The mysterious rash...

Just as I was thinking we were all getting healthy again after the strep throat, Gunnar started running a fever again on Sunday, then all day Monday and all night that night. It got up to 104 and he was miserable. He just layed on me all day those days. I called in to the doctor's office and they just told me to watch him and if it got that high or higher again the next day to bring him in. Well Tuesday it finally came down and he seemed better again. Then Wednesday I fed him lunch (which happened to be some toast with peanut butter on it)...and immediately after he ate I noticed a rash showed up kind of behind his ears. So I started to get worried that he was having a reaction to the peanut butter, even though he'd had it one time before. As the day went on it started to get worse and was spreading. Again I called in to the doctor and they told me to bring him in the next day if it kept getting worse. At that point they didn't really think it had anything to do with the peanut butter most likely, but more to do with the antibiotic he was on. Well Thursday morning when he woke up it went from his face, down his neck all the way down to the top of his diaper on his front and back and it looked horrible.

(these pictures don't show nearly how bad it looked) I could tell he felt horrible again too. So I made an appointment to get him in. When the doctor looked at it he said it was most likely a reaction to the antibiotic and we should just take him off of it even though he was only 5 days into the 10 days he was supposed to take it for. Other than that he said we could give him benadryl to help it. We left for Price that afternoon and it just got worse that night and on Friday. Finally yesterday it had mostly cleared up except for where it had spread to his legs and arms. So we figured taking him off of the antibiotic was getting rid of it.

But then Lars started to get the same rash!!!

Yes he was on the same antibiotic, but we kind of thought what are the chances that he has the same allergy to it? Anyway just like Gunnar's his has gradually spread to cover his whole body and looks horrible! I took pictures of his too, but promised him they wouldn't end up on my blog :)

His sister is a nurse and as she got thinking about it and remembering that Gunnar had had a high fever the couple days before his rash showed up she thinks that it was a virus called Roseola and sure enough when Lars looked it up on the internet all the symtoms (that Gunnar had) matched up (first the high fever, runny nose, fussiness and wanting to be held constantly...then after the fever dropped the rash showed up...it even looks just like the little picture in the article if you click on the roseola link! Thank goodness he never had a seizure with the fever). I'm totally convinced that this is what it was.The only weird thing it said is that it's pretty uncommon for adults to get it. And that it's mostly in small children and people whose immune systems are compromised. So the only thing he can think is that when he had strep maybe since his was weak he got it then. Hopefully his will clear up like Gunnar's did. It says it's just mildly contagious.

Anyway I know everyone wanted to read about this! But maybe it will help any of you with babies/small children if one of yours ever gets these symptoms. Obviously my doctor didn't diagnose it right. I think so many times it's a guessing game or a process of elimination for them. Luckily this particular virus isn't very dangerous.

Thanks for helping us figure it out Shelley!

Stay tuned for a much more fun Easter post tomorrow...

More family pictures...

So today I picked up the prints I got made up from the family pictures we had taken a couple weeks ago. These were the best two of the ones the guy took...there really weren't too many good ones to choose from and Lars doesn't really like himself in this one, but honestly it was the best one of all of us together.

It's hard to get 4 people (2 of them squirmy kids) all looking normal!!

I do love this one of Ashton and Gunnar though... I got them both in an 8 x 10 ...

So now I just need to find a place to put them :)

(Anybody know why in my blog you can't click on the pictures and enlarge them to look at them bigger??)

(it works on everyone else's blog but mine! help!)

Shopping, scrapbooking and sleep!

I did it!

Since everyone is feeling much better at our house...I used my hotel stay gift certificate last night and it was so nice! I left the house around noon and went to town and did a little shopping (got a new cd to listen to while I was there and it is now my favorite ...Lady Antebellum- It is SO GOOD!)...then grabbed a subway sandwich and checked in to my room at 3:00.

After I got all organized and took this dorky picture of myself in my room...

(the things I do for blogging..hahaha)

I started scrapbooking around 4:00 and didn't quit until almost midnight.

I got 25 pages done! I would have liked to do more because I'm still way behind,

but I was glad that I at least got some done.

Here are a few of them... By midnight I was so tired and so looking forward to a full night of sleep I decided to go to bed. Of course I had a hard time falling asleep and woke up a couple times during the night and couldn't sleep in past 8:00, but it was still nice.

