Illness Report

Ok, I am so completely over being sick! I have never in my life been as sick as I have been since September (not even when I took care of sick people as my full-time job)! It doesn't matter how many times I wipe down the house, wash my hands, use hand sanitizer, take vitamins, etc. The worst part about being sick is I basically can't take anything other than Tylenol, which is about as helpful to me as 2 M&Ms. I feel as if I should be in isolation until after this baby is born, so don't be offended if you don't see me until April! I missed the gym all last week because Ethan was sick and now it looks as if I will miss this week because I caught the upper respiratory crud that Ethan and Jake had last week.

August: stomach flu hits Jake
September: stomach flu hits Ethan and me
November: colds strike the entire Tillmann house
December: stomach flu AGAIN for me and Jake
January: colds strike first Ethan and Jake...now me....AGAIN!

I'm really not exaggerating how sick we have been, this is honest to God the actual report. Please pray that all of us can be healthy at the same time for longer than a week! I have so much to do before the baby arrives yet and would like to enjoy this pregnancy at some point!

Missing Grandpa...

I was blessed to have a truly unique and very special relationship with my grandparents. Not only did we live in the same town, but they babysat for Mike and I when we were growing up. My grandmother passed away May 2001, just three weeks prior to our wedding. She was an incredible woman, wife, mother, grandmother!I miss her so much and think of her everyday! This month marked the three year anniversary since loosing my grandfather. I thought as time passed it would get easier, but it doesn't and for some reason I have found myself missing my grandpa more this month than ever. I miss his "whisker rubs", the smell of him, his hankies, him teasing me, etc. etc. He could make me laugh like no other person and brought so much joy to my life.

It is funny because in little ways my grandparents make their appearance still and let me know that they are never far from me. On January 11th (the anniversary of grandpa's death), I was having a hard day and in my own little world thinking of him while Ethan was eating. I all the sudden looked over and saw Ethan feeding Visken yogurt off of a spoon. (My grandpa frequently fed dogs from the spoon, much to the disgust of the rest of us.) When I asked Ethan what he was doing he turned looked at me and smiled with that "twinkle" in his eye, that same "twinkle" his great-grandpa always had in his eyes. I had to cry and smile at the same time....

I love and miss you so much grandpa!

No matter how much time you are given with those you love it is never enough, enjoy the moments God has given you...smile, laugh, have fun, seize the day because tomorrow may never come.

The Long, But Short Week

It was a short week, since Jake had off of work on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Day, but seemed o' so long! Ethan and Jake have been battling a nasty upper respiratory infection all week and our refrigerator died, Jake's computer died, Visken has an infected abscess on his belly, I lost my credit card, etc. etc. The weather here has been quite chilly (us Florida people would say "COLD")! Ethan and I have stayed inside all week because I didn't want the cool air to aggravate this cough of his. We did go to the library and grocery store on Tuesday and the gym on Wednesday, other than that we have been home. Wednesday night Ethan ran a fever in the middle of the night, yet was happy and playful at 3am. He pretty much refused to eat all day yesterday other than one glass of juice and 2 strawberries (I even tried ice cream). He started eating again when Jake got home from work and made him a chocolate milkshake. He still walked around holding his throat though, so I suspect that his throat really did hurt. If you know Ethan (and me for that matter) and our go-go-go personality and love of being outside, you can only imagine how stir crazy we have been. I think we will try and wander out of the house today, but maybe just to Publix and a trip to Petsmart to see the animals.

On a bright note, Ethan and I enjoyed watching the inauguration of President Obama on Tuesday. Ethan watched and cheered with the crowds in Washington, it was so cute! A Democrat already? A politician? Passionate about politics and change like his Godmother and Auntie Lisa? I wished he would remember what an incredible day it was, but I fear he probably will not. Our prayers are with President Obama and his entire family during their transition. We have hope for the future of our country!

O' Monday I did have a doctor's appointment. All looks good with me and the baby. I gained weight, which was good since last month I hadn't gained any weight (darn stomach flu)! I am about 12 pounds lighter now than I was at this point with Ethan. I have some lab work that I need to do before my next appointment, one is the glucose tolerance test which I really dislike!

Hooray, it is Friday! I'm hoping the germs are going to leave our house soon and maybe all of us will be healthy at the same time! Hope everyone is staying warm and healthy!!

Ice Cream for Breakfast!

I have so many things to blog about, but things have been crazy around here so stay tuned I will get around to it. This one happened this morning though and it was too good not to share with everyone right away!!

This is how the morning started...Ethan woke up, sat straight up in bed, and said "set, go"! We were off for the day. Jake left for work and Ethan walked him to the door said, "bye" and promptly shut the door on Jake and ran to the window to wave good-bye. I then asked him what he wanted for breakfast, and took him to the freezer to see if he wanted a frozen toaster waffle. His eyes lit up and he pulled out 2 half gallons of ice cream, put them on the table, ran to the drawer and got a spoon, and said "ice cream, please"! My normally healthy eater picked ice cream! The picture on the bottom where he is pointing is in response to me asking him "which one he wanted more".

It could be a fun day...

Addictions!

We are battling some major addictions in our house! We all may need some serious help in the new year!

Ethan: Thomas the Train and raisins!
Jacob and Rebecca: geocaching and facebook
Jacob: mafia wars on facebook
Rebecca: FOOD!

O' the smiles! :-)

Ethan makes me smile so many times during the day it is incredible! I had to share a few of the best moments that have happened during the last few weeks!

1. Is Ethan deciding that outside toys work just as well inside as they do out. He waits until I am in the bathroom or getting dressed and then goes into the garage and brings in the outside toys.

2. Is Ethan helping himself to cereal out of the box (and of course made sure Visken wasn't deprived)!

3. Is Ethan's favorite new hideout under the dining room table. I frequently hear "stuck" and have to go rescue him!

Growing Up!

Our little guy is growing up. I have taken down his booster seat at the table because he always picks to sit at a seat other than his booster. :-( How sad, he is no longer a baby, but a little boy. The only things left to go yet are diapers, crib, and sippy cups. This morning he wanted to drink his milk from a regular cup, so I have a feeling soon enough sippy cups will be a thing of the past. I think diapers will be around for quite some time though, his brother or sister will probably be trained before him!