This is Stewart in February of 2004

This is Parker, same age

Parker sleeping

Stewart's classroom the afternoon i brought Lenny for Show and Tell.  (This is not his teacher, she was out sick.)

Stewart trying to be mommy's big helper.

These are pics of Parker at the "Farm school."  The two girls in the pic above love holding him.  They are in Stewart's room and they love to hold him and help put his coat on.  It's sweet.

Stewart is the BEST big brother!

Can you see my little teeth!

You can see his bruised brow bone and his cheeks are pink from his fever.

Parker's First Bus Ride

Bill standing around, waiting for his race to start, talking to his DC RoadRunner friends (DCRoadrunners.org)

Mr. Kevin and Mr. Stewart having a hotdog snack. 

I think this is the 3rd lap around (3 of 6)

Crusing into the finish!

More small talk with his runner friends - can you see how long this line is?  it wrapped around this driveway - it is the line for the bus back to the parking lot!

It all started back in November.  Someone brought home the first bit of crud and we have been passing it around ever since.  last week it was Bill's turn.  The week before that, it was mine.  The week before that it was Parker. . . 

This weekend was a regular weekend - we didn't do anything special or anything out of the ordinary.  Saturday night Parker was really really hot, so i took his temperature and he had 102.5.  Dosed him up with some Tylenol, he refused dinner (AGAIN) and he fussed and flopped all night.  Sunday, he didn't have a temperature but he was really really fussy.  I assumed it was his teeth - the teeth on each side of his front middle teeth are coming in.  He's drooling like madman and he's gnawing on everything. 

Kindergarten was out on monday for President's day and Bill and I were going to go see a movie and grab some lunch while the kids went to daycare.  While I was at the gym i decided I didn't feel like rushing home, rushing through a shower, to rush through lunch so we could sit down and watch a movie.  So we stayed home.  We laid in bed ALL DAY and watched Dr. Who episodes from season 2 and season 3 on netflix.  We got some sandwiches from Panera Bread, climbed back into bed and watched more Dr. Who.  Dorky huh!?  I loved it.  The house was quiet.  I wasn't on alert for crying kids.  It was relaxing.  

My cell phone rang at 4:00 and I immediately reached for it - i knew it was the daycare calling about Parker.  Mother's intuition or something.  He woke up from his nap with a 102.4.

This morning, Stewart woke up with a 102.6 - so i took the boys to the dr this morning.  We got there at 7:45 and we didn't leave until 9:05.  PLUS i had to drop off Parker's prescription at the pharmacy, swing by my office to get my laptop so I could work from home, go back by the pharmacy to get his prescription and a variety of soup and cough drops for my own ailing body.  We pulled into the driveway at 10am.  I felt bad for Stewart - dragging him around like that but I couldn't just drop him off at the house - He's only 5!

Parker has had 2 doses of his antibiotics and he seems a little better already.  Stewart peaked this afternoon and was running laps in our bedroom - but the night time kicked in and he was complaining of a headache again but no fever.  Parker surprisingly went to bed at 7:30.  Gave me and Stewart 30 minutes to cuddle and then I put him to bed. And now i'm laying here trying to stay awake so I can see my husband.  i'm not going to make it - he won't be home for another 2 hours and I'm barely awake.  My body is sore again.  my throat really hurts.  I have a nagging cough and I'm popping cough drops like they are peanut m&m's (my fav!)

I hate the days that i don't go to the gym.  I've worked so hard to make it part of my routine.  My body clock knows that I need to get up at 5:15 and I wake up.  I worry that these days I don't go because I'm sick are going to throw me off schedule.  I need to go to sleep.  I'm starting to over-analyze everything!

Genetic map of cold virus a step toward cure, scientists say

• Story Highlights
• Scientists map entire cold virus for first time
  
• Could be a step toward finding a cure, researchers say
  
• Colds result in direct and indirect costs of about $60 billion annually in the U.S.
  

(CNN) -- Researchers have solved the first step in treating the common cold, by mapping its entire genome, or genetic map, teams from the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported Thursday.

"We have the pieces all in place. They can't go in any other way. Now we have to understand what the pictures are telling us," said Dr. Stephen B. Liggett, professor of medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of its Cardiopulmonary Genomics Program.

The research was published in the online edition of the journal Science on Thursday afternoon.

Technically known as the human rhinovirus infection, the common cold is responsible for half of all asthma attacks and is a factor in bronchitis, sinusitis, middle-ear infections and pneumonia. The coughs, sneezes and sniffles of colds impose a major health care burden in the United States -- including visits to health care providers, cost of over-the-counter drugs for symptom relief, often-inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and missed work days -- with direct and indirect costs of about $60 billion annually. What how mapping the cold genome may lead to a cure »

"We generally think of colds as a nuisance, but they can be debilitating in the very young and in older individuals and can trigger asthma attacks at any age," Liggett said. "Also, recent studies indicate that early...infection in children can program their immune system to develop asthma by adolescence."

