So it wasn't teething

We had Jack in the ER this morning after he ran a 104.3 fever during the night and, again, vomited his entire bottle all over our bed. We tried to get in with his regular doctor but because of a death in their family, their office was closed today. We tried to go to Nighttime Pediatrics, but apparently they don't open until 11am, even on Saturdays. So, at 8:30 this morning we found ourselves in the ER.
Long story short...he has what looks to be a throat/ear infection. I was surprised to hear that, since he hasn't pulled or touched his ear much and doesn't seem to have a problem eating things that might bother you if your throat was sore.
I'm sure he's fine and will pull through this fantastically. My only real concern is that three weeks ago, he had an "unexplained" fever (102.5) and blood in his urine (only one night). He was tested twice for a UTI but didn't have one. This morning, he had very swollen lymph nodes in his groin area (this also surprised the doctor at the hospital - he had none anywhere else on his body). That, along with the random vomiting that they weren't able to explain, has me a bit on the worried side. But I'm sure that's just me being a new mom and being overly concerned about every little thing.
So, right now he's sleeping kind of peacefully and is on anti-nausea/vomiting meds that have helped him tons today being able to keep fluids down (we also have an antibiotic, but because of how high his fever was they think it's viral so we're going to try to hold off until tomorrow to give him those). He was pretty dehydrated but they didn't go so far as to put an IV in, thank goodness. He hasn't had many wet diapers today, but he did drink maybe a full cup of pedialyte over the course of several hours this afternoon so I'm over-the-moon excited about that.
Who woulda thunk it would take such a simple thing to make me happy??

Teething

I'm home today with Jack, who is teething terribly and is basically a whiny, fussy, clingy, feverish version of his usual sweet and social self. We did not sleep much last night and even had the pleasure of cleaning up vomit twice. Nothing like the smell of sour milk permeating your bedroom in the morning!
I had to go into school at 6:30 this morning to get things ready for a sub, so I'm hoping that he takes a good nap sometime soon. I need one too!
Here is Jack's contribution:
., vfrbg VB CB GGGGGGGV BVCVC' ' BNNN zzz M NNNNNNNNNNN

Cloth Diapering and Teaching...

I never thought I'd sit in an IEP (special ed) meeting and end up talking about cloth diapering. And yet that's the situation I found myself in yesterday. Kind of weird to be talking about a student and their needs and suddenly transition to how I'm diapering my baby!
Long story short, the mom was talking about things she intended to do with her kids before they were born that kind of went out the window. I was lying low until a coworker brought up CDs and all that we've been doing with them. It was very slightly awkward, but I was also so proud to share what we have been/are doing.
I know that even on those days when I question it - when I would so much rather just throw a diaper in the trash - that I'm doing the right thing for us. It might not always be the easiest route, but we're getting there...

Opening Day

Well, technically it really isn't opening day, but I hardly count a Sunday night game two days before any other teams can play the true season opener. Regardless, it's a beautiful day to play ball, and there's just something about springtime that just sings America, apple pie and baseball :)

By the way, this is my attempt to write more frequently, and prove to people that I still have (a bit of) a life outside of being a mom and a teacher!

Jack's Latest

Here are pictures of Jack over the last month or so. He is getting to be so smart and funny, and we're at the point where it's really fun to spend time together. He has such a neat personality - most of the time he is really laid back and smiley, although he has started testing his boundaries lately and throwing little fits. I just laugh at him and eventually he gets over it ;)
Some of the things he's doing right now:

• Still not walking, but getting more confident and starting to let go and fall down. We're getting there!
• Clapping at appropriate times, or when he hears "Hooray!"
• Slapping his hands up over his face when you say, "Oh no!"
• Giving high fives
• Sticking his tongue out when asked - this is way too funny and I need to get a picture of it.
• Eating by himself - he's very fond of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches right now and doesn't want any help with them. He is also using his spoon to eat yogurt and is practicing with his fork.
• Saying "Mama" ALL the time, almost obsessively :)
• "Talking" on the phone when he holds it up to his ear
• "Reading" books - he flips through the pages and makes little sing-song noises like he's reading aloud. It seems that reading to him every day since he was born is already paying off!
• Blowing kisses
  

Jack's Birthday...This is the Photobomb Post...You've Been Warned!

Jack's Birthday...Take Three!

Our weekend was chock-full of birthday parties. We had cousin Athan's on Saturday, as well as BFF Jacob's party. Sunday was Nathan's party in the morning (at Rollie Pollie!) and Jack's was that afternoon. Here are a few pictures from the "other" parties that weekend.

Jack's Birthday...Take Two

I guess I should start at the beginning. My sweet baby, the light of my life, this little bundle of joy...has suddenly turned into a little boy. I don't know when or how it happened, but there he is standing in front of me today with the distinct look of a toddler. Add to that his sense of humor and knack for timing, and my mind is simply blown.

We celebrated on Jack's actual birthday by spending the day together as a family. We went to Toys R Us and picked out a Mickey Mouse kitchen for him. He absolutely loves it!

I had made cupcakes to take to his little party at daycare, but several kids got sick that day so we ended up not having the party. So, Jack went to town that night on his own cupcake. He really enjoyed it, and I think he loved being so messy :)