When we got home we had an early lunch and Steven took a nap. Lori got to finishing sewing Eleanor's dress and we all just hung out for awhile. Steven came down with a fever just before mass. I was a little nervous about taking him but I really didn't want to miss Eleanor's big day so I gave him some tylenol and crossed my fingers.
We loaded everyone up and headed out to Holy Spirit. Lyla fell asleep in the car and Zack helped me get her in the stroller and into church - still asleep! She slept until the Gospel and at that point Steven got really restless, too. Lori's church has a HUGE gathering space just outside the sanctuary. A blessing and a curse. It was a blessing to have a place to go so that my loud kids did not disturb everyone but it was a curse to have a race track available to him. I swear that he took about 10 laps at full speed and then he found the table full of big, cardboard blocks and started kicking them. That resulted in a time out in the corner. The tylenol had definitely kicked in.
After mass we went back to the house for an excellent dinner - kudos to Scott. Me and the kids were the first ones to leave church and I told Scott that I would start the water to boil when we got inside. Well, it turns out that we were actually the last ones to get into the house. Why am I surprised by that?
Dinner was funny. Lee and Gail, Scott's parents, came over and Steven was chatty with them. He called Lee papa and Gail grandma all through dinner and just wanted their undivided attention. He put on quite a show. All while Lyla sat in the high chair behind me (there wasn't room at the table) and chowed down on her pasta.
That night was pretty tough for Steven - he had the night sweats and I think a bad dream, probably from the fever. I wasn't looking forward to the ride home. We left at about 9:30am and the kids fell asleep before we even left the neighborhood. I made it all the way to Iowa without stopping, so I decided to take them for a picnic at a pretty nice rest area with a visitor center. Steven was very excited for the picnic but not really interested in eating. Lyla was a hoot - she would toddle around on the sidewalk but didn't want to even touch the grass. It was great, an automatic fence!
After about an hour we loaded back in the car and headed for Ames to meet Uncle Dave. He was in Ames to start his new job so we were able to see the model and lot where they will build. The basement of the house is awesome! I can't wait to visit and camp out there!
After about an hour we loaded back in the car and headed for Ames to meet Uncle Dave. He was in Ames to start his new job so we were able to see the model and lot where they will build. The basement of the house is awesome! I can't wait to visit and camp out there!
The whole time we were in the house Steven was whining and his fever was coming back. I had to cut the tour shorter than I wanted to get him back in the car. When I put him down I saw some blisters in his mouth and had a momentary freak out. Dave was the calming, experienced parent. Suggested some illness and told me to call Tracy, who also reinforced that he was going to be okay and that I was going to be okay.
Poor little guy, he was just miserable the rest of the way home. He slept on and off, cried more than I care to remember, and just generally was sad. Turns out he has hand, foot and mouth disease - not really a disease but a virus.
All in all the trip was, well, an experience. I knew from the start that it was going to be tough on such a long drive with the two of them. Now that Lyla is mobile it is definitely harder to keep them corralled but I wouldn't trade my time with those two for anything in this world.
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