P.S. I think I learned how to upload videos

f this works, you'll now see some snowday videos.  If not, you'll see a bunch of garbled stuff.

For those getting this via email, you'll like get the garbled stuff and will have to go to the blog to see the real thing.

A Perfect Day!

Ethan & I awoke this morning on the couch where we'd fallen asleep watching Aladdin after I put Alex to bed last night.  Steve had come home while we were sleeping but I couldn't wake Ethan to get him to go upstairs with us so just rolled over and went back to sleep with him.  What did we see when we woke up?  A winter wonderland was all around us.  It was a bit early to wake Daddy & brother up though so we watched Aladdin again.  Then it was still too early to wake them up - brother needs his "west" and Daddy got home after midnight.

Mama had an idea - let's make cinnamon rolls out of the crescent rolls we have in the fridge.  Ethan was totally excited to make a "tasty tweet" with Mama.  One of the shorts on Disney is something about making Tasting Treats with Z Frank.  I melted some butter and rolled out the crescents.  I brushed the butter on the rolls and Ethan took our shaker that had cinnamon & sugar mixed in it and gave each roll a very generous coating.  I then rolled them up, put a little more butter on top and shook a little more on top for good measure.  As I brushed on the butter, Ethan said, "that makes the cimonim stick" - such a bright boy. 

We put the rolls in the oven and loaded the dishwasher which we hadn't done last night.  Now that the kitchen was clean, we set about making icing.  A little warmed up cream cheese, a little confectioners sugar, a little milk and Ethan mixing it and tasting as he goes.  Clean 3-year old fingers made it taste just right.  The timer went off and the excitement level in the kitchen rose at least 10 fold.  "They done, Mama.  The ciminim rolls are done!  We gots to put icing on dem!"  He helped put the icing on and immediately said with eyes glistening with glee, "now let's go get DADDY!"  So we took 2 rolls up to wake Daddy.  Alex was already awake & playing in his crib so he helped us wake Daddy up, too.  I'd bought enough time to let Steve sleep till almost 10.

Downstairs, the boys both at 2 ciminim rolls and yogurt and then watched a movie while I took a shower.  Then we set about getting geared up to go play in the snow. 

Ethan:  long johns, pants, turtle neck & hooded shirt with gloves, hat, snow boots (socks of course), heavy coat & a burp cloth tucked in to cover most of his face since the scarves were mia.
Alex:  long johns, cotton pants, sweat pants, turtle neck, & sweatshirt with a pair of Ethan's old shoes (can't find the snow boots that would be his size), hat, mittons (which he took off at every opportunity), coat & a burp cloth tucked in for him, too.
Mama:  cuddle duds, jeans, turtle neck, hooded sweatshirt, coat, gloves, scarf
Daddy:  snow pants, t-shirt, heavy coat, thick gloves, hat (though this is a shorter list - his stuff was all heavier than ours so he was probably the warmest)

Ethan has snow pants - they are too small.  Alex has snow pants - he can't really walk in them and since that's what he seems to enjoy the most, we just tripled his layers and that worked because his legs were still warm when we stripped him down afterwards.

Off to the ballfield about a mile away with a perfect hill and excellent snow.  Here's some pictures of the fun:

There are more pictures from today as well as some video which I haven't figured out how to post here yet, on my Facebook.  All in all, we had a fantastic time playing in the snow as you can clearly see from the faces in these pictures here (for those receiving this via email, you might have to check the blog to see the pictures).

After sledding, we did a quick trip to Walmart where I ran in since Alex was already sleeping and Ethan was sitting sans pants & shoes covered with a blanket so as to not let his snow covered outer layer chill him to the bone.  Then we went to Wendy's where Ethan got a Frosty because he had been extra good today and he doesn't like hot cocoa usually cause it's "too hot" - so why not go for some cold ice cream?  Then home where I shoveled most of the driveway and sidewalk while Steve got the boys ready for a nap.  I actually wanted to do this and 5 minutes into I realized I must have had a bad blow to the head or something to not remember how much I dislike shoveling snow.  Anyway, back in the house, I can hear Alex crying.  Why?  Because he didn't want to go to sleep until I put in his crib because if I'm home, he wants my kisses laying him down apparently.  So I obliged him and then was going to head downstairs to blog but was coaxed into taking a nap with Ethan & Steve instead.  Ethan wanted to snuggle with both of us and who was I to deny him?

90 minutes later, Steve had to get up to go to work and convinced Ethan to go back to sleep.  Another 90 minutes later, we started waking up and finally after a good 3 1/2 hour nap, Alex started talking in his crib so Ethan & I decided to get up as well.  I haven't had a nap like that in a LONG time and boy, did it feel good.  Downstairs, I had planned to make pork chops and veggies for dinner but needed to start that around 4:30 and as it was now 5:30, we had pizza rolls instead which both boys gobbled up.  Then, for dessert, ice cream!  Needless to say, both boys ate dinner and dessert with no problems.  Then a bit of play time & Monsters, Inc. which we hadn't seen before while I posted pictures and video from today on facebook. 

Finally bedtime for the boys and blogging for Mama. Alex, exhausted, even after his really good nap today went right to sleep while I've bellowed to Ethan a few times to stop playing in the hall or the bathroom (he had to pee 6 times since going to bed in a 30 minute timeframe....no, I don't think so).  I do believe, however, that he finally caved to sleep about 30 minues ago.  Now that I've told you about our truly perfect day, I think I'll head to bed myself.  Hope you all enjoyed your day today as well.

Bowling with Grandma on the Beach at Rebekah's House

Yes, you read that right. 

After I picked up the boys tonight at day care, I told Ethan our "plan" for the night.  We were going to meet Daddy at his work and eat dinner with him.  Then we'd go home and he could help me put he & Alex's clothes away and clean their room and then we'd have a bedtime story and go to sleep because it would be bedtime.  Ethan asked if he could play with his car.

Me:  What car?
Ethan: My bwo up car I got for my birfday.
Me: (realizing he meant an inflatable car for the pool Steve's mom got for him a long time ago) No honey.  That's a pool toy, not an inside toy.
Ethan: (excitedly) Then we wake up we can go swimming in the pool wif my car.
Me: (laughing) No honey.  It's too cold outside to go swimming now.  We'll have to wait till summer.
Ethan:  Then we'll go to the beach and Owix can go swimming wif me at the beach at Webekah's house and you'll get a chair and a umbwewa.  And Jonathan will watch us.
Me: (not understanding that he'd said Jonathan) And Roger will watch you?
Ethan: Nooo, JONATHAN...you know, Webekah's fwiend?
Me:  Jonathan?  Rebekah's husband?
Ethan:  uh huh
Me:  Ok, Jonathan will watch you?
Ethan:  Yes, on the beach at Webekah's house.
Me: So we're going to go to the beach at Rebekah's house and I'm going to sit in my chair with my umbrella & Alex will swim with you while Jonathan watches?
Ethan:  Uh huh...and Roger is going to sit there for a long time.
Me: Uncle Roger?
Ethan:  Uh huh.
Me: When are we going to do this?
Ethan: Um, I don't know.  (thinking - with finger on chin) Um...dust when we go to Webekah's house to the beach.
Me: Ok and Jonathan will watch you and Uncle Roger is just going to sit there.
Ethan:  Yes, because he's my uncle.
Me:  Yes, he's your Great Uncle.
Ethan: Yes, and Uncle Keevin is my grandson.
Me: (laughing) no silly, Uncle Keevin is your Great Uncle, too.  You are Paga's grandson.
Ethan:  Yes, and Nana & Amma [Grandma]. 
Me:  Yes.
Ethan:  And Amma is going to go bowling wif me.
Me: She is?
Ethan:  Yes.  She's going to go bowling wif me on the beach at Webekah's house.

