Stomach Flu

Eddie had his first case of the stomach flu this week. It began Monday night, at 7:30; he hadn't demonstrated any signs of being sick all day. As I was getting him ready for bed, he seemed extra tired. I took him into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He wouldn't sit in his tooth brushing chair. Instead he sat on my lap. I asked him if he was tired. He immediately stood up and threw up all over the bathroom. It didn't stop very quickly. When it did I reached out for him and it began all over again. When it stopped the second time, I picked him up, just to have him go a third time all over me. In the next six or seven hours he threw up nine times (I am counting the first time I wrote about as only one time). Pretty soon there was nothing for him to throw up. It was helpful in that we stopped going through so many clothes, towels, and sheets, but it seemed to hurt him more and scare him more when nothing was actually coming out. He got so tired by the whole ordeal that he would just sleep in between each occurrence. He'd wake up, immediately throw up, and fall right back to sleep. On Tuesday, he threw up only twice, in quick succession after I tried to feed him a little something mid-morning. He had small periods of playfulness (during one he gave me a hug and said "I happy", the first time he has verbally expressed an emotion!), but he mainly wanted to be held. He couldn't eat anything, and he would get really warm during his low periods. He slept really well Tuesday night (through the night, in fact, which is rare for him). Yesterday he acted normal, though he would never ask for food and would only eat a bite or two if I gave him something. Today he has asked for food and is eating more, though not as much as normal. He seems perfectly fine today, though. It has been horrible to see him so sick. I know we have been blessed, in that he is 20 months old and this is his first time to throw up. Yet, my heart has been broken all week to see him suffer so much. The picture is of him in a happy moment, laying in our bed. He loved sleeping with Mom and Dad this week. I love him so much!

Crunching Leaves

Eddie loves stepping on leaves. He even steps on pictures of leaves, as demonstrated in this photo.

Screaming

Eddie has taken to random screaming. He began by doing it only in the car but now has no limits. He thinks it is hilarious and wants us to scream, too. At least he looks this cute while doing it!

Great News!

Great news! Ben was able to wear his church shoes for the first time on Saturday! His left foot has been so swollen since the accident that it has been impossible for him to wear his own shoes. We bought new tennis shoes in a bigger size a month or so back. To church he has still been wearing his big walking boot, even though he doesn't really need it for support. The doctor said that his foot will probably always be swollen and to not even worry about how swollen until the injury is at least a year old. We feel really blessed that he can fit into his shoes already. Now he is all dressed up and ready to mow the lawn!

Laying on the Couch

In the last week or so Eddie has taken to laying on the couch. Sometimes he does it to watch one of his movies (Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo). Sometimes he just lays there. I think it makes him seem so grown up (despite the little kid pajamas!).

Tooth Brushing

Eddie loves brushing his teeth. Before going to bed each night, we get out his special "tooth brushing chair". It used to be a chair that was always at his disposal until he kept using it to climb onto things that were dangerous. He fell off it a lot since it isn't sturdy. So I made it into a "special" chair he can only sit in to brush his teeth. He climbs in. He brushes his teeth (and mine). He is getting better at actually brushing his teeth, rather than just sucking the toothpaste off the bristles.

He still loves to suck the toothpaste straight out of the tube, though. I try to keep it out of his reach, but sometimes he snatches it from me! He then lets me brush his teeth and tongue!

His reward is playing in the water in the sink for a minute while I rinse his mouth and toothbrush. He always selects something to play with in the sink (this day it was a bucket; sometimes it's the icecream scoop or a pan). He never lets us skip tooth brushing before bed. If I try, he says "tee'" while touching his teeth. His dentist will be proud!

Eddie Gives the Best Hugs

Here is a sweet picture of Eddie giving his Daddy a hug. Eddie is a very sweet-hearted boy. He gives us many hugs and cuddles all day long. While he is hugging us he says "ooohhh". It is so sweet. Sometimes I call him "my huggy boy", which I know his Grandma used to call his Dad as a boy. He never lets his Dad leave without requesting a "hu'" and a "tiss". I think these days he is probably more likely to give his Dad unrequested hugs and kisses, although I am not lacking in the hug department. Ben definitely gets the most unrequested kisses, though. I always tell Eddie he gives the best hugs. Each time I say it, he nods his head knowingly. I love this kid!

