A Day at the Farm

This is one of the things I love about Pittsburgh...we have chosen to live in the city, an urban area with lots of wonderful amenities, culture and social experiences, but yet we are just a short drive away, even within the same county, to reach a peaceful, beautiful and natural space to enjoy a day away from the noise (and there is a lot of it) outside our windows.

If you live in the area and are looking for a great summer day activity (or any season, because they are open year round), check out the website for directions, etc...
www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/rhfac.aspx

My friend Krissy and her twins, Jonathan and Faith, went to this park this Spring and they invited us to join them for their visit today. It was a great outing! We enjoyed all of it. Koen loved riding in someone else's car and he was very concerned about still sitting next to Tavin. I assured him that he could sit next to Tavin (so sweet!). Koen got to sit in the 3rd row and I allowed him to bring Teddy, so he was quite quiet for the trip there (and most of the trip back) just taking in the sights. I can tell when Tavin wakes up in the car because Koen starts talking to him, "good morning, Tavin, how are you?, did you have a good rest?"

Last night a cold front blew through and we are experiencing amazing weather today. It was in the 60's this morning, so a great day to be exploring a park and a farm. The farm is beautiful. White fences around the pastures for the horses and cows, well-kept white buildings with red roofs that house the different animals and supplies and equipment.

Koen, Jonathan and Faith were fast friends (they only get to hang out every few months, so it always seems like a re-introduction) and were quickly leading one another around the farm. Koen and Jonathan in particular really hit it off. They walked hand-in-hand several times "so they didn't get lost" as Jonathan said. So cute!

The kids walked through the barns and visited all the animals at a remarkable pace. Krissy and I were very surprised and a little nervous that our outing would end too quickly, but we didn't need to be worried because this park has a lot to do!

After the animals and averting Koen away from climbing on several abandoned pieces of farm equipment, we headed over to feed the ducks and geese. Thankfully, the kids didn't notice, but today the birds were not hungry, there was tons of bread just floating around as they must have been hit hard with generous visitors that morning. Koen actually enjoyed some of the bread himself despite my request that he stick to eating his lunch instead of the food we brought for the birds. My little hungry man ate his lunch anyways and some of the Evans'.

After the ducks and geese, we headed over to the groves that are available there. They all have different pieces of playground equipment. We had our picnic lunch and the kids played with Krissy while I fed Tavin.

Then, afterwards, despite the cooler day, we allowed the kids to play in the aquatic playground. Yes, that is right, they even thought of that! It looks very new and it looks like a lot of fun. Had it been 85, I think the kids would've been soaked, but they were a little tentative due to the temperature of the water and the air. Krissy commented that if this type of playground were in the North Hills or down in the city it would be absolutely packed, here it was well attended, but not overwhelming. Come on Allegheny County, can we get one somewhere in the city limits?

We knew we needed to get packed up and headed home to try and attempt for a naptime for all these kids. Tavin fell asleep about 10 mins. into the trip, Jonathan fell asleep about 20 mins. into the trip and Koen and Faith stood strong all the way home. All of the kids did very well with minimum upsets and complaints. Koen really enjoyed that Miss Krissy had a Veggie Tales CD that tells stories. I didn't know he would like those, so I'm excited to get us some at the library!

When we got home it was obvious that Koen had had a full day, so we headed straight to nap. Straight to nap means one thing to me and another to Koen. I mean it literally, for him, it is a trigger to pull out every excuse imagineable while laying on the stairs (I'm hungry, I want to play first, I have to go to the bathroom). The bathroom I conceded to, I even let him finish his peaches from lunch, but I had no energy or time for playing, so finally he was laid down. Unfortunately, he is still up there singing to himself more than 2 hours later, but at least he is happy. Currently his song choice is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

I couldn't tell if Tavin was really tired or just out of it, so I kept him up until 3pm so that he would hopefully take a good nap. Well, he was definitely tired. He is still sleeping. Yay! He is such a trooper. This day was definitely not a fun one for him. He had shots yesterday and I think his legs still hurt from them and then his tooth is still cutting through, so I think he just doesn't feel that great (not to mention this annoying cough has still yet to be conquered!).

Thanks to Krissy, Jonathan and Faith for having us along and giving us a ride. We really enjoyed the experience from start to finish. Krissy and I have determined that outings that involve a little car time are pretty great for the mommies. We haven't had that much uninterrupted talk time together since before our kids were born!