OK - the other day I told him to just play with his imaginerary friend so he'd be quiet and not wake Alex.  He told me I was being silly.  But clearly, he has quite an imagination.  I'm mean really, the last time I was at the beach I was pregnant with him so he's never even seen the beach, much less seen me sitting in a chair under an umbrella at the beach.  And where he got this idea that there's a beach at Rebekah's house, I have no clue whatsoever.  We have been bowling but not with Amma and definitely not at a beach. 

So there you have it folks - our next vacation will be bowling on the beach at Rebekah's house.  So I guess I should let Bek know that she needs to plan on moving to the beach or getting a bigger back yard and lots of sand.  I'm thinking a small pool would be plenty for the water portion of the beach since his story only mentioned that he & Alex would be swimming and they don't need much water for that.  I'm sure since it's at her house, he wouldn't mind Amelia tagging along either.

Firetrucks

Last week our smoke alarm started chirping - the type of chirp that a battery operated alarm does when the battery is dying.  Our alarms are connected directly to the electricity though, which the landlords made sure we knew when we had our initial walk through.  Since I can't see the thing on eye level even standing on a stool, I sent Steve a text at work to check it when he got home.  It was doing it as I walked in the door so I knew it wasn't something on a burner or something from fixing dinner.

When Steve got home, he didn't check it.  Why?  Because it wasn't still chirping.  My thought on this was, if it's connected to the electricity and has no battery, why would it chirp unless it was because there was a problem.  The lack of a chirp doesn't mean nothing's wrong - it could just mean it got worse.  But whatever, not much I could do as I'd already tried to check the thing and fell short (pun intended) of that ability. 

The next day, Ethan had a dental appointment so Steve was to meet me at the dental office.  He called me right when it was time to leave (or a little before) and said, I'd need to come get the boys because he had to call the fire department.  Why?  Because the alarm was again chirping (more of a beep than a chirp) and he went upstairs to check the fuse box and smelled smoke.  GREAT! 

He called me back about 10 minutes later.  The fireman were walking through the apartment and wanted to make sure they knew exactly what the alarm was doing the night before.  I explained and Steve agreed that's what had happened to him that day.  As we live in a duplex, they'd also checked on my neighbor.  Turns out the horrendous smoke smell was due to the neighbor cleaning her oven and the smell was being sucked up by her kitchen fan and coming through a vent in our room near the fuse box.  They even used some camera thing to check the walls and nothing hot anywhere so they gave us the all clear.

What I didn't realize was that Steve had put both boys in the car so as not to have them in the house with a potential fire.  Ethan had been excited because this time, the firetrucks came to his house.  He climbed into the front seat for a better look and had the hazard lights on by the time Steve got back to the car.  Thankfully no keys had been left or maybe he'd have either tried to start it or pushed the alarm button until that went off so he'd have sirens, too.

The funniest part of this is that the weekend before, on the way home from Megan's house, Ethan had just been telling me about how he was a fireman and he had saved a boy (his Daddy) from the smoke and he helped people.  Now a fireman came to his house and made sure he was ok so basically saved him, too.  Ethan really thought that was great. 

We then learned from our landlord that our smoke alarm has a battery backup.  They failed to mention this when they told us about it originally - in fact, I think when they told us about the alarm being hooked to the electricity it was to point out that we wouldn't have to worry about changing the battery.  Ummmm - yeah, if there's a battery back-up, you're still supposed to replace it yearly cause it's sort of important for that "back-up" to work.  But the best part of learning that is that if Steve had checked the alarm the night before as I'd suggested, he'd have seen the battery because to check it, he'd have had to take it down fully.  I would have done that but couldn't reach it to find out how to get it down.  So the lesson:  just because the alarm stops chirping, don't ignore your wife - check it anyway.

Ethan's cuteness:  "Mama, the firetrucks were at our house and they saves us like I saved Daddy when I was bigger and I was a fireman."  Gotta love those past lives and time travel :)

Short & Sweet

That title describes both this post & Ethan (though I'm quite sure, the short part won't apply to him as he grows up).

Today Ethan took about an hour nap.  Alex, on the other hand, took a 3 1/2 hour nap.  Ethan had also awakened at dawn (his norm) while Alex slept about an hour longer.  Each time Ethan tried to play while Alex was sleeping, we'd tell him to play quietly so he didn't wake up Alex.  He wanted to play so badly but Alex has been really tired lately and we were trying to let him get some rest. 

This afternoon, when Alex finally woke up, Ethan was playing and Alex was completely disinterested ... but still, Ethan wanted to play WITH him.  So Ethan said, "Owix, you can dust come wiff me ovuh here.  You can dust come, too, and we can spend some time together."  He then looked at me when Alex wasn't paying attention and said, "isn't that a good idea, Mama?  For us to spend some time together?"  I agreed that it was so Ethan went over and got in front of Alex to get his attention.  "Come on, Owix.  Dust come ovuh here wiff me and we can pway & spend some time together."  This time Alex nodded his head and followed Ethan to the corner where he'd been playing.

He hadn't awakened Alex to play - he waited for him to get up but then he really wanted to play and was really very sweet about asking & getting Alex to join him.  I realized he'd really paid attention today though when as he was going to bed tonight, he said, "I'm dust going to way down here and get some west.  I dust need some west now, Mom."  Alex got his rest earlier in the day - so now Ethan thought it was time for him to get some, too.  Such a sweet kid.

Insurance is a good thing, right?

If you've ever seen Ethan grin or laugh, you've seen his "snaggle-tooth" as I call it.  His top right front teeth came in fused together.  We took him, at the pediatrician's suggestion, to a pediatric dentist a few months after they came in to see if there was anything we needed to do to help prevent decay or any other problems.  We were told that the obvious, brushing, was the best prevention but that because of how the teeth were formed (3 teeth were involved), it may not be possible to prevent decay.

Well, Ethan loves brushing his teeth but despite this, the snaggle-tooth became decayed.  We took Ethan last June (ish) to our dentist for his first cleaning and then referred us to a pediatric dentist (the same one we'd seen before actually) to treat this tooth as he said they'd most likely have to use sedation and while he has done sedation dentistry, he wasn't expert enough with young children and thought we should see a specialist.  When we got the estimate from the dentist, even with the insurance, our portion for the deposit alone was 300 bucks and then at least 100 more after this.  We hadn't known we would need to do anything this involved when we registered for benefits for the year so had a lower level coverage on dental insurance and not enough in an FSA to help make those payments.  So we opted to wait until the first of the year and plan ahead to get better insurance and enough in an FSA to cover it.  The appointment was to be in late August anyway, so we reasoned that a few more months would have to be ok.

Fast forward to this year - the dental carrier changed as did the available plans.  We now have Aetna Insurance with a DMO plan.  We've never had a DMO or HMO so didn't really know how it worked.  When we signed up, we had to pick a provider.  We knew we'd need this treatment for Ethan so looked for a pediatric dentist but couldn't find one listed in the network so we chose a dentist to be our family dentist (the guy we used last year, who we really liked, was unfortunately not an option under this plan). 

