Oprah

Yesterday I went to a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show!!

Going to the show has been on my Chicago to-do list since we moved here, but didn't think I'd actually go because it's pretty hard to get tickets. They're always free, but I think that makes them even harder to get. Anyway, I checked the Oprah Show website to see if the reservation window was open, and they happened to have last minute reservations available. I submitted my request pleading my case as to why I needed to go, and they called me up Thursday and said I could go Friday! Yay!

I brought a friend along and we had a lot of fun. We had to be there at 7am so it was an early morning, but once we were finally in the studio they did a great job of getting everyone excited that it was impossible to feel tired. The show discussed a variety of things, including Oprah's closet items ebay auction, a satellite interview with Jimmy Fallon, stuff about the olympics, and interview with Lee Daniels-the director of the movie "Precious" (and it was actually taped last week so we didn't even really see him), and she talked more about the upcoming Oscars.

It was a Friday's Live show so it aired live in Chicago, which I didn't realize ahead of time and didn't have anyone record it. Luckily Chicago re-airs it 11pm, so I stayed up to watch it. Really I just watched it to see if I could see myself. We ended up sitting in the very last row and the only time we were on camera was at the very end of the show when they showed the whole audience. You wouldn't even be able to see me unless you knew exactly where I was sitting.

I don't watch the Oprah Show very often, but it was a lot of fun to see the studio first-hand and to see Oprah. I thought she looked just as good in person as she does on camera. She was also really friendly to the audience, talking to us during commercial breaks and for another 30 minutes after the show. Oh, and the best part of the whole thing was everyone in the audience got $100 ebay gift cards!! Now I just have to decide what I want to get.

A Long Week

It feels like it's been a really long week. Owen came down sick exactly a week ago, and he's finally feeling his normal self today. Lets just say we spent a lot of time stuck inside, a lot of time watching TV, a lot of time sleeping, and a lot of fussiness- from both of us. For a few days I thought I was going to go crazy because Owen was so cranky and he wasn't getting better, but somehow we survived!

Owen's stomach virus seemed to pass after two days, and last Friday and Saturday I thought he was better. But then Sunday he threw up again and still had diarrhea. He was so lethargic and would just lay on the floor, he wouldn't eat anything (he's super skinny now!), and he was super bloated too. I kept thinking something else must be wrong, but Josh thought it was a normal part of his virus and would just pass. When each new day came and he seemed almost worse than the day before, I knew something must be up but didn't know what. Because he wasn't eating I kept pushing fluids so he wouldn't get dehydrated. The thing he drank most willingly was milk. Little did I know that I was encouraging the problem this way!

Because he was so bloated I started giving him gas drops to see if it would help, and decided to decrease his milk too. Then Josh realized that what Owen had probably developed was lactose intolerance, which explained all his symptoms. He said sometimes viruses irritate the bowels so much that they can't digest milk temporarily (a week to a few months). Yesterday I switched him to lactose-free milk and it seemed to make a difference immediately! No more fussiness and he actually started playing again. He still got bloated, so today we stopped milk altogether and he seems fine. Well, except for the fact that we "ruined" him while he was sick by holding him so much that he still wants to be held all the time. But at least he's eating again and his happy. That makes the rest of us happy!!!

Strike Two

Take this picture and replace Owen with me.

That's pretty much how I have felt since last night.

Yep, the bug caught me.

Our weekend plans to go to the Chicago auto show have been cancelled.

I've been laying on the couch all day.

Not the funnest of times.

Unwelcome Visitor

A stomach bug decided to visit us this week. So far it's only been fond of Owen, but that's bad enough! Josh and I are taking precautions and crossing our fingers that we don't catch it too.

This unwelcome stomach bug made its appearance on Wednesday while I was gone at the dentist and made Owen throw up a few times. Poor Josh had to clean up all the messes by himself! But not to worry, I paid my dues because Owen threw up a couple more times on me after I got home. Luckily I was able to catch some of it in a bowl. But man, does barf stink! I'm having a hard time getting the smell out of my apartment, especially since some of it got on the fabric sides of Owen's pack 'n play and it doesn't come apart to wash.

I thought Owen was getting better yesterday because he only threw up once, but today it has evolved to the runs. At least this problem has been a little more contained, but somehow it still manages to leak!

I feel so bad for the little guy because I know he feels miserable. All he wants to do is sit on my lap and cuddle. He tries to play a little, but gets tired pretty quickly. He's sleeping extra and is on his second nap for the day. Hopefully this will pass quickly and he'll get his appetite back again soon!

Museums

We love taking advantage of all the free days at the big museums during this time of year. It's something fun to do during this seemingly never-ending winter. Last week we went to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum. This week we went to Shedd Aquarium, and Josh came too because he had a day off! Yay!

This was Owen's first time to the aquarium, and he just loved it. His favorite thing was the big caribbean reef tank.

(sorry these pictures are all blurry)

Ice Skating

The event I enjoy the most of the winter olympics is probably ice skating. It's amazing to me that these people can dance and move incredibly well on ice, including jumping and spinning and then landing on a super thin blade! Pretty talented.

