Month: April 2015 (Page 1 of 2)

I finally succumbed to it.  I’ve been healthy all month despite my germ home invasion. Then I spent most of last night in the bathroom.  Gah.  It seems be all done though – I’m just tired and cautious to eat.  Jack got the bug a couple hours before I did.  By my count we have all four had the latest gastroenteritis in the last week.  I declare us DONE with that and no one can get sick now.  You hear me?!

I’ve had tickets for the Avengers Friday night for over a month.  If something keeps me from the Alamo tomorrow night there will be hell to pay.  

After that continuous string of illnesses in mid April, there have been aftershocks.  Ben had a day of gastroenteritis last Tuesday.  Then Sam was sick Thursday with the same – coming out both ends.  He recovered quickly by the weekend and I thought we were all clear.  But randomly Ben was knocked out again today with a similar thing.  Grrr.  Germs, germs, go away.  Don’t come back another day. 

He did really well. Keeping Sam occupied for one and a half hours, during nap time, was the hard part for me. He’s happily watching Spider-Man now, lips still a little numb two hours after the procedure. They did a frenectomy too. My idea, actually. He needed one eventually, and I figured as long as he’s numbed up we should get it done. The doc agreed and said actually new research is supporting doing them earlier (usually done in preteens). He has a couple stitches from it that will probably hurt more later.

Glad it’s over with. Tooth is under pillow, ready for a fairy visit tonight.

A promise fulfilled – we took the family to the zoo!  Sam hasn’t been since he was newborn.  We went ahead and renewed our membership.  With the early bird discount (before May) our pass was $69 instead of $80.  Considering the cost for a single visit for us is 17+17+12+free = $46, it just makes sense.

We love the Denver zoo!  Animals everywhere you look, friendly staff, and good kid stuff.  Saturday was extra special because Mike’s Camera was sponsoring a free trial.  They had tons of fancy, high-end cameras that you could use for the day and take home all the photos you take.  We decided our hands would be full with the kiddos and passed on the opportunity.  But everywhere you looked there were monopods and humongous lenses.  It made it easy to see where the active animals were – like paparazzi!

Lions and rams are the traditional start to the zoo.

A playful bear, this was Jack’s impression.

Map master.

Once the snacks came out they stole Sam’s attention.

Zoo classic.

Removing children from aggressive peacock reach.

Feeding time gave us an amazing view of the polar bear.

Finish up with big cats on the way out of the zoo. 

There’s more pictures on my flickr photostream if you want to see them all.  I also captured Sam’s motto for the day:

The boys looked extra shaggy so I took them out for haircuts on a snowy spring day.  This was Sam’s first time in a salon, so I sprung for the good stuff at a special kids place.

No tears in sight!

Not pictured is a visit to the dentist the day before.  Sam did not love it, I’ll say that.  But the doc got a good look at his teeth and said it looks fine.  He chipped his front tooth at some point, apparently.  Also, he has a siamese twin tooth.  It’s where two conjoined teeth erupted in a single tooth’s spot.  There’s a definitely ridge, and I always thought it was two teeth very close together.  But he said it would be impossible to floss between them and they are actually a single tooth.  I’d share a picture but he’s impossible to photograph that way.  Maybe when he’s older. 

Jack on the other hand, had bad news.  That front tooth he chipped at 18 months is abscessing and scheduled to be extracted on Wednesday.  Poor dude doesn’t know what’s coming.  I’ve been honest but vague on the procedure and put heavy emphasis on the tooth fairy.  Post-procedure pictures coming later this week I’m sure. 

While the boys were convalescing lumps watching TV, I was able to get a lot of spring cleaning done.  That meant that when I put them in their rooms for proper naps I had time to work on craft projects.  I want to share some of the stuff I made then, and a few older projects.  First the knitting.

I can’t remember if I shared this one, it’s sort of old.  It’s a pattern I’ve done three times now, using Anzula with little sparkles in it. 

This entrelac cowl is a made-up pattern using yarn that I spun myself.  The color changes are all continuous on the yarn and it worked up really neat in this patchwork pattern. 

A light sweater in a cotton-alpaca blend I got in Ogden last summer.  I heavily modified the pattern to make it work for me.  I really like the look of it, but it’s a little itchy to wear 🙁  

This cowl turned out lovely!  Jenn gave me this yarn for Christmas and I got two pieces out of it (previously I made a hat).  The cables really pop with this yarn. 

A surprise success!  This sweater is made with cheap acrylic yarn, making it easy to wear and wash.  The rich brown is flattering (though less red-toned in person) and I LOVE the pattern.  I changed it to work for worsted weight (from fingering).  Very wearable. 

 Many more details on my knitting projects are found on my ravelry page (membership required).

It’s a bit warm for knitwear now, so I turned my eye to sewing.  I have very basic sewing skills and haven’t used my machine for anything but simple tailoring in the last few years.  To start, I got the “Sailor Top” pattern from Fancy Tiger and made two versions. 

Long and luscious, with a hip hugging yoke, I love how it turned out!  This fabric was a mild splurge, but a good use of birthday money.  Too bad I don’t have any cash leftover to keep these shoes from Zappos.  Sigh.  I don’t think I can justify $95 seafoam green sandals. 

My only current project is a shawl to use up some stash yarn.  I have three more queued in my mind though. 

Everyone is well for two days in a row now!  We got zofran from the pediatrician and that allowed Jack to keep water down.  The next day was BRAT diet, and by Sunday he was normal (minus 14% body weight).  Sam spent Sunday with a horrible cough and sneezy nose.  Ben spent Sunday night in a bad fever but woke healthy on Monday.  

I had to get a cavity filling today.  My first in many years, and in my defense, they said it was inevitable as a result of my tooth anatomy – nothing in my dental care could of prevented it.  That matters because you may not know it, but I have impeccable dental care.  I floss daily, brush well with an electric brush, and at every cleaning the hygienist remarks on how little she has to work on me. 

I hate dental work.  You’d think after the years of orthodontics (3rd-9th grade) I’d be over it.  Nope.  I hate people in my mouth.  It’s extra small and hard to work in too, so it usually takes longer than usual to work in the back.

It went ok.  They numbed me up and it spread all over my face, yet the drilling still had some sharp pain and they had to abandon that tool and do it another way (thankfully, dentists are vague about what they are doing in your mouth, so I don’t know what that means.)  Also they couldn’t tell how to get it perfectly smooth.  The bite paper wasn’t showing any problems, but the filling still feels off.  She said to come back if it still doesn’t feel right in a couple days.  After the numbing wears off.  Did I mention I got really numb?

Yeah.  That’s a symmetrical smile attempt.  I turned into a Disney princess.

I’d have preferred the shiny, bouncy hair. 

Also I can’t blow my nose.  The air trumpets out my cheek, flapping like a fart. 

PS: Took Jack to the pediatrician today.  Got a prescription for Zofran and he’s doing better with that.  Keeping water and diluted Gatorade down – less than 1/4 cup total since this morning, but that’s an improvement.  Sam was groggy and weak this morning but got an appetite after AM nap.  Lots of toast and crackers stayed in and he started playing a little. 

No improvement. Yesterday they were worst. Today just started, but it doesn't look good.