RSV should stand for Really Snotty Virus

I'm serious.  Really snotty.  Really, really snotty.

I knew the next week or so would be hard since Jackson has RSV, but no one told me just how nasty it would be.  And I don't mean nasty as in unpleasant, irritating, or dangerous.  I mean gross NASTY!

There is snot everywhere!  Snot on the crib sheets, snot on the carpet, snot on the couch, snot all over the sippy cup, snot on Jackson's clothes, snot on MY clothes, and I've even found snot on the dogs.  (At least getting snot on my clothes gives me an excuse for not getting out of my PJs this week.  Now what's my excuse for the rest of the time?)

In an effort to control the snot I have two boxes of tissues that I carry with me throughout the house.  However, this causes a whole new problem.  I have to keep the boxes of tissues away from Jackson or he'll pull every last one out of the box.  Do you know how hard that is?!  I've found the easiest solution is to hide them under the afghan on the couch or under the covers in the bedroom.  This has also caused a cruel game I'm playing with myself called, "How many times can you sit on the tissue boxes before one actually goes up your toosh?"

Another issue with the tissues (hey that rhymes!) is that snotty tissues = crack for dogs.  If I leave a used tissue out, I might as well just look for it in the back yard in about 12 hours.  Red inhales it as if he was starving.  Which he just might be because the amount of snot that is draining in Jackson's stomach has caused him to not want to eat anything, or keep what he does eat down (Yay!  Snot and vomit!  Double the fun!!), except for one thing.  Dog food.

Since he's been diagnosed with RSV, Jackson has become OBSESSED with the dog bowls.  He's constantly trying to eat the food and dump the water out everywhere.  In an effort to lesson the amount of times I have to fish a kibble out of his mouth or clean up water (4 times yesterday) I'm keeping the dog bowls up on the kitchen table all day, except when Jackson's sleeping.

Look at those poor, sad faces!  They're starving I tell you...STARVING!

So, maybe my dog is starving and is just trying to get a little extra nutrition by eating the snotty tissues?  Or, maybe, he's just as tired of the snot as I am, so he's cleaning up the mess for me?

Stalking his prey.

Shameful...just shameful.

Ehhhh...probably not.

XOXO

Cloud of sickness

A new year is not all that January brought the Parsons family.  It has brought a cloud of sickness that WILL NOT go away!  The first week of January was, of course, when Bryan was recovering from his tonsillectomy and everyone was fairly healthy otherwise.  Good thing, too, since we were visiting family in North Carolina.  Well since we've been back, we've all just taken turns being sick.

First, Jackson got a little cold.  Nothing to worry about but enough to keep us away from friends and church for several days.  Then I threw out my back.  I may not have been "sick" but as anyone knows who's thrown out their back, you'd almost rather be sick!  Especially, when you have a toddler who wants you to pick them up all the time.

The past couple weeks has been the worst.  We were able to go to church 2 Wednesdays ago, but could tell that day that Jackson was feeling well again.  I thought it was just teeth so I didn't want to take him to the doctor.  The next Saturday, Jackson woke up from his nap screaming with both index fingers shoved in both ears.  Picture here a very angry "hear no evil" monkey.  I knew he had an ear infection so we quickly go to Urgent Care (its was 5 and they close at 6) and they confirmed it and prescribed him an antibiotic.

He was on it for 3 days but was not getting any better so I took him back to his pediatrician on Tuesday.  Turns out, Urgent Care had prescribed a dose of antibiotic that would only be strong enough for a newborn.  They gave us a stronger antibiotic and sent us on our way.  After 48 hours you could tell Jackson was already feeling better so we felt like finally the cloud of sickness had been lifted!  Phew!

WRONG!

The next Sunday, Jackson was his typical rowdy self and so we all got ready and finally made it to church for the first Sunday this month.  We dropped him off in the nursery and headed to service.  Once we were in service, we saw another family who has a little boy Jackson's age and you could tell he was SUPER sick.  I don't think they ever brought him in the nursery but his grandmother kept nursery that day.  I know if I would've seen my grand-baby feeling that sick, I would definitely have held him.  So, I'm sure she was covered with sick germs by the time Jackson came in.  And, I know she held Jackson because...well he's so cute, how could you not?! :)

On Wednesday, we got word that the other little boy had been diagnosed with RSV.  I didn't think anything of it at the time because Jackson seemed just fine.

WRONG AGAIN!