We went ice skating a few weeks ago here in Chicago. We went to the outdoor rink on the Midway Plaisance not far from where we live. The ice was super bumpy so lets just say I didn't feel like an olympic ice skater out there, but it was still fun! I love how free ice skating makes me feel. Now if only I could skate backwards or do some spins and jumps! That would be fun.

This picture is super blurry because I was just using my point and shoot camera, butI wanted to show that Owen was there too! He'll have to wait a few more years to get out on the ice though.

Such a cutie pants- or no pants

This child is just so cute! I absolutely love his smile and his big white teeth.

I love seeing him interact with his friends.

I love watching him color pictures. He loves it and does it all the time.

I love watching him play with hs toys. One of his favorites right now is his talking Elmo.

I love watching him fall asleep in his high chair.

(this video is just too funny not to post)

(he was totally unfazed and fell right back asleep)

And I love his cute bare bum! (only a mother can say this, right?) For a while he was in the habit of taking his pants and diaper off first thing in the morning. In this instance it was soon after falling asleep. Good thing I checked on him before going to bed, or we could have woken up to a big mess!

First Day In Nursery!

Owen turned 18 months this past Friday, and the big milestone we've been anxiously and impatiently waiting for happened today...he finally got to attend nursery at church!!!

I've been in primary for about a month now so Josh has had to care for wrestle with Owen all alone for the first two hours of church. Lets just say it was a happy day that Owen started nursery! Owen is a good kid, but he's so energetic and it's hard for him to sit still or quietly for more then 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Josh said it was SO nice to finally be able to listen to the lessons uninterrupted!

We decided a while ago to have an all-or-nothing approach to nursery. We didn't take him to nursery a week or so early to get used to it, and we didn't sit and stay with him since it was the first day. We took him, Josh showed him a toy, and we left. And he did really well! No tears, no looking back. He usually does really well with new toys and can play with them for hours, so I never worried that he'd have a hard time. Hopefully the novelty of the new toys won't wear off any time soon and he'll continue to enjoy nursery for the years to come!

First Ticket

Yesterday I got my first ticket ever. It was a parking ticket. Let's just say I was so bummed!!! I thought 12+ years of driving without a single ticket was pretty good.

I'm taking a photography class on Thursday evenings this month up on the north side, and this was my second class. I parked on the street right in front of the building and thought nothing of it mostly because I was in a hurry, though I should have been more conscientious about it because this part of town is full of metered parking. Both last week and this week I didn't notice a parking meter box (Chicago has a new meter system where there's only 1 meter box for the block, you pay at it, then put your receipt in your dash) and since it was in the evening I assumed the metered period would have been over anyway.

Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled when I came out to my car and saw the dreaded orange envelop tucked under my windshield wiper. It's only $50 (still a lot though!), but I heard there may be a way for me to get out of it...first ticket forgiveness or something. I'll have to look into it. Otherwise I'll just pay it. I know it could be worse- today I saw a man walk out to his car, which he obviously hadn't driven in a few days because it was still covered in snow, and he had 5 or 6 tickets waiting for him. Ouch!

Stay At Home Mom

I'm finally feeling like a real stay-at-home mom these days! I'm no longer a traveling-all-over mom, and life feels good. I am enjoying our daily routines of mealtimes, playtime, cleaning, grocery shopping, play groups, laundry, exercizing, errands, outings, crafts, cooking, bathtime, bedtime, date nights, etc. It does get pretty routine and I'll be honest, when laundry day rolls around each week I'm not real enthusiastic about it! But I like that I have things to look forward to, as little as they may be. My days go incredibly better when I have things on my to-do list and I feel so much better about myself when I get things done. The problem is, my days don't always have something planned or going on. Those days I find it very hard to get motivated to find things to do. I know I could always mop or organize the cupboards or organize photos or practice the piano. But really, if it's not mandatory, it's hard to get motivated to do it! I think this is probably a challenge for most stay at home moms, and I bet some are better than others at occupying their empty time and days. My goal is to stay as motivated as I can to get up and do stuff (I still enjoy my relaxing time though!) because this will make my days go well.

When we got home from Ecuador I contemplated a long time about going back to work. The original plan was to go back right away, but then we spent a month in Phoenix and a month in Albuquerque and it messed up the plan. Then I thought about going back in January but I kept dragging my feet about and couldn't make up my mind if I really wanted to work. Time moved on, and since we're moving in June I figured it wouldn't be worth it to me or the hospital if I worked for only about 5 months. Plus, I was enjoying staying at home so home is where I stay for now.

Although I'm not working as a nurse, I've had the recent opportunity to work as a phlebotomist for a research student's study. It's only for 1 hour each day, which is hardly anything really. But just that 1 hour has helped me realize I don't want to work all day every day if I can avoid it! Having to set up babysitting every day and leaving Owen every day is not fun. Owen was sick for part of the time and it was a challenge to schedule a dr. appointment around when I had to work and also to rearrange babysitting. I feel for those moms who have to juggle such schedules! If I do go back to work in the future I feel so lucky that I'll could have the option to work only a few days a week to minimize the time I'd be gone. I thinking working one or two 12-hour days would be the perfect balance of staying busy with work and staying at home. We shall see what happens in the future!