Sick, Sick & More Sick

Little man is sick yet again. So rewind to three weeks ago when we got back from our Vegas/Denver debacle (by debacle I mean crazy, drinking vacay) and the day we came back we found out he had RSV/bronchialitis again. He.Got.Better.  Flash forward a week, RSV is gone but has turned into sinus and ear infection. He.Got.Better.

Flash forward even further, this past Sunday he was poopy (awesome), drooly, runny nose, but still a happy, normal boy. But I thought he may actually be starting to teeth...I mean every time he drools someone points out that he must be teething and nope. No teeth.


We put him to bed and he woke up for two hours bawling like mad. And since we didn't see an end in sight from him being up every 30 minutes and coughing like crazy, we finally put him in his pompesan chair on our bed, in between us. The entire night he went between coughing like crazy and fussing so nobody slept.


Early Monday morning I called the doctor and when we brought him in, she told us he had a double ear infection (his 5th), RSV (4th time) and Croup (2nd time). At this point they are concerned. One - we are going to get tubes put in once he kicks the ear infection. Two - why does he continue to get sick whether it be RSV or Croup or just that dang cough? She scheduled us to go get a chest x-ray that day, just to make sure there were no congenital issues (3 hours later...and one long hour wait after the x-ray there wasn't...thank goodness). We also talked about potential allergies. Do allergies run in his family? Mama: "no."  Daddy: "yes. big time." Do you have pets? "Yep."


Our options at this point are to have an Allergist check little man out or do a blood test to see if we can confirm he may have some common allergies which could be causing the recurring cough, congestion, you name it. And potentially will let us know if it could be pet allergies.


In 10 days, when hopefully his RSV and Croup should have subsided, we will go in for a check up with our Pedi and then find out more. Please hope for the best and say some prayers for Little Mango and our resident pooch, Maya.

My Baby Boy: Thirty-Six Weeks Old

Happy 36 weeks, Little Mango!!

He's sick and you can definitely tell it in this pic...

Wedding In the Mountains

From Vegas, we took an early flight on Sunday morning to celebrate the Zalman wedding in Colorado Springs. I have to admit leading up to it we were a bit nervous with all the news about the wildfires, but fortunately their day was not impacted and couldn't have been more perfect.

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, the hubby and Ross had to rush to get ready and make it to the wedding location for pictures. Conveniently, there was a mall located just up the street so I was able to do a bit of shopping to kill time...three pairs of shoes and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal for Cruz later, I was back in my room getting ready. I met the other wives and we headed up to the mountains to the Spruce Valley Lodge.

The location was gorgeous and the weather actually turned out to be perfect during the wedding - a bit overcast causing a nice breeze. It was a gorgeous view while we were watching two of our close friends tie the knot.

Vows!

I was escorted by the hottest usher there :)

The wifeys

Following the ceremony, we were escorted down to the Spruce Valley Lodge for cocktail hour while the wedding party took pictures followed by dinner. The venue was very rustic and opened up to a courtyard. When it got dark, we danced underneath the twinkling lights. It's always so much fun with this group of guys to rock out to Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer" and so many other oldies but goodies.

Just before we got our dance on!

Bus ride back to the hotel with Charlie

When we got back to the hotel, the hubby and I crashed. We had an amazing time at the wedding, but it had been a very long weekend and by this point I was desperately missing our little guy... 

Viva Las Vegas

Nothing like putting posts off...things have been extremely hectic and I almost forgot I haven't posted about our family trip to Las Vegas a couple weeks ago for Carly's 21st birthday. Well, here you go!

The Mango/Gardner clan have been planning this trip since January to introduce Carly to "legal drinking age" in style. We stayed at the MGM and had a great trip.

Nick & I arrived Thursday morning before the rest of the group - he scheduled me a massage while he played some poker (made him feel better about ditching me, of course :) and it was heavenly. I haven't gotten a massage since before I became preggo with little man and was long overdue. I got use of the entire spa..even the "clothing optional" jacuzzi. Hmm, no thanks. By the time I was done at the spa, everyone else had arrived so we met them for breakfast.

Then we headed to walk the strip, after a quick tour of the Cosmopolitan we headed back to the pool for a couple hours before getting ready for the night. Ross had set up a limo for us to cruise the strip for an hour prior to dinner and then we went to Paris to Mon Ami Gabi...one of the best meals I've had in Vegas so far. Following, we headed to Hyde at Aria where we had a reserved table and bottle service. That's where the night got a bit fuzzy...

