Shelby's Life and Whatnot

Ouch!

Hard-core physical therapy started today and boy am I sore. My current range of motion is still really impressive though. I can bend nearly 90 degrees with assistance! And then it hurts like hell! Honestly getting that bending back is going to just be the most painful part. My therapist is great and the therapy clinic is very focused on manual therapy, which means hands-on massage and soft tissue manipulation in addition to just exercises and stretches. My therapist would bend my knee, then massage my sore areas to release some of the tissue stress, then bend again and so on. As we pinpointed the pain, it was in precisely the 3 areas where the donor ligament was attached. Imagine that! In addition to bending, my quad muscles are pretty shot so I'm building that as well. But the great thing is that once I get the quads in action, I'll be able to lift my leg (straight leg raise) that that's a HUGE step toward getting back to driving and walking brace-free. The pain sucks, but I have to say I've never been more motivated in my life to get back to normal.

Library storytime started up again today, after the library took the month of August off. Theo LOVES storytime! We started going when we as about 3 months old, and it's a baby class for 2 months through 12 months. Basically when the kids are able to walk, they graduate to the next class. This is really nice because all of the activities are baby-focused and are all things that Theo and I can do. Storytime is actually a short group of activities. There's one story, and everyone gets their own copy to read along (baby stories are short). Then we play a variety of games, from peek-a-boo using scarves to patty cake to singing and dancing with both recorded music and just lead by the librarian. The is super-familiar with the songs and games and every time Miss Colleen, the librarian (who is just a very sweet person--she's really great), would start a song or game Theo knew, he'd squeal and kick his feet and wave his hands. That's how he shows excitement, and it's a lot of fun.

Unfortunately with my knee I'm totally unable to participate, but luckily Daddy got to come along! It was very fun for Kevin too, to get to experience this with Theo. And once again, we are SO fortunate that he works from home so he can take an hour away to do things like this. Here's a couple of shots I took!

Not a whole lot to say

So life hasn't really gotten much more exciting around here. Theo's teeth continue to come in more and more and they are really adorable. I'm still on crutches mostly, although hobbling short distances without them. I had a week of physical therapy but my doctor wanted me to only do isometric exercises until the swelling and pain reduced. It has, so Monday I get to start bending it and start range of motion exercises--in other words, the fun stuff. I'm not looking forward to the pain, but I am looking forward to getting back on my feet (get it? Hahaha), particularly driving. It's hotter than hell here so we've been inside constantly. Kevin took Theo to Trader Joe's and I have to say, Theo LOVES riding in the shopping cart. He can look all around (even behind!) and just loves being up high. And the whole shopping thing is so stimulating that as soon as you get home, he sleeps like a log. Some parents drive their babies around to get them to sleep. Mine goes shopping.

Two little toofers!!

Kevin and I had a great night. "Grandma Debbie" came over to babysit and we went out to dinner and a movie. We decided on Harry Potter, having missed other movies we would have liked to have seen (primarily "Up"--I'm bummed we missed that one). And the advantage of seeing a movie at the last possible minute on a Wednesday night is that we were the only ones in the theater--for the 7:00 show! It was good though. I really liked this movie--actually a lot better than some of the others. We ate at a little Italian restaurant we really like, and it was quite nice to get out for a bit without Theo, especially after such a trying last two and a half weeks since my surgery. We need to do this more often. Luckily we have an abundance of grandparents and honorary grandparents to babysit for us. Honestly, things are so insanely expensive--babysitters run about $10 an hour and movie tickets are $10.50. If we ate at a nice restaurant with, say, $20 entrees, then a single night out to dinner and a movie would cost us over a hundred dollars. Sheesh!

And I was doing so well!

Looks like I've fallen back into my blog abandonment ways. *sigh*. Lots going on here though. Theo now has two teeth--the bottom ones. They're really sharp! Teething has been surprisingly non-traumatic for the most part. He had one really rough day two days ago and some general fussiness (we stopped some crying in its tracks today with Baby Orajel) but on the whole, I think he's so good-natured that his default mood is Happy and it takes a lot to throw him off-kilter. Let's hope the rest of the teeth come in without too much pain.

