Zoo

Yesterday we took the kids to the Niabi zoo in the Quad Cities. Gerhardt had wanted to take Anneliese as a Daddy-Daughter Day but I wanted to go too. The plan was to leave our house by 8:00 am and get to the zoo when it opened at 9:30. The weather forecast called for mild temperatures in the morning and rain starting around noon. The rain forecast was moved back to 3:00 pm later. It is not a big zoo so I thought we could see it all in the morning and then hopefully Anne would nap on the way home. So much for planning. Kiefer didn't quite agree with the plan. Of course we weren't quite ready at 8:00 but could have left at 8:15 but Kiefer wanted to eat so I fed him and then after getting him in the carseat he puked enough to have to completely change his clothes. We left at 9 am.

The trip to my parents was horrible with Anne screaming, "I'm stuck!" the whole way. Gerhardt thought we should try playing a video on our portable DVD player for this trip. We brought along the Incredibles and the Letter Factory. 2 videos should have been enough. It wasn't that long of a trip. First of all there was construction. Then I am not sure what happened. I remember Gerhardt turning off on highway 67 like the google directions told us to and then I fell asleep. I woke up from time to time but really wasn't paying much attention. I remember going through Oneida and thinking "This isn't on the google map" I didn't say anything and dismissed it as the town was too small. Later we were in Galva and again I was thinking the same thing. Gerhardt said, "Are we on the right road? I don't think we are on 67." He was right. We were on 34 East. I have no idea how that happened. We may have gotten mixed up when we stopped on a side road to feed a hungry Kiefer. The trip that should have taken an hour and a half took more than 3 hours. We got near the zoo at 12:15 and decided to stop for lunch. We got to the zoo at 1:00. Shortly after entering the zoo, Kiefer wanted to eat again. I found a bench in a gazebo and fed him there. Gerhardt and Anneliese went off to see the animals. When we stopped for lunch I had put a disposable diaper on Kiefer. I hate disposables and never use them but I still had a few the hospital gave me and thought this would be a good time to use them. As I sat in the gazebo feeding Kiefer, I heard loud explosive pooping noises, then I felt wet. The diaper did not hold it in. Not only were Kiefer's clothes soaked but mine as well. There was even poop on the bench and on my shoe. I was not thrilled. I used cloth diapers the rest of the day. After getting that all cleaned up and him fed Gerhardt and Anne came back. They had already seen most of the zoo but Anne wanted to show Mommy things. Luckily I did pack extra clothes for Kiefer and myself since he is the puke master. I went to the bathroom and changed. Then I told Gerhardt he probably should have brought Anne by himself. The day got better. There were sprinkles from time to time but it never rained and we had a lot of fun the rest of the day. Anneliese loved all the animals and especially loved feeding the fish and ducks in the Koi pond. She wanted to go on the Carousel so we bought her a ticket and I was going to go with her. She couldn't decide which animal to ride so I decided for her. We walked around the merry go round twice trying to decide. When I put her on the horse she started crying and wanted down. She said she needed to "Sit with Daddy". There was a bench for handicapped people so I sat on that and held her there. So much for rollercoasters. She is scared of the Merry-Go-Round. We rode in the bench for the 1 minute ride that cost $2. Oh well. She had a blast the rest of the day. The weather was perfect eventhough it sprinkled a little. We left the zoo at 4:30 after feeding Kiefer again. We stopped for supper on the way and to feed Kiefer again. We got home at 8:00. Gerhardt and I were very sick of hearing the Incredibles and especially the Letter Factory. We need to get more DVDS for the next trip. The DVD was a great idea there was no whining unless the movie stopped. She did take a half hour nap.

I asked Anneliese what her favorite animal was when we got home. She said it was a brown and pink Elephant. We didn't even see an elephant. They were inside when we went by their pen. Then I decided to be more specific and ask what animal she liked the best that we saw today. She said she liked the monkey. We saw several monkeys. Gerhardt said she got most excited about the Bear and Zebra. It was a fun day for all and I was glad a went along in the end.

