Sickness...Ugh...

Almost two weeks ago, I was home for several days with a sick David Scott. The apparent culprit? A fever virus. Prior to becoming a mother, I'd never even heard of a fever virus. However, it has hit DS twice so far. And poor thing, just about any time he gets sick, even if it's with the slightest cold, we almost always have to start doing breathing treatments due to the inevitable coughing/wheezing. His pediatrician said this is to be expected of him until about age 3, due to him getting RSV when he was about 2 months old. So here we are, doing multiple breathing treatments each day -- you'd think it's the worst form of torture for David Scott, with him just sitting there and breathing. So tough. We've literally had to hold him down several times just to get through it. Not fun. And especially not fun at 1 a.m., for the record. Luckily, Scotty was able to stay home with our patient one afternoon so I could take care of a few work obligations, and I've been able to keep up with my email so I won't be too behind. Finally, that Friday, we were able to resume our normal day with DS going to daycare for the first time that week.

Not much else is going on. We went to North LA the weekend before. DS and I were able to visit with my friend Alicia who is on bedrest and pregnant with twins that Monday while Scotty had work stuff in Shreveport. Our weekend, though, was spent visiting with Gran, Papa, Mimi, Mamaw, and even a quick lunch with Boo and Anders. David Scott l-o-v-e-s Baby Anders. He kept kissing his bald head and just being adorable with his cousin. I hold such hope that these two boys will grow up and be such good friends. I can see them going fishing, swimming, and having so much fun together at Gran and Papa's house.

Then last weekend, we tooled around the house and didn't do much to continue on the path of recovery. An uneventful week this past week lead up to what was supposed to be a busy weekend for us. We had a birthday celebration/Mardi Gras parade for another friend turning 2 on Friday night. DS thoroughly enjoyed himself, and kept saying, "Beads!" Here's our haul:

We were supposed to go back up to North LA this weekend for Stella Grace's 2nd birthday party. But as luck would have it, DS had a little fever during the night and our weather was atrocious -- much too bad for traveling 3 hours away -- and neither got better for too long. It rained all day long and then DS ended up with a high fever (like 103 -- eeck) that afternoon. We were able to get his fever down to 99 within an hour (via Tylenol and a cool, wet washrag), but we really don't know why he gets fever for just a day here and there. Perhaps it's related to his fever virus from a week and a half ago. He's still coughing too, so after a brief reprieve from having to do breathing treatments, we're back doing them
several times a day. We will be going to the doctor if he runs fever again.

And finally, Scotty's been dealing with blood pressure issues. After feeling a sense of uneasiness for several months and a couple of trips to the ENT (we thought it was sinuses), one of his secretaries (a former nurse) suggested he check his bp. Lo and behold, it was sky high. So following a brief trip to the ER, Scotty was able to see his internist later that morning and we got our official diagnosis: high blood pressure. For the time being, he's on meds and is back in the gym several times a week. So we are pretty relieved and look for him to continue to feel better as he has improved greatly over the last two weeks since being on meds and relieving stress in the gym. Of course this means I've started back to the gym too as I can't have my in-shape hubby with a flabby wife. :)

I would also like to add that today marks the 15th anniversary that Scotty asked me to "go with" him. Happy other anniversary to the most thoughtful, hard-working, kind, loving, high blood pressure experiencing baby daddy I have! I am so glad I said yes to you all those years ago.

Edited to Add:  We went to the doctor this morning (Monday) and DS has a double ear infection.  Yipee.

More DS-isms...

Wanting to start 2012 off on a positive note, I wanted to remember some of the funny things David Scott has said recently. Some of these were from before Christmas, but they're still worth documenting.

As DS was jumping from the couch to the ottoman and back, Scotty playfully nudged him onto the couch one time. Ever the one to point things out, our son jumped right up and said, "Not nice, Daddy! Don't. Push. People!"

It may have been that same weekend when we were (all three) in the car heading to town. We stopped for smoothies (or soomies, as DS calls them). On this particular day, I was sharing my smoothie with the little man. I went to take it back and he starts yelling, "Not nice, Mama! Mine! David Scott's soomie! Hear me? Hear me, Mama?"

Recently, I made cupcakes. Like Scotty and me, DS is a fan of these little morsels. As soon as I started talking about making cupcakes, David Scott says, "Cupcakes? Happy to you!" Later on, he grouped two cylindrical blocks together, one small and the other smaller; they looked like a mini-double-decker cake. He came up to me and said, "Happy to you!". He obviously affiliates cakes and cupcakes with birthdays. Smart boy!