Weekend in Review...Long Overdue

I feel like I haven't blogged in days...oh wait, I haven't! I miss it, but it has been a hot and steamy few days in the Burgh filled with fun activities and family and friend time. It's time to catch you up!

So, the rest of my birthday on Wednesdsay was great. Doug made me dinner (delicious whole wheat ravioli with fresh asparagus and zucchini and homemade tomato sauce and a garden chopped salad, yum!) and Abbie made me a decadent chocolate cake. The cake wasn't done cooking before Koen went to bed, but yet we had told him that he could have some after dinner. So, thankfully I remembered that we had put some brownies in the freezer a few weeks ago. We grabbed out a piece and thawed it, stuck a candle in it and he sang to me and then blew out the candle. Whew! He was happy with it, but it was hilarious because he is just too smart...he said, "hey, that looks just like a brownie!" I don't even know if he's ever had a brownie. You can't pull a fast one on him. It also made me happy that he didn't even finish the small serving. I love that he isn't a crazy sweet tooth.

After dinner which was accompanied with thunderstorms, the clouds parted and the temperature cooled a little, so Abbie and I headed on a walk. It was a perfect birthday treat as I love evening walks and usually can't get out before dark because Doug is often out after the boys are in bed. Plus, I love talking with my little sister. I have to make the most of these moments to have her in person before she moves away from Pittsburgh for the summer and then for married life!

Thursday was the day I posted about whining. So, see previous post if you missed that. I do need to update all of those concerned, that after a long nap for both boys, Mommy and boys were refreshed and we all made it through the remainder of the day OK. Thanks for all the encouraging and caring posts. Whining continues to be a problem, but a lot of it is his age and that we are learning how to discipline and combat it in the process. We will get there!

Friday was a nice day. Koen went to Delia's for much of Tavin's naptime and then Tavin and I joined him after Tavin woke up and ate. It was a nice treat to get some work done in the morning hours. I plowed through quite a few tasks...yay!

Delia's backyard is quite an urban haven. They have lots of wildflowers, perennials, vegetables and even wild raspberry bushes. When I got there, Koen and Delia were picking raspberries for a pretend party they were preparing. So cute!
Tavin and Huxley got to hang out next to each other for the first time as Hilary had to run inside with Delia. They were somewhat interested in each other, but moreso were looking for their older siblings.
Friday night I went to a going away/bachelorette party for Abbie. It was my first voyage on the Gateway Clipper Fleet, a Pittsburgh landmark of sorts. It was a fun evening with Abbie's sweet Pittsburgh girlfriends and a hilarious riverboat experience. I love Pittsburgh! Beautiful rivers, landmarks, stadiums, downtown skyline, etc. and the people here just love their town and are so proud of it and it's known traditions like the Gateway Clipper.

On Saturday, we had a fun family day. Koen was a little whiney, but it helps to survive it when your spouse is there to help take the blow. Doug and Koen had a quick bike ride in the morning (meaning Doug pushed Koen on his slightly-too-big bike). When they got back I had laid Tavin down and was putting together our stuff so that Koen and I could walk to the pool at our gym. It was perfect timing. Koen was ready to relax and ride in the shade in the carriage and I was so excited to get out on a fast-paced walk! Plus, the pool on a hot day is one of my favorite things! Koen jumped right into the pool and was swimming around like earlier in the week. It was so fun to actually be swimming with my son. Koen was so fun. As I would tread water and would get creative moving my legs in front and back, Koen would say, "Wow, Mommy, that's a great trick!" He cracks me up! Koen also congratulated me for swimming on my back. Then he would say, "Swim on your belly, that's right Mommy, swim on your belly - where Tavin was born." He says all these things with the most adorable 3 year old accent, "Swim on your bey-yee - where Tavin was bohn."

warming up while waiting for Daddy to come

Doug and Tavin met us at the gym after Tavin's morning nap so I could feed him and Doug could take over with the swimming activities. Koen wanted to try the tunnel slide at the pool. I was amazed. He did it all by himself over and over again! But after we had then been there for 2 and a half hours, Koen's lips were blue and he couldn't stop shivering, so it was time to head in to change and then quickly head home for naptime. What a fun time at the pool. I love it! Tavin isn't that into it, but he was only there for about 45 mins. and I didn't even bother getting him into the water this time.

