Tubes...again.

By the time Jackson was 16 months old, he had had 8 ear infections. And so he got tubes put in his ears--what a world of difference! For 17 months he was ear infection-free! And then this past summer, the tubes came out, as they are supposed to. Almost immediately thereafter, Jack got an ear infection.

In the last 6 months, the poor guy has had 5 ear infections, and so this morning, he got his second set of ear tubes.

It was a pitiful affair. First, the poor guy was deprived of his breakfast. He was miserably hungry, and his surgery didn't actually take place until about 9:30. All morning he kept crying on and off and telling me he was hungry. I felt so bad for him!

Then came the time when they took him away. Parents are obviously not allowed to be in the operating room, so the nurse takes the kid back to be anesthetized and operated-on.

Pretty much one of the worst feelings in the world comes from having your terrified, crying child pried out of your arms. I hated it. But thankfully I knew that it was a minor procedure, and it ended up taking less than 15 minutes total. We were able to go back and see Jack even before he woke up, and I was very thankful that we could be there when he came to.

After he woke up, he drank a juice box and went back to sleep (in the car) for about an hour. Then...IHOP! All he could talk about was getting some bacon and eggs, so we took him to where breakfast food is born: IHOP. He ate a bit, slept in the booth a bit, etc. He was very groggy...but after eating definitely perked up! He took another 1.5 hour nap and is now almost back to normal (a bit calmer than usual, but I'm not complaining :) ).

The good part of all this is that he probably won't have another ear infection for a very long time!!!!!!! He's such a good, brave boy. I'm so proud of him.

I can see the grass!

I can finally see the grass that has been buried beneath the snow for weeks! Although the high today is only 42, I am thinking spring. I know, I know, it's only mid-February...but I am so ready! I am not a cold-weather gal.

Anyway. Last night I went to the gym for "bodycombat." It's a really hard mixed martial arts class that I do every Monday. It is a great workout! I do that on Mondays, Pilates on Wednesdays, and "bodyjam" (basically dance aerobics) on Thursdays.

All that, and I do not see any change. I have been working out pretty darn faithfully for almost 2 months now; I've lost all but 4 lbs. of baby weight, but I still feel so gross and flabby!! I do cardio, I do toning, etc...but I can't seem to shake the flab. Very frustrating. I guess I'll just keep at it and eventually I will see the results I've been hoping for.

Blogging is hard.

I feel like I'm always behind!! And I feel like I always have a lot to say, but somehow my blog is still really boring. Hmm...

This past weekend, the Cobbs ventured out to Wintergreen to join my family. It was really nice--now of course, sleeping in the same room as both kids does have its detriments--but overall, it was a nice weekend. Bo skied and so did Jack! They both had a blast; I couldn't believe Jackson wasn't more scared of skiing. He did great.

We didn't do anything special on Valentine's day, but my wonderful hubby did a little something special for me each day last week. He gave me a whole Valentine's week! It was so sweet. Last Monday, he sent me flowers. Tuesday, he got up early to do my grocery shopping, and he brought me Starbucks and a Starbucks gift card! Wednesday, he brought me some AMAZING chocolate covered strawberries from Edible Arrangements (they were really fancy and yummy!). Thursday, he brought me my favorite Thai food and an adorable mug with hearts all over it. Friday, he gave me a bag full of white chocolate raspberry Hershey Kisses and some excellent coupons for back rubs, etc. :) Saturday he gave me some adorable, heart-shaped tea-light holders, and Sunday he gave me a very special, sentimental card. He really, truly made me feel like one of the most loved people in the world!

We got back last night just in time for the kids to go to bed--well, almost. We had to feed Lily first, and that is quite an ordeal these days, as she just started eating rice cereal once a day. She doesn't quite have the hang of it yet, and apparently last night her stomach couldn't handle it. She puked up EVERYTHING she ate, poor thing. Not sure what caused it; she's not sick or anything, and she seemed to feel better immediately afterward. I'm thinking she just wasn't feeling well because of some gas problems, because she had some big toots right afterward too. Poor baby.

Today, we have no official plans, except unpacking and cleaning, etc. So far the kids have both had baths and I'm on my 2nd load of diapers. If you're wondering, the answer is yes, I did accidentally dump poop water from the diaper pail all over myself and the laundry room this morning.

Last week I started cleaning out our master bedroom closet (it was a mess). That was last Wednesday, I believe. Yeah, it's still not done. Turned out to be a bigger project than anticipated, so I have been giving it due avoidance. Maybe I should work on it today. Maybe.

Jack and Bo Playing in the Snow :)

Please, no more!!!!!!

These photos were taken yesterday afternoon...since then we have had a steady flow of precipitation: some snow, some rain/sleet. As of 8:30 this morning, it has been snowing heavily. Crazy, crazy, crazy!

Also, I would like to announce that Lily is 4 months old today. :)

Really?

We're getting more snow. There was a snow storm here when we were in Pittsburgh last weekend, and now there's another one. I can honestly say that I do not remember the last time we got this much snow in Virginia. Ridic. I do not enjoy being trapped in the house, and I do not like it when Bible study and MOPS are canceled in the same week! Aaaaahhhh!!! Also don't like being cooped up in the house with a teething baby!

Poor Lily is completely miserable. She's getting a tooth on the bottom, to her left, and she seems to be pretty uncomfortable.

The good news is that all this staying at home is giving me a lot of time to use the cloth inserts for our gDiapers, and therefore we are saving money! :)

And I can't say we haven't gotten out at all, because Bo actually took me out on a date to Dave and Buster's last night. It was really fun! We won a food processor and an Elmo playground ball for the kids :)

One cute anecdote from Pittsburgh:

Jack does not understand the concept of elevators. Apparently, he thinks you get into an elevator, and it magically changes your surroundings! LOL! We got into the elevator at our hotel and he said "Is the elevator going to change it into a hotel now, Mommy?" Too cute.

Unpacking

WOW this is what I hate about going on trips....the laundry and unpacking. So unpleasant. As it is, I am pretty sure I will be doing laundry for at least the next 7-10 business days. That's right, I'm taking the weekend off.

Also, we came home to about a foot of snow?!?!?!?! For real?!?!?! This makes at least 2 feet of snow so far this winter, with more expected this weekend. I really am in disbelief and denial. Every time I look out the window I am surprised anew. Jack wants to go out and play in it sooooo bad but I don't really want to bring Lily out there, so I'll just make him wait for Daddy....I think the snow will be around long enough for them to have plenty of chances to play in it.

The most beautiful wedding I have ever seen.

Kelli and Mike are now Mr. and Mrs. May! It was such a beautiful, amazing wedding. I am so happy for them!