Cherishing Every Moment: Wrapping Up the Baby Story

It sinks in a little more as time goes on. Life is so precious. His is a miracle, in so many ways. Those two weeks in the hospital may have seemed long, but being able to bring him home was a dream come true. That dream does not always come true for many families of babies who contract Group B Strep. Thanks to early detection and prompt, proactive treatment and a God who knows the end from the beginning, little Jacob Alfred is here in my arms.

I was going home on Friday. He would be staying. There would be no more midnight trips to the NICU to hold my little baby. No more spur-of-the-moment treks down the hospital corridors to find my boy, just because I wanted to see him. My visits would have to be planned out and I would be dependent on others to help me get to where I needed to go. The thought of leaving him behind brought tears to my eyes every time I thought of it. Even though I reminded myself that "it was only two weeks" and "at least I get to bring him home", it was still painful. What if he needed me and I wasn't there? What if I needed him? But I still had Wednesday and Thursday to go through before Friday would come. And so I would get up and have the nurse wheel me down to the NICU at 2 in the morning, I would scrub up and down my arms for the allotted three minutes and I would go, sit, and soak him in during those late night hours.

He was NPO, which meant "nothing by mouth" until Friday afternoon, so I pumped milk for him to drink eventually and hoped there would be no great learning curve when the time came where I'd be allowed to nurse him. Penicillin was given and a stronger antibiotic for the meningitis in it's appropriate doses. Jake's swelling gradually went down and eventually the massive hematoma on the back of his head disappeared. He began to look like a normal baby. We waited anxiously for cultures to come back from the lab. A second blood transfusion was given over Wednesday night. An IV had been placed through Jake's umbilicus which lessened the risk of infection with a regular IV line. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and friends came to visit, though not all were able to see Jake at that time. He was looking better and better. He was by far the biggest baby in his room. His neighbors were tiny preemie babies, one of whom was born at 24 weeks, 5 days. Jake dwarfed them all, being born at a whopping 10 lbs, 2 oz.

Friday morning came and so did Adam and Joshua. We procrastinated as long as we could. Dawdled in the NICU kissing our boy and little brother. I held the tears in until we got to the car. We weren't home ten minutes before I was wondering when we could go back to the hospital. Uncle Jim and his fiance were coming into town and they were going to go up and see our new baby. It seemed like days before we were finally back in the car and on our way.

And so it would be all week. Anxiously waiting for the minute I'd be back with my tiny boy. I had friends and family who graciously volunteered themselves to drive me to the hospital, friends and family who made meals, and friends and family who cared for Joshua during the afternoons while I held Jake. I was given the okay on Saturday to finally try nursing my baby for the first time. He was four days old. Someone must've been praying that'd he be able to nurse, as that learning curve I'd been afraid of was non-existent. Everything seemed to be going very smoothly.

Then Monday happened. Another scare for Mommy. My friend and I were sitting in the NICU and I was nursing Jake. We'd been there about a half hour. Jake's heart-rate monitor begins to sound it's alarm, which is entirely normal, and I tell my friend that it's a false alarm, assuming it is like every other time. Except that this time it's not. The alarm continues to sound until his nurse peeks around the curtain to see what is going on. His heart rate is up at 250. The neonatologist is called and a few other people too. Ice is applied to my baby's face and the doctor talks in a quiet voice to those now standing around my boy. I don't know whether to be brave or to cry. My friend stands by with me. After about 20 minutes, Jake's heart-rate goes back down on it's own. There was speculation that this high heart-rate episode was caused by the UV line, which was due to come out the next morning. Often times, the line gradually works it's way in too far and "tickles" the heart into a fast rate or tachycardia. But this was not the case, as three days later, after the line was pulled, again Jake's heart went into a tachycardia, only this time it did not resolve on it's own. Two doses of a medicine which I do not know the name of were given, and finally his heart rate went down. I think I am thankful I was not present for the second episode, as it sounds like it was more intense than the first. The neonatologist called me at home to tell me of what happened and again I waited anxiously for my ride to arrive.

The cardiologist prescribed my baby propranolol to keep his heart rate down and we have not had any more episodes since then. They diagnosed Jacob with having SVT's due to immaturity of his heart tissue and an overactive electrical system. There is hope that he will grow out of it and will no longer need to be medicated. Left untreated, if an SVT continues for over a couple days, it can cause heart failure. I am again thankful to know that this is possible and we can be proactive and work to prevent such an occurrence.

