planes and ears and strep throat, oh MY!

The past 10 days have been incredibly interesting.

Our trip started out rocky. Jack was diagnosed with his first ear infection the week before we left and was mistreated with only 7 days of antibiotics instead of 10. I wasn't worried about his ears because he seemed to be doing fine. I wasn't surprised that Jack did very well on the plane, despite having just got over his first ear infection.

Back row of the plane

We were stuck in the VERY LAST row of the plane. These are the smallest three seats on the plane due to the bulkhead (hehe dirty) and the plane was full. Packed. We got seated with a pretty cool guy that was about the same size as Todd. Surprisingly, Todd says it was one of the most enjoyable flights he's had in a long time. It was bumpy, I forgot Nosey Bear and I swear, I will never fly without him. Ever. Every flight we've had without him has been terrible.

  Anyway.

We got grounded in Chicago and this is a good thing because right after we eventually took off, a tornado touched down in St. Louis. Apparently we would have been right there had the FAA not had the foresight to stop takeoffs. We ended up being about an hour and a half late to land but we were safe.

finally enjoying the grass

Dying eggs with a sleeping baby!

Playing with his Easter basket

Jack's first Easter was egg-cellent :) He nearly slept through the egg hunt until I woke him up to come play with us. He was a little groggy but eventually returned to his happy self. We put him down in the grass, much to his displeasure, but he finally got over the weird feeling and crawled around everywhere. I believe it was during this time that Jack became inseparable from my nephew Tanner and found a new best friend (sorry Calvin!) He really enjoyed playing with the eggs and his prizes that he got and began warming up to his large extended family.

Sleepy baby!

 Fast forward a few days. Jack begins to walk EVERYWHERE. This is so cool! He falls down a lot and ends up with a rug burn on his forehead: see photos However, Tuesday, my other nephew came down with a sore throat and was diagnosed with Strep throat. We were concerned about Jack, but didn't seriously worry until the next morning when he came down with a fever. We took him to the doctor despite not seeming sick and he was positive for Strep and his ear infection never went away! Not only that, but it came back in full force on BOTH EARS! The poor little guy. Thus began his second round of antibiotics.

WALKING!

Thursday morning Todd woke me up with a fever. He got Strep, too. So, I called our doctor in MA and she faxed over some prescriptions for Todd and myself for Strep. Joy of joys. We were so worried that Todd wouldn't be well enough for the party on Sunday. Miraculously, he woke up Sunday morning feeling much better. I'm not sure how miraculous it really was since he was on antibiotics for two days, but whatever.

CHEESE!

Jack's party was awesome! We ordered a cake from the Target bakery (I wish we had Super Target near us) and it turned out gorgeous. The weather was beautiful: windy, but nice in the sun. Most everyone was able to come and Jack really enjoyed his birthday song and LOVED being able to smash his jumbo cupcake into the counter and his face. He was more excited about the frosting than the cake, though.

MMM! Frosting!

Monday we left. The return flight home was mostly uneventful. Except for the poop. Oh! Don't quit reading now!! This is a funny story, not a gross one. Apparently, when a baby is placed on back-to-back antibiotics it messes with their natural flora and can cause the squirts (see, funnier than "diarrhea") and the specific antibiotic that Jack is on turns his poo a reddish color. Well, he pooped at the Chicago airport and we didn't expect him to go again until we were at least home. We were wrong. Before we even reached cruising altitude, not only did Jack poop, but he leaked out of his diaper onto the Boppy cover and Todd's pants. AWESOME! I told you it was funny! So, I ran him (literally ran) up the aisle to the front bathroom (it has the changing table) and quickly changed his diaper. I noticed we were running out of wipes so I got back to our seat and told Todd this. Both of us agreed that this had to be it. He wouldn't poop again until we were at least to Boston. We couldn't be more wrong.

I had one wipe.

Murphy's law says: HE WILL POOP AGAIN. AND IT WILL BE GROSS.

We hit horrible turbulence.

I couldn't go to the bathroom.

I changed his runny diaper ON MY LAP. For some reason his poop hasn't been smelling, so this wasn't a problem. I was so proud of myself. ONE WIPE! We decided that he could not poop anymore. He didn't and slept the remainder of the flight.

We are home now. I picked up my cap and gown and tassel today and I graduate May 19th. I'm so excited! This weekend we have Jack's second of three birthday parties. I'm sure he will be as charming at the next two parties as he was at his first. Even throughout his separation anxiety, he is always so pleasant and adorable :)

Love you baby!