At the first of the year, Steve called Aetna and told them he was looking for a pediatric dentist for our 3 year old and didn't see one listed in our Network.  They told him there isn't one in that network in a 40 mile radius, so they could give him an authorization code for this particular pediatric dentist (not the one we've seen before).  Note - AETNA gave us the name of the dentist and that was it - use this authorization code.  We assumed that meant, they adjusted Ethan's provider to this dentist using that authorization code.  We scheduled an appointment and took Ethan yesterday.

We really liked this dentist yesterday.  In fact she told us some new things about Ethan's teeth and that his teeth aren't just fused but he actually has a fusion & a gemination (sp?) which means 2 teeth fused together and then one of those teeth also formed like a siamese twin (which is why it looks like 3 teeth fused).  She also told us he's got a problem with his bite that is going to cause problems that will need to be fixed in a couple years (not when he's older - I got the impression she meant before he gets his permanent teeth) to prevent further complications.  They also did the teeth cleaning and gave us the treatment plan to do a double pulp-ectomy (meaning they have to clean the decay out of both of the fused teeth) using a liquid sedative they'll mix with sprite and have him drink.  This won't knock him out but will calm him enough that they can do the procedure.  They even gave us the print out showing what Aetna would pay, what we would have to pay, etc.  Good news - our portion is much less than it would have been last year and we have enough in FSA to cover all of it.

When we left though, I called Aetna because the print out also showed the sedative portion wasn't covered.  That had been the case last year, too, but when we checked with MetLife, they said for a 3 year old the sedative is medically necessary so it would be covered.  I called Aetna to see if the same was true.  This started my 75 minute ordeal with insurance - over 3 separate phone calls.  The first lady was very polite - she looked up the info and said that the codes they'd used are not covered but that more potent sedation was - like IV, etc that knocks you out fully.  I questioned that and she said that none of it was firm yet because it hadn't been approved.  I was puzzled as I was looking a print out saying this was a quote - not an estimate - of what my costs would be.  She told me that it would need to be pre-authorized.  I then asked how I would have known that had I not called about something else.  She said I wouldn't have but the dentist should have if they were in the network and then started looking up our history.  She asked who referred us to this specialist.  I told her Aetna had - she said Aetna can't refer us to a specialist, that our primary care provider had to do that - our dentist listed on our card.  I then explained that Steve had called and they had authorized us to go to this dentist because there wasn't a pediatric dentist in our plan.  She said that wasn't an authorization to change our primary care dentist as you can't choose a specialist as your primary care dentist which is why none were listed when we first looked.  She asked if we had an authorization code, etc, and I had no clue because Steve had made the call and he was in a store with the boys at this point.  I told her I'd need to discuss with Steve and would call her back.  She said she'd note our conversation in the file so when we called back anyone could review our status.  She was VERY polite through all of this.

I then talked to Steve and found out that he did have a code but that he thought that was to use this as his dentist now but that he had given this dentist the authorization number when he made the appointment so they should have it.  Armed with this info and back in the car to be able to ask Steve any questions that came up, I called back.  I got someone who was the exact opposite of polite but I'll keep the language G-rated.  I explained the scenario and that we do have an authorization code (the previous lady had said we would need that to submit the treatment plan for authorization).  This lady starts right up with saying that authorization code was valid for the consultation only and that we would have to go back to our primary dentist for another referral in order to get the treatment authorized and before we can have the treatment.  This baffled me - we'd need to go back to a dentist we'd never seen before twice more before getting his teeth fixed?  How is this helping Aetna exactly as we pay nothing at all to see "our" dentist - but they'd get a bill?  I asked why we couldn't just use the authorization code we had already & have the dentist fax that for approval of the treatment.  She snidely says, "because that's not how a DMO works.  You have to go to your preferred dentist before each visit to a specialist."  OK - but we didn't go to one before the first visit - you all authorized it because we already knew what treatment we needed?  This went back and forth for 15 minutes with her using the nastiest possible tone as if I were a moron.  OK - in her defense, I was completely stupid about DMO but in my defense, this is the dumbest rule in the world.  Why would you go to a consultation if not to get a treatment plan?  Isn't that the point of the consultation?  So why then before you can have that treatment plan reviewed, would you have to go back to your regular dentist.  I mean, you went to the specialist (presumably) because your dentist couldn't do what needed to be done so why do we need him to tell us again that he can't perform that treatment so that he can refer us to a specialist who can perform the treatment so they can send the treatment plan to be approved so we can go back to our dentist to confirm we are ready for treatment and should go have it done?  How does this make sense?  Please explain it to me.  I asked to speak to someone else, a supervisor or something because this made no sense and she clearly didn't understand me.  She jumped on the defensive that she did understand because she'd been dealing with DMO for 16 years and this is how DMO worked.  I asked (in sort of a screech) why I couldn't just use the authorization code I already had that was for the appointment I'd been to that day on the treatment plan I was holding in my hand.  She snottily said, "well now that you're screaming, I'm going to transfer you."  At which point she put me on hold and I looked at Steve and said, so next time just remind me to scream so she'll transfer me.  On hold for 10 minutes, she hung up on me.  I was LIVID.

I told Steve I would have to call back tomorrow because I was shaking I was so angry and couldn't do it then.  Steve said he'd do it.  So he called on speaker phone and talked to a very polite lady but didn't ask the question quite right.  He asked simply if we needed to get a referral before we could have this procedure - yes was the answer.  OK was his response.  What?  No.  I took the phone.  You gotta give more info than that.  I explained again the situation and that it made no sense to have to go to a dentist we'd never been to before in order to get this treatment plan authorized.  She agreed that it didn't make sense but explained that some dentists don't even deal with children so we could call the dentist to see if they would just fax the referral.  Then explained that also, the specialist could write a short narative explaining the medical necessity of sedating a 3 year old (which I assume would say something like "would you like to try to drill into a 3 year old's mouth who wasn't sedated?" - not sure a drill is needed but you get the idea).  The specialist would fax that faxed referral, narative & treatment plan for authorization.  It does take 7-10 days so our appointment in less than 10 days will be tight but she gave me her local fax number and said they'd get it done as quickly as possible.  So much better, so much more informative.  See how much easier it is to get answers when the person is being polite.  That 2nd lady I spoke to was brusk and rude and talking over me rather than listening to my full question.  She'd cut me off each time and give me the same answer repeatedly.  So very unhelpful.  So I thanked this lady for her help and politeness and set about calling our dentist.

It was 4:45 Thursday so I was hoping they'd still answer as they could close at 4:30 for all I know - we've never been there.  I explained the full situation to "Kathy" who was very understanding and very polite.  She said the lady that handles insurance is gone already but she'd talk to the dentist and then talk to the insurance lady Friday morning and she'd call me as soon as possible.  She was hopeful that they would just fax a referral but wasn't sure so she'd call me.  Very helpful.

She called today and said that she was very sorry but the dentist actually said faxing a referral for a patient he'd never seen was actually illegal.  OK - so I can't really blame him for not risking his license to help me but come on, can I get 1 break here?  Kathy went ahead and scheduled an appointment for us for as soon as we could - Tuesday - but said we should call the insurance again to see if we couldn't just use the code we already had.  She said it was worth another chance.  I agreed but dreaded that call and who I might get on the phone.