After that, our stay in the NICU was uneventful and we played the waiting game, waiting for Jacob to be cleared to come home. Two weeks after his birth, our little boy was given the okay to come home and joined his family. I am cherishing every moment.

A Little More of the Baby Story

My little baby in the Special Care Nursery, before being transferred to the NICU.

They were going to transfer my baby to Strong. By 11am, my little baby, not quite six hours old, was struggling to breathe. Not only was he in pain from his traumatic birth, he now was wheezing and not able to catch his breath. It became apparent to the nursing staff that this new little baby was sick. By the end of the day, Jacob had spent several hours in an oxygen bubble, had a chest x-ray, numerous blood cultures, and finally a lumbar puncture (or spinal tap). Initially it was determined Jake had an infection in his blood, but toward the end of the day, after the L.P., there was substantial reason to suspect the infection had spread into his spinal fluid and the fluid surrounding his brain. I feel like I took the events of the day all in and still kept my wits about me and my emotions under control, for the most part. Though maybe I have blocked out my most intense emotions of the day... By the time I received the information that Jacob would indeed be transferred to Strong Hospital, the best hospital and NICU in our area, Adam had gone home for the night to get some rest. Still, I had a few family members come to see me and my baby that evening. My brother Dave and his wife were there with me when the nurses in the Special Care Nursery told me of their decision to transfer Jake and also warned me that I may not be able to transfer along with him. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I found great comfort in the fact that my big brother was there at that very difficult moment. It didn't matter that Dave and I hadn't really been speaking much lately, somehow I could feel his love and compassion in spite of our strained relationship. Something about having him there... My biggest fear was not being able to accompany my baby as he went to another hospital. I did not want to stay behind. Tears started every time I thought about it. I prayed that there would be a bed available for me. There was no way I was ready to be discharged. That would be my only other option. Or stay where I was. I had just had a 10 lb 2 oz baby and was in great pain. I knew I needed to stay in the hospital longer. Praise the Lord I did not need to worry long. A bed was available and I was able to transfer right after Jacob.

Big brother so wished to hold our little one, but he had to wait many more days before he would get his chance.

My first peek of little Jacob in the NICU was at about 11:30pm. He was swaddled tightly and hooked up to all kinds of wires. He still had a nasal cannula in his nose and was lying in a little bed with a nurse tending to him. I cannot remember if I held him at that time, but right before he had been transferred, I had been allowed to hold him for the first time since he was born. I soaked in that moment as only a Mom could. Jake opened his eyes and looked at me, his little mouthed opened like a little bird. His body relaxed in my arms and I was thankful. Here he was. Alive. In my arms. Getting the best care possible. Being loved and prayed for by many. He had received his first dose of antibiotics as soon as an infection was suspected. The pediatricians and nurses had been working proactively to care for my newborn son.

After seeing Jake was safe, I went back to my room to sleep, only to be awoken at 2:30am by two doctors from the NICU coming to inform me that Jacob's blood count was low and he had to have a blood transfusion. But that wasn't it. They suspected he had meningitis and he also would be having a brain scan. They asked me if I was familiar with meningitis. I blinked sleep out of my eyes and asked if I should go see him. They told me that I should, as soon as I could. Deep breaths. I told myself my baby was going to be okay, he's going to be okay, he's going to be okay. I found myself down at the NICU, staring at my baby. It was going to be a long week.

Fifteen Weeks

It's been an exhausting 15 weeks, but baby is finally showing itself! Adam laughed this week, when he realized my tummy had suddenly (and I mean suddenly) grown. After two months straight of being sick, and then getting a nasty diarrhea bug that drained everything out of me, I had lost a considerable amount of weight and felt like I was wasting away. I visited Urgent Care one evening during my fight with the "bug", and they pumped me up with nearly two bags of fluid and sent me home with a prescription for Zofran, an anti-nausea medicine, so I could at least start eating food. Although I spent the next several days living off rice and applesauce, I was at least eating. And once the bug bit the dust, I still had a few days worth of Zofran to keep the morning sickness at bay. I couldn't believe how hungry I was. All day my stomach would be grumbling and all day I would be snacking. This weekend I have finally seen some weight put back on, and my baby is announcing his or her presence to the world. I'm hoping that I will start getting some of my energy back in the next couple of weeks, because as it currently stands, if I don't get a nap during the day, bedtime calls me between 7:30 and 8:00. Which isn't altogether bad, but I do kinda feel like an old lady when I am in bed by 8 pm.

