St. Patrick's Day

The day before the split lip debacle, we had a busy and fun St. Patrick's Day adventure. The boys had a St. Patty's glow stick bath the night before in preparation for the big day (i.e. I'm impressed that I actually remembered that I had bought those before the Holiday passed and decided they should be used).



We started out our day at the zoo (wearing green, of course) and were able to see some of the animals enjoy their St. Patrick's Day treats.



I'm not sure if it was because it was Sunday morning, St. Patrick's Day or the fact that we got there as it opened, but it was the emptiest I'd ever seen it. And we took full advantage. It was so nice to just take our time and wander around without losing one (or both) of the kids in the crowds. And best of all? I was finally able to see baby elephant Lily!







All of the animals were out enjoying the sunshine, but of course Henry & Owen were the most interested in things they could climb on and play with . . .















Because we had the zoo to ourselves we were able to see everything we wanted to see and get out of there in time for another (unplanned) adventure. As we were driving home, I looked up and saw the tram (after we'd passed the exit, of course) and decided it was absolutely necessary to turn around and ride it today. And thankfully, Nate went along with my crazy plan! Even more awesome? The fact that for whatever reason, it was free for the day! (Nate was guessing it was because of the Shamrock run, but either way, it worked out well for us).



The boys loved riding it up and back down and this mama loved snapping pictures like a crazy person.



















And what? The Spaghetti Factory happens to be near the OHSU tram AND it's lunch time? Why yes, that sounds like a fabulous idea! Henry absolutely loved his spaghetti. I guess he's never had it before when it wasn't cut up, so he thought it was so fun to eat the "really really big noodles"! (We'll work on the proper twirling technique later).





And what better way to let our lunches settle than with some dancing and an impromptu photoshoot outside?

I'm not sure if it's the elevator music playing over the speakers or the large "dance floor", but Owen ran over and started dancing when we walked near that spot. And I remember Henry doing the exact same thing the last time we were there.


I love that this not only showcases his killer moves, but also how easily distracted he is. And opinionated. He was not happy with the wind blowing in his face!















The next day, we had planned to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a traditional corned beef & cabbage Irish dinner at Grandma Debbie's. Unfortunately, that is the same day that Owen had to get stitches, so our plans changed a bit. Although dinner was quite a bit later than planned, we still had a great time. Owen was already moving on from his traumatic ER experience and loved his dinner. I'm still amazed at how resilient toddlers are, because if it had happened to me, I would totally be lying on the couch whining about how painful it all was and he was acting like nothing had even happened!


A phone shot of our yummy meal and the amazing leprechaun hat cookies that Grandma made for us.

St. Patrick's Day was thoroughly enjoyed and has been blogged. Now on to the Easter festivities!

Stitches

I had intended to work on my St. Patrick's Day post tonight. But life has a funny way of taking over sometimes and I sit here tonight writing about something else.

Let me start with a few disclaimers to this post:
1) Everybody is fine.
2) There's a small chance that I might be a bit dramatic in this post. Ok, there's a pretty large chance. But since I've broken out in hives from the stress of trying to keep it all together until the kids went to bed, I think I deserve to be a little dramatic.
3) Some of the pictures are a bit graphic (although, they are phone pics, so they're not super clear).

The day was almost over at work when I got the call. Ok, that is a little dramatic. It wasn't really the call, but still a call you don't want. The call started out with Owen crying hysterically in the background and my mom saying we had a little issue and ended with her saying that she thought Owen needed stitches. He had split his lip open (and bit the inside) somehow and it was bleeding quite a bit and would likely need stitches. My mom is not one to call about nothing and she's usually right on when it comes to medical things, so I trusted her 100% on this.

After a call to the doctor, I was headed to the emergency room to meet my mom and Owen. I got there first and they wouldn't let me check him in without him there. So, I wandered the parking lot looking for her to pull in. And then crazily chased her van as she parked . I scooped him out of the seat and rushed in to get him checked in. I knew he was fine, but I also know I don't like the thought of all the germs in the emergency room and I just wanted to get checked in and closer to getting back out.

Luckily it wasn't too busy and they were quick to get his stats and usher us into a room. Unfortunately, it was busy enough that we had to wait quite a bit to see anyone. Thankfully, once we finally did see the doctor, he prescribed a popsicle for Owen while we waited for stitches. Owen was thrilled with his popsicle and it bought us some time as we waited another 45 minutes for them to do the procedure.


The before





I wasn't sure exactly how they stitched up toddlers, and let me tell you, it ain't pretty. They tucked his arms behind him in a pillow case and then velcroed him into a "papoose" to keep his arms and legs still. That in itself was enough to send him over the edge. Let alone the actual stitching of his lip! (Although he definitely hated it now, the way they wrapped him up reminded me of the super swaddle we used to do with him to get him to sleep as a newborn. But I digress . . .).

