It’s been a rough week.

On Tuesday morning Leo woke up sounding like he was starting to get a cold. No runny nose or sneezing, just congested breathing and a rough cough. At 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning we ended up in the emergency room concerned with his breathing and the barking that he was doing. The doctor gave him a steroids shot and then sent us on our way.

On Friday afternoon, Leo’s conditions returned, he was breathing faster than normal and really having to work hard to breathe in. I picked him up early from the babysitter’s house and took him straight to the quick-care clinic near our house. The doctor on call recommended that we get him to the ER and then admit him in to the hospital overnight. So we headed over to the ER again where they started an IV, did some blood work, gave him several rounds of steroids and breathing treatments and took X-rays of his throat and chest. With the tests they were able to determine that Leo’s epiglottis was swollen, causing his breathing to be strained even more than just the croup conditions.

Leo was admitted into the hospital to stay Friday night so the nurses could continue to monitor him and administer treatments. Luckily Leo really responded well to the breathing treatment and additional steroids that they gave him in his room, and he was dismissed Saturday at noon.

Here’s some photos of Leo’s ER and hospital visit:

We’re 36 hours removed our first visit to the ER, and Leo seems to be on the mend. You can tell he’s still not feeling well, because he’s not really interested in the active playtime activities that he usually enjoys, and he still doesn’t have an appetite. We’ve taken advantage of the downtime by reading more books, spending more time on the floor playing with his stacking cups and shapes bucket. It’s been fun watching him discover how things can fit together and come back apart.

Here’s a 2-minute video of Leo getting his first shapes through the bucket lid, with a little help from Brandon.

Leo had been shuffling between the couch and recliner for a few days, but one evening he pulled up in the middle of the room and started walking. Luckily enough, I had the camera! You can hear my excitement and Brandon cheering for KU (and Leo) in the background.

Ten years ago I was celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Love residence in Lebo, Kansas. Of course, by celebrate, I mean stay up until midnight with several of my classmates ringing in our New Year (without any alcohol, of course, since we had 6 a.m. basketball practice the next day). This was our year, the one that would see us each graduate from Lebo High School and strike out into the world on our own.

It’s amazing to believe that it’s only been 10 short years. So much has taken place since then, so many things that have played a big part in my life. Since today is the last day of the decade, it feels appropriate to acknowledge the top 10 moments that have taken place (in chronological order):

May 1999 – Graduated from Lebo High School as salutatorian of my class.

August 1999 – Played a year of collegiate volleyball at Cowley County in Arkansas City, Kansas.

December 2000 – Met Brandon Sheley, a friend of one of my best friends, Jason Carpenter.

September 2001 – Moved to Topeka, Kansas.

October 2002 – Married Brandon Sheley on a beach in St. Lucia.

August 2004 – Had my first solo art show at New City Cafe, and experienced my first sale.

December 2004 – Graduated from Washburn University with a B.A. in Studio Art and a Minor in Women’s Studies.

August 2005 – Started working at jones huyett Partners.

September 2008 – Moved into our house on Tutbury Town.

March 2009 – Had my son, Leo Mason, at The Birth & Women’s Center.

Leo, my little baller:

Some other good shots:

The photo shoot experience was much better this time, and I attribute it all to better planning! Leo’s nap and feeding were perfectly timed to make him super-happy and smiley!

Click here to see the other photos that I uploaded to Facebook.

Leo’s become quite a rolley-polley lately. He’s rolling from tummy-to-back and from back-to-tummy, and sometimes he just stops mid-roll and hangs out with one hip up in the air. He’s become friends with Jerry, a giraffe he got from Great-Grandma Siver. It’s a beenie baby that is perfectly sized for Leo to grab. He really likes hugging him and chewing on his horns/ears.

Over the last month Leo has grown a lot and has started to take an interest in playing with toys. And dad. Here’s some photos:

Playing with his rattle.

Playing with daddy and his chains.

Playing in his new Jumperoo.

Hanging with dad and checking out “Zippy” the Zebra.

Starting the teething process – lots of drool and He’s trying to put everything he gets a hold of in his mouth.

Can’t believe I brought my little guy home two months ago today. He’s already grown so much!

No professional 2-month photos, just this quick pic I snapped this morning with Leo wearing his baseball outfit.

He was such a happy little guy, playing in his bouncy. He’s gotten to the point where he enjoys the play arch that attaches to the front of the bouncy. He’s starting to realize the cause-and-effect that if he hits the hanging toys that he can make the waterfall light up and play music.

Eight weeks and one day ago I became a mother. It feels like just yesterday, yet, seems so long ago, all at the same time. I’ve learned so much, felt so much, been so happy and been so tired… and all along I’ve been so proud of my little man and my family. He’s growing, and we’re growing. And every day our bond becomes stronger. During this time of growth, I’ve learned a few lessons along the way:

1. Diapers – You get what you pay for. We’ve tried lots of different brands, and we’ve came to one conclusion, Huggies are the only way to go for our little Leo. The kid is a poop & pee machine, and the other diapers just can’t seem to contain it. Pee leaks out the top, poop shoots out the back and the other miscellaneous forms squish out around the legs. For what we save by going with the cheaper diapers, I spend in stain stick. But good old Huggies seem to do the trick, at least more times than not.

2. Clothes – Between hand-me-downs and garage sales, it’s possible to get an entire season wardrobe for less than $20. Although there are some cute things in the stores, we’ve never really had to buy them. We’ve been fortunate enough to get some awesome stuff through garage sales, consignment sales and hand-me-downs. And of course, there’s all the fantastic gifts from the grandmas, great grandma and our friends.

3. Advice – You get good advice and bad. I’ve learned to smile graciously and accept it, and then I follow my mother’s instinct. Sometimes the advice is really useful and opens you up to a whole new set of possibilities, other times, not so much. I’ve followed my gut and so far everything’s turned out just fine.

4. Happiness – It’s different for everyone. As much as I love Leo, for me to be truly happy, I have to go to work. I enjoy the challenges and opportunities my job provides me, and know that I’m a better mom for it. I know Leo is able to tell when Brandon or I are stressed out, and the best way for me to de-stress is to get out of the house and go to work. My co-workers at jones huyett Partners are my friends and my extended family. They are a great support system and I need them in my life.

5. Childcare – Stay at home dads rock! Brandon’s great with Leo. He makes it easy for me to return to work, because I know that Leo’s in good hands. He’s everything I was expecting he’d be as a father and then some. And even though there are hard days, I know that there are very few people that I’d trust my child with as much as I trust Brandon. As always, he’s my perfect balance and helps make this family work.