Our First Visit to the ER

We had a big night here at Casa Haynes! When I put Kingston to bed last night he had been coughing this terrible, barking cough. He went to bed without a fuss and slept good, as far as I could tell. At about 3:00 he came barrelling out of his room, wheezing, coughing and crying-a combination that was not easy to hear. He was also burning up. I went back into his room with him and tried to calm him down. He calmed, but was still obviously pretty freaked out. I think he was having trouble breathing and it scared him.

I kept my cool somehow, brushed my teeth, put on some clothes and told Kingston that we were going on an adventure. He was game! I convinced Nigel that he didn't need to go with us and off we went to the Emergency Room. It was pretty quiet in there, thank goodness, and my nurse friend Amy happened to be working. As soon as she heard me describe symptoms, she immediately said, "Croup. He has the Croup." She escorted us right back to a room and took great care of Kingston. He got a monitor stuck on his toe and a blood pressure cuff attached to his arm, his temperature taken on his forehead (whew!), his breathing listened to by a few nurses and then he got a juice cup and some Tylenol. Every time he would cough everyone would cringe and say it was definitely the Croup.

The doctor prescribed a steroid that he took by mouth, and about an hour of a breathing treatment of just a cool mist. We stayed for about an hour and 45 minutes, then we headed back home and back to bed. We got great care at The Outer Banks Hospital and we especially appreciate Amy's attention. Kingston was such a brave boy and all of the nurses couldn't stand how cute he was! The doctor even came in to check on him because she heard him from the hall but he was just laughing and playing and not in distress. Final diagnosis-Viral Croup.

So now I'm preparing to go to work on this overcast Memorial Day Saturday and try to focus on something other than my croupy kid. Yeah, right. Hopefully Dad will be an acceptable alternative to having me around. He's not nearly as squishy and cuddly as I am, but he'll have to do!

Here's to hoping my baby boy feels better soon. He is too sweet for all this nonsense!

I Have a Really Good Excuse!

I have a really good excuse for not posting for a while. I swear! Check this out. And before you watch, I apologize for the use of the word "menstruation" in the video. It's one of those words that I hate to say, much less hear, and this lady really defines why I feel that way. Ew.





So that was my doctor, and that was pretty much the exact description of my symptoms, surgery and recovery. It's been almost a week and I feel great! I LOVE Dr. Jack Inge! He is my new favorite big girl doctor! If I lived even just a little bit closer to Raleigh, he would definitely be my OB/GYN and he would deliver any future baby/babies (if there happen to be one/any). Don't get me wrong, my doctors here are great, but Dr. Inge is just amazing.


What was Kingston doing while Nigel and I were in Raleigh having a little surgical get-away? Good question. Luckily Nana is a persistent photographer.





Don't ask about the "yard ornament." Just don't ask. What is it? How did your mom and dad acquire it? Why do they still have it? I said don't ask. None of the answers are good ones. Believe me.

We were very lucky to have my mom and dad available to help take care of Kingston and me. Nigel was a very helpful nurse. My Core 4 friend, Mere, who really is a nurse, was so awesome while we were at Rex in Raleigh. She works there and was always right there when we needed her. My Core 4 friend, Lars, sent me chocolate covered strawberries in the hospital that I wasn't allowed to eat until the morning following my surgery. Can you say, torture?! My friends Pete and Brooke so kindly brought us dinner one night that was delicious and much needed!

We have some amazing people around us. It stinks that it takes something like a surgery to realize and appreciate them all. Thanks, friends! Your attention and gestures have not gone unnoticed.

I'm baaaa-aaaack!

I'll Stop Complaining Now

I've complained enough. I am done.

Here's the update:

Nigel is feeling better but still gets some nausea and definitely still feels some intense pain after moving around a bit. He has moved from the bed to the couch and gets up and moves around a lot more and better. I did have to tell him to quit vacuuming and to sit down earlier. I think he got the point when he started having shooting pains and needed to lay down. Silly boy. He even was able to watch Kingston for me tonight for a few hours while Mom and Aunt Freda took me out to dinner.

Kingston went back to the doctor this morning after I had had enough of his temper tantrums and ill behavior. The occasional fit I can handle, but tragic event after tragic event was enough to make another trip to the doctor necessary. It was determined that he has a viral infection, is probably contagious, and should be on a regimen of Motrin and Tylenol around the clock to at least make him feel better since there is no medicine for the virus. He seems to be feeling better already and we are hoping for a much happier boy tomorrow. I seriously hope so since he is not going to daycare again tomorrow and I am going to be stuck with him caring for him all day again.