At Zuri Bar in MGM

Dinner w/ the Palma sisters at Mon Ami Gabi

Friday was the day we set aside for the pool where we had a cabana on the lazy river. It was a fun, but long day out in the sun....after heading up to our room to get ready for the night, they hubby and I decided we were going to take a quick power nap so we could hang for the rest of the night. Three hours later our power nap had turned into us missing dinner (my phone was on silent with about 35 missed calls!). We hustled to get ourselves together and met the group downtown at Fremont Street. This was actually one of the best nights of the trip...I had never been there before and loved the old school casinos.

Lazy river with some hotties!

With the birthday girl on Fremont Street

Chillin with Oompa

On Saturday, the hubs and I were refreshed from our nap the night before and up and on the casino floor by 6:30am. I watched him play poker for a little bit, lost $40 in the Sex & the City machines (waste!) and then we met up with the group for breakfast. Afterwards, the ladies headed to the Forum Shoppes at Caesars and the guys to the sportsbook. When we got back to MGM, Morgan, Marcy and I met up at Centrifique bar for some drinks (maybe a few too many...).

Centrifique bar for afternoon cocktails

Mango sandwich - with the hubby and his dad

Our Manganaro men

We had dinner at Trevi at Caesar's and then went to Absinthe...what an amazing show! It was a carnival, variety show, very x-rated and so good! It was a great thing to do the night before Ross, Nick and I had to fly out to Denver early for our friends wedding.

Limo to Caesars

Our entire group in the Forum Shoppes at Caesars after dinner

At Absinthe with Marcy...and a couple goofballs in the back :)

What I didn't mention that almost put a damper on the trip...when Nick and I were dropped off at the hotel on Thursday morning I accidentally left my carry on in the taxi...and didn't get the driver's name/number...or the name of the cab company. Ugh. After contacting every cab company and leaving details, which they would "pass along to their drivers" I was confident I would never see my iPad or work items ever again. Three hours later I received a call...our driver had turned in my bag - with everything in it! I tell you that awesome little Asian driver has great karma coming her way!

Next stop....Denver for the Zalman wedding....

Rockin' Out Country Style

Twangy voices. Chicks in cowboy boots and cowboy hats. Warm summer heat. Ice cold vodka & club sodas. These are the makings of a great night at an outdoor country concert.

Last night we hit up the Rascal Flatts concert at Red Sky with friends. It was definitely a warm one, but after a few beers and cocktails, the heat didn't seem too bad. We started with dinner and drinks at Roja, then to Blatt Bar for drinks and cool air before heading to TD Ameritrade Park to watch the show.

This show brings me back to the first time I saw Rascal Flatts in Lincoln and it must've been in 2006 or so. I remember it because at the time "Bless This Broken Road" was 'our song' - (wasn't it everyone's??) - and for some ridiculous reason I thought the hubby might pop the question that night. (What was I thinking??? At a concert, really?) And then 'our song' came on and he was on the phone with a friend during the whole thing!! I remember thinking, "are you kidding me??"

Thankfully, he didn't propose that night and waited to do so on our solo vacay to Cabo two years later. The funny thing is he didn't know anything about my psycho proposal wishes from that first Rascal concert until last night...when I told him...and he thought I was really weird.

Air conditioning at Blatt Bar w/ these pretty ladies
(Yes, Laura and I are wearing the same shirt - how ironic!)

A much needed night out with the hubby

Mango and soon-to-be Mango in September!

Fun group. Great night.

Rockin' out

We came home to two very tired grandparents - I think little man wore them out! Cruzer woke up at that point so we were able to see him before he went to bed and he was loving just lounging on his Nanu while all of us were catching up on our night. He ended up waking up again at 3am (not good for my mini-hangover) and yet again at 5am. He really didn't want his mama to get her much needed shut eye!

It's nights like these when I'm thankful we live so close to family and have such an amazing group of friends.  We are very, very blessed.

Info About Me: 411

One of my favorite reads comes from From Mrs. To Mama and Becky has set up some great questions...as if you don't know enough about me!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I started 16 months ago and haven't looked back.  One fateful event that started me off....these little pastel tests.

Most amazing day of my life....

Fast forward to today and now I've got this...

...until the day I had him. And every day since then tops the last.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
Can't spell drunk without UNK!! Yep...I just said that. I spent four years of my life at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and loved every minute of it. It's where I met some of the most amazing people and met the most amazing man, my hubby.

3. Where have you traveled?
Many states in the U.S., Mexico City, Mazatlan, Merida, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Isla Mujeres. Yep, that's only Mexico, BUT I absolutely love to travel and will eventually make it EVERYWHERE. First stop: Europe, most specifically Italy.

