopping day is a big pain around here for everyone. Lots of shopping, unloading, cleaning out, food prep, etc. No one enjoys Walmart day.  Miles has a few tasks associated with grocery day, such as putting the toilet paper away, pulling the grapes off and putting them in a bowl to be washed, and the latest, putting the eggs in the egg container.  He takes this new job VERY seriously. So much so that I question every time why we continue to give him this job. What should be a 1-2 minute task literally takes him ten minutes.  He inspects every egg for "cracks and discoloration" his terms as taught by Darrin.

When his little personality shines through in moments like this, we often like to imagine what he'll be when he grows up.  Like when he was completely obsessed with spiders, we said he was going to be in pest control.  The way he recalls Bible stories makes me say he's going to be a preacher.  The attention to detail with the the egg assignment definitely lends itself to quality control or food inspection. Nothing is getting past this kid.

The Bachelor Finale As I See It

Miles and I took some silly pictures the other night as he was going to bed.  They seem to capture my feelings about the Bachelor finale and the After the Final Rose show. Shall we discuss briefly?

I can't say I was really surprised...

...by any of it b/c I read the spoilers weeks ago. Some things never change.  I think it makes the whole season more interesting when you know how it ends. You can watch from a different perspective. There was that one time that Reality Steve lead me astray, but I've since forgiven him and trust that he won't make that mistake again. I found the whole episode silly... 

...and awkward.  Barns and fields? And all the interactions seemed forced and emotionless.  It was just weird. For a brief moment, I was happy...

...b/c I thought the spoilers might be wrong.  He seemed to have chemistry with Becca and a business deal with Whitney.  Whitney is very sweet, but I just can't imagine this is it for them.  Hopefully I'm wrong.  The finale basically put me to sleep...

...and so did the beginning of the After the Final Rose.  That is until Jimmy Kimmel told Chris that Becca wasn't into him....and then brought out the cow and called it Juan Pablo...and then Chris Harrison said "Ezzz ok".  That made me laugh out loud.  But then, the 'never before' announcement about two Bachelorettes brought me back down and left me mad...

...b/c the spoilers told me about Kaitlyn, but not Britt.  Britt is a deal breaker for me. I've protested a season before b/c I didn't like the choice and I'm not scared to do it again!  It will make me sad...

...to miss a season.  However, Kaitlyn isn't enough to overcompensate for my dislike of Britt's red lipstick and Converse, and her need to "process" everything.  So there you have it. I'm feeling a little crazy...

...that the season ended so anticlimactically.  There's nothing left to do but go to bed. Good night all!