Finally, the last time Scotty was taking DS to daycare, DS called Scotty "stupid" at some point. Scotty told DS he was going to ignore him since he was not being nice. David Scott's response was, "Hear me, Daddy? David Scott not mean!"

I said finally, but I just remembered another thing that David Scott keeps saying in the morning. He is up every day while Scotty and I are getting ready for work. Usually, though, I have to call after him to come brush his teeth. The last few mornings, as he is watching cartoons in our bed, he responds with, "I sleeping. Ok?!?"

Christmas 2011...

Christmas 2011 was wonderful.  We spent a lot of time with family and friends and going back and forth between Monroe and Winnsboro.  Scotty and I each took off a few extra days surrounding Christmas so the holiday wouldn't be as rushed as it usually is.  Well, wouldn't you know we were still picking up a few last-minute things on Christmas Eve as is per our usual M.O.  However, we did have some time for a few extras that we haven't normally been able to squeeze in -- dinner with the Mosses, Merry-go-round rides at the mall, bowling with Scotty's family -- or trying to...DS had not napped at all that day and we were dumb to think that this would be a successful outing.  I got to bowl about half a game before ordering fried pickles and settling down with DS for a snack before we ultimately decided it was time to go.  Needless to say, he slept well that night.  I believe that was Christmas Eve Eve.  On Christmas Eve, we went down to Gilbert to spend a few hours with the Sproles clan as we've been doing since we were kids.  That night, we were back in Monroe for the annual Wright Christmas Eve Dinner which was held at Deb's house.  Sunday morning, Christmas Day, we woke up to see that Santa had come -- and left David Scott way too much, I might add.  We ate the traditional pancake breakfast at Mamaw's before heading back to Winnsboro for Christmas Day Dinner.  As usual, the food throughout the holiday was great -- always a highlight of any holiday for this girl.  Below are a few pictures to commemorate Christmas 2011:

We are very much looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us and our family.  2011 has been a great year for us all.  We've been blessed beyond measure and we're happy to end the year on a high note.

Exciting Events...

Last weekend, I took DS to North LA for Breakfast with Santa. Scotty stayed home so he could catch up on work stuff since he was traveling the week before as well as some this past week. We went to Squire Creek's event with Rachel, Dusty, and Anders, and Mom met us there for the experience as well. I don't have the pictures yet, but I think it's safe to say that DS is a little unsure of the bearded man in the red suit. He was squirmy and would not look at the camera for a picture. However, we were able to get a few shots of the two of us by the Christmas tree afterward.


Both DS and Anders wore their pajamas for the pics. Most other kids were in fancier outfits, but that's not how we roll. :) We had fun hanging out with the fam (in Ruston and Monroe) the rest of the weekend. We came home early on Sunday so we could spend the majority of the day with Scotty before he had to go back out of town on Monday.

This week has passed by in a busy, frantic blur as I/we tried to finish up shopping for Christmas and had a number of exciting things (planned and last-minute) to do.

Scotty returned from his business trip on Wednesday afternoon but had what we thought was a client meeting that evening. It wasn't. All the partners from his law firm were in attendance and gave him the exciting news that they were making him a partner in the law firm! We were stunned as this is something that typically happens once an attorney has been with the firm for 6-7 years; Scotty's been there for only 5. But he'd outlined to them in no uncertain terms that it was his goal to do it in 5 and put in many long hours and such hard work to get to that point. I am so proud of his accomplishments and of everything that he's done to make it happen. The other four partners and he really get along well and I know the firm will be even more successful with Scotty now officially a part of their leadership. To my Baby Daddy-- DS and I love you and are so proud of the sacrifices you've made to create a better life for us and our family.

On Friday, we had David Scott's Christmas party at school. He was slightly more sure of Santa this go-round.



Santa brought him a pair of monster trucks. They're both now broken/not making the monster truck sounds. I hope Santa does a better job with DS' Christmas presents. Or maybe it was the elves' fault at the poor craftsmanship. Either way, I'm hoping other toys hold up better.

Last night, Scotty's family came into BR for an impromptu celebration dinner at Sullivan's Steakhouse. We left DS at home with a baby-sitter as Sullivan's is not really a place for young kids. The food was delish. We had a seafood tower as an appetizer -- that's the bowl of ice originally was before we took this pic:



We are looking forward to spending more time with family this upcoming week and celebrating the reason for the season. Peace. Joy. Love to all.