Bible Story Time

Josh was running a mild fever last night and it was still hanging on this morning. I had been looking forward to church this morning, but not wanting to expose the other kids in Sunday School to any sickness, he and I stayed home this morning. Not going to church doesn't mean that we have to miss out on Bible story time though. Can you guess what story I told Josh this morning? He even sang the song that went along with it. Find the story and read it yourself in Luke chapter 19.

By the way, can anyone recommend a particular Bible story book for young kids? I don't want it to be too watered down, but understandable too. Any help would be appreciated.

"I don't know how to close my eyes."

Josh had a sleepover last night at Grammy's house. Apparently he had a hard time going to sleep in Uncle Ben's room. "Pssst, I can't sleep Uncle Ben." And then in the morning, he woke up with dry heaves. Do I get a star or something for pawning a sick kid off on my parents' for the night? My Dad had to stay home from church with him this morning. Sorry Dad!

It's Tough Being Three

Josh has had a rough time of it, being three. The first day of being three was just fine. It was a happy day, with a preschool party (though not in his honor, it just happened to be on the right day), a birthday parade, birthday cookies and dinner out with Daddy (because I was working). The second day of being three started out equally or more fun... What Josh had really wanted for his birthday was to have friends over, so we had one little boy from daycare over to play for the morning. The two of them had so much fun together playing cars, dinosaurs, trains, hide-and-seek and anything that two little boys can think of playing together. At one point in all their excitement, Josh took a dive off the couch and onto his head, but that didn't deter him from his fun for too long. When Shod went home, he begged his Mom to let Josh come home with them, but that was not to happen on this day. This was the day for cake and gathering with the family for a birthday celebration. Chocolate cake had been requested and made for a special occasion, that of my little guy's birthday. At about 7:00, Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins had arrived. People were here and there in my tiny house talking and visiting with each other. Pretty soon, Josh was crying in the basement, where he was playing with his Uncle and his Daddy. I just let his Daddy take care of him, and went about getting ready for our cake. Josh had just fallen off his riding toy onto his head and little known to any of us, had just had a concussion. We continued on with our festivities and Josh was perfectly fine and happy to open his gifts and eat cake and ice cream. It was after 9, when everything had finally settled down and we were able to get Josh tucked into bed for the night and Adam and I breathed a sigh of relief. We were tired. It had been a busy day. 45 minuted later, we hear Josh crying in his bedroom. Somewhat unusual, but nothing to cause alarm. But his reason for being upset was reason for alarm. Josh was upset because "the floor was spinning". We were more confused than anything as Adam and I recapped the day. Adam told me about how Josh hit his head and so we wondered if that had anything to do with the "spinning floor". We had Josh walk around and we looked at his eyes. He seemed okay to me, but Adam wanted me to call someone. I left a message for a nurse at the pediatric center, but it being quarter after 10, I didn't want get too hyped up for nothing. But when Josh had a second episode, in which he buried his head into our pillow and whimpered that the floor was spinning, both Adam and I decided we should take him to emergency. We don't like to mess around with things like that. To make a long story short, the doctor was quick to diagnose a concussion, mostly relying on our description of Josh's symptoms and was very reassuring. The whole time we spent at the hospital, Joshua was inquisitive and just like his normal self. We were able to return home by around 12:30am knowing that our boy was going to be okay and would be feeling like himself in a couple of days. He didn't have another spinning episode until 4:30 that morning, but this time we knew what we were dealing with. I'm so thankful that we have doctor's and for the reassurance they can give us at times like this.

And that is all because now I am going to bed.

Antoher Goodbye

When we arrived at the hospital in Buffalo yesterday morning, it was very apparent that we didn't have much longer with Grandma. We took turns holding her hand, telling her that we loved her. We witnessed a man kiss his wife and his best friend goodbye. Tenderly holding her hand, stroking her hair and whispering "I love you" into her ear. He recounted the story of how they got together. How she had reached over and held his hand on the way to a dance and how she had asked him out first. His eyes misted over. This woman was his best friend. His wife of 55 years. His heart already ached with thoughts of her being gone. The cancer had taken it's toll on her body. She lay in the bed, her arms and legs worn thin, and an oxygen mask covered her face, to ease her toiled breaths. This was the girl he went dancing with, the mother of his children, the woman who shared his house and home. And now the time had come to say good-bye. His children had come. As had nearly all of the grandchildren. At 10:30 last night, Grandma slipped into eternity and in doing so, left a hole in the hearts of those she left behind. Good-bye dear Grandma.

