Swine Flu

So, it was announced today that the swine flu has infected a child in Collierville. This has really scared me - I am mostly afraid of the unknown...what is this flu? Is it more contagious than the regular flu? Can it kill healthy small children? Can it kill healthy adults? What do I need to know?

I've been reading up and haven't found reason major concern, but I also haven't found much peace. I know I don't want my family to get infected, but I don't want to quarantine myself and Parker to the house all day, everyday. Jon doesn't have a choice - he has to go to work, so his exposure risk is greater. At least he doesn't work with the general public, but there are a lot of people in his office and I doubt the building has the best air ventilation. :)

So, instead of living in fear I am going to do my best to combat this virus and continue to live a normal, but cautious life. We'll wash our hands more, cover the shopping carts/high chairs that Parker sits in, try to keep him from touching everything he sees (easier said than done), try to keep people from touching him...he's such a lovable kid that everyone wants to come say "hi" and ends up touching him - even complete strangers, and avoid hanging out in small, closed in spaces (like small restaurants, etc) until this outbreak is under control. I just hope it's quick!

Splish Splash

It was in the middle-80's yesterday so we took a splash in the pool.

10 Smiles Tuesday

I saw "10 Smile Tuesdays" on my friend, Jessie's blog and thought it was a very cute idea. So, I am borrowing it. Thanks for the inspiration, Jessie! This is a list of 10 things that made me smile during the past week...or in this case weeks.

1. Seeing Parker fall asleep in his stroller at the zoo.

2. Having Jon home in the evenings again - Stratas Foods is officially live. There's still a lot of work to do, but at least he gets to come home at a decent time now.

3. Moms'/Girls' night out. I was fortunate to have 2 of these nights out last week. It was great to get out with new friends and remember what it's like to socialize with adults.

4. Going to the many parks in the Memphis area. There are several great parks that P & me have visited recently. So far my favorite is Cameron Brown in Germantown. It has a great pond with a walking path around it where I can push P in his stroller and enjoy the outdoors.

5. Feeding P new foods. P loves to eat, but when he finds something new that he doesn't like he'll stick out his tongue with food on it and make a horrible face while shivering in disgust. It cracks me up!

6. Being back in Illinois for Easter. I loved seeing my family and friends.

7. Watching my baby boy turn 11 months old. I can't believe how time has flown by...and he'll be 1 year old next month!!!

8. Riding my bicycle with P on the back. Jon put a seat on the back of my bicycle and we got P a helmet so we can ride around the neighborhood and to the park.

9. Nap time - I love those few hours of each day where I can catch up on email, FB and update my blog.

10. Getting my neighbor's dogs to stop barking constantly when I'm outside. We put up an ultrasonic anti-bark device in our yard that seems to be working well to stop the barking. Now I can grill out and sit in my back yard without being barked at non-stop. I just hope its keeps working.

The last few weeks...

It's been awhile since my last post - sorry about that. P and me have been busy and I've neglected my blog.

Last week was a whirlwind. We had Jon's family here through the weekend then my grandparents stopped by on their way back up to Illinois from Florida. It was so great to see them. They took off in November and hadn't seen Parker in person since then. He had grown and changed so much. P fell in love with his great-grandpa Jack. He love great-grandma too, but there was something special about g-g'pa. I think it was the baldness they shared. :) G'ma and g'pa were only here one night then we all drove up to Illinois together. P & me went back to IL without Jon this time - he had to stay and work. :( We missed him very much - I especially missed him for the car ride. P was pretty bored in the car, but did a lot of sleeping and we sang a lot of kid's songs. I bought him a portable DVD player while we were in Decatur for the ride home. He really liked watching the movies.

We stayed in Illinois until Monday then headed back to TN. I stopped by ADM before heading back to say hello to my ex-coworkers. It was so great to see all them. It was hard to leave Illinois...I had that homesick feeling in my stomach for part of the drive home, but I was excited to see Jon and get back.

This week the weather has been great and we've been to the zoo, a park and ran several errands. I went out on my first mom's night out Tuesday night with a mom's group I have met in TN. It was very nice to get out of the house and have some adult conversation. I'm headed out again tomorrow night with some girlfriends for dinner and drinks. I've made some good friends here and really think I'm starting to settle in. I still miss my family like crazy, but it's easier when you have friends.

I'll try to do a better job updating my blog... :)