"Jemma"

This past week has been pretty good overall. Elliott keeps getting better and better. He is getting back to his smiley little self, and boy is his appetite back! Emma is a little spitfire these days, but overall she is very sweet and hilarious. I think John and I laugh at her at least 10 times a day.

On Friday, I had Elliott's 4 month check up. He weighed in at 18 lbs 10 ounces, which is down a little bit from the week before. But, it only makes sense since he's been so sick lately. Otherwise he is looking very good. He is also 281/2 inches long, so he is still off the charts for height and weight.

The doctor gave us the go-ahead to try baby food with Elliott, since he eats like a little monster. He basically ate constantly today. I tried one time to give a little rice cereal today, but it didn't go very well. I'll give it another try later this week.

My poor little buddy also got 4 shots on Friday. He did pretty well with it. He cried really hard when he got them, and was a little fussy during the day. But it's nothing that a little Tylenol and cuddling couldn't fix.

Friday night was pretty fun. My aunts, Julie and Janel, my grandma Elaine, and my cousin Jenna all came to visit. They came for a shopping weekend, and to see us a little bit too. They stayed at the Ramkota Inn, which is very close to us, and has a water park inside. So, we went over in the late afternoon and Emma had a blast hanging out with Jenna and swimming.

While Jenna entertained Emma, the rest of us enjoyed some snacks and wine and visited. Elliott was passed around the table and charmed the pants off of everyone.

Emma and Jenna were pretty adorable together. Emma was pretty much glued to Jenna, and wouldn't do anything without her. That's where the title of this post came from. If you mush Jenna and Emma together (like they were Friday night) you get "Jemma".

By 8:00pm, Emma was exhausted from running around constantly with Jenna for 4 hours straight, and she actually asked for her bed. So, we headed home and put the kids (and ourselves) to bed.

Saturday was pretty low-key. I hit up a huge consignment sale that was going on and got clothes for the kids for the summer months. Then we ate lunch with the Minnesota crew before they headed out. Emma got to sit next to Jenna at the restaurant, so she was in heaven.

Not too much else happened this weekend. We face-timed with my parents today, and both kids and my parents seemed to really enjoy that. Otherwise, we just kinda bummed at home for the weekend, which was nice since next weekend we are heading to Minnesota for Easter. It was pretty nice to have a quiet weekend before we are on the go all next weekend!!

Selfie with the kids-kind of 

Happy Elliott

Always kicking off those socks :)

Saturday Morning Selfie

Ready to swim 

Emma loves her little brother (and he puts up with a lot)

4 Months Old.

Somehow, Elliott is 4 months old already. Wow, time is sure flying! Like I've mentioned in the last couple blog posts, this past month has been pretty tough, but overall Elliott is a good baby and it sure is fun to watch him grow.

Elliott weighs 19 pounds and he is 28 inches long. He is still one big boy.

Elliott is a very happy baby. He loves to play, and he kicks his legs and flails his arms like crazy when he gets excited. Pretty much anytime you smile at him, you will get a smile right back. He is also starting to find his voice, and he coos all the time. We are  trying really hard to get him to giggle right now, and every once in a while he lets out a small, tiny giggle. We haven't been able to get much more out of him, but we keep trying :) He is very ticklish on his neck, back, and toes.

Elliott's likes:
His bottle- He loves to eat. And he is ANGRY when he is hungry
Pacifier- He's not quite as obsessed with this as Emma was, but he likes his Paci
Playing- He likes to stand up on our laps, lay on his playmat and play with dangling toys, he's starting to find his hands more and more, he likes to be smiled at and talked to
Bedtime- 8pm hits and he is ready for his bed, which is awesome
Sucking on his fist
"Talking"

Elliott's Dislikes
Car seat- he doesn't really like getting into it or staying in it for very long
When anybody leaves the room- he does not like being alone, even for just a little bit
Coughing- none of us like Elliott's coughing anymore, we are hoping we are close to done with it!
Having his boogers sucked out

Elliott is sure a lot of fun and he is a good little baby. We are all pretty exhausted from him being sick for the last 3 weeks, and we are tired of the coughing, but other than that things are going very well. Emma is very proud of her brother, and she loves to give him hugs and kisses (and squish him in the process). She also likes to tickle him, give him his pacifier, and give him a blanket. It's pretty cute watching the two of them. I can't wait until they can actually play together, instead of Elliott just taking all the abuse.

Here are some adorable photos to end the post with!

Selfie

My kiddos

Handsome 4 month old 

Happy Boy

A Recuperating Weekend.

This weekend has flown by, and we really didn't do a whole lot. We spent most of the weekend just trying to get the kids healthy again.