Saturday, Jackson woke up with a horrible cough and started running a fever by the next morning.  We took him to the doctor this morning and guess what...he has RSV.  :(

I had a little twinge of anger that he probably (and I say probably b/c there will never be proof) caught it at church but I'm over it.  I know that if that family knew their little boy had RSV, they wouldn't have brought him to church, so I don't blame them.  I just feel sorry for both of our families and our sweet little boys!

I'm hoping that Jackson won't develop wheezing or breathing problems, but I'm highly anxious about it.  More than anything, I'm praying that this will be the end of the sickness that's been hovering over our household.

Plus, all this sickness has seriously hindered my resolution plans.  Understandably, I haven't been able to get any Celebrating Home work done, let alone work on my resolutions.

I don't think I can take any more!!

MLK reflection and what you really want -- AN UPDATE!

Today is the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  Every year this day rolls around and for years I never really though anything of it except, "Yay! No School!"  However in college, I truly began to understand why we have this day off.

I became a RA at App my Junior year.  I learned more about diversity and adversity more in those two years than I'd ever learned in my life.  I learned how racism, sexism, and homophobia are alive and well in the United States and that we are all affected by them no matter how much we try to deny their existence.  I learned that cruel words can instill fear and that the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," is one of the greatest lies we've ever been taught.  I also learned that we should use the MLK holiday to do good for others.  I participated in the MLK challenge in college, in which you spend the whole MLK Holiday doing community service work.  Sacrificing your day off for those that are less fortunate.  I think Dr. King would've wanted it that way.

This year I am unable to spend today during community service work.  Partially, because I have a 15 month old with double ear infections and, partially, because the holiday snuck up on me this year.  So, I've been doing a lot of reflecting today on what I've witnessed and what I believe about freedom.

I've never seen racism so vile as when Bryan and I lived in South Carolina.  In both jobs I had during our years there, I was confronted with blatant racism.  First, was at a local ad agency.  The first year I worked there, I noticed that the MLK Holiday was not on the list for paid days off.  When I asked my boss why, his response was, "We (referring to he and his family) don't celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we celebrate Robert E. Lee day."  I was so shocked I didn't know what to say.  After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I simply said, "Well, it would be nice to have that day off to do good for others.  To volunteer." Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  But, I hope my response stung a little.

A couple years went by and I became a teacher in Pelion, SC.  For those of you who don't know, Pelion was once the headquarters of the KKK.  Upon learning this, I knew it would be important to include studies on Black History, Civil Rights, etc. into my classroom.  My first year, for the week of the MLK Holiday, I required my students to memorize short excerpts of the "I Have A Dream" speech in which they'd recite and I'd record to show over the morning news.  One student came to me the day after I gave the assignment and (with attitude) said, "My dad said I don't have to do the speech because he's a member of the KKK."  I, of course, told him that was fine but he would have to do a small research paper on the speech instead.  He left extremely peeved and I thought, "Oh no, I'm gonna be on the news."  Luckily, no burning crosses showed up in my yard and every last student, including the KKK spawn, participated.  I felt victorious!  Unfortunately, that wasn't the last case of racism I experienced in Pelion.  When discussing the Civil Rights movement, every year I had numerous students who were all too willing to divulge information about their grandfathers, uncles, etc. who had been in the KKK.  I also witnessed, first hand, how text bullying can happen and incite true fear, after a white student texted all eight African American students in the 8th grade racist comments after Barak Obama's election, which almost started a riot.

I tell you these stories to prove how real racism is.  And don't get me started on homophobia and the hatred my fellow Christians spew in the name of the Lord towards homosexuals who just want to be treated as equal.  If you thought extremist groups were dead, trust me they're not.  They are growing and becoming stronger due to the fear mongering that is allowed in our social and political arenas.

In the words of the Great Dr. King,  I've decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear.


Enough of the serious talk -- Now for a resolution update!

