Croup and the Little Buddy

Nick finally got to something before Lainey! At 1:30am on Monday morning, he took a trip to the Emergency Room. I always thought he'd make it there first, but I expected it to be for stitches or a broken bone. But, croup ended up being the culprit. It hit him hard around 1:00am when he woke with the tell-tale cough and very labored breathing, so off we went. We are lucky to be less than 15 minutes from a children’s hospital, and they were empty when we arrived, so we got care very quickly. Steroids and breathing treatments put him right, although he fought everything very fiercely. Like me sweating through my t-shirt fighting him fiercely. Amazingly, he fully recovered by that afternoon. No wheezing, no barking cough—nothing. Kids. When Lainey had croup, she carried on for a week, but never so seriously that she required hospital treatment. Maybe those steroids just really did the trick for him.

I was able to clock about 30 minutes sleep when we returned home before it was time to get Lainey up for school. She started throwing a fit about not wanting to go and I had zero fight in me, so I told her she could stay, but she had to entertain herself and let Nick and me sleep this morning and be my helper during the day. And NO iPAD! (I knew in her head she was thinking with Nick sick they’d just get screen time all day.) She agreed and got up to eat breakfast with Mark before he left to work. I’ll have to say Lainey stayed true to her word and was a HUGE help to me. While I dosed for about an hour, she cleaned up the kitchen and the office (like for REAL cleaned it) and made cards for Nick, Mark, and me. So sweet. She also ran up and down the stairs to get things I needed and kept Nick occupied in the basement for over an hour, so I could get some work done. I was really proud of her and she beamed when I told her! I’m so glad I kept her home!

So all is right in the house again, although I think Mark and I are still recovering from the lack of sleep. Is it Friday yet?

Ages and Stages

Best Buds!

Lainey and Nick recently had their wellness check-ups and both are happy, healthy, growing kids!

Nick weighed in at 33 pounds and stands 38.5” tall, putting him in the 50-75^th percentile. He passed his 36-month Ages and Stages questionnaire with flying colors! He can do everything a three-year-old should and a little more. And the biggest news of all—he is POTTY TRAINED! He’s been sporting his awesome super hero and Star Wars underwear for two weeks with only two accidents—he’s even dry through the night! Way to go Little Buddy! Nick’s favorite activities are tying up his stuffed animals, finding worms, and eating sugar—anything with sugar—he was a mad man on Easter Sunday. His current life ambition is “to eat blue lollipops when he grows up.” The positive of this is it’s a totally achievable dream. Go get ‘em, Nick! Nick is our funny boy, who loves to be silly and make people laugh. While he’s become a little more (okay A LOT more) particular and combative when things don’t go his way, he’s still more sunshine than storm and he gives the best hugs and kisses!

On to Miss Elaine…who is TALL! She is at 44 inches now, which is the 90^th percentile and the average for a six-year-old girl. Her BMI is still on the high side, but our new doctor said that number is BS and she’s perfectly healthy and proportional. Lainey also got her immunizations to start Kindergarten at this visit (hubba, whaaat?)! Lainey’s still really into coloring and has become quite the little artist…I’m seriously impressed with some of her recent drawings. Right now she either wants to be an artist, a doctor at the zoo, or a swimming lessons teacher when she grows up. She continues to be a difficult and challenging little girl, full of stubbornness and fire. But, when she’s feeling the love she’s AMAZING and has become quite the little helper around the house.

Time, it is a flyin’! I’m so thankful for these two healthy, smart, and loving kiddos! They make life challenging, but they don’t skimp on the rewards either!

Nick’s Birthday: Episode 3

The Brandi clan all gathered in Moline to celebrate Eleanor and Nick’s birthday in a fun-packed weekend of bowling, pizza, and cake! It was an awesome weekend with family, and Mark and I even managed a coffee break with our friends, Josh Ford and Josh Schilb. Who knew the Quad Cities had such a hip coffee house? It was great to catch up with them and to enjoy a few kid-free hours—thanks again to Lonnie, Matt, and Kamra for holding down the front at home.

