Deer Season

Deer season is coming up and Nathan's getting excited.

His first experience with deer hunting was last year. He'd never been and thought he'd give it a try to see if he liked it. Not only did he love it, he got a deer! Needless to say he's now hooked.

This year he put in with his brother Aaron north of Anthem. Hopefully they'll both get drawn. The timing is for November, so last week he got out his tripod and binoculars to start messing around with them again.

It didn't take long for Katherine to get interested in what Dada was doing and want to see too.

At first he was sighting in trees etc outside, but once he set up her stuffed animals on the couch she was hooked to and he couldn't change them out fast enough...

Nathan: "Do you wan to go bear hunting?"

Katherine: "Yea!"

(Nathan sets up her bear and sites it in)

Katherine: "More!"

Nathan: "Do you want to go monkey hunting?"

Katherine: "Yea!"

(Nathan sets up her monkeys and sites them in)

...and so on

The last picture is my favorite. It's just awesome. And I think the 4th of July flip flops are a perfect addition to the ultimate hunter attire she's sporting.

Cousins!

Our sister in law, Angie, and her boys were in town. They were able to stay with us for two nights and we all had a ball. Nathan's mom was there too, so we were quite full, an arm or leg hanging out the windows here or there, but no one seemed to mind.

The cousins had a great time together. Luke is 3 and Kyle is almost 6. Throw is a doting Nanny and Katherine was in heaven. They had a great time playing in our small pool in the backyard and enjoying smoothies. Nathan let Kyle drive the Bulldog, much to his delight.
We spent part of the second day at the water park where everyone had a blast. Can't tell you how much I love Anthem and all it's amenities - so fun.

They all went up to Flagstaff on Wednesday. Nathan and the girls went too and brought the quad and bulldog. They day camped, had a great time, and then my 3 Whickers came back last night.

I was bummed I had to work and couldn't go until I heard about the horrific ride home. Nathan has declared he will not do another turn around trip like that with Jane still being so little. 41/2 hours in a car (due to some traffic and construction) is just too much to ask of a 6 month old. Plus her ears were hurting, he thinks, but he couldn't make her keep her paci in and suck on it while driving the car. After that story I was kinda glad I had to work

None the less we had a great visit with them all.

We love you Dada

Nathan is a wonderful man. He's a genuinely good person, a great Dad, a loving husband, and a loyal friend and partner to me. I don't know what I did to get so lucky to have him. Us Whicker ladies are so very fortunate.

For Father's Day we showered Dada in love. We had a great breakfast and a BBQ that evening. I had to work the day, but it was good none the less. The girls and I got him a Guinness plaque. He loves Guinness beer, it's his all time favorite. I traced Katherine and Jane's hands on the back and wrote him a love note from his girls.

Six Month Comparisions

Here is a picture of Katherine at 6 months.

And here is Jane at 6 months.

The Plague Strikes Again

Okay, so Jane got it too.

Katherine got the flu, I gave you the scoop on that. Next was Nathan. He was down for a solid two days with his body emptying out of both ends - miserable. I thought Jane was in the clear, but I was wrong.

The day after Nathan felt almost normal, Wednesday, Jane got sick. I was holding her in our room, I'd just picked her up after snuggling in bed and she puked all over me. This was like the exorcist. She puked again about 30 second later - no idea a 14 pound baby could hold that much fluid. I was drenched.

I was hoping it was the formula we'd given her the day before (my milk is being lame and we're going to have to start supplementing). I got us all cleaned up and then got ready for work. Nathan called me not long after I'd gotten there to tell me she's thrown up again. He said to be prepared to come home it she kept getting sick.

I had an apt with folks who I'd been working with for months. They were finally ready to buy! I met with them about 10:20am. Nathan called me about 5 times from then until about 1pm when he finally said "Morgan you need to come home now. Jane keeps puking, I can't keep Katherine away from her, and Katherine just fell on her head on the tile." I'd told the buyers what was going on the whole time as I had to keep answering the phone. They were wonderful and very understanding. At 12:45 I handed them off to Louise (who finished the sale) and headed home.

When I walked in Nathan was sitting on the tile tickling Jane's back while she laid on some towels crying her little heart out. Katherine was all bundled up on the couch. She'd fallen off her highchair, I think she slipped while climbing down, and fell right onto her head. When Nathan picked her up she broke out into a dripping sweat saying she was cold.

I stripped out of my work clothes, gave Katherine a kiss, and picked Jane up. I took her into her room to suction out her nose. I don't know how she was breathing! She had sooo much snot in her little nose. I'd told Nathan to take Katherine and stay away from the house until it was bedtime and to not let Katherine sleep in case she had a concussion. We were desperately trying not to reinfect each other as another round of this flu would be the end of us.

