New "Clothes"

So I put this new template up for my blog which I think is really cute, and lots of you have said you like it, so thanks. I just googled 'blogger templates' and browsed forever until I found one. I'm not clever (or patient) enough to create one like so many of you are, but I find a quick copy and paste very satisfying. How do you do that anyway? It's a total mystery to me, although I haven't even really tried. The problem with my blog's 'new clothes' is that it's a little hard to navigate and I can't customize it as much as a regular template (pictures, baby counter, etc) So we'll see how long it lasts, but for now, enjoy!

Hives, Harleys, and a Day at the Park

It's been a crazy couple of weeks and it's time for an update. The last time I posted, we had taken Brenner to the Doctor and got him on a sulfa antibiotic. He did great on it for 5 days and then WHAMMO hives. Same story, different medicine. So he was on Benedryl 24 hrs a day until they went away. When I called the Doctor's office to tell them the nurse just said "Oh no, let me talk to the Doctor and call you back." Sounds great right? It gets better! After talking to him she called back and said the reaction to this drug is particularly bad and to watch him closely for sores on his eyelids and diaper area. Wonderful. Of course my major concern was the fact that he is now allergic to penicillin AND sulfa drugs, but the nurse assured me that we still had options for antibiotics, but they were limited, and of course, expensive. Now begins the battle to keep him healthy. One would think this is relatively easy, but Brenner is.. special. Even though I try to keep a pretty clean house, we are not always at home. He is a busy boy, touching everything and getting into everything. I have armed myself with hand sanitizers and I hope this winter goes ok for the immune-challenged 2-and-a-half-year-old and brand new baby. I am optimisitic.
Here are the hives, this is the second day when they were a lot better.
After that was over, we went to Salt Lake to spend some time with my family. My cousin Holly and I took Brenner and her two girls, Mckenzie and Savannah, to the West Jordan Park. I had never been there and I think it's one of the most fun public parks I've ever seen. There were castles and slides and all kinds of fun building-type structures to run around in. The kids had a great time. This is Brenner and Mckenzie in one of the castles:
Friday I had a birthday lunch with my brother and sister-in-law, mom, and step-dad. After lunch we walked out of the restaurant and Brenner saw Craig's Harley sitting in the parking lot. He was like a moth to a flame! So we put him and Eva on it and I had to snap some pictures because I thought it was a good laugh and Brenner loved it. Nicky's hot elbow also made it into the picture.

Today was another baby appointment and we were quick in and out with the usual "Everything looks great! Any questions or problems? No? Ok see ya!" It's kind of funny because Travis and Brenner usually accompany me to these little appointments and Brenner now knows that this guy is going to give him a sucker and a sticker every time. So as soon as Dr. Horsley walks in the door Brenner can hardly contain himself and blurts out "Sucker please! Scooby Doo sticker!" and tah dah! His wish is granted. Thanks Dr. H.

Changes

Brenner is now officially sleeping in his "big boy" bed! Last night was his first night in his new room sleeping on his bunk bed, and he did well with it. Being the crazy Mother that I am, I worried all night about him waking up screaming because he didn't know where he was, but he didn't wake up until 8:30 this morning. Wahoo!

We bought a bunk bed that I'm not crazy about, so I wanted to find some really sweet bedding to go on it, and I decided IKEA was the place. Megan and I ventured there on Saturday, and since she had never been, we enjoyed the wonders of swede-land for quite a while. I found some stuff I really liked, and since I'm crazy about orange, I knew Brenner would be as well. I know he cares about the bedding about as much as I care about engine parts, but here's what I came up with:

I love it, he loves it, and I'm sure you are wondering if Travis loves it- he does. After IKEA we went to the Utah State Fair, which is always a fun people watching place. There was some stellar white trash, we paid 25 bucks for some delicious corn dogs, and saw the animals. Just what the fair should be. We also stayed for the rodeo and Brenner cheered on the ropers and bronc riders in true form. "GO GO GO! GET IT! 1-2-3 GOOOOOO" I love the fair.
We also took Brenner to the doctor yesterday for a nasty cough and junk, because I am SO sick of the sickness! It seems like he has always got a cold, and this one came only a week after his last bout, so I said ENOUGH! I am not usually a Mom who takes her kid to the Doctor for things like this but I'm glad I did because the doc said he has a sinus infection that just isn't going away. So we got a sulfer antibiotic and are crossing our fingers that he doesn't break out in hives like he did for the penicillin-based ones. The best part about the Doctor's was that he didn't start crying as soon the Doc walked in the door. There were a few tears shed at the end and that's it- a big contrast from the last cry-fest appointment.
So we are preparing for the baby and although we STILL don't have a name, I feel better now that the rooms are switched around and things are falling into place. My latest appointment was a week ago and everything looks great, so 2 week appointments from here- YIKES! It really snuck up on me. It's been a pretty easy pregnancy, just like with Brenner, so we'll see if this one comes early too. My OB told me to start counting kicks and I wanted to say "I think this baby might be half vampire..." my ribs are really feeling it lately but feeling him move is one of the few things about pregnancy that I enjoy, so I'm grateful for the pain I guess.

No pictures from the fair, sorry. Maybe I'll take some of brenner's new room once I get things more organized. Stay tuned!