Elliott is finally doing a little better. Saturday was still a pretty tough day for him (and all of us), but today he was finally starting to act like himself. He was all smiles, playing, cooing, and coughing less than usual. A-men. I am so ready to have him healthy again. And sleeping at night.

So, Friday night was pretty low-key. It was in the 70s though, so we grilled out for supper. And then we spent some time playing outside with Emma while Elliott napped all evening. We played in the sandbox, and then ran around the backyard wearing out Emma for the evening.

On Saturday, we spent the morning just hanging out at home taking care of Elliott, and watching some March Madness. Meanwhile, Emma terrorized the house like usual. In the afternoon, we headed out to John's parent's house to help a little in the greenhouse, and basically just to get out of our house. Emma loved running around the farm and feeding the chickens. Elliott basically coughed, ate, and slept.

We also drove to Lake Vermillion State Park to check out the cabins we are going to camp in this summer. They also happen to be right next to a playground set, so Emma had some more fun playing. Emma almost fell asleep on the way home, we had such a busy afternoon on the farm.

Today was pretty low-key as well. We went to church in Hartford to see the Parker Church Choir sing and then ate at Pizza Ranch with Jim,  Barb, and Judy. Elliott was really fun today with all his smiling and playing. And he even did some giggling! Talk about the cutest thing ever!!

Otherwise, just a quiet afternoon in the Nelson Household. I made a quick grocery run this evening, and otherwise things are winding down for the evening. The kids are asleep (hooray) and I am watching a little TV while catching up on blogging.

I am sure hoping this next week treats this family better than the last. Hopefully Elliott is over the hump, and we are done with sickness for a little while in this house :)

Finally smiling :)

My family

Family selfie

Outdoor fun 

Me and my mini-me

Helping fill pouches in the greenhouse

Feeding chickens

Being Emma 

Riding "bike" with Grandma 

Nebs at home

Hospital Nelson

It's been a couple weeks since I last blogged. The reason; it's been two weeks of pure hell. The only thing worse than a sick child, is two sick children.

Remember how in the last blog post I talked about how sick Elliott was? Well, he got better, for about two days, and then he was sick again. And this time he really got sick. He coughed and coughed, and puked up bottles, and snotted around like it was his job. Poor kid. And of course it is so much worse at night, nobody is getting much sleep in our house right now.

Emma has been staying pretty healthy lately, but on Sunday she spiked a temp up to 104 and was just feeling plain miserable. Luckily, the tylenol and ibuprofen brought it down some, or else I was thinking about an ER visit.

Elliott was pretty much sick all last week, and after suffering through a horrendous weekend of sickies, I took the kids to the doctor on Monday.

The verdict: Emma has an ear infection, we started her on amoxicillin. And Elliott has bronchiolitis, so he is on nebs four times a day and a steroid for 5 days.

This week has been full of shuffling schedules around, finding babysitters, and taking care of sick children. John suffered with Elliott all day yesterday while I put in a grueling 13 hour day at work. So, today (after next to no sleep last night) I am home taking care of the peanut.

It is a very slow turn around, but I feel like Elliott is maybe just a teensy bit better today. He still has quite a cough, but it isn't nearly as frequent, and he was even smiling and laughing while we played some today. But, I am sure tonight will be rough again.

Luckily, Emma is pretty much back to normal, and has been at daycare the last couple days. One sick child at home all day is plenty.

Needless to say, it has been quite a stressful and busy week. I really need Elliott to get better already, I feel like he has been sick for a month. I think I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, with healthier days ahead.

Not too much else is new around here. We have pretty much been housebound and dedicating all our time to getting our kids healthy. Even though the kids were sick, last weekend was beautiful (it was 70s and sunny!) so we did try to spend some time out in the fresh air and opened windows to try and air out our germy house.

Also, John and I are officially going to Nashville over Memorial Day weekend for his cousin's wedding. I am so excited!!! We will be so ready to take a vacation by then as well. And we will be kid-free for a few days. I am going to miss them like crazy, but I am also going to enjoy some freedom (and sleep!! :)

Here's to a healthier week next week!

Emma and I enjoyed the park, before she got sick

So much fun :)

Sunrise on the way to work

Caos and sleep deprivation

This week has been a tough one so far, and it's not even over yet. Elliott has still been pretty snotty and coughing a lot, so there have been some rough nights. And then on top of it all, I have 4 call shifts this week. Eek. I'm used of not getting much sleep, but this is just getting ridiculous.