So I got up and got ready and grabbed some breakfast, then decided that I was

scrapbooked-out, so I just cleaned up my huge mess

(oh and thanks Lindee for the use of your table...it worked out great!)...then I checked out and made it to church by 10:00.

Lars and the boys had fun (and survived without me...most importantly)...so now I know that I can do things like this more often! I missed them, but I think it was good for them to hang out just the boys too.

And it was so refreshing for me to have a break and some time all to myself. I would highly recommend it. Gunnar was so cute when I got home...his smile was priceless!

So happy to see me :) I love it!

I think Ashton was happy I was home too, but he was busy riding his scooter now that we finally got a nice day.

Thanks for another great gift hunnie and for watching the boys!

Looking on the bright side...

In the midst of the sickness at our house I've been thinking of lots of things that I'm thankful for. (Warning: This could be long and random).

First of all how nice is it when your kids learn how to get to the bathroom in time before they throw up all over their bed or the carpet between their room and the bathroom???? SO NICE!!! Ashton, after having his high fever all night, slept in till about 9:30, but when he did finally wake up he immediately said he needed to throw up. So I hurried and got him to the bathroom and he made it just in time! Then he said he just needed to lay down, but he proceeded to (about 4 or 5 more times) get up from the couch and run as fast as he could to the bathroom to throw up again and again. Poor little guy...but I was so proud of him for making it!

I made him and Gunnar an appointment this morning with their pediatrician at 11:20. Besides a runny nose and cough Gunnar doesn't act too miserable, but he's had this nasty diaper rash, so I was glad to be going in to get that looked at too. So I get them both ready and we're on our way when Ashton yells from the backseat that he has to throw up again. So I pulled over as soon as I could and got him out and he puked in the gutter.

That was the last time that he's thrown up and I could tell after that last time he was starting to feel much better. He gradually started talking again. NON-STOP. Lars and I always say that as much as we hate to see Ashton sick it is the ONLY time that he is quiet and still (unless he's sleeping) and we secretly (well not secretly anymore) kind of enjoy the quiet.

After school yesterday he started feeling really sick again and he finally zonked out at 6:00 last night on the couch with Gunnar's birthday balloons...(and of course lovey)So anyway during the rest of the drive to the doctor he got chattier and chattier asking me all sorts of questions and telling me why certain things are the way they are and on and on and on. At one point he was asking me if God looks like us...and if not what does he look like and when we go to heaven will we become babies again? And will we have birthdays there? And yes we better so we can have LOTS OF CAKE! It's like all the words that got stuck inside of him while he was feeling so sick were coming out all at once and he just couldn't stop them!

So sure enough after going to the doctor we learned that they both have strep too and he gave me a prescription for antibiotics for them as well. Gunnar's horrible rash on his bum is how his is showing up. And the doctor said that Ashton's throwing up could definitely have to do with it too. He always seems to throw up after he's had a high fever like that anyway.

On the way home Ashton must have been getting really hungry since he hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon and threw up so much this morning. Because the non-stop chatter turned into talking about every food he could think of. He started out saying he was hungry for lunch, then started saying all of the things he wanted. Maybe I could have pancakes, or waffle maker waffles, or no I want pizza...yeah pizza and chicken nuggets! Then Mommy... someday we need to make a really big pie. I think it should be either a ramen noodle pie or a blueberry pie! Do I like blueberries? And hey what's that on the windshield? Bird poop?? Yes Ashton it's bird poop. Why do birds poop on our windshield? And how do they poop while they're flying? Well Ashton it just comes out while they're flying I say. And they don't even have to push like we do??? And on and on and on.

See why we enjoy our few times a year when we experience the silent version of Ashton???

I'm so glad he's feeling better and I love all of the fun crazy conversations we have with him, but my gosh he is tiring some times!!!

Anyway one other thing I'm always so thankful for is this...

Gunnar gives me the best hugs and Lars finally got a picture of it. I of course can never see his cute little face when he's squeezing me so Lars is always explaining to me how happy he looks. Honestly almost every time I pick him up he does this.

I LOVE it!

I guess I won't be going to use my hotel gift certificate tonight, but I'm going to tomorrow if everyone is surviving. If I don't use it this weekend, I'll have to put it off for another month or so since all of the next few weekends are taken. And I've been looking sooo forward to it all week. (especially the times that I still have to get up in the night or when I'm up at 6:30 every morning!) I just picture myself sleeping in with no interruptions. Just once!