I sat with Jane in the rocker in her room. She calmed down and just laid on me completely beaten. After I realized she was going to fall asleep I moved us to the couch so I could put on a movie. I put towels down all around and under us so when she got sick it'd be easy to throw the towel in the wash and put a fresh one down. I tried nursing her but it didn't stay down.

Nathan called to tell me that because Jane had gotten sick 7 different times from 8am - 12pm the doc's wanted to see her and she had an apt at 2:30. She threw up once between me getting home and it being time to get her ready to go. I got us both dressed and her into her car seat when she got sick again. I got her all cleaned up best I could and headed to the doc's. She got sick again just as we were pulling up. Thankfully I'd grabbed another outfit for her. I got her out of her car seat while waiting for our apt, out of her soaked onsie, and cleaned up when it was our turn. I got the car seat cleaned up as well while waiting for the doc.

They said she was fine other than the virus, but because she'd gotten sick so much to give her Pedilite to help with the electrolytes. We got back home around 3:30. I got us all situated again and tried to nurse her a little. Doc said to feed her a little every hour as a full belly would automatically make her sick. I nursed her a little and gave her an ounce of pedilite. She puked it all up. After a few times of that I realized she couldn't keep any milk down so started giving her 2 ounces of pedilite every hour or two, which she was able to keep down. She got sick for the last time around 6pm.

Nathan and Katherine came home around 6:30 and quickly got in the tub. After bath I changed clothes and washed my face/arms (trying not to share Jane's germs) and read her books and put her to bed. She had a huge bruise from her fall, hair line to eye brow about 2 inches wide - poor thing). After Katherine was down I hung out with Jane and then put her to bed at 8pm and hoped for the best. I was up with her every two hours through out the night. She wake me up gagging and after getting a little sick (more like spit up than stomach emptying puking) I'd get her all calmed down, give her a mixed bottle of 1 oz pedilite 1 oz breast milk and put her back to bed.

At 5am she was getting really hungry as there are no calories in pedilite. I gave her the 1-1 bottle and she was still so hungry so I gave her another 1-1 bottle. She kept it down, yea! I gave her another 4 oz mixture at about 7:30am. Nathan gave her a 4 oz bottle of just breast milk at 10 and she kept it down. He gave her 4 ounce bottles of milk every 2-3 hours that day and then she had a 5 oz bottle before bed. I was unconscious at 7:30pm (these all nighters and having to work the next day are wearing me pretty thin). She was so much better yesterday and great today. I think we're in the clear.

Now we start disinfecting *sigh*. You wouldn't beleive how many surfaces have had puke on them between the 3 of them (I somehow mananged not to end up getting the full blown flu although both kids puked on me repeatedly - thank you God for whatever it is you give Mom's to keep us healthy!!). We carpet cleaned the living room this morning and threw couch cushion in the washer. I vacuumed, moped, and wiped down Janes furniture so her room is good. We're going to carpet clean Katherine's room tomorrow morning and wipe it all down and then do our bedroom on Sunday.

We have family coming to stay on Monday. This is wonderful, we're so excited, but we're so tired! At least the house will be clean and germ free - we hope!

New Horizons

Jane has started eating baby food!

As Katheirn hated the baby cereal and oatmeal I thought I'd skip it with Jane and make her apples (I make their baby food myself). They were sweet apples, but she didn't seem to agree. The faces she was making were hilarious. We didn't get pictures, but we did get it on video. Nahtan finally made me stop trying to feed her as he felt bad for her - seriously, it wasn't bitter.

The next day we tried the nearly flavorless baby oatmeal and she loved it. She's been eating it once a day at breakfast, so fun to have her sitting at the table with us eating, and she's been doing better each day. Today it looked almost like normal eating rather than mostly spitting. I think she's gotten used to the texture and idea of swallowing rather than the reflex of pushing it back out.

I think we'll try apples again next week.

My Poor Baby

Katherine had her first flu...and we had our first experience with a vomiting toddler. Oh my.

Two nights ago Katherine came into our room whimpering a little and holding up her hand saying "Right dare (there)". I picked her up and smelled it as I couldn't see it...didn't smell like poop, which is what I was assuming I would find. I took her into the hall way and turned the light on and it looked like she had baby poop on her fingers. I'm thinking what? Did you go into Jane's room or something? I then carried her into her room and turned on the light - poor thing had puked all over her bed. I debated waking up Nathan to help and decided I could do it myself and let him sleep. I got Katherine all cleaned up and then gave her a book to look at and sat her on the opposite side of the room while I changed her bedding. This was after she stepped in the only small bit of puke that had made it off the bed and onto her carpet.