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
Depends on how much...but more than likely a new house. I want little man to have all the space in the world to grow and live and play. A close second would be to donate some bucks to a cause near and dear to my heart - Angels Among Us. And then travel, travel and more travel with everyone I love most.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
1) Mean people - it isn't hard to be nice
2) Talking on your phone in line at the grocery store
3) Using the kid-friendly stall in the bathroom, when EVERY other stall is open, and you DON'T have a kid

6. What is your favorite movie?I'm going to add an (s) to that:  Breakfast at Tiffany's and Now & Then.  Favorite.Movies.Ever.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?Vino by far is my first choice, but also enjoy a frosty Corona Light or a Ketel One Club Soda w/ a lime. I don't discriminate.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?A nice long run around the lake, read a book (I miiiiisss reading...), shopping. I love doing things by myself, and while it doesn't happen often, I relish it when I have the chance. However, I love my new shopping and running buddy.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?Victoria's Secret online...not in the stores, a girl only needs so many panties and bras. No, I'm talking about the online clothing store. I could get lost there forever!

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.I had nightmares about childbirth and what would happen when I was knee deep in the middle of labor...I had AWFUL nightmares about this and everything that could possibly happen while I was pushing and pushing and squeezing and you know the rest...fortunately, the epidural and just the fact that you are giving birth to a human makes you forget about anything embarrassing. And to this day, I don't actually know what happened. :)

11. What day would you love to relive again?I know it sounds cliche but I would love to relive my wedding day again. I really feel that I can't remember all of the details and after getting the video and pics back I felt I missed so many things...most importantly the Michael Jackson dance off between the hubby and his brothers!

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?I have always loved Jennifer Aniston...I think she could portray me perfectly. 

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?Waldbaum's (chicken factory) - my sis & I begged dad not to make us work there in high school
Maurice's - yep, schlupping clothing to all of my girlfriends
First National Bankcard - telemarketing in Wayne
Kirby Vacuums - my first college job setting up carpet cleaning appointments
Solar Eclipse Tanning Salon
O'Mally's Bar - bartender
Kearney Country Club - beer cart girl
New York Knicks - sponsorships/partnerships and game night staff
Executive Casino Host - where it all began with Harrah's Entertainment

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.(I don't think my computer's storage goes back that far...)

The hubs and I - first pic ever. And I'm talking the year 2000. Love him.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?The hubby and I have been talking about Bali for so long...(no, it wasn't the luxurious trip the Kardashians took there that got me excited)


16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you. 

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
The hubby, Cruzer and myself...caring for Little Mango #2. I hope the hubby and I are doing something we love, living in a new house and having enjoyed many days of travel. I can't wait to see what our family will look like in five years....I just don't want to speed it along too fast.

My Baby Boy: Thirty-Five Weeks

Happy 35 weeks, Little Mango!!

Could not get a smile from this little guy!

Newsworthy

I really hate watching the news.

No, I'm not opposed to learning about the word we live in...it's just that the news is so darn sad and upsetting that it often makes it hard to watch. However, in light of the verdict in the Jerry Sandusky case recently as well as the updated news regarding Joe Paterno's role in the case, it actually brings me to a happy place.

Yes, I'm extremely happy that Sandusky is guilty, but that's not the happy place I'm referring to.

The Sandusky scandal was brought to light in November 2011...and everything about the case and that man sickens me and it makes me furious as to what he got away with for so long. However, what makes me happy took place on Saturday, November 12th.

It was the day the Nebraska Cornhuskers played Penn State. The hubby and I were home watching football that day - I was upstairs making game day snacks and he was in the basement watching three or four college football games at a time, if I had to guess. I was flipping between the Hawkeye game and the Nebraska/Penn State game when right before kick-off all members from both teams were out in the middle of the field on bended knee saying a prayer. The entire Penn State community had had a very rough week. People were warning Cornhusker fans not to attend the game, but if they did not to wear red...but they came anyway.  To see Nebraska take such a high road and grieve with the Penn State team members says a lot about the university, it's students and the state of Nebraska. I was immediately overcome by tears and proud of the state we live in.

This picture makes me tear up almost immediately.
Very touching with all of the players mixed together

A few short hours after witnessing this touching moment, my water broke. I waddled down to tell the hubby that I needed to interrupt his football watching. We packed ourselves up and headed to the hospital where 10 short hours later our baby boy was born.

Our Little Guy: Eight Months Old

Happy 8 months, Little Mango!!

