Sunday Snapshots

We made it to church this week! No one swelled up, no one threw up... a success for sure!

Blake's Appointment

I took Blake to the doctor today to check in with them about his episode. They drew blood to test for stinging insect allergies. We will get these results in a couple of days. Based on the results we will know more of what our next steps will be. I was talking to Blake and prepping him for how they were going to test his blood and that they were testing him for allergies when he said, "Mom, I'm allergic to needles!" I couldn't help but laugh. We also got a liquid steroid to help the swelling go down.

Oh, and yes, we are now the owners of two EpiPens. The thought of ever having to use this on him just makes me sick! I am thankful that we have it in case we need it, but fearful that we might ever need it.

I explained to her that my biggest fear is that he might get stung in his sleep and we would not know if he needed his EpiPen. She said we might think about getting a mosquito net to put on his bed! Really?! Like we are in the jungles of Africa or something? I will wait until we get the allergy test results back before I convert his room into an African safari theme:) Until then I found these handy things...

I am hoping this handy patch along with the Bug Button we pinned on his sheets will provide me with a little comfort. And if you smell mouthwash when you come over it is probably because that is going to be our new air freshener/repellent. Hopefully there won't be a mosquito around for miles!

All I Have To Say Is...

What a day!!

The morning dawned with Blake still swollen. He woke up to find both eyes swollen closed. He is awake in all of these pictures... you just can't tell. I knew I couldn't take him to church like this so I called Jim and Duby to see if he could stay with them while Barrett and I went to church. Since we had to miss church the Sunday before due to Barrett's fever, I really wanted to go this week. We walked Blake across to stay with Jim and Duby and then Barrett and I headed to church. On the way I made a call to our friend Tim and Tara (Tim is a fire Lieutenant/Paramedic). He gave me some great advice for what to do about Blake. As Barrett and I pulled into our parking spot at church, he choked on some mucus and started throwing up everywhere!! Once my boys gag and get started, they don't stop until there is nothing left to come up. So at that moment I just sat there. Where does one begin cleaning up a mess like this without the proper supplies?? Luckily Robert was on duty and wasn't too busy so I called him to bring me a trash bag and some latex gloves. I stripped Barrett down, put him in the warm squad car with Robert, and got to work cleaning out his car seat and my car. 20 minutes later we were back on the road headed home. I have a couple of new gray hairs to show for my morning of swollenness and vomit...

Here is a picture of Blake first thing Sunday morning. His right hand looks like a balloon too!

Although it looked like his eyes were closed, he was able to peak through a slit in his left eye to see.

Barrett was really wanting some attention too... he is showing off his eyes.

By dinner Blake was able to open them up a little more. We were so excited to see his pretty brown eyes!

We are trying our first attempt at indoor mosquito prevention (although a college friend left me a wonderful idea that I will try). Duby sent over these little buttons on a safety pin that are used for mosquito repellent. You can see that I pinned it on the side of his bed... we will try this and see how it helps!

This is what he looked like at the end of the day... much better than before!

Upon Tim's advice I have made Blake a doctor's appointment to get this situation checked out!

A Saturday of Friends

I had told the boys that Saturday we would go spend the morning at the library. After Blake woke up that morning swollen (see post below), and we assessed the situation, we decided he was ok for a trip to the library. We invited our friends Luke and Mandy to join us and were glad they were able to.

As you can see, Blake's right eye was still swollen shut.

After we spent some time at the library we headed to Chick-fil-a for lunch.
The three boys had so much fun playing. It was impossible to get the picture of them together I wanted, so I decided individual pictures would be fine.

Barrett was on the move!

After we went home and had naps, Blake got a very special visit from one of his best cousins. He was so excited for Brenton to get to come over and play. They played and played and played!

Blake even got to have his first sleepover at our house! He and Brenton had so much fun together! We read our bedtime story snuggled on the pallet and then Blake got in his bed, ready to call it a night.

We had a wonderful day and are so glad to get to play with some of our best buddies.

Blake vs. Mosquito

In case you thought the mosquitoes were gone for the winter... you were wrong! They are back and ready to attack. If there is a mosquito in a 500 mile radius of Blake, it will find him and take care of business. He has a slight allergy to mosquitoes so when they attack him, the bites usually end up red and knotted or puffy. Seems as though one got in the house last night and attacked Blake in his sleep (not the first time). This time he woke up with at least 20 bites, his eye swollen shut, his forehead very puffy, and his right hand swollen. Bless his heart, the bites usually don't itch, they hurt instead. So after I gave him a dose of Benadryl, Tylenol, and a warm compress he laid on the couch to rest in mommy's pink Snuggie.

When he goes out to play we use Off and Off bracelets to help protect him. We have yet to figure out what to do for him when they sneak into the house! We have tried putting the Off bracelets on his bed posts, but they only last for so many hours. If you have any great indoor mosquito repellent ideas I would love to hear them!

Workin' on Motors

The other day Robert had to do a tune-up on a truck for his friend. His friend brought his truck out to our house. Robert headed out to work on it with Blake right behind him saying (in his hick drawl), " I wanna get down deep in that motor Dad".

He then proceeded to say, " I wanna get as dirty as you Dad. I can't wait to be as big as you so I will know what everything under the hood is called".

Robert and his buddy, who he was working on the truck for, thought it was hilarious. Being the good blogging husband that he is... Robert had his friend take a picture of he and Blake so he would always remember that special, and oh so funny moment.

Week in Review

This week we had evening snacks by the fire,

a spontaneous lunch play date,

two sleepy boys,

little Cowboys fans,

our own Sunday School lesson on David and Goliath when Barrett woke up with fever and we couldn't go to church. We read the story and the boys painted a picture about it.

A very low-key week indeed... hoping Barrett's fever passes and all is well for another good week!

Day Out

We are very blessed that Robert gets to stay home with the boys 3 week days, due to his work schedule. He gives them the best love and care. I love getting his special messages and pictures during the day while I am at work. Today Robert and Barrett hit the road doing what all three of my boys love best, looking at used cars and trucks that are for sale! Today when my phone showed a new message, I opened it to find this...

Barrett's New Adventure

I have noticed that Barrett is not making progress with his speech. I set up a day for him to be tested while I was on Christmas break. They came out to the house to do the testing. The testing confirmed what I had thought. He is delayed in his expressive language and will now receive services once a week. Today was his first day of "speech class". His teacher complimented how well he did for her. She thinks that he will make great strides in the program. We are looking forward to seeing (or hearing I should say) his progress!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Today I made a pot of black eyed peas to celebrate the new year with, put on my orange slipper socks to cheer for the Gators in...

and watched my boys sleep... so thankful that the Lord has given them to us.

Looking forward to what God has in store for our family in 2010.