I've started physical therapy on my knee and am already doing well. The differences between this surgery and the one I had on the other knee 17 years ago are phenomenal. I can already bend my knee nearly 45 degrees without pain. It's got a long way to go, but what a massive difference than the first time around. This week I'm working on isometric exercises, but next week I get to start the hard-core bending and range of motion work. I'm not looking forward to the work, but I AM looking forward to the recovery. It's been really tough on Kevin to have two full-time jobs: work and 99% Theo responsibility (the other 1% is my ability to hold him on my lap for a bottle and sit him at his high chair for his Big Boy Food). Add to that the fact that I can't drive and so need to be chauffered everywhere, and I can't carry Theo so wherever Kevin goes, Theo has to go with him since I'm rather useless at home, it's safe to say that Kevin is pretty well worn out. Fortunately I am starting to be able to hobble short distances without the crutches so hopefully I'll be able to get around with both hands free very soon. Plus yesterday a friend of mine picked me up and the two of us and Theo went to Pasadena for some shopping and dinner. Since she could help out with Theo, I think it was nice to be able to give Kevin a bit of a reprieve.

And we have a very special babysitter, Grandma Debbie, coming over tomorrow evening so Kevin and I can get out together. Yay!

Puppy love

More phone pics:

This kid LOVES his doggies!

Babyfooding

So I spent a great deal of today mixing up my latest batch of baby food. It's been pretty random, this making my own food thing. We do give him Gerber, but I'd prefer my own when I can. Basically we just go to the store and buy any organic veggies and fruits that look good and I go to town. We got an immersion blender which is very handy, so I've been kind of throwing together my own recipes and ideas, and so far he's loved all of it. Today was veggie day, so here's what's in the freezer tonight (these are all purees):

Carrots and zucchini
Mashed potatoes with sour cream and butter
Zucchini on its own
Chicken zucchini chowder (chicken, zucchini, potatoes)
Creamy chicken and taters (chicken, potatoes, and unflavored yogurt)

We also had a rotisserie chicken for dinner last night, so I threw the carcass into a pot with some onions and carrots and made myself some chicken stock. I tossed out the carrots but it wasn't until they were already in the trash can that it occurred to me I should just puree those up too. Oops.

Tomorrow will be various combinations of nectarines, pears, blueberries (frozen), and maybe some blackberries we happen to have in the freezer. I'm thinking a nectarine blueberry oatmeal cereal mix sounds really yummy.

XXXtreme closeup

So one fun thing about being in bed a lot is that I get to snuggle with Theo here, and it's fun to take a lot of extreme close-up shots of him. He's also got such an expressive face (and has since day 1) it's a lot of fun to capture so many of his expressions. Some of my favs:

I swear to god these lips are to DIE for!

Knee update

I had my post-op doctor follow-up, and he's really pleased with how my knee looks. So am I! I already can flex it nearly 45 degrees, which is absolutely amazing, and I haven't lost a whole lot of muscle tone in my quads and other surrounding muscles, which will make physical therapy so much better. A big part of my 8-month (yes, 8 month) rehab the first time around had to do with the fact that I spent 6 weeks in a plaster cast. By the time they got the cast off, my legs muscles had atrophied so greatly the one leg was visibly half as large as the other. So much of that early rehab was simply gaining back normal leg muscles. So this one is MUCH better.

The doctor also gave me pictures from the arthroscope, which went from "what am I looking at?" to "interesting" to "that's really gross." The most interesting thing though, was the doctor said he did not expect the extent of the congenital defect I have (thanks Dad and Grandpa). The kneecap normally sits in a groove in the femur. Mine does not, which we already knew. It's set high and to the outside. But what we didn't know and what never showed up on any x-ray or the CT scan, is that instead of a groove in the femur, I actually have a hump. The doctor likened my kneecap to trying to balance a bar of soap on the edge of a bathtub. He said he'd never seen a knee like it, so YAY for yet ONE MORE medical marvel--hahaha. And of course, I really pray that Theo didn't inherit these!

I start physical therapy on Friday, which is exactly 2 weeks post-op. I'm already getting around so much better. Every day is better and better. I've always been able to bear weight, but now I'm able to balance and for very short distances, hobble on one crutch Tiny Tim style. The doctor said that now I can really start to try to use my leg to its limit--not to push it, obviously, but he encouraged me to go ahead and see what I'm able to do. Hopefully I'll be off of both crutches soon, as that truly is the most difficult thing. I can't even carry a glass of water, which is so frustrating. Not to mention how aggravating it is for Kevin when I ask him for something and as soon as he brings it I think of something else I need--can you get me a pain pill? Oh wait, I also need a glass of water. I think it will still be a while before I'm able to carry Theo--I just want to feel really secure in my balance to do that and don't want to push it. I also hope I'll be able to drive soon. When I asked the doctor when he thought I could drive, he said, "As soon as you can step hard on the brake in an emergency"--haha! He said to just experiment and see what I could do. I feel much better having been given this freedom. I've been so afraid of screwing things up, and my last surgery made me really paranoid because I was SO restricted (which again lead to a much harder rehabilitation). So it's nice to just be told, "Well try it, and if it hurts, stop."