I won't go into too much detail over the rest of it, but it included a needle to numb the spot, a cloth over his eyes so he wouldn't see (I'm guessing? I'm not really sure, it was just a big sheet - breathable, of course - that they put over his face and it had an opening around his mouth) and 3 stitches. It felt like it took forever. And while I am someone that usually tries to put as much distance as possible between myself and any medical procedures (I can not handle to know too much about these things - it makes me so squeamish), I had to watch every second of it. It was painful to see, but I needed to know exactly what was happening to my baby and reassure him that everything was OK.

He was quite relieved to be released from his papoose and happy to have another popsicle.


The after

Unfortunately after all of that, by the time we got home, I only saw 1 stitch. So either he chewed the other 2 off (he would not leave the area alone!) or those are the fastest working stitches I've ever seen. Luckily they said it will heal either way, but I wouldn't have put him through all of that if I'd known the stitches would last less than an hour. Let's just hope that last one works hard enough for the 3 of them!

Anyone that has spent any time around Owen is probably not surprised that he needed stitches. Honestly I'm surprised that it didn't happen sooner. That kid is fearless and is constantly running at top speed, jumping off of anything he can find and constantly doing face plants. I don't remember the last time I didn't see a bump or bruise of some sort on his head. Henry was just such a cautious kid (and still is), that this is all new territory for us. A prime example:

I was home with them on Saturday and in another room for a minute. I was hearing a bunch of thumps and loud noises.
Me: Henry, what's happening in there?
Henry: We're climbing up on the fireplace and jumping off. Owen showed me how.
I guess I'm going to have to teach Owen to be a better example for his older brother so he doesn't get him into trouble! Henry has never once done that in almost 4 years!

But, with all that said, toddlers are amazingly resilient. He seems completely unfazed by the injury now. He ate a great dinner, laughed and giggled a ton this evening and even dove head first into our Pack n Play ball pit. Seriously, that kid is giving me gray hairs. I love him, but man oh man, does he keep me on my toes!








And one of big brother too!

Let's hope life will allow me to get back to the St. Patrick's Day post tomorrow!

Aquarium, Sea Lions & Sand

The weather forecast for last weekend was gorgeous (yes, that's the technical forecast), so we decided to head to the beach with my cousin Heidi. We decided to go crazy and stay the night! Unfortunately, Owen got sick a few days before and was still needing a little extra sleep, so Daddy and Owen joined us for the day, but headed home for a good night's sleep. It was really strange spending the night away from just one of my boys (can we say mama guilt?), but it was fun for me to get some one on one time with Henry and Nate enjoyed his time with Owen.

We wanted to fit the most in before Nate & Owen headed home, so we left early and headed straight to the aquarium. The boys loved running through the exhibits checking everything out. It was super busy, so I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I would like (I'm sure everybody else in the Reagan party was thrilled, but I really would have like to play with my camera a bit more!). But here is what I did manage to capture . . .





The boys were fascinated watching the diver clean the tank (including the Kelp - who knew the plants had to be cleaned?). The fish, however, looked less than thrilled that someone was in their tank . . .







After the aquarium, we headed to the Rogue Brewery for lunch and than the Newport Bayfront to wander around.







As I think I've said before, I'm a wee bit obsessed with seeing the sea lions on the docks. OK, maybe a little more than a wee bit. I could seriously watch them all day. I can't explain it, I just find them fascinating. Luckily the boys shared my excitement for a little bit, so I was able to play with my camera there (totally makes up for not getting to at the aquarium!).





And in case you wanted to watch them yourselves . . .










My favorite picture of Owen!

Not wanting to send Owen home without a chance to play in the sand, we headed to the actual beach. The boys made quick work of it and were soaked and covered from head to toe in sand within minutes.









After a long day, it was finally time for Nate & Owen to head home (and Owen took advantage for a much needed nap). And Heidi, Henry & I decided to keep going. We headed to the outlets and then off to the Roadhouse for dinner. For whatever reason, it took over an hour to get our food, but Henry did amazing. It helped that we had a little boy Henry's age in the booth behind us. They talked, he shared his toys with Henry and they kept each other occupied while all the adults took the opportunity to chat. I think I might request that every time!

And then it was straight to bed for Henry (after we said goodnight to Daddy & Owen via FaceTime).


Not too bad for an iPhone photo - of course it helps that he wanted the lamp turned on until I got to bed.

The next morning, we had a pancake breakfast, played a little, packed, and headed to the Cheese Factory on our way home. Here are more iPhone pictures of our adventures since I was feeling a little lazy with the big camera . . .





Nate sent me a picture of their lunch. Doesn't look as exciting, but Owen seemed happy. . .



Such a fun beach trip! I only wish Owen and Nate could have been there for the whole trip, but there's always next time. Thanks Heidi for joining our crazy family!

And this is completely unrelated, but cracks me up. Another 365 picture outtake . . .