I called and spoke to Walt who told me just what the first lady had told me.  That I could use the authorization code I had on the treatment plan to get approval.  I again asked, "we went to this dentist yesterday with this authorization code and we can put that code on this plan for approval."  Walt, "yes, you can."  Me:  "Thank you very much!"  Walt is now one of my favorite people in the world - a 2 minute phone call and I'm all set.  The specialist though was closed this afternoon so I'll call Monday, have them fax the info for approval and be all set again.  Will probably have to change the appointment currently set for Feb 2nd but I'm ok with that as long as we don't have to go to the freaking dentist 2 more times just to get the plan approved and authorized.  Poor Ethan finally gets to get his teeth fixed - he does well with the dentist but not so well with meds that taste yukky so I hope whatever they are giving him doesn't taste bad so it all goes well for him.

Insurance is a good thing - but it's so much better when it also involves polite customer service reps.  So thank you Walt and the 1st & 2nd people I spoke to yesterday for all of your help.

The Pillow Fight

Last week Steve posted a status on Facebook about how he & the boys had had a pillow fight in the living room but Mama probably wouldn't approve.  I chimed in to comment that I wouldn't object to the pillow fight as long as they cleaned up after themselves as I'd just cleaned the living room the night before.  Saturday, on our way to Makenzie's birthday party, I asked Steve if he'd seen my comment.  He hadn't so I told him about it.

Ethan, who was supposed to be napping in the backseat, was instead listening to us.  He perked up and said, "Mama, I was ka-powing Owix."  I totally did not understand this however as I wasn't anticipating the word "kapowing" to come from him.  I looked at Steve for translation and he asked Ethan to repeat it.  I still didn't get it but Steve was able to translate perfectly.

So I asked Ethan, "you were ka-powing Alex with the pillows, huh?"  Ethan's reply:  "Uh-huh.  Daddy taught us how to do it."  So apparently, that's where this word came from.  Daddy takes the pillow and pushes it or softly swats it at one of the boys and says "ka-pow."  They in-turn, do the same with other pillows and hysterical laughter ensues. 

Tonight, I was in the kitchen fixing the boys dinner and they were gated into the living room playing.  Throw the dishwasher & the fan over the stove, I suddenly heard what I thought was crying.  I walk towards the living room and hear "ka-pow" and immediately thought, "oh great, now he's doing it with no supervision and was too rough."  I get to the living room and see Alex sitting with his paci half out of his mouth, his blanket completely forgotten on the floor laughing uproariously as Ethan "ka-powed" him one more time.  Ethan was being gentle and they were having a blast. 

Alex still isn't feeling well so while Ethan played, Alex had pretty much been in the same spot sitting on my blanket holding his blanket and sucking the paci.  Ethan told me he thought Alex wanted to laugh so he thought he'd ka-pow him to make him laugh.  Such a thoughtful brother and it had the effect he was going for.  Following this little bought of "ka-pow,"  Alex went over with Ethan to all the toys and proceeded to play happily until dinner was ready.

No, I don't...Yes, you do

I'm sure you've all played the game where you say "did so" and some one else says "did not" and you do this repeatedly until one of you changes your answer causing the other one to change their answer accidentally.  Ethan has his own version of this.  If we tell him he can't have something that he wants, he bucks up and then doesn't want anything.

Today the boys had doctor's appointments at lunch time so Steve got lunch on the go and came to pick me up so we could take them together to the ear checks (follow-up from last ear infections and both had perfect ears).  Ethan wanted tacos and due to Alex's reflux and mine, too, Steve just got Ethan's lunch at Taco Bell and got us McDonald's nuggets because though Alex hasn't been eating because he didn't feel well (which I thought was teething and turns out is a virus), he likes the nuggets so Steve was hopeful that would get Alex to eat - no luck - but he did eat dinner tonight so is on the mend I suppose.  Apparently though, Taco Bell's kid's meal toy was something that Ethan wouldn't understand how to play with.  I don't actually know what it was but took Steve's word for it.  Ethan was being really good but wanted "his toy" since Alex got a good one from McDonald's but didn't want to share.  I told Ethan if he was good, when I picked them up from daycare this evening, we could go to Walmart to get a toy for him.  At first he said, no, this wouldn't be ok cause he needed a toy to play with.  However, he soon found his monster truck in the backseat and decided my plan would be ok afterall.

So tonight I picked the boys up from daycare and as I buckled Alex into the car, Ethan was telling me he wanted to go into the backyard to get his "keys."  I'm pretty sure they didn't play outside today so I'm not sure what he was talking about.  Since it was almost dark out and the ground was basically mud anyway, I told him no and made him stay until I could get him in the car.  As I buckled him in, he resorted to crying and begging.  This is he new phase - which I am absolutely not ok with but am trying to be patient with. 

As I pulled away from the house, he said "I don't wove you anymore." 
At this, I laughed and said, "you do love me anymore." 
E:  "No, I don't wove you anymore."
We played this game for a bit and then I said, "do you still want a toy?" 
E:  "No, I don't want a toy.  I don't want to go to Walmart." 
Me: "Ok.  That's fine.  We'll just go home then."
He took about 15 seconds to respond and then said, "But I do want a toy.  I do still want a toy, Mama."

Ah-ha kid.  Gotcha.  Mama has played this game before and while I probably lost a lot, I learned a thing or 2 along the way.  He'll eventually learn but this catches him quite often.  If he's mad because you didn't give him what he wanted, he'll answer "no" to every question you ask after that.  He suckers himself out of ice cream, trips to the mall to play, going to feed the ducks, all kinds of things by doing this.  But I was in a good mood tonight and just messing with him.

Me:  "You do?  Are you sure?"
E: "Yes, Mama.  I do want a toy.  I do want to go to Walmart to get a toy."
Me:  "Well then what do you need to do?"
E: "I'm sorry, Mama."
Me:  "And?  What else?"
E: "I wove you, Mama."
Me:  "So what do you need to do when we get to Walmart?"
E: "I need to go get me a toy."
I chuckled and said, "before you can do that, you need to give Mama kisses and a hug because you said you didn't love me anymore and I need you to give me kisses to make up for it."
E: "Ok Mama.  I wove you, Mama & I want a toy."

And the keys were totally forgotten - whatever they were. 

By the way, through the entire conversation above, Alex was saranading us with "uh uh uh uh uh."  You see when he's in the car he wants 2 things:  1) the music to be on, 2) to be able to go to sleep - even if it's for only the 10 minute drive from daycare to the house.  Within 1/2 mile of daycare, he's typically asleep.  As soon as Ethan finally caved, I put the music on for Alex who immediately started dancing in his car seat - smile blazing.  The smile faded though when I kept reaching back to tickle his leg telling him he couldn't go to sleep cause we were almost at Walmart.  He got a flashy thing for a toy at Walmart though so he didn't hold it against me. 

And Ethan, well, he got a Zhu Zhu pet after giving me my kisses - bunches of them.

The Joys of Being a Mom

One of my favorite phrases in the movie "The Princess Bride" is "you miserable vomitous mass."  The phrase comes to mind every time my children vomit on me as that is precisely what I feel like - a miserable vomitous mass.  Until tonight, I would have said every time Ethan pukes on me as Alex had never puked on me.  In fact, Alex had never puked at all until Saturday night.  He does have acid reflux (though it's almost completely gone now) and has spit up throughout his short life (again, it's pretty infrequent these days) but he had never actually puked before. 