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Catching up...

Thanksgiving was spent...wait for it...in North LA this year. Scotty and I have already proclaimed it to be at our house next year as heading north for all major (and minor) holidays is taking its toll on this branch of the Rainwater Tribe.

As usual, we enjoyed spending time with our family (immediate and extended). My Aunt Kaye (Mom's sister) and some of her family came in to see everybody and meet both DS and Anders. "Our" two boys plus Aunt Kaye's grandson make up the three great-grandchildren of my Grandmother and Pop Pop, although DS and Anders obviously never met them here on Earth. Anyway, we spent a good amount of time going back and forth between Winnsboro, Monroe, and Ruston.

This past weekend, my generous MIL wanted to keep DS for us so Scotty and I went to the Beau Rivage. We had a great time! I think our batteries have been recharged, and we had a nice time going out to eat, getting massages, gambling in the casino (we broke even-- Win!), and just enjoying each other's company. We missed our little guy, but we were thankful to be able to get away from it all. :)



While we were spending DS' college savings (kidding), Mimi and Lee, who came over to visit, took DS to the park AND the zoo! They apparently had a wonderful time. David Scott is loving all animals ("aminals") these days, so he particularly enjoyed the trip. I don't think he missed us too much, and Ms. Debbie said he was good, but he was pretty happy when we got home earlier today. Our afternoon has been spent lounging around and catching up on our playtime with the little man.

I haven't taken many pics lately for some reason. I need to work on that asap as I've been told that I'm slacking on sending pics of DS. Noted.


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2 Years Old...

David Scott,
You are 2 years old! How is that possible?!? It was just yesterday that you were born. It wasn't too long ago that you started sitting up and crawling around. And wasn't it just last week when you started talking???



Now I watch you run everywhere, say, "Please" and, "Thank you" when appropriate, and have semi-conversations. Where is my baby? I still get glimpses of that baby when you're winding down for the night. You like to snuggle with us (but mostly me) on the couch in the evening. You still like to drink a cup of milk before bed. And you don't mind me carrying you into daycare in the morning-- although, Daddy lets you walk every time he takes you or picks you up. But at the same time, you are almost grown. You are already starting to potty-train. You seem to be able to follow the plot of some movies. And just the other day, you took your shirt off. A grown man.

For record-keeping purposes, here are your stats:
• 33.5 inches tall
• 30 lbs
• size 5 diaper
• clothes sized 18-24 months/2T
• shoes sized 5 or 6

Your teachers feel like we will be in full on potty-training mode by the first of the year. Being in the class with "older" boys (older meaning like 6 months or so) has helped speed this milestone along. You will occasionally ask to potty beforehand, and frequently will tell us you need a diaper change.

Everything seems to have just flown by. My heart would love for things to slow down a bit, but I know that's not going to happen. I have no idea what you're going to be when you grow up, but I have no doubt that you will be great at whatever you set your mind to. You seem to have the best qualities of both Daddy and me and that's more than we could've ever asked for. We are so blessed to be your parents and cherish every minute we have with you.

Love,
Mama


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A Surprise and Halloween...

Early in the morning on Friday, October 28th, my sweet nephew was born. James Anders McGehee was 3 weeks early. Anders was super tiny (4 pounds, 15 oz) and just perfect! Rachel had an awesome and easy labor despite not having an epidural. I may do another post dedicated to my adorable newborn nephew, but I've been waiting on his mama to do her own announcement. But since new moms don't have much extra time for anything other than simply surviving, I decided that I HAD to post about it. I'll let my sister post the whole story when she's ready, but I'll leave it at the fact that we were all surprised with how early, but quick everything was. And Anders was/is just tiny and perfect. DS loves his cousin and frequently asks about Anders (which he says with a slightly German accent). :)



Despite, our trip to North LA for Anders' birth, which we obviously missed, we returned to BR on Sunday. Monday was Halloween. David Scott was a kangaroo. My original plan was Curious George, but no acceptable costume was found. Choice #2 was Nemo, which would've worked out great last year since all the costumes were for kids under a year old. So alas, I remembered the kangaroo costume tucked away in a closet. A costume which was way too big last year despite the tag saying it was a 12m. It fit him perfectly this year.



We went trick-or-treating at a few houses in our neighborhood. And although several people confused our kangaroo with Scooby Doo (really, people?), DS' first trick-or-treating experience was a success.

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