Wow. It's been a while since I updated! The reason I didn't update last weekend was...well, there just wasn't a whole lot to say. The weekend before, Lukie's cough had gotten a little worse and then gotten better. Then I got the bug and came home early from work on Monday, stayed home Tuesday, lost my voice, and was back at work (though not happy about it) by Wednesday. Pete started feeling icky on Friday and was sick Saturday and Sunday, causing us to cancel a planned date night and a bonfire with friends to get our little boys together to roast marshmallows. Ah, well. Is what is.
Mom and Dad, knowing Pete would probably be better by Monday, went ahead and visited this week! They came in on Monday and stayed until Friday morning! I am always a doofus about remembering to take photos, so I just have a couple from their stay, but I'll pepper the post with other pictures of Lukas.
Mom and Dad got in on Monday evening just before I got home from work. I had put together some baked spaghetti so that dinner would be ready, and it was nice to get home and have dinner with my family. Lukie had a pretty good evening, and Mom helped me give him his bath.
Tuesday Pete took a big group of students on a field trip to Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC, where they toured the old town and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. It's place after Pete's heart- full of old furniture. He said the student who had taken the material culture class from him last spring did a good job of identifying different periods of furniture, and I think that made him feel good. He was gone all the way until 9 p.m. that night, so I was sure glad to have some help!
DROOLMONSTER.
Thanks for the cools duds, Grandma Vickie.
Standing against Mommy...not so sure about balancing, though...
Mom and Dad and I took Lukie to Johnson City to shop for Lukas' winter clothes on Tuesday. We have tons and tons of onesies for him, but he needed some warm pants and jackets in which to bundle up when we're leaving for daycare in the mornings! Mom is a saint (a saint who likes shopping for baby clothes, I guess) and bought Lukie his whole wardrobe. He's been sporting some pretty dapper looks this fall, already. After that, we strolled over to the bookstore to pick Grandpa Bob up and then went to Five Guys Burgers. Mom and I had eaten there before, but Dad never had. We knew he'd like it, and as burgers aren't really Pete's thing, it was a good time to go.
We came home, cooked some dinner, and hung out until Daddy got home. Well, Lukie and I were asleep, but we left Pete some pretty righteous pumpkin bread pudding that I had made from the pumpkins we grew in the yard this year!
Wednesday, I had to work. Boo. Nothing really happened Wednesday, but Mom and I both noticed that Lukie's cough was getting a little worse, and I noticed he was starting to pull off when he was nursing, like something was bothering him. I amateur-diagnosed an ear infection, since I figured the pressure of laying on his side might be what was bugging him. I called the doctor on Wednesday to set up an appointment. Nothing really ALARMING was happening, but Lukie had had the cough for about a month, and while it wasn't bad, it was starting to bug me a bit.
Dad and Pete also got a digital antenna up and running. We had gotten so sick of poor service from DirecTV, and honestly, we just didn't watch enough TV to justify the cost every month. We got satellite service when we moved into the house a year and a half ago after living our first year down here with only Netflix, but it's just never been something we really felt like we needed. So, with the antenna up, we canceled our satellite service and were still able to watch the World Series opener. I fell asleep with Lukie way too early to find out the outcome, but Pete informed me the next morning that the Cardinals had lost. He tried to keep the glee out of his voice. Glad they've tied the series up now.
I'm glad I set up the doctor's appointment for Lukie. Dr. McGill (whom I really, really like) diagnosed an ear infection in both ears, a minor sinus infection, and maybe a bit of gunk in his bronchial tubes, as well. None of those infections were bad infections, but they were enough to be causing him some decent discomfort. As of Thursday, Lukie has been on antibiotics. I think they're helping. Oh, and Lukie now weights 17 lbs. 10 oz. What a big boy!
Eyes are still blue.
Thursday afternoon, Mom, Dad, and I took Lukie to Asheville, NC. It's basically Pete and my favorite town within easy driving distance. Pete and I went to the North Carolina Arboretum in the spring, and we really thought it was something Mom and Dad (Dad especially) might enjoy, since they had a really neat bonsai exhibit. My dad is a tree lover, so it seemed like a Bob type activity.
Lukie was totally passed out from his antibiotics and slept the whole way down, and then slept pretty much the entire time we were at the Arboretum. I was right about my dad liking the bonsai...but what's not to like? TINY TREES!!!
Lukie all bundled up and sleeping. Poor kid was knocked OUT from those meds.
They had a LEGO art display going on. This fox and rabbit exhibit was my favorite. The fox was at least as big as Maggie is.
Lukie did really well until after the Arboretum. Then we had a melt-down in the car because he was hungry (Mommy's bad. Should have fed him before we left the Arboretum), so we stopped in the parking lot of a Dunkin' Donuts to feed him while Mom and Dad went and got coffee. Then we went to have a painting that Dad inherited from his grandfather appraised for auction. The auction house was REALLY neat, and they had an original tile by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec there that they are planning to auction in November. It was worth the stop just to see that tile!
About to fall asleep holding Mommy's hand.
The drive home went smoothly until about Erwin- the same place Lukie broke down the last time we went to Asheville. It's hard work entertaining a freaking-out baby for 20 minutes, but I did my best.
Mom and Dad left at about 4:15 on Friday morning. My folks have always been crazy early risers, and they figured if they were up, they might as well be driving. I don't blame them, but it always makes me sad to wake up and they're already gone. House feels kind of empty on those mornings.
Lukie had a rough day at daycare yesterday. He didn't want to eat all morning, I'm assuming because his ears hurt. Refusing a bottle is a sure-fire indication that something is wrong with this kid-- he usually LOVES to eat. I called the doctor and asked if it was okay to give him Tylenol in combination with his antibiotics, and I think giving him some pain killer helped because he ate better in the afternoon. Poor kid has had a rough go of it.
The fact that Lukie gets sick so often at daycare makes me feel kind of guilty that he has to go. There's no changing it, as I have to work, but it doesn't make it easier to know that he's having a bad day that could be made a little bit better if Mommy was around. I work because we need me to financially and because I'm a happier person with a career and life of my own...but oy, is it a tough line to walk. The worst part is that I don't get to spend tons of time with my son; often it's only 45 minutes to an hour after I get home that he falls asleep for the night, and those 45 minutes are often his fussiest minutes of the day, since it's getting toward bedtime.
Oh, well. I value the time I spend with him and I look forward to the day when I can get home and we can all sit down at the table and have dinner together, talking about our days and finding out all the cool things Lukie learned at daycare that day. I know it's a ways off...but it's a thought that keeps me going when I feel bad about not seeing him for 11 hours a day.
At least he's THIS CUTE when I get home.
Full Post
No comments:
Post a Comment