The other day when Lars stayed home sick from work I went to Macey's with just Gunnar to get groceries. As I was getting ready to put him in his carseat to head home I realized that I could try him out in Ashton's carseat now that he's 1 and almost 20 lbs. Oh my gosh he loved it! He couldn't quit smiling and he looked so tiny in it after seeing Ashton in it all this time.

Anyway blah, blah, blah...Hey I warned you it might be long...and it was definitely random!

Living in the sick house...

This past weekend I started to get a really bad sore throat, but just kept taking ibuprofen and was so busy with company and Gunnar's party that it didn't bug me too bad till I went to bed. It's been about the worse sore throat I've ever had. Other than that I didn't really have any symptoms...just body aches. But I have kids and a house to take care of so as we Moms tend to do I didn't pay too much attention. Then Lars got it a couple days ago and we all know how guys are when they are sick. I may as well have a third child! No really I feel bad for him because it is really painful and he has all of the cold symptoms too...so luckily he decided it was bad enough to go to the doctor today just in case it wasn't just a cold and sure enough it's strep throat! So the doctor prescribed antibiotics for both of us and now Ashton has been acting sick off and on today too (of course not when it was time for preschool!...I wish I hadn't sent him now) because tonight he has had a fever of almost 103.5! I'll be taking him and Gunnar in as soon as I can in the morning to get checked, but chances are they both have it too. Gunnar has had what I thought was a start of a cold the past couple days. YUCK!

And I was supposed to finally go use my gift certificate from Christmas for my hotel stay by myself to scrapbook tomorrow night. Oh well I guess it probably won't happen unless miraculously everyone is feeling much better. Guess I'll reschedule it again for later.

The other bad news is that Lars' Mom fell and broke her leg yesterday! They at first thought that they would only have to cast it, but she ended up having to have surgery today and is being told that she won't be able to be on it for 3 months!! I feel so bad for her. I guess she was out on their porch for a few minutes and a big gust of wind came and blew the screen door into her and knocked her off the porch! When they called yesterday I was really hoping it was a bad April Fools joke, but no such luck! We're praying for you Nana :)

We've been so lucky so far all winter to not catch anything that was going around, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon and we can get better!

I really hope and pray that any of you that were at our house this weekend don't end up with this and I'm so sorry if you do!

The party...

Gunnar's party yesterday was so fun. We decided to keep it kind of small so it wouldn't be too overwhelming for him (or Ashton), so we invited my Mom, Lars' parents, Gunnar's Godparents Tony and Angie (and their daughter Arianna) and Gunnar's little friend Amalia and her brothers Dante, and Julius and their parents Aurora and Gio. It was a perfect number of people and great to have a couple friends there for Ashton. Of course we had invited his Texas grandparents, my step-dad and Gunnar's aunts and uncles too, but they were all unable to come.

After everyone showed up we had fruit and fruit dip, veggie pizza, hotwings, chips & salsa and the kids played for awhile, then after much begging from Ashton we let him "help" Gunnar open his presents. Now what that turned into was him and the other little boys tearing into them like crazy one after the other giving Gunnar hardly a chance to even look at anything, and me not knowing who things were from. Kind of a circus!!! Not that Gunnar cared or understood and he eventually got around to playing with everything, so it was fun.

Ashton picked out and wrapped this green ball for him :)We got him this...and this... ...and he has loved both of them. That is when he gets a chance to play with them in between times of Ashton playing with them.

He also got this from Grandma and LOVES it! Look at that smile!(luckily the weight limit will still hold Ashton's skinny little body) and they both love this little phone and keys too from her. Amalia got him this cute little train set that he loves pushing around and his Godparents (and kids) got him these... ...and way too much money-I forgot to talk to you two about that! You are so sweet to him. Thanks for the balloons and food you guys brought too!

When he gets a few more teeth, he can dig in to the chocolate.

Ashton asked me if he'd already eaten it all! ha!

Lars' parents gave him a wall hanging with his name on it and some money and sent this little people school house from Aunt Shelley and the kids.

After all of that craziness it was on to the cake...

I had found these cute polkadot plates and napkins at Target a couple months ago and kind of wanted to do a polkadot theme. So I started to think of how I could do a cute cake to go with that. Then it came to me to do a caterpillar and I got online and found a bunch of cute ideas. Once I saw them the idea was planted in my head and I was so excited to try to make one (I am so not a cake decorator!) I ordered all of my supplies and luckily decided to make it Friday night. I had been planning on just making it on Saturday, but it ended up taking about 6 hours! So I was so glad that I just got it done early...it would have been crazy to be trying to do it yesterday.