Happy Mother's Day

Saturday morning was a stark reminder of what being a Mom was all about. At 5am, when the house was still dark and relatively quiet, I was awaken by a small voice coming from the other room. "Mommy, I have to go potty." Forgive me as I have not kept everyone up to date with the potty news in our household, but Josh has been officially potty-trained for almost a month now, night and day. He had been staying dry very regularly at nights for months, so we made the switch to underwear just before we ran out of pull-ups. So back to my story... 5am potty calls. Groggy-eyed I drag myself out of bed and into Josh's room. It was dark and I sleepily checked his legs for dampness. Yes, I was too late. He had gone in his pants. I lift him out of bed and let him walk to the bathroom so he can finish his business and we can get him into clean, dry jammies. As I pull his wet pants off, I am dismayed to find he was not only wet, but there was diarrhea everywhere. The bug that had been going around daycare the week before had finally caught up to us. And since I had let Josh walk to the bathroom, there was not only diarrhea all over Josh and in his bed, but now tracked through the bedroom carpet and in the hallway. *Note to self: Next time Josh needs me in the night, turn on the bedroom light.* This is the part where being a Mom is really no fun. The poop part. So after he gets a quick bath and some clean clothes, I send him into our bed because I am just not changing his bed sheets at 5:30 in the morning. Just. Not. Doing it. There were 6+ spots on the carpet that I did get scrubbe, at least until they looked good enough in the wee hours of the morning. The first morning rays were peeking there way into the windows by the time I climbed into bed. By then, Josh was awake enough to keep bouncing around, tossing, turning, talking and telling us about his boogers. Yes, now his nose was running like a faucets. And he was laying on my pillow. "Mommy I have boogers." Sure enough there they were, smeared across his face and onto my pillow. I grab a tissue, wipe the snot off his face, turn the pillow over so we have a clean spot to put our heads, and grumble about how now I have to wash his sheets AND our sheets in the morning. More talking, now he has his cars in the bed, tossing, kicking, turning. Now Molly is whining. And I am thinking to myself how I wished I hadn't volunteered to help at church in the morning. 10am comes waaay too soon when you cannot get anymore sleep, especially since we live almost a half hour away from church. Finally at almost 7, Adam pipes up, "Josh do you want to watch cartoons?" On one hand, I felt guilty for letting Whinnie the Pooh and Strawberry Shortcake babysit my son so I can get some sleep and on the other hand I wished he had thought of it sooner. All I could think of was, "Happy Mother's Day to me."

PS (We made it to church by 10am.)

It's All About The Eyes

I always thought eyes were a pretty important thing to take care of. Apparently, my Pediatricians office didn't feel the same way. Sunday, after church, I noticed Joshua's eyes were oozing with green discharge and very pussy. Every time I would wipe the puss out of his eyes, there would be more within minutes. After his nap, his eyes were so gross. I knew it was pinkeye, but I hadn't ever seen pinkeye that gross before. I determined that I would call the Dr. right away on Monday. Monday, when Josh woke up, his eye lids were beat red and swollen to a size near to that of golf balls. There wasn't near the amount of puss, but any Mother in her right mind would want to take her kid to the Doctor. That's what I thought anyway. When I called the Pediatricians office and told them I thought my son had pinkeye, I was told that they didn't typically see kids with pinkeye and was given a nurse to talk to.The nurse explained that pinkeye was a virus and that I just needed to use hot compresses on his eyes and wait it out. She didn't ask me why I thought it was pinkeye or what his eyes looked, she simply insisted that it was just a virus and I had to wait it out. I told her I worked at a daycare and my employer wouldn't want my son there and would send us home until he had been medicated for 24 hours. The nurse then made it sound like my employer was very unknowledgeable, because it's again "just a virus". Well, I got off the phone and I was quite ticked. I felt feisty and frustrated. I wanted someone to see my son and his doctor's office refused. They had blown off the concerned Mother without asking any questions about his condition. After talking with my own Mother, who echoed my concern about not only Josh's eyes, but also how the nurse neglected to ask any questions detailing his symptoms, I called our neighboring town's medical office. It turns out that they were accepting patients and Josh was able to be seen that afternoon. He was given a prescription for antibiotics and we were sent home feeling much reassured after having seen a professional and having some medicine.