What has Cruz been up to?

• Big News: Cruz has had a VERY busy month. First, he has taken on a love for a little mouse, called Mickey and is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I know, I know...I shouldn't be starting him on TV...blah, blah, blah. But as he's been sick, sometimes it's the only thing that gets us through a breathing treatment...so don't judge! Little man has also had a busy month full of baseball with the College World Series in town - we hit up a game and spent a day in the hospitality tents around the stadium...we also got him his first baseball hat. Then he had five whole days with grandma Carol while we were on Carly's birthday trip to Vegas and in Denver celebrating two great friends' wedding. He loved his time with her and always has a great time when he's with his grandparents and family. In swimming news, Cruz is a little fish and has taken to the water (and his swimming lessons) so well. This month he has been going completely under the water with no problems!

See...this is the face he makes EVERY time Mickey is on TV...

...proof that I'm not lying. When Mickey's on, no one else matters!

Baseball with Kirk (love his little smile & backwards hat in this one!)

First baseball game with mommy & daddy

• Eating: what can I say...this boy loves to eat. He is still on 6oz of formula every 3-4 hours and he will make sure we know when it's time if he doesn't already have a bottle shoved into his mouth. He is also eating pureed fruit in the morning and veggies/meal concoctions in the afternoon and again in the evening. He is a hearty eater, too. Little man also showed his sweet tooth this month when he had ice cream for the first time. He LOVED it (who can blame him). The first was at the College World Series when Nanu shared some of his chocolate/vanilla cone...and then he had a little bit when he was sick to cool down his throat. 

Loves him some ice cream!

• Sleeping: we are blessed to have a great sleeper on our hands. He goes to bed relatively well (only a few nights here and there where he is VERY fussy), usually around 8pm-9pm each night. He is a great napper, his favorite place being in his car seat...gets him every time. The only time he gets up in the middle of the night is when he is sick...and hopefully he will be getting over that junk soon.

• Developments:  After his June cranial scan, we found out that he has had some (albeit small) improvement and his melon is now at 4mm asymmetry (8 1/2mm improvement overall), which means we need to see it get down to 2mm or less and we will graduate from his helmet!  He has started standing on his legs much better (we still have to help him get up there) and hangs onto the couch while standing for many minutes. He really wants to crawl, but cannot figure out how to make it all work. He side crawls and rolls all over the place, though! He weighs about 21lbs 15oz after his most recent trip to the doctor and has to have moved up in all percentiles...he is a BIG boy. Everyone always comment they think he's older than he really is based on his size.  He has started giving high fives and clapping (somewhat inconsistently) and we are really working on waving as well as talking - "da-da" "ball" and "ma-ma" - in that order. :) Right now he's content with squealing and saying "bah." He is sticking EVERYTHING into his mouth and has also started this awesome game of throwing every toy, sippy cup, anything in his hands over the side of the stroller, car seat...you name it...then you give it back and over the side it goes again. :)

Shopping with mama

• Features: I swear it seemed like overnight one night this past month and he became his daddy's mini-me. He looks so much like Nick, it's crazy...and I love it. He's got his daddy's big blue eyes and facial features. His hair has really started growing and now creates these really cute bangs that hang out over the top of his helmet! He's still our rolly polly little man and has the thickest little thighs and small arm rolls. They are so squeezable and cuddly!

Love celebrating every month with you, buddy!! Happy 8 months of life!

That owl didn't stand a chance!

My Baby Boy: Thirty-Four Weeks

Happy 34 weeks, Cruzer!!

Of course he wiped his hand through the chalk before I got a good pic :)

My Baby Boy: Thirty-Three Weeks (1 Week Late)

Whelp...I did take this pic of him when we got home Monday, BUT evidently I was too lazy to post it last week. Here is little man's "Happy 33 Week" post!

I have to post the trail of pics...his new thing has been messing with this chalkboard so I can hardly get one good shot before he's got his hands through the chalk and the board in his lap!

Look at the chalk on his little fingers

So proud of himself

Tired of playing and resting on his owl

It's Great To Be Home

The hubby and I just returned from five long days away from little man and it is so great to be home! I cannot believe how much I missed this little guy and happy to have some time to spend with him last night before bedtime. Fortunately grandma had his helmet off by the time we got home so we could get in and close for some good snuggles!

Cruz and his new Mickey Mouse 

Chilling with his mommy & Mickey this morning getting ready 

And as much as we missed little man, we had a great family trip to Vegas and enjoyed a beautiful wedding in Colorado. More to come with a later blog post on that...