Here it is...The cute head... (my favorite part was the fake eyelashes)

Had to have a one of Gunnar's new pictures displayed with it!It was sweet when Lars saw it (after it was finally done at 11:00!) he said, "Now how are you ever going to cut into it? It's not a cake, it's a masterpiece!" Ha! I wouldn't say that, but I think it turned out pretty cute! And it was kind of hard to cut into the poor little guy! I loved how it went along with the polkadots and I think Gunnar liked it too.After we all sang Happy Birthday to him

(twice because he liked it so much...he smiled and smiled)...we gave him the head to dig into. Now I thought he would be the kid that would dig right in and chow down, but it was about 6:00 and he was getting tired and kind of onry, so he didn't want much to do with it. He did eat some and got pretty messy, but then he just wanted to get down.

After everyone else ate some of the rest of the cake,

(poor cut up little caterpillar)... ...Lars took the boys out to fly kites. He had gotten them for party favors for the kids and it ended up to be a perfect kite flying day! They did that for about an hour and a half and had so much fun.

We took the babies out to watch, then it was time for everyone to go home and get the boys in to bed after a long day.

Gunnar slept so good last night...for the most part he's been doing pretty good-he still has his nights where he cries out a couple times, but so much better overall.

I'm finally getting some sleep!

I can't believe we have a 1 year old...Some of his favorite things:

• Mommy
• Daddy and Ashton
• EATING!
• Taking baths
• Dropping things and saying uh-oh repeatedly
• Smiling and saying hi to EVERYONE he sees
• Playing with anything that is Ashton's
• Being outside...it's a whole new world out there and he loves to get down and explore
• His fleece blankies he sleeps with
• Being held and carried around
• Having something in both hands at all times...whether he's eating or playing, his hands have to be full
• Walking around on his knees...it's so cute!
• Music and dancing to it!

His least favorite things:

• Getting his diaper changed
• Getting dressed
• Getting his face or nose wiped

Otherwise such a happy kid!

Happy 1st Birthday Gunnar!

My baby is 1 today! I'm happy and sad...we had a fun day celebrating him, but I just can't believe he's already 1...it happened too fast! That was the fastest year of my life. But it has been such an awesome year. I love being his Mom and I thank God for my sweet little boy every day. He is such a happy, fun little guy. I love that he is still such a mama's boy.He hasn't been feeling very well the past couple of days...and he had a rough night last night, just up a lot and wanting me to hold him...I just cherished it knowing that "it won't be like this for long". This morning like usual when he woke up I got him out of his crib and he gave me a big hug. He hadn't had a bath last night, so I bathed him while Lars and his parents were outside with Ashton. After I got him out of the tub, he just wanted to snuggle with me and lay his head on my shoulder. Again I held him for a long time and enjoyed it.

I love him so much it just makes my heart hurt.

How did I get so lucky for God to choose me to be his Mom?

It was about a week ago that I nursed him for the last time. I never (in the beginning) thought I would say it, but I miss it already and it was hard to know that that would be the very last time to share that closeness with him. When he was born I really didn't have much intention of breastfeeding at all since it didn't work out with Ashton, but I told Lars that I would give it a try again assuming that we'd be buying formula when we got home. Well from day 1 Gunnar was a champ at it, so I figured I'd better do my part to try to make it work. It was so hard at first. So painful and just hard because they eat so often when they're nursing! I was on that couch every 2 hours on the hour and he'd eat for a half an hour! It was such an awesome thing though to know that I was supplying everything he needed! (proof positive that size doesn't matter in some things! ha!) But it was also hard when you have a 3 year old who really still needs Mommy to do a lot of stuff for him and who's used to having all of the attention. So at first I would think "I'll just try to make it a couple more weeks, then another month, then by the time he was 6 months, he started eating more food and nursing less often and at that point I really enjoyed it a lot more...that was our special time togehter. So I started to think, why buy formula when he's still doing so great...I may as well try to make it till he's a year.And I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it~!

Anyway too much information for some people, but that was a big part of our lives this past year and this blog is like a journal to me besides being a way to share with friends and family. And I'm just going to miss this first year...but it's so fun to see him learn and grow too!

Happy Birthday little boy...I love you!

I'm so tired I'll have to blog about the party tomorrow...

Wait till you see the cake (part of the reason I'm so tired)!