Dinner with Aunt Freda and Mom was a great diversion from the household events of the past few days. Good food and good conversation really hit the spot. Now I'm ready to get through this week with a better attitude! If I can just make it to Friday I will be home free since I am leaving Friday morning to go to an antique show with some girlfriends and coming home late Saturday. I can make it. I know I can. So starting now I won't complain any more. Thanks for listening.

Out of the Country=Out of the Loop

So since being out of the country for nearly 2 weeks, I have been a bit out of the loop with my friends at home. I just checked my email to find out that a friend of mine, Michelle Meredith, has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Now try not to get confused here-this is not my friend Michelle who is Riley's mom, but is my friend Michelle that I have known since middle school and who has a little girl, Willa, who is a month younger than Kingston and another little girl, Maddison, who is 5 (or close to it!). The two Michelle's, Sherry and I went Christmas shopping together in Virginia this year. She is a great, great girl. Please visit her blog and pass along some of the good vibes you always leave for me. She is surrounded by tons of love and support but who can't use a little more?

It's so hard to get your head around a cancer diagnosis in your peers. Especially one who is your age, with 2 young children. Please keep Michelle and her family in your prayers. Heavy.

On a more positive cancer note, my dad just had surgery to remove his 3rd cancerous tumor in his bladder and is recovering very, very wells with no other treatment necessary aside from routine exams. I missed his surgery the day we flew out (which also happens to be the same day Michelle was diagnosed) and was very worried about him. He is doing great and the Haynes family can't wait to get home to give him a big squeeze. Way to go, Dad!

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We leave Santa Teresa tomorrow morning and head to San Jose for the night before flying out on Monday afternoon. Bitter sweet to say the least.

Pictures when we get back, I promise!

Good News!

I'm sick and I'm having a pity party. Oh, wait. That's not good news. Bear with me. I'll get to the good part in a minute. Let me have my pity party. Because apparently a wife and mother doesn't get to have them in real life, only on her blog. When you have to lift up so many other people in your life, when do you have the chance to be down yourself? I mean, it is virtually impossible to have your own pity party without someone else needing you more. But that's OK. I am ever the optimist for everyone else, and I enjoy it for the most part. Tonight, though, I just want to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. Thanks, bloggers. I needed a little sympathy. From someone other than my mom. She's done a great job. Love her!

OK, so now to the good news! Check it!

http://www.darecountyschoolsonline.com/moxie/schools/NHES-Ballard_02-10.shtml

After months and months (well, maybe only 3 or 4) of being without Aunt Freda, she is coming back! I am excited to have her around again and my Mom is thrilled to have her partner in crime around, too. She will be in Charlotte just long enough to meet her new granddaughter who is due towards the end of December, then she will head our way. That just means my cousin, Jason, will have to come visit more often and I will get to see that sweet little Kori grow up!

Congrats, Aunt Freda! Go have a party. And not a pity one. That is reserved for me!

The New Mommy

All of a sudden Kingston has stopped calling me Mama and has started calling me Mommy! I've always referred to myself as Mama so I'm not really sure where he has come up with Mommy! It is really cute when he says it, of course. He could probably call me Moose or MooCow and I would think it was cute, but anyway!

Sunday was a day of rest around these parts. We pretty much hung around the house and I took a few short naps-which is really unusual for me. I just felt really tired but chalked it up to being out late the night before with some girlfriends. I knew, however, at 2 in the morning when I woke up to use the bathroom that something wasn't right. I felt a little feverish and had the chills. I went back to bed with the hopes of feeling better by morning. Notsomuch.

Yesterday I spent most of the day on the couch with fever and chills and an uneasy stomach. Kingston was such a good boy all day. He played with his toys and watched movies and let me nap a bit. Nigel was a big help around the house and Nana came through with dinner and playtime outside with Kingston. I'm a lucky mom to have such wonderful people around to support me. I would have been even more miserable all by myself.

I'm just gonna say that it is no fun to be the primary caregiver AND be sick. Not a good combination. Today, I am staying home from work and Kingston went to Ms. Cindy's. I thought I was totally better but after dropping Kingston off I ran to Walmart to get things to make a cheesecake for Nigel's birthday (Happy Birthday Nige!) and I started sweating for no apparent reason. I'm back on the couch for a few then I'm up to bake a cheesecake. Then back down again, I'm sure.