Speaking of the pain, I'm still working through a lot of it. It really has been an extremely painful surgery. the doctor said that basically they cut up and moved around just about everything surrounding the joint and it really was pretty traumatic, so don't expect miracles on the pain front. Luckily the Vicodin is controlling it, but ideally I'd like to be off the narcotics ASAP and it's frustrating when I have to take 2 instead of 1 when I know I've pushed it (like this evening after the appointment). It's going to be tough to find that balance of pushing it with rehab but not landing me in agony.

So here's a picture of my knee 10 days post-op. It looks fabulous. You can see next to my other one that the swelling, while still present, is pretty minimal. You can also see the scar on the other one and the different placement this time around.

Out and about

So I'm able to be out and about, finally. Yesterday we went to my parents' house for a wine tasting. I sat on the couch with my leg up and was quite comfortable. Theo, of course, charmed the pants off of everyone. Today we missed church, as in the service, but there was a celebration afterwards to bid farewell to one of our Sunday School teachers who is going to college in Hawaii and a family who are moving to Washington. We'll sure miss them all in church!

Then I went up to Beverly Hills with some girlfriends to high tea. It was a blast, and we hung out a bit afterwards. It was nice to get out of the house. Unfortunately, Theo had a rough evening and Kevin was alone to deal with his multiple meltdowns. They're very tough, so I feel awful. Luckily Theo finally did settle down and get to sleep, but that gets so frustrating.

Happybeagle product review: Mini diaper bags

Welcome to a new feature here on happybeagle, my product reviews. Or review, in case I never get motivated enough to write another one. heh.

So today's installment is the mini diaper bag. Now before I became a mom (BIBAM) I didn't realize the wide variety of style, size, and price of diaper bags. There's the cutesy diaper bags, the stylish, the designer, the mod, the size of a canoe, the "we guarantee Dad will carry this around," and pretty much anything you could ever want in a bag. We got the Columbia Trekster Diaper Backpack.

The Columbia Trekster is a great bag. It's very large, the backpack style is easy to carry, it comes with a changing pad which is quite nice and an insulated pocket for bottles (although it's not leak-proof). It holds just about everything. However, the main drawback is that it holds just about everything. I mean, it's huge. So it's perfect if you're out for the whole day or going over to Grandma's (pick one, Theo has several), but if all you're doing is going to the pool or the library or Target, it's just unwieldy.

Enter the mini diaper bag. Now the mini diaper bag (I've sort of coined this term for what I'm calling these) is the bag that holds basically a couple of diapers, wipes, and a disposable changing pad cover (optional), and maybe a spare onesie if you think you're going to need it. These are the bags you grab when you're just running out the door.

My favorite of these is a bag I happened to buy on an impulse from BabySteals (on a side note, BabySteals is a site that offers one baby product a day at a steeply discounted price. They post at 9am MST and items are available while quantities last. Popular products tend to sell out by noon our time). It's a My Royal Heinie bag. Now first I have to say that My Royal Heinie changed their design and I'm not a fan of the new features, so if you want the one I have they're on clearance. Anyway, the My Royal Heinie I have is exactly as I described above, but the best part is that it has a waterproof pocket on the outside for the wipes, so you just lift the purse flap and grab a wipe. You don't have to fish out the package and open it up, scrape around inside, and so on while trying to wrangle a squirmy baby. Like everything else "invented by a mom"--it's very handy. Here's a picture of mine:

It's a bit smaller than a typical hardcover book and best fits up to 6 diapers. I usually keep about 3 in there, and sometimes a folded-up onesie. There's a small pocket inside that would fit Desitin if I wanted it to. The handle is great too because it can either be a purse strap like pictured, or it can snap together to be a wrist strap. I like snapping it to the handle of the stroller.

Now the new My Royal Heinie looks bigger and includes room for your cell phone, keys, sippy cup, etc. But for me, this is going into the diaper bag category, albeit a small diaper bag. For right now, I just want the mini bag. Maybe as Theo gets older I'll want to trade up, but I like the one I have. They also have "the wallet" which looks just like the mini bag except it lacks the snap strap, which is one of my favorite things about the one I have anyway.