Finding a cure for the common cold has been elusive. That's because the rhinovirus is so complex. Made up of at least 99 different strains, it can infect different people with different symptoms. Visit CNNhealth.com, your connection for better living.

By mapping the genome of the common cold and assembling the results into a "family tree," scientists can see how the virus strains are related, as well as their differences. Liggett, who is also the study's senior author, says this is a breakthrough in solving the common cold puzzle because. "At least now we have an understanding of which virus one might have."

Now that the pieces are together, drug companies can work on developing new treatments that would either halt or prevent the cold virus before it begins to spread.

Researchers found that human rhinoviruses are organized into about 15 small groups. So the idea of one drug fits all probably won't work, Liggett says. "Our mindset right now is to consider more along the antiviral treatment, rather than vaccines, but always keep an open mind to the new technology of vaccine development."

Investigators are so optimistic with their findings that they predict the development of new drugs within the next two to five years, depending on Food and Drug Administration approval, which could mean one day soon, runny noses caused by colds may be a thing of the past.

All AboutCommon Cold

Alright - I'm changing the category name because some movies are good boosting energy and they allow enough of a distraction that 30 min of boring cardio on an elliptical goes by quickly.  These are only the movies that I can remember.  I am missing about 10 from January - but i'm not sure anyone actually cares.

Forrest Gump - One of my favorite movies but I have seen it too many times.  It's kindeve a slow paced, no-action movie.  It's all heart and story.

The Express - BORING CITY.

Fireproof - WORSE THAN BORING CITY.  VOMIT CITY.  This movie is about a man (career fireman) that i assume gets busted looking at pornography online by his wife.  THe story line is about how he tries to earn her respect and win her over again.  His dad gives him this list of 40 things to do in 40 days - to quote imdb.com "In an attempt to save his marriage, A firefighter uses a 40-day experiment known as "The Love Dare". "  It's corny and really cheesy.  Way too religious for me.  There was one scene where his father was trying to make a point to him about God and forgiveness and then the scene cuts from the man being frustrated sitting on a tree stump - to the father leaning up against a big wooden cross with the sun beaming behind him.  The acting was bad and i thought Kirk Cameron was either trying to do a really bad fake accent or he talks funny!

Tomb Raider - enough action, but it's a silly movie and I'm not a big Angelina Jolie fan.

Minority Report - action, Tom Cruise - not too bad.  But there was this one scene where they were giving him an eye transplant and I had to look away.  I'm not squeamish but there was something about they way they were prying open his eyelids to pull out his eyeballs that made me have to turn away.

Secondhand Lions - I don't really know what this movie was about.  It had Haley Joel Osmet, Michael Caine, and Robert Duvall.  I didn't quite understand the dynamic of Michael Caine and Robert Duvall and it kept flashing back to a story that was like the Princess Bride.  I guess I needed to see more than the 35

the Longshots - kinda cute, this is the movie about the young girl that plays quarterback for a school football team.  It's one of those predictable feel good movies.  Cute and it was entertaining enough because I haven't seen it.

City of Ember - I wanted to take Stewart to see this when it was at the theater, I thought it looked cute and entertaining.  The story was a little slow to take off.  I started it at the beginning and my 35 minutes ended before the movie hit its apex.  We rented it for Stewart and he liked it. 

The Secret Life of Bees - eh.  I'm not a big Dakota Fanning fan and despite her recent family tragedy, I can't stand Jennifer Hudson.  I'm not quite sure what this movie was about.  I wasn't paying a lot of attention.

Babylon A.D. - Lots of action.  But Vin Dissel is a bit much at 5:30am.  We did rent this movie later and it was ok.  It was all action and engergy and then it fizzled and sold out in the end.  It was pretty to look at and provided a good distraction.

the Notebook - I've never seen this movie - which may come as a surprise to some of you that know me cause you know I'm a big fat sucker for a love story.  I think I was turned off by this movie because of all the hype (like the DaVinci Code.)  Anyway, It seems like a predictable and sweet love story and I actually spent 45 grueling minutes on the elliptical watching the movie.  I've seen parts of it about 5 times and I've never seen the end. 

Today's movie is Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, tomorrow is Legally Blonde, Saturday is Madagascar 2, Sunday is Oceans 11, Mondays movie is really suckish Bring it On.  So Monday is going to be my rest day.  I am actually looking forward to my workouts because I like those movies.  I almost think i could go all through Oceans 11 - it's such a fast past movie, and I really like it.

So there it is, my boring post about movies that no one cares about!  :)  This helps me keep track of what I find motivating.

This is my newest category.  Every night i get home and I tell Bill that I watched "X" and it was good/bad entertainment for working out.

The problem could be that I am only seeing 30-40 minutes of each movie and some movies I have seen.  But seriously, there are movies that are no good for exercise.  I will list them in this category.