It Was The Best Of Times It Was The Worst Of Times. . .

Ok, this will be a longer update but it covers two entire weeks in Boston!
First of all, I'm still here as we have extended our stay through Monday evening. This was done possibly to try to have a few non pediatriacian calling days with the Francis family or perhaps because Jay asked us not to come home sick and expose him to it. Hmmmm.

Secondly, it has been so wonderful to be with Jenna, Shelby, Mia and Lennon! Jenna and Shelby are wonderful hosts and the kids are amazing. That being said let me tell you the kind of craziness the 3 adults have dealt with (and the kids have suffered) since I've been here. The week of the 10th Jackson was a little fussy b/c he was cutting his first tooth and recovering from an ear infection. Then on Friday morning Jackson came down with a very violent (actually explosive) stomach virus. Saturday morning Mia and Lennon started throwing up and it eventually ended with me having the lovely bug. So, Monday we thought we were safe. . .until we all got a flu like illness. Mia, Lennon and myself had fevers, and everyone felt achy and had chills and the sweats. Fun stuff. And most recently the kids have all had another round of ear infections. So, to reiterate there has been someone sick, crying, vomiting, having diarrhea, not sleeping, or just generally acting fussy every day for the last two weeks. I call it the disease of insanity primarily because Jenna and I are close to insane due to the lack of sleep or the abundance of bodily fluids from the children. Also, when will this sickness end???? At this point we have resolved to carry umbrellas so that when it rains frogs we won't be hit in the face.

While we were here Jackson cut his first tooth on Wednesday (3/12) and his second tooth Saturday (3/22). I will post a picture because he looks adorable! In addition, he discovered splashing and LOVES to splash and make a huge mess in the bath. And most fun of all he has stopped sleeping through the night. I'm hoping that is just a side effect of all of the illnesses and he'll resume his excellent sleeping as soon as we go home!

We also have has some really great times. We had an awesome slumber party after the baby boys went to bed and watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and painted our toe nails (Mia decided they needed to be red on the left foot and blue on the right). Jenna even made oreo milkshakes which Mia loved! And we went to see Horton Hears A Who and Mia wore her pajamas to the theatre. She is really just such an amazing 5 year old and hearing the funny things that she comes up with make my day. She's now using sarcasm correctly and it's hysterical. I'll have to make an entry with some of the cute things she has said soon.

Back to the chaos, another possible title for this week could have been "101 Reasons We Are Glad Jenna and Shelby Rent." This occurred when I realized that in a 48 hour period I had been puked on by all 3 children (multiple times) and then Jackson had been kind enough to use the bathroom on me more than once. We actually borrowed a carpet steam cleaner from Jessica and have used it on more than just the puke. I'm telling you, this is the most unforgettable trip ever. But on the bright side we have all really bonded (and Jenna and I talk on the phone about 30 hours a month so if I'm saying something has further bonded us you know we've been in the trenches) and had fun. The 3 adults just kept laughing as one kid after another would get sick (usually on us). And Shelby has been great about having his sister in law and nephew here for so long. Thanks guys for all of the fabulous meals and good laughs! When we leave on Monday we will really miss you all!