Hopefully we can kick this sickness and move on. Fall is here and we are ready to play outside!

A Surreal Trip to the Park

So here we were, at our usual Thursday afternoon playgroup at the park. Kingston pretty much heads straight for the swings. He wants to swing in the swing on the far right of the set. No problem! We did some swinging for about 10 minutes. Then Kingston gives me the hand wave meaning "all done" and so out he goes. As I should have suspected, he walks over to the swing immediately to the left and says, "Up, please." Or "Help, please." Or "Uh, pees." I'm still not certain which.

So he's swinging along and a little boy comes running up to his mom who is a few swings down and says that he has to go to the potty. I think I hear Kingston say, "pee-pee" but I can't be sure. I ask him to repeat what he said and the mom who has put her son in the swing that we recently vacated say, "I think he said 'pee-pee'!" So we start talking about whether or not we are going to start potty training our kids, who happen to be less than a month apart in age and we both laugh and say we aren't in a big hurry since we would rather wait until it is the right time than force it and get really frustrated. We are having a great conversation when I look up at Kingston, only to find him vomiting profusely all over himself.

Sweeeeeet.

I pretty much freeze, not knowing what to do. I lean him forward in his swing and let him finish what he started on the ground instead of in his lap. Gross. Moms all around start to offer tissues, helping hands, sympathy. They all think he has swung too much. I mention that nearly every kid in his day care has thrown up at some point in the past 2 weeks and I notice a few moms back up. Can't say I blame them. My potty training friend encourages me to just strip Kingston down right there and I'm so glad she suggests it. I am trying to think how I am going to get him to the car without coating myself in green beans and fish sticks. Eew. (Sorry. Not necessary, I know. Luckily Ms. Cindy said he didn't eat much for lunch. Or any snack. Whew!) I strip him down and begin to fret about how I can clean the park swing out. I use Kingston's soiled clothes to do the best I can but I still feel guilty about leaving it. Contaminated.

I apologize repeatedly to my new friends and skedaddle. I take Kingston home and he is thrilled to get to lay on our bed and watch "Finding Nemo". Or "Mo-mo" as he likes to call it. After about 45 minutes of laying around, Kingston starts to say "eat, eat" so I give him some toast, goldfish and 1/2 of a bagel. He is hungry and eats a ton. Everything stays down.

He is now sleeping soundly. Hopefully for the duration. I'm hoping it was just a one-time thing that has come and gone. Luckily I have the day off tomorrow just in case things go south from here. Wish us luck! We have a busy weekend coming up. We can't afford to be sick!

That was definitely a playgroup like no other.

It Had Been Too Long-Updated!

** Update**
After a great night of sleep, Kingston woke up with only a bit of a fever and in a pretty good mood. He was ready for his nap pretty early-around 11:30- and is still asleep. I think he is feeling a lot better. I'm glad I didn't take him to Ms. Cindy's today just to be sure. I'm almost certain he will be ready to go back on Thursday.

We are planning an afternoon adventure to McDonald's for a cheeseburger (Give me a break-the kid loves a cheeseburger and he should have one. He's been sick!) and then WalMart for some necessities. We might even stop at Wink's on the way home for a Tootsie Pop. I'm going with the theory that he needs to be spoiled a little since he has felt so bad the last few days.

Thanks for the concern. I think we are on our way to well.

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It had been too long since Kingston had been to see Nurse Karen for a sick baby visit (as opposed to a well baby visit). He was missing her so he decided he would contract some strange disease that caused a fever and sores in his throat just so that he could see her again! Kingston spent last night with Nana and Grandpa's and woke up this morning burning up with fever and needing lots of attention and loving. There is never a loss for either of those things at Nana and Grandpa's house, thank goodness!

I stopped by for a quick visit this morning before heading to work for a bonus day of waiting tables (cash $) and saw how sick he really was. I asked Nana to take him to the Dr. if he got any more lethargic and sluggish and at about 12:00 she called to say he was definitely worse. She took him in to see the Dr. and Nurse Karen and it seems he has Fifth Disease. Again. Looks like he might have Hand Foot and Mouth Disease symptoms as well. Again. High fever and mouth blisters. Yuck! He is on a Motrin/Tylenol regimen, as there is nothing you can really do to treat either disease.

