Sick of being SICK!

Well it has been quite a month for us! Looking at the calendar, I could only find 4 days of the entire month where one of us wasn't sick. We visited the doctor a total of 10 times this month. David had 4 rounds of blood work and a radiograph and Andrew had a chest film last week as well. Everyone is finally feeling better, except ME! To make a long story short we took Andrew to the doctor last Saturday because he had a mild cough and a low-grade fever. We were told it was just a virus and it would pass, but by Monday evening we were up all night with Andrew coughing so hard he was vomiting. So first thing Tuesday morning we were back at the doctors office... that little virus, was now likely RSV with possible secondary pneumonia. We got antibiotics, steroids and a nebulizer to administer a bronchodilater (we had quite the medical chart going at home - see the above picture). Then we were on our way over to the hospital to get a chest film. Thankfully the radiograph came back clean and we were able to control the symptoms at home. It took about 10 days before he started feeling like himself again. It is no fun having a sick baby and despite my efforts of keeping Drew in the house and sterilizing everything he touches we have not been able to avoid the bugs. Now it is the beginning of March and I decided we are just not going to be sick anymore!

Race Car

Here is Andrew sporting his new race car outfit from Gymboree.com. I never knew shopping for a baby boy would be so much fun! He loves to talk and really loves to watch himself on video, we will have to get some footage of that soon.

Home-made Baby Food Making Day II

Today I had big plans to make new baby food recipes, so I woke up and got right to work! I made several new dishes and some of Andrew's old favorites. My morning goal was fruit purees as well as a home-made vegetable stock to use in some of the recipes. I made another butternut squash; white peach, pear and apple; plumb and apple; plumb. I absolutely love making Andrews baby food! Knowing exactly what he is eating is important to me and I enjoy making a variety of flavors for him to try.

What makes baby food making even more fun is inviting other mommies over to cook with you. Amanda and Joshua came over in the afternoon and we worked together on some more complex recipes. We made Apple and Pear with Cinnamon, Sweet Potato with a hint of Broccoli, and Chicken with Sweet Potato and Apple (we used the vegetable stock in this one). Everything turned out great... we tasted it and so did the boys! Andrew and Joshua made were fantastic, Joshua took over an hour nap and then Drew took a long nap right after him. They were both only awake for a little while together, so they didn't know what to think about each other! Andrew hung out with mom in the sling, I am getting better at cutting fruit and cooking while holding the baby! I sling him on my back when he is wiggly or I am working on the stove.

The final product... baby cubes full of a variety of foods and two happy baby boys!

Hiccups

We started off Monday morning at the pediatrician for Andrew's flu shot (which I have been avoiding for quite some time now)... he did great. Next we stopped by the clinic to check my messages and do some charts. Andrew fell asleep on the way to Marsh and took a nice snooze as I strolled through the isles buying tons of organic fruits and veggies for his baby food. Next we stopped by Cookie cutters for a second official haircut (yes, to fix what I messed up last week!). Andrew was not very happy by the end of the trim, but we got it done. We came home, put groceries away, had lunch and took a 3 hour nap together! Then we took brownies to a friend, stopped by another grocery store, dropped off videos, came home, made dinner, cleaned the kitchen and went to bed! At some point during the day I had the hiccups, which Andrew thought was hilarious, watch the video below!

Valentines Day Weekend

Friday evening David came home from work with a bundle of roses to start he Valentines weekend off! By Saturday morning Andrew was feeling 100% better, so we got up and made daddy breakfast in bed. Andrew took two great naps and I had a chance to get my house cleaned up from the past few weeks (which always puts me in a great mood!), while David caught up on his schoolwork and rested. We went to Boulder Creek for dinner around 4:00 to beat the evening rush. Andrew loved sitting in the high chair and watching all the people. We had a fantastic dinner and then came home put Andrew to bed and watched an entire movie!

Sunday we went to church and just enjoyed the day together. Andrew has been so much fun and is rolling all over the place! It was a much needed wonderful weekend after a few rough weeks of illness.

Beautiful Baby Contest

Thankfully, Andrew was feeling much better today. He slept from 8:30 - 5:30 last night, so I was feeling pretty wonderful too! We woke up and took David to his follow-up doctors appointment and another round of blood work, but he is feeling much better and is back to work. My sister, Kellin, mentioned that I should enter Andrew in the Regis & Kelly Beautiful Baby Contest, so I did! Andrew got his 3rd haircut in 7 months (mommy did it this time) and we got to work taking some snap-shots. Narrowing it down to one photo was the most difficult part for me! I think he is the cutest hands down, but I may be a bit biased!

This was our final pick!

Sick Daddy (& Baby)!

It has been a trying last few weeks at the Shaffer household! David had been struggling with a headache and fever every night for 3 weeks! We had many doctors visits and quite a few trips to the lab for blood draws, but finally discovered the underlying cause of his symptoms... Mononucleosis that had affected his liver values. Luckily at the beginning of Davids sickness, Andrew was on a very good schedule and sleeping 7 - 9 hour streches at night, but we were up once or twice a night changing the sheets from David's night sweats and medicating him to keep his fever under control. Matters got a little worse when Andrew woke up from is afternoon nap this Monday with a 102 degree axillary temperature! Another doctor call and check up determined no evidence of ear infection and that this virus would just have to pass. The next several nights were difficult... Andrew did not want mommy to put him down (even while sleeping) for 3 days! For the first half of the week I was running on 4 - 5 hours of sleep at night and still trying to get David plenty of rest as he continues to recover. Thankfully last night Andrew's fever broke and he seems to be feeling much better today. David has been back to work for the last two days, but will continue to take it easy. The clinic took care of my appointments, which was a tremendous blessing to me. These pictures were from a week or so ago... we sure hope to be feeling better soon. We thank the Lord for so many blessings, especially for wonderful family and friends support during this time.