Sleepy Boy

I know every child eventually falls asleep in random places, but I could never imagine it happening to Eddie. He has always had such a hard time falling asleep. He tries hard, but it takes a lot of work and and time. Last Wednesday, though, he actually feel asleep in his chair after eating lunch. I couldn't believe it. I washed him off, got him out, changed his poopy diaper, and put him to bed-all while he was asleep!

Our Valentine's Day

Eddie and I began the day before making a Valentine for Ben. I had thought we would make Valentines for other loved ones, but it seems that making Valentines may be a better project for next year. Eddie was much more interested in writing on the table and on his shirt, as you can see here.

Eddie and I both really enjoy the flowers Ben surprised me with! Eddie loves to smell them and say "flars...prittee".

The best part of our day was meeting Peter, our new baby who is scheduled to join our family around May 12. We had our 3-D ultrasound; I don't know what it is about seeing your baby that makes it so much more real. I think Peter looks a lot like Eddie, especially in the broad forehead, basic head shape, and chin. He definitely has Ben's nose, though, which is really fun to see. We got to see him open his little mouth. I am so excited to have my little Peter. Eddie is equally excited about the Peter in my stomach as he is about the Peter in his stomach. Yesterday, when he was hungry, he grabbed his stomach and said "Peter". Before going to bed last night, Eddie was insistent that he say goodnight to the Peter in his stomach.

Eddie tried his first jello. I think you can tell from this picture just how excited he was about it (notice the spoon he pulled out of his mouth after having a bite), but you can't tell that he was equally weirded out. He kept touching it (and wanting us to touch it) and saying, "It's cold!". He had a hard time swallowing it because of the slippery quality.


Last night we decorated some heart-shaped cupcakes. Eddie loved the sprinkles the best, as you can tell from his lips and the table!

Our Musical Genius

Eddie loves to play his harmonica. It is just one of those Kindermusik harmonicas, so it isn't difficult to play. I am still surprised, though, at how good he is. Not to mention cute!

First Reading

Eddie actually enjoyed reading books with me at the library on Monday (usually he isn't there for the books-he likes the carousel horses and the children's computers). He even chose one he wanted to take home. He carried it all the way to the counter, handed it to the librarian, got it back from her, and carried it halfway to the car. He was really excited about his book. It was "Have You Seen My Cat?" by Eric Carle. It is a predictable book. On each page the boy asks someone, "Have you seen my cat?". They point to a cat, and the boy says, "This is not my cat." He had me read it to him many times that day. Eddie actually read the book to himself, too! He read it by turning pages, pointing to each cat, shaking his head no while saying "cat". Here is a picture of him reading his book at his spot (he sits in this one corner of the couch with the cushion off). I know this is just the beginning, but it is really exciting to see him start to read!

At least he likes to be clean!

Eddie is quite a fan of napkins. He asks to have one with each meal. He wipes his mouth after almost every bite. If he spills on his shirt, he will wipe at it with his napkin. He also likes to use the napkin to wipe the table between bites. I guess he has cleanliness issues.

Hat Obsession

Every morning when I go to get Eddie dressed, he says "hat" and wants this hat on first thing. This particular day, I put on the whole ensemble. It isn't that cold outside here, and all of his pants were in the wash. I think he looks pretty cute!

What a good Daddy Eddie will make...

We have been diapering Eddie's stuffed animals for months now. Yesterday Eddie realized that there are many more things we can be doing with them. He enjoyed putting them in his booster seat, so they could eat. He enjoyed holding them up towards the tv so they could watch his shish movie. He enjoyed holding them up at church so they could watch the music director lead the music. It's sweet to watch him take care of his stuffed animals.

Scripture Reading

Last night I experienced one of those proud moments as a parent. We were late for bed, as usual. Ben read us our family scriptures as I put Eddie in his pajamas. Usually after we read our family scriptures, we read a page of Eddie's scriptures (the Book of Mormon picture book). Then we brush teeth, read books, and go to bed. I chose to bypass some of these tasks to get Eddie in to bed faster. So I told him to choose a book to read before bed. He ran-not to his book basket-but to where we keep his scriptures, grabbed his scriptures, and brought them to me. Somehow it is sweet and touching as a parent to realize the things you are doing each day really are making an impression on your child. I hope his desire to read the scriptures will grow as he does until he has a deep love for them, as I do.

Blueberries and Yogurt

Eddie loves blueberries and yogurt for breakfast. He keeps asking for more blueberries (blueba-y-like saying bluebaby without the second b in baby) after he finishes all that he has in his bowl.