Idaho

Our niece, Tayler, got baptized this past weekend, and we were able to go to Boise for the baptism. It was really nice to see a lot of Allen's family again and let Big Brother run around with his cousins (and their dogs). We wish Allen's family lived closer to us so we could see them more often. I got a few pictures of our trip, but not many...

Mooch and his cousin are 3 1/2 months apart in age.

They played with the dogs until they were exhausted.

Toh & his cousin are 3 months apart. They just kind of looked at eachother.

Toh-Toh's Allergy Testing

I guess it's been a while since I've blogged...

As many of you know, Toh has been getting really bad rashes on his face and head since he was about 6 weeks old, along with some other symptoms that led us to believe he had allergies. I eliminated dairy from my diet, which resulted in some improvement and less flare-ups; but the rash just kept coming back every few days. His doctor didn't seem too concerned about it, but I was and felt like I needed some answers. I was frustrated that I couldn't pinpoint what in my diet was causing these reactions (since I'm nursing).


Yesterday I finally broke down and took Toh to the allergist. They did a skin prick test for 8 things--dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, dogs, cats, and dust mites. (The most common allergens). The test went really well, and Toh-Toh didn't even mind (though he did start fussing a little on the last poke). The results were all negative, and I was thrilled to hear it. So, after all those months of going dairy-free, I celebrated with an ice cream cone. hehe The doctor said that the rashes on his face could be from a number of things--food getting on his face, laundry detergent, etc., and that he probably just has extra sensitive skin. I have some hydrocortizone cream that I will use for the flare-ups, and hopefully that does the trick. Otherwise, we may be going back for more testing. At this point, I'm really hopeful and feel such a sense of relief that he isn't allergic to everything.

Also, last week Toh-Toh had his 6 month checkup. He weighs 19 lbs 2 oz and is 27 inches long. :)

Happy Half-Birthday, Little Brother!

Little Brother turned 6 months today. I can hardly believe it! It seems like the time is going way faster than it did with Moochismo. Maybe that's because it was just Mooch and me, and I wasn't as busy as I am now. All of my focus was on him, so I probably got to savor each little moment more than I can with Toh.

Today Toh-Toh laughed for the first time. I mean REALLY laughed. He has always kind of giggled at us, but today he was just laughing like crazy. Allen started throwing a ball around and making a rocket kind of sound, and Toh just started busting up! It was cute.

Toh also got his first tooth in the past couple weeks! Very exciting. He has also started babbling (lalala, bababa, dadada, etc). He is trying to crawl, but so far has only managed to go in circles and backwards. I LOVE this age. There are just so many new milestones he is meeting, and it's exciting to see his personality start to emerge.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

More Winter in the Spring

Right now the ground is white with hail. I know this kind of hail is common elsewhere, but I've never seen hail this big before. (Sorry for the blurry photo).

Is it Spring yet?

Not much new happening around here. In fact, we're all sick AGAIN this week. Ugh. Today my sister, Stephanie, called me and said it was snowing in Spanaway. It has been pouring rain here all day... actually pretty much all week (with a few sun breaks). I'm looking forward to the weather getting nicer and for us to be well again. Last night I went to Pack Meeting and came home feeling achy all over. Allen and Mooch Man were sick yesterday and I was hoping I could avoid it again. It's really difficult to take care of two little kids when you're not feeling on top of your game. I spent a lot of the day in bed and tried desperately to get both boys to nap at the same time so I could... It was kind of a boring day for Mooch, but we spent some time coloring and drawing, and he was actually pretty well-behaved for me. Toh-Toh, on the other hand, doesn't really "play" on his own yet, and wanted to be held a lot (maybe he's feeling sick too). He wasn't too happy about me laying around all day. LOL

A sister from the ward brought us some soup, and even though my house was a disaster, I was so greatful to her. I feel blessed to know that there are people willing to help out, even when they have their own families to take care of. It makes me want to be better about serving others.

One Crazy Day

Today has been such a crazy day. I finally have a few moments to myself to sit and relax. Allen woke up for work this morning at 5 a.m. as usual, but ended up calling in sick because he started throwing up. I spent most of the morning trying to keep Moochy out of Allen's way so he could rest (He is SUCH a daddy's boy, so that was difficult). Allen ended up spending most of his day with the toilet.

At about 1 p.m. Moochismo started complaining about his tummy hurting and started throwing up as well. (Kind of scary because I've NEVER seen him throw up). My dad & Allen's brother came over at about 6 p.m. to give Moochy and Allen blessings. Then Mooch started having diarrhea. Every time I would change his diaper, TW would cry. Then in the time it took me to grab TW, Mooch would need his diaper changed again! (I think I changed at least 10 diapers between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m!) I felt so bad for Mooch man because he was so thirsty, but just couldn't keep anything down. But like the (mostly) cheerful little boy that he is, he was still spinning circles and dancing in the living room between bouts of throw-up and diarrhea. I couldn't believe it!

Now Allen and Mooch are finally asleep, and Toh and I are hanging out typing this blog. I was literally running all day--cleaning up vomit, running to the store for pedialyte and soup, changing diapers, doing laundry (over and over again), and just trying to take care of my boys. It was just one thing after another. Toh-Toh hasn't been throwing up, but I think his tummy is feeling crampy (as is mine) and he's been pretty fussy. I have no idea what I would have done if I were sick and throwing up too. I think I was just too busy to get sick today. lol I just hope this thing leaves as quickly as it came.

Stake Conference

Today was Stake Conference, and Moochismo was NOT happy to leave without going to nursery. He just cried the whole way home and said, "Nursery. Kids. Nursery. Kids." At least we know that he likes nursery. But it makes me sad that it's really the only time he gets to be around other kids (with a few exceptions). I have got to get out more with the boys.