I think he was feeling a bit better tonight but he pretty much asked to go night night after he watched his nightly episodes of Curious George. I tried to rock him for a bit in his room but he just wanted to lay down in his crib and he pretty much went straight to sleep. I hope he gets a great night of sleep and feels better tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will be staying home with Kingston instead of taking him to Ms. Cindy's and going to work. Hopefully we will have a good day around the house and things will be back to normal by Wednesday.

Super big thanks to Nana for taking care of a sick little boy on her last free day before her school year officially starts. We would be lost-and day care broke-without you!

Whew!

I think I have my sweet, cute, easygoing son back! He was gone for a bit, but I think he is back now. He was definitely not here last night from 6:00-8:00, fussing non-stop, hanging on my leg, throwing food on the floor, changing his mind about what movie to watch, refusing to put a PJ shirt on (he slept in just shorts last night-pick your battles ;) )biting and pinching me and anything else he could get his grubby little hands on. (And who taught him how to pinch?! That was a new one to me.) Some other high maintenance baby boy took his place last night.

But he's back today. What a sweet fella.

I'm not saying he's 100%, but he's at least headed in that direction. He was a sick little boy this week. Blisters in his throat? I'd be a little out of sorts, too. Welcome back, Kingston!

Not AGAIN!

Another ear infection. This time it is combined with a "rough" looking throat. Poor Kingston. He has been a trooper but has obviously felt poorly all day. He slept for 14 hours last night and took a 3 hour nap this afternoon and pretty much only lounged all day. He was really droopy and didn't have his sparkle today.

Kingston is now on a heavy antibiotic and lots of Motrin and Tylenol. (You know, the recommended doses of each, not lots more than he is supposed to take.) We almost missed seeing the doctor since he was so late getting up from his nap but we they waited for us to come in. Thanks, Nurse Karen, for taking good care of us again! I think Kingston is already feeling better.

Since Nana is on Spring Break this week, she spent the day with us today and has offered to hang out with Kingston tomorrow while I go to work and maybe Friday, too. Thanks, Nana! We are lucky to have you around to take care of us!

Hopefully Kingston will have a restful night of sleep so that I can have a restful night of sleep! I think ice cream is always a good way to ensure that. I'm always hearing about how ice cream helps you sleep better, so I'm gonna have a bowl of it right now.

OK, I made that up. But I know a few of you out there will pretend to believe me and have a bowl, too. Thanks for the support, friends!

Not Stellan Monday

Please go to MckMama's blog and read up on poor little Stellan and his poor mama. I feel so bad for them right now, and I pray for a positive solution to their problems soon.

Stellan does NOT deserve the pain and discomfort he is in. He is a sick baby.

MckMama has NOT slept in a really long time. Can you imagine her worry?

I CANNOT even fathom what they are going through.

My thoughts are with them today.

I'm Getting There. . .

The front part of the house is at least relatively clean. I have even gone so far as to wipe the fronts of cabinets. Remember this post? We had that exact same conversation this morning. I swear we did.

Still left to do: Put the books and DVD's back on the shelf that Kingston keeps taking them off of and throwing them on the floor. Clean the bathroom. Vacuum and mop. Bake focaccia bread that I made this morning. Cut brownies that I made last night. Clear the last bit of clutter off of the kitchen table and countertops.

Sounds like I have a lot left to do but you should have seen how much I've already gotten accomplished today! Now watch. . . no one will show up!!! Just kidding, I know at least 1 person is definitely coming. I can always count on Brandy to show up to any scheduled event! A few girls have already said they can't come for one reason or another. Holly won't be making it because Hunter isn't feeling well today and he goes back to Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters tomorrow for his second chemo treatment. She says he is now terrified of needles so no trip to the hospital will be a fun one for poor little Hunter. Let's say a few more prayers for him.

And on that note, friends Sara and John have organized a BarbeCure fundraiser to raise money for Hunter and his family. It will be at Stan White Realty this Saturday, March 21 from 11-2. There will be food and music and lots of lovely people to meet (including me!). Tickets are $5.00 each so if you are in the area and would like to come, please email me for an advanced ticket or just show up and join in the fun! There will also be a yard sale hosted by Stan White Realty to benefit Relay For Life so check that out, too. If you don't live in the area and would still like to contribute something to this special family, please email me and I will tell you where to send a check. The Hunter Presgrave Fund has been set up at a local bank.