Saturday we went to "Aunt Megan's house" (that's right folks, it's not Uncle Jeremy's or the kids's house - it apparently belongs to only Aunt Megan) to celebrate Makenzie's birthday (she's 2 today - Happy Birthday sunshine!).  Alex has never met a food he didn't like and is especially fond of noodles.  Jeremy made some really good spaghetti and Alex ate a very good sized plate full; however, he also thinks he should eat when anyone else is eating.  Since Grandpa arrived right after we ate and then he & his gang proceeded to eat, I told them all not to feed Alex any more.  I told them all he'd go to them and use those pleading eyes and beg but he had already eaten and didn't need anymore.  Megan added that he'd puke if they caved to him and gave him more food.  My thought here was, well he hasn't before; I was just thinking he really doesn't need any more to eat right now - he's had enough but as telling everyone he'd overeat & puke did get the point across, I left it alone.  Somehow he still managed to get some more food cause I kept seeing him with more bread but didn't really worry about it.

A while later we did cake and ice cream and Alex actually turned away with only 2 bites left which is his way of saying he's done.  However, he then went to his Daddy and proceeded to eat quite a bit more ice cream even though I told Steve he didn't need any more.  After presents we let the kids play a little but as Alex (who typically gets at a minimum a 2 hour nap) had only about 45 minutes of nap on the way to Megan's, when he began staggering around like a little drunk boy because he was so tired, we packed up and headed home. 

Alex usually sleeps really well in the car.  He slept maybe 10 minutes of the first 90 minutes.  About 30 minutes from home, he was done with the whole thing and fit to be tied.  Alex is my cuddle bug though and likes to snuggle with Mama for a little bit each day (not Daddy mind you - it's called "Mama time").  We thought he wanted "Mama Time" so Steve stopped at a gas station and I, quite uncomfortably, got in the backseat between the boys so I could rub Alex's ear.  He calmed down for a little while when he had his satiny blanket in one hand and my hand in his other to make sure I was still right there.  However, this didn't last long and he kept getting fussy which really isn't like him. 

Ten minutes from home - it all made sense.  He looked at me and promptly puked all over himself (& a little on my jeans, too) and all over his carseat.  Oh great - thanks for the foreshadow Megs.  This was Alex's very first puking episode - EVER.  What was his reaction?  Well, since that had been his whole problem - Megan was right and he was too full - he smiled, laughed and yes, tried to play in the puke.  Steve, who has a horrible gag reflex, promptly pulled into the McDonald's parking lot that was right beside us when he puked.  With the dry heaves, Steve got out and got Ethan out because I didn't want to have to clean up multiple pukes and Ethan has a bad gag reflex, too (both he & Steve puke or at least gag when someone else pukes).  I then peeled myself out of the backseat and went around to Alex's door to clean him up since the backseat was far too cramped to try to do that from the backseat.  Steve was quite helpful in getting Ethan out of the way, getting me the wipes (we thankfully had an almost full pack in the car) and a bag from the trunk to put all the nasties into.  I proceeded to clean Alex up enough to get him out of the car without getting it all over the place and then stripped Alex on the trunk (and a special thank you goes out to mother nature for making the temp around 45 that evening while I stripped my child rather than the 8 degrees it had been the previous week).  Alex stripped, we put the extra shirt we had for him on and Steve wrapped him in a blanket and took he & Ethan inside while I continued to clean out the rest of the carseat so we could continue the remaining 5 miles to our house.  The nice guy inside McDonald's gave Steve a plastic bag for Alex's clothes and gave both boys a happy meal toy (Alvin & Theodore so we now have the full set as we already had Simon). 

Having cleaned the car as best I could and used the Walmart bag we had for all the garbage, we put Alex's clothes in the bag, put both boys in the car and ten minutes later arrived at home.  Finally home, I took Alex immediately to the bathtub while Steve got Ethan ready for bed.  Once both boys were in bed, I set about doing a job I thought I'd never have to do again after Ethan finally outgrew puking in the car - cleaning the car seat.  Ethan puked in his car seat quite often - it was rather disgusting, but did teach us never to leave home without wipes and a spare outfit.  Thankfully though, the cloth part of Alex's car seat is machine washable.  By Sunday morning, it smelled much better and was fully dry.

Fast forward to today:  Alex hadn't felt well today.  He was whiney and just didn't seem like he felt good.  No fever but he didn't want to eat which is VERY abnormal for him.  I'm not sure if he's teething again, if it's his ears again or if it's something else.  I was rocking him shortly before bedtime, giving him that "Mama-time" he wants while he drank his bottle.  He had acted earlier like he was going to puke but then didn't.  Halfway through his bottle, he pushed it away and wanted the paci.  I complied and he sat there a second and then looked at me and ... yep....puked all over us both.  To get the full picture, you should know he was straddling my lap, facing me as I sat in the recliner, rocking him.  Steve was on the couch; Ethan was playing.  In order to try not to get the recliner full engulfed in this, Steve had to step in and help get Alex off me.  When Alex had almost puked earlier, I had gotten a towel to put on my chest as Ethan had frequently puked on me when he didn't feel well when he was little so I had been prepared.  However, since it subsided, I had let the towel down and it was on the floor - poor timing on my part, but at least it was close enough to spare most of the chair.  I got up, we stripped Alex & me & I cleaned out the chair.  All the while, Ethan was noticing "pieces" of puke on the floor and dancing away from it saying "pook, Mama...it's pook....oooo...it's pook on da floor...get it."  Having cleaned all this up, I took both boys upstairs because it was bedtime and Alex & I both needed a bath.  Ethan wanted to join us so we all 3 took a bath and I must say, Alex & I smell MUCH better now.  Ethan didn't really stink so he's just cleaner now :)

So now, both boys are asleep.  Alex feels better.  I'm not entirely sure what made him puke this time as it definitely wasn't overeating.  But he has a follow-up from his last ear infection tomorrow so I guess we'll find out then what the problem is - teething, his ears or some new ailment.  I'm just thankful that while Steve gagged pretty hard, he didn't actually puke on me as he helped me clean up the munchkin.

No wonder Alex didn't want Steve tonight and kept coming back to me.  He wanted to feel better by puking on Mama.  Oh the joys of being a Mom.

Favorite & Least Favorite Words

Ethan's favorite word or should I say, question, is Why?  The answer we've all heard from our parents, "because I said so," has no impact on Ethan.  He responds to that one with "why did you said so, Mom?"  Oh great.  I've spawned a child that needs logical reasoning like me - guess I should start compiling that "book of instructions" for him like the one I apparently requested for Christmas when I was little.

Steve thinks he's found the answer.  He has started explaining to Ethan that God made everything.  This morning Steve & Ethan wanted to show me what Ethan has learned so far:

Steve:  Ethan, who made snow?
Ethan (with excited animation in his voice & sparking eyes, smiling):  God did!
Steve:  Who made rain?
Ethan:  God!
Steve: Who turns the heat up outside?
Ethan: God (snickering)
Steve:  Who's the best in the world?
Ethan:  MOMMY!
Steve:  Awwwwack!  Daddy! (& here I thought this was rehearsed and "God" was suposed to be the answer.  Nope - Steve was hoping for Daddy to be the answer).

Apparently though his focus had been on answering why questions with God answers.

