Hand, Foot, and Mouth

It sort of sounds like hook, line, and sinker. Like someone has really got you caught by the hand, foot, AND mouth. Unfortunately for my kids, H,F&M is going around up here and they got it. The girls had it in a lesser form--a fever and then a few dots. Gilbert, being his gung-ho self got it in spades. He is spotted. His face looks like a teenager with acne. The kind of acne you beg your child's doctor to DO something about. And he is/was miserable. All the spots have sprung up with blisters. And blisters in your mouth, on your face, you hands, your arms, your legs, your knees, your bum, and even the bottom of your feet are not fun. Particularly for thumb suckers. I guess this virus is closely related to chicken pox, something you only get once--generally only little kids are able to get it. So I could cuddle him without worrying I would splash out in blisters. Orianna, despite having it herself has to be reassured every morning that if she touches Gilbert she "will not get it." Orianna is back in school this morning and hopefully all the spots will be gone by the end of this week or next. Needless to say, we didn't do family pictures on Mother's Day.

Spots or no spots, we were still able to have a pretty nice time this weekend. Due mostly to tylenol, which allowed Gilbert to walk with blisters on his feet and to actually sleep at night. Hooray! Ice cream and milk also let Gilbert eat, which was one of the reasons life was so hard for him on Thursday. Apparently having a mouth covered in sores makes eating anything not creamy a bad idea. We slathered him in anti-itch cream, then layered him up in soft, thick tights (hey! Apparently I don't have many soft pants for him and jeans were a real downer on the leg blisters.), pants, socks, shoes and a long sleeved shirt. Thankfully it is still pretty cool here, so layers are fine.

On the subject of spots, the kids have loved this book. And again, I did indeed steal this image from Amazon.

It is very rhyme-y with retro illustrations ,ice cream, and get well visits from lots of fairy tale people. It might be the best kids book about chicken pox. Is there another kids book on chicken pox? I don't know it if there is. But seriously, this is a fun book.

Back to our spotty good time this weekend. I just finished uploading the pictures and am embarrassed by how many there are. I am truly sorry. I love them all, so I am just going to put them up here.

This was actually from early this week--one of the three days she stayed home. At this point, it was just a random fever with no other symptoms. We had to go until Gilbert wouldn't eat anything Thursday until I thought of hand, foot, and mouth. Actually I thought of hoof and mouth. But that is the animal version.

Not sure why being directly in front of the front door was the place to be, but it was. 

Lily with her pencils all "T-ed" 

Orianna and Gilbert following Daddy around while he mowed the lawn.

Gilbert on Friday. This was after not eating all Thursday and waking up every few minutes Thursday night. He was not his usual chipper self.

Picnic at Malone Rec Park. Yes, I did just get food from McDonalds. This is what picnics look like when you didn't sleep the night before. Justin was supposed to be going to work on Friday, so I slept on a mattress on the floor by Gilbert's bed trying to comfort him back to sleep every few minutes. And comfort Lily who had such itchy feet! But then, in the morning, I was completely incapable of rational thought and I had a Non-stress test and had to take the kids to their doctors to confirm hand, foot, and mouth. So Justin, thanks to his flexible boss, took the day off. We had an hour to kill between my doctors and Gilbert's, so this is how we spent it. It was really nice! We don't do this sort of thing often enough.

Jungle gym

The swimming area

Foothills of the Adirondacks

At the top, pleased as punch

Fancy, new two seater see-saw

The Rec Park

Typical I love so and so graffiti

Lily on the climbing truck

Merry-go-round. 

Love Orianna's face! 

Orianna was the strong big sister who kept the kids from falling off

Gilbert and his bunny. Justin doesn't worry about finding co-ordinates for the jammies. 

His hand on Saturday. 

Cody covering the beam for Mother's Day, 8 years after it was built.

Ashley painting the kitchen and ceiling. Mom and Dad went down to Pennsylvania to visit my great aunt for Mother's Day, so we all had free rein of the house. I didn't do much. Ashley and Fiona painted, Cody and Owen did the beam, Justin fixed the kitchen ceiling and helped paint in the living room and Tyler Parent even pitched in and did a bit. 

The girls were very impressed with Ashley standing on chairs and painting.

Painting a strip around the top of the living room. I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but it is really neat. A bright-ish lime green with white stripes. And you can sort of see the finished beam here. I didn't get great pictures of the finished products. 

But it looks nice.

The living room was in major disarray. But it was all ship shape by Saturday night! 

Owen got a new Bantam rooster. And some hens. They are little still, so the kids loved picking them up and carrying them around. 

Watching kids and chicks

Lily's new long dress

Penny was on the alert the whole time the chicks were wandering about.

Trying to see the chick that ran under the truck for safe haven away from kids

Gilbert in the hay field. More of a dandelion field right now. 

Leaning on Coyote watching his sisters and Fiona and Ashley walk up

Owen just put his sheep in the back pasture, so to protect them, he bought another llama. We all had to go see it. 

Owen and Gilbert are pals

And the girls love Ashley and Fiona. 

Sometimes I just think about how much love my kids are surrounded with and I am so thankful. What lucky little kids to have so many people to love and so many people to love them. 

Watching what the new llama does to the dogs. Not much. This llama was of the wait and watch carefully to see what happens. A nice change from the charge and spit at anything that isn't a sheep llama of last year. 

Owen thought Gilbert should drive on the way home. He mostly honked the horn.

Happy, spotted boy on a tractor! 

His blistery hands. They just look so painful....

Our summer salads to be

Peas

A rouge rooster who has no one to love him

He was feeling a little defensive

And then decided to stride, purposefully, off.

Cody, trying to get his truck ready for his leave taking this week.

Orianna picked dandelions so Fiona could make her a dandelion crown

Ashley made a dandelion chain for Lily

The new proud owner of a dandelion crown

And Lily

The little pixie

Toothless girl

"Helping" Fiona practice her drum final thing

Discussing pretzels with Coyote-George

Lily uses Ashley as her personal recliner as Ashley said! 

Girls on tractors. Should be the title of a country song.