Friends and Fevers

My friend since middle school, Francine, came to visit me and meet Caden this past weekend. She came Thursday and we hung out all day. Once Justin came home we went out to eat at Carrabba's, a very nice Italian place. The waiter had eyes only for Francine, which we thought was funny but also rude. The food was really good, but Justin and I are still searching for a new favorite Italian restaurant. All our old favorites have been disappointing us recently.

Aunty Francine and Caden

Friday Francine and I went running with Caden. She thought she wasn't going to be able to keep up. Instead, she pushed me to my best average pace, not only since I started running again in over a year but also when I was running all the time before I got pregnant (granted, this was a shorter distance than I ran at that time).

Next was my favorite activity: thrift store shopping! Francine's good-luck-charm effect on me continued: I found a ton of Agatha Christie books and on sale! I got two that I'd been looking for for a long time and another one I liked--for 50 cents each! I also found 50 thank-you cards for $4 and Old Navy yoga capris for $2. I haven't had success like that in a long time. Excited, I decided to try my luck at Ross. I didn't find any dresses that fit perfectly. One came close, but was a little short, and even so, wasn't nursing friendly. Funny how much a baby affects your life! I did find running pants in the petite size (no hemming necessary!) for $8. I just tried them out this morning and love them. They're lightweight and comfortable and fit perfectly. My old running pants were too thick--which was nice for winter in Utah but not anywhere else--and too long, slid down my hips all the time, and had holes. Besides, I'd had them since high school, maybe middle school, so it was about time they were retired.

That night I cooked dinner--Parmesan chicken and rice pilaf, Justin's favorite--and we watched Secretariat. Cute movie. Saturday I made pancakes for breakfast. Francine joked that she felt like she was getting 5-star treatment with me cooking her three meals a day. I enjoy cooking and hosting!

We worked on Caden's room, sorting through clothes and toys to pass along. Caden has so much stuff! Then we took a walk since the weather was so beautiful. I love how quiet our neighborhood is. I only wish they would fix the bumpy, cracked, potholed roads.

Saturday night was stressful. Caden woke up with a terrible fever and didn't want to nurse, a first. A few weeks ago he had a high fever and we took him to the ER. They found nothing wrong with him and let him go home after a huge dose of baby Tylenol since he was still eating, was hydrated, and was otherwise acting normal. This situation was similar, so I wanted to wait before taking him in. I gave him fever reducer medicine and rocked him back to sleep. In a few hours he awoke hungry and no longer feverish, fell back asleep for a few more hours, and woke up at 6:30. I wasn't prepared for him to stay home from church, so he came just to sacrament meeting, I fed him, and Justin took him home.


Francine helped me with Nursery stuff the second hour and then we went to Relief Society, my first time in that ward since I moved in 2 years ago. It was a special, and very corny, meeting about visiting teaching. I went visiting teaching after church, accompanied by Francine and Caden. By the time we got home after 3, I was starving, so we had dinner early. Justin had prepared his famous butter yaki, a family recipe of butter-fried vegetables and meat dipped in a soy-based sauce. It was very delicious and enjoyable since Caden was napping. We ended the day with Kung Fu Panda and brownies. Francine left early Monday morning.



Playing with Caden on the potty



It was fun having her here and introducing her to Caden. She was great with him. He especially loved playing peek-a-boo with her and hearing new songs. Unfortunately, he is still sick. His fever comes and goes and he is very congested and has a horrible cough. We're taking him to the doctor this afternoon. I hope it's nothing serious!