I *Do* Mourn the Wicked…

The musical, that is… ;)

Last year, I saw that ‘Wicked’ would be coming to Des Moines in October 2009. I promptly informed Josh that THAT is what I wanted for my birthday in 2009…tickets to see the show. My husband (being the awesome man that he is) bought me tickets almost as soon as they were available. Yep, he’s amazing. :)

So, it turns out the show opened in DSM in September…and Josh got me tickets for opening night…so I got my birthday present about a month early. No complaints here! :)

Josh isn’t much of a fan of musicals, so I spared him the apparent torture he would have experienced… and didn’t make him go with me. My mother-in-law was kind enough to join me and we had a blast! I also did not take this rare opportunity to dress-up for granted. I decided an “emerald green” top would be quite appropriate…

The show was beyond description. Ok, sure, I’m gushing, but I’ve never seen anything like it. The costumes, the sets, the lighting, the effects – everything was just amazing! And that’s not even mentioning the performances!

The leads on this leg of the tour were played by Marcia Dodd (Elphaba) and Helene Yorke (Glinda).

I have to tell you – they were AMAZING! I’ve seen the “originals” playing the parts on TV (Kristen Chenowith as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba) and honestly, I like Marcia and Helene BETTER! Especially, Helene. Her version of Glinda was just incredible! I was laughing so hard at her during the “Makeover/Popular” scene.

She had just the perfect take on that character. I loved it.

Both ladies gave amazing vocal performances. I have had the songs stuck in my head since we saw the show! In particular, I can’t get the song “Popular” out of my head! In fact, if I’m NOT singing it (which isn’t that often lately) Zack says, “Mommy, sing your Wicked song!”

So, I’m still reeling over how much I LOVED the show. I would absolutely go see it again given the chance! And I can’t wait to check out more Broadway shows coming to Des Moines!

Much love to my awesome hubby for giving me a WICKED AWESOME birthday present this year. ;)

*singing* “And even in your case…though it’s the toughest case I’ve yet to face…”

Sometimes, a Mom just knows...

That would be my message to doctors these days. I *know* there are a lot of pushy parents out there that want to tell doctors how to do their jobs - but I know (because I've had recent encounters) that there are also doctors out there who will completely ignore a parent who has a pretty good idea what's going on with her child. Let's be honest here, Mom knows her kid better than you do Doc, so try listening to what she has to say!

Ok, so now that I have that little rant out of the way, I'll tell you why I say all that... As many of you probably already know, Zack got a bad case of the flu recently - directly after he got the flu vaccine. Coincidence? I think not. ANYWAY - he was incredibly sick for more than a week and ended up with an ear infection on top of the flu. He's *still* trying to get rid of a cough. After he got sick, Austin started to get some drainage, etc. Nothing too bad, I thought. Then, Friday night, he started sounding raspy and had a barky cough. Croup. (No, not "crap," croup - though I did THINK the other...) We had a rough night, and Saturday morning wasn't any better. After talking with my pediatrician's office, we took him to an Urgent Care clinic (on their suggestion - because they couldn't get us in). The doctor at the Urgent Care clinic said Austin had bronciolitis - and needed antibiotics and albuterol nebulizer treatments. This was after the nurse at the pediatrician's pretty much confirmed my suspicion of croup...and after saying "croup" at the urgent care clinic. So, I thought, "Ok, well, I guess I was wrong... glad we at least know what's going on now and he can get better."

So, we filled the meds, got him started on them, and then I was able to get him down for an afternoon nap. I was sure he was going to feel/sound at least a little better when he got up - I was wrong. He was WORSE and was having a really difficult time breathing. Long story short (ok, so it's already long), I called the Mercy Nurse and she said take him to the ER. We did. They QUICKLY diagnosed croup, gave him the PROPER treatment, and his breathing got better almost immediately.

Now, Austin's still sick, but the croupy cough is better and so is his breathing. He still has a nasty cough, and cries every time he coughs 'cause he hurts (the poor baby!) but he can BREATHE! We're hoping things just continue to get better for him.