4 am thoughts

It is 4 am and my son woke up wanting to eat. He has been sleeping until at least 5 but this morning wanted to get up earlier. He must not be too hungry because he is laying on the boppy pillow looking up at me and giving me that killer smile of his that could melt any heart. Right now I am tired and thinking, "yes you are adorable now EAT so I can go back to bed!"

I am not sure why it hits me so hard but another one of my high school classmates died on Sunday. He wasn't a close friend. I did work with him at Pizza Hut, my high school job, but have only really talked to him once in the last 20 years. That was 2 years ago when another classmate died of cancer. Matt, the deceased had been diagnosed with ALS. ALS is a form of muscular dystrophy. My Dad has another form of muscular dystrophy so I know a little bit more about the disease then most people do although I am certainly not an expert. Fortunately my Dad's form of MD is the mildest, slowest progressing kind and probably will not kill him. ALS is the fastest progressing kind. Matt and my Dad were the same age when they were diagnosed and my Dad will be 72 in August. Anyway when I talked to Matt 2 years ago he was in his second year after the diagnosis and I remember thinking, "Wow, he is doing great!" I guess after that he started to go downhill and this last year was a very fast decline. He leaves behind a wife and 3 children. Why has this affected me so? It is the reminder of my own mortality? As I was reading his obituary I was thinking. " There shouldn't be a 38 year old on this page. " When I talked to Matt 2 years ago he had quit his job and was concentrating on spending as much time with his family as possible and just enjoying life. He didn't worry about getting money for them just gave them as much of himself as he could. It is crazy to think about how fast something like ALS or cancer can strike. We all should take a lesson from Matt and live each day to the fullest and let our families know how much we love them every day!

Sleeping through the night is getting closer

Kiefer has slept until a little past 5 am the past 2 mornings. I know that seems early but for a baby not so bad. Anneliese slept through the night (until 6 am) at 4 weeks but Kiefer has been wanting a 2 am snack pretty consistently. Maybe soon he will allow me to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. That is a parent's dream! I hope he gives his sister the message too.

Food allergies and doctor's appointments

I have been wondering if Anneliese has outgrown her egg allergy because she has accidentally eaten things with mayonaise in them when we were at other people's houses and had no reaction. I tried to feed her scrambled eggs last week but she told me she couldn't eat them because they would make her sick. I taught her too well. I made french toast with soy milk the next day and she loved it. She ate 2 pieces. I think she got the equivalent to a whole egg and no reaction. YEAH! I have to put her through the allergy test again though before the doctor can give her any vaccinations grown in eggs. I know now it should be worth it. The milk allergy however is still very strong. Anne has baked goods with milk in it without any problem but last night she had a cookie at muni band. I tasted it first and no peanut taste so I thought it would be okay. We got home and she started wheezing, coughing and having trouble breathing. It really wasn't her normal milk reaction so I thought maybe she got a peanut. I called the lady who made the cookies and asked. She said no peanuts or peanut butter. She told me exactly what was in the cookies. She said milk and real butter. That may have been it. I make cookies with vegetable oil margarine and she does Jamie. It was a scary reaction. We gave her Benadryl but Gerhardt took her to the ER. I was nursing Kiefer and came when he was done. Gerhardt said she was a little better by the time they got to the ER but still thought she should be checked out. By the time the doctor got to her she was perfectly fine. The Benadryl did the trick. Gerhardt said he felt pretty silly but better safe than sorry. I told Anneliese's doctor that once and he told me to never feel silly for checking things out! By the time I got to the ER she was fine, bouncing off the walls because it was way past her bedtime. The ER doctor did prescribe some steroids just in case but I don't think they are necessary. I will give them to her just in case. She is supposed to see her regular doctor in a couple of days to follow up. I guess I will call and ask he really thinks she needs to come in. I hope Kiefer doesn't have these allergies too. They are just too scary. Gerhardt was freaked out and he never freaks out!

Speaking of Kiefer, he had his 2 month check up and is perfectly fine. He is 11 pounds 7 oz. He was 50% in weight and height. He did not enjoy his shots and screamed bloody murder. Anne barely cried when she had hers and she usually was fine afterward. He whined all afternoon. They are different kids. Let's hope he is different with the food allergies too.