Yesterday evening Doug and I had a lovely evening out with some friends of ours. We finally got to try Avenue B on Centre Ave. We loved it. I had cocoa ravioli with a beet and marscapone filling it was topped with crushed pistachios, marinated beets and even a touch of foam. It was so delicious, but definitely very rich. We were all happy with our dishes and the service and ambiance was also great. We highly recommend it, although do note, it is a special place to visit and has a price to match!

Today we tried a new strategy for church. We usually go to the 11am, but Koen absolutely crashes and falls apart after the late service as it infringes on lunch and naptime, so we decided to attempt the 9am instead. Koen was in much better spirits both before and after. Tavin on the other hand, was a little difficult. He was great and went to nursery without crying, but his naptime starts during the service and he got tired fast in the arms of the nursery workers and they eventually laid him down in the crib and he took a 30 min. nap or so. Unfortunately, this catnap prohibited Tavin from falling asleep again when we got home (my original plan). Thankfully, he's a trooper and was fine until the afternoon nap. Both he and Koen took 3 hour naps this afternoon. Yay! Which was great because my dear friend Bethany came to visit during naptime and then stayed a little afterward to see the boys.

Before bathtime, the boys were out in the backyard with me and Tavin was dealing with some tummy time (he still doesn't like it). Koen came up next to him to talk to him and comfort him and just love on him. It was so precious. A few pictures and a video...

Now I'm relaxing a few minutes with my feet up after having enjoyed our famous homemade pizza night after the boys went to bed. A favorite! An appropriate end to a great summer weekend.

What To Do About Whining???

I think Koen could win an international award for whining. The tone of his voice actually seems to naturally just sit in the whining mode for an entire day at times. This is one of those days. This whining seems naturally contradictory to my soul. It burdens me, annoys me, taxes me and eats away at my patience.

Today has been emotionally taxing beyond this whining and the whining just pours on top of that. Tavin woke up at 5:30am coughing and thankfully went back to sleep until quarter of 7, but I never fell back into a good sleep between there. Then, our big outing today was to go to playgroup. Things seemed to be going well, I laid Tavin down earlier than normal. He was tired and that way I figured he would wake up in time. It worked and he was up even earlier than I wanted, but I made it work (i.e. the poor thing had to cry a little longer than anticipated as I rushed around getting the last things together). So I had us all packed up (Koen's lunch, bottle for Tavin (which is no small task since that means I had to produce it), water for us all, toys for Tavin, etc.). Then I get the kids out the door, the heavy double stroller down our 10 steps to the sidewalk while holding Tavin, open while holding Tavin, strap in both kids, load up the bag and BabyBjorn and we are off. We cross Friendship Ave. and walk about 10 yards and it starts downpouring. Ahh! So we run back to the house while Koen is of course...whining, "I want to go to playgroup, I don't want to go back to the house."

I unload Koen and Tavin out of the carriage, unload the stuff out, fold the carriage back up while holding Tavin and then carry it up the stairs while holding Tavin. We wait on the porch to see if the rain will stop and I call my friends that are probably scrambling around at the park to see if they plan on sticking it out. I have finally gotten Koen calmed down (thankfully Tavin is a happy camper through all of this). Then, right before my eyes, there is a drastic, loud and intense car accident in front of our house at the intersection of S. Pacific and Friendship. So sad and scary! Thankfully the Lord protected Koen from seeing it, he was facing me at the time. My face definitely read fear though. It is jarring to see this occur only feet away from where we are sitting and where we are often ourselves driving or walking. The airbags came out on both cars and the damage to the cars was substantial. Fortunately, it looked like everyone was relatively OK.

Then our friends from playgroup call and the rain stops and everyone's decided to stick around, so I again carry the carriage down while holding Tavin, load it up with kids and stuff and head off, all while Koen is beside himself crying and whining, "I don't want to go to playgroup, I just want to stay here." Seriously, kid, make up your mind! At this point, I was commited to making this outing work. I had invested too much and I, physically and emotionally, needed an outlet. My limbs were shaking from seeing the accident and the fear attached to that. The walk was good for me. It was comforting too to see my mom friends and have Koen get some fresh air.

Tavin and Koen both did pretty well at the park. Tavin ate his bottle, Koen snacked on his lunch and played on the playground. He hung around me a lot though and actually just seemed really emotionally on edge. At one point he started crying becauase a few boys were being friendly and trying to talk to him and play with him. I was sad for him. It's like he was really disturbed today.

