Riley goes skiing

Guest blogger: Chris

Today Riley and I had a father and son day. For weeks I have been talking to Riley about going skiing. Every time I brought it up with him, he couldn't wait to go and kept reminding me that he wanted to go super fast down the hill. Today was finally the day for us to go on our big ski adventure. Last night I told Riley about our big day and he couldn't stop talking about it.  As I was on the way home to pick up Riley early from school, I became very nervous about the weather as a wonderful snow rain mixture precipitated from the dark and ominous sky. But I wouldn't let the weather ruin our fun adventure together. 

When we arrived at the ski park we got settled and layered up Riley in all of his "ski" gear which consisted of 3T snow pants that were six inches two short on him, pajama pants that served as his long underwear, Erin's red face mask, his dinosaur bike helmet and my old ski googles. It was quite the getup. 

After purchasing our lift tickets and getting our ski gear it was finally time to hit the slopes. I have to admit that I enjoyed a good laugh watching Riley try to navigate the snow in his ski boots. Finally we made it to the bunny hill and the moment of truth. Last night, Erin and I discussed how I should manage Riley as he made his way down the slope. Should I ski backwards while hold his hands? Should I ski down a little ways and have him ski to me? Erin suggested that we bring the jump rope and that I wrap it around him and ski behind him and we would go down the slope together. So that is what we did. 

Riley was very apprehensive as we made our way to the top of the bunny in preparation for our first run of the day. To my recollection, Riley only said that he did not want to go down about 47 times. The only thing I was say about the first run is that it was a process that lasted about 20 minutes. Each run after that got easier and easier as he figured out what he needed to do. Eventually we got into a rhythm and he would stay up for long stretches at a time. 

All in all we went up and down about 8 times. Riley's big reward was a chicken tender and fries dinner in the ski lodge. As you can see from the picture below, Riley was very proud of his prize! I was very proud of Riley. I know it was not easy for either of us but he was a great sport and really had a good time.

Before we headed home we made a pit stop at Zee's office which was right down the street. Riley really enjoyed getting the tour of the place and checking out each and every room at least twice. It was a great father and son day and I can't wait for our next adventure.

Speckles update

Well, here is the update on Mr. Speckles:

When I went in to check on Asher this morning, his little spots had turned into larger dots that were connecting to each other and covering more of his skin.  He still seemed to be unfazed but I took him to the pediatrician to check it out again.  Turns out, the new diagnosis is that he is having a reaction from the MMR shot that he got 2 weeks ago.  Only 5% of the population gets this kind of rash reaction and Asher is in the lucky group!

There is nothing that can be done to get rid of it, besides wait it out, but it turns out that as the day went on, he got pretty uncomfortable.  I couldn't tell if he was itchy or uncomfortable or what, but once I brought him back home, he took a nap and that seemed to help.  Later in the day, he got a dose of Tylenol and that also seemed to help.

By the end of the evening, he was still a little crabby but the spots seemed to have gone down some.  We will see where they stand in the morning, and depending on how he is acting, we will see if he gets to make a reappearance at school where he will hopefully scare less kids and parents throughout the next few days!

Spotty McGee

This morning, Asher was taking advantage of the weekend schedule and snoozing away, no reason to start the day or get going.  I went in to wake him up and 5 seconds in, I noticed that he had some spots on his face.  I checked him out and they were EVERYWHERE!  On his hands, on his back, on his ears, on his cheeks!  My first fear was that they were chickenpox - but they didn't have the same texture.  We waited for Express Care to open at Children's Hospital and they diagnosed him with roseola.  It is pretty much just a rash.  It usually starts with a fever, but Asher hasn't had a fever at all.  In fact, he had no symptoms at all, besides waking up and looking like a leopard - or a leper.

The good news is that it doesn't seem to be holding him back or causing him any pain or discomfort.  We pretty much just have to wait it out and hope that they go away quickly.  There are so many spots, so we will just keep an eye on them over time.  And in the meantime, Spotty McGee may be covered head-to-toe, but he still is a cutie!

Asher's new laugh

The other day, Chris was tickling Asher and a new laugh came out - one that i had never heard from him.  It was fast laughing and less giggly - it was very unique and cute.  Tonight during bath time, the same laugh came out.  I tried to get him to recreate it and we got kind of close...

Only time will tell what his laugh really sounds like, but I'm sure it will be a good one!

One year check-up

Asher had his one year check-up today, and just as I thought, he is perfect!  Asher is now weighing in at 23.5 pounds and is 30.5 inches.  They are very happy with his growth and these numbers put him around the 70-80th percentile.  They also said that he has perfectly fat thighs that are just right for his shots - don't worry, he did great for these too!

It turns out that this cold that he has had for a few days was actually an ear infection lurking, but we now have that under control, and he doesn't seem to be any worse off for it.  The nurse asked all the usual questions and thinks that his next tricks will be walking, saying a few words and playing peek-a-boo.  Get ready to be amazed!

It's Shoe Time!

With Asher turning one, one of his newest tricks that he likes to show off (all the time) is the fact that he can cruise.  And this shouldn't surprise anyone cause 'cruising' is in his blood!  He hold onto furniture, people, he has even tried to cruise on Addison - this kid just wants to move.  So with his new-found mobility comes the need for footwear.  

Gee Gee told Asher that for his birthday, she wanted to get him his first pair of shoes.  She said that she can't believe that she has been able to buy the first pair of shoes for her two great-grandsons - which I think is adorable!  So we went to the store, measured his foot, and bought the only ones in the store that would fit his wide baby feet.  We video called Gee Gee for her approval and she thinks they are pretty stylish.  Now we have all the tools we need to get this kid walking!  Thanks Gee Gee!

Happy 1st Birthday Asher!

It's hard to believe that a whole year has already passed, but with it being New Years, there is only one thing left to say - Happy 1st Birthday Asher! 

 With Chris and I being in Cuba with a group, we left the party planning in the very capable hands of Stacey and Brad.  Not only did they plan an adorable theme, but they baked up a storm and provided the whole family with delicious desserts that have lasted for days!  There were cupcakes and cake pops and buckeyes and chocolate covered pretzels and even a smash cake just for the birthday boy.  He didn't really smash it, so much as pet it and tickle the sprinkles, but after he realized what his mission was, he started digging and enjoyed his cake!

It was a good thing that we decided to do the party at home, because in no time at all, he was covered in frosting and cake crumbs.  The party moved to the bathtub and the birthday boy made a reappearance in a new outfit.  It was so nice to have the family over to celebrate and thank you to everyone for putting Asher's birthday off for 24 hours so that Chris and I would be home to celebrate!