Need More Laughter

So with the floods new predicted crest of 43 feet (where they had just gotten the dikes to) and the additional evacuations of Fargo & Moorhead(mandatory in certain sections within 24 hours!), I figure we all need a little more laughter.


Also you need to know that apparently Jacob has taken up yoga in his free time. Here is Jacob doing the Downface Dog pose...and tipping over. This, of course, leads to loads of giggles.
Finally I have to share that the little dude looooves watching cars. So on Sunday, when it was gorgeous and in the 60's we took him outside to watch cars. Boys and their cars **shakes head**.

A Plea for Prayers

No photos today. Instead I sincerely ask that you pray for those who live along the Red River in North Dakota and Minnesota. This is going to be a record flood - much worse than the flood of '97 - and it's supposed to crest in Fargo-Moorhead this weekend.

Some stats: Major Flood Level in Fargo is considered to be 30'. The flood of '97 got as high as 39.5'. In 1897 the river hit 40.1'. This year they're now expecting the river to hit 41'.

As of this morning the river was at 38.19'.

They're already evacuating some of the nursing homes closest to the river and they've instituted an evacuation plan, should they need it, for the rest of the city. They've never done either of those things before.

So far my family and extended family in Fargo are OK but only as long as the dikes hold.

All 3 universities/college + junior and senior highs in the F-M area closed this week so students and faculty could assist in the flood-fighting efforst. My mom's company is allowing employees to take up to 8 hours (paid) this week to volunteer for sand-bagging. As of yesterday Fargo had filled/placed around 1.3 million sandbags.

Yes, this extreme flooding will continue up the river to Grand Forks and eventually up to Canada, hitting many small towns along the way. All those people need your prayers for safety.

Thank you.
(for flood coverage you can go to the Fargo Forum website.

Still Sick - but with something different

OK, so the chicken pox didn't last terribly long - about 4 days to be exact. Jacob never got a 2nd round of spots and all the ones he did have cleared up between Thursday and Friday.

However, for several days he was stuffy and all the post-nasal drip was causing a, um, fluid reversal often times when he ate. Yep - lots of puking at our house. We even started decorating certain chairs with towels and did lots, and lots of laundry. Often times both the feed-er and the feed-ee would need a change of clothes...sometimes even a bath.

At first we thought this as a late-stage part of The Pox but by Monday morning we decided to have the doctor take a look. Sure enough - poor kid has an ear infection and upper-respiratory infection. No fever, no pulling at his ear. Just lots of throw-up. At least he's now back at daycare, has a new prescription, and the schedule is back on track.

Over the weekend Jacob got to try a new food - teething bisquits. He loved them! FYI - they're a bit messy and it's best to have him wearing something we're about to put in the wash in the next hour or so anyway. Oh, and, as you can see in the 2nd pic, he really concentrated for a good 5-10 minutes on sucking on this thing...while sitting up all on his own!

Pox Pics

Fox in Socks and Pox

On Saturday Jacob was given a stuffed Fox in Socks (based on the Dr Seuss book) at the Read Across America event. How appropriate then that he got pox the next day.

Yep - Chicken Pox has hit our house.

He woke up Sunday with red dots all over his belly, arms, head and back. They didn't appear too menacing and he had no fever but we called his doc anyway. Doc said: call me if he gets a fever or if the spots turn blue or purple. They didn't but they didn't diminish by this morning either.

So Steve hauled the poor child in to see Doc this morning. By now Jacob also has a bad, phlegmy cough. Still no fever and not acting uncomfortable. Seems we caught it within the first 48 hours and it should last about a week and a half.

Since I've never had The Pox I had to run around today to get vaccinated. When I tried to get vaccinated 2 years ago no doctor's office seemed to be able to tell me how I could get it. Today Steve had to call around and found an urgent care clinic in Mt. Airy that was able to provide it if I had a scrip. Got it and now if I get The Pox (Jacob spent most of yesterday coughing all over me and biting my shoulder) it shouldn't be as bad.

Needless to say, as soon as I heard it was Chicken Pox I started itching all over!

Photo Post

Here are a few photos to brighten your day. The first ones are to give you a bit of an idea how long it often takes Jacob to eat a Cheerio. The last one is of Jacob with the Cat in the Hat at the Read Across America event on Saturday (to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on 3/2).

Steve's Birthday Weekend

Steve's birthday was Saturday and he celebrated it with the Maryland Jaycees (and Mike Smith who shares his birthday)! It was the February Convention where we celebrate the end of 2008 and get ready for 2009 with awards, and awards, and then a few more awards. Congratulations to all the winners.

Steve got to sit back and relax with Jacob while I acted as Awards Diva (someone else came up with that title) by presenting all the year-end awards. Thank you Nancy for assisting Steve. Also Ron and kids deserve a huge thank you for feeding the cats while we were away!

Jacob was a real trouper even though the event lasted 3 hours past his bedtime. It helped that there were other kids only slightly older than he was to keep him entertained.

Steve' night in pictures:

FYI - these photos were inpsired by a friend's super-artistic photos on her blog. Thanks, Em!