Easter Time

After work yesterday we gathered around and dyed Easter Eggs together. Cy was super tired so he napped while we worked on the eggs. He's still too little to enjoy this, but next year he'll love it.

 Ryker certainly had a good time. By the end though his hands looked like the Wicked witch of the West.

 Taking a snap shot while we wait for the eggs to color.

 Our finished products...

 EASTER MORNING... the boys woke up to these... New shirt and tie, a movie, bubbles, goldfish crackers, and an egg with a surprise dollar inside.

 After church we hung out in the yard for awhile to take some pictures. The boys were tired so it wasn't very successful, but we did get a few. It's just a BEAUTIFUL day it was just nice to be outside.

It took putting Cy up in the tree to get a smile out of him.

 Ryker always has his camera ready smile.

 Don't they look so Handsome in their Easter shirts?

 It was fun this year that we were able to do an egg hunt in our back yard. Ryker found all the eggs... while Cy just crawled around not interested. Like I said earlier... Next year the 2 of them will enjoy it together.

 Proud of his findings.

I'm grateful for the chance to reflect on our Savior's Sacrifice and Resurrection for all of us. I'm also grateful that because of HIM that I get to be with my family FOREVER.
 Happy Easter!

(Side note: Cy and Ryker are on the uphill slope to becoming all the way healthy. They both have lingering coughs. Cy's croup got better after taking the steroids and both the boys had goop in their eyes. Ryker's only lasted a day, where Cy's lasted a couple. I don't know for sure if it was pink eye or allergies? Because their eyes never really got pink. So I don't know. All I care about now is they are doing better. Hopefully they are done getting sick. They have had their fair share.)

The past two weeks

Just to give you a little update about Cy. About two or three days after he had been diagnosed with Fifth Disease the rash cleared up and Cy started to act more like himself. For about a week he was acting happy. As a matter of fact Jesse and I commented on Sunday that we were happy that Cy was all better. Well we spoke to soon. Monday morning he woke up with the yucky cough. Jesse and I were both thinking "Where on earth did that come from?" Well as the morning progressed on I noticed that Cy was very unhappy and his breathing was Weezy. I called the pediatrician and made an appointment for him to check on Cy.

Lets pause there for a minute. I wanted to show that Ryker and Cy both have upgraded carseats. This really shouldn't be a big deal, but I'm just totally shocked that Ryker can be in a booster seat now. He totally loves it! When I bought it he was SOOO excited. He kept telling me 'Mom, Thanks so much for buying this for me."

 Now since Ryker no longer is in the forward facing carseat, Cy then got to move into it. I was so grateful that Ryker was big enough to be in a booster because then I didn't have to have two forward facing carseats. And a booster seat is MUCH cheaper. So It's a WIN-WIN in my book. It's cute to see Cy get all excited as we start to drive down the street. I think he's happy that he gets to look at out window instead of the back of the car.

 I thought this was cute. They seriously love each other. These two are going to be inseparable as they grow up.

 Ok, going back to Cy. So yesterday Jesse got done with work early. So he was able to take Cyrus to his doctor's appointment while Ryker and I went to Hogle Zoo with my friend Harmoni and her son Parker. (Parker has helped with the boys a few times, so Ryker and him are good buds).

The day was sunny and bright, but a bit chilly. It's been so strangely warm for this time of year, so I haven't liked when it drops to normal temperatures for April.

 I have a picture of Ryker and I on these Tigers when he is not even a year old yet. I'll have to do a comparison one of these days. But we are sitting in the exact position. I hadn't thought of that when we were taking the picture.

Ryker has got the cheesiest grin. It cracks me up. He sees that camera and slaps on that smile without even thinking.

 Parker and Ryker were two peas in a pod that day. Ryker thoroughly enjoyed having Parker around and Parker was so accommodating to Ryker's busy attitude.

 Meet Eli the Chimp. He would go from window to window with his folded arms propped up on the seal and just stare.

 After we saw all the animals we bought tickets to go on the "EXCITING"  train ride (sarcasm added). Ryker enjoys it so much I just can't say no. It's like a 2 minute ride...if that. But it's not about us adults, it's about the kids. So my $3 was happily enjoyed by ryker.

Ok funny story. After the train ride we went over to the DiscoveryLand (aka... The Park). Parker and Ryker were playing on the slide while Harmoni and I are sitting talking on the bench. Next thing I know Harmoni starts laughing and says that Ryker was PEEING!!! Yup! PEEING... On the playground. Pants all the way down. Not ashamed one bit! I notice the children and adults around him start backing away and looking around, probably thinking 'Where is this kid's mother?'