Saturday afternoon it was off to bowling! Nick was kind of slow to warm to the events, but Lainey was on fire and bowled a 108 (with bumpers and a ball ramp). After bowling we enjoyed pizza and cake back at the house. The two guests of honor were the absolute cutest blowing out their candles (or trying to—I swear they weren’t trick candles!) and then painting their faces with frosting. Nick was really hamming it up and loving the attention of making everyone laugh. Eleanor was giggling so hard she almost had tears. We all loved seeing these two having so much fun and are excited to watch them grow up together!

We already miss you all and are looking forward to the next time we can be together!

Celebrate, Good Times!

Our family had a lot to celebrate in March…Dad turned 70, Nick turned 3, and Chris finished his PhD!  We were fortunate enough that schedules aligned, and we could all be together this past weekend to properly toast these milestones. Clearly, Nick was the star, but we threw the other two Anderson men a bone (or a pie anyway—rhubarb for Dad and lemon meringue for Chris).

Saturday was super busy starting with Lainey’s swim lesson with special guests Uncle Chris and Uncle Sean. They gave her major motivation to show off her skills—it was her best class yet! Afterwards, we hustled back home to color Easter eggs and decorate the dining room for Nick’s lunchtime birthday party, complete with party hats (at Nick’s request) and an Incredible Hulk cake, which I don’t mind saying was indeed pretty incredible (pat on the back to me). After everyone had a piece, Nick was allowed to “SMASH it!”—he even let Lainey get in on the fun. Then it was presents, presents, presents—the clothes quickly tossed to the side in favor of his new trucks, giant building bricks, and A LOT of suckers that Grandpa regifted from his 70^th—what three-year-old doesn’t need 70 dum-dums? (Some may or may not have made their way to my office yesterday). 

Not bad, not bad  at all!

 

Time to blow out the candle

Post-SMASH!!

Tuckered

After we had the kids properly riled up on sugar and new toys, it was time for the grown-ups to gussy up, leave the kids with the babysitter, and head downtown for dinner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, where we properly toasted Dad and his 70 years with a second toast to Chris and his academic accomplishment. Thanks to Uber XL we were safely chauffeured down and back and we were able to enjoy cocktails and wine without a worry!

Happy Belated Birthday, Dad!

The weather on Sunday took a surprise turn for the better with sunshine and warm temperatures. We had a successful egg hunt in the backyard and then the crew shuttled the kids off to the park to run off their jelly bean highs and allow me some peace and quiet to bake pies and prepare Easter dinner. It was a nice treat for me to have some time to myself in the kitchen. I really do love baking and cooking—just a little less so with two kids under my feet and vying for my constant attention. The meal came out well (and on time), and we had the evening to relax and eat all that delicious pie.

It was a very fun, very exciting weekend and the kids were very sad to see everyone go home. They are already counting down until Lainey’s birthday in June.

Now just a little under two weeks until we have Nick’s birthday celebration number THREE in Moline. This time he has to share the limelight with Eleanor…stay tuned for the adorableness!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Nick!

Make a wish!

With every birthday, I say it..."I can't believe you're x years old. It went so fast!" And I say it again today. I just can't believe it's been three years since Mark and I heard the doctor say, "look what he has!" and we both burst into laughter. Our son had arrived!

Nick, you are such a delight and a gift to our family. You remind us to have fun and be silly, to play hard and get dirty, and to always remember who we are. You are Nick. And you are wonderful!

So, happy 3rd birthday to our little buddy with a mischievous smile that makes us laugh when we should be stern, hound dog eyes that melt our hearts when we should be tough, and full body hugs that crush any thoughts of discipline. 

Nicholas, you play us like a fiddle, but the music's so sweet!

A Boy's Room

I'm in love with this quilt!

With all the Disney rigmarole, I never got around to posting about Nick's new and improved room! We finally put together the IKEA bed and dresser and ordered some new bedding. You can't see the sheets here, but they are airplanes in bright primary colors (plus green). Super cute and cheerful. We still need to order a rug and get some art on the walls, but after almost three years of life, Nick finally has a real room! Now our guests will be staying in Nick's room versus Nick sleeping in the guest room. 

The Magic Continues!

Truly Magic...
a family picture with all four of us looking at the camera and smiling!