Gotta get back to it. A mom/girlfriend/wife/hostess' work is never done!

Pray for the Presgraves-UPDATED

UPDATE: I heard 3rd or 4th hand that Hunter had surgery today and they removed the cancer with a kidney and adrenal gland. His mom, ever the optimist, said the surgery went great. The next step is probably chemo. Poor sweet boy. Keep those prayers coming. It's not over yet.

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I just got a message on Facebook and an email from my friend Brandy saying that one of my friend's little boy was just diagnosed with kidney cancer. I'm not sure of the details but I do know he has been sent to the Childrens' Hospital in Virginia for further evaluation, and I assume treatment. Holly is the sweetest girl with the most positive, upbeat attitude and her little boy is is only in Kindergarten. Please pray hard for their family. Holly's husband is just recovering from some surgery and is still healing through all of this.

I cannot imagine what they are going through right now. Word is that whatever kind of cancer it is is treatable so I will keep you posted on their plan of action. Please keep them in your thoughts. I sure will.

Cancer is so lame.

Ear Infection and Fifth Disease

Took Kingston to the Dr. this morning. (Good to see you Nurse Karen! Thanks for taking such good care of Kingston!) After being examined, the doctor said he has an infection in his left ear. As for the rash that mysteriously developed overnight, she thinks it might be Fifth Disease, which seems to be going around. Kingston is now on a steady regimen of Motrin and Amoxicilin. Hopefully this will clear up any and all illnesses!

Needless to say, he did not go to Ms. Cindy's today. And I still had to work. And Nigel had work to do, too. Nana to the rescue!!! She is the best Nana ever. She left school early and came to take care of Kingston. Thanks, Mom! You are the best. Your devotion to my family does not go unnoticed. I think Kingston had a good day with Nana even though he felt pretty rotten.

Kingston is having a late nap and then Nana and I are going to take him out to dinner. Today is Grandpa's birthday! He is usually in Miami at the Boat Show on his birthday with a friend but they decided not to go this year. Instead, he decided he wanted to go out on the town with a bunch of friends. Nana just dropped Grandpa, Nigel and Uncle Mark off at the Black Pelican to meet up with a crew to "celebrate". Yikes! Nana, Kingston and I will have a much less eventful evening, I'm sure!

Happy birthday, Grandpa! And happy healing, Kingston. Feel better soon sweet boy.

Steak Dinner

We had Ribeyes on the grill (1/2 price at Harris Teeter-wooohooo!), asparagus and mashed potatoes for dinner. Yum!

That was the best part of our day. Well, that and the fact that I was pretty busy at work today and made good tips. I made enough to pay for Kingston to go to Ms. Cindy's tomorrow, too, and pay for part of next week.

Kingston had a pretty good day at daycare today. At least he had a good morning. He played, ate a snack, ate a good lunch, napped for 2 hours. Then he fell apart. He fussed for the rest of the afternoon. Ms. Cindy suggested I take him to the Dr. to get checked for an ear infection, just to rule it out. His eyes were droopy and he seemed sluggish, even though he had had a good nap. So I whisked him down to his doctor to get a quick peek in the ears. Too bad I got there at 4:45 and was informed that they closed at 5:00 and that I could bring him back at 8:30 tomorrow morning to be seen. Huh. Not a happy mama. I almost cried. And it takes a lot to make me cry. (Nurse Karen, if you are reading this, I looked for you but didn't see you back there! I think Kingston is fine. Please don't worry.)

On the way home Kingston seemed to perk up. He has been pretty good this evening and I am back to feeling like it is just the molars giving him heck. I bought some Baby Orajel to try tonight and I'm still going to pump him with Tylenol and see how he feels in the morning. Thanks for all of the suggestions, friends! I plan on getting some Popsicles and/or frozen fruit and some Motrin for future tooth/fever issues.

The bad news came when I checked my email a bit ago and had an update from my Core 4 friend, Mere. Remember Mere? She's the one who just had a sweet baby girl 2 short weeks ago. Well, Mere's husband just got laid off from his job as a lawyer that he has had all of 1 month. They had relocated their family less than a month before the new baby was born for this job. Mere left her favorite nursing job ever to make this move. They left good friends and moved into a rented house for this job. Thank goodness they didn't buy a house like they had originally planned to do. My heart goes out to Mere and her family as they try to put the pieces together and figure out what to do. I know everything will work out for them. It just makes me sick to think about how hard this must be for them. Please say a prayer for them.