So I wait a little while (feeling a little embarrassed) until he pulls his pants back up and starts playing again. I then go over to and tell him it's time to go and that he must pee in the toilet. As we are leaving I can feel every adult staring at us. I guess telling him it was OK to pee in our backyard back fired.

As we were leaving I get a phone call from Jesse. He tells me that Cy has been diagnosed with  Croup! Good Grief! What else is this kid going to get? The poor thing isn't starting his second year of life out very well. I can only hope and pray that this will be the last of it. But it may not be!

Reason I say that is because I noticed today that Ryker's eyes were goopy and kinda red. Well by tonight they didn't look much better. Progressively worse. So I'm thinking he's got Pink Eye! He said to me "My eyes are Spricy. I can't close them all day." Hearing that made me want to laugh cuz it's such a cute way to describe how he's feeling, but sad at the same time. "Spricy" is his word for spicy. So if that's the case hopefully Cy won't get that as well.

So I'll probably be taking him to the doctor tomorrow. My boys are making me single handedly pay for Dr Reese's home.

I pray that the next post won't be about ANY sickness!

Oh as another side note...Jesse finished Fire Academy tonight! YEAH!!! He also made the internship for the next class going through. So that will be good on his resume as he starts to apply for Fire Departments.

South Jordon is having their first hiring test on April 9 (this coming Monday), so fingers crossed that he will do well. And also Salt Lake City is having theirs sometime in May. So two good possibilities for future jobs.

What's Next?

OK... So where to start? The past week Cy has been acting and feeling better after figuring out he had an ear infection. And as that was ending Jesse and I started to get the cold symptoms. So by yesterday Jesse and I weren't feeling all that great. So we stayed home from church to try and kick our colds.

After Cy woke up from his afternoon nap, I noticed a little rash on his tummy and on his face while I was changing his diaper. I wasn't really sure what to think about it. Neither did Jesse.

We then went to The Smith's and while we were there Heidi asked me if Cy had a rash. Then she started to wonder if he was having an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin. I guess her two youngest boys are and they broke out in a rash when they were younger. So I decided to see what the morning brought.

Well the rash blossomed over night. It's on his cheeks...

 Neck and Back....

 Here's a better shot of his face.

 His tummy...

So I called the doctor right away. The soonest they could see us was 3:10pm. So I had to wonder all day... Was this an allergic reaction to the amoxicillion? Or the rash symptom to the MMR shot he had 13 days ago?

This is Cy waiting for the doctor to come see him...Obviously he isn't bothered by the rash all over his body. He's happy as can be. I'm sure if he knew what he looked like he'd be bothered. I sure as heck would be.

 I thought I'd take this time to get a good shot of his back while he wasn't dressed and sitting still. Crazy huh?

 Dr Reese comes in and right off the bat he tells me that he doesn't think that it's an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin because the rash would be on the palms of his hands and on the bottom of his feet. Second he says that it doesn't look like the MMR rash. So the diagnosis is.... FIFTH DISEASE! I pulled some info from kidshealth.org to explain it better than I could.

Fifth disease, which is especially common in kids between the ages of 5 and 15, usually produces a distinctive red rash on the face that makes a child appear to have a "slapped cheek." The rash then spreads to the trunk, arms, and legs.

About Fifth Disease

Fifth disease is actually just a viral illness that most kids recover from quickly and without complications.
Fifth disease (also called erythema infectiosum) is caused by parvovirus B19. A human virus, parvovirus B19 is not the same parvovirus that veterinarians may be concerned about in pets, especially dogs, and it cannot be passed from humans to animals or vice versa.
Studies show that although 40% to 60% of adults worldwide have laboratory evidence of a past parvovirus B19 infection, most can't remember having had symptoms of fifth disease. This leads medical experts to believe that most people with a B19 infection have either very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Fifth disease occurs everywhere in the world. Outbreaks tend to happen in the late winter and early spring, but there can be sporadic cases of the disease throughout the year.

Signs and Symptoms

Fifth disease begins with a low-grade fever, headache, and mild cold-like symptoms (a stuffy or runny nose). These symptoms pass, and the illness seems to be gone until a rash appears a few days later.
The bright red rash usually begins on the face. Several days later, the rash spreads and red blotches (usually lighter in color) extend down to the trunk, arms, and legs. The rash usually spares the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. As the centers of the blotches begin to clear, the rash takes on a lacy net-like appearance. Kids younger than 10 years old are most likely to get the rash.

Older kids and adults sometimes complain that the rash itches, but most kids with a rash do not look sick and no longer have fever. Certain stimuli (including sunlight, heat, exercise, and stress) may reactivate the rash until it completely fades. It may take 1 to 3 weeks for the rash to completely clear, and during that time it may seem to worsen until it finally fades away entirely.

So this explains what has been going on with little Cy. The poor little guy. He's been through alot.