Needless to say we didn't last super long at playgroup. And I already had an early naptime in mind for both the boys. Koen did seem to bounce back once we were at home and he had some more lunch and played by himself for awhile. It wasn't even too much of a fight before naptime (although he continued to test me and try me with not listening and obeying and more whining). We only read 1 book before bed, that shows that I was just done. I love reading with Koen, but enough is enough.

So, we'll see how the rest of the afternoon goes. Naptime has been going well although I watched the end of Anne of Green Gables in the background while multi-tasking and I cried a river. Maybe I just had to get the tears out, but seriously, that PBS movie is the best!

It's My Birthday!

It's been a fun day so far with my sweet boys.

Tavin did me a favor and slept in until 7:30am and didn't scream right away, yay! Maybe he is finally getting back to normal!

Tavin and I got Koen up this morning around 8:30am and Koen was still really sleepy and cuddly, so we took some sweet birthday morning pictures. I love my boys! This picture is hilarious. It looks like Tavin is waving.

So, since it was my birthday and one of my favorite things to do is be outside and in the water, I told Koen we were going to the pool at the gym. He was so excited! I was a little nervous that this could be the worst decision ever trying to balance two boys in the water with kids splashing all around, not to mention at lunchtime and right before naptime. But, thankfully, it went beautifully! We had a great time. I put Koen in his lifejacket so that I wouldn't have to be as responsible for holding him up. I gave him a noodle to start so that he could try out balancing on his tummy in the water, practice kicking and practice paddling. After we had been there for only 10 minutes, he was swimming around in his lifejacket with no noodle. I was amazed! I was a born fish, maybe he is too? I'm so excited! Tavin spent most of the time on my shoulder, but we did try a floaty boat for him, but he is still so small and he was still a little upset with the whole pool thing. He did get used to having the lower half of his body in the water and then after I held him for awhile, he was happy to just sit in the stroller watching us from the side of the pool. It was cute, he was so smiley down at Koen and I in the pool.

Speaking of a smiley Tavin... I thought he looked cute in this adult looking outfit, so I snapped a few pictures. I couldn't get him to stop smiling! Little did I know he had a big job spilling out the back of his pants. I guess the joke was on me!

Visit with Kyndal & Kaiser

Today we had Kaiser and Kyndal visit for the morning. It was a stormy start to the day, but thankfully by the time they came around 10:30am, the rain, thunder and lightning had passed and we were able to spend most of our time outside.

Koen and Kaiser have a special bond from their often visits together last Fall and Winter when I was expecting with Tavin and still going to the office a few days a week. It is so sweet. Koen treats Kaiser like a brother. It's exciting for me to see as I think it shows how he will (hopefully) treat Tavin one day when they are playing together.

The boys really enjoyed the pool despite the cooler, breezy morning. After they got chilly, we moved indoors for a little playtime upstairs (thanks, Kyndal, so I could feed Tavin in peace!) and then after a Koen meltdown on to lunch.

We love spending time with Kaiser and Kyndal. Thanks for coming over! It made our first day with no Gramma a little easier and more fun!

Gramma Leaves =(

Gramma left this morning. We had a great week and she was such a help as we got settled back into our routine here.

The week flew by as I knew it would. We Gagnon women do keep busy! Thanks, Mom, for all your practical help throughout the week. More importantly, it was so great to have you on hand for all my questions and concerns about Tavin as he is recovering.


For those of you wondering how Tavin is doing, he is still improving, still not 100%. I think our biggest issue is the yucky medicine. Last night he got sick to his stomach in his sleep. It was so, so sad. But, he was great and went back to sleep all night. Again, I was thankful Mom was here to help! Doug was very calm and collected too.


Here's a picture of a tired Tavin with Gramma before naptime. So sweet that he cuddled her on the morning she left.

While Doug and Koen were out taking Gramma to the airport and running some errands (including birthday shopping for me...Koen spilled the beans on a phone call while they were out!), Tavin and I took a short walk. Look how cute and happy he was when we got home. What a trooper!

Super Fun For Koen

Last night Doug took Koen up to the Starlite Car Cruise in Wexford. Koen loved it! His favorite thing was definitely that he had a whole evening with Daddy and one of his most special friends, Lisa. She met them there and spent hours with them. Doug said Koen was on Cloud 9 and he also never stopped talking! Lisa's ears must still be ringing!