Today, I have the day off so I have the kiddos with me. It has been kinda a long day, and it is only 1:00 pm. So there's that. I worked last night and didn't get to bed until midnight, and Elliott got up at 5:30 am and decided to stay up. Yuck. Also, it is cold outside again, so I am cooped up in the house with a wild 2 year old, and a crabby 3 month old. I am so ready for spring (and maybe a nap). Right now, both kiddos are sleeping, which is glorious. I should probably be sleeping too, but I always feel like I have way too much to get done to take a nap.

Emma is so funny these days. She is just a little jabber box, and her ability to put complete sentences together and tell stories just astounds me. And she loved to make music with just about any object, and then dance along with it. Her latest thing is anytime we leave to go somewhere, she always says "we'll come back". And it is just the cutest thing ever. Or, if I am leaving to go to work, she also says it. She also now says "I love you, mommy" without me having to say it first. Talk about melting my heart.

She is also becoming the best big sister ever. She gives Elliott about an average of 20 kisses a day. She will kiss his cheek and then squeal and yell "I kissed Elliott's cheek!" and laugh. It is pretty comical. She will also get him his pacifier, blanket, or "help" change his diapers. And she gets very concerned if he starts crying and she will pat his head and say "it's ok, buddy" or "what's the matter, Elliott?" It is really fun to watch her relationship with Elliott grow and change. I am very proud of how concerned and loving she is towards her brother. Sometimes she can get a little rough with him, but she has never intentionally been mean to her brother yet, which is awesome!

On the flip side of things, Elliott puts up with a lot. Emma is in his face a lot, hugging and kissing and hanging on him, and he is a trooper about it. He really likes to watch Emma, and he smiles at Emma a lot. He loves his big sister. He even just likes to listen to her talk, which is basically happening ALL the time.

Elliott turned 3 months last week, and I have been so busy I haven't even had a chance to weigh him or take his official Mickey Mouse picture to measure his growth. He has much better head control lately, and he has enjoyed sitting in the bumbo as of late. He also is really looking at things, and focusing on more than just lights and faces. He also has laughed a couple times. He hasn't like full-on giggled, but he has laughed, and it was pretty adorable. Tummy time is also getting a little more productive, and he is getting stronger. I don't think it will be too terribly long before he starts rolling over.

That's about all that's new over here. There are some 50 degree days forecasted for this weekend, so we are all looking forward to that (except I have to work...boo!). I think I am going to enjoy the quiet while I have it, with an episode of Modern Family and some sort of caffeinated beverage so I can survive this afternoon!!!

3 months old

Emma loving on Elliott

Emma accessorizing Elliott with a purse...poor little boy

Monster jammies

A Trip to Brookings...

This past week has been a little bit miserable. Elliott got his first cold, and it has been a doozie. He has a nasty hack that comes from deep in his chest, and he coughs ALL THE TIME. Also, an added benefit of his cold is that after he eats a bottle and we burp him, he coughs, and then gags, and then pukes up about half the entire bottle. We have done a lot of laundry the past couple days!!

And of course, the coughs are always the worst at bedtime. So, we are short on sleep in the Nelson household right now. We are very hopeful that things improve very quickly.

Luckily, Emma is pretty healthy right now. She has a little bit of a snotty nose and a little cough, but nothing like Elliott. Although, I bet she is the one who got Elliott sick with all her kisses she gives Elliott, and the hundreds of times she thinks she has to touch his pacifier.

In other news, John and I went to a Skyforce game on Tuesday night with his work. We got to watch the game from a suite thanks to his company paying for everything. It was a nice evening out on the town.

We also made the trip to Brookings today so Elliott could meet his great-grandparents. The trip went really well, Emma behaved wonderfully and really had a good time playing at the nursing home and seeing her great-grandparents. Elliott did okay, considering how miserable he feels. He spit-up  most of his bottle and was kinda crabby during the visit, but he did give us some smiles during the trip.

It was really nice to get the kids to Brookings to see the great-grandparents. It was a pretty short trip, we visited for a couple hours, and then we came right back home. Tomorrow is going to be interesting with daycare. We are going to give it a try with Elliott, but I kinda doubt he will last the day. I plan on scheduling a Dr. appointment for him just to make sure that he doesn't have anything worse than a cold.

Overall, he is still pretty happy even though he has this miserable cold. He has not run any temps, he is still eating (what he keeps down), still having wet and poopy diapers, still smiling and interacting. So, it's pretty tough to stay home from work with him unless he gets worse. So, anyway, we will see what happens tomorrow. First, I have to survive the night. I work at 6:30 am, and I am watching him tonight. Could be one long night, and one long day tomorrow.

We are really hoping he gets to feeling better soon, for the sake of us all...

Mommy and Elliott selfie

Emma having fun in the mall 

Getting some much needed rest

Meeting great-grandma Erma

Emma and Great-Grandpa Percy