Leave your brother along - Why? - Because God wants you to be nice to your brother.  He's watching.
Take a nap. - Why? - Because God wants you to rest. 

Brilliant idea because apparently once you say, "God said" or "God wants" Ethan drops it . . . until now.  He finally came back with "Why, Daddy?  Why does God want me to weave Owix awone?"  So Steve comes out with the story of Cain & Able as the answer.  I honestly think this response utterly confused Ethan to the point he no longer remembered the question which is what ended the why's for the moment.  But I don't care; as long as the Alex harassment stops & the "why" barrage ends, Steve can explain whatever he wants.

Ethan has a favorite question, but Alex has a least favorite response . . . "No!"  Alex actually listens when you say "no" and will stop whatever it was (usually).  However, not without instant tears.  The fact that you said "no" means that you caught him and he has to stop.  The fact that he has to stop, breaks his heart into a million pieces.  I was once asked in reference to Ethan & his cuteness, how I could tell him no.  My answer: "oh, you can."  With Alex, it's even worse because with those dimples and that quivering chin and tears, it is so hard to stick to it and not cave.  But I steal myself & repeat the "No" and try to distract him. 

Ethan never had that reaction to "No."  Then again, rotten child that he is, he rarely listened to it anyway.  But Alex hates to hear "no," hates more to be in trouble and doesn't even like when Ethan is told no or gets in trouble.  He is definitely my people pleaser but also gets his little feelings hurt so easily.  I sometimes think he thinks he's in trouble just because of my tone on "NO."  This is because he'll cry but come suck up (& beg) at the same time.  The simple "NO" didn't mean he was in trouble, of course, but he would be if he didn't listen.  I'm just stern so he knows I mean it.  Poor kid - he makes me feel like such a mean Mama sometimes but I know I love him & he still loves me so I guess I'm doing something right.

Even with the constant why's and the tearful no's, I think I'll keep them both.  They're too cute to give them away.  Even if I do say I want to sometimes, I wouldn't know what to do with myself without them. 

Alex the Communicator

So Alex isn't quite talking yet but don't mistake that to mean he can't tell you what he wants.  I've been told that when I was little, I had my own language that only Megan understood.  Apparently I would say something in total garble and Megan would translate and then I would shake my head that, yes, that is what I had said.  I assumed it would be similar with Alex & Ethan as I thought that was a trait common among siblings.  Nope - I was mistaken.

Don't get me wrong.  Ethan will still tell us what Alex wants but he does that all on his own.  He's not "helping" Alex.  For example, he didn't ask Alex what he wanted for Christmas and then translate.  Nope - he just looked at Alex and then looked at me and said, "he wants a drum for Christmas."  Unless he's telepathic, which I doubt, he just wanted Alex to get a drum for Christmas so he could play, too...and so he could have a little band with his guitar (that he asked for) and a drum for Alex.  When Alex tries to tell us something, Ethan lets him get it out fully so we can understand.  I think that's actually helping Alex communicate better.

Alex has a very expressive face - from his twinkling eyes, to his deep dimples to his cute little mouth.  He uses all of these to make his point.  He mostly grunts - and he has a few different grunts.  There's teh "uh" - low key, used to get your attention so you look to see what he has or to say "here, you can have this."  He'll use that calmly to make himself known.  However, if you don't pay attention, he'll do an angry sounding "ack, uh, uh, aaaaa, uhhh, ack, uh, uh" with no pause for breath until he has your undivided attention.  Then he'll point or grab or something so you know what he wants.  When you figure it out, you ask, "do you want up here?" or "do you want that balloon?" or "you can't reach it?" and he'll firmly - with both dimples showing & grin blazing, shake his head yes, vehemently.  He grunted last week at Eileen's house.  I looked and he was holding Amelia's rattle.  I said, "did you steal Amelia's toy?"  He grinning big and shook his head, yes.

He also has the excited, "ack, ack, ack, ack, ack, ack..." - just because he's so happy & likes the sound of his own voice.  He did this the other day until I thought I'd lose my mind.  I yelled (or maybe bellowed), "ALEX!" to be heard over him.  He stopped & looked at me and said, "huh?"  I said, "stop that.  Be quiet.  Do you understand?"  Without missing a beat, he excitedly shook his head, NO, and started back up with "ack!"  Steve laughed so hard, he gave himself a coughing fit and said, "well, I guess that answers your question."

I overstated, or maybe understated, the first part of this.  I shouldn't say Alex isn't talking yet as he does say "Ma-ma," "ba-ba," and "ba" (which is both ball and bath as he loves baths) as well as "buh-buh" (which is bye-bye).  I think he says "da-da" occassionally also.  However, he rarely does this on cue.  Steve asks him to say "daddy" and he almost always replies with a devilish grin & "ma-ma-ma."  Quite the imp.  So you see, he is quite communicative as these few words as well as the tone & type of grunt typically get his point across.

Even Ethan fully understands what Alex needs or wants.  If I'm in the kitchen in the evenings when Steve is at work and Alex starts grunting, I'll ask Ethan what he wants.  The answer is almost always "he's stuck" or "I don't know."  The "stuck" part means first off that Ethan actually looked at Alex and discovered that he was either between the couch & loveseat, behind the recliner or trying to scale the gate to the stairs and truly got himself in a position he couldn't get out of.  If the answer is "I don't know" - it could still be one of the previous stuck situations but Ethan didn't want to break his concentration from what he was doing to find out; or it means Ethan was "playing" with Alex & Alex was tired of it and Ethan didn't want to tell me that Alex just wanted Ethan to leave him alone.  With this response, I'll tell Ethan to ask Alex what's wrong.  If the latter was the issue, I'll hear, "I'm sowwy, Owix.  I'm done, Mama."  However, it's just the concentration thing, I'll either hear again "he's stuck" because now Ethan has looked at his brother or "what's wong, Owix?"  Then Ethan will tell me wha the problem is:

• He's dust tired, Mom = Alex took his blanket and paci to the stairs and looked longingly upstairs or he took the blanket & paci and laid his head on the couch.
• He dust wants you, Mom = Alex is standing with his blanket at "my chair" patting it
• He wants his "linus" (aka Alex's blanket's name) = either Ethan found it & gave it to Alex and the grunting stopped or that Alex is standing in the middle of the floor with his paci & no blanket near him & Ethan doesn't see it anywhere

Other things he wants could be just out of his reach and Ethan will tell me he wanted whatever it was & usually that he got it for Alex.  He's really an excellent brother.  Occassionally, however, the issue is that he wants what Ethan has and Ethan doesn't want to share.  Ethan then has to either get Alex another toy to play with or...SHARE.  That is unless that "something" that Alex wants from Ethan is Linus in which case, Ethan has to give it to him; after all, that blanket is like an appendage & you can't take someone else's arm.

So Alex is 13 1/2 months old and just about as communicative as Ethan.  This probably means that next year at this time, I will look very forward to going to work as that's likely to be the only place I'll get some quiet time.  Ethan talks from sun up to son down (meaning when he goes to sleep) - I'm fairly certain Alex is well on his way to that same schedule.

Snow Day...FINALLY!

So yesterday we finally got the snow everyone else in our family (ok, those in Illinois & Eastern KY & Virginia anyway) have gotten and bragged out.  We didn't get nearly as much as they've had but it was enough for us.  We hadn't asked for much anyway, just enough to go sledding. 