I haven't started training yet because I just don't want to start running in snowy, 30 degree weather.  But I have picked a 5k to run in September!  It's the Race for Fetal Hope in Charlotte, NC.  I'm going to run it with my sister in law.  Her aunt recently had a still born baby that was diagnosed with Trisomy 18.  His name was Josiah, and we are running for him.  I'm also running for my little Emma who I lost at 9 weeks.  We don't have proof, but we suspect that she had some sort of genetic deficiency which caused the miscarriage.  Here's the link if you want to learn more:

http://www.fetalhope.org/

I've also been doing a lot of research on my million dollar idea.  I found out it costs WAY too much money to hire a patent attorney, get mock up drawings and a prototype, and apply for a patent.  I also researched previous patents and have found that there is a similar patent out there for my idea.  I have some apprehension in going forward now because I wonder why this lady's patent didn't take off.  I'm not discouraged though, because her patent isn't child-proof and is designed slightly differently than what I was thinking, so I can improve upon it.  I'm also not going to get discouraged about money.  I'm going to contact some attorneys and engineers and talk with the engineering department at some local universities to see if a student could help me out for a lower price.  I'll continue to keep you updated!

Thanks for reading my LONG post! XOXO

It's Resolution Time!

It's a week into the 2011 New Year and I am finally figuring out my New Years Resolution.  Technically, since my husband had a tonsillectomy at the end of December and then we went out of town to NC to visit family for a late holiday, yesterday was MY first day of the New Year.  I'm not too behind, right?

Since I was a teenager I always made the resolution to have someone to kiss the next New Years Eve, which always turned up to be a failed resolution until I was dating Bryan in 2001.  He was my first ever New Years kiss and he'll be my only one.  This story doesn't have too much relevance to this blog post, come to think of it, but I love it and wanted to share.  :)

Other than that one resolution, I've failed at following through on every other New Years resolution that I've ever made.  There have been countless resolutions to lose weight, start an exercise routine, and to have my quiet times every single day.  And so far, I've disappointed myself time after time.  This year will be different, dangit!  I will follow through on my resolution.  And, I think I've figured out a way to keep myself accountable.  But before I get into that...

I have 3 resolutions this year...

1.  To blog more (preferably every week).
2.  To run a 5k.
3.  To try and get an idea patented.

The first two resolutions kind of go together.  I really enjoy blogging but I've found that I have a hard time figuring out what to write about besides motherhood, which I get bored with sometimes.  So, I figure I can blog about my life, mommy-hood, and I can track my progress in training for a 5k and keep myself accountable through it.  Oh, and I'm counting on you readers to keep me accountable too!  If you haven't seen a post in a week or heard anything about me running, then I expect you to ask me about it.  I'm serious - DO IT!

Running a 5k is going to be monumental for me.  I've never had much...let's be honest...any success when it comes to running.  In gym class, before we'd run the mile I always told myself, "Lindsey, this time you're going to run the whole thing!"  I never made it past the first lap before I gave into walking.  (Hey, at least I wasn't that girl who from the get-go walked the whole thing and received the stink eye from the rest of the class as she finally passed the finish line b/c it took her the whole period to run...eh hem...walk the mile, keeping us from a rousing game of dodgeball.)  I've  started Couch to 5k on 3 separate occasions but never made it past the 4th week.  I think, though, that is because I was doing it for weight loss/exercise reasons not because I wanted to run a 5k.

Not to mention, I'm horrible at running.  And I don't mean that I'm horrible at it because I'm not in shape.  I mean I am really, REALLY bad at running.  My form is just plain ugly.  I don't know how to run correctly.  Bryan says I look like a mouse on a treadmill.  My little feet are working as fast as they can, but it looks like I'm not getting anywhere.  (Thanks hun!)  I'm hoping I'll get better at it as I continue to train.  I've already googled "How to run" and have watched some videos and gotten some tips on appropriate form.  (How did people learn anything without Google?)  Now, I just need to look into some 5ks, pick a race, and then I'll have a deadline.

I am more dedicated to follow through on this resolution than I've ever been about any other.  Partly, because I want to prove to myself that I can do it.  More so, because when discussing it with my wonderfully supportive husband he said, "Are you REALLY going to run a 5k?" I responded with a hard slap to the arm and, "Well NOW I am!"  Thanks for the vote of confidence honey! That's more motivation than I'll ever need! :) In all seriousness though, he really is supportive and proud of me for this.

My last resolution I can't really talk about.  I mean, I can't tell you my idea or you might steal it and patent it yourself.  And those are MY millions, buddy!  But, trust me, it's good.  Really, really good.  I've told a couple family members and they agree.  (Fingers crossed they weren't just blowing smoke you know where.)  I'll keep all of you posted on the progress as much as I can without spilling the beans.  I promise, once I make my millions, I'll blog about it.  :)

Happy New Year Ya'll!  2011 is going to be great!