And to get an idea about BabySteals, the bag I have was originally $38, and the My Royal Heinie site is selling them on special for $24.99, but I got it on BabySteals for $15.

Moving on, I also have a Diaper Pal from Etsy. Now in case you're not familiar with Etsy, it's a big collection of artists and craftsmen and people who make things right there on the web. It's like an online craft fair. You can get just about anything and everything is handmade by individual artists. It's wonderful, and I love shopping Etsy for one of a kind gifts, and I particularly like directly supporting craftsmen and women.

So the Diaper Pal is something I got from a friend of mine when we started our adoption. A Diaper Pal is very simple--it's a cloth pouch designed to be just the perfect size for diapers and wipes, or as I was describing above, a mini diaper bag. A couple of people make them, but the one I have and I think the cutest ones are made by Bamboobaby. Here's what a Diaper Pal looks like:

And I think that cupcake pattern is absolutely adorable. I keep my Diaper Pal in the glove compartment of my car, and it has already come in handy once. I'm sure that won't be the last time! I like to put those little sample size packets of wipes you get (the kind with like 15 wipes in them).

In summary, the My Royal Heinie mini bag is my absolute favorite. I love the wipes accessibility and the snap strap. My Diaper Pal is also fabulous. I'd like it better if the Diaper Pal had a snap on the handle though.

Bummed!

I'm so bummed because I had this whole entry written out for yesterday and I was so proud of myself for keeping so consistent on this blog, and then today I can't find it and realize I must have shut my computer down last night without ever finishing it. GAH!!

So let me talk briefly about my phone. I have the iPhone and I love it. I really, really love it!!! In addition to its gee whiz factors--and believe me I'm totally mind-blown by some of this technology--one feature I really like is how easy it is to take pictures and just upload them. And the camera is quite good too, considering the picture is being taken by a phone! Here's a couple of shots I captured.

One is the outtake from the one I posted a few days ago. My two guys, and then my third guy stuck his nose in there too:

This one I just LOVE. Theo absolutely adores the doggies, and just smiles and laughs and just shrieks with joy when they come near him. Here's one such incidence:

And here's a shot from the plane two weekends ago. I call this, "Are We There Yet?"

Improvement

Life continues to improve on the knee front. Here's a joyful picture for you all. I'm really pleased with the doctor's work. His initials, EL, are there because the surgery center, which I loved, is very thorough regarding medical mistakes. You always hear about those horror stories where they amputate the wrong leg or something, so I was very relieved at this center's approach. Every single person who greets you asks your name, birthdate, and what you're having done on which body part to double-check with your chart. while you're still in pre-op, the surgeon comes in and marks on the body part his initials (I actually had thought he was writing "yes" but when the bandages came off, that's what was there). When you go to the operating room again, they check your chart, your bracelet (or in my case, ankle tag), they ask who your doctor is (matches the initials), again check they've got the right leg and right surgery, right doctor, and right patient, and then you go out.

There are 3 holes for the arthroscope you can see here, and then one longer scar along the side. The longer scar is an open scar and that's where they attached the ligament in 3 places--the kneecap, the thigh bone, and the shin bone in a triangle to anchor it in place. That incision will probably be about 4-5 inches at rest and maybe 6 bent, which is pretty much the same as my other knee, although my other knee has it on the top.

Honestly I'm really impressed wiht how it looks. There's really no bruising and the swelling is much less than I expected. In fact, it actually looked MUCH worse after the initial injury than it does post-surgery, and I think that's the sign of a great doctor. I go back to see him on Monday and then after that, I believe I'll start physical therapy.

I'm doing much better getting up and about too. It's not excrutiating to move my leg around anymore, so I'm getting more stable on the crutches and was even able to take a (sitting) shower. I can't lift my leg back up onto the bed or couch, since the quad muscle was one of the main ones they messed around with, but I'm getting there. So all in all, I'm happy with my progress.

My two guys

I took this picture with my phone. Boy, technology sure has come far, hasn't it???