Perhaps I acted too rashly, but I sincerely belive that if a Mother is very concerned about her child and wants him to be seen by his Doctor, that the Doctor should be at least willing to see the child. My sibling's current pediatrician has been quoted saying that a doctor is partly there to reassure the concerned parent. Well, I hadn't been very reassured Monday morning and felt unassured enough to transfer my child to a new doctor. It wasn't that I hadn't thought about it before, since I had. Joshua's original Pediatrician retired last year and was replaced with a young woman who was fresh out of medical school. I had originally wanted someone who was experienced and perhaps a parent themselves (being more likely to sympathize with another parent). Not that a younger doctor is unable to do a good job, but this incident pushed me enough to find someone more experienced and it just so happens that I had wanted Joshua's new doctor to be his Pediatrician when he was born, but she wasn't accepting patients then. So I guess, it all worked out... I still feel a bit badly.

The March of Time

My brain feels empty. Not that I don't have anything to think about. Cause there is a lot on my mind. I have found myself with more spare time these, having let go of my restaurant hours and working every other Friday at daycare. It is a very good time to have "extra"time, with Grandpa being sick. I love being able to go visit my Grandparents on Thursdays and being able to help my Mom watch "her" girls so she can go visit too. Like today for instance. I am here at my parent's house with the two girls she babysits, so she can go see her own parents. I guess Grandpa had a rough night last night. It's hard to know what to think and how to sort out thoughts about his sickness. We know where this road is going, but the journey there is difficult and trying. Please keep him and Grandma in your prayers. They seem to be taking it all in stride. Grandma is strong and she knows that Jesus is waiting on the other side, so she seems unafraid to say good-bye. Grandpa is reflective, speaking always of God and things of God, and of those who have gone before. Yesterday, he made me smile. He and Grandma got talking about this deli they used to go to together, before they were married. Grandpa was describing this sandwich they would eat. "The ham was sliced so thin... Paper thin. And the cheese was sliced thin. The bread was freshly baked. That was the best ham and cheese sandwich..." And Grandma agrees... I had to smile. Grandpa hasn't been able to enjoy food for a while. Of course he hopes that will change. He had a bowl of peaches in front of him which he was poking along at very slowly. Every once in a while, Grandma would say, "You ARE going to eat that, aren't you?" or "Are you going to eat those?" They are such an example to me; loving each other so much for so long. What an encouragement. What a Godly heritage.

Rollercoasters of Life

It was a long and arduous weekend, filled with agony and turmoil. I wrote that in retrospect of how I was feeling, but to be truthful, it certainly holds more true for many others who live near. I spent three days lying in bed writhing in pain, while others writhed in pain much deeper than mine. I cannot feel sorry for myself now, nor can I tell you all about "how bad my weekend was".

Feb 12th, 2009- Flight 3047 crashed into a home in the village of Clarence, NY. I've driven through Clarence often, on our way to see family in Buffalo. 49 or 50 people died.

Feb 14th, 2009- A man and his wife were murdered in Canandaigua, NY. The man was manager at a nursing home that my husband services (HVAC) and Adam's boss was good friends with him. I'm told their children were at home.

So, as soon as I wrote that first sentence, I realized that I could not tell a pitiful story about my woeful, sickly experience and how I weigh less now than I did at age 14. Now my heart aches with sadness for the loss of so many. I rest my head on Your shoulder, dear Lord.

But sadness is not all that happened this weekend. Bekah, the girl I work with at the daycare, had her baby yesterday. She and her husband had not found out what the baby was, but they thought it would be a boy. I though so too. But it really tickled my fancy to find out it was a girl!! She was born on Sunday at 1:30, and was named Rosalie Grace. Which I think is so pretty. :) And I think that news of a new baby should make anyone smile.

