Kyle, Jenna... and two more make four!: Under the weather

Unfortunately, we've all been battling colds the last couple weeks. Carter got it the worst, because his developed into an ear infection. He got super grumpy and cranky last Tuesday after daycare, so Kyle and I decided we should take him to be seen somewhere. We called the two urgent cares in Albany and both of their wait times were over 2 hours, so I decided to call my peers in the ER at Albany, and there were only a couple of patients in the ER so we decided to take him in. One of the perks of working at a hospital is that you get seen pretty quick though :) So we got him checked out, and just like we were concerned about, he had an ear infection in the left ear. The doctor prescribed a 10 day course of antibiotics, and after a few doses he has been such a happier baby! It made a world of difference.

Still pretty sweet, even with an ear infection :)

Hanging out in the ER is exhausting!

Carter also had his 6 month check-up last week, which went very well. We actually saw a new doctor here in Albany. The doctor we've used since we've moved here, Dr. McQuillan, is in Corvallis, which isn't super convenient but it's never been a big deal to go to him because he's wonderful. However, he's really hard to get into, and the times don't work with my schedule. The straw that broke my back was when they left me a voicemail 2 weeks ago saying they needed to reschedule Carter's appointment that I'd made several months ago. I had made it specifically on that day because that was the soonest they could get me in at 8:00, before work so I didn't have to take any time off. As wonderful as he is, the hassle was becoming too much and I decided to call the pediatrician office in Albany, which is very conveniently located next to the hospital, about 4 blocks away from daycare. They were able to get me in the next week before work, so it worked out great. They have a lot of doctors and extended hours (open until 9pm on weekdays, and even open on weekends!), so it's easy to find a time that works. I asked several friends about their preferred doctors, so I knew who I would trust to see. We saw Dr. Arrow, who was very thorough and very nice. They even offered to give Payton her flu shot since she was with me, even though it wasn't her appointment! Carter is a growing boy: 20 pounds 7 ounces (90th percentile), 27.5" long (which was between the 75th and 90th percentile), and his head circumference was 18 inches, which was in the 96th percentile. We decided not to give him his shots since he was sick, so he's going back this Friday to recheck his ears and get his 6 month shots. I was really pleased with how convenient it was, and everyone was very nice. Good experience!

A few Saturdays ago we had some of my co-workers and their kiddos over. My friend Carlie, who had her second daughter a couple weeks ago, has a 2 year old daughter named Macyn who goes to Payton's daycare. And of course my friend Jamie! We invited them over for pizza and to watch football, and it was fun for the girls to play together, and fun to watch the boys "play" together.

Ultrasound babies, from left to right: Emery (10 days old), Carter (6 months old), and Bradyn (7 months old)

Payton and Macyn playing dress up!

B & C!

Mine!

Carter is so close to crawling! I'm worried he's going to do it at daycare for the first time and I'm going to miss it. He's sitting on his own pretty much all the time; every once in a while he'll topple over, but I don't think it's because he loses his balance, I think he's either going for a toy or he just gets bored of sitting. Now when he gets up on all fours he's figured out how to thrust himself forward instead of scooting backwards. Although I feel eager for him to crawl, a part of me knows I shouldn't; my house is nowhere near baby proof right now!

I really want to get going!

Such a big boy!

And very drooly :)

Payton is doing great, I can't believe she's almost four! Just a few more weeks until her birthday. She asks me almost every morning if today is her birthday, until finally I told her that her birthday is not until after Valentine's day. So now every morning she asks me if it's Valentine's day! She LOVES school, we've had a few incidents where she throws a fit when it's time to go home. Kyle had a VERY stern talk with her about it after I came home one night almost in tears, and I'm happy to report that she has been great since! She asks me every morning to come with me to Carter's room to help drop him off, and she'll help me put his bottles away and get him settled before she goes down to breakfast.

Payton's usual outfit for school; a fancy dress, sparkly shoes, tights, and a headband.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but Kyle actually got a free iPad by applying for and receiving grant money for his classroom. He downloaded a couple of educational apps for Payton, and she LOVES them. It's teaching her to write her alphabet letters, sound out simple words, all that good stuff. She would play on it all night if we let her, we usually have to set a timer for the time she's allowed on it. Her next eye appointment is in 2 weeks, and it's the "big" yearly exam where they will dilate her eyes to see if her prescription has changed. I'm anxious to see, although I suspect that it will stay the same. It has for 3 years now! The only thing that's really changed is she has developed an astigmatism in both eyes. Kyle and I were talking, and we were thinking that this year will probably be the year where she can graduate to "big girl" glasses; actual frames, not the all plastic ones with a head strap. When I told her that she could get big girl glasses this year, she said "you mean black ones like you and daddy?" That made me laugh! She told me she wants Hello Kitty glasses, so we'll see what she picks out. We'll let her pick her own… within reason of course! I can only imagine what she would pick out if we didn't limit her choices! I took the day off of work to take her, and I'm planning on making it a fun mommy daughter day. After her exam we'll grab some lunch, maybe some ice cream or something, and I'm thinking about taking her to a children's museum in Portland for her to play for a bit before we head home. Hopefully she'll be cooperative during her exam and it will be a great day!

Anyway, I'll leave you all with some pictures from the last few weeks…