Apparently the Disease is contagious. So Ryker, Jesse, Me and everyone that we have been around COULD be affected. Dr. Reese told me when adults get it they don't get the rash. Just the aches, runny nose and a headache. Pretty much like any other cold. So makes me wonder if that's what Jesse and I had yesterday and still today.

So until next time. Hopefully this will be the last sickness post. But I shall keep things updated.

THE BIG ONE!!!

1:00 am on the morning of March 3, 2011 my water broke and about 6 1/2 hours later Cyrus Robert Smith came into our world. A year later I am having a hard time imagining what our lives would be like with out him. We love this little man. He's so sweet, loving and tolerant (of his big brother unintentionally picking on him).

The Sunday after his birthday (March 4), mine and Jesse's family gathered together at the Smith Home to watch Cy with the traditional hoo-ha. It's something you can't miss.

While unwrapping presents the bows were a favorite of his.

 He did very well unwrapping as well (with the assistance of his daddy).

 Playing with his new toys.

Check out the cake that I made. A client of mine gave me the idea and the directions. It was really fun to make. I made the Carrot cake and the cream cheese frosting. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but it was super yummy.

 Oh he wanted to dig into it so bad.

 I thought a cupcake size would be better portion size for him. At first he didn't really dig into it like we all thought that he would.  It wasn't until Jesse took a glob of frosting and smeared it on Cy's tongue that he started to chow down the cake.

 He wasn't really all that messy of an eater.

By the time he finished his cake, Jesse had Cy's tricycle put together. (It's a bit big for him, but he'll grow into it). He liked the ride though. Just can't peddle quiet yet, let alone reach them. But look at that face...

It was wonderful to have all our family together to support us and our little guy on his big day (even though he had no clue). I don't know what it is about seeing a one year old open presents and eat cake for the first time...but it's so enjoyable.

Happy First Birthday Cyrus! We all love and adore you so much!

________________________________________________

Tuesday (Mar 6) was his Dr. checkup.

Here are his stats...

Weight: 21lbs - 23%

Height: 30 1/4 - 66%

Head Circum: 47.5cm - 81%

According to the doctor everything looks great on the little man. We now get to switch him from formula to cow's milk (my wallet is singing praises). I guess since he's sort of a light weight he will be just fine with WHOLE milk over 1% or 2% milk.

The bummer part of this appointment was that the little man had to get FOUR shots. UGH! It breaks my heart every time they have to poke him. With each poke his cry becomes more and more sad. OH! It's terrible. Thankfully he calmed down by the time we got to the car. But the whole way out he let me know he wasn't happy about what just happened to him. He was very happy to get home and take a long nap.

Last week both Cy and Ryker had had a cold. The coughing, runny nose with a slight fever. So by the time of Cy's birthday he had just gotten over that. So I'm thinking that would hopefully be the last illness they got before spring would come. (BTW this time of year is just so yucky. I very much dislike that everyone I'm surrounded by is sick which makes my children sick, which gets other children sick. It's a terrible chain reaction). So... I THOUGHT I was done with all that.

Around 2 in the morning on Thursday I woke up to Cy moaning in his crib. Not crying or fussing, just moaning like he was miserable. I go in and check on him to see what the matter was. When I touched his head I was totally shocked by how warm he was. So I take his temperature... 101. Immediately I get the infant Tylenol and he went back to sleep.

Throughout that day he was probably awake for 5 hours of the day. Just sleepy and running a fever. Heidi was at our house taking care of the boys, so it was comforting to know that the boys were in good hands. We were feeling concerned that his fever wasn't going down. At the lowest it was 100.

That night I put him to bed by 7pm. Bedtime is regularly 8pm, but there was no way he would make it till then.  

As Friday morning came around I decided to call the pediatrician. I try really hard not to be a over paranoid mother. But I was starting to feel concerned that his fever was going on for 2 days now. I know when they get shots that that can and will cause a fever, but not for this long.

So after talking to the nurse, she told me that it sounded like something viral and to continue giving him Tylenol/Motrin to bring his fever down. By this time is was 8:45am and Cy was still sleeping. I decided call my Mom and ask her if she would be willing to come to my house until Cy woke up. She willing did, and I left for work at 9:15am.

Around 11 I called my mom to check in on Cy. She informed me that he was sleeping. Gosh. Sleepy guy!

At noon I then text her.... Is he awake? She replied...No. Then my next terrible thought...Is he alive? Thankfully she replied...yes.

Finally at ONE Cy woke up. He slept from 7pm Thursday night till 1:00pm Friday afternoon. UNBELIEVABLE! That's 18 hours. 