The second half of our trip proved as fantastic as the first half! One bummer that started our day on Tuesday was a bright sunburn on Lainey's face. Despite many applications of sunblock, her fair skin just couldn't take all that Florida sun--just like her mom. Meanwhile, Nick's skin looked perfectly creamy as always--just like his dad. Nick definitely pepped up after Monday, but he was still kind of hit-and-miss as far as ride enjoyment and overall energy level. But, (other than the sunburn) Lainey was in love with every minute. We were truly amazed by her stamina and determination to go, go, go! As I planned and envisioned the trip, I saw the four of us together the entire time and even crossed out rides Nick wasn't tall enough to ride. But, in the end, it ended up more a Mark/Nick and Kylie/Lainey adventure, and that's okay. Everyone had more fun that way! Well, maybe not Mark, but I did all the planning, so I figured it was fair for me to reap the biggest rewards!

Getting ready to fly with my girl!

We spent Tuesday morning at Hollywood Studios and Wednesday morning at Animal Kingdom. We decided to skip Epcot in favor of returning to the Magic Kingdom both evenings. Hollywood Studios fell a little flat, because the focus is more on shows than rides, and the kids just weren't that interested. Lainey didn't even want to do the Frozen sing-along, which was the main reason I worked Hollywood Studios into the trip! However, there was a really great Toy Story ride, and a terrific "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground. Mark took Lainey on the Star Wars ride, while Nick and I headed to the playground. I think it was the most fun he had! And he and I finally got some quality one-on-one time together, since he was glued to Mark all day Monday. The other great thing about Hollywood Studios was the ease of character meet-and-greets. To meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom is a 45-minute wait, but we walked right up to see him at HS. We also got quick meets with Jake and Sophia, and saw lots of Storm Troopers (but, didn't manage to nab a photo).

Animal Kingdom was really great! They have a safari experience that was so fun. It was also nice to be completely off our feet and out of the sun for 20 minutes. We also took in a fun Lion King show, and Lainey went on  her first true-blue, "are you really sure?" roller coaster, Expedition Everest. She just met the height requirement for this one. The coaster goes forward and backwards and is half in the dark. It was a little much for her and, unlike the Seven Dwarfs ride, there were no requests for a  repeat ride. Afterwards, we played some carnival games, where I, not Mark (although he was playing at the same time), won Nick a stuffed dinosaur  at a game of Whack a Dino. Then I promised Lainey to buy her the Simba to match her Nala. When I told Mark the deal, he rolled his eyes. I said, "What? He has two things now...Pluto and the dinosaur." Then Mark reminded me she also got Mouse Ears. Oh yeaaah. So, when the time came to buy Simba, I bought Nick a Mickey Mouse. What? It's Disney World!!!

Family picture in front of the Tree of Life

Lainey believe Tinker Bell actually landed in her hand, and she just missed it. 

As for our other adventures at the Magic Kingdom, Lainey did hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and took Mark on Splash Mountain. After each drop she told him, "that was a big one, Daddy, but not the big one." On the last ride of Tuesday night, we took Nick on the Barnstormer--this was one of those misses I spoke of earlier. He did not enjoy it. At all. Oops. Wednesday, I nabbed a FastPass for prime seating for the Electrical  Parade, which was awesome, and we stayed for the fireworks.

Just I was saying to Mark during the fireworks that this was the perfect way to end our stay, Lainey asked to sit in her stroller, because she didn't feel well. We get back to the room and she has a fever of 102.3. We gave her Tylenol and put her to bed. At 3am she woke with a fever of a whopping 103.8. With each tenth-degree uptick, I said, "Oh no, Mark! Oh no," and willed it to stop before 104 degrees. She was doing okay this morning, but her fever rose again on the plane ride home and is blazing tonight. So, not the best way to end things, but at least she didn't fall ill during the action. Fingers crossed this is just a quick virus!

So, those are the main deets on our Disney World/first family vacation! Going into this whole thing, I really believed  this would be a one and done kind of trip, but now I don't know. I could definitely see us going back when Nick is a few years older--say around the time the new Star Wars section is finished, perhaps? That may be just enough to get Mark back on board!