All this to say, please docs - take the time to listen to mom and dad and give them some credit! We'll try not to be pushy about it, but much of the time we have a good idea what's going on with our kiddos. If the urgent care doc had done that, Austin would have been better by Saturday afternoon, instead of worse, and wouldn't have had to make a traumatic trip to the ER.

Ok, I'm done. *Stepping off the soapbox NOW*

Poor Little Guy…

The silly, energetic Zack in this pic isn’t the one in our house right now. Our little Zacky has been sick here lately. He got the flu vaccine (the intranasal one) last Wednesday (the 16th) and has been sick ever since. Fever, vomiting, congestion, cough…the works!  I’m taking him in to the doc today just because things seem to be dragging on and on…

In the midst of all this, Zack has said some pretty cute/funny (and sometimes heart-breaking) things.

Josh told him yesterday that sleep would help make him feel better because when we sleep our bodies can fix things that are wrong. So Zack said, “But I don’t want any tools in my belly!”  Then at bed time he told Daddy he was going to “Sleep a long time so the tools in my belly can fix me.”  When he woke up this morning he looked at me and said, “Mommy I’m still very sick. Nothing is fixing me!”

He’ll also tell me, “Mommy, I need you to make me feel better.” Which nearly puts me in tears because I *so* wish I could do that!

He seems to be SLIGHTLY better today, but I’m going to go ahead and take him in anyway…for peace of mind, if nothing else. He did manage to do a little dance this morning, so I figured that was a sign he may be (finally) on the mend. ;)

9 Months

Our ‘little’ Austin is 9 months old today. I really can’t get a handle on where this year has gone! It seems to just be rushing by.  I admit, those first few weeks seemed like they’d never end, but now I feel like each day goes by in a flash.

He seems to be doing something new every hour – more than one new thing each day. He crawls as fast as he possibly can most the time. He wants to stand, rather than sit. He desperately wants to keep up with Zack, and tries as hard as he can to do so. He’s a happy baby 99% of the time, but when he’s mad, he lets you know it! He babbles like there’s no tomorrow, clicks his tongue, makes a “kiss” sound, loves to “bop” to music, and now has 7 teeth (but is missing one of the front teeth still, which makes for a goofy grin). He adores his big brother, and loves to cuddle with Mommy and Daddy (but only when he has a mind to slow down).

I know his first birthday is quickly creeping up on us, but I try not to think about it too much. Right now, I’m just trying to enjoy every second I can with these boys who are growing so quickly I can barely keep up.

It’s State Fair Time!

Ok, this post is coming a little late… but at least it’s making an appearance ;)

The Iowa State Fair has wrapped up, and as usual, we made our yearly trek. My parents traveled up from Oklahoma to join us, and we spent a couple of days over there. The weather was SO much nicer than it usually is! We’re talking 80 degrees, instead of 100+ (a serious improvement!) Also, this year Zack was able to really participate in a lot more things, and try lots of new things, too! We had a lot of fun, got too much sun, ate some extra calories, and were worn out by the end of Day 2 – and it was all so worth it :)  Here are a few pics of our time…

Zack did “Little Hands on the Farm” for the second year in a row. He and Grandpa posed for a picture with a squash that Zack desperately wanted to bring home…

Here he’s checking out the “chickens.” He was a little confused as to why they weren’t moving…

Grandpa had to save Zack from a near collision with a straw bale. Zack was so focused on pedaling that he neglected to steer.

This is how Austin spent a large portion of the fair. He was awake quite a bit though, and enjoyed all the things there were to see.

One of the many new things Zack tried this year was the sky ride. He LOVED it. He kept looking up at Josh and saying, “Daddy I LOVE this!”

Austin woke up to ham-it-up for the camera a few times… and show off his snaggle-tooth smile ;)

On day two, Zack tried out the bungee bounce. Another first, and another thing he LOVED.

In fact… here’s video to prove it ;) You have to keep an eye out for the awesome Bruce Lee style kicks…

Rides were all the rage this year for Zack… He adored the motorcycle ride…and the helicopter ride…and the “dizzy dragons.”  Needless to say, I think next year we’re going to have to plan for the “ride budget!”

All in all, it was a great year at the fair. I’m sure we’ll end up there next year, as we can’t ever seem to resist it ;)