Koen enjoyed jumping in the bounce house, playing in the pizza truck (Lisa's husband, Gary, owns a pizza store that sells food at the cruise) and having gelato with Lisa.

Doug and Koen didn't get back to the house until after 9pm. Koen didn't get to bed until a little after 9:30pm. That is the latest he has gone to bed in months. He had had a great night, but was bound to be tired today.

And he was! We had Delia's birthday party to attend this morning. It was such a fun family time (Tavin stayed at home with Gramma due to the heat and still getting back on track in his routine). Delia and Koen are such sweet little friends. It is so cute to see them relate to one another and care for each other even at such a young age.

Delia's party was such a great idea for a little girl's party. Strawberry (and blueberry, blackberry and raspberry) picking at a farm with a petting zoo too. We all picked berries, then headed back into the shade for a picnic. It was such a nice gathering. Doug and I love our neighbors, Hilary and Alex (and Delia and Huxley) and were so happy to be part of Delia's celebration.

Koen held it together pretty well during the party, but lost it a little as we left. He is so, so tired from the late night last night. We thought he might even fall asleep on the way home, but he stayed just barely awake.
The boys are both sleeping (not to mention Gramma and Daddy are also taking a little snooze). Hopefully all will be quiet at least until 4pm.

Tavin's 6 Month Appointment

Tavin is 6 months old! We have been frequenting the doctor's office the last few weeks, but we had yet another appointment on good terms today. Tavin is a healthy and happy (although still with a recovering-from-pneumonia cough) baby. He is 26 and 3/4 inches long (70-75%) and only 14 lbs. and 13 oz. (10th percentile). Last week at our first sick appointment of the week he was 15 lbs. and 7 oz. He probably was even down more over the weekend, but is already recovering. The weight loss made me very sad, but hopefully he's on the upswing with that and will gain it all back quickly. He isn't eating any solids right now because of losing interest with the sickness and now with the icky medicine, it seems tougher for him to keep it down. We have to go back in a week and a half for his vaccines (the doctor didn't want to push it with him still recovering from pneumonia), so I hope he is at least back to 15,7 by then.

Here are some super cute pictures I took at the doctor's office...

Keeping Gramma Busy

Mom's visit has been such a help this week. We always love her company, but obviously with Tavin getting back on track, needing two people to get him to ingest his medicine and Koen bouncing off the walls with energy as usual, it is so nice to have Mom around!

I had to post these pictures of Koen running Mom through hoops this afternoon playing in the backyard. At one point Mom taught him how to play "Simon Says," which unfortunately didn't work out in her favor (I think she was trying to mix up their activities). Koen would do the things she would say "Simon Says" about (touch your toes, touch your head, reach for the sky, etc.), but then every time it was Koen's turn he would say, "Simon Says, spin around again." Poor Mom! Spinning is one of Koen's favorite things right now. I think he is enamored with the dizzy feeling afterwards.

Playing Baseball

Koen found a rope in the backyard and asked Gramma to play "horsey" with him. She was a good sport. I have to say I had quite a laugh at them from the kitchen.

Playing Badminton. Koen and Mom actually had a volley!

Nice Morning with The Boys

Tavin continues to improve and seem more like himself every day. Nighttime sleep is back to normal although this morning he woke up a little early and was screaming (that was common during his sick time), so that made me nervous, but I think he was just starving because after eating he was happy and himself.

During Tavin's nap, Koen and Mom and I spent some time in the backyard. Koen filled up the pool, "all by himself."

Tavin woke up early from his nap and Mom went up to comfort him (I'm still recovering from a sore back from all the extra holding from over the weekend and last week, so that was a welcome relief!). Koen and I headed in soon after so that I could feed Tavin and Koen was dying to play hide and seek with Mom. He is hilarious. He tells her where he is hiding and then absolutely laughs his heart out while she looks everywhere for him. So cute!

Check out this sweet picture of Koen and Tavin together. It is so great to have these brothers back together. Koen is so sweet to Tavin and Tavin smiles at Koen so much. I can't wait to see these two grow up together (except that I also want Tavin to stay 6 months old for at least an extra 3 months).

Tavin is Back!