Sick Day

Two days off in a row! That's like, a record!! Okay, not really, but it feels like it.The only thing that would've made in better, was not being sick for day #1. But then I would not have day #2 off. The flu is no fun. At least there was no throwing up. Just body aches and severe tiredness, feeling like you were falling apart, fever, etc., etc. Josh was sick too. I've never seen the little guy turn down dinner. Or sleep through lunch for that matter. He did act pretty much fine until it was "supper" time. If you can call a grilled cheese sandwich supper, as that is all I could muster up the gusto to make. He didn't even want the half I offered to him, so I had to eat the whole thing. And then he fell asleep on the couch next to me. He NEVER has done that before. No squirming or wriggling to get down. And it was only 6ish. Thankfully we are both feeling so much better today. Next time Uncle Joe comes home feeling yucky, we're gonna make him sleep in the dog house, so we don't get sick! Oh, and in case you were wondering why Adam didn't make us supper, it was because he had class and wasn't going to home till later. And we don't really have a dog house.

Something neat I learned while looking for a grilled cheese photo: April is "National Grilled Cheese Month". Cool, eh?

Today Stuff

My body is sore and achy. I am *hopefully not* getting the flu. I should be wrapped up in my bed, but Adam isn't there yet, so there is no one to cuddle with and keep me warm.

Today was a glorious day (minus the sore, achy and tired part), as I just love it when the days start getting longer again. The sky was blue on my drive home and there were birds outside today. Even though they were black wrenish-type ones... I am not a bird watcher like my Grandparents, so therefore I do not know what kind of bird they really were. But they were there and there were several. So that made me happy. :) I like birds, even if Spring is still 2 1/2 months away. Birds make me feel like Spring. (Side note- I forget if you capitalize seasons... I think not, but do you?)

I haven't been taking as many photos of Josh lately, and I feel badly because of it. I should really get out of this slump and get back to it. Maybe tomorrow. I have the day off, so maybe in between cleaning the bathroom and mopping the floors, I'll take of few pictures and write a new post. So on that note, I'll be seeing you tomorrow.

Skin Woes

Okay, fellow bloggers, I once again come to you for advice. Josh seems to have pretty sensitive skin, but today his stomach has erupted into red blotches. He typically has dry, bumpy, slightly redder areas on his back, but not like what he has today. I took a photo for your viewing pleasure. What do you think? Could it just be hives or an allergy of some sort? I rubbed him down with baby oil this week because he seemed extra dry. I'm wondering if we need to change our laundry soap... I just started using Tide a few weeks ago. It smells so good, I'd hate to think of not using it. Or at least whats left of it. Should I mention it to his pediatrician, to see what her suggestion would be? I have a cousin who has sensitive skin and has to stay away from fragrant soaps and things. I'm not even sure what to think, so I apologize for sounding quite vague and unfounded... Ideas? Anyone?

Question of the Day

The question of the day is does pinkeye have to be medicated and is it kosher to go out (ie shopping, church, friends house) when you have pinkeye? Should I call the eye doctor?

Isn't that rash?

Well, after going to the doctor for the second time in two weeks because of my rash, my doctor told me that I actually have/had mono, and people who have mono, when they take amoxicillin often brake out in a rash. So that is where my rash is from. My Mom told me that often mono can look just like strep, so that is where the confusion came from. So my sore throat went away and then I got a strange rash. I have now stopped taking the amoxicillin, and although it is still there, the rash is fading slightly. I felt rather silly going to work today with my face all blotchy and red, but most people thought I was just flushed. My boss told me I looked really hot, because my face was all red, and said to take off my sweater. I had to explain that it was just a rash from the medication I was taking. So glad it is finally fading...

Take a look at that rash!!!

Last night, when I was at my parents for dinner and Bible study, I broke out in this rash on my face. This morning when I woke up, Adam asked me what happened to my face. It had gotten worse overnight and has spread down my arms and legs and covers my back and shoulders. I look like one big freckle. Mom said maybe it is because I have been taking amoxicillin (because of my strep throat last week... one has to finish the whole bottle), and some people develope reactions to anti-biotics, even if they have taken them before. I hope it is as simple as that, because I don't want to go to work like this tomorrow. Everyone would ask me what happened to me. Besides, would you want to go to a restaurant and have your waitress covered with a strange unknown rash?... yikes

Anyway... other important news. We finally took down our Christmas tree this week. Well, Adam did anyway. We figured that a month after Christmas is a good time to take down our tree. When my friends came over I would ask them, "Do you like how we still celebrate Christmas?" So now our living room is back to normal. yup-yup