Theo has picked up a lovely shrieking habit. It's shrieking wiith joy, but still eardrum-shattering nonetheless. He has apparently discovered that he has a voice and wow, it's fun to use! The funny thing is that he likes to shriek at Scout, and then when she gets tired of it and leaves the room, he shrieks even louder. After Kevin told me this, I pointed out that Scout herself has a habit of whenever we get home and Theo's sleeping in the car seat and we bring him in, Scout gets right up next to him and barks and barks and barks at him, invariably waking him up. So I wouldn't go so far as to say that Theo is retaliating--he really does shriek out of joy and he LOVES the dogs (sometime will just look at them and coo and laugh and laugh), but I think Scout is getting a little taste of her own medicine there, so it's hard for me to feel terribly sorry for her.

Knee is feeling better today. I can definitely feel improvement, incremental as it is. I got a call from the surgery center asking how things were going and asking if the wound was weeping at all or if it was still swollen. I haven't looked at it so I didn't know, but they said it would be okay to take a peek as long as I didn't go poking around in there. The verdict is that it is still swollen but not unreasonably so (I think) and the incisions themselves look just fine. There are a couple of holes from the arthroscope, and then a doozy along the side, maybe 4-5 inches long, where they had to attach the ligament. My days as a knee model are over.

Getting better

Man, I forgot how profoundly knee surgery hurts. Today was certainly better than yesterday, thank goodness, and I know it's going to continue getting better, but boy this is tough. I don't know why, but those soft tissue ligament, tendon, and muscle injuries and surgeries are just the worst pain-wise. I'd rather break a bone any day! But I can already tell this surgery is much better than the last one. This one I can move the leg around with assistance, whereas the last one even touching my leg was agony. I like being able to loosen the brace (the last time was a plaster cast) because i can adjust the ACE bandages and also reach those annoying itches (not around my incision, but the random ones you get at the back of your knee underneath 50,000 layers and a brace--you know, that one). Anyway, I'm looking forward to an increasingly more comfortable day tomorrow and ahead. I see the doctor again on Monday the 17th and if the incision looks good I think I'll start physical therapy then. No problems with the incision so far--I haven't looked at it, but it doesn't hurt or itch and there's no grossness seeping through the bandages so I assume all looks good in there. I'm very curious to see what it looks like--I know there's a long scar on the side--but I have to keep reminding myself that introducing any kind of irritant or bacteria to the area, even with a peek, is a really stupid idea since I'll have the rest of my life to gaze upon the beautiful scar anyway. Patience, young padawan.

Well I've completely lost track of time and place, but I have survived the surgery. It went well, apparently, and took about 2 hours. They had a hard time controlling my pain after surgery and that should have been a hint for me, but I really wanted to come home so once I got stabilized on Vicodin they sent me off. The afternoon and evening went all right, I guess. It's kind of a haze. But this morning was really, really awful. I went for 5 hours instead of 4 on the Vicodin and holy mackeral, was I in pain. Honestly the only thing that has hurt worse than this was Theo's forceps-assisted delivery. I was just in agony. I called the doctor and he called in a prescription for Lortab which Kevin ran out and got for me, and that did take the edge off the pain, thank god. But it's still pretty bad.

My mom and dad came over in the afternoon, which helped tremendously so that Kevin could actually get some stuff done that he needed to do instead of trying to wait for Theo's naps, as I am totally incapacitated and can't even get in and out of bed without help. Additionally, I have this wrap on that's attached to a machine that circulates cold water so that it's a constant cold pack around my knee. Which would be great if the cold actually reached my knee, which it doesn't. After some very frustrating hours, I called the company that we're renting this thing from and they sent out a tech to look at it. Turns out that I have the incision, then a dressing over that, then an ACE bandage over that, and then the ice pack thing, and the tech guy said that there was just too many layers to get my knee really cold. And since I'm obviously not going to undo anything my doctor did, I'm kind of stuck. I tried a traditional ice pack but didn't get any relief from that either, and that was just a bit painful with the weight on my knee, so i'm back to this pad thing.

Anyway, the Lortab does have another pleasant side effect--nausea. Now I'm one of those people with a very sensisitve stomach and can pretty much throw up at the drop of a hat anyway, so add a nausea-inducing medication and it's not a pretty sight. I'm okay if I take it with some food and an anti-nausea medicine I already take for my heart medication that makes me nauseous (following so far?), but this afternoon I kind of took it with only a small snack and that was a big mistake. I ended up throwing up several times, taking another dose, throwing THAT up, taking another one, and finally knocking out with some sleep. My stomach is still a bit queasy but Kevin stocked up on high protein snacks so that has helped tremendously and my last dose has gone very well.

All in all I feel like crap. But these first few days are the hardest and it's just a matter of pushing through them. I'm so thankful for Kevin, my mother in law who came over yesterday to watch Theo, and my folks today. I'm just anxious to put this all behind me as soon as I can.