Today was such a relief. Tavin seemed to be functioning at about 90% today which is the best we've probably seen in 2 weeks. He woke up from his nap this afternoon and he finally had some pink in his cheeks! All day today he had plenty of smiles, coos and even a good bit of laughter. Music to my ears to hear his sweet little voice again. I've missed seeing his precious personality over the last week, he was so lethargic and tired all the time. Today we played on the floor for the first time in days.

Koen is happy to have us home. We enjoyed Gramma's help throughout the day. He considers her quite the playmate and then Gramma stayed within Tavin during his morning nap so Koen and I could run some errands.

This evening when Daddy got home and Koen was up from nap, we all hung out in the backyard. It felt great to be together again and Tavin enjoying life with big brother again (he loves watching Koen's every move!).

Thanks for everyone's concern and prayers. God was so faithful through the whole experience and now it is great to see Tavin returning back to his normal self (and even teething like crazy).

We Get to Go Home!

We saw the doctor's this morning and they thought Tavin was doing much better. Thankfully he didn't have a fever overnight and so he has been fever free for almost 24 hours now. The other major issue was that he was totally rejecting medications by mouth previously, but we just had his first dose of his new meds and he did it! It was definitely not pretty or easy, but he kept it all down. I'm so excited to take him home soon! We probably won't be leaving the hospital until 1 or 2pm, but I'm so thrilled to get home.

Doug and my Mom and Koen all came to visit Tavin and I this morning. It was so great to see Koen. Seems like he grew up in the few days I've been gone even. =) Mom is staying with me through the discharge from the hospital which is nice to have company and another set of arms to hold Tavin.

Tavin is acting more like himself this morning. We had some sweet playtime, lots of smiles and he has rediscovered that he is teething and is trying to shove everything into his mouth, including the doctor's stethescope.

Quick Update on Tavin

Although definitely overtired, Tavin seemed to perk up tonight and we had some fun playing together. It gets pretty boring in these hospital rooms, but we spent some time hanging out in the rocking chair playing with his feet and then some time with him in the crib playing with some toys. He found his feet again and really enjoyed pulling at the oxygen monitor tape and cord. I also gave him a sponge bath. He didn't really appreciate that as he was winding down on the energy scale, but it felt good to get him clean. Here are a few pics of playtime.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts, prayers and comments. Doug and I have felt so supported and loved during this time.

Tavin's First Trip to Children's Hospital

And the firsts just keep on coming! What a week it has been. Poor Tavin has been sick for a week and before that had a cough for over a week. By mid-week this week, he had a higher fever and runny nose in addition to the cough, so we took him to our pediatrician and he was diagnosed with an ear infection and put on Amoxycillin. Unfortunately, Tavin did not accept the medicine and would either spit it out, gag on it or throw it up. So after a day and a half of that ordeal (and then he also started rejecting Tylenol orally) and no improvement in his condition, plus an increase in lethargy and having trouble eating, we took him back to the pediatrician on Friday. The doctor checked his ears again and saw that he did have ear infections, but that they weren't that bad to be causing Tavin to act so sick, so he sent us directly to Children's Hospital.

I have to note here how at peace I was on Friday through this whole process. God has provided us a city with just such fabulous clinicians and facilities. Our pediatrician is a family friend and sincerely cares about Tavin's welfare. I could tell he wanted to make sure everything was OK. Then, we have a dear friend who is a doctor at Children's. It was God's timing because right as we were going in to the emergency room she was finishing up her shift. She was able to sit with us through everything as well as ensure we were assigned great doctors, nurses, a private room, etc. Thanks, Elizabeth, for spending your Friday night off in your place of work. It brought us trememdous comfort in this situation.

So, at the emergency room they took chest x-rays, hooked Tavin up to an IV (he was pretty well dehydrated), did bloodwork and gave him more Tylenol (which didn't go well orally, so they had to do it the other way). After the radiologist and doctors reviewed his x-rays, they determined that he has pneumonia. They gave him his first antibiotic dose there and then let me know that they needed to admit him overnight to watch him. Again, the Lord is so good. I was very at peace through this whole situation. It helped to have Elizabeth there and this hospital is just so beautiful and well-staffed, we felt very well cared for and safe.

After a night of relatively high fevers on and off and a morning of throwing up and rejecting oral medications, it was obvious that they wanted us to stay over again last night. Saturday night was less hectic and both Tavin and I got more sleep than the previous night. They have to check his vitals every 4 hours and in between they listen to his chest and check his IV, so it definitely is still quite busy, but we are getting used to the routine a little more and are just so exhausted, it is easier to get back to sleep.

