Spiders for a midnight snack

I'll post this weekend all the pictures and videos we've taken this week. For now I'll just fill you in on whats been going on. Last week was refreshing and relaxing. There was a dramatic decline of noises due to an out-of-town trip that lasted 6 days, and 5 nights. I was able to regain my sanity, composure and reduce stress. Unfortunately Franklin and myself caught colds.

Stephen was great in being able to watch Franklin, who didn't seem to need the extra sleep from being sick, while I got in a nap or two. With Stephens help, especially over the weekend, I was able to more quickly get over this cold. There is still a little left over with Franklin, and some irritations of the throat with me, but overall, we are back to healthy. Friday I took Franklin in for his 18 month appointment, as well as had the doctor check on his cold. Franklin is 26 1/2 lbs. (54% for his age) and 34 inches (91% for his age). He did lose a little weight due to running around and not as interested in eating solids (due to teething and his cold) but I'm so excited to know he's definitely going to be taller than us!! He'll be able to keep up with Greta's and Heidi's kids!!

Franklin hasn't seemed to affected by his illness except for when naptime approaches he must be in bed. He has had high energy, and Stephen and I have been trying to come up with activities for him when it wasn't good for 2 sick people to be outside. Over the weekend Stephen was itching for a project since I made him stay home. So he got some scrap wood together and made a temporary eisle for Franklin. We taped some card stock to it, and let him go to town with his markers. He'd get so excited, he wanted to move on. Our only rule is that the markers stay with the eisle. He doesn't like that rule.

One evening we set up a fortress in the living room. The cats had a lot of fun with that too. Franklin was a little more sick that night, so when he got really worked up, he started coughing a lot. We had to call it quits before he wanted to. But he definitely had fun while it lasted.

The next night we did finger painting. He wasn't too sure about it, and in a way, still isn't. He wanted daddy to do more painting, and just copy him, rather than do it himself. Stephen painted his whole hand to do a hand print, and that upset him for a short while. I guess it was too much at the moment. We'll try finger painting again when we get some water colors. We did it with acrylic, and of course he had to taste it. Obviously he didn't like the taste, and sure made a funny face.

Stephen blew up an air mattress but not all the way full. We were able to bounce, and toss Franklin on it. He had the most fun with this activity. We even tried to bounce Rizzo, but he was just too light. However he did stay on it while we bounced Franklin. I tell you, that cat is most definitely one of a kind! He had to be in on every activity we do, and every room we are in. Since the air mattress was such a success, but Stephen didn't want to get it out again, I convinced him to bring in the twim mattress from the nursery. Franklin expected it to have the same effect, but even though he didn't bounce as high, he still had fun. And Rizzo was right there too.

Yes, I was going to get to the title of my blog. We have relished in the fact that we don't have many insects up here; no scorpions, and you never see a cockroach, and the mosquitos, though the locals complain how many there are, its nothing like the population in AZ. The one thing we have plenty of is spiders. There is one kind that we have down here all the time. In the first few months the cats liked to chase, capture, and kill, till they both were bit back. Now they pounce, and play, but not always eat them.

Monday morning I woke up with a slightly puffy lip, and 2 unusual red spots; one next to my nose, and the other next to my mouth. Originally thought it was acne, except for what was on my lip, till the next day. My lip was more puffy that you could actually notice it, and it started to sting. The red spot next to my mouth was bigger, and also started to hurt. Just blamed it on messing with it at first. Then the 3rd day I noticed that each red spot had two little marks and began researching the web about insect bites. I realized I had been bitten in 3 different spots; the trail leading to my mouth. In my sleep I must have sought my revenge because the last bite is on the inside of my lip. Yes, gross!! Now I seek revenge on every spider I see before it has the chance to get fresh with me. (no, my revenge doesn't involve eating them, it was just the one, and I was asleep)