I got her all cleaned up, bed changed and a cup of water. She was drinking the water sitting in my lap when she started crying about her tummy hurting. I picked her up and and turned towards the door out of her room just as she threw up over my shoulder into her room - darn it!. She started screaming as she was throwing up into the toilet and so then Nathan was up too. She did really well throwing up in the toilet, the poor dear.

After that we dragged her mattress out into the family room, on tile, and put a movie on for her. Nathan sat up with her while I went to bed. The plan was to give her half an hour and if she didn't get sick again to put her back to bed. The poor thing threw up every half hour from 12:30-5:30am. We had a trash can right by her bed, which she/we sometimes got to fast enough. Every time she'd get sick I'd come out to help her through it, get her cleaned up and calmed back down (funny how only Mom's can comfort at certain times) and then go back to lay down on her bed and watch movies. During that time Nathan would be cleaning up whatever missed the trash/toilet and changing the sheet/ mattress pad on her bed. We did 2 loads of wash that night as we had to change her bedding 7-8 times. We did this until 4:30am, me probably getting 5-10 minutes of sleep in-between each episode, and then I took over completely and sent Nathan to bed. She finally fell asleep at 5:30am (hadn't slept a wink before that). I laid on the couch cushions next to her. I had two false alarms when she'd say her tummy hurt and I'd whip her up to the trash can. She'd all by fall asleep in my arms, as she was so tired, while I held her near the trash. I finally figured out her tummy was sore from throwing up, not that she needed to throw up again.

After feeding Jane around 6am I mopped the bathroom and hall and area where she'd been laying on her bed and getting sick. At 7:30 she was up. I gave her a piece of plain toast but she only ate one bite. I got a bath started as she had puke in her hair from the nights events. I'd just gotten her in the tub when she started throwing up again. Poor thing. She threw up her one bite of bread and all the water she's drank into the bath and then had to stand there until I could get it drained and refilled with clean water to wash her.

I had to go to work at 9am. She ran a low grade fever all day and got sick around noon when Nathan let her have some watered down juice. After that she just had water and a bite or two of bread every now and then. Thankfully she slept about 11 hours last night and her fever was gone this morning. Her appetite is still off and her tummy is sore, but she's much better.

So far I seem to be the only one struggling not to get sick too. I think my immune system is in over drive as I also slept about 11 hours last night (not interrupted of course) and feel like crap today. I'm hoping it can hold out as if I get sick I'm pretty sure Jane will too and that just scares me. A baby with the flu would be scary.

Send us some germ free best wishes if you have time.

June Beginnings

June has started off well, we just got back from CA. We went to a wedding in Riverside, one of Nathan's friends Jaci got married. It was a beautiful ceremony and it was good to catch up as it'd been about 5 years since he'd seen her last. After the reception we headed up to Santa Monica for 2 days.

We had a great time, the kids did amazing all things considered, and the first family road trip is under our belts.

We spent a grand total of 2 hours, max, at the beach. It was fun, Katherine LOVED the sand, but it was also very cold.

We kept Jane out of the sun and cold wind by keeping her in her carseat with a sunshade wrapped around her.

Nursing on the beach was what you'd expect, do-able but akward.

We went to the Santa Monica pier, which we discovered was a mine field for toddlers. It's super cool and fun, but with all the warped boards covered in knots and big nails Katherine crashed like 4 times in the first 300 feet. I carried her the rest of the time.

Jane turned 6 months on the 7th. I just made baby apple sauce this morning so we'll be starting her on her first foods this week. She's so close to sitting on her own. She can sit for a minute or two, but not much longer. We've put her in her high chair but she's not in love with it, I think because she ends up slumped to one side.

Like Mama like Daugher

Katherine has been mimicking me so much lately.

During the day she tells Nathan she's going to work. He says okay, and she runs into our closet, puts on a pair of my high heels, grabs one of her purses and puts on a hat. She gives Nathan a kiss, yells good-bye, good day, and heads to the front door.

The other day she actually left and after Nathan raced out the front door after her (hearing it click shut from the family room) decided he'd better create a work place for her inside. Yesterday when she was ready to go to work he set up a work station made of diaper boxes with paper and crayons and her cell phone. She sat there for 1/2 hour coloring and making calls on her phone - hilarious!

I was trying to take pictures of her the other morning as she was super cute in a pair of my shoes. I'd squat down to get a good shot and she'd squat down. I'd get up to re-position her and then kneel down to take the shot and she'd kneel. I finally figured out she was copying my body - so funny and hard to get a darn picture of her standing straight up! She's such a little character. Love her.