This morning, Tavin still had a fever and also still rejected oral meds, so we are here again overnight. Hopefully tomorrow there will be some further progress. I can still tell he is fighting this. He is quite uncomfortable and ornery. It is hard to soothe him too because he is restricted by the IV and oxygen monitor tubes. He is napping somewhat well despite the interruptions to the room for vital checks, etc. I'm excited to now have my computer here as it is tough to be unproductive (except for making lots of milk!) for 3 days when you are a Type A person like me.

Doug has been visiting the last two afternoons bringing me food other than the cafeteria stuff. It is a helpful change in menu as the cafeteria food is status quo. Thanks, babe. If you live in the Pittsburgh area and haven't tried either of these bistros, you should...J'eet on Penn Ave. in Lawrenceville and Juicebox in Shadyside off of Walnut. So great!

Finally, I just have to say how much I miss my other little man. Koen was able to visit us in the ER, but since then it is hard to have him come here due to germs and I just don't want it to fall at a time where Tavin is enjoying some rest. Aunt Abbie is caring for him today, Miss Kyndal had him part of yesterday and Daddy has handled the rest. Thanks so much for the community effort! We as a family are so blessed to have so many friends to take such good care of us in times of need. And we are really looking forward to the biggest perk of all of this sad situation, Gramma is coming into town to help! She will be here for a week starting tonight. Thanks, Dad for flying her in. I am no longer scared about going home exhausted and behind on my housework, laundry and work because I know I will have her there to help. Such a gift to us!

Here are a few hospital pics of sad Tavin...

Too Sad to Blog Much

Poor Tavin! He has not improved at all. He has not been able to keep the medicine down and now also can't keep anything down. It is so, so sad. Koen is doing very well despite his sad, sick brother (special thanks to Amie Powell for taking him to playgroup for a few hours yesterday). And thankfully Daddy is home with us today and helping. Tavin and I are off to the doctor again at 3pm. I'm praying they have something else that will clear him of whatever this issue is. I've cried on numerous occassions because it just breaks my heart to see him suffer.

Tavin woke up early yesterday, so I took the pale, but alert little man on a walk in the cool fresh morning air. This was as awake as he got yesterday.

This is the end of our day yesterday (above). The poor thing is just a wreck, barely able to keep his eyes open.
Koen and Daddy made us all pancakes this morning. Yum! Glad I ate before Tavin puked all over me!

Tavin's First Ear Infection

So, since this week has been filled of firsts, I figured the title was appropriate. Poor Tavin! He's been fighting the virus that Koen had a few weeks ago, since then with a yucky cough, but I think the fluid finally got to his ears two days ago and yesterday afternoon/evening it probably turned into an ear infection (see sad picture of him moaning until he fell asleep on me at dinner outside in the backyard last night).

And this morning, it was evident that he was battling something. So, we made an appointment at our doctor's office. They assigned us the PA which was totally fine, but we know the doctor we see there personally and I knew I would feel better if he would come by at least and see Tavin, so he ended up finding out we were coming in (thanks, Rachel and Jerry!) and he switched things around so we could see him personally! Thanks! I just love seeing someone I trust, so I know that I'm OK with them finding out there is nothing going on with his chest despite the ever-present cough for the last few weeks, etc. It was quite obvious that Tavin had an ear infection, so that was great to feel the co-pay and the trip to the doctor was totally worth it! Poor Tavin. I felt so horrible. I hadn't given him more Tylenol this morning because I wanted the doctor to be able to see what was wrong with him. Oops! His fever hit 104.9 by the time we got there. I felt so bad!

Anyways, we now have medicine (although he pretty much spits it all out, so hopefully we will get better with that tomorrow) and so hopefully things will be looking up.

This morning he was so pathetic. I had to put in the swing to have my hands free to get Koen's breakfast and he couldn't even stay awake. So sweet. Here is a droopy picture of him from this AM.

I have to say, there is this tiny part of the kids being sick that is special for a Mommy. They are just so snuggly and sweet. Tavin has been such a good sleeper most of his short life that I haven't had much sweet, sleepy time. Today we had an especially sweet time together after his afternoon nap and feeding where he just fell back asleep on my chest (thankfully my cell phone was in reaching distance, so I got some precious shots of his face). I loved it.
He's currently sound asleep upstairs. I pray he gets a long night's rest!