Biko

Tonight at bedtime Ty told John with a very sad tone, "Daddy...I went to the hospital and I lost my biko."  And John said, "I know honey.  We'll just have to take you to the store and get you a new one."  He perked up and excitedly said, "To the biko store?  Where's the biko store?"  So John told him, "Yes, Mommy will know where the biko store is."

Falling apart

It started about a month ago when Hunter brought home some nasty bug.  It infected all the kids and they all got ear infections as a result of being sick for so long.  Hunter was the worst.  He had a double ear infection that had pus.  Gross!  The incredible thing is that he never even complained about any pain.  I had gone into see the doctor in the first place the day before because Tyler woke up from his nap in the afternoon screaming in pain.  He had a fever and complained of ear pain.  The next day the same thing occurred to Brody.  On our way to the doctor's office Hunter said he felt dizzy so when we saw the doc I asked her to check Hunter's ears as well as Greyson's.  She said Hunter had it the worst.  So they all got antibiotics.  We've been through the first round of them and they're all still sick.  We're on a second round now (all except Greyson, whose right ear is still infected but we're waiting it out a week or two since he isn't acting much different from normal.  I asked the doctor what the risk would be if we didn't give antibiotics.  Would they lose hearing with an infection?  She said that most would clear up on their own and she's never seen a case where a patient had lost hearing from an infection.  So since I still haven't brought Grey in for his 1 year well-baby check-up.  I asked if we could hold off on antibiotics and see if it cleared up on its own and re-check at that visit.  She agreed that it would be fine.  But she did push for Hunter to take a second round since he has it pretty bad and it doesn't seem to be clearing up on its own.  His cough is horrible and his ears look bad (so she says).

Then about a week ago Tyler had a run-in with the bathtub faucet and needed to get four stitches to patch up the gash on his cheek below his left eye.  Poor little guy.  He was such a trooper.  He cried when it happened for about five solid minutes pretty hard.  But when they stitched him up he didn't cry at all.  They gave him a topical numbing ointment that I had to hold on for about 15 minutes (on a cotton ball) and they put him in the straight-jacket-type board with velcro straps that tightly bound his arms to his sides.  They called it a papoose.  He didn't like that very much but he didn't complain or cry.  He just kept watching Wall-E on the t.v.  To add insult to injury he lost his "biko" (blankie) somewhere between the hospital and home and despite a trip back to look for it that night as well as several calls the following days we haven't been able to locate it.  He's pretty sad about that loss.

They're all on the mend now and I pray that I do not have to return to the ER or doctor's office for at least another week.  I've been six times in the last two weeks between the ear infections and the stitches/removal.

Worst blogger ever!

BAD MOM and BAD BLOGGER!!!  I haven't even blogged about Greyson turning one.  I have so much to write on here and NO TIME.  Most of you know that I've decided to "go pro" with photography and thankfully, I have been very busy with it.  I am having SO much fun capturing special moments for people on film but it has left me barely any time at all for extras like my blog.  I realize that it is so important to keep up with it though so that I can remember OUR special moments so I really want to make more of an effort to update more frequently.  Things have slowed down now that it is cold outside so hopefully I can do just that.  For those of you out there that are still stopping by to check, thank you so much for your loyalty!

Greyson's firsts

It's official.  Greyson is getting big.  He spoke his first word a few weeks ago (August 30th, bad mom for waiting so long to sing my praises).  He was the only of our children whose first word was "mama."  AT LAST!!  It happened on my first day back teaching this year.  When I returned home he was sitting in the toy room with our new babysitter and as soon as he saw me come through the garage door he said it.  Awwww....

Then yesterday he took his first steps!  Again, we were all in the toy room and I mentioned to John that I saw him take a couple mini steps this afternoon but I didn't think it counted because they were so small.  He was a little disappointed so I grabbed Grey and plopped him on his feet, kneeled a few steps away from him and said, "come to mama!"  And he did!  He did such a good job too!  He took about four small steps to get to me!  John was so excited to see it happen because he missed it with the other three.

He is also saying "ball" and "dada."

What a little punkin!