By Saturday, Cy's fever reached 104 degrees. I was worried that he was going on three days with such a high fever. When I woke up that morning at 7 I gave him more Motrin, undressed him to hopefully cool him down a little bit. Awe he was just pure miserable. He'd stare at me with the saddest eyes and I knew without even saying a word to me that he just was hurting. I just didn't know why.

My mom and my little sister, Chan, came over at 7:30am so I could do her hair for her dance competition. And while I was doing that Cy went over to my bed, crawled up to my pillow and laid his head down and fell asleep almost instantly. Oh it's just so sad and strangely sweet at the same time.

I headed off to work once Heidi arrived at the house. My heart was torn. I felt like I should be there for my baby, but at the same time I needed to work. I Thank the dear Lord for blessing me with a wonderful Mother and Mother-in-Law who can be the extension to my hands.

While I was at work I arranged an appointment for Heidi to take Cy to InstaCare. Also a friend of mine from work, Harmoni, offered to watch Ryker while Heidi took Cy. Bless her heart!

At InstaCare they diagnosed Cy with an Ear Infection.

By the end of Saturday Cy was doing lots better. His temperature was down and his personality had returned. He has to take antibiotics twice a day for ten days. Also that night Jesse and his Dad (Mike) gave Cy a priesthood blessing!

Thank heavens for modern medicine. Thank Heavens for Friends and Family so willing to lend a helping and loving hand! THANK HEAVENS for the Priesthood! And Thank Heavens Cy is feeling and doing much better! There is nothing worse for a parent than to have their little ones sick.

I HEART YOU!

This year for V-day Jesse and I both decided to stay home. We weren't feeling in the mood to fight the crowds to spend a ton a money on a not-so-great dinner. So... I made dinner at home instead. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but it was BOMB!

Whole Wheat Heart-Shaped Rolls...

Maple Soy Salmon, Steamed Carrots, Steamed Asparagus and Quinoa with black beans, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic and broccoli. YUM!!! (Take note of the arrangement of the food... Can you tell it's a heart?)

 Dessert: Oreo Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream.

 A little lovin'...

 This year I made this...

 ... and gave it to Jesse. Totally found this idea on Pinterest (I love that website).

 And Jesse gave me this...

Yay for future date nights!

It was very enjoyable to spend our night as a family. Happy Valentine's Day!

What the FOUR?

February 8, 2008 Ryker William Smith came to our family at 11:55am. Weighing in at 8 lbs 11oz and measuring 22 1/2 inches long. Now FOUR years later he weighs 40 lbs 8oz (83%) and measuring 41 1/2 inches tall (77%).

On the day of his birthday I made Ryker French Toast upon his request. He was totally thrilled that I put candles on them to blow out.

 I took a half day off of work so that Ryker would have something to do on his actual birthday. But while I was working my mom and dad took Ryker to the Planetarium. And of course he LOVED it. He kept telling them how he had been there before and running around showing his grandparents all the cool stuff.

Then that night I took him on a date to see the movie Big Miracle. It was so fun to have that time with him alone. And the movie was pretty good. Look at Ryker's grin... he was chowing down the popcorn as soon as we sat down.

Friday night we had the opportunity to go sledding up at Soldiers Hollow with Jesse's parents and Andrew and Emily. The small tubes were for the little kids, but you had to be 4 to ride. So lucky for Ryker he had just turned 4 two days before that.

Here we are waiting in line to be pulled up the hill. I'm all for exercise, but if you have to carry Ryker up the hill it makes for a long night and not having the desire to go down the hill too often... So with the "lift" we were able to go down several times without breaking a sweat. haha

Just waiting in between runs. We traded off on who watched the babes.

Look how happy he is. He was having the time of his life.

We all had a great time sledding. Thanks to Mike and Heidi for taking all of us.

On Sunday we invited our families over for dinner followed by Ryker opening presents and devouring the cake and ice cream. Check out the Fish Cake I put together. I am pretty excited about it, but probably not as much as Ryker was. When everyone came over he instantly would shout "Look at my Fishy Cake!!!" It made me super happy that he was so thrilled over his cake.

I love this Birthday Boy!!!

Ryker showing off his money that great grandma and grandpa gave to him.

This Hot Wheels track sticks on the wall. Seriously SO COOL! I tried back in December to get this for Christmas, but everywhere I called or looked online was SOLD OUT! One Hot item. So thankfully they got more in stock.

He blew out his candles all in one big blow.

Honestly I know everyone says it... so here I go... I CAN"T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS!!! There, I said it. But it's true. It's unbelievable. I'm amazed how kids grow up so quickly. I remember when I was in high school and I had the hardest time imagining what being a wife and mother would be like. Well I am 6 1/2 years into being a wife and 4 years into being a mom. And let me tell you... It's pretty dang awesome.

Happy Birthday Ryker Buddy! You don't know how much we ALL love you!