I knew Ethan liked snow and sledding because from the time the very first flake fell this year, he's asked us to go sledding.  Every morning he wakes up and looks outside and comes running to say, "Mama, it's snowing.  It's snowing again, Mama," at which point I've usually had to break it to him that no, it isn't snowing - it snowed already and it's still out there.  We got a little bit of ground cover but not enough to sled even for someone as light weight as Ethan and each time he sees that remaining snow on the ground, he thinks it is actually snowing.  He even tried to argue the point with me one day saying, "Yes, it is, Mama - look, see, snow."  I had to tell him yet again that it was not snowing - it snowed already and that was still on the ground from last time and had to stand at the window with him to show him there were no flakes in the air.  That all changed yesterday.

I was getting ready for work and it was snowing.  Ethan came downstairs and did the usual, "Mama, where's Daddy?"  Me: "He's in bed sweetie." E: "Where you going, Mama."  Me: "I've got to go work.  But guess what."  E (sleepily & rubbing his eyes): "What?"  Me:  "It's SNOWING!"  E (not at all sleepily): "It's Snowing?" (runs to the window) "It's snowing a lot, Mama!"  Then he started doing the pee-pee dance and since he hadn't been yet, I knew he meant it so I broke his heart and made him leave the window and go pee.  Then he came out of the bathroom smiling and said, "Can we go sledding now, Mama?"  I told him we would when I got home from work and he'd need to be good for Daddy and then we could go sledding when I got home.  He promised he'd be good and was so excited he giggled behind his hand as he watched the snow.

Fast forward to lunch time - Steve & the boys came to see me for lunch cause we had errands to run and bills to pay and Steve had the day off.  One of the errands was Walmart and Steve checked-out while I took the boys back to the car.  I put Ethan in the car & shut his door and then turned back to the cart to see Alex sitting there smiling at the snow and waving his hands through the flakes that were falling on him.  Until that moment, I had no idea that he liked snow until that moment.  The look of sheer delight on his face as he waved through the snow flakes that were falling was so cute and funny at the same time.  I picked him up and he laughed and laughed as I put him in the seat and buckled him in and he kept just staring at his hand as he flipped it back and forth looking for the snowflakes that had already melted.  Then I went around to buckle Ethan who asked me if I wanted some snow.  I told him I had enough and he asked if I was sure cause he had some right there in his cup holder - then he looked and so "Oops, it melted."  Too funny.

Fast forward again to after work.  Even though I left on time (for once), everyone was going about 10 miles an hour to get home so it was dark when I got there.  Steve wasn't daunted by this - he was still determined that we should go to Shriner's Hospital where there's a nice hill to sled rather than in the front yard.  So while I proceeded to put my cuddle duds and jeans on, Steve put the snow pants & boots & gloves & coats on the boys.  He did Alex first and he truly looked like the boy from A Christmas Story - he kept taking a few steps and falling over - he could get back up but he had to roll over and waddle a little...too funny.  I have a picture I'll post later.  All of us bundled up, we loaded the boys in the car.  Steve packed out the sled my dad made for me (all wooden) when I was little, which we learned last January is still excellent for sledding and I can still fit on it, and Ethan's tobogan (which I can't spell so not sure if that's right) & the rubber tube and loaded the trunk.  We went first to blow up the tube at the gas station and seeing how dark it was, Steve said when getting back in the car, "maybe we should just sled at home,"...so back home we went (I personally think he should have just listened to me in the first place but oh well, it was snowing - who cares).

We went home and the boys were so excited.  Ethan got out and went right over to the yard and waited, impatiently, for his tobogan.  I got Alex out and we put a scarf on him.  I sat him down and he started walking straight out into the yard.  A few steps later he toppled over and started fussing.  Turns out when he bends over or looked down, the scarf covered his whole face and that ticked him off.  I took the scarf off and he went walking down the hill and made it halfway down before he fell.  I went to help him up and turned him over (he was face first in the snow) and he was smiling ear-to-ear and laughing - had no problem with a face full of snow.  Back up the hill, I went down first on my old sled with Alex on my lap and he laughed from top to bottom and couldn't wait to get off when we stopped so he could walk around more.  I rounded him up (Steve was taking pictures) as Steve headed up the hill to try to help Ethan with his tobogan.  With the wind Ethan couldn't quite get on it right (it's flimsy little thing and wasn't very cooperative for a 3 year old to deal with).  I headed up the hill with Alex and then handed him off to Steve as I helped Ethan get on the tobogan good.  Then down the hill he went and promptly turned sideways and stopped...I followed and turned him back around and gave him another push and he zipped down the little front yard and jumped right up to go again.  But at the top of the hill, he decided he'd rather push Daddy than sled again himself.  Steve tried to go down on the tube but the hill wasn't steep enough and the snow not deep enough for a tube yet so he gave up and played in the snow with Alex a little as I tried to get Ethan back on the sled.  He was not interested though - he just wanted me to get on my sled and let him push me.  Hey - I couldn't deny him his only wish so I had to go down the hill again...such a pain - oh well - I tried not to like it too much but wasn't very successful.  Ethan followed all the way down and I asked if he was ready to sled now and he wasn't so I asked if he wanted me to pull him up the hill.  He did want to do that but was trying to stand on the sled.  When I told him he'd have to sit down, he decided he didn't want to.  So instead he helped me pull it up the hill where Steve got on and rode it down the hill (possibly with Alex but I don't really remember).  At some point, we put Alex inside the tube to keep him corralled a bit. 

At this point, both boys were pretty cold but not interested yet in going in - it had been about 10-15 minutes outside by now (seemed longer but it wasn't really).  We wanted to get the boys to go down together so we put Ethan on the tube and then put Alex on his lap - they ended up basically laid out flat with Alex laying fully over Ethan.  I got beside them as they went down the hill to be able to see Ethan as well as Alex in the picture cause from the front, you only saw Alex.  Then I ran down and got a good picture as they stopped of both of them.  I'll post this, too, but Alex's expression is priceless - he absolutely loved it and laughed all the way down the hill.  As Steve pulled Alex off Ethan, I got a good one of Ethan, too, and though you can only see a small piece of his face due to his hat & coat, you can see the total glee on his face, too.  They had such a good time.  As we walked back up the hill, Steve went ahead to open the door so we could usher both boys in.  Ethan didn't quite realize that was the plan until we got right to the door.  He had no intention of going in but sadly, it wasn't his call.  Inside, we started peeling off layers and any piece of skin that was bare on any of us was bright red.  We quickly warmed up the boys and yes, with us all being sick either now or recently (cause Ethan is much improved as is Alex already and Steve but I'm still coughing my head off daily), we probably shouldn't have gone out but we don't get many chances and the boys had so much fun, I couldn't deny them of it. 

And the adventure seems not to have done too much damage.  Alex's face is slightly chapped but otherwise, neither one is any worse for the wear.  I am pretty sure I made myself worse but I can take it - the expressions and laughs from both boys made it all worth it.  We had planned to go out again today but when I got home, Steve & Alex were still napping so I laid down while Ethan watched Dinosaur Train on KET and the next thing I knew it was 4:30 and Steve had to leave for work a little later so we have decided to wait and try again tomorrow.  I realize, too, that it's going to be extremely cold tomorrow but Steve plans to get the boys face masks after work tonight to ensure they get full coverage and again, we'll make it a short outing.  They enjoy it far too much to deny them so I'm going - cough or no cough (and there will be a cough).  I can't wait!  I love snow!!!

