Lately

So, it's been a long weekend for all of us here in our house. I'm on day 4 (and the final day) of my long weekend. So is Chris. We both had planned on going back to work today, that was until Aidan got a pretty nasty cold on Sunday that continued into Monday. He just looked and I know he felt so pitiful. He had terrible congestion, an awful cough, a slight fever on and off (usually after he wakes up from a nap or when he wakes up in the morning) and his eyes were just so weak-looking. I HATE seeing my baby sick, and knowing there's only so much I can do...and wishing that I could just take all his sickness away and put it on me. It's just so sad when a little one is sick and they can't tell you where they hurt, or how they feel. So I just try to do the best I can, and think "What would I do if I were sick? What could I do to make me feel better?" so I can help him. He hasn't been eating much at all, but has been drinking lots of fluids, so I'm glad he's been keeping hydrated even though he's not eating much.
I've been giving him some Motrin for the fever, using Johnson's soothing vapor bath during his baths each evening, putting Vicks Baby Vapor rub on his neck, back, and chest before I put his pj's on, and using a cool-mist humidifier in his room at night while he's sleeping. I think the humidifier has really helped his cough out, and he's not coughing nearly as bad as he was. A nurse at the dr's office said to give him some children's benedryl, so we tried that last night, and I think it really helped him out. This morning, he woke up pretty content, not whining or crying as he had been the previous mornings, and only had a low-grade fever of 99. I didn't give him any Motrin, in hopes that it would go down on it's own, and-surprise!-it did! He even ate a bowl of Cheerios this morning, and has seemed more active and energetic. I'm SO thankful that he's feeling better and getting back to his old self! I think it'll still take some time for him to get completely over this cold, but at least if he can get to feeling 95% better, I'll be relieved! And I think he's well on his way!

We stopped by Target last night to get the benedryl for Aidan, and while we were there, we browsed around the baby section. Oh, I can't believe I'm gonna have a newborn again very soon! It seems like forever ago that Aidan was a newborn, and I feel like I'm out of practice, but Aidan's only 17 months old, so I know it hasn't been that long ago. I'm sure it'll all come back to me, just like riding a bike! I'm so very glad that I've saved all of Aidan's clothes and baby stuff, so I have a pretty good stock of supplies (well, clothes and equipment at least) for Liam when he arrives. It was fun looking at all the new baby stuff that has come out since I was pregnant with Aidan and he was a newborn...and it hasn't been that long ago! My, how things can change in just a year and a half! I did get a baby book for Liam, so that I can start filling it out and keeping a record of all the things leading up to his birth, and take it to the hospital to get his foot and handprints when he gets here. I got him a cute jungle safari baby book, which will go just perfectly with the jungle safari theme of his room. I'm using Aidan's baby bedding (which was jungle safari) for Liam too, which will help us save money, since we have to get Aidan some new "big-boy" bedding for his new room. And Aidan's baby bedding is still in great condition, so it'll be just right for Liam! It's kind of nice knowing I don't have to get the nursery completely set up from scratch again like I had to with Aidan, but that I can just add some new touches for Liam. But I do have to get Aidan's new room all set up, so scratch that last thought!

Now on to saving money...wow, this has been a long blog! So, I promise to keep this short. I went to Kroger yesterday to get some groceries, and I ended up spending $55, after coupons and Kroger Plus savings. I was pretty impressed...since I've started couponing and buying items only on sale and stocking up on them about 4 weeks ago, I've seen my grocery bill at Kroger drop by $10 or $15 each week. It's a GREAT feeling to save money and to know that I'm helping my family out! My favorite buy this week-a box of Quaker Instant Oatmeal on sale for $1.88-$1 off coupon=$.88 for a box of Quaker oatmeal! I was pretty impressed with that steal!

Ok, now you're caught up on life in our house lately! Better get started on some more laundry while Aidan finishes up his nap. It's been a good, long weekend, but back to work tomorrow!