In sickness and in health

So Mudgie most definitely contracted hand, foot, and mouth disease, and the poor little guy spent Monday and Tuesday with a high fever and pretty miserable. Fortunately, by Wednesday he was feeling better, but his rash was in full bloom, so he couldn't yet return to daycare. Unfortunately, on that same day Daddy came down with his own case of the disease! My poor boys made quite a pair! The only good part was that Dave brought home some robot stuff so he could work from home, and Mudgie thought it was just the coolest toy ever!

By the weekend everyone was feeling well enough to enjoy a Memorial Day BBQ at the Daniel's house. Mudgie got to see lots of his Weatherwax family, and had a really good time with Brandon, his 6-year-old cousin. Mudgie loves watching (and mimicking) older boys.

This weekend was a lot of fun as well. On Friday afternoon we finally got Mudgie excited about the big pool. We've been watching Daddy jump off the diving board and go under water for a couple weeks now, but Mudgie wouldn't venture in beyond his feet. I finally coaxed him to let me carry him around the shallow end, and then "tricked" him by slowing immersing him more and more. Once we got him to kick his feet and "swim" with us, he was totally into it. Next came jumping (or leaning) off the stairs or the side of the pool into our arms. By the end of the evening he was loving it all and didn't want to get out!

On Saturday, Mudgie and I went to Temple with his friend Talia and her mom. I was impressed with how well behaved Mudgie was for most of the service. It was only for the last 10-15 minutes that he decided he had to run around the room. He was so quiet and content doing so that it was actually less disruptive to allow him to continue than to try to keep him seated! Fortunately, it was a children's service (called "Tot Shabbat") so his behavior was tolerated pretty well by the other attendees. It is so much fun to watch him interact with Talia. When I watch him play with other kids, it often seems like they are each playing their own game and merely tolerating each other, but with Talia they both really seem to enjoy each others company. I hope they stay friends for a long time.

Later that day Mudgie got a haircut. I've stopped mentioning them on the blog because he gets one about once a month, and it is always the same. Happy Mudgie enters the salon, and he loves to play with the trains. However, when it comes time to actually cut his hair, all hell breaks loose, and I have to hold him in my lap and physically restrain him while he screams at the top of his lungs (think "level 5"). This time was different. Mudgie sat quietly on my lap when they turned on the buzzer. He reluctantly, though silently, allowed the woman to do everything she had to. The only time he cried was when she turned on the blow dryer to blow off the little hair bits so she could make sure she got everything. I was SO proud of Mudgie, and he was very pleased with the "special treat" (aka lollipop) he got for being such a good boy.

Sunday was Daddy's birthday. Mudgie liked helping Daddy blow out the candles on his birthday cake, but even more than that he liked helping Daddy eat his birthday cake. That little boy has one heck of a sweet tooth (not that I can blame him)! He even wished his Daddy a "Happy Day."

Mudgie is rapidly approaching 2 years old, and for the most part, he is all little boy now. He's talking in full sentences, though they are not usually grammatically correct, and really lets us know what he wants and how he feels. However, he is also still my cuddly baby boy, and he still loves to snuggle with me (and with my belly). He is so affectionate it melts my heart, and that's just fine with me!