I am, however, quite pleased with myself as far as fashion is concerned. I really only have 3 pairs of shorts and none are elastic-waisted, so I thought I probably better buy some cheap athletic shorts to wear to physical therapy and around the house that can get over the brace easily. I headed over to Target and made a beeline straight to the clearance rack. I got 3 pairs of Champion brand athletic shorts for $18. Yes! THREE pairs of shorts for $18! And when you see the colors, you'll wonder why they were ever on sale in the first place. The tree frog green pair looks quite stylish against the neon orange/red pair, and the pair whose color can best be described as "electric tangerine" was double-discounted. I can't believe nobody picked up these fashionable colors at full price!

The Great Reconstruction

Well I've enjoyed my last glass of clear fluids in preparation for this afternoon's reconstructive knee surgery. I'll be having a cadaver ligament attached to my patella and to some bone on the side to track the kneecap back where it's supposed to be, as well as "cleaning up anything else we find," which are always comforting words from a surgeon. The surgery is different than the one I had 17 years ago, starting with the fact that it's on the other knee. It's arthroscopic this time, a technology that wasn't available for this type of surgery last time. Also, the recovery is supposed to be 2-3 months, versus the 8 months of last time (yes, that's right, I said 8 months. It was horrible). Still, I'll admit to being quite nervous about it. At least I'll be knocked all the way out. For an estimated 2 hour surgery, who wants to be semi-awake and trying to keep still for that? It was hard enough being awake for the ICD implantation where when they stick stuff directly into your heart, it's a good idea to not move when they tell you to. Although actually I believe that surgery was with Versed, the medication that makes you forget what the hell just happened to you. If I recall correctly, I came to asking for a hamburger, ate one, and then proceeded for the next 4 straight hours asking people if I'd had lunch and if not, could I have a hamburger? I also remember trying to draw a picture for our pastor (who was making a friendly visit, not a "let's get you squared away with God in case you don't come through this") explaining what I was thinking. I'm not sure, but I think it featured a hamburger. The strange thing is that the hospital hamburgers there were quite gross. That I do remember.

Anyway, fortunately this one doesn't require an overnight stay, so if I'm craving hamburgers and drawing pictures of them, we can stop at In-n-Out on the way home.

Happy One-Day-Belated Birthday to my Dad! And also Kevin's Dad, since they share a birthday--how weird is that?

Making my own baby food continues. Today I'm whipping up some chicken and corn chowder--a recipe from a baby food book I checked out from the library. I just happened to have some chicken, corn, and potatoes on hand, so there we go--Theo's first taste of meat! The meat dinners in canned baby food jars really freaks me out. Not that I'm opposed to canned food. In fact, I just bought a bunch of Gerber yesterday, since it was on sale. I saved 29 cents on each! That's two more Vodka Tonics for Mommy tonight.

So speaking of corn, the grocery store had a special on locally-grown corn on the cob yesterday, 8 ears for $2. Who's going to pass that up? Nobody, that's who. But here was the totally weird thing. As I was looking at the corn, two women were there actually shucking the corn before putting it in their baskets, and then just throwing the husks right back into the bin, so you literally have to dig through a ton of corn husks to find the actual pieces of corn. WHO DOES THAT??? And not one, but TWO women were doing it. Another woman said, "Why are you taking them apart?" and one of the women answered, "Because it's less mess at home." Oh, that's nice. Instead you're going to let the grocery store employees clean up your mess, and you're going to make it totally difficult for the rest of us to even find the corn in the bin. I ask you again--WHO DOES THAT???

On Sunday we got back from our weekend in Wisconsin. My grandfather, who passed away in January, was a WWII vet and was being interred in a veteran's cemetary near my grandmother's house. The ceremony was quite beautiful. There was rifle fire, but my dad happened to have ear plugs in his bag and I covered Theo's ears as well, and he didn't even flinch at the sound, so I think he totally didn't hear it, which was nice because I was afraid he'd be terrified. The rest of the weekend was great, out on the lake. I even went tubing for the first time in approximately 20 years. It was really a lot of fun.

Theo did very well on the plane. Minimal crying (except for the takeoff on the return trip, but that was due to an outside issue), but he didn't like his car seat at all (we bought a seat for him). He ended up sleeping in Daddy's arms, about 20 minutes on the way there and about 3.5 hours on the way back. It was very cute, actually.