Nuk Fairy

Tyler and Brody went to their first dental appointment a few weeks ago.  They did great and got a good report from our new dentist (whose office is within walking distance from our house.  The kids actually rode their bikes there while I pushed Greyson in the stroller).  I took them the week before to watch Hunter get his teeth cleaned so they knew what to expect.  Then when it was their turn Tyler went first and was a champ the whole time.  He wasn't afraid and did what the hygenist asked him to do.  When it was Brody's turn he was a bit more hesitant and wanted me to sit with him for the initial part of the exam.  After about five minutes he got the courage to sit by himself.  At the end of the appointment the dentist asked me if they sucked their thumb and I had to admit that they still took a Nuk at bedtime and naptime.  He said it was evident and that it was time to take them away.  He showed me their bite (especially Brody's) and how the Nuk is affecting it.  Immediately when we got home I snipped the tips of the Nuks (a suggestion made by the dentist) and braced myself for what was to come.  At naptime Brody (of course) noticed it right away.  He showed it to me and I acted super happy and told him how exciting it was that the Nuk Fairy had come and done that because she believed that he is a big boy now and doesn't need that Nuk.  I also told him that he was free to sleep with it as it was and when he was ready to give it up then the Nuk Fairy would return and bring him a present!  Tyler completely blew my mind and walked over to the dresser, set it on top and said, "I'm ready!"  Brody on the other hand started crying.  He kept saying, "That Nuk is broken.  I want a new one!"  I told him that the Nuk Fairy had done that to all the Nuks.  More crying.  He chose not to sleep with it and cried for at least a half an hour until he finally fell asleep.  When they awoke Tyler asked where his present was.  I had to explain that the Nuk Fairy only comes at nighttime and that if they were truly ready to give up their Nuks then there would be a present for them in the morning.  Sure enough, both boys went without their Nuks again at bedtime and that evening the Nuk Fairy came back and they got their gifts.  They were delighted but for a few days after this episode Brody continued to talk to me about his Nuk at naptime and bedtime usually saying, "Where's my Nuk?"  So I would have to remind him.  He looked sad but didn't cry after that first day.  A few days later one of them found a Nuk hiding in the couch in the toy room and it was still in tact.  They brought it to me right away and I told them that the Nuk Fairy must have forgotten that one.  I said, "Do you think we should draw the Nuk Fairy a picture with a note on it so that she could take that one too?" and they agreed.  This picture is of them drawing their picture to the Nuk Fairy.

Greyson's new shoes

Greyson is so close to walking and since the weather is changing we decided it was time for his first pair of shoes.  They say that it's best to learn barefoot but I disagree if it's cold outside!  Besides, he has been getting lots of practice this summer without any shoes.  He walks holding onto only one finger of one hand but once I let go he free-stands for up to 30 seconds and then gives up, lets himself down and crawls to wherever he wants to be.  Robeez shoes are so great for this stage and I loved the Oscar ones.  He looks adorable with them on.  Don't you just love the fuzzy eyebrows?

Family visit

At the end of July/beginning of August my family came to visit for 10 days and we all had sooooo much fun together! Of course it wouldn't be a "Stenen" vacation without it being jam-packed full of activities. So, to start we all spent some time swimming and rock climbing at the Y. Hunter tied his personal best so he was happy with that.  Even Tyler and Brody got in on the action and did some "bouldering."  Cousins Anthony and Bella went up as well.  Even Uncle Mark gave it a go!  Next up, Hunter went to the EAA Air Show with his cousin Anthony, Auntie Jen and Uncle Darrin. A very hot summer day but fun nonetheless.  Anthony is big into planes so he was in heaven!  Then we all spent the next three days in the Dells. The highlight (of the entire summer in Hunter's opinion) was Noah's Ark. He had an absolute blast riding all the waterslides he could. He only backed down on one, "The Point of No Return," which as rumor has it is so steep that you don't even touch the slide for part of the ride. It's like a free-falling body slide. NO THANK YOU! I was kind of happy he chose not to go down it. Pretty scary. We all really liked the new slide called "Quadzilla."  You get to race up to three other people, which was super fun.  The day we were there it started out a little cold, rained for a little while around lunchtime but then cleared up and ended up being a beautiful day.  All that led up to a relatively empty park so short lines so we were happy!  We also went mid-week so that helps.  While in the Dells we also did The Army Ducks (a Wisconsin Dells must), mini golf and Go Karts. It was a very fun time had by all. Once we returned home we spent the next few days bonding with my Dad. We all went out on the boat and hung out on the beach the first day. That was followed up by a trip to a really fun park in the area and finally a Brewer Game where Hunter was able to march with the Scouts around the warning track. Hunter spent some quality time fishing with his Grandpa which he thoroughly enjoyed.  Especially the part where Grandpa took him shopping for some new lures.  He was loving that!!!  Even Grandma Ruthie joined us later on in the week. So so much fun!!!