Struck!

Well, we picked Elijah up from daycare yesterday and he had a fever. Bummer.

Our pediatrician, "Dr. Joe,"was booked solid with a huge wait, so in the early evening, I brought Elijah to the new Northwestern Medical Center Walk-In clinic in Georgia. It actually shares a building with Dr. Joe, so it's only a 10-minute drive away- we got there around 4:45 yesterday afternoon. I've never been in there before (it's brand-new, just opened this fall), and I was instantly impressed that it was not only a beautiful space, but there weren't many people in the waiting room, maybe 3 folks ahead of us.

My immediate thought was that we'd be in and out in time to fill and pick up a prescription (if necessary) at Fairfax Pharmacy, which closes at 6:00.

Well, thank goodness I thought it was such a beautiful place. Because I ended up spending a much longer portion of my evening there than anticipated. It was an hour before we were seen, and about another hour sitting in the exam room. I have no idea how they could be so slow.

Anyway, they checked his ears. Clear. They took a strep culture. Negative. Huh. Meanwhile, you'd never know Elijah was sick. He was running around the waiting room, shrieking and laughing. He discovered how to work the water fountain, and promptly soaked his shirt right through. Meanwhile, I'm trying to keep him in the section of the waiting room for "Patients with NON Flu-Like Symptoms." Unfortunately, all the children's toys were in the "Patients WITH Flu-Like Symptoms" section. Over there with those people. Of course.

Anyway, they sent us away around 7:15PM with nothing but a promise to send the strep culture to the lab for a more sensitive 24-hour test, and they'd call us if it came back positive.

When Elijah was still running a fever this morning, we decided Ed would stay home this time.
Aside from a very long nap, you'd never know the kid was sick. He ate pretty well, they played outside. Could he really be running a temp of up to 102.5? But we've taken his temperature over and over again, tested the thermometer on ourselves for accuracy...and still his fever lives on.

So anyway, I'm thankful that he's not uncomfortable. I'm pretty confident that now he DOES have an ear infection. And I guess I'll stay home tomorrow and try to get him in to see Dr. Joe.

Mom's Night Out

Last night we got home from school around 5:00 and I scrambled up a quick dinner for Elijah while Ed walked Zoe. My goal was to feed and bathe Elijah before leaving the house by 6:15 for Mom's Night Out. Of course, Ed can feed and bathe Elijah himself, but typical self-inflicted "mommy guilt" sets in whenever I have plans that leave him single-handedly holding down the fort.
So, after a chicken nuggets-and-string cheese buffet ("Mom of the Year" right here), Elijah got a quick dunk in the tub and I was out the door by 6:20. Not bad.

Shortly after Elijah was born, I joined The Chittenden County Moms Meetup Group. There are approximately 100 moms from all around northwestern VT who belong, but a core group of about 20 who normally attend events. Events include private home play dates, trips to the beach or playground in the summer, outings to strawberry or maple festivals, etc. Last night was "Mom's Night Out," which is exactly what it sounds like. We pick a venue to meet at for dinner and drinks...and try as we might to have normal conversations, the dialogue inevitably turns to breastfeeding and potty training. It's great!

A small group of us met at 7:00PM at Madera's, a Mexican Restaurant at the bottom of Main Street in Burlington. Lots of laughs, margaritas and wine!

When I got home at 10:00, Ed was already in bed. He had left me a note saying that Elijah was PERFECT and that they'd had a great night together. It made me so happy to know that their evening had gone smoothly (we've had some bedtime challenges lately).
This morning, he said that Elijah was so good last night that the thought fleetingly occurred to him that it would be fun to another baby. Okay, "Mr. too stressed-to-sleep" insomniac.
Are you insane?

Don't get your hopes up, folks. There will be no more babies emerging from #48 Comette. I mean, how could I justify going to Mom's Night Out with a newborn AND a toddler at home?

The New Me

When starting this blog, Elijah wasn't even a year old yet. My hope was that it would be an outlet for chronicling his childhood- what a treasure to look back at the pictures and videos over the years. Talk about everything at your fingertips. I've now been maintaining my blog for about 16 months and have documented so many events (big, small, momentous, ordinary).

Does anyone even remember the kid in this picture? He's changed so much! Here's a link to Elijah's first steps, his first hair cut, our first Thanksgiving in Maine, a picture of my Dad right before he started chemotherapy, my Mom after her heart attack...Ed just being a fun dad...God forbid should Ed or one of my parents pass early, my hope is that this blog would be a way for Elijah to know them all better. And that includes knowing me better, too.

So the "New Me" is going to make an honest attempt at updating my blog more often- in an effort to keep the chronicle alive. Be prepared for some potentially ho-hum posts, but I want to capture more than just the big events for Elijah. Even if thast means updating my blog during my planning period. Shhhh...I won't tell if you won't tell!

Today I am feeling so thankful for my family. Every evening, we reconvene at home for dinner and a little "Thomas the Tank Engine." It might seem dull or monotonous, but I am so happy that this is my life. It so easily could have gone any other way. Where would I be today if I didn't get this job at MMU and meet Ed? Who knows.....

Some days I want to throw all these kids out the window- every last one of them. Of course, anyone who knows the layout of this school knows it's not a far drop...But still...as I strictly monitor the mobile lab (lest they switch around keys on the laptops like the last time), perfect my glare at a student who arrives to class a full five minutes late (!), and introduce myself to a new group in both Forensics and Environmental Biology...I am so thankful for this job and all that it's provided me over the years- most importantly, the opportunity to meet and fall in love with Ed...and subsequently fall in love with Elijah!

Mom's Night Out tonight...Much deserved break on a Tuesday!!!

EEK!

Has it really been nearly a month since my last blog posting? Eek! It's just that we've been so busy, with not much going on outside of normal "life."

For example, this is all I can come up with for highlights:
1. On Saturday the 16th, Tyler, Matt, Ed and I saw "Camelot" at the Flynn while Aimee so graciously babysat Elijah. It was a fabulous show, and a wonderful Christmas present!
2. Then we survived mid-term exams. Well, grading mid-term exams. 50% of the school year is offically over. That's news!
3. This past weekend, we: Got some new Thomas the Tank Engine trains, went sledding at Casey's Hill and gave Elijah a haircut.

Told you it wasn't exciting! Not even a photo to share...

Guess you'll have to read Julie's blog for delicious pictures of food and fun...I know I live vicariously through her!

Today it is raining.

That's all I've got.

Happy New Year!

On Tuesday, we hosted the "Local Alexanders:" for a Post-Christmas luncheon/Chris's birthday. In attendance were: Tyler, Matt, Aimee, Mary, Jacob, Martha, Chris, Eliza, Addy and Alexandra. It was a busy afternoon, so I only snapped a couple of shots:

Here's Elijah, hanging out with his big cousin Jacob:
On New Year's Eve, we continued our tradition of spending it at Heather and Jason's house. Over the years, it has evolved to include more children than adults! There was a kind of a rock-band theme, which is why you might see some crazy hair-dos in the following photographs:

After eating, the guys set up the Wii to play some "Rock Band."

Meanwhile, far from the "rock Band" scene:

My BFF Heather!

The little kids start warming up.

Elijah was on drums, Brady (aka Billy Idol) was a back-up singer/dancer:

Finally, the old men step in to form their own band.

They were pretty good!

Winding down at the end of the night, watching "Karate Kid."A New Year's kiss!

Happy New Year everyone! Weather permitting, we'll head off to the big Alexander gathering in Glover tomorrow morning!