Dr. Ethan

So I think I told you that Ethan got a medical kit for Christmas and insisted on giving everyone check-ups.  Well, he's still in doctor mode and is quite a good doctor, I must say.  Each time Alex falls or hits himself with something and cries, Ethan checks him out and tells either Alex or us that Alex is ok - he'll be ok.  But that's not his whole act. 

Ethan went to the doctor the weekend before Christmas and was diagnosed with a sinus infection - he got antibiotics and cough medicine as he had a pretty nasty cough as I mentioned before.  Well I had/have a cough through the whole Christmas/New Year holiday and tried his cough medicine at one point to see if it would help since Ethan couldn't take it because it was so nasty it gagged him each time I tried to give it to him.  OK - this is truly the nastiest cough medicine I've ever had in my life - truly disgusting - makes me feel bad for making Ethan take the 3 doses I made him choke down.  He did take the full course of antibiotic and got much better but still had quite a cough - not as often but when he did cough, it was bad and not getting better since he couldn't choke down the cough medicine without puking.  So Sunday, he coughed and then came to me and said "Mama, I dust have to go to the docder."  I said, "You do?  Why?"  He gave me a truly priceless expression and waved his hands and said completely matter-of-factly, "For my cough" - kind of like "well duh."  It was truly comical.  Since I was planning to try to get an appointment for Alex on Monday anyway, I decided it wouldn't hurt to have Ethan seen also to see if there was something else wrong or if we could get a different cough medicine. 

I called Monday and got both boys appointments but unfortunately Steve was working so I had the infinite luck to be able to take both boys to the doctor myself...oh joy.  We get into the doctor's office pretty uneventfully.  Ethan was quite helpful carrying coats and trying to take Alex's hand to guide him, etc.  He's really an excellent brother.  Then we get into the room and this is where "Dr. Ethan" showed up again.

He sat in the seat the doctor usually sits in (it spins, so I thought he wanted to spin....nope).  He looked at me and put his hands on his knees and said, "So, what's wrong today?"  I said, "what's wrong?  Are you being the doctor?"  He said, "Yes, so what's wrong today?"  I said, "Well, Alex is sick, not me."  Dr. E:  "Well bring him to me."  At this point, Alex was playing in the floor with a ball, ignoring us entirely.  I said, "You get him."  Smart boy that he is said: "Give me the ball and he'll come to me."  So I got the ball, handed it to Ethan and Dr. Ethan said, "Owix, come hewe.  Come hewe, Owix.  Look, I have your ball."  Alex dutiful went to Ethan - to get the ball though, not so much to answer questions as Ethan would soon learn.  Dr. Ethan:  "Owix, what seems to be wrong today?"  Alex then took the ball and walked back to his corner to play.  Ethan just looked at me and with a little giggle said, "he didn't tell me."  I told him he'd have to go to Alex if he wanted to ask.  So Dr. Ethan got down and went over to Alex and kept stooping down & cocking his head to put his face right in Alex's face as Alex kept bending over to pick up the ball.  Dr. Ethan did this about 5 times and each time asked, "What seems to be wrong today?"  "What's wrong today?" "Owix, what's wrong?"  Then he looked at me and shrugged and said, "he won't tell me."  He then giggled and shrugged and started to play ball instead.  This whole thing was quite cute and Ethan's face was so expressive, I truly wish I had video as my description can't do it justice. 

So then the doctor came in and asked who wanted to go first.  Alex was totally disinterested and still playing with either his ball or the wire slide toy thing he got from Aunt Megan for Christmas (which is an awesome attention drawing toy by the way - those little things with the wires and wooden or plastic pieces - ours is wooden - that slide around the coils back & forth - really great to keep a kid occupied in a doctor's office when the ball is no longer interesting or in the car when you're waiting for a script in the drive-thru).  So I looked at Ethan who was almost shyly standing sort of behind the doctor with a look of excitement.  I asked if he wanted to go first and he said yes.  She asked him (using exactly the same words Ethan had been using so I actually laughed & then had to explain), "what seems to be wrong today, Ethan?"  Ethan looked at her and said "I dust have a cough."  She said, "You have cough?  So how long have you had this cough?"  He said, "Ummm....let me think (tapping finger on upper lip)....ummm, I don't know."  So I chimed in and answered the rest of the questions and then she started listening to his lungs and stuff and Ethan said, "I have one of these too & a termometer &  a shot."  He told her all about it and was so grown up sounding it was totally cute. 

When she left after checking both boys to get the scripts for them (antibiotics for Ethan's pussy ear & cough & antibiotics for Alex's not quite pussy ear that was "brewing" an ear infection), I put Alex on the table to change his diaper.  When I finished and got him dressed, Ethan came over to him and patted his leg and said, "Now Owix, I'm going to give you a widdle shot, ok?  It will dust hurt for a minute but then you can have a sticker."  Alex looked at him and immediately tried to get off the table.  Ethan was quicker and took his imaginary shot (he didn't actually have his kit with him) and touched Alex's leg with it.  Then as I put Alex down, Dr. Ethan said, "Hewe Owix," and tried to hand him something pretend but stopped midway and asked me, "Mama, can I give him a sticka?  Can he have them now?"  I told him that yes, he could.  Alex was, as usual, playing with a toy on the floor and not really acknowledgeing this exchange so Ethan again looked at me and said, "where can I put it?  Can I put it hewe?" (pointing to his chest). I told him he could so he rubbed Alex's chest like he was smoothing on a sticker.  He truly takes pretend all the way - I vaguely remember that age from when I was little. 

Ethan was such a good patient, he got 2 real stickers - Batman (who he frequently refers to as Spiderman - we'll have to have them both side by side to show him the difference cause he doesn't get it) & Iron Man.  These 2 stickers totally occupied him until he passed out in the car on the way home.  Well, I shouldn't say "totally" as I had him on Alex detail a few times as I tried to check-out, etc.  This works more as a way to tell what he's doing & where he's going as Ethan actually speaks and Alex just grunts and as he walks down the hall & tries to get away, it's much easier when Ethan is on his heals saying "no, Owix.  Come back, Owix....Mama, Owix isn't listening...."  Thankfully checking out didn't take long so Ethan didn't have to play monitor for too long and I only had to chase Alex down twice.  Ethan did manage to keep hold of both stickers and the back of Alex's jacket as I held Alex's hand and we walked to the car.  Then Ethan got to let both Batman & Iron Man act out amazing feats for the next 15 minutes till he fell asleep.

New Year - New Look

Just a quick note now to say I hope you all enjoyed the holidays.  We definitely did even though I was sick for all of it and the boys (Steve included) were sick for at least part of it.  We're all on the mend now with good meds so we hope to have an excellent year this year and hope the rest of you do as well.

I've also updated the look of our blog and when I get home tonight and scan more of our new pictures, I'll have even more updates.  Since the blogs tend to get really long, I've also made some of them so that the main page shows only part of the story.  You can still see the full blogs by clicking the "read more" link or for those who get it via email, you'll still have that - and I'm not sure what the break I've inserted will look like in the email or if you'll see it all so please bear with me on that.

I have some great stories to post about Ethan & the doctor & Alex's "first word" or so Jackson thought anyway.  More on those in the coming days.

Happy New Year from the Waters Family of Lexington :)