I was hoping to have a great picture of Erin to show you today…but it’s still on the camera.

I was hoping that we would get a good night’s sleep last night…no such luck.

I was hoping that Alex’s massive blowout diaper yesterday evening (in the nursery…SO sorry to those ladies!) would make him feel better…apparently it didn’t.

I was hoping to be done with sickness by this week…there is always tomorrow, right?

I was hoping that Alex’s fever last week was roseola…but no major rash every showed up. I guess it was just a fever.

I am hoping to get some sleep again soon.

I am hoping that Erin doesn’t catch whatever is bothering Alex.

I am hoping that my children don’t get colds since we were back in the nursery yesterday for the first time in weeks.

I am hoping that all you other mothers whose kids are super-sick right now start to see an upswing quickly.

I am hoping to have a better attitude and less frustration.

I am hoping to keep up with the cleaning that happened at my house over the weekend.

After all, hope springs eternal…

Happy Monday!

I chatted with my mom yesterday morning, to tell her that I was planning to take Alex in to the doctor yesterday. He’d had a fever for 3-4 days straight, and I was getting tired of it.

Me: So I’d like him to check Alex’s ears, just to be sure it isn’t related to that, and then ask about the fever.
Mom: You know, there’s this virus called Roseola that Chris (my brother) used to get when he was about Alex’s age.
Me: Really?
Mom: Yeah. They get this fever for 4-5 days and then the fever breaks and they get a rash, but once the rash comes, the virus is basically done.
Me: Oh…maybe that’s what it is.

It was an interesting trek to the pediatrician’s office yesterday in the snow storm, and a pretty long wait in the waiting room (we’d arrived early because they said we could, but we didn’t actually get in any earlier. Oh well). But we did finally determine that Alex’s ears are totally clear again. Thankfully. We also asked him about the 4-day fever he’d had.

Me: So he’s had this fever, like 101 or 102, for 4 days. But no other symptoms.
Dr.: Nothing else at all?
Me: Nope.
Dr.: (after some other questions) Well, there is this thing called Roseola…

He then explained it, just like my mom had. I guess I should’ve paid my mom $20 for a co-pay instead of him!

Anyway, the fever seems to be gone today, though I haven’t seen the red bumps of Roseola yet. I’ll just be glad if my jolly guy is really back for a while now.

It started Wednesday, December 16 (I checked my FB status update to be sure of the date) at 11:00 at night. Alex had croup.

By the weekend, he had a cold.

By Monday, he had an ear infection. We survive Christmas weekend…things start to look better at least some of the time.

On the following Monday, he had a second ear infection (despite being on the pink stuff for the entire previous week).

We start the white stuff. Things improve slightly.

But Alex remains fussy and anti-sleeping. We determine that his stomach hurts. We blame the white stuff for messing up his good bacteria, too.

By Saturday, January 2, he seems himself again (after a ginormous diaper blowout) with only the occasional fussy spell. Over the next few days, he starts to sleep longer again. He still isn’t quite himself all the time, but it seems to be passing slowly away.

And then, yesterday, we start again.

Fever all day. 101.4 in the evening (between Motrin doses). Still warm this morning. No idea what this is.

So now I’m trying to decide if his ears are still not quite healed (today is his last dose of white stuff) or whether we are now getting a virus or if something else is heading our way. I think I’m going to wait a day or two more before heading to the doctor’s office (if it’s a virus, they can’t do anything anyway).

But still…I’m sick of sickness! And I want Alex to feel good again so he can be his jolly little self again. We miss our happy man! So hopefully, this will pass quickly. After 3 full weeks of various sicknesses, I’m ready for a reprieve!

So it’s 2010.  Or 0-10.  Or 2KX, as Eric said the other day (you know, 2+K (for a thousand)+X (the Roman numeral for 10). 

Of course, I’m 5 days late writing anything about the turn of the year, really, but my in-laws have dial-up, so blogging at their house isn’t really possible.  And yesterday I was finding my house again.  And well, it’s already the fifth of January.

Man, times flies these days.

Anyway, I’m not sure I have a lot to say on the subject of the new year.  2009 was a blur of sleepless nights and baby milestones.  But more than that, it was sort of a meandering year.  Unfocused.

Eric and I had a really good talk on New Year’s Eve (around 9 pm, shortly before we went to bed) about how it was a good year and all, but how we both feel sort of purposeless.   Not that I’m discounting my role as a mommy.  That’s not what I’m talking about.  Nor do I mean the somewhat mundane realities of being a SAHM: the laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc.

I really have just felt, for a long time, that I have no idea where I’m going anymore.  I’m not in academia anymore (and don’t really intend to go back), and that gave me something to work toward for a long time.  Eric felt the same way.  He doesn’t really have the drive and passion for his job that he once had.  Our church home hasn’t really felt like home for a while either.  But neither of us really have a sense for the direction God wants us to go or do or be. 

Of course, I’ve also been really lax on my bible reading and prayer time the last year.  And my normally type-A personality has not really returned since the babies were born.  So I’ve felt like I’m floundering a bit. 

And, even though I’m not one to make resolutions, I think I’ll just start at those two things.  Retrain myself to be diligent in my time with God and in taking care of my house and kids.  I’m working on creating a chore list for myself (daily, weekly, etc) since I tend to work best from lists (I love crossing things off!).  And I’m using a neat website I stumbled across the other day to help me take the time to read Scripture on a daily basis again. 

And hopefully, 2010 will the year where God opens up a new and wonderful direction for my family.  Happy Tuesday!

I think I’ll try doing a recap in short phrases since it’s been most of a week since I updated. Jess does 3 word updates, but I think I’ll need five for some of them. We’ll see how it goes…

From Thursday:
Grandpa doing well
Tried to clean
Alex still fussy
QT with Eric (Good talk)
Bed at 10:30
Ignored arrival of New Year

New Year’s Day:
Got up early
Got babies ready
Packed and cleaned
Drove to Farm
Time with family
Opened Christmas gifts
Erin dances to every song
Played the Wii
Alex still fussy
Decent night’s sleep

Saturday:
Grandma cuddles babies!
Great-grandparents came over.
More Christmas presents
Babies eat spaghetti
Two bowls total!
Plus other food.
Then Alex poops.
Alex requires bath.
Jolly Alex returns.
Longer naps return.
More playing the Wii
More family time.
One more fussy Alex spell
Good night sleep

Sunday:
Babies up early
Fall asleep again on people
Grandma skips Sunday School
Get to church
Potluck after church
Family stays for meetings
Head to farm to pack
Pack the Jeep
Drive home during nap time
Family time together
Twins to bed
Grown-ups to bed
Good night’s sleep

And now it is today! Happy “Back to Routine” day everyone!