Thursday, September 18, 2008

Birthday

My baby Jack is one year old (and has been for a week!)
We spent the evening of his actual birthday in the clinic at Kaiser for his 104 degree temperature (poor little guy!) but he enjoyed a party on Sunday evening. Here are a few pictures from his party:

The cake


The presents

He had fun with one of his balloons!

And more fun (with food in the mouth!)

After Jack started sleeping through the night, the year flew by, and now here we are at toddlerhood! Can you believe it?

Monday, September 8, 2008

Goose Eggs and Crackly Paper

The Widmans put an offer on a house here in Brentwood. Pray for us!
And in other family news, we had our first trip to the ER today.
Jack was playing on the loveseat this morning--one of his favorite indoor activities--and he was loving it as usual. He's a little daredevil. We put one seat cushion and all the back/side cushions on the floor around the front of the loveseat, and he steps or crawls from the floor to the seat cushion, from the seat cushion to the cushionless seat, from the cushionless seat to the cushioned seat, and then back down again. Sometimes he falls into the cushions and he laughs and laughs. Adrenaline junkie in the making. Well, this morning, as Jack was at the highest point of his climb, Lulu the cat entered the picture, and Jack dove after her. Off the couch. Missed or bounced off the cushions on the floor. Landed on his head on his plastic toy wagon. I was on my way to catch him, having seen this coming, but I was too slow.
He immediately started screaming and immediately, plus two seconds, grew a huge goose egg on his forehead. After he calmed down, we tried frozen peas on the bump, but he wanted none of it. Just wanted down. He seemed normal, but I called the Kaiser advice nurse, just in case. She asked about all the concussion signs, but all were negative. Yet she wanted to check with the ER doctor, just in case. On hold... ... ... ... The doctor wants to you to come to the ER, just in case. *Sigh* I knew he was fine, but what if there's bleeding in the brain or something else extreme, and what if I were the worst mother in the world who did not take my child to the ER before his brain exploded? So we went. Two seconds in the empty ER--listen to his heart, weigh him, take his temperature--then an hour at the minor injury clinic, chasing Jack around the hall, and then sitting in the room, blowing up a blue glove, playing with a wooden gagging stick, turning on and off and on and off and on and off the flashlight on the flexible stand.
Then the daredevil--the fearless, couch diving Jack--got afraid. Got very afraid. The doctor entered the room. Why Jack Jack was afraid of this nice man even as the man walked through the door I don't know. Does he remember the crackly paper on the seat, and know that the people of the crackly paper give shots? I have no idea, but Jack was afraid of the doctor. Poor child!
Of course, the doctor found that nothing was wrong. So we went home and went on with our day, minus time in the gym, minus one morning nap, minus a $75 co-payment, plus one bill in the mail, plus one goose egg, plus one giant headache for mom.
I should have taken a picture of his head this morning when it looked really bad. The goose egg shrunk throughout the day. If it's black and blue tomorrow, as the doctor said it might be, I will take a picture and post it for all to see.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Last Saturday, I helped my mom throw a bridal shower for Jodie.
Hollie, Lindsay, me
Karla, Shelley, Mom, Auntie Terri

That evening, at a barbecue at my parents' house in honor of my brother Matthew's friends Sam and his wife, Matthew and Pam surprised us with some news: they are married! They were married on August 21 in Martinez at the courthouse. Below is a picture of them feeding each other cake at Matthew's birthday party to make up for the lost wedding moment...


After such excitement, a short trip to Capitola was a welcome Labor Day weekend retreat!


All of this causes much need of a shower with Dad! Here is a post-shower pic of Jack: