It's a Wonderful Life: One last look at February

I think it goes without saying that I kept up with this blog pretty well during the month of February! Believe it or not, however, there are still pictures I never shared, and a couple updates too. So here goes, in no particular order.

Sitting in the exam room waiting to see the dermatologist.

Ever since the move Ryan's skin has gone sorta wacko on us. I'm not sure what induced it, but I'm guessing change in humidity was a big factor. He's always had sensitive skin, but it's become considerably worse in the last 5 months. Around the time we moved a red rash formed in the fold of his left elbow. It looked like an eczema outbreak, which wasn't alarming as both he and Chloe have had eczema their whole lives. Around Thanksgiving I noticed it was becoming raw in areas and beginning to crust over, even bleeding at times. I tried every over the counter eczema cream/ointment I could find, but just when it seemed I finally had the rash under control whatever cream/ointment I'd been using suddenly lost its effect and the rash once again returned to its nasty, original state. A week before Christmas I called our family care physician who referred us to a dermatologist in Modesto. Unfortunately the soonest opening he had was February 3rd! So we persevered a little longer, alternating creams and ointments and keeping the rash under control pretty well. Ironically, 2 weeks before his appointment, I noticed a new rash that was practically covering his entire body, consisting of tiny dome-shaped growths, almost like warts. Thankfully these babies showed up before his appointment so we could kill two birds with one stone.

I took this the same week I made Ryan's appointment, fully intending to mail the doctor these pictures so he'd take pity on me and get Ryan in sooner. Well, then I was a really lame mom and never got around to mailing them. Thankfully, by the time February 3rd rolled around, the rash looked much better than this!

The dermatologist diagnosed Ryan with some form of dermatitis and prescribed him Triamcinolone Acetonide ointment for the rash. Yeah, I'd never heard of it either. And the wart-like bumps turned out to be Molluscum Contagiosum, a viral infection. Ick! I was worried I was going to end up having to pay big bucks for some crazy prescription ointment, but strangely enough the doctor said the best way to treat the virus was with Vaseline. With Ryan's sensitive skin, he's also been restricted from using any perfumed baby products (even Aveeno, which claims to work wonders for sensitive skin but has never done crap for Ryan's). Slathering the boy down with Vaseline after his baths, while greasy and gross, has worked wonders, and the Molluscum is just about gone. The red rash still comes and goes a bit, but is mostly under control. So glad that's all over with!

Here are some other random pictures taken throughout the month of February.

First, you may remember this post, in which I described the kids playing "train". Well, now you don't have to try and visualize it any more.

Playing "Horsey" with dad.

Girl Scout cookies. My around-this-time-of-year weakness.
{Okay, really, I was just having fun with my 50mm lens. Can't beat that 1.4 bokeh!}

Enjoying said Girl Scout cookies while mom watches on with envy.

A little while after enjoying said Girl Scout cookies, hanging with neighborhood friends, Kaitlyn and Gabi.

Putting in his drink order. Ryan's latest request: chocolate AND strawberry milk.

Not just one or the other. Both. Period.

Superbowl Sunday, taken after Day 6's picture of the day. Chloe was feeling slightly left out when Ryan got to be in a picture with Daddy. So we took one with Daddy, Ryan and Chloe...

...followed by Mommy, Ryan and Chloe...

Licking the beaters. I love how this boy smiles with his bottom teeth.

Big sister finding unique ways to entertain herself and little brother; little brother following her lead. This is so telling of how these two function. Ryan virtually always does exactly what his sister does.

Opening Valentines from Grandpa Roy and Grandma Jill.

I especially love Ryan's expression in pictures 1 and 4. It's like he was mimicking his sister's excitement even though he really wasn't sure what he was supposed to be excited about. My mom, who is so creative and thoughtful, sent Ryan a cute little basketball jersey with #32 on it accompanied by a photo copy of a newspaper clipping of my dad being spotlighted in a high school basketball game. He too was #32, hence the jersey and picture. How she keeps track of such facts is beyond me, but it's one of the things I love most about her. As you can see in picture 4, Ryan has ripped the photo of my dad. We still appreciated your efforts, Mom. Thanks again! It really was like Christmas all over again!

Watching Jeopardy with Dad.

Yours truly standing in front of our totally awesome kitchen back splash, which I cannot wait to pull off the wall and burn! Black and gold? Really? Who would choose that? You really have to see it in person to appreciate it.

Our little potty training champ!

Yes, the helmet was all Ryan's idea. He thinks he's quite the man walking around the house with nothing on but his Thomas the Train undies and this gnarly bike helmet. And while we're on the topic, a quick update: Ryan is doing an exceptional job! Pooping in the potty every single time, and only having minimal accidents (3 total in the last 48 hours - all pee-related). He even stayed dry during his nap today! I suspect diapers will NOT be on my next grocery shopping list, or the one following that! Can I get a hallelujah!

And in closing, 2 reasons to celebrate all lumped into 1 day: February 24th!

Any idea what this might represent?

Now I don't want to rain on another certain birthday boy's parade, and normally I wouldn't make any kind of deal out of this (big or little), but given the fact that my birthday this year will be a significant one, and given some past memories of my mom which pertain to this topic, let me just say that February 24th was my half birthday. Call me a big dork if you must. I don't "celebrate" half birthdays really, but growing up my sweet mom made a big deal out of them. You see, my birthdays always landed, well, at the end of August, just before the new school year began. And as a result, I never got to take cupcakes to school or be sung to by my classmates. Ironically, my very first day of college was on my 18th birthday, but by then I'd sorta outgrown the, "hey, it's my birthday so let's eat cupcakes and sing!" stage. So going back to my mom. Being well aware of the situation, she, on a handful of occasions, would have flowers delivered to my classroom on my half birthday so I could experience a glimpse of what other kids did whose birthdays landed during the school year. This may seem like a bit much to some of you, but these simple, silly acts of kindness represented something deeper. And that is that my mom always knew just how to make me smile. She did and still does an amazing job of it, and these half birthday flower deliveries are only one small example.

They say the best is saved for last. Well, I think judging from the length of this post, Brad's had quite the wait. Especially when you factor in how many days have passed since his actual birthday! 13 to be exact!

Happy belated Birthday, Brad! From what Chloe told me (based on your phone conversation), it sounds like you had a pretty great day! I wouldn't expect anything less, knowing Courtney! Happy 26th, little brother! We love you!