So I will focus on the good. My steak dinner sure was delicious!

Molar Update

They are still there. Glistening white when he cries. Which is often. He had a fever all day today and was pretty much a mess. We are hoping for a better day tomorrow. Kingston will be at Ms. Cindy's and I will be serving BBQ to construction workers and office employees who's lips are dry and cracked due to the lack of pork grease in their diets while High Cotton has been closed.

Anyone have any molar teething remedies? He is pretty much on an every 4 hour Tylenol routine. What else works?

Wish us all luck tomorrow. We ALL need it.

Aha!

Kingston slept until about 3:30 a.m. at which time he woke up and started singing and talking and playing. Nigel and I agreed that at least he sounded happy and not miserable! So we let him play. For over an hour. I finally went in there and patted his back and held his hand until he drifted off again. And he slept until his usual 7:30. Not bad.

When I was attempting to get him to open up to brush his teeth this morning he started wailing. During one of his open-mouth wails I noticed a spot in the upper left side that looked a little suspicious. After a much needed breath, Kingston opened up again for a big one and I got my finger in there long enough to feel the gigantic molar tooth that is starting to poke through his gum.

Aha! Problem solved! Well, at least problem identified. I gave him some Tylenol and now we are eating breakfast. The cereal/yogurt/craisin combo must feel good to the sore gums. No wonder he has been eating us out of house and home. How else can you scratch your itchy gums?! Let's hope that baby pops on through and leaves us alone!

And let's look on the bright side. Now Kingston will be able to really get to chomp on those fish sticks and fritos at Ms. Cindy's!

Poor Little Fella

Kingston went to Ms. Cindy's today. He seemed a little sluggish when we were leaving the house this morning but I chalked it up to just being sleepy or something like that. When Nigel and I went to pick him up the kids were playing outside. Kingston was standing at the picnic table, holding on, and sort of whimpering. Ms. Cindy said he had had a hard day. She said he ate like a teenager-lots of chicken nuggets and applesauce and tons of snacks-but didn't sleep a single minute. No nap! At all! Yikes! She said he hadn't walked at all and hadn't even crawled much either. He felt pretty warm, too.

When we got home Kingston was still pretty fussy and warm. I gave him some Tylenol, fed him dinner and put him to bed. Yes, at 6:30. We are hoping he sleeps all night-and he should, considering he didn't sleep a wink all day. He is cutting at least 1 tooth that I can see, so maybe this is just a teething issue. I haven't checked in the back, so maybe a molar is the culprit. He doesn't seem to have any other symptoms and he definitely still has a hefty appetite so I don't know what the problem is.

Regardless, I feel sorry for my poor little fella. He doesn't feel good and it makes me sad. I hope he feels better tomorrow after a really long night of sleep.

Oh, No!

We passed the sickness on to Nana! Sorry, Nana. Kingston spent Friday night at Nana and Grandpa's house while I went to a friend's house for girls' night in. Nigel was coming in off the road for work. Kingston had a big time with Nana and Grandpa. Too good, perhaps. Sorry again, Nana. It is no fun. Feel better soon.

It is a pretty day here today and it doesn't seem to be as chilly as the past few days. The Family Haynes is looking forward to spending the afternoon outside. Maybe a bike ride. Perhaps a trip to the park. Anything, as long as it is outside. And together.

And then I think there is some big sporting event on tonight. A tennis match or something. No, I think it might be football. We might tune the TV to the appropriate channel and pretend to watch it. Or at least watch the commercials. Go team!

Ahhhh. Much Better Now

The flu bug came and went pretty quickly, thank goodness. But it did put me totally out of commission all day yesterday. Kingston and I were going to try out a new morning playgroup but that didn't happen. Nigel was supposed to leave for Wilmington yesterday for work but that didn't happen. He wins another star in his crown for staying home and taking care of Kingston and me yesterday. It took him about an hour to realize that I really was sick and really did need his help, but once he figured that out, he was off to the grocery store for some saltines and ginger ale. He took care of Kingston all day while I rested. What a guy.

Today Nigel has hit the road and Kingston and I are determined to do something fun. Haven't quite figured out what that fun will be just yet, but we'll figure something out. Maybe we'll go to Wal-mart and get the things he needs for starting daycare on Tuesday. Diapers, wipes, change of clothes. Doesn't that sound like a ton of fun? Well, take my word for it. It's better than the stomach bug.